Written by: Dara Connolly, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. According to a 2019 Lean In report, 34% of all men and 50% of all women experience being spoken over or interrupted in the workplace. Do you feel you are speaking, but no one is listening? As a former soft speaker who often found it difficult to interject into conversations and when I did, was quickly talked over, I know how frustrating this can feel. Often, I would leave corporate meetings or social gatherings feeling invisible– my ideas or contributions were not heard at all. Now as a confidence coach who works with individuals to speak with impact, I know the importance of being sure your words land. Here are 5 tips to help you be more influential when you speak. 1. Say your opening sentence loudly enough with enthusiasm to be noticed. Sometimes we get talked over simply because others did not know we were speaking. When you want to interject into a conversation, you may consider increasing the volume of your opening sentence to be sure you are heard ‒ not shouting, simply amplifying your voice. However, it is not simply the loudest one in the room who is noticed. Our brains are wired to listen to others who sound excited and have something interesting to say. Practice speaking while smiling and holding eye contact with others. This shows you have something important to say and that you cannot wait for them to hear it. If you are not heard the first time, repeat your sentence a little louder and with more enthusiasm and watch how others pay attention. 2. Speak in a lower pitch from your belly/diaphragm to give your voice more projection. When we want to be heard it’s helpful to use an authoritative but friendly tone. We can achieve this by speaking from our core, not our throat. Imagine you are approached by a neighbor who incorrectly accuses you of throwing trash on their lawn. Think of the confident tone you would use to plead your case. You would speak in a tone that shows you're reasonably sure of yourself and what you're saying. Using a lower tone also helps you eliminate “up speak”– or the tendency to end your statement with a higher-pitched question such as ‘does that make sense’. You don't have to sound ultra-confident about everything that comes out of your mouth, but using a higher tone makes you sound timid or unsure of yourself. When you speak in a confident lower pitch, you signal to others you are trustworthy to be listened to. 3. Lean in before speaking. In a group where everyone is talking over each other, it can be tricky to know when to jump into the conversation. In these situations, let your body language speak for you. Try leaning forward or sitting up in your chair and opening your mouth a little to let others know you want to share. You can even gesture by pointing a finger or palm up (not at someone but instead towards the ceiling) with an "Ooh, I've got something to say" face. Then when there is a natural pause in the conversation you are ready to jump in. These non-verbal cues help others realize you want to join the conversation. 4. When you're not speaking, stay engaged in the conversation. People are less likely to listen if you seem checked out or bored from the conversation. Stay engaged while listening by giving verbal and non-verbal cues. You can occasionally nod your head, ask questions, show emotion on your face, or add a few short phrases such as “wow”, “that’s incredible”, “oh, how awful” etc. to show you empathize with what you are hearing. Then when it is your turn to speak, others are more likely to listen to you as they know you were a good listener to them. 5. Be physically visible within the group. You may be thinking, I’m standing here with everyone else how am I not visible? We are more likely to listen to someone when we can see their eyes and mouth, and they can see us. For example, if everyone is standing around in a loose circle, be in the circle, not sitting behind them. You can take this a step further by gently mirroring the body language of others in the group. If everyone is standing in a circle talking with their arms crossed, try joining the circle doing the same gesture when you speak. We are more likely to listen to others who we feel are like us and can relate to us. These are just a few of the many tips I can teach you on how to be more impactful and influential when speaking in front of an audience. If you’ve read my article, I’d love to hear from you. Reach out to tell me where you are getting stuck and what tip resonates most with you. Follow me on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info. Read more from Dara! Dara Connolly, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dara Connolly is the author of the new book Flip Your Fear and founder of PTC™– an award-winning confidence program. Dara was the ultimate juxtaposition – a Black-Belt martial artist and a lifelong timid wallflower filled with fear! She now helps individuals speak up with confidence and be more influential and impactful when speaking in front of an audience. Dara is a TEDx speaker and nationally recognized expert in the field of confidence. She has been featured on FOX, CW, The Connect Show, The List Show, Dr. Laura, and other media outlets. Her latest book, Flip Your Fear is available on Amazon.

Written by: Kelly Keefe, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I’ll never forget the Tuesday morning that changed my life. I still don’t know how I ended up at this small hole in the wall in Brooklyn, New York on a Tuesday at eleven in the morning. But I did. And once I entered the cozy back room on that cool late Fall morning ‒ I experienced ceremonial cacao for the first time. The shifts I felt in my mind, body, and spirit were profound. I had just discovered a new tool upleveling me once again into my best self. This led me to studying deeper in Guatemala and learning alongside the founder of Cacao Lab, Florenica Friedman and Mayan elders Nana Marina and Tata Pedro. Ever since I have been sharing the gift of ceremonial cacao and utilizing this magnesium dense superfood on a consistent basis. Through both experience and research ‒ it excites me to share what a magnificent gift cacao is for us to consume regularly. My journey as a high-performer who supports others in their journey to being happy, healthy, and wealthy was upleveled professionally and personally. Something I truly didn’t expect or see coming. In order to be a high performer at your highest expression, there needs to be alignment in mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Cacao helps you do just that. After all, cacao was (and still is) known as the ‘Food of The Gods’ ‒ so you can begin to imagine what version of ourselves it helps provoke from within! Here are five reason why incorporating ceremonial cacao into your day-to-day life will help you elevate to your next level as a high performer: 1. Cacao optimizes physical health with magnesium, vitamins, and minerals reasons Magnesium is one of the hardest nutrients for us to consume naturally in society today. This super nutrient is a key component for optimal health and performance by supporting muscle and nerve function, as well as energy production. In addition to our daily dose of magnesium, cacao contains over 300 compounds that are important for high-performance including zinc, copper, calcium, magnesium, protein B-vitamins, iron, antioxidants and theobromine. 2. Cultivates a clear mind and sharp focus Taking a daily dose of cacao aligns the body into a state of grounded relaxation with a heightened alertness due to the blood vessels being dialated allowing in more oxygen into the body. An increase of oxygen into the body and brain creates elevated thought, states of focus, and clarity. Typically, after drinking cacao, one is able to make better decisions faster, accomplish goals with more ease and enjoyment, and be able to dial into tasks at hand like the hawk animal spirit. 3. Enhances happiness, creativity, and intuition Cacao produces tryptophan which is a precursor to serotonin. This supports in creating of small doses of dopamine (the feel good chemicals) into the brain. The physical and energetic effects of cacao heighten intuition and creativity. In order to thrive within our own unique journey that is life, being able to follow our inner guidance and get creative is a must. This doesn’t mean you are going to become a painter or a seer (but of course, permission granted to do so). The best high performers and executives are required to rely on their intuition and come up with creative solutions on a day-to-day basis. Cacao will support you in elevating into this space while also putting you in a better mood. An important note ‒ cacao does not contain caffeine so you will get many of the same effects as drinking coffee, however, you don’t have to worry about the caffeine crash on the other side. 4. Supports in being more present and speaking from your heart In Mayan culture, cacao is a staple component of important aspects of day-to-day living. You will see participants of a wedding using it as a form of celebration. Also, community leaders are known to drink cacao together before having an important conversation. Cacao grounds and centers us into our bodies and into our hearts. When anchored into The Heartspace, we are able to relate to the others in front of us and speak authentically and from our hearts. From extensive studies and research on effective communication ‒ I can assure you, the more we are able to be present and centered in our hearts, the better a conversation can go. Cacao is an amazing addition to work team meetings, an important conversation with a partner, or when needing to reconnect with yourself. (*side note: if you are interested in having ceremonial cacao brought it for you and your executive team, I do offer goal setting, envisioning sessions, and communication optimizing workshops for corporate teams ) 5. Creates alignment in mind, body, and spirit When we align all parts of ourselves, what is known as the ‘flow state’ activates and will allow you to move with more grace and optimization. Cacao effortlessly helps to shift us into our true state. What is our true state? Of course, is varies slightly from person to person. However, alignment is always the same. Alignment is when we feel our best and are able to show up as our best selves easier. This also tends to have the effect of things going in our favor, heightened synchronicities, and things coming together smoothly. Cacao Curious? People all around the world are coming together in gatherings or solo with their cups of cacao to connect deeper with themselves and show up in the world. From this high performer, to you… may you feel your highest alignment and embark on your own journey with cacao today. To learn more & order cacao: click here. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kelly! Kelly Keefe, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kelly Keefe is an innovative leader, empowerment mindset coach, speaker, best-selling author, and reiki teacher. She is the founder of The Heartspace established in 2016 helping individuals and groups find their inner peace and elevate into states of thriving. She has worked with thousands of people around the world, including C-suite executives and entrepreneurs helping them create fulfillment in their lives and exceed their goals while doing so. Kelly is a Frequency Therapist and multi-disciplinary artist. She uses her certified training and experience to bring a fresh approach to traditional therapy allowing for faster results and true resolution of problems and challenges.

Written by: Gayle Terzis, 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 dissatisfied with your current job situation? Do you feel misaligned with your values and want to find a new job that will leave you feeling more fulfilled? Do you want to change your current position but are afraid to take the first step, in these uncertain times? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then read on! I am sharing with you the 5 tips that have helped me make a transition from a career in banking and finance to being a career coach, a career that I simply love! These tips, that I wish I knew sooner, will help you make a smooth transition and will help you find a new job that you love, even in these uncertain times. 1. Have a plan, always: If I have one piece of advice to start with, it’s this: do not quit your current job just yet. Or if you already did, it is time to develop an action plan to help you navigate the uncertain situation you are in. Start by evaluating your current position. Enumerate what you like versus what you do not like, then write down everything you are looking for in your new job. Maybe it’s new responsibilities, a higher salary, or a better work-life balance. Whatever they are, it is important to keep them in mind when applying for new positions. Remember though, that sometimes, you won’t be able to find everything you are looking for and should therefore compromise. Highlight the values and the things that are most important to you and without which you will not consider the switch; it will simplify your job search by giving you a clear idea of what you want, but most importantly what you don't want. Then develop an action plan with performance metrics and stick to it; maybe you have decided to send out 10 new resumes each week. Or you want to dedicate 5 hours per week to your new job search. Whatever your plan is, it is important to be consistent. 2. Reinvent yourself, and don’t forget to update your CV: The current job market is hot. Companies worldwide are opening up their frontiers to international candidates. In the US alone, companies have opened up 4.6 million new job positions. Research what skills are in demand and find ways to reinvent yourself by signing up for new courses or by creating an online portfolio to showcase your skills and talents. Whatever you decide to do, do not forget to update your CV smartly! Research what are the latest trends in resume writing these days; what is valid for this year is different from what worked a couple of years ago. 3. Keep track of your progress: It is important to keep track of all the positions you have applied for. You can create a spreadsheet and a folder on your computer, where you save all the new job positions you have applied for, along with the date, and all necessary information. That way, when you hear back from one of the companies, you can simply go to your sheet and extract all the needed information. If you are not organized, the job search can become overwhelming. It will be hard to keep track of all information, therefore having a spreadsheet where everything is written will save you a ton of trouble. It will also help you see if you are sticking to the job search goals you have initially set for yourself, keep track of your progress, and notice if there are any areas you need to work on. 4. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there: Networking is a great way to put yourself out there in the real world, test the waters, and find new opportunities that you will not hear of otherwise. If you are doubting yourself, or hate networking, I have good news for you! You don’t have to do it in person, and can rather strike up online conversations with the right people from the comfort of your home. This sounds like a great solution for the introverts amongst you, and a good alternative to in-person networking. That way, you will be reeking all the benefits, without experiencing any of the inconveniences. You will be connecting with like-minded people while helping yourself grow by collecting the latest information from your new circle. 5. Seek help: Whether it is from a trusted friend, a loving family member, or a professional, such as a career coach, it is important to seek outside help. Other people tend to look at us more objectively than how we look at ourselves. This might help us see ourselves in a more positive light and give ourselves more credit than we usually do. It will also help us assess our weaknesses and the areas we need to work on, as well as assess our strengths. A professional career coach can help us develop road maps to navigate the difficult world of job search by acting simultaneously as a guide and as support, greatly increasing our chances of succeeding. In conclusion, Whatever you decide to do, whether you want to work with a career coach, a friend, or on your own, it is important to know yourself first and understand what you are looking for. You need to understand the reasons that are pushing you to make a career switch; whether it is finding something aligned with your values, or finding a new job that will help you lead a better life, you need to do everything in your power to succeed. After all, life is too short to get stuck in a job that you hate! Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Gayle! Gayle Terzis, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Gayle Terzis is an Executive & Career Coach and the Founder of Boost Up. With a background in banking, Gayle spent over ten years in the corporate world working on diverse missions, including the development of the first program dedicated to the financial empowerment of women in the Middle East. However, she started feeling that her job was lacking meaning and purpose, and she was automatically less happy at work. She found coaching to be her calling. She quit her job and got certified by the ICF Executive & Leadership Coaching program. Today, Gayle helps ambitious career-focused people connect with their better selves in order to reach their full potential and achieve meaningful goals faster; while having a balanced, healthy, happy, and productive life.

Krisztina is a deeply passionate person who believes that we are all destined for greatness. The first step in achieving success is to unleash the power of self-love and to know ourselves well. From here, we can build up successful businesses from the heart and live a happy and joyful life. Krisztina is success & authentic leadership coach, company owner and author. She has a solid academic background with a Degree in Business Management, and she is a Spiritual Life coach. Her mission is to encourage women to find their path toward empowerment, and to hold the space for them to achieve this by giving them some of the most valuable and practical tools. Krisztina Konya, Coach. Author. Success Leader Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better. I am a deeply passionate person who believes that we are all destined for greatness and that we can succeed in all areas of our lives. The first step in achieving success is to unleash the power of self-love and know ourselves well to understand who we are. I am a spiritual life coach, award-winning empowerment & authentic leadership coach and a company owner. In addition, I am an award-winning international speaker, Usui Reiki Master, author, and co-founder of WE Champions International Foundation. I host the Truth Runners talk show, where participants share real-life stories to inform, educate and empower others. I was born and raised in Transylvania, but from a very young age, I felt the urge to try something new, so I ran away from home with only a backpack and the desire in my heart to have a good life. I was only 19. When I moved to London – the UK – in 2014, I changed my way of thinking about life, health, relationships, money, and success by changing my mindset and using the power of intention; I changed my life for the better. I learned along the way that success is highly influenced by how much we love and respect ourselves, and what we think of ourselves is far more important than what others think of us. Therefore, it is crucial in our journey to know who we are and our purpose; we can build up successful businesses from the heart and live happy lives. I am a mum in my daily life – I have a wonderful 11-year-old daughter. I have a supportive partner who is always there for me – in my bright days and darkest hours—one of the pillars in my life for more than twenty years now. What is your business name, and how do you help your clients? I run my business under my name. It is this thing about me, being a “company of one”. My mission is to encourage women to find their path towards empowerment. I am here to help them and hold the space to achieve this by giving them some of the most valuable and practical tools that help them personally with their journey toward self-development, self-love, growth, and fulfilment. I help clients worldwide recognise what is missing in their lives and renew their thoughts into positive ones – to replenish and revitalise their old selves. I do this through workshops, one-to-one and group coaching, speaking, and my Truth Runners talk show. Also, together with my friend and business partner, we organise speaking events where we would love to give a chance to everyone to make their voices heard. Everyone has a powerful story to tell; everyone’s voice counts. Our speaking events are very successful, thanks to all the great speakers who joined us and shared their knowledge and story with the world to inspire, motivate and uplift others. For next year, we are organising a women’s retreat called Authentic Leadership through Conscious Transformation, happening in June 2023 in Spain. I am very excited about the retreat, and the aim is to improve the lives of the women who join us on this journey of self-discovery. We are all beautiful souls with a human experience and were born destined for greatness. Our ultimate purpose is to be happy, knowing that we are both human and divine. For those who would love to work with me in person, I have a personalised coaching program called the quest to self-discovery – seven steps to living your best life. Authentic, deep, meaningful conversations happen here, and transformation occurs. I love these sessions because there is no greater satisfaction than seeing someone’s eyes sparkling and smiling (after a lot of crying and denial). I only work with individuals ready to invest time, money and energy in their personal development, spiritual growth and transformation. What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business? Running my own business – doing what I love – was one of the best decisions in my life. And one of the hardest because it was like a leap of faith for me. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and I wasn’t sure how I would do it at the beginning. But I started it anyway. And everything unfolded beautifully along the way, as standards do not restrict me – I am my boss. So that is a great thing. My goal in my business is to have solid and meaningful collaborations where we uplift each other; we rise together. My vision is to inspire people positively, to help them understand that we are all born to greatness, we all have something to say, we all can be successful, and change brings positive transformation in our lives. Who inspires you to be the best that you can be? Many things inspire me. I have learned to walk with eyes open in the world and barefoot in life, meaning that I learned to be the observer of myself and others. I want to see how far I can go in my journey. I have a strong desire to help others, to hold the space for them to become the best version of themselves. We are beautiful souls having a human experience, and our purpose is to be happy. And for that, we must reconnect with ourselves and who we are. We are here to remember that we are human and divine. We are the love and the light. To be the guide for others – to show them the way– makes me happy. What inspires me the most are people. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today. It was the moment when I finally decided to take that leap of faith and start to focus more on the most important person in my life: myself. It was when I realised that loving myself and prioritising myself is not selfish but necessary. When I am happy, my family is happy; but when I feel miserable, everyone around me will feel the same – the energy exchange. There was a shift inside me. I didn’t know how to begin with, but I knew that I had to change completely myself, my views, my beliefs, the way I look at life, money, relationships of all kinds – everything. The transformation – is an ongoing process. It was the beginning of the quest to self-discovery. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Krisztina!

Written by: Kaisa Siipilehto, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Have you ever had that feeling? Regret. Those can be small moments like skipping a workout or eating another piece of cake or bigger ones like staying in an unhappy relationship or not going after your dream career path. It’s human to make decisions based on fear, expectations or pressure (which is usually created by yourself). The fact is that our life is based on the decision we make. All the time. The good news is that we all have the power of making decisions and new decisions when we didn’t like the previous decision. Some decisions you just can’t take back like eating that piece of cake. But many decisions are not finite. So, for example, instead of postponing that workout, breakup or dream career, you can make the decision right now. What is it that you’ve been wanting for a while now? Make the needed decision now to be able to move on. Ditch the What ifs Indecisiveness is more consuming than you’d think. I know what I’m talking about. I’ve used years of my life being in situations that weren’t right for me anymore, but I was too scared to leave that behind – my first serious relationship, studies, a 10-year corporate career – being afraid that “what if” I didn’t find a better partner, I wanted to work in that field one day, I didn’t make it as an entrepreneur. The ‘What if’ state is the worst kind. It only tells that you are in between something that is not serving you anymore and wanting something better that you are having now. What I can tell you from my experience is that when you have the confidence and courage to make one decision, one will follow the other. The decision-making process becomes way easier with practice! Build one powerful decision at the time It’s like a muscle you can build up and it gets stronger the more you practice. So, you build your life – making one powerful decision after another one and standing by your decision. When I was about to lose what was important to me, the man I love, I decided to take control of my life and happiness. I made the needed decisions and changes to stand up for my priorities and follow my vision and needs. I left my home country, studied a new profession and started building a business on my purpose. Now I have the freedom I value even more than safety, a meaningful way to help others succeed and a fulfilling lifestyle exploring the world with my husband (that’s right I didn’t lose him but we got married!). I’m not settling for living small and safe anymore. I choose to live the life I want. Therefore, I’m passionate about helping others to live powerfully so use their time and energy on what is important to them so that they can truly enjoy life. Read more about my mission at LIVIO JOY here. I believe our purpose is to enjoy life. But sometimes it’s not so easy. At that moment, you can start by making smaller decisions to help you get forward. Be easy on yourself like when you’re getting back to working out after a cold. Experts share the best strategies Now you have a special opportunity to learn from 10+ global experts and best-selling authors how to achieve your dreams and goals with less time and effort so that you can enjoy the highest quality of life and relationships. Having curated the Master Your Life event program with them, I can say that a lot of valuable experience and science-backed knowledge will be shared! We have limited tickets, so get your FREE access now HERE. We are looking forward to meeting you and supporting you to enjoy your life with zero regrets about how you spend your time and energy. See you there! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kaisa! Kaisa Siipilehto, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Want to transform your life and future? Kaisa Siipilehto, the founder of LIVIO JOY Ltd and Courage to Lead Community, helps purpose-driven experts lead their vision with courage. As a Leadership Coach and Growth Enabler, Kaisa offers a fresh solution-focused approach combining insights from her corporate experience, business knowledge, and internationally recognized coaching methods. After ten years of progressing her career in brand marketing and enhancing customer experiences and engagement, Kaisa sought new opportunities to help the world work better. Certifying as a coach, living as a nomad entrepreneur, and building a business on her purpose have given her an understanding of what it takes to make major changes that improve life satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment. Since 2020, Kaisa has helped purpose-driven experts, leaders, and entrepreneurs from over 20 nationalities living around Europe and The Americas to focus on what matters to them and transform their lives and careers.

Written by: Anne Ward, 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 the month of remembrance, remember the light handed to you on the day of your birth. Remember the hope placed in your heart as your parents looked down on your newborn face. The hope of a life filled with joy and laughter. A life with less struggle and hardship, a life full of everything you could imagine to be. Remember the joy you felt as a child living through the eyes of imagination, where everything you felt came to life. Pretending to be anything your innocent little heart desired. Playing in fields full of wonderful wishes and a creative mind, imagining all that may be. A world in which we had endless possibilities with no limitations to where our minds would take us. As we sit and ponder our youthful past, can we bring any of these feelings into our present day-to-day living? The limitations we now face are the ones we have created in our own bubble or exist to show us strength in obtaining our dreams. As we mature in age we often let go of the idea of youthful dreaming. We anticipate the result without experiencing the journey along the way. In a way, we end up never reaching our destination. We then create a world of disappointments and unsatisfactory results. Thinking we have no luck, and the negative tones we express, whether it be inward or vocal, become our crutch. Do you realize the words we think are sometimes stronger than the words we speak? When we constantly belittle ourselves, in thought or feeling, we are also not allowing our dreams to become reality. All thoughts become action, either bringing us closer to our dream or putting another brick in the wall of excuses. We sit in remembrance and are thankful for those who fought to give us our freedom, envisioning their experiences as they headed toward the battlefield. Had they fought in the future mindset, and not in the presence of now, would the outcome have been different? I would like to invite you to now sit in the moment, imagine all you can be, feel all that you feel and take notice of everything around you! What are you seeing, smelling, and tasting? As you sip your coffee how does it feel? Are you really experiencing the moment or is your mind ten pages ahead? While you are working hard at the tomorrow are you living in the today? Take a moment to stop and breathe and allow yourself the freedom to be present. Be thankful for all that is, and all that will be. Take each breath with full awareness of life. Be in the light. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Anne! Anne Ward, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine ​Anne Ward is dedicated to teaching individuals lifelong skills to better themselves. Anne has a proven record of helping her clients to live a more positive and balanced life through the use of specific tools that can be applied to any situation they may face. Anne’s goal is to help people be the best they can be with the resources and power they host within themselves. Anne will offer an intuitive ear and gentle guidance to clients as they work through areas of their life that they want to improve. Anne is a fantastic professional.

Reuters is reporting that Bjorn Gulden, the current CEO of Puma, is in talks to take over at rival Adidas. Gulden’s departure at the end of the year had already been confirmed. His successor is COO Arne Freundt, who will take the helm on 1st January 2023. The current CEO of Adidas is Kasper Rorsted, who had made clear his intention to leave the role in 2023. At the end of October, Adidas cut its forecast for 2022. It pointed to a drop in demand in its Western markets; the expenses of leaving the Russian market and lower expected sales from China. The brand’s decision to cut ties with Kanye West is also having an impact.

Written by: Katie Scott, Business Reporter This has been a turbulent week for the workforce of Twitter, now owned by Tesla-founder and multi-billionaire Elon Musk. On 4th November, reports started circulating from staff that their access to their work computers and networks had been abruptly cut. Employees received an email stating: “In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global workforce. We recognize that this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions to Twitter, but this action is unfortunately necessary to ensure the company’s success moving forward.” The Guardian suggests that nearly half of the company’s global workforce of 7500 people have lost their jobs. That evening, Musk tweeted a confirmation of the cuts stating: “Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day.” He added: “Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50% more than legally required.” Major brands including Pfizer, General Motors, General Mills and Audi are amongst those who have pulled their advertising from the social platform amid fears that Musk’s Free speech campaign could lead to a dramatic increase in hate speech and misinformation. PR Week reported huge cuts at the company’s Comms team, which works with journalists; as well as the entire Human Rights team. Musk hit back at this though in another Twitter tirade accusing “activist groups [for] pressuring advertisers” and suggesting “we did everything we could to appease the activists”. He also declared: “They’re trying to destroy free speech in America.” However, an anonymous employee told The Guardian that the job cuts meant Twitter simply could not operate as it had before: “The platform is likely to become more toxic with less healthy information to counter the disinformation or misinformation narratives,” they said. A group of four ex-employees has launched a class action against Twitter arguing that they were not given enough notice about their job losses under Federal Law. Trail Lawyer Lisa Bloom told the press: “Elon Musk has a history of violating California’s labor laws, as Tesla has been hit with a shocking number of sexual and racial harassment lawsuits. His workers are human beings who are all entitled to respectful treatment. This time a hard-hitting class-action lawsuit will finally educate him that even the world’s richest man is not above the law.” The news from Twitter comes at a time when Meta is also mooting job cuts. The Wall Street Journal writes that there will be large-scale layoffs this week. At the end of October, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said that the company would “...focus our investments on a small number of high priority growth areas. So that means some teams will grow meaningfully, but most other teams will stay flat or shrink over the next year.”

Written by: Riya Loveguard, 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. You’ve got a unique business idea, and you’ve paid established business mentors to guide you through the loops. Yet, your business trajectory isn’t moving the way you want it to. What gives? A lot of times, it has less to do about your business strategies, and more about the energetic blocks of collective templates and patterns, and personal and ancestral energetic blocks in your field. But in my personal spiritual journey, I have found that nothing could be more tangled and intertwined as money and spirituality. In fact, a lot of an individual’s money and material abundance has to do with his or her energetic field and soul alignment. To be able to remove energetic blockages around money and abundance, you first must recognize what these blockages are. Collective Templates and Patterns Collective patterns are ways of thinking and behaving that we’ve learned and subconsciously internalized as a result of societal expectations and norms. It’s the thing that keeps people believing they could never be successful unless they get that college degree, buy the house and car, get married and have three beautiful kids. It’s the societal expectation of making your “first million” before you could even refer to yourself as “successful.” Collective templates and patterns are the boxes that we try to fit into because it’s been drilled into us by society from the moment we were born. Some examples of collective templates and patterns that affect your abundance flow are: The “Giving is Better Than Receiving” Mentality This collective template mostly stems from religious teachings. My Christian upbringing certainly instilled in my young mind that in order to receive, I should give. And if I give, I shouldn’t expect to receive or even if I want to receive, I shouldn’t ask for anyone for it because verbalizing any sort of desire implies you’re being “greedy” or “selfish.” There’s a lot of shame, guilt, or a sense of “I owe this person because they gave me this,” whenever we receive something because of all these collective patterns that have been imprinted in us. To open up your channels to freely receiving abundance and becoming the master creator of your ideal life, you have to deprogram yourself off of these templates. You have to be able to receive (and give) without looking at it as a transactional matter. Instead, when you receive something, you have to practice being comfortable in the thought that you received it “just because.” You don’t have to “deserve” to live the life you dream of. You don’t even have to “earn it.” You simply have to BE! The “Hustle or Die” Mentality The “Hustle or Die” Mentality, the “Girl Boss” Mentality, etc. are some other examples of collective templates that block your abundance channels. A lot of the hustle culture stems from programming that came with slavery and survival. Unless you live in a remote and isolated civilization that has never been touched by Western society, you have most likely internalized his coding of “If I don’t work hard, I’m never going to be successful.” Unfortunately, this coding of “working hard” to be able to afford or deserve something is what keeps us in this loop of lack and poverty. Even in our modern society, this slavery coding still prevails – you may feel like you can’t be sick or take a holiday, that’s selfish and puts you off the track to success! It may make you feel awkward whenever we receive something good out of the blue, without working hard for it. But the earmarks of true abundance should be natural flow and ease. It should be receiving money and embodying sovereignty by being in flow with your soul’s calls and your heart’s desires. Personal and Ancestral Blocks In Your Field Personal and ancestral blocks are different from collective blocks, templates and patterns. Personal blocks are energetic walls you’ve developed through your personal experiences. Ancestral blocks, on the other hand, are those that have been intentionally or unintentionally passed down to us by our ancestors. Personal blocks could be something like not being able to trust yourself with a huge amount of money because you have lost some in investments before. Ancestral blocks could be something like having grandparents who won the lottery and subsequently lost it through excessive spending. Some significant family event or personal experience that happened could have been imprinted in your personal energetic field or your ancestral line which you now carry in your DNA. These events tend to teach the energetic realm to observe certain patterns from the past and perpetuate it in your present (and if you don’t work it out –in your future). Additionally, developing energetic blockages around money and abundance don’t even have to originate from big events like winning the lottery. It can be as simple as having traumas about receiving money or things from certain family members because they kept saying this like, “Look what I provided you!” or “You should do this and that because I worked hard for you to have this!” You might not be aware of it, but little things like this build up over time, and before you know it, there’s a great big wall around your energetic field that repels any form of abundance flow. So How Do We Open Up To Receive and Remove These Abundance Blockages? There are tons of modalities that I work with which can help you slowly deprogram and remove these blockages. But just for you to get started, you can practice these two simple steps: Step 1: Get into a Meditative State Getting into a meditative state suspends the blockages we’ve built in our field, and slowly opens up our channels. Step 2: Imagine Opening Your Heart To The World Around You Envision opening up your heart to the world, and inviting all energies of love, support and abundance to enter. Imagine your energy traveling upwards, downwards and all around, gathering the energies of abundance, and bringing it back to your center. Do this everyday, and sooner or later, you will observe that more and more opportunities and gifts are being presented to you by the universe. And when they do, open your arms to receive, with no guilt, expectations, or judgment. The universe is giving all these to you just because! Welcome it! As you learn to be more open, the universe will open itself up to you. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Riya! Riya Loveguard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Riya Loveguard is a Quantum Business Strategist bridges the gap between entrepreneurship and spirituality by teaching how to use the energetics of business to establish a successful brand in the physical sphere. Known as The Galactic Linguist, Riya channels multiple Light Languages that carry strong sound frequencies capable of impacting every aspect of your reality. Riya's purpose is to show business people and spiritual practitioners alike that ascension does not have to be at odds with achieving financial success. Riya explains how implementing energy laws into your business is the key to having a fulfilling and impactful life.

Written by: Ann Carden, 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 finding it hard to grow your consulting and coaching business because you are out of time or exhausted? Getting stuck in fulfillment or maxing out on time because of a heavy client load is common in consulting or professional coaching. Many consultants and coaches seeking more growth often fall into the low-ticket volume strategies (creating courses, low-priced groups, memberships, etcetera.) These strategies are fine, except these volume methods for growth require consistent traffic and time, complicated funnels and technology, exceptional copywriting, a big audience, a big team, and high-cost advertising to make much money. So, how do you keep growing without this complexity or giving away too much personal time? High-Level Masterminds are an excellent way to grow by bringing in clients for $25k, $40k, $50k, or much more. High-Level Masterminds can be structured in several ways (depending on your market), but in a way that they only require a few hours of your time a month with little backend support. Many Consultants and Coaches offer group coaching programs, but often at low fees. To make any significant financial leaps, they need loads of buyers. However, the approach I use and teach my clients is to offer and run high-end masterminds (working with only a handful of clients.) Ten clients in a group @ $25k per client is an additional $250k annually. Ten @ $40k per client is $400k annually. Running two groups for this amount is an additional $500k-$800k annually and a simple and streamlined way to scale with high profits and minimal time. So, here are nine steps to add high-end ($25k-$50k+) Masterminds to your business. Determine WHO are the best clients for your mastermind. It works best to choose a specific market you are an expert at helping. What is your FINANCIAL GOAL with your masterminds? Determine what PRICE per client you will charge. Then, build the value to charge $25k or more into the offer so that it is a no-brainer for people to invest at this high level. My “Expert In You Business Accelerator” Masterminds are designed to help consultants and coaches to add six to seven figures with ultra-high-end clients in twelve months. What RESULT, OUTCOME, or TRANSFORMATION will your mastermind offer (why should people buy?) NAME YOUR MASTERMIND. Giving your program a name can add value and make it unique and proprietary to your business. Decide WHAT YOU WILL INCLUDE in the mastermind (tools, resources, sessions, guidance, support, bonuses, etcetera.) HOW MANY PEOPLE will you put into each mastermind group? The higher the investment for the client, the higher the value, client's experience, and results should be. FILL YOUR MASTERMIND. What marketing strategies will you use to fill your mastermind? Different markets will require different systems. I help my clients implement the best method and system for their business. DELIVER A GREAT EXPERIENCE. There are no limits on what you can include and offer to your group. Implementing the mastermind strategy into your business can accelerate your revenue and income by 3-10x, working only a few hours a month. If you want to learn more about my “Expert In You Business Accelerator Mastermind” or VIP Coaching/Consulting services to help you do this in your business, you can book a strategy call here. You can also check out my FREE MASTERCLASS! Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Ann! Ann Carden, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ann Carden is a top business growth consultant for professional coaches and consultants who want to build and grow a 6 & 7-figure business with High-End Clients and Programs with More Freedom. After building and selling five previous businesses, Ann wanted to help others have business success and change lives. However, her journey in the coaching industry was expensive and exhausting trying to build her business. As she invested in numerous programs, mentors, and coaching organizations, she found many of them lacked customization and were too focused on volume. This is when Ann took a step back and created her Expert In You Method, that uses powerful high-success strategies to accelerate financial success

Written by: Vanita Lee-Tatum, 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. Burnout is real! You wake up every morning with a long to-do list; you often skip your morning and afternoon meals amidst meetings and travel schedules. Oftentimes your work-life balance seems non-existent. When you’re booked and busy, neglecting your personal needs as an entrepreneur can become apparent. It is always recommended that we learn to prioritize ourselves by incorporating self-care hacks that are proven to revitalize overall well-being. Today we share simple and essential self-care tips that enhance creativity, increase productivity, and positively impacts the bottom line of business. Start your day with gratitude It’s easy to put your mind to your to-do lists as soon as you wake up! However, do not forget that you are an individual, and entrepreneurship is a role that you’re playing wholeheartedly. Spend a few minutes counting all those fantastic things that exist in your life. Smile for all that you are grateful for and everything you’ve achieved. Regarding your finances, taking inventory of the resources and social capital you have with a dose of gratitude will help your mind focus on the positive aspects of situations throughout the day, and you will see opportunities in adverse situations more clearly. Exercise daily Simple things like taking a walk, playing a sport, etc., recharge your mind and body. Business mentors and coaches have often said that exercising doubles our productivity. You don’t have to be into intense work out every day but make sure you’re dedicating some time to your health and fitness. Studies show that a person who exercises regularly has improved concentration and ability to make better business decisions. Put into daily practice, concentrated-intentional movement will also relieve stress from your fast-paced entrepreneurial lifestyle. All universal emotions, such as worry, frustration, and irritation, need a positive outlet to avoid being stored in your body. Enjoy what you eat You are what you eat in a day-to-day routine. Eat great food, and treat yourself once in a while. Enjoy your weekly cheat day! If you notice that you lose energy after eating, take an allergy test to determine what foods to stay away from. Not all foods sit well with us, and some cause more havoc than others, so pay attention to how food makes you feel to help maximize your enjoyment and appreciation for food. Healthy foods help your brain function better, directly impacting how you handle your business deals. Eating healthy and clean will also help reduce visits to the doctors because, let’s face it, who has time for a doctor's visit when we are working to take our businesses to the next level? So let’s mitigate doctor visits with healthy, enjoyable meals. Find ways to boost your creativity and productivity Entrepreneurs don’t work harder; they work smarter! Never overschedule yourself. Observe your learning habits. Monitor what makes you feel your most creative and productive. Spending time with yourself before bed also helps you know yourself better. This practice helps you have a unique perspective toward the things you do in your daily work routine, and you are able to find creative ways to grow your business and your money! Unplugging from social media A healthy mind is sure to build a financially healthy business. Keep yourself away from gadgets and the internet occasionally, and involve yourself in offline activities. Also, it’s always good for our mental and emotional health to change the way we use social media. Turning off notifications, following spiritual content, not putting oneself in an inferiority complex zone while viewing the lives of highly successful people, etc., are some of the things that are effective in keeping your emotional health intact. Ensure sound sleep Entrepreneurs’ bedtime routine is often compromised. Proper sleep is not just to relax and get rested; it’s also a significant investment in your good health. Lack of sleep initiates stress and anxiety, which negatively impacts your business decisions. So, never ignore your healthy sleep schedule. Take a vacation (or a stay-cation!) It’s a must! Spend quality time with your family, meet your old friends, and see new places. Delegate and outsource tasks, be free and prepare for a better version of yourself! Taking a break helps prevent burnout and improves your mental wellness, ultimately boosting your brainpower. Find yourself in the company of great people What company you keep shapes your personality. Keep yourself around great minds and great people. Participate in local events and gatherings. This will not only strengthen your professional network, but you’ll learn a lot from new people. Have a mentor or a coach to whom you can reach out whenever you need. As an entrepreneur, you have a big responsibility to take your business to new heights, so you cannot ignore the importance of self-care! Jim Rohn once rightly said, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” So, it’s time we build some self-care habits today for a better tomorrow! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Vanita! Vanita Lee-Tatum, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Vanita Lee-Tatum is a world-class business developer and strategy consultant, specializing in helping organizations and individuals grow their business potential. Drawing on her own experience as an entrepreneur and her financial skills honed as VP of Banking, Vanita inspires and ignites business owners to create financial growth by teaching them the business development skills needed to flourish. Dedicated to making an impact by sharing her knowledge and expertise to encourage business owners and entrepreneurs of all types, Vanita is a positive force of nature who clients and partners enjoy collaborating with.

Written by: Mike Greene, 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. ‘Magic Moments’ & ‘Attention to detail’ – 2 of the many lessons I learned at the Disney institute. Ask anyone what their ‘mission’ in life is, and most will not have an answer, in fact the vast majority of people haven’t really given much thought to a lifetime mission because they get so totally wrapped up in the challenges they are facing today, or held back by the problems of the past. But without a mission, whether in life or business, we are like a ship without a rudder… at the mercy of the tides of life, or the winds of change… and then people wonder why they sometimes feel lost or ‘not in control’. Taking some time to determine a clear Mission, Vision and values by which you will build a life or a business, are crucial tools to help steer you towards your optimum and desired future. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend a course by Disney Institute for professional development & leadership training. The simplicity of Walt’s Mission and values/principles were so inspiring and visionary, as well as being applicable to so many businesses. Walt’s Mission in life was simple: “To make people, especially children, feel happy” …But the simplicity of that mission/statement bought clarity to everything that the Disney Corporation did, and determined the way that they did it. In this week’s Blog, I will share some of the principles that I took from the session, principles that I have shared and successfully used many times in many businesses. Magic moments: Walt challenged everyone at Disney to find ways to create ‘magic moments’ every day for all ‘the guests’ that visited. Everyone was tasked and challenged to look for, share, and emulate the very best examples (which were recognised and rewarded) so that the ‘magic moments’ were amplified and duplicated to literally thousands of visitors/guests. Turning one ‘magic moment’ into the magic that made Disney a wonderous experience again and again for so many. Now, it would be easy to see how you could do that if you were dressed in a Mickey Mouse outfit, or if you were one of the cast members (as all employees were called) that were managing a ride, or serving in a restaurant, but the challenge was for everyone, even those that may have ‘behind the scenes’ roles, and I will never forget one of the examples shared with us: One day whilst cleaning a family room, a cleaner noticed that the family had purchased several small cuddly toys of the Disney characters, and it was obvious that the children had been playing with them as they were spread around the room. The cleaner switched on the Disney channel on the in-room TV, moved the arm chair in front of the TV and lined up the characters on the chair so it looked like the Disney Characters were watching the Disney channel… …can you imagine the ‘magic moment’ that the cleaners action would have created for the children on their return to the room – seeing their Disney characters watching the Disney channel ‒ and the wonderful feeling, the ‘magic moment’ that the parents would have experienced in seeing their children’s response. The Parents shared the story at checkout of the hotel, and the cleaner was awarded for ‘creating a magic moment’ for that family. Moreover, it was something that could be easily shared and duplicated across literally thousands on Disney hotel rooms every day – creating tens of thousands of magic moments. The above is a great example to me of how literally anyone in a business can and should see themselves as part of the ‘cast’ and see themselves as being equally responsible for trying to create that magic in a business. The initiative of that cleaner cost the Disney corporation absolutely nothing, but it is in my mind just one small example of the type of initiative that contributes to making Disney so magical. How can your ‘cast’ or team create magic moments in your business? for your customers and your communities, or how can you create magic moments for people in your life? Little things can make a huge difference, which reminds me of 2 quotes that hopefully capture the above principle: "Be creative, innovate consistently on the little things that the big companies ignore. Little things of make big differences in business" – Richard Branson ‘Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realise that they were the big things’ – Kurt Vonnegut Attention to detail and Appealing to all 5 senses: Walt Disney understood at an emotional level, and at a scientific level, how ‘Engaging all 5 senses creates the strongest and longest lasting memory links’… and everything that Disney did, worked to engage all the senses. Any business can stop what they are doing at any moment and ask the question, ‘What senses do our products, services, or offering stimulate?’ And/or ‘How can we ‘connect’ at a greater, and longer lasting level with our existing and potential customers?’ There are numerous article and books written on every detailed example of the degree to which Disney went to ensure this was optimised, and even down to the pavements in every area of the parks being different, because in Disney’s words: ”You don’t just experience with your eyes, ears, nose, touch and taste… It’s amazing what you experience with your feet” So, for example in Frontierland which is based on a Frontier town from the wilderness of the wild west, he insisted that the ground be the colour of the dirt roads that would pass through a frontier town, and that before the surface was dry they had to run stage coach grooves through it and horse hooves to ensure that even as you walked, the contours that your feet might feel would be similar… …Disney would send teams to frontier towns and historic sets to ensure that the buildings and materials used perfectly emulated wherever possible, a real frontier, wild west environment. Even the sounds were captured and whilst guest think that many of the sounds would be naturally occuring, local birds, and may not even notice some of the sounds… Much of it is piped into the areas of the park so that EVERY sense is as aligned to the reality as possible. Some people in business would see the detail to which Disney focussed, or even obsessed, to be excessive and unnecessary, because the vast majority of visitors/guests would not even notice or ‘sense’ the detail – or would they? because many of our senses are sub-consciously or even unconsciously captured… ...But then again, very few businesses have prevailed and grown through almost 100 years of massive historic change and technical evolution into a business with a market cap of nearly £200bn today and I will close this weeks Blog with 2 quotes from Walt himself: “A half-way job means you wasted ALL the money!” & “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do” – Walt Disney Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Mike Greene, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mike is a passionate Leader, Experienced Chairman, CEO & Director. He has been a consultant for over 100 global brands and FTSE Co’s. He has Invested in over 30 start-up & growth businesses and mentored thousands of businesses/Individuals. He Bought, built, and sold a consulting business in UK, USA, Australia, NZ and Europe. He starred in Channel 4's Secret Millionaire (season 9 episode 6), Author 'Failure breeds Success'. He is Chair of Peterborough & Stamford Chamber of Commerce. An Endurance adventurer who’s climbed many mountains, sailed in Clipper 2013/14 round the world yacht race and run 4 marathons to name a few in 2013, he was awarded Anglia Ruskin Uni – Honorary Doctorate – Dr of Education.