Written by Jaden Rose Enterprise sellers have never generated more activity. Their win rates have not moved. Karl Pinto, who built one of PagerDuty’s top-ranked enterprise teams, argues most companies are aiming AI at the one part of the sales process that was never the problem. Enterprise sales has spent two years getting faster. Reps draft outbound sequences in seconds, summarize discovery calls before they have left the room, and let models score and rank the pipeline overnight. On nearly every team that has adopted the tooling, activity is up and cost-per-touch is down. Win rates have barely moved. That gap is the part most go-to-market leaders are not discussing, and to Karl Pinto it points to a basic error in how the industry is spending its AI budget. Pinto has spent nearly two decades in enterprise software across Dell, Salesforce, and PagerDuty, most recently as Regional Enterprise Sales Director for the Northeast, where he built and led one of the company’s top-ranked global enterprise teams. His read is blunt: AI has solved a problem enterprise sales never actually had. “Speed was never the bottleneck in a complex deal,” he says. “You can send a hundred more emails and run a dozen more calls and still lose, because the thing that decides the deal happens somewhere those activities never reach. We bought a faster car. The traffic is on a road the car never drives.” The bottleneck was never throughput In Pinto’s experience, enterprise deals are not won or lost on volume. They turn on two things that resist automation: whether the seller has qualified the opportunity honestly, and whether they have earned access to the person who actually controls the budget. “Most pipelines are fiction,” he says. “It looks real in the system because someone logged a meeting and set a close date. Whether it is real depends on questions a dashboard cannot answer. Does this account have a problem worth paying to solve, and are we in front of the person who signs for it?” He describes a pattern he has watched repeat inside hypergrowth sales organizations: teams generate enormous activity against accounts that were never going to buy, then act surprised when the forecast slips. “Activity is comfortable. It feels like progress,” he says. “Qualification is uncomfortable, because half the time the honest answer is that the deal is not real and you have to walk away from it. AI made the comfortable part frictionless and left the uncomfortable part exactly as hard as it always was.” Pointing the technology at the wrong layer The problem, Pinto argues, is where teams have deployed the technology. Most have aimed it at the throughput layer: writing more messages, booking more meetings, producing more first-touch volume. Few have aimed it at what he calls the diagnostic layer, the inspection work that determines whether any of that volume converts. “Point it at the wrong layer and all you do is manufacture bad pipeline faster,” he says. “Your reps are busier, your CRM is fuller, and your win rate is identical. You have automated the noise.” The diagnostic layer is harder to build for, which is part of why it gets skipped. It means using AI to pressure-test a deal rather than populate it: surfacing which opportunities have a validated champion, which have stalled on a single contact, which carry a close date nobody has justified, which have never once touched someone with budget authority. “That is the work that moves a number,” Pinto says. “It is just less photogenic than a tool that writes your emails for you.” What discipline looks like underneath the tooling Pinto’s own approach treats qualification as an operating system rather than a reporting formality. He runs his teams on MEDDPICC, the enterprise qualification methodology, but insists the acronym is not the point. “Half the companies that say they run MEDDPICC are running it as a form somebody fills in after the deal is already decided,” he says. “That is theater. The discipline is inspecting the behavior, not the field. Did the rep actually meet the economic buyer, or did they type a name into a box?” That distinction produced numbers that are hard to argue with. The enterprise team Pinto built closed roughly seven of every ten opportunities it qualified, a win rate well above the enterprise software norm, and he personally ran the largest deal of its kind in the company’s history, a seven-figure agreement at one of the largest banks in the United States. He is direct about why those results held: the team disqualified aggressively and refused to advance a deal until it had tested its access to real authority. “Executive access is a gate, not a nice-to-have,” he says. “If we could not get to the person who owned the budget, we did not have a deal. We had hope. AI can help me find that person and prepare for the conversation. It cannot have the conversation for me.” He sees that same gate as the right place to point the technology. Used well, AI can tell a manager which deals in a forecast have never reached an economic buyer, the exact signal most teams discover far too late. “Imagine inspecting an entire pipeline for that one question every morning, instead of finding out at the end of the quarter,” he says. “That is a real use of the tool. It is just not the one most people bought it for.” Faster is not the same as better Pinto is not skeptical of AI in sales. He is skeptical of using it to do more of what was already not working. The teams pulling ahead, he says, are the ones putting AI underneath a qualification discipline rather than on top of an activity quota. “The winners will not be the teams that sent the most emails,” he says. “They will be the teams that knew which deals were real the earliest and spent their time only on those. That has always been the game. The tooling just raised the stakes on getting it right.” His closing point lands as a warning more than a forecast. As AI drives the cost of activity toward zero, the teams that mistook activity for progress will produce more of it than ever, and convert none of it. “Faster is not better,” Pinto says. “It is just faster. Better is knowing what to walk away from, and that is still a human decision.”

Written by Catherine (Katie) Ruffino, NLP Master Practitioner Katie Ruffino, PA-C, NLP Master Practitioner, and founder of Pure Pathways Collective, merges medicine, mindset, and artistry to inspire holistic transformation. Known for her work in detoxification, subconscious rewiring, and her Katie in the Kitchen series, she helps leaders embody health, vitality, and authentic self-expression. What if the goal isn't to always know which choice is “right,” but to trust yourself enough to choose? “Is this my intuition… or am I just anxious?” I’ve asked myself some version of this question more times than I can count. For years, I could analyze a decision from every possible angle. I’d ask people I trusted what they thought, pay attention to every feeling in my body, look for signs, weigh the pros and cons, and somehow end up even more confused than when I started. I thought I had a problem making decisions. What I eventually realized was that I had a problem trusting myself with the consequences of them. I wanted to know I was making the right choice. I wanted certainty. If I could just figure out whether the feeling inside me was intuition or anxiety, maybe I could guarantee everything would work out the way I wanted it to. Except that isn’t how life works, and I don’t think that’s how intuition works either. Sometimes we aren't confused, we just don't like what we're hearing I learned this most painfully through relationships. I remember being in a relationship that contained genuinely good things. There was love, and there were parts of the partnership I deeply wanted. There were also things that felt misaligned. My body would sometimes shake around him for no logical reason. At times, I felt trapped, like I had somehow lost my autonomy. There were moments when I didn't feel emotionally safe, values that didn't completely align, and a quiet feeling underneath everything telling me something was off. But my mind had plenty of counterarguments. Maybe this is my fear of commitment or me being too perfectionistic. Maybe I need better boundaries, or I’m expecting too much. Maybe there's something wrong with me. Honestly, some of those questions were worth asking. I had my own patterns to take responsibility for. I had fears around losing myself in relationships. I hadn't always communicated boundaries well, and I cared too much about what my life and relationship looked like from the outside. It wasn't as simple as “my intuition was right and everything else was wrong.” That's exactly the point. I remember thinking: Why don't I want this? Why isn't my body cooperating? I wish it could be him. Eventually, the quiet voice wasn't so quiet anymore. At one point, I heard internally with startling clarity: “You cannot have kids with this man.” Whether you would call that my higher self, subconscious mind, spiritual guidance, or something else, I knew I needed to pay attention. Sometimes we aren't struggling to hear our inner knowing; we're struggling to accept what it might be telling us. An uncomfortable feeling isn't automatically intuition This is where conversations about intuition can become overly simplistic. You've probably heard some version of: Intuition is calm. Anxiety is loud. There can be truth in that, but I've found real discernment to be much messier. Sometimes discomfort is your unconscious mind trying to protect you from change. Sometimes it's an old wound being activated. Sometimes you're stepping outside an identity that has kept you safe for years. Sometimes your body is giving you information that deserves your attention. Multiple things can be happening at once, and that's why I've learned not to immediately assign meaning to every sensation. A feeling is information. It isn't always an instruction. Instead of immediately asking, “What does this mean?” try asking, “What is this trying to communicate with me?” That's a very different conversation. Anxiety and intuition can exist at the same time One of the biggest misconceptions may be that we have to determine whether we're experiencing anxiety or intuition. Sometimes it's both. Your anxiety may be responding to what your intuition is asking you to confront. Or anxiety may be trying to keep you inside something familiar because familiarity feels safer than uncertainty. I experienced this when I left my full-time job at a medical clinic. I had spent more than a decade working toward that life. I had stable income, a supportive team, familiarity, credentials, and a career most people around me understood. Leaving felt insane. I didn't have a beautifully organized five-year plan waiting on the other side. I didn't even know exactly what I wanted. I just knew: I don't know what I want yet, but I know it isn't this. Many people around me thought leaving was a terrible idea. I was scared, and I left anyway. The feeling afterward was completely different. I felt liberated. Free. Like the world had suddenly opened again. That didn't mean leaving eliminated the anxiety. Entrepreneurship introduced an entirely new collection of things to worry about: where my next client would come from, how I'd pay rent, and what I was actually building. But underneath that fear was something different: expansion, possibility, and aliveness. The relationship and career decisions both contained fear and uncertainty, yet one felt like I was trying to convince myself to stay, while the other felt like I was terrified to go and knew I wanted to anyway. So instead of only asking: “Is this anxiety or intuition?” I've started asking: “What is my anxiety responding to, and what might my intuition be communicating underneath it?” What if there isn't a “right” decision? This realization changed the way I think about self-trust altogether. I spent much of my life trying to optimize for pleasure and peace while eliminating as much possibility of suffering as I could. Ironically, that created more suffering. Because when your goal becomes “I need to make the right decision so I don't get hurt,” every meaningful choice starts carrying an enormous amount of pressure. You analyze, ruminate, justify, ask another person, and search for another sign. Eventually, discernment becomes another way of avoiding the responsibility of choosing. Here's the part I wish someone had taught me earlier: Intuition isn't a guarantee that your choice will produce the outcome you want. There were growing pains if I stayed in medicine, and there were growing pains if I left. There were lessons available if I stayed in that relationship, and there were lessons available if I left. Every road contains experiences we cannot completely predict, so perhaps the goal isn't finding the magical path where nothing hurts. Perhaps the question becomes, “Which experience am I choosing, and do I trust myself to meet what comes next?” Self-trust doesn't mean ignoring everyone else I don't think most of us consciously decided to stop trusting ourselves. It happens gradually. As children, adults make decisions for us. We learn to be good, keep the peace, get the correct answer, follow the rules, and make people proud. Then adulthood gives us even more places to search for certainty. Experts. Doctors. Coaches. Partners. Parents. Podcasts. Social media. Spiritual teachers. Algorithms. External wisdom isn't the problem. I still seek counsel from people I respect. I value science. I have mentors. I pray. I learn from people who know far more than I do in different areas. Self-trust doesn't mean rejecting outside wisdom. It means refusing to abandon your own wisdom in its presence. For me, this has also become deeply spiritual. My relationship with God has evolved into trusting that divine guidance doesn't always have to come from outside of me. I believe it can move through us, too. That doesn't mean every thought in my head is God speaking. It means discernment requires enough quiet to notice what is fear, what is conditioning, what is desire, and what feels like deeper guidance. Then I still have to choose. Clear the noise, then choose When I'm facing a major decision, I've learned that demanding an immediate answer usually isn't helpful. First, I clear some noise. Physically: Can I ground myself enough to actually feel what's happening in my body? Mentally: What beliefs, old stories, or other people's expectations are influencing me? Emotionally: What haven't I allowed myself to feel? Spiritually: Can I become quiet enough to listen without demanding certainty? Then I notice instead of judging or forcing. I listen. I've also learned my own internal language. For me, anxiety tends to create tightness, rumination, pressure, and a desperate need to figure everything out. Clear intuitive yeses often bring expansion or a simple internal 'yes'. Truth often creates something even simpler: acceptance. My body relaxes, and energy becomes available again. Your signals may be completely different. The point isn't memorizing someone else's list of “signs your intuition is speaking.” It's becoming fluent in your own. Practice before the decision feels life-or-death Please don't wait until you're deciding whether to marry someone, quit your career, or move across the country to begin practicing self-trust. Start smaller. Do I actually want to go tonight? Do I need rest or movement? Do I want to say yes? Do I actually mean no? Listen. Choose. Notice what happens. Learn. Choose again. You're collecting evidence: I listen to myself. I make choices. I experience the feedback. I can handle what comes next. Eventually, though, you have to stop analyzing. You can journal, pray, ask another friend, read another article, and ask AI another question, sure. But at some point, you have to live. Choose. Give yourself permission to experience what follows, and stay with yourself afterward. Inner intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence I think this skill is becoming even more important as AI expands. We now have tools that can offer more information, perspectives, and recommendations than any one human could process alone. That's extraordinary. But there is a difference between using technology to support our discernment and asking it to replace our discernment. As our external intelligence becomes more powerful, I believe developing our inner intelligence matters even more. No tool gets to live your life for you, you do. Self-trust isn't certainty The woman who trusts herself isn't someone who never experiences anxiety. She doesn't know exactly what to do at every fork in the road or make perfect decisions. She listens to other people's perspectives without automatically surrendering her own. She allows God to guide her while taking responsibility for her choices. She can disappoint someone without automatically deciding she's wrong. She can make a choice, learn from it, and choose again. Most importantly, she loves herself through the outcome, and I think that's where this conversation becomes about even more than decision-making. The growth realization is that, when I trust myself, I don't need to make you wrong in order for me to be right. I can honor your sovereignty while standing firmly in my own. Maybe deeper self-trust doesn't separate us but rather gives us enough internal safety to meet each other with more freedom, compassion, and love. So the next time you find yourself desperately asking, “Is this my intuition or my anxiety?” get quiet and listen to what each part of you is trying to communicate. Clear the noise, notice what remains, and remember that you may never receive the certainty you're looking for. The key is to make a choice regardless because self-trust isn't knowing you'll always make the right choice. It's knowing you won't abandon yourself in whatever comes next. If you’re ready to deepen your self-trust, better understand your inner dialogue, and clear the noise that makes it difficult to hear yourself, explore my work here and book a call to see if working together feels like the right fit. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Catherine (Katie) Ruffino Catherine (Katie) Ruffino, NLP Master Practitioner Katie Ruffino, PA-C, NLP Master Practitioner, and founder of Pure Pathways Collective, is a recognized voice in functional and regenerative medicine. She helps leaders and entrepreneurs achieve holistic transformation through detoxification, nervous system regulation, and subconscious rewiring. Her work emphasizes emotional release and deep reconnection to the self, creating space for clarity, vitality, and freedom. Drawing from her medical background and her passion for creativity, Katie also created the Katie in the Kitchen series, where she shares stories, interviews, and lessons on authentic living. Her mission is to help others enhance their human experience, living in alignment with their truth.

Written by Nick Reich, CEO of Abundant Empowerment Nick Reich is a leadership strategist, speaker, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Abundant Empowerment, where he works with leaders and organizations to build high-performing, people-first cultures. A former championship basketball coach, he is the creator of the People-First Playbook and author of Every Player Is Bigger Than the Program. Every leader who ever shaped you, for good or for hard, probably never sat down and decided to have that effect on you. Most were just repeating whatever leadership looked like the first time they saw it. Here is why that pattern keeps winning and what it actually takes to break it. I understand the life-changing impact, for good or bad, that leaders can have on the people they lead. Almost none of them chose that impact on purpose. Most simply led the way leadership was modeled for them, on autopilot, and never stopped to decide otherwise. This applies not just to managers, but to parents, coaches, teachers, and anyone who stood over you at a formative moment and either built you up or wore you down, most of the time without meaning to do either. That impact does not clock out. It lasts a lifetime, and it ripples out to everyone that person goes on to touch. Most leadership content treats this as a workplace problem: fix the manager, fix the org chart, fix engagement. Then I started asking a question in front of rooms full of leaders, and the answer changed how I think about this work entirely. Why do bad leaders outnumber good ones? I ask a simple question: How many great, phenomenal, gold standard leaders have you directly experienced in your life or career? One? Most hands go up. Two? I lose about half the room. Three? A handful remain. Four or more? Almost nobody. Then I ask the other question: How many toxic or terrible leaders have you directly experienced? Five? Nearly every hand goes up. Six? Still most of the room. Seven? Fewer, but still a surprising number. Room after room, the ratio holds. Bad leaders outpace good ones by roughly three to one. That should stop us cold. We know what good leadership looks like. Ask any group to describe their best leader, and you will hear the same words every time: they led with kindness and respect, they had vision, they hired smart people, and they got out of the way. We know the formula. We just do not follow it. Why knowing isn’t doing Here is the answer I have landed on after years of asking that question. When people reach a leadership position, whether through a promotion, in a classroom, or within a family, they mimic what they have seen most often, not what they admired. If you spent your career watching command and control leadership, that is the muscle memory you carry into your own leadership, even if you promised yourself you would do it differently. I coached a state championship basketball team at a school with no gym and no budget. I have also been the guy yelling at kids from the sideline, certain that volume was the same thing as leadership. It took me years to understand that leadership is not about getting louder. It is about getting closer. Knowing what good leadership looks like was never the problem. The problem is that most of us are running someone else’s playbook, inherited from whoever led us first, and nobody ever handed us a new one. The playbook, not the poster This is why “people are our greatest asset” stays a poster on the wall instead of becoming how an organisation actually operates. It is a value with no system underneath it. I built the People First Playbook because a belief without a system is just a nice thing to say in an all-hands meeting. The Playbook has six plays: Purpose, Direction, Connection, Excellence, Enablement, and Legacy. Each one is something a leader can practise, coach, and measure. It is not a poster. It is an operating system. Take Connection, the play I probably talk about most. Within it sits a practice I call Know Your Personnel, or KYP. It is not complicated. It involves a leader taking the time to actually learn who is on their team: who thrives with structure, who needs room to create, and who is carrying something heavy outside of work that is showing up inside it. A 2023 Gallup report found that only three in ten employees strongly agree that their manager genuinely cares about them as a person. Employees who do feel cared for are three times more likely to be engaged and five times more likely to stay. That is not a soft metric. It is the business case for doing the thing that was always right to do anyway. One leader at a time The people who lead us can build us or break us. That is true whether we are talking about a parent, a coach, a teacher, or a manager, and it is true whether that leader ever reads a single leadership book in their life. I have decided to spend my career working with one leader at a time so their people feel the difference. Not because it scales quickly, but because it is the only way I know that actually works. If you already recognise the ratio in your own life – three toxic leaders for every great one – you already know what is at stake in becoming the leader who breaks that pattern instead of repeating it. If you want to talk about what that looks like within your organisation, book fifteen minutes with me here or find more information on my website. Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Nick Reich Nick Reich, CEO of Abundant Empowerment Nick Reich is dedicated to expanding what's possible for humanity by developing leaders who live fully, lead consciously, and create the conditions for others to do the same. Nick is a future of leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and CEO of Abundant Empowerment. Drawing on more than two decades of experience across a wide variety of sectors, he helps leaders and organizations move from high-pressure to high-trust, translating complex change into practical, human-centered leadership. Nick is the architect of the People-First Playbook and the author of Every Player Is Bigger Than the Program.

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. Two months after I turned 21, I was suddenly hit head-on by a drunk driver while driving home from a friend’s house. A few injuries and a small surgery left me with a new pharmacy cabinet full of medications that made me slow, numb, and dumb. I looked at doctors as if they were putting a band-aid on a broken bone, masking the problem with pills that created more problems. I didn’t know the solution, but I knew the pills that were prescribed to me weren’t it, so I threw them away. This led me on a journey of discovering different healing methods. Different cultures’ practices, sound and vibrational healing, herbal mysticism, the food I consumed, and the vast plant world around us that heals. Flowers, leaves, stems, roots, vines, barks, and the multitude of latex and oils that can be pulled from trees like maple syrup. Foods and activities that inflamed my pain, and plants and spices that took it away. This exploration into a taboo world that was labeled as “alternative medicines” led me to different plant medicine ceremonies that changed the course of my life forever, specifically Ayahuasca. The ceremonies themselves were profound in every way. The wisdom from the vine and visions of the leaf continue to teach humanity. Some people come to ceremony to heal, some to overcome trauma, some come for a reset, and some come to pray; we all come to learn. I continued to work in Ayahuasca ceremonies with many different shamans over the years. Eventually, I started working down in the jungle with Indigenous people, making the medicines, stirring pots, serving the medicine, and singing songs until sunrise alongside my teachers. The medicine guided me, and I listened. It told me to start making videos, so I created a YouTube channel and started to teach astrology, which is the balancing wheel of life. It guided me to create a religious nonprofit to serve the plants and people, as well as how to do so. Then, in a strong message, it told me to create a natural plant medicine company with our plant allies from the jungles of Peru. The plants serve the animals and humans, and many humans serve the plants and the people. When we work closely with these plants, we listen to the subtle ways they communicate with us. They want to be worked with. They want to be utilized and harvested. Just as an apple tree produces apples, it wants them plucked and rewards those who climb to get the sun-kissed one at the top. The apple is appreciated as a tree in the backyard of a home, just as it is in your local grocery store, as juice, wine, or applesauce. Humans can see a tree and turn it into a table for a family to eat, a boat to sail to new lands, or a violin that tickles the ears and touches the heart. The woodsmiths tell stories of how the wood told them what to do. It’s as if the plants chose to work with us; it certainly feels that way. Seven plants specifically called out and said, “Hey, let’s go!” That is so hard to explain, but it’s the way it is. I listened. I worked with my friends to clean the bark, remove the medicine layer, boil the pots, stir for days and nights, and listen to them. They continued to teach me how they wanted to be presented. These are old-world medicines that are excited to reemerge into modern society. They are made with such care and through an old process that makes them extremely potent. These aren’t tinctures; they are concentrated extracts with real plant matter. The pharmaceutical industry is loaded with so many harmful side effects that stack one on top of another. We have to think about our health seriously and reintroduce natural methods that originated before petrochemical medicines. 1. Banisteriopsis caapi: Pure being The incredible brain-cell builder Encourages the growth of new brain cells, particularly in areas associated with memory. Gently elevates serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Helps stabilize mood into a steady, grounded state. Reduces swelling and inflammation inside the brain. Sharpens focus and helps with retaining new information. Acts as a natural anti-anxiety and antidepressant support. The B. caapi vine contains beta-carboline alkaloids, including harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine. These compounds function as reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). Studies show that harmine stimulates neural stem cell proliferation and synaptic plasticity, potentially supporting long-term cognitive retention, focus, and mental resilience under stress. It can help tone the autonomic nervous system, shifting out of a constant “fight-or-flight” state and allowing better recovery and sleep quality. It facilitates neuroplasticity and emotional regulation, slowing the breakdown of natural “feel-good” chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. Naturally tapering the flow into a slower, steadier “drip,” these chemicals remain active longer, allowing the brain to operate at a higher, more stable baseline. It offers many of the benefits associated with prescription SSRIs, as well as microdosing psilocybin mushrooms, without the same harmful side effects. 2. Chuchuhuasi: Pure vitality The muscle and joint mechanic Cuts the wire on long-term, chronic pain signals. Rich in triterpenes for prostate health. Alleviates joint stiffness and back pain. Helps release deep tension in muscles and connective tissue. Supports the body’s recovery after hard physical work. Helps regulate immune responses related to joint health. Recharges baseline physical stamina from the ground up. Chuchuhuasi is a cornerstone of Amazonian pharmacopeia and male vitality joint tonics, traditionally relied upon to support libido, stamina, and physical vigor by supporting natural testosterone production and metabolic energy. It contains triterpenes and alkaloids like maytansine, which may support pelvic blood flow and reduce systemic inflammation. This is important for maintaining a healthy prostate and optimal erectile function. It acts as a phytoestrogen, analgesic, and natural anti-inflammatory compound by potentially influencing COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes. It may help alleviate chronic joint stiffness, back pain, and physical wear and tear from exercise or hard labor. It may influence the signals the body sends when experiencing chronic pain while also affecting proteins involved in swelling and tissue damage. In the jungle, it’s known as “trembling back” and is considered the plant to work with when you’re in pain. This is a traditional remedy often used for physical labor jobs that cause body aches and joint discomfort. 3. Uncaria tomentosa (cat’s claw): Pure immunity The immune system upgrader Supports the body’s natural DNA repair processes. Helps signal white blood cells to support immune function. Supports immune balance. Encourages healthy immune cell activity. Helps regulate inflammation throughout the body. Protects cells from oxidative stress. Supports the health of the stomach and gut lining. This vine is a biological construction crew and pharmacy within itself. It is packed with compounds that support two important functions: protecting cellular health and supporting immune function. It contains oxindole alkaloids (POAs) that may optimize immune function, supporting immune defense during periods of stress while helping regulate overactive inflammatory responses. Microdoses may act as an astringent and anti-inflammatory support for the gastrointestinal tract, helping maintain gut health and nutrient absorption. Research also demonstrates that Cat’s claw extracts may promote cellular repair and protect DNA against oxidative stress caused by aging, poor diet, or environmental toxins. Mother Nature’s natural remedy. 4. Bobinsana: Pure heart The blood-flow booster Widens blood vessels, helping muscles and organs receive more oxygen. Turns down the volume on the body’s stress hormones. Helps reduce baseline anxiety. Encourages tight, locked-up skeletal muscles to relax. Helps ease arthritis discomfort and supports mobility in stiff joints. Traditionally used as a circulatory tonic, Bobinsana is believed to support blood flow and vascular elasticity, which are key components of healthy blood pressure and sexual stamina. The heart-opening plant of the Amazon, revered as an emotional support supplement, is believed to help reduce baseline anxiety and emotional exhaustion by calming cardiac nervous system responses. The medicinal bark of this shrubby tree acts as a natural pain-relieving and blood vessel-supporting compound. Containing active COX-inhibiting compounds that may reduce systemic inflammation, it may help ease deep-tissue body aches and chronic joint stiffness. Unlike caffeine, which stresses the adrenal glands to provide energy, this plant is believed to support energy by helping the heart and blood vessels work more efficiently. A happy heart is a happy mind and body. 5. Piñón Blanco: Pure clarity The deep-tissue scrub brush Supports the body’s natural response to unwanted fungal and bacterial activity. Supports the body’s natural waste-removal systems. Encourages skin renewal and the replacement of dead cells. Supports digestive balance so food moves through the body efficiently. Supports the body’s natural defenses against viruses. Traditionally microdosed to support clarity, focus, and feelings of being grounded. This plant is considered a highly concentrated biological purge. In the jungle, it is associated with the energy of the great white light and is traditionally used as a purgative in highly concentrated tea preparations to cleanse the gut and intestines. Containing phenolic compounds and diterpenes that may support hepatic (liver) function and lymphatic drainage, it may assist the body’s natural processes for clearing metabolic waste and xenoestrogens. Its biochemical action is believed to center on disrupting the cellular membranes of certain pathogenic fungi. Because its raw form is toxic, highly diluted extractions have traditionally been used with caution as a metabolic support. Strong natural antiseptic properties are associated with supporting digestive health and the body’s natural defenses against harmful pathogens, parasites, and candida overgrowth. 6. Piñón Colorado: Pure dreams The blood filter and dream catcher Supports the body’s natural response to toxins and oxidative stress. Acts as an assistant to the liver, supporting its natural filtering processes. Supports the body’s defenses against viral activity. Helps reduce swelling associated with localized injuries. Traditionally used as a natural sleep aid that supports dream activity. Piñón Colorado contains high concentrations of flavonoids and lignans. It is traditionally valued for its hemostatic and emmenagogue properties. Focusing on the bloodstream, it is traditionally used to support circulation and reduce stagnation within the cardiovascular system, helping improve oxygen delivery to tissues. It acts like a sponge, absorbing unwanted substances and supporting healthy blood vessels. Being rich in flavonoids and tannins, it may help reduce oxidative stress and protect vascular endothelial walls. It is also used as a sleep aid, supporting deep rest without a groggy wake-up. It is believed to help connect the dream world with the physical world by encouraging visions and reflection. 7. Uvos Colorado: Pure moon The cellular shield Supports the body’s natural cellular defense mechanisms. Helps reduce muscle spasms. Supports the protection of brain cells from oxidative stress. Helps calm physical symptoms associated with anxiety. Supports the protective lining of internal organs. It has been used as an Amazonian medicine to support the reproductive system, traditionally associated with seminal quality, libido, and hormonal vitality. This tree bark is rich in tannins and phenolic compounds, providing astringent and antimicrobial properties. It is traditionally believed to help tone tissues while supporting the body’s natural defenses. At the same time, it may send chemical signals to the nervous system that encourage relaxation. It is also packed with quercetin and gallic acid derivatives, which may help neutralize free radicals associated with cellular aging and organ stress. It may also help support the stomach lining and digestive tract, contributing to nutrient absorption and balanced insulin responses. Ancestral Herbs was created by the plants, with the help of human hands, to cultivate these medicines ethically and sustainably. Nature gives us all we need. Follow me on Instagram 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 humanity's relationship with our living planet, solar system, and the universe. He now dedicates his life to helping others explore the options of natural healing, entheogenic practices, and embracing the Aquarian Age.

Sarah Wittl's path into wellbeing began at nine years old, watching a flyer of a karate practitioner mid-flight and knowing instantly: I want to do this too. What started as a childhood fascination became a lifelong discipline – national karate champion, international competitor for Australia, and eventually the founder of Kokoro, a wellbeing philosophy built on the belief that health isn't something you achieve once and maintain forever, but something you rebuild, again and again, as life changes around you. Sarah's own life tested that belief in the most direct way possible. Not long after competing at her physical peak at the Asia Pacific Open, she lost her mother and discovered that every tool she'd built for peak performance had nothing to offer her in real grief. That gap became the foundation of the SW Kokoro Method and the SPME framework – Set-Up & Environment, Physical, Mental, Emotional – a way of building wellbeing that holds up not in perfect conditions, but in the actual mess of life. Today, Sarah runs Kokoro's Wellbeing Hub, helping ambitious people build their own personal wellbeing blueprint through the Founder Membership. Sarah Wittl, Health & Wellbeing Transformation Coach Who is Sarah Wittl? Introduce yourself, your hobbies, your favorites, you at home and in business. Tell us something interesting about yourself. If I were to explain myself in a nutshell, it would be this: I'm a food-loving karateka who's lived the martial arts philosophy since I was nine years old, a highly sensitive being who spent years treating that sensitivity as a flaw until I learned to shift it into a superpower, and that shift is exactly what makes my approach to health different from most. I'm the author of four self-guided journals that walk people toward what I call Wellbeing Independence, and I'm currently writing a book about grief and its impact on our health and wellbeing. My path went from the road to peak performance – Australian National Karate Champion in 2018 and 2019, fighting internationally for the Australian karate team at the first Asia Pacific Open – to a complete health breakdown, to a complete rebuild. In 2020, my mum passed away, and everything I knew that had worked before stopped working. That's when I understood: tools built for perfect conditions aren't the tools that carry you when life actually falls apart. The rebuild that followed is where everything I now teach was born – because life throws curveballs, and health needs to adapt to life, not the other way around. During that time, working with high-level executives across global firms – driven, ambitious women and men – I noticed everyone seemed to be circling the same problem: health felt like an unrealistic mountain to climb. That question became my life's work. Being highly sensitive used to feel like a liability – too emotional, too much. Now I know it's the opposite. It's what lets me feel into someone's life and spot the small tweak that changes everything. Where most people say the devil is in the detail, I say the gold is in the detail. Outside of work, I love food, genuinely and adventurously. At home, I'm deeply intentional: I write every single morning, spend time in nature daily, and everything in my home carries meaning. Alignment is my mantra – seeking out my strengths, polishing them, and living every day in service of who I'm actually meant to be. What's the biggest mistake you see people make when starting their mental & physical wellness journey? What I see most often is people looking at health as a mountain so massive, they don't even start – because it feels impossible. It becomes all-or-nothing: if I can't give it 100%, why bother at all. For ambitious people especially, that pattern runs deep. We once adopted a mission so strong that anything less than full effort feels like underachieving – even the idea of pausing can feel like falling behind. The real shift isn't asking what one minute can possibly do. It's realizing one minute can change everything. The other mistake is chasing more information. There's already an abundance of it out there. What's missing isn't another framework – it's the piece about the individual, the actual person seeking the answers. That's why so much of my work is about building body awareness, because the body is already speaking; most of us have just never learned to listen. Sometimes what's really holding someone back isn't a lack of willpower – it's an unspoken belief, a missing boundary, or a home and workplace that isn't set up to give them the headspace they need. Then there's the biggest one: people waiting until life feels "under control" before they start. That's exactly backward. Tools built for calm, perfect conditions don't hold when life throws its curveballs. The ones that actually hold are the ones you build in the chaos, in real time, under real pressure. That's the work I do with people – helping them shift from seeing health as an impossible mountain to making every step bite-sized, realistic, achievable. Over time, they look back at what I call their "health bank" and watch all those small actions compound, just like investing. Can you share a breakthrough story where your guidance transformed someone's life? The breakthrough that shaped everything I now teach was actually my own. In 2019, I competed at the Asia Open Full Contact Karate tournament in Malaysia – physically, mentally, at my absolute peak. Not long after, I lost my mother, my best friend. It felt like something was ripped out of me, leaving a crater where it used to be. Here's what shocked me: every tool I'd spent years building – peak body, peak mind, peak spirit – carried none of it into that grief. None of it was built for the mess of real life; it was built for perfect conditions. I've since watched the same realization transform the people I work with. One member – an executive at a global investment firm, navigating a divorce, single parenting, and grief of her own – came to me wanting to lose 25 kilograms. Over two and a half years working together weekly, we unpacked the beliefs and habits quietly running her life and built strategies that made her stronger mentally, physically, and emotionally. She recently told me her health has never been better, that she understands herself and her priorities on a deeper level, that her friendships are richer than ever, and that she's steered her career into work she actually loves. That's what happens when the work goes beyond a number on a scale – when it becomes about rebuilding the whole system underneath. Can you explain your SPME Method/Personal Wellbeing Blueprint in 60 seconds? SPME stands for Set-Up & Environment, Physical, Mental, and Emotional – the four pillars behind what I call your Personal Wellbeing Blueprint. Your Personal Wellbeing Blueprint is simply your needs, uniquely expressed: matched to your personality, your responsibilities, and the reality of your life, while keeping your energy high all day long. When you find it, and that's exactly what we map out together – your week starts to feel like you're in charge, equipped to navigate whatever gets thrown your way. Set-Up & Environment is about making your surroundings friction-free, so you have the headspace and capacity for what actually counts. Physical is body management – the essentials for feeling vibrant. Mental is managing your thoughts. Emotional is managing what you feel and why. Together, we build what I call muscle-mind connection – not just for the body, but for thoughts and emotions too, because it's only once we build real awareness that we know which buttons to fine-tune. That's the whole philosophy behind Wellbeing Independence: instead of handing you another routine, I help you build your own blueprint – one that stays with you long after our work together ends. If someone is on the fence about reaching out, what would you say to convince them to take that first step? This will be the first time you actually match health with your real life – responsibilities and all. That's exactly why I built the Founder Membership: not as another rigid plan, but as a space where health finally adapts to you, instead of you trying to adapt to it. You don't need to be more disciplined. You need a starting point that actually fits your life. Most people on the fence aren't unsure whether they want change – they're unsure whether this time will be different from the last five things they tried. That hesitation makes sense. But the way out of it isn't more thinking. It's one small, low-risk step. The Founder Membership isn't a huge commitment or an overhaul. It's a space to finally build your own Wellbeing Blueprint, with guidance and a community around you, at a founding rate that won't be available once the first 50 spots are filled. If you've been circling this decision, that's usually the sign it's time to just take the first step and see what shifts. What would you say differentiates your coaching from other fitness or wellness coaches? Most coaching creates dependency. Mine is built to end it. A lot of wellness coaching – even well-intentioned coaching – keeps you coming back for the next plan, the next check-in, the next piece of advice. It positions the coach as the expert who holds the answers, and the client as someone who needs them indefinitely. I do the opposite. My goal from day one is to make myself unnecessary – to help you build enough self-understanding that you stop needing someone else to tell you what you need. That comes directly from my background. I spent years as a competitive karate athlete, where nobody can fight your rounds for you. A coach can prepare you, but in the moment, you're the one reading your own body, your own energy, your own limits, and adjusting in real time. That's the model I bring into wellbeing coaching. It also comes from being highly sensitive – the same trait I once saw as a flaw is what lets me feel into someone's life and catch the small detail that changes everything. That's the difference between advice-based coaching and Wellbeing Independence: instead of handing you another routine, I help you build your own Personal Wellbeing Blueprint through the SPME Method, so the capability stays with you long after our work together ends. To learn more about Sarah and Kokoro's Wellbeing Hub, or to explore the Founder Membership, visit here or connect with her on YouTube. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Sarah Wittl

Written by Shaun Sargent, Co-Founder of STAIT That we age is a given, how we age is a choice. STAIT – Unapologetically Strong. A first-class academic, award-winning professional, and global CEO, he is dedicated to continuous growth and inspiring others along the way. One of the questions we get asked increasingly is, “I like the look of STAIT, but I am on TRT. Can I use both?” The following answer is not medical advice, as we are not qualified to provide that. However, it is based on our understanding of what Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) is and does, from readily accessible published information. Firstly, the question ought to be, “What was the reason for starting TRT?” Was it actually low testosterone, or, in effect, low testosterone utilisation? What was the outcome being sought by starting TRT? In essence, in order to rectify an issue, it needs to be correctly identified, and then the cause correctly attributed. TRT is not a panacea. It may be seen as a quick fix, some form of magic pill. The initial impacts may even be positive. But unless the actual issues are addressed, those positives may soon be outweighed. I heard a podcast with Professor Martin Jones of Duratus, who gave some wise words around TRT use. Basically, his suggestion was, “Sort the basics first: get your sleep, diet, pain, injury, stress and relationships in order before moving to pharma solutions. Then ask, what problem is left once the basics are solved. If after all of this, use it carefully, for the right reason, after understanding the root cause, not as a fashionable shortcut.” Very wise words from someone on the forefront of human optimisation. Current noise in men’s health is that TRT will solve almost all of a man's issues. Yet why is it that many on TRT don't get the results they seek? Re-read Professor Martin Jones' words: “Get the basics sorted first.” Resolving low testosterone levels is actually the last thing that needs to be addressed. Of course, once all other causation factors are looked into, then increasing testosterone can be addressed. But therein also lies an issue: numbers mean little if utilisation is low, and who measures that? Indeed, high levels of testosterone floating in the blood are not good, as the body's homeostasis systems will look to bring it back into balance. That's why the spacing of TRT injections is key, so that the body doesn't trigger a negative feedback loop and convert that hormone to estrogen. Next, some more bad news: if the body fails to eliminate it and/or convert it to estrogen, that’s the reason for some of the negative side effects of TRT, like breast tissue enlargement, enlarged prostate, water retention, and so on. This can be seen in many gyms over the years as gynecomastia. TRT can be incredibly valuable, once all other factors around testosterone utilisation are considered and possibly enhanced. Remember, once you take that road, it’s very difficult to go back, as exogenous sources of testosterone will suppress natural production. Of course, many will say that’s their whole reason for beginning TRT in any event. Go back and re-read what Professor Martin Jones has to say: “Get the basics sorted first.” Back to the question at hand, can I combine STAIT and TRT? The quick answer is “100% yes.” There is nothing STAIT does that will negatively impact TRT. In fact, whilst TRT addresses the issue of making exogenous testosterone available, STAIT actually provides the body with ingredients that will help it enhance the core issues Professor Martin Jones speaks about. Stress STAIT has been shown to support the body in dealing with chronic stress. Serum cortisol levels have been shown to reduce by 27.9% with one of the ingredients in STAIT for Men. Sleep Many of our customers give feedback that they have better sleep when taking STAIT. In another podcast with Professor Martin Jones, he cited a study in the USA where subjects were assessed after one night of poor sleep. Their hormone levels were down by circa 25%. The importance of a good sleep routine cannot be underestimated. STAIT supports that, with one of the ingredients in STAIT for Men being clinically proven to improve restorative sleep. Diet Here, I would suggest gut health, liver health, and the availability of key minerals. STAIT supports gut health and liver health through the inclusion of key ingredients in the Recover formula. In addition, STAIT for Men is formulated with zinc and selenium, which are less available in the modern diet. The combination of STAIT for Men and STAIT Recover helps in the regulation and elimination of any excess hormones, rather than them being reabsorbed as something far more harmful to the body. This detox pathway also helps with the elimination of xeno-estrogens that compete with hormone receptor sites. Plastic water bottles, self-care products, conventional foods, and even toilet paper have been shown to contain xeno-estrogens. If the body can't eliminate these xeno-estrogens, they will occupy the hormone receptor sites and prevent any free testosterone from docking and activating. So no matter how much TRT you inject, if you cannot use it, you will lose it. Worse still, you may get some side effects that are less desirable. As you can see, TRT may well address a shortage of testosterone. STAIT will support the body in being able to use any testosterone it has circulating, either self-generated or exogenous. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Shaun Sargent Shaun Sargent, Co-Founder of STAIT As a co-founder of STAIT, my personal search for health and personal development is relentless. I seek out the best of the best to learn from and share with. To be the best you can be on a daily basis is the key to human growth.

Written by Paula Rose Castronova, Global Sustainability Voice Paula Rose Castronova is a sustainability leader and speaker who turns complex concepts into practical action. She champions sustainability as a human issue, uniting strategy and everyday choices to align purpose with performance and inspire systemic, real-world change. Food does more than nourish the body. It connects our health to the soil, climate, biodiversity, and communities that sustain us. This article explores how healthier food choices and more sustainable food systems can support both human wellbeing and planetary resilience. What if the food on our plate could heal more than just us? We often think of food as fuel, pleasure, culture, or sustenance, and now we are acknowledging another powerful dimension: food can be part of the medicine cabinet. The idea of ‘food as medicine’ is not new. Traditional cultures have long understood the relationship between what we eat and how we feel, function, and recover. What’s changing is the growing scientific and health system recognition that nutrition can play a significant role in preventing disease, supporting treatment, and improving wellbeing. There is also another essential connection: the food that nourishes us comes from a system that depends on soil, water, biodiversity, climate, farmers, oceans, energy, and communities. This makes the relationship between food as medicine and sustainability distinctly compelling. Food is more than calories The modern conversation around nutrition often focuses on calories, protein, carbohydrates, fats, and individual nutrients. Yet food is far more complex than a collection of numbers. Whole foods contain combinations of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and other compounds that interact with the body in powerful ways. A diverse diet built around vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and appropriate sources of protein can support health throughout life. The World Health Organization identifies healthy diets as protection against malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and some cancers. It recommends a varied diet centered on minimally processed and unprocessed foods while limiting excess fats, sugars, and sodium. This is where the concept of ‘food as medicine’ becomes powerful. It does not mean food should replace medical treatment or that illness will be cured through diet. It does recognize that nutrition is one of the foundations of good health. Food helps prevent illness, supports the body during treatment, improves nutritional status, and contributes to quality of life. The rise of ‘food as medicine’ The emerging ‘food as medicine’ movement takes this idea a step further by integrating nutritious food into healthcare and social support. Programs can include medically tailored meals, nutrition education, produce prescriptions, and access to healthy groceries for people experiencing food insecurity or nutrition-related health conditions. This approach is relevant because eating well is not only a matter of personal choice. Income, geography, food availability, cooking facilities, education, culture, and time all shape what people can put on the table. This shifts the conversation. Instead of asking only, ‘What is wrong with an individual’s diet?’ we can also ask, ‘What is happening within the food system that makes healthy food difficult to access?’ That is as much a sustainability question as it is a human health question. A healthy planet needs healthy people The relationship works in the other direction as well. Our health depends on the natural systems that produce our food. Soil, water, pollinators, oceans, forests, and biodiversity are not distant environmental concerns, they are fundamental parts of the food system. Agricultural systems depend on healthy soils and reliable water. Crops depend on suitable growing conditions. Fisheries depend on healthy oceans. Farmers depend on predictable climatic conditions. When these systems are degraded, food security is threatened. Climate change is putting pressure on agricultural production through shifting temperatures, rainfall patterns, droughts, floods, pests, and other disruptions. In other words, we cannot sustainably nourish ourselves by undermining the systems that nourish us. The environmental footprint of what we eat Food has a significant environmental footprint. The food system encompasses more than farming, it includes land use change, agriculture, fishing, processing, refrigeration, transportation, packaging, retail, and waste. Food choices therefore have consequences beyond the nutritional information on the label. They can affect greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, biodiversity, and waste. This does not mean there is a single perfect sustainable diet, as food systems vary across countries and regions, as do cultures, climates, agricultural practices, and nutritional needs. Instead, we need to consider both sides of the equation: Is this food good for my health? Can the system that produces it continue to nourish people into the future? Plants, diversity, and the double benefit The intersection between health and sustainability emphasizes a diet that includes diversity and plant-rich foods. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds can provide an impressive range of nutrients and dietary fiber. At the same time, increasing the proportion of plant-based foods in diets can have environmental benefits, particularly when it reduces reliance on resource-intensive foods. Moving towards plant-based proteins offers health benefits, and healthy diets are associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions and reductions in the use of freshwater and land. Sustainability should not become another form of dietary dogma. The objective is not to create a new set of food rules, it is to encourage diverse, nutritious, and appropriately sourced diets. This might mean choosing seasonal vegetables, reducing unnecessary food waste, or simply making plants a more central part of every meal. Small changes, multiplied across millions of people, can create significant change at the systems level. The gut, the garden, and the future One of the fascinating ways nutrition, health, and sustainability intersect is through the gut microbiome. Our digestive system is home to a vast community of microorganisms that interact with the food we eat. Dietary fiber, especially from a wide variety of plant foods, provides essential fuel for beneficial gut microbes. This offers a different way to think about biodiversity, not only outside our bodies, in forests and fields, but also inside them. Just as diverse ecosystems are resilient, the same principle applies to our diets. A plate filled with a variety of whole foods is nutritionally different from one dominated by a narrow range of highly processed products. Likewise, a food system that relies on only a few crops can be vulnerable to environmental, economic, and climatic shocks. Biodiversity is a powerful principle for sustainability, from the soil to the plate to the microbiome. Food waste is a health and sustainability issue Another connection deserves far more attention: food waste. When food is wasted, so too are the resources used to produce it: land, water, energy, labor, packaging, and transportation. But food waste also represents a missed nutritional opportunity. Consider the resources involved in growing a tomato, including the resources needed for transportation, refrigeration, retail display, and storage at home. If it is discarded because it is slightly bruised or forgotten at the back of the refrigerator, all those resources have been used without nourishing anyone. Reducing food waste then becomes a simple sustainability action. Planning meals, storing food correctly, using leftovers creatively, buying only what we need, and learning to appreciate imperfect produce can all help. Sustainability asks us to value resources, and ‘food as medicine’ asks us to value nourishment. Reducing food waste brings the two together. Access as part of the prescription Perhaps the most important connection between food, health, and sustainability is equity. It is easy to tell people to eat fresh vegetables, quality protein, and whole grains. It is harder for someone living under financial pressure or with limited access to food to afford them. Research suggests there is an ongoing challenge regarding the cost and accessibility of healthy diets, with billions of people still unable to afford one. This reminds us that sustainable nutrition cannot simply be a lifestyle trend for those who can pay for it. A sustainable food system must be accessible, affordable, and culturally appropriate. That means considering farmers and food workers, local food economies, school meals, community gardens, food relief, public health policy, supermarkets, hospitality, and healthcare. It recognizes that sustainability is about people as much as it is about the planet. From farm to pharmacy and back again Perhaps the future of healthcare requires us to rethink where medicine begins. It may not begin in the pharmacy. It may begin much earlier, in the soil. A seed grows because of healthy soil, water, sunlight, and biodiversity. A farmer nurtures that crop, food systems transport and distribute it, a cook turns it into a meal, and a person eats it. That person’s body breaks it down, absorbs the nutrients, and uses those nutrients to build, repair, and sustain itself. The journey from soil to health is a sustainability story. It suggests that healthcare, agriculture, environmental policy, and food policy should not operate in isolation. It is clearly recognized that healthy diets support the environmental, social, cultural, and economic dimensions of sustainable food systems. The plate is a place of power Sustainability is generally presented as something enormous and abstract: climate targets, emissions reductions, biodiversity strategies, and global agreements. Sustainability also happens at the dinner table. Every meal is an opportunity to ask where our food came from, how it was produced, how much was wasted, and what nourishment it provides. Food as medicine reminds us that what we eat matters for the world around us. Together, health and sustainability offer a holistic vision: a food system that heals rather than harms, nourishes rather than depletes, and supports both human health and planetary resilience. The future of food may not be about choosing between health and sustainability. Perhaps the real opportunity is recognizing that they were never separate in the first place. When we support the soil, we maintain our food. When we nurture our food, we nourish our bodies. When we encourage both, we build the foundations for a healthier, more resilient future for us and our planet. Follow me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Paula Rose Castronova Paula Rose Castronova, Global Sustainability Voice Paula Rose Castronova is a sustainability leader, speaker, and holistic thought architect transforming how people and organizations respond to today’s defining challenges. With a career rooted in creativity, design, storytelling, and leadership, she turns complex sustainability ideas into clear, actionable pathways. She sees sustainability as fundamentally human, shaped by how we live, lead, consume, and connect. As an Active Sustainability Director, she identifies opportunities where others see obstacles, using systems thinking to link environmental, social, and economic issues. Through her writing, speaking, and strategy, she bridges policy and daily action, turning knowledge into meaningful change.

Written by Veronika Monteith, Certified Therapeutic Coach Veronika Monteith is the founder of Mindflow Coaching and a certified therapeutic coach specialising in subconscious belief work with ambitious women. She works with clients internationally to help them overcome self-doubt, break self-sabotage patterns and finally feel as confident on the inside as they appear on the outside. Have you ever been called strong, capable, or the one who has it all together, and felt a strange loneliness in it? The kind of strength that means you never ask for help, never fall apart in front of anyone, and deal with far more than people realise? If so, this is for you, because self-sufficiency isn't quite the strength we've been taught it is, and understanding why could change everything. What self-sufficiency really is From early on, most of us learn that being independent is something to be proud of. We're praised for being mature, for not making a fuss, and for managing on our own. On the surface, it is a wonderful quality. Being capable gets things done. It earns trust. It makes you the person everyone knows they can rely on. But there's a difference between healthy independence and the kind of self-sufficiency that runs your life without you noticing. One is a choice. The other is a shield. For many of the women I work with, self-sufficiency isn't really about being capable at all. It's about safety. Somewhere along the way, they learned that needing others felt risky, that it was safer to rely only on themselves because then they'd never be let down, never be a burden, and never be caught off guard. Where does it come from? This pattern rarely appears out of nowhere. It usually has roots. Maybe you were the child who learned early that the adults around you were stretched thin, so you became easy, low maintenance, and no trouble. Maybe you were praised more for what you did than for who you were, so you learned that being useful was how you earned your place. Maybe you had an experience of being let down when you did rely on someone and promised yourself never to be that vulnerable again. However it formed, the message underneath is often the same: it's not safe to need anyone. I have to be able to do this on my own. So you became the capable one, not because you were born that way, but because it kept you safe. The hidden cost of always coping alone Here's the part we don't talk about. Self-sufficiency, taken far enough, comes at a price, and it's usually paid quietly. You become the person everyone leans on, but you have no one to lean on yourself. You're exhausted, but you keep going because stopping feels like failing. You crave connection, but you struggle to let anyone close enough to actually support you because being supported means being vulnerable, and vulnerability is the exact thing you learned to avoid. Often, the weight of it doesn't just stay emotional. It shows up in the body: the tension you can't shake, the tiredness that sleep doesn't fix, and the sense of running on empty that you can't explain. Perhaps the loneliest part is that, from the outside, everything looks fine. People see someone who has it together. They don't see how much it takes to hold it all. The belief underneath At the root of all of this is usually a single, quiet belief: my worth depends on how well I cope. If you can cope on your own, you're valuable. If you need help, something has gone wrong. So you keep proving, through doing, achieving, and managing, that you're strong enough to deserve your place. But a worth that has to be constantly earned is exhausting to maintain, and it's built on a belief that was never true to begin with. You were never valuable because you could cope alone. You were always valuable, full stop. How to begin loosening the pattern Shifting something this deep doesn't happen overnight, but it does begin with small, honest moments. Here are a few places to start. Notice the automatic "I'm fine." The next time someone asks if you need help and you hear yourself say, "No, I've got it," before you've even thought about it, pause. Ask yourself whether that's actually true or just the reflex. You don't have to change your answer. Just start noticing the reflex. Ask where you learned it. When the feeling of "I have to do this myself" shows up, get curious rather than critical. Where did you first learn that needing others wasn't safe? Understanding the origin takes the shame out of the pattern and makes it easier to change. Let someone in, in a small way. You don't have to dismantle your independence all at once. Start small. Accept the help that's offered. Say yes to the coffee. Tell one trusted person one honest thing. Let yourself experience that being supported doesn't cost you your strength. Separate rest from failure. Notice if stopping makes you feel like you're falling behind or letting people down. That feeling isn't the truth. It's the old belief talking. Rest isn't a reward you earn by collapsing. It's something you're allowed simply because you're human. You were never meant to manage it all alone Being self-sufficient can look like strength from the outside. But real strength isn't needing anyone. It's being secure enough to let people in. It's knowing your worth doesn't depend on how much you can handle without help. You are allowed to be supported. You are allowed to need, and you are allowed to put something down. If any of this feels familiar, you don't have to work it out on your own, which, if you've read this far, is rather the point. This pattern runs deep, but it can shift, and it often shifts most easily with support. If you'd like to explore what that could look like for you, I'd love to invite you to book a Belief Breakthrough call with me. Together, we can start gently loosening the belief that's had you doing everything alone and help you discover what life feels like when your worth isn't something you have to earn. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Veronika Monteith Veronika Monteith, Certified Therapeutic Coach Veronika Monteith is the founder of Mindflow Coaching and a certified Rapid Transformational Coach®, Positive Intelligence Coach® and Mindvalley Certified Hypnotherapist working with ambitious women across the world. Her work draws on subconscious belief work and nervous system awareness. She developed the Triple A Shift™, a methodology built around Awareness, Acceptance and Action after recognising that Acceptance, the step most commonly skipped in coaching, is the one that changes everything. Veronika works with women who appear to have it all together on the outside, yet feel quietly held back by patterns they cannot seem to think their way out of. Her approach gets to the root of those patterns and shifts them.

Written by Bobby Goodman, Principal and CEO of Goodman Tolbert Running a small business often means being the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), marketer, accountant, and customer service team all at once. But trying to do everything alone can lead to burnout, stalled growth, and missed opportunities. We spend a lot of time talking about getting to the next level. The next level in business. The next level financially. The next level in our careers, relationships, leadership, and lives. We set bigger goals. We create new plans. We ask for greater opportunities. But lately, I’ve been thinking about a different question: What if the next level doesn’t just require you to do something different? What if it requires you to become someone different? That realization hits differently because becoming great requires more than adding something new to your life. Sometimes it requires leaving something behind. That part of growth doesn’t get talked about enough. Some people are meant for a season One of the hardest things about growth is realizing that everyone who started the journey with you may not finish it with you. Facts. That doesn't necessarily mean someone did something wrong. Some friendships are connected to a particular season of our lives. They were exactly what we needed at the time. We laughed together, struggled together, dreamed together, and created memories that will always mean something. But then something changes. Your priorities change. Your conversations change. Your vision gets bigger. The things you once accepted no longer feel acceptable. Sometimes you realize you're trying to maintain a relationship based more on history than alignment. I've learned that you can appreciate what someone meant to your life without requiring them to be part of every chapter. Growth changes proximity. That doesn't make either person bad. It simply means you're moving. Old ideas can become new limitations People aren't the only things we outgrow. We outgrow ideas about ourselves. "I've never been good at that." "I'm not a risk taker." "That's just the way I am." "People like me don't do things like that." Be careful with those statements. Say something about yourself long enough, and eventually it stops being an observation and becomes a boundary. There are things I once believed about myself that made perfect sense for the person I was then. But if I'm going somewhere I've never been, I can't continue using my past as evidence of what I'm capable of in my future. At some point, you have to give yourself permission to contradict your old story. You can become more confident. You can become more disciplined. You can become a stronger leader. You can learn to speak up. You can change your mind. You can want more. Every version of you was necessary, but not every version of you is meant to come with you. Your next level may require taking risks I've also had to rethink what it means to take risks. When we hear the word "risk," we often think about everything that could go wrong. What if I fail? What if I lose money? What if people don't understand? What if I'm not ready? Those are legitimate questions. But there's another question we don't ask nearly enough: What could happen if I never try? There is risk in moving forward, but there is also risk in standing still. There's a risk in staying in the same position because it's familiar. There's a risk in never making the call, never starting the business, never asking for the opportunity, never entering the room, and never betting on yourself. I'm not talking about being reckless. There's a difference between reckless behavior and intentional risk. I'm talking about recognizing that there will be moments when you have done the research, prepared yourself, considered the consequences, and you're still afraid. Sometimes courage isn't the absence of fear. Sometimes courage is deciding that what could be on the other side is worth finding out. Comfort can become a ceiling This one may be the most uncomfortable. There is nothing wrong with being comfortable. We work hard to create stability. We want peace. We want security. We want to reach a place where everything doesn't feel like a struggle. But comfort deserves an occasional inspection because sometimes what feels like peace is actually familiarity. Sometimes what feels like security is fear wearing better clothes. I've started asking myself: Am I comfortable because I've created the life I want, or because I've stopped challenging myself? There's a difference. The next version of you may require walking into rooms where you aren't the smartest person. It may require having conversations you've been avoiding. It may require asking for more. It may require hearing "no." It may require starting over in an area where you were once comfortable being the expert. Growth has a way of making you a beginner again, and that can be humbling. But maybe that's exactly where we're supposed to be. You may have to stop needing everyone to understand When you begin changing, something interesting happens. People notice. Sometimes they'll encourage you. Sometimes they'll question you. Occasionally, they'll remind you of who you used to be. "You've changed." "You never used to do that." "Why are you doing all of this?" For a long time, being told that you've changed can feel like an accusation. But maybe it shouldn't. Maybe the answer is simply: You're right. I have changed. That's the point. If I'm asking for something I've never had, building something I've never built, and going somewhere I've never been, why would I expect to remain the same person? Not everyone is going to understand your evolution, and they don't have to. You can listen to wise counsel without requiring universal approval. You can love people without allowing their comfort with the old you to determine the future you. You can move forward without writing a dissertation explaining why you've changed. I'm still becoming great I didn't write this as someone who has figured everything out. I'm living it. I'm learning what to hold onto and what to release. I'm learning when fear is warning me and when fear is simply telling me I'm outside my comfort zone. I'm learning that growth can be exciting and uncomfortable at the same time. Most importantly, I'm learning that the next level isn't only asking more from me. It's asking something different of me. A different level of discipline. A different relationship with risk. Different boundaries. Different conversations. Different decisions. A willingness to walk away from some things I once thought I needed, and the courage to walk toward things I can't fully see yet. Maybe you're in that season too. Maybe something that once fit doesn't anymore. Maybe you're feeling uncomfortable in places that used to feel comfortable. Maybe you're questioning relationships, habits, beliefs, or boundaries you never questioned before. Before assuming something is wrong, consider another possibility: Maybe you're outgrowing the version of yourself that was built for where you've been. Your next level may not need a better plan from the current you. It may be waiting for the next version of you. So I'll leave you with the same question I'm asking myself: If the next level of your life requires a different version of you, what are you finally willing to leave behind? Follow him on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Bobby Goodman Bobby Goodman, Principal and CEO of Goodman Tolbert Bobby Goodman is an entrepreneur and advocate for small business growth who understands the realities of business from the ground up. Through firsthand experience, he shares insights on leadership, burnout, and the importance of delegation in entrepreneurship. In Wearing Every Hat: Why Small Business Owners Can't Do It All, Goodman explores the challenges many business owners face while trying to balance every role on their own.

Written by Paul Grainger, Founder of Unlock Dynamic As founder of Unlock Dynamic, Paul Grainger is a trusted strategic partner to Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Operating Officers (COOs), and senior leadership teams navigating pressure, change, and complexity. With over 25 years of experience across startups and multinationals, he helps ambitious organisations thrive by addressing the behavioural realities most leadership programs overlook. In fast-moving organisations, responsiveness is usually seen as a sign of good leadership. Leaders are expected to act quickly, respond to new information, and keep pace with change. Yet in recent conversations with leadership teams, I’ve started to notice something interesting. What happens when one of an organisation’s greatest strengths begins working against it? The moment “Anything new, we’re on it straight away.” This comment came during a recent leadership session as a group of senior leaders explored what most often hijacked their attention. They had identified several familiar culprits: recency bias, ‘quick questions’, the crowd effect, and what they described as the “shiny new thing.” It was this last example that prompted a particularly interesting observation. One participant described how readily the group responded whenever something new appeared: “Anything new, we’re on it straight away, and we kind of push away other things that we’re prepping for.” There was a brief pause as the recognition seemed to spread around the room. What’s really happening? At first glance, there was nothing particularly unusual about what the group had described. Leaders respond to requests, adapt to new information, and pay attention when something urgent arises. In a fast-moving organisation, we would probably be more concerned if they didn't. What made the conversation interesting was that none of these individual responses appeared to be the problem. Each made sense on its own. The pattern only became visible when they were considered together: something new arrived, attention shifted, and what had already been prioritised became surprisingly easy to displace. This is where responsiveness can quietly become reactivity. Not because leaders are responding to the wrong things, but because responding itself can become the default. Over time, the organisation becomes increasingly good at reacting to what arrives while becoming less deliberate about deciding what genuinely deserves its attention. Nothing looks wrong The difficulty is that an organisation operating this way may still appear to be performing well. Leaders respond quickly, teams stay busy, and new ideas turn into action. From the outside, it can look like exactly the kind of pace and adaptability that fast-moving organisations need. Yet underneath that activity, priorities can become increasingly fragile. Work that was deliberately agreed upon gets displaced by what has just arrived, attention keeps moving, and energy is repeatedly redirected before existing priorities have had time to deliver. Everything seems to be moving at full speed, but movement can easily be mistaken for progress. The wrong diagnosis The problem often becomes visible somewhere else: competing priorities, unfinished initiatives, slower execution, or teams struggling to create space for bigger picture thinking. When it does, organisations naturally try to fix what they can see. Competing priorities become a prioritisation problem. Overstretched teams suggest a lack of capacity. Initiatives that keep losing momentum point to an execution problem. Each diagnosis may contain some truth. But sometimes the deeper problem is simpler: the organisation has become too quick to give new things priority in the first place. What deserves a response? If responding faster isn’t always the answer, slowing everything down isn’t either. Fast-moving organisations need to respond quickly when the situation demands it. The challenge is knowing when. That requires a better filter for responsiveness: distinguishing between what needs attention now, what can wait, and what doesn't need attention at all. The real leadership challenge, therefore, is not simply knowing when to move quickly. It’s knowing what deserves speed in the first place. How effective organisations respond Effective organisations don’t try to eliminate the constant flow of requests, ideas, and opportunities. In a fast-moving environment, that would be neither realistic nor desirable. Instead, they become better at filtering what deserves attention before allowing it to redirect existing priorities. This doesn't mean resisting new ideas or refusing to change direction. During the leadership session, one participant captured the balance well. The “shiny new thing,” he observed, has a place “as long as it is considered strategically, and we implement it carefully.” Genuine emergencies and unexpected opportunities still require a fast response. The difference is that something new arriving isn't, by itself, enough reason to change direction. The goal isn't to respond less or move more slowly. It's to create enough space between what arrives and what happens next so the response becomes intentional rather than automatic. In essence, effective organisations aren't necessarily less responsive. They are more selective about what they respond to. The evidence When organisations want better results, the natural response is often to add something: another priority, another measure, another initiative to move things forward. It feels productive. But the evidence suggests that more can actually make success less likely. Boston Consulting Group (BCG)’s 2024 research into transformation initiatives found that those using a lower, more manageable number of milestones achieved success rates 15% to 40% higher than those perceived as having too many. With fewer things competing for attention, teams were better able to focus on the actions that mattered most. That's the danger of the “shiny new thing.” Each addition can seem useful on its own. Yet collectively, they can dilute the very focus needed to deliver. The organisations that keep moving forward may not be those doing the most, but those staying focused on what matters most. Building a culture of focus Every time leaders respond to something, they are doing more than making a decision. They are also signalling what deserves attention. If every new idea immediately creates activity, teams quickly learn that generating movement is valuable, even when the idea itself has had little time to develop. The opposite isn't a culture where teams stop bringing ideas forward. It's one where ideas are expected to earn attention. Teams learn to think them through, involve the right stakeholders, and consider how they fit with what already matters. This improves the quality of ideas being raised while reducing the time and energy spent exploring those that add little value. Over time, this creates an organisation that is more selective about where it directs its attention. A culture that regularly questions where its time and attention are going becomes much harder to distract from what matters most. The one question Once a week, step back from the individual decisions and demands that have filled your team's attention and ask yourself and your team one question: What took more time than it deserved? The value isn't in identifying one bad decision or wasted hours. It's in noticing the organisational patterns that are difficult to see while you're caught up in them. Over time, those conversations can help teams strengthen their filter for what genuinely deserves attention and what doesn't. The quality of that filter may be what separates focused organisations from merely busy ones. Follow me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Paul Grainger Paul Grainger, Founder of Unlock Dynamic Paul Grainger focuses on helping capable leaders and teams sustain strong performance over time, beyond conventional approaches that frequently fail to hold under daily pressure. Drawing on decades of experience, he blends human insight and modern science to offer a practical alternative to conventional leadership thinking. A consistent theme in his work is identifying the invisible performance drains that quietly cost organizations time, energy, and focus.

Written by Liz Bell, Career and Positive Intelligence® Coach Liz Bell is a Career and Positive Intelligence® Coach who helps purpose-driven women overcome burnout and self-doubt so they can build fulfilling, impactful careers. Combining career development, behavioural change, and mental fitness, she empowers clients to create sustainable transformation that lasts far beyond coaching. Feeling stuck in your career isn’t always a sign that you lack direction or ambition. Sometimes fear is quietly driving your overthinking, perfectionism, and need for certainty. Here is how to recognise what is really keeping you stuck and begin to move forward—without having all the answers first. Do I need to retrain? Should I take a career quiz? Study for a master’s degree? Search for another job? Start again completely? Perhaps you’ve asked yourself some of these questions. You’ve read articles, explored courses, and scrolled through job descriptions, hoping something will suddenly feel like the answer. Instead, you feel overloaded with information and no closer to knowing what to do. If that sounds familiar, I want you to know this: you may not have a motivation problem. You may have a protection problem. You know something needs to change. At the same time, part of you is working very hard to protect you from uncertainty, regret, financial loss, judgement or the possibility of getting it wrong. That protective response is fear. It doesn’t mean you’re weak, incapable or lacking in confidence. It means you’re human. The answer isn’t to eliminate fear before you act. It is to recognise when fear is making your decisions for you, and learn how to choose your response with more awareness and agency. Why do capable women feel stuck in their careers? There are many valid reasons why you might feel stuck at work. Perhaps there is no room to grow. You are bored, underused, or no longer learning. You may be carrying an unmanageable workload, working in an unhealthy culture or receiving too little recognition and support. Your life, values or priorities may have changed while your career has stayed the same. Women can also face very real external constraints, including financial commitments, caring responsibilities, discrimination and uncertainty in the job market. These realities should never be dismissed as a mindset problem. However, even when you recognise that something isn’t working, fear can keep you frozen. This can be especially confusing when your career looks successful from the outside. You may have a respectable role, a reliable income and years of hard-earned experience. Other people might think you are doing well. Inside, you feel bored, frustrated or increasingly disconnected from any sense of purpose. You might tell yourself you should be grateful. You might worry that leaving would mean wasting everything you’ve built. So, you remain “comfortably uncomfortable”, unhappy enough to want something different, but afraid of the consequences of moving. Careershifters describes this bind as being caught between two fears: the fear of making a change and the fear of staying where you are. When both options feel dangerous, it is easy to remain in the middle, using enormous amounts of energy without going anywhere. Fear doesn’t always look like fear. We tend to imagine fear as panic or a racing heart. In career change, it is often far less obvious. It may sound like: “I just need to do more research.” “Perhaps I need another qualification first.” “I can’t waste all the years I’ve invested in this career.” “I need to know the change will work before I commit.” “Other people have it worse. I should be grateful.” “I’ll do it when I feel more confident.” “I don’t want to make a mistake.” Each statement may contain a sensible concern. Research, qualifications and financial planning can all be valuable. The question is whether they are helping you create evidence, or helping you postpone the discomfort of not knowing. I often see capable women become trapped in a cycle of researching careers, taking quizzes and comparing courses. It feels productive, but every new option creates more questions. They unconsciously expect information to give them something it cannot–a guarantee. No career quiz can promise that you will never regret a decision. No course can remove all risk. No amount of thinking can show you exactly how an untested career will feel. Eventually, the search for certainty becomes the very thing keeping you stuck. When your strengths are hijacked by fear One of the most powerful things you can recognise is that fear often works through your strengths. There is nothing wrong with being caring, responsible, thoughtful or committed. These qualities may have helped you build a successful career. But when fear takes charge, those same strengths can start working against you. Care can become people-pleasing. You make career decisions based on who might be disappointed rather than what matters to you. Responsibility can become carrying too much. You say yes when you need to say no and continue compensating for an unsustainable workplace until you burn out. High standards can become perfectionism. You reject every possible next step because none of them comes with complete certainty. Thoughtfulness can become overthinking. You analyse every path but gain no real-world experience of any of them. Loyalty can keep you in a role long after it has stopped being right for you because leaving feels like letting people down. This doesn’t mean you need to “fix” yourself or abandon your strengths. It means learning to notice whether a strength is being used freely, or driven by fear. Are you burned out, or is it time for a career change? When you are exhausted, it can be difficult to tell whether you need a new career, a different workplace or time and support to recover. The Mental Health Foundation describes burnout as physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, often connected to workplace stress. Common features include depleted energy, feeling negative or detached from work and reduced professional performance. It also identifies causes such as unmanageable workloads, constant pressure, low pay and inadequate mental health support. In other words, burnout is not simply a failure to think positively. Sometimes the environment is the problem. As another Brainz Magazine article examining the well-being illusion at work highlights, the effects of prolonged workplace pressure do not remain confined to the individual. Before making a major career decision, I invite you to consider: When you get meaningful rest, does any interest in your work return? Is it the profession itself, or this role, manager, workload or organisation, that is draining you? What changes when you have more control, clearer expectations or better support? Does the work conflict with your values, even on a better day? Have patterns such as overworking, perfectionism or weak boundaries followed you from one role to another? You may discover that the environment needs to change. You may realise that your career no longer fits who you are. You may also recognise an internal pattern that could follow you into a new role if it remains unexamined. More than one of these things can be true. If exhaustion, low mood, sleep problems or physical symptoms are persistent or severe, please seek support from an appropriate healthcare or mental health professional. You do not have to diagnose or push through this alone. Stop asking for certainty and start building evidence When fear is in charge, it asks, “What is the perfect career, and how can I be certain it will work?” A more helpful question is, “What is one thing I can learn safely?” This moves you away from making an enormous, irreversible decision and towards small experiments that create useful evidence. For example, you could speak to one person doing work that interests you, test a skill through a small project before investing in a master’s degree, shadow someone or volunteer in a different environment, explore whether your existing role could offer greater flexibility or development, calculate what you genuinely need financially, rather than responding to a vague fear of losing everything, and notice which activities give you energy, absorb your attention or create a sense of contribution. These aren’t lifetime commitments. They are experiments. An exploratory conversation does not mean you have to resign. Trying a short course does not mean you must retrain. Testing an idea does not make it your final answer. You are simply replacing assumptions with experience. What to do when fear is keeping you stuck If you recognise yourself in this article, I recommend starting with four steps. Name the fear: Ask yourself, “What am I afraid to lose?” Is it income, status, security, belonging, approval, or your identity as a competent person? A specific fear is much easier to work with than a general sense that change is impossible. Try meeting the answer with compassion rather than judgement. Your fear is trying to protect something important. Listening to it does not mean obeying it. Separate genuine risk from unfamiliarity: Some fears point to practical risks that need a plan. If you have financial or caring responsibilities, for example, you may need a savings target, salary threshold or longer transition period. Other fears arise because an action is unfamiliar. Contacting somebody, requesting flexibility or testing a new skill may feel uncomfortable without placing your security in serious danger. Ask, “What here needs a plan, and what simply needs practice?” Choose the smallest useful action: Don’t ask yourself to solve your entire career. Choose an action small enough to feel manageable and meaningful enough to teach you something. The goal isn’t to prove that an idea will work. It is to find out a little more than you know today. Confidence grows after we act, not before. As this Brainz Magazine article on how one small step can change your career trajectory explores, each action gives you evidence that you are capable. Your own experiments can also show you that you can handle uncertainty, learn and adjust. Do it with support: Career change can become very lonely inside your own head. A trusted friend, mentor, coach or supportive peer can help you hear your assumptions, recognise familiar patterns and remain accountable without putting you under more pressure. The right support will not tell you what your answer should be. It will help you trust yourself enough to explore it. You don’t need to eliminate fear to move forward Feeling stuck in your career doesn’t mean you are indecisive, ungrateful, or failing. You may be a capable woman caught between a life that no longer fits and a mind that wants to protect you from the uncertainty of something different. Fear may still come with you. The aim is not to silence it forever. It is to stop allowing fear to make every decision. You don’t need to discover your perfect career in one moment of clarity. You can build clarity through compassionate self-awareness, practical planning, and small real-world experiments. Remember, your next step does not have to be a leap. It simply needs to help you learn. So, what is one career question you could stop trying to answer perfectly, and start exploring safely? Ready to move beyond fear in your career? If you recognise that fear, perfectionism, people-pleasing or overthinking may be keeping you stuck, I invite you to join my free, interactive 90-minute online workshop, Move Beyond Fear in Your Career. Together, we’ll explore the patterns that may be holding you back, how fear can hijack your strengths, and a simple mental fitness technique you can use when facing difficult situations. You don’t need to arrive fearless, just curious and willing to take one small step forward. Join me online on 14 September 2026, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Liz Bell Liz Bell, Career and Positive Intelligence® Coach Liz Bell is a Career and Positive Intelligence® Coach who helps purpose-driven women overcome burnout, self-doubt, and unhelpful mental habits to create fulfilling, impactful careers. After experiencing career burnout herself, she realised that lasting change requires more than a new job - it requires a new relationship with ourselves. Combining career coaching, mental fitness, and personal development, Liz helps clients build self-awareness, confidence, and sustainable habits for long-term success. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Social Sciences and is a licensed Firework™ Career Coach and Positive Intelligence® Coach Member, working with individuals and organisations across the UK and beyond.

Written by Daniele Forni, Executive Coach and Tech Founder Daniele Forni is an executive coach for non-standard and neurodivergent leaders and the founder of The Human Spikes Labs. A former Director at HSBC with fifteen years in banking across Europe and Asia, he is a University of Cambridge alumnus and the author of books on leadership, neurodiversity, strategy, and meditation. It is the question I am asked most often by ambitious leaders, and the honest answer runs against almost everything the annual review has taught us. Every appraisal I have ever watched follows the same script. A manager works down a list of competencies, ticks the boxes where you are strong, circles the two where you are not, and then spends the rest of the hour on the circles. You walk out with a development plan built almost entirely around your weakest points and a gentle instruction to become a little more well-rounded by the end of the year. However well-meant, I have come to believe this ritual is close to the worst advice a genuinely talented person can be given. It quietly assumes that the fastest way to grow is to hunt down your lowest scores and drag them up to the middle. In my experience coaching senior leaders, the opposite is usually true. Why do we pour our effort into the weakest boxes? Because a balanced scorecard feels safe, fair, and easy to defend. A visible gap looks like a risk, so we rush to close it. Being even across the board reads as professionalism, while a jagged profile reads as a liability waiting to be managed. The trouble is that the strategy optimises for the absence of obvious faults rather than the presence of rare strength, and markets do not pay for the absence of faults. Every leader I assess is really facing one decision about where their next hundred hours of effort should go. They can lift the low points up towards the average, or they can push the high points higher still. Both raise the overall number. Only one of them produces something a competitor cannot easily copy. What is a spiky profile? A spiky profile is a simple picture. A few tall peaks, a few deep valleys, and a line through the middle we call the average. Everyone has one, but some run sharper than others. Between 15 and 20 percent of people are autistic, have ADHD, are dyslexic, or otherwise wired differently, and those minds tend to run taller peaks and deeper valleys still. I count myself among them. For years, I tried to file my own edges down to look more even, until I realised the edges were the entire career. The shape showed up early. I was quick over sixty metres and hopeless over twenty-six miles, which I also loathed. I could read a spreadsheet like a story yet never once made sense of a physics equation. I could hold a room with a sharp question and then fumble the answer entirely. As a teenager, I lost whole weekends to painting tiny Warhammer figures, and years later, that same capacity for narrow, obsessive focus was exactly what let me hold a two-year regulatory programme in my head without dropping a thread. The pattern never really changed, startlingly good at a thin band of things, and stubbornly poor at most of the rest. For a long time, I read that as a defect to correct. It was actually the whole map. The flat, evenly rounded professional that so many competency frameworks reward is largely a fiction. The high performers I have worked with in banking and technology were never even. They were a little unusual and remarkable at two or three specific things. Specialisation, not symmetry, is what made them valuable. Is it harder to fix a weakness or build a strength? This is where the appraisal logic quietly falls apart, because closing a weakness and extending a strength are not the same task and do not pay the same return. Lifting a skill from poor to passable is slow, effortful, and subject to sharply diminishing returns, and the reward at the end is that you are now unremarkable at it. Lifting a skill from strong to exceptional is frequently cheaper per hour, because you are moving along the grain of how your mind already works, and the reward is a capability that is genuinely scarce. Two decades of strengths research point the same way, motivation, output, and wellbeing all climb faster when people are built up from what they do well rather than repaired at what they do badly. The applied numbers are striking. When JPMorgan Chase matched neurodivergent hires to roles that fit their cognitive peaks, those employees ran up to 48 percent faster on certain technical work, simply because the task finally suited the wiring. Pull in the other direction and the cost shows up just as clearly. Masking, the constant effort of hiding how your mind works to seem more conventional, is reported by around 81 percent of neurodivergent employees and carries a threefold rise in burnout risk. A valley, remember, is a difference, not a deficit. The 2025 Princeton SPARK study, mapping over 230 traits, found neurodivergence is not a single dial from mild to severe but a set of distinct clusters, each with its own peaks and its own needs. You do not get the pattern recognition without the patchy admin. They are one and the same architecture. What does the arithmetic actually show? Here is the part that undoes the well-rounded ideal in a single picture. Take three versions of the same person and let each one land on almost precisely the same average score. The average is a magician's cloth. It conceals the shape, and the shape is where the whole story lives. The version that fixes its weaknesses fills the valleys but bleeds the peaks, because effort is finite and every hour aimed at your worst skill is stolen from your best. The result is a smooth, dependable, thoroughly forgettable line. The version that doubles down keeps its valleys, but manages them, and drives its peaks upward until they are visible from across the market. Identical averages. Completely different careers. In practice, feeding the peaks looks like three disciplined moves: Take the one or two valleys that could genuinely harm others, raise them to a safe, functional level, and then leave them alone. Delegate, automate, or partner around the remaining valleys, deliberately building a team whose shape is the mirror image of yours. Aim the effort you have left at the two or three peaks that already make people request you by name. Does specialising pay off beyond the individual? It does, and this is not a fringe position. Harvard Business Review has described neurodiversity as a competitive advantage, and the organisational numbers back it: Teams that deliberately include neurodivergent talent report roughly a 15 percent lift in innovation output (HLB Global, 2025). Those same programmes retain close to 90 percent of that talent, a rare edge when specialists are scarce. At the specialist firm Auticon, 82 percent of staff say they can be themselves at work, and that authenticity travels with markedly higher engagement. Given the right conditions, the very traits a rigid process treats as defects are exactly what let leaders with ADHD thrive in the boardroom. Strength, properly resourced, compounds. The average does not. So should you ignore your weaknesses? No. A reframing without limits is just flattery, so here are two honest boundaries. First, not every weakness is safe to leave alone. Some valleys are thresholds rather than preferences. If a gap is actively harming your team, your clients, or your own health, that is a floor you have to reach, not an inconvenience to route around. Bring it up to safe, and then stop. You are aiming for a functional valley, not a filled one. Second, doubling down is not the same as hiding in a niche. Building on a strength still means growing, but growing along the line of your own design rather than fighting it, and accepting that careers are made on what you are exceptional at, not on the absence of anything you are poor at. Ready to find your peaks? If you have spent years being told to shore up your weak spots, treat this as permission to change tack. It is the same shift driving so many founders and neurodivergent leaders to seek coaching that begins from strength rather than from gaps. You can map your own spiky profile with my free assessment, or book a conversation about where to aim your effort this year. The instruction is the same either way, stop sanding and start sharpening. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Daniele Forni Daniele Forni, Executive Coach and Tech Founder Daniele Forni, known as "The Data Shaman," is not your average executive coach. He helps senior professionals leverage their unconventional traits into tangible ROI using rigorous science, AI tools, and strategic wit. As the founder of the SquirrelCoach platform, he champions the "Spiky Profile" concept, exceptional leaders are defined by their peaks. An alumnus of the University of Cambridge and a 6x author on leadership, neurodiversity, and meditation, Daniele previously spent 15 years driving technology and risk management as an Investment Banking Director across Europe and Asia.