Written by: Renate Prandl, 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 this new economy it is a mission critical move to have your own BOOK. You stand out as the expert in your field and you also reach a wider worldwide audience. FROM PAIN to POWER NOW IS an example and read by people all over the world. In the book, Renate shares proven concepts and guidelines on how to overcome excuses and procrastination and move forward, whether it’s writing your book or moving towards your life by design. In the article, Renate Prandl shares what having written your own book can do for you in your business and life. She loves to walk the walk and prove that what she shares and teaches works. “Writing is the painting of the voice.” – Voltaire (Francois-Marie Arout, 1694 – 1778) I love that – “the painting of the voice”. Isn’t this beautiful? I think it is. Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. He was known for his wit, and he used his writing as an advocate for free speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. No worries, this article is not about any of that. It’s about having a book, YOUR BOOK, to share with the world what you stand for and offering your knowledge and expertise. I myself just wrote and published my latest book “From Pain To Power Now: Your Guide To More Vitality, Prosperity, and Freedom” to help more people step into their personal POWER to lead a Lie by Design, a life on their own terms. For those of you who are ready to take responsibility for their life, I invite you to get a copy of my 1 International bestselling book. Here is the link on Amazon. You will learn and discover doable, proven, and sustainable tools and techniques which will shift your Mindset, help you discover your Mission, and easy to implement Moves. Success tip: Read the book at least 3 times. Why? The first time you may only get 3%, up to 10% if you are a genius. That’s science-based, not my opinion. The second time maybe 30-40%, and then you start to understand on a deeper level. The prompts and questions help you to find your answers, answers you may have been looking for your whole life. You can go at your own speed and convenience. For those who want to take the fast track, the book mis a great starting point before you apply to work with me as your high-performance coach. So why is it important YOU write YOUR book, be it in physical or digital form? Why is it a mission critical part of your journey to more success, influence, and impact? Here are some of the benefits of having your own book: Self-expression and creativity Sharing knowledge and experiences Establishing yourself as an expert in a field Personal fulfilment and sense of accomplishment Legacy building. Self-expression and creativity through writing: Writing a book is a way for individuals, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, speakers, coaches, anyone to communicate their thoughts, beliefs, and experiences to the world. By putting their ideas into written form, people can express themselves in a more profound and meaningful way. It’s like having a megaphone to the world reaching more people. Writing a book can also be a form of self-discovery, allowing you to better understand your own thoughts and feelings and to articulate YOUR perspectives in a clear and concise manner. As you put your ideas onto paper, you get to REFLECT on your own thoughts and feelings in a deeper way. This can be an eye opener and therapeutic at the same time. It helped me get more clarity in some areas of my life, and some long-forgotten dreams and ideas came to the surface… maybe content for another book. The act of writing can also provide a sense of liberation, as you are able to express yourself freely without fear of judgment or criticism. In this way, writing a book can serve as a powerful tool for self-expression and personal growth. How do you shut up the inner critic while writing? You sit down, block time where your only objective is to write, nothing else. I personally blocked out 60-70 minutes for each chapter with no phone or social media interference. Leave what you wrote for at least a day or two before looking at it (IF you self-edit). I would highly recommend paying a professional editor, not using your close family members, as the experts have a different perspective and spot things which may probably not make sense in a certain context. Things we don’t see as we are too involved in the creative process. Between the time of writing and publishing it’s possible that there is a sense of uncertainty or self-doubt showing up. That’s ok. Think of it as “butterflies”, of excitement and anticipation. Additionally, the act of writing can stimulate the imagination and allow the author, you, to explore new and creative ideas. It’s like painting but painting with the voice. Sharing knowledge and experiences: Writing your book provides an opportunity for you to share your knowledge and experiences with others. This can take many forms, such as sharing personal stories, offering advice and guidance, or imparting information on a particular subject. Sometimes we have solutions which are regarded as nothing special, but they may make a huge impact in someone else’s life. Wouldn’t you agree that you for sure know something which will make all the difference in another person’s life. Still not sure? Think of what people tell you that you are good at. That’s the thing you want to write about if nothing else comes to mind. You’ve just learnt how to find your topic. You are welcome ☺ Share your unique perspectives and insights, something you may have discovered after many years of learning and your own research, can enrich the lives of others, and provide them with new perspectives and understanding. Additionally, by sharing your knowledge and experiences, your expertise, you can contribute to the collective body of knowledge and help others to grow and learn. In this way, writing your book can be a meaningful and impactful way to give back to the world and make a positive difference in the lives of others. It’s not just about you. It’s about OTHERS which makes you more fulfilled and content, potentially. Fulfilment and happiness are in strong correlation with you helping others, you sharing, you giving. The more you give, the more you get. More of everything. Establishing yourself as an expert in a field: Writing your book can be an effective way for you to stand out from the crowd and establish yourself as the expert in your field. By writing about your area of expertise, probably a guide or “How To” manual, you can demonstrate your in-depth knowledge and understanding of a subject and share your insights with others. This is mission critical for “personal branding”. Your book helps to build your reputation and credibility as THE expert, the go-to person in your field, which can be valuable for personal AND professional growth. Establish your unique voice and perspective in your field of expertise, introduce your own method or system for me, it’s The Renate Method™, ‒ which not only helps you differentiate yourself from your competitors, stand out in your industry, but most importantly, to become the ONLY logical choice. Your book will provide you with opportunities to network and collaborate with others, which can help to further advance your career and goals. This may include securing higher paying positions if you are employed. Overall, writing a book is a powerful way to establish yourself as THE expert to make your mark in your industry. Personal fulfilment and sense of accomplishment: The process of writing and publishing a book is a major accomplishment in and of itself, and it definitely gives a sense of pride and satisfaction. I personally just LOVE this feeling of holding my new books in my hands for the very first time. It brings me joy and I make sure to celebrate this achievement. Why? Because so many people say they want to write a book, and only a very small percentage actually do the work. I Writing is a powerful way to reflect on your life experiences and to process your thoughts and feelings in a meaningful way. Is it positive all the time? Definitely not. It can be a very profound healing process. It depends on how much you invest of yourself in the writing process, how deep you go. For me, all my books, especially my newest one “From Pain To Power Now”, helped me increase my personal awareness, lead to a greater sense of self-understanding, and personal growth. This has happened every single time I wrote a book, for myself and it has happened to other authors I spoke with as well. Let me add that the act of writing and publishing you book (whether you publish it yourself or whether you get a publisher) can be a powerful motivator to prove to yourself of what you are capable of. It really boosts your sense of self and sense of purpose. Legacy building: What about leaving a lasting legacy for future generations, your family, friends, and community? How does this idea make you feel? Proud? Over the moon? Scared? By writing your book you can share your life story which can be passed down through the years. Priceless. Leaving a legacy means creating a lasting impact or leaving a mark on the world that will endure beyond one's lifetime, your lifetime, a lasting and meaningful impact on the world and to make a difference. Did I write my books with the intention of leaving a legacy? To be completely honest, the answer is “No, I didn’t.” If it happens and they will have an impact on future generations, I would be more than grateful. Right now my intention is to help more people in these challenging times., right now. YOU decide for yourself. You set the intentions for your book. You are the author. Some experts say that completing a challenging and fulfilling project, such as writing a book, can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. The process of writing a book can provide you with a sense of purpose and direction, and can help to reduce stress and anxiety. The sense of accomplishment that comes with completing a major project can boost self-esteem and confidence, and can lead to increased feelings of happiness and well-being. Furthermore, the act of writing can be a form of self-expression and can provide individuals with an outlet for their thoughts and emotions. This can help to promote mental clarity and can provide a sense of catharsis and release. Additionally, writing a book can be a form of personal growth and self-discovery, as individuals reflect on their life experiences and gain insights into their own thoughts and feelings. Overall, writing a book can have a lasting and positive impact on mental health and well-being, and can provide individuals with a sense of fulfilment and happiness. For me, writing my books did a bit of everything I just mentioned: increased self-esteem , more happiness, joy, higher energy, sense of fulfilment, heightened emotions, and huge gratitude. You may feel the same, similar, or completely different sensations. The experience definitely goes beyond the mere act of writing. On a more pragmatic level, here are a few more reasons and benefits of having your own book: Having a published book can increase the author’s appeal as a speaker and opportunities for speaking engagements may arise. Your book can serve as a source of content for speaking engagements on your own or other people’s platforms allowing you to share ideas and insights with audiences online and offline. The book may lead to the training or coaching program you offer. It helps build your personal brand (more important than ever), increase recognition, visibility and reach on a global scale. A strong personal brand can help to build credibility and TRUST with potential clients, making it easier to secure speaking or coaching engagements. We know how important Trust is to make a prospect into a potential client. Your book will get you into magazines, on radio and TV if you wish, and a book has a shelf life forever. There you have it. To learn more about the process, deal with limiting beliefs, and how to turn obstacles on your way into stepping stones, reach out to me here. Let me share a passage from my new book to inspire and empower you. This may help those of you who tell yourself, “I don’t have time right now”. It’s a high performance tool which is made so simple than anyone can do it. It’s effective, don’t be fooled by the simplicity. This is by design so you, the reader, doesn’t have any excuses not to implement. Trust you appreciate this. I wanted to write a book you can actually use immediately to see instant shifts and changes. How is that for a change? A book teaching what works and eliminating the fluff and all the things which don’t. This short excerpt is a bonus gift to you, dear reader, dear author. Enjoy! “From Pain To power Now: Your Guide to More Vitality, Prosperity, and Freedom”, by Renate Prandl Excerpt from Chapter 4: Your Superpower, p.32 [Priorities Ask yourself: What are my PRIORITIES? What action is necessary to move forward? Here's a suggestion: Pick 2 to 3 main tasks per day which need to be done by the end of the day, no matter what. More questions for consideration: Which tasks do YOU personally have to do? What are the tasks you can delegate or probably postpone? What are the major "distractions" which keep you busy, but don't help you be more productive? Weed them out and the necessary ones will surface. As a High Performance coach I always ask my clients to have their daily 2 to 3 mission-critical moves written down! If they are not written down and if they are not in your calendar, you will most likely get off track fast. Write them on Post-its, in your daily online calendar, or even put them as alarms on your phone if necessary. I love to make my phone my assistant, my ally. Most superheroes have someone to help them, so do what they do.] To learn more about how to potentially work with me, go here or send an email here. For more info, follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and visit my website. Read more from Renate! Renate Prandl, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Renate Prandl is Asia's Premier Sustainable Life Mastery Strategist, Certified Feldenkrais® Expert, sports coach, mentor, and Certified High Performance(™) coach. With over 40 years of combined experience as a Professor in a business school and entrepreneur, Renate uses a variety of proven techniques and applications to help you reach your highest potential, get to the Next Level, and potentially live your Life by Design in a holistic, doable and sustainable way. Her "Power of 3" systems help you turn obstacles into stepping stones and build Physical, Emotional, Financial Resilience. Renate is the CEO of Body & Brain, Founder of Body And Brain Mastery, International Bestselling Author of 3 books, and has lived on 3 continents. Her mission: Anything is possible.

Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview Martyna, the Founder and CEO of House of White Ravens LLC, has always been fascinated by the business world. She launched her first business at 16 and sold over 6000 courses. Then she decided to study Management & Marketing with a specialty in Multimedia Design. During her master's studies, Martyna realized that she wanted something more than her beauty business. So she left school to work in a small agency, learning about 3D graphic design. There, she started designing 3D perfume bottles and products for TV ads. The constant pressure of time forces her to find new ways to connect her passion for 3D design with entrepreneurship. She discovered that the 3D software she used could be a fantastic solution for showing exclusive 3D houses to clients - and combined her skill in 3D with Oculus for an even better experience! Martyna has been traveling from Shanghai to San Francisco with her solution, PreVision. Martyna and her IT team realized successful 3D interactive projects of buildings, hotels and private mansions in New York, London and Dubai. After building a network of investors and learning to sell high-ticket services, she got into architecture and gaming. She also ran a successful construction and renovation company in Warsaw and was in one of the teams that made and finished one of the most expensive buildings in the city center of Warsaw. Martyna decided to share her expertise in growing and scaling businesses and now helping other entrepreneurs. She has created a method to develop a High-Value Offer, and her team is providing highly-qualified leads and closing prospects for coaches and business owners. Tell us about yourself and your business! What kind of services do you offer and how do you help your clients? I’m helping my clients scale coaching and consulting businesses without them being involved in the sales process. My consulting services are extended with a sales agency; we pre-qualify, close, and onboard new clients for my clients. A few years back, one of my clients told me how much she hated calling new clients. She is a fantastic and talented consultant, but that one little thing bothered her and really stressed her out. I’m always working with my clients on their mindset and their offer first, to ensure that it’s packed with maximum value. It is important to feel proud of your offer, which helps with all sales processes. But somehow, even though her offer brought her so much success and happy clients, she just didn't enjoy it. I offered her my help with closing and onboarding new clients. That's how it all started! Since the first month of working with our sales agency, my clients get six-figure months and have more time to focus on existing clients' results. One of your main goals for your clients is to find out what drives them in their business, but we would like to know what drives you in your business? I always had big dreams and wanted to be financially independent and free. I knew one day it would happen, and all I needed was a plan. In my early twenties, I remember when I made the wrong investments and felt like every decision was wrong. After my second bankruptcy with multi-six-figure debts, I asked myself, “Why am I going through such challenging and hard things? Is there a bigger reason for this?” It was tough. Today, I know that our patches are designed better than we could have ever imagined in the best-case scenario. Every struggle can lead us to find a new and better solution. And I believe every solution we discover makes this planet a better place. My bankruptcy period taught me how to operate a business with zero budget and how to generate clients. Today, I’m helping others grow their business and one of the first things we do is create an excel with different scenarios. Managing risk in business can make a difference, especially if we want to grow and scale. "Here’s the secret of being happy, rich, and fulfilled: work with clients that also bring a unique skill set to your life. " I only work with coaches and consultants with proven methodologies and offers that solve real problems for others. And that is so beneficial to me and my business. I help them have a bigger impact, make money and they teach me their unique expertise. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today. I had a few moments that brought me here. The first time I understood the power of closing high-ticket offers was during my bankruptcy. I realized I had to stop selling low-ticket offers and was struggling with cash flow for years. I knew that if things kept going the way they were, I would have to shut down my entire business! In a desperate attempt to save it, I decided to focus on only closing high-ticket deals rather than low or mid-ticket offers. It was an unconventional move. But, it was one that seemed to have the best chance of solving things for me. I worked hard every day to make sure these high-ticket deals went through successfully. Quickly, I realized that although I spent the same amount of time as before selling these new offers, the rewards were much greater. This meant more money in my bank, which allowed me to pay off all my debts and regain financial freedom. As time went by, my closing skill and success grew exponentially. And people began recognizing my name in the industry! They heard of my success at closing large sales and managing projects beyond what other people could handle in a very short time period. But if we look back, I was only able to make all of this happen because I was consistently working hard for over 17 years in my chosen business. I never gave up! I always knew that the moments when I finally connected all the dots and learned how to build a bigger business took a lot of time. During my studies, I worked as lash extension expert transitioning, to the beauty business and then to IT. Changes are good! And we always should learn new things and find what makes us truly excited – not for our parents, friends, or society. Another thing is to focus on just a few clients at a time. Since my closing skill was so high, I was able to close new clients to my business. Also, I was able to negotiate big contracts for investors and bring more clients to my client's businesses. I called this boutique business model. Here, I was purely focused on five to ten clients and bringing them results. I become so confident that I started working on a small retainer plus commission from each successfully closed and onboarded client. Since I only charge 10-15% from sales, my clients find this to be a great deal. However, since this time period, I don’t spend money on ads and it’s very rare that I market my business. In fact, 90% of my clients come from referrals. My business grows simultaneously with my client's businesses. Another big moment was when I understood that my skill for generating leads was also unique. I believe if we create an offer that is based on a market need and brings real transformation and value to specific clients - this is a more fun business method than working on numbers and regular business development. Why do people focus on marketing and sales instead of focusing on solving problems? That’s a great question! I know the power of marketing and sales, but I disagree that we should focus on marketing first. Many coaches these days tell people that your product or service does not matter if you know how to market and sell it. And yes, we see this on the market. We see people show how much money they make by providing something average. Meanwhile, experts often struggle to sell their knowledge. The problem is this strategy is solely focused on marketing and its sales come from a lack of real business experience from the people who sell it. Focusing on solutions that solve real problems and connecting them with the right market demands a lot of work, research, and building teams. But the real value is in high-value offers. It is a choice. Everyone who wants to build a sustainable business should focus on developing one main offer that solves real problems rather than something that is trendy for just this week. Long-term strategies lead to long-term success – and we all know how shortcuts work. You offer 3 different packages that can help entrepreneurs grow, what do these contain and who are they for? My packages are for coaches and consultants who want more clients and a stronger impact. My entry-level package help scales your business from $10k a month to $100k a month. We build a sales system and help with organic marketing. We don’t use any ads at this point and focus purely on organic strategies. My next-level offers help scale even more. This includes an ads strategy, advanced video marketing, and lead generation. To be qualified to work with my team, coaches should be on a minimum $10k a month profit and have at least 10000 active subscribers on their mailing list. If someone is not at my $10k a month requirement, then I teach them a simple strategy to get them on my free challenge to help them start growing. According to you and your experience, what are the biggest challenges in scaling a business? If I could choose only one thing, that would be a mindset. I met many experts who charge $5000 for very advanced expertise. But because they didn't know how to attract the right qualified clients, they didn't believe it was possible to sell for a higher price. The lack of a team is the second big reason why coaches and consultants are stuck. I’m not talking about virtual assistants. To grow and scale, you need to hire executives and managers who can help with decision-making and the right work execution. It is time-consuming, but businesses demand many operation-level decisions daily. The third thing is the lack of a lead generation strategy and sales team. I can’t imagine how some coaches can generate leads, sell their own offers, and after all that work, handle clients. It seems like endless work! "When business owners focus on their zone of genius, then their businesses can generate amazing results. So, building the right team should be a focus from the first day." Do you have any plans or goals for your business? Absolutely! Every year I’m meeting with my Director of Sales in Manchester and we discuss next-level long term decisions. We have a big vision, and we enjoy working with our clients. Not only can we grow our business but we develop our skillset, mindset, and soul set. We also hang out with the most ambitious expert in the industry! This year we are planning to hire more Closers who will work remotely with us. This year, I also want to grow my blog and podcast. This way, more people can benefit from my knowledge and scale their businesses straight from the comfort of their own homes! For more info, follow Martyna on LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube and visit her website!

Fitness and nutrition experts all over the world emphasize the importance of superfoods, and for good reason. Andrew Demetre, a Charleston-based fitness expert , says there are many nutritional benefits to this rather large category of foods. Foods such as wild blueberries, strawberries, acai, coffee, pomegranate, kale, spinach, green tea, tomato, and broccoli are some of the most popular superfoods. Yet, there are two other crucial superfoods that you should not leave out of your diet. They are dragon fruit and maqui berries. What's So Great About Superfoods? Superfoods are loaded with many amazing nutrients, but polyphenols are the main reason why they're so great. These bioactive compounds help to repress inflammation in the body since they inhibit the damage that free radicals can cause in the body. Incorporating a solid amount of superfoods in your diet can help lower your blood pressure, reduce your cholesterol, lower the risk of you getting type 2 diabetes and help to improve recovery during training. Different types of polyphenols can have a positive effect on metabolic pathways and hormones, while others can protect against a number of different diseases. Dragon Fruit's Many Benefits Dragon fruit is sometimes referred to as a pitaya. It's a fruit that's on a certain type of cactus that grows in South America and Mexico. It's pink in color, oval in shape, and has green scales. It's not a common fruit in most people's diets, but it certainly should be. Dragon fruit is packed with carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lycopene. It also has loads of vitamin C, iron, and magnesium. Many studies have shown dragon fruit can help strengthen the immune system while stabilizing your blood sugar and serving as a major anti-inflammatory. The Benefits of Maqui Berry Another South American fruit that you shouldn't skip out on is maqui berries. These small, dark purple fruits look a bit like blueberries. They've been harvested since back in the years of the Mapuche Indians in Chile. Speaking of blueberries, they are often regarded as the best berry in the world. Yet, maqui berries typically have three times as many antioxidants in them. In addition, they're packed with anthocyanins, which is where the fruit gets its dark purple color. Like dragon fruit, maqui berries can stabilize blood sugar, fight inflammation and support both gut and heart health. Don't Skip These Crucial Superfoods Andrew Demetre, a Charleston-based fitness expert, says that everyone should try to integrate more superfoods into their diet. Aside from the traditional superfoods, you should also consider working dragon fruit and maqui berries into the plan, both of which pack quite the bang for your buck, so to speak. While these fruits aren't as common as some of the others on the "traditional" superfoods list, they have been found to have an exponentially more impactful effect on a person's health. So, when you're increasing your superfood intake, don't skip on dragon fruit and maqui berries. About Andrew Demetre Andrew Demetre, Charleston health coach, physical trainer, and bodybuilder, first found his calling during the pandemic when he realized that many of his clients preferred working out from home. These days, Demetre uses his expertise to train clients from home, whether in the greater Charleston area or worldwide. Andrew firmly believes every client can achieve their ideal body through hard work and dedication — no gym membership needed.

Written by: Andrew Schwartz, PT, 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 humans, we have the propensity to make things complicated. This tendency is part of what makes us great thinkers, feelers, inventors, and doers, but also often has us overwhelmed by complexity. As a result, we often seek out simplicity, delegation, automaticity, or workarounds. The latter usually requires compensatory strategies which are not as effective or safe as the authentic form. Delegation and automaticity can be great tools, but in some cases do not allow for personalized methods. That leaves us with simplicity. Without delving into the various connotations associated with the term, the simplicity intended here could be interchanged with basic, fundamental, or foundational. 1. Embrace simplicity in your exercise Movement is one area of life that I think most people should embrace simplicity or foundational concepts. It's something that may not, and likely will not, be individualized with delegation or automaticity. Finding a workaround for essential movements is a sure way to develop incomplete mechanics and therefore inefficiencies in your performance. These can then compound into issues with incidences of pain and dysfunction and even injuries. If you have a hard time trusting me at my word, read on and consider if these foundations are part of your life. If not and you struggle to perform at a level you desire, whatever that is for you, I would encourage you to make a concerted effort to implement the following concepts. Then, experience for yourself whether doing so makes a difference for you. If you still, after a trial period, find it difficult to believe these are important, reach out using my contact information below and we can figure out what it is you need to move forward. 2. Foundations are key in exercise Of all the ways the human body can move, there are seven positions that make up the foundation of human movement. These seven positions can be viewed as the beginning and end of functional, compound movements. The first four covered here involve the upper body and primarily the shoulders. The next three involve the lower body and primarily the hips. 3. Overhead The overhead position is an expression of the shoulder flexion range while the shoulder is externally rotated. An easy way to conceptualize this is to lay on your back and reach your hands straight out in front of you, then over your head, with elbows straight, palms facing each other, and thumbs towards the ground. The overhead position is the start position of movements such as a pull-up and the finish position of movements such as the overhead press. These two movements also exemplify an important concept of each position: the push-pull paradigm (also called the approximation-distraction paradigm). You can push into overhead or pull out of it. The same applies to all the other foundational positions. 4. Front Rack The front rack position also involves flexion and external rotation but is specifically an expression of shoulder external rotation capacity while held in a mid-range flexed position. Replicating this position can also be performed while laying on your back and then reaching your hands straight out in front of you. Next, bend your elbows fully and point your fingers behind you. The front rack position is the start position of movements like the overhead press and the push-up (a version with the elbow straight) and the finish position of movements such as the Olympic clean. These movements also demonstrate that each position has what is called a long-lever (elbow straight) and short-lever (elbow bent) version. Some positions tend to be more frequently used in their short lever form while others in their long lever form and some equally use both. 5. Hang The hang position, which gets its name from movement training of the Olympic lifts, is an expression of the internal rotation of the shoulder while in a mid-range abducted position. To get a feel for this position, lay on your back with your arms straight out to your sides. Keeping the backs of your shoulders in contact with the ground, bend your elbows to 90 degrees and rotate your shoulder forward by reaching your palms to the ground beside your ribcage. It's important to keep the back of the shoulders in contact with the ground for a host of reasons but suffice it to say you're not in the position if your shoulders shift forward. The hang position is the beginning of the turn-over of the Olympic snatch and the end of the turn-over of the bar muscle-up, a gymnastic move that involves pulling your body up to and over a fixed bar. 6. Press The press position is an expression of shoulder extension while the shoulder is internally rotated. The way you can assess this position is by laying face-down on the ground with most of your weight on your chest and light pressure on your forehead. With your hands in tight fists and directly under your elbows, lift your knuckles off the ground while keeping the shoulders from shifting forward (similar to the previous hang position). The press position is performed at the bottom of a push-up, the back portion of a row, and the end of the backswing of the arms in running. 7. Completeness Having established the four upper body foundational positions and an understanding of the push-pull paradigm and short and long lever forms for each, the next step is to determine if you regularly perform these positions in your movement practice. If not, is it possible that the absence or lack of some of these positions and movements from your exercise selection could be contributing to your struggles with performance, function, or even pain? It may seem like this discussion on simplicity has turned out to be quite complex. The reality is this foundation I propose can be covered with seven upper-body exercises. Including some type of overhead pressing, pull-up, push-up, row, clean, snatch, and muscle-up will have you set for the basics. Anything beyond these, be it different versions of or accessories to these movements, will be built on a solid foundation that does best when regularly maintained. So here is my recommendation: find yourself a coach (in-person or virtual) and work through integrating and practicing some version of each of these upper body exercises. If you are struggling to perform a position or movement due to range of motion deficits, reach out and we can assess and develop a plan of action for you. If you are wondering how to ensure you have a similar foundation for your lower body, then check back on this site soon and look for part two detailing how to do just that. Andrew Schwartz, PT, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Andrew is a movement specialist and an enthusiast of all things human performance. His passion for helping people become the best version of themselves is fueled by his personal journey with sleep, nutrition, performance. He has worked with people of various levels of capacity and strives to learn and apply something new each day.

Written by: Nad Philips , Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Do we live in an era where one must pay a professional to feel truly loved? Before invoking the codes of professional conduct, ethics and deontology let’s see what we mean by this new love of sorts. Currently, coaching has borrowed from psychotherapy and calls the relationship between a coach and a coachee an “alliance”. I do not fully subscribe to that since Alliance evokes mostly military alliances to wage wars. The coaching relationship itself plays a pivotal role in the success of the intervention and the coaching outcome; this is why in some cases it is more than an alliance or a contract. According to Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, love as an emotion is a micro-moment of resonance between two individuals. Where each party invests in the well-being of the other just because he is worth it. What does it mean to resonate with someone? It means sharing positive emotions, bio-behavioral synchronization, and mutual care. If resonant interactions are repeated regularly in the course of the relationship it creates a strong bond, trust, engagement, loyalty, and an embodied rapport between the two individuals. What I call prosocial relationships. They are cooperative, healthy, and caring. Similarly, the research results of Dr. Jane Dutton point in the same direction for what she calls high-quality connections (HQC). A relationship is made of interactions and connections. It is our responsibility to ensure that these connections are solid, and these interactions are fruitful and beneficial. How to create HQC? Respectful engagement (treating others with love and respect) Task enablement (enabling and empowering others to perform) Trust (self-disclosure, providing feedback, and regulating the relationship) From an attachment theory point of view, the coachee has an attachment relationship with the coach. Hence the coach needs to exhibit a secure attachment style in the coaching relationship to help the coachee build the mental model that enables him to build secure relationships, opening the way to flourishing. From a “Prosocial Relational design TM” framework it is a relationship where the two parties have individualized consideration for one another equilibrating the two polar needs: 1) belonging (creating “we”) from one side and 2) Individuation from the other (becoming self in our singularity with a big “I” on the way to self-actualization). Now let’s examine the coach’s stance, mindset, and posture: Wants the success of the coachee ( no competition/one-upmanship nor jealousy) Accepts and includes the coachee as she is (no judgment, the coachee can be seen, and heard and be herself without hiding behind a persona) Totally present with the coachee (empathy, compassion, understanding, resonating, and synchronizing) Cares for the coachee (cares about and cares for, healing, soothing) Provides a “safe haven” (ensures psychological safety and a refuge for the coachee to build self-trust, self-efficacy, and become agentic). Holds the space for autonomy (helps develop self-authoring) Trusts and upholds the coachee in high esteem and believes in his abilities. Encourages a growth mindset (provides feedback and feedforward; encourages grit and resilience) Now if this is not love; I wouldn’t know how to call it. What other relationship answers the intrinsic needs of the coachee more fully? Some people tell me that the coach is paid good money for his services. Yes, exactly you can’t buy love. You can buy a service, not a relationship. Now can this be systematically implemented in all coaching situations? Evidently not. This could be too confronting for a coachee exhibiting avoidant attachment for instance. Some others seek a coach more as an accountability partner. However, it has been my experience that many are seeking a coaching relationship that provides a healthy balance of love and respect (what Mikulincer and Shaver called comfortable intimacy and flexible autonomy) to enable them to grow and flourish. Ancient Greeks had identified many different expressions of love depending on the nature of the relationship whether it is Philia, Eros, Agape, Storgé, or Charis; and now our era birthed a new kind of love between a coach and a coachee. Do you have ideas about what should I call it? The tentative Greek name I am thinking of is: “Harmonia”. Let me know your thoughts. Follow me on LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Nad! Nad Philips, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Nad is an adult learning and development, global consultant. He specializes in helping teams design prosocial relationships and become future fit. Prior to coaching Nad served as European VP and MD France for a Fortune 500 company. He was an honorary professor with ESSEC Business school. Nad also launched several startups in Europe. He is an Amazon best-selling author and lives in Paris, France.

Written by: Mark Newey , 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 business owners, our company’s biggest asset is ourselves. We know all about our products, our customers, our production processes and our industries, but we know very little about ourselves. We all know that people buy people and the more authentic you are, the more natural charisma you have, and the more likely people are to buy from you. We didn’t study self-development at school, let alone mental wellness and emotional intelligence. Those of us who have already done self-development work, have done it purely with the objective of bettering ourselves. What we haven’t done, is dig deep to find out who we are and build a rock-solid sense of identity. This grounded sense of self is the single most important platform for living a fulfilled life and building a dynamic, thriving business which genuinely ignites our passion and makes an impact on the world we live in. The Solution is Radical Self Discovery. Radical Self Discovery: A Definition Radical Self-Discovery produces an identity shift onto a different level of consciousness, which is based on deep-level self-awareness and self-esteem, humility, a desire to make an impact and vulnerability-based charisma. This different level of consciousness is not a seemingly untouchable and distant spiritual destination but is there waiting for us all the time; we simply need to be ready for it. We are born as a pure spirit, like a blank tablet and whilst genetics are responsible for about 30% of our future personality make-up, it is our upbringing, our experiences and our relationships that build the majority of the identity of who we become. In other words, we have to have experiences and relationships before we can know who we are. In many ways it is the sledgehammers that knock us to the floor that we learn most from; the ability to get back up when we get knocked down and to take the positive learning with us is really what allows us to grow. We also learn from the successes of course, but the learning isn’t as deep. But modern society places a massive “spanner in the works” from a very early age in terms of allowing us to know who our true self is. We are brought up to worry about what people think about us. This results in us wearing a mask and a suit of armour and putting up a hologram of what we want people to see in us. It quickly becomes impossible to know who we are and to reach that next level of consciousness. Radical Self-Discovery removes all of the layers that we’ve built up over the years to “keep ourselves safe”, virtually all of which run unconsciously in the background. This allows us to be vulnerable and to be authentic: no pretence, no ego. Being vulnerable is counterintuitively the most charismatic asset we can have; charismatic people are simply themselves: no B.S. Radical Self-Discovery removes the mask, propels us into a completely authentic identity shift and onto a different plane of consciousness transforming our ability to make an impact. Step 1: Practical Brain Science 101 Only 9% of our mind is conscious; therefore 91% of how we create our reality on a moment-by-moment basis is unconscious and we know nothing about our Unconscious. Understanding the filtering process our mind goes through every second, tells us a huge amount about how we think and why and how we experience stress and burnout. And it’s not rocket science! Step 2: Stop Stress Now that you have the bigger picture of how your mind works, it’s time to explore stress in more detail: what it is, what function it serves, how it works and how to stop it, so that you can regain a clear head and the energy to really fire up your business and the people it serves. Step 3: Emotional Intelligence 101 Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and those of the people around you. People with a high degree of emotional intelligence know what they’re feeling, what their emotions mean, and how these emotions can affect other people. For leaders, having emotional intelligence is essential for success. After all, who is more likely to succeed – a leader who shouts at his team when he’s under stress, or a leader who stays in control, and calmly assesses the situation? Step 4: Find Your Purpose and your Passion As business owners our business is our reason to get out of bed every morning: it’s our passion. But very few of us have actually articulated what the purpose embedded within our business actually is. It’s written in our personal values and in our emotional D.N.A. But articulating it, not only helps us to constantly connect with it and motivate ourselves, it also allows other key stakeholders (staff, customers) to buy into it too. There’s a Chinese proverb that says: “If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.” Step 5: Identity: Be You Discovering who we are and being utterly comfortable with being that person, transforms our world…literally! Being authentic allows us to drop the mask that we all wear, worrying about what people think about us. This saves us a huge amount of mental energy, helps us to look forwards with positivity, improves our relationships and clarifies our thinking. Step 6: Self-Empowerment and Energy The revelation of a deep sense of self is extremely empowering: it unlocks your energy at a different level. No more doubting and double-checking: just the courage to find your own path and steer your business forward with certainty and excitement. Step 7: Charisma and Success The words used to describe successful entrepreneurs are charismatic, driven, purposeful and dynamic; they have the confidence and clarity to make good decisions and take action fast. This can only be learned and reproduced reliably through genuinely deep-level self-awareness. Here are links to two more articles on stress and mental health in Brainz: https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/stress https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/perfection-and-stress If you would like a no-obligation virtual 30-minute coffee break chat to explore further how Radical Self-Discovery can genuinely transform your life and your business, please don’t hesitate to contact me from my website . You can also follow me on LinkedIn . Read more from Mark! Mark Newey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mark Newey is a Protagonist and Disruptor, empowering small business owners to totally transform their company's biggest asset: themselves. Running a business is stressful, especially in today's environment: if we are stressed, our cognitive capacity drops by 40%, which means we are operating at 60% efficiency. Mark has distilled 22 years of experience from his own breakdown and working with 3000 clients (of whom 1200 were small business owners) into a foolproof system: The 7 Steps to Radical Self-Discovery. Only 10% of companies thrive and grow coming out of a crisis. The difference between the 10% and the 90%? The mindset of the entrepreneur.

Written by: Dr. Nikki Cohen, 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. Women give birth literally every day. Roughly 133 million babies were born in 2022 alone! Being a mother is an incredibly rewarding experience, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Whether your baby was born via vaginal birth or c-section, your body underwent something akin to an injury. You've been told to “get back to normal as soon as possible,” but is that possible? The Commonality of Childbirth Childbirth is often not given the recognition it deserves as an incredibly demanding event. After all, it is a life event that leaves your body altered. Whether it's a vaginal birth or c-section, childbirth's physical and psychological effects are often understated. The Impact on Your Body Most soft tissue injuries heal without any problems in about six weeks. However, it may take a few months for your symptoms to settle – these can include pain or discomfort, stiffness, decreased strength, and swelling. And yet, postpartum women are often expected to "get back to the way they were" within the 6-8 week period that the government allows. This isn't realistic for most postpartum women, who need more time and rest to heal their bodies. The sudden lack of sleep and hormones can cause a shock in any woman's system, often delaying the expected healing time for “normal” injuries. Childbirth as an Injury Childbirth is arguably more similar to a full-body injury than any other event. Every woman's body goes through a major trauma and needs time and care for proper healing. This isn't just about physical healing; the psychological healing that comes with childbirth is equally important, along with baby care after delivery. Similar to Spraining Your Pelvis It's easy to downplay childbirth as a minor event – after all, it's not like spraining your leg or breaking your arm. But in reality, giving birth naturally is similar to spraining your pelvis, often causing tearing of the vagina and pelvic floor. You need to give your body time to heal, just as you would with any other injury. US Women Often Not Given Proper Care Unfortunately, women in the US do not receive adequate care and attention after giving birth at home or hospital. The government gives a 6-8 week postpartum window for recovery, which is often too short for most women. They are expected to return to their pre-pregnancy self in that time – something that just isn't realistic. The Time Needed for Healing The truth is it takes time to recover from childbirth. It can take months or even years for your body and mind to heal properly after the trauma of labor and delivery. Taking this time and not pushing yourself back into your pre-pregnancy life too quickly is very important. Postpartum Essentials Providing postpartum essentials for moms, including the time and space for proper recovery are the best things for moms after birth. Having the resources and support for women in the postpartum period so that they can take the time to heal and bond with their babies is essential. Pelvic floor problems can arise when the muscles and ligaments surrounding it are injured, strained, or weakened. There are lots of factors that can make your pelvic floor weak, including… for many new moms – pregnancy and vaginal childbirth. Postpartum doulas and pelvic floor physical therapy are excellent resources to support moms after giving birth. Investing in postpartum care and treatment after a normal delivery is an incredibly important step. It's worth the effort because it means that you can go through your recovery safely without any added stress or anxiety. If you’re pregnant and want to know how to set yourself up to heal well after giving birth, Postpartum Essentials online course offers simple tips and tricks to support you as you heal. Conclusion Women often don't give themselves enough time to heal after giving birth. The truth is childbirth is a major event, and it takes time to recover from it physically and mentally. Every woman deserves the chance to take care of herself after having a baby – because when she's healthy and happy, everyone benefits as well. So don't be shy – invest in yourself and your recovery today! Your future self will thank you for it. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Nikki! Dr. Nikki Cohen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Nikki is a Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and is a passionate leader in transforming women’s healthcare. She saw a gap in the care of women firsthand and developed a proprietary methodology in providing 1:1 patient care, as well as offering essential information online. Founder of The Organic PT, Dr. Nikki takes the awkwardness out of potentially embarrassing issues and empowers women with knowledge to take back control in their health, wellness and life.

Written by: Atanas Piskachev , 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. Are you tired of feeling like a chess piece, constantly being moved around by life's challenges? Well, have no fear because living a healthy life is like playing a game of chess, and just like in chess, you have the power to make your own moves. But instead of trying to checkmate your opponent, you'll be checkmating that unhealthy lifestyle. As I love saying: “ Living healthy is like playing chess! ” In order to succeed in both chess and in life, it is important to understand and apply certain principles. The following are the top 10 principles for playing chess and how they can be applied to living a healthy life. Planning ahead : In chess, a player must anticipate their opponent's moves and plan accordingly. Similarly, a person looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle should plan their meals and exercise in advance. This way, they can ensure that they are making healthy choices and staying on track with their goals. Adaptability : Similar to how a chess player must adjust their strategy when faced with unexpected challenges, someone striving for wellness must be able to adapt to changes in their schedule or environment. This means being open to trying new exercises or recipes, and adjusting one's routine as needed, being adaptable and flexible with one's routines can also help prevent burnout or stagnation. Focus : Like a chess player must stay focused on the board in order to make the best moves, an individual on a journey to a healthy lifestyle must stay focused on their goals in order to make progress. This means setting aside time each day to exercise (even something quick) or prepare meals, and avoiding distractions that can take away from their time, productivity and well-being. Patience : In chess, a player must not rush into decisions and consider all options before making a move, an individual who wants to be fit and healthy must take their time and make sustainable changes. This means not trying to change everything at once, and being patient with the progress. Resilience : In the same manner, as a chess player must be able to recover from a loss and come back stronger, a person on a mission for a healthier life must be able to recover from setbacks and keep moving forward. This means having the ability to get back on track after a slip-up, and not giving up on one's goals. Discipline : In chess, a player must have the discipline to stick to a strategy. In a healthy life, discipline is necessary to maintain a regular exercise and a healthy eating routine. This means setting a schedule for exercise and healthy eating, and sticking to it even when it's difficult. Confidence : In the same way that a chess player must have confidence in their abilities to make the best moves, one who is committed to a healthy lifestyle must have confidence in their abilities to make healthy choices. This means believing in oneself and one's ability to achieve one's goals. Balance : In chess, a player must balance their pieces and not leave any vulnerable. In a healthy life, balance is essential for maintaining overall well-being. This means not focusing too heavily on one aspect, such as exercise, and neglecting others, such as nutrition or mental health. Variety : In the same style as a chess player must use different pieces and strategies to keep their opponent on their toes, a person looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle must incorporate variety into their routine. This means trying new exercises, experimenting with new recipes, and keeping things fresh and exciting. Consistency : Just as a chess player must be consistent in their play to improve, someone who is working on being healthy must be consistent in their actions. This means sticking to a routine, making healthy choices, and staying committed to one's goals. By following these principles and relating them to your daily life you can improve your overall well-being. In the same manner as a chess player must think ahead, adapt to changing circumstances, focus, be patient, be resilient, disciplined, confident, maintain balance, vary their strategies and be consistent to be a winner, you can apply these principles to your daily life and achieve success in your journey to a healthy lifestyle. Now go forth and make your move, and remember, no matter what happens on the chessboard of life, always protect your king ( or in this case, your health ). Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Atanas! Atanas Piskachev, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Atanas is a holistic health coach specializing in mindset performance, helping entrepreneurs and executives incorporate a healthy lifestyle into their hectic schedules. He has over 10 years of experience in the field, working with various people and organizations globally to explore many different cultures and human behaviors. By virtue of his brand AtanasFit, Atanas is committed to helping people raise the bar for their health and fitness through direct coaching, writing articles, and creating YouTube videos.

Written by: Aura E. Martinez, 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. Regarding relationships, we tend to focus more on our relationships with others and ways to improve them since the quality of our relationships with others dramatically impacts our overall well-being. However, there is one relationship that none of us can afford to ignore because it is the basis of every relationship we have with others. This relationship that I am referring to is THE relationship that dictates everything in our lives and is the only relationship we will always have for the rest of our life, and that is our relationship with ourselves. Before I dive into how you can have a better relationship with yourself, I will first explain why your relationship with yourself is so meaningful. For starters, if this relationship isn't healthy, no other relationship can ever work, nor will you be able to manifest the life you seek. How you view yourself, and your life will dictate what you allow or don't allow, how you view others and your interaction with them, and how good you are willing to let life get. It affects your self-esteem and self-concept, how you speak and treat yourself, and how you allow others to treat you, and this is just a concise list to describe the impact that your relationship with yourself has on the overall quality of your life. For this reason, you must always seek a great relationship with yourself. So, here are the ways to better your relationship with yourself: 1. Spend more time with yourself. Take the time to get to know yourself. Take the time to understand your thoughts, feelings, and how your inner being responds or reacts to certain situations. Giving yourself time allows you to be seen, heard, and understood. In the end, this is what we all crave and need from others ‒ to be seen, heard, and understood. Everything mentioned above is part of you loving yourself. In essence, the same thing that you would do for others is what you would do for yourself. Just like you give your friends and partner time and attention, you also provide that to yourself. The more time you spend getting to know yourself, the more you will understand what you need to do or not do to be genuinely happy. 2. Give yourself the love and compassion you would give someone else. The kind of love you would give others, start giving that to yourself. The type of attention you would give to others, start giving that to yourself. If you love it when your companion gives you flowers, start buying yourself flowers. If you love it when a friend cheers you on, start cheering yourself. As you start doing this for yourself, you will notice that your cup will fill up, and you will feel loved. When you ensure your needs are met, you see yourself more clearly. Treating yourself with love and compassion lets you know how you are loved and perfectly made. 3. Start journaling. Start journaling or recording all your thoughts and feelings. The whole purpose of this is to do a dump. Many times, the reason why we feel so burdened, and heavy inside is that we are carrying so much junk. It's time to get rid of the gunk! The healthiest and safest way is through journaling or recording if you are not much of a writer. Doing this daily helps you sort out all that is happening within, making you feel lighter and better. The great thing about a journal is that you won't feel judged, it's safe, and you can later read what you wrote to do some reflection. Journaling is also a loving act on your part because this is self-care. Journaling helps you improve your relationship with yourself by giving yourself the attention you deserve by getting rid of all the gunk inside you. Getting rid of the gunk ensures you are in flow and harmony inside you. When you are in flow and balanced, you can do good for yourself on many levels. 4. Have healthy conversations with yourself. Having a healthy discussion with yourself is not advising you to start talking to yourself out loud. Whether you are aware of this or not, you are constantly having conversations with yourself in your mind. For this reason, it's essential to be mindful of what you are saying to yourself. Make sure your thoughts align with the person you aspire to be and the things you want to have in your life. Thoughts and conversations like " I am capable of doing this " and " I love improving my skills " instead of " I can't do this or that " or " this is too hard for me " will help increase your self-confidence in yourself. Remember, what you say to yourself affects the way you think. How you think affects the way you feel. How you feel affects what you do, and what you do creates your reality. So, be very mindful of what's going on in your mind. Taking the time to improve your relationship with yourself will lead you to discover yourself in ways you never thought possible. What you discover may lead you to a more purposeful and passionate life. Your relationship with yourself is the one you will have for the rest of your life. Make sure you make it a good one because you are the most significant factor in living a great life and attracting the things you want. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Aura! Aura E. Martinez, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Aura E. Martinez is a Self-Discovery and Empowerment Coach helping women gain total clarity in their purpose so that they can wake up to a daily life of fulfillment and certainty. As a person who has traveled the world as a Flight Attendant, the opportunity has helped her learn and see so much and she discovered the most fabulous place for us all to see that is truly the key to greater well-being and she shared that with others worldwide. She is also the founder of Live to the Max™/Viva al máximo™, author of the book Creating a Lifetime of Wellness: Start Having the Life You Deserve and the journal Creating a Lifetime of Wellness Journal: Your Personal Coach to the Different Areas of Your Life. The book has been seen in Spirituality & Health magazine, Psychology Today, and Natural Awakenings NYC edition magazine.

Written by: Javier Peñalba, 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. Understanding your deeper needs and finding conscious ways to satisfy them can help you to conquer your fear of missing out and bring about stability and calm in your relationships and life. One of the main issues that made me flee most of my romantic relationships was a sense of incompletion of desires. I felt that, since I had always been so shy and insecure, I had not been able to date enough in my late teens and in my twenties. Add on top of that my tendency to compare myself to other men, seeing how skillful they were socially and with women, and I ended up feeling powerless, restless and frustrated. These feelings came up when I was single and would usually subside for some time when I was in a relationship, but they would resurface later on, especially as my infatuation stage ended and I gained more emotional control in the relationship. Then, the feelings around the frustrated desires would make me restless and anxious in the relationship, triggering my fear of missing out on better partners that, in my opinion, would make me happier. That would usually signal the end of my relationships, at least internally, taking some time to conclude in a formal breakup. Having now talked to many other people with avoidant or disorganized attachments displaying fear of commitment, it has come to my attention that this particular issue of frustrated desires and a sense of incompletion is extremely common with them. This is because, hidden behind the hard layers of confidence and independence many times hides a soft, insecure and hurt human being that has had many of his needs unfulfilled. So, what has helped me to overcome my frustrated desires, which have resulted in increased confidence and diminished fear of missing out and a more secure attachment? Below are three tips that I consider can be very powerful, both for people with a fear of commitment that can help them also to move into a more secure attachment, and generally for anyone feeling frustrated in their lives: 1. Explore your felt sense around your frustration and be comfortable with it How do you feel exactly when experiencing your sense of impotence and frustration? Take some time to feel within your body. Perhaps it feels like a pit or a lump in your stomach, tightness in your chest, overall emptiness, sweaty palms, or pressure in your head. Be aware of all of your bodily sensations. Meditation, breathing exercises or yoga are great strategies to connect back to your body and to get familiarized with those feelings without running away from them. Desperately looking for a partner, escaping your relationships, or fearing missing out on other relationships are all just subconscious ways for you to stop feeling those sensations. In other words, your mind tells you: “if you just could be able to find this perfect partner or relationship, these feelings would be gone”. However, these sensations are all residual energy from unproperly processed experiences from your past that is stored in your nervous system, most probably from not having had your needs met as you were growing up because of a difficult childhood with parents that had their own issues and/or because of traumatic experiences. As long as those residual feelings are not fully felt and accepted, they can remain within and arise again even if you dated a top model or rose all the way up the ladder of your career. You first have to accept and stop fighting those sensations or looking for someone or something out there to make them magically go away. Find a sense of peace behind those feelings, which comes from a total acceptance of what is, and you can reduce the stress around them. Remember, right in the eye of a hurricane, in the center of all that chaos can there be deep peace; in the depth of your frustration and impotence there is likewise the eye of your Self, and the more you can connect to that with acceptance, the easier it will be for you to release that stuck energy. 2. Explore and connect with the feelings that you would like to have How would you like to feel? Coming from a place of acceptance and peace explored in tip no. 1, make a list of those feelings that you are looking to experience. Perhaps you want to have a feeling of acceptance by others, of true connection, of accomplishment, of power, of attraction, of excitement or of being loved. Identify which is the stronger one of those feelings and explore why that is important to you. At times, the reason for its importance hides a deeper need that is usually connected to a lack of love in your life. For example, if what you want is to feel attraction and you ask yourself what lies behind it, you will most likely realize that when you feel attracted you feel connected and loved, so perhaps it is a sense of being loved that you are missing. If you can get to the core of what you really need, try to come up with a way to connect to that in the now even if you don’t externally have what you think will give you that. You can aid yourself through visuals, meditations or affirmations to create whatever feeling you want. For example, let’s say that you discover that what you are looking for is a sense of being loved and connected. You can practice the kind eyes exercise by Diane Poole Heller, whereby you focus on visualizing kind, loving and compassionate eyes looking at you, whether it be those of your parents, friends, pets or anyone in your life that you love. Notice what happens in your body as you direct your awareness into that kindness. There is usually a connection that happens within us that can be very soothing which, ultimately, is our original state and is the result of being fully here and now. Remember, the mind and body don’t make a difference in whether what you are imagining is or not real, so as long as you can feel those deep emotions now, you can already start healing and transmuting some of the old energy that has been stuck in you. For these types of exercises, I also recommend Dr. Joe Dispenza’s meditations such as his morning meditation, which have been of great help to me in my own journey. 3. Create a conscious plan to connect more on your day to day with how you want to feel Remember, your mind is tricking you into believing that there is only one way to fulfill your needs. For example, if you want to feel accepted by others or seek a sense of accomplishment, your mind may think that you need an extremely attractive partner, an expensive car or a big house to show off to friends so that you can feel accepted or successful. However, that is not entirely true. In fact, as described beautifully in the Second Noble Truth in Buddhism, “the source of all suffering is craving or attachment”, so stubbornly attaching yourself to those desires has the potential to create further frustration and suffering in your life. In this tip, I suggest that you start performing actions on your day to day that help you to connect consciously with that which is really important to you, remembering that whatever you do is only a channel to achieve a deeper connection with yourself and that there’s not only one way to get there. For example, if you were lacking a feeling of connection and your old self thought that only by having the perfect relationship you would be able to achieve that create a plan on how to feel more connection with your current partner or with colleagues on your day to day and experiment with it. If you have a partner, for example, you can create a plan including: 15-minute connective conversations before going to bed where you share your worries and celebrations; a warm welcome greeting ritual when you meet; or taking part in a mutual activity like meditation, doing yoga or walking in nature together. Likewise, if what you want is a sense of accomplishment, you can focus on working on a project that is important to you, such as on developing your own company or finding ways to help others. Gratitude and appreciation are vital here. Through them you can devote your energy to what you have and who you are with today, which in the end brings you back to the present moment where all your deepest needs are met. To help you with this, I recommend that you use my Love and Gratitude Journal that I created with my wife, which can help you to refocus on the positive energy in your life. Thus, as you spend more energy on what’s now in your hands, with gratitude and appreciation, you can more easily let go of old, unnecessary attachments, making you feel more invigorated and increasing your overall wellbeing. This can also help you to gradually move into a secure attachment and a more fulfilled life. I hope this article helped you to find a greater sense of peace and fulfillment. You can discover more about my work by visiting my website. If you are interested in working to improve your relationships and overcome your fear of commitment or simply to create a lighter life, I invite you to apply for coaching here and let me know more about your situation so that we can explore how I may be of help to you. I further invite you to subscribe to my newsletter by filling out the form on my website by following this link. By subscribing you will receive my Free Gift where I provide 3 tips to overcome fear of commitment to create fulfilling relationships. You will also get updates from me occasionally including articles and videos about this topic. Until next time! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read More Javier Peñalba, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Javier Peñalba is an ICF certified life coach helping people with fear of commitment to create fulfilling relationships. Having dealt with anxiety for decades since the young age of 6 after the sudden suicide of his father some meters away from him, Javier has worked on a long journey of self-discovery, where he uncovered symptoms of commitment phobia, relationship OCD and anxiety. In particular, he could not stay in any intimate relationship for more than a few months without running away from it. Having dedicated the last years of his life to understand and overcome this issue, Javier is now happily married and is providing seminars and life coaching services to help people suffering fear of commitment.

Written by: Kristen Lessig Schenerlein, 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. Optimal experiences consist of intrinsically motivating activities that present a sense of freedom or control and offer a challenge. As a Recreation Therapist, I created the environment to foster these experiences. One environment I recall was synthetic and sweat mixed smell, bouncing balls, and squeaking tires. Jacob entered seemingly curious and nervous. Crutches in hand, he slowly made his way in. He hesitated “taking a seat” for wheelchair basketball practice. At thirteen, that chair symbolized something different to him, not a means to level the playing field, provide independence or safety. It became clear that the external conditions (playing basketball) were matched to the goal (independence) and ability level (using upper body) (Csikszentmihalyi, 2008). Jacob had spina bifida and fellow b-ballers had sustained spinal cord injuries. All overcome physical barriers to make it to the gym, demonstrating passion to persevere (grit). On this court the disability no longer took center stage. Each athlete became intrinsically motivated, exercised agency, and owned their experience. Adaptive equipment (wheelchair) allowed the matching of challenge level with ability level. Minimizing distractions (various abilities) allowed athletes to focus on skills. Each setting goals, analyzing activities, making plans, adjusting plans, reflecting on progress, and at some point, entering flow state (Csikszentmihalyi, 2008). Experiences of flow are fleeting; grit ensures we cycle through flow on the quest for enhancing well-being and improving quality of life. Sport involves a strange paradox in flow: time stands still, time flies; effortless activity, extreme challenge; feeling relaxed, and intense; ability to be present, yet lose your sense of self. This is empowering and as an intervention, the impact far exceeds the activity at hand. Take Jacob who shifted beyond wheelchair basketball to racing. He traveled and competed in marathons with his mother, an avid runner. Peer bonds were formed, each pushing the other beyond individual limits (not literally of course), gaining independence well beyond the realms of physical activity to all aspects of their lives. Each became intrinsically motivated, having a clear sense of agency because the racing gave them a sense of meaning in their lives that had not existed (David et al., 2015). They saw themselves as advocates for shifting perceptions of people with physical disabilities, even ensuring the formation of an official wheelchair division in races. As a result, it is common to cross paths with a wheelchair racer when running a marathon. Csikszentmihalyi (2008) summarized this perfectly, “to improve our life we must improve the quality of our experience. It is more about how we feel about ourselves that impacts what we will achieve in life.” Goals we set must be meaningful cultivating the motivation to pursue it (David et al., 2015). The context (our purpose) for those goals matters. In disability sports, the goal may not be mastery but instead an opportunity to be free of the physical and mental constraints of the disability, increasing independence, social connection, and well-being. Viktor Frankle describes this best in Man’s Search for Meaning, “He, who has a way to live for, can bear with almost any how” (Frankl, 2006). With a strong reason why, we can overcome any challenge. One’s grit is essential, passion (physically active) plus persistence (continued action despite difficulty) moves us towards a long-term goal (independence) (Duckworth et al., 2007). High-level goal construals allow athletes with disabilities to identify intentional actions they can take to achieve goal(s). Aligning abilities to create a self-concordant journey unique to their values, not based solely on their physical ability level (David et al., 2015). Capitalizing on one’s abilities and linking with their interests shifts mindsets around disability and physical activity or sport. As the Aristotelian Principle proposes, “we enjoy doing what we do well”. Growing competence in an activity of personal interest makes it easier to repeat efforts and allows us to experience flow. Savoring each flow of experiences to pull us passionately to the next. Jacob’s accomplishments were the result of focusing on his abilities, linking them to his interests, and supporting his perseverance along the path (Peterson, 2006). Building in enjoyment allows an athlete, like Jacob, to gain control over his experiences with expectations he set for himself being met, he went beyond them to achieve the unimagined. This is a continuous loop of growth (grit) and enjoyment (flow). Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Staying the course to create and embrace flow to enhance one’s well-being and quality of life requires stamina, and is where life transformation occurs (Duckworth et al., 2007). Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kristen! Kristen Lessig Schenerlein, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kristen Lessig-Schenerlein, a social entrepreneur, mental fitness coach and yoga instructor, is an expert in nonprofit leadership, forever passionate about the fields of neuroscience, positive psychology, and performance science. After nearly two decades of being driven by a mission, almost to complete burnout and after having experienced the real life effects of working within a toxic environment, Kristen began down a new path in service to others facing similar challenges. She integrated her own personal yoga practice and energy medicine into a science-based coaching practice. She became a trained yoga instructor guiding her clients “on the mat” and also an ICF Certified Professional Coach and a Certified Positive Intelligence Coach to support her clients “off the mat” with mental fitness training and coaching. Kristen has dedicated her entire career to transforming the lives of others and sees herself now as a guide to those willing to do the innerwork necessary to link their power with their passions, so that they can live a life more in alignment with their values, while showing up authentically in aspects of their lives. Kristen is the founder of Koi Coaching and Consulting, serving clients around the world, thanks in part to being part of the coaching team of BetterUp as well, whose mission is to make coaching accessible to all, unlocking greater potential, purpose, and passion. Born in a small coastal town in Connecticut, Kristen also spent a good part of her career in Richmond, Virginia, where she founded her nonprofit organization before moving back to the coast where she now resides in Southwest Florida with her husband and a blended family of four beautiful children.

Written by: Sarah Henderson-Sharon, 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. Over the last few months, I have been researching the challenges that foreign language speakers experience and how they feel about these challenges. This research is still ongoing, but the problems that people have shared so far have been both moving and insightful. In this article, I am going to talk about the five most serious problems people have discussed and go into more depth about one of the most common issues; finding opportunities to practice speaking English. 1. Pronunciation Pronunciation is a major concern for most non-native speakers, regardless of their level. Many of the people I spoke to said that they wanted to improve their pronunciation, often to the point of wanting to 'get rid of' their accents. People believed their poor pronunciation got in the way of being able to communicate freely with native speakers, often leading to embarrassing misunderstandings in conversations. However, there were also people who felt comfortable with their 'foreign' accent, saying that they did not want to have native-speaker-like pronunciation and that they were proud of their accents. I will be returning to this issue next month. 2. Cultural differences and expectations This was a huge challenge for non-native speakers living in English-speaking countries or for those working in large, multi-national organisations. One person told me about a team-building exercise they had done at their company in America. The exercise had been entirely based on facts and knowledge about America, and the person I talked to felt out of their depth and unable to fit in, a deeply isolating experience. People also talked about being unsure of the expectations English native speakers have in everyday conversations and how difficult it is to fully get to grips with a foreign culture. 3. Maintaining a high level after an exam Many of those I spoke to had taken IELTS or a similar exam and felt their level had dropped significantly afterwards because they no longer needed to use the high-level language they had learnt for the exam. This caused a great deal of dissatisfaction and annoyance for many I spoke to. 4. Being too afraid to speak (and therefore making no progress) This is the finding that saddens me the most. Some people I spoke to were so afraid of making mistakes or being misunderstood that they simply didn't speak to anyone and went through their lives as a foreigner living abroad without making a single native-speaker friend. Because of this, they made no progress in their speaking, resulting in even greater fear of speaking! This is a true vicious circle from which it is very hard to escape. 5. Lack of practice opportunities Possibly the most common problem people experienced was the lack of opportunity to practice with other people, particularly with English native speakers. Interestingly, this problem was experienced by people who were already living in an English-speaking country so moving abroad doesn't necessarily solve the problem! For the rest of this article, I will explore this issue in more depth. Three ways to create practice opportunities In a way, I understand why people find it hard to create practice opportunities. I remember living in China and being surrounded by Chinese people, yet not believing I had anyone to talk to! This was probably due to my comparatively low level and lack of confidence. Now that I live in the UK, it is much more challenging to create real opportunities to use Chinese. However, I believe that this problem is solvable with a little creativity and courage. 1. Find a language exchange partner Many people I spoke to during my research wanted to practice with an English native speaker rather than other non-native speakers but reported that finding people with whom to do this was very difficult. As far as I can see, there are only two options here. You either pay for a teacher, or you find a language exchange partner. In my experience, a language exchange partner is a great way for you to not only practice your speaking but also to help someone to learn your language. This was one of my solutions when I lived in China. Twice a week for two years, I got together with one of the students at the university where I worked and we helped each other learn and improve, becoming firm friends in the process. I have used online language partners more recently too, and found them to be just as useful. I would suggest using a website such as Italki to make sure you are targeting people who actually want to learn your language; I don't think you should randomly contact people to ask if they will help you to improve your English for free! By using a reputable website as a middleman, you can be sure that those you are contacting are genuine and that they have a desire to learn and help others to do so. This should mean fewer rejections, something that those I interviewed reported had happened. 2. Join a speaking club While these will not offer you as much practice with native speakers, unless you join something like Toastmasters, they are a great way to get lots of practice in a safe environment. Practicing with other non-native speakers can help you to learn more vocabulary and to appreciate your speaking skills in a different light. Some online speaking clubs will offer informal conversation, and others will give you more structured exposure to different tasks so it's important to choose the best club for you. I have an online speaking club which I have been running since April 2022. In the club, we practice everyday conversations, solo speaking and advanced discussions about a wide range of topics. If you would like to learn more about the speaking club, please feel free to get in touch. 3. Make the most of the opportunities you already have! A surprising number of people who wanted more practice opportunities were already living in English-speaking environments! This suggests to me that they weren't making the most of the chances that were around them, perhaps due to shyness or being unsure how to go about this. It's very easy as a foreigner to spend most of your free time with people from your country who speak your language. This is certainly something I have witnessed a great deal, both as a teacher living abroad where my English-speaking colleagues used to hang out together at the weekends, and as a teacher at language schools in the UK where I have seen students gather into 'the Spanish group' and 'the Korean group' rather than get together in 'the International group'! Instead of spending time with the people from your own country, try getting a part-time job if you are a student living abroad or doing some voluntary work for a local charity once a week. Taking up a hobby without anyone from your home-country peer group, such as joining a sports club, painting or film-watching group, is another great way to branch out and meet native English speakers. The popular website meetup.com is a great resource here and one that I highly recommend. If you are living in a non-English speaking country, you may need to enlist the help of English-speaking friends and relatives, for instance, to meet for coffee and speak English once a week. Alternatively, there may be other people in your town or city who want to practice English too. I am writing this article in Hanoi, Viet Nam, and I have seen language exchanges advertised here. Ultimately, it is up to you to create the opportunities you want to experience. These days, I do not believe that it is possible to have 'no-one to practice with'; you just need to find them! I am still looking for volunteers to help with my research. If you are interested, please get in touch! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Sarah! Sarah Henderson-Sharon, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sarah Henderson-Sharon is an expert in helping non-native English speakers overcome Second Language Anxiety: the fear, shame, and anxiety they experience when speaking English. A teacher with 17 years of experience, Sarah became aware of the damaging impact of Second Language Anxiety four years ago. Since then, Sarah has dedicated herself to helping her clients understand and move beyond their fears so that they can use English with confidence. She is the founder of Think Positive English where she offers 1-2-1 programs and a community speaking club empowering members to improve their spoken English.