Are scholarships available?
Not yet. Many participants use professional development budgets and/or payment plans. We’ll continue exploring funding opportunities for future cohorts.
If you’re interested but can’t enroll this year, apply and indicate interest in future iterations.
This is a serious investment. Help me make sense of it.
There are many great writing programs out there, and we encourage you to identify an experience that best supports your needs.
This investment reflects the real cost of holding a premium, intimate experience — equitable pay for venues and collaborators, deep coaching support,
and a carefully designed arc that doesn’t rely on urgency, hustle, or templated solutions. We also offer a sliding scale so you can choose the rate
that matches your current capacity.
How does the sliding scale work?
We offer three rates. Choose the rate that aligns with your current financial capacity. If you have the ability individually, or are using organizational
professional development funds, we recommend selecting the Standard or Sustainer rate. If you’re personally funding this in a season of constraint,
the Supported tier is here for you. No questions asked.
Do I need to already identify as a writer, or have started my book?
No. This design supports experienced and new writers alike. You might be early in an idea, hesitant to claim “writer” as an identity, or returning after a long pause.
Our design supports you in beginning from where you are.
Will this program guarantee me publication?
No, and please question any program that does. What Bernadette’s Lineage offers is a comprehensive pathway to
move beyond fear and doubt in your writing practice; clarity on what you are writing, and why, and concrete tools
on the publishing industry.
I am working on a screenplay/children’s book/memoir/business book/sci-fi novel/poetry collection, etc…is this program right for me?
Yes! Bernadette’s Lineage is intentionally multi-genre and designed to hold participants working across a range
of literary expressions.
What differentiates this from other writing programs?
We intentionally go deep and hold you as an individual without applying a “fixed” process for how to write a book.
We start with the self and move from there. We are also intentional about supporting those who might be hesitant
to take on the identity of “writer”, but know they have a story in them. And our small, curated group size and blend
of in-person, virtual, group, and 1:1 modalities ensures we are meeting participants at a range of entry points.
This sounds amazing but I am worried about finding the time.
This program is designed to give you back more time, and more vitality. In our opening retreat we will get real
about our schedules and lives, clearing space for what no longer serves you, so you can make room for what does.
Additionally, our design is built for working professionals. With all sessions recorded and opportunities to tailor
attendance in particular sessions based on your life (e.g. come to all weekly writing cafes, or come to two a month,
or come to none), our intention is for participants to hold this experience with easeful integration into their
day-to-day lives.
My mother Bernadette loved being a mom, was committed to providing for her children, and was the life of the party amongst her friends and family.
She lived a full life, but she passed with many dreams and goals still inside her. She wanted to travel the world, to start a business, to grow professionally,
and so much more. Bernadette’s Lineage is my homage to all of our foremothers. We don’t have to wait for retirement, for the kids to be grown, or for that elusive
“one day” when our schedules are suddenly perfect to breathe life into our creative dreams. This work is not about doing it all - it is about doing more of what matters to you.
My mother did not live long enough to see my publishing dream be fulfilled, but it is her legacy of love, creativity, discipline, and community that this work stands upon.
Here's to all of our foremothers and what their lives make possible for us. Here’s to you and your creative dreams - when women tell our stories, the world changes.
I received coaching from Idrissa during a challenging negotiation with my employer. With compassion and rigor, she helped me to clarify my priorities, strategy, and bottom line.
That clarity allowed me to go through the negotiation process with confidence and to advocate effectively for myself. This is particularly important as a woman of color who has been
profoundly conditioned to put everyone else's wants first and to question my own worth. Working with her, I felt seen, understood, believed, supported, and accountable to my own dreams and desires.
Idrissa helped me to see the best of myself, and to fight for that.
— Non-Profit Director
Idrissa is an incredible coach: the right combination of warm, supportive cheerleading, with just enough challenging mixed in to get me moving.
Idrissa helped me figure out what it was time to say No to in my life in order to create room for some new big exciting Yesses! I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Idrissa to get my creative juices flowing.
— Private Sector Executive
Idrissa's coaching helped bring my essence to life. She heard what I was afraid to name and encouraged me to explore, so that by the end of our sessions,
I not only had words, but also living metaphors to call forth when it was time to act. Idrissa's full belief in me never wavered through my times of questioning.
She has helped me step into full belief of my own power and in celebration of myself.
— Founder & CEO
Ready to build with us in 2026?
If you are ready to move your book forward inside a curated community—held by structure, restoration, and executive-level coaching—Bernadette’s Lineage is here.
Application deadline: February 20.
Program will fill on a rolling basis.
Have questions before applying? Book a discovery call with Idrissa
here.
