Debra Bernoff is a gifted speaker, health enthusiast, teacher, leader and writer.

I’ll start by saying this: I know what it’s like to feel insecure. I know how much it hurts to doubt yourself or to put yourself on the back burner. I hate that feeling.

On the other hand, I know what it’s like to feel amazingly confident. I know what it is to put myself first, to realize that I can accomplish all I need to accomplish without neglecting my own self-care. Now that’s a feeling I can get behind and can seek every day with pride and happiness.

Imagine this...

What if a woman reduced the number of days she felt down on herself? What if the number of days she didn’t move her body or didnt make healthy food choices steadily dwindled, and she stopped rejecting her mate in the bedroom just because she felt tired or bad about herself? What if more days of the year she felt powerful and made the right decisions – and the number of days increased every year?

One problem: Most of what women do is to serve others, which means they end up putting themselves last, leading to a nagging sense of unfulfillment and a longing for more. Our responsibilities are important, but when they detract from who we really want to be, they become more than worthwhile duties: They become handicaps. We lose confidence in ourselves, stop taking care of ourselves and set aside our goals.

I don’t want to see that happen. So my mission in life is to create more confident women. Period. 

Back in my early twenties, I had a lightbulb moment...

What if I could create a confidence-building program for teen girls, helping them reach their full potential and achieve true fulfillment? Inspired, I typed it all out on my first Apple computer back in 1996. In fact, I still have that floppy disc somewhere! Though I didn’t launch the course at the time, the idea stayed in the back of my mind for years.

Sometime after, I met my husband, a motivational speaker. As a no-nonsense, get-it-done, reach-for-the-stars kind of girl, I naturally transitioned to working with him. Over the past 10 years, as we've hosted numerous courses and programs geared toward human potential, I have received countless requests from women: Couldn’t I make a course just for women?

So I did. It felt right to combine my vast knowledge of motivational speaking and performance coaching with my 90s dream. Et voilà, Body, Sex and Business was born.

Today, I help women from all walks of life, of all sizes, with all sorts of dreams for business and life. I believe I can be most effective by hiding nothing, by remaining always open and raw, by sharing every experience – even the embarrassing ones. My proudest moments are the ones in which I see my daughters approaching something with confidence, and knowing my intentional honesty has made a difference in their lives, as well as the lives of others.

Part of my success stems from the fact that I truly believe I can do almost anything someone else can do. (Except draw. Do not choose me for your Pictionary team, that’s all I will say.) I believe that for my clients as well. If there’s something you want in life, you deserve to get it. Moreover, I believe you have the innate ability, even if you need a little coaching.

Which is where I come in. When I work with clients, I bring all my skills to the table. I am a speaker, health enthusiast, teacher, coach and writer. For the last ten years, I’ve partnered with my husband, Michael Bernoff, to bring fast-paced, real-life change to women and men in our society through Human Communications Institute events. I love this job more than I could ever express. In fact, when asked who my hero is, I always reply “My husband.” The respect I have for the work he does inspires me daily.

feel sexier, happier, more powerful, capable and more confident!

When I work with women, they walk away feeling sexier, prettier, happier, more powerful, more capable, more feminine and more confident. My clients have told me that our work together has allowed them to quit taking their anxiety medications. Their loved ones have told them how strong and confident they seem, that they eat better and take better care of themselves. And they just feel better, inside and out, physically and mentally. 

I live these ideals in my own life as well, as a mother, wife and nurturer, all while working as an accomplished businesswoman for more than a decade. I’m not afraid to have fun, either, whether that means cooking for one of my famous parties or having an impromptu dance-off. (Want to see my eyes light up? Just put “Shake That” on the speaker.)

This balance is one I share with many other women through my powerful Body, Sex and Business retreat, as well as the women whose lives are changed for the better when they attend our outrageously successful events through HCI. Everywhere I look, I see change – and my next step is to bring it to you.

At the end of the day, my goal is to help you put yourself first, so that you can finally enjoy your life … all of it!