An Inspired Chat with Jennifer Bernal of Hudson Valley

Jennifer Bernal shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day are intentional and grounding. I start with prayer and gratitude; it anchors me before anything else enters my space or my mind. That quiet moment centers me and helps me approach the day with clarity, perspective, and purpose, rather than urgency.

From there, I ease into my morning by lighting a candle. It’s a small ritual, but a meaningful one: bringing light, calm, and a sense of presence into the start of my day. I then focus on organizing my immediate surroundings: making my bed, straightening my dresser and bathroom, tidying the kitchen, and resetting my workspace. It’s not about deep cleaning, it’s about creating small, tangible wins early on. Decluttering my physical space clears my head, and those early wins set the tone for the rest of the day. When my environment feels calm and ordered, I’m able to show up more focused, creative, and grounded in everything that follows.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jennifer Bernal, the Founder and Creative Director of House of Bernal. I’m a floral and event designer, but at my core, I’m a storyteller and builder of experiences. What I create goes far beyond flowers: it’s about intentional design, thoughtful planning, and producing environments that feel emotionally rich, grounded, and deeply personal.

My journey into this industry wasn’t traditional. I transitioned from a career in government and public administration into the creative world during the pandemic, bringing with me a strong foundation in systems, structure, and community-focused work. That blend of creativity and operational strategy is what makes my brand unique. House of Bernal is known for immersive, maximalist floral design paired with calm, highly organized production, clients get beauty and peace of mind.

My work is shaped by my life experience. I’m a first-generation immigrant, a mother, and someone who has lived through loss, reinvention, and resilience. Flowers have been present at every major moment of my life, and they’ve become both my medium and my language. That depth shows up in my designs, my client experience, and the way I lead.

Beyond client work, I’m deeply invested in education and industry growth. I serve as Director of Education for WIPA Connecticut, I’m a WeddingPro Educator with The Knot and WeddingWire, and I mentor creative entrepreneurs on building sustainable, profitable businesses without losing their identity. At this stage of my career, my work sits at the intersection of creative direction, leadership, and education: designing experiences, building businesses, and helping others do the same with intention.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
My mother taught me the most about work, simply by living it. There was a period when she was working three jobs at once, doing whatever was necessary to provide and move forward. I remember one summer when I visited the U.S. while she was already living here. Our days started before the sun came up. We’d be on the road by four or five in the morning, taking the bus together.

I remember sitting in the back corner of the restaurant where she worked, playing quietly during her shift. Even though she was exhausted and busy, she chose to bring me with her rather than leave me with a babysitter. That way, we could still be together. Work didn’t separate her from motherhood, it existed alongside it.

What stayed with me just as much was the kindness of the people she worked for. I don’t remember their names, but I remember that they allowed her to bring me in, and that generosity made a lasting impression on me. It showed me that work can be demanding and humane at the same time. That lesson has stayed with me throughout my life and deeply influences how I lead today, building spaces where people are supported, seen, and trusted, not just expected to perform.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain when I realized that everything I was trying to suppress was actually the source of my power.

For a long time, I felt like I had to fit into a box, as an immigrant, as a woman, as a minority in spaces where I didn’t always see myself reflected. I learned how to shrink, how to adapt, how to soften parts of myself so I could belong. That survival instinct followed me into my early professional life, and for a while, I thought success meant blending in.

Creativity changed that for me. The event industry gave me a language I didn’t have before, a way to release what I had been carrying. Through what I create, how I design, how I connect with people, and even how I dress, I found freedom. My work became expressive, layered, bold, and so did I. The more I allowed myself to be fully seen, the more my voice found its place.

There are parts of my story that shaped me deeply, including surviving domestic violence. I don’t lead with that experience, but I don’t hide it either. It taught me resilience, discernment, and the importance of safety, emotionally, creatively, and professionally. Those lessons inform how I build my business, how I treat people, and how intentional I am about the spaces I create.

At some point, I stopped trying to separate my identity from my work. I realized my background, my culture, my experiences, all of it, are what make my perspective valuable. My identity became my superpower. Once I embraced that, everything shifted. I stopped asking for permission and started creating from a place of truth, confidence, and ownership, and that’s when both my work and my life expanded.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
The cultural value I protect at all costs is energy. I believe energy is a magnet and a mirror, it’s both what we attract and what we reflect. Everything carries energy: the food we eat, the tone of the words we choose, how we move through a room, how we touch and speak to others, and what’s happening behind the scenes of our work.

I’m deeply intentional about the environments I create, not just for clients, but for the people who work alongside me. The energy of a team, the way people are treated, and the care that goes into the process all matter just as much as the final result. You can feel it in the room when it’s done right.

That belief shapes every decision I make: who I collaborate with, how I lead, how I communicate, and what I allow into my space. Beauty without integrity is empty. When the energy is aligned, the work feels alive, grounded, and honest. Protecting that culture isn’t optional for me, it’s the foundation of everything I build.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
or a long time, I was doing exactly what I was told to do.

I pursued a college education and built a career in nonprofit and government work because, growing up in the Dominican Republic, that path represented stability, respect, and provision. A government job wasn’t just a goal, it was the goal. It meant security, consistency, and the ability to take care of yourself and your family. And for years, I did that well. I spent over a decade working across nonprofit and government spaces, building a career that looked successful on paper.

But eventually, I had to tell myself the truth: this wasn’t what I was called to do.

The decision to pivot wasn’t romantic or easy. I walked away from a hard-earned career into entrepreneurship without inheritance, investors, or a safety net, just a deep, undeniable realization that I was meant to build something of my own. What followed was a season of re-education in every sense of the word. I taught myself the craft of floral design, learned the wedding and events industry from the ground up, studied business management, financials, pricing, systems, and marketing, often through trial, error, and persistence.

I’m still learning, and I always will be. But now, I’m not only building my own business, I’m teaching others how to do the same. I help creative entrepreneurs understand their craft and their numbers, their vision and their structure. Looking back, I don’t regret the path I took. Everything I was told to do gave me the foundation I needed to step fully into what I was born to do, with clarity, intention, and ownership.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.houseofbernal.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseofbernal/

Image Credits
Chester Canasa Photo