We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Berké Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Berké, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business

Before my business was Berké Brown International LLC, it was called the Internal Gym. It combined life coaching and fitness coaching. The motto was before you grow the body you first must water the mind. I always understood that the heaviest weight any human will ever lift is their mind. The heart behind the concept of the Internal Gym is still alive in what I do now as a consultant and speaker. I want to share a story of my first tangible win that changed not only my client’s life but my own forever. I had a coaching client who stood out from the rest. He was six-foot-two, extremely underweight. I remember that he couldn’t lift more than 20 pounds when doing a dumbbell chest press. But what really caught my attention was how shy and quiet he was.
As we started the coaching program, I made a conscious effort to help him experience a transformation, not just in his body but more importantly in his mind. My motto was simple: “before you grow the body, you must first water the mind.” In my coaching program I tied every success in the physical world to his mental success, encouraging him to believe in himself and his abilities. When he ran a distance he thought he couldn’t, I asked him excitedly what else he thought he couldn’t do. When he lifted a weight he never thought he could, I urged him to consider what other “heavy things” in his life he could lift.
As we went through the program clarifying his values and vision while building his strength, his confidence started to soar. His body changed, of course, but so did his demeanor. He walked with a new sense of purpose, smiled more, and even began to joke around with me. And then, after some time, he told me he had met someone special. He got a girlfriend, and before I knew it, he was engaged.
This is where he changed my life.
He asked me to be a groomsman in his wedding. I was honored and said yes without question. On the day of the wedding, he pulled me aside, looking dapper and fit in his tuxedo, with tears in his eyes. “If it wasn’t for you,” he said, “I wouldn’t have believed that I could have gotten a girl like this.”
It wasn’t just what he said, but how he said it. He didn’t say “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have gotten a girl like this. He said “I wouldn’t have ‘believed’.” That’s when I realized the true power of belief.
It was here that immediately turned all my attention to belief. I studied every book I could on confidence, belief, and empowerment. When I hit a wall in my learning, I went to UC Berkeley to study and do research on self-efficacy and behavior change. I delved into studies on self determination theory and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, determined to find a way to help shift beliefs in a way that transformed individuals and groups from the inside out. My research gained me highest honors and set me further on the path I am now.
That single experience with my client has been the driving force behind my work ever since. My mission is to replicate that on a mass scale. This is why my mission on the planet is to “mass produce empowered human beings.” I share this story because I understand the power of internal drivers. All the “wins”whether financial or business or recognition are born of these kinds of fundamental human centered experiences that resonated so deeply with my values. When people find what matters most to them, and chase it, motivation, inspiration and resilience are unending.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My work is focused on reprogramming your thinking, providing clarity to identify what you want, confidence to pursue it, and tools to prevent old habits from sabotaging your efforts. Whether for individuals or businesses, my companies bridge the gap between who you want to be and the behaviors that prevent you from becoming that, commonly known in research as the “Intention-Behavior Gap.” To better understand this gap, think of this alarm clock analogy:
The same person who sets the alarm at night hits the snooze button in the morning, representing the gap between what we want to do and our actual behavior. My research-based transformational programs and keynotes are designed to help you or your business overcome this gap and stop snoozing on your life, business, and health. We’re here to wake you up for good.
Drawing from my research on internal motivation and behavior modification at UC Berkeley, along with my experience as an organizational change consultant, executive performance coach, and lifestyle designer, I create compelling programs, workshops and keynotes that cultivate values-based visions and effective strategic plans, and the motivation to achieve them.
As the founder of Berké Brown International (BBI) LLC, a consulting, coaching, and speaking firm focused on mindset and organizational development, and as a partner with Fogbreak Justice, a DEI education company for cities and the criminal justice system, I am passionate about disruptive ideas that transform the human experience and create lasting change.
During my time at UC Berkeley, I was fortunate to be awarded three grants to engage in research on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. My research focused primarily on the psycho-motivational forces of change, with a strong emphasis on values-based motivation. This work culminated in a BA honors thesis for which I received Highest Honors and the development of a UC Berkeley course I taught on the psychology of behavior change and wellness.
With a track record of success in transforming cultures, improving performance, and fostering sustainable change, I specialize in helping organizations, executive teams, and individuals build stronger bonds, clarify purpose, intensify motivation, and achieve sustainable results through research-based behavior and culture change techniques. Whether working with a Fortune 500 company or a local startup, my goal is to help individuals and organizations tap into their full potential and create a meaningful impact in their field.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have many stories of resilience, especially in my businesses, but I want to share a very personal one. But first, let me share my vision statement: “I, Berké Brown, envision a world where boundless imagination and creativity are applied to life itself, where the very art of living is mastered and evolved, as each individual is empowered to express their unique greatness in the world.”
This vision statement is not just something I pulled out of thin air; it is drawn from every aspect of my life. “Boundless imagination and creativity” are a part of me that dates back to my childhood. A time where magic was everywhere. Where I would play with my action figures and imagine and create worlds, where the bathtub was the ocean, the lawn was the forest and the freezer was a time machine. I would fight imaginary enemies with sticks I found in the backyard. That sense of wonder is crucial to my existence and way of living.
However, I want to focus on the “mastering and evolving” part of my vision because it’s what led me to where I am today and answers this question of resilience.
Before I got into the world of self-development, I was a musician. I loved creating music and seeing the connection I had with my audience when singing, playing piano and guitar. It was an exhilarating feeling, and propelled me to want to go all-in on being a music artist. But in 2008, something devastating happened. I developed a callus on my vocal cords and was unable to sing, let alone talk. I was mute for a month and had to use note cards to communicate. Because of this my first business had to shut down because I couldn’t speak without running out of strength in my voice. It was crippling.
I describe this period of my life as being like a person witnessing a sunset for the first time. As the sun goes down, it starts to get cooler, and as a first-time observer, you become terrified. You wonder where the sun is going and why the temperature is changing. And then, all of a sudden, the sun dips below the horizon, leaving you unsure if it will ever come back. It’s difficult because when the sun sets, it becomes dark, and when your eyes are used to light, the darkness is even darker. I felt like I had lost my light, the thing that made me come alive. I had mastered music, but I couldn’t sing anymore.
But as time went on and I went through the difficulty of rediscovering who I was and not limiting myself, my eyes began to adjust. And when your eyes adjust to the dark, you can see the stars. And what I realized is that I am not just a musician, and my voice doesn’t only show up through singing. What I valued more than music was the connection I had to people. I immersed myself in coaching and then went on to study behavior change and the psychology of motivation, so I could better connect with people and empower them to become great.
I learned that mastery is not the goal, but evolution beyond mastery. To be able to master evolution is more important than mastering a single skill. This is what I empower others to do: to express their unique greatness in every way they possibly can in the world. I imagine our light is like a light through a prism. The rainbow that shoots out the other side are all the ways that we utilize our deepest values in the world. The more colors you have, the more mastery and evolution that have occurred.
Every pivot, every evolution that has occurred in my life has brought me to where I am today, and it will continue until the day I die. I now see that every difficulty is like a sunset, a temporary setback that can be overcome, and just like the stars that appear when your eyes adjust to the dark, there is always a way to find the light again.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’ll begin with a poem:

I Am.

I am a rock,
That has learned to float,
Wherever the main streams and currents will go.
I’m a bird,
That has learned to walk,
Forsaking the heavens, too afraid to fall.
I am a winner,
Who has settled for a tie,
Between living the truth and living a lie.
I’m a genius,
Who has learned to sleep
On the backs of fools, onwards towards naivety.
I’m a star,
That’s learned to extinguish its light
so it won’t feel alone in the darkness of night.
Afraid to be seen out shining the rest,
We live in denial, sacrificing our best.
For the love of blind men leading the way,
We sell all tomorrows just for a day.
But I’m a seed predestined and born,
To grow into the mold to which I was born.
So before I live these god-sent dreams,
I must first forget to learn,
And just be me.”
I wrote this poem over 10 years ago.
This poem reflects a lesson that I had to learn: that it’s important to forget what we have learned and just be ourselves. Western society often tells us to be unique and individual, but at the same time, it tries to define who we should be and what we should value. We are told to focus on external achievements like GPA, job titles, and material possessions, rather than on our inner selves.
Years ago when I first started doing this work, I unconsciously bought into this message and pursued careers as a guru, leader, coach, and consultant, thinking that these roles would define me and give me value. But I eventually realized that I was neglecting my own needs and values in pursuit of external validation and at the same time unconsciously teaching this mentality to the people I thought I was helping.
I was chasing greatness as though it was some “thing” to attain. And when I attained it I wasn’t happy. I was just working to get somewhere without “being present” to the very life that was in front of me with all its messiness and flaws. When I lost my voice, I thought I lost myself but over time, through this process of unlearning, I learned the importance of being true to myself and bringing the human element back into my work. I now prioritize authenticity and connection, and incorporate creative elements like music, video, and humor into my presentations and workshops. I want to empower others to see themselves and embrace their own inner light, and help them tap into their own innate potential. From there they can rediscover why they do the work they do and find motivation to continue or gain the clarity to recreate themselves in a new way that aligns with their values. Eckhar Tolle says that perfect peace is finding peace without having your version of peace. If I can help people see the beauty of their present existence they will find joy in the process of creating more joy in their lives.
So, when people ask me who I am or what I do for a living, I respond by saying that I am simply me, defined by my own presence and values. This is the world that I want to create, one that prioritizes authenticity and human connection above external achievements and expectations. As you can see in my responses to these questions I have purposely worked to show up as human. This is the foundation of all growth and success. When I tap on the who instead of the what, people listen and start to search within. I always start here and then move to techniques and strategies because I know that starting with the human story first breeds true success not just in business but in life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.berkebrown.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berke_brown/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berkebrown
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/berkebrown/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/berke_brown
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@IGymFitness
• Other: https://poplme.co/xY4XP2A5/dash https://courses.berkebrown.com/discoveryourpassion https://courses.berkebrown.com

Image Credits
Matt Jong Photography (https://mattjongphoto.weebly.com/contact.html) and Max Stephan Faublas Photography (https://max-motions.carrd.co)