Written by Barbara Appel, Intuitive Somatic Life Coach Barbara Appel is an ICM Master Coach, Human Design Certified Specialist and Intuitive Somatic Life Coach specializing in nervous system regulation, the transformative power of gratitude, manifestation and embodied transformation. She is the founder of Thankful Pathways and believes it is never too late to change and stand in your power. Your brain is running a program right now. It's scanning. Filtering. Searching. The only question is, did 'you' tell it what to look for? Discover a personal approach to manifestation that combines clear intentions, written goals, and gratitude to help you focus on what matters and notice opportunities along the way. Most people think manifestation is spiritual. It is. “Ask, and it shall be given you” (Matthew 7:7, King James Version) is a well-known verse in the spiritual community, but neuroscience also backs it up. Once you understand what’s happening in your brain when you write a manifestation list, you’ll never look at a goal list the same way again. My relationship with manifestation started young. Raised in a small apartment in Los Angeles, I somehow found my way to a performing arts school, the University of Southern California art galleries, and street parades. But it wasn't until adulthood that I truly understood how it worked. I'm not teaching theory. I manifested my way through a 2,000-mile move, a miracle newborn, and a complete life transition. Using exactly the method I'm about to share with you. What is the reticular activating system? Now let’s get into the science of your amazing reticular activating system (RAS). Your brain receives 11 million bits of information per second. Your brain can only consciously process 40-50 bits per second. The RAS is the filter that decides what gets through to your conscious mind. That means whatever you focus on consistently, your brain will start finding evidence of it everywhere. Have you ever bought a new car you had never seen on the road before and then started noticing your exact car everywhere? That’s your RAS!!! It does way more than ruin the exclusivity of the car you just purchased. You see, that car was always on the road in those numbers; your brain wasn't filtering for it until you told it to. This isn’t magic. This is how your brain works every single day. Why writing it down is the hack Every time you take a thought out of your head and put it on paper, you give your RAS a clear, specific target. Your brain now knows exactly what to scan your surroundings for. This means it will start filtering and targeting opportunities that will get you closer to your goals. Some use vision boards for this; however, I personally believe vision boards with too many images can confuse the RAS by giving it too many vague targets and too many stimuli. These vague targets tend not to portray exactly what we want, only the closest picture we could find to what we want. When we write it, we can get more specific, and that’s important for your RAS targeting. One clear manifestation list gives your RAS a precise global positioning system (GPS) coordinate for your life’s next trajectory. That’s why specificity is everything. The more specific the written goal, the more specific the RAS search can be. I teach my clients that it’s much like a grocery list. It keeps our focus on what truly matters; if it’s on the list, we are getting it. During the holidays, this one extra step makes the whole shopping experience much simpler, especially when the store is super busy or we are busy. Giving our RAS something to lock onto can save us so much mental energy. This is the science behind the ritual of manifestation that I have proven time and time again; my husband and friends are doing this now and seeing amazing results. However, there is another important point I must make. The gratitude snowball If I could scream this through a megaphone all over the world, I would. Wait, I am doing that now in the form of writing, so listen up. This may be the most important point I've written so far; many try to skip it because they believe it’s something they are already doing or it’s not that important for manifestation. However, I am here to tell you that, from my personal experience, a gratitude process, which we are about to discuss, starts a snowball effect that will attract your targets to you faster than ever before. You see, gratitude is not just a feel-good practice. Gratitude is a process that reprograms your brain's filtering and strengthens neural pathways. Let’s get into the science behind gratitude. Every time you write down something you are grateful for and let yourself feel grateful in that moment, you rewire your neural pathways to gratitude. The more you practice, the stronger the neural pathway becomes, and your RAS starts naturally scanning for things to be grateful for. Gratitude attracts more gratitude; that is the snowball effect. The key is to feel it; writing a list without feeling it doesn’t rewire the pathway. This is why the Gratitude Adjustment Workshop focuses on feeling it, not just writing it. When we allow ourselves to feel, we are allowing ourselves to receive. It’s a receiving practice that prepares us for what we want. Then, when we start noticing targets coming in, we don’t hesitate and are ready to receive whatever it is with heartfelt gratitude. I offer my community a 6-month hardcover gratitude journal. Our neural pathways strengthen with repetition; daily practice compounds over time and is essential for speedy manifestation. Why you close it and trust it Trust is something many of us struggle with in a world that is so upside down at times. However, trust is exactly what this process requires. Once your manifestation list is written, your RAS is already working. Obsessing over the list activates your stress response, then cortisol blocks the prefrontal cortex and starts interfering with the RAS doing its job. Simply put, the more we obsess over the things written on our list, the more we push them away. We already made a target that the RAS is actively searching for, so there is no need to add additional pressure. Trying to rush the process only confuses your RAS. Closing it once written removes the anxiety and lets the RAS work quietly in the background while you keep living your life and practicing gratitude. “Ask and release” isn’t just spiritual wisdom. It is neuroscience. Start to notice when things come up in normal life. That’s your RAS delivering. The only exception is if you need something as soon as possible; I would recommend visualizing it a few times when you naturally think about it. Visualize it as if it is already there. I'll tell you a quick story. A few years ago, one of the things on my list was a new truck for my husband. I do not normally manifest things for others because it is not my place, but this was a special circumstance. I had a baby on the way, and the air conditioning (AC) in my husband’s current Explorer was out. I went into full mama bear mode and wrote down a truck I thought my husband would want based on what he had told me he liked before. Then, a few times when I was getting into my husband’s hot Explorer, I visualized myself getting into the new truck with AC. When I finished the quick visualization exercise and came back to the present, I would express gratitude for our current transportation no matter how incredibly hot it was that day. We ended up selling that Explorer to a neighbor before we moved. We had only one car with a newborn in a new city, and my husband had to go back to work. Not long after that, my car broke down, and we no longer had a working vehicle. Many would say this was the worst thing that could happen; however, I call this life contrast: out with the old, in with the new, and it normally comes right before a big manifestation. I sat calmly, knowing my manifestation was right around the corner; I could feel it. That very day, when my car broke down and we were stranded, my husband had a rideshare drop us off at home and left to get a second vehicle because my car could not be fixed for several days. I am sure you can guess what happened. He came home with the exact truck I had written down and been visualizing. I was shocked by how it felt pulling myself into his new truck; it was exactly as I imagined, and boy, was that AC amazing. He didn’t know what I wrote on my list, and I didn’t know what he wrote on his, but our RAS was in sync, and we both got what we wanted. That is the power of the RAS. I believe this process is even more powerful when someone you love writes down the same thing on their RAS target list. How to use it correctly: The method The Reclaim & Rise manifestation method in 5 steps: Step 1: Write it – Specific. Detailed. Exactly what you want. Give your RAS a precise target. Step 2: Close it – Trust your RAS has the target. Don’t stare at it. Don’t obsess. Let it work. Step 3: Notice it – When things come up in normal life, that’s your RAS working. Acknowledge it with gratitude. Step 4: Read it at 6 months – Conscious check-in. See what your RAS has already delivered without you realizing. Step 5: Annual reset – Clear the old targets. Give your RAS new ones. Do this every year. Call to action Ready to give your brain a clear target? As a Brainz Magazine reader, grab your Annual Manifestation Ritual for just $5 (normally $17), the same list I use every year to program my brain's GPS. If you want to go deeper, join me monthly inside the Reclaim & Rise community for our live Manifestation Workshop, where we do this work together. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Barbara Appel Barbara Appel, Intuitive Somatic Life Coach Barbara Appel is an ICM Master Coach, Human Design Certified Specialist and Intuitive Somatic Life Coach dedicated to helping people shed what was never theirs to carry and stand in their power. A high school teacher once wrote her father a letter describing how Barbara inspired a shy student to give his very best when no one else could reach him. That student became a successful, confident professional. Barbara has dedicated her life to inspiring and lifting up everyone who crosses her path. Her work blends somatic healing, the transformative power of gratitude, nervous system regulation, Human Design and manifestation. She is the founder of Thankful Pathways. Her mission: Stop playing a role. Start living it. Sources: Biology Insights Wikipedia: Reticular formation ScienceDirect: Reticular activating system Unplugged Psych Mind Health

Written by Andrew Buzinsky, Business Coach Andrew Buzinsky is a business performance coach and former executive who works with founders and senior leaders to grow their business and leadership. He brings practical experience and a straight-talking coaching style to help leaders think clearly and execute with confidence. For years, my kids would ask if they could help me with a project around the house, and for years, I told them I had it handled, whether or not that was true. I carried the exact same instinct into my corporate career, on a much bigger stage. I did not see it as a problem. I saw it as a strength, right up until a mentor pulled me aside and told me otherwise. That was the moment I recognized the Soloist in myself, one of the ways imposter syndrome shows up in high performers. I've seen more than one version of it in my own life. Here is what it looks like, why intelligence does not protect you from it, and where to start if you recognize yourself in it. The chores, the corner office, and the pattern I could not see My kids figured it out before I did. Whenever there was a project around the house, a shelf to build, a fence to fix, something to sort out, they would ask if they could help. Nearly every time, I told them I had it. It did not matter whether the help would have made the job faster or better. Something in me treated the offer as unnecessary at best and an interruption at worst. I brought that same instinct into my professional life, and it followed me all the way to the top. During the years I spent building an energy services business to more than 120 million dollars in revenue across ten countries, I was working inside a large US organization with real resources. Other business units, specialists, and people whose entire job was to help teams like mine succeed were available for the asking. I rarely asked. To me, asking for help was close to admitting I could not do the job I had been trusted with. I told myself my team and I could handle it alone, and for a while, we did. What I could not see was how that looked from the outside. A mentor inside the company eventually told me something I still think about. He said I was being seen as someone who did not work well with other departments and could not get along as part of the larger team. I was not trying to be difficult. I genuinely believed I was protecting my team's reputation by handling things ourselves. But protecting a reputation and building one are not the same thing, and I had confused the two. Imposter syndrome, named What I was carrying has a name. It's called imposter syndrome, and researcher Valerie Young, in her book "The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women", describes five recognizable patterns among capable, successful people. See if you recognize yourself in one of these. The perfectionist Judges their work by the one flaw instead of the ten things done well. Success rarely feels like enough because there is always a version of the work that could have been better. The superwoman or superman Believes they should be able to excel at every role at once, parent, leader, spouse, athlete, and treats anything less as falling short. Rest starts to feel like falling behind. The natural genius Measures ability by how easily something comes, not by how much effort it takes. If a skill requires real struggle to learn, it feels like proof they were never good enough to begin with. The soloist Treats asking for help as an admission of inadequacy rather than a normal part of operating at a high level. Would rather struggle alone than risk looking like they need anyone. The expert Believes no amount of experience or credentials is ever quite enough to call themselves qualified. Keeps collecting one more certification instead of trusting what they already know. The two I know best Two of these fit me more than I'd like to admit, the Soloist and the Expert. Coach and author Rich Litvin has written about how these five patterns show up specifically in high achievers and says he recognizes elements of all of them in himself. Seeing my own patterns named that clearly in someone else's writing was a strange kind of relief. None of the five patterns are a personal failing. They are strategies that worked well enough, for long enough, that they hardened into identity. Mine worked until they started costing me something I could not see from the inside. Why the smartest people in the room are the most exposed Here is the part that surprised me most when looking at the research behind this. Imposter syndrome does not spare capable people. If anything, it concentrates there. Psychologist David Dunning's research on what is now called the Dunning-Kruger effect may offer one explanation. People with genuine competence tend to have an accurate, sometimes uncomfortable awareness of everything they still do not know, while people with less competence may overestimate their own ability because they lack the knowledge to see their own gaps. Put plainly, a junior employee might believe they have mastered a skill after doing it once. A veteran who has done the same job a thousand times knows exactly how many ways it can still go wrong. That awareness can look like doubt from the outside. It is usually just experience. Under pressure, that awareness gets louder, not quieter. The more responsibility you carry, the more you can see of what could go wrong, and it is easy to mistake that for weakness when it is really just experience doing its job. It never stays personal It is easy to treat imposter syndrome as a private discomfort, something you manage on your own time without it touching anyone else. It is impossible to isolate that way. It affects your team, and it affects your business. Take the Expert. Solopreneurs are especially prone to this type. Convinced they are not yet ready, they keep stacking certifications, courses, and credentials instead of hiring the specialist or finding the outside resource who could solve the problem in front of them. The business stays small because the owner stays perpetually in training. Real-world experience and real revenue keep getting postponed for one more qualification, and the qualification never turns out to be the last one. The Soloist shows up just as often, and just as expensively, in technical experts who get promoted into leadership. The certified public accountant (CPA) or the engineer who built a reputation as the person who solves the hard problem gets the promotion and keeps solving the hard problem personally instead of building a team that can solve it without them. Every problem the leader takes on alone is one the team never gets the chance to learn from. Worse, the team reads it as a lack of trust. The leader clearly doesn't believe anyone else is capable of handling something that matters. Either version, the Expert who won't stop training or the Soloist who won't stop doing it all personally, produces the same result. The business's real capacity gets capped by the leader's discomfort, not by what the team is capable of. The reframe that works The instinct, once you spot one of these patterns in yourself, is to try to get rid of it. Work harder to stop feeling that way. That is not what worked for me, and it is not what the research supports either. The more useful move is to get good at the feeling instead of waiting for it to disappear. For me, that meant treating “asking for help” as a skill to practice deliberately, not as a sign I had failed at something. I started small. I brought in another business unit on a problem I could have solved alone, just to see what happened. Usually, what happened was a better outcome, faster, and a colleague who felt trusted instead of shut out. The instinct to go it alone never fully disappeared. I just stopped letting it make the decision for me. It shows up at home too, still. Ask my kids about fresh pasta day. For years, their entire contribution was turning the handle on the pasta roller while I managed everything else, the dough, the flour, the timing, because handing over more felt like handing over control. I am slowly letting them do more than crank the handle. It is a small thing, and it is still hard for me, and that is exactly the point. What to do with this, starting now Start by identifying which of the five patterns sound like you. I have at least two that are obvious to me, the Soloist and the Expert. You may see two or three right away. Ask someone close to you, a partner or spouse, which ones they see in you. They will often notice a pattern you have missed entirely because they are watching from outside the story you tell yourself. Once you know which patterns to watch for, track one thing this week. Every time you catch yourself defaulting to solo, chasing one more credential, or avoiding a decision because of how it might look, write it down. Do not judge it yet. Just count it. Most capable people who do this honestly are surprised by the number. That surprise is useful. You cannot change a pattern you have never measured, and this exercise makes the pattern visible in a matter of days. Ready to take the next step? I work with many high-performing executives and founders who find themselves more alone and more like an imposter the more successful they become. Left unmanaged, imposter syndrome filters your thinking. It gets in the way of becoming the leader you are capable of being, and it gets in the way of the growth your business is capable of. If any of this sounded familiar, book a conversation with me, and let's talk about what this is costing you and your business and what to do about it. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Andrew Buzinsky Andrew Buzinsky, Business Coach Andrew Buzinsky is a business performance coach and former executive who works with founders and senior leaders to grow their business and leadership. He has been in the seat, building and scaling companies, and dealing with real moments of pressure, including figuring out how to make payroll in his first week as a company president. Andrew is a CPA and engineer with an MBA, but he is known more for his practical, straight-talking approach than for his credentials. Through Rodina Ventures, he helps leaders cut through noise, make better decisions, and build businesses that actually work. His focus is simple, to help leaders think better so they can lead better. References: Valerie Young, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Imposter Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It. Rich Litvin, “The 5 Types of Top Performers and Their Hidden Challenge,” richlitvin.com. David Dunning, research on the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Written by Chitra Soerdjbalie, Business Owner Chitra Soerdjbalie is an international model and entrepreneur who bridges the worlds of fashion, event planning, and female leadership. She is passionate about helping others build confidence, create meaningful experiences, and lead with authenticity in both business and life. Being a curvy model has taught me that taking up space is not about being the loudest person in the room or demanding attention. It is about allowing your personality, experience and strengths to come forward without apologising for them. In an industry that still struggles with consistent body diversity, I learned that fitting into one narrow image was never going to be my goal. What does taking up space really mean? When people hear the phrase “taking up space”, they may think about being bold, outspoken or highly visible. For me, it means something slightly different. Taking up space is allowing your personality, qualities and experience to come forward in a way that is confident but still respectful. It is not about acting as though you know everything or making yourself more important than the people around you. It is about recognising that what you have learned and experienced may also have value for someone else. That distinction matters to me. Confidence does not need to become arrogance, and presence does not need to become dominance. You can contribute, speak, lead and share what you know while still being open to learning from other people. In that sense, taking up space is less about how much attention you receive and more about whether you are willing to bring your full contribution into the room. When runway selection gave me hope One of the first times I became particularly aware of my place as a curvy model was through runway selections. Fashion still has a very specific image of what a model is expected to look like, so being selected as a curvy woman carried another meaning for me. It showed me that there were designers and brands willing to look beyond one traditional body type. There were not suddenly endless opportunities, and I would never pretend that the industry had completely changed. But those selections gave me hope. They showed me that like-minded designers existed and that change does not always happen all at once. Sometimes progress starts with individual people making different decisions. One designer chooses a different body type. One casting director widens their search. One brand decides that its audience deserves to see more than one image of beauty. Those choices might appear small on their own, but together they help challenge an industry standard that has existed for decades. Why I refused to change my body for more opportunities Modelling has improved my relationship with my body rather than damaging it. That may sound surprising because the modelling industry has a reputation for creating pressure around weight and appearance. But from the beginning, I made a personal decision that I was not going to let the industry convince me that I needed to lose weight simply to become more bookable. My attitude has always been very straightforward: what you see is what you get. Of course, I take care of myself professionally. Modelling is visual work, and presentation is part of the profession. But there is a difference between presenting the best version of yourself and believing you must fundamentally change your body before you deserve an opportunity. I did not want my career to become a constant negotiation with myself: perhaps I will be good enough when I am smaller, perhaps I will be considered when my body changes, perhaps another project will come if I look more like someone else. That road has no obvious ending. Instead, I learned to accept that some opportunities would simply not be meant for me. That does not automatically mean there is something wrong with me. Sometimes the brand, sample, casting or creative direction is looking for something different. That is part of modelling. What I was not prepared to do was allow every rejection to become a reason to dislike my own body. Curvy is not one size or one body type One of the things I believe the fashion industry still gets wrong is treating “curvy” as though it refers to one fixed size or one recognisable shape. Bodies do not work that way. A woman can wear a relatively small clothing size and still have pronounced curves because of her proportions. Another woman can wear a larger size and carry her weight completely differently. Height, waist-to-hip ratio, bust, bone structure and natural body shape all influence how clothing sits on a person. Yet fashion categories can sometimes create the impression that there are only two bodies: the traditional straight-size model and one standardised version of the curvy model. Real women are far more diverse than that. The language we use around sizing can be practical within an industry, but it becomes limiting when the category starts replacing the individual. Representation should not simply mean adding one different body and assuming everyone now feels represented. There is no single curvy body, just as there is no single female body. Why size representation should not be treated as a trend What concerns me more is how quickly conversations about body diversity seem to come and go. When size inclusivity receives renewed attention in the media, brands start talking about representation again. Different bodies appear in campaigns or on runways, and it can look as though the industry has moved forward. Then the attention shifts, and much of that visibility disappears with it. Recent runway data suggests that this concern is justified. Vogue Business analysed 7,817 looks across 182 Fall/Winter 2026 shows and presentations and found that 97.6% were straight-size, while 2.1% were mid-size and only 0.3% were plus-size. Plus-size representation had returned to its lowest level since Vogue Business began tracking size diversity three years earlier. That does not look like permanent change to me. Representation should not be something an industry temporarily embraces because the conversation is trending again. Different body types exist whether or not body diversity is currently fashionable. Consumers notice the difference. Inclusive representation is also good business There is a commercial argument here that I think brands sometimes underestimate. A brand is not only selling a product. It is also showing consumers who it imagines wearing that product. If the same narrow type of person appears in every campaign, consumers who do not resemble that image can easily conclude that the brand was never thinking about them in the first place. Vogue Business surveyed 687 consumers in the US and UK and found that 67% said they were more likely to buy from fashion brands that feature a variety of body sizes in their marketing. The same research found that 57% believed fashion brands do not adequately represent different body shapes and sizes. For me, that makes intuitive sense. When people can imagine themselves in what you are selling, you widen the conversation around your brand. Inclusivity is therefore not only about doing something socially positive. It can also mean understanding your audience more accurately. The world does not consist of one body type, so why should the image of the consumer? Taking up space without becoming someone else My experience in modelling has also reinforced something I wrote about previously in my Brainz article on visibility: being seen should never require you to become someone you are not. There is a difference between developing yourself and reshaping yourself to gain acceptance. In professional environments, women can sometimes feel pressure to become louder, harder or more dominant because that is what confidence is supposed to look like. But taking up space does not have to mean copying somebody else’s personality or leadership style. Brainz contributors have explored a similar idea in discussions about authentic female leadership: women can lose part of themselves when they feel they have to mould their behaviour around a narrow idea of what leadership should look like. I believe the same applies to our bodies and our personalities. You can grow. You can learn. You can become more confident and improve your skills. But growth should help more of you come forward, not erase the parts of you that do not fit somebody else’s template. What every woman already brings to the table The biggest lesson I would take beyond modelling is very simple, even if it sounds almost cliché: every person is unique. We hear that phrase so often that we can forget what it actually means. Every person brings a different combination of experiences, personality, abilities, perspectives and qualities into a room. Many of us are far more aware of what we lack than of what we already contribute. We notice the person who speaks more confidently. The person with more experience. The woman with the body we wish we had. The person who has already achieved the goal we are still working towards. Comparison makes it very easy to overlook our own value. But somebody else’s strength does not remove yours. The point of taking up space is not to convince yourself that you are better than anyone else. It is to recognise that you bring something too. Sometimes what feels completely ordinary to you is exactly what another person can learn from. Your next step: Identify what you bring Before thinking about what you need to change, improve or achieve next, take a moment to identify what you already bring to the table. Choose three qualities, experiences or strengths that have helped you get where you are today. They do not have to sound impressive, and they do not need anyone else’s approval. Then ask yourself whether you are actually allowing those qualities to be seen. Taking up space does not require you to dominate the room, change your body or become a different personality. It means no longer assuming that your contribution matters less simply because it looks different from somebody else’s. The fashion industry taught me that there will always be rooms built around a particular image. But it also taught me something more important: I do not have to reshape myself to deserve space in all of them. Sometimes progress begins when we stop asking how to fit the existing image and start showing what else the image could look like. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Chitra Soerdjbalie Chitra Soerdjbalie, Business Owner Chitra Soerdjbalie is an international model, entrepreneur, and founder of Curated Moments by Chitra. After stepping onto her first international runway during Milan Fashion Week in 2022, she continued to build her presence in the fashion industry while championing confidence, representation, and authenticity. Through her work in fashion and event planning, she creates meaningful experiences that bring people together and leave a lasting impact. Passionate about female leadership and personal growth, Chitra inspires others to embrace their visibility, pursue their ambitions, and lead with confidence.

Written by LaShall Marie Dodson, Business Strategist & Meta Ads Specialist LaShall Dodson is a Strategic Business Strategist and Certified Meta Ads Strategist with over 25 years of Fortune 500 experience. As founder of DedicatedVirtual Professional Services LLC, she helps established business owners build the operational infrastructure and marketing systems needed to scale. Doubling your monthly revenue in 90 days sounds ambitious, but ambitious doesn't have to mean impossible. The mistake many business owners make is assuming that doubling revenue requires doubling their workload, doubling their advertising budget, or finding twice as many customers. This is false. Revenue is the result of several moving pieces working together. If you can improve the right combination of lead generation, conversion, average customer value, and retention, significant growth can happen without simply throwing more money into marketing. The key is knowing where your biggest opportunities are before you start making changes. A 90-day revenue goal gives you something even more valuable than motivation: a deadline. It forces you to prioritize, measure what matters, and stop spending time on activities that aren't contributing to growth. Does it still sound unrealistic? Keep reading for a clear-cut strategy on how to double your monthly revenue in 90 days. Start with the numbers Before trying to double revenue, you need to understand exactly where your current revenue comes from. Establish your baseline Start with your current average monthly revenue. Then break that number down by the variables that produce it: Number of leads Conversion rate Average sale value Number of transactions Customer retention or repeat purchases You don't need dozens of metrics. You need enough information to understand where revenue is being created and where it is being lost. The U.S. Small Business Administration recommends establishing clear marketing and sales goals, identifying the actions needed to achieve them, and consistently measuring costs against the revenue those efforts generate. Your first goal isn't to grow. Your first goal is to understand. Find the biggest gap Suppose a business generates $30,000 per month. Doubling that means reaching $60,000. At first glance, that can feel overwhelming. But consider what happens if you improve several areas simultaneously. Perhaps you increase qualified leads by 30%, improve your conversion rate by 25%, and increase your average transaction value by 20%. You don't necessarily need one dramatic breakthrough. You need several meaningful improvements that compound. That's why the first 90 days should begin with diagnosis rather than action. Choose your growth levers Once you understand your numbers, identify the areas with the greatest potential. Increase qualified leads More leads can create more revenue, but only if they're the right leads. Increasing traffic to your business doesn't help if the people arriving aren't a good fit for your offer. Look at your existing lead sources and determine which ones produce the highest-quality opportunities. Your next growth investment should focus on channels that demonstrate actual revenue potential rather than simply generating attention. This could include paid advertising, referrals, partnerships, organic social media, email marketing, or outbound sales. The objective is not to do more marketing. It's to do more of what works. Improve conversion rates The second lever is conversion. If 100 qualified prospects enter your sales process and 10 become customers, your conversion rate is 10%. Improving that to 15% means generating 50% more customers from the exact same number of leads. That is a significant growth opportunity without spending another dollar on lead generation. Look at your sales process from the prospect's perspective. Is the offer clear? Is follow-up consistent? Are objections addressed? Is there a defined next step? Are leads being contacted quickly? Often, the fastest path to additional revenue is not finding more prospects. It's converting more of the prospects you already have. Increase customer value You can also grow revenue by increasing the amount each customer spends. This might involve creating premium packages, introducing complementary services, offering recurring options, increasing prices where appropriate, or developing upsell opportunities. The key is that the additional value should make sense for the customer. Revenue growth shouldn't come from forcing customers to buy more. It should come from creating better solutions to their needs. Fix the sales process Once you've identified your growth levers, look closely at the journey between "interested" and "paying customer." Stop losing leads One of the most expensive problems in business is a lead that never receives proper follow-up: An inquiry comes in. Someone intends to respond. The day gets busy. The lead gets buried. Then the opportunity disappears. A structured follow-up process can prevent this. Define what happens when a lead enters your business, who owns the communication, how quickly the responsible person should respond, what happens if the prospect doesn't reply, and when the lead is considered inactive. Customer acquisition analytics can help businesses identify where prospects are dropping out of the funnel rather than simply increasing top-of-funnel spending. Make the offer clear Sometimes the problem isn't the sales team. It's the offer. If prospects don't immediately understand what you're selling, who it's for, what problem it solves, and why they should choose it, conversion becomes harder. Your offer should make the decision easier. Review your messaging, pricing, packaging, guarantees, proof, and calls to action. Clarity sells. Optimize your marketing Once the foundation is in place, marketing can become a much more powerful growth engine. Invest in what works Resist the temptation to launch five new marketing channels at once. Instead, identify the channels already producing results and determine how you can improve them. If Facebook and Instagram ads are generating qualified leads, optimize them before abandoning them for the next trend. If referrals consistently produce your best customers, develop a stronger referral strategy. If email converts well, improve the customer journey and increase the value you're providing through that channel. Growth does not come from constantly starting over. Growth comes from finding repeatable opportunities. Test and measure Marketing should be measurable. Track the relationship between what you're spending and what you're generating. Look at cost per lead, conversion rate, customer acquisition cost, average customer value, and, ultimately, revenue. This allows you to distinguish activity from results. A campaign generating thousands of clicks isn't necessarily successful. A campaign generating 20 highly qualified leads that produce $50,000 in revenue may be far more valuable. Strengthen operations Here's where many revenue growth plans fall apart. A business can successfully generate more demand and still fail to grow profitably if its operations cannot support that demand. Prepare for more business Imagine doubling your sales next month. Can your team handle it? Can you onboard twice as many customers? Can you deliver your service without sacrificing quality? Can your current systems handle the additional workload? Do you have enough staff? Are responsibilities clearly defined? If the answer is no, your growth strategy needs an operational component. More revenue should not automatically mean more chaos. Build repeatable systems Processes that work when you have 20 customers may break when you have 50. Document recurring workflows. Clarify ownership. Automate repetitive tasks where appropriate. Establish communication protocols. Create visibility into project and team performance. This is one of the areas where an operational partner can have an outsized impact. DedicatedVirtual Professional Services specifically works with businesses to streamline operations, strengthen team management, create workflows and automation, and track key performance indicators as part of its Online Business Management services. Create a 90-day plan A revenue goal without an execution plan is simply a wish. Days 1 to 30: Diagnose The first month should focus on understanding the business. Review your revenue, leads, conversion rates, customer value, marketing channels, sales process, team capacity, and operational bottlenecks. Identify the two or three changes most likely to produce meaningful results. Don't try to fix everything. Prioritize. Days 31 to 60: Implement The second month is about execution. Launch the revised marketing strategy. Improve your sales process. Introduce new offers if appropriate. Strengthen follow-up. Address operational bottlenecks. This is where accountability becomes important. A strategy sitting in a document doesn't create revenue. Implementation does. Days 61 to 90: Optimize The final month should focus on what the data is telling you: Which changes produced results? Which didn't? Where are prospects still dropping out? Where is the team struggling? Which revenue-producing activities should receive more resources? Use the information you've gathered to refine your strategy and determine what should continue beyond the 90-day period. When to seek expert help Trying to double revenue while simultaneously managing every aspect of your business can quickly become overwhelming. Know when you're stuck If you know your business needs to grow but aren't sure where the bottleneck is, professional support can shorten the path from confusion to action. The same is true if your team is disconnected, your systems are inconsistent, your sales process lacks structure, or you're spending more time managing problems than pursuing opportunities. Sometimes the biggest growth opportunity isn't something you haven't tried. It's something in your existing business that hasn't been optimized. Bring strategy and execution together This is where DedicatedVirtual Professional Services takes a different approach. Its services aren't limited to one piece of the growth equation. DedicatedVirtual provides strategic growth planning alongside operational management, project and team management, metrics and performance tracking, paid advertising, ad audits, and social media management. Its Strategic Growth Plan specifically brings together five areas of business health: marketing and sales, operations, leadership, onboarding and team dynamics, and data and decision-making. The goal is to create a customized roadmap and 90-day action plan rather than handing a business owner generic advice and leaving them to figure out implementation alone. That distinction matters. Revenue growth rarely comes from one isolated tactic. It comes from getting the right parts of the business working together. Final thoughts Doubling your monthly revenue in 90 days is not something anyone can responsibly guarantee, but it is a goal that can be approached strategically. Start with the numbers. Identify your biggest revenue opportunities. Improve lead quality, conversion, and customer value. Strengthen your sales process. Invest in marketing channels that are already demonstrating potential. Then, make sure your operations and team are capable of supporting the growth you create. Most importantly, don't confuse activity with progress. You don't need another dozen ideas. You need a clear goal, a focused plan, measurable priorities, and consistent execution. If you're ready to identify what's actually standing between your business and its next level of growth, DedicatedVirtual Professional Services can help you build the strategy and operational foundation to get there. Through strategic growth planning, Online Business Management, paid advertising, project and team management, and performance tracking, DedicatedVirtual partners with business owners to turn scattered operations into structured, scalable growth. Your next 90 days don't need more noise. They need a strategy. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from LaShall Marie Dodson LaShall Marie Dodson, Business Strategist & Meta Ads Specialist LaShall Dodson is a Business Strategist, Certified Meta Ads Specialist, and founder of DedicatedVirtual Professional Services LLC. With over 25 years of experience at Fortune 500 companies, including S&P Global, she brings enterprise-level strategy to established business owners ready to grow. Her unique approach combines operational systems thinking with data-driven advertising, she doesn't just run campaigns, she builds the backend that makes them profitable. LaShall specializes in identifying the gaps in process, systems, and strategy that others miss, then implementing the solutions. Her clients consistently move from overwhelmed and stalled to organized, staffed, and scaling.

Written by Denton Hugh Wilson, Author, Speaker & Men’s Health Advocate Denton Hugh Wilson is an author, speaker, and men’s health advocate who turns lived experience into education and hope. Through writing and advocacy, he encourages honest conversations about men’s health while inspiring others through stories of resilience, courage, and positive change. For many men, talking about health does not come easily. We may speak freely about work, family, sport, and everyday life, yet when something changes in our bodies, silence can suddenly take over. Prostate cancer taught me just how dangerous that silence can be. My own experience changed the way I think about men’s health and taught me that speaking up, asking questions, and seeking professional medical advice are not signs of weakness. They are acts of responsibility to ourselves and to the people who love us. When health becomes personal Until something happens to us personally, health statistics can sometimes feel distant. We hear numbers, read reports, and see awareness campaigns, but it is different when the subject suddenly becomes part of your own life. When prostate cancer entered my life, I was no longer looking at the issue from the outside. I was the man who had questions. I was the man who had to think about what the future might hold. That experience taught me something I have never forgotten: silence does not protect us. Men can sometimes convince themselves that being strong means carrying worries alone. We may not want to frighten our families. We may feel embarrassed discussing certain symptoms, or we may hope that whatever concerns us will disappear. But real strength can mean doing the opposite. It can mean speaking to someone. It can mean asking uncomfortable questions. It can mean making that appointment and talking with a qualified healthcare professional. Sometimes, one man speaking openly gives another man permission to speak too. Why men stay silent Men stay silent about their health for many different reasons. For some, it is fear–fear of what a doctor might find, fear of treatment, or fear of how a diagnosis could change their lives. For others, it may be embarrassment. Talking about the prostate, urinary changes, or intimate health can feel uncomfortable, especially for men who grew up believing that personal matters should remain private. Then there is the idea of masculinity that many of us were taught: be strong, don’t complain, deal with your problems yourself. But I have come to see strength differently. Strength is being willing to say, “I need to get this checked.” Strength is talking to your doctor even when the conversation feels uncomfortable. Strength is telling a brother, friend, father, or son, “Look after yourself. Your health matters.” We need to create a culture where men can talk about their health as naturally as we talk about football, work, or what is happening in the world. Because when one man breaks the silence, the conversation does not necessarily end with him. It can travel through families, friendships and communities, and it may encourage another man to take action. Know your risk For Black men, understanding prostate cancer risk is particularly important. In the UK, 1 in 4 Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. That is double the lifetime risk for White men, which is around 1 in 8. Those figures should make us think, talk, and take our health seriously. For me, they are another reason why silence around prostate cancer has to end. Risk increases with age, and family history can also increase a man’s risk. For Black men, Prostate Cancer UK recommends speaking to a GP about prostate cancer risk from the age of 45, even without symptoms. Knowing your own circumstances gives you something important: the opportunity to have an informed conversation with your GP or another qualified healthcare professional. I especially want Black men to understand that we should not wait until fear forces us to have these conversations. Knowing our risk is higher gives us a reason to stay aware, ask questions, and take responsibility for our health. Looking after ourselves also includes thinking about our overall lifestyle. A healthy, balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight are important for general health. However, food should not be presented as a substitute for medical care or prostate cancer treatment. My message is simple: know your risk, know your body, ask questions, and speak to your doctor. A life-saving conversation Talking about men’s health is important, but the conversation must also lead to action. If a man notices a change in his body or has concerns about his prostate health, he should not simply hope that it will go away. Speaking with a healthcare professional can help him understand what may be happening and what, if anything, needs to happen next. Men should also understand their own risk. Age and family history are among the factors that can affect prostate cancer risk. Knowing your personal circumstances gives you something valuable: the opportunity to have an informed conversation with your doctor. We should also encourage one another. Ask your brother how he is doing. Talk to your father. Talk to your friends. If somebody tells you he is worried about his health, listen rather than dismissing his concerns. I am not suggesting that men should diagnose themselves or live in fear. My message is much simpler: Know your body. Know your risk. Ask questions, and when you are concerned, seek professional medical advice. A conversation may take only a few minutes, but it can be the beginning of an important decision about your health. We cannot control everything that happens to us. But we can choose not to suffer in silence. Why I wrote the book My experience with prostate cancer did more than change the way I thought about my own health. It gave me a responsibility to use my voice. I began thinking about the men who might be sitting at home with questions they are afraid to ask. The man who has noticed something different but keeps putting off speaking to his doctor. The husband who does not want to worry his family. The brother who believes he has to deal with everything alone. I wanted to say to those men: "You do not have to remain silent." That desire eventually became part of the reason I wrote Brothers, Let’s Talk. The book grew from lived experience and from my determination to encourage conversations about prostate cancer and men’s health that too often never happen. But for me, this has become bigger than a book. It is about creating conversations between fathers and sons, brothers and brothers, husbands and partners, friends and communities. If sharing part of my journey encourages even one man to ask a question he has been avoiding, speak to a healthcare professional, or look after his health, then speaking openly has served a purpose. Our stories can become someone else’s reason to act. A second chance Fear was part of my journey too. When I was facing prostate cancer, I had moments when I did not know what the future held. Behind the strength that people may have seen on the outside was a man dealing with fear, uncertainty, and questions about life itself. But coming through that experience changed something within me. I felt that God had given me a second chance at life, and with that second chance came a purpose. I began to understand that perhaps I shouldn't keep my experience to myself. If I had walked through fear and darkness and found my way forward, maybe I could turn around and help another man who was still standing in that darkness. I cannot make another man’s decisions for him, and I cannot promise what his journey will be. But I can speak. I can share. I can encourage him not to ignore his health and not to face his fears alone. That is what purpose means to me now. My second chance is not only about being grateful that I am still here. It is about asking myself: “What can I do with the life I have been given?” My answer is to use my voice, to bring awareness, hope, and conversation into places where there has been silence. If my story helps another man come out of the darkness, speak to his doctor, or start a conversation he's been afraid to have, then my journey becomes more than my own. Brothers, let’s talk If you are a man reading this, I want to speak directly to you. Please don't let fear, embarrassment, or pride silence you when it comes to your health. You do not have to pretend that you are never frightened. I know what fear feels like. I have lived through those moments when you wonder what tomorrow may bring. But I am still here. I believe God has given me a second chance at life for a reason. That is why I am using my voice today. Talk to your doctor. Ask questions. Learn about your personal risk. Talk to the men around you. If another man comes to you with a health concern, give him the space to speak without judgement. We need more conversations around kitchen tables, in barbershops, workplaces, places of worship, families, and friendships. We need men looking out for other men. You may feel strong enough to carry everything by yourself, but you should not have to. Brothers, let’s talk. Let us replace silence with conversation. Let us replace embarrassment with understanding. Let us replace fear with the courage to seek help, and let us remind one another that our lives matter. I was given a second chance. My purpose now is to use my voice so that another man may find his way out of the darkness. Continue the conversation: Read Brothers, Let’s Talk and learn more about my work here. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more info! Read more from Denton Hugh Wilson Denton Hugh Wilson, Author, Speaker & Men’s Health Advocate Denton Hugh Wilson is an author, speaker, and men’s health advocate whose work is shaped by resilience, lived experience, and a desire to help others. Raised by his grandmother in Jamaica before moving to England at age nine, he learned powerful lessons about identity, belonging, and perseverance. Today, he uses writing and speaking to encourage honest conversations around men’s health and prostate cancer awareness. He is also the author of educational children’s books that promote safety, kindness, courage, and positive choices. Through his work, Denton seeks to turn life experience into purpose and use his voice to educate, encourage, and inspire others.

Written by Timothy Moylan, Author, Speaker & Recovery Advocate Timothy H Moylan is an Author, Speaker, and Recovery Advocate whose memoir, Rock Bottom Has a Basement: From the Bottle to Borrowed Time, shares his journey through addiction, near-death, recovery, and redemption. He uses his story to give hope to those who believe they've gone too far to come back. People talk about rock bottom as if it is a single place. You hit it, wake up, make a decision, and begin climbing. My experience was different. Every time I thought I had reached the bottom, I found another level underneath it. That is where the title of my memoir, Rock Bottom Has a Basement: From the Bottle to Borrowed Time, came from. Alcoholism did not destroy my life all at once. It took things piece by piece: my judgment, my honesty, my health, my relationships, and eventually my belief that I could become someone different. The basement was not one terrible night. It was the slow realization that I could keep falling long after I thought there was nowhere lower to go. The life I escaped I grew up in Ainsworth, Nebraska, the youngest of seven children in a Catholic family. From the outside, there were many reasons my life should have turned out well. But addiction does not care how you were raised, what people expect from you, or how much potential you once had. Alcohol became my way of escaping uncomfortable feelings, consequences, fear, and eventually myself. For years, I could point to the parts of my life that still looked normal and use them as evidence that I was fine. I worked. I had people who loved me. I could laugh, tell stories, and convince others, and sometimes myself, that things were under control. But alcoholism is patient. It lets you believe you are managing it while it quietly takes over your entire life. Legal troubles, broken trust, and promises I meant when I made them but couldn't keep followed. The shame grew alongside the drinking. I drank because I felt ashamed, and then I felt ashamed because I drank. That cycle became so familiar that I stopped imagining another way to live. Living on borrowed time In 2017, my body finally said what I had refused to admit: I could not continue this way. I suffered heart and lung failure. My heart's ejection fraction was estimated at only five to ten percent. I developed pulmonary edema and was flown by helicopter to Great Falls, Montana. There is nothing abstract about mortality when you are lying in a hospital bed, and your heart is barely functioning. The consequences are no longer somewhere in the future. They are in the room with you. But even a near-death experience does not magically cure addiction. Fear can get a person's attention, but fear alone cannot build a life. I needed honesty, accountability, faith, recovery, and the willingness to accept help. I needed to stop asking how much I could get away with and start asking what kind of man I wanted to become. More than sobriety Getting sober was not simply removing alcohol. It was learning how to live without hiding. Recovery asked me to tell the truth when a lie would be easier, to make amends without controlling the response, and to show up consistently even when I did not feel strong or inspired. My wife, Kayla, and our daughters, Elizabeth and Camilla, are at the center of my life today. I cannot rewrite the past, but I can decide what they experience from me now. I can be present. I can be dependable. I can let my daughters know the father who came home, stayed, and kept doing the work. Faith also became something more practical than a word. It became the willingness to believe that my life still had a purpose, even after everything I had done and everything that had happened to me. Recovery meetings and the fellowship of people who understand addiction taught me that I did not have to carry shame alone. Accountability stopped feeling like punishment and began to feel like freedom. Today, I am a husband, a father, and the owner of Shelby Paint and Hardware in Shelby, Montana. My life is not perfect, and recovery has not made me immune to fear, frustration, health problems, or regret. It has given me a way to face those things without reaching for a bottle. Why I wrote Along the way, I realized I wasn't writing only for my daughters anymore. Maybe my story could help someone else, too. I did not write Rock Bottom Has a Basement because I had everything figured out. I wrote it because I survived, and survival creates a responsibility to tell the truth when that truth might help someone else. I wanted people struggling with addiction to recognize themselves without feeling condemned. I wanted families to understand that loving someone with alcoholism can be heartbreaking, complicated, and exhausting. Most of all, I wanted readers to know that reaching a terrible place does not mean the story is over. The greatest surprise has been hearing from readers who do not share my exact history but recognize the emotions underneath it: shame, fear, isolation, regret, and the longing for another chance. Addiction may be part of my story, but the need for redemption belongs to all of us. One step at a time If you are in the basement right now, I will not insult you by pretending the stairs are easy. They are not. Some days you may only make it to the first step. Some days the victory is simply refusing to go any lower. But there are stairs. There is help. There is a life beyond the one addiction has convinced you is permanent. I am living on borrowed time, but I no longer see that as a sentence. I see it as a gift, one ordinary, sober day at a time. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Timothy Moylan Timothy Moylan, Author, Speaker & Recovery Advocate Timothy H. Moylan is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and recovery advocate whose life was transformed by addiction, a near-death experience, and the second chance that followed. His memoir, Rock Bottom Has a Basement: From the Bottle to Borrowed Time, tells the raw story of his journey from alcoholism to recovery, faith, family, and purpose. Today, Timothy uses his experiences to remind others that no matter how far down life takes you, there is still a way forward. He lives in Montana with his wife and two daughters, where he also runs a small business.

Every surgeon who has practiced long enough starts to notice patterns. For Dr. Michael Omidi, a double board-certified facial and body plastic surgeon based in Beverly Hills, one pattern stood out: breast lifts that looked great on the operating table sometimes lost their shape years later. Skin stretches. Gravity does what gravity does. The result, over time, can be a lift that no longer holds its lift. Instead of accepting that as a fact of the procedure, Dr. Omidi treated it as a design problem. That thinking led to the Mannequin Breast Lift, a technique he created to build support from the inside rather than relying on skin alone to hold everything in place. Building a scaffold instead of just closing the skin The core idea behind the Mannequin Breast Lift is what Dr. Omidi describes as an internal bra. Rather than depending on the skin envelope to carry the weight of the breast over time, the technique creates an internal support structure that holds tissue in a lifted position from within. "Skin is not a support structure. It was never meant to hold weight for years without stretching," Dr. Omidi says. "If you want a result that lasts, you have to build support that does not rely on skin doing a job it was not built for." That distinction matters clinically. A lift that depends only on skin tension tends to soften with time. A lift with an internal framework is built to keep its shape and fullness, particularly in the upper pole of the breast, for longer. Dr. Omidi has spoken about how the technique aims to make the breast appear rounder and fuller, closer to the look many patients associate with implants, without necessarily needing an implant to get there. Applying the same discipline to the nose The Mannequin Breast Lift was not an isolated experiment. It reflects an approach Dr. Omidi has carried across his practice: identify where a standard technique tends to fall short, then engineer a fix that can be repeated reliably. He applied the same logic to rhinoplasty with a method he calls Designed Rhinoplasty. The technique uses precise measurements taken before and during surgery to confirm that planned changes in projection, symmetry, and facial balance are actually being achieved on the table, not just estimated by eye. "You can plan a result in your head, but the nose does not know what you planned," Dr. Omidi says. "Measuring before and during surgery is how you make sure the plan and the outcome actually match." That measurement-driven habit is part of why Dr. Omidi is frequently sought out for secondary and tertiary rhinoplasty cases, where a previous surgery did not go as intended and the margin for error the second or third time around is much smaller. Why he built these techniques instead of adopting existing ones Dr. Omidi has practiced in Beverly Hills since 2005, and over that span he has performed thousands of procedures. That volume gave him a wide enough sample size to notice where established techniques were reliably falling short, not occasionally but consistently. "If a technique produces a good result nine times out of ten, that tenth patient still deserves an answer," he says. "I would rather build something new than tell a patient that a less durable result is just how it is." That mindset is also why Dr. Omidi has said he limits his practice to procedures where he can consistently deliver strong outcomes, rather than offering every service a patient might request. Innovation, in his framing, is not about adding more to a menu. It is about closing a specific gap he kept running into. Ideas that stay inside the operating room Neither the Mannequin Breast Lift nor Designed Rhinoplasty started as a marketing concept. Both came out of the same question repeated in the operating room: why does this sometimes not hold up the way it should, and what would fix that. Dr. Omidi's patients largely arrive through referrals, from prior patients and from other physicians. That referral pattern suggests the techniques are doing what they were built to do, holding their results well enough that the people who saw them firsthand send others in the same direction.

Hollie Eaddy is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (CCHt), an industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology student, and founder of Heal with Hollie, a practice known for helping people rewire the subconscious patterns that quietly run their lives. While traditional talk therapy aims to understand problems intellectually, hypnotherapy works directly with the part of the mind that stores automatic beliefs and survival patterns, where understanding alone cannot reach. She is also creating a new company focused on bringing this work to high-performers and corporate leaders. In this interview, Hollie breaks down what hypnotherapy really is, why understanding a problem is rarely enough to fix it, and how women navigating burnout, teens facing performance blocks, and leaders under pressure can create lasting transformation from the inside out. Hollie Eaddy, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist What first drew you to hypnotherapy as a way to help people create bigger, lasting change? I spent years watching people, myself included, understand exactly what was wrong but stay stuck in the same patterns. Talk therapy, self-help books, even willpower had limits. The problem was not a lack of knowledge. The subconscious mind, which drives most of our behavior, was never part of the conversation. Hypnotherapy gave me a way to work directly with the part of the mind that stores beliefs, emotions, and automatic responses. When I saw clients make shifts in a few sessions that had troubled them for years, I knew I had found something real. The science around neuroplasticity and subconscious reprogramming has only strengthened my belief that when you change the root pattern, the behavior follows naturally. Hypnotherapy is not magic. It is a structured, evidence-informed way to update the operating system beneath conscious awareness. How do you identify when a client's struggle is being driven more by subconscious patterns than conscious choices? I listen for language that reveals the gap between what someone wants and what their nervous system will allow. When a client says, "I know I am capable, but I still freeze before big presentations," or "I understand my childhood was not my fault, but I still feel like I need to earn love," that word "but" is the giveaway. The conscious mind has the information. The subconscious has the rule. I also watch for repeated patterns that do not make logical sense. A woman who has built a successful career but wakes up unable to remember who she is outside of work. A teen who knows the material cold but panics before every exam. A top performer who self-sabotages after every promotion, or someone who keeps choosing the same painful relationship dynamic. These are usually following a subconscious blueprint formed long ago. The body often tells the truth before the mind does. Tension, chronic anxiety, sleep issues, or an inability to relax can all be signals that the nervous system is running an old program the conscious mind never agreed to. What role do nervous system responses play in issues such as anxiety, self-worth, habits, and relationship patterns? The nervous system bridges thought and behavior. When someone feels unsafe, whether physically, emotionally, or socially, the body shifts into survival mode. In that state, the brain prioritizes protection over connection, performance, or growth. Anxiety is not just worry. It is a nervous system that has learned to scan for threat. Low self-worth is often a nervous system that learned early on that shrinking was safer than taking up space. Habits like overeating, procrastination, or emotional withdrawal are frequently the body's attempt to regulate stress or create a sense of safety. Relationship patterns repeat because the nervous system recognizes the familiar, even when the familiar is painful. My work often involves helping the body learn safety at a physiological level so the mind can finally believe the new story it wants to tell. Where do you see hypnotherapy fitting into leadership, workplace well-being, and high-performance environments? I see it as a missing piece in corporate wellness. Most workplace programs focus on behavior, time management, or surface-level stress reduction. They teach people what to do differently. But when a leader's subconscious runs a program that says "control everything, or it will fall apart," or when a high-performer is driven by fear of being found out, no productivity hack will touch the root issue. Hypnotherapy gives leaders and teams a way to identify and shift the subconscious beliefs driving burnout, imposter syndrome, reactive decision-making, and disconnection. Through Heal with Hollie, I am already working with executives, sales teams, and top performers in this space, and I believe the future of leadership depends on self-awareness at the deepest level. Leaders who understand their own subconscious patterns make better decisions, communicate more clearly, and create cultures where people actually want to show up. What misconceptions about hypnosis or subconscious change do you most want to challenge? The biggest misconception is that hypnosis is about being controlled or losing awareness. In reality, clinical hypnotherapy is a state of focused attention where the mind becomes more receptive to updating old patterns, not less in control of itself. The client is always an active participant. Another misconception is that if you understand a problem intellectually, you should be able to fix it. Your conscious mind is like the tip of an iceberg. It can see the surface, but it cannot shift the mass beneath. Real change happens below the waterline. People also think hypnosis is only for phobias or smoking cessation. In my practice, I work with burned-out women rebuilding their identity, children and teens navigating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sports performance blocks, people healing from relationship betrayal, and executives ready to lead without the inner chaos. These are sharp, skeptical, highly capable people. Hypnotherapy is not about being weak enough to need it. It is about being smart enough to use every available tool. What can someone do when they understand a pattern intellectually but still keep repeating it? Stop blaming willpower. If you are repeating a pattern, your nervous system has a reason, even if that reason is outdated. The first step is to get curious instead of frustrated. Ask: "What need is this pattern trying to meet?" Often, overworking meets a need for safety. People-pleasing meets a need for belonging. Procrastination meets a need to avoid failure. Once you identify the need, you can find healthier ways to meet it. The second step is to work with the body, not just the mind. Breathwork, somatic awareness, and hypnotherapy can help the nervous system experience safety without the old behavior. You have to give the subconscious a new experience, not just a new idea. Reading about change changes your thoughts. Embodying change changes your life. How can leaders recognize when stress or self-doubt is affecting their decisions, communication, or performance? I tell leaders to watch for the three Rs: Reactivity, Rigidity, and Retreat. Reactivity shows up as disproportionate emotional responses, defensiveness in feedback conversations, or snapping at a team member over a small issue. Rigidity appears when a leader insists on controlling every detail, cannot delegate, or rejects new ideas because "this is how we have always done it." Retreat is quieter but just as costly. It is the leader who stops showing up fully, avoids hard conversations, or lets decisions pile up because every choice feels risky. These are not character flaws. They are nervous system responses to unaddressed stress. The best leaders I work with do not try to eliminate stress. They build the self-awareness to notice when their inner state is clouding their outer leadership, and they have tools to recalibrate. How have your own experiences of rebuilding your life shaped the way you think about resilience and personal change? I have rebuilt my life more than once, and I do not romanticize resilience. It is not about bouncing back to who you were. It is about coming home to who you were before everyone told you who to be while honoring what you have been through. There were seasons when I had to hold everything together for others while my own world was falling apart. What I learned is that survival is not the same as thriving. You can endure incredible difficulty and still carry subconscious beliefs that keep you small, anxious, or convinced that the other shoe will drop. My own rebuilding required me to stop living as if my past was still my present. That is what I bring to my clients. I know what it is like to have every reason to stay stuck and still choose to move forward. Change is not about being unbreakable. It is about being willing to allow the cracks to break open and rebuild them on purpose. What would you want someone who feels stuck in an old pattern to understand about their ability to change? You are not broken. You are adaptive. The pattern that is keeping you stuck was once a solution. It kept you safe, connected, or functional in an environment that required it. The problem is not that you created the pattern. The problem is that no one taught you how to update it when your environment changed. Your subconscious mind is not your enemy. It is an outdated operating system that can be upgraded. Change is possible at any age, any stage, and any level of success. I have seen top executives, battle-hardened veterans, women and men reclaiming themselves after betrayal, and people who have tried everything else make shifts that surprised them. You don't need to earn the ability to change. It is something you already have. You just need the right tool to access it. To learn more about Hollie's work, visit here. Hollie Eaddy, CCHt (254) 265-5905 Heal with Hollie, Rewire your Mind. Redefine your Results. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Hollie Eaddy

Written by Craig Buboltz, Sports Hypnotherapist & Mental Performance Coach Craig Buboltz is a leading voice in sports hypnotherapy and mental performance coaching for athletes. He is the founder of Top Sport Hypnosis, helping athletes worldwide break through mental barriers to find their flow state. Have you or someone you’ve known experienced a sudden loss of fine motor skills during competition or practice? This sudden and dramatic shift in performance may come from the subconscious mind, where negative physical or emotional experiences interfere with sports performance. Discover how hypnosis can break many of the mental barriers that have eluded traditional sports psychology. What are the yips? The yips are a mental performance block driven by anxiety, overthinking, and a breakdown in trust experienced by athletes who have executed the movement multiple times, such as a putt or a throw, but suddenly can’t perform. What are the symptoms of the yips and how do they feel? The physical feeling associated with the yips is an involuntary muscle jerk or twitch in the muscle, which stops the movement necessary to execute. Many people also report tremors or spasms during competition, which impede peak performance because these unexpected muscle movements stop their natural flow. The yips can also be connected to the feeling of a complete mental and physical freeze, where athletes almost feel like they forgot how to play their position or sport. The feeling of not being able to perform and play at your level can be overwhelming for athletes, as self-doubt and loss of confidence creep in, especially as some have been playing the game their entire lives. This is why it is so reassuring to research and discover that you are not alone, and that the yips are a common mental barrier for many athletes. What type of athletes suffer from the yips? While almost any athlete could experience the yips during their career, there is definitely a list of athletes who experience the yips more than others. These athletes have the common factor that there is time to think during competition. The long walk between shots for a golfer, the pause between each point during a tennis match, or the slower pace of a baseball game between each pitch. There is a long list of professional and elite athletes who have struggled mentally with the yips, such as Tommy Armour in golf in the 1930s, Chuck Knoblauch, who had to leave baseball because of the yips in the late 1990s, and Aryna Sabalenka, who struggled with her tennis serve and mental game to the point where she wanted to quit the game completely. That is how frustrating the yips can be for anyone. I've also worked with lots of precision or shooting performance athletes for competitive games like bowling, darts, archery, and even cornhole. The yips in darts are so common that they gave it their own special name, Dartitis. In gymnastics, competitive cheerleading, and diving, they are called balking. For baseball, you may have heard of Steve Blass disease, named after a Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher from the 1970s. Whatever the sport, there is likely a story of an athlete whose performance unexpectedly dropped to unexplainable levels. What really causes the yips? Traditional sports psychologists and mental coaches have typically focused on the conscious mind when looking for the cause of the yips. They say there is no single cause of the yips, and to add to the level of complexity, the yips can be neurological, psychological, or a combination of both. It can be classified as a neurological disorder involving involuntary spasms in the body’s small muscles, called focal dystonia. It can also be caused by performance anxiety, which, in different ways, is experienced by all athletes. The reality is that research, literature, and case studies on the topic are limited, as reported by the Mayo Clinic in a report titled "Are yips just nerves or something more?" When a top neurologist, Dr. Adler, says we need more research on the topic, where do elite athletes turn for answers? Mackey Sasser, a Major League Baseball player for the Mets, found his answer following years of struggles with the yips. Dr. Dave Grand and Alan Goldberg, in their book This Is Your Brain on Sports, started their journey by looking into the subconscious mind when they understood the cause was found below the surface. The book is full of case studies that highlight Sasser’s struggles and concludes that the root cause of the yips is found in the physical and emotional traumas experienced in sports, such as injuries or negative performance experiences. When we start to connect the cause of the yips beyond the conscious mind and into the primitive mind, we take it even a step further, to where an athlete perceives an event or competition as a threat. The fight, flight, or freeze physical response overrides any conscious training or mental preparation, which may explain some of the symptoms we associate with the yips. What makes an athlete vulnerable to the yips? Single identity Athletes who tie their entire sense of self to their performance, called a single athletic identity, are especially vulnerable. When identity and performance become inseparable, a single mistake doesn’t feel like an error, it feels like a threat to who you are, which is exactly the kind of pressure that can trigger the yips. Setbacks and injury Confidence, trust, and belief in yourself are built around the experiences of an athlete. When an athlete begins to associate a poor performance with themselves, especially during a major event, that link creates self-doubt and the fear that it will happen again. If an injury occurred during an event, the athlete wonders if it could happen again. In these moments, the athlete is no longer present, their mind has entered a state that has nothing to do with the task at hand. When this connection sinks into the subconscious, simply walking onto the field or court can trigger performance anxiety. External pressure The life of a professional athlete involves significant outside mental interference, including paychecks, contracts, fans, television, and media, which often leads to performance anxiety. However, even amateur and young athletes who started playing for enjoyment eventually reach a level where they feel pressure from parents and coaches. Focused on results The great paradox in mental performance training is the concept of focusing on the process over the results, as almost every team is judged by wins and losses, and players are judged by how they contributed to those results. When a player comes to me for help, they want to get better based on the results, but when this starts to consume the mind, it turns into mental interference because, undoubtedly, the player starts to think about the results while they are playing. Perfectionism The expectations placed on an athlete can raise performance anxiety to new levels, specifically the idea of being perfect. There are certain sports, such as figure skating, gymnastics, diving, and competitive cheerleading, where the athlete is literally being judged. Finding the mental fortitude to tune out these expectations and simply perform at their best is difficult, primarily because many athletes become their own harshest critics. The complexity and wide scope of performance anxiety and the connection to the yips go well beyond these examples. This highlights the importance of working with a mental performance coach or hypnotherapist, as it is crucial to identify each athlete’s possible triggers and causes. Many times, it is not just one of these examples, but a mix of some or all of them. Why do the yips get worse under pressure? Many athletes have limited mental training and knowledge about how the mind works, leaving them lacking the mental tools to deal with the yips or pressure in general. To make matters worse, they may have a coach who lacks this knowledge and training, focusing solely on results rather than a player's well-being. Then, the athletes may have to deal with teammates, fans, media, and the press, which leads to performance anxiety, the main psychological cause of the yips. How does hypnotherapy help athletes overcome the yips? The yips are not a mechanical failure. They often live in the gap between intention and execution, where the conscious mind knows what to do, but something deeper interferes. If negative physical or emotional experiences are present, hypnotherapy can rewire and reframe these associations. This is why hypnotherapy is used by elite athletes, it offers something different from traditional mental coaching. Working with a certified hypnotherapist, the athlete finds the root cause. Over repeated sessions, the old, fear-based reflex fades, and the clean, automatic execution the athlete always had takes its place. How many sessions are needed for positive results? This depends on the athlete's presenting issues, sport, and time spent dealing with the problem. Some athletes see significant improvement after just one session, while others benefit from multiple sessions to pinpoint and discover the one or more root causes affecting performance. The goal here is to help athletes learn to control their mental state and how to get into a flow state when it matters most. Ready to eliminate the yips? As a certified hypnotherapist and mental sports performance coach, I blend traditional sports psychology and hypnotherapy to address both the conscious and subconscious factors that may contribute to the mental blocks interfering with sports performance. If the yips are affecting your game, book a free 20-minute consultation call to get started. Together, we can talk over what is going on and whether Top Sport Hypnosis is the right fit for you. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Craig Buboltz Craig Buboltz, Sports Hypnotherapist & Mental Performance Coach Craig Buboltz is a certified hypnotherapist specializing in mental performance for athletes, with over 25 years of experience in education and coaching. He is the founder of Top Sport Hypnosis, integrating hypnosis with sports psychology to help athletes overcome mental blocks and unlock their flow states. This combination draws on the subconscious focus of hypnosis and proven sports psychology principles to help athletes build lasting mental resilience and perform under pressure.

Written by Millicent Sykes, Founder of Mindset of an Athlete Consulting With a background in philosophy, education, and psychology, this former athlete is the founder of Mindset of an Athlete Consulting. Millicent Sykes is the one exploring how expectations and standards impact our perspective and performance. The continued exploration and development of my consulting business has inspired me to evaluate the practices of business. One aspect I have been indoctrinated in since elementary school, it seems, is the practice of networking. Utilizing my background in counseling psychology as an adjunct professor and therapist, I will frame networking using family theoretical frameworks. The questions I am considering are provided below. How do we define and communicate roles, expectations, and assumptions? When the bond is defined based on strength, how do we adjust and change? What’s the perceived hierarchy of the network and associated roles? How do we communicate satisfaction and dissatisfaction with roles and interactions in a network? When does the analogy of “family” become irrelevant and obsolete? Roles, expectations, and assumptions within a network are defined through communication, shared experiences, organizational structure, and established patterns of interaction. From a Structural Family Therapy perspective, healthy systems depend on clear boundaries and roles so members understand their responsibilities and how they relate to one another. Bowen Family Systems Theory emphasizes that individuals also bring emotional expectations and assumptions into relationships, which can shape how roles are understood. These expectations should be communicated openly rather than left unspoken. When a bond is defined by strength, trust, or shared history, changing the relationship can be difficult because members may resist disrupting an established pattern. However, networks must adapt as circumstances, responsibilities, and individual needs change. Adjustments can occur through honest dialogue, renegotiating expectations, redefining boundaries, and acknowledging changes in power or responsibility. A strong bond should provide stability while still allowing flexibility. Ultimately, healthy networks recognize that roles are not permanent, they can evolve when members communicate clearly, respect boundaries, and remain willing to renegotiate the relationship as the system changes. For more details about Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, check out this article. The perceived hierarchy of a network refers to how members understand differences in authority, influence, status, and responsibility within the system. From a Structural Family Therapy perspective, hierarchy is necessary because groups function through leadership, boundaries, and defined roles. In a company or professional network, formal hierarchy may be represented by executives, managers, supervisors, and employees, while informal hierarchy can develop through expertise, relationships, reputation, or access to decision-makers. Bowen Family Systems Theory suggests that individuals also respond emotionally to differences in power and authority, which can influence communication and relationships. A person’s role affects how much influence they have, what decisions they can make, and how others respond to them. When hierarchy is clear and appropriately structured, members are more likely to understand expectations and communicate effectively. However, when formal and informal hierarchies conflict, tension may arise. For example, someone without an official leadership title may have significant influence, while a manager may possess authority but lack relational trust. Understanding both formal and perceived hierarchy helps explain how roles, communication, and power operate within a network. In a network, satisfaction and dissatisfaction with roles and interactions are communicated through both direct and indirect forms of communication. From a Bowen Family Systems perspective, individuals need to balance connection with differentiation, allowing them to express concerns without becoming emotionally reactive or disconnected. Satisfaction can be communicated through appreciation, positive feedback, participation, and a willingness to collaborate. Dissatisfaction may be expressed through constructive criticism, setting boundaries, reduced engagement, or directly addressing conflict. Structural Family Therapy emphasizes the importance of clear roles and boundaries, therefore, people should communicate when responsibilities feel unclear, unequal, or inappropriate. Healthy networks create opportunities for open dialogue, active listening, feedback, and negotiation. Rather than viewing dissatisfaction as disloyalty, it can be understood as information about the health of the relationship or system. Effective communication allows members to clarify expectations, repair strained interactions, and renegotiate roles when necessary. Ultimately, satisfaction and dissatisfaction are best communicated openly, respectfully, and with an emphasis on maintaining both individual needs and the overall health of the network. While not saying networks are families, oftentimes they can begin to feel as such. We usually gravitate toward what feels familiar, and those bonds usually start in our families. For more details on how leadership can shape and impact networks and sense of connection, check out this article. Networks and companies are often described as “families” because they involve relationships, shared goals, communication patterns, and expectations of loyalty. Family counseling theories, however, suggest that this analogy becomes irrelevant when organizational relationships no longer function like genuine family systems. From a Structural Family Therapy perspective, families have relatively stable roles, boundaries, and hierarchies, while companies are primarily structured around professional roles and organizational objectives. Calling coworkers “family” can blur these boundaries and create unrealistic expectations of loyalty or personal sacrifice. Bowen Family Systems Theory also highlights the importance of differentiation, the ability to maintain emotional independence while remaining connected to others. In a workplace, employees need this differentiation to make objective decisions rather than allowing emotional loyalty to override professional judgment. The family analogy becomes obsolete when an organization uses it to discourage healthy boundaries, justify unequal treatment, or imply that employees owe the company unconditional loyalty. Unlike families, employment relationships are generally voluntary, contractual, and subject to change. Therefore, while “family” can describe a sense of belonging, it becomes problematic when it replaces clear boundaries, accountability, and professional expectations. Can the same concept apply to professional networks? Of course! There is an art to networking, and researchers have analyzed the associated personality traits and types of networking that increase success. For more details about what this looks like, check out this article. If you’re interested in evaluating your network, networking skills, and business goals, schedule a consultation! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Millicent Sykes Millicent Sykes, Founder of Mindset of an Athlete Consulting As a trained ballerina since the age of 5, Millicent Sykes has had a focus on standards and performance. Due to two injuries, Millicent was encouraged to pivot toward a different phase of execution. Perspective, decision-making, and self-expression are the main components of Mindset of an Athlete Consulting, where Millicent attempts to help master complexity. References: Brown, J., & Errington, L. (2024). Bowen Family Systems Theory and Practice: Illustration and critique revisited. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 45, 135-155. DOI: 10.1002/anzf.1589 Uster, A., Vashdi, D., & Beeri, I. (2022). Enhancing Local Service Effectiveness Through Purpose-Oriented Networks: The Role of Network Leadership and Structure. American Review of Public Administration, 52(4), 298-316. DOI: 10.1177/02750740221084336 Akkas, A. (n.d.). Role of Networking Skills in Career Success. Management Education for Achieving Sustainable Development, 13-39. DOI: 10.57240/DUJMBK02

Written by Millicent Sykes, Founder of Mindset of an Athlete Consulting With a background in philosophy, education, and psychology, this former athlete is the founder of Mindset of an Athlete Consulting. Millicent Sykes is the one exploring how expectations and standards impact our perspective and performance. A healthy symbiotic client-based relationship is one where both parties consistently benefit and help each other succeed. Client-based relationships exist in multiple industries and professions, but the settings in which I have been most aware of these dynamics are the therapeutic space and consulting. While the depth of rapport-building depends on the nature of the relationship, there are common traits needed to increase longevity. 8 common signs 1. Mutual value creation The client receives meaningful results, and the service provider gains fair compensation, growth, or opportunities. Value is often understood as the benefit, impact, or perceived return associated with an investment of time, resources, or attention. In client-based relationships, value is largely determined by the quality and relevance of the service provided, as well as the client’s perception of the outcomes generated by that service. In the therapeutic space, for example, value may be experienced through a sense of safety, emotional support, trust, clarity, and perceived insight. These elements contribute to a client’s overall assessment of whether the therapeutic relationship is meaningful and effective. A similar framework can be applied to consulting and other professional service relationships, although the measurement of value may be more explicitly tied to financial performance, measurable outcomes, or organizational objectives. In consulting, for instance, the value of an engagement may be evaluated through increased revenue, reduced costs, improved efficiency, strategic clarity, or other defined performance indicators. While relational factors such as trust, support, and expertise remain important, the financial and operational consequences of the service often carry greater weight. 2. Clear communication Expectations, goals, concerns, and feedback are discussed openly and regularly. While practicing as a couples therapist, one of the most common concerns I encountered was communication or, more specifically, the breakdown of communication between partners. What initially presented as an argument, recurring disagreement, or emotional disconnect was often a symptom of something deeper. By examining each partner’s values, communication style, perception and expression of emotions, expectations, and individual barriers to verbalization, I could often identify the underlying conflict disrupting the exchange of thoughts, beliefs, needs, and emotions. Once the core issue was identified, the work could shift from simply addressing the visible disagreement to understanding and repairing the relational process that allowed the conflict to persist. A similar principle applies to client-based relationships. Although the context may be different, the fundamental need for clear and effective communication remains the same. In a professional relationship, the shared meaning is typically centered around the growth of a project, the resolution of a problem, or progression toward a defined personal or professional goal. Both parties enter the relationship with expectations about what success should look like, how responsibilities will be divided, what each person will contribute, and what outcomes should ultimately be achieved. When those expectations remain unspoken, unclear, or misunderstood, the relationship becomes vulnerable to unnecessary conflict and deterioration. Developing a strong client relationship, therefore, requires more than simply delivering a service. It requires establishing a communication framework that allows both parties to articulate expectations, clarify objectives, and address concerns as they emerge. Short-term and long-term goals should be clearly identified, responsibilities should be understood, and there should be an established process for discussing changes, challenges, and moments of misunderstanding. Just as important is the ability to recognize what may be occurring beneath the surface of a communication problem. A missed deadline, for example, may not simply represent poor time management, it could reflect unclear expectations, competing priorities, inadequate resources, or a breakdown in accountability. 3. Trust and reliability Both sides follow through on commitments and can depend on one another. While I believe this principle applies to virtually all relationship dynamics, the ability to build trust, reliability, and interdependence is particularly important when the objective is to strengthen a relationship over the long term. Trust is not established through a single interaction, it develops through repeated experiences in which expectations are communicated, commitments are honored, and both parties demonstrate that they can depend on one another. In a client-based relationship, this reliability becomes part of the value being created. The client is not only evaluating the service itself but also the experience of working with the person or organization providing it. For more details associated with research on this topic, view this study to learn more about these concepts as applied in the public relations industry.[1] 4. Shared long-term goals The relationship extends beyond individual transactions and focuses on sustained success. I believe the most productive approach is to maintain a long-term perspective without assuming that every relationship must become long-term. Each engagement should be evaluated on its own terms. Some relationships will be transactional, some will become recurring, and others may evolve into partnerships, referrals, or broader professional networks. Remaining open to all of these possibilities allows the professional to provide the appropriate level of investment without imposing an unnecessary structure on the relationship. The ability to recognize the difference and to invest accordingly may ultimately be one of the more important skills in developing sustainable client relationships. For more details about research focused on community development as a form of client-based relationships, check out the following study.[2] 5. Respect for expertise The client values the provider’s professional judgment, while the provider respects the client’s knowledge of their business and needs. Healthy interdependence does not mean creating a relationship in which either party becomes unnecessarily dependent on the other. Instead, it reflects a situation in which both parties recognize the value of their respective contributions and understand that collaboration can produce an outcome greater than either could achieve independently. In a client-based relationship, this might mean that the professional provides specialized knowledge, perspective, or execution, while the client provides context, resources, decision-making, access, or direction. Each party remains capable and autonomous while recognizing the advantages of working together. 6. Constructive feedback loop Feedback flows in both directions and is used to improve outcomes rather than assign blame. Feedback is a process emphasized across most industries and is essential to continuous improvement, mutual understanding, and the achievement of shared expectations and goals. In client-based relationships, feedback is sometimes viewed as something that flows primarily from the client to the professional, however, effective feedback is a reciprocal process that requires active participation from both parties. Each person contributes valuable insight into what is working, what may need adjustment, and how the relationship or project can move forward successfully. 7. Adaptability and collaboration Both parties are willing to adjust strategies, processes, or expectations when circumstances change. In client-based relationships, the responsibility for change, compromise, and adjustment can sometimes appear to rest primarily on the client because the client is seeking guidance from a professional with specialized knowledge or expertise, there may be an assumption that the client is the one who must adapt to the professional’s recommendations, expectations, or established processes. However, viewing the relationship in this way overlooks the reciprocal nature of a successful client-professional partnership. Although the professional brings expertise, experience, and specialized knowledge to the relationship, the client brings their own experiences, needs, perspectives, and expectations. Effective collaboration requires both parties to remain receptive to learning from one another. The professional may need to adjust their approach based on the client’s circumstances, communication style, goals, or changing needs, while the client may need to adapt based on the professional’s guidance and expertise. This reciprocal adjustment does not diminish the professional’s authority or expertise, rather, it demonstrates an understanding that expertise is most effective when it can be applied in a way that is responsive to the individual client. 8. Fair boundaries Roles, responsibilities, timelines, and scope are understood and respected by both sides. There are several ways to identify, establish, and manage boundaries within a client-based relationship. Boundaries provide structure and clarity by defining appropriate roles, responsibilities, expectations, and limitations for everyone involved. They help create a professional environment in which both the client and the professional can engage openly while maintaining respect for the purpose and integrity of the relationship. For more details regarding research on the nuances of boundary assertion and associated emotion regulation, refer to the following study.[3] A useful rule of thumb is that if one side consistently benefits while the other feels depleted, dependent, or exploited, the relationship is likely not symbiotic. In a truly symbiotic client relationship, both parties become more successful because of the partnership. I invite you to evaluate your client-based relationships and associated processes, review the common signs discussed in this article, and make adjustments where needed. As always, if additional support is needed, reach out to me for a consultation and follow my blog for continued information and insights. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Millicent Sykes Millicent Sykes, Founder of Mindset of an Athlete Consulting As a trained ballerina since the age of 5, Millicent Sykes has had a focus on standards and performance. Due to two injuries, Millicent was encouraged to pivot toward a different phase of execution. Perspective, decision-making, and self-expression are the main components of Mindset of an Athlete Consulting, where Millicent attempts to help master complexity. References: [1] Ziegele, D. (2025). Cultivating Effective Agency-Client Relationships: Reviewing the Field and Proposing a Novel Framework to Measure Relationship Quality in Public Relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 37(3), 280-296. Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1080/1062726X.2024.2433240 [2] Lazarus, J., Mathur, V. & Franchi, M. (2025). From saviour to partner: reflections on relational needs-based organising in India. Development in Practice, 35(8), 1227-1245. DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2025.2517667 [3] Guan, B. & Jepsen, D. M. (2024). Managing emotions in ongoing service relationships: new intrinsic and extrinsic emotion regulation strategies from aged care. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 35(1), 36-66. DOI: 10.1080/09585192.2023.2211710

Written by Michael J McCusker, Founder & Podcast Host Michael J McCusker is a Global Freedom Fellow, a multiple-time author, and host of the acclaimed “Lived Experience Podcast Series.” He’s a respected advocate for justice reform and a thought leader in Lived Experience Leadership, using storytelling to spark social change. Virality has become a false god in the digital age. It is a seductive metric, numbers that flash across screens and convince people that attention equals impact. Spiking visibility is mistaken for a shift in influence. Yet beneath the noise, beneath the endless scroll and algorithmic theatre, something quieter and far more powerful is at work, trust. Trust does not trend or explode overnight. It does not arrive in waves of anonymous engagement from people who will forget your name as quickly as they discovered it. Trust is slower. Heavier. Earned through consistency, clarity, and lived alignment between what is said and what is done. A viral post might bring a million eyes. Few of those eyes will stay, and even fewer will listen. Almost none will act. A trusted voice, on the other hand, can move a room with fifty people, influence decisions inside organisations, open doors that metrics alone will never unlock, and create opportunities that are not available to those chasing reach without resonance. The obsession with going viral has distorted what thought leadership actually means. It has encouraged performance over substance, speed over depth, and reaction over reflection. The result is a landscape flooded with content but starved of conviction. Authority is not built in moments. It’s built in patterns. A pattern of showing up when it is easier to stay silent or saying something meaningful when others are saying something popular. Patterns refine ideas, sharpen perspectives, and allow lived experience to shape the message rather than forcing the message to fit a trend. This is not as immediately rewarding as virality. It does not deliver the same dopamine hit or provide the illusion of instant validation. What it does provide is something far more enduring, credibility. The kind of credibility that makes people pay attention when you speak and leads to invitations rather than requests. It positions you as someone worth listening to, not because you are everywhere, but because what you say carries weight. In a world driven by algorithms, it is easy to forget that real influence still operates through human judgement. Decision-makers are not looking for the loudest voice. They are looking for the clearest thinking, for individuals who understand nuance, who can navigate complexity, and who can articulate ideas with both conviction and care. Those individuals are rarely the ones chasing virality. They are the ones building trust with the right people. The right people are not defined by numbers. They are defined by alignment, alignment of values, ambition, and perspective. When your message reaches individuals who recognise themselves in your thinking, something shifts. The interaction moves beyond consumption. It becomes a connection, and connection is where influence begins. A trusted voice does not need to convince everyone. It needs to resonate deeply with a specific audience, an audience that sees not just the content, but the intent behind it, that recognises the consistency and begins to associate your name with a certain standard. That standard becomes your currency. When you write, speak, or share from a place of lived understanding, something changes in the way your message lands. There is a depth that cannot be manufactured, a tone that cannot be replicated by those who are simply repackaging ideas, and authority that comes not from volume, but from experience. People can feel the difference. This is why trust compounds. Every piece of content becomes part of a larger narrative, reinforcing a reputation that is being constructed in the minds of your audience. Over time, this creates a body of work that speaks for itself. No single post needs to carry the weight of your entire platform. A single moment need not define your trajectory. Instead, your influence is built through accumulation, through sustained presence and a refusal to dilute your message in pursuit of attention. The pressure to go viral often leads to compromise. It encourages individuals to say what will be shared rather than what needs to be said, rewards exaggeration, and pushes people towards the edges of their integrity in exchange for visibility. This is a dangerous trade. Visibility without trust is fragile. It can disappear as quickly as it arrived and does not translate into long-term opportunities, create meaningful impact, or build a legacy. Trust, however, creates leverage. Leverage in conversations and rooms where decisions are made, shaping narratives that extend beyond your immediate audience. When people trust you, they do not just engage with your content. They advocate for your ideas, reference your work, and bring your name into spaces you have not yet entered. This is how influence expands, not through a single viral moment, but through a network of trusted relationships that amplify your voice in ways that algorithms cannot replicate. For those building a platform rooted in lived experience, this distinction becomes even more important. Lived experience carries a responsibility. To develop it into a trusted body of work is to honour its depth. This requires discipline, patience, and a willingness to prioritise long-term impact over short-term attention. It requires an understanding that not every message will resonate with everyone and that this is not a failure, but a sign of clarity. Clarity attracts the right people. The right people are not looking for perfection. They are looking for authenticity, consistency, and voices that feel grounded, considered, and real in a space that often feels performative. When they find that, they stay. They read more, listen more closely, and engage more thoughtfully. Over time, they begin to trust not just what you say, but how you think. That trust becomes the foundation of your influence. From that foundation, opportunities emerge, speaking engagements that are not based on follower counts, but on perceived value, partnerships that are built on a shared vision rather than transactional reach, and audiences that are invested, not just interested. This is the difference between being seen and being respected. Being seen can happen in an instant. Respect is built over time. One can be achieved through tactics. The other requires substance. The current landscape rewards those who understand this distinction, those who are willing to step back from the noise and focus on depth, understanding that influence is not about how many people hear you, but how many people trust you enough to act on what you say. Going viral might change your numbers. Being trusted by the right people will change your trajectory. Follow me on Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Michael J McCusker Michael J McCusker, Founder & Podcast Host Michael J McCusker is a dynamic storyteller and podcast host who uses the power of voice to spark meaningful change. As a seasoned leader with lived experience, they’ve dedicated their life to guiding others toward purpose, self-leadership, and impact. Through powerful interviews and transformative conversations, their podcast, The Lived Experience Series, amplifies voices that are often unheard but deeply needed. A published author, Michael J McCusker, writes with clarity and conviction in Hidden Potential: Unlocking The Door Within, turning personal insight into universal lessons. Their work empowers individuals to own their story, speak with influence, and lead with authenticity. Whether on stage, behind the mic, or on the page, The Resilient Irishman: How to Tackle Life's Adversities. Michael J McCusker is committed to shifting narratives and building a legacy that inspires others to rise.