Maximus Lerois is a retired United States Marine turned Psychotherapist, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, and author who helps high achievers stop carrying old patterns into new chapters of their lives and leadership. Blending battlefield-tested discipline with the language of the inner world, he works with entrepreneurs, leaders, and executives who look successful on paper yet privately still feel driven by an old script. In this interview, Maximus explains why success so often reveals the wounds that achievement could not heal, what separates a Successful Survivor from the Author of their own life, and how anyone can begin to read and rewrite the identity beneath their performance. Maximus Lerois, Author, Speaker & Chief Wellness and Performance Strategist What first led you to explore the connection between emotional healing, leadership, and high performance? The connection became clear to me through my own life before I ever taught it to anyone else. I served as a Marine, where I led under pressure, studied human behavior, became a Psychotherapist, and worked with high-achieving people who looked successful on paper but were privately carrying emotional weight they had never been taught how to name. In this work, I kept noticing that performance and healing were not separate conversations. A person can have discipline, talent, vision, charisma, and opportunity, but if their nervous system is still operating from an old wound, their success will eventually expose what achievement could not heal. Leadership reveals the inner script. Pressure reveals the emotional patterns. Success reveals whether the identity underneath the achievement is built on peace or survival. That realization shaped my work. I began helping my clients understand that emotional healing is not a detour from performance. It is the foundation of sustainable performance. When people learn to regulate their emotions, revise old assumptions, and lead from a healed identity, they do not just perform better, they reach a new level of peace and freedom. How did your experience as a Marine shape the way you now help people navigate emotional mastery and personal transformation? The Marine Corps taught me discipline, resilience, structure, and how to move under pressure. It also taught me something deeper, people can be trained to survive extraordinary things and yet not know how to process what that survival actually required of them. When you are in high-pressure environments, you learn how to suppress, compartmentalize, and keep moving. Those skills can be necessary in certain seasons. They can protect you. They can help you lead. They can help you accomplish the mission. But if those same survival patterns become your permanent identity, they eventually begin to cost you. That is a major part of my work now. I help people honor what protected them without letting it dictate the rest of their lives. My military background gave me a deep respect for structure, action, and personal responsibility. My therapeutic and emotional intelligence work gave me language for the inner world underneath that structure. Together, they shaped my approach, practical, direct, compassionate, and deeply transformational. I do not believe healing means becoming fragile. I believe healing means becoming less armored. Emotional mastery is not weakness. It is the ability to feel deeply, think clearly, and choose consciously even when pressure is present. What convinced you that emotional intelligence is often the missing piece for successful leaders and high achievers? I became convinced after watching brilliant, capable, accomplished people repeatedly repeat patterns that intelligence alone could not solve. They had the strategy, the credentials, the ambition, and full access to information. Yet they still struggled with burnout, over-functioning, imposter syndrome, emotional reactivity, avoidance, performing, difficulty receiving support, or the inability to rest without guilt. This showed me the problem was not a lack of knowledge. It was a lack of emotional integration. Emotional intelligence is the bridge between what a person knows and how they actually live. It helps people recognize what they are feeling, understand why they are reacting, regulate their nervous system, communicate with clarity, and make decisions from wisdom instead of survival. Many high achievers are trained to master outcomes before they ever learn to master their inner world. So they become excellent at producing, but not always at processing. They can lead teams, build companies, and carry responsibility, yet still feel emotionally governed by old fear, old pressure, or old pain. This is why EQ matters so much. It turns awareness into authorship. It gives leaders the capacity to stop being driven by the old script and start leading from the healed self. Why do you believe so many accomplished people still feel stuck in patterns that no longer serve them? Because success does not automatically rewrite survival. Many accomplished people built their lives from old protective patterns. They learned to perform because they did not feel safe being still. They learned to overachieve because they associated worth with output. They learned to carry everyone because being needed became the closest thing to feeling loved. They learned to stay armored because vulnerability once felt dangerous. Those patterns may have helped them rise, but eventually the same identity that built the success begins to limit their freedom. This is why I often say, “Your next level will not heal the old script. It will reveal it.” When people reach new rooms, new income levels, new relationships, or new responsibilities, they often expect to feel free. Instead, they discover that the old fear came with them. The issue is not that they are broken. It is that they are still loyal to a version of themselves that had to survive. Real transformation begins when people stop asking, “What is wrong with me?” and start asking, “What old script is still leading me?” That question creates a doorway. It allows them to stop managing symptoms and begin revising identity. You often talk about “Successful Survivors”, what separates a Successful Survivor from someone who becomes the Author of their own life? A Successful Survivor is someone who achieved in spite of what they carried. They may have built the business, earned the degree, led the team, raised the family, created the platform, or become the dependable one everyone counts on. Their success is real. Their strength is real. But underneath it, they may still be running from an old story. Successful Survivors often know how to produce, but they may not know how to receive. They know how to lead, but not always how to be supported. They know how to endure, but not always how to feel safe. An Author is different. That is someone who has recognized the old script, questioned the assumptions underlying it, released the identity built solely for survival, and consciously chosen what comes next. A Successful Survivor may still be asking, “Who do I have to be to stay safe, loved, valuable, or needed?” An Author begins asking, “Who am I becoming now that survival no longer gets to hold the pen?” The difference is not achievement. The difference is authorship. That shift changes everything. It moves a person from reacting to choosing, from performing to leading, and from carrying pain into new rooms to building legacy from a healed identity. The longer they hold the pen, the more they move from Author to Sovereign Author, someone who no longer needs the old story’s permission to be free. What are some of the most common old scripts you see leaders carrying into new seasons of their lives and careers? “I have to carry everything.” “If I stop producing, I lose value.” “My needs are an inconvenience.” “I have to be needed to be loved.” “Rest is something I earn after exhaustion.” “If I become too visible, I will be judged, rejected, or attacked.” “I cannot trust people to support me, so I have to do it all myself.” These scripts can hide inside leadership language. They can look like ambition, excellence, loyalty, work ethic, responsibility, or resilience. But beneath the surface, many people are not simply pursuing purpose. They are trying to outrun fear. That is why the work requires honesty. We have to separate healthy leadership from old survival programming. Carrying everything is not always leadership. Sometimes it is an old script wearing a crown. The goal is not to shame those patterns. Most of them were formed for a reason. At some point, they protected the person while sounding powerful. But what protects you in survival may sabotage you in sovereignty. The work is learning which patterns still serve your future and which ones are asking to be released. For someone who recognizes they are operating from an outdated identity, where is the best place to begin the process of rewriting that story? The best place to begin is with recognition. Before you try to change your life, you have to read the script you have been living from. Many people rush into action because action feels productive. They set new goals, create new routines, hire new coaches, buy new planners, and make new declarations. But if the old identity is still leading, the new plan eventually bends back toward the old pattern. I often invite people to start with three questions, "What pattern keeps repeating in my life? What emotion am I constantly trying not to feel? Who did I become in order to survive?" Those questions help reveal the script underneath the behavior. Once you can name the pattern, you can stop confusing it with your personality. Then you can finally stop saying, “This is just who I am,” and begin saying, “This is who I became when I needed protection.” That distinction is powerful. Rewriting does not begin with pretending the old story never happened. It begins by telling the truth about what it taught you to believe. From there, you can begin choosing a new assumption, a new response, and a new identity that reflects where you are going, not only what you survived. The Revision Method™ centers on Recognize, Reframe, Release, and Rewrite. Which step tends to create the biggest breakthrough for people, and why? Every step matters, but the biggest breakthrough often happens in the Reframe stage. Recognize helps people name the pattern, and that is powerful. But Reframe is where they begin to change their relationship to the meaning they attached to the pattern. Experiences shape us not only through what happened, but through what we decide it means. Someone may experience rejection and decide, “My voice is not safe.” Someone may experience abandonment and decide, “I have to be needed to be loved.” Someone may grow up in instability and decide, “Rest is dangerous.” Those meanings become assumptions. Those assumptions become identity, and identity becomes the ceiling. Reframing is not toxic positivity. It is not pretending that something did not hurt. It is the process of examining the meaning and choosing one that gives you power without denying reality. When people realize, “I am not lazy, I am protecting myself from an emotion I do not know how to regulate,” or “I am not controlling, my nervous system learned chaos was unsafe,” the shame begins to loosen. That is often the moment they take the pen back. They stop fighting themselves and start understanding themselves. From there, Release and Rewrite become possible. If there is one message you hope readers take away from your work, what would it be? You are not broken. You are running off an old script, and you have the power to revise. I want people to feel that in their bones. So many people believe their anxiety, burnout, emotional armor, overachievement, or people-pleasing is proof that something is wrong with them. But often, those patterns are not signs of failure. They are signs of adaptation, evidence that some part of them learned how to survive. The question is not whether the old script served a purpose. It probably did. The question is whether it is still qualified to lead the next chapter. My work is about helping people take back control of their lives. Not by denying the past, but by refusing to let the past remain in control of their identity, leadership, relationships, and legacy. The old script may have protected you. But it does not get to dictate the rest of your life. Take back the pen. Author, what comes next? Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Maximus Lerois

Written by Taryn Lee Johnston, Publisher, Book Writing Partner, Strategist Taryn Lee Johnston is a UK publisher, writing partner, and integrated media consultant specialising in helping high-achieving professionals write and publish books that build authority. She is the founder of FCM Publishing, Chronos Publishing, and Taryn Lee Johnston Integrated Media Consultancy. Artificial intelligence may be changing how books are written, but for authors who want their work to carry authority, personality, and lasting impact, speed is not always the advantage it appears to be. This article explores what is lost when the writing itself is handed over to a machine, and why a book's greatest value still lies in the distinctive human voice behind it. What you lose when you let the machine do the work If you are thinking about writing a book, the question of whether to use AI to do it has almost certainly come up. The tools are visible everywhere, your peers are likely already experimenting with them, and the appeal of cutting twelve months of solo writing down to a few weekends is obvious for anyone running a business while also trying to produce something meaningful. There is a place for AI in writing a book, and pretending otherwise would be the wrong response. Transcription, summarising long documents, generating outlines you might play with, inspiration for those dry moments, drafting marketing copy, and formatting text, all of these are reasonable uses where the time savings are real, and the loss of quality is small. What AI is incapable of doing, and what most business owners writing a book do not realise until the work is finished, is producing the actual book that will represent them in the world for the next decade. There are three reasons this matters more than the appeal suggests: The first reason: The industry can spot it a mile away Publishers, editors, agents, reviewers, and anyone else who reads professionally for a living can all recognise AI-generated writing within a paragraph or two, because the patterns are too consistent to disguise and the cadence betrays itself in ways that human writers rarely produce. The arguments tend toward a smoothed-over quality with no rough edges, the structure of paragraphs follows shapes that an experienced reader registers without needing to name, and certain phrases recur at a frequency that flags the source immediately to anyone who has been paying attention. This matters because the people you most want to be impressed by your book are the people who will spot the machine first. The journalist who might quote you, the conference organiser who might invite you to speak, the senior figure in your industry who might mention your book in a meeting, the reviewer who might write about it, not to mention the publisher you hope will represent you, all of them have been reading enough AI output to recognise it on sight. If any of these people open your book and identify it as AI-generated, the entire purpose of writing the book is gone. The harder part is that the recognition is rarely something they will tell you about, I would, but I may be in the minority. They simply put the book down and move on, and you will not get a phone call explaining why they did not engage with your work. You will just notice, over the months that follow, that the book is not doing what you hoped it would, and you will have no clear way of knowing why. The second reason: Many ordinary readers can spot it too The assumption that AI-generated text only registers as AI to industry professionals is becoming less true every month, because readers are exposed to enough machine-written content now that they recognize the pattern at a subconscious level, even when they cannot put a name to what they are noticing. They will read a few pages, feel that something is slightly off about the voice, and slowly stop reading. What they tell themselves afterward is usually some version of "this book was not really for me," when what is actually happening is that they are picking up on the absence of a human behind the words and losing interest accordingly. By the time a few people in your network have read enough of your book to feel that way, the word has already traveled that the book is not really worth recommending, and again, you will not be told. You will simply notice that the book is failing to generate the conversations you expected it to spark. The other thing happening with readers right now is that the volume of AI-generated content across every medium has made authentic voices stand out more rather than less. People are actively craving writing that sounds like a real person thought it through, and a book that does not sound like a real person becomes background noise from the first page. The third reason: You will lose the whole point of the book The reason for writing a book at a senior level is to put your distinctive thinking in front of readers in your own voice, so that the book becomes a representation of how you see the world, how you talk, how you reason, and what you actually believe. That is the asset, and it is what justifies the time and the cost of writing it properly. The moment you let AI generate the prose, you lose all of that, because AI smooths everything toward an average and removes the phrasings that are characteristic of you, replaces them with phrasings that are characteristic of nothing, and produces a book that could have been written by anyone or no one. The book becomes a thing that exists rather than a thing that represents you, which is exactly the opposite of what you set out to achieve. These are the trade business owners who actually care about the book, and they do not see when they encounter AI book writing tools. This argument only matters if you actually care what the book does once it exists. For the business owner who only needs "author" in their bio, the AI tools serve the purpose perfectly well. For the business owner who wants the book to represent them and open the doors that are currently closed to them, what AI removes is exactly what the book was for. What this means in practice If you are thinking about writing a book and AI is being suggested as the solution, the practical advice is straightforward. What you should avoid is using AI to generate the actual prose of the book, because the drafting of the sentences is where your voice lives, and the moment you delegate that work, the book stops being yours. The tools that promise to write the book for you are not selling you a shortcut, they are selling you a different product that happens to look like the one you wanted. If the prospect of writing a book at the standard you actually need feels too large to do alone, the answer is to work with a partner who can do the structural and developmental work alongside you, because that is the work AI is incapable of doing anyway. A serious partner who understands how senior books actually function is the alternative that AI marketing is hoping you will not consider. The book that speaks for you for the next decade, at least, is worth the time it takes to write properly. The authors I work with recognise this sooner rather than later, which is why the book they hold in their hand truly represents them, and why they are proud to put their name on it. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Taryn Lee Johnston Taryn Lee Johnston, Publisher, Book Writing Partner, Strategist Taryn Lee Johnston is an independent publisher, UK writing partner, and thought leader on artificial intelligence in publishing. Founder of FCM Publishing and Chronos Publishing, she has worked with clients including Tony Robinson OBE and Bob Champion CBE. Named Independent Publisher of the Year 2024/25/26, her authors have achieved six consecutive Business Books of the Year shortlistings. She is also a TEDx speaker and a former University of Lincoln lecturer.

Written by Tata Islem, Human and Business Strategist Tata Islem is a Human and Business Strategist, speaker, and executive contributor helping leaders and high-performers elevate their identity, presence, and personal brand through neuroscience, embodiment, and strategic transformation. She blends leadership, emotional intelligence, and human behavior to create lasting impact. Most people do not need more information. They need clarity. I have worked with entrepreneurs, executives, experts, leaders, and high achievers from different backgrounds. On the surface, many of them appear successful. They have built businesses, achieved financial goals, earned respect, and accumulated knowledge. Yet when you sit with them long enough, a different reality appears. They cannot stop thinking, trust their decisions, constantly question themselves, consume more information but execute less, and are exhausted despite having everything they once wanted. The problem is not a lack of knowledge. The problem is that they have become disconnected from themselves. The hidden cost of living in your head Most people live almost entirely in their minds. Their minds analyze, predict, judge, compare, and try to control every possible outcome. At first, this seems useful. Society rewards thinking. Schools reward thinking. Businesses reward thinking. But there is a point where thinking stops serving you. The moment thinking becomes overthinking, clarity disappears. When clarity disappears, execution slows down. When execution slows down, self-doubt grows. Then people start looking for more information to solve the problem. They read another book, attend another seminar, hire another coach, and watch another video. Yet the real issue remains untouched. They are trying to solve a problem created by the mind using more of the same mind. Why information is not the answer The personal development industry has created a dangerous illusion. It convinced people that every problem can be solved with more information. But information does not automatically create transformation. You can know exactly what to do and still not do it, understand confidence and still lack confidence, study leadership and still struggle to lead, and learn sales and still hesitate to make offers. Knowledge is not the problem. Embodiment is. Transformation happens when knowledge becomes lived experience, not when it becomes another note in your phone. What high performers are actually missing Most high performers are not missing a strategy. They are missing a connection. Connection to themselves, their body, intuition, and connection to what they actually want. Many people have become so focused on achieving that they no longer know how to listen. Every decision becomes a mental battle. Every opportunity becomes a debate. Every challenge becomes a source of anxiety. The body, intuition, and life send signals. But the mind is so loud that they cannot hear them. The difference between thinking and knowing There is a moment I often witness with clients. Nothing changes externally. Their business, opportunities, and skills are the same. But suddenly they become clear. When clarity arrives, everything changes. Decisions become easier. Action becomes faster. Confidence increases. Stress decreases. Not because they learned something new, but because they stopped fighting themselves. Most people think confidence creates action. In reality, action creates confidence. Action becomes possible when clarity replaces internal noise. The real transformation The transformation is not becoming somebody else. The transformation is returning to yourself. Returning to the version of you that existed before the constant overthinking. Before the endless self-monitoring, pressure to become more, and the addiction to external validation. The goal is not perfection. The goal is presence. Presence allows you to see reality clearly, make better decisions, trust yourself, lead, and build success without losing yourself in the process. The future of leadership The future will not belong to the people who know the most. Information is available to everyone. The future belongs to people who can remain clear when others are confused, present when others are distracted, calm when others are overwhelmed, and decisive when others are stuck. Leadership begins with self-leadership. Self-leadership begins with the ability to hear yourself beyond the noise of your own mind. Because the greatest obstacle for most people is not a lack of opportunity. It is the distance between who they are and who they become when they finally trust themselves. That is the work. Not becoming more. Returning to yourself. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Tata Islem Tata Islem, Human and Business Strategist Tata Islem is a Human and Business Strategist, speaker, and executive contributor known for blending neuroscience, embodiment, leadership, and human behavior in a unique and deeply transformative way. Through years of traveling the world, challenging herself beyond conventional paths, and living through real-world experiences, she built a global personal brand followed by hundreds of thousands of people. Her work stands out for bridging human transformation, personal power, freedom, and modern leadership while embodying the lifestyle and philosophy she teaches.

A dental practice website can influence how prospective patients view a clinic before they ever make contact. People search online to learn about treatments, compare providers, and find a convenient location. A strong presence in search results helps attract attention, but the experience after the click matters just as much. Patients expect quick answers, simple navigation, and useful information that helps them make informed decisions. Search Experience Optimization focuses on creating a smooth path from an online search to a consultation request. The sections below explain several concepts that can help dentists improve visibility and create a better experience for prospective patients. Match content with patient search intent Every search begins with a goal. Some people want information about dental implants, while others look for emergency care or cosmetic treatments. A website should provide content that aligns with these different needs. A major part of dental marketing SEO involves creating pages that answer common patient questions and address treatment-specific concerns. Service pages, FAQs, and educational resources help visitors find relevant information quickly. When content matches search intent, users are more likely to stay engaged and move toward booking an appointment. Common searches dental patients make People frequently search for topics such as: Emergency dental care Invisalign treatment options Teeth whitening procedures Family dentistry services Dental implant information Content should address these topics clearly and guide visitors toward the next step. Create service pages that support decision-making Treatment pages play an important role in the patient journey. A brief service description is rarely enough to help someone feel confident about contacting a practice. Each page should explain the purpose of the treatment, who may benefit from it, and what patients can expect. Clear information helps visitors understand their options and builds trust in the practice. Dedicated pages for individual services also help search engines identify the relevance of the website for specific searches. Strengthen local visibility for nearby searches Most dental practices depend on patients from nearby communities. Local search visibility helps connect a practice with people actively looking for care in a specific area. Location-focused pages, accurate contact details, and consistent business information help strengthen local relevance. These elements make it easier for search engines to associate a practice with nearby searches. As a result, dentists can improve their chances of reaching prospective patients within their service area. Improve mobile experiences for appointment-focused visitors A large percentage of dental searches take place on mobile devices. People frequently search for providers while managing daily responsibilities, and they expect websites to work smoothly on smartphones. Fast page loading, mobile-friendly layouts, and simple appointment forms help create a positive experience. Features such as click-to-call buttons can make contacting a practice much easier. A smooth mobile experience supports patient engagement and helps reduce barriers between search and conversion. Features that improve mobile usability Fast-loading pages help visitors access information quickly. Clear navigation menus make it easier to locate services and contact details. Simple forms encourage appointment requests without creating unnecessary obstacles. These improvements contribute to a more efficient experience for prospective patients. Professional SEO support helps strengthen online visibility Dental marketing SEO involves several factors, including content quality, local relevance, website structure, and user experience. Keeping these elements aligned requires a clear and consistent approach. Professional SEO specialists can identify opportunities for improvement, enhance local visibility, and help create content that matches patient search behavior. Their expertise can support stronger search performance and help attract qualified patient inquiries. Search Experience Optimization helps dental practices connect with prospective patients more effectively. A website that provides relevant information, strong usability, and clear communication can support better engagement and stronger online visibility. Professional support can help align these elements with the goals of a growing practice. A well-planned search experience creates more opportunities to turn online interest into patient inquiries.

Los Angeles, California, United States, June 22, 2026 – Imagine a person feeling overwhelmed by depression and anxiety, and, instead of immediately being prescribed medication to manage symptoms, they are offered support that addresses the whole person first. Putnam questions long-held beliefs about how society responds to emotional suffering, advocating for a more integrative approach that considers body health, mental wellness, environment, and lived experience before medication becomes the go-to response. "We've built systems that often respond to life's problems by focusing on symptoms," Putnam says. "But emotional suffering doesn't exist in isolation. It is shaped by environment, relationships, physical health, and long-standing life experiences. We need a wider lens." Putnam envisions a future where mental health challenges are met with compassion, context, and comprehensive care. She suggests that individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma responses, or emotional overwhelm could first be offered supportive frameworks that include nutritional, sleep, and exercise guidance, lifestyle changes, and supportive coaching for forward motion. "What if, before reaching for a prescription pad, we looked at whether someone is living under chronic stress, struggling with sleep, undetected body health ailments, facing nutritional deficiencies, carrying unresolved trauma, feeling isolated, or experiencing burnout?" Putnam asks. "This vision for the future of mental health services will take community awareness and action, but ultimately, we as a society can get there." Her perspective reflects a growing shift toward integrative mental health models that combine comprehensive blood tests to detect underlying body issues with lifestyle-based and complementary wellness approaches. Rather than isolating symptoms, these frameworks emphasize the interconnected nature of emotional wellbeing, physical health, relationships, and daily habits, aiming to understand the whole person rather than a diagnosis. Patients are whole people who are also seeking alternative approaches to their care. While medication remains an important tool for many, more individuals are seeking comprehensive care models that address underlying contributors to emotional distress. Advocates argue that supportive interventions can create a more personalized and sustainable path to healing. "Care should start with curiosity instead of urgency," Putnam adds. "What if the first question isn't, ‘What do we prescribe?’ but, ‘What has this person lived through, and what basics does their body need to be able to heal?’" "People are more than diagnoses and prescription labels," Putnam concludes. "Our systems should advance beyond how quickly we can reduce symptoms. Healing begins when we treat the whole person." About Miriam Putnam Miriam Putnam is a de-stress specialist specializing in lasting transformational journeys, emotional wellbeing, and integrative healing approaches. Her advocacy work focuses on expanding conversations around holistic mental health care to include body-based practices, lifestyle support, and wellness strategies. To learn more, visit here. Miriam Putnam is available for interviews.

A monthly virtual gathering where women come together to foster community, bring life back into their kitchens, and reconnect with the rhythms of life. As wellness information becomes increasingly accessible, many women find themselves more disconnected than ever from the simple practices that create health, community, and nourishment. Ariel Griglin, The Founder of Becoming Lighter, has spent more than two decades hearing women share their frustrations with food. She has begun hosting these quaint and intimate virtual experiences every last Friday of the month for women to complete the circle of what our earth provides and our ability to live a vibrant and healthy life. Our post-COVID world has taken the convenience that most of us were born with and poured gasoline on it. The ability to tap a few times with your thumb and have groceries sitting at your doorstep has gutted our connection with what makes us human. We have become increasingly separated from where our food is sourced, and we are starved of the connection that comes from a simple exchange with the cashier. During this renaissance-like time, many are looking within. They are becoming increasingly aware of life-long patterns that have limited them, much of which relates to the body and dieting. When Ariel received a gift from a client - healthy bread - she shared it with another client. She observed the glow and excitement over sharing something nutritious, and from that moment, the idea for The Becoming Lighter Kitchen was born. It was the answer to community, to vibrancy, to curiosity around cooking, and the joy of abundant nourishment. The first Becoming Lighter Kitchen was exactly as anticipated. Women gathered for a grounded evening to share stories and embark upon the process of fermentation. It led to an unexpected relationship with the soon-to-be sauerkraut that sits on participants’ countertops, producing a rich environment of probiotics. 2026 calendar of events June 26th: Quick Pickles July 31st: Sprouts August 28th: Herbal Infusions & Tea September 25th: Herbed Butter October 30th: Squash & Harvest Recipes November 27th: Soups & Stews December 18th: Winter Broths & Simplicity Registration is now open to a select few and provides full recipes and grocery lists. You may reserve your spot here. The Becoming Lighter Kitchen reawakens our connection to the earth and community while instilling a healthier and more vibrant way of living. “I’ve noticed my own relationship with the kitchen changes throughout different seasons of life. Sometimes it becomes a place of creativity and grounding. Other times, life moves quickly, and I find myself spending less time there. The Becoming Lighter Kitchen is an invitation to return, to nourishment, to community, and to ourselves.” Media contact Ariel Griglin Founder 561-810-3404 ariel@arielgriglin.com

Do you get nervous before interviews or struggle to find the right words when questions get tough? Our expert panelists reveal proven strategies to help you stay confident, think on your feet, and deliver strong answers to every question that comes your way. Expert Panelists 1. Think like a consultant The secret to acing a high-stakes interview is to stop answering the literal question and start addressing the underlying organizational pain point. When an interviewer asks how you handle conflict or pressure, they are rarely looking for a rehearsed story; instead, they are testing your ability to perceive the specific cultural friction of their environment. You can shift the power dynamic by asking for context on whether the team struggles more with avoidant consensus or persistent silos before you offer a tailored solution. This diagnostic approach instantly transforms you from a nervous candidate seeking approval into a high-level consultant who is already solving their problems. By focusing on the systemic challenge rather than your own script, you demonstrate a level of professional maturity and strategic insight that sets you apart from every other applicant. Maya Niksic, Leadership Coach 2. Tell your story Preparation is the foundation of a strong interview, yet many candidates focus only on memorizing answers instead of understanding the story they want to tell. Interviewers are often looking less for perfect wording and more for clear examples that demonstrate how you think, solve problems, and work with others. One effective approach is to structure answers using real experiences that highlight your impact, decisions, and lessons learned. Candidates also benefit from pausing briefly before answering, which allows them to organize their thoughts and respond with clarity rather than rushing. Confidence grows when you research the company thoroughly and connect your skills directly to the role’s needs. It’s equally important to ask thoughtful questions that show curiosity about the team, its challenges, and future goals. When you treat the interview as a professional conversation rather than an interrogation, you naturally communicate authenticity, competence, and enthusiasm. Yujia Zhu, Social Entrepreneur, Author, Executive Coach 3. Harness your imagination Feeling anxious before a job interview is a human response. When something means a lot to us, we can feel the fear of failure before failure even happens. But the same imagination that fuels the fear can also create confidence. What the mind can visualise, the person can realise. Using visualisation to see oneself as the person who has already got the job creates a wonderfully congruent emotional response that can transform fear into positive anticipation, as the nervous system shifts from threat to possibility. Here are three simple steps to achieve that: Close your eyes and ground yourself in the breath. Imagine it is your first day at your dream job, people are welcoming you with smiling faces, you feel confident, excited, and attuned to the positive regard that surrounds you. Anchor the feelings with another slow, deep breath and gently open your eyes. You do not need to be perfect, just present and connected to your own capabilities. Bilyana Wharton, Integrative Psychotherapist 4. Answer with integrity Answer with integrity and relevance. If necessary, ask for an example you can model your response after. Provide as accurate an account of your perception as possible. If there's an opportunity to showcase your sense of humor, sharp intellect, and conversational wit, do it with appropriate restraint, as it is an interview. Dr. Ari McGrew, Founder, Business Psychologist 5. Master the STAR method The secret to acing any interview question isn’t memorizing perfect answers. Interview success begins with preparing powerful stories that showcase your strengths, values, and results. Start by identifying five to seven key experiences from your career that demonstrate skills like leadership, problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure these stories so you can deliver them confidently and concisely, no matter how the question is phrased. Before the interview, practice telling these stories aloud until they feel natural rather than rehearsed. During the conversation, listen deeply to each question and take a brief pause to gather your thoughts. This demonstrates composure and gives your response more impact. And if a question catches you off guard, stay calm and redirect it toward one of your prepared stories. When you know your value and can express it clearly through real examples, you’ll stop trying to “get the answer right” and start showing why you are the right answer. Dr. Kapil and Rupali Apshankar, Award-Winning Board-Certified Clinical Hypnotists | Board-Certified Coaches 6. Control the conversation Before answering anything, pause. Take a breath. Allow your mind the space to actually think before responding. Then remember, the strongest interview answers are not the longest ones. They are focused, relevant, and backed by real examples. Avoid rambling by sticking to a simple structure for every response. That’s how you stay in control of the conversation. Claire Rushton-Plant, Career Coach 7. Connect your narrative To ace every question in your next job interview, lead with clarity and presence. Ground each response in a narrative that connects who you are, how you think, and the value you bring. Listen for the intention behind the question, not just the words – then respond with insight and relevance. Anchor your answers in outcomes rather than activities. Above all, stay centered – confidence emerges when your responses are aligned with your values, your experience, and the future you are capable of creating. Jivi Saran, Conscious Capitalism Scholar/Practitioner

Written by: Henry Van Niekerk More than 200 business solutions professionals from 20 countries, including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Singapore, Canada, Turkey, and India, took part in an exclusive masterclass hosted by Rebecca Surtay, a leading B2B marketing expert who has led large-scale projects for global corporations such as Samsung, Legrand, and Metro Cash & Carry. During the session, Surtay shared her expertise in adapting AI-driven forecasts to real-world business conditions. The masterclass, titled "Why Perfect Forecasts Fail: Human Factors in AI-Assisted B2B Projects," was organized by the committee of the prestigious international NextWave Awards, which recognizes leaders who have made significant contributions to business development and the advancement of innovation. Drawing on her extensive experience in B2B product development, Rebecca Surtay has developed a proprietary methodology that incorporates human factors into AI-assisted B2B projects. The methodology offers a new perspective on AI-assisted B2B projects, as even highly sophisticated organizations often rely heavily on digital models without critically assessing their practical feasibility. Over more than a decade of working with leading technology companies, Rebecca Surtay has repeatedly witnessed cases in which AI forecasts proved inaccurate due to flawed problem framing and other human-related factors. During the masterclass, she presented a detailed analysis of a case in which Legrand Astana, a leading Kazakh provider of electrical infrastructure solutions, failed to secure a major contract despite an AI model assigning an 85% probability of success. "The team fell victim to overconfidence bias. Participants viewed the project through the lens of previous successes and primarily relied on data that confirmed their assumptions," Surtay explained, noting that these cognitive biases are well documented in psychology. Similar situations have occurred in other companies as well. Surtay cited the example of Samsung's implementation of a unified strategy based on standardized KPIs between 2014 and 2016. In three countries, the actual results fell 40% short of initial projections. "At the time Samsung implemented the project, however, AI tools had not yet reached their current level of maturity," Surtay says. "Today, these tools are widely available, and their use increases the risk of errors stemming from bias in prompt design." Surtay herself has extensive expertise in psychology and holds academic credentials in relationship management, as well as personal and professional development. As a result, she incorporates not only traditional B2B marketing practices into her work, but also advanced methodologies drawn from psychology. During the masterclass, she introduced her proprietary debiasing techniques based on causal analysis and reference class forecasting. Surtay also demonstrated a protocol for validating AI-generated forecasts that involves both the project team and an independent external stakeholder. "Companies are increasingly placing unquestioning trust in AI tools, relying on them to make major financial decisions and shape strategic business priorities. During the masterclass, Rebecca Surtay highlighted risks that may appear subtle at first glance, yet ignoring them can have devastating consequences for a company. What I found especially valuable was that the session not only identified these risks but also demonstrated how they can be mitigated. I believe the protocols developed by Rebecca Surtay should be considered industry standards for organizations that rely on AI in managerial decision-making," says Satenik Ghazaryan, Marketing Director of Armenia Digital Awards, an expert in marketing funnel development and a participant in the seminar.

What if the biggest obstacles in your life were not random, but the result of patterns operating beneath your awareness? After more than 20 years in practice and over 30,000 patient interactions, Dr. Greg Schreeuwer has dedicated his career to understanding the behavioural patterns that shape health, relationships, performance, and personal fulfilment. In this interview, he explores why people become stuck in recurring cycles, how those patterns form, and what individuals can do to create meaningful, lasting change. Dr. Greg Schreeuwer, Human Behaviour and Health Expert What first sparked your interest in studying the patterns that shape human behaviour and health? My interest in studying the patterns that shape human behaviour and health began with my own experiences growing up. As a child, I was bullied extensively because my ears stuck out. Kids would pick on me, exclude me, and often want to fight me. I endured this until high school, when I eventually had my ears surgically pinned back. I believed that would solve the problem, but it didn’t. The bullying stopped, yet I still found myself experiencing many of the same feelings and challenges. That was the first clue that something deeper was going on. Years later, during my final year of my master’s degree, I was introduced to Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) as a patient. After experiencing profound changes over six months of care, I decided to learn the technique myself. Through NET, I was introduced to concepts such as Yin and Yang, balance, adaptation, and the impact stress can have on both the body and behaviour. It sparked a fascination with understanding why people respond so differently to similar experiences. A major turning point came in 2011 when a colleague encouraged me to attend Dr Demartini’s Breakthrough Experience. That experience fundamentally changed how I viewed my childhood and helped me recognise patterns that had been influencing my decisions, relationships, health, and sense of self for years. It helped me understand that the events themselves were only part of the story. The meanings we assign to those events, the adaptations we develop, and the actions we take or avoid often have an even greater impact. That realisation led me to spend years integrating aspects of Dr Demartini’s work with NET and my clinical observations. Over more than 30,000 patient interactions, I have become increasingly convinced that many of the challenges people face, whether in their health, relationships, careers, or personal growth, are influenced by patterns operating outside their awareness. Helping people recognise and change those patterns has become the foundation of my work. After more than 30,000 patient interactions, what patterns show up most consistently in people who create lasting change? After more than 30,000 patient interactions, I’ve noticed that many of the challenges people face stem from a surprisingly small number of recurring patterns. One pattern I’ve repeatedly observed is that many people learned early in life that being themselves came at a cost. Whether through criticism, rejection, bullying, pressure to perform, or the need to fit in, they gradually adapted their behaviour to gain acceptance. Years later, that same pattern often appears in their health, relationships, career choices, and overall sense of fulfilment. The details change, but the underlying question is often the same: “Am I allowed to be fully myself?” Another common pattern is that people unconsciously tie their self-worth to responsibility. They learn that being helpful, successful, reliable, or needed is how they receive recognition and approval. While this often helps them achieve great things, it can also lead to burnout, resentment, poor boundaries, and neglect of their own well-being. What separates those who create lasting change from those who remain stuck is their willingness to become aware of these patterns and take action to change them. They stop focusing solely on the symptom or circumstance and start looking at the underlying behaviours, beliefs, and choices driving the outcome. They create new experiences, make different decisions, and gradually develop a healthier relationship with themselves. In my experience, lasting change occurs when people stop asking, “What’s wrong with me?” and start asking, “What pattern am I repeating, and what do I need to do differently?” How did developing Integrative Kinesiology change the way you understand the connection between behaviour and wellbeing? Developing Integrative Kinesiology changed the way I understood behaviour and wellbeing because it highlighted the role that uncompleted actions play in maintaining many of the patterns people struggle with. The approach combined principles from NET with two key questions from the Demartini Method: “What is the benefit if your perceived challenge didn’t exist?” and “What are the drawbacks if this perceived challenge continued?” These questions often revealed actions people knew they needed to take, but had been avoiding due to fear, uncertainty, guilt, conflict, or perceived consequences. What became apparent was that many health, relationship, and life challenges were not driven solely by past experiences, but by the behaviours, decisions, and actions that followed those experiences, or never occurred at all. People often remained stuck because they had not developed a new reference point for dealing with similar situations. The process was designed to help individuals reframe a memory, identify the missing action, and actively rehearse taking that action to achieve the desired outcome. My observation was that this created a new framework through which they could interpret and respond to future challenges. It reinforced my belief that lasting change often occurs when people shift both their perception of an event and the behaviour that follows it. Why do you think people often repeat the same challenges across their health, relationships, and careers without realising it? I believe people repeat the same challenges because they often respond to present-day situations using patterns established much earlier in life. As children, we develop beliefs, coping strategies, and behavioural responses based on our experiences and environment. At the time, those responses often serve a purpose. They help us gain acceptance, avoid conflict, seek approval, stay safe, or navigate uncertainty. The challenge is that many of these patterns continue operating long after the original circumstances have changed. Many people are no longer responding to their current reality. They are responding to an adaptation they developed years earlier. What makes this difficult to recognise is that people tend to focus on the surface problem rather than the underlying pattern. They see different relationships, different jobs, different health conditions, or different life circumstances, but fail to recognise the same behavioural response showing up each time. For example, someone who learned early that their value came from meeting others' needs may repeatedly overcommit, struggle with boundaries, experience burnout, attract one-sided relationships, and neglect their own health. The circumstances appear different, but the pattern remains the same. In my experience, lasting change begins when people stop asking, “Why does this keep happening to me?” and start asking, “What is the common pattern I keep bringing into these situations?” That question often reveals the real source of the cycle. What are we still getting wrong about the relationship between physical symptoms and emotional well-being? One of the biggest misconceptions is that symptoms are problems to suppress rather than feedback to understand. Whether physical, emotional, relational, or professional, symptoms often provide valuable information about how we have adapted to our experiences and where change may be needed. I don’t view symptoms as the enemy. I view them as a form of feedback expressed through our physiology and our life circumstances. They can help us develop a deeper understanding of who we are, how we arrived at our current situation, and what patterns, behaviours, or perceptions may be contributing to the challenges we face. What we often get wrong is reducing symptoms to a single cause. We separate physical symptoms from emotional well-being when, in reality, they constantly influence one another. Our beliefs, perceptions, behaviours, relationships, environment, and physiology all interact as part of the same system. I’ve also observed that symptoms extend beyond the body. A recurring health challenge, a pattern of conflict in relationships, a lack of fulfilment in a career, or a persistent feeling of being stuck can all be viewed as feedback pointing towards something that requires our attention. Rather than asking, “How do I get rid of this symptom?”, I believe a more useful question is, “What is this symptom trying to teach me about myself and the changes I need to make?” When someone feels stuck in a recurring cycle, what is the first pattern they should start paying attention to? When someone feels stuck in a recurring cycle, the first thing I encourage them to focus on is not what keeps happening, but how they keep responding. Most people focus on the external circumstances. They notice the difficult relationship, the health challenge, the workplace conflict, or the setback they repeatedly encounter. What they often miss is the common denominator across situations: their own perceptions, behaviours, decisions, and emotional responses. I often ask people to look for patterns rather than isolated events. What situations tend to trigger the same reaction? What assumptions are they making? What actions are they consistently avoiding? What conversations are they not having? What boundaries are they not setting? What opportunities are they not pursuing? In my experience, recurring cycles are often maintained less by what happened to us and more by the behaviours that followed. Many people continue to apply the same strategy to different situations while expecting a different outcome. The moment someone shifts their attention from the problem itself to the pattern they keep bringing into the problem, they gain something incredibly valuable: choice. Once a pattern becomes visible, it is no longer unconscious. That awareness creates the opportunity to respond differently and begin creating a new outcome. How can people become more aware of unconscious conditioning before it starts influencing important decisions? People become more aware of unconscious conditioning by learning to recognise the patterns that repeatedly show up in their lives. Our conditioning influences how we think, feel, behave, and make decisions, often without us realising it. If we don’t become aware of those patterns, we tend to default to the same responses and create similar outcomes again and again. One of the things I often tell patients is that awareness is the first stage of healing. The moment we recognise that we are repeating a pattern, we create an opportunity for choice. Instead of operating on autopilot, we gain the ability to pause, reflect, and decide whether that response is still serving us. One simple question I encourage people to ask themselves is, “Have I felt this way before?” If a situation triggers a strong emotional reaction that feels disproportionate to the present moment, an older pattern is often being activated. Many people think they are responding to what is happening now, when in reality they are responding to a learned adaptation from much earlier in life. I encourage people to pay attention to recurring themes in their health, relationships, career, and personal life. What challenges keep appearing? What situations trigger the same reactions? What actions are they consistently avoiding? These patterns often reveal the conditioning operating beneath the surface. The ultimate goal is not simply awareness. The goal is to change conditioning by creating new experiences, new behaviours, and new reference points. In my experience, the most lasting change occurs when people work on both the body and the mind. When physiological and behavioural patterns are addressed together, individuals are far more likely to create meaningful and sustainable change. How has your experience with childhood bullying shaped your views on identity, resilience, and authentic self-expression? My experience with childhood bullying had a profound impact on how I think about identity, resilience, and authentic self-expression. For many years, I believed the greatest challenge I faced was being judged for my physical appearance. As I grew older, I realised something much deeper was taking place. I was often criticised, excluded, or rejected because of how I thought, what I questioned, and the way I expressed myself. One experience that stands out was being ostracised by my entire year group, including one of my closest friends, who told me he thought I believed I was “better than everyone else.” For several weeks, I sat alone at recess and lunch while my classmates who had once been friends ignored me. It left me questioning my worth and where I belonged. At the time, it was incredibly painful. Looking back, it became one of the most important lessons of my life. Those experiences taught me that many people learn to suppress parts of themselves to gain acceptance and avoid rejection. They trade authenticity for belonging. As a result, they often lose sight of who they are and what matters most to them. The greatest lesson bullying taught me is that resilience is not about becoming tougher or caring less about what people think. It is about developing the courage to remain true to yourself despite the possibility of criticism or rejection. Authentic self-expression begins when we stop asking who we need to be to gain acceptance and start asking who we truly are. If there is one idea you would like people to remember about understanding themselves, what would it be? If there is one idea I would like people to remember, it is that much of your life is shaped by patterns that were created long before you were aware of them, but those patterns do not have to define your future. Many people spend years trying to change their circumstances without recognising the underlying beliefs, behaviours, and conditioned responses influencing the choices they make each day. The more we understand those patterns, the more power we have to change them. I believe self-awareness is the foundation of meaningful change. Awareness allows us to recognise what is driving our decisions, our relationships, our health challenges, and our sense of fulfilment. Once a pattern becomes visible, we have an opportunity to make a different choice. I also believe that symptoms, struggles, and recurring challenges are often forms of feedback. Rather than asking, “Why is this happening to me?”, a more useful question is, “What is this trying to teach me about myself?” That shift in perspective often changes everything. Ultimately, understanding yourself is not about finding something that is missing. It is about recognising the patterns that have shaped you, deciding which ones still serve you, and having the courage to create new ones that align with the person you want to become. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Greg Schreeuwer

Ken Breniman is not your typical guide through the human condition. A licensed psychotherapist, certified yoga therapist, New York Times-featured death doula, psychedelic integration specialist, and award-winning author, his work blends neuroscience, queer advocacy, primatology, contemplative practice, and storytelling to explore what it means to stay deeply human in a culture increasingly shaped by distraction, disconnection, and death avoidance. In this timely Fourth of July conversation, Breniman explores collective grief, emotional alchemy, cognitive liberty, interdependence, and humanity’s readiness to evolve beyond chronic disconnection. With humor, ritual, embodiment, and a touch of subversive optimism, he invites readers to reconsider whether connection itself may be the essential medicine modern life has been missing. What led you to describe yourself as a “mindfully mortal” guide, and how does that shape the way you work with people today? “Mindfully Mortal” emerged from a persistent realization: much of modern suffering comes from trying to outrun what is inevitable. Death, loss, uncertainty, and change are not interruptions to life; they are life. We crave unexpected plot twists in entertainment, yet often feel profoundly unprepared for the twists and turns within our own lived experience. As a licensed psychotherapist, yoga therapist, and end-of-life doula, I have witnessed that when people bravely turn toward mortality rather than away from it, something shifts. They become more honest, more present, and often more alive. My work is not about fixing people or bypassing discomfort. It is about creating spaces where we can sit, breathe, move, grieve, and re-regulate together. Whether in person or virtually, two humans can co-create a meaningful space for tending the nervous system and confronting the shadowy truths, wounds, and longings within us. I help people build a relationship with impermanence not as a threat, but as a teacher. The question shifts from “How do I avoid pain?” to “How do I live meaningfully with the time I have?” To me, being a “mindful mortal” means recognizing that Eros and Thanatos — life force and death awareness — are not enemies, but companions. Life’s fragility is not a flaw. It is what gives our existence depth, urgency, tenderness, and wonder. How do you approach grief differently when you view it as something collective and ecological rather than purely personal? While I was born and raised in an achievement-oriented culture, living and traveling in other parts of the world helped me realize that many cultures approach grief very differently, and honestly, that has been deeply reassuring. In much of modern American culture, grief is often treated like a problem to solve or a detour from productivity. Yet many communities understand grief as something shared, witnessed, and woven into the fabric of life. I deeply respect the work of Francis Weller and Stephen Jenkinson, whose teachings have helped challenge the death-avoidant tendencies within modern Western culture. At the same time, some of the greatest “grief whisperers” I have encountered were ordinary people I met while living and traveling in places like Japan, Malaysia, and Uganda. Their wisdom encouraged me to continue this advocacy in my own way. I do not see grief as something that exists only inside an individual. It moves through families, communities, ecosystems, and generations. When grief is witnessed collectively rather than hidden privately, it becomes less isolating and more connective. It reminds us that even in loss, we still belong to one another. Where do you see the strongest connection between neuroscience, embodiment, and spiritual practice in your work with grief and trauma? The bridge is the body. Neuroscience shows us that trauma and grief are not merely cognitive experiences. Loss, fear, and longing live within the nervous system, especially in a culture that often encourages people to disconnect from their bodies and override their emotional reality. You cannot think your way out of a dysregulated nervous system. That is where embodiment and spiritual practice become so important. Breathwork, yoga, sound healing, meditation, psychedelic healing and other evidence-based modalities help regulate the autonomic nervous system. The aim is to create enough safety for the brain and body to process what once felt overwhelming. From a spiritual perspective, these same practices invite presence and remind us that we are more than our thoughts, diagnoses, or survival strategies. When people feel their feet on the ground, their breath moving, and their heart beating, something shifts. The nervous system shifts, the mind becomes less reactive, and there is finally space for reflection, meaning-making, and connection. I often say, “regulation before revelation.” Once the body feels safe enough, people naturally begin exploring deeper questions about purpose, belonging, mortality, and what it truly means to be human. You speak about a shift from Homo sapiens to Homo animus—what does that evolution look like in everyday human behavior? Homo sapiens prides itself on overthinking. Homo animus remembers how to feel, relate, and belong. To me, this evolution is not about becoming something entirely new; it is about reclaiming capacities we have neglected for far too long. In everyday life, it looks like moving from competition toward cooperation, from extraction toward stewardship, and from hyper-individualism toward interdependence. It means choosing curiosity over rigid certainty and preciousness over precision. It means slowing down enough to notice how our actions impact other humans, animals, and ecosystems. Our ancestors did not evolve primarily through endless productivity and screen time. They survived through cooperation, co-regulation, storytelling, movement, and shared belonging. Many primates still embody forms of attunement and communal care that modern humans often forget. You can see Homo animus emerging in small but meaningful moments: someone pausing to regulate before reacting, communities valuing care as much as productivity, or people rediscovering embodiment, ritual, grief work, and authentic connection in a chronically disconnected culture. Homo animus does not reject intelligence; it expands our definition of it. The mantra might sound something like this: upward, onward, and inward. What do you think the grief and mental health space is currently overlooking when it comes to cultural and ecological change? Western medicine is remarkably effective at helping keep people alive, yet it has often struggled to help people feel fully alive. In modern mental health culture, we are still overly focused on the individual. We rush toward diagnosis, medication, and symptom management, yet often overlook the deeper human need for connection, meaning, ritual, and communal care. Many forms of distress today are not simply personal problems. Climate anxiety, political instability, loneliness, economic strain, and social fragmentation are collective realities impacting the nervous system on a massive scale. Grief is a natural human response to living in an uncertain world, yet our systems often pathologize it too quickly. We give bereaved people only a few days away from work, then expect them to return “back to normal” while their entire inner world has changed. What gives me hope is that communal grief spaces are growing again. Death Cafes, storytelling circles, open mic events, community rituals, and organizations like Reimagine are helping people gather, grieve, and witness one another more honestly. I believe healing is not merely about self-optimization. It is about remembering how to belong to each other again while we care for a world that is grieving too. How has your early experience in LGBTQ+ activism in Japan influenced your perspective on care, community, and social transformation? Living in Japan during my early LGBTQ+ activism years was both humbling and illuminating. I was navigating identity, culture, and advocacy all at once, often in spaces where visibility came with real risk. In Japan, there is a saying: “the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.” As a visibly expressive gay American, I certainly felt that tension at times. Yet another saying I came to appreciate was “ten people, ten colors,” a reminder that human diversity is natural. Back then, very few of my Japanese friends could be as openly “out” as I was. Yet now, decades later, some of those same people are helping push the paradigm forward as Japan moves closer toward major legal shifts around same-gender marriage. Witnessing that evolution has been deeply moving. What I learned is that change is not always loud or immediate. Often it is subtle, relational, and deeply rooted in trust. Care meant showing up consistently and creating micro-communities where people could exhale and be seen. That experience shaped my belief that transformation happens through connection, not just confrontation. It continues to inform my healing work today: less as a solo journey and more as a collective, evolving practice. For someone beginning to engage more consciously with mortality, what is one simple practice that can make a meaningful difference? One simple practice I often share is what I call the “Three Bowl Ring Meditation.” If you do not have singing bowls, use three breaths, three candles, or simply three intentional pauses. Celtic wisdom often reminds us that powerful things come in threes. The first ring, breath, or candle is for the person you were when you first entered this world: vulnerable, curious, and fully dependent on others. The second is for who you are right now, carrying both your wounds and your wisdom. The third is for the person you will become when you eventually take your final breath and return your body to the great mystery. After the third pause, ask yourself gently but honestly: “If today were complete, what truly mattered about how I lived?” This practice interrupts autopilot. It softens the illusion that we have endless time and redirects attention toward connection, presence, forgiveness, awe, and meaningful action. Mortality awareness does not have to be grim. In my experience, it can actually make people more alive, compassionate, and intentional. Sometimes three conscious breaths are enough to help a person remember they are not merely surviving life, but participating in something sacred and fleeting. The way of the mindful mortal can be both clarifying and motivating. It can help you align your life with your values, one small choice at a time. How do you make complex and often heavy topics like death and grief more accessible through storytelling and “edutainment”? I have this odd tendency to subvert words we commonly overuse. Entertainment becomes “edutainment.” Independence becomes “interdependence.” In many ways, this is my playful attempt to help the Homo sapien become more receptive to evolving into Homo animus: a way of being rooted not only in intellect, but in connection, embodiment, curiosity, and communal care. I see humor as a form of emotional alchemy. It helps people find levity in the dense, scary, and often neglected parts of being human. A chuckle or laugh can soften the nervous system just enough for truth, grief, and vulnerability to finally enter the room. If people feel preached at, they often disengage. If they feel invited into something heartfelt, curious, imperfect, or even a little mischievous, they lean in. Storytelling creates a bridge between intellect and emotion and helps people approach difficult terrain without shutting down. And although I have taught naked yoga for over 20 years, I try not to completely strip away the gravity of these topics. After all, gravity is what keeps us grounded here on Earth. I believe good stories can bend time, soften fear, and remind us how profoundly precious we still are. If readers take one idea from your work on mortality and collective becoming, what would you want it to be? The one subversive idea I hope to leave the world with is something most of us already know deep down, yet desperately need to keep reminding one another of: "We are merely mortal apes gifted an extraordinary tool: the human mind." Even in a fragmented and overstimulated culture, we still possess a certain sovereignty. We can choose to shape this tool consciously, compassionately, and collectively rather than allowing fear, distraction, and disconnection to shape us. Much of what people experience today — loneliness, uncertainty, exhaustion, grief, anxiety — are not personal failures. Instead, these are intelligent signals pointing toward what has been lost: community, ritual, embodiment, awe, and meaningful connection. One of the lessons beneath my speculative novel a three body solution is that transformation rarely comes from one hero, one ideology, or one perfect answer. It begins when imperfect beings learn how to remain in relationship with one another through vulnerability, uncertainty, and change. To me, healing and evolution happen through connection. In a culture that promotes distraction and rewards disconnection, remembering how to belong to ourselves, each other, and the living world may be one of the most radical and life-affirming acts available to us. Tag, you are it! :) Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kenneth J. Breniman

Written by Arabella Arkwright, The Alchemist’s Clinic Arabella Arkwright is a deeply intuitive energy healer and offers an integrative approach to healing, combining years of experience with an innate ability to sense and address the root causes of emotional and psychological suffering. Her work extends beyond symptom relief, offering transformational guidance supporting profound mind-body healing. A study at Cornell University suggests that 95 percent of our worries never come to pass, yet the body still suffers the ghosts of futures that never arrive. There are seasons in life when the mind becomes very busy. Thoughts circle like restless birds, returning repeatedly to the same branch of worry. What if this happens? What if that goes wrong? What if I am not ready for what is coming? Worry has a curious way of convincing us that it is useful. It whispers that if we think about something long enough, if we rehearse every possible outcome, we might somehow gain control over the future. But the truth is gentler than that. Worry is rarely a sign that something is wrong with you. More often, it is simply the nervous system asking for reassurance. Your body is not trying to sabotage you. It is trying to protect you. The beautiful thing about the body is that it already knows how to return to calm. It only needs a little guidance. The doorway back to that calm is always the same quiet place. Your breath. The breath is one of the most extraordinary gifts we are given as human beings. It is both automatic and conscious, both ancient and immediate. It moves quietly through us all day long, rarely asking for our attention, yet ready to help us whenever we remember it is there. When the mind becomes crowded with worry, the breath often becomes small and shallow. The body tightens. The shoulders rise. The heart beats a little faster. This is not a failure. It is simply the nervous system preparing for danger that it believes might be coming. Modern science now understands this response very well. When the brain senses a threat, real or imagined, it activates what is known as the stress response, releasing hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. This response was designed to help our ancestors run from predators. But the nervous system does not distinguish very well between a tiger in the forest and a worried thought about tomorrow. So the body prepares for danger, even when the danger exists only in the imagination. But the body also carries an ancient wisdom: when the breath softens, the mind follows. Research into slow breathing has shown that when we lengthen the exhale and breathe deeply into the belly, the vagus nerve, a long wandering nerve connecting the brain to the body, begins to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the system responsible for rest, repair, and calm. In other words, the body begins to remember that it is safe. So when worry begins to gather, we do something beautifully simple. We pause. Then we breathe. Inhale gently through your nose, allowing the breath to travel down into your belly so that it expands softly. Then exhale slowly through your mouth, as though you are breathing through a straw. Let the exhale be long and unhurried. Already, something begins to change. The shoulders soften. The jaw loosens. The body remembers that it is safe enough, right now, in this moment. You may notice that the mind still tries to speak. It may offer another worry, another scenario, another question. That is quite normal. The mind is simply doing what it has been trained to do. But instead of arguing with the thoughts, we gently bring our attention back to the breath. The breath is always happening in the present moment. Worry, however, lives almost entirely in the future. When we breathe with awareness, we gently return ourselves to the only place where life is actually happening. Here. Now. There is something quietly miraculous about the present moment. When we arrive here fully, many of the fears that seemed overwhelming begin to soften. Not because the future has suddenly been solved. But because the body no longer feels alone inside it. One of the loveliest realisations people have when they begin this practice is that calm is not something we must chase. Calm is something we remember. It has always been within us. It lives in the rhythm of the breath, in the quiet beating of the heart, and in the gentle rise and fall of the belly as we inhale and exhale. Over time, as you return to the breath repeatedly, something else begins to shift. You start to trust your body more. You realise that your nervous system is not fragile. It is adaptable. Wise. Capable of moving from tension back to ease. This is where alchemy begins. The very sensations that once felt uncomfortable, tightness in the chest, a restless mind, a flutter of worry, become signals inviting you back to presence. Instead of being enemies, they become guides. A small tightening in the stomach becomes a reminder to pause. A racing thought becomes a gentle invitation to soften the breath. A restless moment becomes an opportunity to come home to yourself. Little by little, the relationship with worry begins to change. It loses some of its authority. It becomes less of a command and more of a passing visitor. In the spaces between those thoughts, something else appears. Quiet. Clarity. A feeling that perhaps life is not something we must manage quite so tightly. There is, after all, a quiet intelligence moving through everything. That same intelligence is moving through you. It is present in your breath. Present in the steady rhythm of your heart. Present in the way your body knows how to rest, repair, and renew itself. Worry often makes us feel as though we must carry everything alone. But the truth is that life is already supporting you in ways far greater than the mind can comprehend. Your breath continues. Your heart continues. Your body continues to care for you with quiet devotion. So when worry returns, as it inevitably does from time to time, you might greet it with a little kindness. Not as an enemy. But as a signal. A gentle nudge back to the breath. Back to the present moment. Back to the quiet intelligence that has been guiding life long before any of us arrived. Take a moment now. Inhale slowly through your nose and allow the breath to fill your belly. Then exhale softly through your mouth as though breathing through a straw. Feel the body soften. Feel the mind settle. Notice that in this very moment, nothing needs to be solved. Nothing needs to be rushed. Life is simply unfolding. One breath at a time. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Arabella Arkwright Arabella Arkwright, The Alchemist’s Clinic Arabella Arkwright is the founder of The Alchemists Clinic. She is an energy healer and nervous system specialist whose work bridges mind, body, and subtle energy. After profound personal healing experiences, including a spontaneous spinal realignment she describes as an awakening, she developed a refined ability to sense and shift energetic patterns, helping clients move from tension to regulated, embodied balance.

Written by Dr. Khutso Madubanya, Founder, Change Strategist Dr. Khutso Madubanya is a global scholar-practitioner, author, and speaker specializing in change, adaptability, and leadership. She is the founder of Dance With Change™ and creator of the P.I.V.O.T.™ Method, helping individuals and organizations navigate disruption with clarity and confidence. When life feels uncertain, most people assume the strongest among us will adapt the fastest. Yet beneath the surface, many of the people who appear strongest are often struggling the most. If this is you, you are not alone, and you are not losing your edge. What you may be experiencing has less to do with resilience and more to do with identity. Who are “strong” people? Strong people are often the leaders, caregivers, entrepreneurs, problem solvers, and team members others rely on. These are the dependable people. The fixers. The ones who carry more than their share of the load. Over time, competence, reliability, and self-sufficiency become more than behaviors. They become part of a person's identity. How does a trait become an identity? Many strong people have a history that led them to become “the strong one.” Society often praises those who do what others are unwilling or afraid to do. At first, the recognition feels rewarding. Over time, however, the praise can become a prison, an identity jail. As a child, I discovered that I could earn recognition by doing difficult chores my siblings avoided. I enjoyed being seen as brave and capable. Before long, everyone expected me to do the hard things because I could handle them. Eventually, I expected it from myself. Even when I no longer wanted the responsibility, it became difficult to push back because I wanted to preserve the identity I had worked so hard to build. I learned to override my needs in exchange for acceptance, and I carried that pattern into adulthood. Why change threatens the strong person's identity Research on adult transitions suggests that major life changes often involve identity shifts, not just situational changes. A layoff, promotion, organizational restructuring, health challenge, relocation, or relationship transition can force us to reconsider who we are and how we create value. The problem with identity jails is that they rarely feel like prisons at first. In fact, they are often rewarded. People praise us for being dependable, resilient, hardworking, selfless, and capable. The more praise we receive, the more tightly we cling to the identity. Over time, however, maintaining the identity becomes exhausting. The person known for being strong feels pressure to remain strong. The person known for being dependable feels pressure to never let anyone down. The person known for carrying others feels pressure to continue carrying them, even when they are tired. The identity begins demanding constant maintenance. You become afraid to rest. Afraid to disappoint. Afraid to ask for help. Afraid to need support. In this way, the identity jail can quietly drain us long before any major life change occurs. Then change arrives and exposes what was already there. A layoff, health challenge, organizational restructuring, relationship transition, or unexpected setback suddenly makes it impossible to maintain the identity in the same way. What was once exhausting now becomes unsustainable. This is why strong people often struggle more than others during periods of uncertainty. 1. Their identity is tied to being the capable one When competence becomes a source of self-worth, change can feel like a threat to identity. The challenge is not only navigating new circumstances, but also redefining who you are within them. Strong people often ask themselves questions they would never admit out loud: If I am not the one solving the problem, who am I? If I cannot fix this quickly, what does that say about me? 2. Their first response is to push harder Strong people often respond to uncertainty by working harder and taking on more responsibility, while others retreat for cover. It is the strategy that has served them well in the past. Unfortunately, adaptability is often more useful than force. Instead of pausing to understand what is changing, they double down. They work longer hours, carry more responsibility, and try to protect everyone around them, often at their own expense. Trying to overpower change can lead to exhaustion, rigidity, and burnout. 3. They suffer in silence Because others view them as strong, they are less likely to be offered support. At the same time, many hesitate to ask for help because doing so feels inconsistent with their identity. The result is a painful paradox: the people carrying the heaviest burdens are often the least supported. Everyone assumes they are fine because they continue appearing to “keep it together.” They continue showing up. They continue solving problems. They continue carrying others. What few people realize is that functioning and flourishing are not the same thing. Many strong people are struggling long before anyone notices. 4. They struggle to receive support Many strong people are comfortable giving but uncomfortable receiving. They are quick to offer encouragement, resources, and assistance to others, yet feel awkward when support is offered to them. Receiving can feel like weakness because it contradicts the role they have always played. For some, receiving can even feel like debt. The moment someone offers help, they feel an immediate urge to repay it. They search for a way to even the score, return the favor, or prove they are not taking advantage of someone's generosity. In their minds, support often comes with an obligation. As a result, there is little room to simply receive kindness, a compliment, a helping hand, or an act of generosity without feeling the need to pay it back. Yet uncertainty often requires something many strong people have rarely practiced: allowing themselves to be supported. Not because they are incapable. But because they are human. 5. They punish themselves for not handling it better Perhaps the most painful challenge is self-judgment. Strong people often believe they should be coping better. They compare themselves against an unrealistic internal standard and feel ashamed when they struggle. Instead of extending themselves the same compassion they offer others, they criticize themselves for being human. This shame often becomes more painful than the change itself. How can strong people navigate change more effectively? First, separate your worth from your performance. You are more than your productivity, title, achievements, or ability to solve problems. Your worth is inherent. It does not need to be earned through constant proving, carrying, or accomplishing. Second, practice receiving support before you think you need it. Learn to accept a compliment, a helping hand, or an act of kindness without immediately feeling obligated to pay it back. Third, replace self-judgment with curiosity. Instead of asking, “What is wrong with me?” ask, “Why do I feel the need to do this in the first place?” Often, beneath our overfunctioning lies a desire to maintain an identity, gain approval, avoid disappointment, or prove our value. Finally, focus less on controlling outcomes and more on honoring your experience. It is okay to admit you are struggling. It is okay to feel uncertain. It is okay to rest. Sometimes, the strongest thing you can do is stop performing strength long enough to listen to what you actually need. Redefining strength Many of us were taught that strength means enduring pain without complaint. Yet strength does not have to involve suffering. The healthiest strong people I know are not those who move through change without fear or brute force. They are the ones who remain compassionate toward themselves while navigating uncertainty. Real strength is not having all the answers. It is not carrying everything alone. Real strength is having the courage to release identities that no longer serve you so that you can grow into the person this next chapter requires. Ready to dance with change? If you are navigating a season of uncertainty, remember that struggling does not mean you are weak. It may simply mean you are human. The goal is not to fight change harder or force yourself to embrace it, but to learn how to move with it, what I call dancing with change. That is where growth, agency, and transformation begin. As leaders, parents, partners, and professionals, it is important to remember that the very traits that once earned us praise can eventually become identity jails that make adaptation harder, both in ourselves and in the strong people we lead, love, and depend on. The challenge is not that strength becomes weakness. The challenge is that strength can become an identity we feel obligated to perform, even when it no longer serves us. To learn more about navigating uncertainty with less fear and greater agency, explore my book Dancing With Change and the P.I.V.O.T.™ framework for moving through life's transitions. If your team, organization, or audience is navigating a significant transition, let's connect. Through keynotes, workshops, and advisory sessions, I help people learn to stop fighting change and start dancing with it. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more info! Read more from Dr. Khutso Madubanya Dr. Khutso Madubanya, Founder, Change Strategist Dr. Khutso Madubanya is a global scholar-practitioner, author, and speaker specializing in change, adaptability, and leadership. After navigating repeated life, career, and geographic disruptions across eight countries, she developed a practical approach to stabilizing the mind before action. She is the founder of Dance With Change™ and creator of the P.I.V.O.T.™ Method, a mental recalibration framework for navigating uncertainty with less fear, greater agility, and agency. Her work bridges research, lived experience, and practice, helping individuals and organizations move through disruption with confidence. Her writing explores why people resist change and how they can learn to respond differently.