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.

Written by Stoyana Natseva, Global Mentor, Bestselling Author, and Founder Prof. Dr. Stoyana Natseva is a Full Professor, psychologist, researcher, bestselling author, and founder of Happy Life Academy. She is the creator of the Direct Change Solution® (DCS) methodology and the Internal Autobiographical Map (IAM), helping individuals and organizations achieve lasting transformation through science-based education. On December 22, 2025, I stepped onto a stage in Bulgaria with a vision that extended far beyond setting a world record. The goal was not simply to achieve recognition. The goal was to create the world’s longest transformational event dedicated to gratitude, personal growth, conscious living, and human potential during the days leading up to Christmas. Twenty-five hours later, the event was officially recognized as a Guinness World Record. More than 100,000 people followed the experience online from different parts of the world, while hundreds participated live. Official judges monitored the entire process, and according to Guinness regulations, I was allowed only five minutes of rest at the end of each hour. Looking back, the record itself was never the most important part of the story. The most important part was what happened to the people who took part in it. A mission bigger than a record For many years, I have worked as a psychologist, educator, researcher, and founder of Happy Life Academy. During that time, I have met thousands of people searching for answers, healing, confidence, direction, purpose, and hope. One observation appeared again and again: information alone rarely changes lives. People can read books, attend seminars, listen to podcasts, and consume endless amounts of knowledge without creating meaningful change. Transformation begins when information becomes experience. It begins when an idea moves from the intellect into everyday life. That realization became the foundation of the event. I wanted to create something that would allow people to step away from distractions and immerse themselves in a process of reflection, gratitude, awareness, and conscious decision-making. The event was also inspired by a mission that continues to guide my work today: 1 Million Awakened. A mission dedicated to helping people reconnect with their inner resources, expand their awareness, and become active creators of their lives rather than passive observers of circumstances. Twenty-five hours of presence Many people assume that the greatest challenge was remaining awake for twenty-five consecutive hours. In reality, the greatest challenge was maintaining presence. Before stepping onto the stage, I made a commitment to myself. Nothing would be repeated. Every hour would offer a completely different transformational experience. For twenty-five consecutive hours, participants moved through unique gratitude practices, self-reflection exercises, visualization methods, coaching interventions, emotional release processes, personal development frameworks, and goal achievement strategies. Not a single technique was repeated. Not a single exercise was duplicated. Months of preparation were required to create an experience capable of sustaining meaning, depth, and engagement for an entire day and night. Every hour mattered. Every participant mattered. Every moment mattered. The night that changed everything During the first few hours, my attention remained focused on execution. Would everything unfold according to plan? Would the energy remain strong? Would participants stay engaged? Then the messages began arriving. Hundreds became thousands. People wrote from different countries, sharing insights, gratitude, emotions, and personal reflections. Some decided to stay awake with us throughout the entire night. Families watched together. Friends joined from different cities and countries. Participants encouraged one another through comments and messages. The atmosphere changed completely. This was no longer a world record attempt. It became a living community united by a shared intention to grow. At around three o’clock in the morning, while much of the world was asleep, I realized we still had more than half of the journey ahead of us. For a brief moment, I stopped thinking about the Guinness World Record. Instead, I thought about the thousands of people who had entrusted us with their time, attention, hopes, and dreams. In that moment, leadership stopped being about performance. It became an act of service. The extraordinary power of collective attention Perhaps the most profound realization came from understanding the scale of what was happening beyond the stage. More than 100,000 people were following the event online. Messages arrived continuously throughout the twenty-five hours. People shared encouragement, gratitude, prayers, blessings, reflections, and moments of personal insight. Many remained connected throughout the night. Others gathered with their families, friends, and communities. As I stood on stage, I became aware of something extraordinary. For twenty-five consecutive hours, more than 100,000 people were directing their attention toward gratitude, love, hope, compassion, responsibility, possibility, and personal growth. In a world often dominated by fear, division, conflict, and negativity, that realization felt deeply meaningful. The experience of reaching so many people with messages centered on gratitude and hope is difficult to describe. It remains one of the most humbling moments of my professional life. I was also proud that this Guinness World Record took place in Bulgaria, a country with a rich tradition in education, culture, science, spirituality, and human development. For me, the event became a reminder that meaningful contributions to human transformation can emerge from any corner of the world. Why gratitude changes people One of the questions I am asked most often is why gratitude appears to create such powerful results. The answer lies within psychology and neuroscience. Gratitude influences attention. Attention influences perception. Perception influences emotional experience. Emotional experience influences decisions. Decisions influence behavior. Behavior influences outcomes. Neuroscience has demonstrated that the human brain remains adaptable throughout life through a process known as neuroplasticity. Neural pathways strengthen through repeated activation. Whatever consistently becomes the object of attention becomes increasingly influential in shaping how reality is interpreted. When attention remains focused on fear, disappointment, limitation, or loss, the brain becomes highly efficient at recognizing those patterns. When attention is intentionally directed toward appreciation, meaning, opportunity, connection, progress, and possibility, different neural networks become reinforced. For twenty-five consecutive hours, participants repeatedly engaged with practices designed to cultivate gratitude, awareness, responsibility, vision, and hope. Combined with emotional engagement and community support, these experiences created conditions that encouraged new perspectives and new decisions. The result was not magic. The result was focused attention combined with meaningful experience. What happened after the record ended The most remarkable part of the story began after the event concluded. Weeks later, messages continued to arrive. Then months later. Even today, people continue sharing stories connected to those twenty-five hours. Families reported reconnecting after years of conflict and emotional distance. Participants described finding the courage to begin new careers and launch businesses they had postponed for years. Others shared improvements in confidence, well-being, relationships, and emotional resilience. Women wrote to tell us that they had finally embraced themselves with greater acceptance, healed important relationships, and become more present with their children. One participant shared that she had not spoken to a close family member for years. During the event, she made the decision to reach out. That conversation became the beginning of a reconciliation neither side believed possible. Many participants referred to a specific exercise, realization, or decision that emerged during the event. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Stoyana Natseva Stoyana Natseva, Global Mentor, Bestselling Author, and Founder Prof. Dr. Stoyana Natseva is a Full Professor, psychologist, researcher, international educator, bestselling author, and founder of Happy Life Academy. She is the creator of the Direct Change Solution® (DCS) methodology and the Internal Autobiographical Map (IAM), and founder of the Happy Life Institute for Direct Change Science. Through her internationally accredited MBA and professional education programs, she has trained more than 100,000 students from over 50 countries. Her work has been recognized with international awards, a Guinness World Record, and multiple World Book of Records distinctions, while her research and educational initiatives continue to bridge science, leadership, and personal transformation worldwide.

Written by Char Scheuermann, Irlen Diagnostician Char was first introduced to Irlen Syndrome when her niece was diagnosed in 2015. As Irlen Syndrome is hereditary, two more nieces and a nephew were also diagnosed. Her second child, Daniel, was diagnosed in 2021, and her oldest, Anton, in 2022. That's when she decided to pursue becoming an Irlen Screener and later a Diagnostician. Millions of people struggle with symptoms that are often dismissed, misunderstood, or attributed to other causes. What if the missing piece isn't your eyesight, your effort, or your ability, but the way your brain processes visual information? Do bright lights make you uncomfortable? Do you find yourself avoiding fluorescent lighting, struggling with headaches after reading, losing your place on a page, or feeling exhausted after spending time on a computer? Perhaps your child complains that reading is hard, needs frequent breaks during homework, or says that words appear blurry, move on the page, or simply "don't look right." These challenges are often dismissed as poor focus, lack of motivation, or a need for stronger glasses. But for millions of people, the underlying cause may be something entirely different, Irlen Syndrome. What is Irlen Syndrome? An estimated 14% of the population experiences Irlen Syndrome, yet most people have never heard of it. As a result, countless children and adults spend years struggling with reading difficulties, headaches, migraines, eye strain, attention challenges, and light sensitivity without understanding why. Irlen Syndrome is a visual processing disorder in which the brain has difficulty processing certain wavelengths of light. While an individual may have healthy eyes and normal vision, the brain can become overwhelmed by visual information and certain lighting conditions. For people with Irlen Syndrome, light, particularly bright, fluorescent, or high-glare lighting, acts as a stressor on the brain, creating neurological overload that can affect comfort, performance, and daily functioning. What symptoms can Irlen Syndrome cause? Because Irlen Syndrome affects individuals differently, symptoms can vary significantly from person to person. Common symptoms include the following: Light sensitivity Headaches and migraines Eye strain and visual fatigue Reading and learning difficulties Attention and concentration challenges Print distortions, such as words appearing to move, blur, or disappear Poor depth perception and spatial awareness Difficulty with screens and visually demanding environments Many people experience several of these symptoms simultaneously, often without realizing they may be connected. Why is Irlen Syndrome frequently missed? One of the reasons Irlen Syndrome remains relatively unknown is that it is not an eyesight problem. Instead, it involves how the brain processes visual information. Traditional eye examinations evaluate the health of the eyes and visual acuity, but they do not assess whether the brain is experiencing stress from specific wavelengths of light. As a result, many individuals are told they simply need to try harder, focus more, improve their study habits, or update their prescription. Others seek answers from educational, medical, and vision professionals, only to find that traditional testing does not explain their experiences. Why do symptoms vary so much? Irlen Syndrome exists on a spectrum. Some individuals experience mild symptoms that appear only after prolonged reading or screen use, while others experience significant discomfort within minutes of exposure to visually demanding environments. Symptoms often worsen the longer a person reads, uses a computer, or remains in problematic lighting conditions. Irlen Syndrome is frequently hereditary and often runs in families. However, symptoms can also develop following a concussion, traumatic brain injury, illness, or certain medical procedures. This means some individuals experience symptoms from childhood, while others may not notice difficulties until later in life. Is there help available? The encouraging news is that Irlen Syndrome can be identified through a specialized assessment process and addressed using individualized color interventions. Unlike generic tinted lenses or off the shelf solutions, Irlen Spectral Filters are customized to the unique way each person's brain processes light. Since no two brains process visual information in exactly the same way, individualized filtering is a key component of the Irlen Method. Why I became an Irlen Diagnostician My connection to Irlen Syndrome is both professional and deeply personal. In addition to four family members, two of my four children have Irlen Syndrome. Witnessing the positive impact that identification and intervention had on their daily lives inspired me to become an Irlen Diagnostician. Their experiences showed me how transformative it can be when someone finally understands the source of struggles they may have faced for years. Today, I have the privilege of helping children and adults uncover answers that have often remained hidden despite years of searching. One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is hearing clients describe the difference proper intervention has made in their lives. As one client shared: "I can't think of many parts of my life that aren't significantly better because of my Irlen filters." – E. Reese The power of finally having an explanation For many individuals, the greatest benefit of learning about Irlen Syndrome is not simply symptom relief, it is finally having an explanation. When people understand that their struggles are not a matter of motivation, intelligence, or effort, they gain something equally valuable, hope. Sometimes the missing piece isn't working harder. Sometimes it's understanding how the brain processes the world around us. Ready to learn more? If you or someone you love experiences unexplained light sensitivity, headaches, reading difficulties, eye strain, or visual discomfort, consider learning more about Irlen Syndrome. The answers you've been searching for may begin with understanding how the brain processes visual information. Follow me on Facebook, and Instagram for more info! Read more from Char Scheuermann Char Scheuermann, Irlen Diagnostician Char Scheuermann is an Independent Irlen Diagnostician serving clients throughout the Northeastern United States. Driven by both professional expertise and personal experience, she is passionate about raising awareness of Irlen Syndrome and helping individuals find answers to challenges that are often overlooked or misunderstood. As an educator and advocate, Char is committed to making Irlen services accessible and convenient by providing mobile assessments, including Irlen Screenings, Diagnostic Testing, and Filter Check appointments in clients' homes. Her mission is to deliver exceptional care, personalized support, and life-changing solutions that improve comfort, confidence, and quality of life for those affected by Irlen Syndrome.

Written by Paul Corke, Leadership Innovator, Author & Speaker Paul Corke is an executive coach, author, speaker, and leading expert in mindset, leadership, and innovation, as well as Managing Director of Paul Corke International. With 25 years of award-winning corporate experience, he specializes in organizational effectiveness, coaching, employee engagement, talent management, and leadership development across global markets. There is something remarkable about a seed. To the naked eye, it looks insignificant, small, still, and almost forgettable. But inside it lives an entire future. The roots, the trunk, the branches, and the eventual canopy are all already there, waiting. It is not visible, not yet realised, but present. Nature has always understood something we often forget as leaders. Before anything grows outwardly, something must first be established inwardly. A forest does not begin with towering trees. It begins in silence, in darkness, and in unseen intention. Leadership is no different. We often think leadership begins the moment someone gives us a title, a team, or a seat at the table. But the truth is, leadership begins much earlier than that. It begins in the private conversations we have with ourselves, in the quiet decisions about who we will be when pressure arrives, and in the beliefs we choose to carry before there is evidence to support them. Long before anyone follows you, you are already leading. The question is, where are you leading yourself? This is where I believe something deeper sits at the heart of authentic leadership. It is something I call Psychological Intelligence, or PsyQ. PsyQ is the intelligence of intent. It is the ability to direct your inner world so clearly and deliberately that your external world begins to align with it. It is the internal certainty that says: I know where I am going, and I know who I must become to get there. It sits above IQ, EQ, PQ, and even SQ, not because it replaces them, but because it activates them. Before intelligence becomes action, there must first be intention. Before intention becomes reality, there must first be belief. We have all felt this before. That moment before an exam when, despite the nerves, something inside you simply knew you would pass. That moment before the interview when you could already feel yourself stepping into the role. The shot, the speech, the leap, the decision, those moments where certainty arrived before proof. That is PsyQ. Not hope. Not optimism. Certainty. This matters more in leadership than perhaps anywhere else. Leadership has never really been about managing others. At its best, it has always been about mastering ourselves first. The oxygen mask principle applies here. Before you can steady others, you must first steady yourself. Before you can build belief in a team, you must first establish belief in your own mind. This is the hidden work of leadership, the part no one applauds because no one sees it. But nature sees it. A seed does not ask permission to grow. It does not compare itself to the oak beside it or question whether it is enough. It simply responds to its conditions and grows toward its design. There is a lesson in that. So many leaders lose themselves because they spend too much time looking sideways, measuring themselves against others, chasing titles, comparing progress, and waiting for validation. But authentic leadership asks something much more confronting. Who have you already decided to become? The question is not, "What do you want? The question is, who are you becoming? Michael Jordan understood this long before the world did. Before the championships, before the greatness, before the mythology, there was simply a young man who had already decided. Being cut from his school team did not break him because his identity was never dependent on the moment. His intention had already been set. The same can be said of Nelson Mandela. Twenty-seven years imprisoned, yet internally unbroken. Why? Because his leadership existed before his freedom did. His identity had already been chosen. This is the power of Psychological Intelligence. It allows you to hold your future self in mind before the world catches up. In a world moving as fast as ours, where uncertainty is constant and change is relentless, this may be the most important leadership intelligence of all. In Leadership 5.0, I talk about the future leader as someone who is deeply adaptable, emotionally intelligent, and purpose-driven. But none of that can happen without this first layer. Intent. Because adaptability without intent becomes drift, purpose without intent becomes wishful thinking, and emotion without intent becomes reaction. Intent anchors all of it. Perhaps the simplest leadership practice I know is also one of the most powerful. At the start of each day, ask yourself: Who do I need to be today? Not, what do I need to do? Who do I need to be? Calm? Disciplined? Compassionate? Courageous? Because behaviour always follows identity and identity follows intention. The truth is, the future version of you already exists in seed form. The leader you are becoming is already there. The qualities, the potential, the strength, it is all present. But growth requires choice. Nature never rushes, but it always moves, and so must we. Before the roots form, before the branches stretch, before the forest stands tall, there is the seed. In leadership, everything begins there, with the quiet but powerful decision to become. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Paul Corke Paul Corke, Leadership Innovator, Author & Speaker Paul Corke is an executive coach, author, and speaker, and is considered to be a leading expert on mindset, leadership, and innovation. and is also the Managing Director of Paul Corke International, an innovative Executive Coaching business. He previously spent 25 years in the corporate world with award-winning results, specializing in organizational effectiveness, coaching, employee engagement, talent management, and leadership development with experience in the UK, Ireland, Europe, the US, and the Middle East. With over 25 years dedicated to coaching and mentoring leaders within organisations and with his own clients. His unique blend of innovative techniques and coaching has become a hallmark of his approach to leadership development. Recognised as the No. 1 Health & Wellness Thought Leader by Thinkers 360, Paul is also an accomplished author. His latest book, “Leadership 5.0: The Future of Leadership,” offers profound insights into ground-breaking perspectives on leadership. Paul is an engaging keynote speaker, and his commitment to advancing the field of leadership is evident in his role as a thought leader. His talks and written work underscore his dedication to shaping the future of leadership by challenging norms and fostering a mindset of continuous innovation.

Written by Susan F. Moody, Intuitive Business, Life, and Success Coach As a Life Mastery Certified Coach®, Susan integrates spirituality with practicality, guiding women to discover their unique Soul Goal™ and chart a personal path to success and happiness. Unlock your inner wisdom, align your heart with your mind, and uncover actionable steps that resonate with your authentic self. In our busy, often frantic lives, it’s easy for our thoughts to wander anywhere but the present moment. One minute, we’re replaying something we said yesterday, wishing we had handled it differently. The next minute, we’re worrying about tomorrow, next week, or some distant future that hasn’t even arrived yet. Our minds are constantly toggling between the past and the future. We replay mistakes, analyze decisions, and imagine every possible outcome of what might happen next. It’s human nature to want to learn from the past and prepare for the future. In many ways, those instincts help us grow and make thoughtful choices. But when we spend too much time in those mental spaces, something important happens. We miss what’s unfolding right in front of us. Life isn’t happening yesterday. Life isn’t happening tomorrow. Life is happening now. The conversation you’re having today. The walk you’re taking this afternoon. The laughter, the quiet moments, and the small joys that appear in the middle of an ordinary day. These are the moments that make up your life, yet they’re the ones most easily overlooked when our thoughts are racing somewhere else. Every once in a while, it’s helpful to gently remind yourself to come back to the present moment, the only place where life truly exists. When we miss the moment It’s surprising how often we drift away from the present without even realizing it. During a conversation You may be talking with someone, yet part of your mind is replaying something that happened earlier in the day. Suddenly, the conversation ends, and you realize you missed part of what they said. While doing something you normally enjoy Maybe you’re taking a walk or sitting down for dinner, but instead of savoring the experience, your thoughts are racing through tomorrow’s task list. When reflecting on the past We all want to avoid repeating mistakes, but sometimes we replay them so often that they start to overshadow the growth we’ve gained since then. These moments remind us how easy it is to live everywhere except the present. Simple ways to return to the present The good news is that returning to the present moment doesn’t require a major life change. It’s often just a matter of gently guiding your attention back to where you are. 1. Take a conscious breath One of the fastest ways to bring yourself into the present moment is through your breath. A slow inhale and exhale can interrupt racing thoughts and bring your awareness back to your body. Action step: Pause right now and take three slow, steady breaths. Let your shoulders relax as you exhale. 2. Notice what’s around you The present moment becomes clearer when you engage your senses. Action step: Look around and name three things you can see, two things you can hear, and one thing you can physically feel, like the chair beneath you or the breeze on your skin. 3. Give your full attention to one thing Multitasking pulls your mind in many directions, making it harder to stay present. Action step: Choose one activity today, drinking your morning coffee, taking a walk, or having a conversation, and give it your full attention without distractions. 4. Let the past stay a teacher, not a residence Your past holds lessons, but it doesn’t need to be your permanent address. Action step: When a past mistake pops up in your thoughts, acknowledge the lesson you learned, then gently shift your focus back to the present moment. 5. Trust that the future will unfold Planning ahead is useful, but constant worry about the future steals peace from today. Action step: When you notice yourself worrying about something far ahead, ask yourself: What matters most right now, in this moment? The wise woman says The past can teach us. The future can inspire us. But the present moment is where life is truly lived. When we slow down enough to notice it, the present holds more richness than we often realize, simple joys, meaningful conversations, quiet moments of gratitude, and opportunities we might otherwise overlook. So every once in a while, give yourself this gentle reminder: Come back to the present. Right here is where your life is unfolding. Right now is where your experiences, connections, and moments of meaning exist. When you pause long enough to fully be here, you may discover that the present moment is far more beautiful than you expected. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Susan F. Moody Susan F. Moody, Intuitive Business, Life, and Success Coach Susan F. Moody, Wise Woman, is dedicated to empowering women to tap into their own inner wisdom and discover the power of intentional living. Along her personal journey, Susan became a wisdom seeker looking for ways to connect with the divine for inspiration and guidance. She started working with the I Ching, angel cards, wisdom cards, runes, and pendulum work over 20 years ago and now offers these spiritual insight tools as an option to her clients. She has also developed a tangible technique, the Soul Goal™ finder, to help clients answer the contemplative question “Why am I here?”

Written by Dr. Nina Jatuparisuthiseen, Acupuncturist Dr. Kanokwan “Nina” Jatuparisuthiseen is a board-certified and licensed acupuncturist and Certified Sports Medicine Acupuncture® practitioner, and the founder of Nina Acupuncture. Her work is known for its clinical precision, individualized care, and effective results for pain, stress-related conditions, and well-being. Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common reasons people seek treatment in my clinic. Many arrive believing that knee pain is simply an unavoidable part of aging. They have tried pain medication, injections, braces, or simply learned to live with discomfort. While these treatments can certainly have a place, they often focus on managing symptoms rather than addressing the broader factors that influence joint health. Research continues to show that a more comprehensive approach, combining acupuncture, nutrition, healthy body weight, and movement, may offer meaningful improvements in pain, mobility, and quality of life. Looking beyond the knee From a Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM, perspective, knee osteoarthritis often falls under a condition known as Bi Syndrome. Bi Syndrome describes pain, stiffness, numbness, or heaviness that develops when the normal circulation of Qi and Blood becomes obstructed. Classical Chinese medical texts describe external influences such as cold, dampness, and wind as contributing factors. Modern patients may recognize similar situations: years of working outdoors in cold weather, repeatedly exposing the knees to damp environments, or simply accumulating wear and tear over decades. However, external factors are only part of the picture. Traditional Chinese Medicine also considers the body’s internal resilience. When circulation, recovery, and overall vitality become compromised, joints become more vulnerable to chronic pain and degeneration. This helps explain why two people with similar lifestyles may experience very different outcomes. Rather than viewing knee osteoarthritis as simply “damaged cartilage,” TCM evaluates the individual pattern contributing to the condition and tailors treatment accordingly. What modern research shows Fortunately, modern scientific research increasingly supports what acupuncture practitioners have observed clinically for many years. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Pain Research found that both electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture significantly reduced inflammatory markers associated with knee osteoarthritis after eight weeks of treatment. Researchers also observed improvements in biomarkers related to cartilage degradation, alongside an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines. These findings suggest that acupuncture may do more than temporarily reduce pain. It may also help regulate the inflammatory processes involved in osteoarthritis itself. For many patients, this translates into reduced knee pain, improved mobility, easier walking and climbing stairs, better tolerance for exercise, and improved quality of life. Why weight and nutrition matter Acupuncture is only one piece of the puzzle. More than 250 million people worldwide live with hip or knee osteoarthritis, and rising obesity rates continue to fuel its prevalence. Every additional pound of body weight can increase the mechanical load placed on the knees during daily activities. Over time, this additional stress contributes to cartilage degeneration while also promoting chronic low-grade inflammation throughout the body. This is where nutrition becomes an essential part of treatment. Research suggests that dietary patterns rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, fish, and healthy f9+ats, commonly known as the Mediterranean diet, may help reduce inflammation while supporting metabolic health. Rather than focusing on restrictive dieting, the Mediterranean approach emphasizes nourishing the body with foods that naturally support healing. Studies also suggest that diets high in dietary fiber and healthy unsaturated fats may contribute to improved joint health, while maintaining a healthy body weight remains one of the most effective long-term strategies for slowing the progression of knee osteoarthritis. An integrative approach In my clinical practice, I rarely recommend acupuncture as a standalone solution. Instead, I encourage patients to combine treatment with sustainable lifestyle changes that support the body’s ability to heal, including acupuncture to help reduce pain and regulate inflammation, a Mediterranean-style eating pattern, gradual weight management when appropriate, regular low-impact exercise, strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee, and good sleep and stress management to support recovery. These interventions complement one another rather than compete. The bigger picture Knee osteoarthritis is often viewed as an inevitable consequence of getting older. I don’t see it that way. While aging cannot be stopped, how we age is influenced by many factors within our control. An integrative approach that combines evidence-based acupuncture, anti-inflammatory nutrition, healthy movement, and lifestyle medicine offers patients more than temporary pain relief. It provides an opportunity to improve function, remain active, and continue doing the activities that give life meaning. Sometimes the goal isn’t simply to reduce pain. It’s to help people keep hiking with their spouse, playing pickleball with friends, gardening without discomfort, or walking their dog every morning. That’s the kind of outcome that truly matters. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Nina Jatuparisuthiseen Dr. Nina Jatuparisuthiseen, Acupuncturist Dr. Nina Jatuparisuthiseen, DAc, L.Ac., LMT, C.SMA, LE, is a board-certified licensed acupuncturist and founder of Nina Acupuncture. She holds advanced training in Sports Medicine Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Lifestyle & Wellness Coaching through Harvard Medical School Executive Education, and specializes in evidence-based pain management, sports injury recovery, mental and women’s health, preventive care, and systems-based approaches to long-term health and resilience. Her work emphasizes mindful, ethical, and patient-centered care.

Written by K. Joia Houheneka, The World's Premier Excellence Coach K. Joia Houheneka is Founder & Chief of Gold Standards Media, Open Horizons Coaching, and Delve Travel-Luxury Travel Services, through which she pioneers a model of mission-first luxury entrepreneurship. Her work demonstrates how excellence, leadership, and freedom can be built together, by design. The drift is rarely dramatic. It arrives in small, reasonable compromises, until the work is no longer recognizably yours. I spent most of my time in school learning how to get an A. Not how to think, but how to perform thinking in the way that would be rewarded. As a Ph.D. candidate in English, I became fluent in what the professors wanted, what the calls for papers signaled, what the ideological currents of the field would receive warmly, and what they would not. I learned to write toward the audience rather than from myself. I learned, in other words, to optimize. I learned to be good at it. What I did not learn from school, however, was how to hone my own worldview or how to develop the moral courage to stand up for what I believed to be right, even when the room disagreed. That courage did come, in its own way, but it came, ultimately, to produce a radically different kind of decision: to leave academia entirely and build something of my own. In the years since, here is what I have come to understand, both from my own experience and from watching other entrepreneurs: leaving one external validation structure does not automatically free you from the habit of seeking it. You can walk out of the academy and directly into the algorithm. You can trade a professor’s approval for the market's. You can build a business that succeeds by every visible measure and still be, in the deepest sense, getting an A for someone else. The success that doesn't feel like success There is a peculiar kind of entrepreneurial “success” that turns out not to actually be success. The revenue can be real, as can the large following and glowing testimonials, yet there is something that feels hollow in the center of it, a gap between what you are building and what you know you are capable of building, between what the market has now shaped you into and what you actually set out to become. This kind of drift rarely happens dramatically. Instead, it frequently comes in small, “reasonable” increments: the offer you built because it was what clients asked for rather than what you most wanted to give, the content strategy you adopted because the data said it would perform, the positioning you settled into because it was the easiest version of yourself to explain. None of these decisions was wrong, exactly. Each, in its own way, was pragmatic and responsive. However, such “practicality” accumulated over years has a way of becoming a cage you helped build for yourself. What creative autonomy actually requires The question worth asking, the one I had to ask myself when I left academia, is not whether you have built something successful. It is whether you have built something that is yours. Not yours in the narrow sense of legal ownership, though that matters too, but yours in the deepest sense: aligned with your values, expressive of your singular perspective, designed around the contribution you actually are here to make. Creating on your own terms does not mean creating without an audience, without accountability, or without the discipline of real feedback. However, it does mean refusing to let the market's preferences become a substitute for your own. Entrepreneurs need clients and customers, people who will trust your work enough to invest in it. That said, you can make a deliberate choice about how to build toward that, for example, by creating offers that excite you most of all and attract people who share your values. That is not necessarily a business strategy, though it turns out to be a good one. It is a commitment to a different standard of success, one that measures not only the fiscal performance of what you built, but whether the person who built it was recognizably you. The obstacle is not what you think The standard entrepreneurial conversation often gets something wrong about creative autonomy. It frequently treats it as secondary, as the thing you can “get to do” after you have proven yourself to the market, after the revenue is stable, after you can afford to be particular. Build what sells first, the logic goes, and then, later, eventually, once the foundation is secure, build what you want. However, many entrepreneurs discover that later has a way of not ever arriving. The foundation never feels quite secure enough. The conditions for finally building the real thing keep receding. In the meantime, you become more and more fluent in the language of the market and less and less developed in your own. What the conversation also gets wrong is the nature of the obstacle. The block to building on your own terms is almost never a lack of information. You do not need another framework, another strategy, or another set of proven tactics. What you need is moral courage, that is, the willingness to back your own vision against the accumulated weight of what everyone else thinks you should be doing. What you need is the capacity to tolerate the uncertainty of building something singular when something standard would be faster, safer, and better understood by the people watching. Significantly, moral courage is not a personality trait you either have or don't. It develops, and it develops most reliably in the presence of people who have already made the harder choice. Find your way back or choose If you are reading this and feeling the gap I am describing, the distance between the business you have built and the one you know you are capable of building, I want to say something direct: You may be able to find your way back. Or you may have to choose. These are different things, and it is worth being honest about which one your situation actually requires. Some drift is shallow, and a few deliberate choices can begin to correct the course without demolishing what you have built. However, some drift runs deeper, and reclaiming your own terms requires something more demanding than a repositioning exercise. What I have learned, and what I watch other entrepreneurs discover when they are in genuine community with people who take this seriously, is that clarity about which kind of situation you are in rarely comes from more thinking alone. It comes from being genuinely witnessed, from having someone reflect back what they are actually hearing rather than what you have packaged for public consumption, from being asked the questions you have not been able to ask yourself. This is what good community, the rare kind, actually provides. Not advice first, but witnessing and understanding first. Thus, the advice, when it comes, can be rooted in actually having heard what was said, and thus can be as unique as the work you are trying to create. The work that asks the most of you When I left academia, I did not know exactly what I was building toward. I knew only that I was no longer willing to build away from myself and to keep optimizing for an audience whose values I did not share, producing work I could not fully stand behind. What I found on the other side of that choice was not ease, but something grander and more wonderful: the experience of building something singular, for people who desire what I specifically have to offer, in a way that asks me to be more fully myself rather than less. There are other entrepreneurs who have made this choice and are building this way, who have gone through the drift and the reclamation, or who refused to drift in the first place. We know, from the inside, what it takes and what it gives. If this is your struggle too, it might just be the kind of community that will fill you up as well. Let me know. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from K. Joia Houheneka K. Joia Houheneka, The World's Premier Excellence Coach K. Joia Houheneka is devoted to advancing mission-first luxury entrepreneurship as a lived philosophy, not just a positioning strategy. She views excellence as dynamic and wholistic, an ongoing refinement of craft, character, and vision that one grows over time. Her approach to leadership centers self-direction and the freedom to move beyond inherited scripts, external validation, and false trade-offs. Luxury business building, thus, becomes a path toward self-actualization, where premium offerings and philanthropic commitment strengthen each other. She asks, "What might change, for a leader, for a life, for a legacy, if ambition and mission were cultivated together to be one?"

In this interview, Alisa Laveau shares how her lifelong fascination with spirituality, psychology, consciousness, and science evolved into a mission to help others unlock their highest potential. From hypnotherapy and transformational coaching to her ambitious vision of reconnecting science and spirituality, she discusses the ideas, experiences, and purpose driving her work through Laveau’s Metaphysical Co. Alisa Laveau, Hypnotherapist and Applied Metaphysics Coach Who is Alisa Laveau? How did your journey into the world of spiritual science, hypnotherapy, and transformational coaching begin? Since I was a child, I’ve been on a mission to forge my own path, vehemently opposing the status quo and, frankly, refusing to do what I was told. Early on, this tendency of mine to do my own thing regardless of what everyone around me felt I “should be” doing led me to unconsciously prioritize my own interests, self-development, and evolution. Those interests spanned esotericism, spirituality, psychology, physics, and astronomy. I’ve studied these subjects in my free time since high school, which allowed me to become adept in my understanding of them by early adulthood, leading me to pursue them formally. Because I spent so much of my free time studying these subjects, it made sense that eventually I would make a career out of them. Throughout this process of educating and mastering myself, it quickly became apparent that I had wisdom, knowledge, and experience that, if shared, could elevate the lives of others. So what began as me freely advising people in my day-to-day life in my early twenties, over time, became something I knew I could spend my days doing. I knew that I wanted to help change the world, as I was simultaneously experiencing my own becoming. That process of self-actualization throughout my life has fueled my desire to help others do the same, at least those who are ready. I believe it's important to "walk the talk" when in the business of helping people actualize superior expressions of themselves. But I also believe that you have to want it and believe it to achieve it. To many, though, my path may seem super non-linear, and it is. But I’ve spent my time ensuring that everything I do falls under one coherent umbrella, allowing me to help people become the best possible versions of themselves, utilizing science, subconscious reprogramming via hypnotherapy, and tailored coaching plans that give people the tools necessary to apply it all effectively. You didn't just enter an existing professional field, you seem to have created your own lane entirely. What was missing from the fields of coaching and therapy that you felt compelled to fill or transform? So when I was a kid, my mother felt it necessary for me and my siblings to be in therapy. I am realizing now that this was likely because we had experienced traumas early in life that were not within her control. But I remember feeling like whatever therapy was supposed to be doing wasn't happening for me. Even when I experienced therapy as a teen, it just was not cutting it for me. I felt like it was just an hour where I could talk to a professional about things that were on my mind and occasionally get some useful feedback. The thing is, I felt like I could do that with my friends, and I would probably get a lot more out of it. I often did. As I matured, I began to associate talk therapy with just that, talking. Though talk therapy has its benefits, in the world of self-actualization and transformation, I personally don't believe that it's as effective as it could be. Not knocking it, though, as it works for many people. But that’s what interested me in hypnotherapy from a very early age, and is why I am a certified hypnotherapist now. I understood that something deeper was happening that was inhibiting people from becoming the version of themselves that they could visualize but struggled to actualize. I know there are millions of people around the world wondering why they can't just do the thing. What is holding them back from just doing it? It's their subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is running the show. I understood that to incite real, lasting change, we had to go deeper. At the same time, I've always known and articulated that there is nothing that exists that does not embody an energetic form first. I felt it was important to incorporate the science of energy in this process of helping people master themselves because, when you pair knowledge of the quantum field with hypnotherapy and tools to reprogram the subconscious mind and shift your reality, there is truly nothing that you cannot accomplish. But I also can’t believe that for you. You have to believe it too in order for it to work for you. Your work is rooted in original theoretical frameworks that span consciousness, quantum mechanics, and cosmology, and you're now pursuing a formal B.S. in Physics with a minor in Astronomy. What are you actually building, and what drives that pursuit? My entire life, I’ve exhibited and articulated very non-linear ways of being and thinking. My non-linear nature is in alignment with the true nature of reality. So sensibly, this knowingness permeates everything I do and is part of my driving force. It’s my mission to change the way the world perceives reality and the way we utilize and perceive science, spirituality, and the mind. Today, the world has cognitively separated science from spirituality, believing that they’re in completely separate categories. This is false. You cannot have one without the other. Quantum entanglement has already proven that there is no separation. That is an illusion. So, pairing the two with the power of the mind, because your thoughts, perceptions, and beliefs shape your experiences, unlocks levels of reality that we haven’t even been capable of imagining. The fact is, we are not perceiving reality in its truest state. The same way humans are only able to perceive less than 1% of the entire electromagnetic spectrum, that's about how much of the true nature of reality we're perceiving. It’s because of the way that we think, paired with our vibrational frequency, that contributes to our perception and experience of reality being far less multidimensional than it actually is. So what am I building? I’m building a body of thought. I’m building new ways of perceiving existence and creation itself. I am actively remarrying science and spirituality so that we can utilize them both coherently as a unit. Because once we alter and elevate the way that we collectively think, believe, vibrate, and study the science of spirit and energy, which is everything, we will get to witness the rise of a civilization that is actually conscious enough to handle the type of technology and transdimensional travel that is possible. But in order to get there, we’re going to have to engage in more unified ways of thinking, being, and evolving. It’s my life’s mission to help the collective get there. How would you describe the core mission behind Laveau’s Metaphysical Co.? To help people actualize superior versions of themselves while teaching them the mechanics of manifestation, the quantum field of consciousness, and their subconscious mind. It’s also important that this information be paired with the necessary skills for people to apply that knowledge to their daily lives so that they experience powerful, lasting alterations to the process of their personal growth and development. It’s my goal for Laveau’s Metaphysical to be a hub for people to learn all about the science of spirit and manifestation, meditation, and self-development while equipping them with the tools necessary to actually apply all that they’ve learned, versus just shelving it to be forgotten. Contrary to popular belief, the collective frequency is rising. So it’s time we raise our frequencies as individuals to match it. Laveau’s Metaphysical Co. is here to help make that happen, one soul at a time. Who are the types of clients you work with most? What are they done tolerating and ready to change by the time they find you? I love the second half of that question. Because to truly change, you’ve gotta be sick of tolerating less than what you know you can achieve. But being sick of not existing within your full potential isn’t enough. You have to be ready and willing to take action. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes. What you cannot be willing to do is give up on yourself. Cause this sh*t ain’t always gon’ be easy. But I promise it will be worth every ounce of your effort in the end. So that’s who I work with. I work with those who are willing to do whatever it takes to become the best at whatever it is they do or seek to do. The people who are no longer willing to compromise on their journey toward achieving their dream self and reality. What are my clients typically tolerating when they find me? Well, there’s a wide range of things. But the general consensus is regularity and a feeling of not living up to their fullest potential. They’re often aware that potential begins to lose its value when it’s not acted upon, and they’re tired of not acting on it. They also know that life can be far grander than it may have been so far. So they come to me to help them hit the ground running, and equally as important, to receive the tools that will ensure that they keep up the momentum. As a certified hypnotherapist and spiritual scientist, how do you bridge those two dimensions in your sessions, and what makes your work distinct from conventional hypnotherapy? So, most of my hypnotherapy sessions are anything but standard. In the cognitive portion of my sessions, which is the part where we discuss presenting issues and strategies to overcome them, I not only give clients actionable day to day steps to take to change their habits long after our work is done, but I also teach them how to transmute their energy, raise their frequency, and manage their fluctuating emotions so that they become more adept at controlling the outcomes they experience in their reality. By becoming more aware of your emotional state on a moment-to-moment basis and managing it more intentionally, you not only raise your vibrational frequency, but you can quite literally shrink space-time, allowing your manifestations to actualize more quickly and with greater precision. Essentially, I teach people how to manifest their dream life and self in half the time, with double the accuracy, while simultaneously helping them reprogram their subconscious minds to rid themselves of limiting associations and beliefs that hinder them from reaching their goals, whatever those goals may be. What are some of the transformational results someone can expect when working with you? It’s quite common for clients to experience significantly less anxiety and stress, a deeper connection with source, however you define source, and with self, better sleep, higher levels of creativity and motivation, clearing of mental fatigue and emotional blockages, healthier interpersonal and even professional relationships, weight loss, the release of a myriad of “bad” habits, career advancement, financial increase, and some have even significantly grown their social media presence. There really is no limit to what you can accomplish after leaving my sessions. It’s just up to the client to decide how big they feel like dreaming and achieving. At Laveau’s Metaphysical Co., the sky is only the limit if that’s the limit you set for yourself. But just know, the bigger the goals, the greater the changes you have to make, which will ultimately lead to a far deeper transformation. What’s the most common misconception people have about hypnotherapy, and what would you want someone who's on the fence about it to actually understand before they make their decision on whether or not to move forward? The most common misconception and fear that people have regarding hypnotherapy is their belief that it’s some sort of mind control. Many fear it because the media, an excellent example being the movie Get Out, has placed a subconscious association in their minds of hypnotherapy being synonymous with the idea that hypnotherapists make you think and do things you did not consent to. This could not be farther from the truth. First of all, hypnotherapy is a deeply relaxed and focused state. You’re not asleep, unconscious, or out of control. Before we even begin the hypnotic portion of a session, in the cognitive, or talking, portion of the session, we discuss the client's goals and needs. The language that I utilize in the hypnotic portion of the session is actually a direct reflection of the client's own language. There’s nothing that is said or done in a hypnotherapy session that’s not in direct alignment with the goals and needs of the client. Because here's the thing. As I mentioned, you're not unconscious when you're under hypnosis. You’re deeply relaxed and in a state where it’s easier to bypass the critical mind so that we may effectively access and reprogram the subconscious mind. Even then, if I were to ever use language that was not in direct alignment with what the client needs and wants, they would experience massive resistance. This would render the therapy useless. In fact, it could even cause harm. As hypnotherapists, we’re not in the business of causing harm. Our number one obligation is the welfare of the client. I also want to mention that at the beginning of every first session that I have with a new client, we spend some time dispelling fears and misconceptions. My clients are allowed to ask any questions they wish in order to make them feel more comfortable and trusting in the process. I want you to trust in the process. This is necessary for your own growth and for you to get the most out of your sessions. I also offer free consultations for anyone who’s on the fence. It’s part of my job to make my clients feel as comfortable and heard as possible. You've spoken about helping the collective evolve its perception of reality, science, and consciousness. What does that world actually look like to you? The one on the other side of this work, succeeding at the scale you're envisioning? I just want to start by saying that I’m aware we are living in very challenging times. To many, it may seem like the world is literally ending. In fact, that exact rhetoric is often used to describe the times we’re living in as the “end times.” But it is not the end of the world. It’s the end of an age. The Iron Age, to be exact. A new Golden Age is on our horizon. As I mentioned earlier, I believe the collective consciousness is steadily rising. Contrary to popular belief, this is actually why things seem to be getting worse. We get to witness the storm before the calm. The chaos before eventual peace. People are waking up in masses and believing less of what they’re told and more of what they feel. I’m proud of humanity right now. I believe we’re actually headed exactly where we’re supposed to. A world where free energy technology is utilized without limitation, and without those in dwindling power deliberately stifling its public advancement. Where fossil fuels are obsolete, as well as wars over oil, and all wars entirely. A world where humanity has reached unity consciousness and no longer perceives a reality where separation exists. A civilization that has learned to harness the energy and power of other cosmic bodies and has technologically advanced enough to not just travel off planet, but live off planet. A civilization that has mastered transdimensional travel and is capable of traversing the cosmos in fractions of a moment. A reality where people can holographically project the structure of their DNA so that they’re able to restructure their own code and heal their minds and bodies without the use of medication or anything outside of themselves. Lastly, a world where death is no longer a “natural part of life,” and where people instead can transmute the energy of their physical and spiritual bodies to ascend in consciousness and physically travel to higher dimensions of reality without having to perish first. This is what I believe the world on the other side of this work, and the work of many others like me, looks like. It may sound like science fiction, but consider this. Where do you think science fiction writers and directors got all these ideas from? Nothing has ever been discovered. Only remembered. How can readers connect with you, explore your offerings, and begin their transformation today? Regarding social media, I love interacting with the community on TikTok because I’m not going to lie, the vibes over there are immaculate. So that’s where I’m most active on social media. There, I’ve built a large community of amazing, like-minded people, and I’d love for you to be a part of that. You can find me there. You can also find me on Instagram and on Facebook. For those who wish to book a hypnotherapy session and are ready to become a version of themselves they’ll be immensely proud of, I offer free 30-minute consultations to prospective clients seeking clarity on how my sessions work and the type of results they can expect. After our consult, you may notice an intense desire to change. After that first session, you may notice a feeling of deep relaxation, motivation, and even an enhanced outlook on life. If you found me, that means you may be being nudged to act. Don’t let the opportunity to alter the trajectory of your entire life pass you by. If you have any questions or wish to collaborate, you may visit my website or email me here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you, Brainz Magazine, for giving me a platform to share my mission and story. To those of you reading this, thank you for your time. Let’s change the world together. Visit my website for more info! Read more from Alisa Laveau

Written by Jonathan Barca, Founder and Executive Director Jonathan Barca is an independent brand founder and executive director focused on building long-term wholesale infrastructure and culture-led business ecosystems. His work explores the intersection of fashion, creativity, and sustainable brand development. Transparency has become one of the most frequently used words in modern business. It appears in annual reports, marketing campaigns, sustainability reports, and corporate mission statements across almost every industry. Yet despite its growing popularity, transparency is often treated as a communication strategy rather than an operational philosophy. In fashion, that distinction matters. Consumers, retailers, manufacturers, and strategic partners are asking different questions today than they were a decade ago. They are increasingly interested in how products are made, how businesses operate, and whether the organisations behind the products demonstrate consistency, accountability, and integrity. While design and aesthetics continue to attract attention, trust is becoming one of the industry's most valuable forms of currency. Transparency is no longer simply about sharing information. It is about creating confidence. Transparency begins long before communication Many people associate transparency with what a brand chooses to communicate publicly. In reality, transparency begins much earlier. It begins internally. Every operational decision contributes to a culture of transparency. The way suppliers are selected, how quality standards are maintained, how expectations are communicated, and how problems are approached all become part of a company's identity. These processes may never appear in marketing materials, yet they shape every interaction a business has with retailers, manufacturers, and customers. I have come to believe that transparency is less about disclosure and more about alignment. When the values a business communicates publicly genuinely reflect the way it operates privately, trust develops naturally. There is no need to manufacture authenticity because authenticity already exists within the structure itself. This distinction becomes increasingly important as businesses grow. Expansion inevitably introduces complexity, and complexity has a way of exposing inconsistencies. Businesses that establish transparent systems early are better equipped to maintain clarity because transparency has become part of their operating rhythm rather than an initiative introduced later. Trust is created through consistency Trust rarely develops through a single campaign, announcement, or successful collection. Instead, it forms gradually through repeated experiences. Products arrive when expected. Communication remains clear. Quality is maintained across production cycles. Challenges are acknowledged honestly rather than avoided. Individually, these moments may appear ordinary. Collectively, they shape reputation. In many industries, trust is often viewed as the outcome of success. I believe the opposite is true. Trust is one of the conditions that make sustainable success possible. Fashion has always been a relationship-driven industry. Whether working with manufacturing partners, retailers, logistics providers, or customers, every interaction contributes to a broader perception of reliability. Transparency strengthens those relationships because it reduces uncertainty and creates confidence over time. Transparency creates confidence rather than certainty No business operates without challenges. Production schedules change. Material availability fluctuates. Shipping delays occur. Market conditions evolve. Perfection has never been the expectation within professional partnerships. Confidence, however, is. One of the most valuable outcomes of transparency is that it allows businesses to navigate uncertainty without damaging trust. When communication remains honest, timely, and proactive, temporary challenges become collaborative conversations instead of unnecessary conflicts. Retailers and manufacturing partners understand that global commerce involves variables outside anyone's control. What they value is clarity. They want confidence that expectations are realistic, information is accurate, and communication remains consistent throughout the process. Transparency does not eliminate uncertainty. It gives people confidence in how uncertainty will be managed. Relationships are becoming more valuable than transactions Modern business is steadily moving away from transactional thinking and toward relationship thinking. Technology has made products more accessible, manufacturing more global, and communication almost instantaneous. As these barriers continue to disappear, one competitive advantage becomes increasingly difficult to replicate, genuine professional relationships. Relationships are strengthened through repeated experiences of reliability. Transparency accelerates that process because it removes unnecessary ambiguity and encourages honest dialogue from the beginning. Over time, businesses that communicate openly begin to establish reputations that extend well beyond individual products. Their identity becomes associated with professionalism, consistency, and dependability. These qualities are difficult to quantify on a balance sheet, yet they often determine which partnerships continue for years and which remain short-lived. In many ways, transparency has become one of the defining characteristics of the modern relationship economy. Transparency improves leadership One of the less obvious benefits of transparency is the way it influences leadership itself. When organisations commit to operating transparently, leaders naturally begin asking better questions. Are our production standards being maintained? Are our partnerships healthy? Are our decisions aligned with our long-term vision? Could we confidently explain the reasoning behind the choices we make? This level of self-examination creates accountability. It encourages businesses to think beyond immediate opportunities and consider the long-term consequences of every operational decision. For independent brands, especially, leadership becomes one of the strongest competitive advantages available. Products evolve. Markets change. Consumer preferences shift. The standards established by leadership, however, continue shaping every conversation throughout the organisation. Transparency, therefore, becomes far more than a communications exercise. It becomes a leadership discipline. A long-term competitive advantage Through building my own business, I have come to view transparency as one of the most durable competitive advantages available to an independent brand. While trends, technologies, and consumer behaviour will continue to evolve, trust retains its value regardless of market conditions. Businesses that communicate clearly, operate consistently, and build honest relationships create resilience that cannot easily be replicated. Through my work with LML Clothing by Halfwait, I have seen how transparency strengthens every layer of the business, from manufacturing partnerships and product development to conversations with retailers and long-term planning. Rather than treating openness as a marketing tool, it has become part of the operating philosophy that guides decision-making. That philosophy has reinforced something I have come to believe strongly. Sustainable growth is rarely built through complexity. More often, it is built through clarity. Looking ahead As the fashion industry continues to evolve, transparency will likely become less of a competitive differentiator and more of a fundamental expectation. Consumers are becoming more informed. Retailers are becoming more selective. Manufacturing partnerships are becoming increasingly collaborative. In this environment, businesses that rely solely on carefully crafted messaging will find it more difficult to maintain credibility over time. The brands that will continue to stand out are those whose actions consistently reflect the values they communicate. They will understand that transparency is not simply about revealing more information, but about ensuring every aspect of the business operates with integrity, consistency, and accountability. When transparency becomes embedded within operations rather than layered onto communications, it creates something far more valuable than visibility. It creates trust. And trust, strengthened patiently through consistent actions and honest relationships, remains one of the strongest foundations upon which any enduring business can be built. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jonathan Barca Jonathan Barca, Founder and Executive Director Jonathan Barca is an independent brand founder and executive director focused on building long-term wholesale infrastructure and culture-led business ecosystems. He is the founder of LML Clothing by Halfwait, an international fashion label operating through a direct-to-retail model. His work explores sustainable brand development, operational clarity, and creative-led business strategy. Through his writing, Jonathan shares insights on building resilient independent brands in a global market.

With more than 24 years in the insurance and restoration industry, Mark has seen property losses from nearly every angle – as a claims adjuster, restoration professional, consultant, and auditor. As a Senior Consultant with Bower Group, that background now shapes how he evaluates complex commercial losses, from hospitals and schools to manufacturing plants and courthouses. In this interview, he talks about what objective consulting really looks like, how the industry is changing, and what keeps clients coming back. Mark Siegwald, Senior Consultant, Bower Group Can you introduce Bower Group and describe your role as a Senior Consultant? I serve as a Senior Consultant with Bower Group, where I work with insurance carriers, contractors, and property owners to evaluate complex property losses. My role is to assess damage after events like fires, floods, storms, and other disasters, develop repair scopes, review estimates, and provide objective recommendations. I've spent more than 24 years in the insurance and restoration industry, working as a claims adjuster, restoration professional, consultant, and auditor. That broad background allows me to approach every project from multiple perspectives while keeping the focus on accuracy and practical solutions. How does Bower Group deliver its consulting services? Our work is built around experienced consultants who perform independent assessments and provide technical expertise throughout the claims and restoration process. We collaborate with insurance carriers, contractors, engineers, and property owners, but our role is to provide an objective evaluation of the loss. Every project is different, so our approach is tailored to the property, the scope of the damage, and the client's specific needs. What sets your approach apart in the property damage consulting industry? I think the biggest difference is experience combined with objectivity. I've worked on both the insurance and restoration sides of the industry, so I understand how each stakeholder approaches a project. That perspective helps me evaluate damage fairly without losing sight of the practical realities of restoring a building. My goal isn't to make a project bigger or smaller than necessary. It's to make sure the repair plan accurately reflects the damage and supports a successful recovery. What types of clients and industries do you typically work with? Most of my work involves commercial and institutional properties. Over the years, I've worked on hospitals, schools, municipal facilities, courthouses, sports complexes, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and office buildings. Every type of property presents different challenges. A hospital has different operational priorities than a warehouse, and a manufacturing facility has different concerns than a school. Understanding how each building functions is just as important as understanding the physical damage. What services do clients rely on you for most often? Clients typically bring me in to perform damage assessments, develop repair scopes, audit restoration estimates, review pricing, evaluate reserves, and provide consulting throughout the recovery process. Many of the projects involve large commercial losses where multiple parties need an independent assessment to help guide decision-making. How do you stay current in an industry that continues to evolve? The best education still comes from being in the field. Technology, building materials, and restoration methods continue to change, so I make it a priority to stay engaged with projects and continue learning. I also maintain industry certifications and pay close attention to how restoration practices evolve. Every project teaches me something, and I think staying curious is just as important as staying informed. Do you work with repeat clients, and what keeps them coming back? Yes. Much of my work comes from long-term relationships with insurance carriers and organizations that value consistency and objective evaluations. Trust is built over time. Clients know they're going to receive honest assessments, thorough documentation, and recommendations based on the actual conditions rather than assumptions. I think reliability is one of the biggest reasons people continue working together. How do you measure success on a project? Success starts with accuracy. I want to know that we've correctly identified the damage, developed a realistic repair scope, and provided information that helps everyone make informed decisions. Good communication is another important measure. When property owners, contractors, and insurance representatives understand the process and have confidence in the information they're receiving, projects generally move much more smoothly. What does your involvement look like after your initial assessment is complete? It depends on the project. In many cases, I continue reviewing documentation, answering technical questions, evaluating updated estimates, and providing additional consulting as repairs move forward. Large commercial losses often evolve as more information becomes available, so ongoing collaboration is an important part of the process. How are consulting projects typically structured? The specific billing structure depends on the assignment and the client. Consulting engagements are tailored to the scope of work, so there isn't a single pricing model that applies to every project. What types of projects have you worked on over the past year? I've continued working on large commercial property losses involving fire, water, wind, and mold damage. These have included projects for healthcare facilities, municipal buildings, industrial properties, and commercial organizations. Every assignment is different, but the common goal is always to help clients understand the damage and develop a practical path toward recovery. Are there projects you choose not to take on? The right fit depends on the type of property, the scope of the loss, and whether my experience aligns with the client's needs. My work is focused on complex property damage consulting, so I generally concentrate on projects where independent technical evaluation can provide meaningful value. What challenges has the industry faced in recent years? The biggest challenges have been rising construction costs, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and increasingly complex buildings. Restoration projects today often involve advanced building systems and more coordination between multiple stakeholders than they did earlier in my career. Those factors have made careful planning, communication, and accurate documentation even more important. How do you adapt to changes in the restoration industry? I try not to assume that the way something was done ten years ago is automatically the best approach today. New technology has improved documentation, moisture detection, estimating, and communication, but technology doesn't replace experience. My goal is to combine modern tools with practical field knowledge to make better decisions. How important is teamwork in your work? It's essential. Restoration projects involve insurance carriers, contractors, engineers, consultants, facility managers, and property owners. Everyone has a different responsibility, and successful projects depend on clear communication and mutual respect. I've learned that listening carefully is often just as important as providing technical expertise. Where do you see the property damage consulting industry heading over the next decade? I think we'll continue seeing greater use of technology, better documentation, and more sophisticated building systems. At the same time, I believe experienced consultants will remain essential because someone still has to interpret the information, understand the building, and make sound professional judgments. The human element won't disappear. How has your leadership style changed over the course of your career? Earlier in my career, I thought leadership meant having answers quickly. Today, I think it means asking better questions, listening carefully, and creating an environment where people can make informed decisions. Experience has taught me that confidence is valuable, but humility is equally important. There is always more to learn. What developments in the industry are you most excited about? I'm encouraged by improvements in technology that allow us to gather better information and document losses more accurately. Moisture mapping, thermal imaging, digital estimating platforms, and other tools have made the industry more efficient. What excites me most is finding ways to combine those advances with the experience that still comes from walking buildings and understanding how they perform in the real world. What advice would you give to professionals building a career in this field? Don't be in a hurry to think you have all the answers. Spend time in the field, ask questions, and learn from the people around you. Pay attention to the details because small observations often lead to the biggest insights. Most importantly, remember that you're not just evaluating buildings. You're helping people recover from difficult situations. If you keep that perspective, you'll make better decisions and build stronger relationships throughout your career.

Some careers are built around trends. Others are built around a clear point of view. For Chicago-based tattoo artist and oil painter Iman Ali Tirmizi, success has come from staying connected to the ideas that first inspired him as a child growing up near Anchorage, Alaska. While his surroundings have changed dramatically over the years, the principles behind his work have remained consistent: observation, patience, and authenticity. Those ideas have helped him build a career that bridges two very different worlds. “I've never been interested in chasing what's popular,” Tirmizi says. “I've always been more interested in creating something that feels real.” How growing up in Alaska shaped Iman Ali Tirmizi's career Tirmizi spent his childhood just outside Anchorage, where daily life revolved around nature and the changing seasons. Long winters, endless summer daylight, forests, mountains, and open space became part of how he understood the world. He spent hours outdoors studying animal tracks, weather patterns, and landscapes. That environment also encouraged independence. “Growing up where I did, you learn to pay attention,” he says. “You notice details that other people might miss.” Those observations eventually found their way into his artwork. As a child, he filled sketchbooks with images of wildlife, rivers, and mountain ranges. Drawing became a way to capture the feelings he experienced outdoors. Looking back, many of the themes that define his work today began during those early years. Discovering tattooing and building a creative foundation As a teenager, Tirmizi was introduced to tattooing through a friend. What started as curiosity quickly became a serious pursuit. “The permanence of tattooing fascinated me,” he says. “The idea that something you create becomes part of someone's life forever carries a lot of responsibility.” At sixteen, he began practicing with a borrowed tattoo machine. He spent countless hours refining his technique and developing his own style. Instead of following popular designs, he focused on imagery that reflected his personal experiences. Mountains. Forests. Wildlife. Minimalist landscapes. These became the foundation of his artistic identity. At the same time, he developed a passion for oil painting. While tattooing demanded precision and commitment, painting gave him space to experiment and reflect. “Painting lets me slow down,” he says. “It's a completely different process, but both forms of art teach you patience.” Why moving to Chicago became a turning point By the time he reached nineteen, Tirmizi realized he wanted to challenge himself creatively. Alaska would always be home, but he felt ready for something bigger. Without a detailed long-term plan, he boarded a flight from Anchorage and moved to Chicago. The transition was far from easy. He worked in different tattoo shops, took walk-in clients, and adapted to a city environment that felt completely different from the quiet landscapes he knew growing up. Still, he viewed the challenge as an opportunity. “I wanted to put myself somewhere that would force me to grow,” he says. That decision became one of the most important ideas he ever acted on. Building a tattoo career through authenticity Chicago's tattoo scene is highly competitive, with artists representing countless styles and specialties. Rather than trying to blend in, Tirmizi leaned further into what made his work unique. His wilderness-inspired designs offered something different. Clients connected with the personal stories and experiences behind the artwork. Over time, he built a loyal client base and established himself within the city's creative community. His success did not come from a dramatic breakthrough. Instead, it came through consistency. “A lot of people think success happens all at once,” he says. “Most of the time it's just showing up every day and doing the work.” That mindset has become a defining part of his career. The big idea behind his work One of the most important ideas driving Tirmizi's career is the belief that creativity works best when it stays connected to personal experience. Many artists focus on trends. He focuses on observation. His tattoos continue to draw from the wilderness landscapes that shaped him. His paintings blend memories of Alaska with the architecture, movement, and energy of Chicago. The result is work that feels both familiar and evolving. “Where you come from doesn't disappear,” he says. “It becomes part of everything you create.” That philosophy has helped him navigate two very different environments while maintaining a clear artistic identity. What's next for Iman Ali Tirmizi? Today, Tirmizi continues to balance tattooing and painting while expanding his creative skills. He remains committed to learning, experimenting, and finding new ways to express ideas that have followed him since childhood. His story is not one of overnight success. It is a story about taking a simple idea seriously, investing time into a craft, and trusting that authenticity can create opportunities. For Tirmizi, the biggest lesson is straightforward. “You don't need to have everything figured out,” he says. “You just need to keep moving forward and stay honest about why you're creating in the first place.” That approach has guided him from the forests of Alaska to the creative neighborhoods of Chicago, and it continues to shape the career he is building today.

Written by Andy Travis, Therapist Andy Travis is a therapist specialising in addiction recovery, mental & mood health, sex/love/relationships, and men's well-being. He uses techniques like live guided meditation, simple hypnosis, and somatic enquiry, personally tailored to give his clients access to their inner resources. If you work, self-sabotage, control, scroll, shop, abandon yourself or others, seek approval, rage, drink or drug too much, if you feel guilty when you stand up for yourself, if you confuse love with rescue, this article could give you some tools to be the loving parent that perhaps the child within you has been calling out for. In my personal healing journey and in working with others, I use the methods below often. My goal here is to provide enough knowledge for you to start using them right away. ‘‘We first see the world though the eyes of a little child, and that 'inner child' remains with us throughout our lives, no matter how outwardly 'grown-up' and powerful we become. If our vulnerable child was hurt, abandoned, shamed, or neglected, that child's pain, grief, and anger live on within us.’’ – John Bradshaw, ‘Homecoming.’ Journal writing One way to start is by finding a quiet place and writing a letter to a younger version of yourself. Pick an age where something important happened, and let them know that you want to connect with them and that you want to be there for them from now on. Take some time to remember/imagine yourself at that age. If you have any photos of yourself from that time, look deeply at them. Then see if they want to write back to you. If they do, allow them to move your pen, let it just write. Sometimes writing with your non-dominant hand helps, especially if they’re fairly young. For a conversation that moves back and forth more quickly, you may want to create initials to start a line. You could call your Present Self ‘PS’ for short, and if you want to talk to your 8-year-old self, you could use ‘8YO’. Or use a loving nickname. In this way, the dialogue looks a bit like a film script, with the character’s name starting each piece of dialogue. Inner dialogue John Bradshaw called the inner child "the part of us that is most alive, most creative, most spontaneous." So it’s worthwhile to get some conversation started. Try listening to how you talk to yourself for a day. If it’s critical, I invite you to simply practice the opposite. You can also talk with your inner critical parent, respectfully encouraging them to retire, letting them know that you can manage things from now on. Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families is a 12-Step peer support group. It has excellent literature, including the ‘Loving Parent Guidebook’, which spells out a process to become your own loving parent. You can start an inner conversation whenever you have a spare moment. Ask your little one: “What do you need right now?” Sometimes I ask my inner child what he’d like to do next, or for help with simple decisions. Before starting to consciously reparent myself, I thought my inner child would be demanding and irrational. Once we started to communicate, I was pleasantly surprised at how cooperative and wise he was. Mirror work Mirror work was popularised by the late Louise Hay. Her inner child work can be found here: Forgiveness/Loving The Inner Child. When I was working through the Loving Parent Guidebook, I wanted to skip the mirror-work part: my relationship with mirrors was warped by both vanity and harsh judgement of my body shape. Try this next time you have a quiet moment in front of a ‘looking glass’: pause, look into yourself through the reflection of your eyes, and speak to yourself with the tenderness you would offer a child. Say something like: "I see you. I'm here for you. I love you." Notice what arises. Over time, this simple practice can begin to heal your relationship with yourself. I’ve found mirror work to be one of the quickest and most direct ways to check in with my inner child and inner teenager. It’s also helping me undo both vanity and dislike of fatty places on my body! Bradshaw described how we first come to know ourselves through the mirror of a caregiver's face. Mirror work, in adulthood, is a chance to offer ourselves the steady, loving gaze we may not have received when we were young. Reparenting check-in I’ve found this method to be a lifesaver when I’ve started to get heated or reactive, and I want to interact with others as a calm, compassionate adult. It’s drawn from the Loving Parent Guidebook. Try sitting quietly and moving through these four questions: What physical sensations and emotions do you notice? Who (what part of you) needs your loving parent’s attention? What triggered this part? How can you tend to this part from the loving parent within you? To wrap up "Each one of us has a three-year-old child within us, and we often spend most of our time yelling at that kid in ourselves. Then we wonder why our lives don't work." – Louise Hay, 'You Can Heal Your Life'. Inside you lives both a wounded child and the capacity to be a loving parent to that child. I hope the tools above inspire you to get started or keep going. Feel free to visit my website for some free guided meditations on this theme and to share any feedback or questions. Lastly, I wrote the first draft of the poem below with my non-dominant hand. I wanted to explore the deepest beliefs of a younger, less intellectual version of myself. Enjoy. What I know to be true for sure Roses smell nice, Unless they’re rotten. Anything rotten smells bad, Including farts. Chips taste nice, Unless they’re not cooked well. Rabbits and most furry friends Feel nice, Unless they’re dirty. Sunrises look beautiful, Unless I hadn’t slept all night. Then, when I saw the sunrise, I just felt worried, So I couldn’t feel the beauty. Going to sleep near the ocean at night Sounds holy. Unless there’s a storm, Then it sounds a bit scary. But what I can’t Smell, Taste, Touch, See, Or hear, That’s where “true” and “for sure” Get tricky and sticky. Sometimes, I have a feeling, Drifting off by the holy ocean On a beach holiday, After a day of sunny adventures, That I know Love to be true, Peace for sure, And there is no “unless.” Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info. Read more from Andy Travis Andy Travis, Therapist In 1988, when Andy was 17, his mother began training to be a lifeline telephone counsellor. She would often talk to him about it. He was fascinated. The following year, Andy had a series of out-of-body experiences. They confirmed what he'd been reading about the parallels between mysticism and quantum physics. He embarked on a lifelong journey of meditation. In his early 30s, a mood disorder and sex/love addiction led him to 12-step peer-support groups, where he continues to volunteer today. He established Meeting Point Counselling in 2016.