Written by: Amanda Rose, 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 years, the online coaching space has become less and less safe for prospective buyers and clients. The coaching industry has ballooned into a MULTI-BILLION dollar industry. Add to all of this that coaching is an unregulated industry, meaning that anyone at anytime decide to can call themselves a coach. Between 2015 - 2019 alone, the number of people in the industry grew by 33%. More and more frequently, buyers are being scammed, mistreated, and underserved by people masquerading as “coaches”. These people use sleazy marketing tactics that promise grandiose results; they overpromise and under deliver. They manipulate people by dangling their hopes and dreams in front of them and promising them, that if they just hand over their credit card, they’ll get everything they’ve ever wanted. Sadly, this lure is powerful, and an alarming number of people have been scammed under these false pretenses. Add to all of this those coaches have become a "protected class." It has become taboo to leave a negative or even neutral review for a coach, which in any other industry is acceptable. Looking at all of these pieces, you can see how we have a perfect storm forming… Some of the many disgusting things happening behind closed doors: Clients being abandoned after they pay Abusive and invalidating behaviours Not delivering agreed upon services Abuse Unethical sales behaviors, such as extortion, negging, and humiliation. Manipulation Victimization Harassed Coaches not properly vetting clients Warped marketing tactics that include bold face lies So-called "gurus" who hate the work but put on the facade to rake in the cash The following are a few anonymous excerpts from those brave souls who have risen up to share their negative coaching experiences: “My first bad experience was this time last year, I was pushed into purchasing and wasn’t given a chance to think, told I wasn’t ready to do the work if I wasn’t willing to pay and put it on a credit card. Even though I really wanted to work with this person at that point. Once I got in, I realised it was a lot of toxic masculinity. She wouldn’t allow me to ask questions, it was just do as I say otherwise don’t come to the calls. She then made me feel awful for not signing back up and made out I was never going to be successful that I wouldn’t pay over $900 a month.” “Being in the metaphysical community, many "healers/teachers" gaslight and manipulate. As a client, I have been told "I have dark energy" or "you have so much healing to do". I've watched a peer tell a client “We can end their marriage so you can get your lover back"; another said, "your father's soul is very unhappy with your choices". This is to seem authoritative and suck dollars, trust, dependence out of people looking for answers. My healing coaches either love-bombed me or hazed me.” “Six weeks of coaching: 3-4 phone calls a week was the plan. At week 3, he mentioned someone else he was working with that was similar to me. I think it was to motivate me. Which it did. Week 4, half of the 1-hour conversation he talked again about this person plus another and how well they were doing. Nothing about me other than where I was at. No advice, no suggestions...etc. Beginning of week 5 - 20 min call instead of the usual hour. The final 2 weeks I never heard from him. He ghosted me. Ignored my messages/emails. etc.” “I wasn’t making much money in my business and saw a coach in my industry start making money fast. I had seen she was posting that she wasn’t making any money either. Then within a matter of a few weeks, she was making multiple 5 figures then 6 figures. I decided to message her and asked what changed. Instead of her answering, she had me get in a call with her and I ended up Being sold a 6 session 1:1 coaching for $10,000 with the belief she could help me make $50K within the month." "After the 3rd session and no money, I started having a bad feeling. After the 4th session, I halted any further interaction for fear of not being able to continue with the payment she was asking about. She also asked me to wire her the remaining balance instead of the stripe payment, like I had made before. I have been coached to shame my prospects for not deciding to spend the same kind of money. I was coached to raise my prices even though I had no coaching clients at that time.” These are just some of the horrid things happening in the shadows of the coaching industry. The repercussions for clients, who’ve suffered at the hands of their "coaches" who practice these terrible things, range from frustrating to abhorrent: People spending thousands of dollars for nothing (sometimes these financial burdens lead to massive negative consequences, such as losing one's home or impacting relationships) Mental and emotional abuse leading to mental health issues Trauma resulting in a slew of symptoms People abandoning their dreams and losing hope Isolation because they feel they can't share their story It's utterly horrific. We need reform and an overhaul of this industry. There are truly phenomenal coaches and mentors out there. Prospects deserve to hire not just excellent coaches, but coaches that are the right fit for them as the unique individuals they are. Where does change begin? It all starts with awareness. We must liberate the voice of those who have been silenced. We must begin sharing out stories. Red flags to watch out for when you're considering hiring a coach: Having to sign up within a certain time frame A vague refund policy Celebrity/Influencer marketing tactics Income Bragging Watch their content and how they speak - Is it the same as their videos/written etc.? Love bombing My way or the highway attitude Constant talk of pain points Telling you that if you don’t sign you don’t want results Doesn’t have a formally registered business No Contract Hyper-enthusiasm you or your interests Over focusing on pain points or limitations Obsession with your ability or skill Too good to be true promises Making guarantees (other than a money back guarantee) Tips on how to pick your dream coach: 1. Get on a call with the coach! Do NOT sign up with a coach that you haven't been on a phone call with first. How in the world do you know if you're a good fit if you haven't talked? Even the best coaches, who do deliver, may not be your personal best fit; you are unique, and you need a coach who aligns with you & who teaches in a way that helps your learning modality. Plus: a coach willing to sign anyone who'll pay is a very bad sign! 2. Review their testimonials What do their clients have to say? Are the traits being praised the things you care about? Do you want a coach who kicks your butt or one who is very compassionate and nurturing? Get some insight. *If possible, ask previous clients for their honest opinion in private! 3. See if they have repeat clients Repeat business speaks volumes. When clients come back it means they love the service they are receiving and the coach. 4. Take a course first Why not invest $20-to-200 before you invest thousands? Hiring a coach is one of the biggest investments that most people make outside of their house and car. Take your time deciding and be sure it’s the right fit for you. See what their training is like before you go all in. 5. Don't get blinded by "Income bragging" All too common in the online space we will see a coach boast a $10K month or a $100K year, etc. These high-income statements create an emotional response in those who are seeing them, and then these people are totally blind from seeing if that coach us any good for them personally. Add to that, rarely will the person proclaiming these income statements break down for you if they mean sales or cash, net or gross; all of which matter greatly. Many coaches making huge money are not income bragging because it attracts the wrong client, the "quick fixer". Don't let the cash-flash blind you. Find out if they are really the right fit before you hire them! *NOTE: celebrating a great month or year is different from using income bragging constantly in sales copy as a marketing tactic! 6. Make sure they have a contract A good contract protects both the coach and the client and clearly defines expectations for both parties. If the coach bails on you, then you have legal grounds to get your money back. The No More BS Movement was formed because we need to bring your stories to light. We want to hear if you've had a bad experience. We want to know what's happening behind closed doors. If you have had a bad experience with a coach, we invite you to share it. Let's create real change! Share your coaching stories here. For more information, visit my website and follow me on Facebook and Instagram! Read more from Amanda! Amanda Rose, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Amanda Rose is the founder & director of The Infinite Power of You Inc., a multi-published multi-genre author, business, wealth, & mindset coach, actor, motivational speaker, and online course creator. She is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who has been in the online space since 2013 and a sales expert for over 10 years. It's her passion to help her clients build lives of freedom and joy, and thriving businesses with multiple revenue sources, through strategies combined with mindset mastery. Amanda's mission to shift human consciousness to create soulful abundance through mindset practices.

Written by: Michelle Clarke, 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. Stay Safe. That tiny phrase that has become a worldwide catch-all phrase, let’s examine it and the role it is playing in our future. Has the world ever been a safe place? Is safety desirable? Is safety where all the good things are at? Is staying safe the ultimate goal now? These are the questions that are bursting forth in my brain right now, and the level of attachment to safety concerns me. Safety does not lead to success, safety does not lead to growth, safety is about constriction, playing safe, diverting risks, shrinking. The reason I am so alarmed by the world’s new catchphrase is that changing the world requires us to think outside the box, not operate within the parameters of safety. Now I get what the phrase means and the good intent behind it, but letting this phrase seep into every area of our lives and especially our businesses are turning the entrepreneurial world on its head right now. Entrepreneurs are risk-takers, starting a new business, or launching a new product is not safe, it is at the opposite end of safety, and that is why entrepreneurs that last, succeed and make all the money are considered to be ‘off the wall crazy’. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the big players, did Richard Branson play by the rules? Did Oprah listen when the world told her no one wanted to hear her talk? Off the wall, crazy entrepreneurs are here to change the world, but we don’t support or celebrate thinking outside the box these days, and in fact, the world has always tried to keep people safe. The days of living off the land in groups, if you did anything ‘outside the norm’ you were banished, change was not safe. The days of life changing discoveries such as Michael Servetus, a Spanish doctor who discovered and wrote about the circulatory system and was punished as heretic, change was not safe. We are programmed to stay safe, to fit in, to tow the company line, or in this case, the sneaky message of safety that is pulling us into fear and away from the bravery that is required for change and success. Stay safe? Do you realize that just by uttering the phrase you are telling your brain that you are not safe? No wonder so many people are overwhelmed! We kick-start our fight or flight response every 2 minutes! And why on earth is staying safe the goal? Is it safe where the good stuff is at? Is it safe where the growth and fun are? Would you not rather thrive than stay safe? Let’s have the new catchphrase be “stay thriving”! In all seriousness, what is your personal experience? Do good things come from safety? surety? Contraction? Or do good things come from leaping without knowing it all? from the thrill of uncertainty? from the energy of expansion? I don't want to be safe! I want to grow, I want to leap, I want to try new things, I want to up-level always and consistently. I want to go where the wild things are. What about you? Staying safe has become such a vibe, it has become our default, so how can you recognize if you are playing safe instead of playing big? How will you know when you are playing it safe? You will be feeling triggered... You will see others leaping without knowing, you will see others taking bold action before they are ready, you will see others claiming their space before they have any right too, and you will feel triggered beyond belief. You might feel unsafe, you might feel threatened, you might feel left behind, you might feel like others are being irresponsible, and you will without a doubt not be feeling inflow, you will feel stuck and small. We have already established that growth and change do not come from playing small. So my question for you today is, how can you play bigger? Where can you take risks that feel bold and aligned?. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Michelle! Michelle Clarke, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Michelle is an energy maverick, public speaker, author, and coach obsessed with empowering soul-led entrepreneurs to make more money doing only what they love. She says, "we have been led to believe that we must follow the normal way of doing things to succeed in business and life, but this just isn't true." She believes that the fastest road to success and living a hell yes life on your terms is to break free from the mold, unleash your true self, and sparkle like the leader you are born to be. Michelle is committed to working with women, especially those who have a fear of being visible, feel anxiety about ‘making it’ in case they cannot cope with a booming business and other commitments, and also have deep-rooted fears around allowing money into their lives even though they desire it. Her work is deeply rooted in Outing Imposter Syndrome, Creating Success Structures, and Changing Your Relationship With Money. Michelle says, "The results of what I do lead to FREEDOM. Underneath it all, that is what my tribe seeks, the freedom to be real them, the time freedom, and the money freedom, and they get it!" Michelle gets amazing results by helping soul-led entrepreneurs to dive into quantum energetics + success mindsets + powerful systems & then empowering them to show up as their truest version self to call in their soul clients magnetically.

Written by: Savannah Cheon, 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 been thinking of moving to a new country for some fresh change? Are you tired of your current environment and want to move out? Do you want to escape your current reality and hope to start over in a new country? It is perfectly normal to want to live in a certain country because the vibe resonates, however, there is no guarantee that life satisfaction will dramatically increase in a new country. I encountered people who wanted to move to a new country, hoping to find the solution to their problems in certain areas of life. Temporarily, people might get distracted from the previous situation that they were in, however, a new country will not give you stability unless you address the problems before moving. In order to truly enjoy the new country and find stability, there are certain things to do before moving to a new country. 1. Find out the reasons why you are dissatisfied with your current environment. When you feel like you are fed up with what you are going through, your mind may blame the environment and think that if you just escape from where you are, things will get better. Even if you move to a new place, you will notice that after a few weeks, the same problem will reemerge strangely. For example, if you had problems with your social circle and had difficulty meeting new people, meeting new people will not be easier in a new country. Also, if you hated your job and re-located, it is easy to fall back into a similar pattern unless you know exactly what bothered you in the job. Therefore, before you move, it is important to ask yourself “Why am I currently struggling?” and be aware of the exact reasons. When you find out the reasons, it is better to solve it in your current environment first and see if moving is necessary. 2. Find out the good qualities of your current environment and make an effort to be happy. No matter how dissatisfied you are with your current environment, there are always brighter things to look for and for which you should be grateful. Even if you decide to change your environment for the best, it is a good habit to consciously look for things to be grateful for. It can be small, simple things like your favorite bakery near your house, the weather, your favorite view in your city, etc. When you are able to find things to be grateful for in your current routine and circumstances, it will be easier to fully see and enjoy the new experiences in the new country. 3. Make a conscious effort to find out what you like and what makes your heartbeat. The Ancient Philosopher Socrates attributes, "To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." In fact, knowing oneself can lead to greater happiness, less inner conflict, and the ability to say “no”.[1] Wherever you are, it is important to self-understand yourself that you gain an ability to be self-aware of your inner world and mindset to take necessary steps for your needs. Learning about what you like and what makes you feel excited are the essential skills to possess in order to feel stable anywhere around the world. If you are not quite sure of what you like and dislike, it can be your adventure to explore and find out many possibilities for yourself. Keep in mind that when you are not feeling good inside, your outer world will reflect that as well. Moving to a new country may give you the freedom and inspiration that you seek, but it will not give you happiness and inner stability. When you know your struggles and try to find the brighter sides to your current situations, you will gain skills to be happy and find your inner peace wherever you are. Visit Savannah's website to learn more. Read more from Savannah! Savannah Cheon, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Savannah Cheon is a Whole Person Certified Coach, an alumnus of Harvard University, a CEO of Aurora Luxury Hotel, writer, and blogger. Savannah has been a digital nomad throughout her life. She helps rootless digital nomads and world travelers who left home for adventure and want to find a sense of connection wherever they are. She helps people build a sense of home within them that they can feel secure, create meaningful relationships, have a sense of belonging, and enjoy their lifestyle fully. She is a firm believer of the quote, "Your mind is a powerful place, and what you feed it can affect you in a powerful way," and she incorporates the Whole Person Coaching method and NLP tools to work with the mindset. References: [1] Selig, Meg. “Know Yourself? 6 Specific Ways to Know Who You Are”. Psychology today. 9 Mar 2016. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/201603/know-yourself-6-specific-ways-know-who-you-are

Written by: Dr. Denise L. Morrison PT DPT, 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 still carry the heaviness of those perfectionist expectations? How’s that working for you now as an adult? I hear from many women (and some men) that they have been living in a low-level state of stress, anxiety, and depression. They tell me they just feel a general sense of unease going through life; yet, they can’t pinpoint what’s causing this… but I can. At the root of their stress and negative emotions are their old, childhood programs that limit their beliefs about themselves. Those old programs and beliefs stifle them from living to the fullest expression of themselves. Wouldn’t it feel amazing if you could finally shed those old beliefs, rules, and expectations? Just imagine all of the energy, happiness, excitement peace you’d feel….being the real, authentic YOU? It’s time to step into your power! Give yourself permission to listen deep down inside yourself and gather up your courage to say “yes” to YOU! While you’re at it, start using your powerful voice to say “NO” to the norm! Cut loose the cultural expectations that have kept you hidden in a metaphorical box!! Stop people-pleasing and giving away all of your energy to people who take advantage of you!! Go right ahead, my friend!! I’m here to support and witness the magic coming from inside of YOU! It’s time to let your true self speak up and lead you to live a life that excites you!! My client Deborah finally did at the age of 52 and she’s never felt more invigorated and passionate about being her most authentic self!! She always did what she was told to do because she was the firstborn. Her parents set the bar high for her to be the perfect one and lead the trail for the rest of the siblings to model success. From an early age, she felt pressure and heavy emotional climate of her family dynamics, to always perform, do her best and never show emotions. Sadly, she also absorbed the unsaid expectations of having to win the approval of her father. And as you can imagine, this set the stage for a life of striving and feelings of pressure to keep achieving again and again. Deborah came to me at 51 years old; overweight, fatigued, frustrated and feeling like she wanted to run away from it all. She was now a prominent figure in society, earning significant amounts of money and married to a man (who, coincidentally, was just like her father). She was feeling stifled, stuck, and didn’t know what was keeping her that way. Together we took an honest assessment of all aspects of her life. My Holistic Assessment helped her to get clear on the areas of her life that she felt fulfilled and those areas where she felt drained. Once she could see and feel that she was living in survival mode and old past patterns, the transformational process changed her career, marriage, and relationship exponentially! My Intuitively Unique Coaching process goes like this: Discover who you are and what you want Knowing what you want out of your life can be the biggest hurdle to achieving it. Many women I work with don’t know what they want—only that they aren’t happy with what they have right now. I’ll coach you through a process of reflecting and casting a vision for your future. What do you aspire to move towards? What do you want your future to look like? You’ll learn to look inside and listen to your own powerful voice. Clear the obstacles out of the way We all face obstacles in our lives. Some people are held back by experiences in their past. Others stay blocked because of unconscious beliefs. I have an extensive toolbox of techniques to help reframe your past experiences, rewire your belief systems, and retrain your thoughts and actions. These techniques will help you overcome any obstacle standing between you and what you truly desire. Create a plan to get what you truly desire When you have a vision of what you want to achieve and the tools to help you overcome any obstacle in your way, you finally have control over your life. You are able to listen to your inner voice and make better choices and decisions. The gap between where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow closes, and you are able to live authentically and vibrantly as your best self. After our coaching journey together, Deborah was able to confidently tap into her inner wisdom to speak into the world what she desired. Of course, she considered the needs of her family; however, now she had firm, loving boundaries to ensure that her mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing was a priority. Those extra pounds were released when she let go of the years that she carried the expectations from her father. Deborah happily embraced and honored her deepest emotions and used them as a guide to stay true to her priorities and keep her boundaries intact. She learned how to create a new way of “being” and felt invigorated at 52 years old!! Why did I share this with you? I know that you struggle too. Every time you say to yourself that “it needs to be perfect” or you compare yourself to others. When you ask everyone else for advice because you doubt your true inner wisdom and ignore what you deeply feel is right for you even when it goes against the norm. I want you to know that you CAN leave those old “good girl” behaviors behind and create your OWN rules moving forward!! I believe that YOU can transform into the mind and body you seek. Email me if this struck a nerve and triggered a flood of emotions in your heart and body. I would love to hear from you. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Denise! Dr. Denise L. Morrison, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Denise Morrison is the CEO of Intuitively Unique Coaching, her Holistic Brand of Health/Life Coaching. She struggled for decades to overcome traumatic experiences from her own past. She compensated for her lack of confidence with degrees and professional success. She numbed her pain with addictive eating and self-abusive behaviors. And when she finally turned to the right teachers and coaches, she learned that change does not need to take decades. Change can actually be instantaneous. And change can be lasting. After working for many years in healthcare, Denise felt a pull and a passion for working with people on a deeper and more transformational level. Her academic mind was drawn to the evidence-based nutrition and exercise practices, but she was also compelled by the more mystical therapies emerging from neuroscience and quantum healing. Denise sought out the best training in health and wellness, life coaching, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to have access to the most powerful tools to help others change their lives for the better.

Written by: Karen Mc Dermott, 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. There’s a time in everyone’s life and business when they come to a crossroad or face a huge brick wall challenge that feels impossible to overcome. I have faced many! However, I never have regrets about any of the decisions I have made at those times. I credit that to my forward-thinking approach to life but also because I set intentions aligned with my values so when a moment for pause comes along it is usually because growth needs to happen because let’s face it, every time we embark on the pursuit of a goal we commit to a journey and that comes with a self-development. All of my decisions are funnelled through a 3 step knowing process that I have absolute faith in navigating me towards the ambitious success I want to make happen. The biggest thing that I see some people struggle with is whether to keep going or to walk away. I have done both and although I love to embrace the teachings of many great philosophers, including that of The 5 stages of the Soul author H.R Moody that before any breakthrough there is a struggle, I often witness people push through when they should have walked away, so how in goodness name do you know what to do when faced with these conundrums?! My top tips in this scenario are to ask yourself: Am I clear on my goals aligned with my higher purpose? Are they aligned with my values? Am I facing a challenge that I will evolve through? Can I handle a worst-case scenario if things don’t work out? What is my gut telling me? And the biggest one of all…is this bringing me joy? Many people don’t prioritise joy enough. Did you know that joy is one of the most productive aspects of success, if you are enjoying something it will never feel like you are working, you will do more of it? There is nothing as powerful as someone on purpose and enjoying the journey! Anyone who encounters me will often pick up on the fact that I LOVE what I am doing, whether that be writing or publishing books, being with my kids or on a coffee date with a girlfriend because if I am not enjoying it you won't find me doing it. The reason is if I say a yes to something my heart is saying a no to I am doing an injustice to the other person where someone else would be a heartfelt yes. This realisation freed me from being a yes person and it doesn’t have to be harsh, you can say no with love. Crossroads and brick walls will always come in life and especially in business, it is how we navigate them that makes all the difference. When I became an author and then a business owner, I soon realised that not everyone shared my perspective that challenges are a positive aspect of any worthwhile journey because they mean that you are evolving and growing into the person you need to be so that achieving your goals is feels like the next natural step on your journey, the reality is, the bigger the goal, the bigger the challenges and so the only way to facilitate growth is to have a positive perspective on challenges and consistently upgrade your mindset to keep in par with the upgraded version of yourself. See yourself through the eyes of one of your champions. There is nothing that will ever stop you from getting what you want out of life or business, only you so ensure that you set goals aligned with your higher purpose that are values aligned and you will enjoy the journey as much as the destination. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Karen! Karen Mc Dermott, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Karen Mc Dermott is an award-winning publisher, multi-genre author, and TEDx Speaker. Karen realized her passion for the story after an epiphany led her to write her first novel in only 30 days. Karen has gone on to build a publishing empire and is the publisher for many well-known best-selling authors and also aspiring authors alike. She is a regular Forbes writer and her signature book series is the Alchemy of Life Magic series. Karen is a passionate teacher and runs her own publishing academy, Everything Publishing Academy, which recently won an award for innovation. Her motto in life is 'When time and circumstance align, magic happens.'

Written by: Heather Madden , 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 we think of human evolution and survival, the variables are changing. A pivotal intersection exists between the mindset for performance and the mindset for emotions. Learning to work with your emotions and sustain belief brings strength, calm and choice into your everyday life. Everyone has a story of this time and emotions are the teacher of what was and all that can be. Emotions narrate a constant flow of awareness and understanding, they are tools for psychological safety, action and truth. Hitting the wall of your mindset transformation is often the sign that it is time for emotional development. We live in an era of perpetual change, the pace of which is rapid and constantly in motion. This means that external forces of change will always interrupt our pattern of living, necessitating different skills in mindset transformation. Our mindset for performance subscribes to a linear, analytical and problem-solving toolkit for growth. This performance mindset is inextricably associated with success, a bias that skews the impact of emotional need and mental health. Some of the costs of this paradigm include work addiction, stress addiction and burnout, the latter being a virtually instant full stop to busy minds and lives, with devastating consequences. In contrast, a mindset for choices delivers mental agility and resilience, with daily effort intentionally focused on interrupting stress and the tendency to over-function. By stepping into a discipline of self-directed resets each day, emotions have time to release and provide a deep connection with what you need, based on where you are at right now. The certainty and resilience derived from this simple exercise in emotional homework is deeply powerful. More emotional narrative increases learning capacity, refines decision-making and improves mental health, happiness and our lives at work. The boundaries you enjoy, the knowledge you can release anxiety and overwhelm, and the personal vision sparked all serve to allow for enjoyment, presence and acceptance of both the known and unknown. This form of emotional core wellness involves slowing down and simplifying life to rest and reset often, because interrupting pace is THE game-changer and will allow necessary choices to reveal themselves effortlessly: letting go becomes a natural consequence. These are my starter steps for building emotional core wellness to break through the wall of your mindset transformation: 1. Set hard boundaries for time Time is wealth and you will never get time back. This includes time with your children, your partner, your parents and that hard to manage catch-up with your friends. But the most damaging loss of time in your life is the inability to spend time with yourself. Learn to value your time as a form of expenditure and remove all burdens on time, which often means hard boundaries with people you know and services you provide, particularly those which create inequity for emotional wellbeing and leave you feeling exhausted. Quietly transition away from busy to deliberately slow-paced. Work is a major element of your time: you are the boundary-setter through agility of focus and effort. Create a discipline for daily resets throughout your working day, recognise your signs of stress as you are pressured to over-function and enable personal responsibility for emotional safety by creating moments of freedom and release throughout the day. 2. Recognise and respect the toll of cumulative trauma in everyday life Trauma is often cumulative, the result of small stressors across our different life bubbles, which eventually adds up the toll of acute trauma. Work, family, relationship, business-ownership, education, health and social media all carry constant levels of stress, and whether you perceive this to be good or bad stress, the impact is the same. Consider the impact of cumulative trauma on your health and wellbeing urgently. Burnout or breakdown is a real possibility and happens far more quickly than we realise. 3. Rest, more than you believe you need Rest is a way of living and much more than sleep. Rest is putting your feet up, sitting in your garden, cuddles with your dog and making a beautiful meal for your family (sans the podcast, ‘rant’ and social tough-talk). Rest is anything which allows you turn away from the constancy of human over-functioning and processing thoughts and information. By quietening your mind, you begin to feel, and these feelings ebb and flow in a form of narrative that ensures you are safe, protected and understanding of yourself. Rest is something to crave and find solace within as often as possible every day. 4. Emotions are beacons of knowledge: they have a reason to be there From the moment we are young adults, emotions are the thing we learn to avoid. Mental health is number one. By practising this belief every day, as often as possible, we begin to connect with our emotions, understand their major impact on health and wellbeing and develop the ability to listen to their lessons. Find your dominant emotion each day and make the effort to refine understanding from your experiences, the day’s scenarios and widen self-awareness. Define your emotional narrative: build a wide vocabulary of emotions to translate your feelings. Know your values: hold these close. 5. Remove labels and have grace in the moments Labels are gross forms of bias and discrimination, and we reserve the harshest labels for ourselves. These labels are inextricably linked with modern attributes of ‘success’: placing people on pedestals, the overwhelm of social media snippets driving unfair comparison and the praise for being a busy person. They are pervasive in many facets of our world and degrade understanding of love, kindness and compassion. Labels reject the very simplicity of what we know is right. The foundations of life start with being gentle within. Life comes down to simple memories: a whisper of connection, an unplanned love, a conversation with your child on a rainy day. Love is at the very heart of every single thing we give and receive: grace is the ultimate strength derived from this presence and gained from the wisdom of your experience. It is the ability to ride the rollercoaster of belief each day and navigate emotional currency, presented by the circumstances of change, that makes you even more limitless. Change is so perpetual that is unpredictable, and uncertainty is the dominant universal emotion of our time. By developing a toolkit to intentionally interrupt stress in the busy construct of the performance mindset, emotional resilience is instilled and a mindset for choices follows. Live Life Limitless. Heather Madden Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Heather! Heather Madden, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Heather Madden is a leader in mindset transformation and personal development. By challenging coping modality and building a lifelong commitment to managing stress, Heather helps others to break through barriers and achieve limitless life transformation, emotional core wellness, and values alignment. Heather founded the Live Life Limitless movement following her self-managed recovery from burnout and breakdown, triggered as a result of stress addiction, over-functioning, and multiple health setbacks including a chronic, sight-threatening eye disease and life-changing preventative surgeries following diagnosis of the BRCA1 genetic mutation. She hosts "The Interrupt Series: Stress, Overwhelm and Emotional Wellbeing", Interrupt Stress for Life live events, and regular Limitless Leaders and Live Life Limitless meetups. Her mission: Live Life Limitless: Choose, positive, make the choice. Mental Health is Number One.

Written by: Mara Zwicker, 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. This is a practical guide for people who want to change something, feel happier and more at ease. Feel free to take those strategies that work best for you and leave the others out. They are meant to provide you with some tools that have helped many people in the past, to decrease stress and anxiety. Implement at least one of them for 30 days straight (no day left out!) and it will contribute to increase mental health in your day to day life. Something that I feel, all of us can use right now to a certain extend :) 1. Close all "running tabs".. all unfinished tasks! The cupboard that you wanted to organise but never did.. the aunt you wanted to call but didn't have time for.. the stuff you wanted to sort out but have been procrastinating to do.. all the small and big things that we start (or want to start) and never finish take up space in our mind. We might not realize it but subconsciously, those unfinished tasks consume our energy. Similar to a Laptop slowing down because there are too many open tabs at the same time. Tip: write a list of all unfinished things and finish one of them per week (or month). 2. Get a VERY clear picture about your finances and then start to organize and structure them 100%! Write down every single cent that you are spending and add it all together on a monthly basis. Don´t forget those annually costs, break them down to how much they contribute to your monthly spending. Then see how much money comes into your account monthly, through work or other income streams. Work towards making it a plus at the end of the month by cutting unnecessary expenses and increasing the income. 3. Look around in your neighborhood for an opportunity to serve your community. Serving others greatly reduces or own anxiety and we earn the gratitude of those we help, which greatly enriches our lives. It might even be a very small thing but it adds greatly to our well-being. 4. Get in contact with clean, freshwater as much as possible. Clean, running water can wash away lots of negative and destructive energy. If that is not always possible, listen to the sound of running water (there are great sound mixes on Youtube for example) or imagine standing by a waterfall. 5. Avoid people who stress you out. If you can not avoid them physically, train yourself to not respond to them emotionally. Let them talk, keep your thoughts to yourself and go on with your day as soon as possible. 6. If you turn on the TV, really sit down to watch a certain movie. Don´t let it run in the background all day. You may not feel it, but your subconsciousness is permanently stimulated by the noise and your nervous system has to deal with the constant stimulation. Rather turn the TV or radio off, take a deep breath and test how it feels like, to sit in quiet. 7. Create a collage with all your favorite pictures. This might include family, friends, pets, places with great memories, travels etc. It is beautiful to print pictures out and hang them on the wall instead of leaving everything online. And it can remind you of the beautiful things in your life when you are stressing out about something, that will probably not be important anymore tomorrow. 8. Write a happiness diary: every night, specifically write down 3 things that made you happy AND 3 things that you did well today. It is meant to re-wire your brain to focus on the happy and good things in your life. When you do it for 30 days straight, you will start to notice the difference in your daily perception of things, they might become brighter and even more positive. It might sound like a small thing to do but is VERY powerful when you do it at least 30 days straight. When you find these strategies helpful, feel free to get the whole guide with 30 Tips as a free download on my website. I wish you a happy and joyful day :) These tips are not intended to give medical advice or replace a doctor in case of illness. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Mara! Mara Zwicker, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mara Zwicker is a firm believer in the ability of people to create a positive change in the world. After surviving a life threatening disease at age 21, she decided to help people discover their true 'why' and create a life around it. Social entrepreneur and writer by profession, linguist and intercultural communicator by education, Mara has spend her life traveling, living and studying on different continents around the world. She is affiliated with Positive Global Change, an international group of social entrepreneurs, which helps people to develop their true potential as leaders and impact makers. She is writing in the fields of business, travel and health for clients like Netcoo (Next Economy Magazine), Lonely Planet, Marco Polo and HolidayCheck.

Written by: Kim Ward, 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 I think of a solopreneur, I think of you. A go-getter who wants to put their stamp on the world while providing freedom and options for you and your family, without losing your sanity. That can feel overwhelming for you and at times, maybe impossible. Especially because you’re wearing so many different hats as a solopreneur while simultaneously raising a family. You are motivated to do your best but may feel that you’re spread so thin. I was there too. My journey as an entrepreneur began on 12/28/14. I was eight months pregnant with my daughter and had just received a phone call that my mother had taken her own life. The news was devastating and all too familiar. Unfortunately, I had also lost my only sister to suicide 7 years prior. That night I was reminded, yet again, of how precious and short life may be. Something inside me switched. I did not want to return to a corporate job where I didn’t have the freedom and flexibility that I was longing for. Knowing that I would soon give birth to my second daughter, I wanted to raise her myself. The thought of working hard for someone else just to pay for daycare didn’t appeal to me. That’s when the vision began. If you’ve ever felt like you’re just doing everything wrong in your business, you’ll love this next part! Without capital or a desire for a “brick and mortar” establishment, I turned to social media. Honestly, I had no clue how to show up effectively on social media and after 4 months of no sales, no inquiries, barely any conversations, I turned to a mentor. She said, “You need to do a video and tell your story”. My first thought was “Who wants to hear my story?” but I trusted her and was willing to trust the process. I posted my video on social media that same day. It was real, raw, unscripted and very transparent. I was actually uncomfortable being myself. Have you ever felt that way? If you’re still reading, it’s safe to assume that you said yes. Now that I know we’re on the same page, I can give you the one word that will change your entire business. Authenticity. Yeah, it’s that simple. Let me explain. After I posted that video I had an overwhelming response. Comments and messages were pouring in. My audience resonated with me. My body language, my personality, my story. That was the pivotal point in my business. The more authentic I was, the more my followers and my business grew! Here I am, seven years later as an active parent whose daughter has never been in daycare! We did it! Built a business through the teething & tantrums! You can follow your business plan, follow every social media course but the fact of the matter is, if you’re not willing to be authentic, you’ll never attract the people who need you. Be you. Show up and share yourself with your audience. Give them something to relate to and let them know that you and your business are the solutions to their pains and problems. It may feel uncomfortable but when you’re showing up authentically, you are providing hope to someone who needs it and maybe, just maybe you are the answer to their prayers. Who will you inspire and impact today? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kim! Kim Ward, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kim Ward, is a leader among driven entrepreneurs, helping them find their fire so they no longer feel defeated and make decisions that move them closer to their goals instead of sleepwalking through their day. After losing her sister and mother to suicide, and surviving an attempt of her own, Kim has dedicated herself to improving the quality of lives around her. She is the CEO of Katie's Mission, a nonprofit organization fighting to end the stigma around mental health and providing wrap-around services to those in need. Kim is a co-author in a 1 best-selling compilation book in 4 countries - "The Power of Yes. How Network Marketing Creates Dream Lives". Her mission: Help you get through challenges and adversity with a powerful truth that can help those around you.

Written by: Aileen Carson, 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. Resilience is often described as bouncing back from adversity, but sometimes it can take time to recover from difficult circumstances. While it’s important to have the ability to adapt to circumstances, it can be helpful to take your time to recover, reflect on what you’ve been through and work out a way forward. Living through a pandemic has been exhausting and has tested all of us. Many people are struggling with their mental health and coping with grief and loss. Others have been living in survival mode which isn’t sustainable in the long term. Take your time So what do you do when you’ve been through a difficult experience such as a pandemic and you find you’re not bouncing back? First, don’t assume that because you’re not straight back to where you started that this means you’re not resilient. We all react differently to events, so rather than putting pressure on ourselves or comparing ourselves with others who appear to bounce back quickly, spend some time regaining your energy and moving forward at a slower pace. It can be hard to feel resilient if you have been through one stressful event after another with very little space in between. When this happens, you may not have had enough time to recover from the first event before being hit with the second and third and so on. It doesn’t even need to be a hugely traumatic event. Relentless pressure or stress can wear you down, reducing your energy levels and making smaller things harder to deal with. If you don’t give yourself enough time to deal with the stress associated with one event, you’ll carry it with you to the next event, making it even harder to deal with. Go back or move forward? Consider whether you want to go back to where you were. Would it be better to try to move forward rather than devoting your energy trying to go back to being the person you once were? Resilience involves adapting, so you might find you don’t go back to your former self. Instead, you might become a different person with evolved coping mechanisms – someone who can build on their experiences to work out the best way of moving forward. Be kind to yourself Taking time to regain your strength means you are taking responsibility for your wellbeing. Many people are much harder on themselves than they are on other people, so try to recognise if you are being particularly hard on yourself and show yourself the same compassion you’d show others. We all cope differently with whatever life throws at us. No one else is on the same journey as you. Work out what you need right now If you’re struggling to cope, consider what you need to help you at the present moment. This could be something to eat or drink, fresh air, exercise or something else. For me, looking after myself involves exercise, meditation, reading and spending time with people close to me, but it might be different for you. Anything that helps you stay well will benefit you. Self-care isn’t selfish or self-indulgent. It’s essential. Learn from your experience When you’re in a better place, reflect on your experience and work out if there is anything you could do differently the next time you find yourself in difficult circumstances. Is it possible to find something positive about it? This doesn’t mean you’re minimising your experience or how you feel about it. Finding meaning in whatever has happened to you will make it easier for you to move forward. We’re all adapting to a different way of life now and this is not easy, but giving yourself time to recover and learning from your experience will help you in the future. Observe how you coped and use that knowledge to help you move on. Taking time to recognise what you’ve been through is essential for your recovery and will help you increase your resilience. Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Aileen! Aileen Carson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Aileen Carson is a professional coach who specializes in helping people with career transitions. She has had a varied career, starting as an editor in the publishing industry and then moving into the social housing sector where she worked with people with mental health problems and dementia. Her passion for working with people led her to become a coach. She focuses on helping people identify what’s important to them to enable them to find work that is more fulfilling. She also supports people to find ways of dealing with stress to help them avoid burnout. Aileen’s own career transitions have given her a unique understanding of the problems people face when moving into a new sector and her personal experience of the common difficulties other people face in their working lives, such as burnout and redundancy, has given her valuable insight that feeds into her coaching work.

Written by: Claire Michelle Ward, 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. “You're The Average Of The Five People You Spend The Most Time With,” – What Does That Even Mean? I heard this quote from Jim Rohn a few years ago but never really understood what it meant. How could I be the average of the people who were the closest to me? I am my own person after all, right? Yes, we are all our own person, but we are so heavily influenced by those we choose to spend time with. The ideas discussed, the opinions expressed, the narrative of each of those people becomes so imbedded into our minds that we incorporate them. The beliefs and opinions expressed are repeated over and over and taken so deep into our own subconscious that they become our beliefs and opinions too. Why does this even matter? If you are someone who is looking to grow as a person, who has goals and desires that are important to you, you need to make sure that the conversations you are having with those around you reflect these things. For example, if you have a desire to lose weight and get fit but have someone who is always putting people down who go to the gym and have fit bodies, you won’t do it. Another example is if you have big goals for your business and desire wealth but constantly listen to someone talk about how people with money are horrible, you won’t achieve the wealth you desire. Even though you desire those things they won’t come into reality. You will be sabotaging yourself as you have subconscious beliefs which are in contradiction to your desires. There will also be a subconscious fear that you will be the one put down next or you may even lose those relationships. It becomes easier to stay as you are and not go against the grain. You begin to lose yourself and become like others rather than be your own person. The thing to remember here is that when friends or family are expressing these types of negative opinions it is usually because they are trying to protect themselves in some way or are trying to make themselves feel better because of their own circumstances. It is understandable why it happens, but it will not help you achieve your desires or the growth you so crave. It will always be counterproductive and no matter how hard you try to keep those opinions out; they will still be in there. You can do the affirmations, repeat the positive ideas but if you are still listening to the negative conversations, it won’t stick, they will win out. There is also another part to this, a deeper, more sinister aspect that you need to be aware of. When we are so close to people and we value their opinion and we look up to them, it can really affect us deep inside our soul if that person doesn’t really have the best of intentions for us. It may seem at a surface level that they are our friends, they are there for us but sometimes this is not really the case. So how do you know? If you have someone in your life that you are not sure if they are good for you or not, if they really love you from a genuine place or not, just think of their voice in your mind. How do you hear them having a conversation with you? Do you hear their voice as loving, kind, and gentle OR…? Is it a sarcastic, sneering, and ridiculing voice? This will tell you the truth. If you hear someone in your mind as the latter of the two, you need to get away from that person because this is how they really talk to you. It may not be in an obvious manner, but this is the undertone of the conversations you are having. It is a difficult thing to go through and it is difficult to escape from but if you want to be free and you want to be your own person, you must create space from this type of “friend.” Sometimes we can love people so much that we can’t see who they really are or what their true intentions are. We make excuses for their behaviour or even worse yet, we accept responsibility for it. We think it is our fault, that we have done something to deserve it. Or then we deny it, it can’t be true, I must be wrong, I must be making this up, I must not be in my right mind. The thing is, that voice is not something you have just created, it is not something you have just made up, it is something you have heard over a long period of time so that it has become something normal and acceptable to you. It is not!! The more space you have from this type of “friend” the quieter their voice becomes, and the louder your own voice gets. It can take time for it to completely disappear but with space and through healing the wounds left behind, it happens. One day you wake up and that voice has gone. If you are sitting right now wondering why you can’t get to where you want to be in life, you feel frustrated and tired of the healing processes, of doing the work but are still stuck, you need to look at who you have around you. What are the opinions being expressed? What ideas are you discussing? What do their voices sound like? You will maybe find that the answer lies here, and you need to make some changes about who you choose to give your time and energy to. Ask yourself, whose average do you want to be? Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more info! Raed more from Claire! Claire Michelle Ward, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Claire Ward is a wife, a mum of two beautiful children, a Holistic Empowerment Coach, and a Reiki Master Teacher, who teaches people to identify and let go of their self-judgment and self-criticism, so they can empower themselves and their families, leading them all to be emotionally and mentally strong individuals. ‘Only when you learn to love, respect and accept yourself, can you teach others to do the same’ – Claire M. Ward. After more than 20 years of living a life inflicting pain and suffering on herself, and her family, Claire came to the realisation that the power to transform and heal herself was in her own hands all along, leading her on a journey into a new world of self-love and appreciation. Seeing the transformation in her own life and the impact it had on her relationships, particularly with her husband and children, she realised the processes she used on herself would also work for them, enabling them to support themselves throughout life’s challenges. In that moment her passion and purpose became clear; to use her experiences and skills to guide other people along their individual paths to healing, giving them the skills and techniques needed to support themselves and their families. Claire intuitively helps clients to discover the root of their pain and suffering, before selecting an array of healing tools and techniques specific to the client. This gives them the ability to take their healing power into their own hands and provides them with lifelong tools which can also be passed onto future generations. For those wanting to take a deeper journey into the world of energy healing, Claire runs courses online and in-person in Level One and Level Two Reiki.

Written by: Joanna Hakimi, 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 was recently listening to a Clubhouse talk with Marina Yanay-Triner, Compassionate Somatic Coach and Ethan Lipsitz, Founder of The Love Extremist Project around the topic of Intuition and Healing. They were giving space for people to share their stories. A woman opened up and shared a story that blew my mind. She spoke of her abusive childhood at the hands of an unnamed man. She then went on to discuss her transformation and healing from being a victim to the ultimate forgiveness of her abuser. Not only did she forgive him, but they also forged a friendship, and when he passed away, SHE GAVE HIS EULOGY! This is one of the most radical and beautiful stories I’ve ever heard. The inner peace and strength and LOVE to not only forgive but to CARE about, understand, and LOVE the perpetrator. This woman, in my mind, belongs in the realm of The Buddha or the Dalai Lama. I was so moved and so inspired. I found myself thinking about this woman and her story for several days after I listened to the talk. How can I take even a small piece of that ability and use it in my own life to free myself? All the petty annoyances and grievances I complain about. I was on a mission to radically forgive. After years of therapy, my ego believed, I had forgiven many in my past that in my eyes had “wronged me.” Then, oddly and devastatingly, one of my dearest friends chose to abruptly end our friendship. No conversation. No logical explanation that made sense to me. I was traumatized. Suddenly, all of my childhood wounds of abandonment and alienation were activated. Puddles of tears. Days and days of sobbing, sadness and rage. And then what? I do believe everything happens for a reason. It was no coincidence that I had just attended this Clubhouse talk days before the friendship “break up.” It’s still fresh. I’m still confused. But I’m already working on forgiving her for the gut-wrenching pain I have been feeling. People that hurt others, are hurting themselves. That much I know. I can’t fix it. I can’t change it. I can’t “make her see.” What can I do? What is in my control? I can forgive in hopes of inner peace. I can forgive because I want to choose to lead with love in my heart. However, I am not quite there yet. Forgiveness is a process. Forgiveness is the end goal. For my own health and wellbeing, I know that forgiveness is where I need to be, but that’s going to take time. The woman who forgave her abuser and ultimately spoke at his funeral took time. It took years and it is an extreme example, but there are lessons in forgiveness that each of us can use to shift our mindset. The first step in shifting your mindset is realizing you have a choice. You get to choose to forgive. What is reliving the hurt helping you accomplish? Reliving the hurt can often be a repetition compulsion, like picking a mosquito bite scab. It hurts but we can’t stop. It is a choice. Stopping the thought and shifting to say out loud, “I HAVE A CHOICE and I choose to forgive” is very powerful. Once you make that choice you must embrace forgiveness as a process. It is a commitment that you make that won’t happen overnight. Some days it will be easier than others, but it is not a simple choose and move on type task, forgiveness takes work. Finally, focusing on the present is an important shift to help with the forgiveness process. What lessons has the person or situation you are forgiving taught you? What do you have that’s positive in your life right now, this very second, that you can put your energy into? Finding things in the here-and-now can help you leave the unhappiness and the stress of the past in the past. Feeling wronged at times is part of moving through life as a human. Forgiving, though, is a mindset that you get to choose to shift to. In society, forgiveness is often framed as an act one does for someone else, but take a look deep inside… it is truly for them? Maybe, sometimes, but more likely, it’s for YOU and for YOUR health and wellbeing to come to a place of peace. Follow Joanna on her Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website for more info. Read more from Joanna! Joanna Hakimi, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Joanna Hakimi is a proud entrepreneur and licensed marriage and family therapist. Starting her first successful business at the age of 17 and being president of the Young Entrepreneur’s Society at the University of Georgia, she never closed the door on opportunity. She then went on to Northwestern University and attained her Masters in Science, becoming an LMFT. After being a successful LMFT in the northern suburbs of Chicago for more than 10 years while simultaneously running a mindful goods boutique for 5 years and accomplishing a 200-hour yoga teaching certification, Joanna was itching for a new adventure. Seeing a need to connect independent professionals such as life coaches, wellness coaches, therapists, and career consultants searching for new clients, LifeChangers.info was born. Joanna's goal is to empower and enlighten others to reach their full potential while being their most authentic selves.

Written by: Rosalyn Palmer, 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. Recently I’ve been thinking about truth. Big thinking for big challenging times. I had the time as I was healing from a severe ear infection that led to my eardrum perforating. It was painful and debilitating but my only frustration was that I'd not been able to 'cure' it with my own trusted arsenal of complementary therapies and positive mindset before it reached a point where I had to rely on the power of antibiotics to clear it up. Given time, I was able to reach for that pile of books. You know the one. The 'books-I-have-purchased-because-I-read-a-great-review-about-them-and-one-day-soon-will-get-around-to-reading'-pile. One of the books was The Greatest Secret that is the follow up to The Secret. I'll be honest, it is not an easy read but the voice in my head on repeat was: 'You nearly did a degree in philosophy, and you are interested in metaphysics so plough on'. It enabled me to plough on. This, combined with a course I'm taking called 'The Awakened Soul’ has led my thoughts very much to the issues of awareness and truth. The Greatest Promise focuses on the fact that we are aware. Not a body. Not a mind. But a body and mind that is a channel for awareness and that by enlightening and widening our awareness we will be calmer and happier. Truth is a relative concept, isn't it? We are living in a post-truth society where even what seems to be true or that which we held to be true is often debunked. If you are not familiar with the term Post-Truth, it is mostly used in reference to politics. It was declared the Word of the Year 2016 by the Oxford Dictionary that described it thus: ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.’ In effect, it relates to the lens of cognitive bias we all have and view life through. They really make us deviate from a truly rational view as we are influenced in what we see and believe by our subjective reality. You could sum it up as having gone from truth = ‘I think, therefore I am’ to post-truth = ‘I believe, therefore I am right’. Where it is insidious or alarming is that manufactured truths (or perceptions of truth) can be used to manipulate people, or to be precise, the proletariat. With cries of ‘Fake News’ from leaders, it is hard to know what to trust or who to believe. We see election results that can be disputed for years and witness the social change that is all around us now. Watch the news and it is impossible to tell what is fake or real. How do we start to know what is true? Even more alarmingly, I’ve read that even NATO defines the newest form of warfare as cognitive warfare: a battle for the brain of civilians. That's important. We are no longer in a time of hardware and warfare against other militaries now. Cognitive warfare can be turned against civilian populations by exploiting the vulnerabilities of the human brain to implement more sophisticated social engineering. In other words, influencing how you think and not just what you think to be true. To some extent, this has always been the case. If you look up definitions of truth and get beyond Plato, Arcesilaus and company to a more modern definition it says: 'Truth is a very simple and handy concept. It is the correspondence of a pictorial or symbolic representation to the thing being represented. In the case of a symbolic representation, the correspondence may be massively complicated, but it is nonetheless similar in kind to a simple pictorial representation.' (Peter B Lloyd, 1996, University of Oxford.) Which is why so many people today believe that Science can reveal truth. Science is a useful tool, but it is far from perfect: According to Professor Kathy Sykes: '...science is not about truth but is about trying to get closer to the truth. This is important because, too often, people look to scientists as having the "truth". What we have is wrapped in uncertainties, caveats, and simplifications.' (Sykes, 2005, University of Bristol.) Also trusting the science can be debunked as more science and information is understood. Take for example the advertising for cigarettes from the last century. Today it looks crazy but at the time it was trusted widely. A more humanistic reasoning of truth is defined by the individual person. It is about ‘your truth’. In other words, the beliefs, practices, and concepts of right and wrong of a person are all valid in that person's life and experience. Truth is relative to that person — and there becomes no absolute right and no absolute wrong. While not a true definition of truth, tapping into your own truth can be very grounding and empowering. It does not have to be defended as it just is. It can be indifferent to the judgement or attacks of others if you have absolute certainly in trusting it. Call it faith or inner guidance, intuition, or personal power, it is from you and in you and so it can become an anchor in the sea of uncertainty such as at present. You check in with your heart, not your head and if there is fear you can work out why. Is it from external judgement or threat or is it that it just feels ‘off’? If it is the latter, then sit with it and work out why. Do not rush to outsource the truth of your life and world. If we all did this then the world would be a more grounded, less judgemental place. There would be less wilful blindness where our minds won’t let us acknowledge something as it causes too much psychological pain. There would be less need to want someone else (the state, another in power etc.) to take care of us. There would be less following the crowd simply to feel safe and to fit in. Resulting in less learned helplessness and less feelings of being terrorised or out of control which then create fear-based judgement and behaviour. As human beings, we have a tendency of seeing what we want to see (the Cognitive bias) mentioned previously. It is reinforced by the RAS (Reticular Activating System), a filter in our brain designed to stop it from overloading that allows it to focus on the most essential information. The problem is that it becomes so effective and so habitual that it can stop you from letting in opposing information or perspectives. Rather like having to check the filter on your water purifier or tumble dryer, you need to check the filter on your brain too. Check what you are allowing yourself to be aware of. Are you so caught up in your whirligig thoughts that you can't even see the sunset in front of you? If you decide you don’t like a certain person or politician, are you now blind to anything positive about them? Do you simply seek out information and views that reinforce your existing biases and beliefs? What is true is to be aware of your biases, check your filter and trust your heart. As my late Mum would always say to me, based on a little plaque she kept in the kitchen: “True to thy own self be thou”. Or as they say in the Matrix, Temet Nosce: know thyself. Follow Rosalyn on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit her website for more info. Read more from Rosalyn! Rosalyn Palmer, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rosalyn Palmer is an award-winning transformational coach and therapist, combining advanced rapid transformational therapy/clinical hypnotherapy & NLP-based coaching to create deep desired changes. She works 1-2-1 with clients and via her group courses. As best-selling author of the award-winning self-help book: ‘Reset! A Blueprint for a Better Life’ and three other Amazon bestsellers, Rosalyn makes emotional wellbeing accessible to all. She enables high performers to live their best lives that feel as good inside as they look on the super-successful outside. Rosalyn draws on extensive business experiences - in top London PR & Marcomms (‘retiring’ as a self-made millionaire at age 40 after a stellar career helping clients including Tony Robbins and Edward de Bono) and the insight of being conflicted when the outward vision of your life doesn’t serve you. Added to this are her deeper values and life experiences born from many challenges including cancer; redundancy; bereavement; menopause; divorce; financial loss that broke her open to finding out what really matters in life and how to live a life of balance and joy. As a natural communicator, she is the well-being expert for radio show Girls Around Town, has a monthly newspaper column, and two podcast series: Monkey Business and Life Alchemy.