Meet Bianca Russo

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bianca Russo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bianca below.

Bianca , sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Practicing and playing on sports teams is where I learned to leverage challenge, strategize and overcome. My coaches demonstrated how to re-frame my limiting beliefs to be optimistic; athletics have taught me how to be resilient in the face of defeat because of the togetherness with my teammates. “Any loss brings us one day closer to our next victory.” Sports taught me that I am not alone — that in no domain of my life am I running these plays by myself.

I was also taught visualization at a young age in sports, so I became fluent in using my imagination to see myself as a powerful wall of defense in girls high school basketball. When you learn to use your imagination with detail, and you learn to imagine your sensory experience, this sort of mindfulness practice can inject the ideas with a rich realness.

And so, I confidently call upon the lessons I earned on sports teams to cope with my very real mental health conditions as an adult. I seek meditation with friends & family; with a team of meditators. I ask for guidance from my teachers, coaches and therapists who train me in the game of life. Ideally I am proactive in managing my issues but especially in my darkest and most painful moments, I do use my breathing and mindfulness skills to visualize a future version of myself where I actually appear happy, calm, tranquil and I push my mind to imagine the sensory experience of peaceful-settled-me.

Main takeaway is you’re never too old to learn to be in the present moment while you participate in group activities such as sports, but think outside the box too. There are groups who walk together, crochet together, sing together or study together. the two most important steps in learning to be persistent despite your mental health challenges is to build community around you and prioritize learning mindfulness and affirmations. If you can learn to manage your mind, then peace & alignment elsewhere in your life is sure to be within your reach. never ever give up on the captain of your team: you.

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?
For the past 7 years I have been working as a movement coach / exercise trainer. I guide inactive adults toward finding a regular groove that sincerely serves them. Because of a complicated and painful experience I had in youth sports I have turned my most profound source of anguish into my most empowering trait as a coach. I train my clients to self conduct mindfulness check-ins and teach them how to execute mental resilience. My movement education pedagogy is a sports-style coaching method using recorded video reviews of a clients’ movement pattern plus basic anatomy lessons; sort of like game-films and drills. When people are equipped with the knowledge of what or how, they are more inclined to engage positively for longer periods of time. I’m all about spreading a feeling of security and reducing harm for people so they feel trusting with themselves and with me as their guide when implementing movement habitually so that its sustainable. The best way to see what this is all about is to attend my Gentle Movement class on Zooms every Thursday evening for 30-minutes, at 7 PM Eastern /4 PM Pacific. The class can be either be done with no equipment, or you can use a yoga ball or chair. Gentle Movement is focused on de-stressing & unwinding through dynamic stretches, light strengthening and deep breathing. Slow down every week in Gentle Movement hosted by me, Bianca Russo. @hi.biancarusso

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?
Growing up as an athlete and being wired to never give up and to always try my best has been life-saving, literally. I think that that mindset can be learned at any age and sometimes we have to accept that the mental aspect of movement is at times harder or just as hard as the movement challenges themselves. Self-awareness is essential when engaging in strength movements so that you can become more attune in understanding how your body feels under varying types of stress & then we can make the best choices for ourselves once we develop that critical eye. The most effective way I have learned to be mindful is with the help of a mental health professional — I recommend therapy for anyone who is willing to learn more about coping with overwhelm, stress and thought-patterns. In my therapy and meditation journeys, I’ve learned to trust the teachings and natural patterns of mother earth. Reflecting my perceptions of life compared to the natural world helps me to move through difficult times since I know the tides have their rhythms and that seasons are real. The best way that people on their journeys can tackle these sorts of things head on is to first be as honest with yourself as you can & identify what you think would really serve you the most. Would you benefit from Individual , Group or Family Therapy? And then lean humbly into vulnerability by inserting yourself in a group or community where you engage directly with others. For instance, get moving with a class or meditate with a group or play pickleball with a community of people because all of these skills are best learned with togetherness.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Getting seriously organized with my finances and taxes was the best move I made in the past 12 months. If you have messy taxes, consider hiring a tax professional you feel comfortable with, and put in the time to thoroughly get your situation taken care of with an expert guiding you. I know it’s overwhelming, but just as with your movements, take things one step at a time and the next thing you know you’re at the top of the proverbial mountain where life’s perspectives are the sweetest . Face your challenges & take control of your life! Aspects of your life that you’ve been avoiding can be conquered. Reality check: you are capable of arriving at moments of peace and you can experience a mental wellness expansion!

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