Written by: Alicia Rios Wilks , 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. An eye-opening understanding of the detrimental impact of the 12-step model and how the accepted "treatments" out there today are based on a misconstruction of what addiction is and how it operates. Unfortunately, with the best of intentions, the widely praised and accepted 12 steps of recovery actually has an abusive and detrimental impact. There's no doubt it has helped a lot of people to stop drinking or taking drugs. It takes people from despairing addict to recovering addict. But it does not, and cannot, take people from addiction into freedom. We need to stop seeing it as the answer to addiction because it fails to address the true drivers of addiction. In fact, it reinforces them. As I stated in my previous article , when you understand the real structure, we all have addictions and they come in many forms. Some fly under the radar, like addiction to praise or validation. Some survive under the guise of being praiseworthy qualities, like addiction to exercise, or personal development. Some may even be the pivotal drivers of what we label as “success.” But whether or not they are harmful in one’s life, they are always limiting. They detract from our original freedom to create any life we choose. You become addicted to something when you believe that that thing is what allows you to feel the way you want to feel, or avoid an unwanted feeling. It’s a belief system that says that thing (substance or behaviour) has the power to give you what you (alone) cannot. You are unable to shift your emotions on your own. You are dependent upon something external to shift your internal experience. Therefore, every addict is stuck in an experience of powerlessness – they believe they are powerless to choose and change their emotional experience as well as powerless to the drug/thing/behaviour that they believe they are reliant on. The cage that traps people in addiction is built upon the foundations of a powerless identity. And the 12-step model reinforces that identity. In the 12-step model of treatment, we are actually reinforcing the very identity that is stuck in the addiction structure. And by holding people to that powerless perspective we are by consequence sentencing them to lifelong addiction. No wonder the dogma has become “once an addict, always an addict”. It is categorically untrue. But it has been the inevitable outcome of the inadequate understanding of addiction that the world has accepted as truth. There are three underlying structures in the 12 steps that are abusive. That of powerlessness, judgement, and punishment. It’s one thing to encourage people to become aware that they have been experiencing themselves as powerless to the addiction. We tell them their only hope is for a power greater than themselves to “restore them to sanity”. To “heal them .” But the very concept that one can be “saved” is perpetuating the detrimental identity of being powerless. We’re telling them outright that they do not have the power within themselves to recover. That they’re not inherently capable of change – they need some higher magic, insinuating they’re beyond human help. So we instruct them to “surrender”, implying their efforts are fruitless and hopeless. Now they’re powerless, incapable, and helpless. Then we move into punishment. There’s a lot of forgiveness in the 12 steps. What’s the only reason we would need forgiveness? Because we’ve done something wrong. We’re inflicting punishment upon the suffering. We judge addicts as being worthy of punishment. We’re treating them as if they chose to suffer as an addict. We’re treating addiction like some sort of scandal. We force them to create a moral inventory, telling them to scan their life for things they’ve done “wrong”. It’s the same condescendence and punishment we give a child. Then we ask them to confess to their actions of “wrongdoing”, as if there’s some authority that has the right and will to judge them. And we label their behaviour as “defects of character”, which is not only unfair but also misguided in its judgement. These people are not defective. No person is broken or bad. Every human being is behaving perfectly given the structure they're in. That is why I urge us to learn the truth about the structure of addiction. Completing the steps in sequence, people have to move through bestowment of powerlessness, followed by judgement, and finally punishment. These three in combination deliver a lethal blow that renders the addict both trapped and also sentenced to endure blame, shame, guilt and humiliation. We’re taunting them with an illusion of freedom. We promise them salvation, but we make it conditional. When you’re stuck in the addiction structure, there’s no freedom of choice. You can’t “just choose to say no” when you don’t feel able to feel the way you want to feel without relying on the addiction. We need to recognise that when we present them with this system, with all its requirements, we’re taking away even more of their choice. “You can live without drugs if you sacrifice the freedom to choose your future… You can recover if you accept that you’re defective… You can move on if you accept blame and admit wrongdoing.” Conditional choices are not true choices at all. They’re coercive and subversive. We’re giving them two alternatives: be ruled by substances or be ruled by regulation. The final two steps strip them of their sovereignty over their own life path. Demanding they abdicate their choice to the will of God. But was free will not that very will? We ask them to carry forward the message of this 12-step system, placing this burden upon their shoulders like some kind of atonement. A penance. Treating them like a criminal that needs to give up their future to make up for their past. Again, it confiscates their own choice. And it ties them to the label of an addict, never permitting them to walk away. In the best of cases, it replaces one addiction with another, less destructive, one. For example, swapping dependency on alcohol for dependency on a support group. We’re not setting them free, we’re just transitioning them into a different, slightly bigger, cage. It’s time we evolve from this method of treatment. It’s time we step into the truth of addiction and approach it with understanding and compassion. To truly serve these people, w e must treat the root cause (the source of the original pain that drove them to try to escape) along with deconstructing the belief system that creates dependency. It is possible for anyone to escape the addiction structure permanently – without blame, without punishment, without surrender. We all have the inherent power and permission to live in Radical Freedom, no matter our past. If you’re dependent on anything – food, substances, overwork, validation, and so on – to feel how you’d like to feel and you’d like to escape that addiction, here’s a great place to start. Follow me on Facebook , I nstagram , LinkedIn , and Youtube , or visit my website for more information on how you can escape unwanted patterns to live in Radical Freedom. Read more from Alicia! Alicia Rios Wilks, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Alicia Rios Wilks is a multi-award-winning thought leader on a mission to spark a Radical Freedom Movement. She is an innovator in combining human consciousness, mind and body transformation, and breakthrough performance. Like many of her clients, Alicia had spent much of her life feeling powerless, unsatisfied, and limited. To create her own transformation, Alicia brought together top research on the nature of consciousness and the structure of reality and pioneered a revolutionary method designed for the most powerful and rapid transformation humanly possible. She has since dedicated her life to helping others harness their innate power to release emotional blocks, live as the fullest expression of their true self, and intentionally create their dream life. She is the founder and creator of Radical Freedom, creating heart-centered spaces for others to learn how to live an unlimited life, connect to their unique superconscious genius and live their true nature and purpose.

Written by: Danielle Forrester, 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. Food is information for every cell in our body. It has the power to either damage our cells or give them new life. The western medicine approach to treating eczema uses corticosteroids, bleach baths, and wet wrapping. But western medicine frequently falls short of successfully treating autoimmune illnesses. The GAPS diet utilizes food as medicine and works to heal at its root: the gut. A Brief History Somewhere between the ages of two and three, my son Raleigh’s eczema overtook his body. He didn’t just have a patch of eczema here or there, his entire body, from head to toe, was overtaken by the itch that rashes. He struggled to sleep. He would wake each morning irritated and upset by the amount of discomfort his severe eczema caused him. He was miserable. We were miserable. Knee-deep in the western medicine route to “healing;” we were slathering his little body in corticosteroids, giving him bleach baths to avoid infection in his many cuts, and wet wrapping him like a mummy to offer him even just a minuscule amount of relief from the ever-present itch. Western medicine was failing us. The corticosteroids only acted as a band-aid for a few days and, with their use, came a new diagnosis: asthma. Raleigh was deteriorating before our eyes, and I was growing weary of blindly trusting the white coats who repeatedly told me these creams were not harming my son. His sickly eyes, frail body, and steady decline were telling another story. So I did what any mother who is scraping rock bottom does: I sought the dark corners of the internet for alternative answers. After hours of reading and researching the gut, I happened upon the GAPS diet. What is the GAPS Diet? GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome and/or Gut and Physiology Syndrome. The diet was created by Dr. Natasha Cambell McBride. The premise behind the diet is that all disease begins in the gut. You heal the gut, you heal the disease. The GAPS diet aims to heal and seal the gut lining. This is accomplished by consuming healing meat stocks, animal meat and its fat, and fermented foods. Likewise, there is a removal of certain foods: sugar, gluten, grains, starchy vegetables, and processed foods. The goal, however, is to heal enough to come off the GAPS diet. Unlike many other diets out there like Whole 30 and Keto that remove certain foods or food groups indefinitely, the GAPS diet’s focus is on healing and sealing the gut wall so that all foods, properly prepared, can be consumed once the individual comes off of the diet. So really, it is more of a healing protocol than a diet. There are two parts to the diet: the Introduction diet which is made up of six stages and full GAPS. The Introduction diet is intentional in removing more foods to allow rapid healing of the gut lining. The individual moves through each stage, adding specific challenging foods at each new stage with the goal of “graduating” to the full GAPS diet. Dr. Natasha recommends remaining on the full GAPS diet for a minimum of two years. This is no small feat as the diet can be incredibly challenging at times as the body goes through various stages of healing. Check out the book here and here. How We Implemented the GAPS Diet We began the GAPS diet on June 13th, 2017. Raleigh was four years old. I had spent some time preparing myself mentally for the task and in the kitchen; I had to learn how to cook to be able to take on this massive challenge. As I look back now, I realize just how unprepared I was, but I knew GAPS was what he needed to heal; I had felt it in my spirit, and I was prepared to fight this new battle for as long as he needed me to. I showed up daily, made him fresh meals, prayed for healing, and cried myself to sleep. I knew healing wouldn’t happen in a week or even a few weeks, but I never expected it to take close to nine months before we saw his eczema begin to change. The first skin change we noticed was Raleigh experiencing topical steroid withdrawal (TSW). At the time, I did not know what was happening when he would wake up with large amounts of flaking skin on his bedding and clothes. I could tell that every time he went through a new “shedding”, as we began to fondly call the episodes, his skin would improve for a bit. It would be softer and clearer. I have since learned that TSW is something all topical steroid users go through when they decide to quit using creams. It is an incredibly painful and lengthy process. Somewhere in those nine months, we realized Raleigh’s asthma was gone. Healing tends to sneak up on you. He was no longer wheezing or gasping for breath when he’d jump on the trampoline or run. We slowly began to see a change in his skin tone and the sloughing off of dead skin from the TSW episodes became less frequent, until, one day, we could see his natural skin tone. Up until that point, he was either covered in eczema patches or maintained a pinkish-red hue thanks to the steroid withdrawal. With every passing month on the diet, we noticed small changes in Raleigh’s skin. These improvements propelled up forward and gave us great hope. The skin is the body’s largest organ and eczema tends to be the last thing to go as the body is sorting through many aspects of healing. We have seen this to be true of Raleigh in his battle with eczema. After spending a year on the diet I realized I had made some significant mistakes, you can read about them here, and needed to spend some time correcting them. After two years on the GAPS diet, correcting the mistakes, and continuing forward it was time to treat Raleigh for heavy metals. It is not recommended to begin any heavy metal detox or parasite detox until at least one year on the diet. You want to make sure the body is strong enough to handle the detox. You can read about our process here and here. Eczema is always connected with heavy metals and yeast overgrowth. A large portion of Raleigh’s eczema healed during the first two years on GAPS. However, he still had a muted mass of eczema that wrapped around his torso, and a few stubborn patches on his ankles and wrists. After a few months of treatment for metals, the mass began to break apart and eventually went away completely. We saw him pass parasites and go through even deeper layers of healing in the coming months and years. Today we sit at the five-year mark on the GAPS diet. We didn’t expect to be here this long but the journey knew where it was supposed to take us. We saw Raleigh’s eczema fully resolve and thus turned our attention to the remaining egg allergy. This is where we find ourselves in this saga; reversing Raleigh’s food allergies. My Biggest Takeaway The body is truly amazing and wants to heal, and food has the ability to be medicine to the body. Sometimes food isn’t enough, however. Sometimes you need the support of supplements and specific detoxes to aid the body in the healing process. The journey to healing Raleigh has been long and arduous. It has never been linear. Often, it was one step forward just to take two steps back. But the body is wise; it will not take on something it cannot handle. Trust the innate wisdom of your body. Give it time and have patience, showing up every day in faithfulness to the task. The body wants to heal. I am currently taking on new clients. If you are interested in GAPS coaching check out my website. Need some recipe inspiration for the full GAPS diet? I created a 30 Day Full GAPS meal plan. You can purchase it here. For more information on the heavy metal detox we used click here. Find me on Instagram. Learn more about the GAPS diet. Follow me on Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Danielle! Danielle Forrester, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Danielle Forrester is a certified Gut and Psychology Syndrome Coach (GAPS). She has successfully guided her son, Raleigh, through the GAPS diet since 2017 to reverse severe eczema, asthma and many food sensitivities. Forrester received her coaching certification in 2020 and has been working with clients to help them navigate the diet and reverse many health issues. She has also created a 30 Day Full GAPS meal plan to help those on the diet have success. She believes that healing is possible and food is medicine.

Written by: Karuna Jain, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. We as the human species have complicated our life so much. This is linked to the prefrontal cortex we developed in our brain over 300 plus years. This part of the brain is linked to organization, structure, and process. This can move us away from our intuition, and higher knowledge as those are more of right brain activities. We like to rationalize everything. But truth cannot be rationalized that is why we are going beyond the mind in meditation. Complicating our lives keeps us in the realm of rationalization. To get access to higher wisdom and to find creative solutions, out of box ideas, we need to use more of our intuitive minds. Simplifying our life, and our thoughts give us better ways to reach our intuitive mind. It is time now for us to simplify our lives, release stuck energies, and make space for new, better things to come in. “Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” — Steve Jobs It is time to declutter, and simplify. Your outer world is linked to your inner world. This is a spiritual truth. As you simplify your inner being, your outer world changes automatically. Also vice versa. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” — Confucius Some ways to de-clutter your Outer world: Let go of things in your surroundings that you really don't need. Look into your wardrobes, cabinets, rooms, and working tables. Everything is made of energy, made of atoms. Things collect energy from people who visit the rooms. Things can collect emotions such as stress, anxiety, grief, happiness, and peace. Psychics can read what happened in the room just by sensing the energies in the room, in things < read psychometry>. Let go of people that bring you down. If you cannot let go of them, see if you can decrease the amount of time you spend with them. Looking at life from a higher perspective will make it easier to let them go without guilt or remorse. Bless them and release them from your life. After all, we don't wear the same clothes we wore when we were younger. As you clear your wardrobe of clothes, it is good to periodically clear the wardrobe of your relationships. Let go of situations, behavior patterns, and habits that are not serving you. If you are with a group of people and their conversations are draining you, or not interesting to you, walk away. People love to get together and gossip, focus on issues, focus on world problems, etc. I personally think if you are not participating actively in solving world problems then why waste time discussing it and bringing on more negative energy in the room? If you really care about these problems then say a prayer, ask for the divine to shed light on these situations, or find how you can support these situations positively. All the negativity you are sending out will come back to you multiplied a hundredfold. That is Universal Law, what you give is what you receive. Some ways to de-clutter your Inner world: Watch your thoughts. See if you can move away from negative thoughts into neutral thoughts or better still, positive thoughts. Keep a list of words that empower you, and make you happy. Switch your negative thoughts into these Switch words. Thinking of a rainbow always makes me happy. That is one of my switch words. Use tools to release negative emotions, thoughts, beliefs, limiting needs, and desires. Your breath is a good tool and is available to you free of charge. Why do you think there is so much emphasis on breathing in many mind-body therapies, in meditation? Breathe out what no longer serves you, breathe in calmness, peace, harmony, or whatever positive qualities you desire. If you have access to more sophisticated tools such as energy healing tools (Reiki healing, Quantum healing) use this regularly. Don't wait for life to go downwards to use these tools. Do it when you are upbeat and life is going well. We have a lot of buried emotions from many lifetimes. When you are feeling good, you can dig deeper and release more. When you are down and using these tools, you will most likely in the best-case scenario come back to the earlier baseline of emotional balance vs going up to a fresher baseline. Periodically visit a holistic healer to balance your energy field, to gain wisdom, and a higher perspective (Life coaching). After all, when you leave this Earth all you take with you is your energy field. So shouldn't that be the focus of your life? At a soul level, we all crave enlightenment and perpetual happiness. Every lifetime we can move closer to this goal instead of getting sidetracked by material desires and things. Learn sharper tools from a holistic healer. My mission is about empowering people and not just doing energy work on them. I want to teach my clients with tools, fresh perspectives, and higher consciousness wisdom along with energy work, hypnotherapy, and my other tools. If you combine working on yourself with working with me, you will accelerate your growth a hundredfold. Focus on what is going right in your life, what brings smiles, what empowers you, and what makes this journey of life more fun. We all deserve to take breaks from all the hard work we have put in. Rest and recuperate as often as you can. Declutter your organs, drink more water, eat healthier foods, and detoxify your body. Focus on how far you have come in your life, congratulate yourself, and hug yourself often. Self-love is so much needed by everyone. We are so hard on ourselves. Take time to be kind, to be compassionate, to be loving yourself. Then spread this kindness, compassion, and love to others. What you give is what you receive. First, fill your cup and then share it with others. We are so busy doing things for others that we don't realize that we are depleting our inner cups and stressing our minds, body, and soul. First, nurture yourself and then nurture others. Like they say in air travel, first put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping your kids. Powerful spiritual message. I smile every time I hear it when I am flying. Connect with me if you want to want to have sessions for Spiritual growth, Hypnotherapy, Life coaching, Energy work, Chakra and aura cleansing, Past life sessions, Classes etc. Check my website for details on the services I provide. I would love to hear how you simplify your life or your feedback on the article. Send me an email at info@karuna-healing.com or via the “Contact me” tab on my website at http://www.karuna-healing.com. I have a YouTube Channel where I post a lot of videos on self-development, share experiences, and more. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Karuna! Karuna Jain, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Karuna Jain is a certified Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Energy Healer, Past Life Regression therapist, and Corporate speaker. She combines science and spirituality in her work. She conducts classes on various topics including teaching Reiki healing. Her clients are global. She is into metaphysics, multi-dimensional realities, consciousness expansion, reincarnation, soul integration, and meditation. She is very passionate about empowering people to take care of their own health. Teaching and sharing knowledge is her major life mission. Her emphasis is on healing the mind and body through Universal Compassion. Her Mission: To assist her clients to reach their goals in a loving, compassionate, non-judgmental environment using the best of eastern and western methods of natural mind-body healing modalities.

Written by: Alejandro J Tornato, 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. Well, I do believe that it doesn’t matter what month of the year we are in, we should always be looking forward to the days ahead, the weeks ahead, the months ahead, and even the years ahead, because the future is full of opportunities. I think this is a proper time to ask you a very straightforward question: “How are you doing so far?”; are you already immersed in the new rhythm of this year, or perhaps you are trying to come up with a strategy to keep those resolutions going as much as you possibly can (now this is if you made any resolutions at all…). I believe that two different scenarios are possible at this stage: We can dip our toes in the pool of “Infinite Possibilities” and test the temperature, or… We can jump head-on and begin acting, and keep moving forward, not giving any thought of turning back. How do we do this then? Well, earlier this week I read an article written by someone whom I follow, Michael Hyatt, and I would like to share some ideas with you right now. Before I do that, I would like to remind you of the “Law of Diminishing Intent”, and this is without a doubt a law that we must be very much aware of and pay attention to. This law states that the longer that one waits to act on something… the something will never get done. Therefore, to fight and/or counteract the effects of this law, we can apply what Michael calls “The L.E.A.P Principle”. There are four very important things that this principle can teach us or remind us: The first of these has to do with the letter “L” in a leap, and that is: “Lean into the change with expectancy. When you realize that action is necessary, then that should be a very clear sign to go ahead and follow through on that action. The second thing follows the letter “E” in a leap, and it’s to “Engage with the concept or idea all the way until clarity is achieved”. Most people don’t engage with an idea long enough because they put more emphasis and spend most of the time thinking of possible obstacles and inconveniences, rather than potential opportunities. The next thing follows the letter “A” in a leap, “Activate and do something”, here is where the compounding effect of acting really kicks in. A powerful quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson immediately comes to mind that says: “Do the thing, and you will get the energy to do the thing”. You see the fact that energy gets generated when there is movement and action, and then even more energy is produced. This part of the leap principle is a giant wake-up call to all those who rely on feeling the right way or being in the proper mood to do something. Remember that feelings are very unreliable, and they will not get you to your goals. We finally arrived at the last thing following the letter “P” in a leap, “Pounce and do it now”. That means that once you have determined the next step you need to take, you must take it without delay before you give a chance to the law of diminishing intent. The whole precept of pouncing is doing something or moving quickly in a forward direction. When a beast pounces, it jumps aggressively forward and never backward; pouncing really shows us a rapid and very intentional movement with the determination to accomplish a task. The opposite of pouncing is waiting, and even though waiting feels safe, unfortunately waiting is a killer of dreams. Remember that high achievers embrace this L.E.A.P Principle, and if we want to achieve at a higher level during this year and in the years to come, we need to fully embrace it too. Therefore, “LEAN, ENGAGE, ACTIVATE AND POUNCE” Do not wait, delay, or procrastinate on your goals and dreams because the time to act is right now… It’s never too late!!! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Alejandro! Alejandro J Tornato, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Alejandro J Tornato is the Founder and CEO of "Tornato Speaking, Leadership & Coaching LLC", offering Motivational Keynote Speaking, Leadership Coaching and Personal Growth & Development Training. Alejandro is a powerful and dynamic sought-after International Speaker and Coach Certified through the “Maxwell Leadership Organization”. He is also one of the Founding Directors at "Have The Edge", with a mission to provide the most comprehensive coaching and training programs for business leaders and entrepreneurs. Alejandro's teachings and communication style immediately connect with individuals and groups from all backgrounds. Alejandro is the co-author of "Create Terrific Teams", and the host and producer of both "The Alejandro Tornato Show" and "Have The Edge" Podcasts. Alejandro is a Top Mentor on Wisdom, the world's largest audio mentoring platform.

Written by: Benjamin Gonzalez, 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. Language is the basis of human communication and finding an understanding of ourselves, words have a great power engraved in them. All words come from the need for transmitting a feeling about life, be it a situation, object, person, or place, communicating the experience of what is, is how we as humans come to an understanding about how we experience being alive. Reality is a canvas without meaning when there are no words added to it. Thoughts have the power to carry creative energy, be it positive or negative, and this energy is based on the meaning of each word. When we choose our words, we can create an outcome based on the energy each thought is transmitting; thinking positive will bring something positive in the physical reality, and thinking negative will do the same for a negative outcome. We are human, and we are here to learn how to experience thought. The only thing getting in the way of an extraordinary life is this inner commentary blocking clarity and assigning a negative or neutral meaning to situations. I'm here to show you the power of being mindful of the words you use, not only in thought but also when communicating, so you can choose the meaning of your experiences in life. Observe the words you use Meditation is the practice of being and observing all that is in the present moment. We tend to confuse meditation with clearing the mind of thoughts, although this is possible and very beneficial, listening to what you have to say is key to reaching clarity of mind, not only because observing what you think is insightful, but you can also notice the words you use and how you use them. Use powerful words that communicate what you want Having clarity when engaging in thought or a conversation is key for moving towards what we want. When we become mindful of how we think, we can change words that lack the clarity to more empowering ones that are clearer on what we want to express based on the reality we want to create. When we choose words that mean something powerful to us, we can use them to change the way we perceive reality by living each situation with the meaning we want. Avoid slang and curse words When we use powerful words, we empower the situation we are living in and develop a greater perception of reality. The opposite happens when we use slang and curse words. Using slang is unclear, the origin of some slang words and their use is open to interpretation, and in some cases, slang fails to match the perception of the other person when communicating. When talking about curse words, the meaning they carry is usually negative and helps develop a negative perception of reality. We tend to use slang and curse words mindlessly and keep living in the same situations repeatedly. When changing these words to more powerful ones, we are transforming our life into something more empowering and developing a sense of control by assigning the meaning we want to each situation mindfully. Language is how we give meaning to everything we experience as human beings. Giving meaning to an experience will define how you live your reality, and by being mindful of the words we use when we think and speak, we can completely shift our perception of what we live, shifting into a higher, more empowering energy where reality becomes meaningful by choice. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Benjamin Gonzalez, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Benjamin Gonzalez is a reality composer coach, and he helps leaders develop their creativity and perception of reality so they can live fulfilling lives. Benja started his coaching journey in 2022 when he found his love for helping people and playing with concepts like building a reality and changing belief systems with the help of psychedelics. He became a certified life coach by Mindvalley as well as a certified breathwork coach and now he is working on a thesis on how psychedelics help create new belief systems to build a fulfilling life. Benja's most recent project is the creation of life budd, a platform that helps leaders develop their creativity with tools and ideas.

Written by: Jill Witte, 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. Hurdles come in many shapes and sizes. Some are physical hurdles, and some are mental. When we come to a physical hurdle, we try to figure out the best way to go over or around it. When we are faced with a mental hurdle, we have to figure out a way to break that hurdle, or else it can stop us from pursuing something we want to accomplish. When we actually come to that hurdle, we can freeze and fear can take over. Here are 4 ways to help us get over the “fear” hurdle that comes up in our lives. 1. Figure out how fear is stopping you: When the hurdle is physical, the fear lies in the possibility of falling and getting hurt, so we look for ways to get over or around the hurdle. When it comes to mental hurdles, we need to figure out what is causing the fear. 2. Breaking down the fear: In order to really understand the fear we face, we need to look at why we have it and that can be hard to do because it may mean we have to face parts of ourselves that we have hidden. Once we have faced the issues that are stopping us, we can be more confident in moving forward to break through the hurdle. 3. Visualizing the fear: People who jump hurdles for a race will visualize the course so they can run the race efficiently. When it comes to mental hurdles, we must do the same thing. Knowing what is stopping us and visualizing how we are going to overcome it helps because we now have a plan to conquer those hurdles when we are faced with them. 4. Actually conquering the fear and going over the hurdle: We have visualized our fears and have figured out the best way to break through them, and now we must face the hurdle head-on. This is hard to do, even with all the visualizing, because we don’t want the fear to overtake us. Know that you have put in the work and that you can break through the fear that is stopping you. Fear is one of the biggest hurdles that stop us from conquering our dreams but don’t let it get the better of you. Learn from where the fear is coming. Break it down and figure out why it is stopping you. Visualize how you are going to accomplish breaking through the fear and finally face it head-on. You can accomplish anything. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jill! Jill Witte, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jill Witte, is the founder of True Fit Balance. She is a personal trainer who is certified as a Senior Fitness, Cancer Exercise and Clinical Exercise Specialist. Jill also has certifications as a Nutrition, Brain Health and Life Coach. She created True Fit Balance because of her past experiences of trying to find what exercises and foods worked for her. Now, Jill helps her clients find what works for them by connecting the brain, body and nutrition to create a healthy balanced body. Jill also hosts "Can You Relate Fit and Health". A podcast were she talks with people about their stories of overcoming injury or illness.

Written by: Fanny Elizaga, 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. Don't let your inner critic hijack your brain and suck you into a vortex of negativity. Many of us suffer unnecessarily by ruminating or repeating negative thoughts. The habit originates in what neuroscientists call the Default Mode Network (DMN)**or what popular science writers call the imagination network. Why do we tend to repeat negative thoughts rather than positive ones? The brain is wired with a negativity bias. For survival, our ancestors had to be acutely aware of whatever might pose a threat to the environment. That bias may have served us well when we were hunters 120,000 years ago. In modern times, however, it often causes unhealthy fixations. A cascade of stress hormones is released in the process. When stress appears chronically, it can take a devastating toll on our health. The good news is that we can counteract this hardwired habit. We can prevent it from hijacking our thoughts. Mindfulness practice acts as an antidote; it develops the neural pathways that lead to resilience and emotional balance. 1. Build the Neuro-Muscles that Lead to Resilience. In the same way, a bodybuilder gradually increases the load his muscles can take through repetitions, you can increase the load your brain can take through mindfulness exercises. Savoring an experience with gratitude, for example, reinforces positive neural pathways. The more you repeat the exercise, the stronger your mental fitness will be. Science shows that the act of mindfully savoring a positive experience is a distinct predictor of positive emotions and psychological health. When we incorporate our senses, enjoying the experience to the fullest, we add intensity to the experience. The more joy we feel while we celebrate a moment of gratitude, the more we reinforce the positive neural pathways. Establish an intention to savor activities that you do every day. When you walk, eat, brush your teeth, or take a shower, bring your full attention to what you’re doing. Bring in all your visual, olfactory, auditory, and tactile senses, and deeply immerse yourself in each sensation. 2. Prevent Anxious Thoughts from Hijacking Your Brain When you practice being mindful of your thoughts and feelings, you’ll learn to adopt an attitude of responsiveness instead of one of reactivity. When you recognize your inner critic taking control, you take action to tame it. Anxious and negative thoughts are not necessarily harmful; they provide warning signals. Ideally, they invite you to check in with yourself. When you ignore them, however, they may take over. Neuro-Tip: Activate Your Neuroplasticity Switch The next time you have a negative thought, simply become aware of it. Listen to your body cues: notice any physical changes, like tension in your body or tightness in your chest. Is your breathing shallow, or is your heart racing? Reframe tension and anxiety as a warning signal. Then flip the neuroplasticity switch: Activate the Salient Network (SN) to immediately quiet down the Default Mode Network (DMN), where negative thoughts and anxiety develop. When we engage in any mindful activity, we activate the Salient Network- the wisdom center of the brain where kindness, gratitude and positive emotions generate. When activated, it moderates and balances the activity between the DMN and Executive Network (EN) Follow this recipe to activate the switch: First, mindfully yawn 3 to 5 times, noticing the temperature of the air entering your throat and feeling your lungs and belly expanding with each yawn. Then, engage in a Super-Slow-Motion-Stretch bringing your full attention to each piece of the movement, feeling each muscle elongate and noticing any other sensations in the body. Next, shift to a Moment of Gratitude and Savor it with full intensity for 30 SECONDS This practice helps you consciously build a habit of shifting out of your negativity bias into a mindfully aware and present state of mind. When you up your mental fitness using brain-based strategies, a repatterning begins to take place in the brain. Soon, you form a habit of noticing negative thoughts before they take over. You’ll learn to shift almost automatically. Read about the brain networks in my recent article “Brain Network Theory and the Art of Cultivating Emotional Resilience” Click this link. For More Brain Enhancing Tools, Practical MIND HACKS...and the Upcoming Training Mini-Series: Click HERE Download my FREE e-BOOK Chaos to Clarity. Taming the Unfocused Brain CLICK THIS LINK. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Fanny! Fanny Elizaga, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Fanny Elizaga is an occupational therapist, certified Neuro-Coach, and trauma-informed mindfulness trainer. Over the years, she has embraced her passion for learning and applying holistic modalities for mind-body healing in her personal and professional life. Fanny is also a Reiki master practitioner and certified instructor in the art of Qi-Gong. Fanny inspires, empowers, and educates her clients by teaching brain-enhancing tools for self-improvement, expanding out of their comfort zone, and thriving. Fanny is also the founder and trainer of Neuro-Wellness Academy; she is genuinely passionate about creating content and courses based on practical brain science – for wellness, resilience, personal transformation. Sources: Being present and enjoying it: Dispositional mindfulness and savoring the moment are distinct, interactive predictors of positive emotions and psychological health https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5755604/ Interplay Between the Salience and the Default Mode Network in a Social-Cognitive Task Toward a Close Other. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35197871/

Written by: Betsy White, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. We live in a busy world. Very busy. People are constantly running on low energy or fighting off illnesses. Read through these phrases and consider how many you hear some version of in your daily life: Don’t just stand there; do something. Get busy. Be on the move. Look busy, at least. It doesn’t matter what you do. Just do something. I remember these words quite vividly during high school summers working for my Dad with one of my older brothers. It was not just once that I heard these phrases. These were the typical things I heard whenever I apparently did not look busy enough. It was how my Dad lived. But I am pretty sure they echo in many of our minds from different sources, experiences, and environments. Including the messages, we give ourselves over and over! (Thanks in large part to the words we heard and what we saw modeled for us when we were growing up!) It’s Not Just Adults Who Live By These Phrases With kids, these phrases play out in those famous words, “I’m bored.” Kids want to go and do something. If they are not stimulated by someone or something, they literally look like they are crawling out of their skin. But oh man, if you suggest something for them to do – look out! “I don’t want to do THAT!” is often followed by stomping feet or glaring eyes. With teens, these look more like FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out. If I don’t go and do everything, I will surely miss out on something fun. I will see it played over and over on my social media feeds. Then I will feel alone, like I don’t fit in, which is miserable. With college-age young adults, there is pressure to overachieve, prove themselves, be ‘the doer’, find their real friends, as many were told would happen in college, and then stay busy. The idea of just BEing is so foreign that many are unsure how or if it is even possible. With adults, these get-busy attitudes and phrases often look like keeping up with the Joneses or making sure their kids have more than they did at their age. The narrative of “We’re a really busy, on-the-go family with a hectic schedule” is followed with a sense of pride. Being busy is an accepted way of life. What did you do today? Oh, it’s a badge of honor to list 20 things. A big badge if there are 30 items. Even bigger badge if you helped someone. If you sacrificed, this is the ultimate badge. Yes, a lot of sarcasm here, but you see it out there, right? (Spoiler alert: social media survives by people needing to share all of this.) Another Option I believe there is another choice for how we live! A way that leaves us with a stronger foundation to tackle life without getting out of balance. Don’t just do something; stand there. Say WHAAAT? The first time I read that phrase, well, I read it the way I learned it. Back up to the opening line: don’t just stand there; do something. But then I reread it and saw, wait, it says to stand there. I was dumbfounded. The list of responses that quickly came to mind: That is lazy. Why would I waste precious time? This is unproductive. Life is short. I have to use all of my time wisely. Who wants to look unmotivated and do nothing? What does "stand there" even look like in my daily life? We live in a world where for all ages, doing and then doing more is the norm. I would contend it is pretty much a societal expectation. The way we measure ourselves and others. The comparison game many play. I recently read a quote that was something like this: we are moving at the speed of technology instead of the speed of our minds, bodies, and spirits. So. Very. True. Oh, I know. We all lived through the pandemic. We could not go and do much of anything. Leaders made us slow down and stay home. So guess what many do with that today? Now that we can go and do something, we believe we really have to because life is short, people will say. Tomorrow is promised to nobody. So, heck yea, people are going to do, do, do, because, for a year or more, they were not allowed to do many things. There is a built-in excuse now to stay busy. While I agree tomorrow is a gift we need to treasure, we need balance! Nowadays, kids have something planned for most weeks and days (if not most hours) of their summer. The school year is beyond busy with sports, homework, or activities most evenings after long school days. High school kiddos have jobs in addition to time spent in their room scrolling through social media movie watching. When not doing that, they are off staying busy with their friends. Parents are taking their kids from activity to activity, buying something new, scrolling through social media, watching television, or working on an improvement project. I often hear, “I can’t just sit, or I’ll fall asleep.” No, not everyone. Agreed. I would safely say then…most people are back to living at warp speed. Slowing down: where and when does this happen? And why would we? I believe our thoughts tend to dictate what we say, what we do, and how we feel. Dr. Joe Dispenza says we have 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts in a day. These are usually about the past or the future. Our thinking tends to get us in a lot of trouble because, in my opinion, it creates much of the stress, anxiety, or depression we experience. So why do we prefer to be on the go, besides post-pandemic behavior? I see this as a way to avoid paying attention to how we feel. This is how we avoid being in the moment and instead look outside ourselves for happiness and joy. Slowing down means I have to be with myself, my thoughts, and my feelings. This is something we typically do not like. Most of us never learned, certainly never practiced, and are probably unsure how to navigate the uncomfortable feelings we encounter daily. So staying busy is a great way to live and never have to learn. I call it autopilot avoidance- most do not realize they are doing it or why. One of the profound things I have learned from many different spiritual leaders is the idea that the world does not respond to what we want, it responds to who we are being. (Note: not what we are doing!). Using that idea as I live day-to-day, just stand there makes so much more sense. What that looks like for me: laying in my hammock, watching the clouds, moon, or stars in the sky, closing my eyes and taking some deep belly breaths, meditating, petting my dog, noticing sounds and smells in my environment, or BEing in nature. When I am that person, recognizing that the Universe responds to who I am BEing and consciously chooses to slow down, I am much calmer. Much more resilient. More present. More able to feel all my feelings and confidently know I can handle all of them. I also tune in when to get some support! Going and doing is less appealing. Yes, it takes practice, but these are the truths I now choose to live by - and I do not regret it! Constantly being busy does not really have to be our way of life! We have a choice! I know each of us can slow down, be aware, feel, and just stand there. It takes conscious practice and attention. But here is the place where we feel peace, ease, grace, and inner joy. Nothing outside of ourselves can ever bring us these for any sustained amount of time. When they come from within, they are always accessible. Go ahead, give it a try and watch how life unfolds differently. Don’t just do something; stand there! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Betsy! Betsy White, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Betsy White is a Certified Holistic Life Coach and speaker supporting kids, parents and teachers to be empowered, confident and connected. Having navigated childhood trauma, low self-esteem, numerous health issues, and dysfunctional systems at home and school, Betsy has dedicated her life to supporting kids, and the adults in their lives, navigating stress, anxiety, overwhelm and lack of purpose. She draws on her expertise in psychology, human development, education, mindfulness and spirituality while using her extensive and diverse experience to guide clients to own their value, speak their truth, live their unique purpose, heal relational dynamics and create inner peace and resilience. In an ever-changing, technology and social media-focused world, she empowers people to turn inward to their true source of wisdom. Betsy is the founder of The Life Coach 4 Kids, offering intensive family, parent and teacher programs, presentations and group experiences. People are transformed through the connection, love, intuitive insights, experience and soul journey Betsy guides them to take.

Written by: Vance Twins, 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. Surviving a 100-foot fall. In 1984, Dad began hang gliding lessons, and life seemed good. However, as they say, good things are destined to end at one time or another. On October 20th, Dad’s hang glider collapsed in midair during his seventh high-altitude flight off Dog Mountain, causing him to plunge more than 100 feet into a ridge of the evergreen mountainside in Washington state. As a result, he sustained a severe traumatic brain injury, thus becoming permanently disabled. My twin and I were 12 at the time. Before the fall, he worked as an aerospace engineer for Boeing and was involved in many extra curriculum activities, such as volunteering for Boy Scouts and youth groups. As one might imagine, to see your dad no longer able to talk, walk, groom, or feed himself like he used to—and to lose his career jarred the family. How do we get hit by trauma and still be happy? In the good old days of the late 1970s, my dad owned a total of 14 cars, which ranged from Jaguars to Cadillac limousines to Mustangs and Trans Ams. He also owned a motorhome, which housed our family of six during summer vacations. He parked all these vehicles under spruce and evergreen trees along his one-acre lot. On the other hand, my mother was an undiagnosed hoarder. The hallways throughout the 4000-square-foot home were filled with a stockpile of name-brand shoes, brand-new handbags, purses, and dresses with tags still hanging, boxed-up jewelry, and flamboyant hats. So, you could say we were "rich," or our parents gave such an impression. But their biggest fear would be to lose such a fortune. And they did. (My memoir Twins Found in a Box: Adapting to Adoption is inspired by my dad, who lost everything but gained back something unexpectedly valuable.) How do we go from riches to rags? After our father's hang gliding accident, which left him disabled, divorced, and "penniless," my twin and I also faced this quandary as his supporters and caregivers. The pressing question had been, how do we go from riches–to-rags? Whereas most books on the market teach methods to go from rags-to-riches, I wondered, how do we lose and still be happy? From tragedy to triumph: Upon entering junior high school, my twin and I immediately accepted the role of dad's primary caregivers, and since that time, we learned to enjoy exploring various ways to recover from the losses life sometimes hits us with. After graduating from high school, it took several years for me to write a book based on our experiences. After four long years of trial and error and probably making every mistake "in the book" when it comes to writing, I finally finished the manuscript. Initially, I intended to share Dad's tragedy and triumphs, but somehow (as it had been looked at and influenced by others), I inadvertently divulged my own coming-of-age and identity process—a story I had no idea could matter at all. His injury became the catalyst for my self-discovery and a deeper dive into how philosophy can help you find unconventional answers, especially needed in a conventional world. You will find your life's purpose through the most difficult challenges. Sometimes when we are forced to see from the ground up (or the back alley), we are led to a healthier, more purposeful, and, therefore, more fulfilling life. Life's most difficult challenges become the seeds that guide us to our life purpose. Through the process of navigation and being given the opportunity to claim our authentic power, we become the person we were born to be. For myself, this evolution has led me to research and write numerous books. It led my sister to a career that uplifts and assists people from all over the world. For you, certain losses may lead you to the discovery of a new path or a different method that will bring you abundance from a new source. Regardless of what profession you choose, which could be based on a traumatic experience, how we live day-by-day can dramatically impact our emotional state. Stress occurs when you're not following your calling. If you feel stuck, take time to write down your frustrations. What is your biggest frustration, speed bump, or wall? Then ask yourself, how have you reacted? Have you been stuck, frozen in freeze mode, unable to move and improve? Or have you ignored your frustrations and run away from facing them? Maybe you tend to argue against the reality of the situation. We all have our coping mechanisms. Once you are aware of your particular habitual coping mechanism, you can recognize when you're reacting instead of responding, and it's easier to change your method. Walk in awareness. One way to move past and recover from trauma is to keep life as simple as possible: Reduce life to one moment at a time and hold each moment sacred. One way you can't go wrong is to choose care, concern, commitment, connection, and compassion; the rewards will come. How we respond to life's surprises can have a profound impact. Decide to take care of yourself. Be your own 1 caregiver. Make a conscious decision to give yourself concern. Remember, you are a vital part of humanity! Connect with others when you're able. (That'll help their well-being.) Be committed to merely doing the best you can. That's all we can do. If you're not perfect, so be it. No one is. Don’t ever criticize yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself. Don't judge yourself or others too harshly. Everyone is trying the best they can. Give compassion, and the rewards will come through reciprocity. From my dad's 100-foot hang-gliding fall, I've learned that responding with care, concern, commitment, connection, and compassion are worthy reactions. But sometimes it takes conscious effort and practice, so don’t be hard on yourself. As habits, these traits can help us accept and adapt to life's drama and its trauma (along the way) during some of the longest and darkest hours, eventually transforming into a worthy life practice and a life filled with purpose and pleasure. Rev. Dr. Janine Vance, Philosophy Author of Twins Found in a Box Inspired by the life of Allen L. Vance (November 13, 1930 - June 25, 2021) Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Vance Twins, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rev. Dr. Janine, Philosophy, is a book doctor, feature-length screenwriter, and international award-winning author of many books, including Twins Found in a Box, The Search for Mother Missing, and Rise from the Dread. She also consults entrepreneurs on story development and guides clients through the process of publishing their books worldwide. Jenette, a Certified and Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant and Life Coach, was trained in Integrated Psychology and Applied Neuroscience. Jenette became a Reiki Master under the direct lineage of Master Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki. She enjoys helping people learn about Reiki and develop personalized meditations catered to their needs. The Vance twins have each worked in their field of expertise for more than twenty-five years. They recently joined forces to provide personalized guided meditations and host write-for-your-life retreats for busy people.

Kadena Tate is the author of “Cultivating Courage: The Path to Reclaiming Your Power” and contributing author of the NY Times Bestseller “Business Model You,” published by Wiley Press. In addition to writing books, Kadena also works as a revenue strategist and business model designed for authors, coaches, and speakers who want to create movements, masterminds, and membership programs. In this interview, Kadena discusses her work, her goals for the future, and how she inspires herself to be the best that she can be. Kadena TateSimon, Revenue Strategist Who is Kadena TateSimon? I am the author of “Cultivating Courage: The Path to Reclaiming Your Power,” contributing author of the NY Times Bestseller “Business Model You,” published by Wiley Press, and the United States Air Force Veteran. In addition to writing books, I am a revenue strategist and business model designer for association executives, small business owners, authors, coaches, and speakers who want to create movements, masterminds, membership programs, and multiple revenue streams. My hobbies are reading, writing, dancing, and international travel. Kadena, can you please tell us about your business and what you do? I help my clients design sustainable revenue models and increase profits. I work with small businesses and association executives to help them assess their current situation, set goals, and develop strategies for achieving those goals. I also provide ongoing support and advice to help my clients implement their plans and make adjustments as needed. What kind of audience do you target your business towards? I've been a revenue strategist for almost 20 years, and I've supported clients from a variety of backgrounds with diverse needs. My favorite four clients are the small business owner, the association executive, the published author, and the coach or speaker. Each of these individuals has something in common – they want to improve their bottom line. And while my clients are typically based in the United States, I also have clients in Canada, Europe, and Australia. My experience has taught me one thing ‒ there's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to business growth. Every company is different, and every industry has its own challenges and opportunities. That's why I take a customized approach with each client, tailoring my services to meet their specific needs. My goal is always to help my clients reach their goals as quickly and easily as possible. And I believe that with the right strategies and tools in place, anything is possible. What are your current goals for your business? My goal is to help my clients achieve their financial goals. I want to help them increase profits, reduce costs, and improve cash flow. In addition, I strive to provide my clients with the knowledge and tools they need to be successful in the long term. What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future? I would like to continue helping my clients grow their businesses and achieve their financial goals. In the future, I also hope to expand my business to include more international clients. Who inspires you to be the best that you can be? My clients inspire me to be the best that I can be. I am constantly amazed by the dedication and hard work of my clients. They strive to improve their businesses despite challenges and setbacks, and they never give up. Their determination is an inspiration to me. What is your work inspired by? My work is inspired by my desire to help small businesses succeed. I believe that small businesses are the backbone of the economy, and I want to do everything I can to help them grow and thrive. Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far. One of my greatest career achievements was helping a client increase their profits by 66%. This was a small business owner who was struggling to make ends meet. I was able to help them assess their situation, set goals, and develop a strategy for achieving those goals. The result was an incredible increase in their bottom line. If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? If I could change one thing about my industry, it would be the way that businesses are valued. Too often, businesses are valued solely based on their financial performance. However, there are many other factors that contribute to the success of a business, such as the quality of the product or service, the commitment of the employees, and the strength of the brand. I believe that businesses should be valued based on a holistic approach that takes all of these factors into account. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your career. A pivotal moment in my career was when I realized that I could make a real difference in the lives of my clients. I had always known that I wanted to help businesses grow and succeed, but it wasn't until I saw firsthand how my advice and guidance could impact a business that I truly understood the power of what I do. Since then, I have been even more dedicated to helping my clients achieve their goals. Tell us about The Women's Circle of Joy Most women who want to create a 7-figure business end up quitting because they can’t overcome the challenges of designing an actionable business growth strategy. They get stuck at 6 figures and often quit before reaching 7 figures. For this reason, the Women's Circle of Joy Mastermind was designed to: Provide women with the mindset, strategies and support they need to create a business that generates Joy, meaning and purpose as well as consistent revenue Empower women to take massive action in their businesses so they can break through the ceiling that's been holding them back and reach the next level Encourage women to surround themselves with a group of like-minded individuals who will support and cheer them on as they reach their goals Our members come from all over the world and here are 4 ways that we work and play well together: Monthly business model workshops to iterate and improve on your business model so that you're making money doing what you love. Monthly marketing roundtables providing pre-planned marketing campaigns supporting your desire to positively influence and impact your clients. Group coaching calls to access information, guidance, and resources to support your desire for tangible business results Quarterly Mastermind Retreats – (Live and Virtual) where Female entrepreneurs connect, collaborate, and co-create multiple revenue streams. If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, what would it be? The best piece of advice I can give to aspiring entrepreneurs is to remember that authenticity has no competition. When you are true to yourself and your values, you will attract the right people and opportunities. Don't try to be someone that you're not, and don't compare yourself to others. Just be the best version of yourself, and the rest will fall into place. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kadena!

Written by: Shae Gander, 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. For as long as I can remember, I was made to feel like my sensitive side (probably 90% of me) was not ideal or made me feel less than others. I also recalled hearing throughout my life that there are different kinds of smarts. What does that mean? And how can I learn to appreciate something about myself that I was made to feel hindered instead of propelling me forward? “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it’s stupid.” – Albert Einstein I don’t think anything has shifted my perspective as much as that quote did. Just because I wasn’t the stereotype that Western society idealized (ie., extroverted, loud and really taking the bull by the horns), didn’t mean I didn’t have a part of me that would be endlessly helpful and valuable to the world. That is my sensitivity. The ability to connect and empathize with others. The ability to read situations just before they unfold and can tell if something immediately feels wrong or right. Apparently, this isn’t something that everyone has in their repertoire. Maybe this is your kind of smart too. If you are reading this, then congratulations! You are likely a person with loads of sensitivity and probably are not sure what to do about it or how to use it to your advantage. Come all my little fish, I know just how you can excel in this big bad world. Your ability to tune in and sense what is going on around you is like no other. You have the ability to know what is happening or what people are feeling without needing to exchange words. No, you are not telepathic… you are just a sensitive soul! You have the ability to connect with others, animals, and the world around you. You are more in tune with the world than the average person. You may get headaches when a storm is about to roll in from the changing air pressures. You might also feel completely drained when you are around certain people (I like to call them energy vampires). To me, it has always been made to seem that these are not good qualities to have. It’s like people think it makes you weaker. But you have the ability to tune into people and the vibrations that this world is radiating and engage in it. How is that not a superpower? The trick to utilizing sensitivity as your superpower is all about learning how to protect your energy, fully opening yourself up to your abilities, and learn about all the advantages that are waiting for you. I use my sensitivity superpower by being able to connect to all walks of life. It doesn’t matter if it’s a client significantly addicted to drugs and on the streets and they just need someone to hold their hand for a little while. Or maybe a teenager from a well-off family who struggles to connect to others, or a person with Harm OCD that fears they will seriously injure another person if they let their guard down. Whatever it is, I have the ability to connect with you about it. I use it to my advantage by basing my career on it as a Psychotherapist. I hope this is the beginning of you learning to accept and love yourself for all that you are, and what you have to offer this world. Embrace yourself, because you have so much untapped potential just waiting to come out. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Shae Gander, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Shae Gander is a Registered Psychotherapist who dedicates herself to helping people learn about themselves and accepting themselves just as they are. She obtained her Master's Degree by age 23 and opened up a Private Practice by age 25. Shae possesses a wealth of knowledge from many years of studying psychology and has decided share her gift with the world. Shae also makes sure to emphasize the aspects of being a Millennial in this day and age.

Written by: Kari Kling , 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’M GOING TO FOLLOW YOU HOME ON THE BUS AND BEAT YOU UP AFTER SCHOOL!” Those are the words that a bully yelled at me in the 8th grade, were embedded in my soul as a young teenager, and impacted my life through my young adulthood. When I finally gathered up enough courage to ask this fellow student (who I didn’t even really know) what I did to her, she replied that, “she didn’t like the way I looked at her.” She continued to taunt and threaten me for a few weeks, even though at the time it felt like an eternity! I was terrified out of my mind and I made my own situation worse by never telling anybody for fear of escalating the situation. Why do people bully, why is it on the rise, and what can we teach our children about how to deal with these unwanted scenarios and stop them in the first place? Webster’s Dictionary defines a ‘bully’ as: to seek harm, intimidate, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable. Have you ever been a bully or dealt with a bully? Bullying... It can happen to anyone, not just young children or teens. Bullying can happen: in school in the workplace in a family within a marriage online within any kind of organization anywhere Bullying can look like : name calling relentless teasing physical harassment threatening stalking either in person or cyberspace intimidating spreading lies about a person body shaming exclusion abusive comments financial manipulation parents asking a child to ‘take sides’ Why do people bully others? Because they: feel powerless are hurting have been through their own trauma feel insecure don't have their own identity or control in their own life seek revenge are dealing with mental illness and impulsive behaviors What are the effects of being bullied? fear depression social and emotional isolation feeling like a victim sleep difficulties anxiety difficulty focusing on schoolwork or other tasks negative personal relationships increased absenteeism from school or work increased self-doubt higher rate of dropping out of school decline of physical health including increased stomachaches and headaches October is Bully Prevention Month in America. I believe it’s a topic that needs to be focused on globally, 365 days per year, not just as a one month point of conversation. If your children were being bullied, would they know the signs and know what to do? In 2021, the National Bullying Prevention Center stated that 20% of students reported being bullied and that 41% of students who reported being bullied at school believed that they thought it would happen again. (Back in the 8th grade, I would have been one of those statistics!) Additionally, one out of every five adults report that they have been bullied in their lives. Fifty percent of 9 to 12 years old children have stated that they experienced bullying at school. Studies have shown that bullying situations increase the risk of suicide for both the victim and aggressor. Bullyingstatistics.org reports how alarming these statistics have become. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people resulting in approximately 4,400 deaths annually. These statistics may not all be correlated with bullying, but bullying victims are between two and nine times more likely to commit suicide than non-victims. This statistic is from studies by Yale University. A similar type of study in Britain reports that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying and an ABC News report suggests that nearly 30% of students engaged in bullying behaviors or were victims of bullying. Additionally, 160,000 children (pre-pandemic numbers) stayed home from school each day due to a fear of being bullied. What makes bullying even worse for so many people is the fear of telling ANYONE and intensifying the situation. Studies show that it is very common for this fear to brew inside the victim, almost to the point of feeling incapacitated. I know this statistic all too well as it is only recently that I ever told anyone what had happened to me. We must do a better job of teaching and modeling for our children how to communicate about such matters. Sadly, the concept of what a ‘bully’ is today is even more real and intense than when I was in the 8th grade. Just turn on the news and you will see innocent bystanders being assaulted, personal property being destroyed and violence in our streets. Much of what is deemed ‘entertainment’ in today’s world revolves around the theme of hurting others, showing a lack of respect for people’s feelings or their property and ‘seeing how many kills’ one can get in specific video games. The constant exposure of these images can greatly desensitize what it feels like to be a victim or a bully for everyone. If we truly care about our children, this is a clarion call for all of us! We must be able to recognize and know what to do when our children are suffering and to help them find their voice. It’s imperative that we prepare our children to recognize and deal with a bully before they may find themselves in a potentially harmful situation. This preplanning is synonymous with the concept of teaching our children to swim with lots of support, guidance and practice when they’re very young and not trying to teach them to swim once they’re drowning. When a person is being bullied, a natural and first response for so many people is, “Why is this person so angry with me? What did I ever do to them?” It is important that the victim realizes that it's not their fault. People who are hurting, hurt people . Emotionally healthy people don’t prey on others. So how do we provide guidance to our children and prepare them to know what to do if they are being bullied? We must raise our awareness and teach them how to recognize the signs of bullying, as stated in the first part of this article, and what to do if they find themselves amid these circumstances. This can be accomplished with open communication, role playing various types of scenarios, identifying trusted adults to turn to and a lot of observation by the parents. In doing so, we can put an end to these very hurtful statistics that wreak havoc on so many lives. It is with enormous hope to decrease bullying and its negative impact that I present My Top 4 'TIPS' for Bullying Prevention: My life experiences have shown me that the ‘T’ of TIPS, “Tell a trusted adult,” is where we need to begin. Just as I was paralyzed with fear in the 8th grade and never told another person what was happening to me, I now know that my reaction was not unique. It has been reported that approximately 54% of children who are bullied are also too frightened to ever tell another person. The ‘I’ of TIPS cannot be reinforced enough. If a person is going to exhibit bullying behaviors toward another, it’s important that the victim realizes that it’s most likely not their fault. Once again, please reference the ‘Why do people bully others?’ section earlier in this article and review it with the children in your life. P is for ‘People.’ People who are secure, confident and happy don’t go around treating others in bullying and hurtful ways, they just don’t. It’s important to teach this to your children so that they don’t automatically self-blame if they endure bullying behaviors aimed at them. S…Stand up for others! If you see something, know of someone being harassed, even if it’s not about you, stand up for that person by talking with them or telling a trusted adult. If your children are involved in a bullying situation, I encourage you not to go about trying to solve it in a public way. Posting it on social media or showing up at school or other locations to confront the bully will almost always make the situation worse. Instead, do your best to support your child in handling these delicate situations privately. It is only by raising awareness, and empowering our children by teaching them the signs of bullying and how to respond, will we be able to decrease the fear and emotional pain associated with this negative and dangerous societal issue. There was no 'bullying prevention awareness' back when I was in the 8th grade. It was each person for themself. After all these years, my memories of being bullied, even though it was only for a couple of weeks, are still there. Many years later at various high school reunions, I always wondered if the bully who threatened me would be in attendance. I was no longer afraid of her, but the thought of seeing her again was certainly not a pleasant one. I was thankful that she never showed up and I have no idea what happened to her. Whether a person is a victim or a bully, the consequences that may result from these experiences may have serious long-lasting ramifications on a person’s life. If you even suspect that your child is involved with a bullying situation and you’re not sure what to do, seek help immediately. Don't wait for a crisis to seek guidance. Your child’s emotional, mental, physical health and life may depend on it. If you would like a complimentary copy of my graphic 'My Top 4 TIPS for Bullying Prevention,' simply go to my website and click on the blue banner at the top of my home page and a copy will automatically be sent to you. Thank you! Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , Linked In , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kari! Kari Kling, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kari Kling, M.Ed., Parent Coach Kari’s 40 years of experience as an internationally recognized educator, counselor, parent coach, and author/speaker has given her the expertise to guide thousands of parents to reach their parenting goals. Kari’s solid understanding of how we behave and learn is grounded in neuroscience. Kari is a sought-after keynote and featured speaker for national and international conferences. She loves to meet and work with parents and their families in her home state of Arizona, nationally, and globally. Kari states that her most powerful learning experience about parenting has been being the mom to her 20-year-old twin boys, as they have been her greatest teachers. You can email Kari to learn more about her parent coaching services at: kari@karikling.com or check out her website and social media.