MEET CRISTINA
Thank you so much for stopping by and meeting the amazing women in my orbit. My name is Cristina Bernardo, and I am honored to be the founder of She Shines Worldwide and one of the co-founders of Open Dreams, our sister nonprofit. Celebrating and uplifting women leaders across the world is truly my life's passion and these programs are truly my dream come true.
As a Cuban American mother of four, I know first hand what it is like to battle through years of self doubt and harsh internal criticism. I realized far too late that much of this inner criticism was partially driven by the weight of cultural, familial, and and societal expectations. When tragedy struck and I lost my beloved daughter Aviva Lilia, my life changed forever. I realized that life was so short and precious and very unpredictable. We didn't have time to waste not loving ourselves or living a life without passion or purpose in what we do and who we surround ourselves with. I also learned I have some control over what I chose to believe about myself and my actions.
To survive, I had to tap into my own inner strength and wisdom to find what really matters to me and the mark I want to make on the world while I am still here. In freeing my own self from self criticism, I realized my own purpose:
To help free other women* leaders from self criticism and doubt,
help them find their true inner light and unite them across borders to celebrate and amplify their impact.
Through Open Dreams and my She Shine programs, I aim to help others step into their own inner strength and power to have the self confidence they need to make the changes they want to see in their lives and in their communities.
Why me? You can see my list of qualifications here, but sadly I know first hand how all of these accolades can mean little, if we haven't found the peace and wholeness inside ourselves to live a fully embodied, relaxed, and free life.
With each achievement, I thought I would finally feel better about myself. Sadly, that never happened. Achievements were never what I needed - what I needed was to recognize and nourish my own intrinsic value within myself. To find my light.
I have now made it my life mission to help others do the same.
I designed these programs with the love and guidance of my daughter, who I knowshines upon us all. With your support, a portion of all coaching proceeds will go to the Open Dream's Aviva Women in Science Fund, to support the advancement ofmaternal and child health in Cameroon.