The Muse of Music and the Magic of Connection: Meet Dani Bedoni, Coaching and Empowerment Inclusive Leader
What is your personal/professional story?
My parents were a mix of two cultures, my father is from Italy and my mom’s family- the Herrera family- arrived in Venezuela more than 300 years ago, and has been working for the betterment of the country ever since. I was coached at an early age by my great-grandmother, grandmother, my mom, and aunts, on the importance of continuing the legacy of helping our community, to be kind, generous, and to be economically independent so that I can be a leader in my life.
The first moment I can recall where being coached helped me, was when we moved to California, as my brother and I started a new school without speaking any English. There were two reactions from the classroom students; one group bullied and the other group were kids from other cultures and were kind to us because of their own experiences. Our teacher, Ms Tanner, saw the opportunity to coach the class about equity, diversity, and inclusion and how we should all embrace our differences and find unity in them. She asked me to write on the board every morning a word in Spanish and share how to pronounce that word and put the translation in English for it. She coached the classroom on how to turn adversity into opportunity. To this day, my coaching is based on looking for ways to help children and adults feel welcomed and proud of the diversity they bring and honoring the importance of equity and inclusion so we can all see the beauty in our differences.
40 years later, the Latino community represents 19% of the population in the United States. I learned how to navigate different cultures and the importance of why and how to speak English and Spanish. This is the reason I co-founded the company with my partners Sabrina Franco and Patricia Oholeguy called 'Líderes Latinos'- which is a program and podcast that coaches the Latino community on leadership skills.
In 1986, my family moved back to Venezuela. I entered a music school where a serendipitous thing happened – on the same day I met two people involved in the music program called El Sistema.
My new clarinet teacher was the executive vice president of the music program El Sistema and later that afternoon, I had lunch with José Antonio Abreu, the founder of El Sistema at my aunt’s home. He was a dear friend of my family and knew my grandfather well, who was an Ambassador of Venezuela and invited me to be the Ambassador and international liaison of the El Sistema program.
One of our country’s problems is that 90% of the population lives in poor conditions and lacks good education. El Sistema fills in that gap by offering a free music program, that turns adversity into opportunity with an intense after-school music program 6 days a week, 4 hours a day at their classroom centers called the ‘nucleos’. When the students graduate from school, about 20% of the students continue to be musicians, and 80% study another career. The students graduate from their school and evolve to be professionals in whatever field they desire. This is a game changer because the students find a purpose and become leaders in their personal and professional lives.
José Antonio Abreu coached me on how the program worked and how to use the Transferable Skills of Music in life. He became my Coach A (Abreu) and I was Coach B (Bedoni). When he first invited me to see the program in person, (I can close my eyes and remember like it was yesterday), and as we drove towards the ‘nucleos’, I started to see parts of the city that I had never seen before. Poverty was everywhere, and the deeper we went more exponential it was. My heart was feeling for these kids, and my eyes were filled with tears because of the injustice around us, but as soon as we entered the ‘nucleo’ we were transported into another world! The house was clean, filled with people smiling, with students carrying their instruments like trophies, with pride and joy, and there was music in the air, uplifting us all that the deeper we went, this space filled with endless possibilities. As we entered the orchestra rehearsal, we were greeted by hundreds of children sitting beautifully. The conductor gives the beat to start and everyone is playing with pride, passion, and feeling the miracle of music that explodes like a big bang.
Wow! The energy! The passion! The love! The discipline and focus of everyone- pure magic! This was the present and at the same time the future. Now, the tears really came down. I could not believe it and at the same time, I could believe it. I looked at each child and felt their purpose as I immediately felt mine. To be here and help. We all feel the vortex of energy as we collaborate together for the present and the future.
The success stories are the gifts that keep on giving because I have seen firsthand, how people have overcome adversities through coaching and have become leaders in their personal and professional lives; landing jobs, creating their own companies, leading national and international orchestras, and it’s been history in the making with having the first Latino person to be the conductor of the New York Philharmonic orchestra!
What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?
Coaching people at their personal and professional levels and collaborating as an Ambassador for the El Sistema music program and Hogar Bambi, another organization that houses, feeds, and educates children and teenagers until they are 18 years old, as we empower them through coaching and offer them the possibilities and skills to be successful in their lives.
I produce free concerts where people can feel the wellness and beauty of music. At one of the concerts, a blind person came to me and said, “Thank you for the gift of music, I can’t see but I can feel my soul elevating with it.”
Paulina is a sweet girl from Venezuela, and in many stories like this, her mother left the country to look for a better future for her kids. They did their best to adapt to a new culture in the United States. It was not easy. She had many emotions that were difficult to put into words, so coaching her on expressing those emotions through music by creating a composition where she can reflect the duality of her Latino and American culture, helped and healed her.
She learned to be a leader and present her composition in front of thousands of people. Finding her purpose and choosing a career that continues to give her the freedom of expression. She changed, reinvented herself, and found success!
David wanted to go to college, but his family could not afford it. He loved our coaching and asked where I had learned that so he could also pursue a career and find his purpose. Through mindset coaching, we created a plan to get a scholarship at the college that I attended. He did and is now a successful professional who is also coaching the next generation towards greatness. There are so many stories like Paulina and David, that inspire me to continue to help.
Having seen how coaching and the transferable skills of music can empower people, has been the reason that I am where I am today and continue to do what I do.
Where does your passion to serve come from?
I had a pulmonary embolism when I was pregnant with my first child. A blood clot got into my lung and I died for a couple of minutes because I could not breathe from suffocating. The journey that I experienced changed my life as I decided to come back. I understood what life was all about. We are here to be love and give love, to have empathy and compassion, and to be kind to ourselves and others, by living contemplatively, loving inclusively, giving generously, and acting justly. This is why we are here in this realm; to help each other and provide a safe and supportive environment where people can openly share their struggles and receive guidance, encouragement, and kindness.
My passion to serve comes from my life experiences and my commitment to helping others. Through their stories and testimonials I have witnessed how coaching has been a catalyst in people's lives as they find their purpose, work passionately in what they believe in, turn adversity into opportunity by honing the skills of change, reinvention, and success, and maintaining that success for the betterment of their health, wealth and love.
How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?
Each of us embarks on a unique journey, shaping our paths through experiences that teach us resilience, adaptation, and the pursuit of success. In the tapestry of life, we navigate through diverse circumstances, learning to change, reinvent, and apply systems for success.
I am thrilled to be connected with GlobalMindED and its amazing and dedicated team. By collaborating, we can echo a profound call to action with the help of GlobalMindED where we can unite and be fueled by the belief that every act of kindness creates ripples of compassion, fostering a world united and working together for diversity, equity, and inclusion, that empowers and coaches individuals the skills that they can use and share so they can create the life and world that they imagine. Together with GlobalMindED we can all help and make this happen.
Please meet Dani this June at GlobalMindED, where she will be a featured speaker.
