Long before the Internet, traditional marketing methods were touted as a surefire way to success. However, the meteoric rise of digital technology has paved the way for numerous shifts in the world of business. Times have certainly changed, and any entrepreneur worth their salt knows the tremendous value of digital marketing and paid advertising. These days, taking over the digital space and solidifying a brand’s online identity have become synonymous with success. Digital Marketing expert Jason Wojo knows this all too well, using this information to bring small and medium-sized brands to the top by harnessing the services of Wojo Media. Nowadays, paid advertising is king. Over the last four years, Wojo Media has successfully scaled over 50 brands and businesses to seven and eight figures without fail. Founder and CEO Jason Wojo is a firebrand entrepreneur who has built a prominent career in the digital marketing industry by selling over $100 million through paid advertising, earning him a spot in NY Weekly Magazine’s 30 Top Entrepreneurs Under 30. Like any emerging technology, paid advertising has actually been around for quite a while now, and it used to be so much cheaper. However, in 2022, with the rise of business spending, the digital marketing industry has become much more expensive and competitive. With the rise of demand and oversaturation, only the best of the best will truly rise to the top. That’s where Jason Wojo and Wojo Media come in. Jason Wojo’s firsthand experience in the industry has elevated him into a definitive authority in paid advertising, making his knowledge and services a highly sought-after commodity for any aspiring entrepreneur. As a nine-figure advertiser, Jason Wojo has devoted his career to helping other brands and businesses scale with his tried and tested strategies. Offering a plethora of valuable insights, Jason Wojo has broken the concepts of paid advertising down to a science. This allowed him to create a metric for successful paid advertising categorized into four key parts: irresistible offers, high-converting landing pages, omnipresent ads across multiple platforms, and ensuring the attainment of profitable and predictable backend KPIs. First and foremost, a business needs to answer a particular customer’s need without them having to think it over. By providing prospects with an irresistible offer, it doesn’t take any effort to turn that “maybe” into a “yes.” Now, of course, once a customer’s interest has been piqued, an online business will need to lead them through the process. This is where a fantastic landing page can truly shine. “A landing page needs to be packed with the right messaging, a compelling copy, and the ability to broadcast that irresistible offer in words that sell on a one-page landing page,” explained Jason Wojo. In a world where competition is fierce, an entrepreneur’s best bet in winning over a customer comes in the form of omnipresence. By broadcasting ads across the Internet and running multiple traffic sources, prospects will become more likely to be within a brand’s data pipeline, ultimately ripe for conversion. Finally, the last key piece in successful paid advertising involves a brand’s KPIs and numbers. Business owners should always remember that predictability and profitability are key when it comes to the numbers of a thriving brand. “Once you nail down the first three parts and traffic is consistently working, how can we use simple numbers to increase those numbers? Test with confidence and always optimize and scale upon what’s working,” explained Jason Wojo. This metric has become a powerful resource for Wojo Media’s clients. With a clear understanding of the ins and outs of paid advertising, Jason Wojo and his team can carefully curate a tailor-made campaign that perfectly suits the needs and demands of his clientele. “Any upcoming or established business can benefit a ton from a strong online presence as it helps to sustain, compete and grow exponentially, which is not possible with other mediums,” shared Jason Wojo. Jason Wojo has proven to the world that paid advertising is a powerful tool for gaining entrepreneurial success. Through the use of strategic digital marketing campaigns, any business owner can leverage Wojo Media’s remarkable services and reap the rewards as they come.

Written by: Amanda Dounis, 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 most important relationship inside the therapy space is the therapeutic relationship. Understanding the Therapeutic Alliance is extremely important. Not just for kids but also for adults to understand. It's the connection between the therapist and the individual. If we want to help kids, we need to connect with them. Building rapport sets the foundations for self-empowerment. This then leads to successful sessions with achievable outcomes. Tip 1: The first session Quite often we want to dive into techniques and explore solutions. This describes the enthusiastic therapist who is equipped and compassionate. We need to accept that first, we must value the importance of rapport. In my experience, the building of a trusting therapeutic relationship clears the pathway to achieve goals and outcomes. The first session is very important. A therapeutic relationship is developed. It may vary in style. Sometimes it can be perceived as mentoring or coaching. Some individuals think that life coaching is just for adults. But did you know about Life Coaching for Kids? Tip 2: The next session It is anticipated that the young client is looking forward to this session as they have already met you and built rapport from the first session. Having already had a session means they have an impression, and hopefully a shift in the direction they are travelling. This shift is supported by a feeling they have from the rapport gained. Every small shift /change matters. A healthy rapport is like a catalyst for outcomes. Tip 3: The purpose of feedback I find some therapists are a little afraid of feedback in case it is negative. I believe all feedback is useful. Feedback helps the individual make an honest assessment of how they feel the session went. I collect feedback at the end of the first session and the beginning and end of each session thereafter. This helps the therapeutic relationship stay healthy and respectful. It's what we do with feedback that leads to great sessions. A good therapist sees the value in feedback. Feedback should be accepted without judgement. A short and purposeful discussion around planning should always form part of the discussion after feedback is sought. Tip 4: The purpose of setting goals Some clients may not have goals or a particular direction that they wish to travel. They may come in with problems and areas of concern yet have no goals moving forward. It is our job to strategically invite the possibilities of achieving outcomes (also known as goals). We need to see how the client feels about goals. This is important. Young persons may feel pressure to achieve if we outline goals. We don't want this added pressure. So it is important through rapport building, that their idea of goals is explored. Reframing can be useful here. Small achievable goals can become fun and motivate. I believe that a good therapist can ensure there are some goals, no matter their size, and include them in the treatment plan. The best consultant here becomes the young client. Yes, that's right, the young client should be part of the planning process. I check on goals at each session. Goals should not just be set at the beginning. Goals change, and goals should change as progress takes place, or as new challenges arise. So I believe in consulting with the client as to what the goals are for each session. Even if I must offer lots of input here, I still will include the young client as part of the process. Tip 5: The purpose of tasking Change doesn't happen inside my clinic or my zoom room. Change happens when the client leaves and goes back into their challenging environment confronted with their concerns /problems. So to help with this process I often suggest some tasking. I am well aware that some individuals may be resistant to tasking, so I tread carefully. I do not want anything to ruin the therapeutic relationship. I let all clients know that I will not be disappointed if they do not do the tasks. Most of the time we come up with and agree on the tasks together. And there are times I may suggest tasks. Tasks usually consist of practising a skill or technique. Some tasks are record keeping, journaling, and creating. And some tasks are doing some uncomfortable things or simply one thing different. Whatever the task and whether it was done or not, this is then used as feedback. I hope this short read has given you an insight into the therapeutic relationship. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Amanda! Amanda Dounis, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Amanda Dounis, is a leader in kids, tweens and teens coping skills. A professional award-winning leader in the early childhood industry, Amanda has added wonderful tools to her therapy practice. Amanda says it's difficult for these kids working through these challenging years. So she enthusiastically joins their ride to show them to smooth over bumpy roads and keep moving forward. In the end, it's the challenges that give them the opportunity to practice their coping skills. She certainly promotes self-empowerment through courage and curiosity.

Written by: Dr. Phillip Hearn, 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. Yes, having a strong client pool is important, but it's even more important to keep that client pool growing. Without a strong client pool, you will continually chase after the same people, who represent only a fraction of your total audience. Instead, build a client base that cares about your product or service and then grow it organically — instead of through cold calling or marketing tactics — over time. Marketing your business can be tough. If you're in a small business, it's especially difficult to reach out and find potential clients. Fortunately, it's not impossible. Here are some principles for building a strong client pool for your small business. Maintain your current relationships If you fail to take care of the clients you have right now, your client pool may shrink to a puddle before it even begins to grow. Meet their needs in an accessible and respectful manner. Ask what improvements could be made as well as what they want most from your business. Find out how they want to receive their products, communications, or service and make it happen. Increase your referrals Your best chance of success is to have a network of people who trust and respect you, and you can use those relationships to improve your ability to earn networking referrals. For example, if you want to get new clients as a tutor or teacher, the best bet would be to ask one of your existing students, parents, or colleagues for referrals or if you’re looking for clients as a writer or comedian, you should reach out to friends and family who are successful in those fields. Diversify your reach While diversification is never a guarantee that you’re going to reach your financial goals, it can help protect your business from future economic trends and seasonal swings. A diverse client base of entrepreneurs and smaller businesses is more likely to invest in your company because they feel confident about your business model and services. Increase your social media presence Increase your presence online, in print, and in advertisements. Show up in community spaces too. When you are more present, potential customers have the opportunity to find you and contact you with their needs. Create social media accounts at different locations and consider online marketing strategies like blogging, which may help build your brand and help reach new audiences. Treat every client equally A high-quality reputation is the key to success in any business. Treat all customers with the same level of service and respect, whether big or small, big potential or old established clientele. Your reputation is what sets you apart from your competition and allows you to build a solid client base. Bottom line Your client list is like a portfolio of your work. To remain in business, you need to grow the number of clients you do business with. If you truly want a successful practice, your time commitment must be more than just “one of the other things” on your plate. Make it your priority and commit to investing in yourself as well as your business! Click the link and take the free, 5-minute ScaleABILITY assessment and get a custom report detailing which of the 8 "Scale Factors" are holding your business back here. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Philip! Dr. Phillip Hearn, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Phillip Hearn is a master in entrepreneurship, real estate investing, and motivational inspiration. Despite setbacks from a problematic childhood, Hearn learned the value of investing in himself and capitalizing on his strengths. He has since specialized in helping others discover their full potential, personally and professionally. He founded Mid American Capital Holdings, LLC, an acquisition focused company. Current subsidiaries include Phillip Speaks, specializing in public speaking and coaching; Financial Center, operating as a capital broker to help businesses grow their operations, and other subsidiaries which continues to expand. His mission: to collaborate as a problem solver to today’s challenges.

Written by: Kenny Bhosale, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. As savvy business leaders, we need to change how we view leadership ‒ by thinking of it less as an ‘add-on’ and more as an essential business capability that helps us achieve our strategy and goals. This can have a much more significant impact on our business and people; and a better return on the time and money we spend on leadership development. Leadership development is a multi-billion-dollar industry and continues to grow. Yet, leaders and businesses are left wanting and wondering what they are investing in and what they are getting out of it. As savvy business leaders, we need to change how we view leadership today. You need to get away from the emotional sell and instead start thinking of leadership as an essential business capability that helps you achieve your business strategy and goals – whether that is to increase outputs, improve employee experience, enable growth or create a competitive advantage. Leadership as a business capability. Before we delve into it, we first need to understand the term ‘business capability’, which often has conflicting definitions and can be misunderstood. Your business capabilities are your core functions (what you need to do) to deliver your business outcomes. These could include capabilities like IT, HR, talent acquisition, sales, marketing, manufacturing, product design, etc. Your business capabilities also differentiate you from your competitors, no matter what size of business you are. Sometimes, a larger or more mature company may incorporate leadership development in their HR or people capability, so leadership gets some attention. Although, in my experience, leadership often becomes the poor cousin to other HR and people capability initiatives. More commonly, leadership development is regarded as an ‘add-on’ or something you do on top of your ‘core business’. Inevitably, leadership development drops off the radar when it gets tough, and people get busier. Such thinking results in expensive leadership solutions that are never embedded into business and eventually fail or fade out as people return to their old habits. For example, leaders will often go on leadership courses, workshops or retreats where they walk away inspired and armed with a strong desire to create a particular leadership culture. Yet, they find themselves frustrated when they return to the real-world complexities of their work and struggle to implement any of those changes. When the motivation fades, they return to the status quo. We need to do better. We need to change how we look at and develop leadership in our businesses. We need to start thinking of leadership as a business capability that helps us achieve our strategy and goals. Here are four things for you to consider to change how you approach leadership development in your business. First, know your needs. You wouldn’t invest in a project or design solution without knowing the ‘needs’, correct? Yet, most businesses do exactly that. The leadership marketplace is full of theories, philosophies, models, trends and outright fads with no evidential grounding. Not all those solutions will add the same value to you and your business. The right leadership solutions help you increase outputs, create the right culture, help recruitment and retention, improve employee experience, enable growth and create a competitive advantage. Hence, effective leadership development starts with first understanding what you need to do in the leadership space to deliver your business strategy. For example, in my consultancy, the first step is evaluating the client’s needs. This conversation starts at the macro level by understanding the strategy and vision and then delving deeper into the pain points that need leadership solutions. The outcome is always a tailored action plan to help those clients and their businesses achieve their goals. Quite often, this evaluation involves some variation of an ‘honest conversation’ with the leader/s to distinguish what they ‘want’ from what they ‘need.’ Know your outcomes. Once you know the areas to focus on, you need to understand that your leadership development initiatives need to add value to the outcome of the business, period. If leadership doesn’t yield tangible or intangible outcomes that can be measured, then it simply becomes a vanity exercise that eventually loses steam, gets down prioritised or is phased out when the leader/s championing it moves on. Whilst good people skills and leadership are founded on sound values and virtues, these alone cannot be the reason why businesses invest in and undertake leadership development. For example – let’s say your leadership development initiatives are linked with improving your employee experience. You still need to be able to define and articulate how leadership development will impact your employee experience and how that, in turn, aligns with your strategic outcomes. Focus on leadership, not just leaders. You need to shift focus away from ‘leader’ development and more towards ‘leadership’ development. Leadership occurs at all levels of the business, from the executives to the managers, team leaders and right down to the employees who have no direct report. In other words, you can’t develop good leaders if you are unwilling to develop good followers and team players. Spending far too much time focusing on the leader creates a risk of unrealistic self-expectations (from leaders themselves as well as from others). This places undue pressure on individual leaders to drive, influence and change the culture and ‘save the day’ like some cape-wearing heroes of the business world. Leaders struggle under unrealistic pressure and burnout. Taking a holistic approach and developing leadership in conjunction with good followership and teamwork across the business yields much better outcomes. Embed leadership in your business. This is probably the most unsexy and ignored part of developing leadership as a business capability. If you want leadership to be part and parcel of your business and culture, then it needs to be embedded into every part of the business that involves people and all systems and processes that affect your people. In most businesses, this includes every department and function within the business. Furthermore, you also need to support and incentivise leadership behaviours you want to see from your people. For example, a recent client of mine did this well, by creating a leadership-focused section in the annual performance reviews for all their managers, dedicated monthly awards for good leadership, introducing a survey system to capture feedback and measure employee engagement to hold leaders accountable, and formally creating time and space for leaders to spend more time coaching their direct reports. One of the most common downfalls for leaders is not having the time or simply being too busy to lead, influence, sit down and have conversations. What this looks like is unique to every business, but the concept is simple – you get what you measure and reward. Embedding leadership across your business makes it part and parcel of what you do and who you are. This drives culture and makes it stick. Leadership development can be a significant time and financial investment for most businesses. Just like any other business decision, you need to take a business lens to leadership. You need to think of leadership as an essential business capability that helps you achieve your business strategy and goals. As I like to say - “Leadership is not the icing on the cake; it is a core ingredient of what makes you successful” (Kenny Bhosale). By taking this approach and embedding leadership across your business, not only will you get a better return on investment of time and money, but you will also build a leadership culture that attracts and retains the best people. Soon enough, you will create a competitive advantage that is hard, if not impossible, for competitors to replicate. Follow me on LinkedIn, Youtube, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kenny! Kenny Bhosale, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kenny is a leadership strategist, who understands how good leadership, management, and business systems work together with the right culture to help leaders achieve success. He is a certified Executive Coach whose knowledge and experience are grounded in a Master of Science specialising in Change Leadership and an Executive MBA specialising in Organisational Leadership Development. Kenny has helped hundreds of Executives lead change and thrive in the real-world complexities and ambiguities of today’s business environment. His mission is to make a difference, one leader and one business at a time, so they can make a difference to the life and career of their people, as well as the communities they influence. Internal Links: https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/four-secrets-of-organizational-excellence https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/2023-predictions-strengths-leadership-and-employee-experience

Rev. Marcus Brown, also known as "Metaphysical Marc," is a spiritual advisor, life coach, and social media marketing expert. He is a dynamic and inspiring speaker who has helped countless individuals tap into their inner power and achieve their goals. With his unique blend of spirituality, psychology, and marketing, Rev. Brown has become a sought-after expert in the field of personal development. His mission is to empower people to live their best lives and reach their full potential. He is a dedicated, compassionate and a motivational speaker who has helped thousands of people around the globe to change their lives for the better. Marcus Brown, Spiritual Advisor, International Speaker Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better. Hey Peeps, my name is Marcus Brown aka Metaphysical Marc and I am originally from a small city in Florida named Mount Dora. Now living in the greater Denver area, I enjoy emerging myself within nature and all things Metaphysical. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Metaphysics, being an ordained minister as well as a certified Shaman/Medicine Man within the Non-Indigenous Native American chapter Awakening Soul Church, I live a very blended lifestyle of Practical application of higher awareness and understandings from a deeper, Spiritual perspective. Being a proud Father has changed and shaped a lot of my passions over the years and more of my focus. Parenthood changed a lot for me as well as overcoming adversities such as being an Orphan in Foster Care, Homelessness and reshaping Paradigms using tools that I now teach all over the world. What is your business name and how do you help your clients? My business name is Metaphysical Marc LLC and what we provide are a variety of services to help clients change their lives via Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Development tools that are meant to shift paradigms, release of trauma within the body physically and emotionally. Offering 1:1 Coaching and Energy work via virtual connections, we’ve helped people in over 15 countries all over the world in the last 3 years. What kind of audience do you target your business towards? Our ideal clients are those who are committed to working towards growth and betterment in all areas of their lives. Having a committed attitude to the process as well as the determination to take the tools and use them outside of our sessions is what we look for most when it comes to evaluating clients during our consultation process. We are committed to giving you our all so we expect clients to commit to giving themselves the same. This has proven very effective as the reciprocal relationship develops a sense of trust and accountability that is essential to developing better quality relationships. Who inspires you to be the best that you can be? I would have to say my daughter Myya. Without her being here on this plane, I wouldn't have such the inspiration to make sure she never has to endure the lifestyle that I had to. Being a Father, well a Parent really, changes what you’re inspired and driven by. What is your work inspired by? My work is inspired by my journey and deeper understanding of Spiritual Applications that have been echoed throughout history in various different ways. My personal journey over the years of enduring the difficulties of Foster Care as well as Homelessness after aging out, created a very easy template of understanding once I sat down and healed the aspects of myself I needed to by using the tools I teach now. I not only hold knowledge around Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Development but I also lived it from one extreme to another. I am the biggest example of my work and its effects. Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far. Ahhhh, my greatest career achievement so far I would say is connecting with names like Deepak Chopra and David Meltzer. Being on a virtual speaking line up with Deepak was an amazing experience and a great pleasure. David being a mentor of mine as well a good friend now, actually hopping on a Live with him 2 years ago and hearing him say “Metaphysical Marc, my mannnn. Love this guy” as our first formal meeting up until now with him giving me the title “Ferocious Buddha”. If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? If it’s one thing I would change about the Health Industry as a whole is the disconnect between each area of what really should be Holistic meaning whole. I honestly believe that having the awareness of more aspects than just one allows for a deeper understanding of what we are looking at in totality. My mission is to bridge the gap between what we understand without seeing and what we understand by seeing. The Truth between each methodology and not necessarily looking for the difference. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today. A very pivotal moment for me in my life was being homeless and losing everything. At that moment I had to make a choice, either succumb and die or do something else and change into what I wanted to become. It was really at that point in my life a lot of things shifted for me. Being homeless, I found ways to invest in myself and build my mental and shift my paradigm. Since then I’ve had many experiences that have shaped different awareness and brought forth challenges that have shifted my perspective and paradigm even more but this point was the most pivotal in my transformation. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Marcus!

Written by: Melissa Acob, 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 ever catch yourself thinking about how things could be different in your business? Do you have times when you feel stuck on the hamster wheel going nowhere? In this article, I’m going to give you three steps on how to get off the hamster wheel and start living an authentic life, and perform at your best self. Before I tell you these key three steps, let me introduce myself. My name is Melissa Acob, I’m known as Coach Mel in the coaching community and on social media. I am a Business Mindset Coach, Manifestation Coach, and Energy Psychologist. I help business owners overcome their fears and limiting beliefs to gain clarity, scale their businesses, and find inner peace. In 2019, when the pandemic began to surface, there was a lot of fear of the future. I longed to find ways to manifest more money, happiness, and inner peace. During the lockdown, I started to dive deeper into studying the mindset, past trauma, energy, and manifestation. Less than a year later, I received my accreditation as a Master Life Coach and Energy Psychologist. I continued my education by taking multiple business courses, and in less than two years, I left my 6-figure corporate job of 23 years to become a full-time coach. Owning my first business was not always smooth sailing, but I also knew the fears of failing were not my own beliefs. This is one of the three key steps of understanding your subconscious mindset and ditching your old blueprint. Step 1: Recognizing your old blueprint What is your old blueprint? Your blueprint is part of your subconscious mindset that is running 95% of the time. Where positive and negative beliefs are embedded from your childhood. Did you know when you have a negative thought, that is not a conscious state? When you have a negative belief, it’s trying to attach to a negative emotion in your subconscious mindset. Who you are today, the way you think, your habits, and your fight or flight mode come from learned behavior from others you looked up to between the ages of 0 – 10 years old. Let’s take an example, feeling good about your business success. If you believe you’ll never be successful, where does that belief come from? What did people tell you about success from 0 – 10 years old? Was it positive or negative? Did you receive the support and praise you needed? If you were lacking support in success as a child, that same energy and limiting beliefs are replaying in your current reality. Your subconscious mindset is running on auto-play 95% of the time. It only takes one negative emotion to activate your old blueprint beliefs. Step 2: Ditching your old blueprint and past trauma Now that you have recognized your old blueprint, you can start releasing your old beliefs. How do you do this? Well, it’s easier said than done. Everyone has 5 – 10 storylines from their childhood that results in negative beliefs today. When I work with my clients there are specific steps to guide them through this process. For this article, we’ll focus on “business success”. If you can recognize your negative beliefs are a by-product of your past conditioning and trauma from your childhood, it’s time to take action to heal your mindset. You are going to achieve this by writing a forgiveness letter. You’re going to write this forgiveness letter to whoever made you feel that success was hard to get. This letter is only for yourself so be as REAL as you want. In the first part of this letter, you’re going to address a specific person that hurt you in the past. You will write down what made you angry, or sad, and what you wish this person could have done differently to help your success. The second part of this letter may be tough; however, you are going to forgive this person so you can move on. Forgiveness is not forgetting; it’s letting go of negative energy you keep giving power to and not getting results. This energy is keeping you on the hamster wheel to nowhere. As you release your past, you can start focusing on your future. After you write your letter(s), you will shred the letter with this affirmation “I’m ready to let go” and toss it outside of your house in your garbage can. You must remove this energy from your household. Don’t be surprised if you get communication from this person you are forgiving, every action we do is energy sent out and must be returned back to us. Step 3: Becoming your authentic self You might be sitting there wondering, “if I am not the beliefs of others, who am I?” This is the exciting part! Now you can find your authentic self of who you really want to be and how to show up for yourself today. Take a blank piece of paper and draw two columns. The left column will be called “My Personal Goals”, and the right column will be called “My Business Goals”. It’s important to focus on yourself and personal development before any other outside goals. Under your personal goals, right down 3-4 goals that you have put on the shelf being consumed with overthinking and worrying about your business success. They can be goals about health and well-being, your bucket list, or maybe it’s moving to a new location or residence. Write down what your goals are and three action steps towards accomplishing these goals. Next, write down your business goals. What are you trying to accomplish this year? This could be your revenue goals, your client goals, and your marketing goals. Maybe it’s being open to new opportunities? Write down what your goals are and three action steps towards accomplishing these goals. When you are finished with both lists, it’s time to start taking action! Do not try to accomplish every goal at once, that will only create a chaotic mindset and trigger your old blueprint. You want to create an action plan that is realistic and makes you feel good. As you feel good about your goals, here is something you can do to magnetize fast results! You are going to start attracting your results by using visualization. Before you go to bed, I want you to turn off all electronics 30 minutes before you fall asleep. As your laying in bed, I want you to visualize achieving your goals in your personal life and business before you fall asleep. Visualize every small detail and feel the good emotions of already achieving this! While you sleep, you are changing your subconscious mindset to what you believe is true about success. In summary, doing these 3 steps and keeping yourself accountable for who you are and how you show up for yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If you are ready to ditch your old blueprint and start performing as your best self to scale your business and find inner peace, let’s connect on a free strategy call today here. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Youtube, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Melissa! Melissa Acob, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Melissa Acob is a Business Mindset and Manifestation Coach. She helps business owners overcome their limiting beliefs to gain clarity, scale their business, and find inner peace. Melissa started her coaching journey during the pandemic to learn how to attract more wealth, happiness, and inner peace. Melissa soon realized the key to becoming successful was to overcome the learned negative behaviors from others she looked up to in her childhood. This unique way of coaching is what creates extraordinary results in her clients personal and business success around the world today.

Written by: Juliette Marhofer-Dugger, Senior Level Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. As odd as it may sound, my two defining words for 2022 were, “Welcome Home.” In 2023 my defining word is, “Harmony.” In this article I wrote for BRAINZ, which was inspired by a fortune cookie, I share why ‘home’ is best. In the context of home, I’m not referring to a physical environment. Since a physical home may or may not reflect comfort, I’m referencing home as the condition of our soul. Enter harmony. When love and belonging become the culture of our lives, we create a future from a place of peace and harmony. We cannot deny the reality of our situation, but we can seek wellness for our souls in the middle of chaos. In the middle of my own tragedy that I share in my new book, Watershed Warrior, love and fear taught me that pain and power coexist beautifully, they are not mutually exclusive. Peace is our umpire in the storm; the welcome mat at the door of our heart to help us live in harmony and breathe. At 4:50 p.m., New Year’s day, my oldest son ran to Starbucks for a coffee. He pulled over in the parking lot to call me. “Mom, I was just sitting here for a few minutes thinking about you and how you have every reason to hate men. You’ve fought through so much. You of all people have every reason to hate us and yet, you still desire to give another man a chance in your life in the near future. I just wanted to say thank you for not hating men. I know you’ve been fighting this since you were a kid,” he said. We exchanged some beautiful words and then hung up. I sat at this moment with tears rolling down my face and was reminded of the words in 3 John 1:2, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and that you may keep well, even as I know your soul keeps well and prospers.” My personal experience in life is that all rises and falls on the condition of my soul. I considered how every moment we choose to fight for our soul care is worth every second of our time. I don’t enjoy loathing myself. I mean, who does? The times we wander off in our mind, we become lost under the piles of rubble and unworthiness attempts to eerily creep in to set up camp. Desolation is the record playing and the needle of shame keeps skipping over the good parts. Is the record player broken, or is there a crack in the record? This can feel just like life — we are sifted through many hands hoping to eventually find our way into the home of another soul that appreciates all the notes we play and the moments we skip. But, what about asking God’s perfect love to tend to places in us before we reach again for the hands of imperfect humans? What if we choose to be still and ask Him to help us trust that He is who He says He is? Then, on the other side, those baby steps will lead you to a new hope and a new future! Begin with this truth — God doesn’t hold your questions or distrust against you. Love doesn’t keep a record of wrong, but humans do. The longest record is against our own soul. To show up in love is our gateway to power and harmony. Love is the Source to which all power is held. Choosing to live a life of love towards God, ourselves, and others rescue us from a life we were never intended to live. As far as the eye can see God longs to rescue you and me. Dear soul, I believe this about you too — that under the rubble you may find me flat on my back with my eyes clenched shut, but the grip around my sword can only be pried away when I stop breathing. We are resilient warriors of love. We are capable of war, but we are made for love and when we find out what we love we will go to war. Love is not passive, it is active! Since it’s a new year, I love shifting my perspective — that I’m building onto what I already started as opposed to thinking that I’m at ground zero. I’m inviting you to gather the beautiful pieces of your life with me this year, even what appears as waste, as a continuum of the mosaic of your resilience that began long ago. You are worthy of a soul, your home, filled with harmony and rest. Until next time, cheers friend! Order my new book Watershed Warrior here (available on iTunes, Amazon, Audible, & Kindle) Subscribe to my podcast Yellow Soul on Apple & Spotify. Follow me on Instagram, and visit my website for more information! Read more from Juliette! Juliette Marhofer-Dugger, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Juliette Dugger is a Life Coach, Speaker, Entrepreneur, and Thought Leader, whose obsession with Soul Care points others to rewrite their story and not to relive history. After childhood and adulthood trauma caused a collision of abandonment and a longing for intimate belonging in her soul, she created dialogue to radically transform her narrative. Juliette has committed her life to helping others recover their breath in the middle of the war in their soul, not after it ends! She is the founder of WildWell Company—a movement of freeing the mind and healing the body through Soul Care for females affected by systemic cycles and patterns of mental, emotional, and spiritual abuse and betrayal trauma. Juliette is passionate about reframing soul hygiene to disrupt the view of how we connect to faith, ourselves, and others to create a life of wonder!

Written by: Dr. Clinton Bullock, 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 order to grow a successful online business, you have to… No. 1: Invest in Yourself Providing yourself with the skills and the credentials to assist other people in their own development is key. You can invest in yourself in many ways. For example, you could get a master’s degree or a doctorate. You could also become certified in the area in question or acquire a coach yourself. Acquiring a coach in your field makes a lot of sense, regardless of what else you do, because you always need to surround yourself with people who are where you want to be. If someone else is already accomplished in the field in question, then you need to align yourself with them, so that you can also achieve similar or greater results. No. 2: Get Results In order to get people to buy anything from you, you need to have one or both of the following things: Testimonials: Testimonials represent social media credit, and it shows others that you are reliable, dependable, and that you get results…because, at the end of the day, that's what people want—RESULTS. So, testimonials serve as a visual representation of the great things that people say about you and the results that you can deliver. BE the Proof: If you don't have results because your business is new, then you have to be able to show people that you acquired results for yourself. For instance, you may not have any clients or testimonials as of yet, but if you are a personal trainer and you have a six-pack, then your body will serve as your resume. People will look at you and say, “Hey, I want that.” If you are in the life coaching space, people like to know the steps that you utilized to overcome adversity and pain in your life. Channeling your pain and suffering to accomplish great things creates character and also represents the platform upon which many life coaches function. In that, if others see that you have experienced adversity in your life, yet you became successful regardless, then others will believe that the coaching program that you have created could serve as a blueprint for them to succeed as well. No. 3: Build a Team AS SOON AS POSSIBLE When you are first starting an online business, it is important to build a team quickly. Most people who start an online business do not have the money to build a team. So, they have to do everything themselves. However, one of the best things that can be done is to visit to sites, such as Fiverr, where you can find low to reasonable rates, where contractors will assist you in growing your business. You will be very surprised how far $100 will go on a site like FIVERR. So, building a team out, even if they are just contractors, is tremendously important; so that you as the owner don't have to serve as the CEO, the secretary, the operations manager, the marketing manager, and the PR manager. You can’t do everything, as doing everything will leave you broken and burned out. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Bullock! Dr. Clinton Bullock, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Clinton Bullock is the author of the best-selling book, “The 18 Rules of Engagement to Interpersonal Communication.” He is also the founder of Clinton Bullock Worldwide—a high-performance coaching practice that specializes in assisting professionals, entrepreneurs, and aspiring high achievers in overcoming self-sabotaging and other dysfunctional behaviors, so that they may function at extraordinary levels by living efficiently and creating a life that is professionally successful and personally fulfilled.

Written by: George Thorman, 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 the latest study, 32 days is all is takes for the average American to give up on their New Year’s Resolutions. That’s February 1st. A whopping 68% of people report giving up even sooner than that. The top two reasons people cited for giving up on their resolutions were lack of discipline and busy schedules. I think the reason behind those reasons is the subconscious mind. The conscious mind is the rational, logical part of our brain that makes decisions based on facts and evidence. It’s the part making the resolutions to do things like get in better shape, improve relationships, or grow a career. The subconscious mind is the emotional, intuitive part of our brain that is influenced by past experiences, emotions, and beliefs. It’s the part that tells you that you don’t have the discipline to stick to a diet, or that it’s unsafe to let people close to you, or that you’ll never be able to get out of debt. This is what leads to self-sabotaging behaviors like blowing off your diet, skipping your workout, avoiding intimacy, procrastination, a shopping binge, or other undesirable behaviors that prevent you from achieving your dreams. If your conscious mind is setting these goals, why are you doing the opposite? How can the subconscious mind overpower the conscious mind? The conscious mind stores little information and has a limited capacity for processing information. The subconscious mind stores a ton of information and is the fastest information processor known to man. If you think of your subconscious mind as an elephant, then the conscious mind is the rider. The rider can try to direct the elephant, but if the elephant doesn’t want to go that way, the rider will find themselves at a standstill. The subconscious mind’s number one job is to protect you and keep you safe. It can be resistant to change or the unknown. If your subconscious mind thinks that it needs to keep you safe from losing weight, making more money, or love, then you will have a heck of a time creating those things in your life. Where do these limiting subconscious beliefs come from? Subconscious beliefs come from a variety of sources. Early childhood experiences can be particularly powerful and long lasting. Children are highly impressionable and tend to internalize messages from the adults in their lives. Traumatic experiences such as abuse, neglect, a major accident or illness can lead to the formation of negative beliefs. Childhood trauma is especially difficult for the brain to process and can lead to a lot of negative outcomes in adulthood. Negative self-talk and negative reinforcement are usually symptoms of adverse childhood experiences, but they can contribute to negative subconscious beliefs as well. Telling yourself over and over again that you can’t do it, you aren’t good enough, no one will ever love you, or you’re too this or too that will eventually create subconscious beliefs. Societal beliefs and stereotypes can also be negatively internalized. A study found that if young girls were reminded of their gender before taking a math test, their scores dropped by noticeable margins. They had internalized the idea that boys are better at math. Even though these girls were top math students, being reminded of the stereotype effected the outcome of their tests. We also see higher levels of self-hate, depression, and anxiety among marginalized communities (POC, LGBTQIA, and immigrants) due to the internalization of negative stereotypes and hate speech. What can you do to reconcile the conflict between the conscious and subconscious minds? Try one or all of these: 1. Affirmations Affirmations are positive statements that we repeat to ourselves, either out loud or in our minds. It’s important to use present tense and make them positive, i.e., “I am confident and capable.” Choose your affirmation and use it at least 100 times per day. Say it to yourself in the mirror if you can. If you say your affirmation 10 times whenever you are in front of a mirror, it’s easy to get to 100 times per day. 2. Visualization There are a lot of studies that show the power of visualization. It’s the act of creating mental images of the things you want to achieve. Seeing yourself as you hope to be can help shift your subconscious mind about what’s possible for you. Practice this for 3-5 minutes daily. 3. Reframing: This technique helps to change the way you look at a situation by seeing it from a different perspective. I often refer to this as relentless optimism. Look for the good in each situation. Lost your job? Just an opportunity to find a better fit. Struggling with your weight? What a great opportunity to create healthy habits and master self-care. 4. Journaling Writing down your thoughts and feelings can help you to become more aware of your subconscious beliefs and how they impact your thoughts and behavior. It’s a powerful tool for self-reflection and change. Try reframing while journaling! 5. Mindfulness The practice of being present at the moment and observing your thoughts and feelings without judgment. By becoming more aware of your thoughts and feelings, you can begin to identify and challenge negative beliefs and replace them with positive ones. Use affirmations and reframing! 6. NLP Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a method of communication and personal development that helps reprogram the subconscious through reframing, anchoring, and pattern interruption. 7. Hypnosis During a state of deep relaxation in which the mind is more open to suggestion, a therapist can help to uncover and reprogram subconscious beliefs and thoughts. 8. EFT Emotional Freedom Technique was developed by Gary Craig in the 1990s and is also known as tapping. It involves uses fingertips to tap on certain acupressure points while focusing on a specific issue or emotion. You can do this for yourself in under one minute and I teach you how here. 9. Thetahealing Another gem that came out of the 1990s, Vianna Stibal’s powerful method teaches you how to go into a Theta brainwave (our primary wave in childhood and during REM sleep) to create awareness of subconscious blocks and change them. It combines meditation with NLP, visualization, affirmation, and reframing. 10. Therapy Especially if you’ve experienced trauma, working with a therapist or counselor can be a highly effective way to identify and understand the underlying causes of negative subconscious beliefs and develop new, healthier ways of thinking and behaving. No matter which of these techniques you choose, changing the subconscious mind is not a one-time event. It’s a continuous process. It takes time, and it’s okay to have setbacks along the way. It’s a journey, not a destination. Be kind and gentle with yourself and stay consistent with your efforts. Today is the day that most people quit. But you are not like most people. Today is the day that you begin making 2023 your best year yet. I believe in you. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from George! George Thorman, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Have you ever met a woman named George before? No? Then George Thorman has already changed your life. Helping people change their lives wasn't what she set out to do, but after EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) helped her heal severe PTSD she knew she wanted to use it to help others. Since 2011 George has been facilitating personal development through her work as a Thetahealing Master, EFT Practitioner, and Optimize Coach. George's mission is to help people become the best version of themselves. Though she has called many cities and countries home over the years, these days you'll find her in Kansas City, Missouri, USA with her husband, son, and pets.

Written by: Brenda K. 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. Inside a major chain store, there were birds that had flown inside. They at first seemed to enjoy being inside with the high metal roof frames that they sat upon singing and looking around. After a while, they wanted freedom. Some would follow the light at the end of the walkway. Determined to find a way out. Others would fly in circles seeming lost and confused not finding a way out. Others found the exit and seemed overjoyed when they finally flew free. I watched them fly towards freedom as they approached the blue sky going higher and higher. In their case, some may have followed the same path that they flew in on. Others did not find the way out and died of hunger and thirst. Others, after flying around inside were lost and had to find another path to freedom. Very few after being lost for days, tired and hungry, did not give up and did not die, they found a path somehow by not quitting. They took that final leap, a quantum leap, that took all the strength they had and they flew free. Seek Failure Sounds crazy. Feels wrong. Very uncomfortable. Feels unnatural, for some. But is it? By mentally pushing past where many normally quit you overtake failure. Take the unusual path this time. Push yourself past where you’ve quit in the past because you convinced yourself it wasn’t for you. It won’t work anyway. Too many people are doing that. My sister tried and it didn’t work. My cousin said it was hard. My friend tried and failed, so I will properly fail too. Have you heard those excuses before? Does that mean you are willing to stay broke? Willing to stay on the same route that hasn’t worked? Even going back to school only makes more bills, debt, and student loans that are not forgivable. Why not a quantum leap over all those methods and find a path with unlimited potential? A path that is low overhead and has high growth potential. You can do it because you already decided to seek failure to trick your mind into success. A quantum difference then all the other methods that you’ve tried before. It will work. Take Extreme Levels of Growth Think beyond the box. Step out on the tightrope before you’re ready. The path will be bumpy. Rough. May even feel crazy. We normally want a smooth path. Smooth sailing, we call it. What has that gotten you? A job you hate? A boss who hates you? Or it feels like he hates you because you are treated without any respect. A salary that you can’t even live off of. Make a major change in your life or stay broke. Oops, was that too tough? It's only tough if you intend to remain in dream mode. But when you set out and walk along the path of greatness, you soon discover that you are not alone. By stepping out and taking extreme levels of growth rather than tiny, tiny steps. You will find there are others that are also taking those steps that are wonderful, caring people that are as excited about your success as you are. Extreme levels are like extreme sports. Your stomach is full of butterflies. You wonder if you have lost your mind taking such a big risk. Then you take that step and super surprise yourself with everything you have accomplished so quickly! The group that normally takes months and months to build and grow grew quicker than you ever imagined. How? By taking extreme levels first in your mind then it became a daily occurrence. Quantum Leaps Outside of Your Norm Stop! Waiting for everything to be ready to move. It never will be. The world never stops so that you can become successful! It’s like swimming up a waterfall. The water is heavy and constant. It never stops for you to take a breath or to change direction. You have to keep fighting, moving, and, taking action with you feeling like you're drowning….in debt, in despair, or inaction. Now is the time to take a quantum leap. Leaping before you are ready means it will never be perfect. The time will never be right. You just have to leap before you’re ready. Take immediate action now. Don’t think about it or you will never do it. I know people who decided to think about it five years ago and they are still thinking. Stuck on first base still waiting for the perfect time. Still waiting for that perfect opportunity. Quantum leaping means taking immediate action now. Just leap! Miss steps on the Ladder We normally go up the steps one step at a time. That is the same way we walk through life, step by step. What would happen if you miss some steps? Leap over some of the steps that they tell us we need to take. Leap rather than step. Run rather than walk. Those quantum leaps will catapult you through an unbelievable journey that only curtails when you let up. Finally, allow yourself to fly! Our norm in life is to not miss any steps at all. This method is very slow. It only allows us to move inch by inch. What if you moved foot by foot or five feet at a time? How much, further along, would we be if we broke the normal business rules? What would happen if we missed multiple steps leaping over obstacles? Do not go around them. Leap over them. Leap and Your Body Will Follow I dreamt I was on a cliff overlooking the clearest, blueish water I’ve ever seen. Looking down into the water I remember seeing all the fish, bright vibrant colors. Whales of all sizes. Dolphins in the waves as they crashed along the shore. I wanted to jump into the water. As I woke up, I leaped off. Take a quantum leap and your body will follow. Your body follows wherever you lead. Not Ready, Set, Go Just Go! Break the norms and just take off. Often, the ready, set, go method prevents quantum leaps. Ready set go is preparing to leap; you may change your mind and return to the normal comfort level. Ready, set, go is a pattern. Quantum leaping is not. It felt so good, getting up every day knowing that we are going to a job that doesn’t pay enough to survive and that we really don’t like. But you have convinced yourself that you are secure. You know what to expect daily. The pattern rarely changes, unless we take a quantum leap. A quantum leap is not taking another job. If the pay was enough with one job, we wouldn’t have to get another job. But we get another job. That is the pay raise that we have not received. Now you are exhausted and have no time to live. But we have more money, barely. That was what the multiple jobs we suppose to provide, but it doesn’t. Do the wealthy have multiple jobs? No, they started a business in place of that second job. What about a good-paying job? In too many cases, when we have one job that pays well, we have zero time to enjoy life. We get two weeks of relaxation and return to the grind. Just enough time to get into the groove of not being at work, then back to work. Most of us do this on repeat for forty years. Then retire with half or less than what we had full-time. Is that your life? Is that the life you really want? Dreamed of? No! Step out of the Norm Quantum leaping will feel worse before it feels better. It may not ‘feel’ better for a while because of your outside of your normal. If you don’t break the pattern the pattern will break you. Don’t try hard, just go, even failure is a success. Why? Because you’ve moved out of your comfort zone. If you searching and feeling uncertain of your next steps. I was there until I found it! No, it’s not thousands of dollars to get started. And yes, it works let me show you in thirty minutes. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Brenda! Brenda K. Johnson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine BRENDA K. JOHNSON is a multi-focused retired U.S. Army Officer and businesswoman who has lived and worked internationally in both beautiful and dangerous locations. Brenda grew up in a single-parent home with a business-owning mother. She has volunteered with many veterans and prison reform organizations and currently is a board member for Keystone College in Pennsylvania. Coaching basketball for girls led to establishing a women’s basketball team for a College in Doha, Qatar. Brenda is a writer and motivational speaker. Brenda K. Johnson is using her years of experience as a military training officer and business owner to write and share her professional heartfelt experiences as a co-author in Intuitive Living. Her chapter entitled “S + S = Success” elevates women leaders, providing them with the tools to achieve their ambitions. As the founder of the Powerful Women Business Academy, Brenda coaches and mentors women empowering women to live their business dreams and contribute to the world by assisting others. Jump on your free 20-minute Business Dream Breakthrough Session call today.

Written by: Vivien Hudson, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. As a manager, the prospect of one-on-one conversations with employees can be daunting – it’s easy to feel you must do all the talking, bear all the pressures, yet have a meaningful chat that motivates your team. The good news is there are some simple strategies that can make these conversations easier. Initially, these conversations may feel awkward, but with practice, both you and your team members will look forward to them, help you foster long lasting relationships, and build motivated teams. If you are reading this, maybe you were promoted to a manager because you were great at your previous role. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people skills required as a manager. Skills that didn’t come with your previous job as an individual contributor. A manager is needed to help build morale at an individual and team level, give feedback, and provide recognition. One-on-ones help you get the best from your team through these timely conversations. People are generally happier and more confident in their job, more cooperative, productive, and stay with the company longer. Chances are your company doesn’t have SOP for one-on-ones. Fortunately, organizations are recognizing the importance of leadership training and beginning to deliver on the development of core manager skills. For those companies that don’t provide training, it’s self-help articles like this, books, videos, and trial and error. If you are like many managers, these conversations feel uncomfortable. This article shares four tips to help embrace the awkward and make some in roads to having regular one-on-ones. Build a Relationship For any manager who has yet to have a one-on-one conversation, you want to start with building a relationship. This is an opportunity for both of you to better know each other and build trust and rapport. See if you can discover what is unique about this person or find something you have in common. This is also a time for you to show you are human. If one-on-ones are something you have never done before, your team members may think you have grown a second head when you suddenly start doing them. Let them know ‘I am working on my skills as a manager, and I know I haven’t been great at communicating. I want to get better at it because I know it will help you and help me be a better manager. Why don’t we start with getting to know each other a bit better.’ Your team will appreciate your humility and realize you are actually human. You might want to share how you ended up in this job or industry or ask your team member the same. Use this time as an opportunity to build a bridge, not push an agenda. Commit to the Process Having a one-on-one conversation is not an annual event. Many managers have them weekly as a quick, casual ten-minute check in, others schedule a 30-minute time slot every other week or month. These meetings don’t have to have a full agenda, particularly if you have them frequently. Carve out time in your calendar to have these conversations. Avoid canceling them! When the urgent tasks come to hand, which they inevitably do, it can be easy to cancel your one-on-one meetings. After all, this person will still be here tomorrow, next week, next month, … wait, where did they go!? Having these meetings and prioritizing them is what helps keep your people engaged. When you cancel them or avoid having them, you are telling them, they are not important. A side note here is to notice if you are becoming too familiar or casual and making assumptions about what is and is not working for them. Commit to the process of ensuring you are supporting this person’s development while being in line with organizational goals. Have a Few Ready Questions One-on-ones are a time for you to listen. Ideally, you want to talk around 20% of the time so if you notice you have been talking for a while it’s time to take a breath and ask a question. One-on-ones are designed for you to support your people in their roles. It’s also an opportunity for them to problem-solve their own challenges when you use effective questions. Have a handful of ready questions you can ask: How are things? What’s been going well? What are you working on? Where do you see any challenges? What else do you need? How can I best support you? Nothing too tricky there, right? Get used to asking questions and avoid jumping in with fixing solutions. Instead, work on your listening skills, patience, and intention to help this person develop. The more you have these and the more attuned your listening, the more masterful your questions will become too. Listen This is a time to bring your full presence to these conversations and really listen. Silence your notifications and put your phone out of sight. Bring your attention to the person in front of you. Set an intention to be fully present, to listen objectively to what is and is not being said, and to be a lever for this person’s development. As you listen, you can rephrase what you are hearing rather than jumping in with solutions. If people are complaining or negative, rephrase with ‘It sounds like you are experiencing a few challenges’ then be silent. The person will likely continue to speak. Let them feel heard. Ground yourself with some deep breathing to help you listen and hold a field of supportive energy for this person. When they finish speaking, you can ask questions like ‘What is the real need you have here? What opportunities do you see to help solve this problem? What is in your power? What are you willing to do?’ Helping them to acknowledge what they can and cannot do, will support them to see where they are willing or able to make an impact. Your role as a manager ultimately is to empower your people, not to fix all their problems. One-on-one conversations are a place where managers can impact workplace attitudes and really get people on their team, rowing in the same direction. The old command and conquer style of leadership no longer works. If you want engaged and motivated people, it starts with building a relationship and regular one-on-one communication. If you want to be part of the change or need to get past your awkward, let’s chat. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Vivien! Vivien Hudson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Vivien Hudson is a reformed pharmacist who went through her own journey of discovery when she trained as a life coach, moved hemispheres, and achieved her Masters in Business Adversity. This training enlightened her to how much change we can affect in our lives by understanding stress, the stories we tell ourselves, and how we show up in our bodies. Self-awareness, finding purpose, and living authentically are at the heart of effective change and leadership. Vivien combines her experience in health and wellbeing, business ownership, and the challenges she has faced in her own life to bring depth and diversity to her work She is trained as a life and performance ontological coach, brain fitness practitioner, on purpose presenter, speaker, and corporate trainer. Her purpose is instilling courage to help those she touches live a life well-lived.

Written by: Jessica Earle , 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 already know that our children need to be safe when eating/drinking but we tend to forget whether they "FEEL" safe with eating and drinking. As a newborn, eating is a reflex however it becomes a learned skill as we grow and 'take over' the reflex. We learn how to drink breastmilk, formula, and/or both through the experience. We learn to coordinate the suck, swallow, and breathe pattern. When there is a disruption in the coordination, our bodies will respond to keep us "safe". Have you ever gagged, choked, and/or coughed while eating or drinking? How did your body respond? You most likely reacted and your body focused on feeling "safe" again. You got your breath back, spit out your food, and/or you decided that you would no longer eat the rest of that food. Your priority was to "feel" safe again. Some children have experienced many situations like the one described above. Some children have been able to overcome/adapt to their foods/drinks to ensure they remain "safe". Over time, some children will require assistance to help overcome the stressful scenarios they have experienced. Those experiences created a "story" for them around food/liquids. They may feel "triggered" around certain foods/liquids that have caused negative experiences in the past. They might avoid certain foods, refuse to eat new foods, and/or remain "stuck" on their comfort foods which might not provide enough nutrition as their bodies are growing. When your goal is for them to try new foods... your child and their nervous system need to "feel" safe first. When we feel ´safe ‘, we can learn and start to make changes. When we want to ask our kids to try new foods, we need to observe and determine if that child’s nervous system is feeling “safe, regulated, and connected”. Here are a few suggestions on how you can help your child: Feel safe and regulated yourself first! As a busy parent, you are juggling many daily tasks, expectations, and demands. You need to feel good in your body/mind because you are teaching your child how to feel around food. If you don't feel safe and connected first, it's hard to help someone else feel safe and connected too. Have you ever helped someone when you were “frazzled” or “upset”? Did it work well? Include calming activities for everyone! (especially yourself, see point above). What helps calm you? What is helpful in calming your child before meals? Is it music? Is it jokes? 1-to-1 time with them to simply BE PRESENT with them? Deep breathing? Quieter/less distracting environment? A little exercise for everyone? (Cosmic yoga on YouTube? Go Noodle dancing on YouTube? Maybe?) We might all need calming activities individually, but it can also be helpful to do them together. You can model to your children what a calming activity looks like. Observe your environment and take notes You might need to free up your space, declutter the table, declutter the counter, reduce the number of distractions, etc. You might notice that your child does better eating with fewer or more people at the table. Some children can't handle "hearing" or "seeing" other people chew their food near them. Your child may have trouble sitting at the table. Do they tend to fall over at the table? You might need to make some adjustments to the seating. When we want to see a change in our child's mealtimes, start with "feeling safe" then you can branch out and experiment with food play and exploration. There are many layers to this and helping our nervous system feel balanced when we experience stressors/triggers is optimal for long-term change. Talk with a therapist about how to include more regulating activities pre and post-mealtimes to support a positive experience. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jessica! Jessica Earle, Executive Contributor Braiinz Magazine Jessica Earle, is a pediatric Occupational Therapist with a focus in early intervention and school age therapy services. After working in various pediatric settings across Canada, Jessica owns a private practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her practice focuses on providing quality therapy services to bilingual families needing support around feeding, sensory integration, and attachment-based therapy. She offers a blog that combines common parenting struggles with helpful therapeutic tips for families. Jessica will be launching an online course for therapists seeking support in assessing children’s feeding skills in the community. She values a family centered approach and encourages an inter-professional collaboration between health professionals to meet the therapeutic needs of each family.