Glenda Benevides is an award-winning, GRAMMY®-nominated singer-songwriter, author, and creator of transformative experiences. Known for her soul-stirring voice and fierce authenticity, she fuses music, storytelling, and activism into a force for empowerment. With six albums and multiple international tours, Glenda has captivated audiences from the Edinburgh Rock & Blues Festival to the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, performing alongside artists like Toto, Pink Martini, and Damian Perkins (RENT, Aida).
She’s the visionary behind the Global Badass Goddess podcast, workshops which celebrates resilience, artistry, and bold self-expression. Her best-selling books – Courage, Find Your Fire and Ignite Action in Your Life, Soul On Fire, and Own The Goddess Within inspire readers to reclaim their power. Her Goddess Code VIP retreats are soulful sanctuaries for women, blending music, mindfulness, and magic to awaken one’s divinity.
Through her work, Glenda supports causes like climate restoration and One Tree Planted, making a meaningful impact through art and advocacy. With every note, word, and gathering, she invites you to rise, stand up, and remember and embrace who you truly are.
Company: GlendaMusic/Global Badass Goddess
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Glenda Benevides: Hi, I’m Glenda Benevides – a GRAMMY®-nominated artist, author, and transformational leader. I wear a few vibrant hats, all driven by one deep purpose: to awaken, inspire, and empower through soulful expression and sacred experiences.
Through my music, books, live performances, and retreats, I help people reconnect to their passion, purpose, and power. As the founder of GlendaMusic/Global Badass Goddess along with BloodMoon Hollow Entertainment, I create immersive multimedia experiences that combine music, magic, storytelling, and audience interaction to spark transformation and leave people inspired and uplifted.
I’m also the visionary behind GoddessCode VIP, a transformational platform and retreat experience rooted in clarity, courage, confidence, commitment and community. It’s designed to support women in reclaiming their voice, embodying their power, and living with fierce freedom, grace and ease. It’s called Soul On Fire.
Whether it’s on stage, in the studio, or leading a retreat, I’m here to ignite the fire within and remind people of the power that lives in authenticity, creativity, and connection.
What inspired you to prioritize sustainability as a core pillar of your business, and how do you ensure it’s more than just a buzzword in your strategy?
Glenda Benevides: Sustainability, for me, is about more than just environmental practices – it’s about my mindset, and soul-aligned longevity. As a GRAMMY®-nominated artist, author, and transformational leader, my work is rooted in awakening consciousness, healing, and empowerment for myself and others. That means I’m not just thinking about what’s trending – I’m thinking about what truly nourishes people, communities, and the planet over time.
In both GlendaMusic/Global Badass Goddess and GoddessCode VIP, sustainability shows up in how we create: with intention, respect, and awareness. It’s living into our pillars we’ve designed. Mine is Clarity, Courage, Confidence and Community. Whether it’s producing immersive events that reduce waste, planting trees, raising awareness, partnering with mindful collaborators, or curating retreat experiences that leave people feeling grounded and renewed rather than burned out – it’s all designed to honor the sacred balance of giving and receiving. It’s also a way of sustaining and being one’s core purpose and health.
To me, sustainability is about regenerative energy, emotionally, creatively, and ecologically. It’s all together you have to have both. It’s about building something that lasts, not just for profit, but for purpose. I ensure it’s more than a buzzword by living it, embodying it, and integrating it into how we lead, create, and connect with our audiences and communities.
What’s one specific sustainability initiative in your company that has delivered both environmental impact and measurable financial returns?
Glenda Benevides: One of the most impactful sustainability initiatives I’ve integrated into my business is my partnership with One Tree Planted. For every purchase of my music, books, or merchandise, I donate $1 to plant a tree. It’s a simple yet powerful way to create a win-win-win: the supporter gets something meaningful and inspiring, the planet gains a tree, and I get to tie my art and message to direct environmental action.
This initiative has created real financial and emotional value. Not only does it encourage conscious consumerism where people feel good knowing their purchase has a purpose but it also builds deeper loyalty and connection with my audience. It’s not just about selling something; it’s about making every transaction count for something greater. That’s sustainability in action – soulful, measurable, and rooted in reciprocity. We’ve planted over 400 trees thus far.
How do you navigate pushback from stakeholders such as investors or board members who prioritize short-term profits over long-term sustainability goals?
Glenda Benevides: While I don’t currently have official stakeholders or board members in my business, I’ve built my creative and entrepreneurial ventures like GlendaMusic/Global Badass Goddess, BloodMoon Hollow Entertainment and GoddessCode VIP with a long-term, values-driven mindset from the start. That means sustainability isn’t an add-on, it’s embedded in the core of everything I do.
If and when I do bring in investors or partners, it will be essential that they align with that vision. I believe that purpose and profit can go hand in hand that doing good is good business. The communities I serve respond deeply to conscious initiatives, like planting a tree for every purchase. That kind of impact builds loyalty, trust, and a sustainable ecosystem of support, which benefits everyone over time.
So for me, it’s not about navigating pushback – it’s about being clear from the beginning that this is the path we walk. Soulful business is sustainable business.
What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve faced in embedding sustainable practices into your operations, and how did you overcome it?
Glenda Benevides: Honestly, the biggest obstacle hasn’t been embedding sustainable practices because from day one, sustainability has been a natural extension of my purpose and passion. When you’re clear on your “why,” you simply do what it takes.
Whether it’s partnering with One Tree Planted to give back with every sale, curating conscious retreats, or creating immersive experiences that leave people and the planet better than we found them – it’s all woven into how we operate.
We don’t see sustainability as a hurdle; we see it as a heartbeat. It guides our choices, fuels our creativity, and keeps us aligned with the deeper mission of inspiring, healing, and awakening through soulful expression.
Looking ahead, what emerging sustainability trend or innovation do you believe will reshape your industry, and how is your company preparing to lead in that space?
Glenda Benevides: Looking ahead, I believe the fusion of sustainability with immersive, purpose-driven storytelling and art is going to reshape not just the entertainment industry, but how we connect as human beings. People are craving deeper meaning not just content, but impact. That’s where I see the future: experiences that nourish the soul, raise consciousness, and care for the planet at the same time.
At GlendaMusic/Global Badass Goddess, BloodMoon Hollow Entertainment and GoddessCode VIP, we keep our eyes and ears open. We listen. We ask questions. We tune into what people truly want and need emotionally, spiritually, and environmentally. Our commitment is to continue leading with powerful music, transformative storytelling, and practices that regenerate not just our audience’s spirit, but also the earth. We are all connected, and we are all one. Thinking from that place is the most powerful way of thinking, being and doing business.
Whether through initiatives like planting a tree for every purchase, designing zero-waste experiences, or blending ritual, art, and activism – we’re preparing to lead by staying rooted in truth, creativity, and care for the whole.
