Written by: Cristiana Blasutta, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Have you ever fallen for it? Let me define it for you first. The “should” trap is the voice inside of your head that tries to convince you that following someone else’s rules, wants and needs is better than following your own. It’s difficult to be aware of this trap, we all fall into it, at least a gazillion times in our life. But it’s not your fault! You see, you’ve been trained since you were a small kid to fall for it. Repeatedly. The result? You don’t even question it anymore. What do you want to do when you grow up? Way too young they ask you what you want to be when you grow up. And everyone wants to tell you their idea: “you should be a lawyer, a doctor, a wife, a mother. You should follow your father’s steps. You should make a lot of money. You should not take risks”… and on and on and on. It’s pretty confusing, isn’t it?? The worst thing is that with all these other voices in your head, it becomes very difficult to identify and listen to your own. But it’s just a matter of time. Trust me. Sooner or later, your inner voice will become louder and louder, and it’ll be able to silence all the “shoulds” that are floating in your head. Wait, how do I recognize it? At this point you might ask me: “How can I recognize it? And how can I know that I can finally trust it and it’s not another trap?” Awesome questions 😎 Here’s how you can recognize it: It doesn’t come from your head. It’s a feeling that pervades all of your body, it’s like all the cells of your body are singing at unison the same song. And it’s a beautiful song that makes you feel like you’re ruling your own world. It gives you a sense of bliss and comfort at the same time. I’m sure that you heard it already, but then you stopped yourself and you fell in the “should” trap, because it felt like the only choice you had. The more you fell into the traps the less familiar you became with that amazing sensation that listening to your inner voice gives you. But, no problem, I’m here to remind you. I know that it’s coming back to you while you’re reading my words. How can you trust it? Well, do you trust your best friend? I bet you do! Your inner voice of wisdom is 1000 times better than your best friend. Don’t be afraid to give it a try. I know you want it badly! It can feel uncomfortable to do it at the beginning, people will tell you that you changed, they will criticize you. That’s normal, but stick to it and your life will become the life you’ve always dreamed of, full of passion, purpose, and pleasure. If you find it difficult to connect to your voice, just shoot me an email at here. It’d be my honor to show you the way 💜. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Cristiana! Cristiana Blasutta, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Cristiana is the Master Weaver of Transformation. She loves working with powerhouse women who know that they are meant for more. She helps them reignite their passion, find their purpose, and finally give themselves permission to seek and feel pleasure so that they can live the epic life they deserve. Cristiana stopped calling herself a “coach” and fully embodied being a Weaver, someone who is able to look at the messy parts in your life, untangle all the pieces, and weave them back together in a way that’s truly aligned with your passion, purpose, and pleasure so that your life is authentic to you.

Knowing how to create space for empowerment for your children is the best way for your child to grow into the best version of themselves, and as parents, caregivers and educators, this is precisely what we want. The best way to create that space is for you to live your life in a way that encourages positive and healthy mindsets, which can be done if you put practices in your life, such as looking after your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. In this article, we will speak about how to create a space for empowerment for your children and whether economic status matters when creating an empowered space ! The world today and how it’s different from ours In a world of likes and followers, our children grow up in an environment completely different from ours, where their authentic selves can easily be pushed to the margins. It is more important than ever for parents to encourage, develop, and empower our children to share their true selves because their truth (like yours) is their gift to the world. Their unique blueprint is how they do, speak, share, and create. If we empower kids to always be true to themselves, the likes and following will be meaningless to their creations and sense of worth. And that’s exactly what we encourage here at Faith and Sparkles World. How does a parent create space to empower their child? Your child is already authentic – allowing your child to be their honest, true self means giving them the freedom to continue loving themselves so that they can develop and enhance it. Children like you are strong creators; they are souls who are here for a specific mission; therefore, allow them to walk that road with gentle assistance. So, let’s talk about how to create a space for empowerment for your children. Let go of perfection and accept learning. Have you ever noticed how fearless a child is? Years of conditioning in our lives, we lose the ability to take that leap of faith that calls us, and it becomes muddled by limiting beliefs and fear of failure as adults. So, encourage and empower them to take those leaps, even if it scares you. Your child does not need you to be perfect. They do not want you to constantly achieve your goals, get things done, or complete tasks – they probably don’t even realize that you have these goals and tasks in mind. While this is great for children to see, it is also okay for them to see the other side. Tell them you’re learning too and don’t have all the answers. You’re on the journey together! Allow opportunities for open conversation. We live in a world preoccupied with “we” and “them,” which is an illusion because we are all one. But the frequent contrast of “against” this and “pro” that, “the star,” or even “the influencer,” fosters this divide. We even have physical barriers with our family and neighbours. We no longer gather or live in communities as we once did. We can remove this misconception and open respectful conversations with our children. Show your child how it is to speak about and openly about topics as young ears consistently listen and follow in your footsteps – even if you don’t realize it. Being aware of our words This is critical to creating a space for empowerment for our children. A sensitive and sympathetic child who tears frequently but is encouraged to ‘grow up or stop being a baby’ is teaching them to be disconnected from their emotions, which they may hide as adults to please their parents. It is often instructed to quiet their voice and may grow up unable to speak up for themselves or scared of sharing their abilities with others. Listen and emphasize Practising listening to your child’s problems rather than ‘fixing’ them is an excellent method to empower them. We desire to protect our children from pain as parents, but this is disempowering because we can never escape the anguish that is a part of life. We can, however, support them and provide them with tools to help them overcome any setbacks. Validate their feelings because they matter. Make time for joy and play. You both deserve to have a good time! And your child deserves to see you happy and at ease. Seeing you do activities that delight you will motivate children to do the same, not just when they are little. Life isn't always about getting things done, flourishing, or pushing forward. Relax Your child deserves to witness you having fun and playing just as much as they deserve to see you resting. When they watch you rest, they understand that their body is tired and that for them to blossom, they must spend time grounding themselves. Allow your child to express themselves. Allowing kids to choose their outfits is a terrific way to support their originality and show them that you accept them for who they are; celebrate their inventiveness; value their viewpoint, and show them that they don't need to be 'perfect.' Experimenting entails being willing to take risks, make mistakes, and solve difficulties. Meditation Give time for your child to listen to their inner voice and direction through meditation. The most excellent method to teach your child meditation is to show them how you do it for yourself and then give them the option to practise it. Does a parent's economic status matter when creating an empowered space? Empowerment for your children requires a safe space – safe for children to feel secure and confident to express themselves and challenge themselves; safe in terms of mistakes won't harm a child emotionally or physically; and safe for parents in terms of they have confidence that the child has the right environment to express, and learn for themselves. Being an empowered parent, it is vital that you are their role model. Although this shouldn't be a factor, the parents' socioeconomic background can be a barrier if they don't have a strong family structure, such as having two parents or live in poverty. So other pressures take precedence over parenting. However, if there is love and an ability to create that safe space, then that should overcome any socioeconomic barriers. Create a space for empowerment for your children. Faith and Sparkles World takes pride in empowering parents, caregivers, educators and their children. We want to guide you through creating a space for empowerment for your children so that you can live the best version of your life and your children follow in your footsteps. To learn more, connect with us at www.faithandsparklesworld.com Follow us on: IG: @faithandsparklesworld FB: @faithandsparklesworld LinkedIn: @faithandsparklesworld Twitter: @faithandsparkl1 Pinterest: @faithandsparklesworld

Written by: Dr. Sydney Ceruto , Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Protest behaviors are often employed by individuals as an attempt to regain love and attention from their partners. These behaviors can arise from feelings of insecurity, abandonment, and a lack of self-worth. The main goal of protest behaviors is to seek validation from the partner by engaging in negative or unhealthy behaviors. Some examples of these behaviors include: Criticizing or blaming your partner for your own unhappiness Withdrawing emotionally or physically from the relationship Threatening to end the relationship Acting distant or cold towards your partner Engaging in excessive jealousy or possessiveness While protest behaviors may initially provide temporary relief or validation, they can have negative impacts on relationships and mental health in the long run. Why Are Protest Behaviors Unhealthy? Protest behaviors create a cycle of insecurity and resentment in the relationship, leading to a breakdown in communication and trust. These behaviors can result in partners feeling hurt, resentful, or angry towards each other, and ultimately, cause the relationship to deteriorate. Engaging in protest behaviors can also lead to negative impacts on mental health. These negative emotions can cause anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, which can lead to physical health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure. How to Move Towards Healthy Relationships Breaking the cycle of protest behaviors is essential for building healthy and fulfilling relationships. Here are some strategies that can help you move towards a healthier relationship: Identify the Root Cause It is essential to identify the underlying cause of your protest behaviors. Are you feeling insecure, neglected, or unloved? Understanding the root cause can help you find healthier ways of dealing with your emotions. Practice Self-Care Engage in activities that make you feel good about yourself. Self-care can include exercise, meditation, spending time with loved ones, or pursuing hobbies that you enjoy. Communicate Openly Open and honest communication is essential for building a healthy relationship. Express your feelings and needs in a constructive and non-blaming way. Listen to your partner's concerns and work together to find solutions. Seek Professional Help Seeking professional help from a therapist or counselor can be beneficial in identifying and addressing underlying issues contributing to your protest behaviors. Set Boundaries: Setting boundaries is essential for building healthy relationships. It is essential to establish clear expectations for the relationship and to set limits on unhealthy behaviors. Conclusion Protest behaviors are unhealthy ways of trying to regain love and attention from partners. While these behaviors may provide temporary relief, they ultimately lead to negative impacts on relationships and mental health. It is essential to break the cycle of protest behaviors by identifying the root cause, practicing self-care, open communication, seeking professional help, and setting boundaries. By adopting these strategies, individuals can move towards healthy and fulfilling relationships. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Sydney! Dr. Sydney Ceruto, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Sydney Ceruto has completed her doctoral education in the field of Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience & is a leading specialist in using your brains natural ability to change neuroplasticity to ensure you reach your desired goals. Her specialty is in helping clients recognize their faulty thinking patterns, change undesirable behaviors, developmental & emotional resiliency, & gain mental clarity. When Dr. Ceruto was a teenager, she tragically lost both parents. As an only child, the loss of family completely broke her. She became profoundly depressed & began suffering from chronic anxiety. Sydney felt lost, & any form of happiness, confidence, or clarity seemed a long way off. Soon after, she began to pursue her education in medicine at Yale & obtained three masters in psychology & two Ph.D.’s in both cognitive & behavioral neuroscience at NYU. Studying the mind-brain connection was indeed the paradigm for her healing & growth. Dr. Sydney Ceruto created MindLAB Neuroscience over two decades ago. She pioneered an integrative approach based on hard science that has genuinely changed the way people make positive &, more importantly, permanent changes in all areas of their lives. Her program is highly venerated & has debunked all the myths regarding the efficacy of “traditional therapy” & the sad misnomer that you need to be on a counselor’s couch for years or even decades. Several publications have Dr. Sydney Ceruto on staff as a senior writer. She is a proud member of the Forbes Executive Council, Positive Performance Alliance, Wharton Executive Education Program, and Executive Writer for Alternatives Watch and Brainz Magazine. She has an avid intellect, a keen understanding of human nature, & an uncanny ability to connect deeply with clients. Dr. Ceruto is hands-on, accessible, highly intuitive, compassionate & is told … pretty funny! One of her passions is traveling, which she has done extensively. Dr. Ceruto is an avid sports enthusiast and watches everything from football to Formula 1 racing. She plays golf whenever she can and enjoys exploring other cultures. Dr. Ceruto has one son who graduated from Princeton University and is studying to become a corporate attorney. She also has an affinity for animals and is an adoring mom to her 1.5-pound Micro Cuban Chihuahua, Lolita.

Written by: Jorge Contreras, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Having an Airbnb business is a great way to use your extra space. Plus, it can even give you passive income if automated well. However, several factors can affect your profitability. Let’s talk about those here. Are you a newbie trying to launch your first Airbnb? Well, there are a lot of things to consider before you can effectively do so. But don’t worry if you have no idea where to start yet. You can use this guide to know the main factors that can affect your Airbnb profit and what you can do about them. Now in my experience as a real estate entrepreneur, the most common things that can influence your Airbnb profits are found in your location, data, pricing, amenities, and contract. Read on to know more about each one of them. Location One of the most important aspects of any Airbnb is its location. Not all properties can be used for business and not all cities and states allow short-term rentals. Now if you’re still at the point of acquiring a space for your Airbnb business, it’s important to understand what kind of properties are ideal. First, you need to know the 4 main categories of real estate locations: A, B. C, and D. A properties are in luxurious neighborhoods with lots of wealthy facilities and high-end security, and D areas are the exact opposite because it’s where poverty and crime are prevalent. Now the recommended areas for Airbnb are between B and C because they are safe but are not too pricey for regular guests to rent in. This is an essential factor to consider because it will make or break your business. Some people who make the mistake of starting a business in areas in the lower categories often receive negative reviews from guests which lower their booking rates and ultimately leads them to close the business. Another thing you need to know about locations is that NOT all cities allow short-term rentals. This is why you must do your research first so that you don’t buy or sign a sublease for a property in a locality where Airbnb is not permitted. To know for sure, you can go on Google and search for the ordinance of the locality you want to launch in. Once the number of the building department comes up, you can call it to inquire. Through this, you’ll discover if the area allows Airbnb with no restrictions, if you need permits to operate, or if they don’t allow short-term rentals at all. Data Once you’ve checked if your potential property is in a great neighborhood in a city that allows Airbnb, your next move is to study the data of similar businesses in the area. This step is often overlooked by a lot of people and causes them to miss their opportunities. To prevent this, you can use sites like Mashvisor and AirDNA to know the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, and amenities of the most successful Airbnb in your area. Use this data to create a similar experience for your guests and see how your business fares. This is a great method because with it, you won’t be starting from scratch and your venture won’t be a hit or miss either. Pricing Another thing that can directly affect your profit is your pricing. When you start your business and notice that bookings are coming in very slowly, there is a possibility that your rates are too high. On the flip side, if you’re getting bookings fast, there’s a chance you’ve priced your Airbnb too low that you’re just making losses. So what’s the trick? Now when it comes to pricing, your Airbnb will differ from the rest. Your nightly rate will depend on how big your place will be, what amenities you have, and the overall experience you promise to give your guests. However, if you want to maximize your profits on the platform, you also need to know how to charge right. I use the 10-20-30 Rule where I price my Airbnb so that I’ll break even in 10 nights, double my earnings in 20 nights, and triple it within 30 nights. For example, if my rent or mortgage for a property is $3,000/month, my nightly rate would be $300/night. This way, I’ll earn $3,000in 10 nights, $6,000 in 20 nights, and $9,000 in 30 nights. Amenities When people book your Airbnb, they’re not just looking for a place to stay ‒ they’re also looking for a great overall experience. And you’d want to add to that positive experience by including amenities that your guests can enjoy. You can purchase recreational items like a foosball table, board games like Monopoly, card games like Uno, and even an oversized Jenga that your visitors can use during their downtime. If you have a bigger budget, you can also try setting up leisure facilities like pools, jacuzzis, or even a spa. Now if you’re Subleasing (renting a property from a landlord to use for your Airbnb business), you can arrange with the property owner to make some upgrades. By adding these amenities, you’re enhancing your guests' experience making your listing stand out, and ultimately creating more revenue for your business. Contract Since we’ve mentioned a bit about Subleasing or Airbnb Arbitrage, here's another factor that can affect your business that is connected to this method. You see, one of the biggest mistakes newbies make when starting a short-term rental business with the arbitrage strategy is not understanding the legal verbiage on the contracts. Since you’re technically renting a space to use as an Airbnb rental, your agreement with its owner also needs to reflect that. And there are two things you need to see in your contract: 1. It must say that you have permission to use the property as a short-term rental. Without this clause, you’re only renting the space for personal use and not for business. Launching it on the Airbnb platform is basically violating your agreement and you have to pay for the breach. 2. It must state that you have permission to change the locks. This ensures that you have complete control over the property during the contract period. And since you need locks that are automated for your guests, you have to get consent from your landlord to change the initial locks. Bonus tip: If you’re buying a property and you have a bigger budget, you need to put your best foot forward. Spending money and renovating your space to look its finest as an Airbnb rental will build long-term equity for you. However, you don’t want to use your own money to renovate a property if it’s only subleased. Instead, you can ask your landlord if they can invest a few more thousand dollars to put in new paint, a new floor, fix up some of the cabinets, or do major repairs on the property. On your end, you can increase your rent little by little per month to help the landlord offset the costs, but this way you don't have to pay out of pocket and you’ll still end up with a profitable space. The final verdict To round it all up, your Airbnb’s profitability can be affected by your location, how you use your data, pricing, amenities, and contract clauses. But now that you know how these factors can influence your business, you will now notice them easily. If you’re a newbie, you now understand the mistakes to avoid. And if you’ve already launched your business and your business isn’t doing well, you can also use this guide to pinpoint what you can change in your business ‒ is it pricing? Amenities? You see, creating a profitable Airbnb business is more than possible. You can even get it started even if you don’t own properties yet using the Subleasing or Rental Arbitrage method. If you want to learn more, feel free to download and check out our free training guide here so you can get your Airbnb business started from scratch in no time. Follow me on Instagram, YouTube, Podcast, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jorge! Jorge Contreras, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine From poverty to a million-dollar business, Jorge Contreras is a real estate investor and coach. He started his real estate journey over 10 years ago, and he launched his Airbnb business 5 years ago. Before that, Jorge was overworked and underpaid. He barely had time to spend with his family, and his business wasn't exactly thriving. Once he got into real estate, he realized the potential, especially with Airbnb and short-term rentals. When he became a millionaire before the age of 30, he decided to share his knowledge with all the people who have the need to spend more time with their families and less time working. Jorge has already helped over 3000+ people reach their goals with Airbnb.

Written by: Kate Greunke, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Making sure potential clients can find your business website is crucial to running a successful brand. Search engine optimization (SEO) is necessary for helping your website talk to Google, telling it all about what you offer, where you offer it, and the people you serve. On a basic level, this means having more than just pretty photos on your website and more than just a little text. On a more advanced level, having good SEO means implementing specific tactics and tools to ensure that your website is doing more than simply "sitting" on the internet. SEO is a long-term strategy and won’t provide instant results. It is bolstered by good website design, blogging, and making use of free Google tools. Let’s talk about each of these and how you can maximize them for your business. How Your Website Layout & Design Impacts SEO Search engine optimization is judged by several factors, including how attractive and easy your website is to use, how fast your site loads, whether it contains optimized blog posts, and lastly, whether it is mobile-friendly and secure. In a perfect world, everyone would address their SEO while simultaneously building their website. However, most businesses find themselves commissioning a new website from a designer, then chasing down some much needed SEO help months after the website has launched and received very little traffic. SEO involves making changes to the imagery, text, and layout of a website. It only makes sense to work with a website designer who also incorporates SEO into the foundation of your website. Otherwise, you’re essentially paying for a new website…twice. Regardless, you might be ready to implement a few website improvements on your own. Here’s my short list of 12 website success rules to keep in mind. 12 Website Success Rules: Employ a set color palette, font pairing, and logo; this should be consistent throughout the website and the rest of your marketing. Use high-quality photography; stock images from Unsplash or Pixabay are always good, free options. Avoid using image slideshows; they slow the loading speed of your website. Name each image file to include the service you offer and the city and state/province you are targeting Keep all verbiage in the “first person” voice (I or we) Build a complete home page that includes client reviews, calls-to-action, and client-focused copywriting List the cities and states that you serve on both your homepage and in the footer Position your Services page around your ideal clients’ specific needs, limiting yourself to 3 service offerings if possible Use a lead magnet to entice people to join your mailing list; make sure to email your list monthly to stay top-of-mind. Avoid using pop-ups; they don’t convert well compared to landing pages. Blog at least monthly; this gives search engines something new and relevant to index, thus increasing the “surface area” of your website and the likelihood that your website will appear in search results. Use online forms to easily capture client information or allow them to book calls using Calendly / Acuity. Why Blogging is Great for Website Traffic Writing regular and consistent blog posts is excellent for SEO because it gives Google more content to search and more keywords to find on your site whenever someone searches for items or services that happen to be related to your business. Search engine optimization is similar to categorizing a document in a filing cabinet. In the real world, you'd put that document in a clearly labeled folder, making it easy for your team to pull up what they need in a moment's notice. Google is a giant filing cabinet, and your website, including your blog posts, are documents within that cabinet. Giving your blog post an eye-catching title and writing your post with the proper format will make it easy for Google to help people find what they need. 7 ways to optimize your blog posts for search engines: Use an SEO-friendly header; I use Coschedule’s free Headline Analyzer Headers within the post that are appropriate to the post’s main ideas Categories ‒ keep them straight-forward not abstract so Google knows what to do with them Label image files or “Alt Tags” with a description of the image and your geographic service location Write an excerpt for each blog post; keep it straightforward with words that are most important Don’t use tags, as tags will create additional pages in your website, which can be interpreted as blank if there are only a couple posts for a given tag ‒ not great for SEO Blog at least once per month; Google notices your consistency! Why You Should use Google Search Console Google Search Console is not another name for Google Analytics. Search Console is actually something entirely different; it is a tool that helps Google properly index your website. To put it in simple terms. Google Search Console will tell you if and when your website has an issue that might impact SEO or user experience. How to Make Sense of Google Analytics To avoid being overwhelmed by the vast amount of data available through Google Analytics, just keep track of these four metrics: Your overall traffic (aka: How many people are visiting your website in a given time span? If you see that you are receiving very little traffic, you then need to ramp up your content marketing efforts. Start blogging 2-4 times per month to increase your short and long-tail keywords and share those posts on social media and Pinterest. This constant flow of fresh content gives Google more to index, plus Google tends to favor websites that regularly publish blog posts, as that is a sign that the business is still active.) Your traffic sources (aka: How are people finding your website? Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, organic search, something else? This is a great way to judge whether your social media efforts are working. They should be sending traffic to your website. Google Analytics will let you know in one glance.) Your bounce rate (aka: How many people are landing on your site, only to leave without clicking on anything? A bounce rate that exceeds 40% over a 30-day period is a warning that your SEO or marketing is attracting the wrong person or that your website isn't matching what your ideal visitor needs to see.) Your visitors (aka: Where are they located? If a large portion of website traffic is coming from an area or country that you don't serve, something is wrong. If most of your traffic is coming from areas that you service or would like to service, that's a great sign that your SEO, marketing, and website are doing their job.) While there are many other stats you could be tracking with Google Analytics, these top four will give you a realistic look at the health of your online presence. If you are selling products, for example, you'd want to continue measuring this data and so much more (e.g., tracking a customer's path before/after they buy or almost buy from you to learn more about their behavior). How to Maximize Your Google Business Listing Your Google Business Listing is a free, fast way to tell Google exactly who you are, where you are, and what services you offer. It puts your business on Google Maps and helps people find you when they're looking for an "interior designer near me," for example. While this might sound like a great tool, less than half of small business owners actually use it, and even fewer use it correctly or maintain it. When setting up your Google Listing, make sure to fully complete every section, including the lesser-known Q&A and story sections. The story/about section of your listing allows you to share a brief bio about yourself or your company in 750 characters or less. This is a perfect place to use keywords that pinpoint your ideal client, service area, and actual services. Your contact information, location, and hours of operation should be current. Your photos should be of high quality and should include you, your team, and the exterior and interior of any retail space or office space you use. You can add new photos every few weeks to keep your listing fresh, which can go a long way in getting more local eyes on your listing. If you receive the same questions over and over, add them to the Question & Answer section. Additionally, be sure to respond to the questions you might get asked by Google users within that listing. You should also be asking past clients to write reviews of your business on your Google listing. That star rating is one of the first things potential leads will look at when they find you, before contacting you. On that note, consider using Google Business's appointment scheduling tool. You would need to integrate it with your current scheduling tool (Acuity or Calendly, for example) to prevent double-bookings. This integration is an easy way for people to go straight to an appointment or meeting with you as soon as they see your listing. Stay Consistent From using consistent branding to repeatedly showing up on your blog and in your email marketing, your efforts will snowball and pay off. Keep showing up, and keep doing the work. Your business truly CAN be successful. You’ve got this! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kate! Kate Greunke, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kate Greunke founded Socialite in 2014 as a virtual agency of professional marketing specialists exclusively for the home industry. Kate hosts a marketing podcast, The Kate Show, which is ranked in the top 1.5% of all podcasts globally and available on all podcasting apps. In 2021, Kate was named 20 Under 40 by Window Fashion Vision Magazine. She currently resides in Wisconsin with her husband and two children while managing an international team and extensive client roster.

Written by: Rani Bain, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. The one struggle I get asked to help makeup artists most is ‘how do I get more clients’. But as an expert in the makeup artist business, I strongly feel this is only the symptom ‒ the REAL problem is they want to earn more income. The fact they make two fundamental mistakes, the first is they mistakenly think by getting more clients and desperately trying to fill the diary. All they achieve is getting on the hamster wheel and finding it hard to get off. Secondly, they offer the same services/products as their competitors in the market. Chasing clients is stressful and frustrating, but there is a way out. By working with makeup artists showing them how they can use their expertise to grow their business. These makeup artists have worked hard to gain their qualifications, have been in business for more than 2 years and are taking action to share their expertise to help their clients on a much deeper level. This is a process and initially, the first lesson is to unlearn everything you’ve done so far in your business, for instance: Not selling discounts Not selling packages Not selling your time Often this goes against the grain because this is what has been their strategy for years, in most cases. And to turn your mindset completely around and actually ‘unlearn’ these methods is probably the hardest obstacle to overcome. But once this mindset has changed there’s no going back to chasing clients and charging for your time/ services/products at £30-£50 pounds a session. When they discover they can charge far more for the solution they offer because they are working on a much deeper level with their clients and using their expertise. Then they allow themselves to free up their diaries because they can now afford to work with only a few clients per week. There’s a free workshop 26 March at 10 am UK time, you can join to find out more about ‘Unleashing Your Expertise in your makeup artist business’ Free Workshop. Rani Bain, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rani works with established makeup artists to unleash their expertise, develop their niche and work with fewer clients.

Written by: Lisa Sonni , Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Have you ever felt like a narcissist was playing a game with you? This game is often disguised as “love” and can leave you feeling manipulated, exhausted, and frustrated. Narcissists will use tactics such as performance-based love, breadcrumbs of validation, unmeetable expectations, and punishment for “misbehavior” to keep you in this cycle. But what if there was a way to win this game? Let’s explore 4 ways how you can take back your power from these manipulative tactics. Set Boundaries and Stick To Them Setting boundaries with the narcissist in your life is an important first step toward reclaiming your power. This means clearly communicating what you will and won’t tolerate, both verbally and through body language. For example, if the narcissist in your life is constantly belittling or criticizing you, make sure they understand that this type of behavior is unacceptable and let them know that any further instances will result in serious consequences. Before you say boundaries don’t work, I want you to know that the only part that doesn’t work is when you do not action the consequences. Boundaries are for you, not them. A narcissist will never follow boundaries when there are no consequences. Here’s a tip: don’t make the consequence that the relationship is over unless you really mean it. Start with smaller consequences if you aren’t ready. An example might be that your boundary is that you won’t be spoken to disrespectfully. The consequence could be that you hang up or end the conversation. Your boundary may be that you will not get in the car if they have been drinking. The consequence could be that you take the car keys and leave without them or that you take an Uber home. Confidence is key when dealing with a narcissist. You can work with a coach to learn how to set boundaries with these toxic personalities. A narcissist feeds off of other people’s insecurity and weaknesses; don’t give them anything to work with! Stand up for yourself and maintain eye contact during conversations–this shows that you aren’t afraid of them and are confident in yourself. The JADE Technique One way to win the narcissist's game is by using the JADE technique. JADE stands for Justify, Argue, Defend, Explain. The idea behind it is that when dealing with a narcissistic person who is trying to manipulate or control you with their words or actions, do not justify yourself or argue about why you are right and they are wrong – don't even try and explain yourself. Instead, focus on your own feelings without giving into their emotional manipulation. For example, if the narcissist says something hurtful like "you're not doing enough," instead of trying to justify why that isn't true or arguing why it should be different ‒ just say "I feel overwhelmed" (or whatever emotion it brings up). You can also express what it is that you need from them ‒ "I need help/support/encouragement right now." This technique helps limit the power dynamic between you two since you are not justifying yourself nor engaging in an argument with them – instead, you are taking back control by focusing on your needs without giving into their manipulation. Seek Support You can’t do this alone! Reaching out for help from trusted friends or family members can be incredibly beneficial when dealing with a narcissistic partner or family member. Having someone who understands how you feel can help provide emotional support which will make it easier to take back your power from the narcissist in your life. Additionally, seeking professional help such as therapy or coaching may also be beneficial if the situation becomes too overwhelming to handle on your own. Leaving the Cycle Another way to win the narcissist's game is by leaving the cycle altog ether. It can be incredibly difficult and overwhelming to break away from a relationship with a narcissistic person because they tend to create trauma bonds that keep us coming back for more even though we know we shouldn't stay in these damaging relationships. If possible, seek out professional help and create an action plan for how to safely leave the situation while avoiding further manipulation or abuse. Even if leaving isn't an option right now due to financial constraints or other reasons ‒ remember that there are still ways to protect yourself against further manipulation so that one day when it is safe for you, leaving will be easier than before. Narcissists often employ manipulative tactics such as performance-based love and punishing misbehavior in order to gain power over us and make us feel powerless in return ‒ but there is hope! By using techniques such as JADE or seeking professional help so that one day we can safely leave these toxic relationships, we can regain our personal power from these manipulators rather than endlessly trying to prove our worthiness for their love which will never come anyway. Ultimately ‒ don't play their game at all. It may seem impossible at first but take small steps each day until one day when you can finally break away from this cycle of manipulation forever. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , Pinterest, YouTube and visit my website for more info! Read more from Lisa! Lisa Sonni, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Lisa Sonni is a survivor of domestic assault and narcissistic abuse, and her first hand experience led her to where she is today ‒ a certified Relationship Coach specializing in abuse education and trauma bond recovery. She helps clients from all walks of life overcome challenges stemming from traumatic partnerships. She is the author of the Trauma Bond Recovery Course, The Trauma Bond Recovery Journal, and Rebuilding After A Trauma Bond: A Self-Love Journal, as well as a popular content creator known as Stronger Than Before across all social media platforms.

Written by: Polly Powell, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. As a 6 or 7-figure business owner, you're always looking for ways to increase revenue and grow your business. One common approach is to focus on generating more leads, but what if I told you there's a more effective way to boost your revenue without spending more money on advertising or lead generation? This is where split testing comes in, also known as A/B testing. By making just a few tweaks to your sales funnel, you can optimise your conversion rates and generate more revenue from the leads you already have. In fact, split testing is a powerful tool that can help businesses of any size identify new opportunities for growth and stay competitive in their industry. In this article, we'll explore five top reasons why 6 and 7-figure businesses should be split testing their funnels instead of looking for more leads. From optimising conversion rates and improving user experience to reducing cost per acquisition, staying competitive, and identifying new opportunities for growth, we'll show you how split testing can help you maximise your marketing efforts and generate more revenue from your existing leads. So if you're ready to take your business to the next level, keep reading to learn how split testing can help you achieve your goals and increase revenue in 2023. 1. Optimising Conversion Rates through Split Testing One of the most important goals for any business is to maximise its conversion rates. The conversion rate is the percentage of visitors that land on your website or landing page who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form and opting in. A higher conversion rate means more customers and more revenue for the business. However, achieving a high conversion rate is not always easy. This is where split testing can be an effective tool. The process of comparing two versions of your landing page, email, or other marketing elements to determine which version is more effective at achieving a desired goal, such as increasing conversions. The Split testing process involves showing each version to a randomly selected group of visitors and measuring the results. There are many software that can be used to help you do this, for example you use 1 URL and the software will divide the traffic 50/50 to each page for you. One of the main benefits of split testing is that it allows you to optimise your current marketing assets without making major changes to your marketing strategy. Instead of making assumptions about what will work best, you create 2 different versions and use data to make informed decisions about which version to use. There are many elements of a marketing funnel that can be split tested, including different sections on your landing page, email subject lines, calls to action, and checkout processes. For example, I always recommend starting with your landing page headline, as you only want to test 1 thing at a time to see which version results in more conversions. This would be a controlled test using either time or the number of visitors to the page. I wanted to make sure you understand how important it is to Split test your Funnels and how small increases can give BIG RETURNS, just by changing 1 thing. Look at the example above, then all we do is make 1 small tweak to the funnel to increase the opt in and look how it changes the other numbers. Now let's look again, just by doubling the traffic to 2000, and keeping everything the same, look how the numbers change. This is how split testing can increase your sales and compound over time. Overall, split testing is a powerful tool for optimising conversion rates and improving the effectiveness of your business's marketing strategy. By testing different versions of your landing page and then using data to make informed decisions, you can continually increase your conversion rates and generate more revenue over time without having to spend more on advertising or continuously looking to get more leads. 2. Improving User Experience through Split Testing User experience is a critical factor in the success of any marketing funnel. A positive user experience can lead to higher customer satisfaction, increased customer loyalty, and more revenue. On the other hand, a poor user experience can lead to frustration, low conversion rates, and lost customers. This is where split testing can be an effective tool. In the context of user experience, split testing can be used to test different design elements, layouts, and navigation options to identify the version that provides the best user experience. One of the main benefits of split testing for user experience is that it allows businesses to make data-driven decisions about their design and layout choices. Instead of relying on subjective opinions or assumptions from your web designer about what looks best. For example, a business might test two different versions of a landing page, each with a navigation menu. By measuring how users interact with each version, the business can identify which version provides a better user experience and make changes accordingly. You can record the user activity using a platform like Hotjar to see how the users interact with your page. Hotjar records the activity in real time and you can watch back the videos of how they interacted with your pages, it will also create heat maps to see the collated responses to where most people moved their mouse or clicked on buttons. It's a highly effective tool in understanding the user experience. And don't forget you can also use split testing on different colour schemes, fonts, and images, to identify the elements that are most appealing to users. Don’t underestimate how using different fonts can increase conversions on your page. This will help you create a more visually appealing and engaging website or landing page that provides a better user experience. Using data from split testing, you can make informed decisions about how to design and layout your site to increase conversion rates and boost revenue. And let's face it, who doesn't want more revenue? So if you want to improve your website's user experience and ultimately increase your bottom line, give user experience split testing a try. It's a powerful tool that can help take your business to the next level! 3. Reducing Cost per Acquisition through Split Testing Have you heard of cost per acquisition (CPA)? It's a big phrase that basically means how much it costs for a business to get a new customer or lead. When CPA is high, it can be hard for a business to make money from their marketing efforts. That's where split testing comes in. By trying out different versions of ads, different landing pages, and targeting options, you can figure out which version is the most effective at getting new customers into your ecosystems while also costing less money. You can also test different platforms against each other, for example if you currently use Facebook ads but you haven't tried Youtube ads or TikTok ads. Take your already performing ads on Facebook, modify for the appropriate platform and test. By testing different advertising platforms, businesses can diversify their marketing channels and identify new opportunities for growth while optimising their ad spend. Which platform will give you the best CPA? One of the best things about split testing is that it helps you make decisions based on data instead of just guessing. For example, let's say you want to try out two different versions of a Facebook ad. You can measure which version gets more clicks and then you can measure which ad leads to more new customers. This helps you figure out what works best and adjust your marketing budgets accordingly. Facebook has split testing features to help you do this built into their ad platform. 4. Staying Competitive through Split Testing In today's competitive business landscape, it's more important than ever for businesses to stay ahead of the curve and continually improve their marketing strategy. Split testing is a powerful tool that can help you stay competitive. One of the main benefits of split testing for staying competitive is that it allows you to test and optimise in real-time. This means that you can quickly identify which marketing elements are working and which ones are not, and make changes accordingly. This can help you stay ahead of the curve and adapt to changing market conditions and consumer preferences. This can also be used to test new products to market before building out all the assets that are needed, test fast, fail fast and use data to make decisions. Split testing can also be used to test different marketing channels, such as social media, email marketing or direct mail to identify the channels that provide the highest return on investment. This can help you allocate your marketing budget more effectively and stay competitive with other businesses in your industry. Another way that split testing can help you stay competitive is by testing different pricing. By testing different price points, you can identify the price that maximises revenue while still remaining competitive with your competitors in your industry. Overall, split testing is a powerful tool for businesses that want to stay competitive and continually improve their marketing strategy. By testing different marketing elements, channels, and pricing strategies, businesses can identify the most effective strategies and stay ahead of the curve in their industry. 5. Find New Opportunities with Split Testing Split testing can be a powerful tool if you want to look for ways to identify new opportunities and bring new products or services to market. By testing different versions of your marketing funnel, you can quickly identify which product offerings, pricing strategies, or marketing channels are most effective at converting leads into customers. For example, you might test two different product offerings, each with a different pricing strategy, to see which offering generates more conversions and revenue. By using split testing, you can identify which product and pricing strategy is most effective and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly. In addition, split testing can also help you save time and money by quickly identifying products that aren't effective. By testing multiple product variations at once, you can identify and eliminate ineffective strategies before investing too much time or resources. This can help you stay agile and bring new products to market faster, while minimising risk and maximising revenue. Ultimately, split testing is a powerful tool for businesses looking to identify new opportunities and stay ahead of the competition. By testing and refining different elements of their marketing funnel, you can optimise conversion rates, reduce cost per acquisition, improve user experience, and identify new opportunities for growth. This can help you stay competitive, diversify your revenue streams, and maximise your return on investment. If you're interested in getting started with split testing, be sure to download my guide which will help you Skyrocket your Conversions, Faster than a Superhero on Redbull "13 Ways to Split Test Your Funnel" This guide will provide you with everything you need to know to get started with split testing and optimise your marketing strategy for maximum results. In conclusion, split testing is a critical tool for any business that wants to succeed in today's competitive business landscape. By testing different marketing elements, channels, and strategies, you can optimise your marketing efforts and identify new opportunities for growth. Download my guide and get started on your split testing journey today here. You can also follow me on TikTok for daily updates on Funnels, Automations and Marketing Tools and my fav Tips. Polly Powell, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Polly Powell is the founder of 5 StepFunnels, a company that helps online business owners with a full funnel system that creates high converting funnels, automations and social advertising campaigns to attract leads on demand and convert into customers... Polly is also the host of the Below the Iceberg podcast, where she interviews Million Dollar Entrepreneurs who have achieved $1million dollar sales through one funnel. Polly is highly sought after for her expertise with online funnel and advertising strategies and has helped countless entrepreneurs achieve their business goals, she has also built Funnels for some of the Biggest Names in Life and Business coaching in the World. In her spare time Polly loves walking her dog Izzy.

Written by: Janifer Wheeler, Senior Level Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Ok, let’s get real. We all know that the way our society approaches work is toxic AF. That shit was already bad, but the pandemic only made it worse! But it also helped us realize that working like there’s no tomorrow is not suitable for our mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional health. In fact, the chronic stress you experience from overworking can lead to serious health issues, including! Burnout! This might explain why an insane 5.4 million people started their businesses in 2021 – a 23% increase from 2020 and almost doubled from what we saw in 2019. In 2022, that number was down by 7%, but 3.8 million people started new businesses. WHO is starting these businesses? A lot of them are former employees who got sick and tired of the following bullshit at work: Lack of control. Overworked productivity. Imposter Syndrome. Being stuck with the same routine for years on end. Unclear job expectations. Dysfunctional workplace dynamics. Extremes of activity. Lack of social support. Work-life imbalance. I know you thought, “There MUST be a better way! Hey, why not give this entrepreneurship thing a shot?” I mean, that’s what 32.5 million people have done, including me! Now, how many of that 32.5 mil are feeling the BURN? Here’s the thing, whether you stepped out as a Solopreneur, added a Side Hustle so you can eventually leave your job, or developed a small team, being a business owner is fucking hard. It’s often more complicated than working for someone else. Why? All too often, entrepreneurs bring their toxic workplace habits and expectations with them, which can lead to entrepreneur burnout much faster than expected. I was unprepared for how much MORE work would be as an entrepreneur. As a result, I maintained the same shitty behaviors I had while teaching 4th grade full-time. Rarely taking a day off. Signing up for every course, program, or guru but completing nothing. Working long hours with no little or no gains. Trying to do it all and not asking for help. Not caring for mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional health (hello, productivity killer!). Hustling all the time. Letting anxiety take over and imposter syndrome sabotage success. Getting stuck in productivity ruts and not knowing how to get out. Productivity coaching If any of this sounds familiar, productivity coaching might be just what you need. Productivity coaching is an ideal solution for solopreneurs and those with side hustles who want to create a strong foundation for productivity, maximize their time & energy management skills, build better organizational habits, and finally get the results you deserve. A productivity coach can help you figure out exactly where you are wasting time, what productivity styles work best for you and your business, how to build better boundaries with time and energy, and so much more. JOYFull Productivity Ready to stop the hustle? Let’s chat JOYFull Productivity. I’m here to help you create a system that works so you can regain control of your day and start DOING LESS and BEING MORE in your life and biz. Stop stressing and start crushing your goals with productivity coaching through The JOYFull BadAPP. Through The JOYFull BadApp, we teach female solopreneurs, side hustlers, and small business owners to BREAK UP with society’s bullshit and let go of behaviors and beliefs that cause burnout. The JOYFull BadApp is packed with tips, training, and resources to help Introverts boost their productivity. Of course, extroverts will benefit as well. We just don’t offer a lot of Zooms, Facebook Lives, or weekly Q&A calls. Our community is INSIDE the APP, so the noisy extras aren’t needed. We don’t like making or being on videos, so all of our content is offered via text and audio. Our low-stress, DIY, go-at-your-own-pace Micro Courses included in the APP meet you where you are. They’re perfect for solopreneurs with side hustles who are just starting or established entrepreneurs who need to level up their productivity game. From E-Books and Micro-Lessons to a community of like-minded individuals, the JOYFull BadApp has everything introverted entrepreneurs need to thrive in today’s busy world. The app’s features include the following: Introvert-specific tips, training, and resources E-Books: The JOYFull BadApp E-Books are full of articles, infographics, and action steps for JOYFull Productivity Micro Lessons: The JOYFull BadApp Micro Lessons are short and sweet yet filled with juicy content that teaches you how to use the app’s courses to your Introverted advantage. Community: The JOYFull BadApp community is a great place to connect with other Introverts and get support and advice. No Zoom calls or FB lives! Support: The JOYFull BadApp team is dedicated to supporting Introverts in their quest for productive bliss. We offer email support and have an extensive FAQ section on the app. The JOYFull BadApp is available for FREE via download on the App Store, Google Play, and World Wide Web! Ready to Do Less & Be More? Downloading the JOYFull BadApp is easy! Just follow these simple steps: Visit the App store or Google Play Store on your device Search for “JOYFull Badapp” and select it from the results Click “Install” to download the JOYFull BadApp and it will be ready in a few minutes. Once downloaded, open the app and set up your account. You’ll be ready to start living a life of Joy in no time! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Janifer! Janifer Wheeler, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Janifer Wheeler is a rule-breaking entrepreneur on fire. After 25 years of assisting schools and small businesses with process design, internal structure, education, and workplace culture, she founded The JOYFully BadAss Business App™ to help side hustlers & solopreneurs break away from society's BS so they can be more effective in their DO LESS BE MORE productivity mindset. Her international speaking gigs focus on advocacy, empowerment, AND joy ‒ making it easier for introverted entrepreneurs to succeed! JOYFull Productivity The JOYFull BadApp is available for FREE via download on the App Store, Google Play, and World Wide Web!

Written by: Mutita Panmook, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Have you ever felt like the jobs are endless and too hard for you to handle alone? Have you ever considered working with an agency? Is it better if there is someone who could lend you a hand when you’re confused? If you have never thought about hiring an agency before or you never know about what an agency does, let me help you understand better. What does an agency usually do? An agency is a company that provides a specialized service for their clients. They usually manage the tasks in a business field for their clients, such as marketing, organizing, planning, etc. In other words, you can specify your needs or goals, and the agency will help you achieve them quicker. How do you know if an agency can surely help you tackle the problems? Normally, in an agency, whether it is a small agency or large agency company, they would divide their professional team depending on the area of expertise. Also, all agencies do have their specific target and specific team to work on clients’ needs. For example, if you want to hire a digital market agency to help your company, there will be a specific team for you. The team usually includes analysts, programmers, strategists, social media managers, and so on. Hence, you don’t have to worry about the outcomes because you’ve got a professional to help you. In addition, the duration of working with an agency is up to the clients, and it mostly requires just a short amount of time. The type of agencies There are abundant types of agencies that will help you with your business. All of them will provide staff with countless experiences and are ready to help you. Thinking about what area you need help in first, then let’s find out a more specific type of agency. Advertising agency This type of agency will fully help you with everything in the advertising area. Including helping you create an advertising plan, start a campaign, marketing strategies, and branding. These are just an example that the agency will provide the options for you, and you can choose on your own in what area you need help with. Employment agency This type of agency would answer the need if your company wants to recruit new employees but has no time to do it by yourself. The agency will help you select potential candidates, look for the qualified candidates, and help you all the way to interview. By allowing the agency to help you recruit new employees, it tends to help your company fill vacant positions faster. Public relation agency This type of agency can work for individuals, celebrities, and even large organizations. Their job is to help you increase or maintain your reputation. They would help you with public messaging, scheduling and hosting press conferences, and inspect your reputation. There you can see what agencies usually do and some examples of agencies that can help you with anything you want. If you want some help with your business, one of those agencies could help you with your problem. If you don’t know exactly what you need help with, contact us here. Want to learn more from Mutita? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit her website. Read more from Mutita! Mutita Panmook, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mutita Panmook is a business operation strategist who’s as known as ‘The Time Queen.’ She believes that time is the number one commodity in the world that you can’t get back once it’s gone. Because of that, Mutita helps small business owners and entrepreneurs build and design efficient business that supports their lifestyle with the Get UNSTUCK Method. Mutita's mission is to help business owners and entrepreneurs get unstuck from working on the hamster wheel. The goal is to reclaim their time to be with their families, do what they love with joy, or even travel the world, whenever they want, wherever they want, with whomever they want, and let their business work for them. She is also a host of Get UNSTUCK Podcast which helps entrepreneurs get unstuck in their journey through the guest experts' experiences. Mutita's joy is when her clients keep making positive impacts on the world and become an unstuck table.

Written by: Mila Trezza, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. How often have you met someone in your workplace who could contentedly say: “I’ve made a huge mistake, but I’m so glad because I learned so much from it?” Although we hear the phrase “learn from your mistakes” plenty of times throughout our lives, it is not easy to cultivate a positive and healthy culture around making mistakes. Let’s look at the size of the task. We (may) learn from our mistakes after we have repeated them multiple times. Sometimes, we hardly learn a thing. Sometimes, “multiple times” means years of doing something wrong in the exact same way. We wrestle with our self-esteem when we finally recognize our own perseverance in the face of not getting something right, which could range from being a bit wrong to massively wrong. Admitting our mistakes requires us to be vulnerable, to ourselves and, at times, to what we perceive as a looming “everybody else.” With that said, owning our mistakes has brilliant upsides. Recognising the times when we got things wrong is not just about healthy accountability and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. Our mistakes are an extraordinary way to engage people at a very different level. Openly owning our mistakes builds credibility because no one always gets it right all the time. In the long run, mistakes boost (not diminish) our authority. So, how do we cultivate this mindset? 1. How do we pave the road to success using our own mistakes? A positive view of mistakes starts by successfully and openly disconnecting “mistakes” from “failure”. When these two concepts stay in their respective buckets, people are allowed to become effective mistake-makers without becoming failures. A healthy mistake culture indeed needs to cultivate some of the following: A shift of focus from tools and processes to mindsets and attitudes. The full attention is on the behaviour, not the outcome. Having worked out the major constraining factors to a positive mistake culture: the tendency to conceal or window dress, as well as the tendency to fall into the blame game. This means being good problem-solvers. Role-modelling from the top. We look at our leaders for acceptable behaviours: these include inviting challenges, not only confirmations, admitting mistakes and handling them with grace. Building safety by making consequences to mistakes clear, transparent and fair. Recognising that different mistakes call for different treatments: if it was largely foreseeable, it should be treated less favourably. Sorry folks. Reinforcing a shared belief that innovation is built on errors. No one is (or stays) creative if they are not allowed to try and fail multiple times. Giving voice to incidental learning alongside more structured learning avenues. Create a positive environment for talking about it: lesson-learned workshops, ‘what I learned this week’ talks in team meetings, a dedicated section in internal newsletters or noticeboards. 2. Why do we fear making mistakes and how to overcome it I think it helps to recognise that the whole process is not picnic time. It is indeed, a pretty substantial rewiring of the brain, which, in addition to the workplace culture, may have roots as deep as in our family background (how often were we tolerated or told off as children for our mistakes? How often did we witness blaming as opposed to resolving?) and our schooling. Many schools and learning environments try to champion a healthy error culture but not all deliver it. For example, when the reward system glorifies perfection and is geared to celebrate error-free outputs. We hear ‘mistakes are good’, but how often do we hear anyone admitting to their mistakes? We inevitably develop a partly conscious, partly unconscious aversion to making mistakes when open conversations about them are rare. Behaviour changes are a massive task. But (self-)knowledge is power and every shift helps. Recognising our triggers helps. Noticing what clouds our thinking when we see our experiments are getting difficult help. Moving on graciously from our ‘should-haves’ (‘I should have double-checked that!’) helps. Teaming up with someone fun to handle our mistakes helps – a lot. If you wish to find out more about how I can help with your professional journey, please visit here. I offer an initial 20-minute meeting or discovery call. Confidential, free and no commitment. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Mila! Mila Trezza, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mila Trezza is a former General Counsel of a Fortune Global 500 energy company and an award-winning executive and leadership coach. Her company was named one of the Top 5 Executive Coaching Companies in the UK for 2023. After more than 20 years of international experience, having served as Director of over 30 companies, and lived in six countries, Mila developed her approach to coaching with the sensibilities of a lawyer in mind. Her mission is to cultivate a coaching culture for the legal industry that is bespoke to, and has an inside-out understanding of, the challenges that lawyers and legal teams face on a daily basis. Legal professionals play a central role for the organisations they serve. Yet, little of their training prepares them for building the confidence, relational skills, and emotional agility needed to persevere and succeed. Through her coaching, Mila helps lawyers go from lacking confidence and feeling overwhelmed to having a clear path forward, feeling resourceful, and enjoying their roles. In addition to running her own business “Coaching Lawyers by Mila Trezza”, Mila acts as expert advisor and consultant for leading global companies.

Written by: Camilla Calberg, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. “Quiet quitting” was the Financial Times’ word of the year for 2022 — and as we head into 2023, the phenomenon is spreading to the C-suite, too. That might sound counterintuitive. We normally think of quiet quitting as something that younger employees try to get away with, and that more senior leaders try to clamp down on. “It’s perfectly appropriate that we expect our employees to give their all,” explains Elise Freedman, a top partner at consulting firm Korn Ferry. The reality, though, is that in today’s economic climate, even senior executives are feeling drained and depleted. In many cases, just like their more junior counterparts, they’re responding to that pressure by shutting down, disconnecting from their work, and putting in the bare minimum of effort. The trouble with quiet quitting Just this past week, I met with a senior executive — we’ll call him Sven — whose company had been through a series of bruising layoffs. That didn’t sit well with Sven, who had always been a caring and nurturing leader, and who found deep personal fulfilment in helping others to achieve their potential. With his company contracting and his team being dismantled around him, Sven suddenly felt disspirited and directionless. His drive evaporated. Normally brimming with energy and new ideas, he grew sullen and withdrawn: instead of taking charge, he started keeping his head down and hoping nobody would notice him. “Most days, I feel like I’m just waiting around to be fired,” Sven admitted to me. This is where it gets tricky. Most top executives got to where they are because they have a burning drive to create something bigger than themselves. When they outgrow a role or a company, they take charge of the situation and either define a new role for themselves, or start looking for new challenges elsewhere. Leaders who slip into the “quiet quitting” mindset, however, find their drive deserts them. Unmotivated and unhappy, they wind up stuck in neutral: unable to spark change at work, but also unable to proactively seek out a more fulfilling role for themselves. Stop spiralling downward To break out of that spiral, I explained to Sven, you have to realise that your job doesn’t define you unless you allow it to. If you’re stuck in the mud because of an unfulfilling work environment, you won’t get clean by rolling in the muck. You need to shake yourself clean, and take responsibility for creating a brighter future. That usually means reconnecting with the things that made you a great leader in the first place. Sven, for instance, had always been proud of his ability to make connections and network with people — until quiet quitting robbed him of his confidence, and caused him to shrink inward. To put things right, Sven needed to start putting himself out there again. If his current employer wasn’t letting him be his best self, he needed to start making the calls and taking the meetings that might lead to new opportunities. Find a way to take pride in yourself, I told him, and you’ll soon find your way back to a role you can be proud of. Be the CEO of your own life For today’s overworked and undervalued executives, quiet quitting is a natural defence mechanism. But for leaders like Sven, it’s also a dangerous trap — because it alienates us not just from our employer, but from our own best qualities. Precisely because leaders aren’t supposed to fall prey to quiet quitting, executives who do often feel deeply guilty about their situation. That, in turn, makes them deeply risk-averse: they get so scared of being exposed and losing what they have (even though it’s so flawed!) that they wind up unwilling to take a chance and build something better for themselves. To put things right, you have to start by reconnecting with your own sense of self-worth. The only person whose opinion really matters is your own, so figure out what you want from life, and take charge of making it happen. You know you deserve an amazing life — and it’s up to you to take charge and make it a reality. BEN ‒ can we add a comment about not waiting for five years until the company gets on the right course? As executives, our focus is usually on leading others. But we’re also the CEOs of our own lives, and that’s the one role in which apathy and indifference is never, ever acceptable. So if you feel yourself drifting into “quiet quitting,” don’t take it as a sign that your life as a successful leader is over. Take it as a sign that you need to step up and take charge of your life. If you can recapture your self-belief, and turn that self-belief into action, you’ll find you’ve already beaten “quiet quitting” — and that you’re well on the way to creating a better future for yourself. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Cammila! Camilla Calberg, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Camilla Calberg is a thought leader in leadership, elevated mindset and divine living. A toxic love relationship and an international career left her with learning challenges, Camilla created strategies to dramatically transform how life can become a better experience. Camilla has since dedicated her life to assisting others to create a life filled with happiness, love and freedom. She is the Founder and CEO of Calberg Coaching, the academy where business professionals learn how to become Tomorrow's Leaders today. Her mission: revolutionise leadership education.