Written by: Saskia Kremer, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I don't believe in a 'work-life'-balance! And for someone who is a performance trainer, this statement might seem contradictory or at least raise some questions. Now, let me elaborate on this: When I brought my children to school this week for the first time in almost 6 months, I took some time to look back. It made me realize the weight and pressure of the last months. Being there for my kids 24/7 as a solo parent and running my own business was rewarding, but also had its toll… When lock-down hit, from one moment to the next, it felt I had at least two additional full-time jobs…: we shifted to home-learning and I had to grab the opportunities to pivot my business to secure a living. In these circumstances, there is just not a 'balance' in the daily life. Sometimes you just have to accept that situations are out of ordinary and require extraordinary measures! You simply cannot have the perfect balance in one day, sometimes not even in a week or a month. And letting go of that pressure frees up so much space and energy! Circumstances invite you to let go of perfection, dive deep each time to tap into that inner space to fuel motivation, focus and perform like a top athlete. The key to avoiding burnout is that you need to be aware that this happens so that you can adjust accordingly. It is a conscious choice! I know the sacrifices I made, and WHY I made them, I hold that space within me and this allows me to recognize when 'my time' is there. Only then I can 'catch up' on the rest as soon as the situation allows for some space. This 'out of balance situation' is true for our personal life when events or circumstances require our extraordinary attention. It is also true for our business: if you want to achieve out of ordinary results, you need to choose what you are going to focus on, make extraordinary choices to make your dreams come true. Are you ready to step up and make your dreams come true? Give yourself a jumpstart to increase your performance. Ask yourself: What is my deepest WHY to do what I do? How does it make me feel? What is the one action I can take right now to make it happen? How can I implement this on a daily/weekly basis? When you have the answer to these questions, making choices and keeping focus will become way easier, since you know where you are going and what you want to achieve. The sacrifices are no longer sacrifices, but an intentional path to growth! Do you want to know more and boost your Performance in unforeseen circumstances? Download my free ‘ High-Performance Guide ’ here! For more info, follow me on LinkedIn , visit my website and join my Facebook-Group ! Saskia Kremer, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine As an Executive Coach and Trainer, Saskia helps successful, time-challenged high-level management, directors, and business owners increase their performance and their teams' productivity, without the stress and the overwhelm. Once a Missionary, working alongside Mother Teresa herself, made her live all around the globe, helping people discover their meaning in life in sometimes heartbreaking circumstances. After leading multiple projects and International communities, she left the missions following her own experience of burnout. Starting her own business allowed her to combine her philosophical and theological research together with her rich multi-cultural experience. She places the human person at its center, allowing it to find its unique place and thrive. In 2016, as a single mum of 2 young children, she moved from Holland to Ireland and specialized in working with business owners, directors and managers, showing them how to create a bigger vision for their business and life, freeing up their own time so they can excel in what they are best at and increase their profit and satisfaction, without the stress and the overwhelm.

Written by: Silke Harvey, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Let’s face it. Our modern, fast-paced world doesn’t leave much time for relaxing and enjoying the moment. From the time you get up until you go to sleep, every second is filled with scheduled activities, chores, work, errands and dozens of activities on your to-do list. You work your way through the day at a breakneck speed just to drop into bed late a night to hopefully snatch a few hours rest and to do it all again tomorrow. This unsustainable pace is the reason why so many people are suffering from burnout, mental health problems as well as many physical diseases. Humans just aren’t made to tick like this. Nature intended for us to live in harmony with Mother Earth and her rhythms and not at the speed of this modern society driven by consumption and making money. In my workshops, I’ve come across this problem time and time again. For many of my clients, the time spent with me often was the first breather they’d had in weeks or even months. And during this time of stillness, of relaxation, their minds suddenly realized the rat race they had been caught up in ­– the fact that they had been living with a feeling of deep unhappiness and anxiety for so long that they believed it to be the norm. Having worked in a corporate environment and suffered from burnout myself, I can identify only too well. I tried all of the spiritual practices, read all the self-help books and, just like my clients, came to the conclusion that there is just too much to do in the day to sit cross-legged on a yoga cushion for an hour or more at a time. Time is precious; time is money. But during my own recovery from burnout, I also realized that no matter how much money our time is worth, it’s even more valuable when it comes to our own health. Then it becomes immeasurable, in fact. Over time, I developed my own signature method for teaching my clients how to relax even when things are busy. This method is based on five pillars. Every day, take as little as 10 minutes out of your schedule and engage in at least one of the following activities: 1. Time for Fun This is the big one. Life without fun is miserable, a ready-made recipe for negativity and depression. Humans are hardwired to need fun to keep up their positive energies. Spend time doing something that really lifts you up and see the massive difference it makes. It can be as easy as putting on a favorite song and having a really good dance around the house, doing a jigsaw puzzle or singing in the shower. Keep it simple. 2. Time for rest Another biggie. Rest doesn’t have to involve going to bed or sitting down meditating for hours, although it’s great if you can work up to that! Practicing mindfulness, being entirely present in the moment, in the here and now, is a powerful tool for resting the mind. It’s as easy as focussing fully on what you’re doing. Washing the dishes – feel the temperature of the water, watch the bubbles dance in the sink. Walking – observe the leaves on the trees, the clouds... The possibilities of integrating mindfulness in each day are endless. Yet every single minute spent doing this helps to relax and clear the mind. 3. Time for nature Connecting with nature is essential for our human wellbeing. We are all children of Mother Earth and need to feel her regularly to maintain a healthy balance of body, mind and spirit. Go outside, even if it’s only for a short walk around the office block in your lunch break. If you live in an urban environment, even feeling the fresh air, sun or rain on your skin is already making that connection to nature. Breathe deeply whilst walking in nature and practice your mindfulness at the same time. The effect is immediate and uplifting. 4. Time for gratitude Each day, ideally just after you get up, write down three things you are grateful for. It can be as little as just a few words, no need to write a novel. By focussing on the good things in your life, there is no way the brain can think about negative stuff at that moment. So there’s yet another opportunity to up the positive vibes. And even in the worst of times, there’s always something to be grateful for. If you’ve had a bad time, start simple. The delicious taste of that first cup of tea or coffee! The sunshine through the window! It’s raining outside and you’re warm and dry inside! Once you start thinking from a perspective of gratefulness, life will soon become a beautiful wonder, each and every day. 5. Time for reflection Like gratitude, a daily practice of reflection can help you appreciate everything you have in life. Sit for a while and think about your day. What went well? What didn’t go to plan? Then try and learn the lessons that life has offered you there. Keep your focus on a positive outcome. Appreciate the good things that happened. Don’t dwell on the negative ones. Writing this down in a journal helps many people to gain even more clarity. But whichever way you choose to reflect, taking the time at the end of each day is a worthwhile practice. Try out some of these activities and experiment with them. There’s no right or wrong way of going about them. They are highly personal to each and every person. You’ll find that these tasks will become an effortless part of your day, and you’ll most likely end up spending much longer than just 10 minutes on them. You may even end up engaging in all of them. But whatever you decide, persistence is the key. Even if things are difficult initially, start with just a minute at a time and slowly up the game until it becomes second nature. You’ll be surprised how quickly your mind will improve and how much you’ll slow down even when things seem out of control and stressful all around you. The result will be a happier, more relaxed you with lots more energy to handle the stress all around you. If you’d like to find out more about working with me, follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website. Silke Harvey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Silke Harvey is the writer and founder of the Inner Hippie Club, a community for women who’ve lost their mojo and want to release their Inner Hippie, that carefree teenage feeling before life got serious. A professional musician, corporate employee and freelance translator in her former life, Silke draws on her colorful past and personal experience with burnout and surviving in stressful working environments to help women reclaim their inner joy and bring a healthy balance back into their lives. She has developed an effective method based on time for fun, nature, rest, reflection and gratitude. Silke is a certified Reiki Master, Reiki Drum practitioner, Seichem practitioner, Chakra Dancing and Creative Mindful Meditation facilitator and HAO animal healer and applies many of these techniques when working with clients.

Written by: Laura Lee Harrison, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Surrounding yourself with amazing, empowering, and inspirational people is so important in life. If you are a Business Owner or Entrepreneur, this is an aspect that is imperative to your growth. Recently I was able to reconnect with an amazing man Zyrack Dean Osmon! This man has so much light that he shines. He modeled for me 10 years ago while I was in Makeup school. That introduction has come full circle and we are back in each other’s orbits. He truly is a leader; he uplifts and inspires. He has a huge heart and is on a really incredible journey. I felt like it was important I share him with the world. Since I have a platform to share the journey, I hope you find inspiration with what he shares below. He is a man of many talents and has lived a life that wasn’t always easy. Before we dive into it, I want you to know that you have the power to change your reality, to create whatever reality you would like to live today! It doesn’t happen overnight, but it can happen if you are dedicated to yourself and to your future. Dean is a pillar of strength and has persevered, even afterlife has handed him trauma and loss over the years, he still loves big, shines bright and takes care of himself so he can help the people around him by uplifting them and encouraging them to do the same! I asked Dean a few questions which you can see and read his replies! See his tips below that really apply to anyone and any area of life. They are important and a valuable reminder to us, on how we could choose to live every day! Who are you? Where do you live, what do you do? – I am a performer, performance trainer, manager, professional talent agent/booker and owner of Walkerville School of Drama. I currently live in my hometown of Windsor Ontario, Canada. Currently, I am the Lead Agent for Toronto & East Coast Representative for Ignite Artists Talent Agency. I represent artists in all artistic mediums such as, film, tv, commercial, print, voice-over, dance, vocals, and motion capture (MOCAP) for video games. – I am a born mentor and love the process of growth with all artists and humans in general. After the passing of my biggest mentor, my mother - I began to feel lonely and was truly missing my family. After living in Vancouver, BC for 14 years and owning a talent agency called Maijah Lewk Talent of nearly 9 years, I decided to pack up and return to Ontario. I closed my agency as of Oct.01, 2019 and took 8 months off to properly heal and align my spirit back to being healthy and joyous due to grief and loss. Out of pure gratitude, I decided to bring back my industry knowledge of these past 30 years to uplift, inspire and educate my hometown of Windsor and it's creative arts community. I launched Walkerville School of Drama in July 2020. My mindset is to create effective change in the performance arena, Windsor and the community as a whole. In a sense, you could say that I have fully stepped into the shoes of my LEADERSHIP role but with a sheer desire to uplift smaller communities with aspirations to connect small-town artists to the greater markets across N. America. For those who may not know what it is that you do, please go into more detail. – I am a Professional Talent Agent and Booker for creative arts artists. Actors, singers, dancers, and models. I am a Drama School owner, instructor, and private acting coach. I help develop, market, brand artist and their performance careers. What is your vision and mission? – My vision and mission is to create effective change through social justice, racial and gender equality. Through performance, I strive to create a voice and recognizability as a means to provide a vast platform for artists to champion a cause and run with it. When others recognize you, they tend to lend an ear and listen to a cause and purpose. The idea is to use star power for the betterment of all humans. Charity and "community efforts" are the primary ways to be a part of creating a bigger picture towards effective GLOBAL change. Are you involved with any charities, or do anything to give back to the world? – Yes, I am involved with community charities such as the food bank drives, student programming, mentoring, and teaching the less fortunate. With each student that trains at Walkerville School of Drama, we donate $5 per student to feeding the community and providing better OUTREACH programming for the youth in Windsor. When did you start doing this, and how come this subject is so important to you? – I started doing this nearing 35 years ago. Through my own performance career, I was very fortunate to have trainers and mentors to help elevate and propel me into an IDEA that I am worthy and could be whomever I chose to be. I figured, if I could rise up out of a life of poverty and uncertainty, then I could do so for others. It was a community effort that saved me and kept me on the straight and narrow. I learned at a young age through our youth mentoring and charity church programming that giving is truly the greatest gift one could give. Also, knowledge is attained in hopes that those "in the know" would foster the idea that teaching back to small communities would create a greater global intent and purpose. Please provide 3 to 5 tips based on your vision and mission. Focus on being around others that believe and support your purpose and intentions Always work hard with the idea that OTHERS will benefit along with you Believe in YOURSELF - others will be drawn to that conviction and want to be around your positive position. Always have gratitude for the smallest of your successes, as the universe is receptive to all energies. Love & Respect ALL others no matter how different they may be. What you put out there is what you will inevitably get back. Do you have anything you want to add to this article or story that you think is important that we touch on? – Patience. We all want immediacy with our wants, but alignment is key in all our successes. Never be at a STANDSTILL as it is the vortex that holds us all back from success. Thank you, Dean, for all that you are doing, and everyone you impact. As you continue to spread your ripple, through the people you work with, the world will experience it as well. Keep growing spiritually and mentally, while helping others to do the same. The world will change as we grow to learn to love ourselves which ultimately will spread love and joy worldwide. Follow Dean on Facebook & Instagram! Read more from Laura! Laura Lee Harrison, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Laura Lee Harrison is a Confidence & Beauty Strategist who works with professional women to help them deliver their message on stage or on camera effortlessly, by assisting them with their beauty regimens, so they feel beautiful as they are with their unique features. She also guides business owners to their first 6 figures in business with her business partner and their Social Media Agency, Media Exclusive. The agency and scheduling platform help entrepreneurs to show up and scale business with ease and consistency. As a sole parent, multi-business owner and International Best-Selling Co-Author, Laura Lee has had to overcome many obstacles in her life and within her own mindset to get where she is today. Daily she uses her story to inspire and empower entrepreneurs globally, showing them no matter their circumstance in life they can achieve their goals, if they choose to never give up on themselves.

It might be tough times for the tourism industry right now, but for one global hospitality consultant, it’s only provided more opportunities to shine. Vicky Perez, founder and CEO of boutique firm Vicky Perez Consulting, has been using the pandemic to put more than 20 years of expertise in the hospitality industry to work in new ways. We recently sat down with Vicky to get her insights on the current state of global tourism and how she is maintaining productivity and hope during these times of uncertainty. What does the role of an international hospitality consultant look like during a global pandemic when most people aren’t traveling? – It might sound counterintuitive, but our current situation where tourism is at a standstill is the ideal time for companies to bring in a hospitality consultant. We see this pandemic transform into a period of reinvention. Now more than ever, brands need to stay connected with their guests and prospects because competition is so tight. Taking time to invest in this reinvention is what will help brands drive themselves forward. It’s no secret that tourism as a whole is suffering right now. What is going to separate the strong, resilient brands and companies from the ones that don’t survive the pandemic? – Many people have come to believe that the concept of hospitality is nothing more than a commodity. But when you look at some of the best world-class brands, you’ll notice that’s just not true. Service can still be a differentiating factor, but it needs to go beyond basic vanilla and focus on the details. It’s time to get creative in connecting the messaging with the actions. What do you think is the single most important thing for brands to prioritize right now? – For many companies, especially smaller boutique brands, this is going to feel much like starting from zero. I recommend going back to the basics, re-examine the core mission and brand values, and ensuring that everything you’re doing now supports the brand. From there, companies should look for new opportunities to serve their guests in a way that’s impactful and valuable. What can other hospitality brands and tourism-dependent companies do to follow your lead in remaining hopeful and productive? – We need to remember that the desire to travel isn’t going anywhere. If anything, wanderlust has only been building. From the tourist’s perspective, millions of people are sitting at home right now, planning their next adventures, and we as an industry, need to be prepared for a rapid bounce back. – I know times are difficult right now for so many brands and companies, but we are in a unique position right now to examine everything we’ve been doing up to this point, identify our weaknesses, and discover ways that we can make ourselves more resilient moving forward. You can follow Vicky Perez for additional insights on shaping the guest experience, building brand excellence, and stepping up as a leader in the Tourism & Hospitality industry, on Facebook and Instagram, connect with her on LinkedIn, or visit her website.

Linda Evans is a strengths-based career coach and personal branding expert. In 2011, she founded her virtual career coaching business, Launched by Linda, LLC. Her full-time career has been in higher education since 2012 and she currently works in Career Services at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Linda has a B.A. in American Studies and a minor in Ballroom Dance from Brigham Young University, and an M.A. in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University. She is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has certificates in positive psychology and public speaking. How did you decide to start your career coaching business, Launched by Linda? – I had just graduated from college in 2011 and knew I wanted to help college students figure out their future careers, but I wasn’t sure of how to get that kind of job (yes, the irony), so I started editing my friends and family’s resumes for free to gain experience. They were basically my guinea pigs! I kept practicing those skills for 3 years before I felt like I could start charging a fee, mostly so people would take me more seriously. As a personal branding expert, how would you describe your personal brand in 5 words? – Strengths-focused, efficient, passionate, curious, concise You have degrees in American Studies and Psychological Counseling, but your work is not directly aligned to those areas. Do you still use your degrees in your work today? – I still love those subjects and continually learn about them through books and podcasts. American Studies trained me to look at an issue from many different angles, which is very helpful in getting my clients unstuck from their frustrating situations. My Counseling program trained me to be a more empathetic, nonjudgmental listener who is always attuned to my clients’ mental health needs. You’ve worked full-time in higher education for 8 years and you’ve had your side business Launched by Linda for 9 years. How do you balance them? – Mostly through time boundaries. I have my full-time job from 8am-5pm and I do my side business in the evenings and weekends. They mutually inform each other and it’s fun! Who is your ideal client? – I really like working with clients from a variety of backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, industries, etc. Variety is the spice of life! To me, an ideal client is simply someone who is open, humble, and motivated to create positive change in their life. What are the most common problems you address with your clients? – I serve clients with 3 main types of career issues: They don’t know what path to pursue. They need help getting job offers. They are fed up with their current career and want a change. – The underlying theme is feeling stuck in their career somehow. I love helping them get unstuck. What do you wish more people knew about personal branding? –There are so many myths that keep people from designing and managing their brand! I wish more people knew that they already have a brand, so they should manage it intentionally. It’s kind of like your nails - you’ve always had them, so you should take care of them or they will get out of control or get in your way. Where do you hope your business will be in 5 years? – I hope to expand my clientele numbers exponentially, as well as the age range of my clients. I’d love to create an online course on personal branding that is in-depth and interactive. I want to produce highly relevant and practical content for large publications, conferences, and webinars. How do you define and measure success? – Purely by my personal mission statement, which I’ve had since 2010: “To inspire and empower others to discover and fulfill their potential and add greater meaning to their lives by advancing their education and careers.” If I’ve achieved at least one portion of that by the end of each day, I’m feeling great. Do you have any theories or models you use in your work? – Yes! I have studied Positive Psychology, CliftonStrengths, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy in depth and integrate it into my work. I also use several career development theories and models including the Diamond Career Model, Holland’s Theory, Theory of Work Adjustment, Planned Happenstance Theory, and Cognitive Information Processing. I’ve even created a couple of my own - The Launched by Linda Model and Model for Career Changing Success. Who is your greatest role model, and why? – Lucille Ball because she knew her worth and her passion, and she kept working hard despite many challenges until she achieved what she wanted. She never really retired because she loved what she did. I’ve tried to emulate her independence, courage, and ambition throughout my life. She became successful in New York City, where I earned my master’s degree at Columbia University. She also found joy in marriage and raising good kids. What cause(s) are closest to your heart? Anti-sex trafficking, especially of children. I started learning about it just a couple of months ago and have been horrified by the atrocities in the world. I support Operation Underground Railroad. I also care very much about protecting the environment and promoting liberal arts in education. What are your favorite hobbies outside of work? – Reading, playing piano, singing, salsa dancing, trying new restaurants, traveling, and spending lots of quality time with my husband. How do you recharge? – Take breaks from social media and screens, go on walks, and catch up on sleep! What is a regret you would like to go back in time and redo? –I wish I'd minored in music in college. I minored in ballroom dance and it was my whole life, but I wouldn't mind staying on an extra year to get some serious music education! What goals are you currently working on? – I'm applying to a PhD program, which will hopefully help me write a book and give me more college teaching opportunities. If you didn't have to work for your livelihood, what would you do with your time? – I'd be learning all the time! I'd go to culinary school and get an MFA in music. I'd take drawing lessons and clogging lessons. I'd be reading a lot more books and writing some too. I'd travel the world with my husband. I'd still keep my business, Launched by Linda, because it's so fun and it provides a vehicle for me to fulfill my personal mission. What's the best advice you've been given? – Most of the best advice I live by comes from my mom. One of her greatest lessons was, "Knowledge is the only thing that no one can take away from you." We're both avid lifelong learners. What do you want your legacy to be? – Literally what my business name says - I want every person I've interacted with to feel like I've helped launch them closer to achieving their full potential. Make sure to follow Linda on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit her website for more info!

Written by: André Hedlund Metacognition has become a popular word in school settings and businesses around the world. It relates to humans’ ancient quest to unravel the brain's mechanisms and mind and what that can tell us about learning. In a few words, we can say that metacognition has to do with the process of thinking about thinking. It helps people reflect on more effective learning strategies according to brain physiology and function as well as cognitive psychology. In recent years, Cognitive Sciences have contributed to a better understanding of how both the brain and mind learn. Nevertheless, students and professionals alike still struggle to establish a routine of “brain-friendly” strategies that allows them to potentiate their learning outcomes. Is there a better way to maximize performance when it comes to learning? Well, let’s look at six metacognitive strategies that might give you an edge. 1. Testing Effect The way tests are used in educational settings and some companies are highly ineffective. Written exams are the most popular choice and they normally test people’s abilities in retrospect and in a very deterministic manner. That means it is much more a type of assessment OF learning than assessment FOR learning. Assessment OF Learning can be compared to a photo of a beautiful landscape. It is a moment captured by the lenses of a professional photographer. But it could also be an illusion as it does not show the surroundings. It could also be a bad photo because of certain weather conditions on that day. But that does not mean the place is not beautiful. What to do? Test students and professionals throughout the learning process to help them memorize concepts and learn new skills. Instead of doing it in retrospect, use the concept of Testing Effect to make sure tests are utilized in a brain-friendly way. Low-stakes testing reduces stress and allows people to take them without pressure to check whether they can remember the new things they have been exposed to. Pop quizzes, flashcards, and game nights are some examples of how you can do it. 2. Retrieval Practice Our brains can be quite lazy at times because they consume nearly ¼ of our calorie intake and they need to preserve energy for potential harsher times. That means that we might want to avoid making an effort. The problem is that, just like a muscle, our memory systems need to struggle a little bit to make sure things are working. We need to feel the muscle burn so that we know the exercise is doing what it is supposed to. Another issue is that our brains forget things quite easily due to all the information we are exposed to, and the very little time we have to rehearse all of it. What to do? The best thing we can do to minimize forgetting things forever and make sure the exercise of learning is working is retrieving recent information. After learning a new concept in the classroom, in a meeting or conference, a good idea is to consciously bring that concept back to our working memory to reinforce its neuronal connections. Do it a couple of times during the day by simply asking yourself: “Ok, what have I learned today?”. Go through the concepts in your mind and write them down on your mobile or a notepad to check how much of it you can remember. The effort will help you strengthen your connections. 3. Spacing Effect One of the most effective practices to help us consolidate declarative memory has been around for more than a century and we still have not been able to use it systematically. German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus officially discovered it and it is known as the Forgetting Curve. As I mentioned before, our brains forget things quite quickly if we do not rehearse them in our minds. Ebbinghaus tested himself with syllables written on different cards and realized just how rapidly our memory decays. He also noticed that if instead of revising the cards multiple times on the same day, he would dilute these revisions throughout a longer period, he was able to remember the information with fewer revision sessions. After all, we consolidate declarative memory during our sleep. What to do? A Russian friend once told me that when she was a little girl and needed to memorize a poem for school, she would practice the poem at night, go to bed, and then do it again in the morning. She was definitely on to something and we need to follow her example. If you need to memorize concepts, terms, formulas and anything you can verbalize, the best idea is to study them throughout a period of a month or even more. You can revise the content the following day after you see it, then you can do it a few days after, then more days after and so on. Spacing refreshes your memory and reduces decay. Read more about it on my blog. 4. The Pomodoro Technique Our working memory system is quite limited, which means it gets full very quickly when we are being exposed to lots of information. Its capacity reduces even more when we are under stress or in heightened negative emotional states. In short, that tells us that we simply do not have the capability to take in lots of information simultaneously. We need to take a few breaks to avoid cognitive overload and refresh our attention. What to do? Have you ever heard of The Pomodoro Technique? Invented in the 80s by an Italian engineering student, it is a practical strategy to help maintain our attention levels high and to keep our memory from overloading. You can download a Tomato Timer app, buy the real thing or simply access a website to keep track of your time studying or working. The idea is to do focused study/work for 25min nonstop and to break for 5min to relax and facilitate memory consolidation. Then you can repeat 25min + 5min and finally take a longer break (15min should work). Think of it as doing a workout series in the gym. The same principle applies. Read more about it on my blog. 5. Mindset Although the strategies before were directly linked to cognition, particularly attention and memory, there are other ways we can make sure we learn more effectively that relate to our beliefs and attitudes towards learning. One example is how we think of ourselves as learners and whether we believe that we can learn something or not. This is connected to research about mindsets. In Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she explains that some people have a more fixed mindset for certain things, which means they believe their ability to learn them is fixed and that they might not have what it takes to accomplish the goal. Other people have developed a more growth mindset and look at learning as an interesting challenge that requires effort and dedication much more than talent. What to do? Developing a more growth mindset means focusing on the process of learning and asking questions about how we can learn best. It also requires the belief that we are able to do it and that it depends much more on effort and grit rather than intelligence. That means we need to look at the task we want to accomplish as something that can be solved through inquiry, brainstorming and analysis, time dedicated and determination. We can reward ourselves or our students or employees for sticking to the task and working hard. We can praise their effort more often rather than the result itself. Read more about it on my blog. 6. Self-Efficacy In line with the Growth Mindset concept, we can say that some people have managed to make themselves more proactive and goal-oriented than others and that is probably why their performance is better. These people can be referred to as self-efficacious people and their process of doing things when they are difficult for them can teach everyone one or two useful things. Self-efficacy is the ability to set yourself on the path that will make you fulfill whatever it is that you need to fulfill. It is about organizing, prioritizing, delegating and reflecting on what works so that you can attain your goal. What to do? Albert Bandura, one of the main authors of Self-Efficacy Theory, says that there are four important sources that can help us be more self-efficacious. The first one is mastery experiences or having our own successful performance of something. We sometimes do not do things because we believe we will fail. But when we decide to act and see that we can, we realize that accomplishing it is possible. Secondly, Bandura suggests vicarious experiences or observing others do something and noticing they are able to. That encourages us to think: “If they can do it, so can I”. In third place, there is verbal persuasion. We can tell ourselves that we are able to accomplish something and others can do the same to us and give us the encouragement we need. Finally, there is our emotional state, which relates to how we are feeling and what influence that has on our performance. We need to try to put ourselves in the right emotional state to learn. Read more about it on my blog. As someone who has studied psychology and neuroscience, I must say I do believe these strategies can have a very positive impact on our performance when we learn. However, I must also say that I do not believe in magical solutions and that learning is not a mechanical thing, it is organic. And as in anything organic, other variables are at play and we cannot claim that there is a fixed recipe for success. What we can say is that if you start reflecting on how you learn and apply strategies based on robust evidence from cognitive sciences, you will most likely maximize your learning outcomes. Follow André on Instagram and LinkedIn! André Hedlund, Guest Writer Brainz Magazine André Hedlund is a Chevening Alumnus, MSc in Psychology of Education from the University of Bristol, and an Edify Bilingual Program Mentor for SPOT Educação. He is also a representative of BRAZ-TESOL's Mind, Brain, and Education Special Interest Group (MBE SIG) and a guest teacher in postgraduate courses on Multilingualism, Global Education, Cognition, and Neuroscience. He is the former president of Partners of the Americas Goiás and he has worked as a Michigan Certificates Examiner. His blog (edcrocks.com) has been accessed more than 30 thousand times by people from more than 140 countries. André has delivered workshops and lectures in Argentina, the USA, the UK, Portugal, Spain, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania as well as webinars to different countries. He uses Instagram (@edcrocks) to host monthly lives about how neuroscience and psychology can be applied in the classroom and interviews teachers from all over the world

Written by: Susan Francis, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. For the longest time, in fact pretty much all of my life, I believed that hard work created success. I wholeheartedly believed that the harder I worked, the more action I took, the more I hustled, the more success I would have. And let me tell you, I was determined to out-hustle everyone. I was ambitious, dedicated and not afraid of hard work. I put in the effort, I put in the energy, but yet I wasn't creating the results I wanted. Perhaps you can relate? When I started my entrepreneurial journey a few years ago, it became apparent that what I was doing was not working. I was out hustling everyone I knew, and still not hitting any goals. It left me deflated; feeling like a failure, and like I just wasn't cut out for this. I was signing up for every program trying to learn new strategies and marketing skills, looking for the secret sauce, looking for the one thing that was finally going to unlock my success. Was it organic marketing, funnels, ads, running a Facebook group, LinkedIn, doing more live streams?? What was the secret sauce? Thousands of dollars and many courses later, I did not find it. No sauce. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn't my action that was creating at all; it was my energy. It was what was within me. It was what I believed about what I was doing, how I truly felt about myself, how I felt about my business and how I was showing up. It was my energy and my alignment, not the action at all, that was determining my results. You see, there is no amount of action that can make up for misaligned energy. We are energetic beings, and we communicate far more with energy than we do with words. People can feel your energy, and your energy and vibration are what is creating your reality. If you take action from a place of believing your business is hard, not feeling confident that people will want to buy from you, worrying that people don't have the money, and feeling uncertain where your next client will come from, then you are literally repelling business away from you. When I truly got that it was mastering my mindset, focus, and energy that determined my success, my business went from $500 months to $15K months in 60 days. It was no new strategy, no secret sauce. I was taking all of the same action, but I was showing up in a different energy. I was showing up believing something different. To be able to skyrocket your business success, or to thrive in any area of your life for that matter, you must master your mindset, focus and beliefs. How you feel about what you're doing is the most important thing. Ask yourself… How do you feel about your goals? Do you believe you can create them? Do you have fear around them? Are you showing up fully as the person who already has them? It's not what you do that matters. It's how you feel about what you do. For life to flow, to create success with ease, you must clean up any contradictory energy. Any fears, doubts, worries need to be cleaned up. You can not create more money or more clients from an energy and belief that “business is hard and no one wants to buy from me”. Instead, you must connect to your value, your worth and know how incredibly amazing you are and how your work impacts the world. You must show up in this energy. To get into a state of flow, you must be aligned with what you want to create, because when you are in alignment, you show up differently. When you are connected to the truth of who you are and aligned with your goals you are guided. New ideas flow, inspiration lands, new opportunities come to you. From an aligned place, there is no hustle. There is only flow because you understand that it's energy that creates . One hour of aligned action is worth 100 hours of misaligned action. Do the inner work. Shift your beliefs, master your mindset, show up in the energy of knowing everything is always working out for you, and allow your life and business to flow with ease. To learn more about this you can listen to my podcast episode, (#2) Less hustle, more flow. To follow Susan you can find her on Facebook, Instagram, join the Facebook community for regular live training, learn more on the website, or listen to the Soul Aligned Business Babes podcast. Susan Francis, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Susan Francis is a leading Mindset, Manifestation and Business Mentor and Coach empowering female entrepreneurs to create more income and impact their soul-aligned businesses. She helps women unlock the truth of who they are, helps them to step into their power fully, and teaches them the secrets to taking quantum leaps in their success. She believes life was meant to be easy, to feel good, to flow, and you can create anything you damn well want! With a background in senior management in the fashion industry, she escaped the 9 to 5 hustle after her daughter's birth to follow her passion for helping other women create epic time and financial freedom. Trained in NLP and Time Line Therapy, and obsessed with the Law of Attraction, she knows at a very deep level that everything is an inside job, and as she helps clients make shifts in their mindset, and energy they become magnetic to their dream lives and business success.

Written by: Kelley Tenny, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise So many working moms (and dads) are finding that their daily routines are out of whack with the school year's return. But with just a few simple shifts, you can get not only your routine but your kids’ as well back on track. Back to school time is hectic for everyone, regardless of the conditions, and with so many kids learning from home, it can definitely wreak havoc on the entire household, especially for parents also working from home. But it doesn’t have to! In fact, I discovered a few tricks to get the systems back in place. Here are three ways to “back to school” proof your schedule. 1. Identify the best times of day to get things done. When kids go back to school, one of the biggest disruptors are getting them ready for where they need to be. Whether you are having to drive them to and from school or simply having to get them out of bed and put some breakfast on the table before they “log in”, this can take time that you usually have scheduled for something else. One thing to do is to take a look at your day and decide where there can be uninterrupted chunks of time for you to get your stuff done. Can you find a couple of hours in the morning to answer emails or workout before they wake up? Is there a time when they are logged on with their teachers when you can take client calls? Is there a time in the late afternoon once school is over where they have some free time, and you can make calls or complete other work tasks? Don’t forget to identify and schedule times for your personal self-care too. It may be an hour to read, take a bath or just be alone, be sure you are taking care of you! 2. Create a List of Non-Negotiables Every morning (or night before bed), create a list of non-negotiables for the day. What items need to get done no matter what and schedule them into your calendar. This is also known as time blocking. You may have chunks of time set aside to get things done, but for these non-negotiables, you literally want to make an appointment with them. One advantage of time blocking is that it will help you know exactly how you’re going to use your time and exactly when you’re going to accomplish specific tasks. The normal to-do lists may present you with a list of tasks to complete in your own time. Time blocking provides you with a list of tasks and a specific time frame to complete each task. 3. Enlist Help When there are more plates to keep spinning, it may be time to call in support. This support may be personal or professional. Consider the tasks that you have that can be done by someone else. Is there space for a virtual assistant to help you clear out your email inbox or maybe a meal delivery service that can deliver breakfasts and lunch so that you don’t have to spend time planning and cooking meals? This could be as simple as using a grocery delivery service like Amazon or Instacart! The help doesn’t necessarily have to be hired! Can your kids lay out their clothes the night before and get ready for school on their own? And if they could, would this give you an extra 30 minutes to work on some of your non-negotiables? Do you have a significant other that can take over at some point during the day so that you have more room on your calendar to get on clients calls or take part in self-care? With a bit of creativity and commitment, you can take back control of your schedule regardless of what the kids are doing. Remember to allow yourself some grace in a new time where everyone needs some adjusting. Don’t beat yourself up if it takes a few weeks or if you experience bouts of frustration. Trust that you have exactly what it takes to run your business without sacrifice, even with the new school year underway! Follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn or visit my website for more info! Read more from Kelley! Kelley Tenny, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kelley Tenny is a health and wellness coach whose L.I.F.E. method shifts the way that entrepreneurs do business, helping them thrive instead of leading lives of sacrifice. Her signature L.I.F.E. method combines visioning, implementable goals, mindset, diet and movement to build a sustainable lifestyle that her students love. It is time to thrive in your garden of success!

Written by: Michelle Greene Rhodes, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise Households across the world are adapting to juggle several responsibilities at a time as parents and children are both staying at home. As a result, improving family wellness, while staying productive may appear as an unachievable possibility as remote work may be characterized by anxiety, loneliness and pressure to excel professionally. Struggling to draw boundaries between professional life and personal life, individuals working from home may be putting in long hours and doing domestic chores instead of taking periodic breaks. While this may appear productive, it is easy to feel burnt out and overwhelmed. Hence, it is crucial to clearly communicate expectations with coworkers to ascertain a flexible schedule to meet deadlines by prioritizing realistic and attainable deliverables for both. Designating a workspace at home may limit disruptions and increase remote productivity. Communicating to children when their schedule is the busiest can help get cooperation from family members. While setting a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door can be helpful too. Creating a schedule that replicates a normal workday can improve efficiency. Using peak hours to tackle the most difficult tasks allows employees to take advantage of their creativity. Setting achievable goals can provide motivation to embark on a new work project or learn a new skill for personal development. At the same time, breaks should be taken when required, to feel rejuvenated and focused once work is resumed. Employees must continue to build a rapport with their coworkers just as they did in-person, even though channels of communication may have changed. This will help to brainstorm stimulating ideas and seek feedback that will improve the quality of work. Meanwhile, physical fitness garners productivity by increasing blood flow, concentration and improving overall health. Meditation and exercise are a great way to uplift one’s mood by healthily channeling one’s energy. Additionally, exercise helps with stress management by balancing cortisol levels in the body. Children are filled with energy and curiosity, so keeping them at home, while addressing their educational and development needs can be challenging. Structuring the day with a foreseeable, yet flexible routine can create a sense of order in a chaotic time. This can ensure that children are coping well to complete their schoolwork, eating a healthy diet, completing chores as well as scheduling playtime to stay happy. "At Greene Rhodes Consulting, we emphasize fundamentals to help our clients practice empathy and compassion to improve family wellness." Maintaining a structured environment to improve the effectiveness of e-learning is necessary as parents and caregivers transition to homeschooling. Replicating a classroom environment with digital tools prevents distractions and promotes engagement. At the same time, children’s screen time may increase. Outlining a plan that defines time limits for each activity can be helpful, so time is not eaten away from reading, playing outdoors, connecting with family, or getting the required amount of sleep. At Greene Rhodes Consulting, we emphasize fundamentals to help our clients practice empathy and compassion to improve family wellness. Developing healthy habits can ward off stress, provide emotional support to one another, and help families to power through during a time of crisis. How can you incorporate wellness into your family that in turn will increase productivity in your professional life? Visit our website for more info and connect with us on LinkedIn ! Read more from Michelle ! Michelle Greene Rhodes, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Michelle G. Rhodes is a Corporate Wellness Consultant and is Certified in Managed Care and Licensed as a Registered Nurse. By combining her love for Managed Care/Population Health background with her innate ability to create educational programs and cost savings solutions that are uniquely designed for each employer, Michelle is sought after for her multiple successes in cost saving and exceeding targets. She has helped corporations craft wellness programs that offer definite returns on investments and assists them in meeting and exceeding their annual performance measures and goals. Michelle creates various wellness initiatives for awareness campaigns all the way to the creation of wellness culture transformations. Michelle Rhodes Media LLC is also a continuing education provider for Nurses, by the California Board of Nurses, and provide workshops for Nurses to learn continuously.

Emilly Grueso, CEO of The Rise Marketing Agency and founder of www.emillymariegrueso.com is a digital marketing and branding expert. She shares her expertise through the Socialite Vault, an online Membership Club filled with recourses, videos, monthly masterclasses, 1:1 coaching, and more. All aimed to educate and empower entrepreneurs on online marketing & branding strategies. As a serial entrepreneur, Emilly is a chief executive officer at The Rise Marketing Agency, a full-service digital marketing agency that helps businesses execute online marketing strategies to various services, including social media management, aged PPC advertising, email marketing and more. – I’m a certified digital marketing strategist and have been taught by some of the world’s most successful marketers. I found my passion and truly love helping others monetize their passions as well. Whether that be through my membership-club or done for you services with my agency. Putting business aside, there’s so much more to me than just being an entrepreneur. I am a mother of three kids aged 1,2 & 5. I am Latina; both parents are Colombian. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in Leesburg, Virginia. I grew up with two entrepreneur parents, so I’ve always had the desire to become my boss from a very young age. Will the Socialite Vault be helpful for new entrepreneurs? – Absolutely, the vault is a personal blueprint to building a successful business online. It works for newbies and even the ones who aren’t new to the game. When I created this membership club, I knew exactly who I wanted to help and why I wanted to help them. I can remember the feeling of being a new entrepreneur and not knowing the things you need to do and wishing you had some clarity. If I can help someone in that situation, then I know I did my job. So to answer your question, The Socialite Vault will absolutely be helpful for new entrepreneurs. What’s a good tip for staying focused and accomplishing your goals? – My biggest tip would be to start with the end in mind. When you do this, you can reverse engineer your way to accomplishing your goals faster and more efficiently. This alone allows me to stay focused because I always have the end in mind. A book that I read that changed my perspective on goal setting is The One Thing by Gary Keller. I highly recommend you read this book if you’re a business owner and you want some more clarity on goal setting and exactly how to do it. You mentioned before that your agency helps businesses. Do you have a preferred niche that you target? – Not at all. When The Rise Marketing Agency started, we were only helping restaurants. Since then, we have grown to help boutiques, landscaping companies, real estate agents, weight loss centers, plastic surgeons to larger corporations. If you have a business and you need help, we will be there for you. Tell us about your 1:1 strategy call – I like to call it my marketing breakthrough consultatio n . It’s an hour packed strategy session where we talk about your business & goals. It provides insights that will help your brand, and we also talk about suggestions that would make a huge difference. When it’s all done, we put together a proposal with some simple strategies and suggestions outlined. The call is super insightful and helpful, so I recommend you get a paper and pen and get ready for some heavy notes. The entire call is recorded, so at the end of the session, I send it over. Managing multiple businesses must be very challenging how do you overcome failures? – Failures are inevitable. If I’m not making mistakes, then I’m not growing. I try not to dwell on it. I make the changes necessary then move on. Hopefully, It taught me a lesson. One of my favorite mantras is “ Fail Forward, FAST”. I believe a major problem with today’s society is the fear of failure and what others may think about you. This fear of failure is limiting the number of risks people are taking. This is scary because, in order to achieve the things you want, you have to be willing to take risks and do the unknown & seemingly impossible. Imagine what you would accomplish if you didn’t let the fear of failure dictate your actions? For more information, follow Emilly on Facebook , Instagram and visit her Agency and her Membership website !

Written by: Sonjali Di Guida, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Like a caged bird, we are sometimes stuck in the confines of our heads, singing our own melodies of freedom. Oh, that feeling of overwhelm, weighing down on you and your confidence like a bolder in your otherwise beautiful garden! We contemplate how to cope, only to find that the tactics we employ may very well be as useful as ingesting a poisoned apple. Imagine you were camping with four other people, and there was a terrible storm which collapsed your tent. In this scenario, your closest mate looks at the others and yells out, “It’s all your fault, you should have checked the weather.” In the meantime, your other mate blurts out, “I don’t really know my way around these woods, but so everyone feels better, I will go and find help”. Meanwhile, the third person adjusts her spectacles and looks at the collapsed excuse of a tent and states, “If we were to analyze this further, the support bracket could only hold roughly forty-seven pounds of weight”. Finally, your last mate stares off into the distance and excitedly yelps, “Look a bird!” What do these four friends have in common? They are each using a coping stance, but NOT fixing the tent! Virginia Satir, a reputable therapist, recognized the coping patterns people use when they do not feel safe enough to be honest with themselves. Perhaps you can relate to one of those mates from your camping trip? Be it blamer, placater, computer or distracter, as in our example, these coping stances at times really helped us get through difficult times. They may very well have serviced us when seeking shelter from uncomfortable situations, stress, and challenging relationships. These patterns may have helped us at home, in the workplace, personally and professionally, yet they are not useful to achieving our outcomes. They leave us static, and treading through the woods at a snail’s pace. While we should, in retrospect, thank our unconscious minds for giving us these coping mechanisms, there is a more liberating and useful solution: level with yourself. When we finally allow ourselves to do this, we can finally take action to grow through our challenges. Yes, there may be some emotional baggage you take with you on your camping trip, but using these coping patterns only makes your luggage heavier in the long run. I implore you, take action and fix your proverbial tent. You will find your tune much more upbeat when you are pitching a tent on level grounds. Follow me on Instagram , Facebook and visit my website for more info! Read more from Sonjali! Sonjali Di Guida, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sonjali Di Guida, is a passionate and outcome driven hypnotist, dedicated to helping individuals master their growth mindset, from the very core of their beings – the subconscious. With her training from the Master Hypnotist Society as well as utilization in Neuro linguistic programming systems, her clinic, The West Island Hypnosis Center has helped her many clients make transformational changes – both personally and  professionally. Her executive background as well as her experience running her consulting firm and hypnosis clinic have allowed her to continuously master her craft in changemaking.

Written by: Karen Yee, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. “I used to feel confident, but then ‘this’ happened.” “I used to believe I could do it, but then ‘this’ happened.” “I used to feel like I knew what I was doing, but then ‘this’ happened.” Does the above sound like you? “These” incidents that happen to us programs into our subconscious mind at such a rapid rate that it becomes our truth. And it can become a new disempowering reality that you exist within from this moment forward. With millions of neurons firing at every millisecond, do you know how many times a day this can happen in your subconscious mind? TONS. I see this over and over again in the business owners I speak with and coach. They have these skewed stories they believe to be their truth: “I can’t charge that much” “I have no idea how to brand myself” “I don’t know how to do this ‘online’ thing” “I don’t know why I can’t get customers” And on and on and on.. I’m here to let you know that YOU DO, YOU CAN , and YOU WILL . In an excerpt of “Rich Dad Poor Dad”, Robert Kiyosaki goes into how the “power of our thoughts” separates us from being rich and poor. How? You are not poor because of the amount of money you earn biweekly, it’s because of your thoughts and actions. For example, a poor habit is saying “I can’t afford it” . A rich habit is “How can I afford it?” One is a statement . The other is a question . One lets you off the hook, and the other forces you to think. Can you spot it? When you constantly put yourself in the mindset of “I can’t afford it”, your brain stops working. The latter puts your brain to work. To manifest abundance into your life and business is just that. The stronger you work your brain, the more money you make. "The stronger you work your brain, the more money you make." You know the analogy of “if you go to the gym once a week, you’re never going to build muscles”. Going to the gym on a regular basis increases your chances of building stronger toned muscles, increasing your chances of better health, mental health, and more. I challenge you to observe what is playing in your thoughts. Which one will you adopt? I choose to adopt a rich mindset. If you do too, I invite you to join me in my program where I share in-depth how to manifest abundance into your life and business so that it becomes an empowered reality. Stay tuned for Karens upcoming articles, and follow her on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit her website for more info! Read more from Karen! Karen Yee, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Karen is the founder of New Futures On Demand and a believer that everyone has the ability to create a new future with their skillset. She guides small to medium companies and individuals to build a winning profile and launch a profitable online business. She created the Art of Selling Mastermind™️, an online intensive training program that helps people uncover, brand, package, and sell their services, so they create more impact and build their WFA dream lifestyle.