Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bernard Ruño. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Bernard, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I get my resilience from God and my parents. It’s the security of knowing that whatever comes my way, God has my back. When I’m presented with challenges, I am given the strength and wisdom to overcome them. If I don’t, then there is a lesson to be learned. I saw this in my parents, who grew up during World War II and came to this country to start a new life. If they could survive the horrors they witnessed and not only survived but also thrived, then I can too. First generation children of immigrants are often witness to this. There’s also a lot of pressure and expectation to carry this dynamic on to future generations. For many, education is the key element in achieving that goal. My parents always stressed academics and they also valued culture. When I was 4 I attended my first concert. I told my father I wanted to play violin like the kids we saw on stage. He immediately enrolled me in the music program of my elementary school in Chicago. I could read music before I could read books. My Mom was the valedictorian of her graduating class, I was too and so was my eldest daughter Simone. My folks were very goal driven.
In my 57 years, I’ve had several careers. I went to culinary school in France, worked at some of the top 4 and 5 star hotels in the world. I worked in restaurants, on a cruise ship and eventually opened my own French cafe and patisserie which ran for 10 years. I had to leave that career due to the onset of Type 2 diabetes. I moved up to the front of the house in the hotels I worked for and became a Les Clefs d’Or (Golden Key) Concierge and did that for 15 years until Covid-19 pretty much wiped out that profession. I went back to school and became a certified sound therapist and have also recently graduated from the East-West Healing Arts Institute with a diploma that will allow me to expand my holistic healthcare practice. I’ve had to bounce back several times in my life. All the while thanking my parents for the examples they proved to be as they moved up in their careers.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Thank you for giving business owners like myself this platform. I am a musician – violin, guitar, cello and singer, certified sound therapist and a recent graduate of the East-West Healing Arts Institute in Shorewood where I studied Traditional Chinese Medicine and several modalities of massage: Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports, Tui Na, Shiatsu, Thai, Hydrotherapy, Hot Stone and Cranial-Sacral Therapy. I am currently studying indigenous Filipino healing arts at the Kailukuan School of Indigenous Martial Arts and Healing Arts. I am a descendant of a line of Filipino healers. My maternal grandfather was a powerful psychic healer in the Philippines. In our culture, it is believed that healing abilities are passed on through the generations. He named my mother Remedios, which in Spanish means remedies or cures. I also come from a line of musicians. My paternal grandmother played piano and sang, my dad played the French horn, I have many cousins on my dad’s side who are also musicians. My eldest daughter Simone is the lead singer of an all girl punk band, Nekra in London. My youngest daughter Naia plays guitar and cello. Healing and music are in my blood.
I combine both legacies in my practice, Adagio Sound Healing and Wellness. I got into sound therapy in 2016 when my partner David and I attended a violin conference in Barcelona where a treatment was performed on both of us. We’ve both been playing our instruments for over 50 years, it was a very natural and organic progression into sound therapy since we came into it as musicians. What was meant to be a career in retirement got jump started a few years early when I was laid off from my Concierge position at the Saint Kate Arts hotel during Covid-19. Using music and sound, as well as massage and traditional Filipino healing modalities, is a culmination of my life experiences. I believe we are living in a time that needs more healers.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Passion. It helps to be passionate about the work you do. It is the fuel that drives your success and will carry you through all life’s challenges. I’ve been fortunate to never had a job I wasn’t passionate about.
Work/life balance. Of course there are days you’ll have to work extra long and hard and there are times you just need to let loose and enjoy life. Take that trip, that dance class, learn to play an instrument, read that book and go to that fancy restaurant. A work/life balance is so very important, make time for self-care and enjoyment.
Live in gratitude. Each generation has its challenges, war, disease, political unrest, social injustice, financial crises. Being thankful for the things you have and not focusing on what you don’t have can a huge impact on how you view the world. Paying it forward with kindness, helping out those less fortunate, can make your problems seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things.
How would you describe your ideal client?
An ideal client for me would be someone who is open to holistic healing modalities and other forms of energy work. Someone who is open to experiencing a combination of sound, music and manual therapies. My practice is of course open to everyone and I do want to specialize in musicians who are dealing with pain issues from hours of repetitive motion or from hours of playing their instruments, hauling heavy gear to gigs or dancers who suffer from chronic pain. As a musician I know firsthand what pain issues we face. I find that musicians are especially receptive to sound therapy since they already have the notes inside them and can “resonate” well with these healing modalities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.adagiosoundhealing.com
- Instagram: adagio sound healer
- Facebook: adagio sound healing studio
Image Credits
Photo credits: Bernard Runo
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
