We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelly Benning a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kelly , thanks for joining us today. What was your school or training experience like? Share an anecdote or two that you feel illustrate important aspects or the overall nature of your schooling/training experience.
My Tantra teacher Barbara Carrellas emphasizes their belief in an embodied spirituality that celebrates the body as a path to spiritual growth, awareness, and freedom. I remember feeling goosebumps on my arms when they enthusiastically declared that pleasure is good and ecstasy is necessary. I truly felt like I had arrived in a space where the body was celebrated, where desire was sacred information, and where being human was seen as gorgeous.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a queer femme writer, energy worker, and creatrix who is passionate about individual and collective transformation, including the cycles of death and rebirth that assist us in that process.
Once upon a time, I decided to ask the questions I knew I “shouldn’t” ask. The questions that would change everything. It was like falling down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. I wasn’t quite sure where the bottom would be (and honestly, I’ve not found it yet). What I have found is freedom, authenticity, and space to stretch into all of the delicious corners of my expansive heart. It is messy and gorgeous. It is non-linear. It is full of big love and deep connection.
So many of us have tried to fit ourselves into boxes to please others. So many of us have hidden vital parts of ourselves to feel a sense of safety or belonging. So many of us feel trapped by external messages about who we should be and what we should do. Beneath all of the layers imposed by outside influences, our most authentic selves are waiting excitedly to be uncovered. It is my passion and joy to be a companion to others as they delve into their own beautiful unfolding.
In service of this work, I have completed certification as a Tantric Practitioner through the Urban Tantra® Professional Training Program and as a Reiki Master through the Usui Reiki System of Natural Healing. I have also completed certification in Mental Health First Aid. Following my completion of Circle Leader Training through the Wild Woman Project®, I implemented the first queer- and trans-affirming New Moon Circles affiliated with the project in the southeast. I bring more than a decade of experience with somatic movement practices including yoga, and more than five years of experience working with individual clients and groups to facilitate intention setting using modalities such as tarot, storytelling, breath work, visualization, energy work, tantra, ritual, and engagement with the elements.
This training and background enables me to offer a wide array of customized services to my clients – – from tarot readings, to reiki energy work sessions, to tantra and sacred sexuality workshops, to one-on-one coaching, to local and international retreats. The heart and focus of it all is in supporting my clients to find an embody their own authentic expressions of selfhood.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
For so long, I de-prioritized my own passion projects by categorizing them as hobbies. My day job in public health took center stage, but I found myself with an insatiable desire to pursue my hopes and dreams. Unfortunately, in order to take any steps toward my vision, I really had to unlearn the sort of all-or-nothing thinking that told me that it was only legitimate to pursue pathways that could quickly morph into full-time pursuits that would support me financially. I really had to allow creative thinking to take charge and get playful with the process. What if I could start my own business simply to create a container that would call my dreams worthy of attention? What if I could lean into pathways that felt aligned with my life purpose while also keeping my day job? What if I could stop waiting for capitalism to give me permission and declare that big-hearted living is our birthright? As I allowed myself to simply lean in without attachment to a particular financial outcome, I found that balance and equilibrium followed. Today, I still work my day job (albeit fewer hours than before), but I also have this amazing other part of my work life where my heart takes the lead. It feels really, really amazing.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Training and knowledge has been so central to my journey. I love learning and growing in that way! And it also feels super important to be credentialed in order to build trust with my clients. Beyond this, however, and perhaps even more important, is my desire and commitment to be present in each moment and really see people deeply. This sort of presence is rare and super powerful, and it is absolutely vital to what I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kelly-benning.square.site/
- Instagram: @heartspaceconsulting
Image Credits
Chris Gleason, Danielle Ross, Charlie Watts