Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenda Adelman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was living life ‘asleep’- going to the job, pursuing my passion (acting) part-time and very caught up in my family dynamic- being the emotional caretaker of my parents. I wanted to be there for them like they weren’t there for each other.
I fell in love and moved from New York to Los Angeles to be with my fiancé and pursue my dreams.
Ten months later my mother was dead- shot and killed by my father.
Losing both of my parents in that night (and the way it happened) sent me into a depression that I couldn’t shake.
About three years after my mother died I was out with a friend after acting class and he said, “You know, if you take your own life – you won’t be with your mother.”
#1: I didn’t realize I was in such pain that I had expressed this to him
#2 That comment shook me to my core and I realized my mom (who I missed terribly) would want me to thrive- not just survive.
I began feverishly journaling my thoughts and feelings during my sleepless nights and when I read what I wrote the next day it horrified me – the danger in the writing, the rage, the sexuality- and yet I knew at a deep level that getting those feelings out of my head and onto the pages of my journal was the key to my healing.
Next I was guided to turn one of my poems into a scene to put up in a Storytelling exercise in the top acting class in Los Angeles that I was attending.
I was terrified of judgment. I had been hiding behind the characters I was playing up until then.
Not only did I get a ten minute standing ovation from the 100 person class but several students revealed to me shame around things they were hiding and I realized my courage to share helped them. Then a director wanted to work with me…a producer…and that short piece has turned into my now critically acclaimed one-woman show, My Brooklyn Hamlet that I have performed in 3 countries and 9 states so far.
The message is about the power of forgiveness of ourselves and others.
I have performed my show, been a keynote presenter for over 11,000 people for audiences as diverse as women prisoners, youth-at-risk, college and grad school students, faculty, mental health trainers, for Domestic Violence Coalitions, for the US military, theatre festivals, and for spiritual communities.
Performing at a Unity Church – the minister said, ‘Could you do a workshop on Forgiveness’ and so I said yes and that led to me writing my Kindle book on my 3 Step Proven Forgiveness Process, (available on Amazon) “My Father Killed My Mother and Married My Aunt: Forgiving the Unforgivable” and leading live and virtual workshops.
Armed with a Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology I became a transformational life coach and started working one on one with clients.
Many people over the years would take me out to coffee to find out how they could create their own meaningful one-person show. Already an online entrepreneur In 2015 I decided to put everything I learned about finding my message, crafting my show and making money with it into my signature online video training course, How to Create, Promote and Profit with a One-Person Show. I currently have 40 students from around the world studying with me.
I’ve have also been teaching an in-person One-Person Show class for the San Diego Writer’s Ink since this summer.
In 2016, I expanded to teach entrepreneurs how to get to the heart of their story and present it on stage, on video and in their marketing.
Next up I am performing 30 minutes of my solo-show, My Brooklyn Hamlet, in a 3 part performance called ‘Divas in Danger’ in Long Beach at The Aurora Theatre Saturdays in February 2018.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been an emotional road and it’s why I teach forgiveness inside all of my programs.
After my first success with putting my show up in Los Angeles I took over two years off because I was a mess- I didn’t know how to handle the emotions of my story or how to set a healthy boundary with my father.
That’s when I went back to school to get a Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology. So now when I share my story it’s from an expanded and peaceful place. The principles I learned in that two year experiential program is the foundation of the healing work that I use with my clients.
Forgiveness and Freedom – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Forgiveness and Freedom is morphing into Tell Your Story. Change the World.
These days I am leading with helping entrepreneurs and performers tell their story and express themselves fully in the world in a big way- whether that’s in a public presentation, a speech, a one-person show or on their Facebook Lives, website or course videos.
I’m so proud of my clients who have dreamed of performing and having their voices heard and are actually doing it now- all over the states, in Canada and in Europe.
I’m proud of the incredible healing I get to witness as my clients dive deep and let go of stories that have been weighing them down and keeping peace and intimacy away.
I’m proud of my clients who have never spoken publicly before but knew they had a BIG message to share and are now changing many lives.
I believe the depth of my story work combined with my acting background sets my work apart. I help my clients clear their personal stories so they can be powerful storytellers and then I show them how to perform like a professional actor would either on stage or in their business videos.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Personal success for me is knowing I’ve left the world a better place because of my actions, my courage to speak and perform my story and my ability to love. The more people I reach with my message about forgiveness and confidently taking center stage in their lives – the more successful I am.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.forgivenessandfreedom.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/brendaadelman
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/brendaadelman
- Other: https://brendaadelman.lpages.co/createasoloshownew

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