Written by: Bobby Aldridge, 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 Pallof Walkout is one of the underrated moves for teaching proper bracing mechanics and building a six pack. This is the ultimate CORE building exercise. Stabilize your CORE without pulling the body in the opposite direction. The athlete has to learn to stabilize their CORE under load. An athlete needs to be able to rotate explosively to run and throw, but they also need to stop that movement — and that’s what anti-rotation is. A car accelerates to gain speed but then brakes to stop. The Pallof Walkout teaches you how to put on the brakes. How many sets and reps should I do for the Pallof press? The answer is always, “it depends,” but here are some general guidelines: For warming up: two to three sets of eight to 10 highly concentrated reps or isometric holds of 20-30 seconds. For more muscle: three to four sets of 10-20 repetitions with a light to moderate load at the end of your training session For core endurance and stability: three to four sets of eight to 10 repetitions with light to moderate loads at a controlled speed The Pallof Walkout is a valuable movement prep and core strengthening exercise for nearly every lifter. It helps to establish proper spinal alignment under load and increase core stability. Follow us on Instagram for more videos on improving your mobility: @bammetrics or go here to see why BAM helps you meet your goals in the comfort of your home. Mobility is the key to improving performance and reducing your pain! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and visit my website for more info! Read more from Bobby! Bobby Aldridge, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Bobby Aldridge is a Physiotherapist who has spent over three decades as an athlete, student, and educator of physical movement. Now, in the best shape of his life, his mission is to help others move with ease, grace, and power to eliminate pain, reduce the chance of injury, and maximize performance.

Written by: Traci Philips, 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. To discover our innate approach to leading and BEING is essential in life. It starts with fully uncovering, defining and owning who we truly are and what our purpose and mission are within this lifetime. Without doing this, it is far too easy to be rocked off our chosen path by the conditioned values and expectations of others. This leaves us living a life that is far from genuine and that, oftentimes, has us feeling like a fraud. In 1978, psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes coined the term imposter phenomenon to describe the belief that success comes by chance and is not due to talent or qualifications. People suffering from this condition experience feelings of not being good enough, despite merits and demonstrations of traditionally measured success. They undergo relentless episodes of self-doubt and question their abilities to the point of nullifying their actual achievements and capabilities. Now commonly known as imposter syndrome, the current estimate is that, at some point, 70 percent of us experience a sense of complete disconnect from what we have come to understand as our abilities and competencies. This has us feeling a sense of “fakeness” and inadequacy. My question is: What if when we encounter the belief that we are not equal to our success and earnings, it is not about disqualifying who we actually are, but who and how we’ve been led to categorize and evaluate ourselves to be? What if imposter syndrome is an awakening to our genuine value? Could what we have been seeing as a “breakdown” of belief in self actually be a dissolution of the method and system by which we rate and appraise who and what we are? What if it is meant to help us “declutter” and sift out what is true and what is conditioning? If I wanted to renovate and reorganize a space in my home that is jam-packed with stuff, I would first have to clear out the clutter. I would need to take out, sort through and question what stays and what goes. I would have to clear the space completely, so that I could see that with which I have to work – the true value of the space. What if that is exactly what imposter syndrome is attempting to do for people experiencing it? Perhaps, it’s a removal of what doesn’t belong to find what does. We could also use the detox analogy. If you have ever done a body detox, you know you tend to feel much worse before you feel better. This is because, as the toxins you are expelling come up and out, you are meant to feel them, partially, so that you don’t want to put them back in. The experience makes you aware of what is “good” and what compromises the effective and sustained functioning of the body system. The symptoms of imposter syndrome run the gamut, but I gather that none of them feel good. Here are some that have been cited: Extreme lack of self-confidence Feelings of inadequacy Constant comparison to other people Anxiety Self-doubt Distrust of one’s own intuition and capabilities Negative self-talk Dwelling on the past Irrational fears of the future If you look closely at these and consider them in terms of how we are typically conditioned to think and behave, then you can see what I am saying. Our world constantly feeds us messages about how we are to compare ourselves to a particular “scale” of success, that we need to learn from what has been done in the past, and that we should fear what is unknown in the future. On top of this, we are taught not to trust what we think, believe or sense, ourselves, but instead, to follow, without question, what the “experts” and trusted studies and science say about what will help, support and be right for us. Could it be that what we call symptoms of imposter syndrome are caused by the colliding of years of heavy influencing with that part of us, buried deep inside, that knows differently? The simple fact that people experiencing imposter syndrome aren’t able to evaluate themselves by the classic definitions of recognition, accomplishment and advancement has me wondering if, perhaps, this “syndrome” is actually the undoing of the illusionary expectations that we have been acculturated to believe and adopt. What if the feelings of being an “imposter” are a casting off, not of our true, innate Zone of Brilliance and value, but of the habituated way in which we have been taught to look at and determine our gifts and capacities, in addition to what constitutes the right way for us to “show up” in the world? What if the true imposter is the traditional assessment of success and value – the visible “doings,” merits, achievements, credentials and certifications, as well as the need to regulate, with concrete proof, that which has been developed as a valuation by the outside world? What I present for consideration is that, after centuries of focus on the wrong qualifications, imposter syndrome, like most afflictions, ailments, disorders, crises and imbalances, is an indication of something far deeper. In this case, it’s a sign of the improper evaluation of our true value and how we are to share it in this world. Looking at imposter syndrome as the canary in the coal mine shows us that, perhaps, the condition is attempting to illuminate how misled and out of alignment we have been in our categorizations and appraisals. Seeing that it is possible people experiencing this syndrome are trying to free themselves from an antiquated analysis of and approach to recognizing and intentionally applying who they came to be and how they came to measure and deliver their talents and gifts allows us to view this issue in a whole, new light. If evolution is a way to bring about necessary change, balance and advancement, what if we are, collectively, in a time when the practice of judging ourselves based on a false measurement of success is being revealed? What if this indicates a contemporary pattern in civilization that reflects a readiness to align with our unique identities in order to allow ourselves to show up, fully, in sovereign self-expression and empowerment? In this world where we are quick to diagnose something as a malady, we might want to step back and look at imposter syndrome as a type of potential healing, instead. Perhaps, the driving force that shows up as anxiety in people with imposter syndrome is actually about wanting to be seen, heard, understood and valued, not for what they can produce and DO, but, in fact, for simply who they are. I believe our culture suffers from a disconnect with ourselves. We are so quick to listen to the counsel of others that we have stopped listening to our own inner adviser. At this current time, it is more important than ever to align with what is true for each of us and not allow outside measurements of what will bring success or failure impede us from creating our own lane in which to navigate life. None of us are here to be evaluated by our success or lack of it. Instead, we get to be measured by our ability to be congruent within ourselves and make an impact based on who we are and what we are meant to do based on this unique and special design. Want to learn more from Traci? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin or visit her website. Read more from Traci! Traci Philips, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine As an Executive Leadership & Performance Strategist, Traci Philips supports visionary business owners and corporate executives to learn and practice better communication, resolution strategies, decision-making, and leading during times of change and when the stakes are high. A three-year stint co-facilitating a men's transformational program for industry leaders incarcerated in Federal Prison taught Traci more than she could ever have learned elsewhere about high-stakes leadership and the cost of bad decision-making. This experience fueled a passion in her to help top leaders learn what they needed to know so they wouldn't end up losing what matters most. Her ultimate goal is to support her clients to live authentically and lead powerfully by creating more awareness about who they are, how they want to be seen, and what legacy they want to leave behind. Traci is the co-host of Eavesdrop in the Moment, a bi-weekly podcast that discusses current trends and leadership. Her book, Looking In: Discover, Define and Align the True Value of Your Life, Leadership and Legacy is helping leaders around the globe increase their confidence and self-identity to meet leadership demands and their personal performance potential.

Henriette Danel is a Multi-Award Winning Strategic Business Coach working with Female Business Owners in the service-based industry to help them Attract More High-Paying Clients Continuously. She's also the host of The Entrepreneurial Success Podcast and a Public Speaker. Henriette Danel, Business Coach Introduce yourself. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your business. I always joke and say I was ‘plucked from the bush.’ Coming from the Bushveld in South Africa, I’ve always known I’d start my own business one day. After working for 15 years in the Interior Design Industry in the UK, I realised that it was a sign for me to start my own business. I naturally leaned toward Business Coaching, and while still fully employed, I started my online Coaching Business and ran this for two years. One December, I decided to go into my business full-time, and that first week back in the office, I handed over my notice to my employer. Five years later, I couldn’t be happier with my decision and feel so fortunate to be on this fantastic journey. I'm also the host of The Entrepreneurial Success Podcast, which has now been running for four years, and I’m a Public Speaker. My speciality lies in my unique ability to take anything complicated, dissect it, and put it back together in an easy-to-understand and implementable way. And because of this, my clients gain clarity and receive outstanding results in the shortest amount of time. On my journey to create and grow HenrietteDanel Coaching, my biggest frustration was signing up clients. I saw other coaches sign up clients like it was the easiest thing in the world. I was determined to figure it out. One Friday afternoon, I poured myself a glass of wine, and with my notebook in hand, I sat on my sofa. On a blank page, I wrote down all the things I have possibly done and still could do to attract clients. It was only when I saw the list, about three pages long in the end, that I realised the overwhelm I was creating for myself. I needed order, and I needed a strategy. To my surprise, I found out that I wasn’t alone. I quickly discovered that many business owners also need to do everything to attract more clients. This seemed a significant struggle for female entrepreneurs, setting them on a desperate mission to get clients. Let me explain it this way: Have you ever walked into your kitchen and decided: “Today I'm going to bake a cake, put a chicken in the oven, make some pancakes, oh and a big pot of curry. You know what? I’ll also make an apple pie while I'm at it...” Now, my guess is that you wouldn't do this in your kitchen, right? Just think of all the ingredients you'll need and the mess it creates. Not to mention the overwhelm and the fact that everything would need to turn out edible simultaneously. So no, you wouldn't do this in your kitchen, but why do you do this in your business? We feel that we need to do everything to become more visible and attract more clients. If you want to be successful, it's about finding out what's aligned with you that’ll give you results. Once you know what this recipe is, you can focus on it and use it repeatedly. This is exactly what helped me create success in my own business. It's about finding what is right for you and only focusing on what brings you results, and it won't be everything, that I promise. My clients are located nationally and internationally. I've worked with incredible entrepreneurs from the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe, South Africa and Dubai. What is it that you’re doing to help your clients? Considering my success in continuously attracting more clients, I put everything together and formulated Your Client Attraction Program. Your Client Attraction Program is for those who are high-achieving & committed women who want to move fast now and get immediate clients. This program is for six months, where we'll have personal sessions every two weeks to move through everything to provide you with the clarity and strategy that's aligned with you. Your Client Attraction Program is based on my 4 Business Strategies: Your Visibility Strategy Your Attraction Strategy Your Relationship Strategy Your Transformation Strategy My clients love this program, and as a recurring client strategy, I invite them for follow-ups after the program to determine what individual help is required to accomplish their additional goals, providing additional support and coaching. Tell us about your most significant achievements so far. I woke up one morning in April 2021 with fantastic news I never expected. I opened my email and saw that I got featured in Yahoo Finance alongside Marie Forleo as one of the Top 10 Business Coaches That Inspire. I was utterly gobsmacked and numb as I was reading the email. This feature meant so much to me and has increased my visibility, which is why I’m a great advocate for being featured and using PR opportunities aligned with you. In addition, I was chosen as one of 100 female entrepreneurs in the UK for the F: Entrepreneur campaign and received a special invitation for an afternoon tea at the House of Lords in Westminster, London. It was a special occasion to meet the other incredible women in business who got selected alongside me. This was a moment I will never forget. In 2022 I also received my first award from Prestige Awards for Business Coach of the Year ‒ London & The South East. A few months later, I won a silver award for Best Coach at the Best Business Women Awards. It was indeed a spectacular year. What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future? I've just launched my Coaching App to ensure this is something that my current clients can use, and new leads are being brought directly to me from the App. The idea with the Coaching App is to form the first part of my funnel. This will guide the audience to free workshops and content on the App and the option to take the next step. My current clients can access Your Client Attraction Program via the App, outside our coaching sessions, which makes access more convenient for them. Instead of using a platform such as Facebook Groups (which my clients don't like anymore), the App allows me to create and build my community right there in their hands. I have yet to come across any other business coaches in the UK using Apps. And this trend is about to take off. Using technology to your advantage and having it fit with your strategy will put you at the forefront and make you stand out from your competitors. The future plan is to licence Your Client Attraction Program and have other coaches worldwide trained, giving them the option to sell and coach accordingly. By licensing the program to other coaches, they have no restriction on regions and can market to any client that's aligned with them. The plan is to roll out the Licensing in 2024. If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? I’m a huge fan of collaborating with other entrepreneurs. I feel that many business owners are still stuck with the principle of competition. Collaborations between independent entrepreneurs are increasingly popular across every area of business. Naturally, people who work together and share expertise with others in their field benefit from these relationships. In the past, a sense of competition between business owners has stymied collaboration: the fear was that working with ‘the competition’ meant risking your best-kept business secrets being revealed to your competitors. That fear is giving way to the increasingly popular idea that every business has its unique value and that collaborating allows us to learn from each other rather than just compete. If we spend too much time comparing our business to others – which social media certainly encourages – it’s difficult not to feel awed by others’ achievements but all too easy to take an overly critical view of our own, even if we are just launching and those around us are well established. These thoughts and feelings can be so insidious that we barely notice our own negative self-talk. At these times, fear of competition is high, and collaboration feels like a fantasy. So I want to encourage business owners to think more about collaborations and how they can use them for growth, support and building communities together. Conclusion Attracting more clients doesn’t have to be difficult. Just find out what’s aligned with you and stick to it. If you want more ideas to see what could work for you, then download my 30 Free Resources on How To Attract More Clients here. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Henriette!

Anaiis Salles is a mother, an ordained minister, a certified EMT, hypnotherapist, beekeeper, and author. A co-creative catalyst on the cutting edge of energy medicine since 1991, Anaiis Salles’ energy healing results involve minimal use of hardware/technology. Why? Her expertise has biohacked the proven premise that activated DNA and the 15 chakra human energy field can supply 85% of all healing technology healthy humans require. Salles’ radically effective energy healing skills/results were first medically verified in 1991. Highlights of Salles’ international collaborations are shared in the documentary "Heart to Heart" focusing on the value of hands-on healing team members in clinical settings. Anaiis Salles, Living Lessons Library Private Health Association What most peaks your interest in choosing new clients to work with? Once I’ve had an initial discovery call with a potential client, determining who is not a good fit for my coaching practice or programs? Does a potential client communicate from an emotionally superficial space. What offers the most growth potential is emotional availability, transparency about challenges, how openly and with how much awareness can any person seeking a guide shares without fear where they have been, where they are now, and an imagined ‘Abundance Design’ inner calling that feels most inspiring yet is perhaps the most elusive gift to bring into everyday life. This is a treasure hunt! I love the opportunity to dig for soul gold. Name three people who are or have been a source of inspiration? William Shakespeare. Mahatma Gandhi. Angela Davis. Well, I must include a fourth: Florence Nightingale. What travel locations are you always excited to return to? Paris, France. Venice, Italy. Greece. Cyprus. London. Anywhere in Scotland. What is ‘Abundance Design’? ‘Abundance Design’ is a term of art original to my coaching perspective and approach to life. Abundance Design speaks to transformation opportunities presented to clients and students to free them of getting caught up in a mindset muddle of ‘good at’ or ‘inadequate’ after falling inside the cultural meme and branded box that is the concept of manifestation. Abundance Design suggests the influence and delightful reality of cooperative creativity rather than that subtle hunger for individual power to make something real, or important, or ‘mine’ from a service-to-self intention. How did you turn an unexpected situation into a business opportunity? My ex-husband was accepted into medical school at age 37. That is quite remarkable. At the time, I had a children’s clothing design business and Bloomingdale’s, I. Magnin, Saks Fifth Avenue, all once high-end merch giants were my customers, as well as small boutiques in the United States and in Europe. I love to knit and sew, and at that time in my life I had plenty of time to spend my days creating beauty and being a work-at-home mom to my young children. My husband’s attending medical school meant that I would have to find a more lucrative full-time gig to support our family while he realized his dream. In those days, I was much more agreeable to putting my needs aside for others than I am today. After doing research, I decided to return to university to become a certified shorthand court reporter, and given family deadlines, I completed a two-year program in nine months. We moved to another city and state. I was not happy about this move. It was not a joint decision. In those days, as feminine energy ‘wife’ the expectation was that I would comply with my husband’s wishes and plans. I freelanced for a year to get grounded in the reality of being a court reporter. Fortunately, this happened at a time when technology had brought innovation to this profession. I bought a computer system to enhance my freelance business. The brilliant idea came to me in a flash! I sat in on my husband’s class lectures to bank the medical vocabulary my computer system would, in future, use as I established expertise in medical malpractice and expert testimony daily copy. Within two years, I had taken some very sour lemons and generated six-figure business lemonade. The upside was receiving an incredible free medical education based on the intention to show up, listen, and trust things would come together in ways I could not yet see. For me? This is one beautiful definition of opportunity. Name one unfulfilled intention or regret. I regret having an introverted nature! I’ve done my best to work around this peculiarity. I compensate. However, my unfulfilled intention is to experience feeling truly comfortable making new friends. I’m still working on it. Follow me on LinkedIn, Youtube, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Anaiis!

Written by: Sam Rehan , 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. Angry behavior is a common problem, not only in intimate relationships but also in workplace communications. When you vent your ire, it can impair your judgment and damage your connections to those around you. However, did you know that suppressing anger can be harmful to your physical and mental health ? All of our emotions are messages to us. A nger lets us know that a situation is upsetting or unjust. It’s perfectly normal to feel angry when you've been mistreated or wronged, but it becomes a problem when you express it in a way that harms you or others. People react to feelings of anger in different ways. Some express it verbally (for example, by shouting, arguing, or yelling), while others do so physically (by throwing things, breaking objects or getting into fights). Some people, however, choose to suppress their anger rather than letting it out. When you experience anger but do not express it, either constructively or destructively, that's called suppressing it. You may then convert the suppressed emotion or redirect it, for example, by holding it in, not thinking about it, or choosing to focus on something positive instead. If your anger cannot be released outwardly, it may turn inward, affecting your physical and mental health. On a physical level, suppressing emotions such as anger can lead to bodily stress . When dealing with anger, the body uses valuable energy to accelerate heart rate and increase blood pressure and breathing rate. Studies show that when we get frustrated, our bodies release negative hormones connected to stress. As a result, our future emotional health will suffer. Ongoing, unmanaged anger can adversely affect countless chemical processes in the body that allow normal life functions (metabolism). Short- and long-term health problems associated with unmanaged anger include digestion issues such as abdominal pain, insomnia, depression, high blood pressure, skin problems, strokes, and heart attacks. When we repress our anger, we can become agitated, frustrated, anxious, and irritable, creating even more stress in our lives. Some of us may feel numb, and some might substitute other emotions in place of anger, such as sadness, depression and guilt. Holding our anger inside can also lead to unhealthy emotional expressions, such as passive-aggressive behavior and hostility. This may be why people who suppress their anger often have problems with relationships, according to the American Psychological Association. Suppressing our emotions can keep us from learning how to express ourselves in critical moments, or when we experience emotions with greater intensity than usual. As a result, we may act in ways that conflict with our personal values, thus impacting our boundaries and ability to be genuine. Past trauma that lingers in your body can create emotional symptoms such as anger. That said, suppressed anger and its associated feelings can be released through a variety of modalities and body-based exercises. Below is one method. Self- soothing Self-soothing consists of any behavior used by an individual to manage and restore balance to their own emotional state after an acute stress response such as anger. However, some common self-soothing behaviors, like reaching for an alcoholic drink or a tub of ice cream, can cause additional problems. In times of anger, here is a better way to self-soothe to support and calm by using touch: Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly. The gentle pressure on the heart space and the belly stimulates the release of oxytocin, a feel-good hormone that has the power to regulate our emotional responses and reduce stress. Focus your attention on the rising and falling of your breath to bring you in and anchor you to the present moment. Release the energy of your anger by allowing yourself to experience the emotion with compassion and love, not guilt. Say out loud or silently: "I choose to feel my anger." Repeat for anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes. Continue to sit and feel your breath and your hands touching your heart and belly. Sink into sensations of relief and relaxation. You may also find it helpful to consult a healthcare professional if you regularly suppress your anger instead of expressing it in a healthy way. As humans, we all experience anger. It's a very useful tool that serves to protect us when our boundaries are crossed or motivate us to act when injustice occurs. Would you associate me with anger? You probably know me from my upbeat positive attitude and my laughter yoga work. BUT I FEEL ANGRY TOO... daily in fact. What you don't know is that I work on my anger every day. It frees me up to better manage and cope with life. I have supported many others in managing their anger. Would you like to reduce your level of anger naturally? Create more space for more positive emotions? Get in touch: hello@SamRehan.com | SamRehan.com Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Sam! Sam Rehan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sam Rehan is a high-impact well-being motivator, wellness professional, author and speaker with an exceptional track record. Sam has been a corporate trainer for 21 years and has over 30+ years of expertise working in everything from corporate training and management to health, science, and scientific research, to holistic therapies and cognitive coaching. Sam’s motto is: Be Well. Work Well. Lead Well. She currently helps teams and individuals in high-pressure environments to reduce anxiety, accelerate thinking, and integrate sustainable self-care techniques into their lives. Sam’s gentle, nurturing, yet highly transformative methods are all backed by real science with a focus on long-term success. She not only teaches these methods to her clients but lives and models them in her own life as well. At age 50, Sam continues to teach happy aging and improved wellness with her trademark approach, utilising the lightness of laughter, powerful relaxation techniques, and her magnetic energy and enthusiasm – all of which are on clear display in her breakthrough book, Laugh More: Soar In Your Health, Career and Relationships. References: Wilkowski, B. M., and Robinson, M. D. (2010).The anatomy of anger: an integrative cognitive model of trait anger and reactive aggression. J. Person. 78, 9–38. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00607.x Dreisoerner, A., Junker, N. M., Schlotz, W., Heimrich, J., Bloemeke, S., Ditzen, B., & van Dick, R. (2021). Self-soothing touch and being hugged reduce cortisol responses to stress: A randomized controlled trial on stress, physical touch, and social identity. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology , 8 . Uvnäs-Moberg,K., Handlin, L., & Petersson, M., (2015). Self-soothing behaviors with particular reference to oxytocin release induced by non-noxious sensory stimulation. Frontiers in Psychology , 5 , 1529. https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control Accessed 21 February 2023

Written by: Anne-Sophie Reinhardt , 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. More than 50% of women struggle with their body image, no matter how intelligent, driven, successful, or old. If you're one of them, I feel you. After all, women are supposed to look a certain way, and if we don't, well, we should at least be ashamed, right? Not only does this societal "norm" have a severe impact on your mental health, but it can also have a significant effect on your career. If you constantly feel negative about your body or weight, it can hold you back in ways you might not even realize. The good news is that these roadblocks are not set in stone. By building a positive relationship with your body, you can unleash your full potential in your career or life in general. Here are four ways that a negative body image can hold you back and how you can turn it around. Lack of Confidence Confidence is vital when you're a leader, and having a negative body image can seriously hinder your career. When you're preoccupied with your perceived flaws all the time, it is tough to feel confident in your abilities. This lack of self-trust can show up in many ways, such as not speaking up in meetings or avoiding challenging projects. The good news is you have the power to turn this around. You can build your self-esteem by doing activities that make you feel good about yourself (your wit, your strength, your friendliness, your caring heart) but also challenge you, or you could surround yourself with supportive friends. If you're struggling to find people who make you feel valued in your immediate circle, consider joining a virtual group of people with similar interests or finding a mentor or coach to help you improve your confidence. Reduced Productivity A negative body image can massively drag down your productivity at work. When you're stuck in the vicious cycle of constantly thinking about your shape or being scared of how others look at and judge you, it is sometimes almost impossible to focus on the task at hand. How can it not be? Try this thought-stopping technique when you are spiraling into one of those clouds of negative thoughts. It's easy, quick, and works wonders. Say "stop" out loud or visualize a red stop sign. Clap your hands together or stomp your foot for an extra visceral experience. This exercise helps to interrupt the negative thought pattern and redirects your focus to the present moment. If this doesn't help, take a break and take a sensory walk. Just a couple of minutes will help you feel grounded again. Find a nearby park and pay close attention to your five senses. Notice the sights, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes around you. This helps you shift your focus from your internal thoughts to the external world. Avoiding awesome opportunities If you'd rather hide at home because you never feel good in the clothes you wear or don't want to face a crowd, you'll miss out on opportunities that could advance your career. You might avoid networking events, public speaking engagements, or other options that put you in the spotlight and show the world how amazing you are. Learning to focus on your value and worth instead of what you feel is wrong with you starts with challenging your destructive thoughts. Every time you have a negative idea about your body or appearance, take a moment to challenge it and reframe it in a positive light. Is this thought true, or is it just a figment of your imagination? It's crucial here to not shame yourself but to practice self-compassion and allow yourself to heal what is likely a lifelong struggle. To take it a step further, begin a journaling practice and write about your accomplishments and successes. Jot down everything, big or small, that you have achieved in your life, whether it's at work, in your personal life, or through hobbies and interests. Reflecting on your successes and accomplishments will allow you to see that even though you may not have felt great in your skin, you still achieved and created incredible things. Being unaware of your values A lack of self-awareness may sound like a juxtaposition as you are always hyper-aware of your body. Still, it is another reason a negative body image can impact your career. When you're overly focused on your weight, losing sight of your actual needs, wants, and values can be easy. Unfortunately, this can lead to decision-making that is different from what you truly desire and will result in a career or position you never wanted or liked. Give yourself the opportunity to self-reflect regularly and get in touch with your values, aspirations, and goals. Ask yourself questions like: What would I do if I didn't feel this way about myself? What limitations would I remove if I were truly confident in my abilities? What kind of person do I genuinely want to be, and what steps can I take today to step into this person – without having to change my body image? Allow yourself to have an open mind to gain a deeper understanding of your worth and start taking steps to cultivate a more positive, confident, and fulfilled self. Yes, having a negative body image sucks. Not only does it make you feel miserable, but it impacts every area of your life ‒ even your career. However, you can always work on developing a positive relationship with your body ‒ no matter how long you've struggled or how old you are. Trust me, if you embrace your body in a way you've never done before, you will unleash your full potential and reach new heights in your career and life. So, go ahead and let your confidence soar, open doors for yourself that you never thought possible, and don't let your perceived flaws hold you back. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Anne! Anne-Sophie Reinhardt, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Anne-Sophie Reinhardt works with women who crave a deep sense of belonging – to themselves, their bodies and this life. Having worked as a Body-Mind and Life Coach since 2021, she has developed unique tools, insights and intuition (one of her superpowers) that allow her to quickly get to the root of her clients’ struggles, so they can clear their neurology, reconnect with their true essence and live their boldly magnificent life. An expert in her field, she has been quoted extensively on popular media and is a regular speaker drawing from her lived experience from no sense of self to deep self-love and the highest commitment to living her truth. Se is shining her light, so that others can do the same.

Written by: Janet Macaluso, 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. I missed the American Super Bowl football game for the last five years of corporate life. It clashed with our annual leadership retreat in Europe. This year's Superbowl had plenty of scrambling and gambling. One thing I wouldn't gamble on, though, is my future. Do you? For my "First Half" of life, the nuns, parents, professors, internships, and benevolent bosses guided me. But I secretly sketched out my Second Half over the last few years. I wasn't leaving my precious future to duct tape, spit, and paper clips. Since midlife is pivotal for determining the trajectory of growing older and bolder, I stacked the deck in my favor by self-authoring my vibrant next chapter. Because according to the "Death Clock" (check it out if you dare) ... I have four decades of life left! Consider what author Bonnie Ware found when interviewing the dying. They wished… I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me I hadn't worked so hard I'd had the courage to express my feelings I'd had stayed in touch with my friends I had let myself be happier Are you consciously and deliberately designing your next play? Consider Seneca's wisdom: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. If you want to learn about my structured, systemic, and research-based approach to your Best Future Self Now, check out here. It's a 21st-century approach to living your legacy. Deliberately design your Best Future Self Now rather leaving it to chance and circumstance. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube and visit my website for more info! Read more from Janet! Janet Macaluso, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine After a 25-year corporate career developing executives, teams, and organizations, Janet founded Learning2LEAD, a Regenerative Leadership Development practice based in Cambridge, USA, and Malaga, Spain. No stranger to personal regeneration, Janet reinvented herself from a college dropout to a flight attendant and aerobic instructor to an award-winning coach and global executive with three academic degrees. Janet created Learning2LEAD to reflect on the life, legacy, and impact she wants to leave. Applying modern science and ancient wisdom, Janet stewards successful mid-life change-makers, leaders, and rabble-rousers ready to transform their "1st-half" successes into "2nd-half" significance. Whether in virtual workshops or leadership hiking retreats in Spain, Janet nudges clients to move toward their Best Future Self Now ‒ so they can do the same for their people and places. Her mission: To Ban Average!

Written by: Travis Thompson, LMFT, 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 smoke has cleared, and it has been a while since he was discharged. Some things are different, and some things are the same. You have gotten everything you asked for. He’s not using drugs anymore, he is not hanging out with people who may use drugs, and he is going to all of the meetings and appointments that are set up for him. By the book, things should be going well. Maybe you feel crazy, maybe there seems to be something still off, even when logically speaking, everything should be a million times better. Somehow, it isn’t. There can come a point where you even start to question your own motives and expectations. If you demanded all of this change and now he is following through, why would you have any room to argue? Are you expecting too much of him? This may be the best that the relationship could get, but is that enough? Recovery does not begin when our loved ones exit treatment; it begins when they come home and the real-world hits them, and us. The Magic Disappears Plenty of people, organizations, and therapists have told you how to get him in the door and even what to do in order to keep up with the plan upon discharge. After much pomp and circumstance, the plan has worked and he’s sober, for now. Unfortunately, the man you hoped was underneath the chaos of addiction is still missing. Hope leads to discouragement, to fear, into desperation. Many people helped you get over the hump, but no one seems to be on the road after, either in spirit, person, or direction. At this point, couples can seek therapy to work on their relationship. Much work has been done in the research of and process of couples therapy. Unfortunately, most of this research and theory is isolated to general issues with couples or connections to children or infidelity. Without the specific understanding of addiction and its systemic effects, wrong and harmful application could be unwillingly implemented. As with any intense rift in a relationship, specialized care is required and knowledge helpers are a must. In long-term recovery, it is normal to both feel as if things are different, but also wonder if things have changed much at all. Like other hurts that couples have, addiction and its arrival represent years of concerns and decades of lead up. Decades of disconnection do not disappear from months of sobriety. Even if the sickness that is addiction has not been present for years, the precursors and factors that left him vulnerable certainly were. So, while crucial behaviors have changed in drinking or using patterns, the core issues still remain. This will take time to heal. The person you fell in love with may come back or may simply keep a part of him in this journey forward. Acceptance of this, coupled with a journey of healing for yourself, is the only true way forward. A new relationship is needed, always are of possible relapse on both sides. Things to Consider Couples therapy and individual work can be invaluable to the process of healing. Without missing pieces specific to addiction and long-term recovery, vital information can be absent, blocking growth that would otherwise be within reach. The most important of these topics will be discussed here. First, it is important for the partner and family of the recovering addict to understand the guilt and implications that are carried from addiction. Not only do they feel guilty, but a sense of indebtedness can cloud every interaction. A husband could be so thankful for support and the tolerance that those around him had, that a life-debt may feel appropriate. This form of value in relationship connects to a feeling of never being able to repay everything that was sacrificed. In couple’s therapy, this can lead to the recovering partner becoming overly agreeable and wanting to make themselves cause as little stress or trouble for the rest of their lives. Not always spoken, this belief of eternal gratitude creates an uneven relational dynamic that does not allow for full vulnerability due to the fear of causing one more iota of pain. Another factor unique to addiction and recovery in couples therapy is the ability to find and hide substances nearly anywhere in the country. Liquor stores are everywhere, and dealers answer through snapchat. Unless there is 24-hour monitoring and hourly sobriety tests, there is no way to truly know if a relapse has occurred. Trust in a partner may appear nearly impossible to achieve early on with so much opportunity for engagement in substance or alcohol use. This reality is necessary to both acknowledge and work through to adapt to a new way of interacting with accountability. The next concern unique to addiction and recovery is the unhealthy interactions and beliefs that are in the offended partner, the one who did not engage in addiction. Plenty of blame is due to the one who engaged in addiction and brought consequences upon the entire family. However, having an addicted partner can easily lend itself to shielding from criticism and distract from deeper issues. For instance, little attention would be paid to the husband who drinks in binges and enables unhealthy relationships with his children, when his wife has continual visits to the emergency room due to overdose. Once she is sober, his issues may come to light or even be ignored by him to keep away the stress of having to change. Resistance can then come to the surface from either partner as the dynamic of the relationship starts to shift. For this, both members of a couple must be open to feedback and calls to change. A jarring realization that can also arise in long-term couple therapy is the lack of emotional knowledge, skills, and implementation of the partner in active recovery. Addiction exists as a means to deal with emotional strain. It stands in the place of healthy relationships and needs, leaving the addict unable to properly process stress without significant work in repair. Once sobriety has been achieved, even for a short time, it becomes apparent that the phenomenon known as being a “dry drunk” has come into play. This state simply describes the panic and lack of skill in emotional control without the ability to use substances or alcohol to improve mood. Imagine feeling extreme stress without any ability to feel better. Without considerable effort, the “dry drunk” can continue their ineptitude in the relationship until full separation is the only option. Magical thinking can also permeate both members of a couple. Either in the positive or negative, it is easy for either to hope that this attempt at sobriety could either be the one opportunity that changes everything or already a complete failure. Whether due to hope or a sense of protection, both members of a couple can easily find themselves defending their magical thinking of hoping to wake up and a miracle happened or predicting a horrendous ending due to a curse. No matter which side of the extreme a couple can find themselves in, working within reality and joining in couples therapy, can help push towards a healthy belief system and availability for vulnerability. A final consideration of specific needs for long-term couples is the understanding of triggers and reminders for both partners. A wife whose husband drank may have a raised heart rate every time a metal can is opened, or her husband heads off to the garage. The husband may begin to cringe when his wife takes a large breath or becomes distant. Not every trigger is directly related to substance and alcohol use but can also be reminders of when each person had to be aware of little clues in their partner of a coming storm. Even related to children, resistance to reading a bedtime story or wanting to be with a specific parent can easily bring up reminders of the past and fears that things may never be healed. Moving Forward A brighter future is possible with considerable effort and specific care. Many couples find themselves unable to resolve years of tension and resentment that have festered underneath the topsoil of addiction. Through decades of ups and downs, finding calm in the marital relationship is unsettling. The trauma and chaos became like a blanket. Within that comfort, life made sense since addiction is predictable. With enough time, things would fall apart again. Almost like clockwork, life could be set within the bounds of late-night calls and promises to change. Instead, sobriety brings questions about what the future could look like if the relationship could even last a journey toward vulnerability and openness. To find healing, connect with therapists or individuals who have experience in long-term recovery. Some of these people may have become jaded and can warn of issues unique to the recovery world. Others may have seen some change and have found a way to appreciate what they have. Some may have seen full restoration and can share the story of true healing and change with all the ups and downs. Whomever you find along the way, know that this journey is unique and complex, but take heart that there are others who have succeeded. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Travis! Travis Thompson, LMFT, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Travis Thompson, is a researcher, teacher, and therapist focused on healing the lives of those in addiction. With a drive to see effective, long-term change in his community, he has dedicated himself, his practice, and his doctoral work on both research, education, and implementation of recovery. He strives to further the mental health field towards a holistic and advanced understanding of what addiction truly is, where it comes from, and how we all can help.

Written by: Patrick Batson, 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 do you feel when you read the following words: I am already enough just as I am. Most people experience a combination of relief and resistance. The relief comes from an intuitive understanding that it must be true. The resistance comes from the part of us that has been programmed to believe otherwise. Our Beliefs Come from Outside of Us Although we don’t like to admit it, most of what we believe comes from outside of us. Cognitive neuroscience and psychology know that as young children we operate in a theta brainwave state most of the time. This means we are almost always in a mild-to-moderate state of hypnosis until about the age of seven. In this state, we constantly absorb the beliefs of influential people in our lives—beliefs that go directly into our subconscious mind. Noted scientists like Dr. Bruce Lipton state that our subconscious programs drive our lives 95% of the time. In addition, the abundant choices available in the modern world come with an almost infinite variety of messages telling us what we should choose. From our friends and relatives to the myriad of “influencers” we will never know personally, other people’s beliefs, values, and priorities have substantial influence over our lives. Often, they lead us to judge ourselves for what we have not yet accomplished or acquired, or how we believe we have failed. While we are not responsible for these messages, we are responsible for how they affect our beliefs. Three Steps to Releasing Self-Judgment and Reclaiming Sovereignty The good news is we are absolutely capable of choosing our beliefs to help create the life we desire. Here are three simple steps you can start taking today. Step 1: Recognize when you judge yourself against someone else’s standards. Create a list in two columns with the headings limited and limitless. Then take 5-10 minutes each day to observe your thoughts and track how they make you feel by placing a mark in the appropriate column. You’ll recognize the thoughts that make you feel limited because they always come with feelings of lack, failure, regret, or shame—all symptoms of the larger belief that you are somehow not enough. Here are some common examples: Age: I am too (old, young) to do what I really want to do. Capabilities: I am not (smart, educated, talented) enough to achieve my dreams. Resources: I’ll never have enough (time, money, relationships, skills)to get what I truly want in life. Or It’s too late for me. Worthiness: I don’t deserve to have what I want. Or I wasn’t born into the right circumstances to have what I want. Others’ expectations: I can’t do what I really want because everyone will think I’m crazy. Past experience: I tried that once and failed, so I guess I learned my lesson. Or My (father, mother, friend, sibling, idol) tried that and failed, so why should I expect to do any better? External models: I just don’t measure up to the (wealth, beauty, health, vitality, friendships) other people seem to have. Body type: I am too (fat, skinny, short, tall, plain, ugly, beautiful, hairy, dark, light) to be attractive. Once you recognize such self-limiting beliefs, ask yourself, “Is this really my truth, or did I adopt someone else’s truth?” Step 2: Consciously choose your response. The more you pay attention to your thoughts and feelings, the more you will notice when self-judgment arises. You may be surprised by how often it does. But from this place of awareness, you can consciously choose a different response. Rather than unconsciously slipping into feelings of lack, failure, regret, or shame, simply recognize the judgment in the same detached way that you might notice a bird flying by. Then consciously affirm, I am already enough just as I am. Don’t just think or say it, but feel it deeply in your body. In that moment, you are choosing the high vibration of self-love over the low vibration of self-judgment. If you do this with strong intent and feeling, you will immediately feel more calm and centered. Step 3: Consciously choose what influences you. The many “influencers” in today’s world are exactly that. We see them everywhere on social media, entertainment, news, and advertising. While we don’t have control over the preferences and judgments they broadcast, we do have control over whether we pay attention to them. So, practice observing them neutrally, the same way you observe your own thoughts. And when their messages trigger the feeling of I am not enough, consciously decide whether you want to allow their influence in your life. If not, stop paying attention and choose something uplifting instead—something that makes you feel, I am limitless, and all things are possible for me. Practice Makes Possible Once you begin practicing these steps, even for just a few minutes a day, you’ll start to feel more positive about yourself and more optimistic about what you can create in your life. As a result, you will naturally begin to attract the right people, circumstances, and resources to bring you more of what you want. You will even start to notice positive changes in your overall health and energy levels, as well as in your relationships. It really is true that as you believe, so you receive. If you would like to release your negative self-judgment even faster and replace it with positive beliefs about your limitless potential, consider hypnosis or neuro-linguistic programming. Both are proven methods for reprogramming your subconscious mind with beliefs that you choose. I offer an effective and affordable program called the Quantum Connection Experience (QCE) to help you achieve exactly that. Above all, remember that every moment is an opportunity to choose, so choose wisely. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Patrick! Patrick Batson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Patrick assists people on their journey of awakening to higher consciousness. Drawing upon decades of study and practice of Spiritual wisdom, as well as executive-level management and modern family life, Patrick serves as a guide for bridging the physical and Spiritual worlds. He has authored two books and publishes a monthly blog of channeled content on topics common to the human experience, as observed from the perspective of the Higher Self. Through his healing practice, Patrick helps clients connect with their Higher Mind. By bringing unconscious, limiting beliefs into alignment with the Higher Mind's vision of wholeness and abundance, clients are able to amplify and accelerate positive life changes.

Richie is the founder of Mental Health and Life, an organisation that delivers accredited online, self-paced, and classroom based mental health first aid courses, HR consultancy, Race Equity and Suicide Intervention training to individuals, organisations and businesses worldwide. Richie won the highly acclaimed Investors in People Manager of the Year Award, one of the highest accolades in HR and People management in the UK. The award recognised Richie as a global leader in HR and people management. Richie is the author of the groundbreaking book, Managing People in the New Normal – Principles Based on Mental Health and Wellbeing Richie regularly writes articles on mental health and people management and works as an expert industry consultant for Guidepoint Global. Richie is the deputy chair on the Board of Trustees at Unity Theatre in Liverpool and is a speaker on people management and mental health in the workplace. Richie is a passionate advocate on the power of human connection in the workplace and challenging the status quo of organisational behavior to leverage the benefits that come with a happy and healthy workforce. Richie Perera, Founder ‒ Mental Health and Life How do you help your clients? At Mental Health and Life, we help organisations to understand and leverage what is the most undervalued and overlooked, yet the most lucrative facet of business, the human element. We deliver mental health first aid training for organisations to become literate on mental health, people management and well-being in the workplace. Literacy on mental health and well-being in the workforce is essential for every organisation post-pandemic. To have a truly flourishing organisation, an organisation requires happy, healthy, flourishing people. Through training and consultancy using our award-winning Departmental Localisation strategy, we guide organisations on how to talk to, action and personalise mental health and wellbeing, department by department in order to flourish in the new normal. What is Mental Health First Aid and what are the benefits? Mental health first aid courses are training programs that train the everyday person to help someone developing or experiencing poor mental health. It trains a person on how to have a supportive conversation and how to signpost to professional help. Most importantly, it trains people on self-care in order to look after their own mental health and well-being. Mental health for many, is the only part of our health that people assume they are qualified to deal with without any formal education or professional help. Historically, it has also been overlooked in the workplace. The consequences of that are, 57% of days taken off in the UK are due to mental health issues costing employers £54 billion every year. Lost productivity due to mental health costs the global economy US$ 1 trillion each year, projected to rise to $6 trillion by 2030. Mental health first aid training helps to address this issue via self-application and self-empowerment on mental health. This mental health autonomy and literacy in employees takes away the huge burden on an organisation in trying to figure out what is best for their employees when it comes to wellbeing and how they are managed. What is Departmental Localisation? Departmental localisation (DL) is a simple five-step strategy that organisations can use to get to know the needs and wants of their employees on an individual, department by department basis. Departmental localisation centres on having meaningful and personal conversations with employees and acting on those conversations The strategy is based on the theory that there are no generic or off-the-shelf solutions to wellbeing in the workplace. DL determines that to understand an organisation and the needs and wants of its workforce, management practices must be personalised, localised, unique, and specific to each department. Think of each department in an organisation, as its own organisation. That is Departmental Localisation. Departmental Localisation can be initialised with two simple questions put forward to staff. Write down 3 things your employer can do to help you with your well-being and the way you are managed at work (Keep it personal to you, your job role, and your day-to-day) Write down 3 things you can do at work that can improve the well-being of others around you (This can be as personal as speaking with a person that has not been themselves lately, all the way to changes in company policy regarding mental health and well-being and the way you are managed) These two simple questions will open up a treasure trove of invaluable, unique, and department/person-specific data for organisations to work on and action. What is your work inspired by? In 2019 I went to see my doctor; I was struggling to sleep after the liquidation of my successful company I had built and ran for over a decade. I was formerly the CEO of the London Makeup School and the London Hair Academy. I was eventually diagnosed with mixed depression and anxiety disorder; it came as a shock! I always thought that mental health issues happen to weak people, I was a strong person, so I would never need to worry about it. I was unaware that being a person of colour makes me three times more likely to develop a mental health issue in the UK. Due to cultural stigma, mental health was never a topic growing up, if it was, it was based on shame and ridicule. This played a big role in my ignorance. My illness took me from a high-flying, highly paid CEO to a person who struggled to put an email together, it also nearly took my life. My recovery completely changed my outlook on life. Since my recovery, I launched mental health and life, I have trained hundreds of people in mental health first aid, I am getting married, I became a grandfather and a published author, all in the space of three short years. The point I am trying to make is that nobody needs to die from a mental health issue, we don’t know what’s around the corner. There are so many reasons to live, but not just to live which too many of us do, but to live happy healthy and well. There’s a huge difference between the two. These narratives and stories of recovery must become commonplace within our homes and communities especially for people of colour. I want my story of success, failure, mental ill health and recovery, to be a reference point for generations to come. Evidence that no matter where you are from or who you are, we can discuss mental health, well-being and its link to our happiness. This is what inspires me and my work! What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future? Mental health first aid training is on its way becoming law for employers in the UK, the same as First Aid at Work. This may happen as early as this year in 2023. When it does become law, it will help to revolutionise mental health in the workplace. It will help to address the painful human and financial costs we are currently witnessing both in personal and professional environments. I plan for Mental Health and Life to become an industry leader in the delivery of mental health first aid training and consultancy. As a professional, I have a unique skill set I can pass on as CEO, as a consultant, and as a mental health first aid instructor that gives my organisation an edge and immense added value in the sector. I intend to wield it for the betterment of the working world. I want my work to establish a legacy on better people management creating a seismic shift in organisational behaviour. I aim to do this passing on my professional knowledge and ideologies to incumbent and incoming business leaders, using my organisation as the tool to create a new normal that is mutually beneficial for both employer and employee. Ultimately creating better spaces for humans, true literacy on mental health and most importantly, happiness in this world. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Richie!

Written by: Juliette Marhofer-Dugger, 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. Who doesn't stop for a really adorable puppy? At least that is my first instinct. I love dogs, but puppies are altogether different. In the middle of coffee and conversation at a local café, my oldest son and I couldn't help but pause when a tiny, yellow lab came strutting by. The cuteness factor was over the top when we noticed she had a "guide-dog-in-training" vest on. Simultaneously, we both smiled, paused, and then asked for permission to pet. The couple happily said, "Yes, please. This is actually the socialization she needs. We want her to interact and then learn to sit." About twenty minutes into our visit, the wife shared with us that her husband has been a dog-whisperer as long as she can remember. Their lab of sixteen years was laid to rest three years prior and now, in their sixties, guide-dog training is rewarding for them without a long-term commitment of another dog. The husband very calmly spoke up and said, "She's a funny little thing. It's fun to watch a puppy discover new things. This morning she saw a squirrel for the first time and got so excited." What he said next captured my attention entirely and it felt as though it was the exact reason for our encounter. He went on to say, "See the point is with a guide-dog is that you train them to manage their instincts. If they are guiding their blind owner, they can't afford to follow their instincts, they have to deny them and let their training overtake their instincts." The wife spoke up and said, "You know it's like human beings, when we don't manage our lives, we can get into trouble. What we need to do doesn't always come naturally, we must learn to manage ourselves or what our instincts would be. If we aren't in a healthy place, it won't turn out well." On that note we exchanged names and the joy we shared in meeting one another. It's in a dog's nature to chase a squirrel and our nature isn't much different at times in our lives. I've chased a few 'squirrels' in my life, how about you? When I heard him make the statement "manage their instincts'', there were thoughts that surfaced for me about our nature and tendency to be distracted. Isn't it interesting that we can be easily distracted, but then become excessively fixated on that which has captured our attention? Unfortunately as quickly as these little squirrels grab our devotion, they sometimes remain long after we wish them gone. If it's in our human nature to be lured away and easily distracted, can we train our instincts within our nature to manage how we respond to those distractions before becoming disillusioned by them? Managing is not denying ourselves the privilege to enjoy the frivolous "squirrels" that bring unexpected joy. No, it's managing ourselves so that when the real joy comes we can pause and ask ourselves, “Is this a thief and or a giver?” Circling back to the puppy. Consider this, in the midst of training, they never lose their identity of being a dog. They were chosen for that very reason and they can't afford to forget that's who they are. Their instincts are all still intact, before, during, and after training has ceased. Their loyalty to their owner becomes their happy existence, and as inviting as the momentary satisfaction of chasing squirrels appears, their training requires them to override that desire. You and I, resiliency is woven into our nature by our Creator, but we grow weary and our instinct can be to give up until we remember who we are. We too have what I like to call, a Whisperer that knows our nature, our instincts, our frailties and fallacies. After all, He granted us free will to choose and self-regulate. Examining our human nature, our tendencies that exist within our will, doesn't need to be a shame-fest. This process becomes an opportunity to exchange underdeveloped parts of ourselves to become emotionally healthy and spiritually mature humans. Managing our instincts is essential, sets our intention to live beyond only acknowledging where we desire healing. It calls us into the depths of intention, intuition, and paying attention to why we "will '' and how we "will" what passes through the gate of our soul. We have the courage to lean in and ask to reveal in our lives what needs to be healed. Tending to our soul realigns us and empowers us to override the thieves vying for our attention. God, our Whisperer, wants to help us create a life beyond our wildest imagination! Until next time, friend, cheers! Follow me on Instagram, and visit my website for more information! Read more from Juliette! Juliette Marhofer-Dugger, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Juliette Dugger is a Life Coach, Speaker, Entrepreneur, and Thought Leader, whose obsession with Soul Care points others to rewrite their story and not to relive history. After childhood and adulthood trauma caused a collision of abandonment and a longing for intimate belonging in her soul, she created dialogue to radically transform her narrative. Juliette has committed her life to helping others recover their breath in the middle of the war in their soul, not after it ends! She is the founder of WildWell Company—a movement of freeing the mind and healing the body through Soul Care for females affected by systemic cycles and patterns of mental, emotional, and spiritual abuse and betrayal trauma. Juliette is passionate about reframing soul hygiene to disrupt the view of how we connect to faith, ourselves, and others to create a life of wonder!

Written by: Jodi Orgill Brown, MS, CFRE, 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. Don't just bounce back when you can get better with Antifragility. Pandemic and post-pandemic changes and uncertainties have gurus around the world issuing the call to develop resilience. The claim of resilience is: the ability to return to original form, to respond and recover from illness, adversity, or crisis. In other words, Resilience = To Bounce Back. But after living through a global health and economic crisis, should our goal really be to return to the way things were? Should we not aim higher? Indeed, I'd go out on a limb and say we'd all benefit if the pandemic helped us grow stronger, get better, and become more adaptable. Antifragility But how do you grow stronger, get better, and become more adaptable from crisis? Just take a note from world-renowned mathematician and statistician, Nassim Taleb, and develop antifragility. Taleb coined the term in 2012 and he says antifragility is a property of systems that increase in their capability to thrive because of stressors, threats, mistakes, and volatility. He suggests that our systems – whether biological, societal, or economic – need to experience stress, disorder, challenge, and uncertainty. Only then can they grow from the experience. The resilient bounces back to a previous state after hardship; the robust resists shocks to remain the same; but the antifragile grows stronger and learns to thrive. While the theory sounds great, how do we know if it works? Measuring Growth History continues to be a great teacher if we choose to see the lessons. Notice the tree rings in the picture of lumber from 1918 and 2018. By comparison, there are more rings closer together in the 1918 wood than in the 2018 wood. Trees in 1918 grew in harsh and competitive climates, where they fought for sunlight and water, and were forced to withstand wind, fire, storms, and natural disasters, all of which made them stronger, longer lasting, and more solid. Today trees that are sheltered, farmed on cleared land, and grown in conditions with plenty of light and water, are actually weaker, with fewer rings, a shorter lifespan, and are less sturdy than their century-old counterparts. Why? Time, experimentation, and science have now proven that crisis, hardship, competition, and challenge grow stronger trees. The same can be true with people. Survival of the fittest used to be the true struggle for existence, wherein only the strong survived. As life became easier, through automation and technology, we expanded mortality rates and life expectancy, giving all of humanity a greater chance at survival. But have we gone too far? As if they were mail packages, we now bubble-wrap people to make sure they arrive to every scenario safely, on-time, and with no complications. While bubble wrap increases the survivability of the fragile, it cannot cushion crushed egos when individuals and companies fail from crises, mistakes, disorder, or volatility. Personal and Professional Antifragility The only real way to increase our capability to thrive is to experience, and choose to grow from, the stressors, changes, and challenges of life. I learned this in a personal and profound way when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor between the end of my right auditory canal and brainstem. After three craniotomies, a cerebrospinal fluid leak, facial paralysis, and 35 days in and out of neuro-critical care, I was a changed person ‒ weaker physically by measurement of weight, strength, and functionality. The initial struggle to survive had been won, but my struggle for identity and meaning in my "new" life had just begun. Each day became a battle ‒ whether mental, physical, social, or emotional ‒ to move forward. Yes, I wanted to bounce back, which took years to do, but that was not enough. I desperately needed to find purpose from the pain and turn struggle into gain. When my husband introduced me to the concept of antifragility, I knew it was what I needed to guide me to grow stronger from the storm. Though Taleb's work didn't extend to a personal application, (he focused on large scale systems such as economies and governments), the solid principles of antifragility became my starting points for growth. Principled Anti-fragility is behind everything that has evolved with time, including cultures, countries, economies, innovation, political systems, corporate survival, technology, and species survival, including ours. Things that are anti-fragile benefit from uncertainty and variation. In his book, Antifragile, Taleb states, "The excess energy released from overreaction to setbacks is what innovates!" Innovation, growth, and the ability to thrive all result from developing antifragility, and according to Taleb, the laws of antifragility are fairly simple, as follows: Build in redundancy and layers (no single point of failure) Respond and adapt to change quickly Put your soul in the game Experiment and tinker — take lots of small risks (and then implement those practices that result in successful outcomes) Avoid risks that, if lost, would wipe you out completely Measure, but don’t get consumed by data Keep your options open We become antifragile when we stop optimizing for right now and optimize our long game, which includes experimenting, taking small risks, and adapting during and from change. Sometimes that means being less efficient in the short term in exchange for greater effectiveness in the long term. Crisis-proofing Leaders and Teams From my experience working with leaders and teams , when they jump on the antifragility bandwagon together, organizations are strengthened through the individual and collective members. Coverage and cross-training increase (redundancy), teams work together to improve processes and systems (experiment and tinker), and both leaders and team members become part of a community that better support each other through change or crisis (soul in the game). For Cameron Treu, owner of Bam Bam's BBQ restaurant in Orem, Utah, developing antifragility during COVID meant taking many risks, experimenting for months, and keeping all options open, even when their doors were closed. Cameron's company lost nearly 80% of its business overnight during the pandemic shutdown. They spent those days with their souls bared, tinkering, risk-taking, and creating layers of strength that the restaurant didn't previously have. From an increased focus on branding, to expanded marketing, to tearing the wall downs, before the doors reopened, Bam Bams had drastically changed their business model, crisis-proofing them for the future. In addition to catering and in-door dining offered during "normal" operations, Cameron's team broke physical barriers and added a drive-thru window, created a delivery drop-off route for customers within a 70-mile radius of the restaurant, and trained team members to step into various roles. “We totally changed the way we did business. Between all our new efforts, we were able to maintain or beat our house daily sales, and I didn’t have to lay off a single employee. I think that is a miracle – and a win!” said Cameron Treu. Baring, Sharing, and Becoming Becoming antifragile may mean exposing vulnerabilities, both personal and organizational, but the long-term strengths are worth the momentary discomforts of uncovering weaknesses. When leaders and teams share with each other, they develop trust and confidence, and ultimately learn to stick together and thrive even when the world is falling apart. When I decided to share my most vulnerable hospital and life moments in a memoir, The Sun Still Shines, I knew I would be exposing my heart to the world. But I didn't realize I'd be opening myself up for growth, soul-expanding experiences, and for experimentations that would help me learn to thrive in my post brain tumor life. In fact, it was those very experiments that lead me to change careers and focus on speaking, training, and coaching to grow leaders and teams. Now, a dozen years and 15 surgeries after my brain tumor diagnosis, I can definitively say I am antifragile. The storms of life still come, but now I am: better able to adapt, open to experiment, willing to let go of what's not working, and my soul is all in ‒ to my family, community, and business. Call to Action Evaluate the antifragility of your leaders and teams with a few simple questions: When was the last time we experimented to improve a process or outcome? (And did NOT punish for failed experiments.) Are our teams cross-trained so members can easily fill in for each other or for other teams? Do we encourage vulnerability so we can identify and improve? How quickly do we adapt when faced with crisis or change? Are you ready to create an antifragile team? Do your leaders live the simple rules to grow an organization that thrives through crisis? Invest in your future by preparing your teams and leaders today to grow stronger from the storms of life. Global Leader Group is here to help expand your team's toolkit for change with ANTIFRAGILITY principles and techniques, so your people thrive from the board room to the living room. Click Here to learn more from Jodi on Antifragility and more. About the Author: Survivor Meets Strategist: Jodi Orgill Brown was living her white picket-fence life, raising a family, and working as a CFRE-certified nonprofit executive, when a brain tumor nearly took her out of the game for good. She now has a very intimate understanding of how to grow from hardship and increase your positive impact in the world. Jodi strengthens businesses by helping individuals develop antifragility in their organizations, families, and communities. She earned a master’s degree in organizational communication and leadership, a bachelor’s degree in public relations, and is a Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) and a Certified Guide for the Exactly What to Say program. Her memoir, The Sun Still Shines, is a multiple award-winning book, and an Amazon Prime Reading Pick. She and her husband, Tolan, live in Riverdale, Utah, with their 4 children. She gives credit to God for preserving her life and giving her the opportunity to teach and inspire others. 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