We recently had the chance to connect with Arlena Bessard and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Arlena, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Prayer. There’s two ministries that I pray with in the mornings. One is Glory Nation Revival Center with Dr. Vanessa Williams and the other is Command Your Morning (CYM) with Apostle Tomi Arayomi via the CYM YouTube channel. This starts very early in the mornings and it’s more than worth it. It has been life-changing in the best ways, God is so good.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello all new to me, I’m Arlena Bessard, the founder of Heavenly Hands Massage And Bodywork, a sanctuary and safe haven where fascia+muscle-focused health converges with faith-based feminine and holistic wellness. My journey began as a licensed massage therapist, but it evolved into so much more. I now serve women in their fullness spiritually, ministerially, emotionally, and structurally so they can rediscover their body, identity in Christ, and the power to live and lead boldly.
My God given assignment is the intersection of clinical depth and kingdom-minded purpose. I’m trained in advanced myofascial release, and I lean on micro-current therapy for quick, yet lasting results-driven transformation. Additionally, I coach women on hormone balance, circadian alignment, and posture health. It’s an integration of bodywork, movement medicine, nervous-system regulation, and spiritual alignment. My background has positioned me to serve not only clients who lie on the table, but also clients all over, massage therapists and bodyworkers who want to upgrade their toolkits with fascia-focused and other therapies/protocols.
Right now, I’m working on several exciting projects: a set of client-ready movement plans, and routines for practitioners. I’m launching specialized classes/books for my clients, my general audience, and professionals alike — and writing books on women’s feminine health: breast health, sleep positioning, identity-in-Christ curriculum and more that tie into body systems, movement, and healing.
What draws and convicts+convinces me to keep going for this is what I like to call “seeking and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7)–knowing that it’s Christ who has endowed, empowered, and endorsed me to seek Him for what I am to do which is to stand up for women and allow Him to call to them through me. We are all His workmanship and His unique design sent here for a purpose. What better way to serve God than to take care of the spirit, soul, and body He’s given to us? Living our lives for God (including how we treat and care for ourselves) is worship and I’m here to help every woman to embrace this.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Given that I have been led by God seek for myself and help others with inner healing and deliverance, I believe that trauma itself, the residue left behind after said trauma, and what would be looked at as negative or bad experiences experiences, as well as dark spiritual influences along with all tied to them is the root to it all. These things that get birthed and spring forth from them (choices that hurt others in any measure or manifestation) are what breaks bonds between people. These things become people’s “filters”–the lens behind how they see themselves and the world around them. This acts as the springboard for their actions, inactions, words, silence, and the like.
There’s a saying that says: “Hurt people hurt other people”, and conversely, it’s been my experience that healed people heal other people. The more healed someone is the more they are able to look past the “filters” of others and accept whom and what they’re meant to while conversely stepping away from whom and what is needed in order to both become and remain their best version. Making decisions from a healthy place can allow for the proper decision to be made in whether to allow reconnection.
So just as trauma and the like can bring lies, distrust, and more, the opposite heals and mends bonds: true healing brings truth (especially Christ’s truth), trust, forgiveness, and the more which makes restoration possible on every level.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You’re not less than everyone else. You are not what others say about you, you are what God says about you, and it’s good. You have so much inside of you that’ll make a difference to other Arlena’s out there–just cling to the voice inside that says: “You are loved, you are worthy of love, and you are truly special.”
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
Honestly, God. The Holy Spirit is quite literally the answer to everything. This may not be a truth everyone holds to, but the more I look at the world, events, and what time shows, I see the evidence of what my heart, spirit, and soul already know–that God is a God of strategy, wisdom, and understanding.
That being said, knowing what’s next and what’s going to move the needle can only come from God who gives us and gave us everything that we can and cannot see. The more I learned to tap into what God wants for me and from me, building from that and not a trend or fad that’s industry-specific, cultural-specific, etc. the more I say that everything really begins and ends in God. That’s on a personal and professional front.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
Exactly what is essential and drives me, makes me, and gives it all meaning+direction+drive– My identity in Christ.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/heavenlyhandsmassage_bodywork
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coacharlena?igsh=MTRkNndmZjN4ejdtcA==
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlena-bessard-42943514b?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
- Twitter: https://x.com/arlenabessard?t=U9poBfm_NLao7AvCR9gnvA&s=09
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17gw5DdhgF/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@arlenabessard?si=5e16rnkVm2qANMH_
- Other: Google- https://maps.app.goo.gl/BzWTt4HawQPkLQez5
Image Credits
Lauren Bethany Ferrel of Lauren Bethany Photography
