Dina Berrin Put all Her (Tarot) Cards on the Table: A Former Executive Who Traded Sales Targets for Soul Work

TUP EP 121

Aransas Savas: [: 00:00:00

The change makers being people who saw a problem in the world and decided to pour all of their energy into creating the change they wished existed in the world. And transformers being people who found in their own [00:00:45] lives that there was something they wanted or needed to change and set out to create that change in themselves.

uitive guide storyteller and [: 00:01:00

Gina, I am so excited that you're bringing your wisdom, your love, your genius, and your art to the uplifters today.

: Oh, well thank you. I'm so [: 00:01:30

Aransas Savas: so cool.

Dina Berrin: It's got the same heart.

I

feels very full circle. Dina [: 00:01:45

Dina Berrin: Well, yes and no. How I found this work was through my grandmother.

say that, yes. Yeah, because [: 00:02:15

And I'm just like, okay, what does this mean? And so she started kind of teaching me, so I got like a little bit of a piecemeal introduction when I was a young girl and I grew up in New Jersey and I always [00:02:45] loved to go to the boardwalk down in Atlantic City. And I would see women, you know, reading palms on the boardwalk.

ke it was in my blood and my [: 00:03:00

And how I found my way out was to take a class and that class turned out to be tarot, so it kind of like circled me back. I feel like there was never a time that I was not interested. In all things divination, whether it be [00:03:30] palm reading, whether it be astrology, whether it be the tarot deck, like anything, you know, ruins or Le Norman deck or like crystals or any of that.

d. Yeah, so it was that deep [: 00:03:45

Aransas Savas: that led you.

l. I am so curious about the [: 00:04:00

I wanna know what's happening beneath that shiny surface that we show the world. We look like we have it all [00:04:15] together, but on the inside. Things may not be quite so clean Cut.

Aransas Savas: Yeah. As I'm listening to what you're saying, it sounds like the, the core theme across these is finding ways to make sense of the world and of humans

Dina Berrin: and [: 00:04:30

Like, who are you? What is your why? And you know, once you figure out your why, what you want, who you wanna be in the world, then it helps you figure out what you're gonna do to make that happen.

ng here about learning is so [: 00:04:45

Something, anything. And I think I would even [00:05:15] fine tune that observation now after listening to you, which is to learn something that we are curious about.

've met so many people that, [: 00:05:30

So then they follow that path and then not too far along that path, they feel as though they're trapped in their own lives. [00:05:45] And you know, they come to me asking, how can I be happy again? And I was like, well. Let's look at your chart, and I realize you're a creative person and the fact that you're doing like maybe accounting work or you're writing briefs all day, you are not exercising [00:06:00] that creative muscle and slowly that light within you, that is creativity that does light you up, is getting dimmer and dimmer and dimmer.

ave you made yourself happy? [: 00:06:15

Like what do you think? It's like, how can you give your, you know, the decisions that you're making over to someone else who knows what you want more than you. [00:06:45]

me something I can't see in [: 00:07:00

It's like, I can do that,

Dina Berrin: I can do that, and I do,

Aransas Savas: but

Dina Berrin: you're not gonna

Aransas Savas: tell them what to do.

k with, I haven't known them [: 00:07:15

I will talk to [00:07:30] you about all the pieces. And then I will say, what do you think? Mm. Somebody will come to me and talk to me about a situation that they're in. Should they stay in this relationship? Should they quit their job? And, and I said, well, only you can make that decision. Mm-hmm. Only [00:07:45] you'll know. I'm like, I will talk about this with you.

But then. The ultimate decision must be made by you. Yeah.

Aransas Savas: What an empowering response.

to giving that power away. I [: 00:08:00

Music: Mm-hmm. [00:08:15]

Dina Berrin: More than once than I get that blank stare coming back saying, what do you mean by that?

age. Their intuition is like [: 00:08:30

Dina Berrin: Exactly, because they said I trusted it once or twice or like I was gonna trust it, but then I didn't like, there's always a story, and that's also why I call myself a storyteller because I think about [00:08:45] what is the story of your life, story of your life?

You always make bad decisions,

Aransas Savas: Uhhuh.

ing given the responsibility [: 00:09:00

Aransas Savas: what you're gonna tell yourself.

Dina Berrin: And then you think, well, I don't know the answer. Well, I can't make this decision.

hat we need to do is develop [: 00:09:15

Music: Mm-hmm.

how individual. Often, tiny, [: 00:09:30

The one time the girl laughed at your shoes in fourth grade and suddenly you walk away for the rest of your life with a belief that you have poor taste in [00:09:45] shoes. Right.

Dina Berrin: Yes, that's true. Which is, and it never gets challenged again, right? Because also, sometimes what happens is it never goes back to that.

ur shoes? And you're like, I [: 00:10:00

And I'm like, here is the answer. Like it just got handed to us on a silver platter. Yeah. And now that we know this, let's change the story. Let's reframe. That's who you were. That's not [00:10:30] who you are. Mm-hmm. It's like driving in the car, but looking in the rear view mirror that happened. That's my past, but I'm not going in that direction.

me. I need to start looking [: 00:10:45

Were you the oldest in your family? Were [00:11:00] you the class clown? Were you the a math geek? Like who were you in your life? Sometimes when we grow up, we never quite shed those skins, which sometimes can leave us feeling, as you mentioned, [00:11:15] stuck.

Aransas Savas: Mm-hmm. And it sounds like you're using all of these as signals and as you said, symbols to help open up these long quieted conversations within ourselves.

'm not saying that I'm above [: 00:11:30

Mm-hmm. Here's how I change the situation kind of thing. Mm-hmm. And then you can move forward. Yeah. But it has to happen

: through you. We've all had [: 00:12:00

Yes. And so. Over the course of that learning journey, what changed in you? [00:12:30]

ferent ways that I work, but [: 00:12:45

I feel as though it's really important for you to learn one thing, like get good at that one thing. Mm-hmm. So what I did is I. After my grandmother introduced me to astrology, what really [00:13:00] kind of got me is I found tarot and I found a tarot class here in New York City where I live, and they had a Monday night class.

weeks a year. [: 00:13:15

Then we find the next year and we learn it all through the titles of the cards and what the titles mean. I went. Every Monday night for eight [00:13:45] years. But it wasn't the same thing because we were doing the rotisserie chickens. Mm-hmm. Every year that I would go back, my teachers who I love, they're like family to me.

ckwards and forwards. I know [: 00:14:00

Music: Wow.

Dina Berrin: But the thing is tarot has numbers. So it started the numerology thing with me.

so it started the symbiology [: 00:14:15

Plus, I was, I was meditating, I was doing tapping. I was always taking a class. I am a forever student. I feel as though I just want to add and give more [00:14:45] weight, more depth, more breath. Like I just, I, I just wanna know more. My, my teacher used to say to me, he would be terrified because I would always be like, but why?

you like held my feet to the [: 00:15:00

Aransas Savas: Hmm. So you had been working in this nine to five world, [00:15:15] which was nine to nine, I know.

ought I was on and lean into [: 00:15:30

Dina Berrin: Yeah. Well I will let you know that. So I always did like tar on the side, like I don't, everybody. There you go. I'm convinced that everybody has a side gig.

Mm-hmm.

we can talk about it though. [: 00:15:45

Dina Berrin: It was funny. I worked in sales fascinating. And I had a boss that knew what I did.

The side and he [: 00:16:00

Ick, hear you sell. Here you work for me. So when people would come to my desk, I would be like, you know, kind of like wave them away. I am like, I'll see you in the bathroom later. Or like, I, I can't, I can't talk about this right now. And [00:16:30] basically COVID, that's so damaging by the way. It was, it was, I felt, to be told to hide.

did it were like the people [: 00:16:45

Like they thought that it was a little bit like kooky and [00:17:00] embarrassing for them. And so I didn't really talk about it a lot. Mm. And COVID happened. And suddenly I had three kids on Zoom school at home.

Aransas Savas: Awesome.

years for my [: 00:17:15

He wanted me to get on the phone and sell and, but the problem was that I had three kids that were going rogue in my house. [00:17:30] Mm-hmm. And I felt like. I was doing all I could to like herd the cats that were in my house. And it was just like a very, very difficult time. And I, I went to my boss and I said, I know what you want me to do.

You've been very, [: 00:17:45

But I was new to coaching, so I'd always been doing like my readings, but I had never really combined it with coaching. So it took me a couple of years to get a rhythm down and [00:18:15] figure out how to use it. But what ultimately was my off ramp from the corporate life was COVID and my kids just needing more support than I could give them.

ng I could do this, and then [: 00:18:30

So I felt that judgment. So I know what it feels like to wanna hide, to kind of shrink from the spotlight. But you know what? A lot of people. We're not getting [00:19:00] the bright light and the information that I can give them because I wasn't allowing it to shine. Yes. And I was like, you know what? Yes, yes, yes. We are gonna change this story.

And it took a little while. [: 00:19:15

Aransas Savas: Yeah.

that's where it all started. [: 00:19:45

And the two of us sat there. I held his hand, we read his poem and he was like, wow. It was just like such a moment [00:20:15] and I was laughing. I'm like, if the 10 years ago version of me could see this now, it would warm my heart and maybe get me off that sooner. Yeah.

year ago, you, what was she [: 00:20:30

Dina Berrin: I was afraid of being judged because the work that I do is like, people don't know what bucket to put me in because it's like [00:20:45] you're not a doctor, you're not a lawyer, you're not a banker. You're kind of this out there, woo person, but you do have coaching, but I'm not sure what you do. I was afraid to be like, all of a sudden everybody [00:21:00] whispering about me saying, what exactly is hers thing?

nt enough. Mm-hmm. Because I [: 00:21:15

Music: Mm-hmm.

consistent money doing this, [: 00:21:30

And I was like, you know what? I get to decide what this looks like because I had 20 years working in corporate. I know how to talk to all levels of people. [00:21:45] So I'm not afraid of the CEO. I'm not afraid to get in front of a boardroom. I'm one of very few people that can bin this all together and have it make sense to you.

able to be authentic? Yeah, [: 00:22:00

Aransas Savas: Yeah, and I think so often [00:22:15] when we ask ourselves those questions, right, like, what am I afraid of?

I had about what the outcome [: 00:22:30

Dina Berrin: I had a young guy, I did a reading with him the other day. He pulled the passport. So I said to him, said, tell me about a passport.

y, my passport just expired. [: 00:22:45

And he said, and I think that I wanted to travel, [00:23:00] but then I was afraid because I'd never been. And then I went and got a passport, but I never did anything with it. And now it just expired. So he was telling me that like this version of him that is like afraid. And I said, so what exactly did you want outta this reading?

And he says, well, I [: 00:23:15

And he says, well, I can go anywhere. I said, right, it's freedom. And I said, it's independence. Like you can take your passport and go anywhere in the world. I said, so you are afraid of being stuck. I said, but where you are right now? I go, [00:23:45] there's no ceiling, there's no walls, there's no constraints. You can do anything.

. I said, and now I said, we [: 00:24:00

Yeah. I said, and this is why I said, how can we use that? Like, you have freedom to do whatever you want. I go, [00:24:15] what kind of job do you want? What would not feel like being stuck? What would not feel like, what would feel like freedom, what would feel like independence? And he's like, yeah. He goes, I, I know what kind of work I wanna do.

of it. I go, they're staying [: 00:24:30

Aransas Savas: I'm seeing it in you. What a brave thing for him to do, to say, I'm gonna come and let you see me. Yes. And that's the thing. I feel as though like that's a person

Dina Berrin: who's ready for it. He showed up vulnerable.

Aransas Savas: Yeah.

a Berrin: All people want is [: 00:25:00

Whatever that thing is. Your old story doesn't define what happens next. [00:25:15]

that we can rewrite them. So [: 00:25:30

So Dina, how can we as a community help you with your goals right now?

Berrin: Wow. Well, first of [: 00:25:45

And I also have a charm journal that is out there now and I sell my charms. If you want to work with charms, I can help with that. I have coaching programs that if you want to do a combination [00:26:15] coaching and no. Your numbers. Know your astrology. Know your tarot birth cards, which is unbelievably powerful. I want to empower women and show them that [00:26:30] they are the light.

Music: Hmm.

Dina Berrin: I am here to guide them, but I want them to know what lights the way is the light that shines from their heart. And all they need to do is listen to their heart in order to know the way.

Aransas Savas: How [: 00:26:45

Amen. I'm so happy. Kandy [00:27:00] introduced us. Yes. Thank you so much for bringing your art, your magic

h, thank you. It's like Gaga [: 00:27:15

Who do I wanna nominate? Let me think. I would like to nominate [00:27:30] a, I mean, can I nominate my mom? My mom has been such a source of support and love how lucky I am. To have had [00:27:45] her as a mom. She never judged. She never questioned. I mean, she just always, anything I did was just. She loved it. She loved it and was entertained by it and was just [00:28:00] so, I feel like I look to her and I feel as though if I can grow up to be her, that everything would be right in the world.

ank you for listening to the [: 00:28:15

Music: Big love painted water, sunshine with rosemary, and I'm dwelling. No, you find it faxing. Toss a star for [00:29:00] be around best love for relish in a new prime MA tree in springtime dance. With that all hindsight, bring the sun to twilight. Lift you up. Whoa. [00:29:15] Lift you up.

ft you up. Whoa. Lift you up.[: 00:29:30

Lift you,

lift, you

[: 00:29:45

Um, beautiful. I cried. It's that little thing you did with your voice, right? In the pre-course, [00:30:00] right? Uhhuh. Uhhuh. I was like, mommy, stop quiet, mommy. Stop crying. You're

Dina Berrin: disturbing the peace.