Written by: Dr. Max Klau, 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. We are often not the person we aspire to be. If we’re honest about it, we’re often not the person that we think we are. We may view ourselves as working towards a bold vision for positive change grounded in noble values, but we leave people around us feeling disempowered and diminished. We see ourselves as a light of decency and kindness…but in truth we spread darkness in ways that we don’t fully recognize or understand. My entire career as a leadership development coach and consultant has been spent in the space of social entrepreneurship and nonprofit leadership. This is a space filled with idealists who are deeply committed to addressing major social challenges and helping others. Again and again, I’ve met individuals who claim to love humanity while treating their fellow humans poorly. Over time, I’ve arrived at an understanding of what is going on: These are individuals who have not confronted their shadow. What is the Shadow? My understanding of the shadow is deeply informed by the insights of psychologist Carl Jung, who used this term to describe the dark, socially unacceptable parts of ourselves that every one of us has, but very often refuse to acknowledge ‒ never mind embrace. Jung explains the shadow this way: The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspect of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge, and it therefore, as a rule, meets with considerable resistance. Individuals who have not done the work of confronting their shadow do not really know themselves fully. Jung states that when we haven’t done this work, these dark aspects of the self influence our actions from beyond our conscious awareness. Shadow that is unexamined and unconscious has a remarkable power to impact our lives. Jung states, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” Confronting the shadow is a universal human challenge, but it has particular urgency for leaders. Those who step into positions of power and authority access an expanded scope of influence, impacting a wider circle of individuals through their actions and way of being. The more people we impact, the more critical it becomes that we do this deeply personal inner work. How to Confront the Shadow As a coach, I’ve arrived at an approach to guiding clients through the work of confronting their shadow. A key insight is that light and shadow are interconnected, so the work of guiding people to access their light and the work of guiding people to confront their shadow needs to be done together. For this reason, I invite clients to craft two mission statements together: The first is a Personal Leadership Mission Statement that articulates their highest aspirations for how they want to be as leaders. The second is a Shadow Mission that challenges them to look clearly at who they are being in the moments when they do not align themselves with their Leadership Mission. The first mission statement is noble and inspiring, while the second is often gut-wrenchingly bleak. It is painful to recognize who we are when we are not our best selves, but the more conscious we become of that way of being, the more power we have to choose light rather than shadow in real-time. At this point, I’ve shared this exercise with thousands of individuals, and I continue to be amazed at how few people have heard of the shadow, never mind made an effort to confront the shadow within themselves. At this moment when there is so much darkness in the world around us, I believe that this practice is vitally important for anyone seeking to step up to meet this critical moment. Readers interested in learning more about how to confront their shadow are welcome to visit my website, and download the free resource, the Clarity Essentials Workbook. If you choose to give it a try, I’d love to hear from you! Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Max! Dr. Max Klau, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Max Klau is an Integral Master coach, author, speaker, and consultant based in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2005 with a focus on leadership development. He currently serves as the Chief Program Office at the New Politics Leadership Academy, an organization focused on bringing more servant leaders into politics. His writing about leadership has appeared in Fast Company and the Harvard Business Review and his first book, Race & Social Change: A Quest, A Study, A Call to Action, was published in 2017.

Written by: Julia Akinyooye RN MSN, 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. In honor of Black History Month-Celebrating 3 Black Owned Home Care Businesses' success, learn why they chose to be an independent home care business owner versus a franchisee and how they are making an imprint on the home care industry in 2023. The home care industry is continuously growing despite the pandemic. This service-based business significantly impacts our community, has high job satisfaction, keeps the sick safe in their homes, contributes significantly to the workforce, and can be very profitable. Home care businesses are highly fragmented and consist of independently owned agencies, franchises, and corporations with a hospital system or facility affiliation. When researching the ins and outs of the home care industry before starting a home care business, many entrepreneurs question whether they should open an independent home care business versus a franchise home care agency. They also ponder if the industry is as rewarding and profitable as people say. However, It is to be noted that small independent homecare businesses have great impact on the population they serve. At Emmanuel Consulting Agency, we help home care business entrepreneurs build and cultivate 100% independently run home care businesses due to the more significant number of pros independent home care agencies offer. As an independent agency owner, there are no restrictions on how you run your business as long as you are within your state regulations. Some pros include: The ability to create their unique company name, logo, mission, and vision of the business Explore opportunities to serve an array of clients in many different areas, populations, and ailments, without territory restrictions It has a broader market to explore and focuses on multiple payor sources that help contribute to the job market. Independently owned home care agencies help close the gap underserved areas face, gives the flexibility to offer the private pay market a premium concierge service, and enables agencies to focus on serving culturally diverse patients. It can also allow complete control over specialty training programs, including disease management, customized care plans, and robust training programs for employees. In addition, independent opportunities in peer support, mentorship, and career advancement within the home care industry have been the bonus for creating stability in the job market. In honor of black history month here are three black owned independent home care businesses I have had the pleasure of building or interacting with within the home care space and would like to spotlight their story and achievements. While interviewing each owner to learn more about their success it was obvious that they are leaving a remarkable imprint on the home care industry today. There was a common theme in how they run their businesses. That is, with sincerity, passion, and dedication to provide quality top-notch homecare services for all. Micah Eastman CEO of MMO NURSING PLLC in Midtown Manhattan 1. What made you choose to start a company in this industry? Healthcare seems to be in our blood. We have doctors, nurses and various family members that always seems to work in various supportive roles within the industry. 2. Why did you decide to become a home care business owner? It was a natural progression for us, since we already in that space as nurses for over a decade. 3. How did you come up with the name for your company? MMO is the first letter of the name of the three owners. It's a play on the street vernacular Mo (for more). We want to give the patients the option to have more nursing hours if they wish to have it ensuring it is quality concierge level of care. 4. What made you choose your company's location? What are the advantages? We're currently located in midtown Manhattan, and we choose our location because one that's where primarily we have most of our clients. The advantages include being within and part of the community that we serve. We are able to engage with our clients all while being in very close proximity to their homes. Tutu Martin CEO of Total Care Services LLC in East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania What is your company tagline? Total Care, home care service on your terms. What are your company's goals? Our main goal is to inform potential clients about the services we provide and how they can obtain and access or home care resources and information. We want to be able to help anyone and everyone who needs these services, ready and accessible for them to use. We are coming into their homes, so the care is essentially on their terms. We are intentional about respecting each one of our clients’ homes. What is the great impact you have had thus far, please give an example. We know we have an impact when clients refer us to their friends and neighbors. In one building we worked for a single client and through that client we were able to provide services to four to six other clients. How does your business compare to competitors in the market? We are a small, knit staff that cater to each step of the process to find matches between caregiver and client. We are also minority-owned and operated. With a larger company, our clients tell us they must go through different clans of commands while it could take weeks or months on end. What is unique about your company? We are an intentionally small home care business who provides easy access to clients who are in need of the assistance to complete daily tasks. We have back up caregivers at the last minute. We give extensive background checks and screening for caregivers. What is the best part about being a home care provider? The best part of being a home care provider is the messages, reviews, and comments sent from our clients and their family members, employees about little things we do to change their day and the smiles we bring to their faces. A. Hillary Seaton CEO of H A C Home Care LLC in Freehold, New Jersey 1. Why did you decide to become a home care business owner? Starting a home care agency was something I always dreamed of, and as I get older the desire became more urgent. After working in the healthcare industry for many years, I noticed the need for a higher level of customer service that many homecare agencies were not providing; they lacked a sense of compassion and empathy. My goal was to create an agency that would provide quality service with a focus on treating our clients as individuals deserving of compassion and personalize care. As someone who has cared for many elderly family members, I understand how important it is to have support from someone who genuinely cares about client needs, so I wanted to find ways to pass my experience on through the business, so I formed H A C Home Care Agency. My goal has been to ensure that clients receive not only the educational and medical support they need, but also emotional support from our team who are dedicated professional viewing them as human beings first and foremost. My ultimate vision was that all patients could enjoy their independence in their own homes with expert assistance and support from me and my team. 2. What is the best part about being a home care provider? The best part about a homecare provider is seeing the difference I make in my client’s lives. It is such an incredible experience to see their faces light up when they have achieved something that seems impossible before or when they are able to regain independence in their homes. Seeing them smile and seeing the appreciation radiating from their faces is one of the most rewarding experiences of the job. Additionally, being able to provide care to those in need and ensure that they are safe and comfortable is an incredible import part of the job, and I take pride in knowing that I am making a difference in the life of the patients. No two days are the same; every day brings new challenges and rewards, and it’s truly a pleasure to be able to call this my career. The relationship I have built over time with clients and their families is something that I cherish. It is wonderful to watch a client progress and be with them on their journey of self-discovery. Building strong connections with those around me is something that I strive to do every day, and it’s one of the parts of my job. I am so grateful to be part of a profession that provides such meaningful work and experiences. Being a homecare provider brings me immense joy, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. 3. What would you say the greatest impact you have on the industry you serve? The greatest impact that I have had on the homecare industry with the formation of H A C Home Care Agency is my dedication to providing quality, customized care plans for each of my clients. I want every individual who turns to our agency to know that their needs and wishes are met and respected. To achieved this, we take extra time to sit down with each patient and determine what their specific requirements and preferences are. We then devise a plan that best suits their individual needs, while also keeping their families in the loop so they can be involved in the process. Additionally, I have worked hard to create an agency culture where employees feel valued and respected. Our staff members go through training and ongoing education to ensure they have up-to-date information on the latest industry standards and trends. We go above and beyond to ensure that our staff has the resources they need to provide quality care and are able to take the initiative when necessary. I believe that these efforts have made a positive impact on the homecare industry, as I strive to create an agency culture of compassion, respect and excellence. By keeping the patients’ needs at the center of all we do, I am proud to be a part of an organization that strives to provide top-notch homecare services. 4. Does your business give back to the community? H A C Home Care Agency is dedicated to giving back to our community. We understand the importance of self-care and caring for others. Which is why we prioritize building relationships with those around us. Our team enthusiastically participates in volunteer opportunities and hosts regular events to give back. We understand that giving can come in many forms – forms donations and volunteering, to education and advocacy. We are passionate about investing our time in creating positive changes within our local community, as well as providing resources to empower people in need. At our homecare business, we are committed to making a difference in the community. Our team works hard to provide top quality services and support for those in need, but that is only the beginning. We go above and beyond by hosting annual events for local youth groups and charities, donation proceeds from our merchandise sales towards essential projects in the region and collaborating with loke-minded business for addition fundraising initiatives. Giving back is at the heart of what we do, it’s how we make sure that everyone can benefit from our care and kindness, both now and into the future. Join us in supporting black-owned businesses, not just during Black History Month but all year round. These three black owned businesses have inspirational leaders that are making a positive difference and impact every day of the year. Thank you to the home care businesses that work tirelessly to ensure the community has the services that they need. Follow me via my social platforms to learn more about the pros of owning an independent home care business and the impact you can create in your community. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Julia! Julia Akinyooye RN MSN, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Julia Akinyooye is the Chief Operating Officer at Emmanuel Consulting Agency Inc, a premium home care business consulting firm based in New York. Julia is a masters prepared professional Registered Nurse with over 15 years of experience serving the home care community as an operational consultant, former homecare business owner, & serial entrepreneur. Her mission is to provide homecare entrepreneurs, start-ups, & established businesses with premium training & education to ensure compliance with state regulations. She has developed & implemented frameworks & strategies to set owners up for success through hands-on execution of all necessary business tools to ensure a seamless & efficient run of business.

Written by: Jutta and Ricardo dos Santos Miquelino, 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. If you’re in the 48% of the workforce currently working remotely (an increase from 30% over the past 3 years) ¹ you might consider yourself lucky to have major, if not full control over your workspace design. But for millions of workers, this has never been an option, and their well-being and motivation often suffers as a result. Energy that people would otherwise put into their work is spent on dealing with a detrimental and sometimes even harmful environment. As we observed with one of our clients, this can ultimately create significant challenges for companies to retain valuable employees and attract new ones to provide essential yet often demanding services. So how can companies level up their workspaces to respect the needs of their current teams and welcome potential workers, for that sweet spot of productivity powered by motivation? Isn’t it ironic that the workers we need the most – bus and train drivers, nurses and paramedics, factory employees, you name it – often end up working in the least comfortable, let alone inspiring conditions? We might think that in such work environments, there’s not much that can be done in terms of design that doesn’t compromise efficiency and safety. However, what we often don’t realize is that when workers spend their (often long) shifts in spaces that are designed to promote physical comfort as well as mental and emotional well-being, their focus and productivity increases, leading to an improved overall quality of service being given. On the flipside, workers whose jobs are causing their mental health to suffer have shown a limited ability to concentrate, communicate, manage their time, and achieve required results (no surprise there). In fact, poor mental health, which leads to presenteeism and absenteeism, is considered the 3rd highest cost to businesses after heart disease and hypertension ² in the US. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: there’s massive underreporting of work-related stress, with 90% of workers who take leave due to stress actually reporting an alternative reason for their absence. ³ Shouldn’t this be reason enough to take a more holistic, human-centric approach when creating and upgrading workspaces? Our client – an employer of tens of thousands of individuals ‒ said yes, so we got down to work designing concepts for their future workspaces. Here’s some of what we learnt along the way. 1. For a diverse workforce, personalization is key One of the issues faced by our client is shared with countless companies across Europe and Central Asia: with 22% of Germany’s population being over 65, ⁴ millions of workers are soon reaching retirement age and, together with the younger, upcoming workforce, have increasingly diverse needs that many businesses aren’t prepared for. A sensible strategy should not simply advertise diversity and inclusivity in theory, but make sure that the workplace actually reflects these values by going beyond standard design toward a more personalized approach. What enables one person to work happily and efficiently – from the temperature and seating position at the workstation, to the type of bathroom facilities on site, or even the level of privacy within resting areas – might be completely different to what their colleague might need. By going that extra mile to assess individual needs on the shop floor and make informed changes wherever possible, employers can enable workers of any background, body type, or level of ability to thrive and excel in their role at work. An excellent example is Porsche, ⁵ where managers plan hour-long rotating shifts in a way that minimizes physical overburdening. Traffic light indicators (green for good, yellow for strain levels equal to a home setting, and red for excessive strain)serve to prevent rather than react to strain and injury. From integrating work tools into ergonomic chairs, providing lightweight support for workers’ bodies during repetitive tasks, to redesigning whole floors in assembly plants, the list of improvements we found for employers can invest in are endless – as are the benefits of keeping workers healthy and at ease. 2. Stop greenwashing, start green building We see the terms ‘green,’ ‘environmental’ and ‘sustainable design’, not unlike‘inclusivity’ and ‘diversity’, too often as marketing concepts rather than the calls to action that they are meant to be. We strove to move past this and embrace the simple truth which countless publications have confirmed: workplaces that adopt a design that prioritizes the surrounding natural environment tend to have happier, more productive teams. To name just one case, the cofounder of VeriFone William Pape reported that 18 months after the company’s employees started working in a building retrofitted to cut indoor pollutants and improve environmental quality, absenteeism rates decreased 40% and productivity went up by 5%. ⁶ Still, accurately measuring the impact of greener buildings often proves difficult, mainly because links between working in poor indoor environments and, say, increased incidences of absenteeism and respiratory ailments can be ignored when reporting sick days and medical costs. So what makes a workspace ‘green?’ Essentially, its design, construction and operation should reduce or remove factors that negatively impact the natural climate and environment and improve the quality of life of those working inside. ⁶ This can be done through: efficient resource and energy use and recycling reducing pollution and waste optimizing indoor air quality using sustainable and non-toxic materials. What takes this up a notch is designing a workspace that’s adaptable to a changing environment – such as seasonal or sudden weather changes or an influx or decrease in workload. 3. Go bio (PHILIC) A question that came up in our research is: what’s really the difference between ‘green’ and ‘biophilic’ design? While green building concepts focus on minimizing buildings’ negative effects on the natural environment, biophilic design elements dive deeper into the relationship between humans and nature and maximize the positive effects of nurturing this connection even indoors. Research in the last few decades has revealed a lot about the impact of exposure to biophilic elements ‒ such as natural light, plants, nature views and water features – on our well-being, and workspaces are no exception. Considering that among those of us working indoors, only around half spend more than an hour a day outside, it’s hardly surprising that interior design which reinforces our connection to nature has a positive effect on workers’ mental and physical health (Figure 1). Here’s what can happen when biophilic design is incorporated in workspaces: Offices: productivity can be increased by 8%; rates of well-being increased by 13% Education spaces: increased rates of learning; improved test results, concentration levels and attendance; reduced impacts of ADHD Healthcare spaces: post-operative rates of recovery reduced by 8.5%; reduced pain medication by 22% Retail: customers are willing to pay 8-12% more for goods and services in the presence of vegetation & landscaping. Figure 1: Effect of biophilic design elements (x) on satisfaction (y) with work life and environment. ¹⁰ The best news about biophilic design is that employers can achieve results with even the simplest of changes, especially in areas with limited space or which require, say, a sterile or dry environment. Placing fake plants where space allows, playing birdsong or peaceful water sounds in the background, and choosing an interior design that mimics wood (or preferably, use wood itself) are relatively easy steps that still work. This knowledge made it all the easier for us to encourage our clients to bring those much-needed natural factors into their workers’ daily lives. 4. Let there be (circadian) Light One of the most important biophilic elements we found that impacts workers well-being and capacity to work is light. As the main effect or of the circadian rhythm – our in-built ‘biological clock’ that controls our sleep-wake cycle and hormone levels – light quality and availability determine our ability to work and handle stress in both the short and long term. Knowing that disordered sleep – which shift workers are already at a higher risk of ⁸ ‒ hinders focus, attention and vigilance, ⁹ how do we design a lighting system that enables individuals to work sustainably? With so much intangible value in natural sunlight, the most effective approach for this is to maximise daylight access wherever possible and where not, use biophilic design principles such as: Intensity tuning: create a controlled dimming system by which lights are set at a lower intensity in the early morning, increase intensity throughout the day, and lower intensity once again in the evening to match the sun’s natural path. Color tuning: cooler light colors promote attention and alertness, while color tuned lights would cast warmer tones at, say, sunrise or sunset. This circadian approach mimics the daylight workers would experience outside. ¹⁰ In short, create a design that mimics as close as possible the natural rhythm of sunlight and in this way supports healthy sleep-wake cycles among workers. ¹¹ While the learnings we’ve discussed so far mainly revolve around physical workspace design, our research – which included intensive interviews with the client’s workers themselves – revealed that what’s perhaps most impactful in creating and nurturing the workspace of the future is not tied to material elements at all, but the people themselves… 5. Community holds power No matter how beautiful the setting, or how fancy the gadgets, our conversations with workers showed that they need to feel appreciated, respected and included among their colleagues and superiors. This takes work, but there’s a lot already being done by employers: Companies like Microsoft ¹² and Google ¹³ invest in providing services to improve their employees work-life balance: childcare, physical therapy, fitness and massage centers, financial advisors, counselling support, you name it. Hitachi Rail developed an award system open to all company employees around the globe and aligned with company values such as honesty and innovation; annual award ceremonies serve as opportunities to celebrate strong performers while sharing projects across the international business. ¹⁴ Google also provides its employees with dedicated spaces and materials to be creative, test ideas for work improvement, and explore personal hobbies. On the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts gather daily for ‘family dinners’ during which a simple shared meal proves crucial for building a sense of camaraderie, community, and just plain old fun in an otherwise limited environment. ¹⁵ By showing our clients the countless actions that could transform their workplaces across dozens of locations, we opened the door to a new understanding of why – and how – shifting the priority to happy, healthy workers who feel supported and empowered can level up their success. Now that you’re a little more aware of the possibilities, try it for yourself! Take a look around your workspace, and think about your day at work. If you lead a team, strike up a dialogue with your workers. Are they happy with their conditions? Which elements help them work sustainably, and which aspects hold them back? Taking the time to delve into these questions, and investing in solutions to tackle the answers that come up, might be the key to keeping your company’s people engaged, resilient, and ready for the future. Key Takeaways The physical design of a workspace can have a major effect on the productivity, health, and motivation of employees, and can therefore be the key to levelling up workplace satisfaction. As companies talk the talk of diversity and inclusion among the workforce, workplace facilities and ergonomic design must walk the walk and support diverse needs among workers. Adapting buildings to make better use of natural resources via ‘green’ design has the double effect of bettering workers physical and mental health, as conditions such as indoor air quality and access to natural light are improved. Biophilic design elements in the workspace are shown to increase not only workplace satisfaction but also productivity, focus and learning capabilities. Lighting systems are an effective way of improving and maintaining worker health and performance when a biophilic or circadian approach is taken. Building a strong sense of community among employees is an indispensable factor in main-training long-term well-being, irrespective of the nature of work or industry. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jutta and Ricardo! Jutta and Ricardo dos Santos Miquelino, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jutta and Ricardo share 50 years of experience leading business transformation projects in both the corporate and startup worlds. With their work, they have a strong focus on creating positive and inspiring environments where leaders and employees are excited about change and create freedom and awareness for innovation excellence in organizations. References: 1. Ruairi O’Donnellan: Remote Working Statistics You Need to Know in 2022. www.intuition.com 2. Goetzel, Ron Z., Stacey R. Long, Ronald J. Ozminkowski, Kevin Hawkins, Shaohung Wang, and Wendy Lynch. 2004. “Health, Absence, Disability, and Presenteeism Cost Estimates of Certain Physical and Mental Health Conditions Affecting U.S. Employers”. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine46 (4): 398–412. 3. Mind. 2013. “Work is biggest cause of stress in people’s lives”. 9 October 2013. 4. O’Neill, A. (2021) Age structure in Germany 2021. www.statista.com 5. McGee, P. (2019) Germany invests to prolong employees’ working lives. Financial Times. 6. https://worldgbc.org 7. Andrew Knox, Howard Parry-Husbands, Pollinate (2018) Workplaces: Wellness+ Wood= Productivity. A report prepared for Forest & Wood Products Australia. Pollinate 8. Akerstedt T, Wright KP Jr. Sleep Loss andFatigueinShift Work and Shift Work Disorder. Sleep Med Clin. 2009 Jun 1;4(2):257-271. 9. Alhola, P., & Polo-Kantola, P. (2007). Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 3(5),553–567. 10. What Is CircadianLighting and How Does It Affect the Body's Rhythm? via www.gelighting.com 11. Fitzgerald, r. & Stekr, K. (2018) Circadian in the Workplace: Does It Make Sense…Yet? Illuminating Engineering Society. 12. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com 13. https://careers.google.com/how-we-care-for-googlers/ 14. https://www.hitachirail.com/our-company/mission-vision-and-values/ 15. Ohlheiser, A. (2015)When nine people eat dinner on the International Space Station, the ceiling be- comes a seat. www.washingtonpost.com

Written by: Patrick Mensah, 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. Finding success in the Chief Executive role is no small feat. The past few years have been a rollercoaster ride for businesses all around the world; while some saw success, many had to go through layoffs and leadership changes. It’s not surprising how leadership becomes the most critical component in managing a business. Effective leadership requires a healthy combination of personality traits, skills, and knowledge that are essential for the success of any organization. This article will cover the key leadership qualities that every CEO should possess in order to build and maintain a successful business. 1. Exceptional Communication Skills One of the most important qualities of an effective leader is incredible communication skills. As a CEO, it is crucial to be able to communicate the organization’s vision, goals, and expectations clearly to the team. This requires the ability to listen effectively, articulate thoughts and ideas, and express empathy toward others. Good communication skills enable a leader to build strong relationships with their employees, customers, and stakeholders, which is critical to the success of any business. 2. Agile Adaptability In today’s fast-paced business environment, it is essential to have the ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. A CEO needs to be flexible and have the ability to change direction when required. This means having a deep understanding of market dynamics and embracing new technologies that will keep the organization ahead of the curve. The technological limitations during the pandemic were a clear example of why flexibility is necessary for companies to remain relevant in the ever-evolving business landscape. 3. Visionary Mindset Effective CEOs should be strategic in their thinking, always looking ahead and anticipating the future. Visionary thinking also requires the ability to innovate and create new ideas that will help the company grow and succeed. This vision should align with the company's values, goals, and culture, and provide a roadmap for the future. The CEO must be able to express this vision in a way that inspires and motivates their team and help them understand how their work contributes to the company's overall success. 4. Decision-Making Acumen Effective leaders must be able to make decisions quickly and confidently. This requires an understanding of the consequences of each decision and the ability to act in a timely manner. The CEO is the final decision-maker in any organization, and their ability to make decisions that drive the company forward is critical to its success. Making decisions quickly does not mean being impulsive or rash. An effective CEO must weigh the options, consider the risks, and make informed decisions that are in the best interest of the company. 5. Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is a vital component of effective leadership. Self-awareness, the ability to understand others, and managing emotions are all critical skills for any CEO. A high degree of emotional intelligence enables a leader to create a positive work environment. Emotional intelligence also helps leaders respond to challenging situations effectively, handle conflicts in a calm and composed manner, and understand the emotional needs of their team members. Furthermore, leaders with high emotional intelligence are better equipped to navigate the complexities of today's rapidly changing business environment and build resilience in the face of adversity. 6. Ethical Conduct It is the CEO’s responsibility to set a standard of ethical behavior for the employees to follow. Integrity, honesty, accountability, and transparency are the building blocks of a culture of ethics, and it is the CEO’s duty to ensure that these values are upheld throughout the company. By demonstrating these values in their actions, effective CEOs will foster a sense of trust and confidence among employees, customers, and stakeholders, which is vital to the success of the business. 7. Mentorship & Development A CEO has a unique opportunity to provide coaching, mentorship, and guidance to employees and help them reach their full potential. By sharing their expertise and knowledge, they can inspire and guide their team, and provide them with the tools they need to succeed. Developing the skills and abilities of the team directly influences the company’s growth, as it not only benefits the individual employees but also adds additional services to the organization’s portfolio. By providing opportunities for professional growth and development, leaders can create a more competent, motivated, and engaged workforce, which can ultimately drive the success of the company. To wrap up, the role of a CEO in steering a company towards success entails possessing a range of essential leadership qualities. Communication skills, a visionary mindset, adaptability, decision-making prowess, emotional intelligence, ethical behavior, and mentorship and development are just some of the critical aspects that make up a successful leader. It's worth emphasizing that being an effective leader is an ongoing journey of improvement. As the business world continuously evolves, so must the skills of the CEO. To stay ahead of the curve, CEOs must prioritize their own personal and professional growth, and strive towards becoming better leaders every day. WallStreet Investment’s tailored support and guidance with our expertise and proven track record can help companies navigate the complexities of today's rapidly changing business environment and drive long-term success. Patrick Mensah, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Meet Patrick, a visionary entrepreneur who has turned his dreams into reality. Growing up in a fishing community in Ghana, Patrick learned the value of hard work at a young age, washing cars for older members of the community. This early experience instilled in him the discipline and work ethic that would become the foundation of his success. With over a decade of experience in building and partnering with successful businesses across the globe, Patrick is now the CEO of Wallstreet Investment, one of the fastest-growing companies in the UAE. His ability to lead, inspire and grow his team has been a key factor in his success.

Written by: Alex Bravo, 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. This is my fourth article of the mindfulness at the workplace saga. As it was explained on the first article, I’ll be elaborating on the benefits that disciplined meditators ‒ that have participated on “The 8 Week Mindfulness program”, which I facilitate ‒ have reported working on 7 competencies that Gallup has defined to be key for a successful leader. We’ll explore the behaviors, traits and results that leaders that operate on an “auto-pilot” mode have versus the ones that "mindful leaders” have. Throughout the Mindfulness at the Workplace saga, I will consistently recall that meditation is the path to mindfulness. Even when there are very pragmatical mindfulness tools that leaders can use on a daily basis, it is the formal meditation practice that will allow leaders to almost automatically make a pause whenever they are experimenting a stressor or a difficultsituation, take a breath, start recognizing the sensations, emotions, stories and ideas that are arriving to their minds so they can welcome them, accept them, investigate how those sensations, emotions, stories or ideas feel in the body and understand what is really happening in the present moment and finally, identify all the options that they have to proceed, shutting down the auto-pilot mode and it’s limited vision. It is also important to remember what Mindfulness is: The practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, ideas, stories and sensations on a moment-to-moment basis. The competence to be explored on this article is lead change. As departure point it is worthy to revise what does lead change means? Digital Transformation, Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Quantum computing, Web3, Blockchain, Internet of Things, RoboticProcess Automation, Sustainable Technology, etc. We could continue naming all the trends that organizations have ahead. Something is true, no business survives over the long term if it can’t reinvent itself There are plenty of examples about it. On the other hand, human nature often resists change. Change can be hard. The status quo is comfortable by nature. According to Andrea Dealer, Ph.D. and Jenny Ray, Ph.D., our brains have evolved to like certainty, which stems from our basic drive to survive. We have evolved to predict and control our circumstances because doing so optimizes our ability to live. When we experience change two things may happen: Our brains can interpret it as a threat ‒ leading to distress ‒ Our hearts beat faster, and vascular resistance make it harder to push blood through our circulatory system. In other words, our physiological resources are not efficiently mobilized. We may feel anxious, frustrated, being stuck in the current situation without an apparent solution. To experience change as a challenge, an interesting opportunity, this is when we are more likely to experience eustress because the new environmental demands seem within our abilities and limits. Our hearts still beat faster, but now with a decrease in vascular resistance. We feel more positive. I guess that is clear what a great leader should do. They need to ensure people can experience change as a challenge. And yes, that itself is a great challenge! According to John Kotter (retired Harvard Business School professor) the most general lesson to be learned from successful cases is that change process goes through a series of phases. Skipping those steps can create an illusion of speed that will never produce satisfactory results. A second very general lesson is that critical mistakes in any of the phases can have a devastating impact, slowing momentum and negating hard-won gains. Do you wonder how does a leader who operates on an “auto-pilot mode” tries to lead change vs a “mindful leader”? Let’s take a look! These are some of the behaviors that leaders working on an “auto-pilot mode” might experiment trying to lead change: They might personally understand the purpose of the change, but they do not inspire people to act. They do not build momentum that excites them. Their teams and colleagues will not understand what is the purpose of the change. They fail to create a coalition of committed people at all levels of the organization. Change purpose and planning is only communicated within the C-level. They also fail communicating on detail what the change means and all the implications that it will bring. They do not get the buy-in from different stakeholders as they underestimate how powerful is to express what’s in it for the different players. Very few people get involved in the journey. The majority will not be keen on participating. They do not dedicate time to identify the obstacles on the road to drive change. They might continue working in silos and without a clear project plan. They underestimate the power of short-term wins. If they do deliver some short-term wins only few people in the organization get to know about them. They do not dedicate time to understand and learn the progress they have on the road. They might “not have enough time” for that. They just keep going without a pause. They fail articulating the connections between behaviors and organizational success. They do not make sure they continue until they become strong enough to replace old habits. The can be asking the “change” to happen very soon in the process creating frustration across the organization. On the other hand, these are the behaviors that leaders that have attended to The 8 Week Mindfulness Program have expressed to practice leading change: They understand that to accelerate change every step matters. They start by inspiring people to act ‒ with passion and purpose ‒ to achieve a bold, aspirational opportunity. They build momentum that excites people to pursue a compelling and clear vision of the future, together. They get that a volunteer network needs a coalition of committed people ‒ born of its own ranks ‒ to guide it, coordinate it and communicate its activities. Mindful leaders clarify how the future will be different from the past and get buy-in for how people can make that future a reality through initiatives linked directly to the vision. In order to create large-scale change, they foster massive numbers of people rally around a common opportunity. Individually they all really want to actively contribute. Collectively, they are unified in the pursuit of achieving the goal together. They remove the obstacles that slow things down or create roadblocks to progress. Clear the way for people to innovate, work more nimbly across silos, and generate impact quickly. They get that wins are molecules of results. They create massive trust. Short term-term wins are recognized, collected, and communicated – early and often – to track progress and energize volunteers to persist. They continuously make sure to sustain acceleration by double checking the are not skipping any steps or the learnings. They articulate the connections between new behaviors and organizational success, making sure they continue until they become strong enough to replace old habits. Evaluate systems and processes to ensure management practices reinforce the new behaviors, mindsets and ways of working that were invested in. This is just a sample of a list of behaviors that disciplined meditators practice within the corporate arena when they lead change. There might be more behavior that could be included. Meditation benefits arrive to its practitioners in different ways but if there is something in common is the ability they have to shut down the “auto-pilot mode” to find that there’s always a set of options to consider before making a decision. Understanding this fact is a game changer. Stay tuned. We’ll elaborate on Inspiring others in the next article. Follow me on LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Alex! Alex Bravo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Alex Bravo combines 22 years' experience as Sr Director leading CX, Innovation, Transformation and large Operations teams mainly within the Financial Services Industry with 15 years' experience as Sr Executive Coach and Mindfulness Teacher. Given his struggle with anxiety and depression at some point of his career, his purpose is to instill the importance of assessing mental health in the corporate arena and recall to his colleagues that the way they deal with their inner world defines the way they show to themselves, how they interact with others, how they lead and how they love. He is a Harvard Business School Grad and holds a BSc in industrial and Systems Engineering and a MSc in Quality and Productivity.

Written by: Rita Trotter, 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. Do you stand in front of the mirror, wishing that your body and face would change? You say words like 'My nose is too big, my hair is too frizzy, and my chin jutted out just enough to make me feel like a cartoon character'. Well, most of us do. There are still plenty of things about ourselves that bother us and cause us to feel significantly insecure. You’ve either felt it before or you’re feeling it right now. That moment when you look down at your body in disgust, hating every inch of it. It’s a feeling that grips you and won't let go. Don't worry, I've been there. My Story After my first was born I put on 70lbs in weight and struggled to lose it suffering from post partem depression, isolation, and a complete hatred of my body. We didn’t have photos taken together until he was 7 months old as I avoided photos due to how I felt in my body, so we have no memories of those times in pics. I have been with my husband since 2015 and we were married in 2017. I felt really insecure in my body after the kids in our relationship. Feeling that my body was so different from when we first met, how could he possibly find me attractive anymore? Although he loved me and told me I looked good, I didn’t believe him. Because I didn’t feel it on the inside, it didn’t matter what he said. This caused strains in our relationship where I would push him away and reject him because I felt insecure and didn’t want him to see me with clothes off. There were times when I would get changed in the spare room so that he didn’t catch me naked. All these actions, along with my prior diagnosis of Anorexia and Imposter syndrome, are signs that I have hated my body all along. When I had my kids, I began to realise that I needed to make a change. I had to break that destructive pattern. I had to prove to myself and my boys that no matter what life throws at you, your body and health are the only things that you can truly control. And so began what would become a lifelong journey: learning how to love my body, not just the way how it is. So dear Reader, I have to say this subject hits close to home for me, and so I will be sharing several steps for you to love your body. 1. Try loving your body for things other than looks If you're having trouble loving your body for its appearance, try to think of other things you can love about it. For example: What are some things about your body that make it unique? Do you have a birthmark? Maybe you have a scar that represents something in your life that you are now thankful to be alive from? These are all things that make every person unique and special ‒ they're part of their story. They're also things we tend not to focus on when we look at ourselves in mirrors or at photos in magazines because they aren't necessarily attractive features (at least not on their own). But those same features add up to create an individual identity; they help people stand out from each other so that no two people are exactly alike! When someone tells me something personal about themselves ‒ like having an unusual eye colour or being born with a specific skin colour ‒ I always respond by saying "you look amazing" because I want them to feel good about sharing something unique about themselves. In addition to thinking about what makes you unique, think about what makes others unique as well. When we see someone with a noticeable feature or distinctive quality, our first instinct is often to notice it rather than ignore it or pretend it's not there. You can love your body for its appearance and still want to improve it. For example, if you feel self-conscious about your weight or how your body looks in clothes, like me, I started working on my lifestyle to achieve the body that I wanted to have. If you need some help finding something positive about yourself, try writing down 5 positive qualities about yourself every day for a week. At first, this may seem like an overwhelming task ‒and it is! ‒ but after a few days you'll start noticing patterns in what makes you feel good about yourself. 2. Remind yourself that you are worthy of love, no matter what. The first step in loving your body is to remind yourself that it's okay to love yourself. This may sound silly, but it's actually a very important concept. Many people feel that their self-worth is contingent upon their physical appearance and/or weight; this isn't true at all! You are worthy of love because you have a personality, a soul, and feelings ‒ not because you weigh X pounds or have Y measurements on the scale. You deserve to be loved by others simply because they see something special in you ‒ something they value enough to want as part of their lives forever. The fact that someone wants to spend time with us means there must be something worth seeing past our surface qualities. Human beings deserve respect just like everyone else does! 3. Practice self-compassion. Self-compassion is the ability to be kind and understanding toward ourselves when we suffer, fail or feel inadequate. It’s an attitude that helps us stay balanced during hard times instead of beating ourselves up. There are many ways to practice self-compassion. One of the simplest, but most effective, is simply being kind to yourself. When you notice that you're feeling bad about your body, try saying something positive instead ‒ something like: "I accept how I look right now." This can be especially helpful in situations where it feels impossible to love your body because of its appearance or size (e.g., when you look at pictures from last summer and remember how much healthier and happier you felt). It's important not only to accept what is happening at this moment but also to remind yourself that change is possible ‒ and even probable! 4. Stop comparing yourself to others and focus on the things you have control over. It's important to remember that you have control over only so much in life. It's also important to acknowledge the ways in which comparison can be healthy and helpful, but only if it's done in moderation. The bottom line is this: no matter what anyone else says or does, the only opinion that matters is your own. You are the only person who knows what it feels like on the inside ‒ and if something doesn't feel right for you, then don't do it! "It's easy for us to compare ourselves to others," says Dr. David Luchins, a psychologist based in New York City. "We see how people look on social media and we think that they're perfect." But it's important to remember that there are many different types of bodies out there. The key is finding what works for you and accepting your body shape with love and kindness. Next time you start comparing yourself to other women online or elsewhere, take a moment for self-reflection instead: ask yourself what makes them happy and fulfilled in life? How does their life compare to yours? What would make them feel better about themselves? What steps can you take right now toward making those changes in your own life? 5. Celebrate all your accomplishments, even if they're not related to body image. Whether it's a big accomplishment or a small one, celebrate all of them. No matter what you've achieved, there's no reason not to be proud and happy about it. If you're feeling down because of your body image issues, try looking back at some of the things that have made you feel good about yourself in the past ‒ even if they're unrelated to your weight or appearance. Celebrating accomplishments can help build confidence and make people more comfortable with themselves as they are now rather than focusing on how much better they could be if only they were thinner/taller/more muscular. Celebrate any achievement that makes sense for who you are right now: maybe someone gave you an award at work; maybe you finished that DIY project. maybe you finally got enough courage to go on that date with someone. It can be difficult to find joy in your body, especially when you're comparing yourself to other people or feeling dissatisfied with how you look. But it's possible! You can learn to love your body and be happy with yourself. You may not know this yet, but there are many ways of loving yourself that don't involve changing what you look like at all. You might think that having a pretty face or fitting into size 8 jeans is what makes someone lovable ‒ but that's not true! Love comes from within: it comes from knowing who you are, being comfortable with who you are right now, and recognising the good qualities about yourself (even if they aren't visible). When we feel loved by ourselves and others around us, life becomes easier because we feel secure enough in ourselves not only physically but emotionally as well; this gives us confidence when meeting new people or trying new experiences which allows us freedom when making decisions about our lives rather than worrying too much about what other people think about them. So, if you're struggling with body image, remember that it's not your fault and there is nothing wrong with you. You can love your body no matter what it looks like, and the first step towards doing so is by focusing on the things other than appearance that make you worthy of love. If you need help in embracing self-love, don’t hesitate to book a call with me today. Again, remembering all the above-mentioned points will help you feel better about yourself and keep going when things get tough. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Rita! Rita Trotter, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine My passion, work, and philosophies focus on the joy factor, self-acceptance, physical and emotional cohesion, and authentic wellness and I enjoy sharing my wisdom for all that is connected to a successful and healthy life. My foundation in women’s health comes from my own struggles with weight, sleep, energy, productivity, and health and my passion to share this with the whole female collective. I am a Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach, Behaviour Change Specialist, Long Covid Rehabilitator, Women’s Hormone, and Pre and Post Natal Specialist, Health for Business Coach, published author of three globally selling books, and the creator and facilitator of The Self-Health System Programmes.

Written by: Lisa Charles, 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 10-Minute Daily Retreat is a game changer in addressing the international employee burnout epidemic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), burnout is an "occupational phenomenon" internationally classified as a disease. Overwhelming stress, feelings of negativism, and energy depletion can affect long-term health, shortening the pathway toward illness and even premature death. The burnout impact, which is emotional, mental, and physical, can cause cardiovascular and circulatory diseases, and mood disorders, including deep sadness, anxiety, severe nervousness, and depression. Add limited oxygen intake and sleep deprivation, and feelings of burnout are intensified. To combat Employee Burnout and renew and revitalize the brain and body connection, the 10-Minute Daily Retreat can assist in bringing about integrative health! While this daily routine is simple, consistency is critical. Follow these three simple steps and be prepared to usher in the healing process. The Three Steps to Your 10-Minute Daily Retreat Step One: Find Nurture in Nature Whether taking a walk or surrounding yourself with photos of the outdoors while listening to the glorious sounds of nature, you can instantly boost your mood and reduce your stress while increasing your cooperative spirit. Stand outside, close your eyes, and allow all your senses to awaken. Focus on what you touch, smell, see, and hear and the emotions those senses arouse. If you can, take your shoes off and sense the ground supporting you. Standing barefoot on the earth's surface or Grounding can provide many health benefits. It can cause "improved sleep, reduced inflammation, improved tissue and cell repair, enhanced blood flow, increased heart rate variability, and improved electrical activity in the brain.” Use your 10 minutes to absorb nature and be prepared to experience the release of serotonin and dopamine, two Happy hormones. Step Two: Breathe the DDB Way (Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing) During your 10 minutes, focus on your breathing. Maximize your oxygen intake and slow your exhalation. Slowing your breathing will renew your energy, improve your sleep and de-stress your body on the cellular level. It will help reset your metabolism and calm your mind. When more oxygen can flow to the brain, your alertness and clarity increase while stress and inflammation decrease. Breathing brings your brain and body into alignment, creating a state of calm and composure. You will be able to think clearly, clearing any mental fog and making decisions more efficiently, helping the brain to find a more peaceful state. Breathing Exercise Practice this exercise during your 10-minute Retreat: Breathe in through your nose and feel your belly expanding. Hold that breath for three seconds. Blow the air through your mouth until all air is out of your lower stomach. Repeat five times, slowing down the exhalation each time. On the sixth exhalation, in the end, gently close your lips and hold your breath for the count of ten to twenty. Take in a deep breath, and exhale. Resume normal breathing. Step Three: Move the Body and feel the Rhythm Conscious, free-flowing dance produced positive mental health benefits, improving confidence and compassion while improving the wiring and gray matter of the aging brain. Exercise will improve your mood, reduce stress, and release neurotransmitters called endorphins that help you feel good. Not only will your stress levels decrease, but the physical and mental impact that stress causes will also decline. Your cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems can get a boost by lessening stress levels. Take a walk during your 10-minute Retreat and begin to train your Brain and Body in the art of relaxation. Your daily commitment can launch you into your next health level. My name is Lisa Charles, and I am a Health Coach, a Brain, Body, and Belief Alignment Specialist, and the Author of Yes! Commit. Do. Live., a book that provides the roadmap to living fitness from the inside-out. I am also the creator of “The Bust Stress and Build Resilience” program, where I help women live an Age Defying Life so they can release stress, renew energy, restore sleep, and gain the mental clarity they need to live the life of their dreams. Host of Reinventing the Woman2023 – All-Inclusive Woman’sHealth Revolution in the Dominican Republic Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Lisa! Lisa Charles, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Lisa Charles is an Author Health and Life Transformational Trainer, Age Alignment Specialist, and Executive at Plant Based Science International (PBSI). Lisa helps corporate employees experience the brain-body connection by equipping them with the innovative tools to age gracefully, release stress, renew energy, restore sleep, and gain the mental clarity to live the life of their dreams. She is the CEO of Embrace Your Fitness, LLC and the Author of Yes! Commit. Do. Live.

Written by: Sam Onigbanjo, 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. If you have ever read Richard Kiyosakis book Rich Dad Poor Dad, then you would appreciate the cashflow quadrant. Quadrant 4 is where Investors position their cash and watch it grow and today I want to share 3 things that are super important about growing money via forex trading that you must know but is never shared in youtube trading videos. Number 1: The time you trade matters! It matters a lot, in one of my coaching classes I asked a lady that had a 10-year-old son were her son would be on a Tuesday money around 9.30 am and she replied without hesitating in class! So I went on a bit further to ask if that Tuesday morning were in August. and her face changed and said of course the timing matters August is not the season for school. The same thing applies to trading the markets. If you trade during high volatility brought on by the news, you will likely get a better and faster financial reward. So pls do not “Just hope” something will happen your way. Click on Forex factory, the calendar will greatly help you succeed as a trader. Here is the link for forex factory. Number 2: The best Forex traders, I mean the most successful forex and stock traders never trade alone, they always trade-in groups, they meet online, in groups, in person, and have early morning calls, this helps to focus, motivate and sharpen your psychology and when you do lose a trade because you will that same group will cheer you on to your next win or cheer you through your next loss! Group trading is a massive advantage, especially when your group knows exactly what they are doing! Check out this trade and group discussion with them here. Secret number 3: The 3 P’s of forex trading so Important to know P=Patience, Wait for the right trades “trade entry mastery” (T.E.M) is vital do not rush to enter any trade because you heard down the road Joe Bloggs made a million overnight. Trades keep coming “like a bus or train, do not be in a rush and enter a losing trade. P=Practice, Without practice trading forex Instruments, will always seem foreign and strange and that’s because it has not become an Intentional behaviour to consistently practice how to trade even in a virtual account. Note: Practice is best achieved within small groups of committed forex traders, so don’t do it alone! Persistence= Without the will and behaviour to repeat your new business daily, I’m afraid this may just remain a good idea that will materialise “One day” You need to be dogged with trading, Forex is a beast no single man can tame, but if you learn to ride the waves, I promise it will make you cash rich! Summary Trading is 80% Psychology with the tips I just shared above, I hope your perception of trading has shifted slightly and you are more mentally prepared to address and conquer the markets! If you are thinking of opening a simple trading account for free may I recommend my affiliate link? Click here. It's an absolutely free forex trading account registered and regulated in the UK and many other countries in the world. It also comes with a standard auto 50% stop loss safety pre-set to help guard your capital, One more tip you can reduce your leverage on trade to x1 to really help keep your capital safe. I will through in a forex training series as a gift as well! The reason why trading the forex market is so important is not the glory that comes with the successful trader status! But rather the opportunity to become financially and time free! So you can focus on what you love doing with your time and life, instead of working with people you tolerate because you need to pay your bills! Let’s keep this 100% real you deserve a great life, think of trading your way there! If you are curious and want to know more: I am hosting a free forex webinar for beginners on Tuesday 28th of February, 7 PM GMT you are welcome to join just click here and register. This article was written by multiple award-winning authors, forex trader and Coach Sam Onigbanjo, CEO of Capital Markets Academy, Sam has trained over 1,000 forex traders with amazing testimonials and results. You can ask questions or join one of his complimentary webinars to test and taste the markets Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Sam! Sam Onigbanjo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sam Onigbanjo, is a leading coaching voice in helping people develop the skills and confidence to trade the capital markets and get a grip on their financial life. He is a seasoned public speaker and storyteller, this really helps him communicate skills in a less daunting manner to his audience. As a man he shares his struggle to financial Independence and why he knows it means so much to people to be in control of their own time and what impact it makes on spending time with loved ones and fulfilling life long dreams. Sam is the CEO of Capital Markets Academy and trains people from all over the world online and in person.

Written by: John Brison, PoliticalVIP Strategist and Field Operations Expert and Albert Trombetta, PoliticalVIP Director of Global Marketing “The goals of a ground game are simple. The campaign seeks to ensure that every identified supporter casts their ballot. That is why campaigns go through such lengths to not only appeal to voters but to also identify and track them along the way. The crucial final moments of a campaign decide the outcome of any close election.” Get Out the Vote (GOTV) is a political campaign engaging in on-the-ground efforts to mobilize voters and get them to the polls on Election Day, or as soon as early voting begins. The campaign will have spent months or years tracking and identifying their own supporters and likely supporters in their voting pool. Once the polls open, GOTV begins. This is the ultimate act of ensuring that your supporters have voted and will reach the polls before closing. Teams composed of staff and volunteers are organized and dispatched to targeted areas to knock on doors and distribute literature, while others phone bank and text bank back at headquarters. Team members provide transportation to the polls for those who are identified. It’s a marathon not a sprint until the election season approaches. Then it becomes an all-out sprint to the finish to drive voter turnout and get people to the polls. This is the culmination of often a year plus of campaign efforts including ramping up the ground game towards election day. “Digital channels such as email automation, social media, and texting continues to expand the ways in which voters can be contacted with personalized methods.” The building blocks of the modern methodology of GOTV were laid in the late 19th and early 20th century. Direct mail and leafleting door-to-door were common practices. In the 20th century, as phones became more commonplace, they quickly became the most efficient way to make voter contact. As technology continues to evolve in this 21st century, so has the methodology employed by campaigns. Digital channels include email automation, social media, and texting which continues to expand the ways in which voters can be contacted through personalized methods. As the number of data points continues to increase, so does the value of analytics. Campaigns can create a more comprehensive profile for each voter. When properly utilized, analytics can provide a better understanding of voter preferences, habits, and tendencies. “In the past, phone banking, like canvassing was basically a paper and pen exercise.” “We are entering a post-paper era and have traded in the pen for a stylus.” Phone Banking has always been a key fundamental for any modern GOTV campaign as the process allows staff and volunteers to have one-on-one conversations with voters and answer any questions that they may have. In addition, the shared experience is great for campaign team building. In the past, phone banking, like canvassing was basically a paper and pen exercise. The campaign would provide workers sheets of paper with voter information and a script and have them go down the list making calls. In those days (especially with Caller ID,) it could be a real exercise in patience with most not even picking up the phone. Then, it was the responsibility of the campaign to have a solution on-hand where they can store and share all that data. Fast forward to the campaign of today. The advent of readily available personal technology devices changed the game. We are entering a post-paper era and have traded in the pen for a stylus. Any volunteer with a smartphone or laptop is ready to get started. GOTV software provides a digital one-stop-shop interface for both the campaign and the volunteer/staffer. Scripts can be written and stored to serve a rotating mission. One day you could be talking about the candidate, the next day the subject could change to a fundraising mission. Toward the end of the campaign, technology can be used to send reminders about the voting process and what to do to encourage supporters to go out and vote. Specific groups of voters can be targeted to narrow or expand the focus of the mission. The volunteer or staffer in-turn has access to the information of the voter, the script, and the ability to record responses, all within one convenient space. Even the process of trial-and-error with calling voters and waiting for a pickup has been accounted for. Auto-dialers will run through a list of numbers until the voter answers the call, at which time the call is routed to the volunteer/staffer who can have that conversation with the voter. Beyond phone banking, an essential part of any campaign is the use of smartphones. Smartphones have been of particular use to the campaign. Recent cycles have brought about the advent of P2P (Person to Person) texting software. Similar to phonebanking, a script can be loaded by the campaign, along with a list of voters to reach out to. Multiple responses can be loaded and are ready to send to the voter, providing controlled messaging capabilities while providing the ability to answer basic questions. While it lacks the warmth and character of the human voice, it gives the individual the opportunity to reach arguably a larger amount of people in a shorter period. Making phone calls can be a source of anxiety for some first-time volunteers, and P2P texting removes that barrier. These first-time conversations can often be difficult. Any time you are talking about politics, people get heated and so patience is required to help get those over this aspect of the job. While P2P texting is great, our opinion is that this cannot replace Phone Banking entirely since it is important to continue having human-to-human conversations. Enthusiastic individuals can demonstrate why they are working or volunteering for the candidate which can help the voter make their own decision on whether they would like to support the candidate. If anything, technology will continue to be more symbiotic in future cycles, providing for a division of labor, and continuing conversation in a way that you cannot achieve with phone banking. Someone can text the campaign back at any time and the campaign will see the message which gives you more control over the hours during which you engage in voter contact. The final aspect discussed here when talking about any successful GOTV operation involves canvassing. Canvassing is the practice of sending people out into the field to gather information, gauge support, and to get campaign literature into voters’ hands. The mission can change based on where you are in the election cycle. Typically, toward the end of a campaign, the mission is directed at getting people to the polls and getting that campaign literature into their hands. And much like Phone Banking, existing technology now is a stark contrast compared to where it used to be. As recent as a few cycles ago, this was also a pen and paper game. You would be handed a clipboard with voter information, including addresses with a script, and basically you would go from house to house within a defined area to talk to voters. There really wasn't a way to do this efficiently without the use of directions via a smartphone (if you had one). Fast Forward to today, and this has completely changed. In some cases, campaigns use tablets for canvassing, but most of the time the smartphone for volunteers and staffers is all you need which includes all the functions of canvassing and is much easier than having to carry around literature. Canvassing software displays the closest houses based on your location and includes voter information and any scripts. The software also registers voter responses that can be recorded as data by the campaign. With the advent of canvassing software, areas where the campaign wants to canvas can now be easily divided up and assigned in a practice called “Turf Cutting”. This digital turf cutting goes beyond just making an assignment more efficient by making these turfs manageable for canvassers. In considering factors such as large obstructions (major freeways, public transport rail lines, rivers, etc..,) or how many houses a canvasser could visit in a several hour period, the software will provide a visualization of the canvass area. While building campaign outreach operations to voters is great, unless you can store that data, much of the hard work is put to waste. Utilizing momentum of the campaign might be able to get you across the finish line on election day, but it doesn’t really build for the next campaign or the one after that. Most candidates do not run in one-cycle and just call it a day. Many will run for different offices within multiple concurrent cycles, and some will run to get re-elected to the same office multiple times in multiple cycles. That data you harness in the first campaign is useful for the next campaign. It gives you an idea of who might support this candidate or others again with their vote or by volunteering and or donating to the campaign. It is important to remember that from cycle-to-cycle (especially in recent cycles,) new data points have emerged and ways to make connections from voter habits or demographic trends can also tell you how likely they are to vote a certain way. Why start from scratch, when you can start with a solid foundation of data that builds from cycle-to-cycle? “It’s the communication of passion for a cause, hitting on the points of a campaign platform that gets people to vote for the candidate...” Campaigns of the future should consider it crucial to staff up with individuals who are knowledgeable in GOTV technologies, who know how to train, and how to run the backend of the software provided to them. Staff management must also know how to manage the field workload of subordinates. This up-and-coming generation of volunteers and staff has a high level of technological literacy that campaigns will be able to capitalize on as technology continues to evolve. Certainly, there is an abundance of talent in the world of politics, talent that may even be worth looking into for private sector hires. PoliticalVIP provides skilled consultants who collectively have over 500 years’ experience and have worked with the private and public sectors. Our consultants understand technology and its importance to the campaign. Should your campaign need the services of experts who can manage your expectations, please visit our website to contact us. With certainty AI will play some role in upcoming races and future campaigns, writing scripts, optimizing language to communicate with voters, and maybe even in terms of responses with P2P texting and automated turf cutting. AI chat programs are having a moment, and expanding this technology within reach of all of us is beneficial so campaigns can make use of technological advances. Harnessing the power by virtual means of communicating with voters is crucial. Take for example town hall events. With what used to be in-person exclusive events to answer voters' questions can now be hosted from anywhere to anyone. In-addition, virtual messages from the campaign or the candidate can be sent over social media, email, or directly addressing the issues they care about and why voters should vote for them. It’s not hard to imagine that as virtual reality technologies advance, you could see town halls where it’s almost as if you are in the room with the candidate. All that being considered though, it’s crucial for campaigns to keep in mind not to lose touch on how important real conversations and visibility amongst the electorate are in getting elected. Conversations where volunteers and staffers discuss why they are supporting the candidate and giving their time have an effect. It’s the communication of passion for a cause, hitting on the points of a campaign platform that gets people to vote for the candidate and this will always be absolutely worth it. “Canvassing cannot be discounted.” “While the world of politics may seem distant, a separate sphere operating outside of the world of the private sector, the effects of technological innovation in politics will impact the private sector.” This is not 1988 anymore, the age of the clipboard and the landline is over. Campaigns become more mobile and dynamic with every passing cycle. While the world of politics may seem distant, a separate sphere operating outside of the world of the private sector, the effects of technological innovation in politics will impact the private sector, as well. Campaigns that stay on the cutting edge of dynamic voter outreach will be most effective in contacting every possible voter and have the best possible opportunity to Get Out the Vote. It’s evolve or get left behind, that’s the name of the game. Any campaign needs are quickly addressed by our consultants. Please go here to learn more about what we can do for you. POLITICALVIP IS A FULL-SERVICE PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRM PROVIDING LOBBYING AND IS EXPERIENCED IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

Written by: Dana Gionta, Ph.D., Senior Level Executive Contributor in collaboration with John M. O’Brien, Ph.D Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. What Is Executive Wellness? “Executive wellness” is a term describing strategies to support health and wellness that are designed for the unique stresses and pressures faced by executives. One resource for enhancing executive wellness is provided by executive coaches who have this niche area of practice. These coaches have specialized training to work with leaders at the highest level of organizations, while also possessing a depth of training in wellness and self-renewal. A recent Gallup poll found that people worldwide are more stressed than ever before. In fact, 4 out of every 10 adults worldwide reported experiencing “a great deal of worry and stress.” Executives are no exception. As leaders, executives face considerable performance pressure from the Board of their organizations and other stakeholders in an increasingly competitive world. Many leaders are seeking out stress management programs of various kinds to help them manage the psychological and emotional impacts of their jobs. Why Is It Important? The Benefits of Executive Wellness Leaders need to be centered, focused, courageous and responsive, not reactive. One of the most effective ways of cultivating each of these qualities is through prioritizing their mental, emotional, and physical wellness. Other key benefits include: Enhanced performance. Increasing research shows a significant relationship between wellbeing and performance Increased and more consistent energy Greater ability to set effective workplace boundaries to protect their time and commitment to their priorities. Learn more about workplace boundaries here. Healthier and more positive relationships as they can bring their best self to them Powerful modeling for their employees, and a key factor in creating a workplace culture that supports wellbeing. Our Top 5 Executive Wellness Strategies: The Fundamentals Below are the wellness fundamentals we discuss with each of our coaching clients at the start of every engagement. We have found these to be critical cornerstones of leaders’ overall wellbeing and high performance. 1. The Pillars: Nutrition, Exercise and Sleep In her book, From Stressed To Centered: A Practical Guide to a Healthier and Happier You, Dr. Gionta refers to the “pillars of stress management and self-care” which serve as an important foundation for wellness. Nutrition: Balancing our diet is critical to our health and well-being. If you lack energy, have digestive issues, arthritis-like symptoms, or get colds frequently, consider taking a food sensitivity test to see what you may be sensitive or allergic too. Many of us are sensitive to dairy and/or gluten, sugar, and alcohol and are unaware. Also, resources like Ombre and Zoe to have your gut health evaluated can be invaluable. Our gut health is a key factor in our overall health and immune system. Exercise: Is another essential element of health and wellness. The World Health Organization recommends that adults ages 18 to 64 should do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and muscle strengthening activities throughout the week. Sleep: Ganesh and colleagues (2018) examined stress levels in executives and found that those executives with difficulty sleeping were at the greatest risk for high levels of stress, as well as a lowered immune system. Adults need an average of 7-9 hours per night of sleep. Getting consistently less than this amount of sleep contributes to mood fluctuations and impaired functioning at work and in life. The positive news is that there are effective strategies we often use to improve our executive clients’ sleep, and overall physical wellbeing. 2. Workplace Boundaries Boundaries are essential for healthy and effective relationships at every level within an organization. They serve 5 key functions. They help to protect us, clarify what is and isn’t our responsibility, preserve our physical and emotional energy, create clear professional expectations, and live our values and standards. Not having healthy workplace boundaries contributes to increased stress, burnout, decreased performance and voluntary attrition. Learning to set effective boundaries is an invaluable skill that unfortunately, we are often not taught in school or the workplace. In her article, Dr. Gionta shares the key signals to know when to set a boundary, and a valuable step-by-step process to use as a guide. 3. Healthy Relationship with Substances Caffeine and alcohol are two key substances that are important for executives to consider which impact well-being and physiological balance. Both substances can be used in moderation and provide a “pick-me-up” or “calm-me-down” desired effect at certain times of the day. Too much, however, can cause a rebound effect and become a source of anxiety that contributes to greater reactivity and stress. 4. Trustworthy Support “It is lonely at the top.” Many of our executive wellness clients describe experiencing loneliness as they rise to higher levels within an organization. They have few or no peers, and often no one in whom they can confide. This isolation can lead to increased stress, depression, and anxiety, as well as a lack of honest feedback about their behaviors and decreased confidence when a negative setback occurs. Receiving diverse perspectives and consideration of multiple options in an important decision is often limited by such isolation. A coach serves as both a confidante and advisor, providing their executive clients with both strategic and emotional feedback and support that enhances their skill and confidence as a leader. 5. Effective Management Of Our Stress It is often quite difficult to accurately assess our stress level due to the phenomena Dr. Gionta calls “tolerance to stress.” This refers to the tendency we have in thinking we’re handling our current stressors and increased demands well enough. Unfortunately, we are at times like a frog in a lukewarm pot of water. Because the temperature rises slowly – like our stressors slowly piling up – the frog doesn't detect the increasing heat until it’s too late. As humans, we often underestimate our true level of stress, thinking it’s a 4 or 5 on a scale of 10 (highest), when it really is a 7 or 8. It’s not until we develop physical symptoms of stress that we realize how much stress we have likely been experiencing. We provide an Assess Your Stress and Wall of Wellbeing coaching assessments to our executive clients to help them more accurately identify what zone of stress (green, yellow or red) they are currently in at the start of Executive Wellness Coaching. Why Hire A Coach to Help With Executive Wellness? Here Are Some Top Reasons: 1. Accountability Some leaders are highly motivated to change behavior and can keep themselves on track. They are, however, more likely to be the exception. Most of us have trouble keeping ourselves focused on self-development goals. A coach can help an executive maintain continued progress toward a desired wellness outcome and problem-solve when barriers emerge, and competing demands arise. 2. Shift from isolation to support Many leaders and those in the C-suite feel lonely in these higher-level positions. Whether the issue is trust, image, a yes-oriented team surrounding them or other concerns, it is a very common challenge many leaders face. Executive coaches provide consistent and valuable support and the space for executive clients to regularly share concerns, ideas, people issues, stress, and systemic organizational issues. It is also a uniquely confidential, direct, compassionate, and honest relationship. 3. Objective thought partner Executive coaches can be effective thought partners in problem-solving complex situations with leaders. Unlike a colleague, peer or friends, a coach serves as an objective sounding board as well as an astute questioner – helping leaders expand their perspective, avoid blind spots, and connect with their wisdom, values, key data, and their intuition on how to best proceed. 4. Great leadership requires courage Often courageous action is required by leaders to address complex organizational issues. A strong coaching relationship provides valuable support, strategies, and at times, an important reminder to be the courageous leader they desire and are capable of being. Executive wellness is a foundational component of being an effective and high-performing leader. Take a few minutes to reflect on your own level of executive wellness and leadership performance. If something we shared resonated with you, or you recognize that you would benefit from addressing one or more areas of wellness, connect with us to learn more about how we can help. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dana! Dana Gionta, Ph.D., Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine in collaboration with John M. O’Brien, Ph.D Dana Gionta, Ph.D. is an executive coach, psychologist, motivational speaker and author spanning over 20 years. She is the founder of Dana Gionta Coaching, and specializes in boundaries in the workplace, leadership development, employee wellbeing and organizational performance. With a diverse professional background in business, psychology, and health, Dr. Gionta provides coaching and consulting to senior leaders and high-achieving professionals in small to larger Fortune 500 organizations. In her life coaching and psychology practice, she works with individuals on areas related to relationships, career challenges, boundaries, wellbeing, burnout, and midlife transitions. Dr. Gionta is the co-author of the book From Stressed to Centered: A Practical Guide to a Healthier and Happier You, and has been featured in Strategy and Business, Inc., Psychology Today, Inverse, PsychCentral, Expert Beacon and Lawline. She speaks nationally on topics related to workplace boundaries, employee well-being, work/life balance, burnout, and self-renewal. You can learn more about her services at: www.danagionta.com Sign up for my biweekly email letter on Boundaries, Wellbeing and Courageous Change, and/or connect with me for a complimentary session to explore how I can help here: https://linktr.ee/danagiontacoaching John M. O’Brien, Ph.D. is an executive wellness coach with Activate Success. Building on his 25+ year career in the mental health field, John helps both leaders and their employees create workplaces that work. He provides coaching and consulting to businesses around executive assessment, leadership development, well-being, practical mindfulness and managing incivility. You can find out more about his services at: www.activatesuccess.org.

Written by: Dr. Charryse Johnson , 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. According to a recent study by the CDC, adolescent girls reported a significant increase in their rates of sadness, suicidal thoughts, and hopelessness. Nearly 3 in 5 U.S. teen girls express persistent sadness, the highest level reported over the past ten years. This reality is also being echoed by parents who report escalating occurrences of arguments with their children. Preliminary research has shown several factors that are contributing to the decline in mental health among teen girls: Prolonged periods of isolation followed by Loss of safety and uncertainty Lack of purpose and belonging Undisclosed or untreated experiences of violence These factors are only a small part of the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey results, a nationally representative study conducted every two years. As a parent, it can be helpful to have general knowledge regarding mental health in teens. It can be a costly oversight to believe your teen's mental health can't reach this point. Know the latest statistics and have a support plan to address your teen's needs. Additional findings: Nearly 1 in 3 girls surveyed (30 percent) seriously considered attempting suicide — up almost 60 percent from a decade ago. Nearly 1 in 5 girls (18 percent) experienced sexual violence in the past year — up 20 percent since 2017 when CDC started monitoring the issue. More than 1 in 10 girls (14 percent) had ever been forced to have sex — up 27 percent since 2019, and the first increase since CDC began monitoring the issue. More than half (52 percent) of LGBQ+ students had recently experienced poor mental health, and more than 1 in 5 (22 percent) attempted suicide in the past year. Findings by race and ethnicity also show high and worsening levels of persistent sadness or hopelessness across all racial and ethnic groups. Reported suicide attempts increased among both Black and white teens. Regardless of your knowledge as a parent, supporting your teen’s mental health will be heavily influenced by your parenting style, temperament toward’s addressing difficult situations, and your personal beliefs toward mental health. Parents can be an unintentional barrier to access for teens who are clearly in need of support. Here are three common ways you may be affecting your teen’s mental health: Minimizing your teen’s emotional experiences Many parents expect their teens to display a level of resilience similar to their own. As a result, a teen’s disclosure can be minimized and overlooked as a significant stressor. Statements such as “you will be fine” or “just don’t worry about it” can be perceived as invalidating and dismissive. Over time, this may cause teens to limit sharing and feel unheard. Responses such as “I am sorry this happened to you” and “Is there anything I can do to help” keep the conversation open and demonstrate empathetic listening. Delaying mental health support until the point of crisis At the onset of care, a healthcare provider will gather information regarding the length of time a teen has been struggling. Approximately 85% of parents report signs and symptoms that have been present for more than a year. Addressing mental health symptoms when they first become known increases the odds of favorable long-term outcomes. When you wait until the point of crisis, the complexity of your teen’s mental health can place them at a level of risk that could have been avoided. Early intervention allows mental health providers to establish rapport with your teen, address their needs, and become a trusted resource for any future problems. Prioritizing school, sports, and activities over consistent care When a teen needs continuity of care, it may include changes to their schedule and participation in school and extracurricular activities. Disrupting a teen's daily routine is a last resort but sometimes necessary. However, the thought of your child’s absence being noticed can create a sense of fear and even avoidance. If you are delaying care until the "season is over" or waiting for a time when your schedule is "less busy," you could place your teen in significant distress. Most teens desire to please their parents and will not disclose or even be able to articulate the difference between what they are showing the world and what they are feeling inside. Consider taking your child for a mental health assessment and trusting the care recommendations of your healthcare provider. If you and your teen are currently in crisis, emergency help is available. Below is a small list of resources to help guide your support search. The first three resources are crisis hotlines that provide around-the-clock support and may refer you to a local mental health specialist. Also listed are three therapist directories to help your search for long-term care. Therapist directories are a helpful way to find a therapist and filter for areas such as symptoms, location, and insurance. Before you begin searching, consider these questions: Is your teen in need of a healthcare provider who can offer therapy, medication, or both? Does your family have health insurance, or will you need resources that can work with your income? To create a comprehensive family mental health list, add any local hospitals or treatment centers that provide care to teens. The National Suicide & Crisis Prevention Lifeline: Text or call 988 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress The TrevorLifeline: 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678 Provides confidential support with a Trevor counselor for LGBTQ youth in crisis, 24 hours, seven days a week. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): 1-800-662-4357 SAMHSA's National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and substance use disorders. Zencare.co Filter by insurance and specialty to find therapists who provide free introductory calls and have open availability to care for new clients. Inclusive Therapists This site can be used to find everything from therapy for adolescents and teens to low-cost or non-profit services. Psychology Today Online search engine to find psychotherapists, psychiatrists, treatment centers, and support groups. Open Path Psychotherapy Collective Use this directory to find therapists who offer in-person and virtual sessions between $40-$70 Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Charryse! Dr. Charryse Johnson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Charryse Johnson is an author, speaker, and mental health consultant whose work focuses on the intersection of integrative wellness, neuroscience, and mental health. She is the founder of Jade Integrative Counseling and Wellness, an integrative therapy practice where personal values, the search for meaning, and the power of choice are the central focus. Dr.Johnson works with clients and organizations across the nation and has an extensive background and training in education, crisis and trauma, neuroscience, and identity development.

Written by: Amelia Harshfield, 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. Being driven and wanting to accomplish things can be a defining aspect of who you are. Your ambition may have fueled you to push harder, go further in life, and constantly keep your eye on the next prize. It may have led to incredible experiences and achievements thus far. While you may be successful in your career, you may not have been so focused on your romantic life. You may feel like you are missing out on dating and relationships. You may think an enjoyable relationship is not possible in your current situation. You might believe that romance will happen when you hit the next level of success. But it is possible to have both. You just need to learn how to allow them to happen simultaneously. First, get clear on what you want out of your career and your relationship. Relationships and careers take energy. Both require effort to maintain and grow. When you know what you are looking for with them, they can turn into something you give and receive from. This can give you more energy to get out of life. There are lots of things your career may have given you. You might feel empowered and accomplished. You might be proud of how far you’ve come. You may be providing for others what you did not receive yourself. With all the work and sacrifice you’ve put into your career, what do you want out of it? What do you need now from all the hours you’ve put into your path? Do you need a certain financial level? Do you need recognition from your employees, teammates, or business partner? Would it be meaningful for you to realize all your hard work thus far? Do you need space to take a vacation without thinking about work the entire time? Do you need more time to destress? You are a valuable person. Your career should be worthy of you. Now, let’s look at your love life. Healthy relationships can be a space of joy, expansion, and healing. They can make you feel grounded, secure, and happy. However, people usually want different things in a partner. Some people may seek a companion that can understand their childhood experiences. Others may desire a partner who listens well. Others want one that makes them laugh throughout the day. If you focus on quality traits rather than physical attributes, financial status, and a partner’s potential you will likely find more substance in your relationship. When conflict arises having the right personality traits will help ensure an argument (and future fights) will not erode your relationship. Focus on quality traits that make relationships last. The Gottman Institute studies relationships and what makes them work (and what does not). You can find more about the research here. They found that happy relationships boil down to simple yet profound skills. An example of one of these skills is being acknowledged by your partner. That means feeling heard and considered within your relationship most of the time. Another is staying curious about one another. Asking open-ended questions allows for a deeper connection. This keeps a sense of wonder in the relationship. There is always something else to learn about one another, no matter how long you may have known each other. Identifying attributes that make relationships last can be a great filter for picking your next partner. It can help you avoid dating dead ends. Secondly, define your needs in a relationship. You are important and it is your job to make sure your needs are looked after in your career and relationship. Much like you’ve gotten to a level of success with your career or business, you can also reach your dreams of being in a fulfilling relationship. It just takes practice and knowing how to have the right relationship. Understanding your current needs can be confusing. This is particularly challenging when you are triggered, anxious, hopeless, stuck, and new to identifying them in relationships. Consider the following questions to bring some clarity. What do you want to give in a relationship? What do you want back that would make it worthwhile? How often do you want to see one another? How do you want conflicts to occur? Do you want someone who sees your needs as important? What does that look link in a partner? How often do you want to communicate? What are you willing to give up to find a happy relationship? The more you know what you need out of a relationship, the easier it will be to find the right partner. Clarity gives you a sense of power with dating. You are saying that you deserve certain attributes in a person. You are not taking anyone based on how they look, talk, or act. You know your importance. That means less time spent on wrong partners and fretting over possible connections. Dating becomes simpler as you become clearer about the kind of person you want. Thirdly, know how to ask for your needs directly and respectfully. Even if you know your needs, asking for them can come with challenges. You may be afraid to ask for your needs. You might not believe your needs are worthy of being met. You might ask in ways that reduce the chance of your partner hearing them. You may only ask for your needs when you are at your wit's end or have too many glasses of wine. All of these can muddle your message and confuse your partner. The good news is that learning how to ask for your needs from a partner just takes practice. The most direct and respectful way of asking for your needs is often done in parts. Ideally, you need to see if they are in a mental space to listen to you. You can check by asking them something like “do you have time to talk right now?”. That gives them a chance to listen or not. If not, you can ask another time. If they say yes, use a specific example of what you are wanting. The more particular you are, the easier it will be for them to understand. An example is “I’ve been super tired when I come home recently.” Then you ask for what you want differently. It could sound something like “Is it possible for you to do the dishes at night? It would really help me out” If they are not able to meet that, then you can find another way to get help. People are not always going to be able to meet your needs. But if you learn how to ask people, give them a specific request, and ask if they can meet it, it will allow your needs to be more likely to be heard. Now, you can ask in the most direct and respectful way but that does not mean the other person will respond the way you want them to. You cannot control the other person's reactions. If they say no, now you know their answer. If your partner says yes, remember that they are probably learning new skills. That means you may need to remind them up to 30 times for the lesson to click for them. That does not imply anything about you or the relationship. It just means something about where they are at. If you want to develop your relationship skills, you can download the Becoming Resilient workbook. This improves your emotional intelligence in relationships as you learn to meet your needs better. The first of the four sections is at no cost to you and can be found here . Having a fulfilling relationship and career can be accomplished. It usually takes you understanding what you are looking for, knowing what your needs are, and being able to ask for them directly and respectfully. For more info follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Amelia! Amelia Harshfield, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Amelia Harshfield is fascinated and motivated by what impact makers can achieve as they become more resilient. With a solid education and a master’s degree in economics, she has been creating passive income in Real Estate investing for over 5 years. Her key foundational work is The Overcoming Anxiety Method™, a powerful 4-step formula for playing a bigger game without being crushed by fear. This process is paramount to finding an authentic version of freedom and wealth. Mentoring and educating high-level operators is her passion, her work has been featured in magazines, podcasts, conferences, and she has been a trainer on Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island.