Palm Beach Gardens, Florida – November 2026. Andy Hall Coaching, an established leadership development and executive coaching business founded in the United Kingdom in 2013, is expanding its presence across the United States following founder Andy Hall's relocation to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, earlier this year. Building on more than 30 years of leadership and coaching experience across the UK and US, Andy and his team are focused on helping US organizations address persistent challenges surrounding employee retention, engagement and performance by changing how managers lead their people every day. At the heart of this expansion is Leader As A Coach (LAAC), AHC’s leadership development program designed to help managers move away from traditional command and control habits toward a coaching approach that builds trust, ownership, accountability and greater independence within teams. "I've spent more than 30 years working with leaders, and I've seen the same challenge repeatedly," said Andy Hall, founder of Andy Hall Coaching. "Organizations promote people into leadership roles, but too often they're never taught how to develop the people around them. They become the answer to everything, creating dependency rather than ownership. My ambition in expanding our presence in the US is to help organizations change that, one leadership conversation at a time." Andy Hall Coaching has already delivered leadership development programs for organizations including Seattle Children's Hospital, One Cross Community Health in KY, and Revenue Management Solutions in Tampa, Florida, working with leaders across healthcare and other business sectors in the United States and internationally. Unlike traditional leadership workshops focused primarily on transferring knowledge, LAAC is designed around sustained behavioural change. Its structured approach combines facilitated learning, practical application, peer coaching and ongoing accountability to help leaders embed new behaviours within their everyday working relationships. With its expanded US presence, Andy Hall Coaching is seeking to build further partnerships with organizations that recognize the connection between effective leadership, employee experience and business performance. "Leadership development shouldn't simply leave people knowing more," Andy added. "It should change what they actually do. When leaders stop being the answer to everything and start developing the capability of others, that's when meaningful change becomes possible." Based in South Florida and working with organizations nationwide, Andy Hall Coaching is inviting CEOs, HR executives and organizational development leaders to explore how a coaching-based leadership approach could support their people and business objectives. About Andy Hall Coaching Founded in 2013, Andy Hall Coaching specializes in executive coaching, leadership development and organizational performance. Its flagship Leader As A Coach program helps organizations develop leaders who build trust, strengthen ownership and create more engaged, capable teams. Founder Andy Hall brings more than 30 years of leadership and coaching experience across the United Kingdom and United States. Media contact Andy Hall Founder, Andy Hall Coaching Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Email: andy@andyhallcoaching.com Phone: 561 446 3365 Website: https://andyhallcoaching.com

When fashion designer Barakat Olaniyan met members of the Nigerian and wider African diaspora in the UK, she saw how music, food, and traditions helped people stay connected to home. It made her think about what clothing could do, a question that led her to found BethanyKulture, a fashion label that brings African craftsmanship into contemporary design. In this exclusive interview, Olaniyan discusses what a handwoven Yoruba textile can teach us about quiet luxury, what the fashion industry still gets wrong about Afrocentric design, and what she learned from creating an outfit for a client who used a breathing tube. Barakat Olaniyan, Fashion Designer & Cultural Fashion Expert What inspired you to create BethanyKulture, and how did your vision for connecting African heritage with contemporary fashion begin? BethanyKulture was inspired by an experience I had while meeting people in the Nigerian and African diaspora in the United Kingdom. I noticed how intentional they were about preserving and celebrating elements of their cultures, from music and food to dance, traditions, and other familiar expressions of home. It made me realize that, regardless of where people are born or where life takes them, there is an inherent desire to feel connected to their roots and have a sense of belonging. I began thinking about the different ways people express their identity, and clothing stood out to me as one of the most powerful. What we wear can communicate where we come from, what we value, and the stories we carry. That realization became the foundation of BethanyKulture. I wanted to create a brand that allows people to embrace their heritage while expressing themselves through contemporary fashion. My vision was never simply to recreate traditional clothing but to bring cultural influences into modern design in a way that feels personal, elegant, and timeless. How has your background in sociology and in user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design influenced the way you design clothing and think about the people wearing it? My background in sociology and UI/UX design has given me a multidisciplinary perspective on fashion and the people who wear it. Studying sociology helped me understand how people interact, form communities, relate to social groups, and develop a sense of identity and belonging. It also made me more conscious of how culture, social class, history, and shared experiences influence the way people express themselves. I began to see clothing as more than something we wear. It can communicate identity, cultural affiliation, personal values, and even the eras or movements people connect with. My understanding of UI/UX design brought a focus on functionality and attention to detail to my design process. It taught me to think about the experience of the person using or wearing something. For instance, the placement of a pocket or zipper should serve a purpose beyond aesthetics. It should make an outfit practical, comfortable, and easy to wear. Together, these disciplines have shaped my philosophy that clothing should not only look beautiful but also communicate meaning and serve the person wearing it. When creating a new collection, how do you decide which elements of African heritage to preserve and which to reinterpret for a modern audience? When creating a new collection, I consider both the cultural significance of the elements I want to incorporate and how they can translate into contemporary fashion. I believe heritage should be respected, but it can also evolve in the way it is expressed. I pay attention to current trends, silhouettes, colours, textures, and styling and then explore which cultural elements can complement those directions without losing their identity. For example, raffia is a traditional material that can be reinterpreted through contemporary designs featuring fringe details, adding texture, movement, and a distinctive character to an outfit. For me, the goal is to find a balance between preservation and innovation. I want the cultural elements to remain recognizable and meaningful while allowing the overall design to feel relevant to today’s audience. Ultimately, I approach heritage as a source of creative inspiration rather than a limitation, finding thoughtful ways to bring its richness into modern fashion. What do you think the fashion industry still misunderstands about Afrocentric design and its place in global fashion? I think one of the major misunderstandings about Afrocentric design is the perception that it is primarily local, traditional, or culturally specific, rather than a fashion language that can exist and thrive in high fashion worldwide. There is sometimes a tendency to view fashion inspired by African heritage as something reserved for cultural celebrations or special occasions, overlooking its potential for contemporary luxury, everyday wear, innovative construction, and sophisticated design. I believe this perspective limits recognition of the creativity, craftsmanship, textiles, techniques, and design possibilities that African heritage offers. Afrocentric design should not have to lose its cultural identity to be considered modern, sophisticated, or globally relevant. It deserves to occupy the same space as other established design languages in the international fashion industry. For me, the opportunity lies in changing that perception by demonstrating that cultural influence and contemporary luxury are not opposing ideas. They can coexist, influence one another, and contribute meaningfully to the future of global fashion. BethanyKulture embraces the idea of quiet luxury. What does luxury mean to you when cultural identity and craftsmanship are at the heart of a design? For me, luxury has always been more about substance than display. I gravitate towards understated luxury, particularly the old money aesthetic, where quality, refinement, and attention to detail speak for themselves without needing to be loud. I would say this preference is also an extension of my personality and naturally influences the creative direction of BethanyKulture. When cultural identity and craftsmanship are at the heart of a design, luxury takes on an even deeper meaning. There is so much richness within African heritage, particularly in the textiles, techniques, and stories behind traditional craftsmanship. A good example is Aso Oke, a handwoven Yoruba textile often associated with important ceremonies and celebrations. Beyond its appearance, the fabric’s intricate weaving process, the skill it requires, and its cultural significance give it inherent value. I believe true luxury is about recognizing that value and translating it thoughtfully into contemporary designs. It is not always about making a statement through extravagance. Sometimes, the craftsmanship and story behind a piece are enough to make it exceptional. For women living between different cultures, how can clothing help them stay connected to their heritage while expressing their individuality? I believe clothing can be a powerful way for women living between different cultures to maintain a connection with their heritage while embracing their individuality. It begins with understanding where you come from, appreciating the experiences and traditions that have shaped you, and recognizing how much you have evolved. For me, embracing contemporary influences does not mean abandoning my cultural identity. Rather, it creates an opportunity to appreciate the richness of both worlds. A woman can incorporate elements of her heritage into her everyday wardrobe while exploring different silhouettes, styles, and expressions that reflect her present environment and personality. I think this balance gives women the freedom to evolve without feeling disconnected from their roots. It also broadens their perspectives, encourages cultural appreciation, and allows them to express themselves with confidence. Ultimately, you do not have to choose between where you come from and where you are going. Both can exist beautifully in the way you dress and express yourself. What advice would you give someone who wants to incorporate more of their cultural identity into their everyday style without feeling limited by traditional expectations? My advice would be to give yourself the freedom to explore. Incorporating your cultural identity into your everyday style should feel exciting and personal, not like an obligation or a set of rules you have to follow. Find a balance between the cultural elements that resonate with you and the styles that reflect your personality and lifestyle. You can do this through fabrics, prints, accessories, colours, silhouettes, or even subtle details. You don’t have to wear traditional clothing from head to toe to express your heritage, just as you don’t have to follow every cultural expectation to remain connected to your roots. Fashion is a way to express yourself, and there should always be room for individuality within cultural identity. Experiment, discover what makes you feel comfortable and confident, and allow your style to evolve naturally. Ultimately, do what feels authentic to you. Your culture is part of your story, but you get to decide how you tell it through what you wear. You describe fashion as a form of storytelling. Has there been a particular design or client experience that reminded you why this matters? Absolutely. As a designer, I have worked with clients whose clothing needs were connected to significant moments in their lives, from weddings, graduations, and new jobs to times when they simply wanted to redefine their personal style. Each design carries a story, but one particular experience reminded me just how meaningful my role as a designer could be. I once worked with a woman who relied on a breathing tube positioned in her chest. Finding suitable clothing that accommodated her medical equipment was a challenge, as conventional designs did not adequately consider her needs. I had to look beyond aesthetics and develop a design that accommodated the tube comfortably while still making her feel well dressed. That experience stayed with me because it showed me that fashion design is also about solving problems. It reminded me that clothing should accommodate real people and their individual circumstances. Sometimes, the most meaningful thing a designer can create is not simply a beautiful outfit but a solution that gives someone comfort, confidence, and the freedom to dress without limitations. Looking ahead, what kind of impact do you hope BethanyKulture will have on how future generations experience and express African heritage? Looking ahead, I hope BethanyKulture becomes a global fashion brand that makes cultural expression a natural part of everyday dressing for future generations. I want to help change the perception that Afrocentric design is limited to local or traditional contexts or reserved for cultural celebrations. I want future generations to see it as something they can confidently embrace in their everyday lives, in different settings and on different occasions. My vision is for BethanyKulture to create a seamless blend of cultural heritage and contemporary fashion, allowing people to appreciate where they come from while embracing the world around them. I want the brand to remain relevant beyond trends, building a timeless design language rooted in identity, craftsmanship, and thoughtful creativity. Ultimately, I hope BethanyKulture will contribute to a future where cultural identity is celebrated rather than diluted and where people can wear their heritage with the same confidence and elegance as any other expression of personal style. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Barakat Olaniyan

Written by Kate Zappitelli, Alignment Institute Chair & Principal Consultant Kate Zappitelli is an executive team alignment expert and an International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited coach. As Chair of the Alignment Institute powered by Karrikins Group, she helps leaders and leadership teams turn agreement into alignment so strategy becomes action. Accountability is often treated as a systematic process: set the goals, review the key performance indicators (KPIs), track the commitments. Those organizational factors matter, but they do not determine what people do when performance slips. The real test of accountability is whether people feel able to raise a red flag early, ask for help, learn from the miss, and recommit, or whether they hide, deflect, and blame. Leaders shape that choice through the mindsets and group dynamics they model and, just as importantly, through how they respond when someone falls short. The goal is not to lower expectations or to gloss over missed commitments. It is to create the conditions in which people can take ownership without being driven into self-protection. The leadership skill is responding to a missed commitment with curiosity and clarity without lowering the standard or putting the person on the defensive. When accountability creates ownership and when it triggers self-protection The way leaders hold people accountable matters. Depending on tone and word choice, the same question can feel like an accusation or an invitation to solve a problem together. One response triggers defensiveness, the other supports ownership. I once observed a chief executive officer (CEO) ask a chief marketing officer (CMO) whether the marketing plan would be adjusted in response to customer feedback and emerging market trends. The question itself was reasonable because the marketing plan had been falling short of what had been promised. However, the tone and structure of the question were accusatory instead of curious. It was almost as if the CEO was blaming the CMO for not anticipating the issues that had recently come to light and treating that failure as the reason the plan wasn’t working. Because this pattern had occurred before, the exchange quickly became defensive and derailed the meeting. What was worse was that the CMO walked away feeling under attack and as if they needed to defend the plan instead of feeling supported in making the necessary course corrections. Different questions could have kept the standard clear while inviting ownership: “The plan is falling short of our commitments. What are we learning, and what needs to change?” Leaders should not avoid difficult questions. But they do need to be careful about how those questions are asked if they want to promote the high transparency and trust that underpin accountability. The way a leader asks questions determines whether accountability leads to shared problem solving or self-protection. The team norms that make accountability possible Teams make accountability easier to practice when they reinforce mindsets and group dynamics such as: “We are in this together.” “Transparency and asking for help are signs of strong leaders, not weak ones.” “When we make mistakes, we own them, learn, and recommit.” “Standards apply consistently, regardless of role or positional power.” Accountability becomes harder when the unspoken mindsets and group dynamics sound more like the examples below. “I should be able to figure this out on my own, I don’t need help.” “Some people get a pass, while others are publicly criticized.” “Reporting an accurate status of ‘yellow’ or ‘red’ puts a target on me.” “When something goes wrong, we find someone to blame.” These patterns are often unconscious and may reflect earlier workplace experiences where accountability felt punitive. What leaders do when someone falls short When a commitment is at risk or has been missed, a leader’s response shapes what happens next. If the response feels punitive, people are more likely to conceal problems, rationalize, or redirect blame. If the response combines clarity, curiosity, and respect, people are more likely to own the miss and take responsible action. This does not mean minimizing poor performance or excusing missed commitments. Standards matter, and enforcing them is important. Leaders need to make it possible for someone to tell the truth while remaining clear about what must change, who owns the next step, and when it will happen. Leaders can begin with questions that keep the conversation grounded in facts, learning, and forward action: What changed? What is within your control now? What support do you need? What will you do next? What specific commitment can the team rely on, and by when? These questions shift the conversation from defending the past to taking responsibility for the next step. Start by clarifying what needs to happen now. When a deeper review is needed, give it dedicated time and a clear learning purpose rather than trying to diagnose every cause while also rebuilding the plan. Build accountability through everyday responses The next time someone on your team reports a yellow or red status or misses a commitment to a goal or action, pause before reacting. Name the reality, focus on what can be learned, ask what support is needed, and make the next commitment clear. Reinforce that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is one of the most visible forms of ownership and accountability. The purpose is not to make missed commitments free of consequences. It is to make ownership, learning, and seeking help early normal. That is how accountability becomes a shared organizational strength rather than a source of fear. If your leadership team is working to strengthen accountability and alignment, start by examining what happens when a commitment is at risk. Do people surface the issue early, ask for support, and recommit, or do they hide, defend, and blame? The answer reveals the mindsets and group dynamics your team is reinforcing. Follow me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kate Zappitelli Kate Zappitelli, Alignment Institute Chair & Principal Consultant Kate Zappitelli helps frustrated leaders who know they can do more, better with their teams if they are aligned to work together. As a Principal at Karrikins Group and Chair of the Alignment Institute, she partners with leaders and leadership teams on alignment, transformation, strategy, and culture. Our proven methodologies and frameworks are grounded in social science, expertise, and first-hand experience to help teams get unstuck. Our mission is to make 'how' matter.

Written by Mitchell Sevcik, Owner & Principal Consultant Mitchell Sevcik is a Quality, Health, Safety, and Environmental (QHSE) executive and Owner of SQC Advisory, where he advises on quality, compliance, and integrated management systems. With over 20 years of global leadership experience, he helps organizations strengthen governance and reduce operational risk. Procedures don't prevent incidents, defects, or ethical lapses. People do, and people are driven by psychology. Most organizations invest heavily in management systems, including procedures, audits, training, and corrective actions. The assumption is that thoroughly documented processes will deliver excellence in safety, quality, and compliance (SQC). Yet when something goes wrong, the procedure usually exists. Someone made a decision, took a shortcut, missed a risk, or worked inside a culture that quietly rewarded the wrong behavior. The 2026 revision of ISO 9001, published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), reflects this. Its added emphasis on quality culture, ethical behavior, leadership, organizational knowledge, and risk signals a broader shift. Performance is driven by human behavior. The future of SQC isn't just better systems. It's a deeper understanding of people. The hidden driver Psychology is the science of how people think, feel, perceive, and behave. On any shift, employees make dozens of small choices that decide outcomes. Do I report that near miss? Do I stop the line for this defect? Do I question this instruction, follow the procedure, or speak up when something feels off? Knowledge alone rarely settles those choices. Emotion, habit, social pressure, leadership behavior, and culture all weigh in. That is why two organizations with nearly identical procedures can post dramatically different results. The difference is usually psychological. Safety: Why capable people take risks they know they shouldn't One of the hardest questions in safety management is why competent, experienced employees sometimes work unsafely. Three psychological forces explain much of it. Normalization of deviance. When a task is repeatedly done unsafely without consequence, the unsafe way becomes the normal way. Eventually, no one sees the risk at all. Listen for the warning signs: “We've always done it that way.” “Nothing's ever happened.” “It'll only take a minute.” Risk perception. People don't judge risk objectively. We underestimate familiar hazards and overestimate unfamiliar ones. The operator who performs a task every day can be less alert to its dangers than the new hire. Psychological safety. Employees report concerns when they feel safe from blame, retaliation, or embarrassment. Where that safety is strong, near misses get reported, lessons get learned, and hazards get fixed before they lead to serious incidents. The best safety cultures don't just ask people to speak up. They make it safe to speak up. Quality: The mindset behind excellence Quality is often treated as a technical discipline, but it rests on mindset. The gap between average and exceptional quality frequently comes down to ownership. Pride and craftsmanship. People do better work when they feel connected to its purpose. Employees who understand how their work reaches the customer pay closer attention, catch defects, look for improvements, and prevent errors before they happen. Quality stops being conformance to a specification and becomes a personal commitment. Cognitive bias. Many quality failures trace back to mental shortcuts: Confirmation bias. We look for evidence that supports what we already believe. An inspector may unconsciously look for proof that a process works rather than signs that it is failing. Overconfidence bias. Experienced people can believe they're less likely to make mistakes, which makes mistakes more likely. They become complacent. Groupthink. Teams mute dissent to keep the peace or maintain the status quo, so concerns go unchallenged until a customer finds them. Organizations that understand these biases build processes that invite questioning, verification, and independent review. Compliance: The psychology of ethical behavior Compliance is often reduced to following rules. In practice, it is about ethics, judgment, and values, which is why the evolving ISO standards give more attention to ethical behavior and culture. Why do good people make poor decisions? Most compliance failures aren't committed by people who intend to cause harm. They happen when someone feels pressure to hit a target, believes “everyone does it,” or accepts future consequences for immediate wins. Psychologists call this moral rationalization. It looks like skipping documentation because production is behind, delaying a report to avoid scrutiny, or adjusting data so results look acceptable. Each step seems small. Together, they create serious organizational risk. Leaders set the signal. Employees watch what leaders do. When leaders chase results at any cost, the message is clear: performance matters more than principles. When leaders consistently show integrity, accountability, and transparency, ethical behavior becomes part of the organization's identity. That is exactly the leadership expectation ISO 9001:2026 strengthens. From systems to culture For years, many organizations treated ISO standards as a documentation exercise. Success meant procedures written, records kept, audit findings closed, and corrective actions logged. Those still matter. But the evolving ISO landscape acknowledges a basic truth: systems don't improve organizations. People do. The growing emphasis on quality culture, ethical behavior, leadership accountability, risk awareness, organizational learning, and knowledge management points in the same direction, toward the human factors that drive performance. Organizations focused only on meeting requirements may earn certification. Organizations that understand psychology earn excellence. The principle that ties it together The link between psychology and SQC comes down to one idea: people don't consistently do what procedures tell them to do. They consistently do what culture encourages them to do. Build an environment where employees feel respected, heard, accountable, connected to a purpose, and empowered to improve. Incidents fall, quality rises, and compliance becomes natural rather than forced. A healthy culture keeps shaping behavior long after the training ends and the audit closes. Striving beyond our best W. Somerset Maugham once wrote, “Only a mediocre person is always at his best.” Excellence isn't a fixed state. For organizations serious about SQC, there is always another improvement to find, another risk to reduce, another lesson to learn, and another standard to exceed. As ISO standards move toward culture, ethics, and leadership that puts people first, the organizations that thrive will be the ones that accept a simple truth: safety, quality, and compliance are all psychological. The lasting advantage isn't in procedures alone. It's in a culture where people choose to do the right thing, even when no one is watching. Because in the end, safety saves our people, quality saves our jobs, and compliance saves our company. Psychology is what binds them together. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Mitchell Sevcik Mitchell Sevcik, Owner & Principal Consultant Mitchell Sevcik is the owner of SQC Advisory and a strategic QHSE executive with over 20 years of global experience across energy, EPC, and infrastructure sectors. He specializes in designing and implementing integrated management systems, strengthening regulatory compliance, and aligning quality and risk strategies with business performance. Previously serving as Director of QHSE & Compliance at IHI Energy Solutions, Mitchell advised executive leadership and led enterprise-wide initiatives that delivered measurable operational improvements. He brings practical insight into audit readiness, governance, and continuous improvement. Driving Quality. Ensuring Compliance.

Written by Irene Tasho, Principal, Lead Educator & Practitioner Irene Tasho is a reflexologist, educator, and industry leader with over 18 years of clinical experience. As principal of the Australian School of Reflexology and a board director of the Reflexology Association of Australia, she is dedicated to advancing professional standards and raising awareness of reflexology. Reflexology is frequently explored as a complementary therapy for women’s hormonal health, as it may help balance the endocrine system and regulate the nervous system. Having spoken with experts specialising in women’s health, I’ve come to understand that stress is a major contributor to menopausal symptoms and many other reproductive issues. Chronic stress triggers the release of cortisol, which can disrupt the regulation of the nervous system and the delicate balance of reproductive hormones like oestrogen and progesterone. There is also a belief that diet has a big influence on how the body responds to what we eat and how that response affects hormone production. This, in turn, can alter the function of the endocrine system. Clients have commented that they notice an increase in symptoms, especially menopausal symptoms, when they consume more sugary or processed foods and alcohol. Balancing full-time careers with motherhood has added a new dimension to the stress women endure these days. Certain chemicals found in cosmetics used by many women can also disrupt hormonal balance. What is reflexology? Reflexology is a fascinating and extremely effective form of therapy that has carved an impressive niche in the field of alternative medicine. Reflexology is a holistic healing technique and, as such, aims to treat the individual as a whole, incorporating body, mind and spirit. Reflexologists do not isolate a disease and treat it symptomatically, nor do they work specifically on a problem organ or system. They work on the whole person with the objective of inducing a state of balance and harmony. The healthy human body is an amazing machine, with everything working in perfect order. A system of glands, organs, nerves and chemicals helps maintain this balance. But let one of these components get out of order, and the effect is felt throughout the body. Reflexology is based on the principle that there are reflex areas in the feet, hands, ears and face that correspond to every part of the body. I mention the hands, face and ears as well, but foot reflexology is the most widely known and practised form around the world. The feet are seen as a microcosm of the body, with organs, glands and other parts represented in a similar arrangement on the feet. By working on the reflex areas of the feet, the practitioner aims to identify imbalances or areas of congested energy in the body. Practitioners apply specific micromassage techniques to the reflex points where they believe the imbalance or congestion is occurring. The aim is to stimulate or calm the organs and glands, allowing energy to flow freely and helping the body heal itself and return to a stable condition through a process called homeostasis. These techniques are designed to help keep the body’s systems operating at peak efficiency. How may reflexology support hormonal balance? Reflexology may complement medical treatment by helping manage symptoms related to hormonal fluctuations. In my experience, it has helped many women avoid medications and operations, manage pain, sleep better and improve their overall health and well-being. As mentioned above, stress can be a major contributor to many issues affecting the reproductive and endocrine systems. The prolonged release of cortisol can disrupt the regulation of the nervous system. This, in turn, can affect the balance of the endocrine system, which releases hormones into the bloodstream. As reflexologists, we work on the whole foot with the aim of supporting the whole body. The nervous system is one of the first and most important areas we focus on. We aim to help the client reach a deep sense of relaxation by calming the sympathetic nervous system and, in turn, activating the parasympathetic nervous system so that the endocrine and other systems can work optimally. The hypothalamus links the nervous and endocrine systems. It receives information from the nervous system and helps control the pituitary gland, which regulates several other glands that produce hormones. The two systems influence each other. Stress signals from the brain can change hormone release, while hormones can affect brain activity, mood, sleep, appetite and how the body responds to stress. The menstrual cycle is another example. Hormones from the ovaries interact with signals from the brain and the pituitary gland. The nervous and endocrine systems work together to coordinate the body’s responses and keep internal conditions stable. In short, the nervous system provides fast coordination, the endocrine system regulates the body through hormones, and the brain helps integrate both. Once the client is relaxed, the reflexologist can focus on any other areas they intuitively feel need attention, with the aim of helping the client’s body reach a state in which it can heal itself. Reflexology is an art because it depends on how skilfully the practitioner applies their knowledge and on the dynamics and energetic connection between practitioner and recipient. My clinical experience In my clinical practice over the last 18 years, I have had many clients with various issues. Young women with premenstrual tension (PMT), heavy, irregular menses, severe cramps and water retention have benefited enormously from a reduction in their somatic symptoms, allowing them to live more normally and productively during this time without having to take days off school or work. Women who told me they had to have a hysterectomy because there was no other way of controlling the very heavy bleeding, which had gone on for so long that they had become anaemic, have now gone back to normal cycles of 28 days. Endometriosis also affects a high percentage of women, disrupting their lives for many days during their period and at other times of the month. Debilitating migraines, headaches, digestive issues and severe pain have been eased with reflexology. Menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, disrupted sleep patterns, irritability, brain fog and many more are often reduced, allowing women to feel centred and more in control again. Apart from working on the nervous and endocrine systems for the above conditions, the reflexologist also works on the lymphatics to reduce water retention and inflammation, which are often present and cause a lot of pain and discomfort. Balancing some of the meridians and acupressure points during a session helps clear blockages in the flow of energy, which, according to traditional Chinese medicine, has a great influence on the overall health of the body. The physical stimulation of reflex points is thought to trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural “feel-good” chemicals, which can improve mood and mitigate the emotional impact of hormonal imbalances. Even though clients may have the same symptoms, we don’t always treat them in the same way. A reflexologist will look at the overall picture and consider what else is happening with the client at that time. We encompass the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects, all of which play an important part in a person’s wellbeing. Everyone reacts in different ways. Some have great results almost immediately, while others might take a few sessions to get the ultimate benefits. It all depends on what else is happening in their bodies and in their lives. But most clients will say how relaxed they are and how good they feel. Many say they don’t know how to describe what they feel, but they feel lighter. This is important feedback because it means we have given them a chance to interrupt the damaging stress cycle and take a break from it. Scientific perspective Some systematic reviews and studies indicate positive outcomes for PMT and menopausal symptoms. However, the overall quality of the evidence is often described as low, and many studies suffer from small sample sizes and, very sadly, a lack of funding. I have written about my clients’ experiences in my clinical practice. Even though these experiences might not qualify as scientific evidence, they are based on my clients’ responses and feedback. When you look at those responses, there is no doubt that there are real benefits and possibilities for life changes for women with hormonal issues who use reflexology as part of their regular wellbeing programme. This should be encouraged more widely in communities, as I am sure everyone wants a better quality of life without invasive intervention! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Irene Tasho Irene Tasho, Principal, Lead Educator & Practitioner Irene Tasho holds a diploma in reflexology and is an educator and advocate for the reflexology profession. She is the founder of Sole to Soul Reflexology in Sydney and principal of The Australian School of Reflexology, where she trains and mentors future practitioners. Irene serves as a board director of the Reflexology Association of Australia and is passionate about raising professional standards within the industry. Her clinical focus includes women’s health, pain management, and conditions related to stress. In addition to her teaching and clinical work, Irene has volunteered extensively in cancer support and palliative care centres for children and regularly presents educational and professional development programs. References: ScienceDirect article Asltoghiri, M., & Ghodsi, Z. (2012). The effects of reflexology on sleep disorder in menopausal women. Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 242 to 246.

Written by Colby Jones, Empathy Researcher & Human Capacity Strategist Colby is an empathy researcher, organisational development practitioner and entrepreneur at the intersection of leadership, culture and human systems. At Cognitive Humanity, she leads strategy, product thinking and the development of tools that help organisations measure and strengthen human capacity at scale. Ask a room of leaders how they build trust and you will hear familiar answers. Be transparent, be competent, and lead by example. All true. But there is a blind spot in most of these answers. Trust is rarely won in the big moments. It’s built, or quietly lost, in hundreds of small interactions, and what often shapes those interactions most is empathy. Many leaders still treat empathy as a personality trait, but research tells a different story. Empathy is a set of observable behaviors. Those behaviors predict trust, and trust predicts nearly every outcome leaders care about. The evidence leaders overlook Let’s start with what trust does. In a landmark meta-analysis of 106 studies and more than 27,000 employees, Kurt Dirks and Donald Ferrin found that trust in leadership was significantly related to job performance, organizational citizenship behavior, commitment, and job satisfaction. It was negatively related to intent to quit. The strongest links were with job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and trust in a person’s direct leader had an equal or greater effect than trust in senior leadership on four of the five workplace outcomes studied. The last finding shows us that trust is local. It lives in the relationship between an employee and the person they report to. This aligns with Gallup’s finding that managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement. The business case is substantial. Paul Zak’s research found that, compared with people at low-trust companies, people at high-trust companies report 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, and 40% less burnout. His later work with a nationally representative sample linked organizational trust to higher incomes, longer job tenure, and greater job satisfaction. (Harvard Business Review, Frontiers in Psychology) So where does empathy come in? The most widely used model of organizational trust, developed by Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman, proposes that our trust in others is based on how we perceive their ability, benevolence, and integrity. Benevolence, the belief that someone genuinely wants good things for us, is the dimension empathy feeds most directly. The model also proposes that benevolence becomes more influential as a relationship develops over time. Empathy builds trust, and trust drives engagement, commitment, and retention. What leaders miss But there’s a gap in the workplace. Most leaders feel empathy, but far fewer express it in ways their teams can see. Employees cannot see what’s happening inside your head. They can only experience what you do. A leader who quietly cares but never acts on that care is, from the team’s perspective, indistinguishable from one who doesn’t care at all. This is why trust is built by behavior. Behaviors, unlike traits, can be practiced, repeated, and measured. 3 daily behaviors that build measurable trust Understand before you respond: Before you offer a solution, a decision, or a correction, show that you understand the other person’s situation. Reflect it back in a single sentence such as “It sounds like the deadline change left you without the data you needed.” Then respond. This is cognitive empathy in action, and it directly signals benevolence. It tells the other person that their reality has been registered before your agenda takes over. It also improves the quality of your decisions because you are acting on fuller information. How to practice it: In your next five one-to-ones, aim to speak less than half the time and paraphrase at least once before giving advice. How to measure it: Add one item to a monthly team pulse survey: “My manager understands the pressures I’m working under.” Use a scale from 1 to 5 and track how the score changes over time. Close the loop within two working days: Empathy that ends at listening is incomplete. When someone raises a concern, an idea, or a need, follow up within two working days, even if the answer is “not yet” or “no, and here’s why.” This behavior links empathy to integrity, the third pillar of trust. Consistency between a person’s words and actions shapes how their integrity is judged. Every unanswered concern teaches people that speaking up goes nowhere. Every closed loop teaches the opposite. How to practice it: Keep a simple running list of every commitment you make in conversation. Review it at the end of each day. How to measure it: Track your own follow-through rate by dividing the number of commitments closed within two working days by the total number of commitments made. Pair it with the survey item “When I raise something with my manager, I hear back.” Meet bad news with curiosity, not judgment: The stakes for trust are highest when someone brings you a mistake, a risk, or an unwelcome truth. Your first reaction teaches the whole team whether honesty is safe. Amy Edmondson’s research on 51 work teams found that team psychological safety, a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, was associated with learning behavior, which in turn drove team performance. Leaders create that safety through their responses. A curious first question protects the person while still addressing the problem. Try asking “What did you notice first?” or “What do you need from me?” How to practice it: Before reacting to bad news, take one breath and ask one question. Thank the person for raising it every time. How to measure it: Count how many risks, errors, or concerns are raised early, before they escalate. An increase in early reporting is one of the clearest signs that trust is growing. Add the survey item “I can raise a problem without it being held against me.” Turning trust into a metric Most organizations measure trust once a year, if at all, through a broad engagement survey. By the time the results arrive, the moments that shaped them are long gone. A better approach is to treat trust the way you treat any performance indicator. Measure it frequently at the team level and tie it to specific behaviors. The three survey items above take less than a minute to answer. Tracked monthly alongside the behavioral measures, they give leaders a clear view of whether their actions are actually landing. At Cognitive Humanity, we work from the premise that empathy is a measurable capacity. When leaders can see the link between what they do on a Tuesday afternoon and how their team responds three months later, empathy stops being abstract and becomes a practical lever for performance. The bottom line Trust isn’t a feeling you can request or a value you can print on the wall. It is the cumulative result of how people experience you, one interaction at a time. The research consistently shows that leaders who understand before responding, follow through on what they hear, and meet hard truths with curiosity build teams that are more engaged, more committed, and more likely to stay. Empathy is the input. Trust is the outcome. Behavior is the bridge, and every leader can start building it today. Follow me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Colby Jones Colby Jones, Empathy Researcher & Human Capacity Strategist Colby Jones is an empathy researcher, organisational development practitioner and entrepreneur at the intersection of leadership, culture and human systems. Her background blends organisational psychology, empathy research and practical experience in building brands, products and teams. She is particularly focused on how data about human experiences, stress, trust, and relational patterns can be used to ethically support better decisions for both people and organisations. At Cognitive Humanity, she leads strategy and the development of tools that help organisations measure and strengthen human capacity at scale.

Jacksonville, FL – Healers University announces its annual Lights Ceremony, beginning November 22: five days of deep healing through meditation, prayer, and medicine-making, held to honor the light within and strengthen it for the season ahead. The best way to keep your lights on this winter, and every winter after, is through self-care. As the days grow shorter and colder, many people feel the weight of the season settle in. Energy drops. Motivation fades. Sadness, heaviness, and restless worry creep in where joy used to live. Winter depression and anxiety are real, and they are not a personal failing. In our tradition, we understand these struggles as more than mood. When the light outside dims, the light inside needs tending. Left unattended, that heaviness becomes a spiritual sickness: a disconnection from purpose, from community, and from the inner flame that carries us through dark seasons. The Lights Ceremony exists to rekindle that flame before winter takes hold. Five days of deep healing Each November 22, the Healers University community gathers to honor our inner light and prepare it for the months to come. Over five days, participants will: Meditate to quiet the mind, release what has been weighing on the spirit, and reconnect with inner stillness. Pray magical prayers, calling in protection, clarity, and renewal for the season ahead. Make medicine, preparing herbal remedies by hand to support the body, mind, and spirit through winter, including this year's Peacock Medicine. Participants leave not only restored, but equipped, carrying medicine they made themselves and practices they can return to all season long. The Lights Ceremony is also a rite of passage for longevity, good bones, and solid leadership and authority. Through the medicine we make and the work we do together, participants strengthen the body's foundation and step into the season standing firm, rooted in their own power and ready to lead their lives, families, and communities. Peacock Medicine is medicine for the joints and bones, the structure that holds us up and holds us together. It speaks to everything that keeps you standing: your body, your spirit, your home, and your family. When the bones are strong, the house is strong. This is the medicine of what keeps you together. Carry the light home: The Legacy & Alignment Candle Collection As the Lights Ceremony season begins, The Healers introduces the Legacy & Alignment Candle Collection, spiritual medicine created to bring intention, reflection, and sacred tradition into everyday living. The ceremony tends the light within. The collection keeps that light burning in the home all winter long. Across generations and cultures, the sacred flame has stood for divine presence, remembrance, prayer, transformation, and hope. From ancestral veneration and religious ceremony to household ritual, candles have always held a place of honor. A home should be more than a place to reside, and this collection invites individuals and families to build meaningful household traditions through the intentional practice of candle burning. The collection is built on five pillars of legacy and alignment: Spiritual alignment – a dedicated space for prayer, devotion, ancestral remembrance, protection work, and connection with the divine. Physical wellness — a peaceful household atmosphere that supports bathing, massage, meditation, and restorative rest. Emotional restoration – intentional moments for gratitude, self-reflection, remembrance, and renewal. Traditional & Ancestral wisdom – honoring the sacred flame in observances, memorials, household blessings, seasonal ceremonies, and rites of passage, and passing that wisdom forward. Mental clarity & Alignment – an invitation to slow down, focus, set intentions, and reconnect with the life you are building. More than a candle. A household tradition. Each candle is an opportunity to establish a personal ritual of prayer, reflection, gratitude, and restoration. Building a legacy begins with how we care for ourselves, how we nurture our households, how we honor those who came before us, and what we intentionally pass forward to those who come after us. A word from Kheru "Winter will come whether we are ready or not. The question is whether your light will be strong enough to carry you through it. This ceremony is where we tend that light together, so no one walks into the dark season empty." "Your home should be more than a place where you sleep. It should be a place where you restore, pray, reflect, create, and build. Our Legacy & Alignment Candles are an invitation to bring sacred intention back into everyday living. We are not simply creating candles; we are restoring household traditions, spiritual discipline, ancestral remembrance, and a deeper commitment to the lives and legacies we are building." – Kheru DeFontes El, Founder of The Healers How to join The Lights Ceremony is open to members of The Healing Ambassadors, the Healers University members community. Membership is free at Thehealersu.com. RSVP through the Healers University website. Space is limited. About The Healers The Healers is a holistic wellness and spiritual education organization founded by holistic therapist Kheru DeFontes El, who brings more than 17 years of experience serving the spiritual community. The Healers is committed to preserving traditional wisdom, supporting family wellness, cultivating spiritual development, and helping individuals build stronger foundations for their homes, businesses, and legacies. Through holistic counseling, spiritual education, traditional practices, spiritual medicine, and community-centered initiatives, including the Lights Ceremony and the programs of Healers University, The Healers encourages a life rooted in wisdom, alignment, stability, and intentional living. Light with intention. Live with purpose. Build with wisdom. Leave a legacy. Media contact Kheru: Kheru@thuniversity.education Website: Thehealersu.com

Written by Yvonne Cote, Founder of There Is an Angel for That™ Yvonne Cote is a spiritual mentor, intuitive guide, and the founder of There Is an Angel for That™, a holistic guidance platform. She is a co-author of the international bestselling books "My Mess is My Message II" and "Learning Through Pain" and the creator of Celestial Soul Mastery, her flagship transformation journey. Have you ever gone through a time when you simply couldn't tell what you wanted anymore? Decisions that once felt easy start to feel heavy, and you find yourself asking everyone else what they think before you have asked yourself. It can feel as though your intuition has switched off completely. In this article, you'll learn why your inner knowing goes quiet, what it quietly costs you when it does, and three gentle ways to rebuild the trust that brings it back. Why does intuition go quiet? Intuition rarely disappears in one dramatic moment. It fades slowly, one small override at a time. You feel a quiet no and say yes anyway. You sense you need rest and push through. You know something is off in a conversation and talk yourself out of it because you don't want to make a fuss. None of these moments seem important on their own. Together, they teach you to stop listening. For many of the women I work with, this pattern started early. They were told they were too sensitive, that they were overreacting, or that they should just be grateful. So they learned to look outward for answers and to trust other people's opinions more than their own knowing. Here is the good news hidden in that story: your intuition was never broken. It has simply been drowned out by pressure, noise, and the weight of carrying too much for too long. I remember sitting at my desk one afternoon, trying to decide what to work on next. There were emails waiting, something unfinished on my screen, and a list beside me that kept getting longer. Normally, I could pause and feel a little nudge about where to begin. That day, I couldn’t seem to find it. I closed my eyes and asked, “What do I need to know?” Before I’d even finished asking, I was mentally answering an email and remembering something else I’d forgotten to do. That was the moment I noticed. I couldn’t remember the last time I had asked myself how something felt and stayed still long enough to hear the answer. Even my quiet moments had become opportunities to plan the next thing. I stepped away from my desk without my phone. I didn’t receive a big message or suddenly know what to do. But I finally noticed how tired I was. That afternoon, listening to myself began with admitting I needed a break. Related article: What Is Your Guardian Angel Trying to Tell You? What does it cost you? The cost of ignoring your intuition is easy to miss because it doesn't arrive as a crisis. It shows up as a kind of flatness, where nothing feels wrong exactly, but nothing feels right either. It shows up as burnout, as the same painful patterns repeating in relationships or work, and as a growing inability to make even small decisions without doubting yourself. Many people describe it simply as feeling off track, as though they are living a life that doesn't quite fit. Pressure makes all of this worse. Neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) McGovern Institute found that chronic stress changed the way animals weighed costs against benefits, making them far more likely to choose risky options they would normally have avoided. In my experience, people are not so different. When everything feels urgent, the quiet signal underneath becomes almost impossible to hear. Related article: How to Reconnect With Your Intuition and Trust Yourself Again Louder isn't the answer When intuition goes quiet, most of us try to force it back. We pull cards, ask for signs, and demand a clear answer right now. But intuition doesn't need to get louder. What needs rebuilding is your trust in it. Think of it like a friendship that has drifted. You wouldn't repair it by shouting. You would show up, listen more carefully, and keep the small promises you make. Your relationship with your own knowing heals the same way, and it starts with easing the pressure, not trying harder. Once you stop straining to hear, your inner voice has room to come through. 3 ways to rebuild trust Start with your body: Your body often knows before your mind is ready to admit it. Notice the tightening in your shoulders when you agree to something you don't want to do, or the easy exhale when an idea feels right. You don't need to interpret these signals or act on them immediately. Simply noticing them, again and again, tells your intuition that you are paying attention once more. Pause before reacting: It’s easy to override ourselves in the first few seconds of a reply. Someone asks for your time, your help, or your opinion, and you answer before you have checked in with yourself. Give yourself one slow breath before you respond, and quietly ask whether you truly need to answer right now. Most of the time, you don't. That small pause is where your own voice gets a chance to speak first. Decide from steadiness: Decisions made in panic tend to come from fear, while decisions made from a steady place tend to come from knowing. When you face a choice, wait until you feel even slightly calmer before you make it. Start with small decisions, like what to eat or which task to do first, and notice how it feels to follow your own lead. You can also ask your angels to help you find steady ground. They won't make the choice for you, but they can help clear the path so you can hear yourself again. I was once invited to take part in an event, and my first instinct was to say yes. It sounded like a lovely opportunity, and I didn’t want to miss out. I was already mentally rearranging my schedule before I’d even checked what the commitment involved. Instead of answering immediately, I said I would get back to them the next day. That evening, I put my work aside, sat with my feet on the floor, and took a few slow breaths. Once I stopped trying to make everything fit, I asked myself, “Do I actually have the time and energy for this?” I wanted to participate, but I could also feel the relief of giving myself permission to decline. My week was already full. Saying yes would mean squeezing preparation into evenings when I needed to rest. The next morning, I thanked them and said no. There was still a little disappointment about missing the event, but I wasn’t spending the day questioning my answer or trying to rescue an overcrowded schedule. I could return to the commitments I’d already made and give them my attention. Related article: The Vital Role of Self-Compassion in Overcoming Shame and Perfectionism Be gentle with yourself Rebuilding trust with yourself doesn’t happen in a weekend. Like any bond that has been neglected, it comes back through patience and consistency. There will be days you override yourself out of habit, and that's all right. Each time you notice it, you are already listening again. So take a quiet moment today and ask yourself one honest question: where have I been overriding what I already know? When your intuition goes quiet If this article felt familiar, I created something to help. My free ebook, When Your Intuition Goes Quiet, offers five practical fixes for the moments when your inner knowing feels far away. It is gentle, simple, and designed to help you set down some of the pressure so your inner knowing has room to return. Download your free copy and begin rebuilding trust with yourself today. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Yvonne Cote Yvonne Cote, Founder of There Is an Angel for That™ Yvonne Cote is a spiritual mentor, intuitive guide, and the founder of There Is an Angel for That™, a holistic guidance platform. She is a co-author of the international bestselling books "My Mess is My Message II" and "Learning Through Pain" and the creator of Celestial Soul Mastery, her flagship transformation journey. Through her teaching and private mentorship, she helps sensitive, intuitive women reconnect with their inner wisdom and navigate life with greater clarity and confidence. Known for her warm, grounded approach, she blends spirituality, energy work, and practical personal development to help others trust themselves and reclaim their inner authority.

Written by Dr. Michael Copeland, CEO, Owner & Author Dr. Michael Copeland is an educator, author, and consultant who empowers individuals and communities through storytelling, leadership, and purpose-driven work. He is the founder of Copeland Consults LLC and a 15-time award-winning author. Some books are business projects. Others become divine assignments. For me, helping Alena McGregor bring her remarkable testimony to life became one of the most spiritually meaningful experiences of my publishing career. When publishing becomes something greater than business As the founder and chief executive officer of Copeland Consults LLC, I have had the privilege of working with authors from different walks of life. Some want to share their personal experiences. Others want to establish credibility, build businesses, educate communities, or leave a legacy for future generations. But every once in a while, an author comes into your life who reminds you why you started your business in the first place. For me, that author was Alena McGregor. When I began working with Alena on her powerful Christian testimony, From Trials to Triumph: To God Be All the Glory, Chosen by God to Be His Ambassador, I understood that I was helping bring a deeply personal story to the world. What I did not fully anticipate was how much her journey would impact my own life. I have always believed that publishing is about more than formatting manuscripts, designing covers, and putting books on Amazon. It is about helping people discover the significance of their experiences and giving those experiences a platform to influence others. Alena's story reminded me of that truth in a profound way. A divine connection that started with a conversation One of the most remarkable aspects of my relationship with Alena is how we met. As part of my entrepreneurial journey, I have used creative approaches to market my publishing business, including displaying information about my books and services while driving for Uber. One day, I picked up a passenger who noticed my publishing advertisements and began asking questions. During our conversation, the passenger mentioned having a friend who had been working on a book and might benefit from my services. That friend was Alena McGregor. Shortly afterward, Alena reached out. What began as a simple conversation eventually became a publishing partnership built on trust, faith, prayer, and a shared commitment to bringing her message to the world. I frequently tell entrepreneurs that opportunities do not always arrive through traditional marketing campaigns or expensive advertising. Sometimes your next major opportunity is sitting in the back seat of your car. Sometimes that opportunity changes more than your business. It changes you. Reading her pain and discovering her strength Alena had spent approximately six years documenting her extraordinary journey through grief, depression, spiritual warfare, personal loss, housing instability, uncertainty, and the difficult process of learning to trust God through adversity. Her manuscript was not simply a collection of memories. It was an intimate record of a woman wrestling with some of life's most painful questions. Why does God allow suffering? How do you continue believing when your prayers appear unanswered? How do you find peace when your circumstances seem unbearable? Can personal tragedy eventually become a source of encouragement for someone else? As her publisher, I spent countless hours reading, organizing, editing, and strengthening her manuscript. There were moments when I found myself reflecting deeply on the experiences she described. I could feel the heartbreak in her words. I could recognize the exhaustion of someone who had endured years of disappointment. But I could also see something incredibly powerful emerging from those pages. Alena had not allowed her suffering to silence her testimony. Despite everything she experienced, she continued to write. She continued to pray. She continued to search for answers. She continued to believe that her story could one day help someone else. That determination affected me personally. As an entrepreneur, I have experienced my own seasons of uncertainty, rejection, financial challenges, and unanswered questions about the direction of my life and business. Reading Alena's manuscript reminded me that progress is not always visible while we are experiencing adversity. Sometimes we are being shaped for responsibilities we have not yet encountered. We did more than edit a manuscript, we prayed together One of the most meaningful aspects of working with Alena was the spiritual connection we developed throughout the publishing process. I have always believed in praying over my clients, their books, and the projects entrusted to me. With Alena, those moments became particularly important. We prayed together. We discussed her experiences, her faith, and the purpose behind her writing. We talked about the importance of reaching readers who might be struggling with grief, depression, spiritual uncertainty, or the feeling that their lives no longer had meaning. As we worked through her manuscript, I began to appreciate the enormous responsibility involved in helping someone tell such a vulnerable story. An author is trusting you with more than words on paper. They are trusting you with their memories, their disappointments, their victories, their identity, and sometimes the most painful chapters of their lives. That trust should never be taken lightly. My responsibility was not to replace Alena's voice with my own. It was to strengthen her voice while preserving the authenticity, emotion, and spiritual meaning of her testimony. Through that process, I was reminded of an important leadership principle: Great service is not simply about completing a task. It is about honoring the person who trusted you to complete it. From a six-year manuscript to an award-winning author One of the greatest joys of my work has been helping Alena move beyond the dream of becoming a published author and begin building a platform around her message. Through Copeland Consults LLC, we worked to transform her manuscript into a professionally presented book. But I did not want our relationship to end with publication. I wanted Alena to understand that becoming an author was only the beginning. We began focusing on visibility, marketing, recognition, and opportunities that would introduce her testimony to audiences beyond her immediate circle. That included helping her pursue book awards, podcast interviews, and live television talk show appearances where she could share her story. I am especially proud that Alena became an award-winning author through our work together at Copeland Consults LLC and earned recognition as an Author of the Year finalist. For me, these achievements represent far more than awards or professional titles. They represent a woman who spent years wondering whether her story would ever reach the world and who is now receiving recognition for the very experiences she once struggled to understand. As her publisher, witnessing that transformation has been deeply rewarding. I have always told my authors that a book sitting on a shelf has limited impact. A book that is actively promoted, discussed, shared, and placed in the hands of readers can create opportunities far beyond its pages. That is why I encourage authors to pursue awards, participate in podcasts, appear on television, attend book fairs, organize signings, and speak confidently about their work. Alena's journey reinforces what I believe every author should understand: Your story deserves more than publication. It deserves an opportunity to be heard. The moment that reminded me why I do this work After sending Alena her book and cover design, I received a message that reminded me why I continue pursuing this work. She wrote: "I have read a few pages and it is absolutely fantastic! You did a great job! You are so eloquent! I thank God and you for making my book possible!" Those words meant a great deal to me, not because she complimented my writing ability, but because I understood what those pages represented. Six years of writing. Years of personal suffering. Countless prayers. Moments of uncertainty. The courage to place her story into someone else's hands. Her reaction was an affirmation that I had helped honor something deeply meaningful to her. As entrepreneurs, we frequently measure success through revenue, contracts, growth, and financial milestones. Those measurements matter. Businesses must be financially sustainable. But Alena reminded me that some of our most significant accomplishments cannot be measured by a dollar amount. Sometimes success is hearing an author say that you helped make a lifelong dream possible. Sometimes it is watching someone discover newfound confidence. Sometimes it is realizing that the person you were helping has also helped strengthen you. 5 lessons Alena taught me about leadership and purpose Working with Alena reinforced five important lessons that continue to influence how I approach my business and relationships. First, every person carries a story worth respecting. We never fully understand what someone has endured simply by looking at them. Listening carefully is often the first step toward meaningful service. Second, patience is an essential part of purpose. Alena spent approximately six years writing her testimony. Her persistence reminded me that meaningful work often develops over long periods of uncertainty. Third, entrepreneurship should create opportunities for others. My greatest satisfaction is not simply publishing a book. It is helping an author move from an idea to recognition, visibility, and meaningful impact. Fourth, authentic relationships are more valuable than transactions. Prayer, trust, compassion, and honest conversations strengthened our working relationship in ways that went beyond a traditional publishing agreement. Finally, our experiences can become resources for others. Alena's story demonstrated that painful experiences do not have to remain hidden. When shared thoughtfully and courageously, they can offer encouragement to readers navigating their own difficulties. These lessons have strengthened my understanding of leadership. I am not simply building a publishing business. I am building a company that helps people recognize the value of their stories and transform those stories into lasting legacies. Why this experience has changed me as a publisher There have been times in my entrepreneurial journey when I questioned whether the sacrifices, long hours, and uncertainty were worth it. Building Copeland Consults LLC has required persistence, creativity, and an enormous amount of faith. Not every marketing campaign produces immediate results. Not every business opportunity develops as expected. Not every season produces the financial rewards we hope to achieve. But working with Alena reminded me why I must continue. My work matters because the people behind these manuscripts matter. Every author who comes to me represents a dream, a purpose, and a story that deserves professional care. Watching Alena grow from a woman carrying a manuscript she had spent six years writing into an award-winning author and Author of the Year finalist has strengthened my determination to help more people accomplish what once seemed impossible. Her success is not simply another accomplishment for my company. It is part of the reason my company exists. I am proud to have played a role in her journey. From trials to triumph: A message larger than one book Alena's book speaks to readers confronting grief, depression, personal tragedy, uncertainty, and questions about faith. It is honest about suffering. It does not pretend that every problem disappears immediately. Instead, it explores what it means to continue trusting God while living through circumstances that do not make sense. That authenticity is what makes her testimony meaningful. I believe readers will connect with her willingness to discuss struggles that many people are reluctant to share publicly. I also believe her journey has tremendous potential to inspire conversations in churches, women's ministries, book clubs, community organizations, and other spaces where people are seeking hope. As her publisher, I remain committed to helping her bring that message to wider audiences. Whether through book awards, podcasts, live television interviews, speaking opportunities, or community events, my objective is to help her story reach the people who need it. My message to entrepreneurs, authors, and dreamers If there is one message I want readers to take from my experience with Alena McGregor, it is this: Never underestimate the impact you can make when you use your professional gifts to serve someone else's purpose. You may begin a project believing you are the one providing the service. But sometimes the person you are helping becomes a source of encouragement, perspective, and growth in your own life. That is exactly what happened to me. I helped Alena strengthen her manuscript, develop her book, pursue recognition, and expand her platform. But through her testimony, her perseverance, and the prayers we shared, she reminded me of the importance of faith, endurance, and service. This experience has made me a more thoughtful publisher, a more compassionate entrepreneur, and a more grateful person. As I continue growing Copeland Consults LLC, I want those values to remain at the heart of everything we do. Because publishing is not simply about creating books. It is about elevating voices, honoring journeys, and helping ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things. To Alena McGregor, thank you for trusting me with your story. I am proud of what you have accomplished, grateful for the opportunity to work alongside you, and excited about the lives your testimony may continue to touch. To God be all the glory. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website to learn more. Read more from Dr. Michael Copeland Dr. Michael Copeland, CEO, Owner & Author Dr. Michael Copeland is an educator, author, and leadership consultant dedicated to empowering individuals through storytelling, mentorship, and purpose-driven work. Drawing from lived experience in education and community advocacy, he helps others transform adversity into impact. He is the founder of Copeland Consults LLC and the author of several books. Dr. Copeland’s work centers on leadership, resilience, faith, and social responsibility. His mission is to elevate voices, strengthen communities, and help others build lasting legacies through education and storytelling.

Written by Katharina Kostjuk Panzarella, Holistic Metabolic Coach & Multi-Entrepreneur Katharina is a holistic metabolic coach and founder of @holistichealth.kath. After years of restrictive dieting and veganism that affected her thyroid, she developed a practical approach focused on metabolism, energy, and sustainable habits. Leaders today have more tools than ever. Artificial intelligence (AI) drafts our emails, templates structure our meetings, and there is a process handout for almost every conversation. Yet many of the leaders I meet are more tired, more stressed and less sure of themselves than ever. When something isn't working, their answer is almost always the same: find another system. I want to suggest a different starting point, one I learned through my own health long before I applied it to leadership. What my health taught me I didn't come to this topic through leadership theory. I came to it through my body. For years, I tried to fix my health with rules. Restrictive diets. A long period of veganism that ended up hurting my thyroid. Every new plan promised to be the one that worked. What finally changed things was not another plan. It was learning to support my metabolism instead of fighting my body, with proper fuel, sunlight, minerals, breathwork, rest and simple daily habits. In holistic health, we talk about the terrain. The body isn't a machine you repair by adding one more product. When the terrain is nourished, calm and supported, the body knows what to do. Today, I work as a CFO and as a coach, and I sit with leaders at the executive level. I keep seeing the same pattern I once lived with in my health. Why leaders chase systems In health, people jump from one diet to the next, one supplement to the next, always looking for the system that will finally fix them. In leadership, it looks like this: a new AI tool, a new framework from the last offsite, a new process for decisions, feedback and difficult conversations. Each one adds something. Very few take anything away. At a leadership workshop recently, where we talked about work culture and AI, I wrote one line in my notebook: a leader's real tool is their nervous system. A fed, regulated body leads calmly. An underfed, stressed body reacts. No tool changes that. The question I ask This is the question I now bring into every conversation. Read it slowly, and notice what happens in your body while you read. "Who are you as a leader when, tomorrow, all your AI systems fall away and you don't have your handout with the processes? How do you have faith in your own ability and lead your team naturally without a system?" Did your breath get shorter? Did your jaw tighten or your shoulders rise? Or did something in you relax? That reaction isn't "just stress." It's information. In holistic health, I would call it reading your terrain. In leadership, it's where trust begins. Body signals are data I don't try to eliminate stress, for myself or for the leaders I work with. I work with it. The first step is to treat body signals as data, not as weakness. Breath shows your state: When your breath is short and high in the chest, your system is on alert. You can still function, but you are scanning for danger rather than thinking. A slower, longer exhale tells your body it is safe enough to think clearly. I watch my breath before every hard conversation because it tells me whether I'm about to respond or react. Energy shows your fuel: The afternoon crash, the short fuse and the foggy head are rarely about willpower. Very often, they mean your body is running on stress hormones instead of food, water and rest. When I started eating properly before demanding days, my patience in meetings changed more than any communication course ever changed it. Tension shows resistance: A tight jaw before a meeting, shoulders creeping up while you read an email, a knot in the stomach when a certain name appears on your calendar. Your body is telling you something about that situation before your mind has put words to it. I don't try to push these signals away. I ask what they are pointing at. Calm shows alignment: When a decision is right, the body often feels lighter before the head has found the argument. Many leaders I work with know this feeling, but they have learned to ignore it in favour of the spreadsheet or the AI summary. I invite them to notice it again and give it a seat at the table. This is the bridge for me. A stressed nervous system reaches for control, and in modern work, control looks like more systems, more templates and more checking with AI. A regulated nervous system can trust itself. So the answer isn't another process. It's looking after the terrain the leader stands on. That's what I call Inner Terrain Leadership. It starts with you. No foreign structures, no new processes. You find your natural leader within, and you model it for your team. 5 inner terrain movements These five movements come straight from how I look at health. Each one ends with a simple check you can use in your working day, without any system. Land in your body: Most of us walk into a meeting while our body is still in the last one. Before you start, put your feet on the floor, soften your belly, let your shoulders drop and make one exhale longer than your inhale. Ask yourself whether you can arrive with three slow breaths before you open your notes. Read your terrain: Notice your energy, your tension and your signals. Are you fuelled or running on stress? Is this tension about the decision or about your day? Before you ask any tool, ask what your body is telling you. Trust your own ability: Trust in the body grows every time you listen and it works out. Leadership is the same. Each time you let one support fall away and find you're still standing, your confidence grows. Look for one place today where you could remove a support and see what you already know. Lead as yourself: A nourished, calm body doesn't need to copy anyone's style. Some natural leaders are quiet and steady, others warm and direct. After your next important conversation, ask whether you said it in your own words or in the words of a template. Model it for your team: Nervous systems read each other. When you pause and breathe before you answer, your team learns they can do the same. You can't hand anyone a manual for this. Ask yourself what your team would learn if they copied only what your body did today. Try a day without systems This is the first practice I give leaders. Choose one working day and leave out AI drafts, templates and process handouts for your decisions and conversations. Do your normal work, but let these moments be yours. Look after your terrain that day. Eat before it gets demanding, drink enough, take a short walk and get daylight on your face if you can. Before every meeting, land for a few slow breaths with a long exhale, then walk in. Each time you reach for the tool or the handout, write down the moment and what you felt in your body. No judgment, just notice. At the end of the day, sit for two minutes before you leave. Where are you tired? Where do you feel more alive than you expected? Your panic points aren't failures. They are a map. They show you where you've handed your authority to a system, and where your trust in yourself is ready to grow. Frequently asked questions Can stress make you a worse leader? Stress itself isn't the problem. Stress your body can't recover from is. When the nervous system stays on alert, we react faster, listen less and reach for control. Working with stress, through breath, fuel and rest, gives you back the space to choose your response. Do I rely too much on artificial intelligence? Notice what happens when the artificial intelligence (AI) tool isn't there. If you feel panic, freeze, or can't say what you think without a draft, the tool has started to carry your authority. A day without systems shows you exactly where. What is a natural leader? A natural leader leads from who they already are, not from a borrowed style or template. They are calm enough in their body to trust their own judgment, and their team learns that calm from them. Can breathwork help leaders? A longer exhale signals safety to your nervous system, and a calmer body thinks more clearly. It isn't a cure for everything, but taking three slow breaths before a hard conversation is one of the simplest leadership tools I know. Start with one day So, one more time: who are you as a leader when, tomorrow, all your AI systems fall away? More systems rarely fix a lack of trust in yourself. Your stress, energy and tension are information, and your team learns more from your nervous system than from your process documents. Use your tools after you know what you think, not before. My health taught me that the body knows far more than we give it credit for, once we give it space. Leadership works the same way. The leader you're looking for isn't in the next system. They're already there, in your own terrain. Start with one day. Look after your body. See who shows up. If you'd like more practical, everyday tools for energy, stress and resilience, I share them on Instagram. If you want to explore Inner Terrain Leadership for yourself or your team, get in touch with me there. Please note: This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. If you have concerns about your health, please consult a qualified healthcare professional. Follow me on Instagram for more info! Read more from Katharina Kostjuk Panzarella Katharina Kostjuk Panzarella, Holistic Metabolic Coach & Multi-Entrepreneur Katharina is a holistic metabolic coach, an entrepreneur with multiple businesses, and a mother of two. After years of restrictive dieting and veganism that affected her thyroid, she developed a practical approach focused on supporting the metabolism instead of fighting the body. As a chief financial officer and mother, she doesn’t try to eliminate stress. She works with it through better energy routines, proper fuel, sunlight, minerals, breathwork, and recovery. Through @holistichealth.kath, she shares simple, actionable tools for women and men who want better energy, hormonal health, and resilience without restriction or extremes.

Written by Rosanna Ho, Clinical Hypnotherapist & RTT® Practitioner Rosanna Ho is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, RTT® Practitioner, and cultural identity expert who helps global top performers and Third Culture Individuals (TCIs) find their way “Home.” With nearly a decade of counselling experience, she bridges psychology and subconscious healing to help professionals trade chronic stress for Peaceful Productivity. What happens when your nervous system can no longer outrun your ambition? We know that chronic stress can lead to insomnia, migraines, and breakouts. But what happens when your stress begins to manifest as chronic back pain, digestive distress, or inexplicable exhaustion? It is 3:00 in the morning. You have a crucial performance review tomorrow, you haven’t slept soundly in a week, and your child needs a ride to school in a few hours. Yet your mind refuses to switch off. It is a frustrating paradox. You spend your waking hours yawning, blinking, and relying on sheer willpower (perhaps supplemented by coffee or intravenous vitamins), all in the name of keeping pace. Yet, the moment your head hits your pillow at night, your nervous system surges back into a state of high alert. Sound familiar? If you are a leader, doctor, therapist, or educator accustomed to performing at a high level, you are far from alone. Many professionals are living, or perhaps more accurately, surviving, days defined by cognitive fatigue, unyielding anxiety, and persistent physical pain. Most of my clients have already exhausted conventional routes to healing, from consulting specialists to taking medication to manage their symptoms. Eventually, they end up shrinking their entire lives to accommodate their failing health. In essence, most of them are already doing their best to feel better and to actually embody health and well-being, holistically and viscerally. So when these leaders, who command boardrooms, clinics, and academic halls with proficiency, enter my office, their frustration with healthcare is high, but their frustration with themselves is even higher. “I don’t know what I am doing wrong,” they often say to me. “I have tried everything.” Immediately, I hear the familiar echoes of people blaming themselves and taking on too much responsibility. What sounds like “I don’t know what I am doing wrong” often masks a deeper concern. “I don’t know what is wrong with me.” But what if there is nothing wrong with you? What if your body is trying to save you? The body as a guardian: When pain becomes relief Don* was a physician who knew how to push past limits. He had weaponized this drive to graduate at the top of his class and secure admission to medical school. He used it again to relocate abroad, mastering a new language and learning to navigate a new culture and professional environment from scratch. By the time he stepped into my practice, however, he was operating entirely on emergency reserves. He was constantly on edge as he juggled ten hours a day at the clinic, executive responsibilities, and fatherhood, all while carrying a body that ached from his neck through his shoulders and down his spine. “I feel as if I am carrying the entire weight of the world on my shoulders,” he said to me during our initial session. The words we use invariably mirror our internal world. Don was describing, literally and figuratively, where his subconscious was holding the burden in his body, on his shoulders. While stress affects people differently, its physiological toll is well documented. Research discussed by Harvard Medical School details how chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system impairs health over time by driving up blood pressure, disrupting metabolic function, and taxing physical resilience. But for high achievers, the root cause rarely comes down to physical workload alone. There is also the pressure cooker they carry within. When the fire of ambition fuels chronic stress Working with international managers, doctors, and scholars has taught me something powerful about top performers. Their ambition is like fire. Like fire, ambition can be kindled from a single spark, illuminating everything nearby. It is electrifying, infectious, and capable of driving partnerships worth millions of dollars, complex clinical breakthroughs, and innovative ventures. However, if left unmanaged, fire spreads indiscriminately and consumes everything in its path. When high achievers operate on perpetual adrenaline, sleeping two hours a night, answering emails through family dinners, and treating holidays as optional, the fire goes feral. "Just as a fire needs a hearth to serve you well, your ambition needs a boundary so you can live in harmony with it." In my work with Don, we mapped out his energy and built what I call a Hearth of Health so that no matter how far he travels or how high he climbs, he can carry a sense of safety and trust within himself. The goal went beyond working fewer hours. It was to help him cultivate a sense of safety so deep that his nervous system finally felt secure enough to power down. How to build your Hearth of Health To shift from somatic rebellion to sustainable leadership, we must rethink how we respond to our physical symptoms. Reframe physical pain. When you notice a symptom you want to silence, pause and ask yourself, “If this physical sensation were an intelligent guardian, what boundary would it be trying to help me set?” Conduct an Energy Audit. Map your week by tracking which tasks deplete your energy and which activities restore it. For Don, stressful clinical conversations took a great deal of energy, while time outdoors with his family restored his reserves. Establish an Energy Forecast. Just as financial leaders forecast market shifts, high achievers must forecast their energetic capacity. The goal of an Energy Forecast is to protect your core currency, your health, so you can sustain peak performance over decades. The aim is to find a balance that helps you reduce the risk of burnout and create a lifestyle in which you can enjoy the fruits of your labor continuously, consistently, and creatively. This means saying “yes” to rest and restoration without guilt. Treat rest as a necessity in its own right. When you respect your body’s need for rest, you may find that you have more energy or sleep more deeply. Protect your energy because it is your currency for building the life you want. You can train your body and mind to respond to stress in a way that fits the situation. Use your Energy Audit and Energy Forecast to decide how much energy the situation warrants. Subconscious repatterning: Why logic fails to heal the body For Don, reorganizing his calendar brought him only so far. Through our deep subconscious work, we uncovered a script that took hold during his upbringing, an unyielding family blueprint that kept him on a hamster wheel of work. Meeting targets for his key performance indicators (KPIs) and securing professional accolades were never enough. His nervous system had been programmed to believe that stopping was unsafe. The finish line kept moving. Although rational thinking is valuable, it cannot dismantle subconscious blueprints on its own. Knowing rationally that you are safe is fundamentally different from feeling safe at a visceral, somatic level. Through targeted hypnotherapy and Rapid Transformational Therapy® (RTT®), we worked to update Don’s subconscious programming and help him release an old survival strategy. As his fear of stillness eased, his shoulders, once drawn up toward his jaw, began to relax. His body finally felt safe enough to stop screaming for attention. Today, Don still holds his demanding medical and executive roles, but he operates from a place of Peaceful Productivity. A grounded, sustainable sense of purpose and success now anchors his ambition. Expanding your internal capacity If your body is sending you signals through chronic tension, insomnia, or unexplained pain, I invite you to pause and reflect on three questions. Is your current physical discomfort a message from a part of your body that is begging for a boundary? Are you driving your ambition, or is your ambition driving you? If you treated your nervous system’s sense of safety as your highest priority, how would your life change? For executives, founders, and leaders ready to transition from somatic burnout into Peaceful Productivity, true health begins from within. Upgrading your subconscious blueprint allows you to honor your physical container so you can sustainably inhabit, hold, and enjoy the life you have built. Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Rosanna Ho Rosanna Ho, Clinical Hypnotherapist & RTT® Practitioner Rosanna is a dedicated guide for global citizens and high-performers navigating the complexities of identity, belonging, and mental load. Combining her background in Clinical Hypnotherapy, Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT®), and Third Culture identity, she helps clients bridge the gap between external success and internal fulfillment. After overcoming two decades of chronic eczema using RTT®, Rosanna now empowers others to resolve their physical and mental manifestations of stress, such as insomnia, burnout, and weight management. Her mission is to help overachievers return to their authentic selves and lead lives of “Peaceful Productivity” rooted in the core tenets of freedom, fulfillment, and peace of mind. References: Harvard Health Publishing. (2024, April 3). Understanding the stress response. Harvard Medical School. The client’s identity has been modified to protect confidentiality. The testimonial reflects the client’s individual experience, and results may vary.

Written by Kassem Lahham, Entrepreneur Guru Mr. Kassem, as an entrepreneur, has contributed not only to the entertainment industry but also to the financial and banking industries and many more. He stands out with his radical client focus and broad experience with ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals and their wealth management needs, gained through his work as a senior private banker since 1987. My career in banking and financial services began in 1987. Over nearly four decades, my professional experience has included Deutsche Bank, UBS, Pictet & Cie and the Emirates NBD Group, among other institutions and international financial environments. Working across markets and communicating fluently in German, English, French and Arabic has given me the opportunity to encounter a wide variety of financial technology systems, operational practices and client expectations. Editorial illustration featuring the SAMFCore interface and author portrait. Platform capabilities should be verified in the live environment. That experience has taught me to value technology not for its novelty, but for its clarity, adaptability and usefulness in daily operations. One platform that has particularly caught my attention is SAMFCore, developed by Swiss AMF AG. Having followed its development and explored its customer and administrative environments, I would like to share why I believe it deserves consideration alongside the systems financial businesses already use. The challenge of fragmented financial technology The modern financial services operator rarely relies on a single tool. Customer onboarding, accounts, payments, cards, digital assets, transaction reviews and compliance records may sit in separate systems, each with its own interfaces, reporting conventions and dependencies. Fragmentation can make even routine questions difficult: What is the status of a customer? Which transaction requires attention? Which team owns the next action? This is especially relevant to payment service providers (PSPs), electronic money institutions, fintech platforms, businesses dealing in digital assets and financial intermediaries operating under supervisory requirements or requirements imposed by self-regulatory bodies. Their technology must support commercial activity without weakening visibility, accountability or operational control. What SAMFCore brings together SAMFCore presents account views across multiple currencies, payment workflows, functions related to cards, interfaces for digital assets, onboarding, compliance processes and administrative functions in a modular environment. In the sandbox environments I examined, the navigation was coherent and the relationship between customer and administrative functions was relatively easy to follow. What impressed me was not a single spectacular feature. It was the prospect of seeing several everyday activities within a consistent operational framework. For teams that currently move between disconnected applications, this is a meaningful area to explore. Of course, an attractive demonstration cannot establish production reliability, security, scalability or the suitability of a particular integration. Those require proper technical validation. An important distinction is that SAMFCore supplies software and an integration framework, regulated banking, settlement, card issuing, screening, custody and other specialist services may still require separately contracted external providers. A financial institution must assess its own accounting, reconciliation and regulatory needs rather than assuming every function is included end to end. Understanding the value of a long-term technology investment When assessing a platform, I encourage those making decisions to look beyond the initial licence amount. The more revealing question is what the institution receives over five years: functionality, operational flexibility, integration capacity, maintenance obligations and the freedom to adapt as its business evolves. SAMFCore publicly describes both annual and perpetual licence models, with optional full source code rights under specified packages. Its published terms state that SAMFCore itself does not impose a software fee for each customer transaction or share in transaction revenue. These are potentially interesting commercial characteristics, but they should be read together with the precise licence scope. Hosting, implementation, maintenance, external providers, development and other operational costs remain separate. I would not suggest that a perpetual model is automatically preferable to a subscription. The answer depends on an institution’s capital position, technical capabilities, expected volumes and plans for the long term. A credible comparison requires actual proposals and a realistic analysis of the total cost of ownership over five years, not a simplified graphic or an assumption that one model always costs less. Technology independence also means responsibility The possibility of deployment controlled by the customer and, in selected licence packages, source code access deserves attention. Institutions may value the ability to appoint their own technical specialists or manage future changes within contractual limits. Yet source code rights do not automatically mean ownership of intellectual property, unrestricted redistribution rights or effortless independence. Documentation, cybersecurity, disaster recovery, audit trails, data portability, integration testing and continuity arrangements are just as important. Any institution considering a change should test its actual onboarding, payments, transaction monitoring and reconciliation journeys before making a strategic decision. My recommendation to financial services leaders I have encountered many banking platforms during my career, and very few solutions suit every institution. Nevertheless, SAMFCore is among the platforms I find particularly interesting because it attempts to bring together functions that are often spread across multiple systems, while offering several approaches to licensing and technical control. For fellow bankers, fintech founders, PSP executives and directors of regulated financial businesses, my recommendation is straightforward: include SAMFCore in your next serious technology comparison. Explore the interface, ask your operational and compliance teams to test real scenarios, and measure it against the strengths and limitations of your current environment. An informed comparison may reveal opportunities that are easy to overlook when familiar systems have been in place for years. The objective is not change for its own sake. It is to ensure that the technology supporting a financial institution remains fit for its responsibilities, ambitions and clients. Software information here. Editorial disclosure and scope This article expresses my professional opinion, informed by my exploration of SAMFCore sandbox environments and review of product information. I have or have had close professional relationships with Swiss financial services companies using the platform, this perspective is therefore not wholly independent. I have not undertaken an audit of the source code, a penetration test or a benchmark of production performance. Product capabilities, commercial terms and regulatory suitability must be verified for each proposed deployment. The article is not an endorsement by any institution named in my professional biography. Visit my website for more info! Read more from Kassem Lahham Kassem Lahham, Entrepreneur Guru Mr. Kassem, as an entrepreneur, has contributed not only to the entertainment industry but also to the financial and banking industries and many more. He stands out with his radical client focus and broad experience with ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals and their wealth management needs, gained through his work as a senior private banker since 1987. He has also played a key role in helping young people develop a business mindset and financial knowledge. One of the ways he has done this is by serving as a guest lecturer at the Gulf University of Science and Technology (GUST) and the American University of Kuwait (AUK) in Kuwait, and at the American University in Amman, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where he gives lectures on wealth management.