Written by: Gabrielle Haili, 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 think, to forgive, meant that I was telling people, “it’s okay to hurt me, consequences are no longer necessary because I’m over it, so you're allowed to stay in my life.” Have you ever wondered why you keep hearing people preach about forgiveness? Forgiveness is not one of those things that people do out of a desire to appear virtuous. What if I told you that forgiveness is a powerful tool to help you feel better physically, emotionally, and energetically and it’s not about letting people get away with the wrongs they've done? These insights on forgiveness will help you to understand why forgiveness must be done as soon as possible to protect your body from toxins, to cut the string that keeps you connected to the people who have hurt you, and how it has nothing to do with letting them off the hook. 1. Non-forgiveness is self-abuse. I love the way Michael Beckwith said it, “biologically, these emotions associated with non-forgiveness produces toxicity in the bloodstream.” When bad feeling thoughts are repeated in the mind, it produces lower energy emotions like anger, resentment, and fear; causing hormones like cortisol to be secreted in the bloodstream. When this occurs over and over for a long period, it causes illness, fatigue, and mental health issues. Not to mention, non-forgiveness is painful. Energetically, it feels like tension, constriction, anger, and hostility. No matter what you do in your life when you’re experiencing these moments in the mind, over and over, the body doesn’t understand the difference between what our body is physically experiencing and what is occurring in the mind, it just reacts and doses you with potentially harmful hormones over time. You can think of it as a drug overdose. The truth is, we don’t have to re-energize the painful experiences, we have a choice. Does it mean that we will forget it? No, but it is possible to remember the event without experiencing the pain, so that you may learn from it. 2. Imagine non-forgiveness as a little string forever tying you to a person(s)! Yikes! If you’re like me, that's a big “HELL NO, I don't want any connections, thank you very much!” I remember, one time I asked someone out on a date and they humiliated me in front of their friends. After that, when I used to think about being bold and pursuing the men I was interested in, I instantly shunned that idea from my mind because I thought that other people would embarrass me too! However, forgiveness is more like you getting scissors and you cutting the string that’s tying you to the person and ridding that emotional charge from your life. When you detach from the person(s), it allows you to move forward and learn from it so you don’t have to continue repeating the experience over and over again. How do you know if you really forgave them? When you imagine the one who you believe is the cause of your pain, and you feel an emotional charge, this is your clue that you’re still tied to them; they have your power because you are the one who’s hurting. If you feel nothing, then the connection is severed. I am so grateful to myself that I moved on from that fear because the last person I boldly asked on a date, is now the love of my life. Where would I be if I didn’t change? The event will always be there, but it doesn’t have to hold you hostage from your sense of joy nor does it have to dictate the choices you make in life. Most importantly though, it doesn’t mean that what they did was okay! 3. Forgiveness doesn’t mean they get to be a part of your life or that you ever have to talk to them again. Hello, boundaries! Boundaries are your BFF. You get to decide whether they get to be an active member of your life or not. If they’re family, could you love them from a distance? For example, if you guys talk every day, could you talk once a week? Once a month? To forgive, you DON’T have to reach out to them to move on. You CAN forgive them in your mind and it will be just as effective. This doesn’t mean the person who hurt you shouldn't to jail, pay for what they did, or even rot in hell. It doesn’t mean that what happened to you wasn’t fair or didn’t hurt. Forgiveness is not for the benefit of other people. Forgiveness is a BENEFIT to you. Remember non-forgiveness only hurts you, not the other person, so why should your body be the one paying for it time and time again? Forgiveness is there for the benefit of our own personal wellness and the ability to experience joy in our lives. It’s one of those practices we do to release the pain, learn to let go, and heal so we can live boldly free of external events. Now that you have insight into how forgiveness physically harms the only body you have, keeps you energetically connected to a person(s), and you understand that it’s not a permission slip for others to keep hurting you, you can stop holding yourself hostage from feeling better regularly. Forgiveness is a powerful gift to give yourself. It has this tangible sensation to it that you can actually feel! In my experience, forgiving others feels like weightlifting from my shoulders. It feels like relief and liberation. If you have 5 minutes to spare, find a space where you can be alone and try out one of my favorite forgiveness meditations from Michael Beckwith. Click here to get started! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, or visit my website for more info! Gabrielle Haili, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Gabrielle Haili is a transformational life coach and the founder of Boldly Free, LLC. She is passionate about helping impact-driven women heal from lingering traumas so they can transform their lives, businesses, and relationships. The content of her life became the curriculum for her evolution. For most of her life, she endured mental illness, substance abuse, and suicidal tendencies as a result of traumatic experiences including sexual abuse from childhood into her mid-twenties, the loss of her brother at 21 years young, and surviving a life-threatening narcissistic relationship. As a result of going through those experiences, her mission is to help people heal from trauma and raise the level of consciousness of 1 billion people. In her coaching programs, she loves to talk about self-awareness, disidentifying from thoughts, transforming emotions, and embracing boundaries.

Written by: Ruxandra Dariescu, 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. How we think is the foundation for how we interact, learn, create, decide, perform, observe, innovate, invest, grow, trust, collaborate and, at the end of the day, how we deliver our work. A few years ago, a teacher said to my son, “Your test objective was to solve a problem, and I like how you thought about solving it. It is original, and your results are correct. But I don’t want you to think that way. You have to think in the way will be marked.” They asked an 8-year-old kid to stop thinking his way because he would not get the recognition. He felt rattled and left the school building understanding that only one way of inflexible thinking would qualify for performance rewards. Curious about how other school-age students think, I explored further the school time “thinking experience”. I asked teenagers from 4 different countries and of various ages if they took the time to think, understand and discuss their study’s usefulness during class. For example, if they learn about France as a Geography topic and have a country map of all the roads, do they discuss the map as part of a system? If it is a valuable object for someone driving across the country, does it make it equally useful for a sea Captain on the French coast? Do they think about the design meaning, or do only they learn about different symbols representation? Are they invited to think that Geologists, Meteorologists, or Climatologists use maps of the same territory but with a different meaning, relevance or design systems? The number of answers is equal: “never” and “less than half of the time” is invested in thinking about or discussing system-level aspects. Fast-forwarding from the school benches to a group of business leaders, I recently asked them about their time ratio investment between thinking/doing. Only 15% of the respondents said they invest more than half of the time thinking on multiple levels. The majority said they spend 10 to 40% of their time understanding a problem and designing ways to solve it, leaving 60 to 90% of the time invested in doing, followed by much re-doing! The rewards seem to also go along with the doers regardless of how they get there. The answers to thinking-as-a-child-in-school and thinking-as-an-adult-in-the-workplace align: less than half of the time invested is in thinking. It tells the story of “doers generations”. But the world is changing! The challenge arises when the space of doers becomes too crowded, is subject to automation or artificial intelligence application, and when the business world moves to rewarding other skills. Cultivating a collaborative culture, working in teams, or maintaining social interactions are among the top 16 most significant problems of today’s business leaders (Forbes.com). Market reports about the future of work state that the top 15 skills required in the coming years include critical thinking, analytical thinking and systems thinking (World Economic Forum data). So, what is the secret that makes a project delivery sustainable? When coaching for sustainable project delivery, the first step towards performance is supporting a project team to zoom into their thinking models and become aware of the entire system of interactions. Sustainable delivery means that teams can create and maintain a certain activity level, a rhythm directly linked to the agreed purpose and objectives. Many business leaders make a positive difference in the world through their activities, take time and value thinking. They become performant in their work, deliver successfully and maintain their performance due to their investment in thinking. They understand their system of interconnected components, design decision-making frameworks, apply analytical thinking to correlate relationships, and follow a sustained sharp focus on the action. They invite the people in their organisations to be part of a continuous exercise of awareness about the process of thinking, learning to intuitively recognise when the thought process is not serving the objective. The balance between thinking and doing is changing. Performant people think about the three secrets of interconnected systems of an organisation: The Business Secret The organisational system setup needs to consider all interactions as part of the environment design and culture. The Business secret: connect the purpose and objectives simultaneously with every plan, person, process and client. It is the continuous exercise of alignment between purpose and objectives that determines fluent interactions flows across the entire environment. The People Secret Combining knowledge and experience with project-specific roles and responsibilities rather than generic role titles create the premise for sustainable delivery. The People secret: understand that role titles without substance and a direct connection with relevant rewards distort people interactions and lead to failures in the delivery game. The Operations Secret An integrated system of processes keeps the environment moving together and gives everyone, at the same time, the direction in which the data, information, and knowledge flow to maintain the clarity of action. Supported by the right tools, people can play well together to deliver efficiently and sustainably. The Operations secret: ensure the relevance of processes and tools at all times because flaws in their intersections lead to ruptures in delivery. A sustainable delivery performance approach moves the conversation from the endless cycles of the task, time, or budget to the value of people interactions systems connecting the business with the people and the operations. Our trademarked coaching model for project Deliverability™, part of ACCORD Pulse™ toolset, brings transparency to team interactions. The Deliverability™ model drives people away from blame, assumptions, and expectations in interaction. It supports project teams to visualise and track how individual subjectivity translates into team objectivity throughout the project. It creates the space for renewed connections between purpose, objectives, planning, collaboration, decision-making, team gameplay, continuous learning, and re-skilling for sustainable delivery. By monitoring project Deliverability™, the team adapts to a sustainable balance of the entire group’s play rhythm. As a result, people transform and free up the space to adopt the habits that connect them to deliver together. CHOOSE SMART. PLAY TOGETHER. BOOK NOW A FREE EVALUATION Follow Ruxandra on Linkedin and find out about her upcoming book “Deliverability™ - the future of sustainable project delivery”: Deliverability™ and ACCORD Pulse™ are brands owned and trademarked by the author. Ruxandra Dariescu, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ruxandra Dariescu is a Sustainable Performance Business Coach who founded and currently leads The Product Schools, a purposeful endeavour to Integral Digital Transformation design connecting the soul of the business with the natural environment, the AI-vision, the strategy and its people well-being and values. She coaches and leads with the same amount of passion. A Biochemist Scientist by education, with a career of almost 25 years in leading executive roles, Ruxandra invented Deliverability™, a performance coaching tool centred around people working together towards a common project purpose. Through individual and team coaching programmes, Ruxandra helps business leaders understand that recognising a play pattern between people can transform performance and free up space for exploration, passions, well-being, and, ultimately, sustainable growth. Her philosophy: take inspiration from nature, do good work, make a positive change, and breathe in a fast-paced world. Choose smart. Play together.

Written by: Joelle Amouroux-Huttner, 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. When was the last time, you were completely and utterly immersed in a task? Maybe you were oblivious to the outside world, focused only on your own progress and what was going on at that very moment in the here and now. Maybe you were doing something you love, like playing music or a certain sport, before realizing that time had totally passed you by. That moment is called Flow. Flow is one of those highly enjoyable states of being, wrapping us entirely in the present, and helping us be more creative, productive, and happy. You may know of Flow in different terms, like the Zone or the Groove depending if you are an artist or an athlete. McKinsey quarterly research reports that in that state of Flow, you are likely to experience an increase in productivity of more than 500%. Not surprisingly, such results have led leaders and managers to be encouraged to promote “Flow” in the workplace. But, the same McKinzey’s research also found that people report being in flow ‘only’ 10% of the time. 5 steps to get into flow A simple increase of 20% of time spent in Flow would translate into a substantial increase in productivity and overall well-being. Unfortunately, people don’t necessarily know how to get into the flow and therefore can’t explain to others how to do it. Getting in flow is not rocket science. It is rather simple if you know the steps. But most don’t know how to. Here is a chance to learn. Let’s look at increasing your productivity with these 5 steps to get in the flow. 1. Define your goal Be very specific about what you want to achieve, and have a clear image of that goal in your mind and what it means practically for you. Make it SMART: Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant to you, and finally Time-bound. Make sure your goal will stretch your capacity a little, yet won’t be too challenging, making it unrealistic. The research by McKinzey reports a sweet spot at about 4% above your own capacity. 2. Schedule in time to get in the flow, increasing your productivity Whether you are setting up your day, your week, your month, or your year, it is important to define set times when you will be working on your important goal and make those times non-negotiable. It is too easy to focus on the minor points on our to-do lists leaving you feeling busy yet not productive. Give yourself enough time to be able to get into Flow. It takes on average about 15/20 minutes of focused attention to achieve Flow. So it is important to schedule a long enough period of time to achieve and stay in Flow. Finally, make those scheduled times non negociable. They are as important as any appointments in your calendar. To achieve those goals, you need to make them a priority. 3. Eliminate any distractions and interruptions Turn off your phone, switch off notifications… Programs exist to limit notifications, alerts, and even access to the internet (except for those programs needed for your work) during the periods that you have set up as flow time. The same goes for interruptions. Make it clear to everybody around you that you're not to be interrupted during those times. Whenever you get distracted or interrupted, on average, it will take you 15 to 20 minutes to get back in Flow. Do the math! How many times, are you interrupted or distracted in your work day and how much time does it cost you in terms of productivity? 4. Create an environment where you can be totally focused If you are adept at multitasking, you are in for a rude awakening. To achieve Flow, you need to be entirely focused and concentrated on the task at hand. Hence the previous point about distraction and interruption. But you also need to help your brain stay focused and concentrated. There are several methods to help you there. They are designed to keep your mind from getting distracted and to get you more focused faster. Aside from programs such as those controlling external distractions, those noise-canceling headphones, or even brain entrainment programs, you could choose to follow a meditation practice, or some simple breathing exercises to slow down your thoughts and calm your mind before you engage in any activities. 5. Take a break regularly While it would be tempting once in Flow to want to stay in and continue, it is important to stop at the end of the allocated time, to give your brain a break. Being in Flow is pleasant and a reward in itself, but it is also extremely demanding. Take a break, go for a walk, or do something completely different, before you can decide to engage in the process again. Furthermore, having a time limit will make the process of concentrating and focusing that much easier as your brain will recognize that even if the process is uncomfortable to start with, it is not meant to last forever. Conclusion Now, while those steps are common sense and may appear simple, they are easily dismissed because of their deceiving simplicity. Simplicity does not mean easy. Like with any skill, you will need to start with the basics before you can master the skills and get better, that will only happen with time and consistent practice. With regular practice and some persistence, you will see a rapid improvement in your productivity level at work and in your life, creating a virtuous cycle. I often notice that while we know the simple steps to achieve something or anything, we are rarely implementing them. They are often deemed too easy and so are overlooked. Yet “Complexity is the Enemy of Execution”. In my practice, I focus on helping busy leaders improve their ability to get in a flow. It translates into higher productivity, and a reduced sense of being stressed. They feel more energised. As their skills improve, so is their self-confidence. Their sense of accomplishment soars. I help them learn the steps, and most importantly, practice those steps consistently. If you, like many people, find yourself struggling to implement common sense, then, maybe we could have a conversation to help you define what you can do to kickstart the process. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Joelle Amouroux-Huttner, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Joelle Amouroux-Huttner is a coach specializing in burnout recovery and getting people back in flow. After a total burnout, Joelle experienced first hand the struggle of recovering mentally and emotionally after a burnout. She learned methods to help herself recover and regain her self-confidence. She never looked back and has strive ever since. She has dedicated her life to helping others manage their stress, strive and live life to the fullest. Her international clients include CEOs, top managers, Leaders, actors and performers, students. Her mission is to help you thrive – not survive – despite the pressures of our modern-day, fast-paced business world. The goal is freedom, fun, and more than a little joy.

Written by: Martina Hrubes-Rios, 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. Reasons and Tips on how to unstuck yourself and get going with momentum! What Is Holding You Back from creating Lasting Change? Change is the only certain constant. Without change, there would be no evolution, but most people resist change until they have no other option. Why is that? Our brains get hard wired over the years, which determines our habits and behaviours including how we see ourselves in this world. It also has the tendency to keep us stuck in our comfort zone. That is because we have an “error alert system” that sees new experiences as a threat, causing anxiety and fear in an attempt at stopping us from moving forward. Our brain stores information (imagine a box) by allocating it to what it knows, so if it doesn’t know how to store a new experience, because it is new, it gets confused and can create panic. This is a process of how we learn new skills and store memories, learning gets associated with memories, however as we get older, we build up our storage box of what we know, and thus this becomes the programming. The good news is that if you want to create change and are willing to commit to the process you can overwrite the computer program with a new story, new belief systems and a new identity. Read on for more tips and steps on how to take steps to move forward. 1. Getting Clear! Purpose driven motivation will create commitment. TIP: In order to be committed and motivated to take the essential steps towards change you need to get clear first on what your goal is. Is it really what you want or is it something that you think you want? Don’t go chasing other people’s dreams or get confused with other people’s expectations of how you should live your life. Instead ask yourself, what is the purpose of this goal? Why do you want it? What will happen if you don’t take the steps towards it? Is your pain point or your reason big enough? Purpose-driven motivation is the most forceful type of motivation. Imagine this: Your new goal is the holiday destination you want to get to, your couch at home is your comfort zone and your purpose-driven motivation is the vehicle to get you to those sunset cocktails. 2. Mindset is everything! You may have heard this many times! Yes, having the “Right Mindset” is absolutely everything that makes the difference between those that are high achievers and those that stay stuck in their life ruts complaining. With a limited mindset, you literally limit your life experience and possibilities to what could be. Your fears keep you stuck in your walls of where you are and how you perceive yourself. You follow others instead of taking the lead. You live life by what happens to you instead of taking accountability and choose. Building a Growth Mindset is the basis for overcoming fear of judgement or failure, it is the tool to get you through times of discomfort, overwhelm or when feeling lack of confidence. It takes practice to shift your mindset like a muscle that needs to be trained. Tip: Build your own strategy of how you will get there. Assess your level of Growth Mindset and be honest about what fears, challenges could hold you back. Knowing yourself, your habits and daily routines, helps you to prepare your mindset for how you will overcome certain situations and what habits have to be changed in order to achieve your goal. Developing a Mindset of Success & Leadership means to become highly self-aware, changing your perspective of how you see yourself or a situation and ultimately take aligned actions. 3. EQ is more important than IQ When it comes to determining a person’s long-term success, researchers have recognised that Emotional Intelligence (EQ) outperforms Intellectual Intelligence (IQ). People with high level of EQ are aware of their own moods, emotions, and motives and able to manage or redirect them and their behaviour. This also requires your ability to be flexible, think before reacting, be open to change, and know how your emotions affect others. To achieve your goals successfully you will have to be flexible in its approach. Psychological Flexibility is the Superpower of Mental Health and Wellbeing and people that are psychologically flexible are skilled at taking on feedback and perspectives from others and recognising when their approach to solving a problem needs to be changed. They know that by changing their actions, they are likely to get different results, so they are flexible in their approach to achieving what they want in life. Tip: Surrender to the process of change, accept that you may make mistakes that on the other hand will build up your knowledge and help you master your strategy and actions. Don’t get hang up on the detail of how you will achieve your goal, be flexible to adapt and make changes to the process. Sometimes it feels like going 2 steps back before making a new step forward, but all of this is part of the learning and growth process to build your competence. Stay focused on the big picture and most importantly enjoy the journey of learning and getting closer to your goal. 4. Competence builds Confidence Nothing starts until you get clear and commit towards achieving your goal. What often follows straight after is self-doubt in your own abilities to achieve what you set yourself to do. Maybe your inner critique is telling you that you don’t have the skillsets or just not enough time. Possibly your old stories about how you perceive yourself are impacting your self-esteem or you surround yourself by people that are not able to mentally support you on your journey and you start doubting your decision. Remember it is the brains alarm system wanting to stay in the known. Expansions happen outside of the comfort zone, and it takes courage because you must act before you’ve acquired the capability to achieve the result. Capability is created because of your commitment and courage. And confidence is the result of these three stages. Tip: Confidence based on action is build by becoming competent. It is called the Confidence- Competency Loop. First, we try, and succeed to learn, then we build skills through repetition until we feel competent enough and consequently more confident, just like how we learned to drive a car or bicycle. Now that your self-esteem is higher, you will also realise that everyone who has mastered a skill had to go through the same process. It is grit, the perseverance and passion to achieve long-term goals. 5. How to make time for your goals. Time Management seems to be one of the biggest stressors and hurdles in creating change. We excuse ourselves constantly by saying “I don’t have enough time” or “I’m just too busy”, busy with what? That is bogus, it comes down to your priorities not having enough time, it is about how you are spending your time. Are you chasing urgent stuff all day long or are you clear on what is important? Are you pushing something important aside because it is boring or scary? Are you walking the talk and holding yourself accountable to what you say you do? Tip. The key lays in effective planning, planning your week and days ahead. Going to bed with intention of tomorrow, preparing your environment and mind for what you want to achieve the next day. Getting up with clarity and focus on those aligned actions will help you to stop wasting time on the “not-so-important”. Assess where you are wasting time during the day and replace it with what aligns with your goal. Take momentum and say no to what is not serving your goal for a little while. Don’t try to do too much at once, take small steps, plan for milestones, and celebrate those! It is very important to celebrate in-between achievements. Share your goals and achievements with others, it boosts your own accountability, and it might even inspire others to take action and create change. And just in case if all the above doesn’t work for you, remember this statement: “­­­­Any action is better than inaction” Join Martina's Facebook group and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin. You can also visit her website for more info. Read more from Martina! Martina Hrubes-Rios, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Martina specializes in Transformative Life Coaching working with tools and practices that help shifting one’s mindset, empowering her clients to live a happier and more fulfilled life. As a Life Story Coach, she helps her clients reach their higher potential by rewriting the persistent life stories that keep them stuck or playing out the same life script repeatedly. Besides Individual Coaching, she offers a monthly online coaching Bootcamp called: “Rewrite your Life Movie.”

Written by: Britta Lübbing, 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 started this year by certifying as a Life Coach and launching my own business. For most parts of this year, my goal every day was to peak-perform beyond my own limitations and to outperform time. That’s why I meditated, that’s why I got up early, that’s why I went for brain-reset walks after work. My mindset at that time was all about doing, pushing, achieving – frankly, heavily influenced by hustle culture and the self-development space on social media which supposedly knows all about "success“. Photo credit: Javan Hoen The Business Coach I worked with at that time taught me many valuable lessons about business strategy, leadership, selling & marketing. The first program I ever launched aimed at helping young professionals start their own businesses. When I created the program and picked my niche, I wanted to do something "proper“, something that people would see and take me seriously with. While I am not saying that any of the above is necessarily wrong, and as I said, I learned a lot too, it wasn’t the right approach for me to build my newly born business and to grow (myself) in a sustainable manner. Why? At that time, I chose a reality in which everything I wanted, hence executed, came from a place of lack. I tried to work something into my life that I didn’t feel like I had and I did so by leaning heavily into my masculine energy. Masculine energy means having a goal, taking action, and choosing to act from a place of logic & mind. Those are all great qualities to have and if you pretend it is all that counts, you could easily be replaced by a robot… Congratulations! Female energy on the other hand pays attention to our emotions & feelings, chooses the present moment over the future, and focuses on nurturing, surrendering, love. Feminine & masculine energy are equally important – let’s imagine a scale with both energies on either side – then we want to have them in balance. Well, my scale showed a completely different picture and so the decisions I made at that time were far from being empowered, resulting in self-sabotage and exhaustion. It came to the point where I felt so tired that I had to force myself to rest but even then I was convinced that only pushing would bring me any further. The feeling can be compared to when you drink too much coffee meaning you cannot possibly sit still anymore but at the same time, you can sense how your body actually wants to shut down. I was unable to let go of my patterns because it seemed impossible to live with what would have been left. I mean… who was I without my achievements, my work, my business? Empty? Worthless? No no no no, we cannot handle feeling that can we? I was obsessed with trying to figure out my future. I was attached to outcomes that I unconsciously believed would save me. Until realizing that nothing and nobody would or could ever save me. Not my business. Not money. Also not men (but that’s a different story). Until realizing that I was starving myself in the present moment trying to create a future (which while typing it down seems so absurd because how are you even supposed to exist in the future when you starve yourself to death in the NOW, metaphorically speaking). Until realizing that one of our most distorted beliefs is that life cannot be joyful if you want to be successful. "You need to work hard." "It’s all about sacrifice." "What does not kill you makes you stronger?" Sounds familiar? I’ve come to the conclusion that those belief systems have been created to make you & me feel small and incomplete. I mean, how would one be able to sell anything to us if we would understand that we deserve absolutely everything, that we are the most complete, worthy, and freaking amazing versions of ourselves already and that we don’t need our external world to validate us. That our birthright is to have fun, to experience pleasure, and to live our biggest desires without strings attached. Just saying… Going from one side of the scale to where I am right now meant some pretty confusing & overwhelming weeks. Dead serious here. I cried my eyes out until I had finally given enough space to all the emotions I had ignored for such a long time. I felt like the biggest failure until I was able to let go of the attachment to my so carefully crafted goal(s). I hated the process until I realized I could either hate it or love it but it was all my choice. I relied on unhealthy coping mechanisms until I understood that being somebody means becoming first. You don’t wake up one day and suddenly everything has changed. I "punished“ myself by working hard, harder, the hardest until questioning why I was doing all this if not for the joy of it. Overall, it meant going through an honest evaluation of certain areas in my life and very carefully identifying what made me feel stuck or why. Was shit really happening to me? Or was I just simply refusing & resisting to learn a lesson that would enable me to move on? Had I chosen a toxic dependency disguised as comfort, maybe even laziness & ignorance over healing which was actually hurting me more than feeling my unresolved traumas/feelings ever would? What happened through that process in such a short amount of time is quite fascinating to me. I’ve connected to myself in a way I thought would never ever (ever) be possible. As I said it was anything but easy. I’ve discovered and learned to trust the power of my feminine energy, the chaotic, irrational, intuitive process of creation and manifestation. I was suddenly able to choose to surrender and to let go of trying to understand where to go or what to do next. Honestly, I still have little clue of how to achieve my dreams in concrete steps, and different incidents of the last weeks that are not necessarily streamlined but exciting do not make the path any clearer. But, I simply decided to let go of "making sense out of nonsense“ and to see what is going to happen because trying to control has made me so unhappy that I feel like trusting has lower risk and makes me feel more content. Now, my goal every day is to make sure that I take care of myself the best way I can so that ideally I thrive in the now and worst case I know I did my best to take care of myself. As part of that, I changed my outlook on various things but in particular on spending time alone and in silence - I am not meditating anymore to be more efficient or to have a clear head afterwards but simply for the joy of it… Frankly speaking, I love to be with myself and sit with myself and feel all that my body wants to share with me. Beyond all the time and attention from myself towards myself, I also chose to invest in a course that only enhanced the process I had already started. Receiving guidance from an inspiring teacher and opening up to & with other women towards a type of spirituality I was always very skeptical at, yet felt suddenly drawn to, feels surreal & magical. This might sound very whoo whoo and therefore before you become too skeptical, too (which I would get), give me at least a chance. During a variety of meditations, journaling sessions, and activations, I’ve remembered some type of power of all the gifts women naturally possess through their ability to create life (literally) – if only we hadn’t learned to ignore them our whole life to a point where we didn’t even know they were there anymore. The visual suggestions I had that have been accompanying me every day ever since seem crazy to me and so real at the same time. I know, sounds whoo whoo but if you knew… I’ve softened into my heart space, connected, accepted, listened, and simultaneously took responsibility for my actions 100%. Captivated by my experiences, I’ve started reading even more about feminine energy. I wanted to deep dive further into this part of me I had discovered that identified with Witch magic and felt so strongly connected to my female ancestors. Honestly, I am not sure if I would have dared to say that out loud before and I don’t judge you for judging me, "Now she’s totally crazy“. Maybe. But, and I say that with all honesty, it is not like I don’t care anymore what you think. If the world would stand around me and accuse me of having gone mad, of course, I would care. The difference however is that now I care even more about what I think about myself. Damn, there you have it. I learned that I have my own truth, story & voice which is my biggest gift to share with this world and that I rather love myself in all my facets than be loved by others as a half-hidden version. Not every day is perfect, and taking care of myself is easier one day, harder another… but I know that I love myself deeply every day which gives me a deep sense of security and an inner knowing that I can conquer all days to come. I want to add that all I’ve been saying about feminine & masculine energy is not only meant to be insightful for women but men equally. Feminine & masculine energy per se are carried by all human beings regardless of gender. The principle of nature is characterized by opposite energies or forces and has been evaluated by many spiritual or philosophical sources, hence not only applying to human beings but life in general. Looking back on my journey as a Life Coach and my progress over this year, it is fascinating that the Coaching certification I had chosen contained so many spiritual pearls of wisdom which eventually were the reason why I was so attracted to the program and signed up for it. Yet, I had been so scared to stand by my belief in the law of attraction or Chakras or any other spiritual practice – being conditioned to value mind & science as the highest truths – that after being certified, I only focused on what made rational sense. Learning to lean into my newly activated, wild, feminine side while also overcoming my shame about potentially being polarizing feels deliberating. It has also shown me that a business is only as successful as we are on our spiritual journey because rocks are easier to sit on than to carry. Going back to the new bliss I have found, I am beyond grateful for all I’ve learned and all I’ve been able to be a part of recently which has allowed me to experience life on a new level. I also always love to be coached myself because it proves to me, again and again, the power & potential of Coaching. However, this time I realized that even Coaching can sometimes seem like something that has to do with identifying problems, understanding how to overcome them, overcoming them, and so on, aka a very "masculine“ approach. What if Coaching could just be a space to be, connect & go within? What if that was all that was needed to soothe and to create such a strong sense of safety that suddenly parts of us would open up that had never felt safe enough to show (and then everything else would come a lot more naturally)? I am inspired to create an environment where all that counts is being – not achieving, not changing, not hustling, or proving anything to this world. Imagine the joy of being able to show your most authentic & vulnerable Self to same-minded individuals in one (virtual) space connected through all that you are, all the potential out there, the past, present and the future. Beyond all you’ve been reading so far (which I am so thankful for) that you might be able to connect to or not, there is one message I want to leave behind the most: The more time we give ourselves for almost anything and the more individuality we allow ourselves on our journey, the faster we will experience change for the better. Screw all those advertisements, newsletters, and gurus – society – that whisper sometimes, scream most of the time that you need to do, achieve, become everything today or it’s going to be too late. This is what I’ve tried at the beginning of the year, making me more unhappy each day. Honestly, you have a lifetime... time. You choose your pace to move forward, backward, up and down, or not at all. Your journey might not be as straightforward as you would assume, I mean look at mine and this might not be the usual success story but it has brought me further than I thought and closer to myself than I could have ever imagined. Going from seeking outer success to experiencing inner one makes me believe it is time to redefine the word success. I mean, what does it even mean? For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Britta! Britta Lübbing, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Britta is the founder of Bttrflywarrior, a platform and community dedicated to supporting and connecting people in their 20‘s who are looking for a way to unlock their potential fully. After studying Business and getting a taste of a 9-5 corporate career, she quickly realized that this lifestyle would never allow her to “swim in the ocean” but rather lead to jumping from one aquarium into the next bigger one. Furthermore, she had friends and fellows around her with great ideas, ambition, and talent seemingly stuck, not knowing how to make their dreams come true. Britta’s passion for Self Development, true connection, and a fulfilled life eventually led to the vision of a safe space that would allow young people to transform from a caterpillar into a butterfly and also allow them to connect to like-minded people with shared expectations for life. Bttrflymovement was born. Britta loves to write, share and inspire through her journey according to the motto: Be the change you want to see in this world!

Written by: Bridget Richard, 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. Time is a fleeting thing. There never seems to be enough hours in the day. Take into consideration the fact that a lot of us are at work more than we are at home, which has resulted in time being treated as a commodity. So much so that when someone tells us to take our time because they "have time," it is often a surprise. Why? Because we are living in a world where time is precious, everyone is in a rush, and there is not enough time in the day to do all the things we need to be done. We have put such a high value on time that we are willing to sacrifice other things simply to maximize our time. Parents miss their kid's soccer games because of meetings. A husband comes home late after squeezing in a few hours extra to get more work done at the office. A student crams in late-night studying for a final exam. What is the similarity between these scenarios? Lack of time management. Don't believe me? Consider this: the forty-hour workweek was a concept that was introduced in 1926 by Henry Ford. This is the man who brought us assembly lines and the model T vehicle. He was an innovator and businessman who, based off his own research, found that the more hours a person worked did not mean more productivity. In fact, a forty-hour workweek had been presented in the past, but it wasn't until Henry Ford popularized it, that it started to take off. Prior to this, people often worked eighty to one hundred (80-100) hours each week. Their sole existence was to ensure a workforce was available. Henry Ford recognized this was unrealistic and could cause the opposite desired effect on productivity. Overworked, burnt-out workers do not generate more output. Nowadays, forty-hour workweeks are the norm. In fact, any position that hits a minimum of forty hours a week is considered full-time employment. Now, some would argue that the forty-hour workweek is outdated. While that is a discussion for another time, I think it is safe to say that unless you have great time management skills, you aren't able to get a lot done. This is one of those transferrable skills I like to talk about. The challenge comes when people try to manage time and tasks without any kind of understanding of what proper time management is. It goes beyond just simply making time. I don't know why we say this, but this phrase seems very misleading. How can we “make” time? To me, that is like saying we can make money rain from the sky or wash away all our problems. Unfortunately, that is most definitely not the case. Time management is one of those things which can help boost productivity, improve employee satisfaction, and set the foundation for achieving a healthy work-life balance. The idea of having a work-life balance is often treated as a myth. That is farthest from the truth! The secret to work-life balance is time management. Now, this doesn't mean you have to do all the things you need to get done in one day. The struggle I often see is people trying to cram everything in a short amount of time. This does nothing but lead to people becoming overwhelmed, overworked, and burnt out. Employers are beginning to catch on to the importance of work-life balance, time management, and employee satisfaction. We are meant to learn these skills in our formative years; however, that is not always true. Don't get discouraged! There are some tricks and tips you can do to learn time management strategies. Use a planner. Block out time in your schedule Take breaks Work for designated period Time management is something that takes discipline, planning, and dedication Just like with any habit, you will have to make an effort to try different things and see what works for you! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Bridget! Bridget Richard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Bridget Richard, MA, LISW-S is a Social Worker and Life Coach with 20+ years of experience in the field of mental health. In her work, she is passionate about helping with women to conquer feelings of anxiety and depression caused by burnout. She helps her clients move from being too frustrated and overwhelmed to enjoy life to focused, empowered, and re-energized. Bridget enjoys bringing her message of self-love and determination to virtual and live venues everywhere. She has been featured in the Women's Journal as a "Person You Want to Know" and regularly contributes to Thrive, Medium, and Brainz Magazine. To learn more about working with Bridget schedule your free discovery call at https://calendly.com/bridgetsrichard/freeconsult.

Written by: Dr. Margaret Potter, 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. Do you sometimes find yourself limiting your thinking or options? Has life become predictable due to ingrained habits and routines? It is easy to get stuck in a rut, but if you actively integrate your inner child and adult self you can optimise your potential. By doing so you will find the energy, focus and inspiration you need to navigate through new, unplanned, and challenging situations. Here are some ideas to help you get the best of both worlds. 1. Make it okay to play - children learn a great deal through play and will readily engage in having a go at new things without fear of failure. As adults, we are often more risk-averse and can become set in our ways. Break the shackles of uniformity and play around to find new ways of doing things. Play is stimulating and can get you thinking in different ways. This will challenge your brain to adapt and that is helpful, especially as we age. 2. Show genuine interest – children naturally demonstrate boundless curiosity in the people and world around them, but often in our busy adult lives we don’t pay enough attention and feign interest to be polite. However, to enable us to make meaningful connections genuine interest and effort is required. Be sure to give your full attention to another person when they are communicating with you. Maybe you need to put down your phone; make eye contact and smile, or simply slow down and listen. Bring a totally focused child-like interest to what is happening right here, right now. 3. Ensure variety - when given opportunity young children often like to try new things, but as adults we tend to stick to established routines and operate within our comfort zone. However, there is much to gain from breaking away from convention and being open to new experiences. Why not change your routine; find a new hobby or interest to pursue or let someone else take the lead instead of you? By adding variety to your life, you open possibilities to new learning and growth that can inspire, engage, and stimulate your interest. In addition, with variety we become more flexible and resilient, and these attributes are valuable to foster throughout life. 4. Let failure be your friend – regardless of age, the potential learning offered when you try and fail at something is much greater, than if at first, you succeed. Consequently, it is helpful to view your letdowns as learning opportunities. When you fail at something, make time for reflection that enables you to sift through the experience so that you learn from your mistakes. This will ensure you have a growth mindset and will no longer need to fear failure. Instead, you will readily embrace the ups, but more importantly the downs as a necessary, even helpful part of the journey of life. 5. Be what you want to see – children are quick learners and will simulate what they see. However, they may not be discerning when it comes to the morality of behaviours they mimic. Consequently, it is important to be mindful that you are a role model for others. Always act with good intent; demonstrate what you want to see and take pride in what you do. By being a positive role model, both at work and at home you will undoubtedly have a beneficial impact on those around you. 6. Find ways to have fun – having fun comes naturally to children, but as adults, we are taught to take life seriously. Identifying ways to have fun should be a priority in every workplace because happy staff will be more productive, energetic, and loyal to their organisation when compared with those who are unhappy. You may be able to set up, or support staff to engage in fun workplace activities that promote inclusion, diversity, show care and compassion, build team spirit and comradery. Embrace the concept that having fun in the workplace should be a non-negotiable priority because the flow-on benefits will be to one-and-all. It is worthwhile to recognise that encouraging curiosity, imaginative expression, and allowing the playfulness of our inner child to surface is helpful at any age. Being able to integrate and express all the parts of ourselves in healthy and authentic ways is important. We can acknowledge our uniqueness as both flawed and fabulous human beings, and regardless of age the innocence and beauty in that is priceless! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Margaret! Dr. Margaret Potter, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Margaret Potter is a highly respected educational leader and an internationally certified performance coach with more than 20-years of experience. She is Director of the TELL Centre, which provides short courses to support health professionals with their teaching, supervision and assessment activities. As a consequence of her PhD research on the patient-practitioner interaction in healthcare, Margaret is a sought-after speaker and expert on various topics associated with optimising communication. Her motto: Keep learning – keep growing!

Written by: Natasha Zo, 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. Spiritual author Cassady Cayne (founder of Twin Flames 11:11) is on a mission to unite twin flame soulmates, having lived this journey herself. Her awakening began in her early 20s after a chronic health issue flared up and she was suddenly made redundant, forcing her to move back with her parents. During this dark time in her life, she truly believed things would never get better. However, one night she began to burst with love for the universe in a dream brought to her by her twin flame. From this moment, everything changed, and Cassady Cayne walked into the light. Now, she’s in union with her twin soulmate, and she wants to support you to find yours too! What are twin flame soulmates? We are all energetic beings, made up of particles vibrating at different frequencies. Everything you come into contact with is energy, and nothing is solid, not the chair you’re sitting on, the table you’re working from, or even you! We are incredible beings with a complicated consciousness that science can still not fully understand, which is why you might sometimes feel a sense of good and bad energy. According to Cassady Cayne, on the energetic plane, you and your twin flame are two souls who are vibrating at an identical frequency. In fact, you are the only two in the world who are vibrating in this exact same way. Although you may have never met in person, your soul has known your twin flame soulmate since the beginning of time. You became separated along the way, and your analytical mind may have confused you, preventing you from feeling their presence and finding each other again. 4 ways to find your twin flame soulmate Cassady Cayne reveals 4 ways you can find your twin flame soulmate. 1. Be aware of energy shifting Ever met someone and felt that tingling energy between you and a feeling of having known them already, even if you just met? This might be a sign that you’ve come into contact with your twin flame. What if you explored this relationship only to find that a lot of negativity, confusion, despair, and conflict came up? Cassady Cayne says this is a common occurrence when you first discover your twin flame soulmate. This is because initially, you were both of identical energy but while apart, you and your twin flame soulmate have taken on energy from other people around you - for example, parents, siblings, and friends. When you come together, any negative energy blocking you is automatically purged, and your past traumas push you to release and heal. This can be overwhelming, but you will share the most profound love and reach total bliss if you move through this stage. When you feel as if you love each other as souls, not as humans, this is a surefire sign that you are with (or about to meet) your twin flame soulmate. 2. Trust yourself and the process You might wake up in the night and feel someone’s hand in your hand or their voice in your head. According to Cayne, this is a strong sign you’ve met your twin flame that you shouldn’t ignore. She encourages you to trust yourself and the process and be open to what is coming next. “You’re not crazy - you and your twin flame really have a connection that defies what most people believe” - Cassady Cayne, founder of Twin Flames 11:11 It might even be that your twin flame soulmate has already passed to the other side. Cassady reveals that if this is the case, you must remember it’s meant to be. In the physical world, you might not be together, but spiritually you are. Look for signs of your twin flame, and as you acknowledge them more, those signs will become stronger and stronger, allowing space for them to be with you in your daily life. Remember, life is short, but the soul is eternal. 3. Twin flames 11:11 Are you wondering why you keep seeing the numbers 11:11 everywhere? Cassady reveals this is no coincidence. 11:11 is a sign from your guides and angels and a way of catching your attention. It’s a mirroring sequence, signifying two parts becoming whole and twin flame soulmates coming together. If you are with someone and wondering if they are your twin flame soulmate, seeing 11:11 is an excellent sign that they are. It’s also a sign that you are reaching spiritual ascension - a time when you shed the limiting beliefs and past traumas that no longer serve you, in order to align with your soul self. 4. Twin flame or soulmate? You may have met your soulmate (someone that exists at almost the same frequency as you). However, your twin flame soulmate is a little bit different - deep down, they are YOU. Like looking in a mirror, they have identical energy and soul. When you meet your twin flame soulmate, it will feel like a completely new and unique energy that you’ve never experienced before. Cassady Cayne explains that you might experience telepathic messaging, feel their touch when you’re not together, or even feel each other’s pain. If you don’t think you’ve met your twin flame soulmate yet, simply open your heart to what can happen, eliminate limiting beliefs, and know that your twin flame is out there. Recognize what helps you rather than hurts you, and use this to release these feelings so you can more quickly get to a place of joy, happiness, and union. “I’m now reunited with the person who was always missing from my life, with no blocks, no barriers, and no mess” - Cassady Cayne, founder of Twin Flames 11:11 To fully understand the intricacies of twin flame soulmates, discover Cassady Cayne’s Twin Flames 11:11 and unlock her comprehensive advice, courses, and coaching. Embark on a life-altering experience, find your twin flame, and come out the other side happier, healthier, and wiser. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Natasha! Natasha Zo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Natasha Zo is a former journalist from Siberia turned international media relations specialist. She is a founder of Cosa Famosa media - a boutique PR agency on a mission to amplify messages of conscious leaders, health, and wellness entrepreneurs through earned media. Known for her connector skills, she guided a number of authors to Amazon bestseller status, booked national TV, top-tier media, and over 400 podcast interviews.

Written by: Tim Nash, 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. “If you dream it, you can become it.” “You can do anything that you set your mind to.” Yeah…I don’t know about that. No matter how much I practiced basketball as a kid, I was never going to “be like Mike” (if you missed the Michael Jordan 90’s ad blitz). No dreaming or mind “setting” was going to make this happen for me. What I do believe in, however, is the power of positive thinking. And not because of some best-selling book or Oprah-approved guru. For the healthy skeptics out there, let me take the “woo-woo” out of this tired self-help concept. By the way, I’m the first person to encourage the healthy impulse to improve oneself. I’ve committed my life to helping people grow and develop. However, the world of self-help is a slippery slope. A lot of people out there are making a lot of promises…some that make me want to vomit. Before we put positive thinking under the microscope, let’s look at the nature of thoughts: Thoughts are just pieces of information that enter your mind and then disappear. However, they have the power to influence what happens to you. Have you ever experienced a self-fulfilling prophecy pitfall – you think you’re going to fail at something, and you do? For me, it often happens with technical things. I digress. Unless you have the confidence and skill of Air Jordan, you’ve experienced this common pitfall. Self-fulfilling Prophecy in Reverse DailyOm’s Madisyn Taylor puts a positive spin on things: “How you think can have a profound effect on your ability to recognize opportunity…you begin to create the circumstances conducive to you achieving what you desire.” Think about it – if you’re engaging your negative brain chatter, chances are you won’t be in a state of mind to seize those rare opportunities that pop up when least expected. For a few brief years in my expat life in Munich, I had the chance to do some voice work for BMW, Red Bull, and a few others. I just happened to be a native English speaker living in a time and place that was looking for an English-speaking voice actor. Yes, right time, right place. Nevertheless, it took some courage to pursue this opportunity and wrestle with the Imposter Syndrome when the studio lights came on. If I'd been hanging my head with my eyes closed when this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented itself, I’d have surely missed it. Think about a time when you were looking for something and you didn’t stop until you found it. That’s because you were convinced that it was out there. That’s the power of the mind. “You are more likely to imagine positive situations or outcomes and disregard the thoughts related to giving up, failure, or roadblocks. What the mind expects, it finds.” I couldn’t agree more, Madisyn. The Why Here are 3 concrete (anti-"woo woo") reasons to stay positive in your thoughts: 1. Increased confidence. If you’re expecting a positive outcome, you feel more in control – both when setting goals and facing challenges. Feeling more in control can lead to increased confidence. There’s no better source of personal power than confidence. 2. Sharper focus. It’s impossible to ignore or disregard negative thoughts. But you DO NOT have to indulge them. Remember that person at school that was always saying mean or untrue things about you? You had a choice – believe them or move past them. It’s the same with thoughts. You hear them but you don’t have to focus on them. By embracing the positive brain chatter and letting go of the negative stuff, you improve your ability to focus on the thoughts that lead to positive outcomes. 3. Better problem-solving skills. “When you're sure that you are worthy and that achievement is within your grasp, you start to relax and look for solutions rather than dwelling on problems.” DailyOm’s call for a more relaxed solution orientation reminds me of Tim Gallwey’s sport-transcending tip to find the sweet spot between relaxation and concentration. Without a doubt, “relaxed concentration” will lead to better problem-solving skills. The How To help you stay positive in your thoughts so that you can reap the 3 above benefits, here are 3 actions you can take RIGHT NOW: 1. Make the commitment. Once you decide to embrace positive thinking, you start to believe that your goals are attainable and solutions to your problems are within reach. Positive thinking might not change your situation overnight. The effect on your mood and the quality of your experiences, however, will be profound. If you go to the cinema expecting to have a good time, chances are you’ll have a good time - even if the film isn’t great. Don't take my word for it. Test this out for yourself. 2. Practice and persist. Like with most things, practice makes things easier. With persistent practice, they become habit. As positive thinking increases your chances of success in any area of life or work, this is a habit you want to grow and develop. The next time a negative thought enters your mind, try replacing it with a positive one. Before: “I’m so sick of people asking for my help…I’m buried in work…my job sucks!” After: “I’m so busy right now because my boss trusts me with more and more responsibility…for sure this is increasing my visibility and value at work!” With practice and persistence, you can train your mind to reframe thoughts that don’t serve you into ones that do. As the brain is full of incessant chatter, you’ll never run out of opportunities to practice. 3. Build personal resilience. Positive thinking helps you navigate times of chaos and uncertainty with confidence. The current global pandemic is one of those times. The grounding belief that things will eventually get better is also a key success factor for personal resilience. Helping senior professionals perform at their best during this challenging time, I observed personal resilience emerge as the MOST important skill of them all. BUT…it’s much more than a skill or ability. It’s a mindset that helps you bounce back from setbacks or unexpected events (global pandemics, for example). If you’d like to strengthen your powers of resilience so that you can achieve peak performance in times of uncertainty, as a gift to my valuable readers like you, I have created a guide with 4 secrets to help you “Boost Personal Resilience”: Click HERE and get your free gift. Clarity. Focus. Action Are you ready for a change but aren’t quite sure what it will look like? That is why I created KICKSTARTER – a 3-session 1-to-1 coaching program with a LASER FOCUS to help senior professionals like you kickstart your next move - new job role, career pivot, or something not yet clear. If you are ready for a kickstart, let me help you clarify what matters to you and create the ACTION PLAN to go after it! Apply HERE for an opportunity to work with me. Wherever you are on your journey, I’d love to stay connected with you. Thanks for reading, Tim For regular tips and closer interaction, connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. Reach out and let me know you’ve read this article. Read more from Tim! Tim Nash, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Tim Nash is on a mission to help senior professionals escape their energy-zapping maze, focus on what matters and pave the way for success. Via the empowering principles of Gestalt, he guides his clients below the surface to overcome what is preventing them from performing at their best. For over two decades, Tim has helped young professionals to C-level executives lead and collaborate across cultures. He is also the founder of The Path To Peak Performance which includes his dynamic coaching practice and American Transplant web series.

Written by: Chris J. Gregory, 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. Mens personal care is changing! As we head into 2022, the men’s personal care category is predicted to be a $166 billion market, with a 6% annual growth rate over the next 5 years. ... but why? COVID-19 and lockdown saw a dip in the use of personal care products amongst men in the UK. With staying at home and distancing from society, many took less time over their personal grooming. However, where over a third of men expressed that they’d previously had no skin conditions, record concerns over spots, acne, dryness, and skin sensitivity are currently on the rise. Consciousness over appearance has recently doubled in men, with a desire for greater skin and scalp ‘health’ over aesthetic alone. Feeling clean, refreshed and radiant are the top 3 desirables amongst male consumers. Lastly, skin concerns and acne in adults has increased amongst wealthier nations and westernised populations. Theories link an increase in chronic stress and poor lifestyle choices around diet as major contributors to change in skin health and appearance. With changing awareness, approach, and personal desires amongst men for their skin. I established ENDURE as a natural and environmentally conscious lifestyle and skincare brand for the health-conscious man. As a former pro-athlete and current specialist in skin nutrition, a holistic view around better skincare and skin health was essential in providing superior results and support for men everywhere. We’ll go further into key skincare nutrition science later. For now, you can take a personal assessment and receive lifestyle, nutrition and health recommendations here: SKIN HEALTH ASSESSMENT If you’re just starting to consider taking better care of your skin or need to come back to basics. Simple, effective and essential routine for better skin requires the following: 1. Cleanse Use something gentle that cleanses away the day's build-up of dirt that may be clogging your pores. You don’t want something harsh, or that will overdry or irritate your skin with overuse. Cleansing is an important part of avoiding potential acne, blackheads, and breakouts, and with the right product, maintaining a healthy skin balance. 2. Moisturise To get the best results using a moisturiser, apply to clean skin. The quality and contents of your moisturiser are essential when it comes to achieving better skin health and desired results. Active ingredients that are scientifically proven to protect and nourish your skin will work for you with correct use - to provide balanced skin, regulated oil production and healthy skin microbiome long-term. Correct daily practice at the right time can provide short and long-term rewards for your face. 3. Exfoliate Two times per week a physical exfoliant can remove build-up of dirt and grime on your face. Avoiding overuse is important as it will irritate the skin and remove wanted skin cells that support skin balance. This process may penetrate into your pores and unblock deep-lying impurities. Stopping potential blockages can prevent breakouts. You can get the ENDURE range at 35% off for a limited period and support the launch of ENDURE at the same time. Find us, join us, and support us on Kickstarter. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Chris J. Gregory, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine A former pro athlete and nutrition specialist turned business founder. Chris' passion for optimum health, vitality and performance came from a career in performance sport and study of nutrition science. After travelling the world to compete for England as a beach volleyball athlete, Chris turned focus to business, brand building and further study of nutrition science with a specialism in nutrition for skin health. He founded ENDURE skincare for men which focuses on high-performance complete personal care for men and men's health.

Written by: Annette Densham, 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 of the defining characteristics of those who are successful in business is their ability to recognise the strengths in others, and harness that in a way that accentuates that power while putting it to good use (for your benefit). However, sometimes success happens when two powerful entities come together and tap into each other’s resources and audience for mutual benefit. If you have identified another business who has the same target audience as you, tapping into their contact list can be an absolute gold mine. This is how other companies have made it work; 1. Charity and outreach There’s a lot to be said for those who break into the charity circuit. It looks good to the public, it does a lot of good for the world, and it provides you with an ideal opportunity to network. Challenge other businesses, even competitors, to join you and start a tag. For example, a baker might start a feed the children and deliver bread rolls to local orphanages. The beauty of giving back is that you often end up dealing with other businesses who are also serving the same charity - which can turn into a lucrative and rewarding business relationship. 2. Start with trust exercises If you have identified a business you would like to collaborate with, establish trust first. Understand you are putting your reputation on the line when you refer your clients to your new “partner” and vice versa. You want to know that you are genuinely sending your clients to a service provider that will treat them well and offer excellent service. Build trust by using their services yourself and referring them to family and friends. If that goes well, you can expand and refer your clients. You can expect similar treatment from the other side too, while you both establish trust. 3. Agree on how to pass business to each other Do you hand out each other’s business cards? Run some digital ads together? Do discount promotions for the other business’ services when clients spend a certain amount with you? There are many ways to tackle this. The route you decide to take will depend on a few different factors - the industry you’re in, the budget you have available, and the type of business you are hoping to gain from one another. Both parties need to be satisfied with how they will be portrayed by the other. Both parties need to gain equally (albeit sometimes one at a time) and both parties need to do equal work. 4. Don’t want to schedule meetings or deal with people? Does a partnership with meetings and agreements sound far too tedious? Then piggyback on other companies’ advertising campaigns. If you see a competition advertised that targets your audience, get in touch with the advertiser and offer to sponsor a prize. Even better? Contact a social media influencer with a large following. Choose someone whose interests and topics align with your brand. Offer to send them some testers if you have a product, or invite them to make use of your service and review it on your channel. Just like that - you have massive publicity without scheduling a single meeting. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Annette! Annette Densham, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Multi-award-winning PR specialist Annette Densham is considered the go-to for all things business storytelling, award submission writing, and assisting business leaders in establishing themselves as authorities in their field. She has shared her insights into storytelling, media, and business across Australia, UK, and the US speaking for Professional Speakers Association, Stevie Awards, Queensland Government, and many more. Three times winner of the Grand Stevie Award for Women in Business, gold Stevie International Business Award, and a finalist in Australian Small Business Champion awards, Annette audaciously challenges anyone in small business to cast aside modesty, embrace their genius and share their stories.

Written by: Sílvia Fontquerni Freixa, 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 need to get that promotion to feel fulfilled". "I have to earn that amount of money to be happy ". "I need to fix myself to be able to succeed". "I need to be the best version of myself to feel worthy". "I need to repeat daily affirmations to boost my self-confidence". Don’t you get tired of always chasing and trying to fix and change yourself? What if everything you are looking for is already within you? What if there is nothing to be fixed but letting express everything you already have within? It is actually what you have learned that holds you back because you cannot lack what you are made of. Confidence, happiness, feeling fulfilled, wellbeing, success… everything comes from within. Admiration may provide a temporary good feeling but when that person stops doing that, where does the confidence or happiness go? A promotion may give you a temporary feeling of being worthy, but when all your colleagues are successful and not you, where does this feeling goes? The thing is if you look on the outside rather than the inside what you will find is just something temporary. What if everything is so much easier? Confidence, happiness, self-esteem, worthiness, love, wellbeing…. They have always been within you. Have you ever heard about inner wisdom? Gut feeling? Or maybe, the voice of your soul? When was the last time that you listened to it? Maybe you don’t even know what it is. The inner wisdom is not rational, you can just not explain it, it is a feeling, it is an ‘I don’t know how I know but I just know’. Gut feeling is your life guide, the "compass" telling you which direction to take; It is an unlimited source of wisdom and knowledge. What is holding you back from listening to it? Knowledge, inner wisdom, inner guide, confidence, happiness, worthiness, your full potential… Everything you are looking for is already within you, you just need to look at the right place. Want to learn more from Sílvia? Follow her on Instagram, Facebook and visit her website. Read more from Sílvia! Sílvia Fontquerni Freixa, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sílvia is from Barcelona, currently working and living in London, UK. Her work as a coach consists of helping individuals and professionals be at their best not only at the workplace but also in personal life. She studied Psychology, Human Resources, and Coaching. As a Life Coach, she gives support and guidance so that clients can unleash their full potential and, as a result, be able to achieve their goals: build self-confidence, overcome fears & self-limitations, gain clarity to make the right decisions, and be able to awake their inner wisdom. As Workplace & Team Coach, she helps professionals maximize their performance and development in communication, team building/engagement, emotional intelligence, and leadership. She understands the importance of a leadership role in companies aligned with organization culture, values, and goals. Innovation and change are key to a company's success.