Written by Walé Akíngbadé, Author and Storyteller Walé Akíngbadé is a children's book author and storyteller whose work explores culturally rich themes of identity, courage, imagination, and personal growth. He is the creator of Golden Threads of Inspiration, a collection of allegorical books and music that inspire readers to embrace life’s deeper lessons. How do we hold on to who we are when life piles role upon role on our shoulders? At the book launch event for The Tree That Found Its Roots , a mother's feedback resonated with the human side of me and inspired the artist in me. She shared how she had wept while reading because she had defined herself solely by her titles daughter, sister, wife, mother, teacher, and suddenly realised she no longer knew who she was outside of them. Her vulnerable confession echoed my own journey and the stories many readers have shared about the book. It also highlights a universal ideology, that when we accumulate so many labels, we emphasise defining ourselves by them so much that we could easily forget to look beneath them to see who we really are. When roles become our identity My earliest lessons in identity came from summers on my uncle’s farm in Ibadan. We dug ponds for tilapia, collected eggs from poultry, and snacked on fruit while elders told stories of cunning tortoises and brave hunters. Those evenings taught me that identity extends beyond labels, it is rooted in the values we carry and share. Values such as curiosity, resilience, empathy, and compassion. Later, when I moved to London as a teenager, I accumulated new titles. For the first time, I was referred to as a black person, later, I also became an engineering student, a music producer through my hobby, an MBA candidate, a start-up founder, and, most recently, an author. Each role revealed a different facet of the same person, mostly from others’ perspectives, yet none defined me completely. The more I clung to titles, the less room I left for curiosity and growth.  Psychologists who study identity development point out that adolescence and early adulthood are natural periods of exploration. Still, there is a danger in assuming that a single role fully captures who we are, especially at a stage of development when parents may be quick to express pride in a momentary phase a child is going through, thereby attaching an expectation for the child to hold on to.  Paulo Coelho writes in Manuscript Found in Accra that there is beauty in simply being, as a flower does, rather than constantly chasing external validation. The Copt, a key character in the story, responds that “Instead, when asked if it feels useful for merely producing the same flowers over and over, the flower replies, 'I am beautiful, and beauty is my reason for living.” The quote illustrates that one's value does not come from utility but from inherent beauty and purpose. Paulo goes on to write, “Don’t try to be useful. Try to be yourself, that is enough, and that makes all the difference.” Why we cling to roles We cling to roles because society rewards consistency and clarity. Social media amplifies this by encouraging us to brand ourselves with neat descriptors. In the workplace, we are often hired and promoted for our ability to perform a specific function. There is comfort in knowing who we are supposed to be, and fear in stepping into the unknown. However, when circumstances change, such as when children leave home, careers pivot, or relationships end, we may feel unmoored. It’s at this point that we typically realise that our identity has been tied to a job description or family role rather than to inner qualities that endure. Creativity as a mirror and a balm Neuroscience research indicates that expressive writing and other creative activities facilitate the processing of complex emotions, integration of experiences, and reduction of stress. For me, composing music and writing stories created a safe space to explore feelings I had hidden behind my professional façade. Characters inspired by folk tales and modern life helped me unearth unresolved emotions and reconnect with the storyteller I’ve always been. Whether through writing, painting or dance, creative outlets offer a judgment-free zone to acknowledge and transform feelings. They remind us that we are more than the sum of our duties and that the act of creation can be a path back to ourselves. Navigating ambition with integrity Ambition is not the enemy of authenticity, the challenge is to strike a balance between drive and self-reflection. Early in my career, I chased promotions and start‑up valuations, sometimes compromising my values. It took conscious practice to ask, 'Why do I want this?' Will this goal ground me or further fragment me? In my forthcoming book, A Merchant’s Tale, the protagonist Yuri faces a similar choice, whether to continue pursuing wealth at the cost of his integrity or honour his values, even if it means turning down opportunities. He discovers, as many of us do, that success devoid of self‑awareness feels hollow. The tree may grow tall, but without deep roots, it will topple in the first storm. Lessons for self‑discovery Living across continents and balancing technical and creative careers has taught me several lessons: Identity is dynamic, not fixed. Our postcode or profession does not define us. Our core values and passions provide continuity through change. Slowing down is wise. In cultures that glorify speed, taking time to reflect and create can feel countercultural. Yet, it is essential for processing experiences and aligning with our purpose. Ambition must align with intention. It’s admirable to strive for excellence, but we should regularly ask: Why do I want this? Will it make me more grounded or more fragmented? Creativity is healing. Channelling struggles into art transforms pain into insight, it may not erase the past, but it reduces its hold and becomes a beacon to others. We belong everywhere and nowhere. Cross‑cultural experiences expand our perspective and remind us that home is defined by the values we carry, not a fixed location. An invitation to parents Self‑discovery is a lifelong conversation between the roles we play and the values we hold. In The Tree That Found Its Roots, the sapling only realises its strength when it sinks deeper into the soil that has always supported it. This children’s story resonated with that mother because it mirrored her own awakening. If you are a parent, it offers a gentle way to explore big questions with your child. Reading together can spark conversations about what truly nourishes us and how our value isn’t tied to the roles we play. Take a moment with your children to reflect on your roots: What values travel with your family through change? Which roles energise each of you, and which ones feel heavy? How can creative expression: drawing, music, journalling, or poetry, etc., help you explore who you are beyond your titles? By nurturing these discussions early, you help your children grow deeper roots in a world that constantly asks them to chase new labels.  You also rediscover parts of yourself that may have been forgotten along the way.  If this story resonates with you, explore The Tree That Found Its Roots together.  It might just open a conversation that changes how you see yourself and how your children see themselves. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Walé Akíngbadé Walé Akíngbadé, Author and Storyteller Walé Akíngbadé is a storyteller, counsellor, and the creator of the Golden Threads of Inspiration series. Born in Ibadan, Nigeria, he learned the value of diligence, family, and storytelling while tending to poultry, gardens, and fish ponds with his older cousins. In his late teens, he moved to London to study engineering and later earned an MBA in Boston, working in tech startups across multiple continents. After a 20-year stint in corporate life, he turned back to music and writing as a form of healing, which eventually led him to pursue an NCFE Diploma in Counselling. Today, he combines business insight, cross-cultural experience, and emotional intelligence to craft picture books and essays that explore identity, resilience, and compassion. Walé now lives in the United Kingdom.

Written by Aaron Eschenburg, Ayahuascero and Astrotheologer Aaron Eschenburg is an Ayahuascero and Astrotheologer. He is the Founder and creator of Ancestral Herbs, a natural plant medicine company, and MiTranscendance Entheo Religious Society. Each year, the Virgin Mother Earth gives birth to the Sun on December 25th. The Sun that lights the world, who sits in the heavens, and in reflection walks on water. Capricorn Jesus, the Sun, born on December 25th in the constellation Capricorn the Goat, the scapegoat of Israel, took on the sins of the world. The Sun lights the world, and all vegetation grows from its light. All life flourishes in abundance from the light of the Sun. It is fair to say the contrast of all the elements is important, but without the Sun, the fuel for balance and growth would not exist. Life would cease to exist. When the Sun begins to rise north again each year after its six month descent, we should be humbled and celebrate. Aquarius Years are days in the Bible. Thirty days or years after Jesus is born is when his story really begins. Jesus meets John the Baptist and is baptized as the Sun moves into Aquarius, the Water Bearer. Aquarius rains the waters down from the heavens to the earth. Snow falls in the northern hemisphere, while it is the rainy season in the southern hemisphere. The rain can be talked about as the semen of the gods impregnating the Earth, which gives birth to vegetation. Pisces John the Baptist is then put into prison as Jesus continues on to Galilee. The Sun leaves Aquarius and enters Pisces, the two fish, where Jesus meets the two fisherman brothers, Simon and Andrew. The Bible mentions Jesus on his path onto Galilee seventy one different times. Galilee translates to circle or circuit, which is a closed loop or circular path for a current to flow. The Sun is in a closed loop circuit that follows the same circular path each year. John 3:30, John the Baptist is speaking about Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” As Jesus, the Sun, moves out of Aquarius, the sign itself becomes less visible in the night sky. The light of the days increases as John the Baptist, Aquarius the Water Bearer, decreases. Six months later, when the Sun starts its descent on its southward journey, we begin to see the sign Aquarius increase in size as the days decrease in length. Aries Pass Over and Easter are celebrated as the Sun passes over the equator into Aries. As we start the first days of spring with more light in the northern hemisphere, our days continue to get longer and the nights shorter. Aries is the Ram and head of the zodiac, which is about our relationship with ourselves, our brain and body, and our relationship with God. Rabbits mate, ducks lay eggs, animals are born, and we celebrate the movement of the Sun. The lion lays with the lamb, and the burnt offering is symbolic of the Sun traveling in Aries. Taurus Taurus is about our relationship with the earth, fertility, carpentry, and plowing the fields to prepare to plant crops. Jesus plowed the fields and became a carpenter. Gemini Between the constellations Taurus and Gemini lies a portion of the Milky Way galaxy that looks like a lake or river running between them. Jesus talks about crossing the lake. In the book of Acts 28:11: “After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.” Castor and Pollux are the two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini. Three months, third house. Gemini is about language, communication, information, and teaching. At the age of thirty, Jesus became a teacher. This is an allegory for the Sun moving into the constellation Gemini, the third house of the zodiac. Thirty is also a Saturnian number, as it takes twenty eight to thirty years for Saturn to return to the same spot and move around the zodiac. This Saturn return is known as a time of becoming an adult, as Saturn applies pressure and tests while offering tough love lessons as an individual matures into adulthood. Cancer At the height of Jesus’ teachings is the height of the summer solstice, where the Sun has reached its highest point in the northern hemisphere in the constellation Cancer. The Sun walks sideways like a crab for three days before heading south for its six month journey down through Sagittarius. The two bright stars in the constellation Cancer are Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australis, also known as the Northern Donkey and Southern Donkey. Matthew quoted Jesus as riding a donkey and a colt, the two donkeys of the Old Testament as well, on their way to the land of milk and honey. The Milky Way galaxy and Beehive Cluster can be seen clearly this time of year. Leo Leo season is the dry heat and high Sun with long nights in the summer. While the Sun is in Leo, its opposite is Aquarius, John the Baptist, who appears again in the story after he was imprisoned. Six months after Aquarius season in February is Leo season in August, and we start to see just the head of John the Water Bearer Baptist in the constellation Aquarius on the eastern horizon during sunset. Matthew 14:2: “and he said to his attendants, This is John the Baptist, he has risen from the dead. That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Jesus, the Sun, travels to the top of a high mountain and shines brightly. Matthew 17:1 to 2, The Transfiguration: “1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” Virgo Farmers tend to the earth, till the soil, and plant the seeds during Taurus season. They give it water, nutrients, and protection, and look after it, preparing their crops for harvest in Virgo. They work the soil of the Virgin Mother Earth in preparation for when she is ready to blossom and give birth. They will take her bearings during harvest season. A husbandman is a person or farmer who cultivates the land. Virgo, the Virgin, represents the goddess of grain. In Hebrew, Bethlehem or Beit Lechem are two words meaning house of bread. Goddess of grain, house of bread, this is all the constellation Virgo, harvest season. Everyone is fat and happy during harvest season, so when Jesus the Sun enters Virgo, the house of bread, it is a cheerful time of celebration of the abundance of crops. Virgin also means one who is free to make their own decisions. Libra Libra is the balancing scales of the zodiac, and scales are used to weigh out Virgo’s harvest and decisions. It is the judgment season, if we put in the work through the first nine months of the year, it will be weighed before us. A good harvest means more food or funds through the winter months into the next season. Wine is in season, and it is the end of fig season when Jesus curses the fig tree. Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts Matthew 21:19: “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever. And presently the fig tree withered away.” Jesus represents the Sun here during its transit in the sign of Libra. Fig fruit is simply out of season toward the end of Libra, October, as the Sun moves further south and the trees will lose their fruit and their leaves, and wither as they begin to hibernate for the winter months ahead. Jesus also represents the Age of Pisces, the 2,160 year cycle that follows the 2,160 year Age of Aries. Aries, represented by the Ram, has its shadow or opposite in Libra, which was recognized by many references in the Bible as wine and figs. Fig leaves represent the Old Testament, while Jesus is a personified allegory for the Sun, representing the new Age of Pisces. Jesus proclaiming “this tree shall bear no fruit again” is a powerful statement declaring the end of the age of the Aries or Libra axis and moving forward into the Age of Pisces with the Pisces or Virgo axis. He fed everyone with a loaf of bread and two fish. Virgo is bread, and Pisces is the fish. In the highly misinterpreted passage of Matthew 21:12 to 13: 12 “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 It is written, he said to them, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.” If you have a fresh pop up farmers market in your town, the merchants start to disappear around October during Libra season, when the Sun starts moving below the equator. It gets colder, and there is no longer fresh produce. It is also a great message to be an honest business person, fair, reasonable, ethical, and authentic. Scorpio The Sun descends downward as Jesus is sold out and betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, representing the thirty nights of Scorpio. Gold is the Sun, and silver is the Moon, something that goes hiding and only reflects part of its illumination or intention, in this case the story of Judah. It is also a clue that the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. The kiss of Judah is the kiss of Scorpio. A scorpion sting looks like a pair of lips, as opposed to a bug bite, which is circular. Sagittarius The Sun descends into Sagittarius as Jesus is received by Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate translates as of the great waters armed with spear. Scorpio is the great water sign that comes before the fire sign Sagittarius. Sagittarius is represented as a centaur with a spear in its hand or a bow and arrow, signifying hunting season. Pontius Pilate washed his hands with water as they crucified Jesus on the center of three crosses. There are three crosses in the zodiac, cardinal, fixed, and mutable, and the Sun dies on the center, cardinal, cross on December 21st at the winter solstice. We know the Sun has reached the southernmost point on its journey when it is pierced in its side by the arrow or spear of the Sagittarius centaur. The Sun does not move south or north for three days, December 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, until December 25th, when the Sun rises north one degree in the sign of Capricorn, beginning its new journey north for six months until the summer solstice, the goat that strives to get to the top of the mountain. Jesus and his twelve disciples, Joseph and his twelve brothers, Hercules and his twelve legions are all representations of the Sun moving through the twelve signs of the zodiac. The four gospels are the four seasons. On December 25th, each and every calculable year, the Sun rises one degree north, beginning its new cycle again. Showing humanity that the Sun that lights our world, that gives us the ability to grow food, is coming back to save us from the dark, cold depths of winter. We have to follow the Sun to survive. Our savior. Our solar messiah has returned. Following the Sun is how we know when to plant seeds, harvest crops, hunt, and prepare for winter. Now, we follow our phones and technology, the clocks and calendars over our natural world, slowly losing this information over time. Whatever we are celebrating this holiday season, give thanks to the Sun that unconditionally shines for us all, showering us with its gifts each year and every day. Learn more about astrology and astrotheology. Follow me on Instagram , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Aaron Eschenburg Aaron Eschenburg, Ayahuascero, Astrotheologer Aaron Eschenburg is an Ayahuasca Shaman and creator of the natural plant medicine company Ancestral Herbs. Being hit by a drunk driver at 21 spiraled him into a journey of exploring alternative medicines to get away from the side effects of pharmaceuticals. Astrotheology and plant medicines then came into his life at the same time, creating a better understanding of humanities relationship with our living planet solar system, and Universe. He now dedicates his life to helping others explore the options of natural healing, entheogenic practices, and embracing the Aquarian Age.

Written by Marie Keutler, Psychotherapist & Somatic Therapist | Yoga & Breathwork Teacher Marie Keutler is a psychotherapist, yoga instructor, and retreat facilitator, specializing in holistic wellness. Through therapy, yoga, and breathwork, she helps individuals shift from stress to balance. Her retreats and wellness programs are designed to inspire meaningful, lasting transformation. We’ve all tried to “keep up,” to be the high-performing, polished version of ourselves that we believe the world expects. But what if that version is silently draining you, physically, mentally, emotionally, because your nervous system was never designed for constant activation? What you’re paying, day after day, might be far greater than you realize. Stress isn’t new but the scale and impact we’re seeing today is unprecedented. And more people than ever are waking up to the cost of staying in survival mode. 62% of adults worldwide report feeling stressed in ways that disrupt daily life. That’s not just pressure, that’s persistent dysregulation affecting how we think, work, connect, and recover. Since 2007, the percentage of people experiencing daily emotional stress has risen from 26% to 38%. That’s more than a decade of increasing cognitive load, mental fatigue, and nervous system strain, across industries, continents, and age groups. And while we often talk about stress as a mental health issue, the effects are whole-body, chronic stress has been linked to sleep disruption, immune dysregulation, cardiovascular strain, digestive issues, and hormonal imbalance, not just burnout, but full-body depletion. What this tells us? The modern world is overstimulating our systems. And yet, we’re also becoming more conscious of the need to reset, regulate, and return to ourselves. Because it’s not just about managing symptoms. It’s about reclaiming clarity, energy, and long-term wellbeing, from the inside out. The version you think you should be is exhausting you We don’t become who we are by accident. That version of yourself, the one you think you’re supposed to be, likely showed up for a reason. Maybe it helped you get through tough times, feel accepted, or achieve success in a world that didn’t feel safe to slow down. But the strategies that helped you survive aren’t always the ones that help you thrive. What worked back then might be holding you back now. That constant push to keep up, hold it together, be “on” all the time, it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It just means your nervous system is stuck in go-mode. Over time, that constant performance pulls you away from your real self. Your mind says, “I’m fine.” But your body feels anxious, tense, disconnected. That’s not about willpower. That’s biology. What happens when you’re out of sync with yourself When you’re living from a version of yourself that’s built around performance, perfection, or protection, your nervous system can stay locked in a stress response. That might look like: Feeling tired but unable to rest Swinging between emotional numbness and overwhelm Brain fog, indecision, or snapping under pressure Feeling disconnected from others or from your own needs Losing motivation or creativity even when you're trying hard This isn’t weakness. It’s what happens when your body doesn’t feel safe enough to be fully present. When your nervous system is dysregulated, the part of your brain that helps with clarity, calm thinking, empathy, and decision-making starts to shut down. You might know exactly what would help but still not be able to access it. What "baseline" really means, and why it matters Being at baseline doesn’t mean you’re calm all the time. It means your nervous system is steady enough that you can access your full self, especially when life gets hard. It’s not about hacks or performance tools. It’s about coming back to a place where you can: Think clearly under pressure Feel your feelings without getting stuck in them Respond instead of react Make decisions from a grounded place Show up as yourself, not the version you think others need When you’re regulated, you’re not just surviving, you’re present, connected, and fully in your life. The research behind why this works There’s growing science behind the power of nervous system regulation. Studies show that body-based practices like paced breathing improve something called heart rate variability (HRV), a key indicator of your system’s ability to bounce back from stress.  Higher HRV is linked to: Better emotional regulation Stronger decision-making under pressure Lower anxiety and reactivity Greater mental clarity and resilience Better overall health  In a world where over 60% of adults report stress that impacts their daily lives, tools that support regulation aren’t just helpful, they’re essential. Why I built Baseline After years of working with clients and teams, I kept hearing the same thing, “I know what helps me, but I can’t seem to access it when I need it most.” The tools were there. But they were too far away in the moment when people felt overwhelmed, stuck, or checked out. That’s why I created Baseline, a micro-tool app that helps bring you back to yourself through short, body-based resets. Just 1-3 minutes of guided support, matched to what your nervous system needs in real time. Not another app full of choices. No endless scroll. Just the next best step for your body and brain right now. It’s not about adding more to your plate. It’s about giving you a way to pause, reconnect, and get back to baseline, even on the hard days. Who this is for This isn’t just for wellness experts. It’s for people navigating real pressure and real life: Professionals juggling high stakes and fast pace Leaders supporting teams through change Coaches, therapists, and HR professionals holding space for others Anyone who wants more access to their own clarity, calm, and grounded presence One question to leave you with When was the last time you truly felt like yourself? Not the version you perform. Not the version you think others expect. But the version that feels grounded, clear, alive. If it’s been a while, maybe what you need isn’t another self-help book or time off. Maybe you just need a way to regulate. Because when your nervous system feels safe enough to just be, everything else becomes possible. Ready to come back to your baseline? Sign up for early access here , and get the support your nervous system has been waiting for Follow me on  Instagram ,  LinkedIn , and visit my  website  for more info! Read more from Marie Keutler Marie Keutler, Psychotherapist & Somatic Therapist | Yoga & Breathwork Teacher Marie Keutler is a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, and wellness retreat facilitator dedicated to helping individuals reconnect with their minds and bodies. She combines evidence-based therapy, yoga, and breathwork to create accessible, science-backed tools for stress relief and well-being. Marie’s innovative programs, including the Pocket Reset Toolkit and Overdrive to Balance, provide practical self-care practices for busy lives. She also hosts transformational retreats in Greece, Portugal, and Africa, offering immersive experiences to foster deep healing and connection.

Written by Kelly Kearley, Psychotherapist and Rare Disease Advocate Kelly is a Psychotherapist, Charity Manager at PTENUKI, and co-author of Positively Rare. She shapes the conversation on the psychological impact of rare diseases, autism, SEN, and caregiving, bridging lived experience with clinical expertise to raise awareness and inspire change. Most people think the hardest part of living with a rare disease, or caring for someone who does, is the condition itself. But for many families, the real emotional toll comes from something else entirely, the endless fight to be heard, believed, supported, and taken seriously within the healthcare system. This article is the fourth in my series exploring the psychological impact of rare disease, and it examines one of the most overlooked, but emotionally draining, parts of the journey, navigating the healthcare system itself. By December, when the year begins to slow down, many families look back not just on the medical challenges they have faced, but on the administrative, bureaucratic, and systemic battles that drained them far more than the illness ever did. This is the hidden psychological impact that few people talk about. The emotional cost of “healthcare fatigue” “Healthcare fatigue” is the exhaustion that builds when every appointment, referral, and test becomes a battle. It is not just being tired, it is being worn down by having to repeat your story to every new clinician, staying hyper vigilant because missing one detail could derail months of care, and constantly juggling letters, portals, phone calls, and systems that never seem to speak to each other. Many describe it as a second job. Others describe it as a kind of grief, grieving the belief that the system would help you, only to discover you must fight your way through it. “Healthcare fatigue is real and it is one of the most under recognised mental health burdens in the rare disease world.” The trauma of not being believed For rare disease families, dismissal is common. “Are you sure?” “That is not typical.” “It is probably nothing.” “They will grow out of it.” Every time a parent or patient is dismissed, a micro trauma forms. Over time, these accumulate into something much bigger, self-doubt, hyper-anxiety before appointments, panic at the thought of advocating again, and even avoidance of healthcare until absolutely necessary. Being disbelieved does not just hurt your feelings, it can fundamentally change your nervous system. The psychological weight of delayed diagnosis Most rare diseases take years to diagnose, and those years are filled with uncertainty, fear, endless testing, frantic Googling, moments of false hope, and repeated disappointment. This diagnostic limbo can feel like living in suspended animation, unable to plan, unable to breathe, unable to relax. Families often describe it as one of the most destabilising emotional experiences of their lives. System stress: When appointments become your whole life Rare disease families often organise their lives entirely around healthcare, taking time off work, arranging childcare, fighting for referrals, managing cancellations, driving long distances, coping with medication shortages, and chasing results that never arrive. The emotional labour involved is invisible but relentless, and by December, many parents and patients feel as though they have spent another entire year trapped in a system rather than supported by it. How the system impacts mental health Navigating the healthcare system can take a serious toll on mental health, often worsening anxiety, depression, and even symptoms of PTSD. Families may experience insomnia from constant worry, emotional burnout from carrying responsibilities alone, and profound feelings of helplessness when progress feels slow or blocked. For carers, this strain can lead to a collapse of their caregiver identity, leaving them questioning their role and effectiveness despite their tireless efforts. The system is meant to support patients and families, yet when it is fragmented, dismissive, or slow to respond, it becomes not just a bureaucratic hurdle but a persistent source of chronic stress, one that compounds the emotional weight of the disease itself. The end of the year: A time when everything hits at once December brings its own complex emotional layers. Families often reflect on how far they have come while simultaneously carrying guilt about what still is not resolved and fear of what the next year may bring. Exhaustion from a full year of appointments, advocacy, and relentless healthcare navigation can feel overwhelming, and on top of this, there is often pressure to be festive while managing invisible battles that others may not see or understand. This is why this article is so fitting for December, it acknowledges and validates a very real and common emotional crash that many families experience, but often cannot put into words. How rare disease families cope (and what actually helps) Here are tools that can reduce the psychological burden for anyone who finds themselves in this position: Keep a medical narrative document, a one-page summary that saves you from repeating your entire story at every appointment. Build a small but strong support network, not dozens of people, just a few who truly get it and can offer meaningful support. Use patient charities and advocacy groups, they often know the shortcuts, the right language, and which specialists can make the biggest difference (like here ). Prepare emotionally for appointments. This can include grounding techniques, writing down questions in advance, practising short scripts to communicate clearly, or bringing a second person for support. Recognise healthcare trauma as real trauma. Too many families assume they are overreacting, but this is a trauma response to years of system-induced stress. Give yourself permission to stop chasing for a while. Sometimes emotional rest is a form of medical care, and taking a break is necessary for sustaining your energy and resilience. What needs to change To reduce the psychological harm caused by navigating healthcare, systems must listen more attentively, diagnose sooner, integrate records across services, provide patients and carers with named points of contact, train clinicians in both rare disease and trauma-informed care, and genuinely value lived experience as expertise. Until these changes are made, patients and carers will continue shouldering the emotional labour that the system itself should be providing, carrying a burden that is both exhausting and unnecessary. Closing message This December, if you are feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or emotionally burnt out from navigating healthcare, know this, you are not failing, the system is. Every phone call, appointment, and battle you have faced is a testament to your strength and determination. The fact that you are still advocating, still caring, and still pushing forward shows a level of resilience most people will never fully understand. You are doing an extraordinary job in an extraordinarily difficult situation. As the year comes to a close, give yourself permission to put the system, and the constant fight, to bed for a little while. Take a moment to rest, to be present, and to try to enjoy the holiday season in whatever way feels possible. Even small moments of joy or peace are victories. Remember, caring for yourself is just as important as caring for others, and allowing yourself this time does not mean you are giving up, it means you are sustaining the incredible work you do. Follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kelly Kearley Kelly Kearley, Psychotherapist and Rare Disease Advocate Kelly is a psychotherapist, author, and charity leader shaping the global conversation on the psychological impact of living with a rare disease, autism, SEN, and caregiving. Co-author of Positively Rare and Charity Manager of PTENUKI, she bridges lived experience with clinical expertise to bring overlooked mental health challenges to light. Her work explores resilience, advocacy, and the hidden toll of caregiving in extraordinary circumstances. Kelly's mission reaches beyond the rare disease community, she seeks to help the wider world understand the profound emotional impact these journeys carry. By fostering awareness and empathy, she inspires change across healthcare, education, and society.

Written by Ladys Patino, Book Reviewer and Writer Ladys Patino is a distinguished writer and book critic with a specialization in organizational behavior, management, leadership, and community dynamics. In Only One Body, Dr. Matt Fontaine challenges the quick-fix mentality that dominates modern healthcare and invites readers to take a more informed, proactive role in their wellbeing. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, he breaks down complex anatomy, movement, and health principles into practical insights anyone can apply. This review explores how Fontaine’s education-first approach empowers readers to understand their bodies, prevent long-term breakdown, and build sustainable health for life. Only One Body: Your Owner's Manual for Optimal Health and Peak Performance for Life   arrives at a critical moment in American healthcare. Dr. Matt Fontaine, a sports chiropractic physician with over two decades of clinical experience, offers readers something increasingly rare, a physician who takes time to educate rather than simply prescribe. His central premise is disarmingly simple yet profound. If you were given one car that had to last your entire lifetime, how would you maintain it? This metaphor becomes the foundation for a comprehensive guide that demystifies the human body's neuromusculoskeletal system and empowers readers to become their own best health advocates. Fontaine excels at translating complex medical concepts into accessible language without sacrificing accuracy. His explanation that "nearly all musculoskeletal problems involve overuse in all of the following: muscles, fascia, bones, joints, and nerves" challenges the common patient assumption that pain stems from a single isolated cause. The book systematically unpacks human anatomy, biomechanics, and the forces that lead to breakdown, giving readers the foundational knowledge needed to ask better questions and make informed decisions. His integration of insights from subject matter experts in strength training, manual therapy, and human performance adds depth and credibility throughout. The book's structure moves logically from understanding body mechanics to practical application. Fontaine doesn't promise quick fixes or bio-hacks, instead, he offers sustainable principles for long-term health optimization. His chapters on training smart, nutrition as medicine, and mindset development provide actionable frameworks that respect individual differences while emphasizing universal truths about human physiology. Particularly valuable is his guidance on assembling the right healthcare "pit crew," helping readers understand when to seek specialized care and how to coordinate multiple providers effectively. What distinguishes Only One Body from typical health guides is Fontaine's unflinching honesty about American healthcare's failures, combined with genuine optimism about individual agency. He acknowledges that our system rewards sick care over prevention, yet refuses to let that reality become an excuse for passivity. His message resonates especially for high-performers, active adults navigating injury recovery, and anyone frustrated by five-minute doctor visits that leave more questions than answers. The book speaks directly to those ready to take "extreme ownership" of their health trajectory rather than outsourcing responsibility to an overwhelmed medical system. Only One Body succeeds as both educational resource and call to action. Dr. Fontaine writes with the authority of extensive clinical experience while maintaining the encouraging tone of a trusted coach. His repeated mantra that optimization requires structural alignment, mobile tissues, and above all, a strong mindset captures the book's integrated approach to wellness. For readers seeking not just information but transformation, this owner's manual delivers practical wisdom for building a body designed to thrive across decades. In an era of health confusion and misinformation, Fontaine offers clarity, competence, and genuine care for helping readers understand and honor the only body they'll ever have. Learn more here . Visit my website for more info! Read more from Ladys Patino Ladys Patino, Book Reviewer and Writer Ladys Patino is a distinguished writer and book critic with a specialization in organizational behavior, management, leadership, and community dynamics. Her expertise lies in dissecting and evaluating literature that delves into the intricacies of organizational structures, the nuances of leadership styles, and the complexities of community interactions. Patino's reviews and writings offer insightful perspectives on how these themes play out in various settings, providing valuable analysis for those interested in understanding and improving the functioning of groups, businesses, and societies.

Written by Viviana Meloni, Private Chartered Principal Psychologist Viviana Meloni is the Director of Inside Out multilingual Psychological Therapy, a private principal psychologist, HCPC registered, chartered member of the British Psychological Society, EMDR UK member, with recognition for her clinical leadership, and author of specialist trainings in trauma, emotional dysregulation, and personality disorders. She also holds a Senior Leader Psychologist role in the National Health Service in the United Kingdom at SLaM, a globally recognized leader in mental health research. Moreover, she is reviewing institutional partnerships in the United Arab Emirates.  For decades, pet therapy has been celebrated for its ability to soothe, regulate, and heal. Yet, as psychologists, we are beginning to understand that there is a frontier beyond the familiar comfort of domesticated animals, a frontier where the human nervous system meets the raw, unfiltered presence of wildlife in their natural context. These encounters do not simply reassure, they reorganize. They trigger neurobiological shifts powerful enough to recalibrate perception, emotion, identity, and meaning. My work and travels across diverse ecosystems, in particular during my time in the Costa Rican jungle surrounded by sloths, howler monkeys, and macaws, swimming with dolphins and giant sea turtles in Brazil, Panama, and Zanzibar, and standing only meters away from lions, giraffes, zebras, and crocodiles during safaris in Tanzania, contemplating pink flamingos in Sardinia, directly interacting with elephants in Thailand, doing my immersion in the Dominican Republic, swimming through warm turquoise waters surrounded by vibrant parrotfish, electric blue tangs, and shimmering yellow damselfish, from observing chameleons and endemic species in the deep forests of Madagascar to preparing for my next chapter in Polynesia, have shown me that wild encounters operate on a psychological plane fundamentally different from traditional therapy. These experiences are not sessions, but powerful nervous system events, immersive, multisensory, unpredictable, and evolutionarily ancient. Unlike interactions with pets, which function through familiarity, attachment, and domesticated reciprocity, encounters with wild animals activate a far broader and more complex psychophysiological spectrum. The human organism oscillates between awe, attunement, fascination, and a constructive, non-traumatic form of fear. This emotional blend stimulates key neurobiological responses: Oxytocin rises in the presence of non-threatening mammals like dolphins or elephants, supporting bonding, trust, and prosocial openness. Dopamine surges during surprise, wonder, and heightened sensory engagement, reinforcing presence, learning, and motivation. Serotonin increases during exposure to slow, rhythmic, and peaceful wildlife interactions, such as floating beside a giant turtle or observing giraffes move across the savannah. Adrenaline and endorphins activate during elevated arousal, such as being only a short distance from a lion, sharpening focus, sensory precision, and emotional imprinting. The default mode network downregulates, reducing self-focus and rumination while enhancing connection to a larger ecological whole. The prefrontal cortex shifts from analytical functioning to open, receptive perception, creating space for meaning-making, humility, and transformation. Together, these mechanisms create the ecopsychobiological resonance, a deep alignment between the human nervous system and the living rhythms of nature. This resonance is not symbolic or metaphorical, it is neurochemical, somatic, relational, and evolutionarily encoded. Wild presence as a therapeutic catalyst One of the most profound aspects of wildlife encounters I have personally observed within my world travel animal experiences is the absence of projection. Wild animals do not respond to us based on our emotional needs, our histories, or our identity narratives. Their behaviour exists outside the human psychological system. And paradoxically, this lack of psychological mirroring creates a powerful therapeutic space. In Tanzania, observing a lioness quietly scanning her environment demonstrated something essential about regulation. Co-regulation can occur without contact, language, or shared culture. Her calm vigilance entrained my own nervous system into a state of grounded alertness, a rarer and more integrated form of arousal than what we encounter in daily urban life. In Zanzibar, swimming with dolphins produced an almost meditative synchrony. Their fluid, effortless coordination created a sense of belonging that was bodily rather than cognitive. The experience activated not just oxytocin, but a deeply embodied form of attunement that transcended verbal communication. Dolphins, with their social intelligence and rhythmic movement, naturally guide humans into a regulated, coherent bodily rhythm. In Madagascar, chameleons taught an entirely different psychological lesson, the therapeutic value of slowness, subtlety, and adaptive presence. Watching their measured movements shifted my attentional system from rapid, goal-oriented scanning to slow, contemplative observation, a transformation akin to advanced mindfulness practice, yet occurring spontaneously in nature. In Thailand, at the Elephant Sanctuary, encounters with elephants in an ethical sanctuary context revealed a striking form of relational intelligence. Their cooperative behaviours, tactile communication, and capacity for emotional attunement appeared to activate affiliative neurocircuitry in the human observer, reducing physiological arousal while eliciting a sense of humility and co-regulation. Such responses differ markedly from those generated by domesticated animals and point toward a distinct ecopsychobiological mechanism. In the Costa Rican jungle, observing sloths, animals whose biology centres on deliberate, energy-efficient motion, induced a notable temporal recalibration. Their extreme slowness functioned as a natural regulator of human attentional tempo, encouraging parasympathetic activation, improved interoceptive awareness, and reduced cognitive hyperarousal. This slowness entrainment reflects the therapeutic influence of wildlife whose rhythms contrast sharply with human acceleration. In Brazil, within the coastal and forest wildlife immersion, field experiences from coastal ecosystems to dense forest environments highlighted the therapeutic value of multisensory exposure to diverse wild species. Encounters with marine mammals and rainforest fauna appeared to enhance attentional flexibility, promote biophilic engagement, and modulate stress-related neuroendocrine responses, contributing to observable improvements in emotional regulation. In Panama, interactions with wild marine life, particularly during open-water observation and guided swimming sessions, produced a measurable state of relaxed alertness. The combination of fluid movement patterns, natural oceanic rhythms, and the unpredictability of marine species activated a blend of awe and controlled vigilance, supporting autonomic balance and reducing cortisol-linked arousal. In the Dominican Republic, immersion experiences that include encounters with typical marine animals such as parrotfish, surgeonfish, and damselfish have been observed to support therapeutic outcomes. Interaction with vibrant aquatic fauna can promote psychological restoration by reducing stress levels, enhancing attentional focus, and fostering a sense of emotional grounding. The multisensory engagement of swimming in biodiverse tropical waters further contributes to improved mood regulation and subjective well-being, highlighting the potential of nature-based interventions in the marine environment. In Polynesia, where I am planning to go within the next months, I intend to deepen my exploration of the therapeutic effects that arise from full immersion in untamed natural environments. Among manta rays drifting like shadows through turquoise lagoons, humpback whales migrating along ancient routes, spinner dolphins carving spirals of light at the surface, and vibrant reef fish animating the coral gardens, the region offers a powerful setting for understanding how contact with wild marine life can restore emotional equilibrium and enhance overall well-being. This journey aims to illuminate the profound healing potential embedded within Polynesia’s untouched ecosystems. Awe as a neuropsychological intervention Awe, consistently triggered during wildlife encounters, is emerging as one of the most potent psychological states for well-being. It reduces self-focus, enhances cognitive flexibility, increases prosocial behaviour, and expands time perception. Crucially, awe triggers a recalibration of the autonomic nervous system, balancing sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. Research shows that awe: decreases activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, reducing rumination and self-criticism activates vagal pathways, improving physiological regulation stimulates prosocial neurochemicals like oxytocin, encouraging compassion and connection broadens attentional scope, supporting creativity, curiosity, and openness While awe can be found in art, music, or architecture, wild animals are arguably the most powerful natural triggers of awe we have. Their unpredictability, autonomy, and presence create conditions that exceed familiar cognitive boundaries. From observation to identity transformation Sustained interaction with wildlife does more than regulate emotion, it reshapes identity. Many individuals describe a profound shift that emerges from these encounters, including: an expanded sense of self increased ecological belonging heightened sensory awareness reduced existential anxiety improved tolerance for uncertainty a more grounded relationship with vulnerability and power These changes echo what we observe in transformative therapies, psychedelic-assisted interventions, and spiritual experiences, yet they arise naturally and somatically in the presence of wildlife. As I prepare for Polynesia to continue exploring interspecies encounters within marine ecosystems, my clinical aim is to deepen our understanding of how wild environments reorganize the human psyche. The next frontier of psychology may not lie in more techniques, but in returning humans to the environments and species that shaped our nervous system for nearly all of our evolutionary history. Toward a new clinical framework: Wild encounter therapy I propose conceptualizing ethical, non-invasive wildlife exposure as a complementary therapeutic modality grounded in three pillars. Neurobiological activation: Harnessing oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and awe-related pathways to regulate and expand the human emotional system. Ecological co-regulation: Allowing the steadiness, presence, and authenticity of wild animals to support nervous system recalibration. Existential expansion: Facilitating identity shifts through immersion in vastness, unpredictability, humility, and interdependence. This approach does not replace traditional clinical work, it enhances it. Wild encounters provide immediacy, depth, and somatic resonance that cannot be replicated in offices, hospitals, or structured therapeutic environments. Wild animals have been our evolutionary mirrors. When we meet them again, not as spectators or consumers, but as co-inhabitants, something ancient awakens. Something profoundly human. In the end, encountering a wild animal in its natural world does something no clinical method can replicate. It invites us back into the truth of our own nature. It strips away the noise, the narratives, the roles we perform, and it places us face-to-face with a form of life that exists in pure presence. In those moments, whether locking eyes with a lioness, drifting beside a sea turtle, or moving in rhythm with dolphins, we are reminded that healing is not always something we do. Sometimes, it is something we remember. These encounters reconnect us with an ancient intelligence, a quiet inner knowing that we are part of a living, breathing planet. And perhaps that is the greatest therapeutic gift the wild offers, the chance to return home to ourselves. Visit my website  for more info! Read more from Viviana Meloni Viviana Meloni, Private Chartered Principal Psychologist Viviana Meloni is the founder and the clinical Director of Inside Out Multilingual Psychological Therapy, a London-based private psychology consultancy across popular locations including Kensington, Wimbledon, Chiswick, West Hampstead, and Canary Wharf. Viviana Meloni provides psychological consultations, assessments, formulations, and treatment in English, Italian, Spanish, and her company’s extensive network enables multilingual collaborations and liaison with Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Punjabi, and Russian languages. She firmly believes that in every challenge lies an opportunity to grow, heal, and inspire. References: Keltner, D. (2023). Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder. Penguin Press. Porges, S. (2022). Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions. Norton. Young, K. & Sandberg, T. (2022). “Awe and the Small Self.” Nature Human Behaviour. Fredrickson, B. (2016). “Positive Emotions and Resilience.” American Psychologist. Zak, P. (2017). “Oxytocin and Social Bonding.” Hormones and Behavior. Clayton, S. (2021). The Psychology of Environmental Identity. Cambridge University Press. Barrett, L. F. (2020). Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Written by Sandra Buatti-Ramos, ACRW, CLMC, Founder, Chief Learning Architect, & Lead Coach Sandra Buatti-Ramos defines the future of career strategy and career ecosystem design. As founder of Hyphen Innovation and Post-Traditional Careers, she architects research-driven, AI-powered frameworks that dismantle obsolete talent development models and unlock unstoppable potential for post-traditional professionals and organizations. Job security has always been our comfortable, cultural fiction. However, reality has reminded us throughout history that such a thing does not truly exist. The Great Depression wiped out entire industries overnight. Automation decimated manufacturing jobs throughout the 1980s. The 2008 financial crisis proved that even "safe" sectors like banking and firms that were too big to fail could collapse. Yet we have clung to the narrative of stable career trajectories because humans crave control, even when it is illusory. Now, as artificial intelligence reshapes the labor market at unprecedented speed, that fiction has become an impetus for anxiety for many aspiring and experienced professionals. By 2030, 170 million new jobs will be created while 92 million are displaced, and nearly 40 percent of core job skills will change.[15] LinkedIn’s (2025) Work Change Report notes that professionals entering the workforce today will hold twice as many jobs over their careers compared to just 15 years ago.[5] The question is not whether your career will be disrupted, but whether you have a framework to successfully navigate the waves of the ever-evolving workforce. Why legacy career coaching feeds anxiety Most legacy career coaching remains rooted in three flawed assumptions that behavioral research has repeatedly debunked. The control illusion: Career coaches emphasize taking control of your trajectory. But research by psychologist Ellen Langer (1975) demonstrates that people systematically overestimate their ability to influence outcomes in complex systems. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's work reveals that executives who acknowledge uncertainty make better strategic decisions than those maintaining illusions of control.[6] Linear planning works: Traditional models and five-year plans assume stable trajectories. Yet when 10 percent of professionals globally now occupy job titles that did not exist in 2000, and 20 percent in the United States,[9] linear planning becomes obsolete. Skills are static assets: Traditional approaches treat skills as credentials to acquire once. McKinsey’s (2025) research shows that 72 percent of today’s skills are required for both automatable and non-automatable work, meaning skills remain relevant, but their application constantly evolves. This is where radical honesty becomes your competitive advantage. The strategic value of acknowledging powerlessness Here is an uncomfortable truth most career advice avoids: most career success results from factors beyond your influence, including economic cycles, organizational politics, technological disruption, and pure chance. This is not pessimism. It is strategic realism backed by decades of research. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) studies demonstrate that psychological flexibility, staying present with uncertainty while continuing value-driven action, predicts better workplace performance than attempts to control outcomes.[4] Research on planned happenstance shows that professionals who maintain loose career plans while staying alert to unexpected opportunities demonstrate greater satisfaction and adaptability during disruptions (Krumboltz, 2009). Think of it this way: you are not the CEO of your professional life. You are a skilled surfer riding waves of uncertainty you did not create. Your competitive advantage is not controlling outcomes, it is developing superior pattern recognition for when to lean in, when to pivot, and when to let go. This mindset shift unlocks what researchers call antifragility, the ability to benefit from disorder rather than merely resist it.[12] And it is operationalized through the BE(A)ST Framework. The BE(A)ST Framework: career development as iterative design The BE(A)ST Framework treats careers not as linear paths but as what complexity theorists call a wicked problem requiring iterative design.[5] It consists of four non-linear, interconnected stages. 1. Self-reflection: your psychological anchor Before looking outward at the market, look inward. Develop self-awareness and reflect on your accomplishments, skills, interests, and other qualities. Research confirms that intrinsic motivation is the primary driver of expertise development (Westover, 2024). When LinkedIn data shows professionals are adding 40 percent broader skillsets than in 2018,[9] you need a stable psychological anchor to prevent scatter. 2. Professional identity definition: your north star in chaos In an era where job titles become obsolete every few years, maintaining a stable professional identity becomes crucial.[5] This moves beyond job descriptions to define your transferable value proposition. Your identity becomes your through-line as specific applications evolve. McKinsey projects that most human skills will endure but will be applied differently.[10] Your identity anchors you through those transitions. 3. Career scenarios exploration: embracing divergent thinking Instead of searching for the one right job, create multiple potential futures using tools like Odyssey Plans (Designing Your Life, n.d.). This builds what Nassim Taleb (2012) calls optionality into your career architecture. By visualizing multiple viable paths, you reduce anxiety and train yourself to think in portfolios of possibilities rather than singular trajectories. 4. Career prototyping and testing: where theory meets reality This is where BE(A)ST diverges most dramatically from traditional coaching. It demands action through prototyping, conducting informational interviews, shadowing, or taking on micro-projects to test assumptions before making high-stakes transitions.[14] Using tools like the Personal Business Model Canvas,[1] you treat your career as a business, validating whether your value proposition matches market needs. This creates feedback loops that allow for low-stakes failures and rapid pivots. The mindset revolution The BE(A)ST Framework isn't merely a planning tool. It is a mechanism for cognitive restructuring that strengthens what researchers call career adaptability: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence.[11] Most importantly, it fosters technological adaptability, a positive attitude toward new technologies and the proactive seeking of digital roles.[2] [14] In the age of AI automation and augmentation, the ability to rapidly decouple your identity from obsolete tools and reattach it to emerging capabilities becomes a competitive advantage. From security myth to strategic flexibility The narrative of job security was always fiction, comforting though it might have been. Reality calls for new ways to find success, and the BE(A)ST Framework offers a methodology for developing career consciousness that allows you to leverage your skills, knowledge, and expertise across all labor market verticals. The ability to continuously prototype your professional life is not just a skill; it is a modern-day survival necessity. You can cling to legacy career models and myths of linearity, or embrace uncertainty with confidence and excitement. The professionals who thrive in the future will not be those who seek control, but those who develop exceptional skills for navigating volatility. In a world where the only constant is disruption, becoming an excellent prototyper of your own future may be the most valuable skill you can develop. Follow me here on Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from   Sandra Buatti-Ramos, ACRW, CLMC Sandra Buatti-Ramos, ACRW, CLMC, Founder, Chief Learning Architect, & Lead Coach Sandra Buatti-Ramos is a preeminent voice in career strategy and career education ecosystem design. As founder of Hyphen Innovation and Post-Traditional Careers, she develops research-driven, AI-powered frameworks that dismantle outdated talent development models and create scalable pathways to career mobility. A "Top Career Coach" known for her work with students, professionals, and forward-thinking organizations, she fuses dynamic coaching strategies with cutting-edge instructional design to accelerate workforce readiness transformation. Her portfolio spans award-winning career coaching initiatives, the creation of a workforce preparation Innovation Lab, and the launch of a first-of-its-kind AI-driven learning ecosystem. References: [1] Clark, T., Osterwalder, A., & Pigneur, Y. (2012). Business model you: A one-page method for reinventing your career. John Wiley & Sons. [2] Coetzee, M., Bester, M. S., Ferreira, N., & Potgieter, H. (2020). Facets of career agility as explanatory mechanisms of employees' career adaptability . African Journal of Career Development, 2(1), a11. [3] Designing Your Life. (n.d.). The magic of Odysseys: Prototyping your future with Designing Your Life . [4] Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes . Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1–25. [5] Jakieła, J., Świętoniowska, J., & Wójcik, J. (2022). BE(A)ST – an agile approach to discover, experiment, and learn . In E. Guerci et al. (Eds.), Empowering students' awareness for a personalized career development (pp. 31–58). University of Warsaw Press. [6] Kahneman, D., & Lovallo, D. (1993). Timid choices and bold forecasts: A cognitive perspective on risk taking . Management Science, 39(1), 17–31. [7] Krumboltz, J. D. (2009). The happenstance learning theory . Journal of Career Assessment, 17(2), 135–154. [8] Langer, E. J. (1975). The illusion of control . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32(2), 311–328. [9] LinkedIn. (2025). Work change report: AI is coming to work . LinkedIn Economic Graph. [10] McKinsey Global Institute. (2025). Agents, robots, and us: Skill partnerships in the age of AI . McKinsey & Company. [11] Orji, C. T., & Herachwati, N. (2024). Career transition and mentorship nexus: Unmasking the mediating role of career adaptability . Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning. Advance online publication. [12] Taleb, N. N. (2012). Antifragile: Things that gain from disorder. Random House. [13] Westover, J. H. (2024). Building expertise in a new field: A roadmap for professionals . Human Capital Leadership Review, 16(1). [14] Wójcik, J. K., Jakieła, J., & Świętoniowska, J. (2025). Career agility for future employees. An innovative BE(A)ST framework for the digital era . Journal of Modern Science, 62(2), 778–798. [15] World Economic Forum. (2025). The future of jobs report 2025 . World Economic Forum.

Written by Cali Werner, Director of Business Development and Behavior Therapist Cali Werner, PhD, is a licensed clinical social worker, sport psychology consultant, and elite distance runner who specializes in OCD and anxiety treatment. She is the Director of Referral Relations at the OCD Institute of Texas and founder of Athlete Rising. Most people can recall moments of worry, lying awake wondering whether they locked the front door or replaying a conversation on loop to make sure they didn’t offend someone. These can be familiar human experiences. But for some, anxiety escalates into something far more consuming. And sometimes, the things that upend our lives aren’t invisible thoughts at all, but life-altering diagnoses delivered in a single phone call. This is a story about both. A story of OCD and triple-negative breast cancer. A story of two women whose lives diverged and later intertwined again. And a story about how very different challenges can reshape lives and how connection helps people rebuild meaning. When a silent disorder reshapes your life Cali’s story For years, I didn’t know I had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. I was a Division I distance runner at Rice University, a nine-time conference champion who looked disciplined and strong from the outside. Inside, I was unraveling. I’d spent my childhood battling a form of OCD called Scrupulosity, intrusive fears about offending God, compulsive prayer rituals, over-apologizing, confessing thoughts I didn’t choose, and believing that I was “dangerous” simply because of the images my brain produced. Like many, I thought OCD was just handwashing or organizing. I didn’t know OCD had multiple subtypes, many of which are taboo, misunderstood, or too shame-filled for people to talk about. By college, my disorder escalated. I feared I’d harm myself or someone else, a subtype of OCD known as harm OCD. At the time, I did not know that individuals with these OCD fears are the least likely to ever act on them. So the thoughts led me to avoid stairwells, public places, and even being alone. What looked like a promising athletic career became a private prison. OCD stole joy, identity, and connection, until I finally told my coach the truth. That moment changed everything. “This sounds like OCD,” Coach Jim Bevan, the Rice women’s track and field coach, stated. Naming it didn’t cure me, but it gave me hope. Through Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), the gold-standard therapy for OCD, my brain slowly began to untangle itself. I learned to face intrusive thoughts without rituals. I reclaimed my life, my sport, and even went on to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon. Today, I’m an OCD and anxiety specialist, working to educate others so they don’t wait the average 17 years it takes to receive proper care. No one should suffer in silence because of stigma or misunderstanding. My recovery became my calling, helping others find the freedom I fought so hard to regain. When cancer becomes the plot twist you never asked for Hannah’s story Hannah Gesford was living a completely different life, as a stay-at-home mom and self-taught dried-floral artist running a thriving preservation business she built from her kitchen table. Life was full, busy, and finally becoming normal again. She and her husband, Ryan, had just started getting the hang of life with a newborn when a tiny freckle in Ryan’s eye turned into something devastating, ocular melanoma. They juggled surgery, treatment, and recovery, and just as they exhaled at his two-year cancerversary, Hannah’s phone rang. “Your breast biopsy came back, and it’s malignant.” At 27, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, the fastest-growing type that demanded aggressive treatment. For two years, she endured chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, a bilateral mastectomy, failed reconstruction surgeries, hospital admissions, and the emotional whiplash that comes with every step forward or backward. Cancer is rarely “cute,” despite October’s pink ribbons and slogans. It’s messy, vulnerable, terrifying, and painfully exposing. Hannah faced triggers as medical trauma opened old wounds and overwhelmed her nervous system. Still, she met it all with honesty, humor, and grit. She documented her journey in real time, which became Cancer, But Make It Cute, a compassionate companion for anyone trying to survive something life never prepared them for. Along the way, she found unforgettable beauty and learned unexpected lessons from the people who showed up with love. Where our stories collided again We met in junior high, two girls who played volleyball, watched Degrassi, and spent summers on the lake together. Our lives eventually drifted in different directions, marked by very different battles. For me, the invisible war with OCD. For Hannah, the physical and emotional war with cancer. It wasn’t until adulthood, during one of the most difficult seasons of Hannah’s life, that our stories reconnected. She reached out as she began writing her book. “I recognized the rawness, the anxiety, the intrusive fears, the grief that comes with a diagnosis you didn’t choose,” Hannah stated. Hannah then read Cali’s writing on OCD and, for the first time, realized that she, too, carried her own mental burden. We edited each other’s work. We encouraged each other’s healing. Two very different experiences, with overlapping emotional themes. Because while these experiences are fundamentally different, many people recognize emotionally similar themes. Fear of the unknown Grief for the life you had Anxiety that spirals faster than you can catch it Identity shaken Strength redefined Community is as necessary as oxygen And ultimately, finding meaning in your pain Why we’re sharing this journey now Anxiety, trauma, and burnout are at an all-time high. People are silently suffering, whether from a mental health condition, a medical diagnosis, or emotions they’re afraid to speak aloud. Our message is simple, you are not alone. OCD is not a personality quirk. Cancer is not a pink campaign. Both are complex. Both require evidence-based care. Both demand compassion. And both deserve voices that tell the truth. Through our advocacy, writing, therapy work, and lived experience, we want to normalize seeking help, whether through ERP, counseling, support groups, or community care. Suffering does not make you weak. Speaking up does not make you dramatic. Healing is not linear, but it is possible. The power of community, courage, and connection Our journeys look different, but the heartbeat underneath is the same: A diagnosis, whether medical or psychological changes you. Healing rewrites you. Community holds you together in the in-between. And vulnerability, real, honest vulnerability, is what turns survivors into advocates. If our stories do anything, we hope they remind people that your intrusive thoughts do not define you. Your diagnosis does not diminish you. Your story may be the lifeline someone else needs. And you don’t have to walk any of it alone. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn , TikTok , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Cali Werner Cali Werner, Director of Business Development and Behavior Therapist Cali Werner, PhD, LCSW-S, CMPC, is a clinician, sport psychology consultant, and elite distance runner whose work bridges high-performance athletics and mental health. As Director of Business Development at the OCD Institute of Texas, an intensive treatment facility that treats OCD, anxiety, and related disorders, and founder of Athlete Rising, she specializes in treating athletes struggling with OCD, anxiety, and perfectionism. Drawing on her experience as a Division I runner, where she won 9 conference championships, at Rice University, her participation in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon, and her doctoral research on Olympian mental health, she integrates personal insight with evidence-based practice.

Written by Kyra Bolzan, Psychology Expert & Mentor Kyra is a psychology expert and mentor with a master’s in psychology and a rare gift for uncovering deep psychological blind spots. As the creator of the Identity Transformation Method™ and founder of The Legacy Club Alright, I need to tell you something that might hurt your feelings, but it will save your business. The no. 1 mistake smart entrepreneurs make when trying to scale? They try to double everything. Double the work. Double the output. Double the clients. Double the tasks. Double the offers. Double the hours. Double the hustle. Like if they just push harder, work longer, bleed more into their laptop, magically they’ll scale. But doubling your workload doesn’t scale a business. It scales your burnout. Doubling equals staying stuck in the same identity. The “hard worker.” The “doer.” The “I’ll just handle it myself” soldier. The “if I don’t do everything, nothing progresses” martyr. That identity got you far. But it will not get you to your next level. Because the honest truth is this, you don’t need to double anything. You need to 10x it. And yes, I’m being serious. But here’s the plot twist, 10x-ing your business has nothing to do with working 10x harder. Actually, it’s the opposite. When you aim to 10x instead of 2x, you’re forced (literally forced) to become a completely different kind of human: You have to choose strategy over busyness. You have to stop doing everything yourself. You have to step into visionary identity. You have to build systems that work without you. You have to elevate your leadership skills. You have to trust more and work less. You have to unlearn the hustle and learn scale. A 2x identity is a hard worker. A 10x identity is a CEO. And those two people live on completely different psychological planets. Here’s the part nobody tells you, your business can’t scale if your identity doesn’t. Because 10x levels require: a nervous system that can hold more pressure without collapsing a subconscious that believes bigger results are safe emotional capacity that doesn’t crumble under visibility decision-making that moves fast and precisely a leader identity that can actually handle what you’re asking for 2x you try to control everything. 10x you delegates, decides, leads, and moves. Because the truth? You can’t build a bigger reality from the same identity that built the smaller one. Your next level doesn’t require more work. It requires more of you. A different you. A version of you that your old self would not recognize, but your future self is already clapping for. This is why identity transformation isn’t a luxury, it’s a requirement for higher levels. Because the moment you upgrade? Your business, your success, your impact, all of it 10x as a byproduct. This is exactly what I teach inside my free masterclass, How To 10X Your Legacy. Get free access here. I promise 10x is easier than 2x (and more profitable!) Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn  for more info! Read more from Kyra Bolzan Kyra Bolzan, Psychology Expert & Mentor Kyra is a psychology expert and mentor with a master’s in psychology and a rare gift for uncovering deep psychological blind spots. As the creator of the Identity Transformation Method™ and founder of The Legacy Club, she helps high-achievers rewire their identity to unlock results in business and love that strategy alone can’t deliver.

Written by Marina Krauth, Online Business Mentor & Entrepreneur Marina Krauth is an online business mentor & entrepreneur who helps individuals create more freedom and purpose through an online business focused on health and personal growth. She guides others on how to leverage a powerful business model as a vehicle to achieve meaningful life changes. Many people consider starting an online business because they want more control over their time, their lifestyle, and their priorities. This is one of the reasons entrepreneurship has grown so much over the last few years. But the fear of burnout, overwhelm, and “not feeling ready” often holds them back. They worry it will simply become another source of stress, another commitment added to a life that already feels heavy. And for those stuck in routines that drain them, the idea of building something new can feel both exciting and intimidating. An online business, when built with intention and the right strategy, doesn’t have to mean long nights, hustle culture, or carrying everything on your own shoulders. It can become a path toward clarity, purpose, and long-lasting freedom. A path that gives you your time back rather than taking more of it. One that aligns with your values, especially if you care about health, conscious living, and making a meaningful impact. It all begins with choosing a business model that supports your well-being instead of sacrificing it. One that integrates community, mentorship, proven systems, and purpose, so you never feel like you’re reinventing everything from zero. Why people burn out when starting an online business & how to avoid it People begin their business journey with genuine excitement. They want change. They want freedom. They want something that finally feels meaningful. But very quickly, they find themselves overwhelmed, discouraged, or exhausted. This doesn’t happen because they lack potential. It happens because of how they started: They try to build a business entirely on their own. They spend hours researching, comparing strategies, watching endless tutorials, and trying to piece everything together. With no roadmap, every decision feels heavy. The pressure to do all of this alone becomes so intense that it drains all the joy out of the process. They choose a business idea that looks impressive on paper but doesn’t actually align with who they are. They chase trends, low-ticket products, or quick-money models that demand constant output, constant selling, or “going viral.” Very few people can sustain that pace, especially when they already feel stretched thin by a full-time job or personal responsibilities. They underestimate the emotional journey. Starting something new brings up self-doubt, comparison, and the fear of failing publicly. Without mentorship or community, these feelings become overwhelming. Many people mistake this discomfort for “I’m not cut out for this,” when in reality, they simply need guidance and a model that actually supports their lifestyle. Most people don’t burn out because they’re incapable of running a business. They burn out because they jump on quick fixes instead of choosing something real, with the right support and alignment. What does a purpose-driven online business actually look like? A purpose-driven online business feels very different from the traditional “hustle” version most people imagine. It’s not about selling PDFs to strangers or forcing yourself to create viral videos every day. Who genuinely wants to build a life around that? For example, it can mean earning an income by sharing about products you truly love and already use every day, without pretending to be someone you’re not. A purpose-driven business is built on alignment. What does that mean? It reflects your values, your interests, and the lifestyle you want to create. You’re not squeezing yourself into a business model that works for someone else. You’re choosing a path that genuinely makes sense for you. It also prioritizes sustainability. This kind of business isn’t about chasing the next trend or endlessly pushing for more sales. It’s grounded in long-term impact, meaningful connection, and products or services you actually believe in. When your work feels meaningful, consistency becomes natural, and you don’t have to convince yourself to “stay motivated.” A purpose-driven business is also supported by systems. You’re not reinventing everything from zero or guessing your way through each step. You have structure, tools, and mentorship from people who genuinely want to support your growth. Instead of spending all your energy trying to “figure out how to sell,” you get to spend it on growing a business that reflects your current lifestyle. In summary, a purpose-driven business is just about turning your lifestyle and your values into an income. It’s becoming the best version of yourself while creating momentum and impact. The 3 key elements of building a business without burning out The right partnership and products One of the biggest misconceptions about starting an online business is believing you need to create everything yourself. But you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You can simply partner with something that already exists and already works. Working with products you genuinely use and trust removes the pressure to “sell” something. Instead, you’re sharing your own lived experience. Think about it, "How many times have you recommended a product you love to a friend, family member, or coworker?" That’s marketing you’re doing for free right there. We do it every single day without realizing it’s a simple, authentic way to earn money. This approach makes business feel effortless because you’re not pretending to be a salesperson. You’re simply talking about something that’s already part of your daily life. The right system Most people give up on entrepreneurship because the learning curve feels impossible. They spend hours watching tutorials, trying to understand tech, building funnels from scratch, or attempting marketing strategies that don’t fit their strengths. A sustainable online business runs with automation and built-for-you tools that give back your time instead of taking more of it. The right system allows you to plug into a structure that already works, so you can start earning from the beginning. You don’t need to sit at a desk 8 hours a day for your business to grow. The right community and mentorship Surrounding yourself with the right people is just as important as the business itself. You learn best from people who share your values, your mindset, and your vision. You don’t need to adapt to someone else’s lifestyle or energy if it doesn’t feel right. You grow through connection with like-minded individuals who are walking the same path. A supportive community and mentorship create accountability, inspiration, and a sense of belonging. When these 3 pillars come together, a business stops feeling heavy. It becomes a space where you can grow, evolve, and build something meaningful, without sacrificing your well-being. Step into a new way of earning online My personal growth journey truly began when I stepped into the online business world. I had no idea I could plug into something that already existed and simply share products I naturally use in my home. This business model opened many doors in my reality, more time, better health, more intention, and the feeling that I am building something that actually matters. If you’ve been wanting to start an online business but don’t know how or where to begin, remember, you don’t have to figure this out alone. With the right partnership, the right system, and the right community, you can build a business that genuinely supports your life. Curious about what this could look like for you? Reach out on my socials through the link below or send me an email. I’d love to connect and explore how you can build an online business that feels aligned, intentional, and truly sustainable for your lifestyle! Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Marina Krauth Marina Krauth, Online Business Mentor & Entrepreneur Marina Krauth is an online business mentor and entrepreneur who helps individuals build freedom-based online businesses focused on health, personal growth, and authentic living. After experiencing burnout, she chose a different path, creating a business that aligns with her own values and offers true flexibility. Today, Marina guides others to embark on this transformative journey, using a proven business model as a vehicle to achieve freedom, fulfillment, and meaningful life changes. Through her mentorship and coaching, she empowers a growing community of freedom-seekers to live purposefully and create lasting impact.

Written by Lance Allan Kair, Licensed Professional Counselor Lance Kair is a licensed professional counselor, founder of Agency Matters Mental Health, and published philosopher integrating trauma-informed care with existential and postmodern insights. He brings depth, compassion, and decades of lived experience to the evolving landscape of mental health. We talk a lot about mental health. We talk about a “mental health crisis,” a “mental health epidemic,” mental health days, mental health apps, and mental health awareness. We have diagnoses, medications, evidence-based treatments, brain scans, and endless opinions online about what people should do to feel better. But underneath all of that, there’s a surprisingly simple question that rarely gets asked directly. What is mental health? Not what are mental disorders, not what treatments work, not what the brain is doing, but mental health itself. The thing all these efforts are supposedly about. That question is where what I call Mental Health Philosophy begins. Mental health as the capacity to live one’s life I’m a practicing mental health counselor. On the regular, I sit with people who are struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship conflict, substance use, anger, meaninglessness of life, burnout, trauma, grief, and sometimes experiences like hallucinations or paranoia that many of us can’t relate to.  The contexts are endlessly diverse. One person attributes their distress to being raised in Hong Kong. Another is convinced it’s because they’re a man. Another point is a specific political environment, or a family legacy, or the town they grew up in. And all of that matters, of course. Our histories and environments are not irrelevant.  But notice something simple, for every person whose distress seems linked to a particular circumstance, there are others in similar circumstances who are not suffering in the same way, as well as those who are not suffering at all from them.  So while context can shape how distress shows up, it doesn’t fully explain mental difficulty. When you take a moment to think about it in this way, there is no “anxiety disorder” that a bunch of people suffer from any more than there is a “dinner time” that people undertake, or a “driving a car” problem. Yes, there are those things that we talk about, but those notions tell us little about what is actually happening in those instances of a person being involved with those events.  Then, at least from my perspective in the therapy room, if there is one working description of mental health that fits everything I see, all of the various situations and circumstances of problems, it is this: Mental health is the felt capacity to do one’s life, to live one’s life.  Not to live perfectly, not to feel good all the time, not to match someone else’s ideals. A mentally healthy person, in this basic sense, is someone who generally experiences themselves as capable of meeting their life, relationships, responsibilities, conflicts, limitations, and losses. When people seek therapy, something about that capacity has been compromised. They don’t just say, “I’m sad” or “I’m stressed.” They say, “I can’t get out of bed,” “I can’t stop drinking,” “I can’t leave this relationship,” “I can’t turn my mind off,” “I can’t stand myself.” There is a sense of not being able to live as they otherwise might. My job, then, as a therapist, is not to live their life for my clients, nor to tell them what kind of life they should live. It is to help them develop that sense of being able to live their life to their own measure of success (and maybe a little better). This introduces a subtle but important distinction: Personal philosophies of mental health, opinions about how life should be, what is “healthy” or “unhealthy,” what matters, and what doesn’t. Mental Health Philosophy, which is not an opinion, but a description of what is actually happening whenever we are involved with mental health, no matter what we personally believe. Mental Health Philosophy is not entirely a competing theory about how to treat depression or trauma. It is not a new modality that claims to be better than CBT, mindfulness, or medication, those are fine, and there is nothing wrong with them necessarily. It’s a way of stepping back and asking, when we say here is a mental health problem, yours, mine, or what have you. What is really going on in that situation? What assumptions are we already making, often without realizing it? The loop: “I’m depressed because I’m depressed” Consider a common example. Someone comes into therapy and says, “I’m depressed.” They tell me they can’t get out of bed, they haven’t showered all week, they cry for no apparent reason, they’ve been calling in sick to work, and they feel like a burden to everyone around them. They might say they hate themselves, or that life has no meaning. I have many ways of understanding this. There’s the DSM-5 and ICD-11, the official manuals for psychiatric and psychological diagnosis, which give specific symptom lists for “Major Depressive Disorder.” There’s my professional training and experience with hundreds of other clients. There’s my own life, my friends, my culture. All of this indeed helps me to be able to say, “Okay, this person is describing what our society calls depression.” So far, so good. Naming can be useful. But if I ask the obvious question , “Why do you feel this way?” I often hear some version of, “Because I’m depressed.” Or, “Because there’s something wrong with my brain chemistry. I have depression.” It sounds circular because it is. The person is suffering, and they also know enough psychology language to interpret the suffering through a diagnostic category. The category then becomes both the name and the reason. They are depressed because they have depression. Their experience speaks for itself. I call this the subjective loop: “I feel this way because I have this condition.” “I know I have this condition because I feel this way.” Psychology and psychiatry, as they are commonly practiced, often reinforce this loop. The diagnosis is taken as the central truth, the person’s own report confirms it, treatment is then aimed at “fixing” the condition as defined by the diagnosis. Sometimes that works well enough. Symptoms decrease, function improves, life opens up. When that happens, there is no problem. If a medication or a structured therapy genuinely helps someone suffer less and live more, wonderful. But often the loop becomes a problem when things don’t change, or when the identity “I am depressed” becomes solidified as a kind of permanent truth about the self. Then the question “What is mental health?” quietly gets replaced with another question, “How do we get rid of these symptoms?” That shift from what mental health is to how we can get rid of what bothers us is where Mental Health Philosophy wants to slow down and look more carefully. Phenomenology, humanism, and the expert of experience To see how we arrived here, it helps to briefly visit the history of a philosophical word, phenomenology. Phenomenology is the tradition, rooted in thinkers like Edmund Husserl and grounded in Descartes’ “I think therefore I am,” that takes seriously the difference between: the subjective world “inside” a person, and the objective world “outside” them. It is based on appearances and says basically that we only deal in appearances, never the actual thing. Psychology is built on this notion of things. If someone has an inner world of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, then an educated professional can, in theory, observe, describe, and intervene in that inner world because the appearance is understood to be the same as the thing or the person in the psychological case. Brain chemistry, neurons, cognitions, expressions, and so on, are phenomenological appearances. So when someone says they are depressed, psychology assumes that the appearance (as reported by a person) means that the psychologist can do certain things to that person, and they will get better.  This seems like a great idea, and for sure, many times it helps, but somehow, overall, this approach apparently was not working.  Something important changed in the 1950s with Humanistic psychology, especially with Carl Rogers. Before Rogers, the psychiatrist or psychologist was often assumed to be the expert about the patient’s mind. After Rogers, a different idea took hold: “The client is the expert of their own experience.” In practice, this meant that the therapist is tasked with listening deeply, empathically, and non-judgmentally, rather than imposing interpretations. The role is to facilitate the client’s own process, not to dictate it. This shift was both philosophical and ethical, it recognized the person as the central authority on their inner life. But here is the paradox, once you turn that approach into a technique, it can flip back on itself. A therapist trained in “client-centered therapy” may genuinely try not to impose their views. Yet their very technique, how they listen, how they reflect, how they respond, is itself built on a psychological theory. They now know “how to be non-directive,” and that knowledge can quietly become a new form of expertise about the client. In other words, the therapist becomes the expert in letting the client be the expert. The subjective loop now operates on two levels: The client’s loop: “I know I have depression because I feel like this, I feel like this because I have depression.” The system’s loop: “We know what depression is because people report these symptoms, we know these symptoms are depression because our manuals say so.” Neither layer is inherently malicious. They are attempts to help. But they also reveal how deeply our understanding of mental health is woven into certain ways of seeing the person, ways that may leave the basic question “What is mental health?” untouched. By mental health, we have a way to get out of the subjective loop, to circumvent its power.  Behavioral health: Moving house vs living there Another aspect of mental health a person might ponder is why psychology is often associated with what we call behavioral health. Behavioral approaches focus on what a person does, but specifically the appearance of what someone is doing. For our example of depression, it might be if a person ever leaves their house, how they sleep, what they avoid, how they talk about their life, and how they perform at work or school. These are observable, measurable, and (at least in principle) modifiable. Behavioral interventions can be helpful. If someone is paralyzed by anxiety, learning breathing techniques, scheduling, exposure practices, or cognitive reframing can open up possibilities they couldn’t reach before. But behavioral health is not identical to mental health. An analogy I often use is moving into a new house. Packing boxes, loading the truck, driving, unloading, assembling furniture, that’s a lot of work. It’s necessary work if you’re going to live somewhere new. But moving in is not the same as living there. Behavioral change is like the moving process. It’s helpful and is a part of moving, but the deeper texture of a life, the meaning of being in that new place, how relationships unfold, how one experiences oneself there, is something completely different from just behaving. The move lasts a short time, life is the whole time.  When we collapse mental health into behavioral health, we risk telling people that if they just adjust their behaviors, and maybe their brain chemistry, their inner world will automatically follow. Sometimes it does. Often it doesn’t. And when it doesn’t, the person can conclude not only “I am depressed,” but also, “I am failing treatment, therefore, there is really something wrong with me.” Again, the loop tightens. The clinical gaze and the loss of the person The French philosopher Michel Foucault described something he called the clinical gaze, a way of seeing people that emerged in modern medicine, where the person themselves gradually recedes and what comes into focus are descriptions, symptoms, syndromes, charts, lab values, and diagnostic codes. In that gaze, the human being becomes a subjective case, as we have said, a phenomenology.  We can understand this without demonizing medicine. For sure, we all need a shared language. We need categories to communicate, to research, to allocate resources. The manuals of diagnosis, like the DSM and ICD, explicitly admit that their categories are negotiated social constructions, created by committees of experts who did their best to describe patterns in human suffering. The problem is not that these categories exist. The problem is what happens when we forget they are tools, and treat them as though someone has this disorder or that they have this disorder.  A person comes in with complex pain. They leave with “Major Depressive Disorder,” “Generalized Anxiety Disorder,” or “Borderline Personality Disorder.” Over time, they may internalize this as identity, “I am a depressed person,” “I am an anxious person,” “I am borderline.” The category, created as a shorthand to help, becomes a lens through which they see themselves. And that lens is then reinforced by systems of care, insurance structures, and even social media communities. From the standpoint of Mental Health Philosophy, we can say, in most cases, a mental disorder is not just a thing a person “has”, it is more like a thing that we are using to try to begin to help someone with their struggle. In this way, a disorder is more like describing a relationship between a person, a language, a system, and a way of seeing. That relationship can be helpful, neutral, or harmful depending on how it is lived. Sometimes it can become what one is or something a person has because of what the person has been told about what is going on for them.  But if it helps for a person to think they have a disorder, then it is all to the good. Regardless, whatever way works, it is their mental health that is happening.  Mental health as the “parent category” This brings us to a key claim of Mental Health Philosophy, mental health is the parent category. Psychology, psychiatry, neurology, coaching, self-help, social work, spiritual care, all of these practices are sub-activities within the broader field of mental health. They are not competitors for who “owns” the mind. There are different ways humans have invented to address something more basic, the difficulty of being a person who is living a life. Seen this way, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one way of organizing human experience to make it more livable, for example. Medication is another way of supporting the nervous system. Diagnostic categories are another way, in this case perhaps, one way of classifying recurring patterns (there are indeed many recognised and valid ways of recognizing patterns). Also, even as this is a mental health philosophy, there is at least one modality called Philosophical Counseling, which is another way of examining meaning and value, there are other ways of examination.  Mental Health Philosophy doesn’t try to prove any of them wrong. Instead, it asks: What is happening when these approaches work? What is happening when they don’t? What assumptions about “self,” “problem,” “solution,” and “reality” are built into them? How do those assumptions shape what people experience? When you look closely, a striking pattern appears. Despite enormous scientific advances, the overall burden of mental distress in the world has not vanished, but indeed, it appears to be increasing. The looping is not something that goes away, or that can be overcome, it is not a problem that can be done away with without creating another subjective loop, more sophisticated descriptions, interventions, and measurements that are the cycling through experiences, only now with more language to describe them. Mental health is not a ‘curing’ or ‘fixing’ of the phenomenological loop. Mental health is the recognition, literally a different kind of understanding what is happening, of what it is to be a human being living life.  Stepping outside the circle So what does Mental Health Philosophy offer? It doesn’t offer a new cure. It offers a different orientation upon things. Instead of starting with, “What is the diagnosis, and how do we fix it?” it starts with, "What is actually happening in this situation that we are calling a mental health problem?" For example: A person says, “I can’t get out of bed because I’m depressed.” We can ask, "What is 'depressed' here, its meaning, how it shows up in the reality of this person’s life?" How does that concept shape what they feel able to do, or not do? A treatment “fails.” We can ask, "What does 'failure' mean in this context?" Are we measuring the person against a theory, or listening to what their actual life is showing us? A diagnosis provides relief and validation to one person, and crushing identity to another. We can ask, "What is different in those two relationships (validation or rejection) in the same category (the diagnosis)? Seen this way, mental health is everything and anything that grants us any understanding of mental health. It might seem ridiculous, like we are not really finding anything, but then what does that say about what we are talking about when we say mental health? The psychology, the physiology, the disorders, the interventions, the symptoms, the opinions and attitudes, it is the ongoing field of knowledge and known experiences by which people, professions, systems, and so on, interact. It is the context within which psychological theories, brain sciences, therapies, and social conditions show up to be meaningful at all, but more so the greater situation by which any of this exists to have meaning! Why this matters for the individual All of this might sound philosophical and abstract, but it has very concrete consequences for real people. If you are someone who struggles with depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, or any other mental difficulty, your experience is real. Your attempts to name it are real. Your efforts to seek help are real. But what Mental Health Philosophy invites is a small but powerful shift. Instead of taking every label, narrative, or explanation as a final truth about you, you begin to see them as tools you are using in a larger process of living your life. The philosopher Graham Harman calls this “Tool Being”, and he has a really complicated philosophy book of the same name! Instead of “I am depressed,” it could be, “I am a person who is currently relating to my experience through this diagnosis,” or, “I am someone moving through patterns of experience”, “I am also more than those patterns.” Instead of “therapy must fix me,” it could be, “Therapy is one place where my life is being examined. It is part of mental health, but it is not the whole of it,” or, “If one approach doesn’t help, that doesn’t prove I am broken. It might tell us something about the fit between this method, this moment, and my life.” This shift does not magically solve pain, but it could. Or, it could loosen the loop just enough to let something new appear, curiosity, self-respect, a sense of dignity that is not entirely defined by problems. The pain could become tolerable, or even transformational.  Mental health philosophy in a sentence If I had to compress Mental Health Philosophy into a single idea, it would be this: Mental health is itself that which organizes all things within its purview and domain. The shared field within which all our efforts to understand, measure, name, and help human suffering take place, but also that which is not named due to the limits of the names .  Psychology, psychiatry, neurology, therapy techniques, diagnoses, and identities are elements within that field, parts of mental health, constituent and not definitive. Recognizing this doesn’t make psychology or psychiatry obsolete. It situates them. It allows us to validate what they do well, question what they assume without noticing, and make room for the aspects of human life that don’t fit neatly into any existing framework. It opens mental health to be itself, a subject that exceeds every context.  Most importantly, it re-centers something that risks being lost in the clinical gaze, the person who is, in their own way, living. Mental Health Philosophy does not ask that person to become a philosopher in the academic sense. It simply invites them, and us, to pause the rush toward solutions long enough to ask: What are we really doing when we talk about mental health? What loops are we caught in, personally, professionally, culturally, existentially? What becomes possible if we see the loop clearly, as a limit instead of an ongoing sentence, an opening to more life, instead of living inside them as if they were the whole story? In fact, at the end of the day, it creates the possibility where solutions become moot, because the problem is seen for what it is.  Visit my website for more info! Read more from Lance Allan Kair Lance Allan Kair, Licensed Professional Counselor Lance Kair is licensed professional counselor and founder of Agency Matters Mental Health, he blends trauma-informed therapy with deep philosophical insight drawn from thinkers like Zizek Badiou, and Kierkegaard. Formerly immersed in 1990s psychedelic and rave culture, his lived experience with addiction, grief, and harm reduction drives his radically compassionate care. He's the author of multiple philosophical works, including The Moment of Decisive Significance, and is a leading voice in the emerging field of Mental Health Philosophy.

Written by Gareth Edward Jones, Visionary Technology Leader, Environmentalist, & Social Impact Advocate Gareth Edward Jones is a visionary technology leader with 20+ years of digital success, CIO Times Top 5 Business Leader, Executive Contributor for Brainz Magazine, UN SDG Advocate, and Co-Founder of Lightrise, and Trustee of the Lightrise Foundation Modern society sells a narrow definition of success built on compliance, consumption, and silence. But beneath that narrative lies a deeper question, whose dreams are you really funding with your time and energy? This piece explores why choosing your own path has never been more urgent, or more possible. “Choose a life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a f*cking big television. Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, and electrical tin openers... Choose DIY and wondering who the f*ck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away in the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, f*cked up brats you spawned to replace yourself, choose your future. Choose life... ” ― Irvine Welsh,  quote from the book and film, “Trainspotting”. We live in a system. Go to school, go to college, go to university (or not). Get a job, do as you are told. Conform. Get promoted.  You are made to believe this is the way to success. Why are you doing this? I asked a local entrepreneur who had just made his pitch. "Well, Gareth, I realised that if I carried on working, I was funding someone else's dreams and not my own". That resonated with me. It's 2025, yet I still hear continual stories about how you should work long hours, go out drinking with the team to get a promotion, and undertake the occasional charity event to make yourself and the company feel better. There is another way. There is a path that you create yourself. The path you create for yourself can be better than the one offered. But only if you make it that way. Businesses must undergo significant changes to address the current planetary and intergenerational challenges. Yes, climate change occurs naturally, it's not a hoax. Human-made climate change is not a hoax either. As we move towards 2030, we now know the “Over 99.9% of Studies Agree: Humans Have Caused Climate Change on Earth”, so unless you are unthinkingly ignorant, self-centred or pig-headed to be in the 00.1% it’s now time to wake up. Gaia  has a way of rebalancing herself, as evidenced by the geological and ecological systems that surround her. The sun, Comets play their part in her rich dynamics too. We know artificial climate change isn't a hoax. I say 'we', but what I actually mean is tens of thousands of scientists, from all over the planet, with peer-reviewed science. Never before in the history of civilisation has there been so much consensus among humanity. Some voices don't want you to believe the consensus. More often than not, when you uncover the intent of those voices, you realise that somewhere in their funding chain (e.g., pensions, power funding) are people who run businesses that don't really 'care' how they make their money. So long as they make money. Some of them will try to make you feel better by providing some warm words around the environment, and how they are 'trying' to be better. The art of ' greenwashing ' is well known now. People are waking up to the messaging of companies and politicians without substance or proof in their words. May they continue to wake up forevermore.  Of course, it's a bitter pill to swallow if your pension and profits are going up in literal smoke. It's essential to keep the charade going, right? Let's keep taking. Let's keep destroying and let the next generation worry? No, I've never subscribed to that self-centred, selfish drivel. Early in my activist days, 20 years ago, people would say, 'Why are you doing this?' Why? Because I didn't want my son to turn around one day and say, "Why didn't you help us, Dad?" Business needs to change quickly, the AI gold rush hasn't helped, but the potential is there for AI to help us meet the complexity of Integrated Environmental Management Solutions to create a better future for us all. However, for those in a rush, instead of reinvesting the ‘gold’ made in positive impacts, many business leaders continue to prioritise greed. They know what's coming, so like Smaug the Dragon , they've gone into hoarding mode. They've not even made it look like they are trying to make the planet a better place. Instead, it's all about their bottom line, all about the exit for more money, so they can ride the rising seas with hordes on their yachts while those kids drown in the rising seas. But the tide is turning. Billie Eilish was recently recognised at the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards , where she confirmed she would be giving away 22% of her net worth to The Changemaker Program, which addresses climate change and food insecurity. She encouraged anyone with loads of money “to use it for good things and give it to some people that need it.” Specifically making a parting shot at the Smaugs of the world, “Love you all, but there are a few people in here that have a lot more money than me. If you are a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but give your money away, shorties!” Of course, my country (the UK) played a big part in this climate carbon story. We thought it would be a good idea to burn loads of coal to kick-start the Industrial Revolution. But now is the time to contribute to a different revolution. A positive impact revolution that disrupts the funding and business models of old, rapidly building markets and prosperity through new economic models. There is still a group of fear-mongers out there. Fear has been used to control populations for some time. Certain media outlets and self-proclaimed leaders are clinging to their dwindling funds and networks, still relying on fear to try to control us all. Best to ignore them. Those types of people can require a disproportionate amount of energy to convince. That's why energy in the change process is often best focused on change agents. Find those that lift you, as opposed to putting you down. No country is perfect, but many countries are leading the way in this revolution. Most notably,  China , which has rapidly contributed to global emissions through ‘development’, is now equally mitigating these in its ambitious rush for renewable energy. The post-World War II Bretton Woods order is being challenged. Respectful competition is the way to a stronger global economy. Neo-liberalism and historical economic development management teach us that. If you follow the rules, get the job, do as you are told, and get promoted, this is what will happen. In 20 years, you'll be a manager and a leader, and someone like me will tell you to forget the cast you've been moulded in and to be more authentic. I share the same name as someone you wrote about it . I tell you this, my early career friends. Be more you! Find a place where you can be yourself from the outset. Be yourself from the beginning of your journey (assuming you are a decent human being). Don't settle for corporate cultures that make you conform. Find cultures that celebrate diversity, and celebrate the whole you. Be yourself from day one, knowing that you are saving yourself 20 years of conformity. Can't find that place? What could you do instead? You could create your own business, the world needs more companies that do good. Here is my template approach for creating one. Why it’s never been a better time to start your own business For years, business has been all about controlling labour. Companies have often compromised their ethics and rights, exploiting workers for profit. Not for me to tell you that having a heart is the right thing to do, but doing things with integrity does come with a level of moral and financial responsibility. If you are starting from nothing, how do you pay people? Well, the good news is that, starting from nothing now, you can use AI to help you climb the ladder until you are in a position to do the right thing and provide the right support networks for people. The control of labour is no longer a barrier to entrepreneurship and the capitalist systems that us common folk were previously prevented from accessing. How do you start? In many countries, you can often find low-cost options for setting up a business. It's essentially a form-filling activity. Get yourself on your favourite AI tool and ask 'How can I rapidly set up a limited liability company in my country?'. Use your time wisely, guard your energy, and find networks that illuminate the path to the precise things that will add value to your company and generate sales at a low cost. Develop a mindset that ignores your inner critic. Any time it tells you, “you can’t do this”. Tell it to go away. Your mind needs to be on your side. Make sure it behaves itself. Play the song ‘ This is me ’ on your favourite audio player, and check out my article on Resilience  for tools in this area.    What are you going to sell? Services? Goods? Throughout history, we've done both. If you've knowledge and skills, you can sell your time for money. The higher the skill, the more money one earns. The more money, the more positive change you can create (and I don't mean golf courses and yachts).  Services are easy to set up. They require little outlay, and the world is full of awesome people to recruit with solid ethics and values when you have the right recruitment strategies and culture. Goods are slightly more complicated. They involve supply chains and a larger need to scrutinise whether the company supplying those components or goods meets the same ethical standards that you want to perpetuate. One easy shortcut to save you the hassle is to look for an accredited standard.  B-Corp  is a reasonably safe one. There are others, but question any badges you see to ensure it's not just a smoke-and-mirrors veneer to make the company appear as though it's making positive changes.  Short of ideas? Check out these 70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025 . What are you going to stand for? How are you going to be a business for good? How are you going to contribute to making the world a better place through the company you create? I decided to set up a charity to do this. After all, that's what wealthy people do. Syphon things away into their foundations to hide their profits from tax. All perfectly legal. There are some great foundations out there making excellent positive contributions to the world. However, there are also some unscrupulous, self-serving ones. The trouble is that it can be slow progress for startups. Great as part of a longer-term strategy, but we want to make as much measurable positive change as possible from day one. In 2024, I discovered B1G1 , and it was a significant find. I'd never heard of them. But slowly, in an Ikigai way that the Japanese know best. Over the past 17 years, Masami Sato's organisation has created over 380 million positive impacts worldwide. As a member, you pay a small subscription fee, which covers the business administration side of things, allowing any additional donations to go directly to the supported causes. A rapid template approach for change. Governance, monitoring/evaluation, transparency, all wrapped up conveniently for your business to hit the ground running making impacts across all 17 of the UN Sustainable Goals in pick and mix approach to international and environmental development from helping survivors of the sex trafficking industry, providing economic growth and family security to the world’s poorest through to saving the world's precious rainforests and Gaia’s much loved flora and fauna. B1G1 has a referral mechanism where the more people that come together to join, the more positive change tokens we receive to ‘do good’. What are your values? When things go awry, when a company lacks a strategy and solid values, a vacuum forms, if you haven't selected the right people for your team, there's a chance they may fall into the mindset that they need to grab as much money as possible to be successful. That's what traditionally drives businesses, right? Concentrate on what you stand for from the outset. Think about your own values as a person leading this company, and what you want people to stand by. If you are not sure, check out those of your favourite charities and seek inspiration from them. For fun, you may want to see if they make an acronym, too. For example, ‘say HI, HR’ at Lightrise. Ours stand for Humanity, Integrity, Humility, and Respect. Hopefully, it makes it more memorable. Embed values in your culture, and lead and manage through them every week. I would even go so far as to say that individual development goals and performance should also be linked to them, and you can utilise these in your recruitment as well. How are you going to manage people? Not all companies seem to recognise this, but I firmly believe people are still a company's strongest 'asset'. Of course, people are not assets, they are human beings, but without humans, many companies do not function well. Worst still, with the wrong humans and the wrong values, you'll soon find yourself making payments under Non-disclosure agreements to save yourself from embarrassing situations or being hauled up in court for breaching rights and employment legislation, damaging lives, your brand, and trust. The law is there to protect people, and I'm a strong advocate for strengthening it as society continues to become increasingly compassionate. Set strong foundations in policy, process, and culture. We live in a world where even this can be achieved remotely. Be realistic Whatever you do, recognise that it’s going to take time, whether you are a Queen or a Street sweeper in this world. Make your own race. Each one of us has 1440 minutes in a day. Success may likely take years, but then feeding someone else’s success will take you years too, and that’s just to maybe get that promotion. No job provides absolute security. It’s just a perception. What is ‘real security’ anyway?  You could choose something else instead. Choose life. Reach out to Lightrise  or Gareth  personally for guidance and support in building personal or business resilience driven by positive impacts. Together We Rise  is a new Community built by the team at Lightrise to support entrepreneurial excellence. You can join for a 7-day free trial on Skool. Lightrise is a member of the Salford City Mayor’s Charter . Salford is ranked among the most deprived areas in England according to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2025. Lightrise is working with the Salford City Mayor’s Office to provide free access to our new community to help others rise. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Gareth Edward Jones Gareth Edward Jones, Visionary Technology Leader, Environmentalist, & Social Impact Advocate Gareth Edward Jones is a visionary technology leader, environmentalist, and social impact advocate with over two decades of experience at the intersection of people, purpose, and digital transformation. A CIO Times Top 5 Business Leader (2024–25), and Executive Contributor for Brainz Magazine. Gareth is the founder and CEO of Lightrise, where he champions ethical innovation, ESG-driven strategy, and inclusive technology solutions.