We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gretchen Bergman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Gretchen, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I knew I wanted to be a dancer when I was 5 years old, so performing and teaching dance was a natural progression. Then when I started modeling in my 20s I realized that fashion and art and dance are based on similar elements of line and design, so I became passionate about combining the performing arts and fashion into a theatrical showcase. I started my fashion show production company Gretchen Productions in 1979.
But that only answers one portion of this question. Many of my clients are charitable organization doing amazing work in the community, so I have loved the fact that I can combine my artistic purpose with my desire to uplift causes that make the world a better place. The most important role of my life is that of mother, so when my two sons developed substance use disorders in their teens, my purpose became crystal clear. I felt compelled to work to reduce the stigma associated with addiction, promote harm reduction strategies and advocate for therapeutic rather than punitive drug policies.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I co-founded A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing) in 1999 and still serve as Executive Director. We are protecting liberties and saving lives. I continue to produce fashion shows because that gives me a creative outlet and I love the process of working with talented people to create something magical. But I’m also committed to the mission of A New PATH because there is so much misunderstanding about the true nature of substance use disorders, which causes stigma, prejudice and injustice.
One of the wonderful things about these two career directions in my life is that the skills I learned doing events with Gretchen Productions have helped me to organize and build a movement with my non-profit. Each September during national alcohol and drug recovery month Gretchen Productions presents Strut for Sobriety!, a fashion show fundraiser and uniquely entertaining awareness experience which has become a signature recovery event in San Diego County.
A New PATH has grown exponentially over the past decades. In 2009 we started a national collaborative campaign called Moms United to End the War on Drugs with representatives in 35 states working to destigmatize and decriminalize drug use. I am able to envision and implement new awareness campaigns with logos and videos that can viscerally deliver our message, due to my background in the arts.
In 2014 we started our “Ask Mom How to Save a Life” campaign with harm reduction education, overdose prevention and Narcan (a safe drug that can reverse an opioid overdose) distribution. To date we have trained over 20,000 people and have over 2500 lives reported saved through our program. We are now doing a big outreach to youth and are developing teen leaders to do this lifesaving work.
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?
Listening to others is a really important skill. But, listening to your own intrinsic truths is also imperative.
Life is always evolving, so we should continue to push ourselves to learn and adapt to new realities. In a time where we are more aware of the need for greater diversity, equity and inclusion, honest self-evaluation and readiness to change inherent bias is necessary.
Being stubborn is both my worst and best skill. It can exhaust my friends and family, but it also compels me to push for change that I know is possible and achievable if we don’t give up hope.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My parents had a beautiful and romantic love story. My two sisters and I never doubted the love that they shared, which gave us a sense of what a good loving and respectful relationship should be. It also grounded us in security, which gave us the cushion to follow our dreams, but also to hold personal integrity as a critically important quality. There was always a good balance of accountability, hard work, love and laughter.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gretchenproductions.com; www.anewpath.org; www.momsunited.net
- Instagram: @anewpath99
- Facebook: @gretchen.Bergman
- Twitter: @Gretchenmomsu
- Youtube: @PATHMomsUnited
