Written by: Traci Philips, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise Curiosity is one of the most important human attributes. Without it, early development would be inconceivable and learning, resilience and our very survival would not be possible. When we speak of creativity and innovation, we must see that in order to develop this, we must be able to cultivate our curiosity. Although we were born with it, life experience has a way of beating it back and covering it up. As we grow and age, we begin to favor that which focuses on comfort, security and surety. So what does it really cost us to let go of our natural inclination to be and act from a curiosity? To begin with, let’s take happiness. How often have you chosen to hold back on something you’re curiosity and inner driver (heart and soul) was pushing you to entertain and experience because it wasn’t rational, someone else told you it wasn’t possible or allowable or you thought it was too uncertain or would create too much discomfort? I mean, we all have done this, right? And at what cost to our desire for experience and happiness? We may never know, but when we ask this question, if we feel any unease within us, we know there is truth to this inquiry. And what about some of today’s great buzz words … diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)? The biggest threat to our ability to build diverse, equitable and inclusive environments and cultures, as I see it, is the trend of cancel culture, aka our human propensity to accept and support what is in agreement and alignment with our chosen opinions, beliefs and narratives, and to admonish what is not. When we choose to blind ourselves from seeing, understanding or even tolerating perspectives and attitudes different from our own, we create, both within and outside ourselves, static and inflexible environments that cannot come together, grow and innovate. There exists consistent struggle and inaction. If we cannot learn to get comfortable making room for what is different, we are simply giving lip-service to what we say we want. So, where does the capacity to open ourselves up to truly create cultures and practices of DEI begin? Yep! It starts, first, with being curious. In fact, we need to practice being more curious than we are “right.” We get to focus more on recognizing the spaces where we don’t know than on what we do know. his is what I like to call having an “I don’t know” mind. When we are curious, we lean into what is new, different and possible … sometimes even controversial. We trade our ego surety and security statements like “this is …,” “I know ...” and even “science has proven ...” for more expansive possibilities beyond what we have ever experienced, known or understood before. We can begin with statements like “this appears to be, but maybe there is something more …,” “this is what I have come to know, but perhaps there is something beyond what I have experienced” and “what if …?” When we learn to cultivate curiosity, we begin to discover things we have never seen before, because we step away from our myopic focus and addiction to only acknowledging what we do know, what we have experienced and what is within our comfort zones. If a toddler was only interested in staying comfortable, (s)he would never learn to walk. The United States of America would never have been founded had it not been for a small group of people who were curious about what was possible beyond what they had come to know and experience. So, I invite you to consider this in your own life. Where have you been choosing comfort over curiosity, surety over being inquisitive about what you don’t know? And how can you begin to cultivate more curiosity? I think you will be surprised when you do this that you will discover a deeper capacity to create clarity in your life. This is always the irony of releasing the need to cling to what we know. With this ability to clear the way, you will see all sorts of new possibilities opening up to you. Possibilities that have always been there waiting for you to realize them. Want to learn more from Traci? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin or visit her website. Read more from Traci! Traci Philips, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine As an Executive Leadership & Performance Strategist, Traci Philips supports visionary business owners and corporate executives to learn and practice better communication, resolution strategies, decision-making, and leading during times of change and when the stakes are high. A three-year stint co-facilitating a men's transformational program for industry leaders incarcerated in Federal Prison taught Traci more than she could ever have learned elsewhere about high-stakes leadership and the cost of bad decision-making. This experience fueled a passion in her to help top leaders learn what they needed to know so they wouldn't end up losing what matters most. Her ultimate goal is to support her clients to live authentically and lead powerfully by creating more awareness about who they are, how they want to be seen, and what legacy they want to leave behind. Traci is the co-host of Eavesdrop in the Moment, a bi-weekly podcast that discusses current trends and leadership. Her book, Looking In: Discover, Define and Align the True Value of Your Life, Leadership and Legacy is helping leaders around the globe increase their confidence and self-identity to meet leadership demands and their personal performance potential.

Written by: Ciara Banerji, 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. As a coach, I’ve learned that my job quite often involves telling people things that are hard to hear. Sounds harsh? Sometimes it can feel that way. But a great coach helps their client to process those emotional reactions effectively. And, in my experience, it is the truths that we don’t want to hear that are the biggest blockers to our progress. If we are able to face up to them, it truly changes everything. In this article I’m going to share some “home truths” that in my experience women especially, find the hardest to hear – and yet are probably the most important lessons we can learn. 1. No One is Coming to Save You At the end of the day, if you want change in your life, it is ALL going to come down to you. Seems obvious in some ways right? But you will be amazed at how much ‘waiting for a saviour/magic pill/ lottery win’ lies in the back of our minds, often subconsciously – yes, even in some of the most driven of us. Perhaps it was the stories we were fed growing up about women being ‘saved’ by handsome princes, or perhaps due to helicopter parents that swooped in and averted our failures, or because we were taught to always wait for permission. There are probably a lot of factors. But the fact remains that when I delve into a client's challenge, once we untangle it, I quite often discover that there is big resistance to accepting their role in resolving it. For example, I have a client who is an incredibly successful businesswoman. In her professional life, she has no trouble taking full responsibility for the success of a project, even where there is a large team involved, because as a leader she knows that she is also responsible for their effectiveness. But she recently asked me how she could get her significant other to step up at home and make more effort in their relationship. I had to tell her that ‘getting someone else to X, Y, Z’ is NEVER the answer. She would have to look inwards. It was a bitter pill initially, because she struggled to see that it was her standards or her behaviour that were the issue. Happily, it was a lesson she was able to take on board – and she has just been blown away by how her partner has responded: by raising her standards, he has quickly matched her and their home life is now much more aligned to what she hoped for. I’m not saying that there are never external factors that are beyond our control. Of course there are. But those are precisely that – factors beyond our control – especially when it comes to other people. So we absolutely have to understand that the only thing we can change about a situation is ourselves. Literally, whatever the challenge you are facing – career, parenting, relationships etc. – until you accept, fully, that you are the ONLY one that can change it, no progress will be made. Period. 2. Worrying achieves nothing. Nada. Zilch. And yet many of us grow up with that idea that worrying equals caring. If we worry enough about something, that must mean it really matters to us. We even wear our label of ‘worrier’ as a badge of pride, and get annoyed when those around us don’t appear to be taking things as seriously because they aren’t worrying enough! Sadly, worrying often has the opposite than intended effect because by over-thinking and putting our minds and bodies into stress mode, we are less effective at tackling whatever it is we are worrying about. Worrying also tends to be coupled to negative thought patterns or catastrophising – expecting the worst – which is so often then a self-fulfilling prophecy. It also oppresses those around us, by making them feel constantly on edge and causing them to behave avoidantly, for fear of causing more worry. If you are a chronic worrier, like any habit, it takes deliberate, conscious and persistent effort to break. I offer my clients a range of techniques to conquer negative thinking patterns. But one of my favourite tricks is to tell them, whenever they think, ‘but what if it goes wrong?’ to replace that thought with ‘but what if it goes right?’. And to follow up that question with an intentional moment visualising the outcome and consequences of the best possible result. 3. You have to invest in yourself, as a top priority This is one of the hardest to crack, because women are trained to put others before themselves – that self-sacrifice is not only essential to looking after others but is somehow virtuous. But once again, this is 100% shooting-yourself-in-the-foot. Firstly, there’s the simple fact that if you don’t look after yourself - and I’m taking the basics here, of nutrition, exercise, sleep – you are absolutely not going to be able to perform, be that professionally, or as a mum, or partner. I can’t tell you how often I see female clients wondering why they feel exhausted, grumpy, unable to manage, and they are surprised when I ask how many hours of sleep they get, what exercise they do in a week and what they eat. These are the same women who make delicious, nutritious meals for their family, encourage their partners to go to the gym, and maintain strict bedtimes for kids but feel like they are too busy to exercise, survive on snacks and coffee all day, and then stay up late watching TV in an attempt to wind down at night. Unfortunately, it’s effectively a cycle of self-harm, and until that changes, the work that needs to be done to repair and grow isn’t possible. Once we move on from fundamentals, women still struggle with investing in themselves, whether that be devoting time and budget to self-care, and indeed, when it comes to something like paying for coaching. Women are more often under the impression we should be able to do everything ourselves – be wonder-women – and that asking for help is a sign of weakness, whereas men seem to be taught that if they can’t do something, the sensible thing is to find someone who can either do it for them or help them learn to. I think this is why more women struggle to overcome their hesitation in signing up for coaching, seeing it as some sort of luxury. Whilst in my experience, men are a lot more keen to pay for a service that they can clearly see will ultimately pay for itself: they see it as, quite literally, a good investment. So ladies – and men reading too - I hope this has made your eyes widen, and your heart beat a little faster. You might even have felt a little offended! That’s exactly how we should feel when some of our deepest held beliefs are challenged. (Of course, not all women or men think the same way, so if you are an exception to this - more power to you!) But in any case, I ask that you take time over the next while to reflect on this. So many of my clients have told me that even several sessions in, they didn’t quite believe me - and it is only when they put into action some of the techniques I taught them for how to move beyond these limiting beliefs, that the truth really became clear to them. Because results speak for themselves. I will leave you with these questions: are you achieving what you truly want to achieve? If not, why not..? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Ciara! Ciara Banerji, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ciara is an accomplished mindset and peak performance coach, working with professionals and corporate leaders on a global basis to deliver transformational growth. Ciara's mission is to see people THRIVE and not just survive. She believes that people can reach their full potential in a way that promotes their mental stability and their happiness. Ciara is the Director of Liston Ferry Partnership Ltd, a company leading in the field of successful professional, personal and corporate transformations. Ciara coaches ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs to identify beliefs that are holding them back and permanently shift them, unlocking their strategies for change and propelling them to action. She also works with forward-thinking Corporations to put in place programs to support more women to reach the top and improve mindfulness throughout the workplace. Ciara draws on her Psychotherapy and Neuro-linguistic Programming training in her coaching practice, on top of her personal experience as a corporate high-flier turned business owner, wife, and mum!

Written by: Heidi Jennings, 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. “My best friend just lost 10kg!” “I love this meal plan – bacon for breakfast, chicken for lunch and steak for tea!” “No! Don’t eat that banana, it’s bad for you!” Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock (or a hefty beast ready to be drawn and quartered for your dinner), you will be familiar with the latest diet trend taking the world by storm; the Keto diet. We all know someone who is on it, considering going on it, or was on it and now isn’t because, well… we’ll get to that in a minute. Over the past several decades, there has been an endless wave of health professionals searching for the ‘perfect’ diet. We’ve seen everything from cutting out processed food to low protein diets, to high protein diets, and everything in between. The high fat, low carb diets that are on trend at the moment have been repackaged with different names and fancy marketing strategies over the years but are essentially all the same. A few more greens have been thrown into the mix, fruit has become the enemy because there’s ‘too much sugar’ and a few people are seeing weight loss and a reduction in their niggly symptoms, mainly due to the reduction in processed food. Let me explain the problems with this approach. When carbohydrate (the body’s primary fuel source) intake is low, the body pumps out stress hormones such as adrenaline to meet the demands of its busy schedule. You become edgy, irritable, may not sleep properly and inevitably you’ll crave salty or sweet carb-dense foods. Eventually, even the most dedicated and committed people on a high-fat, low-carb diet will succumb to the body’s need for natural sugars. The body desperately needs glycogen from carbohydrates to keep the brain, liver and other vital organs strong. When the body becomes deprived of glycogen, it becomes desperate and will result in binges on foods like pizza, chips and sugary chocolate bars. This is why people who successfully lose weight in the beginning, end up putting all their weight back on (and more). Low-carb intake also leads to a drop in blood sugar levels, resulting in the adrenal glands having to step in to produce extra cortisol to pull glucose out of the muscles and liver. This creates low energy levels, sugar cravings and fat storage. Simultaneously, the liver starts to struggle. One of the liver’s most important functions is to receive blood in huge quantities and then clean, filter and process it. If your blood is thick, due to too much saturated fat and too little hydration in the diet, not enough oxygen can reside there. If there is not enough oxygen in the blood reaching the liver, the liver will weaken and become fatty. It is unable to disperse and eliminate fats the way it is supposed to and will start to break down and become sluggish. It is unable to draw nutrients from the blood and many of the nutrients end up trapped in fat cells. Toxins also get trapped in the fat cells surrounding the liver and eventually, the liver becomes caked in fat, ultimately leading to fatty liver disease. High-fat diets are a killer (literally) for the heart. Its ability to pump blood effortlessly around the body is severely impaired when the blood is thick with saturated fat. High levels of saturated fat also lead to clogged arteries, high cholesterol and eventually, heart disease. The fear of fruit on a high-fat, low-carb diet is misguided and frankly, an utter disaster for our health. Fruit is essential for the human body because it strengthens the immune system, which then has the capacity to fight against toxins and pathogens in the body. The natural sugars from fruit are crucial for all our organs and will provide a turbo-boost in the healing department for those who are unwell. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. If you are tempted by a high-fat, low-carb diet because of all the hype and spin and the best friend who has lost 10kg, be sure to keep your wits about you. Long term your body will not thank you in the slightest for following this craze and will rebel in the form of chronic disease. My advice for a long and healthy life? Pick up a banana and put down the bacon. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Heidi! Heidi Jennings, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Heidi Jennings is a Holistic Health Coach specializing in Plant-Based Nutrition. After a health crisis left her bedridden and disillusioned with conventional medicine, she embraced a holistic approach to help her heal. She now runs her business alongside her husband Steve, and together they deliver holistic coaching programs to their clients. They specialize in chronic pain, anxiety and depression, stubborn body fat, menopause symptoms, autoimmune dysfunction, and sleep issues by focusing on the five pillars of health; nutrition, exercise, gut health, sleep, and managing stress. Heidi is also a guest speaker and is currently authoring her first book. Her mission is to change the lives of 500,000 people around the world by empowering them to take control of their health and happiness.

Written by: Carmen Vasile-Nichita, 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. REMINDER: “There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends who become family.” The other day, an interesting discussion sparked in our family, how do you make new friends and how long does it take. Our kid has changed a record number of kindergartens and schools in the past few years, for reasons that I’m not going to go into details about, and she hasn’t spent time in one place long enough to form long-lasting friendships, yet. She has always been a very outgoing, spirited child, but lately something changed. We hope for the best. But I became curious what. Like anything else worth having in life, true friendships are rare (I know you know exactly what I’m talking about!) and worth the effort and the commitment. They are rarely only serene. A broken friendship can become either a full stop or a comma in your life, and that was what my kid was brooding over for some time. At my age, (stop wondering how old I am!), I now know that a friend enters and exits one's life, and if the exit is for good, I do not think of it as a failure. Instead, I let it be a reminder that the person came into my life when I needed them the most and for a reason. It is up to each of us to reflect and gain that understanding. No friendship is an accident. I decided to start simple, and asked my daughter: “Do you have someone you like in your group?” She said, “Yes, I do.” “And what do you do about it?” (because I knew myself at my kid’s age, I was terribly shy and used to panic so much when I really wanted to go up to someone and introduce myself to them). "I go and ask if we can play or do something fun together", her reply came, while I was thinking to myself, ‘girl, you are braver and stronger than you even know.’ So I said, “Great idea! So what usually happens next?” “Well, mom, I can tell that the other kid likes to hang with me too, so we almost immediately end up kicking a ball together, or playing 'the floor is lava', so it is very cool. I was really happy for her at that moment, knowing that her heart was in the right place and her skill and attitude were helping her grow through that friendship. I added: “And how long have you been in this group? About 5 months, right? I say it is pretty good to have someone you like to hang with and likes to hang with you back, in just under 5 months. Friendships take time.” “But mom, I’d like to make more friends!” “So what’s stopping you?", I asked. “Well, what do you do when you hurt someone and now they don’t want to hang with you anymore?” Aaaahh - here it was, the first rocky situation in a new potential friendship, and I could see how the effects of one mistake may seem permanent and irreversible to my almost 8 years old daughter. “So someone hurt someone else, and I can assume it was not on purpose, is that it?” I asked, wanting to check if we were both on the same page. “Yes. I made a mistake. And she doesn’t want to be friends with me now”, my daughter confessed, and I could hear the sadness in her voice. “Well, sweetheart, let me ask you one thing, was this kid your friend before you made this mistake?”, I asked. “Well…not really.”, my daughter answered and this time, I could hear the little cloud of sadness giving way to light and awareness. “Well, honey, you see, children who know nothing about you and instead hold on to the memory of one mistake you made, need to get to know the real you before they can call themselves your friends. And you, in turn, need to take your time and know them better before you can call them your friends. If after a while, when you get to know each other a bit better, you would still like to be friends, then that’s great.” As a result of that conversation with my daughter, that evening, an idea became distinct, that children, much like any other individuals really, each have their own individual language of friendship, more so in an environment formed of expat families, with very diverse backgrounds, with different perceptions and beliefs about boys and girls, and how they should or could interact, and it can be daunting for a 7, almost 8 year old to try and find a friend that will accept them for who they are. As a parent, you can foster in yourself those friendship skills that you would like to see in your own child, encourage those friendships that are important to your child and that bring the best in them, and stop comparing: while some children love to have lots of friends (you might have been one of them), others are perfectly happy to have only a few close friendships. Moreover, apply a growth mindset when it comes to friendships, too - as with anything new, mistakes are expected and also encouraged while making new friends. Until they really discover the other kid’s language of friendship, your child is supposed to make some mistakes, sort them out, and try to see if there is a way to move past them. Last but not least, by far, the best thing you can do to help your child is being available to listen, and offer gentle support and guidance, and that does not require you to be an expert on friendship. There are, however, 3 tips to remember when guiding your child into a new friendship: kids often bond over similarities and what they have in common, they can show an interest in the other kids they like by asking questions, and they can ask for their help or advice because it helps everyone feel good. Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest, it’s about who walked into your life, and said 'I'm here for you’, and proved it. The length of a friendship is nothing compared to the quality of friendship. A healthy friendship is a two-way street, you give and you get, not necessarily at the same time, but when you need it the most. Friendship is a meeting of the hearts and minds, and can fill you with so much joy when you discover that you have so much in common with the other person, or nothing at all, but they somehow fit in your world perfectly. Personally, I think friends are like music: there are friends for all sorts of situations, like there is music for every mood: there is the friend who you know you can always confide in, and they will never like you less, even when you tell them your deepest, ‘darkest’ secret; there is the friend who is always so ingenious and gives you just the right kind of push and motivation you need, when you need it; there is the friend who always knows what to say when you hurt the most; and then, there is the friend who always knows how to party and unwind. And, usually, it is so rare to find all these in one person! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Carmen! Carmen Vasile-Nichita, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine With a degree in Arts, a Major in English Language and Literature and 20 years professional experience in the Education and Technology industries, Carmen is the founder of her own coaching startup, CVN Coaching, an English Teacher by trade, a Communication Specialist, an expat solo parent and a committed life long learner who loves to empower people through thoughtful, differentiated coaching. As a Mindset and Transformational Coach for Kids and Families, Carmen is leveraging the unique principles of Growth Mindset that she has been fostering herself from the inside out, to build a Growth Mindset culture within the environments and people that she is working with. She is also a social media marketing enthusiast and started educating herself in this area when she started creating her own business. Oh, did we mention that Carmen is Romanian-Greek-Hungarian? Why does that matter? Well, it matters because she wholeheartedly embraces diversity and she considers herself lucky to be living in times of globalisation and acceptance.

Written by: Carmelle Riley, 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. 1965 – Jackie De Shannon There was never a more important time for us to expand our knowledge and expression of Love. If you are wanting to manifest more good things into your life and share your love with the World. Read on. Find out why love, taking Heart Centred Action, and using the little-known Universal Law of Attunement are the most powerful ways to manifest any desire, into physical form. Everything is energy. This includes the physical 1% ‘here now’ matter (energy observed) and the 99% invisible field of latent energy, waiting to form. At the energy level, there is a continuous vibrant conversation and a wave-like dancing exchange, between the non-physical and the physical. The Law of Attunement governs the conversation between the field of energy. The law requires energy to dance in-tune, with the pure positive field of infinite Universal intelligence, or fall away. In this silent conversation between matter and the field, attunement can generate an instant shifting of pain in the body, to a feeling of relief, or in an exchange between humans, from great resistance to compassion. The Law of Attunement can only be accessed by ‘tuning-in’ to the Universe’s pure positive field, and one of the easiest ways to do this is with the frequency of love. The way to love comes with gratitude, which is in your gift of breath. Breathing is Gratitude. Who isn’t grateful for the act of breathing? Have you ever had asthma or been around an asthmatic? Spend just a few minutes without breath and you will immediately become grateful for your next lung expanding intake. Sadly, only around 5% of the world’s population are conscious and using breathing to attune up! Conscious breathing embodies Love. The indigenous Māori word [[AROHA]] sums this up, it means both Love and Abundance of Breath. So through love and breath, energy must rise. This natural process has powerful implications for a manifestor. 1. Love Is The Highest Frequency Of The Universe Love is the highest frequency of the Universe. It is the easiest energy to connect to because it's the TRUE frequency of the Universe and all other positive emotions and feelings are a version of love. Love creates Attunement. Energy must rise up or fall away. Try this out for yourself. Think about the things that you love. You don’t have to think too hard to reach the many things that bring you pleasure, happy feelings, or you just love helping others, making someone smile, your hobbies, trees, flowers, the beach, ice-cream, chocolate, watermelon, calamari, fried bread, champagne, cocktails, your family, ancestors, your Nana, your animals, your friends, all the people, dancing, running, falling out of planes, travelling, your comfy bed and all of the places you love. When you think about these – how do you feel? Do you feel an instant warmth? Are you aware of that warm feeling in your chest? Learning to work with the highest frequency of the Universe is easy. It is also the simplest way to think of mobilising energy to you, without having to find any other definition or search for any other rationale with your mind. Just be aware of the energy of love, without having to define whether this is romantic, familial, for God, or for the country. There is no hierarchy of love or loving. Be aware of that sensation of love in your chest. Think of your dog, who always looks at you with unconditional happy love, or the soft warm feeling of snuggling into your pussy cat. Start applying this easy love. Love is not just a simple easy energy that all beings, and humans understand, it's the silken magical thread that connects all energy, and it’s magical spinning simply starts with your awareness of your unlimited capacity to love -and feel this genuinely in your heart. 2. You have a Heart Brain Your heart possesses its own intelligence and is capable of transforming everything in your life and connecting you to the heart of all life. Your heart has neurons like the brain and is 150 x more powerful as a generator than your mind and has neurons just like your mind. Did you know that the passage between your heart and your mind is your shortcut to aligning the physical you, with the spiritual you? This is how you feel your way to alignment to positivity. You connect your focus of thinking with how it feels in your heart (opening the door to your eternally positive Soul) – then you act. Scientists have tested humans and know that the heart is capable of feeling, experiencing, and signalling its intentions before physical states have been seen, heard. “This powerful electromagnetic field can be detected and measured several feet away from a person’s body and between two individuals in close proximity. Your heart is the door to your Soul, to your Spirit. You can instantly feel the power of your heart if you allow yourself. 3. Your Core Essence Is Love The Core Essence of the Universe is Love. And all life is created with this Love. At your essence is Love. And, your loving desires form the very core of you be-ing. To be a human is to be a lover - You love therefore you are. Love creates matter like no-other source and defuses all of the chatter of your mind. Self-love is your Birthright. It is your natural state, and you came into this life equipped with this knowing this - that is why you feel BAD when you deny this state. Your feelings and your emotions exist to guide you back to this natural state. And your Soul, who waits patiently for you to attune to your higher, broader, wiser eternally positive focus, perspective, your knowing and be-ing. Knowing you can attune and access this natural state from wherever you are RIGHT now, can bring YOU back to the relationship with the Universe as your Source, and as the Source of all that is. You can instantly tune in to full Presence and your natural state of love by: Taking a Deep breath from the Earth Becoming Aware of your Heart Space Draw Air into your Heart Sending the Energy back through your Back (Heart) Saying “Eternal Soul”. Notice how you feel now! 4. The Power of Love The power of love is a realm outside realms, and possibly transcends all others. Why, because of the transformative energetic vibrancy that is love. Love is one of the most positive human emotions. It is radiant energy that transforms all life around it. It is your key to personal transformation and the mechanism by which you powerfully affect others. There are powerful acts you can commit with the energy of love. Love transforms matter in a way that no other energy can transform. It has a silent generative influence that starts through making that connection to your heart unencumbered. If you open your heart and send loving energy, your love is sent across the full length of the Universe – it weaves between the matrix like a shockwave that upgrades the system for all. Love then winds its way around the realms and dimensions and comes right back to you like a boomerang. You can send this energy and create ripples of attunement. A scientifically controlled study conducted by German researchers at the University of Kassel has shown that while the chest area of an average person emits only 20 photons of light per second, someone who meditates on their heart centre and sends love and light to others emits an amazing 100,000 photons per second. That is 5000 times more than the average human being. Numerous research is proving that loving and healing intent, increases the frequency and vibration of photons to the point where they can literally change matter, heal disease, and transform negative events. Energy healers are well versed in this powerful transmission that can occur between two people (or more) even on opposite sides of the World. A person in need, can receive instant relief with the Law of Attunement, from love sent, without any physical contact. This is the transmission of love, and the secret energy conversation that occurs between matter. Quantum physics is just catching up on explaining this natural occurrence. As a practising hypnotist and energy worker, I teach people how to use this high frequency of LOVE to manifest their goals, to provide healing and to share the invisible threads of love with their causes, their loved ones, their passions, the Earth. Because so many of us now work remotely, or learn in a digital environment, using love remotely is really one of the most uplifting and amusing practices. Try this out next time you are in a Zoom meeting. Watch how it transforms. Feel calmer. Watch your colleagues catching the bug, and smiling. This little energy hack can shift the whole vibe of your meeting experience right before your eyes. Super Manifestor Tip – Aroha-Love Bombs Take a few deep sweeping breaths and if you like - remind yourself of your Eternal Soul by saying the words and feeling them deep in your chest. Keep your eyes shut while you do this. Create a loving force field that starts with breathing energy and centring awareness of the powerful energy of your heart. Always send love to yourself, your brain, your body, any areas of density, stuck energy, or pain. Grow the field around your body, imagine this energy moving out into the room, outside your house, connect deep the Earth, to the Galactic Core, back behind you to someone – or something you love on the other side of the Earth, and then forward to someone or something you love. Now bring in people who need your love, or who you love, or just whoever pops into your field. Bring in any cause, or just send love to any area of the Earth that needs love, the forests, the oceans, the sky, the Moon, Sun, Planets and Stars, the Galaxy, the Galactic Core. Because time doesn’t confine the Universal magnetic exchange of energy, you can send Aroha, Love into the past, or the future. Remember to send in the Present as well, because your Power is always now, but if you have trauma or sad events that need to be loved – love bomb them up. If you know or sense there are issues with self-love in your past, go back in time and hug yourself, give yourself love as the baby, as the toddler, as the scared child on her first day at school. If you are anxious about an event in the future, ditch worry, it's a useless energy and love bomb the event, or the people connected in the event up. If you are starting a new business, think of your ideal client and love bomb them. Send love to those of your ancestors that you know suffered or need healing. Truly, there are no limits to this practice. Bring in anyone or anything you need to forgive. Let the loving field be one of giving and receiving from the sources of your love without any question of the why. Increase the power in the bomb, and end by sending your Love, off into the Universe, with as much loving force imaginable. A good Aroha Love Bomb usually takes about 25 minutes (you can make it shorter) and you will raise your energy level and do great work for others. If you do this often not only will it start your day on an amazing feel, but you might start to notice synchronicities. People may reach out spontaneously. People will comment on how you have the most amazing energy. You are likely to feel more connected and supported. If you practice, in a short period of time you will also grow a Love bank, which has the impact of shifting your vibe from where most people are: 80% negative, to mostly positive! With the Aroha practice, you can do your most amazing manifesting work: attracting, healing, raising the vibe of the planet, and protecting your circle of light at the same time. Carmelle is a hypnotist, quantum energy healer, and astrologer who lives in New Zealand. The material in this article is part of Carmelle’s forthcoming book “Super Manifestor – how to Hypnotise the Universe into manifesting the Life of Your Dreams”. Teaching people how to apply the Aroha Love Bomb is one of her signature programs. She is recruiting for a new cohort of Super Manifestors from 19 November 2021. You can find out more information about this by emailing:info@manifestorsunite.com Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info! Carmelle Riley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Carmelle Riley (New Zealand) is a pioneer of modern hypnosis and quantum energy transformation who loves to inspire others to build a consistent positive vibration. She is also an Astrologer, and author and the founder of Manifestors Unite. Manifestors seek her wisdom, ancestral knowledge, hypnosis and quantum energy programs because they want to heal limiting beliefs, and up level. She teaches all of the Universal laws (not just the law of attraction), so people feel how easy it is to focus their inner landscape, and from this 'feeling good' place, they quickly emerge into Super Manife-STARs Carmelle works with groups all over the world. Her passion is help others to rise above deep unconscious trauma using their Hearts and Minds. Her signature Aroha Love Bomb technique, shifts energy at the sub-atomic level, so people instantly step into their infinite power. They heal and transform, and use Universal energy for magic - to heal their families and communities, or to create deep Earth and Galactic connections.

Written by: Susan Hum, 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. High achievers are almost always successful; however, not all successful people are high achievers. One common trait of a high achiever is they do not allow room for failure and, in turn, are severe workaholics. Although they may always seem confident, unyielding, and appear to have everything they want in life, the reality is that they have the same fears, problems, and obstacles as everyone else except high achievers perceive and respond to obstacles as challenges, not as problems. High achievers tend to get very intensely focused on achieving goals. They can become irritated and frustrated when things get in their way of progress, and have the tendency to put aside essential things such as their health, family and building deeper, more meaningful relationships with others. Despite all the successes they have attained, they still struggle with finding a sense of meaning, purpose and happiness in their life. By implementing these five spiritual habits into their daily lives, high achievers can start learning to live more consciously in their hearts, and to create a balance and greater sense of fulfilment within themselves. 1. Meditation “Meditation?? Are you kidding?? I can’t even sit still for five minutes let alone sit there and stop my thoughts!” This is a typical response from high achievers when I mention meditation. I get it – I used to believe that as well. The reality is that the beneficial influences of meditation are greater than you think. By implementing a mindful meditation practice, high achievers can find peace within their monkey mind (when the mind is bombarded with too many thoughts, inhibiting focus) and open up mental space for more creativity, thereby achieving desirable results with greater ease and grace. Meditation isn’t just to de-stress or “shut down the brain”. I discovered Transcendental Meditation a few years ago, which works so well with high achievers because the technique allows them to let their thoughts roam, and trains them to not process so they can find stillness within their thoughts. The outcome of mental calmness? A recharged mind capable of processing more information while being better attuned to a variety of different opportunities. Staying with constructive, positive thoughts allows emotions to be controlled, permitting better response to the external environment and openness to new ideas, thus displacing negative emotions such as worries and control. 2. Mindfulness High performers are constantly planning and thinking about how to perfect their ideas, keeping their eyes pinned on tomorrow and the future. Although this is an important part of goal achievement, if not maintaining a balanced life, high achievers can fall into the trap of grinding and forcing their way to success. Connecting to the present moment is a good practice to maintain that balance. Think about how the GPS device works. There are two parameters required for the machine to work: the destination address and the current location. Let’s say one starts driving, and somehow misses an instruction to turn. The device will then recalibrate using the current location to set you back on course. This recalibration is what mindfulness is all about. Mindfulness is the point that connects the future with the past and is the check-in to where one is and how one feels in the present moment. We have already described how meditation helps with focusing in the now. Another very effective way to stay mindful is to connect with nature. It was in my 30s that I started to connect with nature, and what I discovered was an ability to simplify my thoughts and bring more clarity. All human beings have a neurobiological connection with nature. Therefore, being in contact with nature helps with physical and psychological well-being. Remember, life can be simple… not easy. 3. Compassion High achievers have little patience with imperfections in others, especially when those imperfections hinder their own path towards success. Leaders and high achievers tend to be more individualistic, so sometimes they focus only on achieving their goals without slowing down to understand those around them. That being said, there is no double standard here, as high achievers are frequently harder on themselves than they are on others. One of the differences between an unconscious high achiever and a conscious one is the practice of compassion. Conscious leaders can connect with people at all levels because they have compassion. Judgment breaks connection. When there is judgment of others’ limitations and imperfections, there is no teamwork. But it all starts with self-compassion. Reframing how to view failure or redefining what success really helps to build more meaningful relationships, both in business and personally. Conscious high achievers adopt an I win – you win more strategy in their interpersonal dealings, which helps them succeed with much more ease and grace and, most importantly, the journey towards success entails more fun, passion and joy. 4. Gratitude People who maintain solid discipline to achieve success often forget to be grateful, because their focus is constantly on what is next. Goal achievement is not dependent on gratitude, but a daily practice of gratitude is a necessary step towards happiness and a greater sense of purpose. The way to practise gratitude is to appreciate what one has achieved and who one is today, rather than focusing too much on what one doesn’t have and who one wants to become. Therefore, when high achievers express gratitude regularly and live with an appreciative attitude, they cultivate a focus on the positive aspects of their life, subsequently achieving those very experiences and situations they desire. Likewise, thanking others makes them more empathetic towards people, more compassionate, and able to put themselves in the other person's shoes. Grateful people don't have to compete; it is easier for them to achieve in their life, and they will be happier when they do so. 5. Love and be loved For many high performers, achieving a goal becomes an intense focus, leaving no room for anything that might hinder them from that success. So, when it comes to romantic relationships, they often have a belief that it would simply be a negative distraction. The real question here is “If your ideal romantic partner is someone who will be a positive influence towards achieving your goals, would you want love?” If the answer is yes, then you can work on implementing the right attitude and perspective around love. One example is focusing on what is it you want, rather than focusing on not repeating past failures around love. As high achievers are master goal achievers, learning to have more clarity around your ideal love story (the goal) will enable you to focus your eyes to see better opportunities. What we see is what we believe, so if you want to see better opportunities, you need to cultivate that belief. It is not that different from any other goal you set for yourself: the clearer we are on the vision, the more we can seize those opportunities that will lead us to achieve successfully our love goal. Love and success are not mutually exclusive; love enhances our spirit and attracts good vibes. As a result, our life will be happier in all its aspects. Family, partners and friends will see that we are on the right track and that an aura of calm and stability imbues us. From that moment forward, true success, peace and tranquility can be achieved for us and our loved ones as we develop our projects and achieve our goals. Remember that the key to life success is never to give up and always to find different ways to achieve our goals and purpose. Follow Susan on Facebo ok , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit her website for more info! Read more from Susan! Susan Hum, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Susan Hum, aka the LoveHacker, is a thought leader and self-mastery expert who mentors coaches, consultants and entrepreneurs to take their business to next levels while continuing to elevate their own personal growth to become more powerful self-leaders. Susan specializes in the area of influence mastery and persuasive communication with a specific focus on emotional intelligence. Her own personal journey in forming a unique voice and unraveling her personal truth led Susan to achieve success in all pillars of life – family, career, financial freedom, and most importantly, love and incredible relationships. Susan´s success in helping high achievers attract more love and passion into their lives has led her to work with some very prominent leaders in business, sports, music, and Hollywood. In 2020, she created the Steel Rose Movement, a conscious leadership platform for women with a mission to elevate love consciousness in the world by narrowing all divides in society, whether between women, genders, races, cultures, identity preferences, or personal beliefs. Susan deeply believes that self-mastery enables us to Influence with Integrity to Impact by Loving who we are, what we do and how we do it!

Written by: Stefan Eng, 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. Over the last couple of years we have seen a dramatic decrease of airline traffic as a result of the pandemic. People have published screenshots of Flightradar 24 show empty routes globally. IATA has been talking about a massive direct and indirect unemployment. So what will happen now when the pandemic has passed and many regions and countries are opening up? I Asked The Travel Professionals. One of the more delicate questions is; How much of the Business Travelling will actually remain? I strongly believe that the Leisure travel will increase over time, even in comparison to 2019 figures. Bleisure I have a gut feeling that we will see an increase of bleisure too (Business and Leisure). The big question mark is without any doubt the Business Travelling. Tools, like Microsoft Teams and similar in which meetings can be held will save millions of whatever currency as the Business Travel will no more be a neccessity. So, how much will remain of the Business Travel? I asked the members in my Linkedin Group, the Travel Employees Networking Group. The question I raised was; How much of the business traveling will remain when the “new normal” is a fact? The big surprise Surprisingly enough, the answers are not that clarifying as I thought it would be. When the voting is finalised, it turns out that; 20% of the respondents believe 70-85% of the Business Travel will remain. 30% of the respondents believe 55-70% of the Business Travel will remain. 25% of the respondents believe 40-55% of the Business Travel will remain. 25% of the respondents believe 30-40% of the Business Travel will remain. Now, you should know that the majority of the group members and respondents are travel professionals so they should know the answer, right? But to me it is clear, no one really know where Business Travel and up when all this is over. The only thing we do know for sure is that people in general want to travel again. The Caribbean Islands Perhaps the Travel Business as we know it, has come to an end. Instead, we relax on the beach, face the sunset from the beach with Rum Punch in our hand. Looking back at times when we could visit the French Riviera 3-4 times a year. Or Bangkok, Miami, Amsterdam… Follow Stefan on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit his website. Read more from Stefan! Stefan Eng, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Stefan Eng has almost 40 years of experience working for Airlines, GDS's, Travel Agents, Tour Operators, and Airline IT Companies in this global industry. In 2008, Stefan founded the Travel Employees Networking Group in Linkedin. The group is now a relevant and strong platform to collaborate and discuss travel industry trends. Also, members can find open positions or search for new candidates. At present, the group has more than 50 000 members. To support the group, Stefan established in early 2020 the site www.travelemployees.com, an Online Magazine & Marketing Portal for Travel Professionals. Here the audience can find articles, quizzes, and lists by Stefan and his Guest Authors, as well as opportunities to advertise for (or find) the world's greatest travel products and services. Stefan has just released the Travelemployees podcast where he invites guests for a chat on the history, present and future of Travel. (www.travelemployees.com/podcast) Travel Employees Networking Group's Online Magazine Travelemployees.com has been elected to be "One of the Best Online Travel Magazines on the Planet" by Feedspot. Stefan is also a consultant in the travel industry, providing services, especially Product Management, Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Design, and Movie Creation.

Written by: Diana Damyanova , 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 Many theories exist on what leadership is, how it should look like, what's the 'right' style. Yet, people's leadership styles are rarely developed intentionally. They are a function of company cultures, social environment, and overall circumstances. This works for some people some of the time. If a leader wants to do better than that and respectively magnify their impact, they could benefit from a more intentional approach of defining their authentic leadership voice. What is the best time to develop an authentic leadership voice? There is not really a bad time to start working on building an authentic leadership voice. In the beginning, working on it can look simply like noticing and noting what resonates vs. not. When a person is approaching or entering a leadership position (regardless of title), changing roles, teams, companies, industries, etc. is a great time to step up efforts and test different approaches to understand better what resonates. As the pandemic continues, ways of working are being reinvented at what seems like a daily basis, which has magnified the need for leadership at all levels. In other words - there is no better time, than now. How do you know if you already have an authentic leadership voice? In short, if you're asking yourself the question, then chances are that It is still a work in progress. If you’re still not sure, here are some situations that can indicate a leader's voice might benefit from a boost in authenticity include: You're not able to realize the impact you desire You feel like actions go against your own beliefs and are out of integrity You feel unheard or misunderstood even when you're communicating clearly You are in a leadership role but can't convince anyone to follow your lead Your success is inconsistent without a reasonable explanation What often drives the gap in your target voice is: Focus on management vs. leadership Using another person's style instead of one that fits you You have the right style and you're just not using your voice So, what is an authentic leadership voice? Definition: A way of carrying and presenting yourself in your environment and communication style that is true to you, impactful, and effortless. An authentic leadership voice lives in the overlap of: Your own personal values and drivers Your goals and objectives The setting in which you operate Based on this definition – your authentic leadership voice is not fixed – it evolves over time with you and your environment. Respectively, people are not fully exhibiting their true voice when they betray their values, don't speak up for their personal goals, or when they have not adapted their voice to the environment they are in currently. Putting it all together – finding your own voice The bottom line is that using your authentic leadership voice should feel effortless, fulfilling, and impactful. Finding it and bringing it to life should not be time- and energy-consuming, but it requires intentionality. The real challenge to get there is deciding to taking the time to figure out the answers for yourself - what are your values, drivers, goals, objectives, and setting characteristics. Once you answer these questions for yourself, you are ready to start the fun part of the journey - incorporating them in your day-to-day! Three simple steps can help along the way - Notice, Choose, Practice. Commitment to those steps is what will make your authentic leadership voice stick and lead you to where you want to go. Follow me on Linked In , and visit my website for more info! Diana Damyanova, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Diana Damyanova is a former quant, turned strategy and management consultant with experience in variety of industries, most recently financial services. After 10 years in corporate, Diana left that world to start her own Growth and Performance coaching practice. Diana works primarily with unfulfilled overachievers who struggle to let go of constantly sprinting, holding their breath, and going nowhere they care about. She partners with her clients to finally exhale and start moving intentionally and powerfully towards their vision as Satisfied Achievers.

Written by: Jennifer Wert, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. In ALL relationships, one of the hardest and yet most important things to do is to not take things personally. When another human acts in a certain way, we’ve got to remember it’s not about us. It’s their choice and has to do with what’s going on inside of them. This boundary-setting leads to healthy relationships, where we’re responsible for ourselves. Similarly, as invested and embedded in our children as we may be, we’ve got to practice this in our relationship with them. Conscious parenting at times means detaching from our kids enough to see the ‘you’ and the ‘me’. To differentiate. To not become immeshed. To allow them to emancipate. It can take work, but it’s a wonderful practice for deepening all relationships. It may sound counter-intuitive - to step back and hold boundaries means you become closer? But, it’s true. Our children’s frontal lobes are developing; their hormones are changing. They have lots and lots of feelings about what's happening in the world and what’s happening to them and all this comes out, oftentimes sideways. At us. We’re their safest place and we want to be this for them, however this means we are the ones who get to see it all - all their moods, their mess and their unfiltered rawness. Many kids save it up all day long, steeling themselves to act appropriately in public until they get home and can let down their walls with us. It's our work to not take any of it personally. To stay as neutral as possible and allow them the freedom to have their emotions while maintaining boundaries. When our kids are grumpy, rude or downright ornery, it’s super hard, but the work is on us not to take it personally. They’re having their own experience and ought to be allowed that. When we’re resourced, we handle it more evenly. When we’re not, it’s of course harder to do so. But, the learning is there. Taking care of ourselves by not taking it personally when our children are acting ungrateful or showing attitude will help us to hold space for them and remain neutral. This way they aren’t subliminally charged with taking care of us and we aren’t getting in the way of them expressing their feelings. A reminder for all relationships - but most especially, the one with our children. The relationship we most want to be strong, safe and authentic. Don’t take it personally. You can also get connected to her social media accounts; Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn! Read more from Jennifer! Jennifer Wert, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Professional Parent Coach, Jenn Wert, serves parents of young children around the globe who are looking for support in their conscious parenting. With a Master’s in Education, educator, and doula experience along with post-graduate social-emotional training, Jenn knows how to counsel parents who want to authentically communicate with their children. After decades of her own therapy, while concurrently working with many different family types, she brings honesty to her conversations and discernment to her listening that allows clients to grow. Jenn inspires parenting that is nurturing, true and transformative.

Written by: Jodie Gallant, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. We’re all in the habit aren’t we? Marketing beyond our products and services, when we’re looking to grow our sales and visibility, we often go straight into marketing strategies. It makes sense… I get it. Data shows these marketing strategies work. But what if now is the time take an inward look at how building culture, team, and communicating desired outcomes is the new driver for success? In a time when so many communities are challenged by limited resources when it comes to human contribution, we need a new way to elevate and achieve success in today’s environment. It is time to consider internal marketing strategies as a new focus for businesses of all sizes. Let’s consider some ways you can secure your teams and collaborations to drive your business’s vision. Strength Strength comes from your VISION, your solid and discerning commitment to your goals, desired outcomes, impact, lifestyle, and emotional wellbeing. That strength has been tested in an entirely new realm since the Coronavirus Pandemic began and ultimately, it has tested our core values, desired quality of life, and vision. What we knew before is no longer the norm. Our survival to remaining in business was determined by the strength we carried in our commitment to our decision and our vision. Now we are challenged to surrender to how to achieve that vision and how to think differently about the decisions we make. I do a lot with Vision Mapping with clients, because if we don’t know where we are going, we will make decisions that keep us stagnant or take us off path. But I also know when we don’t know what to do, our vision does. It gives us the foundation to navigate new ideas, different approaches, and new technology, forcing along with new efficiencies and a solid check and balance on what we have in place. How we are working today, maybe supporting an old version of life that is no longer or is creating new possible pathways to the vision we hold steady. Strategy This is the plan of ACTION based on your desired outcome or vision! This is where we would reverse engineer a road map from where we stand today to where we are going. Keep in mind, this is just a guide. If we come up against a challenge and we don’t know what to do, our vision knows! We need to lean into the thinking and creative design, dreaming and etching of options, so we can make a decision that allows us to continue moving toward the desired outcome. Strategy essentially is the journey, the data, the feedback, and is effective only when we are accountable to the truth of what we are seeing, hearing, and experiencing within the confines of our actions. Let’s remember though to be careful of our tendency to move right into strategy to achieve. Sometimes, there is more in the trust, the knowing and the operation over the strategy. If we are narrowed in on a specific path to grow or achieve, we will miss the budding opportunities that may just make the journey and the speed of progress EASY!! Three Types of Strategy 1. Business Strategy – How a company will approach the marketplace, taking their products/service to the community. 2. Operational Strategy – the action plan to implement the business strategy. Asking questions like… What processes do we need to have or improve? What capabilities do we have or do we need? What technologies do we need? What are the human resources we need, and what is the desired outcome they are responsible for? 3. Transformational Strategy – The strategy most avoid, that delivers the greatest result. The strategy of disrupting and questioning everything from systems, operations, people and approaches; essentially to really test if that is what it will take to reach the desired outcome or is it an old pattern that is no longer driving success. And, of course, the end game is… Success Ultimately, this is seeing the reality of your desired outcome manifest! So, if you are one of the many businesses challenged by the lack of human contribution I mentioned earlier in this article, allow me to challenge you to think outside the box. Consider engaging your existing team to create a new way of operational strategy where you can embark on a transformational strategy that will ensure your human contribution in whatever form that flows and brings you SUCCESS! Ask Yourself… How are you effectively building retention? How are you evaluating your team of skill and talent toward implementing strategy that drives your goals to reality? Are you asking your team what they need to thrive? What are they looking for in quality of life between work and home? Are you staying solid in the old paradigm of job descriptions over how you are using the talent within? Are you staying in an old structure of hiring vs outsourcing? Based on your answers, look into options that… Weave the digital and physical experience Open space to express what is needed today Trial new ways of doing things, start back at defining the desired outcome, and create a new approach Co-create and look at how to balance “we” and “me” work As a marketing strategist, I also encourage you to leverage your community, whether online, social, digital, email, or walk-in. Highlight and show how fun it is to work on the inside and create a culture that leaves potential employees asking how to join your team because of FOMO. We need to elevate our efforts of marketing, relationship building, communication and experience from within, as that is equally as important and valuable as our customers and lead generation initiatives. Leverage the strength of your vision, embrace the strategy that will guide you toward your desired outcome and success is to follow. Want to learn more from Jodie? Follow her on Facebook or Linkedin and visit her website. Read more from Jodie! Jodie Gallant, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Business Strategist and Coach for JMG Business Strategy, Jodie Gallant, uses her experience in marketing and planning, paired with owning 5 NH local businesses while raising a vibrant family, to inspire, lead, and support entrepreneurs to achieve the life they desire through the design of their business. Having left a secure 15-year corporate marketing and leadership career in 2012 to build two family businesses alongside her husband and three small children, Jodie quickly realized the hustle and grind was not going to work. Today she guides her clients to achieve their goals with the support of the strategies and tools she lives by. Jodie is the host and curator of the Connect Mastermind for ambitious female leaders, offers 1:1 Coaching for high-performers, and is the host of the To The Point Podcast.

Written by: Ulrika Sullivan, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Have you ever been distracted and taken off course by giving your energy away? I’m standing in my cozy and bright home office. My workday is about to start. Today I have this big vision of what I want to create today. I feel ready to go and I am pumped for the day just thinking about the idea of what I want to accomplish. I am sitting down at my desk and immediately I go deep into creation. I don’t really have to stop and think, it feels like I’m flowing with it and things just come together. An exhilarating feeling come over me, “I LOVE this work!” I feel a bubbly feeling through my body and suddenly this feeling of lightness and I chuckle to myself “I could do this forever!” and my heart smile inside. I continue beyond time and space. An hour later I happen to look at my phone and I think to myself “WOW it felt like a second since I started!”. I take a sip from my half-full water bottle that has been waiting for me to pick it up. I lean back in my desk chair. I look out the window and take a deep inhale and let the exhale out fully. The feeling of being in total immersion of what I love to do is like a love for life. I can’t wait to continue. I take another sip of water. Then something happens. A thought come into my mind. “Let’s check my phone!” And in a millisecond I pick up my phone to check the activity on my usual five apps. And I scroll, and scroll some more… And just like that. The magic is gone. The flow and the ease, the loving sensation of passion in my heart for what I was doing in the midst of feeling one with my creation is gone. Feeling empty. The urge to continue scrolling and restless feeling of “I’ll never get there, it’s not going to be good enough” shower over me and completely take over, as my eyes move from post to post. I find myself half an hour later still scrolling. I inhale deeply, close my eyes and put the phone down. The energy of enthusiasm and flow I had been feeling half an hour ago is gone, and now I am feeling down and telling myself that what I was creating wasn’t good enough… What I’m highlighting here is the moment when we go from being one with the creative force of the Universe where we just flow to allowing ourselves to disrupt our creative power and flow and give it away. And in that millisecond we give our energy away. We give our energy away, because of a distracting thought (or a person, or a situation) showing up in the moment and we swallow it like a fish going for a hook disguised by a delicious bate. We allow this energy disruption in small moments and in big moments in our lives. Has this ever happened to you? I am almost 100% sure this is the case daily for many of us. It happens in relationships where we allow others to just walk in, interrupt us and compromise our power and flow, and it happens when electronics are calling us to pick them up or in any other situation, we allow ourselves to mindlessly get interrupted because something outside of us is calling us. What happens is that we give our energy away to the unawakened part of us that wants to, people please to keep other’s happy, give in to the fear of missing out or make way for other people’s needs and wants in an instant. By allowing others to walk in or things to pop up and interrupt our flow, which takes us off course and our power and flow is lost. Because that’s how many of us are taught how it looks like to take care of others. This is to a high price. We compromise our natural connection to our creative flow, passion and unlimited life-force and it’s gone in an instant. Whatever the situation is there’s a feeling of emptiness and hopelessness. Simply, because we were giving our energy and power away in that moment of distraction. Why do we do that so easily? You can make a shift from being unaware of your energy to becoming aware of your energy. Increasing your energy awareness is done in everyday living. We maintain our habits and patterns unconsciously most of the time, and it’s the little moments where we keep giving our energy was that creates “holes” in our energy that can add up to a whole Swiss cheese of self-doubt, hopelessness and struggle. When we are not maintaining that core of inner energy and inner power we are starting to doubt our own flow, and we doubt what we can do and our initial intention for the day gets forgotten amongst serving everyone else’s energy. So what does it take to come back to that inner core of energy, that creative force that builds and fills us up? Firstly I’d say that making the shift from unconscious behavior to conscious behavior about what’s going on in our everyday life is one of the most important things you can do. Notice all the times when you’re getting distracted from what your original intention was. Take note. Observe what’s happening and what it does to you. Is it a pattern? It may be a certain person that this happens with all the time? It may be a certain repeating situation where this is especially evident? It’s in the little moments the Swiss cheese, the breakdown of your energetic aura is created by you giving your energy away. Because it’s only you who can allow that hole and Swiss cheese to be created. No one can create that energetic hole for you. You allow it to happen. What I’m suggesting here is examine that core of energy within you and how you naturally build it up and notice what’s poking a hole in it on a daily basis. This exercise will quickly bring you from unconscious to conscious about what’s impacting your energy and power on a daily basis. This way you increase your energy awareness. Secondly, once you know what the pattern is (and often it is a long-held pattern), it’s time to decide what to do to not let it happen again. This takes practice. It won’t be the perfect first time around. That’s why it’s a daily practice. We get a new chance every day to keep our energy and power intact and live with ease and flow. Because when we do maintain that energetic column within and around us, we stay inflow. So, take one of your observations where you get distracted and taken off course and intend a different outcome. A few weeks later, it’s mid-morning and I am in my office again. I am so excited about the idea I have and I can envision it come into form as I prepare my office space for an undisturbed session of creation. I put my diffuser on and the smell of palo santo calms me down as I am clearing the energy around me and in the room before I start. I set the intention for what I am envisioning as pull a few cards to pick up a few added messages for my creation. Suddenly, someone is at my door knocking. So many times before I would have dropped what I was doing to say “Yes what do you need?” and then got up from my chair greeting the person. Not this time. I calmly say without taking my focus away from what I am doing, “I’m available in an hour, please come back then.”And that is it. An hour later I admire the most beautiful creation completed and I am so happy and content about the result. I had tried something new. I consciously and calmly maintained my inner energy. I stood in my power and I finished what I wanted to create from start to finish. Someone’s back at my door knocking. I smile and with an open and welcoming smile I say “What can I help you with?” You too can become aware of your own energy by starting to observe yourself and your daily patterns. Notice the difference in how you feel as you become more aware of your inner power and flow instead of giving it away. I invite you to get personal guidance from me to increase your energy awareness. Visit me here: https://ulrikasullivan.com/intuitive-spiritual-life-coach Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Ulrika! Ulrika Sullivan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ulrika Sullivan is an intuitive spiritual life coach, yoga teacher, and energy healer. After leaving a stressful multitasking corporate career that left her feeling on autopilot, Ulrika realized she didn’t know who she truly was. A complete inner shift led her to her “point-of-no-return” when she with clarity connected with her true self, natural talents, and life purpose. Ever since Ulrika is successfully helping busy working women to connect with their own intuition, find their inner calm, self-love, and life balance, so that they can live with more ease and flow. Ulrika is the host of the podcast “New Light Living - See Your Life in a New Light”.

Written by: Ailsa Keppie , 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. One might think that studying anything to do with sex is frivolous and definitely not to be included in any ‘serious’ therapeutic intervention, but I am here to tell you that studying sex was THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of my healing journey! I had just spent almost two decades of my life wearing a burka, looking after my four daughters and living as one of two wives with a Moroccan Muslim man. Sex was not a big part of my life and when it was, it played a very small part of my role as a ‘good’ wife. I had not explored my own pleasure since my early 20’s before I had converted to Islam and become pregnant with my first daughter. I would go on to have three more daughters in the next five years and for anyone who understands having kids, parenting is more than a full time job and usually does not leave much room for your sex life to flourish. This was on top of an already rocky relationship where my husband had distanced himself more and more from any real intimacy with me. For this reason, when I got my divorce 18 years later, I emerged feeling like a horny teenager with no real outlet or understanding of my own desires. I had no idea how to date, flirting was a long lost skill and after covering up my body in front of all men for so long, I wondered how my body would look in lingerie again. After spending a few frustrating months trying to learn on my own, I began a wider search looking for help with discovering my Erotic Self. I took a few online courses and began to have some confidence that things could still work for me and I became interested to learn more. One of the women I reached out to had begun her training as a Sexological Bodyworker before embarking on leading groups for women. She suggested I look into the training and I followed her advice. I ended up finding the Institute of Somatic Sex Education in BC, Canada and with great trepidation began my studies of Intimacy and Sexology leading to my first in-person, weeklong immersion. It totally blew me away along with many of my hangups around my body and my perceived inability to be in a normal romantic relationship. I remember one exercise we did around ‘taking’ our pleasure with another person (after agreeing on consensual boundaries). One of the other participants asked if he could play with my hair and as I agreed and allowed him to take pleasure in feeling my hair run through his fingers, I began to cry and couldn’t stop. It was such a beautiful feeling to have someone get pleasure through touching me, and it was an amazing feeling to fully allow the feeling in myself and not just numb out. When it was my turn to take pleasure, I found my fingers had their own desires and I let them run lightly over my partner’s chest. Feeling the hair and the contours of his torso completely for my own pleasure and not out of any duty or feeling of ‘have to’, was so freeing. Suddenly I could feel my own wanting coming to the surface in many other ways. The Sexological Bodywork training continued over three years and as I became more aware of myself and my own feelings and desires, I found my life changing in other ways. I became more confident, I advocated for higher pay in my workplace as a massage therapist. I managed my parenting role with more authority and less emotional breakdowns. Best of all, I began to relate to myself as a person, someone who deserved pleasure. So now, when people ask me how I got to the place I am now, with my own business, four daughters in post-secondary education, a new and loving partner; I have to answer it was definitely the training in Sexology that tipped the balance. Of course, there is always more to the story and you can read about it here in my memoir entitled “By the Light of the Crescent Moon” available at Indigo Chapters, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. If you needed a gentle nudge in the direction of exploring your pleasure and sexuality, then consider this a personal invitation and permission. I can vouch for the results! With pleasure, Ailsa Want to learn more from Ailsa? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Youtub e , and visit her website. Read more from Ailsa! Ailsa Keppie, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ailsa is a trained intimacy Educator and Somatic Therapist and has been working in hands-on bodywork, somatic coaching, and healing for over a decade. Ailsa Keppie brings aspects from her background in circus arts, physical theatre, music, dance, myofascial release, bioenergetic processes, archetypes, and spirituality to her work with clients. She is a published author of her compelling memoir entitled "By the Light of the Crescent Moon," which describes her incredible journey into Islam and polygamy and how it lead to her awakening and reclamation of her own Eros and power. Ailsa works with individuals, couples, and groups both online and in-person at her retreat center, Our Celtic Hearth, in Nova Scotia, Canada, where she resides with her current life partner.