Written by: Santarvis Brown, Senior Level Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Leadership isn’t easy. From CEOs to management and every level in between, people want to know how they can become better leaders. Did you know that the best leadership experience comes from brokenness? It’s true! When you have experienced extreme hardship and come out of it able to reach greater heights and create a healthy life and successful career, you are used to facing the difficulties life can throw your way. More specifically, you learn to govern yourself and operate through extreme pressure. What better knowledge could you have as a leader? In this article, I’m going to look at the way broken leaders connect with their employees and use their experiences to fuel their drive and build compassionate relationships with their workforce. 1. Broken leaders have compassion Broken people understand how hard it can be to function when everything is chaotic. This allows them to walk the line between skilled, compassionate leaders and managers only interested in productivity. By understanding the way life tends to become unraveled without a single warning sign, these leaders can help employees work around their problems and deliver quality work on time. Leaders without this understanding are often unyielding in their demands and expectations. And while that might meet ambitious deadlines, it certainly won’t build a loyal team of experienced professionals willing to go the extra mile. 2. Broken leaders don’t worry about what people think It is natural to worry about what other people think. Our image shapes people’s opinions of us, after all, and can be either a boon or a burden. There is a difference between consciously presenting yourself professionally and being paralyzed by what others think. Many broken people eventually reach the point where someone else’s opinion no longer has a place in their lives. Feeling better and living their life one day at a time becomes the most effective approach to moving on and establishing a new normal. Leaders without the realization that other people’s opinions are not nearly as important as they might feel in traditional work environments worry more about appearances than quality work. These are the leaders who not only push employees to their breaking point but also constantly strive to look better for the “higher ups” regardless of what that determination does to their workforce. 3. Broken leaders connect to their employees I discussed this briefly in an earlier section, but broken leaders listen to their employees and maintain a humble and approachable appearance. This is important for a few different reasons. The first is that this kind of communication allows employees to communicate more freely with leaders. Just as important is the impact a shared understanding has on office health. Compassionate leaders create compassionate employees and a healthy, productive corporate culture. Leaders with the desire and ability to connect with employees on a human level are ideal leaders. They value their workforce as individuals and build tight-knit teams willing to go to bat for their teammates. Ironically, it turns out that broken people are some of the strongest, both in their professional and personal lives. Visit Santarvis on his LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more information. Read more from Santarvis! Santarvis Brown, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Santarvis Brown has spent 15+ years serving as a leader, innovator, and changemaker in education, showcasing in-depth insight as an administrator, educator, and program director. A noted speaker, researcher, and full professor, he has lent his speaking talent to many community and educational forums, serving as a keynote speaker. He has also penned several publications tackling issues in civic service, faith, leadership, and education.

Written by: Megan McCann and Jennifer Ludington, 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. What is the key to building a bulletproof prosperous business? We believe it starts with foundational leadership principles often overlooked due to the industry’s strong emphasis on traditional strategic revenue methods. It might surprise you to know that many entrepreneurs rely heavily on strategy for business growth, but we do not agree. In our combined 30+ years launching businesses and supporting women in business, we have found that instead of strategy, real prosperity can be unlocked with foundational leadership principles as the cornerstone for a bulletproof business. We have found that our business leadership equation supports entrepreneurs in overcoming the common obstacles we face in our fast-moving economic climate. Responsibility + Resourcefulness + Resiliency = Revenue Personal responsibility is the foundation of leadership. You are powerless to pivot, alter, or shift anything in your company if you are unable to accept 100% responsibility for the current state of your business's bottom line. We are powerless to change that which we blame on our circumstances or on others. As Brenden Burchard says, “Personal power is directly tied to personal responsibility, which most people avoid.” Avoidance is generally the main culprit in the personal responsibility piece that can negatively affect many entrepreneurs in their journey. Avoiding the details and relying solely on your accountant, CFO, or team can allow your ego to easily place blame if the ball is dropped. As the creator and founder, it is the entrepreneurs' duty to have their eyes wide open and fully prepared to step up to the plate and own their responsibility. This is when we are empowered to make the adjustments needed to ensure we meet and exceed our revenue potential. Resourcefulness is a key building block to business growth. Our ability to get creative and utilize our internal and external resources to innovate new ideas, concepts, and modalities can serve our customers, clients, and audiences. When looking to scale business and create more revenue, it’s imperative to ask ourselves a few key questions to extract the most favorable outcome. What resources do I have that are currently untapped? What is the talent inside those around me that are waiting to be unlocked? What resources in my social circle can I call on to add value to my situation? What can I observe in my current environment that I have overlooked in the past? Alchemizing lead into gold is what entrepreneurs do best, however, if we box ourselves into a particular rule-following narrative we crush our innovation, creativity, and ultimately our inherent resourcefulness. Resiliency is the entrepreneurs' revenue elevator. What creates a skyscraper of success in business? Most certainly the ability to overcome obstacles with curiosity, persistence, and grit. Obstacles are opportunities for innovation, flexibility, and ultimately more revenue. When we can allow ourselves to be curious about a hurdle in business, we learn that we don’t have to jump the hurdle to overcome it. Instead, we can maneuver, shift and pivot with ease instead of rigidity. Often times the obstacle we believe is blocking our path to success is the one that leads us to prosperity. Follow me on Instagram, and LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Megan and Jennifer! Megan McCann and Jennifer Ludington, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Megan McCann and Jennifer Ludington are experts in strategic leadership and business systems. As 1 amazon best-selling authors, in-demand speakers, and media personalities, they are on a mission to help over 1 million women scale their businesses. With a combined 30 years of experience bootstrapping multiple six and seven-figure businesses, they want to show others how to do it too.

Written by: Andrew David McDowell, 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. Comparison does not serve you. How often do we find ourselves as humans looking to those items outside ourselves for love, validation, and purpose? Oh if I could just have that kind of job or that hunk of a man for a husband or that sporty car that just drove by you. Maybe I just need to go see the plastic surgeon and fix this, tweak that. When we live a life like this, we are constantly chasing life trying to reach these items or achieve this type of success that society says is cool. We never reach long-lasting joy and happiness. It is always fleeting in nature. No long-lasting permanence. Inside validation and self-love True joy and happiness come when we can rather spend life looking inward and searching for and achieving our purpose, values, and passions. The outside items are nice to haves and we should seek them out for ourselves, however, not at the expense of living our lives from the inside out. When we love ourselves and the little child inside of ourselves, our truth and light can shine out to the world. We don’t care what others think of us anymore. It’s freedom and liberating to take that monkey off of our backs. To be whom we were created to be and have a starting point from which we can bring creativity and value to the world. Being is a state of living out your life purpose I would like to walk you through an analogy to illustrate this point that I hope you can relate to. The analogy is that of the life of a flower. Flowers understand their purpose. They don’t worry about the competition. They just live out their life. They work with the nutrients in their earth looking for that great environment from which to grow in. They take these nutrients to grow themselves. Grow themselves into their purpose. They might be next to fellow flowers and they are okay with that. No competition here, just a teammate. Team Flower! Let’s get this guys! They grow into these beautiful creatures both in looks and smell. They are not seeking out anything outside themselves. They are comfortable in their spot ready to give visual and smell value to anyone they attract to themselves. Every single minute delivers on that value. Living their purpose. Want to have that all the time? Sure, take me home with you. Put me in a vase and keep feeding me. I will keep delivering value as long as I can. Talk to me, give to me, encourage me and I will keep beaming in your midst. Being attracts those who resonate with you in that being Oh, don’t mind me, I am just here attracting. Oh, hi Mister Bee! Do you want a relationship? Sure, come sit on me and take my pollen. Let’s enjoy each other’s company while we are both still alive. Tell your friends about me. Spread my pollen so that other flowers might be able to grow and thrive. Use it to make your honey. Teamwork! Relationship! Win-Win! We are both of the earth but are different (Just like Women and Men are different but both of this earth). We each have our different purpose and different strengths and weaknesses. But we work together for a common purpose. Start Being then align you're doing with it We cannot be a flower when we are not living out our purpose full of self-love. We invite chaos into our world and we end up looking like a rock instead of a flower. A hard, immobile rock that no one wants to take home and enjoy. It lasts forever but doesn’t deliver that warmth, comfort, and joy that a flower does. Do your internal work to find healing in your life. Find your purpose. Live it out. Don’t care what others think of it. Just nuzzle up next to the other flowers and let your light and smell shine on. Team Flower! Let’s do this! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Andrew! Andrew David McDowell, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Andy is an engineer by trade and a creative by nature. He spent 22 years with the Boeing Company, where he always felt more like a life coach than a boss. In 2002, he began his journey into entrepreneurship within a Corporation when he was asked to develop an Airspace Design Consulting business from scratch that would serve the global government market. Andy has a Bachelor’s Degree from Georgia Tech in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State. Naturally, his aviation work took him around the world and enabled him to work on high-profile projects ‒ such as preparing the Beijing and Sochi Airports for their respective Olympic Games.

Written by: Marissa Nicole Azucena , Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Finding a work-life balance is one of the biggest challenges we face in our society today. When we pair that with the recent Pew Research Center study that showed that one-third of Americans have reported high levels of psychological distress throughout the pandemic, we can see that mental health is playing a huge role in the quality of our lives. Since 2020, we have seen a shift in focusing on and prioritizing mental health – and a great place for this to begin is in the workplace. According to Gettysburg College, it is estimated that we spend 90,000 hours of our life at work – or about one-third of our life. Because a person’s workplace often becomes like a second home, it’s imperative that companies are actively seeking out and integrating wellness practices into their work environments to support employees and their mental health. A powerful practice that can easily be incorporated into any workplace, whether it is in an office building, hospital, or school is mindfulness and meditation. Below you can find more information on the benefits of bringing mindfulness and meditation into any workplace and some simple ways to integrate it into every workday. The act of slowing down and centering oneself through mindfulness and meditation can bring lots of benefits to anyone’s life. Positive effects from practicing mindfulness and meditation can be seen in just a few short weeks- and it doesn’t need to have a lot of time dedicated to it either. In fact, research has shown that just 5 minutes of meditation a day is enough to help clear the mind, boost brain function, improve mood, and reduce stress. Here are a few examples of how incorporating Mindfulness and Meditation into a workplace can be beneficial: According to a multitude of studies, meditation can help to prevent stress and burnout. This can support employees and workers in any field to not feel overwhelmed at work and also prevent feeling burnt out. According to a poll taken by Gallup, a global analytics and advice, firm, it was found that workers are three times more likely to leave a job that they feel over-stressed at. By having resources in place at work like mindfulness and meditation, this can help with reducing high volumes of stress or burnout, especially in certain work environments like hospitals or for first responders. Mindfulness improves creativity and productivity. According to the American Psychological Association, meditation can boost memory which can be a huge plus in many workspaces. Collaboration can be fostered and increased through group meditations. Research shows that meditation and mindfulness help with emotional regulation. This can be especially beneficial in jobs where there are many interpersonal relationships or interactions with others on a day-to-day basis, such as customer service jobs. Studies have shown that practicing Mindfulness and Meditation for even just a few weeks can have an impact on the brain. Here are a few simple ways companies and businesses can begin to incorporate Mindfulness and Meditation into their workplace: Begin or end workdays, gatherings, or meetings with a short meditation. If done at the beginning of work, this can set a positive tone and mindset for employees. If it’s done at the end, this can help to wrap things up in a positive way and help to boost team morale despite what may have come up throughout the day. Provide mindfulness and meditation “brain breaks”. Giving workers 15 or so minutes to go on a mindful walk, do some deep breathing, listen to music mindfully, or do a guided meditation can be a great reset that doesn’t take a lot of time but can change the direction of a workday or give employees a burst of energy or the chance to experience some much-needed stress relief. Educate and provide programs for employees on mindfulness and meditation so they can begin to learn, cultivate, and implement their own mindfulness and meditation practices. By doing this, they will most likely not only feel the benefits in their work life but also in their personal lives. Mindfulness and meditation are holistic approaches that can positively affect every area of our life, and these positive changes can start in the workplace. By providing employees with effective tools for stress reduction and the knowledge of how to slow down, we can begin to shift from a culture of high stress to one that prioritizes wellness and growth equally. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Marissa! Marissa Nicole Azucena, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Marissa Azucena is a certified life coach and mindfulness and meditation teacher. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelors in Psychology, and spent most of her time during undergrad doing research around the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. She currently runs her own business, Younique Coaching. She works with individuals on a one on one basis, offers group mindfulness and meditation classes, and also founded and is currently running a mindfulness and meditation program for a school in the California Bay Area. Her goal is to help others improve their lives through stress reduction techniques, life coaching, and positive psychology.

Written by: Taryn Rachel , 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. A few years ago I booked an appointment with a therapist. As I sat down, she asked me what brought me to therapy. My answer was simply, “When people ask me “what’s new with you”, or “how are you”, I don’t know how to respond.” It felt so ridiculous to speak out loud. I half expected her to say, “Get out of my office, I have people with real problems.” Yet, this idea had eaten at me for months: I don’t know how to talk about myself. I knew I wanted stronger relationships, but with low self-awareness, I wasn’t sure how to get there. The thought of sharing what was going on with me felt selfish. I had gotten really good at being there for other people. But without proper boundaries and prioritizing my own needs as well, it only fostered my belief that others were more important and that I did not matter. How could I be so in tune with others but completely lack understanding myself ? As I sat in session after session, what became clear was how much I didn’t know about myself. So, I want to ask you the question that piqued interest in my self-awareness journey: Does your level of openness strengthen or hinder your relationships? Below the surface Walking into that therapy office, my goal wasn’t: learn how to be functionally conversational when people asked me questions. It was deeper than that. What I wanted was to understand this craving for depth that I could so easily bring out of others, but seemed to be constantly elusive when it came to being emotionally honest with myself. There was a pivotal moment where I realized this was not only a nice wish but an essential skill for propelling intimacy. Past trauma had resurfaced and my partner was looking for guidance on how to support me. I found myself unable to put words to the absolute uprootedness my spirit was experiencing. With no way of understanding or communicating my own feelings, it not only left me at a loss for navigating my way forward, but it left my partner at a loss for what was happening with me. Since this day I’ve seen how the power of naming and sharing what’s happening within either hinders or increases closeness. Each of these times, the outcome has hinged on me trusting someone with my fragility when it feels safer to hide it away for myself. It also hinges on my willingness to learn crucial skills like trigger awareness , conflict transformation and effective communication. Okay. Maybe I’m not 100% emotionally honest with myself. Could it really be a block in my relationships? When you’re with your person or closest friend, do you long for richer conversation but don’t know how to go there? Or maybe it doesn’t feel that profound. You couldn’t begin to name the last time you had a big emotion. But your partner says things like, “I feel like I don’t know you”, or “just tell me what you’re feeling, I never know what’s happening in your head” and you’re not sure where to go from there. What about when someone tries to pull a layer back of your story, do you pull away entirely? We all desire to be known wholeheartedly, and yet it’s one of the most exposing, raw experiences. It opens you up to intimacy and closeness. But it also can lead to immense hurt that stays tender well beyond the first betrayal. No wonder it feels easier to sink into the wallpaper instead of exploring what could be. Vulnerability is risky. So how do I begin to deepen my relationships? Before you go there, growing in self-awareness and intimacy isn’t about trying harder . It’s about trying different. Trying harder asks that you continue striving in your relationships to feel a sense of control over the outcome. Whereas, trying different looks like embracing the reality that your personal growth influences your relationships; and then taking consistent, intentional action toward becoming who you want to be. Are you willing to get risky if you knew it led to personal and relational depth? Trying different: 7 practical steps to develop self-awareness that strengthens your relationships This looks like any and all of the below risk levels. Discern where you are currently at, then choose your own journey for your next step depending on your comfort level: 1. Lowest risk: Notice your personal patterns What tendencies do you have? What obstacles seem to continually circle back around? When it comes to relationships, this could be a pattern of breaking up when things get hard, an inability to name your emotions, or even loving unconditionally people who don’t return that same affection. These patterns over time reveal your tendencies. Tendencies point to areas that may need attention. 2. Low risk: Take note of how ‘known’ you feel in your closest relationships. What behaviors make you feel known and cared about? When these behaviors show up, what is your response internally (comfort, I shut down, etc.)? With this information, think about how you want to react. What needs to happen for you to get where you want to be? Note: When you feel known by people, that means you’ve shared personal experiences and/or feelings with them. If you don’t feel known in current relationships, you can still complete the exercise above! 3. Moderate risk: Maintaining momentum in the awareness stage. Great, so you are now paying attention to your go-to behaviors and responses that either increase or decrease the feeling of connection with others. People find themselves either in hyper-awareness at this stage or struggling to grasp new awareness. For both, practicing where to put your focus can lead to greater discernment. For hyper-aware folks, this can be an overwhelming stage where it is easy to analyze your every move and either deem it good or bad. The encouragement here is to pay attention to your behaviors and use it for information, not self-judgment. That small mindset shift is the key that will keep you moving forward instead of staying stuck in self-loathing. For those struggling to build awareness, focus on the small things. That fleeting flutter inside you that spiked your anger, sadness or excitement for even a second is worth paying attention to. Big awareness is built in small moments. When you’ve become dull to the small things, it can take time to reattune yourself to sensitivities necessary for building awareness. Try asking yourself, “if I had to take a guess, where did that flutter come from?” It’s okay to take a guess and see if the label fits. Don’t focus on getting the feeling right . It’s more about exercising the ability to notice and name the emotion. 4. Medium risk: Name it. The easy button is to deny the roadblock. There’s power in owning your barriers, story and decisions. It can sound like, “I think I have a tendency to make jokes and avoid others when they come too close” or for me it was, “I’m comfortable listening to other people more because what I have to say doesn’t matter”. Bonus points for owning your stuff without justification or defensiveness. 5. Getting very risky. Begin learning about what and who shaped you. Or in other words, why are you the way you are? This is a life-long journey that builds compounded awareness. There’s some insights that can only be drawn out from being asked questions by other people for the purpose of growth. With new awareness, you can dismantle long-time unhealthy patterns that have been hurdles to moving forward individually and in relationships. 6. Definitely high risk: Dip your toe into vulnerability. This looks different for everyone. It can look like sharing your list of behaviors that help you feel known or that you matter. Vulnerability can also be sharing a past experience, a current emotion or sitting in a heavy moment without moving to fix or end it out of uncomfortability. Bonus: Get curious about what makes you feel unloved. Share that with someone you’d like to grow more sincere with. 7. Now THAT’S risky: Invite a new perspective. Ask someone close to you what they’ve noticed about you that may be a blindspot. This person should be someone whom you trust whose perception of you is well-rounded but that would be willing to say hard things. Before this you will want to prepare your mindset to ask questions with curiosity instead of leading with defensiveness since your goal is ultimately information you can put into action. After pursuing my own ongoing growth journey, I’ve learned that building awareness takes guts. But after coaching clients for six years, I’ve learned that each of us is a risk-taker – and it doesn’t matter where you start, as long as you begin. You and all your relationships will thank you. Hi there, I’m Taryn! As a Relationship Coach, I’m boldly passionate about people discovering more of who they are for the purpose of healing. When we heal, we create a lasting ripple effect of health, not harm to our relationships. If you share that vision for your relationships but feel stuck with how to shift current dynamics, schedule a free 30-minute exploratory call with me now! Let’s begin together. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram, LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Taryn! Taryn Rachel, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Taryn is a community activator, Jesus-following, latte-loving, relationship & trigger healing coach. After years of half-living, she has continued learning to navigate her own trauma with grace and purpose. Taryn has experienced how trauma impacts relationships and also how it can be a catalyst for deep intimacy. Compiling her self-created, proven strategies around healing trauma, triggers and shame, she urges others to try different and invite others into their stories. She now lives out her passion giving others a compass and being a champion as they embark on their own healing journey. Through coaching, courses and interactive resources, she equips others worldwide to boldly live on purpose in a way that serves YOU and everyone you influence.

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. A yearly exercise I make is to read the same poem and find out to what extent my cognitive and emotional development allows me to gain new insights from the same material. Robert Frost’s “The road not taken” is the poem I use because it allows itself to many interpretations as one matures and initially Frost wrote it as a joke intended for his friend Edward Thomas in response to his own poem “Roads”. Frost starts by saying that he came to a fork in the road and the two trails seemed similar: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I ‒ I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” My interpretation of the poem this year is as follows: Whether our past choice has been following our gut feelings or by a cost/benefit analysis we give meaning to our decisions in hindsight in ways compatible with our narrative and sense of self. So, at the start of this new year are you regretting some of your past choices, is this going to bare on this year’s decisions? Will you take more traveled by roads and privilege security or will you trailblaze and choose adventure instead? One huge advantage of the new year is starting with a clean slate and the ability to start anew. To enable you to do that and move on, give yourselves and others a “full discharge”, a sort of pardon, forgive and forget. This will allow you to travel with curiosity and notice what is emerging, seizing the opportunities that present themselves unbounded by the burden of the past. For the past is already a part of you through your learnings and development. It is true however that you need to set an intention for the year: the area of focus where you will cater to the emerging future in coherence with your own becoming. You need a trained eye to recognize what’s trending. Your intention will set your direction toward your vision which is influenced by the weak signals of the emerging future. How are the resolutions taken in COP 27 and COP 15 affecting your business going forward, are there new business models that could disrupt your line of work, how can you harness new technology and digitalization, etc.? Don’t go for it alone, place yourself under the gaze of those who want to see you flourish, those who believe in you, and nurture you without passing their own anxieties or fears. If you are working in a team how can you sustain motivation, satisfaction, engagement, and commitment? What is the world you will inhabit for the next 12 months, and whom are you inviting to share it with? What will be the road not taken this year? Wishing you all to travel new roads with new eyes and make a difference. 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: Maureen Adams , 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. Success in business is often judged on action and results rather than insight. Yet when we have insight, we can make better decisions that will move our business and teams forward. Through self-awareness, we can understand ourselves better and identify areas where we need to improve or adjust. Insight and self-awareness are therefore, essential skills for running a successful business. Nevertheless, these skills are not always easy to develop. They require self-honesty and a willingness to look at all aspects of our personality. According to Aristotle, 'knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.' Why Insight and Self-awareness are Important Insight allows us to think critically about different aspects of our business, such as operations, team dynamics, customer needs, etc., so we can make informed decisions on how to move forward. It is the 'aha' moment in coaching when we seem to find the solution out of the blue. Self-awareness allows us to be in touch with our emotions in a given situation. It enables us to tune with our strengths and weaknesses to address any areas that need improvement or development. We can identify our personal strengths and weaknesses and potential growth opportunities. But importantly, insight combined with self-awareness allows us to reach across obstacles to communication and find a resonance or connection with others. Collaborative leaders know the power of 'we' rather than 'I' and harnessing insight in that process will guarantee momentum. This is what makes it transformational. How to Develop Insight and Self-Awareness 1. The first step towards gaining insight is deciding what you are seeking to understand, change or transform. Part of this will involve gathering data from different sources. This could include talking to your team members, customers, stakeholders, and industry professionals or conducting market research, but gathering data is not enough in itself. Once you have collected all the necessary information, it's time to review it carefully so you can gain a deeper understanding of the situation. Because you are not just gathering data, you are gathering emotional intelligence. You need to provide an opportunity for individuals to learn new ways of thinking about themselves, their teams, and the wider organization. Handled well, individuals can explore different perspectives they may not have considered before and open up conversations on topics they may otherwise avoid discussing in the workplace. This type of exploration encourages growth, both personally and professionally. 2. As a leader it's helpful to ask for feedback from those you work with, to understand how you are perceived. One way to develop this skill is by asking for feedback from colleagues who know you well. The more diverse the group, the better, as you are seeking views representative of your business community. 360-degree feedback is just part of the mix and not the only solution. But it does give an overview of what is working and what might need to be reviewed. You may feel you know yourself well, so you may not notice situations in which you feel triggered or a tendency to respond in a habitual way to challenges, situations, or even individuals. 3. Setting clear goals for yourself in your actions and responses can help you develop a greater sense of self-awareness over time. It means you are not simply operating on an intellectual basis but recognizing the power in the message and the communication of that message. This can be very powerful. For instance, if you dive into action too early when a problem is presented, you may miss opportunities to take a broader view or access information held by others. It's not just gathering 'big data' but making meaning out of the information presented. So, taking a step back and resisting that trigger to resolve the problem immediately can open up alternative possibilities. Or if you respond negatively to an individual because they remind you of someone you found difficult in your life, it will be hugely beneficial to observe your reaction and alter it. Executive coaching can help people improve relationships at work by recognizing their patterns of behaviour and how these can be altering these can positively impact relationships. How Coaching Can Help Executive coaching has become a popular tool for managers in many fields to help develop a better understanding of themselves and those around them. An internal coach knows the context and can add real value. An external coach provides independence, an external focus, and a range of tools and techniques tried and tested in other organizational contexts. In addition to helping build self-awareness, coaches collaborate with teams on broader issues such as stress management, team dynamics, intent and purpose, and reflective practice in achieving goals. The ability of executive coaching to encourage curiosity within the individual allows people to assess their leadership style and their relationships with others. It encourages individuals to understand the impact that their decisions have on overall organizational goals, which leads to better decision-making processes. Creating an Effective Environment for Growth If you want to create an environment where growth and progress can be achieved within an organization, then you will need to mobilize the power of both insight and self-awareness in yourself and your team. Managers who understand themselves and those around them will be better equipped with the understanding needed for making informed decisions that will positively impact everyone involved in a project or process. Working with an executive coach will help teams develop strategies that improve productivity and foster collaboration across the organization to reach common goals. Executive coaching is a powerful tool for business leaders looking for ways to increase their insight and self-awareness while fostering collaboration among colleagues and building and binding their teams to the collective purpose. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Maureen! Maureen Adams, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Maureen Adams is an Executive Career Coach based in the UK. She works with ambitious senior professionals and leaders, facing complex challenges to have an impact at personal and organizational levels. As an experienced director herself, she has walked the path and helped others not only realize their potential through growth and change but to find their zest and redesign their lives. Maureen is the Founder of Cumulus Coaching UK.

Written by: Marissa Nicole Azucena, 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. A life coach can team up with an individual to help identify their limits, expand their thinking, and work together to create a vision that fits the client’s ideal life. However, there’s no reason you can’t learn some of the tools and ways in which this can be done on your own. By creating a similar experience, it’s totally possible to identify where you are right now, how you’d like to see yourself move forward, and how you can achieve that ‒ becoming your own life coach. To be your own life coach, you can ask yourself these three simple questions: Where am I now? Where do I want to be? How do I get there? Continue to read below for a step-by-step guide and tools on how to answer these questions and life coach yourself. “Take the limits off of yourself. You will never rise higher than your thinking. Create a great vision for your life.” ‒ Joel Osteen Where am I now? Use the Wheel of Life. To pinpoint where you’re at and how you’re feeling at this moment, you can utilize a tool that’s known as the Wheel of Life. This tool helps you to check in and assess how you’re feeling about the different major areas in your life. To begin, draw a circle and divide it into 8 sections. The end result will look like a pizza with 8 slices. Label each of the “slices” with a life category. Examples of this could include: Health Finances Career/Business Relationships Personal Development Spirituality Family Fun and Enjoyment You can also make it your own! If any areas in your life aren’t on this list that you’d like to add (or if there are any on here you’d like to take out), this is something you can absolutely do. Another option is instead of drawing a circle, you can simply create a list and rank things that way as well. After you’ve ranked everything, go through each category and rate it on a scale from zero to 10. Zero signifies you are extremely unsatisfied with that area of your life, while 10 means you are extremely satisfied. Once you’ve given each category a score, you now have a snapshot of where you’re at. From there, you can journal about why you scored each category the way that you did for more insight. You can also write what your ideal score would be for each. For example, did you rate health a five, but ideally you’d like for it to be at an eight? This will be a great first step in leading you to the next question, which is ‒ where do I want to be? Where do I want to be? First, find clarity. When thinking about where you want to go, what you want to change in your life, and what you want to achieve, one must have a clear picture of what it is they’re working towards. For example, instead of saying “I want to be financially successful,” create a clearer picture like “I want to be making exactly X amount of money per month.” Having clarity on what it is that you want, makes it that much easier to work towards it. If you’re having trouble finding clarity, you can use a tool like The Miracle Question. To use the Miracle Question, begin by taking a few deep breaths to clear your mind and center yourself. Next, visualize the following scene in your mind: Imagine that it is nighttime, and you get into bed. You fall asleep, and when you wake up in the morning, you immediately realize that something is different… Your problem has been solved. What does this mean to you? What has been solved? By using a tool like the Miracle Question, you can identify what in your life needs to change, and then you can create a clear vision of what you’d like to change it to. Visualize. Sit down with yourself and vividly imagine your ideal life, goals, and achievements. Don’t just write down, “I am going to get that job I applied for”. Visualize what it will look like when you get the offer, how your workspace will look, and how you’ll feel going to work. You want all of your goals and aspirations to feel real when you’re in the process of identifying where you want to be. Figure out your why. It’s important to go within and figure out why you are working towards these goals and life changes in the first place. Is it so you finally don’t need to live in a constant state of stress about money? Perhaps you want to improve close relationships so you have more peace in your living environment. What is your “why”? How does it feel? When thinking about where you want to be, a good signifier that you’re on the right path and that your goals are aligned with your values and vision is that it feels positive both emotionally and even physically. When you’re creating a vision for where you want to go, you should feel excited, motivated, energized, and relieved. Signs that you are currently not where you want to be or that a certain path isn’t for you may be that whenever you think about certain situations it brings up stress, anxiety, anger, restlessness, or dread. You should also feel positive in a physical sense as well. When thinking about where you want to be, you should feel light, and perhaps even feel “butterflies in your stomach”. Signs that something isn’t aligning could be that there’s a heaviness in your chest, stomachache, or shortness of breath. Checking in with how your vision feels both emotionally and physically can be a great indicator of where you want to be. How do I get there: Identify what has been getting in the way of you making changes or achieving certain goals. What are your blocks and distractions? If you’re feeling stuck or lacking motivation for a certain goal or change in your life, there’s most likely something standing in your way that needs to be addressed before you’re able to move forward in a focused and energized manner. You can write out a list asking yourself things like “What are my fears? What’s holding me back? What are my current distractions?” For example, maybe you’re spending more time than you’d like on your phone throughout the day. If you were to reduce your screen time from 3 hours a day to 2 hours ‒ how could you now use that one hour of extra time you've freed up towards one of your goals? Having these insights about yourself is incredibly empowering and important before setting up action steps. It will also be helpful to stay aware of them once you do start working towards your goals. Set up action steps. The next most important step is setting up action steps. This is where the real change happens. You know where you are and where you want to go ‒ now it’s just a matter of sitting down and writing out what exactly you need to do to get there. An example of an action step is something like waking up at 6 am every morning to go to the gym, which will ultimately get you to where you want to be in terms of your health. When setting up your action steps, you can use the SMART tool to help as well. S = Specific. You want each action step that you set up to be well-defined and clear. Measurable = You want specific ways to help measure your progress! For example, if you are setting up goals around weight gain or loss, one measurable goal would be “I am going to lose/gain 1 pound per week.” Achievable = You want your goals to feel attainable and not impossible to achieve. Realistic: Your action steps should feel within reach, realistic, and relevant! Timely: Set up a clearly defined timeline, including a starting date and a target date. Example: I am going to become debt free in the next 8 months so that I can begin to save for a down payment on a house. Another tool that can be used to help you set up your action steps is to use reverse engineering. With this exercise, what you do is start with the end goal in mind. To use this tool, you would begin by first creating a clear picture of where you want to be one year from now. To do this you can keep the major life categories in mind that you went over in the Wheel of Life. Then you can ask yourself ‒ to get to where I want to be in one year, what do I need to be doing in 6 months? 3 months? 1 month? 1 week? Today? With this tool, you are starting with your “final destination” in mind, and then working backward. Creating accountability. The last step that can help you to achieve your goals is by setting up forms of accountability. To be accountable is to stick to what you said you would do. Sometimes, if we don’t set up forms of accountability, we don’t always get things done that we set out to. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help set up some sources of accountability: How will I remember to do the things I’ve set out to do? What kind of reward system could I put in place for myself when I hit big milestones in my action steps? Who might be an effective accountability partner for this task? Who is someone I want to tell about the plan I’ve created for myself, and what do I need from this person? For example, do I want an accountability partner that will text me every day asking if I’ve taken my vitamins? These are a few tools that can be used to help you become your own life coach. By working through where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there you can begin to work towards the life you desire and deserve. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Marissa! Marissa Nicole Azucena, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Marissa Azucena is a certified life coach and mindfulness and meditation teacher. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelors in Psychology, and spent most of her time during undergrad doing research around the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. She currently runs her own business, Younique Coaching. She works with individuals on a one on one basis, offers group mindfulness and meditation classes, and also founded and is currently running a mindfulness and meditation program for a school in the California Bay Area. Her goal is to help others improve their lives through stress reduction techniques, life coaching, and positive psychology.

Dr. Helfand is a licensed psychologist specializing in marriage counseling and intensive couples therapy retreats. He uses his training in clinical psychology, neuroscience, and mindfulness to help couples achieve a happy and fulfilling marriage or to help them assess compatibility. David Helfand, Licensed Psychologist What is your business name and how do you help your clients? My wife and I are the co-owners of LifeWise in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont. My particular specialty is helping couples repair and strengthen their marriage so they can be happy and have fun together. So many marriages are filled with stress, and it’s amazing how couples forget to come back to the activities that brought them together in the first place. At this time, I am mostly offering couples therapy retreats. The goal of a retreat is to teach the couple a process that allows them to reconnect with each other, but that they can also replicate on their own after they have left my office. What kind of audience do you target your business towards? As I mentioned, I work mostly with couples right now. My wife provides parent coaching and child therapy. Our general goal is to help the entire family so that everyone has a chance to thrive. Because of the intensity of a marriage retreat, most couples I work with are on the edge of divorce and need help making a decision about their future. What are your current goals for your business? I have seen so many amazing changes during a retreat, and I want anyone in need to be able to experience that same benefit. My hope is to work with about 50 couples per year and eventually train other therapists to do the same so we can spread the word on how to have a happy and fulfilling marriage. No one is ever taught those skills, which in my opinion is why the divorce rate is so high. What is your work inspired by? I’m inspired by the couples that come to see me. That moment where I realize they are starting to feel hopeful and there is a chance that I just saved their marriage is profound. It is so moving to feel like a force for good and to recognize that their children will also get to keep their family unit because of it. Even couples without children express profound gratitude after the retreat, and I’m so honored to help them reconnect with someone they are deeply in love with but just haven’t liked for years. That is what drives me to keep supporting these families. Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far. I have had to rebuild my business 5 times now. I started in the neuroscience field and had a very successful neurofeedback practice. I was offering some couples retreats at that time, but my primary focus was on individual brain training. I started to make a shift in 2019 to work more with couples, when I hired a coaching company to help me. That was a total disaster, and it ruined the business. I rebuilt it again focusing more on couples alongside offering neurofeedback. Then the pandemic hit. I had to completely shut down the neurofeedback business and move solely to psychotherapy. That was quite a stressful time. Just as I was finding my feet again, we decided to move our family to the country and get out of the city. Once again, I had to restart the business. I’m successful again, but I wish it had been a smoother ride getting here. If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? I hear so many stories from couples that I work with about how past therapy harmed their marriage. My belief is that those therapists intended to help, but they were probably burnt out from a system that doesn’t appreciate them. Insurance reimbursements drop almost every year, so more and more of my colleagues are only taking cash paying clients. This unfortunately means that there is a large gap in the quality of services that are available to those with financial means and those without. I wish we could overhaul the insurance side of mental health so that it was a more level playing field. Everyone deserves the best treatment possible, but as long as healthcare is privatized people at the top will attempt to maximize profits and minimize care. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from David!

Written by: Moira Hutchison, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. The fear of failure has killed more dreams than all other fears combined. The fear of failure is insidious because truth is, it is largely in your imagination. It can also prevent you from even trying in the first place, which guarantees failure. It is interesting that children generally have little or no concept of failure. They could not care less if they fail to do something. They just try again. There are no negative thoughts or emotions involved. They just keep on going. However, it doesn’t take long before children learn to fear the opinions of others. It is usually around the time they start school. After that first day of school, we are all changed forever. It might not be possible to go recapture the mentality of a toddler, but you can come close. The fear of failure doesn’t have to impact your life much. Here are some facts to consider: 1. Failure is temporary ‒ unless you quit. Failure is not final unless you give up. All the most successful people have experienced many failures. But they ended up being successful precisely because they didn’t quit. Failure is just a temporary state that means nothing because it is only temporary. 2. Failure is common. You have failed thousands of times and managed to survive. Consider how many times you failed to walk or to talk well. Babies have constant failure. Successful people fail all the time. It is a huge part of how human beings learn. We realize that our approach didn’t work, we adjust, and we try again. I like to remind my clients to reframe the word FAIL and think of it standing for First Attempt In Learning – this mindset helps to roll with how things work out for you. 3. Failure is educational. You can learn something from every single one of your failures. Failure makes you more knowledgeable and capable. The more you fail, the stronger you become. 4. Others are far less concerned about your failure than you think. A few people might notice your failure, but they quickly turn their attention back on themselves and their own challenges. There is nothing to worry about. Feel free to fail as much as necessary. Fail enough and you will quickly see that no one relevant cares. 5. Focus on how great it will be when you succeed. Instead of worrying about possible failure, consider possible success. Make yourself feel excited and positive about taking action. With high enough expectations, you will do just about anything without worrying about failure. 6. Redirect your thoughts. Put your attention on what you are doing. If a negative outcome is not going to cause any real harm, forget about the outcome. Stay focused upon your actions or something positive. Thinking about failing will freeze you in your tracks. 7. Consider the cost of doing nothing. Taking action might be a little scary, but what will happen if you do nothing? What will you feel about failing to take action? What if you are stuck in your current life for the next decade or more? Maybe taking a risk is far more attractive than remaining where you are. What would you do if you were not afraid of failing? Quite possibility a lot more than you are currently doing!! How much has the fear of failure limited your life? We have all allowed the fear of failure to influence our decisions. We have allowed this fear to stop us from trying new things or taking risks. We all have smaller lives than we could because we are too concerned with what others think. Rejecting the fear of failure is one of the greatest things you can do for your future! You can start today. What are you going to do today that you have been afraid to try? For more information and tips on accessing your inner guidance to align with YOUR best success, follow Moira on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, join her Facebook Community, or visit her website! Read more from Moira! Moira Hutchison, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine As an Intuitive Coach, Mindset Mentor, Energy Healer, Meditation Teacher & Tarot Card Reader, Moira Hutchison guides her clients to access the innate power they have available when they ignite their personal trinity of trust, inner awareness, and self-confidence. Moira works with professionals who feel that there is something better in life for them, but they have no idea how to access it. However, they have a yearning to be guided by their intuition and align with their unique calling. What makes her distinctive and different in this work is that she has developed the ability to take complex, energetic, and spiritual ideas and interpret them in ways that people find easy to understand, integrate and implement.

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. Visceral Manipulation is becoming a more recognized form of manual therapy, though it’s still pretty “underground”. Developed by French Osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral, Visceral Manipulation is a treatment and philosophy based on manipulating the organs of the body in a gentle, yet effective way. Simply put, Visceral Manipulation is a hands-on treatment that works with what I’ve coined the “inner world” of the body, namely the organs and their surrounding structures. Why Visceral Manipulation? Chronic pain and dysfunction is quickly becoming a real problem and many healthcare providers are struggling with how to treat people outside of pharmaceuticals. It’s estimated that more than 1 in 5 adults in America experiences chronic pain . Many people are searching for something other than, or in addition to, the traditional modalities of massage, physical therapy, chiropractic, or acupuncture, and Visceral Manipulation may be the answer. Visceral Manipulation is based on the premise that the underlying cause for a person’s pain or dysfunction may be directly related to dysfunction or lack of mobility in or around an organ. Through organ-specific fascial mobilization, Visceral Manipulation assists functional and structural imbalances throughout the body including musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive and lymphatic dysfunction . This means that back pain could be related to tightness in or around your kidneys, liver, lung, or uterus for example, and can be treated with manual therapy. So, if you’re struggling with any kind of chronic pain or dysfunction, Visceral Manipulation may be the answer you’ve been looking for. A Case Study Trained in Visceral Manipulation myself, I could share hundreds of examples of how it’s helped the people I’ve worked with, but to keep this concise, here’s one: A woman came to me with a complaint of back pain after giving birth to her second child. She said she had the same pain after the birth of her first child, but it went away after a few weeks, and she’s now 6 months postpartum with her second and the pain is still there. As a physical therapist, there were many possibilities for the source of her pain – core weakness, pelvic floor dysfunction, flat arches, and she told me she’d already seen a physical therapist who addressed all these issues, and her pain remained. Since the “standard” physical therapy treatments were already addressed, I used Visceral Manipulation techniques to assess the “inner world” of her body and found her colon was restricted and didn’t have the mobility it needed in relation to her diaphragm. Working gently with her colon and the surrounding tissues, the restrictions were eased and the next day she not only had significantly less back pain, but she felt “freer” throughout her whole body. After 4 visits, her pain disappeared, and she had more energy to be the mom she wanted to be without dealing with chronic pain. The Challenge Although Visceral Manipulation courses are taught worldwide, there are not many practitioners who are trained in this type of modality, so access to someone who can provide you with this specialized therapy may be limited. Fortunately, the International Association of Healthcare Practitioners has a website where you can enter your zip code and locate practitioners in your surrounding area who offer Visceral Manipulation. Simply click on “Find A Therapist” and fill in the required fields. In Summary Visceral Manipulation is an incredible modality that is founded on the wholistic nature and interconnectedness of the body which offers a unique form of healing. As a trained practitioner in Visceral Manipulation, I’ve been able to support hundreds of people who couldn’t find relief elsewhere. Life is too short and precious to be limited by pain or dysfunction, and Visceral Manipulation may be the missing link you’ve been looking for to finally alleviate chronic pain. 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: Cori Wamsley, 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. It sounds super simple, right? When you’ve been through something personally, when you’ve lived it yourself, all you have to do is write down what happened, and then you have a book… Right? Not so much. There is certainly more to your story than just a list of events. And you have to know a few things about what else is going on in the world where your story will be living because it’s not about you. Yes, it’s your story, your experience, your words, but your story is about the reader and their experience. But don’t slam on the brakes just yet. Here is a simple list of activities to go through when you decide that you want to write nonfiction—memoir, self-help, or whatever you’re referring to your book as. And that should take some of the stress off! Gather ideas If you feel drawn to writing a book, but aren’t 100% certain what you need to write about, start by listing some of your ideas. It doesn’t need to be a polished list. No one else needs to see it. It can be about as fancy as your grocery list. Just make a list of ideas to consider and move on to step 2. Check out your peers Some people call them “competitors.” I like to call them “peers.” These are the other books that your book will be compared to on a bookshelf, real or digital. See how other authors present ideas similar to yours. Look at the way they tell the story. Look at the book covers. You want your book to fit in and also stand out, so see what else is out there so you know how to position your book. Determine audience and purpose Yes, I talk about this constantly. If you don’t know who you want to read your book and why, then what’s the point of writing it? Consider the challenge that your ideal reader has, not necessarily their demographic. Though you could be focusing on a specific age group, you’ll be able to narrow your audience more by looking at what they are going through and what results they want to achieve. Knowing these things will help you identify exactly why you need to write your book and give you something to aim for when you’re working on it. Plan the book Author Alexa Bigwarfe says, “Without an outline, you’re probably wasting time,” ¹ and I couldn’t agree more. The first time I wrote a book, I had a romantic notion of how it was done. I sat down at my desk and wrote well into the night, until I ran out of steam… and then I had no idea what else to do. I didn’t have an outline to tell me what I was talking about at what point in the book or even why I was writing the book to begin with. It sucked. Every subsequent book was much smoother because I planned my entire outline first. How do you outline? Start by placing a series of post-it notes at the top of a poster board, numbering them as chapters 1-10 (or whatever number you want). Next, write topics that you want to cover on other post-it notes. Then, place them under the chapter post-its. Move them around if you don’t like the order! On additional post-its, write what stories you would share under each chapter. Throw out the ones you change your mind on. You can do the same thing on a piece of paper or on your computer. Just remember that everything can move based on what you think you need to share first. Set aside time to write This sounds utterly ridiculous, but you would be surprised how many people say they are going to write a book and then never get to it for years, yes, even after the outline is done! Keep this promise to yourself. Mark the time on your calendar that you plan to work on the book. Mark off a couple of hours a week. Or take Friday afternoons off to write. Whatever works for you, do it. And keep your writing appointments so you can make progress. Actually write Again, just sitting down at your desk or in a coffee shop doesn’t guarantee that you will get any writing done. We’ve all been guilty of pulling up social media or shopping websites and going down a rabbit hole for half an hour when we were supposed to be drafting something. If you need to adjust your energy or feel burnt out, do that for a bit, but then get back into what you wanted to work on. When you’re writing, you want to feel relaxed, in control, and happy, if possible. Megan Barnhard suggests, “To get the most out of your drafting time, you want to allow your inner five-year-old to emerge. You know, the part of your writing brain that wants to play and jump into mud puddles and have fun!” ² Exactly! I usually phrase this as, “Write drunk; edit sober.” Your writing time should be judgement free, so just open up and let out what want to come out. Be curious. Embrace wonder. And let your words out to play. Remember that whatever you are writing can be erased, deleted, or moved to another spot in the book. Don’t worry about it being perfect the first time. Don’t stop for research (just mark that you need to check something and come back later when you aren’t in the middle of flow). Literally, no one has to read your first draft except you, so write what comes out and then review or edit it later, with only a little bit of kind judgement. If you have a book on your heart, then these steps should get you through the first phase of the process, along with a review or two from you, and ready to start working with beta readers or your editor to clean up, clarify, and smooth out what you’ve written. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Cori! Cori Wamsley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Cori Wamsley, CEO of Aurora Corialis Publishing, works with business owners who have a transformational story to share. She helps them quickly and easily write and publish a book for their brand that helps them create a legacy and be seen as an expert while building a relationship with the reader. Cori has 17 years of experience as a professional writer and editor, including 10 years with the Departments of Energy and Justice and 4 years as the executive editor of Inspiring Lives Magazine. She also wrote eight fiction books and one nonfiction book, The SPARK Method: How to Write a Book for Your Business Fast, and contributed to two anthologies. Her newest book, Braving the Shore, was released in June 2022. References: [1] https://writepublishsell.com/how-to-start-writing-a-book/ [2] https://www.meganbarnhard.com/2020/04/8-rules-for-writing-your-first-draft/