About Me

My Story

If you’ve ever felt too sensitive, too responsible, or too exhausted to keep carrying everyone else’s emotions—you’re not alone.

I’ve lived it. And I want you to know: there’s another way.

It’s February 2007. I’ve just flown home from a leadership conference feeling alive with excitement, expansion, and possibility. On the plane, I thought:
“This is it. I’m finally ready to create the life I want.”

But the moment I pass through the airport security doors and see my family, my heart sinks. Not because I don’t love them—but because I’m suddenly face to face with the life of compromise and people-pleasing I’ve been living.

Within hours, I’m curled up on the closet floor, sobbing into a pillow. Again.

I don’t know what I want. Or who I am.
I just know… something has to change.

Not today, though.
Today, all I can do is cry.

I grew up in Chadron, Nebraska, a tiny college town where music ran in the family. My dad was the college band director. My mom taught private lessons and was a professional musician too.

They were smart, kind, and hard-working midwesterners. And like many high-functioning families, we didn’t talk about sensitivity.

When I started picking up on people’s emotions—or even knowing things before they happened—I was told it was “my imagination.” But deep down, I always knew it was real.

So I learned to people-please.
To anticipate everyone’s needs.
To shape-shift, over-deliver, and make sure no one ever felt discomfort.
Part of me resented it.
Another part felt proud of my ability to keep the peace.

Becoming a music educator felt natural—I was raised to do it, and I was good at it.
I hustled hard. Built my resume. Earned awards. Became well-known in my field.

But underneath the achievement, I was hustling for my worth.
I stopped listening to my body.
I ignored the intuitive voice inside me.
My body began to whisper through fatigue, tension, and pain—and I quieted those whispers with caffeine, antacids, and ambition.

Around that same time, I had joined a Mary Kay community. The women there believed in me before I believed in myself.
Their love held me through my divorce. They helped me furnish my home, raise my daughter, and begin to believe that maybe… just maybe… I deserved to feel good.

That last night on the closet floor was my breaking point—and my breakthrough.
I asked for help.
And the path opened.

I began reclaiming my empathic and intuitive gifts.
Turns out, they were much stronger than I realized.

That discovery launched me into a deep healing journey. I became certified in multiple energy healing modalities, oracle card reading, somatic coaching, and advanced trauma-informed breathwork. I even trained as a psychic and medium—and yes, I love oracle cards.

But more than anything, I reconnected with myself.

Today, I give from overflow. I lead from alignment.
I live from a full-body YES.
And I teach others how to do the same.

Now I guide high-achieving, intuitive professionals—doctors, educators, creatives, leaders—who are craving more alignment, clarity, and soul in the way they live and lead.

They come to me when they’re ready to stop over-giving, stop playing small, and stop doubting what they already know.

They want their next chapter to feel lighter.
More true.
More them.

And they want someone who can hold both their spiritual power and their very real responsibilities.

Whether through private coaching, somatic breathwork, psychic insight, or energetic readings—this is the space where we clear what no longer fits and build a new way of leading… from the inside out.

These days, when I’m in the closet, it’s to put on something that makes me feel beautiful.

And when I stand in front of the mirror, I see someone who finally belongs fully to herself.

You can too.

I'm based in the Portland, Oregon area where I live with my empty nest dog... Bentley, an Italian Greyhound Mix. I'm so grateful to live close to my daughter who is now grown and to get to spend time with her - and her dog, Jane (who used to be our dog) often.

Short Bio

Brenda Winkle is an energetic leadership guide, intuitive channel, and somatic mentor helping visionary professionals reclaim their energy, trust their inner knowing, and lead with clarity, soul, and ease.

Blending decades of experience in leadership and education with intuitive gifts, energy healing, and trauma-informed somatic work, Brenda supports high-capacity leaders—executives, educators, physicians, creatives, and spiritual seekers—through transitions that demand more than mindset alone. Her grounded yet expansive approach helps leaders come home to themselves and lead from presence, not pressure.

Known for her calm authority, psychic precision, and nurturing presence, Brenda creates high-frequency spaces for deep recalibration—whether she’s speaking on stage, guiding breathwork, or working 1:1 with clients ready to step into their next chapter.

✨ Download the free Energy Audit: brendawinkle.com/audit

🎤 Signature Talks

Brenda’s speaking experiences are interactive, inclusive, and energetically activating. She offers trauma-informed, spiritually grounded content designed for high-performing teams, leadership events, schools, conferences, and healing spaces.

🔹 Somatics of Belonging

Create more inclusive, cohesive communities in divisive times using body-based awareness, breathwork, and trauma-informed spaceholding tools. Includes a breathwork experience.

🔹 From Overwhelmed to Aligned

Learn to regulate your energy, clarify your focus, and lead with integrity and ease. You’ll walk away with tools to reset your nervous system and clear decision fatigue.

Signature Topics

Energetic Leadership
Lead with intuition and integrity—especially when things are uncertain.
The Intuitive Edge
Learn three intuitive maps to access your knowing and make high-stakes decisions with clarity and confidence.
Energetic Sovereignty
Boundaries, burnout, and the new leadership paradigm: how to lead without absorbing others’ stress or emotion.
Spaceholding in Leadership
Teach empathy and emotional regulation in the workplace—without burnout or over-responsibility.
Breathwork for Leaders
Practical nervous system regulation for visionaries and the communities they serve.
Lead with Love
How to create space, impact, and alignment in your work without sacrificing self or soul.
Breathwork for Educators
A trauma-informed session to reduce anxiety, increase presence, and build resilience—for teachers, students, and school leaders.

Podcast + Media Presence

Brenda is the host of Your Yes Filled Life, a globally ranked top 5% podcast sharing leadership wisdom, spiritual insight, and embodied empowerment. She’s been featured in Top Santé Magazine, Platinum Magazine, The Telegraph, Metro, and Authority Magazine.

A sought-after guest on over 50 podcasts, she’s spoken on stages across the West and Midwest and led workshops for organizations including:

Nike (Fortune 500)
American Choral Directors Association (NW Conference)
Association for Body Mapping Education
KCAA Radio + Humanity’s Team Live

Credentials & Expertise

Certified Advanced Trauma-Informed Breathwork Facilitator
Certified Somatic Coach
Reiki Master Teacher
Trained Psychic, Medium & Oracle Reader
Highly trained in ThetaHealing® and Clendinning
Master’s in Educational Leadership (Boise State University)
26 Years as a Choral Conductor, Public Educator and National Presenter

A Commitment to Inclusive Leadership

Brenda is deeply committed to equity, justice, and energetic safety. She served as the former DEI Chair for the Northwestern Region of the American Choral Directors Association and actively integrates inclusive, trauma-informed practices into every offering.

Her spaces are intentionally created for women and femmes, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ community members, and those navigating leadership as a spiritual path.