Q& A with Sierra Bender

For more than a decade Sierra Bender has traveled the world, studying ancient and healing modalities all for the purpose of finding a connection with spirit and learning how to tap into one’s inner wisdom. But she doesn’t just keep this knowledge for herself; she spreads it around the globe through her innovative programs, including Boot Camp for Goddesses®, a workshop designed to unleash and empower your inner goddess. She also recently released her first book, Goddess to the Core®: An Inspired Workout to Maximize Your Fitness, Beauty & Power. We met up with Sierra to discuss her journey and to find out what women can do to help reconnect and enliven their own inner goddess.

HL&S: What sparked your interest in healing modalities?

Sierra: We all have the ability to heal ourselves, and that’s what I’ve done by tapping into the healing modalities. We have this inner knowledge or connection to spirit, God or source, that we are one with the source and these healing modalities are just ways to tap into them. Each person is attracted to a different modality and the amazing part is from traveling the world, each and every culture cultures that have never known each other or heard of each other have the same thing in common they have the ability to tap into that healing power. And I’m living proof that I healed through these healing modalities. Modern medicine saved my life, but it didn’t get to the core issues of my healing. It put a band-aid on it; it didn’t get to the core of the problem.

HL&S: How did this pave the way for you to start Boot Camp for Goddesses®?

Sierra: After my life-changing experience, I realized that there were so many levels I needed to heal on, and there wasn’t someplace I could go. For ten years, I did the research and came up with Boot Camp for Goddesses® because I saw that other women were going through the same problems. I witnessed how the beauty, medical, and fitness industries really keep us stuck because women and children bring in the most money to these industries. If we’re sick, or we’re not up to par, then we’re constantly looking for a worthiness outside of [ourselves]. Bootcamp for Goddesses® came about because I was tired of watching women who were suffering; I knew it didn’t have to be a long process and that it could be simple. I held my first Boot Camp for Goddesses® in 1997. More than 125 women signed up.

HL&S: In your new book, Goddess to the Core®, you discuss the four elements of fitness, can you expand on this in greater detail?

Sierra: The 4 Body Fit® to whole-self health and healing, a philosophy that I have been following and teaching since my near death experience in 1995, incorporates the Spiritual, Mental, Emotional and Physical bodies in this order. Each of these are human aspects of ourselves that we need to workout, heal, and challenge in order to be healthy, whole, and holy. All of my teachings are based upon this. Fifteen years ago, I had a tubular pregnancy that exploded my uterus. I was pronounced dead.

When I passed over, four questions were asked of me from God.
Spiritually   • Where did you disconnect from the source of my love?
Mentally      • What were the belief systems from your culture/your family that took you further away from me?
Emotionally • Why do you not feel worthy of my love?
Physically   • Why do you consistently resist my love, and hurt yourself?

I knew the answers to these four questions because at this moment all four aspects of myself came into alignment. I felt alive and clear. My near death experience realigned me with my true nature. I was not, however, in that alignment in the life that I was living. It took that abrupt sledgehammer over the head to release my ego to get back into alignment with my true nature. From then on, I never looked outside of myself again for my answers. During my boot camp I ask the participants the same four questions.

HL&S: How do you feel modern-day concerns hamper/hinder women from achieving their four human aspects of fitness?

Sierra: Women have become more like men. It creates a lot of stress. It creates a lot of unrealistic expectations because how can we be empowered if we’re totally outside of our true essence, which is our femininity?

You need to know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how it’s affecting you.
Women aren’t honoring their emotional and intuitive power. They think they’re more powerful because they’re acting like men; we’ve mastered from the outside looking powerful, but the question is do you want to do it? Women have the highest rate of depression, abuse, and addiction in our culture, so how can you say we’ve come so far? We’re frying ourselves at both ends. In the workshop, women learn that when I hold my core, I’ll know when I’m giving my power away or giving out more energy than I’m taking in.

HL&S: If you could offer women one piece of advice, what would it be?

Sierra: Trust their intuition because it is their core strength.

HL&S: What’s next for you on your journey?

Sierra: A second book is in the works as well as new workshops, including Goddess in the Bedroom, which will be at Kripalu, February 4-6, 2011, and also available on CD. I have a series of teleconferences and CD’s which will be available 2011 on my website as well; Goddess in the Bedroom, Goddess in the Boardroom, Goddess Mommy, Goddess Teen, and Goddess Tune-up.