Amber White, RDH, HHP, is a biological dental hygienist, integrative health practitioner, educator, and mentor dedicated to helping practitioners and patients understand the connection between oral health and overall wellness. Drawing from her background in biological dentistry, oral-systemic health, mineral balancing, and practice development, she helps bridge the gap between dentistry and whole-body healthcare. In this interview, Amber shares her perspective on the future of dentistry, the importance of viewing the body as an interconnected system, and why she believes oral health is one of the most overlooked foundations of human health. She also discusses how practitioners can begin integrating a more comprehensive, root-cause approach to patient care without feeling overwhelmed. Amber White, Oral-Systemic Health Educator & Mentor How did your journey lead you to combine biological dentistry with whole-body health education? My journey began as a dental hygienist, where I spent years educating patients about oral health and disease prevention. Over time, I started noticing a pattern that I couldn't ignore. Many of the patients sitting in my chair were struggling with far more than cavities and gum disease. They were dealing with chronic fatigue, digestive dysfunction, hormone imbalances, sleep disturbances, autoimmune conditions, and a variety of unexplained symptoms. What fascinated me was that these issues often seemed connected, yet healthcare was approaching them as separate problems. That curiosity led me to study biological dentistry, oral-systemic health, mineral balancing, hormone health, and root-cause healing. The more I learned, the more I realized that the mouth is not separate from the body. It is deeply connected to every system. Today, whether I'm teaching inside Beyond the Mouth™, mentoring clinicians, or supporting individuals on their health journeys, my mission remains the same, helping people connect the dots and understand that oral health is a foundational pillar of overall wellness. Why do you believe oral health should be considered a foundational pillar of overall health? For many years, oral health has been treated as something separate from the rest of the body. We tend to think about teeth, gums, and dental procedures, but the reality is that the mouth is one of the most influential and interconnected systems in human health. The oral cavity serves as a gateway to the body. It is connected to the immune system, digestive system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, nervous system, and countless biological processes that influence overall well-being. What happens in the mouth can impact inflammation, sleep quality, microbial balance, nutrient absorption, and systemic health. One of the greatest misconceptions in healthcare is the belief that oral health is optional or isolated. In reality, the mouth often provides some of the earliest clues that something deeper may be occurring within the body. When we begin viewing oral health as a foundational pillar of wellness rather than a separate specialty, we create opportunities for earlier intervention, better patient outcomes, and a more comprehensive approach to healthcare. What are the most impactful lessons you teach practitioners about the oral-systemic connection? One of the most important lessons I teach is that symptoms rarely exist in isolation. The body is constantly communicating, and the mouth often provides valuable clues about what may be happening elsewhere. For example, recurrent cavities may not simply be a hygiene issue. They can be influenced by airway dysfunction, mouth breathing, mineral imbalances, dietary patterns, stress, medications, changes in saliva quality, and the overall oral terrain. Similarly, periodontal disease is not just a gum condition. It is often connected to inflammation, immune function, metabolic health, and the oral microbiome. I also encourage practitioners to become curious rather than immediately looking for a protocol. When we shift from asking, "How do I treat this symptom?" to "Why is this showing up in the first place?" we begin uncovering patterns that may have otherwise been missed. The procedure matters, but the terrain matters more. Healing is influenced by factors such as sleep, stress, nutrition, mineral status, hormone balance, nervous system regulation, and oral health. How does integrating HTMA testing and mineral balancing change patient outcomes in your practice? HTMA has become one of my favorite tools because it allows us to look beyond symptoms and identify patterns that may be influencing a person's health. Mineral balance impacts everything from energy production and hormone function to stress resilience, immune function, sleep quality, and healing capacity. Many patients come to me feeling exhausted, inflamed, overwhelmed, or stuck. They have tried numerous supplements and protocols, but still don't feel like themselves. HTMA provides a roadmap that helps us understand how the body is adapting to stress and where support may be needed. Rather than chasing symptoms, we focus on rebuilding resilience and supporting foundational physiology. In both wellness and dentistry, I often say that the treatment matters, but the body's ability to respond to that treatment matters even more. When patients improve mineral balance and support their overall terrain, we frequently see improvements not only in oral health outcomes but also in energy, recovery, sleep, mood, and overall well-being. What trends or misconceptions in dentistry do you think are limiting patient wellness today? One of the biggest misconceptions is that oral health begins and ends with brushing, flossing, and dental procedures. While those things matter, they are only part of the equation. Many patients are never educated about the role that nutrition, sleep, breathing, hormones, stress, saliva, mineral status, and the oral microbiome play in oral health. As a result, we often find ourselves treating symptoms without addressing the factors that may be contributing to them. I also believe we have become overly focused on disease management instead of health creation. The standard of care is important, but it is often the minimum acceptable level of care, not necessarily the optimal level of care. The future of dentistry requires a more comprehensive perspective that asks not only how to treat disease, but how to create an environment where health can thrive. How can traditional clinicians begin shifting to a root-cause, systems-based approach without feeling overwhelmed? The biggest mistake practitioners make is assuming they need to learn everything at once. You do not need to become an expert in functional medicine, nutrition, hormones, airway, sleep, and mineral balancing overnight. The shift begins with curiosity. Start asking different questions. Ask about sleep. Ask about stress. Ask about breathing. Ask about medications. Ask about energy levels. The goal is not to have all the answers. The goal is to begin recognizing patterns and understanding that the mouth is connected to the rest of the body. Over time, practitioners can expand their knowledge, build referral networks, and gradually integrate new concepts into patient care. Small shifts in perspective often create the biggest impact. What practical steps can patients take to support their oral terrain and overall health at home? The first step is recognizing that oral health is a daily reflection of overall health. Some of the most impactful things patients can do include prioritizing nutrient-dense foods, supporting mineral balance, improving sleep quality, reducing chronic stress, staying hydrated, and paying attention to how they breathe. Nasal breathing is one of the most overlooked aspects of oral health. So is saliva. Healthy saliva helps protect the teeth, support remineralization, and maintain a balanced oral microbiome. I also encourage patients to become curious about their bodies. Symptoms are often signals, not inconveniences. When we learn to listen to those signals rather than simply suppress them, we create opportunities for deeper healing. Small daily habits often create the greatest long-term impact. What does the future of dentistry look like to you? I believe the future of dentistry is deeply personalized, preventative, and connected to overall health. We are moving beyond a model focused solely on procedures and toward one that considers healing capacity, airway health, oral-systemic connections, nutrition, lifestyle, and patient education. The most successful practices of the future will not simply provide treatment. They will provide guidance, partnership, and a more comprehensive understanding of health. I also believe collaboration will become increasingly important. Dentists, hygienists, physicians, nutritionists, health coaches, and other practitioners will need to work together to support patients more effectively. The future belongs to practitioners who are willing to remain curious, continue learning, and elevate the standard of care beyond what has traditionally been accepted. What is the key insight or takeaway you hope every practitioner or patient remembers from your work? The key takeaway is simple, the mouth is not separate from the body. Whether you are a practitioner or a patient, I hope you remember that symptoms are often invitations to look deeper. Healing does not happen in isolation. It happens when we begin connecting the dots between oral health, nutrition, sleep, stress, hormones, minerals, the nervous system, and overall well-being. When we stop viewing health through silos and start seeing the body as the interconnected system that it is, we create opportunities for better outcomes, better conversations, and a higher standard of care. The future of healthcare and dentistry is not separation. It is connection. Follow me on Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Amber White

Las Vegas, NV, June 25, 2026 – PersonaShield today announced the launch of its new platform designed to help creators, influencers, and public figures take control of how their images and likeness are used in the age of artificial intelligence. As generative AI tools make it easy to deepfake content and fabricate likenesses, this community has limited visibility or control over how their identity is being used, causing both reputational and financial harm. The scale of the problem is no longer hypothetical. A 2023 study by Home Security Heroes found that the number of deepfake videos online grew 550 percent between 2019 and 2023, reaching more than 95,000 in a single year. The volume has accelerated since, with creators, celebrities, and public figures absorbing the bulk of unauthorized use, whether through association with fringe causes or political content, fake product endorsements, or inappropriate and offensive representations. Social media platforms and technology companies have struggled to enforce consistently, leaving creators among the most exposed to AI-driven exploitation. PersonaShield is more than a takedown platform. Creators upload their images, set guidelines for how those images can and should be used, and define what is permitted and what isn't. From there, the platform handles takedown requests on their behalf. Fans and followers can log in to find the creators they follow and pay for authorized use of their image and likeness, opening a new path to monetization while giving creators real control over their online presence. "AI isn't the problem. The problem is that nobody asked. Someone put your likeness on their channel, used it to sell a product, or built it into a campaign or cause, and never asked your permission. Your likeness carries your reputation, your livelihood, and your brand," explained Phillip Shoemaker, founder and CEO of PersonaShield. "We are giving creators back control, with the ability to decide how their image and likeness can be used, and making it easier to identify and approve or request a takedown of AI-generated content, while also providing a healthy pathway for fans and followers to create content and put a little extra money in their pockets." From protection to participation Unauthorized AI-generated content has rapidly expanded across entertainment, social media, and commerce, impacting everyone from global celebrities to independent creators. Deepfakes are now routinely used for scams, fake endorsements, and reputational harm, while platforms struggle to keep pace with enforcement. At the same time, fan-created AI content is growing, often without clear rules or pathways for creators to participate. PersonaShield addresses both sides of the problem with a single system that allows creators to define how their likeness can be used, enforce those rules across platforms, enable licensed, brand-safe fan creation, and generate revenue from authorized use. This unified approach reflects a broader shift in the market, moving from blocking content to governing and controlling how it is created and shared. A new category: Likeness governance PersonaShield introduces what it calls a permission layer for AI identity, an infrastructure system that sits between AI generation, platforms, and creators. The platform is built on three integrated capabilities: Consent & rights registry, verified identity with machine-readable rules defining what is allowed, restricted, and monetized Protection integration, automated monitoring and enforcement that reduces the time between violation and removal Brand-safe creation, a licensed environment for fan-generated content with provenance and revenue sharing. These capabilities work together as one system, where the same rules that trigger enforcement also define what is allowed to exist. Built by a leader in platform governance PersonaShield was founded by Phillip Shoemaker, former Senior Director of App Store Review at Apple, where he built and led the global organization responsible for enforcing policies across one of the world's largest digital ecosystems. Shoemaker also founded Identity.org, a non-profit informational hub and advocacy site focused on digital rights, privacy, and how AI impacts human identity online. His experience shaping platform rules and enforcement at scale informs PersonaShield's approach to one of AI's most pressing challenges, restoring control and trust in digital identity. Shoemaker is also publishing his first book, Unbreakable: Secure Your Digital Life in a World Built to Breach You, with pre-orders open now and an October release date. Your likeness, your rules PersonaShield is launching with a focus on image-based content and initial platform integrations. The company is currently onboarding a group of founding creators to help shape the platform and define how likeness rights are managed in the AI era. "Creators don't want AI to go away," Shoemaker added. "They want a say in how it's used. This is about turning identity from something you defend into something you control." Availability: PersonaShield is now available. Creators can sign up here. VidCon 2026: PersonaShield is hosting a talk at VidCon at the Anaheim Convention Center on Saturday, June 27, from 2:45 to 3:15 pm. The session, hosted by Phillip Shoemaker, is titled "Who Owns Your Face In the Age of AI," and will feature a demo of the PersonaShield platform. To learn more or register, visit the VidCon Anaheim full schedule. About PersonaShield PersonaShield is building the infrastructure for likeness rights in the AI era. The platform enables creators and public figures to define, enforce, and monetize how their image is used across AI systems and digital platforms. By combining consent, enforcement, and licensed creation into one system, PersonaShield transforms identity into a governed and participatory asset. Media contact: Lauren Hendrickson, hello@personashield.com, www.personashield.com

The Alignment Modality© Module One Training, a transformational online programme created by Paul Quinton, is now open for enrollment for its September 2026 intake. Designed to guide participants through profound self-discovery and consciousness-based healing, the four-evening live training will take place on 21st, 22nd, 28th, and 29th September 2026 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm GMT. The programme is delivered online, allowing participants from around the world to engage in real-time learning and experiential transformation. The Alignment Modality© is also endorsed on Dr. Bruce Lipton's website. “Alignment Modality is more than a training system, it is a pathway back to truth, clarity, and inner alignment,” said Paul Quinton, creator of the Alignment Modality. “Module One provides the foundation for individuals who are ready to release fear, shift emotional patterns, and begin working consciously with energy, intuition, and awareness.” The Module One training introduces participants to the core principles of the Alignment Modality, including energy awareness and grounding techniques, clearing emotional and energetic blockages, inner child and shadow integration, strengthening intuitive perception, and working with timelines and consciousness. The programme is designed for both beginners and those already on a personal development journey, offering a structured yet experiential approach to self-healing and expansion. Alongside the live training, the Alignment Modality also provides self-paced e-learning courses, enabling participants to study and integrate the teachings in their own time. These programmes offer foundational tools for consciousness work, emotional regulation, and intuitive development, supporting individuals who prefer a flexible learning path. For those seeking deeper personal support, one-to-one healing, coaching, and mentoring sessions with Paul Quinton are also available. These sessions offer tailored guidance and energetic work designed to help individuals move through personal challenges, gain clarity, and accelerate their transformation journey. Individuals who are unsure about their next step can also book a complimentary 30-minute Breakthrough Call with Paul Quinton. This session provides an opportunity to discuss personal challenges and explore whether the Alignment Modality is the right fit for their current stage of growth. Enrollment and further information for the September Module One Training is now open. Additional e-learning courses are available. One-to-one healing, coaching, and mentoring sessions can be accessed online. A complimentary Breakthrough Call can be booked online. About the Alignment Modality© The Alignment Modality© is a consciousness-based healing system founded by Paul Quinton, a teacher of transformation, healer, and international workshop leader. The modality combines energetic awareness, intuitive development, vibrational practices, and consciousness-based tools to support individuals in releasing limiting patterns, expanding awareness, and reconnecting with their authentic selves. Since its creation, the Alignment Modality has supported participants worldwide in both personal development and practitioner training pathways. Media contact Paul Quinton Creator, Alignment Modality© Phone: +447804358718 Email: paulquinton@alignmentmodality.com Website: www.alignmentmodality.com

Written by Sarah Merron, NLP Trainer & Self-Leadership Coach Sarah Merron is an NLP Trainer and Self-Leadership Coach who has transformed mindsets since 2008. With her extensive experience, she has trained and coached individuals from all walks of life, including business leaders, entrepreneurs, parents, athletes, and more. Sarah's expertise lies in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Hypnosis & Time Line Therapy® techniques. For 15 years, she has been helping people develop actionable self-insight and self-awareness and map their version of success. With her guidance, you can design an authentic life that truly feels like you. The science behind gut feeling has moved far beyond intuition. Here is what leaders need to understand. In interviews and autobiographies, some of the world's most consequential decision-makers describe a common thread in how they operate. Richard Branson has spoken about relying on gut instinct over extensive statistical analysis. Senior military commanders describe trusting a felt sense of the situation that precedes and often outperforms their formal threat assessments. The language across these accounts is consistent, something in the body knows before the mind catches up. For decades, this has been treated as an anecdote. Colourful, perhaps interesting, but not the kind of thing a rigorous thinker builds a decision-making framework on. The neuroscience of interoception has changed that. What interoception actually is Interoception is the nervous system's capacity to sense, interpret, integrate, and regulate signals from within the body itself. Not the external world but the internal one. Heartbeat, breath, gastric rhythm, temperature, tension, visceral pressure. The continuous, largely unconscious stream of physiological signals feeds upward from the body to the brain. It sits alongside the better-understood exteroceptive system (vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste) as the other half of a sensory architecture that most education, most professional training, and most performance culture have entirely ignored. A 2021 research framework published by the National Institutes of Health described interoception as a largely unexplored frontier of neuroscience, noting that far less is known about how the body reads itself than about how it reads the external world. What is now known is significant. It has direct implications for leaders, founders, and anyone operating at a sustained high level of performance. The trading floor finding Let us begin with the research that is hardest to dismiss, because it was conducted in a high-stakes professional environment and measured performance in real-world terms. Researchers recruited financial traders from an active London trading floor. They measured interoceptive accuracy using a standard heartbeat detection protocol. Participants sit quietly and report their own heartbeats without touching their bodies or using any equipment. It is a measure of how accurately a person can read a signal from inside themselves. Then they tracked the traders over time. The traders with higher interoceptive accuracy were more profitable. Their interoceptive ability predicted how long they survived in the financial markets. It was not due to experience. Nor analytical skill. Not risk modeling capacity. The ability to accurately interpret physiological signals from the body was a measurable predictor of performance and survival in one of the most analytically demanding professional environments globally. The researchers concluded that signals from the body, the gut feelings of financial lore, contribute to success in the markets. This is not a wellness conclusion. It is a performance conclusion, drawn from a real-world professional dataset. The gastric network: Where gut instinct lives in the brain The mechanism behind this finding is now clearer than it has ever been. Research published in eLife identified a previously unknown resting state network in the human brain. Scientists placed electrodes on volunteers' abdomens to measure the stomach's continuous slow electrical rhythm, a 0.05 Hz oscillation produced by specialised cells in the stomach wall and present even when the stomach is empty. They then looked at what the brain was doing in synchrony with that rhythm. The result was a distinct network of brain regions, now called the gastric network, that activates in a precise temporal sequence with each gastric cycle. This network cuts across previously identified resting state networks and involves regions responsible for mapping the body in space, regulating autonomic function, and integrating information about where the body ends and the external world begins. The stomach is not passively sitting below the diaphragm, waiting for food. It is continuously generating an electrical signal that organises brain activity at rest. The gut is not a metaphor for anything. It is an active participant in the brain, constructing a coherent model of reality and self. More recent research published in Nature Mental Health in 2025 extended this finding. Across 243 participants, increased coupling between the stomach and the frontoparietal brain indexed a dimensional signature of poorer mental health, spanning anxiety, depression, stress, and overall well-being. The quality of the stomach-brain connection is measurably associated with psychological coherence across multiple dimensions. Interoception as the substrate of stable identity This brings us to the finding that has the most significant implications for leaders and founders, and that most personal development literature has not caught up with. Research published in Psychological Research reviewed the accumulated evidence on interoception and the self-concept. The conclusions were striking. The birth, maintenance, and loss of a stable sense of self are deeply tied to interoceptive signals. Interoception contributes to the stability of the self-concept over time, unifying its layers and constraining its susceptibility to external influences. The core features of the self-concept are those that correlate most strongly with inner bodily states. In practical terms, the most stable, most grounded features of who you are, the parts of your identity that hold under pressure and do not get eroded by difficult conditions or external opinion, are most closely linked to interoceptive accuracy. A grounded, coherent identity is not primarily a cognitive achievement. It is not constructed through clarity about your values or conviction about your vision, though these are downstream effects of it. It is grounded in the body's ability to hear itself and ensure that the signal is accurately registered and integrated in the brain. Furthermore, the research showed that individuals who are better at detecting internal cardiac and respiratory signals are less susceptible to distortions of bodily identity. Those with a fuzzier self-concept are more susceptible to such distortions. The implication is direct, interoceptive accuracy is a structural protection for identity stability. The paradox of high-performance culture Here is the problem for the professionals most likely to be reading this. High-performance culture, the conditions in which most founders and senior leaders operate, is in many ways a systematic training programme in interoceptive suppression. The ability to push through discomfort, to continue performing when the body is signaling distress, to override hesitation in service of decisiveness, these are rewarded, modeled, celebrated, and, in many environments, required. They produce real results and build real capability. They also, with enough repetition over enough time, progressively mute the very signal system that the research above identifies as foundational to identity stability, psychological coherence, and high-quality decision-making under uncertainty. The founder, who has been overriding the interoceptive signal for seven years to maintain output, has not simply accumulated stress. They have progressively degraded the accuracy and integration of a biological system that the evidence now shows is central to who they are, how they decide, and how long they sustain genuine performance before the architecture begins to show structural failure. The burnout is not the first sign of a problem. It is a late-stage consequence of one. What rigorous decision-making actually requires Every serious professional learns to prioritise analysis over instinct. It sounds rigorous. It is, in fact, a form of structural self-sabotage. The research does not position the interoceptive signal as the icing on the cake of analytical thinking. It positions it as a prerequisite for analytical thinking that actually works. The somatic marker hypothesis, developed by neurologist Antonio Damasio, was established through patients with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, that the loss of coupling between bodily arousal and decisions produces a specific and consistent failure mode, the maintenance of full intellectual capacity alongside a recurrent inability to learn from negative feedback and make adaptive decisions over time. You can be analytically intact and still make chronically poor decisions if the body-brain signal loop has been compromised. The integration of interoceptive signals is not opposed to rigorous decision-making. It is a prerequisite for it. The structural question The practical question this raises for any leader or founder is not "should I trust my gut more?" That framing is too simple and does not follow from the evidence. The question is, how accurately is your interoceptive system currently functioning? If years of sustained high performance have trained systematic suppression of that signal, what does restoration actually require? This is not a question that mindfulness practices alone answer, though attention training is important. It is a structural question. Restoring interoceptive accuracy and integration after prolonged suppression requires working at the level of the system itself, not simply practising paying more attention to a system that may have been progressively muted. The leaders who describe a quality of disconnection from themselves, of performing competently but without full contact with who they are, are not describing a psychological phenomenon. They are describing a structural one. The path back is not more effort at the cognitive level. It is structural work at the level where the signal actually lives. The gut feeling was never the soft option. It was, all along, the structural one. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Sarah Merron Sarah Merron, NLP Trainer & Self-Leadership Coach Sarah Merron is an NLP Trainer and Self-Leadership Coach who has transformed mindsets since 2008. With her extensive experience, she has trained and coached individuals from all walks of life, including business leaders, entrepreneurs, parents, athletes, and more. Sarah's expertise lies in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Hypnosis & Time Line Therapy® techniques. For 15 years, she has been helping people develop actionable self-insight and self-awareness and map their version of success. With her guidance, you can design an authentic life that truly feels like you.

Written by Ann Smets, Human Potential and Soul Integration Facilitator Samantha Roach is an Integrative Counselor, author, speaker, and founder of Beauty for Ashes Ministry and Brokenness to Hope CIC. Through counseling, workshops, and community programs, she helps individuals move from trauma, grief, and emotional pain toward healing, hope, and personal transformation. In a world that constantly demands more from leaders, ancient Taoist wisdom offers a different path, one rooted not in accumulation but in simplicity, presence, and flow. Drawing from personal experiences in Thailand and insights from Qigong, nature, and Taoist philosophy, these seven lessons invite modern leaders to discover the power of letting go in order to lead more effectively. Seven Taoist lessons for modern leaders Leadership today often feels like an endless exercise in addition. More meetings, responsibilities, information, emails, goals, and pressure. Many leaders spend years believing that success comes from carrying more than everyone else. Yet this summer, during a journey through Thailand, I received an unexpected lesson about leadership, wellbeing, and success. Not in a boardroom, at a conference, nor from a business mentor. But while traveling with a single piece of hand luggage for the first time in my 56 years. What began as a practical decision quickly became a profound reminder that perhaps the greatest challenge facing modern leaders is not what they need to add. Perhaps it is what they need to release. Along the way, Taoist wisdom, daily Qigong practice, and a renewed connection with nature revealed seven powerful lessons that feel more relevant today than ever before. Why modern leaders are carrying too much As a wellbeing practitioner working with entrepreneurs, executives, and high-performing professionals, I often observe the same pattern. Most people are not lacking intelligence, ambition, or capability. They are overloaded. Their calendars, minds, and inboxes are full. Eventually, their nervous systems become full too. Research continues to show that chronic stress affects decision making, creativity, emotional resilience, sleep quality, digestion, and overall well-being. Many leaders are functioning in a state of constant activation without even realizing it. The result is rarely immediate burnout. More often, it appears as mental fog, reduced creativity, irritability, fatigue, digestive issues, and a growing sense of disconnection from themselves. More than 2,500 years ago, Taoist masters understood something that modern science is now validating. Human beings thrive when they live in harmony with natural rhythms rather than constant pressure. Here are seven lessons that reminded me what true leadership may actually require. 1. Simplicity creates freedom Traveling with a single carry-on bag felt surprisingly liberating. Every item had a purpose. Every possession earned its place. There was no excess. As the days passed, I began to wonder how much unnecessary weight we carry elsewhere in life. How many commitments do we maintain out of habit? How many projects continue long after their purpose has passed? How many expectations are we carrying that were never truly ours? In Taoism, simplicity is considered a source of power. When we remove the unnecessary, we create space for what truly matters. The same principle applies to leadership. Complexity often drains energy. Simplicity restores it. 2. Space is more valuable than time Most leaders spend their lives trying to manage time. Very few consciously create space. During my travels, I stopped wearing a watch. Initially, this felt uncomfortable. For decades, my life had revolved around schedules, flights, meetings, and deadlines. Yet as the days passed, I found myself asking a different question. Instead of asking, "What time is it?" I began asking, "How do I feel?" That subtle shift changed everything. Space allows us to hear our own thoughts again, wisdom to emerge, and clarity to return. 3. The nervous system is your leadership foundation One of the most overlooked aspects of leadership is nervous system health. Many people attempt to improve performance by pushing harder. Yet the body often responds by producing more stress hormones, reducing access to creativity, intuition, and higher-level thinking. Modern neuroscience shows that when we feel safe and regulated, the brain functions more effectively. Decision-making, communication, and problem-solving improve. Ancient Taoists may not have used the term "nervous system regulation," but they understood its essence. A calm internal environment creates better outcomes than a reactive one. 4. Nature never rushes, yet everything is accomplished One of my favorite Taoist teachings comes from Lao Tzu. "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." Sitting beneath tropical trees and watching ocean tides move in their own rhythm, I was reminded how deeply modern life has disconnected us from natural timing. We have become conditioned to believe that urgency equals importance. Yet some of the most meaningful transformations occur gradually. Trust, healing, mastery, and leadership itself develop gradually. The strongest growth is rarely rushed. 5. Flow outperforms force Every morning, I attended Qigong practice. The movements were slow, gentle, and unhurried. Yet after each session, I felt energized, clear, and deeply grounded. Qigong is based on the principle that Qi, our life force energy, should flow freely throughout the body. When energy stagnates, well-being suffers, and vitality returns. The same principle applies to leadership. Organizations thrive when communication flows. Teams thrive when trust flows. Innovation thrives when ideas flow. The river reaches the ocean not through force, but through continuous movement. There is profound leadership wisdom in that. 6. Your gut, heart, and brain are constantly communicating Much of my work focuses on what I call gut-brain-heart coherence. For many years, leadership development focused almost exclusively on the thinking mind. Today, science tells a more complete story. The gut contains hundreds of millions of neurons and communicates continuously with the brain through the vagus nerve. The heart possesses its own intricate neural network. Together, these systems influence perception, decision making, emotional regulation, and intuition. Ancient traditions have always recognized multiple centers of intelligence. The head thinks, heart feels, and gut knows. The most effective leaders learn to listen to all three. 7. Letting go is a leadership skill Of all the lessons Thailand offered me, this may have been the most important. Leadership is not simply about taking on more. It is also about knowing what to release. An outdated belief. A draining commitment and a habit of overworking. The need to control every outcome. A definition of success that no longer serves you. Lao Tzu wrote: "To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day." Perhaps wisdom is not something we acquire. Perhaps it is something that appears when we stop carrying what no longer belongs to us. Bringing more lightness into your leadership If there is one invitation I would offer, it is this. Take a moment to consider what you are carrying today. Not physically, energetically, emotionally, or mentally. Ask yourself: What can I release? What no longer serves me? Where can I create more space? Because sometimes the greatest breakthroughs do not come from adding another strategy, another course, or another goal. Sometimes they emerge from creating enough space to hear your own inner wisdom again. Final thoughts When I returned home from Thailand, I brought back fewer possessions than I had taken with me. Yet I returned with far more than I expected. A deeper appreciation for simplicity. A renewed connection with presence. A reminder that life becomes lighter when we stop trying to carry everything. Perhaps the future of leadership is not about doing more. Perhaps it is about leading from a place of greater coherence, greater presence, and greater trust in life's natural flow. Perhaps that begins with something as simple as putting down a little of the weight we were never meant to carry. Ready to experience more flow, clarity, and vitality? Through Chi Nei Tsang, Qigong, nervous system regulation, and The Inner Shift™ Method, I help leaders and high-performing professionals restore gut-brain-heart coherence and reconnect with their natural capacity for wellbeing, resilience, and inspired leadership. Visit here to learn more. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Ann Smets Ann Smets, Human Potential and Soul Integration Facilitator Samantha Roach is an ACC-registered Integrative Counselor, author of From Brokenness to Hope, speaker, and founder of Beauty for Ashes Ministry and Brokenness to Hope CIC. Having overcome childhood abuse, addiction, trauma, and profound personal loss, she is passionate about helping others find healing and restoration. With over 1,000 counseling hours and extensive experience supporting individuals, couples, and trauma survivors, Samantha combines professional expertise with lived experience to inspire lasting transformation. Through her counseling practice, workshops, and community programs, she helps people discover hope, healing, and purpose beyond their pain.

Written by Monique Farmer, PR & Communications Consultant Monique Farmer, APR, is the founder of Avant Solutions, a PR and communication consultancy that helps nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and small businesses elevate their messaging and build stronger connections with their audiences. Every founder eventually meets a moment that asks more of them. Not more hustle or extra hours. Not more color-coded calendars, stronger coffee, or another productivity app promising to turn a 24-hour day into 36. More mindset. Because when you own the business, lead the team, sign the checks, serve the clients, carry the vision, and still answer the emails, your mindset is not just personal. It becomes operational. It influences how you make decisions, how you respond to setbacks, how you lead people, and how long you can keep building without burning out. Here is the truth, many visionary founders learn the hard way that the mindset that helped you start may not be the mindset that helps you scale. The scrappy, “I’ll do it myself” mindset can help you get off the ground. But if you hold on to it too long, it can become a ceiling. The perfectionist mindset may help you protect your reputation in the beginning. But over time, it can slow down decision-making, drain your creativity, and teach your team to wait for permission instead of taking ownership. Mindset transformation is not about pretending everything is fine. It is not about slapping a positive quote over a hard season and calling it leadership. It is about learning to interpret challenges, feedback, and failure differently. A transformed mindset does not erase fear. It gives fear a new job description. Name the mindset currently running the meeting Every founder has an internal boardroom. Around that table sit your beliefs, experiences, fears, hopes, habits, and old survival strategies. Some of them are wise advisers. Others are outdated voices that still think they are protecting you. Maybe one voice says, “If I do not touch every project, the quality will slip.” Another says, “If I ask for help, people will think I am not capable.” Another whispers, “If this fails, it means I was never really meant to lead.” Those beliefs do not always announce themselves loudly. Sometimes they show up as overworking and micromanaging. Sometimes as avoiding a necessary conversation because you do not want to disappoint anyone. Sometimes they show up as saying yes to a client, opportunity, or partnership that your gut already told you was not aligned. The first step in mindset transformation is not changing the belief. It is noticing it. You cannot renovate a house while pretending the walls are not cracked. You cannot transform a mindset you have not been honest enough to name. For a founder or owner leading a small team, this matters deeply. Your team may be only five or ten people, but your mindset has a loudspeaker. If you lead from scarcity, they will feel it. If you lead from fear, they will adapt to it. If you lead with clarity, courage, and trust, they will have something sturdier to stand on. Reframe challenges as information, not identity One of the most powerful mindset shifts a founder can make is learning to separate outcomes from identity. A lost client is not proof that your business is failing. A slow sales month is not proof that your vision is weak. A difficult employee conversation is not proof that you are a bad leader. A failed launch is not proof that you should shrink your dream. It is all information. A national study on mindset makes an important distinction, a growth mindset works best when people are in environments that support challenge seeking instead of punishing struggle. In plain language, people are more willing to stretch when they know difficulty will not be used as evidence against them. That applies to founders, too. If you treat every setback as a witness against your character, you will eventually stop taking bold steps. You will start building a business designed to avoid embarrassment instead of one that pursues impact. That is a very expensive way to live. But when you treat challenges as data, everything changes. You begin asking better questions. What did this teach me? What process needs to change? What support did I not have in place? What assumption was I making? What would I do differently next time? That is when failure becomes less like a locked door and more like a map. Let go of the founder as a hero myth Many founders are praised for carrying the whole thing. You know the image, the visionary leader with the laptop open late at night, solving problems, generating ideas, reviewing client work, sending proposals, managing people, and still remembering to post something inspiring on LinkedIn. It looks admirable from the outside. But inside the business, the founder as hero myth can quietly become dangerous. When you believe you have to be the hero, you may struggle to build systems. You may hesitate to delegate. You may unintentionally teach your team that your approval is more important than their initiative. You may become the bottleneck in the very business you are trying to grow. I know how tempting it can be to carry more than is necessary. In previous writing, I have shared that early in my career, I bought into the idea that more is more. I said yes to almost everything and avoided delegating because I worried that sharing the load would reflect poorly on my capabilities. Over time, I learned that I did not have to do it all myself to prove I was capable. That is a founder-level mindset shift. The goal is not to be the hero of every story. The goal is to build a business where other people can rise, contribute, and succeed with you. Replace perfectionism with strategic courage Perfectionism often dresses itself up as excellence. But they are not the same thing. Excellence says, “This matters, so I will give it care.” Perfectionism says, “If this is not flawless, I am not safe.” For a founder, perfectionism can feel responsible. You want the proposal to be right. You want the client experience to be strong. You want the brand to be polished. You want the team to deliver at a high level. That desire is not wrong. But when perfectionism takes the wheel, progress gets trapped in review mode. The website, stuck in another round of revisions, never launches. The offer never gets tested. The employee never fully owns the task. The founder never rests because “almost done” becomes a permanent address. Strategic courage asks a different question, "What is the next right move that gives us useful information?" Not perfect information. Useful information. That may mean piloting a new service with a small group before building the full program. It may mean letting a team member lead a client meeting while you observe. It may mean publishing the article, sending the proposal, or making the call before your fear has agreed to cooperate. Confidence often comes after movement, not before it. In my own journey toward entrepreneurship and writing my book, I had to take small, actionable steps, seek support, and move through fear instead of waiting for it to disappear. That same pattern applies to founders at every level, small, brave steps create momentum. Build a challenge-safe culture Your mindset does not live in isolation. It becomes culture. If you punish mistakes, your team will hide them. If you reward overwork, your team will mirror it. If you avoid feedback, your team will stop offering insights. If you model learning, ownership, and resilience, your team will begin to see challenges as part of growth rather than proof of failure. This is where mindset transformation becomes a business strategy. A small business does not have layers of bureaucracy to absorb a leader’s emotional patterns. In a team of five, everyone feels the founder’s energy. Your mindset walks into the meeting before you say a word. So, ask yourself: Do people feel safe telling me the truth? Do I respond to mistakes with curiosity or criticism? Do I model learning out loud? Do I treat feedback as a threat or a tool? Do I make it clear that excellence and humanity can coexist here? A transformed mindset does not mean you lower your standards. It means you build the kind of environment where people can rise to meet them. The 4 R’s of mindset transformation For founders who want a practical way to begin, use this simple framework. Recognize the belief: What story is driving your current behavior? Reframe the challenge: What if this setback is information, not identity? Reach for support: Who can help you see, solve, or carry this differently? Repeat the new behavior: What small action will help this new mindset become a new pattern? Mindset transformation is not a one-time breakthrough. It is a repeated choice. A choice to pause before spiraling and ask a better question. A choice to stop confusing control with leadership. A choice to build on trust instead of fear. If you are a founder, owner, or visionary leader, please hear this, you are not stuck because you lack potential. Sometimes you are stuck because an old belief is still holding the microphone. Take it back. Your next level may not require a completely new business model, a bigger team, or a louder brand. It may begin with a quieter but more powerful shift, the decision to stop treating setbacks like stop signs and start reading them like road signs. Because the road ahead still has something to teach you. You are still becoming the leader your vision requires. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Monique Farmer Monique Farmer, PR & Communications Consultant Monique Farmer, APR, runs a PR/Communication Consultancy, Avant Solutions, and is the creator of Anvil Ready, an online communication strategy builder that aids the communication professional in creating communication plans. She teaches at the University of Texas at Austin. Farmer spent 12 years working in the federal government prior to working in corporate communications for ConAgra Foods (now ConAgra Brands), then leading communication strategy for Nebraska’s largest school district. In March 2024, she published her first book, Chart Your Path: A 9-step Method to Getting Unstuck.

Written by Vangee Dyer, Founder of Bare Sunshine Vangee Dyer is the founder of Bare Sunshine, a brand rooted in self-love, resilience, and transformation. Drawing from lived experience, she inspires others to reclaim confidence and glow from the inside out. For years, Korean skincare has been admired for its focus on hydration, healthy skin barriers, and achieving the coveted "glass skin" glow. Among the many beauty trends that have emerged from Korea, one has sparked curiosity around the world, slugging. At first glance, the concept seems unusual. Why would anyone intentionally apply Vaseline to their face before bed? Yet millions of skincare enthusiasts swear by it. The truth is that slugging is not about adding moisture to the skin. It's about protecting the moisture already there. In a world where many people are over-exfoliating, over-treating, and overwhelming their skin with too many products, slugging represents a return to one of the most important principles in skincare, protecting the skin barrier. Let's explore why this trend has become so popular and whether it deserves a place in your skincare routine. What is slugging? Slugging is the practice of applying a thin layer of an occlusive product, most commonly Vaseline (petroleum jelly), as the final step in your nighttime skincare routine. The purpose is simple. Create a protective seal over the skin to help prevent moisture loss while you sleep. Throughout the night, our skin naturally loses water through a process called Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL). Slugging helps reduce that loss by creating a barrier that locks in hydration and supports the skin's natural repair process. The result? Many people wake up with skin that feels softer, smoother, and more hydrated. Why is slugging so popular in Korean skincare? Korean beauty has always emphasized prevention rather than correction. Instead of waiting for skin problems to develop, Korean skincare focuses on maintaining healthy, hydrated skin through consistent care. Slugging aligns perfectly with this philosophy because it helps support one of the skin's most important functions, barrier protection. A healthy skin barrier helps: Retain moisture Defend against environmental stressors Reduce dryness and irritation Improve overall skin appearance Support healthier-looking skin over time For many Korean skincare enthusiasts, slugging is simply another way to strengthen and protect the skin they already have. The benefits of sleeping with vaseline on your face Locks in hydration: One of Vaseline's greatest strengths is its ability to reduce moisture loss. Rather than adding hydration itself, it helps keep hydration from escaping. This can be especially beneficial during colder months, in dry climates, or for individuals with naturally dry skin. Supports skin barrier recovery: A compromised skin barrier can leave skin feeling tight, irritated, flaky, and sensitive. By creating a protective layer over the skin, Vaseline may help support the skin's natural recovery process and improve comfort while sleeping. Creates a softer, smoother appearance: Hydrated skin often appears plumper and smoother. Many people report waking up with skin that feels noticeably softer after slugging. Helps combat dry patches: Areas around the nose, mouth, and cheeks are particularly prone to dryness. Slugging can help protect these areas overnight and reduce rough texture. Encourages the glass skin look: The famous Korean "glass skin" appearance is rooted in hydration, smooth texture, and healthy skin, not heavy makeup. Slugging can help support the hydrated appearance that contributes to this sought-after glow. Can slugging help hyperpigmentation? This is where many people become confused. Slugging does not directly treat hyperpigmentation, dark spots, or discoloration. Vaseline is not a brightening ingredient. However, healthy skin barriers play an important role in the overall appearance and recovery of the skin. When the skin is excessively dry, irritated, or inflamed, it may struggle to recover effectively from acne, blemishes, or environmental stressors. Supporting skin barrier health can create a healthier environment for your skincare products to work more effectively. This is why many skincare professionals emphasize hydration and barrier support as part of a comprehensive skincare routine. Is slugging right for everyone? Not necessarily. Individuals with dry, dehydrated, or compromised skin barriers often benefit the most from slugging. However, those with oily or acne-prone skin may find heavy occlusive products too rich for their skin type. As with any skincare trend, understanding your skin's unique needs is more important than following what is popular online. The best skincare routine is the one that works for your skin. What the slugging trend teaches us about modern beauty Perhaps the most interesting thing about slugging is what it represents. For years, the beauty industry convinced consumers that more products meant better skin. More serums. More acids. More treatments. Today, people are beginning to realize that healthy skin often thrives on simplicity. Slugging reflects a larger movement toward skin barrier health, hydration, and intentional skincare rather than excessive skincare. In many ways, it mirrors the rise of Bare Beauty. The bare sunshine perspective At Bare Sunshine, we believe beautiful skin begins with healthy skin. Whether you're managing hyperpigmentation, dark spots, uneven skin tone, dryness, or simply seeking a natural glow, the foundation is always the same, consistency, hydration, and skin barrier support. The popularity of slugging reinforces a principle we embrace every day. Healthy skin doesn't always need more products. Sometimes it simply needs better care. Our mission has always been to help people feel confident in their skin by focusing on nourishment, education, and effective skincare solutions that support long-term skin health. Because glowing skin isn't about perfection. It's about creating healthy habits that allow your natural radiance to shine through. Final thoughts So why do Koreans sleep with Vaseline on their face? Because sometimes the simplest skincare solutions are the most effective. Slugging has become popular not because it's complicated, but because it helps protect one of the skin's most valuable assets, its moisture barrier. Whether or not slugging becomes part of your routine, its popularity serves as an important reminder that healthy skin begins with hydration, protection, and consistency. Perhaps that's the real secret behind the glow. Ready to glow smarter? Discover more skincare tips, beauty trends, and expert guidance on achieving healthy, radiant skin here. Because at Bare Sunshine, we believe everyone deserves to love the skin they're in. Bare Sunshine. Love the skin you're in™ Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more info! Read more from Vangee Dyer Vangee Dyer, Founder of Bare Sunshine Vangee Dyer is the founder of Bare Sunshine, a skincare brand born from a deeply personal journey with hyperpigmentation and self-acceptance. With a background in public relations and promotions, she has supported community-centered initiatives that celebrate culture, confidence, and empowerment. Vangee serves on the governing board of her local church assembly, where she helps integrate outreach and community-focused events. Her work blends storytelling, purpose-led entrepreneurship, and advocacy for self-love. Through Bare Sunshine, she encourages others to embrace healing, confidence, and the best version of themselves.

Written by Pritesh Lohar, Certified Medical Oncologist Dr. Pritesh Lohar, MD, FACP, is a Board Certified Medical Oncologist. He is also a Mindvalley-certified life coach and a six-phase meditation trainer. He is the Founder and CEO of the School of Mindset Coaching. EFT Tapping has the genius of a revived classic, an old device dressed in sharper language, cleaner protocols, and a more persuasive scientific narrative. While its roots reach back to acupuncture theory and the acupressure traditions that long predate modern psychology, its current form, often called Clinical EFT, has been reframed through the lenses of exposure therapy, cognitive reframing, and nervous system regulation, which is precisely why it is being taken more seriously today than in its earlier, more alternative incarnations. That does not mean the debate is over. It means the conversation has matured. There is now a meaningful distinction between sweeping marketing claims and the more defensible evidence showing that EFT may help reduce anxiety, stress, trauma symptoms, and some forms of distress when used as a structured, focused intervention. The elegant question, then, is not whether tapping is fashionable, but whether this newer, more disciplined version of an old somatic method actually works better than before. What EFT tapping actually is Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT, is a brief mind-body method that combines attention to a troubling emotion, memory, sensation, or belief with repetitive tapping on a standard sequence of acupuncture or acupressure points on the face and upper body. In its manualized form, the process usually includes rating distress, speaking a setup statement such as “Even though I feel this anxiety, I deeply and completely accept myself,” and then tapping through a defined series of points while repeating a reminder phrase that keeps attention on the target issue. Its contemporary form grew out of Thought Field Therapy, a more complex approach that relied on different tapping algorithms for different issues. EFT simplified that system into a more accessible, repeatable sequence, which made it easier to teach, easier to study, and far more suitable for self-application. That simplification matters because it is part of what gave EFT its second life, not as esoteric healing theater, but as a more standardized emotional regulation technique with enough consistency to be investigated in randomized controlled trials. Why it feels new The old version of tapping lived mainly in the language of meridians and energy flow. The new version still contains those roots, but it is increasingly explained through mechanisms more familiar to contemporary psychology and psychophysiology, exposure, self-acceptance, attentional focus, memory reconsolidation, autonomic calming, and the possibility that acupoint stimulation itself contributes something beyond suggestion. This reframing is one reason EFT appears more credible today than it did years ago. Clinical EFT has been described in a 2022 systematic review as a manualized method whose three essential ingredients are exposure, cognitive framing, and acupressure, and that review identified 56 randomized controlled trials and eight meta-analyses examining its effects. In other words, the “newness” is less about inventing a novel technique and more about presenting an older one with better structure, better training standards, and a larger body of testable evidence. The mechanisms behind the method Exposure without overwhelm: One of EFT’s most plausible mechanisms is that it asks a person to bring a distressing feeling, belief, or memory into conscious awareness without becoming fully consumed by it. In that sense, it resembles imaginal exposure, a core element in established therapies for anxiety and trauma. The act of naming the problem while staying physically anchored through tapping may help a person remain in contact with the issue long enough for emotional intensity to decrease instead of escalating. Cognitive framing and self-acceptance: The setup statement is not mere decoration. Its structure combines acknowledgment of distress with some form of self-acceptance, which may soften internal resistance and reduce the self-judgment that often intensifies emotional suffering. This is one reason EFT often feels more emotionally palatable than techniques that ask a person to simply “think positive.” It begins by validating what is true now and only later introduces change. Acupoint stimulation and nervous system regulation: The most debated part of EFT is also the most distinctive, tapping on acupoints. A 2022 systematic review notes that Clinical EFT adds acupressure to established psychological techniques, and prior meta-analytic work cited in that review concluded that the acupressure component contributes to therapeutic outcomes. Dismantling studies summarized in the same literature suggest that tapping on prescribed points may matter more than sham procedures in at least some contexts, although this remains a contested area and is one of the central reasons EFT still attracts both strong advocates and determined skeptics. Physiological downshifting: One of the more compelling reasons EFT has maintained attention is that some studies report not only subjective emotional improvement but measurable physiological shifts. In a 2019 study of 203 workshop participants, significant post-intervention reductions were reported in anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, pain, and cravings, while a subsample also showed decreases in resting heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol, along with increased salivary immunoglobulin A, a marker related to immune function. Those findings do not prove that EFT is uniquely responsible for every effect, but they do support the idea that tapping may help move the body out of a stress-dominant state and into a calmer physiological mode. Does it work better than before? In one important sense, yes. The newer version works better because it is clearer, more standardized, and more teachable than its predecessors, which improves both usability and research quality. Standardization allows practitioners to follow a defined protocol, researchers to study similar interventions, and everyday users to learn the method without getting lost in complicated diagnostic formulas. In another sense, the answer requires nuance. The best available reviews suggest that EFT can be effective for anxiety, depression, phobias, PTSD, stress-related symptoms, pain, and performance issues, often with moderate to large effect sizes. However, the literature still includes methodological weaknesses such as small samples, practitioner allegiance, uneven controls, and too few large head-to-head trials against gold standard treatments. So the “new version” appears better supported than the old one, but not so conclusively validated that every claim made in the wellness marketplace should be accepted at face value. Where EFT appears most useful The strongest support is in areas related to stress and emotional regulation. The 2022 systematic review reports randomized evidence for anxiety, depression, phobias, PTSD, pain, insomnia, sports performance, and stress biomarkers, while also noting successful independent replications for anxiety, depression, PTSD, phobias, sports performance, and cortisol levels. That breadth does not make EFT a cure-all, but it does suggest that it may be especially useful where distress, conditioned emotional responses, fear, and somatic stress activation are intertwined. In practical terms, EFT may be most useful for: Acute stress before a difficult meeting, public appearance, flight, exam, or medical procedure. Recurring anxiety loops that show up as tightness in the chest, racing thoughts, dread, or anticipatory tension. Trauma-related activation, especially when used with a trained practitioner rather than as a purely self-guided exercise. Cravings, emotional eating, and compulsive urges, where emotional triggers and body sensations are part of the experience. Performance blocks in sport, business, speaking, creativity, or visibility, where fear and physiology interfere with skill. The pros EFT’s advantages are not hard to understand. It is fast. Many studies included in reviews involve only one to ten sessions, and some report significant reductions after even very brief interventions. It is accessible. The basic tapping routine can be learned quickly and used as self-help, which is a major reason for its widespread appeal. It is non-pharmacological. For people who want additional ways to regulate stress without medication, EFT offers a practical, low-cost option. It is portable. No equipment is needed, and it can be used almost anywhere, discreetly or in an adapted form. It encourages emotional honesty. Rather than bypassing distress, the method begins by naming it directly. The cons Its limitations deserve equal sophistication. The research base is promising, not flawless. Even supportive reviews acknowledge the need for more large, independently conducted trials with strong control conditions. Some studies are influenced by practitioner involvement, which raises understandable questions about allegiance effects and interpretation. The mechanism is still debated. Some researchers argue the acupoint component is essential, while critics suggest much of the benefit may come from exposure, expectation, therapist attention, and ritualized self-soothing. It can be oversold. Claims that EFT can cure major medical illnesses or replace serious psychiatric treatment are not supported by the evidence reviewed here. Self-use has limits. Deep trauma, dissociation, severe depression, suicidality, psychosis, and complex psychiatric presentations require qualified professional care, not solo experimentation with internet scripts. How to do EFT correctly for maximal benefit The difference between casual tapping and effective tapping is specificity. People often dilute the method by tapping on vague concepts such as “my whole life is stressful.” Research-based descriptions of Clinical EFT emphasize tuning in to a clearly defined issue, rating its intensity, and repeating rounds until distress meaningfully decreases. A more effective process looks like this: Target one issue only: Choose one specific problem, memory, trigger, body sensation, or anticipated event. “The knot in my stomach when I think about tomorrow’s presentation” is far more workable than “my anxiety.” Specificity gives the nervous system something precise to process. Measure the intensity: Rate the distress from 0 to 10 before beginning. Clinical EFT commonly uses the Subjective Units of Distress Scale, or SUDS, to track how activated the issue feels. This matters because the mind often notices change poorly unless it is measured. Use a truthful setup statement: Tap the side of your hand point while repeating a statement that combines acknowledgment and acceptance three times. The classic formula is, “Even though I have this problem, I deeply and completely accept myself.” If that wording feels emotionally false, substitute something gentler such as “Even though I feel this tension, I am open to calming my body now.” The statement should feel emotionally credible, not performatively positive. Tap the sequence while staying focused: Tap through the standard points, commonly eyebrow, side of eye, under eye, under nose, chin, collarbone, under arm, and top of head, while repeating a brief reminder phrase such as “this fear” or “this pressure in my chest.” Clinical descriptions of EFT use eight acupoints on the face and upper body and repeat the sequence until distress is very low. The purpose is not mechanical repetition alone. The purpose is to stay connected to the issue while the body receives a patterned cue of safety. Reassess and refine: After one or two rounds, pause and rate the intensity again. If the number has dropped, continue with the remaining issue rather than changing the subject too quickly. If the number stays high, narrow the target further, perhaps it is not “the presentation” but “the moment everyone looks at me,” or “the fear I will sound foolish.” Precision usually unlocks movement. Shift only when the body is ready: Once the intensity has softened, the language can gently evolve. At that stage, phrases such as “Maybe I can handle this,” “I choose steadiness,” or “My body is learning safety” may be more useful than forced affirmations. Effective tapping does not jump prematurely into positivity. It earns it. Tips that improve results For maximal benefit, the subtleties matter. Work with aspects, not labels. One issue may contain fear, anger, humiliation, grief, and physical tension, each may need separate rounds. Include the body. If the emotion is hard to access, start with the physical sensation, the lump in the throat, the jaw tension, the heat in the face. Stay present, not dramatic. The goal is activation that is tolerable enough to process, not emotional flooding. Use your own language. Formulaic phrases are less powerful than words your nervous system actually believes. Repeat across time. Tapping once can help, but repeated work on the same theme often produces deeper and more lasting change. Seek support for trauma. Skilled guidance is especially important when the material involves abuse, violence, dissociation, or overwhelming emotional states. A balanced verdict EFT Tapping is best understood not as a miracle, nor as a meaningless fad, but as a hybrid method that combines old acupressure concepts with modern psychological structure. Its current version appears stronger than its earlier forms because it is more coherent, more replicable, and better researched, particularly for anxiety, stress, trauma-related symptoms, and emotional self-regulation. Still, intellectual honesty is essential. The evidence is encouraging rather than final, and EFT should be framed as a promising adjunct or stand-alone self-regulation technique for selected issues, not as a universal substitute for psychotherapy, medicine, or disciplined life change. Used skillfully, however, it offers something distinctly contemporary, a way to meet emotional overload with both psychological focus and physical intervention, elegant enough for modern life and simple enough to use with one’s own hands. Follow me on Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Pritesh Lohar Pritesh Lohar, Certified Medical Oncologist Dr. Pritesh Lohar, MD, FACP, is a Board Certified Medical Oncologist. He is also a Mindvalley-certified life coach and a six-phase meditation trainer. He is the Founder and CEO of the School of Mindset Coaching. His goal is to impact as many lives positively as he can by imparting his life experience and coaching skills to others.

Written by Catalina Brusnevsky, ICF Accredited Coach and CPD Accredited Trainer Executive Coaching/Leadership a unique way to reach the Integrated Human Intelligence™ approach in the complex global environment and AI era There was a time when uncertainty was apparent. People paused longer before responding. Questions stayed open longer, and conclusions were expressed only after careful reflection. Today, that process is changing. We are entering an era of near-instant clarity. AI can summarise complexity, suggest strategies, structure communication, propose solutions, and deliver persuasive answers within seconds. In many ways, this represents extraordinary progress. The problem is not the existence of these tools. The challenge arises when speed replaces understanding. Continuous exposure to immediate clarity has subtle effects. The answer arrives before the thinking process fully develops. People may sound informed before they have truly integrated knowledge. Teams may reach conclusions before fully engaging in difficult conversations. Organisations may become more efficient at producing responses but not necessarily better at exercising judgment. This raises a critical leadership question for the AI era. How do we maintain human depth inside environments increasingly optimised for speed? This is not only a leadership discussion but also a cultural conversation and, increasingly, a dialogue about human development. Leadership has never relied solely on information. It depends on the ability to interpret reality responsibly under pressure. AI can support analysis. It can organise information faster than any human team, identify patterns, predict trends, and generate highly structured recommendations. However, leadership still requires something technology cannot fully replace: human judgment. Leaders must understand context beyond data, sense emotional undercurrents inside teams, and recognise when a decision appears efficient in the short term but creates deeper instability over time. Most importantly, they must remain thoughtful when immediate certainty is encouraged. This is why organisations adopting AI must intentionally protect authentic dialogue. Not performative dialogue or fast agreement disguised as alignment. Environments must ensure people feel psychologically safe to challenge conclusions, question assumptions, and express uncertainty without fear of appearing incompetent. One hidden risk of AI-generated clarity is that persuasive answers may quietly discourage deeper exploration. When something sounds intelligent, structured, and complete, teams may become less likely to question it. Over time, this can create cultures where critical thinking weakens, not because people lack intelligence, but because speed and polished reasoning begin carrying more authority than reflection itself. Leaders will need to actively design practices that preserve independent thinking inside their organisations. In practical terms, this may include creating structured pauses before major decisions are finalised. Not every meeting should move directly from data to a conclusion. Some conversations require deliberate space for reflection. Leaders may increasingly need to ask teams questions such as what assumptions are shaping a recommendation, what perspectives may still be missing, what risks are not being discussed because the solution already sounds convincing, and whether the choice prioritises ease of explanation over long-term responsibility. These moments may appear slower, but they protect something essential: depth of understanding. Over time, organisations that preserve depth may become more resilient than those optimised only for speed. Another important shift will involve redefining what strong leadership communication looks like. In highly accelerated environments, leaders may feel pressure to always appear certain, decisive, and immediately clear. The future may require a different kind of leadership maturity: the ability to remain intellectually honest in the midst of complexity, to admit when more reflection is needed, to resist premature conclusions, and to distinguish between information, interpretation, and genuine understanding. Confidence and clarity are not always the same thing, and certainty is not always intelligence. This challenge becomes even more critical in coaching, leadership development, and human-centred professions. AI can support reflection and help structure thinking, generating useful prompts. But genuine human development was never only about producing answers. It depends on awareness, emotional processing, contradiction, and silence, on the uncomfortable space where people slowly recognise truths they were previously avoiding. No generated response can fully replace that human process. This is why organisations will need to establish clear boundaries regarding where AI supports development and where human presence, dialogue, and discernment remain essential. Otherwise, development risks becoming performative: well-articulated on the surface but insufficiently integrated underneath. Perhaps this is the deeper challenge emerging beneath the AI conversation: not whether humans will continue having access to answers, but whether we will continue developing the inner capacities required to evaluate, question, and responsibly use those answers. In environments flooded with intelligent-sounding outputs, human value may increasingly depend on something far more difficult to automate: the ability to think independently, to remain grounded under pressure, to tolerate complexity without rushing toward artificial certainty, and to make decisions that are not only efficient but deeply understood. This shift will also require leadership development programs themselves to evolve. Many traditional leadership models were designed for environments where access to information was limited, decision-making moved more slowly, and human expertise remained the primary source of guidance. Today, leaders operate inside a fundamentally different reality. Information is immediate, recommendations are automated, communication is accelerated, and AI systems increasingly generate answers that appear confident, structured, and strategically sound. As a result, leadership development can no longer focus only on performance, communication techniques, or operational efficiency. It must also strengthen the human capacities that prevent leaders from becoming overly dependent on external clarity. Future-focused leadership programs may need to place greater emphasis on reflective thinking, critical discernment, emotional regulation under cognitive overload, ethical decision-making, tolerance for ambiguity, and the ability to facilitate authentic dialogue in high-speed environments. Leaders will need to learn not only how to use AI effectively but also how to question it intelligently. They must recognise when fast conclusions are replacing deeper understanding and slow down decision-making when complexity requires human judgment rather than automated confidence. Most importantly, leaders must preserve human presence in increasingly technological environments. Teams will need strategic direction not only in the future but also leaders capable of fostering psychological safety, trust, meaning, and a grounded orientation where speed and uncertainty coexist. Leadership development may gradually shift from purely competency-based training toward something more integrated: the development of human intelligence itself. At Signature Academy, this is one of the central questions behind the work. How do we strengthen the human capacities that allow leadership, judgment, and decision-making to remain conscious in an age of accelerating intelligence? Not by resisting technology, but by ensuring human intelligence continues developing alongside it. The future may not belong only to those who generate the fastest answers, but to those who still know how to think clearly, reflect deeply, and stand responsibly behind their choices. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Catalina Brusnevsky Catalina Brusnevsky, ICF Accredited Coach and CPD Accredited Trainer Catalina Brusnevsky is the founder of Signature Academy and a leadership coach specialising in Integrated Human Intelligence™ and executive judgement. Drawing on senior international experience in hospitality and multinational environments, she works with leaders navigating complexity, cultural dynamics and technological acceleration. Her perspective emphasises psychological integration as a key stabilising force in contemporary leadership.

Jo Warwick is The Money Therapist, founder of Glitches to Gold, psychotherapist, business consultant, and host of the Glitches to Gold podcast. After decades helping others create success while experiencing her own cycles of making money, losing money, and rebuilding, Jo became fascinated by one core question: why do women have to fight so hard to be themselves, and is it possible to have money and a life that genuinely feels and looks good? In this interview, she shares the personal story behind her work, the hidden inherited patterns driving money flow, value, and success, and why so many women who have done the work still find themselves giving 80 percent effort for 20 percent return. Jo Warwick, The Money Therapist, Founder of Glitches to Gold What inspired you to create Glitches to Gold and focus on the psychology of money for women? Growing up in England, I often joke that I received a university-level education in money long before I trained professionally. Through education, elite sport, and life experience, I moved between very different worlds, from middle-class striving to inherited wealth and royalty, observing how differently people related to money, success, security, and freedom. Training professionally as an elite rider sparked an obsession with success and failure. Later, as a psychotherapist, I became fascinated by what makes a woman successful and able to make choices that support her, yet why so often she still repeats patterns that do not serve her. The biggest turning point came through my own life. I now understood success, human behaviour, and how to create money for other people, yet I was still experiencing difficult highs and lows around my own money that made no sense. That frustration drove me deeper into understanding myself. I came to understand that I had inherited unconscious beliefs about money and wealth identity that carried conflicting energy. What I consciously wanted and what my unconscious system still believed was safe, available, or deserved were misaligned, which meant I kept repeating patterns despite knowing better. Glitches to Gold evolved from that journey, and Human Design gave language to something I intuitively knew: we were born uniquely designed for our own success. What was the moment you realised psychotherapy alone wasn't enough to help women truly shift their relationship with money, and what did that lead you to explore? Psychotherapy changed my life, and I still believe deeply in its power. But as a professional rider training towards the Olympics, my mindset had always been focused on achieving the best outcome, the best way. So over the years of my work as a psychotherapist, it became increasingly obvious that the greatest transformations happened when we focused on the solution rather than getting locked in endlessly analysing and understanding what had come before. That is what led me beyond psychotherapy alone and into exploring energetics and Human Design, wanting to understand what actually creates lasting change, what shifts the pattern, and why some women are able to create transformation that truly lasts. What are the most common unconscious money blocks high-achieving women carry, and how do they typically show up in everyday behaviour? One of the biggest unconscious money patterns I see in women is the belief that money is not really theirs. For generations, women were not allowed to have money, hold money, own property, or have mortgages or credit cards in their own name. That does not disappear because society changes. It gets passed down. So what I see, particularly among high-achieving women, is not that they cannot make money. Often, they are very good at making money. The issue is that they work incredibly hard, achieve some level of success, yet still do not get the results, wealth, or freedom that match the woman they have become, and it always comes at a greater cost. The money comes in, but it goes back out again. They undercharge. They over-give. They work incredibly hard for very little return. They invest in everybody else before themselves. And because money does not feel stable, they become deeply tied to their bank balance. When money is there, they feel good. When it drops, everything suddenly feels tighter, harder, smaller. That is the glitch. Women unconsciously live by inherited rules around money that were never actually theirs to begin with. “Too many women are giving 80% effort for 20% return — and still believing the problem is them.” How do cultural and family narratives around money shape a woman's financial identity, often without her even realising it? Most women do not realise how much of their relationship with money was inherited, not just from their mothers and fathers, but through generations of money stories and patterns that came long before them. We grow up watching money long before we consciously think about it: how people speak about it, who controls it, who spends it, who gets judged for wanting it, and whether it feels safe, stressful, abundant, secretive, earned through hard work, or somehow “not for people like us.” Some women inherit the belief that money must be earned through hard work. Others inherit guilt around having more. Some learn to overgive, others to hide success, shrink themselves, or unconsciously hand money away. The challenge is that these stories become identity. We mistake them for personality, truth, or “just the way I am.” Until we stop and ask: Is this actually mine? And do I actually believe this for myself? Because often, it is not. What does the actual process of identifying a glitch look like for a woman who thinks she's already done the inner work? Usually, the glitch shows up in the contradiction. Money is a mirror. A woman will often tell me she believes she is worthy of more, wants freedom, ease, or support, yet the result she is actually living tells a different story. That is where the work starts. I look at the numbers and the story. What are the numbers telling us? What is the pattern saying? Not about her value or worth, but about the unconscious system she is living inside of. Because the numbers always tell a story. As a 4/6 Projector, psychotherapist, and now The Money Therapist, I naturally see patterns and systems to the core. I see the contradiction, the inherited rule, the unconscious pattern running underneath the result. I am far less interested in what somebody says they believe and much more interested in the result they are actually living. Because if the result does not match the woman she has become, there is usually a glitch beneath the surface. How do embodiment and energetic alignment support the kind of wealth and success that actually feels sustainable, not just on paper? I think many women have been sold two extremes. Either hustle harder and force success, or “just align” and hope everything magically lands. Neither creates sustainable success on its own. For me, embodiment and energetic alignment are not about sitting on a cushion waiting for the universe to deliver, but about understanding the mechanics of how life works — working with the laws of the universe, your Human Design system, and aligned action to create sustainable results. This is where Human Design became such an important part of my work. It teaches us that there is no one path to success. We are not all designed to work, lead, make decisions, or create wealth in the same way. So much of what I see is women wasting huge amounts of life force and magnetism trying to work like somebody else — operating in ways their energetic systems were never aligned for. For me, alignment is not passive. It must be active and flowing. Lasting wealth comes when success supports who you are, rather than costs you who you are. Once a woman recognises her patterns, what does the shift from overworking and striving to greater ease and financial flow actually look like in practice? Recognising the pattern is the first step. But the real shift happens when a woman begins making different choices — moving from survival, overworking, and striving into a way of living and creating that actually supports who she is. In Human Design, we talk about this as the not-self and the SELF. For me, the power comes from having compassion for the not-self part of ourselves and reclaiming the power back from it — so it starts working for us rather than against us. This is where the energetic work matters. When a woman starts directing her life force towards who she is, what she wants, and where she is going, her energy becomes clearer, cleaner, and more precise. Her action becomes more potent. She starts making different choices. Her standards rise to gold. She stops living by inherited rules around money and begins creating a new relationship with it — one where money feels like hers to have, hold, keep, and receive. And because money, life, and business are mirrors, the external reality begins reflecting the upgrade. How has your own journey through success, money, and identity shaped your philosophy on freedom and fulfilment? My relationship with success, money, and identity has been messy, frustrating, beautiful, and deeply human. Freedom has always mattered to me. I never wanted my choices, lifestyle, or future to be dependent on somebody else, nor did I ever want to be controlled by anybody else. And yet, for a long time, my own relationship with money felt like it was controlling me. I found myself undercharging, not paying myself properly, and repeating riches-to-rags cycles. Even in my first business, I paid everybody else, but I did not pay myself at all. I became a psychotherapist because I wanted to understand myself and create a different life. Money became no different. As a 4/6 Projector, I am designed to understand patterns deeply, live them for myself, and then teach the wisdom I have integrated. That journey completely shaped my philosophy: real freedom and fulfilment come when success no longer costs you who you are and when money supports the life you genuinely want to live. What is the one key insight you want women to take away from Glitches to Gold about truly owning their money and their life? The biggest thing I want women to take away from Glitches to Gold is this: "Money is yours to have — and you are already capable of having and managing it." For generations, women have been taught otherwise. We get to stop putting money on a pedestal, believing it is out of reach, or chasing it as proof of worth, and instead create a healthy relationship with it — where money becomes a resource, a passport, and a supportive relationship to the standard of life we actually want. We no longer need to keep expanding our own golden cage, preparing to be good enough for the life we desire. Instead, we finally step out of the inherited rules and patterns (Matrix) once and for all — and into our own sovereignty and the success we have already been uniquely designed for. You can begin today by downloading the free 20-80 Upgrade! Flip The Rules Of The Matrix For Less Effort, More Money, More Gold. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jo Warwick

Claire Ruth Silverstone-Bright is a criminology researcher, author, speaker, and advocate whose work explores how individuals rebuild identity after systemic harm. Drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience, her writing spans criminal justice, rehabilitation, digital identity, chronic illness, and the long-term consequences of institutional decisions. As the author of A Life Lived Chronically: Memoir of a DES Daughter, Claire has become a leading voice in raising awareness of DES (Diethylstilbestrol) exposure and the importance of bringing patient experiences into conversations about healthcare. Her research and advocacy are united by a simple belief: hidden stories matter. In this interview, Claire reflects on grief, resilience, rehabilitation, digital rehabilitation, and the ways in which individuals can move beyond labels, diagnoses, and life-changing events to rebuild meaningful futures. Claire Ruth Silverstone-Bright, Author, Expert by Experience, Criminologist Can you share what inspired you to write A Life Lived Chronically and bring your personal experience as a DES daughter into the public conversation? I wrote A Life Lived Chronically for three reasons. First, I wrote it through grief. After losing both my parents, I found myself looking again at my own life, my childhood, my medical history, and the way DES had been present before I even had language for it. Grief has a way of rearranging the furniture of memory. It asks what has been spoken, what has been hidden, what has been misunderstood, and what still needs to be said. Second, I wrote it because a doctor once described DES as "negligible." That word stayed with me. Nobody, whether a doctor or anyone else, should use the word negligible to describe another person's lived experience. DES has shaped bodies, fertility, pregnancies, cancer risk, identity, medical trust and family histories. We may debate statistics, prevalence or risk, but we should never diminish the human experience behind them. Third, I wrote it because I have often found myself explaining DES to healthcare professionals, or being told that it is a historical issue or a disappeared problem. As a patient, that can be deeply isolating. DES daughters have not disappeared. We are still attending clinics, undergoing investigations, navigating menopause, cancer surveillance, fertility histories, and the long-term consequences of an exposure that happened before we were born. The book is personal, but it is also educational. I wanted to write from the patient chair, so that lived experience could sit alongside medical knowledge rather than beneath it. How does your background in criminology inform your perspective on identity reconstruction and rehabilitation for those affected by systemic harm? At first glance, criminology and DES appear to occupy completely different worlds. One concerns crime and justice, while the other concerns medicine and public health. Yet throughout my work, I have been struck by the similarities in how people experience systemic harm. My criminology research focuses on desistance, the process through which people move away from offending and rebuild their lives. One of the most important lessons I have learned is that rehabilitation is not simply about changing behaviour. It is about rebuilding identity. People need opportunities to become more than the worst thing they have done, the worst thing that has happened to them, or the label they have been given. DES taught me the same lesson from a different direction. I was exposed to a drug before I was born. That exposure became part of my medical history, but it did not define the entirety of who I am. Like many people affected by long-term medical conditions or institutional failures, I have had to navigate the gap between a diagnosis and an identity. Whether someone is carrying a conviction, a diagnosis, a bereavement, or another form of systemic harm, the challenge is often remarkably similar. The question becomes: how do I acknowledge what happened without allowing it to become the whole story? My work, both as a researcher and as a writer, is ultimately concerned with helping people find an answer to that question. What patterns do you observe in how institutions handle long-term medical or criminal harm, and where do they often fail individuals? One pattern I have observed repeatedly is that institutions tend to focus on events, while individuals live with consequences. In healthcare, there is often significant attention when a problem is first identified, but much less attention to the people who continue living with its effects decades later. In criminal justice, considerable resources are invested in investigation, prosecution, and sentencing, yet far less attention is paid to what happens when someone attempts to rebuild their life afterward. The result is that people can find themselves carrying a burden long after the institution has moved on. The official process may be over, but the practical and emotional consequences remain. Where institutions often struggle is in seeing the whole person. Systems are designed to categorise, record and manage information. Human lives are rarely that neat. A diagnosis, a conviction, a bereavement or another significant event may become the dominant narrative, even though it represents only one chapter of a much larger story. I believe institutions are at their best when they move beyond asking, "What happened?" and begin asking, "What happens next?" That shift creates space for restoration, understanding and genuine long-term support. How do outdated or uncontextualised digital records influence a person's ability to reintegrate into society and rebuild their life? I believe we are entering a period where digital rehabilitation will become as important as social rehabilitation. Historically, people rebuilt their lives within communities. Today, they also have to rebuild them online. The challenge is that the internet has an exceptionally long memory and very little understanding. A digital record may capture an arrest, a court case, a medical diagnosis, a newspaper headline, or a difficult moment in someone's life. What it rarely captures is growth, context, recovery, or the decades that may have passed since the original event. The result is that individuals can find themselves repeatedly judged by a snapshot of who they once were, rather than recognised for who they have become. My interest in this area comes partly from my work in criminology, but also from my own experiences of seeing how labels and historical information can continue to shape perceptions long after circumstances have changed. Whether the issue is a spent conviction, a medical history, or another form of public record, the challenge is remarkably similar. The record remains frozen while the person continues to evolve. This is why I developed the concept of Digital Rehabilitation, Identity and Future Transitions (DRIFT). The aim is not to erase history. History matters. Rather, it is to ensure that people are not permanently trapped by incomplete versions of their own story. A fair society should recognise accountability, but it should also recognise growth, change, and the possibility of a future that is not entirely dictated by the past. What strategies or approaches do you recommend for survivors of iatrogenic harm or stigma to reclaim agency and self-understanding? One of the most important lessons I have learned is that understanding your story is not the same as being defined by it. Whether someone is living with the consequences of medical harm, a criminal conviction, a public mistake, or another form of stigma, there can be enormous pressure to view themselves through the lens of a single event. Over time, that event risks becoming the dominant narrative. The challenge is to acknowledge what happened without allowing it to become the whole story. For me, reclaiming agency begins with knowledge. Understanding what happened, why it happened, and how it has shaped your life can be incredibly empowering. Confusion often creates shame. Understanding creates perspective. I also believe strongly in the value of finding language for experiences that have previously felt invisible. That may come through writing, advocacy, research, conversation, creativity, faith, or community. When we can articulate our experiences, we begin to move from being passive recipients of a story to active participants in it. Most importantly, I encourage people to remain open to the possibility of growth. We are all more complex than the labels attached to us. Harm may become part of our story, but it does not have to determine the ending. Some of the most meaningful work of our lives can begin when we stop asking, "Why did this happen to me?" and start asking, "What can I build from here?" How can families and communities support someone navigating the long-term consequences of medical exposure or criminalisation? One of the greatest gifts we can offer another person is to see them as more than the thing that happened to them. Whether someone is living with the consequences of medical exposure, a criminal conviction, bereavement, disability, trauma, or another life-altering experience, they often find themselves carrying not only the practical consequences but also the assumptions of others. Families and communities have enormous power to either reinforce those labels or help people move beyond them. Support does not always require expertise. In my experience, it begins with curiosity, compassion and a willingness to listen. People do not necessarily need others to solve their problems. They need to feel believed, understood and valued. I have spent much of my professional life studying rehabilitation and much of my personal life navigating the consequences of DES. In both settings, I have seen how belonging can transform outcomes. When people feel connected to family, faith communities, friendship groups, workplaces or other meaningful networks, they are more likely to develop confidence, hope and a positive sense of identity. Communities cannot erase harm, but they can help ensure that harm is not the final chapter. Sometimes the most powerful message a family or community can offer is a simple one: we know what happened, but we also see everything else that you are. What role do personal narratives and memoirs play in challenging institutional silence and shaping public policy? I believe personal narratives have the power to illuminate what statistics alone cannot. Data is essential. Research is essential. Policy is essential. But none of these can fully convey what it feels like to live through an experience. Personal narratives provide the human context that allows us to understand not only what happened, but what it meant. Throughout history, many forms of harm have remained hidden because the people affected were not heard. In the case of DES, there are medical records, studies and clinical guidance, but there are also thousands of individual stories that reveal what it was like to navigate fertility challenges, cancer fears, complex pregnancies, and decades of uncertainty. The same principle applies in criminal justice. We can measure reoffending rates, but numbers alone cannot tell us what it feels like to rebuild a life after prison. For me, memoir is not simply an act of remembrance. It is an act of witness. It creates a space where lived experience can sit alongside professional expertise and where individuals who may previously have felt invisible can be seen and heard. The phrase that guides much of my work is that "hidden stories matter." When enough hidden stories are brought into the light, they have the potential to change public understanding, influence professional practice, and ultimately shape policy. Long before institutions change, people tell their stories. Very often, that is where change begins. How has your philosophy of "hidden stories matter" shaped the way you approach both writing and research? The phrase "hidden stories matter" emerged gradually through my work, but it now sits at the centre of almost everything I do. As a researcher, I am interested in the experiences that are often overlooked because they do not fit neatly into official narratives. As a writer, I am drawn to the voices that are present but not always heard. In both cases, I have learned that some of the most important insights exist just beyond the headline, the diagnosis, the conviction, or the statistic. My interest in DES is a good example. For many years, the story of DES was treated primarily as a historical pharmaceutical issue. Yet behind that history are thousands of people still living with its consequences. Similarly, in criminology, public attention often focuses on crime itself, while much less attention is given to what happens afterward. The hidden story is often where we find the greatest opportunities for understanding, growth, and change. This perspective has also been influenced by my academic work. Criminologists such as Shadd Maruna have highlighted the importance of personal narratives in helping people rebuild their identities. My own research has reinforced the idea that people are far more than the labels attached to them. Ultimately, "hidden stories matter" is a reminder to look beyond the obvious. When we take the time to listen to experiences that have been overlooked, dismissed, or forgotten, we often discover not only individual truths but lessons that can improve the way we think about health, justice, community, and human resilience. What key message or takeaway would you like readers to leave with about resilience, restoration, and systemic change? If there is one message I hope readers take away, it is that people are always more than the labels attached to them. Throughout my life, I have encountered many different forms of categorisation. Some have come from medicine, some from the criminal justice system, and some from society more broadly. Labels can be useful for understanding particular experiences, but they become harmful when they obscure the complexity of the human being behind them. Resilience is often misunderstood as simply enduring hardship. I see it differently. Resilience is the ability to continue building a meaningful life while carrying the realities of what has happened to us. Restoration is not about pretending harm never occurred. It is about creating the conditions in which people can move forward with dignity, purpose, and hope. I also believe that meaningful systemic change begins with listening. Whether in healthcare, criminal justice, education, or public policy, progress happens when institutions are willing to learn from the people who experience their decisions most directly. My own work has taught me that hidden stories matter because hidden people matter. When we make space for those stories, we create opportunities for greater understanding, better practice, and more compassionate systems. Ultimately, I hope readers leave with a simple but important idea: we should never reduce a person to a diagnosis, a conviction, a mistake, or a moment in time. Human beings are works in progress, and every one of us deserves the opportunity to write the next chapter of our story. For those wanting to read more, Claire's memoir is available on Amazon and other major retailers in all formats. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Claire R. Silverstone-Bright

Written by Michael Kingsnorth, Technology & Privacy Contributor Michael Kingsnorth is the founder of Scramble Technology Inc. (Canada) and AperiMail Ltd. (UK). He writes about privacy, technology, and the future of human agency in the digital world, drawing insight from both entrepreneurship and philosophy. Post-quantum cryptography is often framed as a future threat, but the real challenge is already here. This article explores why organisations must treat PQC as a governance and planning issue, from data visibility and cryptographic inventories to migration readiness and long-term security. The quantum threat most organisations are missing When people hear discussions about post-quantum cryptography (PQC), they often picture a future breakthrough: a powerful quantum computer suddenly appearing and rendering today's encryption obsolete overnight. That image makes for compelling headlines, but it distracts from the real challenge facing organisations today. The biggest risk is not that quantum computers arrive tomorrow. The biggest risk is that many organisations have little visibility into where cryptography is used, what sensitive data they hold, how long that data remains valuable, or how they would migrate if a major cryptographic transition became necessary. The conversation around quantum computing is often framed as a technology problem. In reality, it is increasingly becoming a governance, planning, and risk management problem. Why this matters now Modern digital security depends heavily on public key cryptography. Technologies such as RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) underpin secure web traffic, software signing, digital identities, VPNs, cloud services, email security, and countless business applications. For decades, these technologies have served organisations exceptionally well. However, advances in quantum computing present a potential long-term challenge. The more important question is: How long does your data need to remain secure? The harvest now reality An adversary does not need a quantum computer today to create a future problem. They only need the ability to collect and store encrypted information. Sensitive communications, databases, backups, intellectual property, legal documents, healthcare records, financial information, and identity data can all be captured and archived. If future cryptographic breakthroughs eventually make that information accessible, the value of those archived datasets may be realised years after they were originally collected. The inventory challenge Most organisations do not possess a complete inventory of their cryptographic dependencies. Encryption is rarely confined to a single system. It exists across databases, cloud platforms, backup solutions, identity systems, APIs, certificates, software supply chains, mobile applications, file transfer systems, hardware security modules, third-party services, and vendor products. The importance of cryptographic agility Cryptographic agility is the ability to replace or upgrade cryptographic mechanisms without redesigning an entire system. Organisations that embrace cryptographic agility design systems with the expectation that cryptographic standards will evolve over time. Conclusion Post-quantum cryptography is often discussed as a future technology challenge, but the organisations that succeed will recognise it as a present-day planning challenge. The organisations that begin building inventories, engaging vendors, improving cryptographic agility, and developing migration plans today will have the flexibility to adapt tomorrow. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Michael Kingsnorth Michael Kingsnorth, Technology & Privacy Contributor Michael Kingsnorth is an entrepreneur, technologist, and writer exploring the boundaries between privacy, technology, and human freedom. As founder of Scramble Technology Inc. in Canada and AperiMail Ltd. in the UK, he develops privacy-first communication systems and decentralized identity frameworks. Through his blog, The Vortex of a Digital Kind, he examines how emerging technologies shape consciousness, ethics, and autonomy. His writing blends technical understanding with philosophical reflection, encouraging readers to question how we live, connect, and think in an algorithmic age.