We recently connected with Tiffany Bergin and have shared our conversation below.
Tiffany, so great to have you on the platform and excited to have you share your wisdom with our community today. Communication skills often play a powerful role in our ability to be effective and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your communication skills.
I feel that communication comes from connections. From a very young age people told me their problems, and they came to me for help. I listened, empathized, and often offered perspective. I am very sensitive to the behaviors and situations around me, I feel things deeply and am perceptive of subtleties. I have spent many years learning to be a better listener so that I can truly understand where someone is coming from, and how they feel. I took on many helpful roles, assistive roles, and directive roles in my relationships and career choices, all of which helped me hone my skills of communication. When we can understand where someone else is coming from and be discerning in what we say and how we say it, we are effectively communicating, not just dictating. I believe that effective communication is rarely shared between people. It takes a lot of work to leave the barriers within oneself, to step away from our story, our patterns, etc. Yet, when you can shed those layers and communicate from your heart you will be effective because you will hopefully touch someone else’s heart in the process. When we foster deep relationships we help one another, we learn together, we evolve together and we share profound communication.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a yoga therapist who is passionate about empowering others to live an aligned life. I work with individuals in private settings offering highly personalized therapeutic and traditional yoga. I also teach live online group classes. What is unique about these sessions whether individual, small group, or large class is that I give specific modifications, adjustments, and directions to each student. I feel it is imperative to connect with each individual, for everyone to feel supported and that no one is left in the corner, wondering what they are supposed to be doing. With my teaching, I strive to provide an experience each time we come to the mat, My students leave the mat more aware and relaxed, yet stronger in body, mind, and spirit. I have been inspired over the past 9 months to expand my offerings with retreats. Each of the ones I have held has been transformative for those who attend, the response has been so overwhelmingly positive that I am expanding to other communities and planning retreats in other states. Having the opportunity to create the experience for my clients to take a break from the daily routine for a time, to reset, to realign with their spirit, to release negative patterns, and to reconnect with themselves and others has been so profoundly rewarding.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Learning to value yourself and be brutally honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do, so that when you do offer a service it is clear and valid, and you actually deliver what you set out to.
I spent approximately 10 years learning to teach before I actually taught. I was a student, still am, and always will be. In the path of yoga and in life regardless of profession, we never have it all, we are never done. It is a journey and we should always seek to expand, to question, to observe, and to learn.
Take calculated risks. It’s okay to fall down, to lose, and to get back up and try it again in a new way. Life is short and if you are lucky enough to make a living doing what sets your soul on fire then you will likely not have the easiest path, because your profession is a part of your heart in those cases. There will be ups and downs but you will find your stride, there is always a way, you just have to look for the doors that open and be okay when others close behind you.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is connective, open, and willing to try. Those who want to understand themselves at a deep level, who want to evolve and learn new ideas and try new approaches to old patterns. My ideal client is open to the adventure in life and sees the value in practicing self-awareness and self-care. My clients tend to come to me with physical challenges that are often very connected to mental and emotional trauma or negative patterns. My ideal client has the desire to be free of the things that are holding them back from living their most authentic life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.justbealigned.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justbealigned/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justbealigned/
Image Credits
Sewell Photography Anna Kostochko
