Instructor
Bento Leal
Bento was raised in the East Bay Area of Northern California and graduated with a BA in Sociology from California State University, Hayward. After working in many fields, he was fortunate to work for the Institute for Contemporary Studies, a non-profit organization in Oakland, where they taught relationship skills to low-income individuals and couples. In 2007, Bento was hired by Healthy Relationships California to continue his work as a relationship skills instructor and trainer. He has taught these powerful communication skills to hundreds of people in churches, family resource centers, drug rehab programs, county jails, and in federal prison. He and his wife, Kimiko, have been married since 1979 and they have 3 adult children.
Get To Know You
- Where are you from? – San Leandro, California.
- How many years have you worked for HRC? – 15 years.
- What is your favorite relationship principle you have learned from HRC? – Power Listening — listening to deeply understand the thoughts and feelings of the other person rather than simply listening with the intent to reply.
- What is your favorite movie and/or book? – Movie: Star Wars | Books: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, and The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman
- What is your favorite place to travel? – Having been to several states and countries, my favorite places are all right here in the Greater Bay Area — so many things to see and do!
- Tell us a little bit about your family. – Kimiko and I have a very tight-knit and loving family with our 3 adult children, their partners, and our extended family here in the Bay Area. My wife is the best cook ever — her sushi is a knockout!
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