Jennifer Sharp is a leader in the publishing industry, having founded an award-winning publishing press. She has assisted many with telling their success stories globally, whether it be in business or life. She has created coaching and mentoring programs that develop the writer's confidence in themselves and strategies that help them stay confident within themselves in all areas of their lives authentically. She is the founder of Daisy Lane Publishing and Mindset Magic - Confidence Coaching. Jennifer is on a mission to support as many as she can with living their life fully with positive intentions and to assist them with publishing their story along the way. Jennifer is also passionate about children's picture books and poetry, bringing to life stories that deal with trauma, displacement, homelessness, separation, domestic violence, and language learning. Jennifer Sharp, Publisher & Book Coach Who is Jennifer? Hi Fredrik, I am Jennifer. I currently live in Newcastle, Australia. I’m a mum of two and a grandmother of four. I’m also a mum of three, four-legged creatures who are my daily constants. I’m a writer, a book coach and publisher, an educator, a coach and mentor, a coffee lover who believes life is meant to be lived with purpose and intent unapologetically. My journey with books began at a very early age when I would sit on my grandfather’s knee each Sunday and he would read to me. I can still hear his voice sing with each word he spoke. It is my passion to bring this same love of books to not only my grandchildren but to children around the world. What is it that you do for your clients? Thanks to my grandfather’s nurturing of the written word, he instilled in me the belief that words can be used to impact, empower, educate, and inspire. He taught me the value of knowledge and purpose through story and that we all have the ability to heal and educate ourselves and others through the written word. He always indicated whilst words can instil fear, they can also eradicate it, bring clarity to the reader, increase our level of enquiry, disrupt the status quo, and be integral to change. Books can create new worlds, other worlds, and without doubt, make our imaginations limitless. What do I do? When approached by a writer to publish their books, I always hope, by answering some questions from me, they share the same values as I do toward books, toward life, toward story and once we agree we work as a team to build the words and produce a physical product and one we are always proud of. Quite often, along the way, self-doubt creeps in, but a large part of the production of story involves nurturing the writer – making sure their self-confidence is kept at a high, so they shine all the way through the process. At times this can be confronting as the self-doubt creeps in, but we are always quick to kick its butt! Who should hire/work with you? Anyone who wants to write and share story from picture books to adult non-fiction. Anyone who wants to inspire or educate or empower. Anyone who wants to heal from past pain or share their journey so others can heal. Anyone who wants to enliven the imagination for the reader or bring authority to themselves and their business along the road to achieving their dreams through impact and purpose. This doesn’t mean I take everyone on who approaches me about writing and publishing a book. In fact, I don’t. I have a criteria – values, integrity, authenticity, and knowing and understanding the writer’s Why, is really important. What is your biggest goal? Where do you see yourself in ten years time? I currently have three goals. Firstly, as an early childhood educator for many years, so many children, year after year, would come to school with very little knowledge of what a book was, or not having been read to. My goal is to continue to work toward enriching every child’s life through story – every child who lives within diverse situations, or who are diverse learners themselves who may not have access to this privilege. My second goal is to continue to promote literacy and the power of story through speaking events, and conferences, and coaching and mentoring, programs, and to share how story can create, shape, and impact our beliefs, our values, beginning from within and how story can educate and influence our future selves. Lastly, to keep bringing stories into the world that are led from the heart, from the soul – to share stories that matter from leaders in their line of work, entrepreneurs, those who have made it through hardship to be where they are today with the understanding one story can help many. In ten years? To continue doing what I am now. Continually growing my business whilst living a life with purpose and authenticity. Continuing to expand my speaking events on a global level to share what I have learned along the way. Follow Jennifer on Facebook, LinkedIn, Daisy Lane Publishing, or visit her website for more info! Read more from Jennifer!

Written by: Lori Clark, 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. What does living a fulfilling life look like to you? is it: Being financially stable? Living on your own terms? The perfect career? The perfect family dynamic? Being completely healed? Living carefree? Does it take one or more of those events listed above to make you feel fulfilled? Or does true fulfillment go deeper below the surface? Honestly, I would say true fulfillment starts with being 100 percent at peace with you, your life, your circumstances, everything. Now that doesn’t mean to grow content and not strive for greater things in life. It simply means to make peace with everything, so you have the room and capacity to enjoy your life as you grow into new levels and greater opportunities. Let me ask you a question. Let’s say you moved to a new town, started a new job, and made new friends. Everything is going well, but you can’t seem to get over what made you leave the previous city where you lived. And although things are going much better for you, you are not truly fulfilled because you haven’t made peace with your past. Another example could be a person going through the notions as some may call it. This type of person constantly does what feels right to them. They’re constantly doing new things, but nothing seems to bring them true happiness. This is because they have yet to make peace with their life. When a person makes peace with everything, they have a better understanding of themselves. They want to make better, more thoughtful decisions. They want to reap the fruits of pure happiness. They will not simply move around from what may feel or look right. They will confront their life with grace and understanding. Even the toughest moments won’t hold them back from ultimately living a life of true fulfillment. Making peace with your life can be difficult because human nature wants us to believe when we make peace with something we’ve forgotten what it did to us. Human nature wants us to believe forgiveness is a pass for people that hurt us. It may feel that way, but the reality is making peace and showing forgiveness clears the path for you to move forward without extra mental baggage holding you captive. I hope after reading this you take a moment to decide what you can make peace with, and how doing so will bring you more happiness and fulfillment. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Lori! Lori Clark, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Lori Clark is a leader in the life coaching industry, dedicated to helping individuals overcome life's challenges. She also aims to help people reach their highest potential while eliminating mental barriers. Lori had a rough childhood that led to an adulthood of trying to fill different voids. She eventually made up her mind; she would live a life worth living and changed her world. During this time, her health failed, and she was diagnosed with a chronic illness. Doctors told her she would never be the same. Instead of playing small, Lori took her circumstances and excelled. She finished college, went back to work, and is now certified to help others.

Written by: Abbey Dyer-Amonette, 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. Ever feel like you are missing your Mojo? Mojo is technically defined as good luck, charm, or skill that seems to come from something magical or supernatural. But I always thought of Mojo as being something like your "spirit" or "will". Tied somehow, ever so closely, to your determination. Interwoven tightly with your mindset and impacting things like productivity. Distractions are one of those things that have a sneaky way of weaving quietly in, sucking up your productivity, and derailing your Mojo. The good news, you have control. You control your environment and those things that you put in your environment which can lead you astray. Here are some tips to limit distractions and make your environment work for you: Develop the Right Atmosphere/Mood – Create a space in your office that is both productive and motivates you. Be intentional about how you layout your desk to limit ways of getting off track. Then in a space like your bedroom, set it up like an oasis. A place to relax, unwind and get enough sleep. Turn Off Technology - When you are doing a task, turn off anything that will distract you from the activity you're doing at that time. Remember, we can't truly multi-task. This was a great interview question about 20 years ago. And everyone seriously thought this could be done. But we can only concentrate our attention, on one thing at a time. Meditate Ahead of Action - Calm your mind before you do anything difficult, whether physically or mentally, it can help. As you meditate, visualize yourself succeeding at that task. Studies show that this type of meditative practice can improve performance. Set Small Daily Goals – Breaking your larger goals into smaller more manageable pieces that can be done in shorter periods will help. I like to use the example of content. As Entrepreneurs, we have large amounts of content to create. If you think about a years' worth of content, it can be tremendously overwhelming. Breaking it down into 2 weeks or 4 weeks at at a time, makes it feel more doable. Set Limits/Boundaries – Set yourself limits on the use of your distractions. If you are writing content, set yourself a goal of writing for one hour, and then you get a 5-minute phone break. Now some distractions don't involve technology or yourself but instead other people. If you are interrupted by certain family members or pets, you can instead set positive boundaries for them. Eliminating distractions means increasing productivity. Do you often run into people who feel they need to be less productive? Or does anyone you talked with recently say they had too much time on their hands? These changes will help you focus, center, and complete tasks more efficiently. You will be surprised how much more you can get accomplished. It doesn't mean that you are or should feel busier. Being productive can be easily identified by producing results. Here is a bonus: We talked earlier about meditating ahead of doing difficult tasks. Another important tool for productivity and developing your success mindset formula is affirmations. These can be implemented in as little as one minute per day. "Focus on being productive instead of busy." - Tim Ferriss Want to learn more from Abbey? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin or visit her website. Read more from Abbey! Abbey Dyer-Amonette, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Abbey Dyer-Amonette is an Entrepreneur and Success Strategist. After several traumatic life experiences left her with self-doubt and anger, she found purpose and positivity by creating strategies to develop and maintain a success mindset. She is dedicated to helping others move past blocks and limiting beliefs, to create a life and business that lights them up. Dyer-Amonette has been a corporate leader for 20+ years, coaching and mentoring leaders with a Fortune 100 company. She also has a handmade product business that creates leather goods and jewelry inspired by nature.

Written by: Mona AlHebsi, 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. It’s fascinating how much little children can teach us and change our perspectives towards life. As a first-time mother, I initially didn’t realize the amount of learning that I’ll be experiencing and (still doing) while I’m on my motherhood journey. Khalid is my first baby, and he has just turned two years last month. I consider this, one of my biggest and hardest achievements in life so far! Having already been a highly accomplished woman who had worked in some of the most complex work environments, led diverse teams and dealt with different people and situations; still, I believe that mother-child relationship is quite unique and more sophisticated than any other relationship in the world. An integral part of raising and educating children is to start seeing them as innately wise and capable beings, only then we can play along in their world as life is all about evolving through play and exploration. I therefore, thought of dedicating this article especially to highlight the 5 valuable life lessons that I’ve learned from Baby Khalid till date: 1. The Art of Living In The Moment We all have heard it over and over that the real joy of life lies in being present in the moment by not getting annoyed about the past neither worrying about the future. But how many of us really know how to practice that? Look at toddlers while they are playing and learn this amazing art of living! When I watch Khalid while he is playing, or better, play with him myself, It astonishes me how he easily manages to get me engrossed in the present moment and forget the time element. It’s so much fun when we do anything with wholeheartedness and utter involvement because then we tend to transcend all implied boundaries of place and time. The deep sensations of joy resulting from being in the here and now is not comparable to anything neither expressible. This is the real beauty of learning this particular art from our children that makes every moment worth living and exploring physically, mentally and emotionally all at once. Being present will help us feel more grounded and less anxious about life and its affairs and we can surely perfect it by constant practice. 2. The Art of Being Curious Mashaallah, It fascinates me how Khalid never seems to be out of things to do by creating interesting activities throughout the day, (And sometimes the night)! This is another thing I admire about children. They never feel bored because there is always something to do, and there is always something to do because they are curious and excited about everything around them. The prime reason why we adults complain of boredom occasionally is that we have blinkers and we got conditioned to see the world around us in the usual same way! This is an interesting observation, even though the world around us is constantly changing, but our egos dictate us to approach things around us from the place of “knowing” because that seems easier and looks smarter while in essence, that’s what creates the whole problem! Children in contrast, approach every interaction with people or objects as an enchanting new experience and rarely have motives or agendas out of doing something. They neither care about how they will be perceived, all they care about is to be fully immersed in the moment and enjoy every tiny detail in the experience regardless how it’s going to turn out. How Khalid does that? By pointing at people or things and inviting me to wonder about what he is trying to communicate. That makes me curious and more creative in trying to guess and understand him. Sometimes, he tries to utter few words or scream with excitement when he sees something, in other occasions, he tries to question using cute sounds so that I also start seeing the world curiously the way he sees it. This indeed, has made me more observant and given me a fresher view about my surroundings while helping me to see the sheer benefits of being curious in the various life scenarios. 3. The Art of Negotiation Another great art I’ve learned from Khalid is how spontaneously he uses all his verbal and non-verbal expressions and body language to get me willingly (and sometimes unwillingly) to buy-in his demands. Everyone in my family noticed how diplomatically he is already behaving at this very young age. My sisters get amazed to see his ability to know which buttons to press when dealing with each one of us so that we gladly agree to give him what he wants! It’s remarkable how with his basic skills, abilities, and little cuteness he can create a win-win outcome out of a specific situation, something, that many adults lack the capacity to do. If this shows us something, it is really that it doesn’t take a lot of efforts to win and let others win too. All we need is clarity of purpose, sincerity and connecting with others on a human level. This is particularly interesting because during adults’ negotiation, ego tends to jump in and spoil everything! The intent then becomes to win at any cost rather than to seek a win-win outcome for all involved. That’s why I feel this is a great lesson I learn daily by observing and interacting with Baby Khalid that if we adults understand and practice, it can get us more rewarding results when dealing with others. 4. The Art of Expressing Needs We all know the famous proverb “ask and you shall receive” which is a very simple law of life. Yet, as adults, we tend to complicate things a lot for ourselves by not following such simple divine laws. Children on the other hand, operate on pure instincts and still retain the original universal laws inside them, before their views of reality become distorted as a result of bringing up, education and societal conditioning. The art of expressing needs genuinely and in simplistic manner that children do, teaches us adults that the most important and meaningful things in life are simple but we tend to complicate them. Instead of asking directly for what we need, we have been taught to stuff our sentences, sugar-coat, and have expectations from others, which are all by the way obstacles to effective communication. These things, lead to confusion and sending mixed messages to the external world while we actually mean something else, so we mostly don’t get exactly what we want because there is no alignment between what’s inside and what’s outside! Simply asking for what we want, makes life much easier and us more content because simplicity boils down to two steps: first identify the essential, then eliminate the rest, be it behaviors, words, attitude, or anything else in life. Children know this secret formula, that’s why they know how to ask for what they need, and they end up receiving exactly that most of the time. 5. The Art of Unconditional Love The most phenomenal lesson I learned from Baby Khalid so far is unconditional love and I will tell you why I find this phenomenal. By observing him, I noticed he doesn’t require the physical presence of people whom he loves or enjoys playing with like my sisters and brothers as a condition to be happy or continue loving them. As a family, we only gather during weekends and share some wonderful moments and laughter. Khalid always cherishes those moments when he plays with his aunties, uncles, and cousins during the short weekends, and he is at his happiest time then. However, unlike most of us as adults, we tend to miss our loved ones when they are not around, may even shed some tears or attach our happiness to them being physically around, Khalid fills his entire week with happy moments by calling his aunties, uncles, and cousins names with the same excitement & joy even when they are not around and continue laughing and being cheerful just by remembering them. What a fresh perspective he showed me about love and relationships! He taught me that our relationships are beautiful elements of our life that certainly add to our joy, but the absence of people we love in no way makes us less happy or lessens our love to them. In other words, love is meant to charge our energy not to suck it, as Eckhart Tolle beautifully expressed it: “Love is a state of being. Your love is not outside; it is deep within you. You can never lose it; and it cannot leave you. It is not dependent on some other body or some external form”. I’m truly thankful to be able understand love differently from Baby Khalid, as I believe no one else could have taught me this in such a profound way. Other things that we all must learn from children around us that can enhance our wellbeing include being active, laughing from the heart, eating slowly, breathing from the stomach, sleeping peacefully (like kings or queens) and many other traits that can alter our reality and improve the quality of our lives! At the end, I cannot help but to agree with the famous saying that goes: “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children end up teaching us what life is all about”! If you find yourself struggling to overcome toxic work patterns and feel stuck in a mediocre job, know that you are not alone. Career & Success Coaches like myself can help you be aware of your blind spots while guiding you towards career options that will make you achieve personal effectiveness and fulfillment. You can email me at info@monaalhebsi.com For more personal effectiveness and career success tips, visit my website. Connect with me on LinkedIn and follow me on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook! You can also subscribe to my channel on YouTube. Read more from Mona! Mona AlHebsi, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mona AlHebsi, is an Award-Winning Hotelier, HR Practitioner, Success Coach, Renowned Author, and Speaker. She has recently been named “M “st Influential Woman in Hospitality Human Capital”” nd “I “spirational Female Leader”” ue to her eminent contributions to the hospitality industry and Human Resources profession. Through her book “Beat The Odds,” Mona aims to provide a roadmap to all hoteliers and working professionals on how to make their work a vehicle to delivering excellence and achieving astounding success. She instinctively knows how to ignite the courage in others to stay true to their values and capitalize on their strengths, which will ultimately steer them towards success and fulfillment. Mona’s life mantra is “The more odds you beat, the greater will be your feat”!

Written by: Daniel Mangena, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. We are seeing a growing, global epidemic of mental health problems. Depression is now among the leading causes of disability, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-19-year-olds . Some of this can, of course, be attributed to a widening awareness of mental health. Some can no doubt be laid at the feet of simply having a growing population, and the resulting increase in numbers across the board. But what lies at the heart of it all? Why, when we live in the most advanced and abundant times, do we fall prey so much to poor mental health? A commonly recognized ‘phenomenon’ is the mid-life crisis. We see this referred to all the time; some grey-haired, portly gentleman driving his red convertible, trying with all his might to look thirty years younger. But what is a midlife crisis really? Simply put: the ‘crisis’ of middle-age is really just the rude awakening to the realization that you’ve been living your life on someone else’s terms. Crossing that supposed mid-point, or ‘point of no return’ serves as something of a slap in the face from reality. This happens typically because we’ve left our subconscious state largely unchecked for most of our early, adult life. As cliché as it is to point this out these days; Western society really does impose upon us a road-map for our lives, that completely ignores individual purpose. For all the talk of individualism, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” - we forget our role in defining what that means to us! Partly this is a product of youth, right? I mean who the hell knows what they want to do when they are 19, or 21…or even 30 these days?! We start filling our lives with arbitrary milestones and goals, all there to tell us that we’re doing it right. We outsource the responsibility of our purpose to meaningless trinkets. Owning the fancy car or big house by the age of 45 (or whatever) is not what we think it is. We look at people on Instagram and celebrities on TV, deifying their lifestyles and think that if we simply attain the same possessions; we’ll be happy/loved/respected just like them. That’s not how purpose works! If you don’t do the work to define your purpose in life, understand it and make it your focus; others will. Nature abhors a vacuum. Leaving your purpose unchecked and ill-defined, is creating a vacuum that will be filled by hollow, societal norms. The reason you maybe feel like a mindless drone in your day-to-day, is because you’ve allowed someone else into the ‘driver’s-seat’ of your life. You haven’t had the faith that following your dream/purpose is going to provide you with the means to support your family. The goals you may have set yourself as far as where you live, how many cars you own etc… you probably see as having to come from wage slavery. But here’s the disconnect… All of those celebrity lifestyles are telling you something else. You think it’s about the end result (i.e. the cars and the houses) but it isn’t. Those things are the byproduct of a life lived in service of purpose. That’s what we’re really attracted to, and that’s why it’s so unfulfilling when we do attain the material things. They’re hollow because we didn’t fill them with anything! Wanting to own a Porsche 911, and wanting to buy one when you make your first million/win your dream job/reach whatever personal goal you set for yourself, are two very different things. One is purely about acquiring stuff, in the vain hope that somehow inanimate objects will endow you with purpose. The other is about growing into the kind of person who truly owns a 911. This is why you must do the work to understand your purpose and who you want to be. If you want to be rich so that you can buy stuff because you want to look successful to others…that’s not a purpose with any weight and you’ll quickly be derailed by other people’s plans for you. If you want to be rich, so that you can be of maximum resourcefulness in order to help others and provide maximum service: you will be unshakable. It is so hard to get this across to people, partly because it requires an article of faith (at least at surface value, I’d argue that it’s actually logically sound). People see that contract of employment as being some iron-clad guarantee of a monthly wage that, albeit less than they’re probably worth, is at least stable. The thing is though: it’s not. As covid has shown us, societal norms are not as stable as we might think. This is not to install fear or anxiety, but simply to point out that you don’t have to place your faith in employment contracts. It’s also to point out that, by insisting on working a 9-5 in any job, so long as it pays the bills, you are robbing your life of purpose. OK - you might, on the very off chance, be that person for whom working 9-5 to pay the bills is your purpose…but I’d hazard a guess that you wouldn’t be reading this far if that was you. Odds are you’ve probably got some unexplored childhood fantasy lurking in the back of your mind. Maybe you’ve always had the inclination towards working with animals, or a non-profit, or something that you’ve deemed to be too unstable to devote your time to. But is that really your thinking…or someone else’s? We all know the ‘get a proper job’, dinner table mantra that we received from our parents. Their intentions were pure of course, but misguided. They, and society at large, were setting you up for a life without purpose! That’s what you are craving and seeing in others (or assuming in others). So why don’t you flip it? Instead of leaving a huge vacuum where your purpose should be, in order to dictate how money will come to you; why don’t you invert it? If you become laser-guided in pursuing your purpose, you leave a vacuum for how money is to come to you. The beauty of this is; without strict terms imposed on it by you, money can come to you from anywhere and it will. I don’t expect to convince you of this on my own, especially if you are someone who has spent their life, until now, working in a job and providing yourself with ample evidence that the 9-5 is a viable way to get by. I personally set out, having made and lost two multi-million dollar fortunes, to start my career as a coach/guide/teacher without a clue about how it would go down. I just filled myself with clear, purposeful intentions and let the rest come to me. I am now a millionaire once more, living the life I’ve always wanted and finding fulfilment in every single day. As my very good friend Claire Rogers found out the hard way too: living a personal and professional life without purpose was killing her. This despite closing billion dollar deals and making more money than she’d ever seen in her life. You can check out her full story in this great episode of my podcast . As she also articulates so well: it is never too late to start over. It’s not about chucking everything away, ‘scorched-earth’ style. That really would be a mid-life crisis . It’s just about starting to make new choices, however small, that start to point your ‘ship’ in a new direction. If you’re working a 9-5, don’t engage in what I call ‘job shaming’. That just creates resistance and ultimately: inaction. Instead do the work to find your purpose. Focus on who you want to be, not in your greatest moments, but in your everyday life. Are you wealthy? If so; what does that support you in doing? Drill down into the emotional state that you want to experience every day and that will tell you who you want to be. From there: the new choices that need to be made in that direction will stand out to you. You’ll find it much easier to start making steps towards your new life. Don’t quit your job, but find time outside of work to start working on whatever it is that you want to do. Begin filling your skills gaps so you can start being of service in the ways you want to. Take courses, pay for classes etc…The byproduct of this is that your 9-5 will get the reflected purpose, of serving you in being able to afford the tools to get you there! Reframe your world through the lens of purpose, and you’ll see such a huge shift in your life. You’ll avoid any crises born of middle-age because you’re already awake, living life on your terms. Follow me on Facebo ok , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Daniel! Daniel Mangena, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dan Mangena is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public speaker. Recently named in the Wall St Journal as a "Master of Success," he is completely self-made and has spent decades perfecting his world-class coaching methodology. His books, podcasts, events & retreats continue to help captains-of-industry and private individuals alike live an abundant, joyful, purpose-driven life. He offers many unique and effective free tools via his website.

Written by: Karen Gibson, 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. Watching my 90-year-old mom, the victim of vascular dementia, under hospice care has forced me to confront death. My previous encounters with depression and anxiety have taught me to embrace emotions I used to fear, instead of viewing them as an enemy to destroy. Many grief counselors or friends who have lost their parents remind me to spend as much time as I can with my mom during her last moments. Others suggest that I play music, profess my love for her, caress her, or watch for swelling in her hands and feet which is a sign that her time with us is coming to an end. When my 19-year-old daughter expressed reluctance to visit my mom, part of me felt that it was my responsibility to make sure she visited her grandma. My 25-year-old made it her mission to visit my mom daily, spending the maximum amount of time visitors are allowed to stay at the hospital. We were told at first that each of us were limited to a daily thirty minute visit. I managed to persuade the director in charge of approving visitation to grant us an extra half hour. Then, I begged him to grant my daughter and I two visits per day. At first, my daughter was furious that our visits had to be so limited. Why couldn’t she take her dad’s time if he didn’t visit? Friends and family would express their anger, saying how ridiculous it was that all of us couldn’t visit her simultaneously. The harshest rule to accept was during my mom’s transition (her final hours), only two family members would be allowed to be by her bedside. “You’re making me choose which two family members will be next to my mom when she dies?!” I cried, questioning this absurd rule. Part of me realized that I was lucky that we were allowed two family members since no family members could be present last year. Covid stole my 19-year-old’s senior prom, traditional graduation ceremony and Project Grad. Many families could not be present during births, deaths as well as the hundreds of weddings and celebrations that were cancelled. Meditation and spending time contemplating whether I needed my daughters and husband with me when my mom chose to permanently leave us revealed the secret to preparing for the loss of a loved one. A dear friend shared that she believes our loved ones choose when they want to leave and we tend to make it all about us instead of our loved ones. This epiphany enlightened my soul. Why did I feel that all of us had to be near my mom when her life came to an end? Even if I convinced the director to give us unlimited visits, what if my mom chose to take her last breath when she was alone? The director shared that in his thirty years of being in the hospice field, he believes that most loved ones wait until they are alone to take their last breath. They do not want their death to be witnessed. Whether or not this is actually the dying one’s intention may not be known, but part of me wonders if he’s right. He was at both of his parents’ bedside during their last days. One passed away when he went home to take a shower before coming back to the hospital. The other passed away when he took a quick bathroom break. My grandfather died when my mom and I left the hospital to get some rest. My father, his youngest child, was the only one in the room when he took his last breath. My conclusion is that the best way to access peace during my mom’s hospice journey is to release the “shoulds.” I told my youngest that it was okay if she didn’t want to visit her grandma. She would say she had a sore stomach or headache when I invited her to come to the hospital. There are no rules in order to accept death. But, the one rule I’ve learned to follow that brings me peace is to do whatever my heart leads me to do. Sometimes working with my students as a private tutor, accepting an invitation to be a part of the “United not Divided” forum on a local television station or writing this article brings me a slice of peace. Some may judge me for not dedicating every moment to be by my mom’s side. Others suggest I demand more time and remind the hospital staff that their rules are ridiculous. One of the rules that caused emotional turmoil is being told that only one person could visit at a time. I have a feeling this is why my youngest daughter doesn’t want to visit her grandma. She craves company and doesn’t want to be alone with her grandma. Letting go of what we can’t control is easier said than done. However, as I ride this emotional rollercoaster of pending death, I feel I’ve discovered the answer to peacefully accepting my mom’s fate. Choosing what brings me peace in the present moment is the best way to prepare for losing a loved one. I’m learning to stop following the endless suggestions that are said with the best intentions. I’m releasing guilt when I choose to engage in activities (business or personal) that cause me to spend time away from my mom. I know deep in my heart that she wouldn’t want me to carry this unnecessary guilt of following the “shoulds.” If you are facing the imminent death of a loved one, take several deep breaths, and listen to your heart. Let go of what you feel you should do, and just choose whatever brings you peace. It might be as simple as treating yourself to a special dessert or taking a much needed nap to replenish your energy. We all know how emotionally draining it is to endure overwhelm, especially during a crisis. Just remember that the best way to prepare for losing loved ones is to accept that you may be losing their physical presence in your life, but they will always remain in your heart. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Karen! Karen Gibson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Karen is the founder of "Letting Go with Aloha," offering coaching for overwhelmed parents and those in parenting roles who want to parent with peace instead of pain. As a former special education teacher, she also founded Brain Builders, a private tutoring business whose mission is to enhance students' mental and emotional potential. She is the author of "Mama's Gotta Let Go: How to Let Go Without Losing Your Sanity,” available on Amazon, as well as “100 Parenting Tips Inspired by the Pandemic,” published in March 2021 by Balboa Press.

Written by: Suki Collins, 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. What is psychological safety? Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson defines psychological safety as “a shared belief that I can bring my full self to work, that I will not be humiliated or made to feel less good about myself if I speak up with ideas, with questions, with concerns, and yes, even with mistakes” As the world is changing, becoming more uncertain, I believe that Psychological safety becomes even more critical. Google’s People Operations team conducted an internal study of more than 180 Google teams. They found the number one driver of successful teams is psychological safety, “feeling safe to take risks and be vulnerable at work.” I believe that psychological safety is more important than ever in 2021, we have had more than eighteen months into a global pandemic, we have been working from home and how these are affecting our employees. I heard employees telling me that they have experienced burnout during the Covid-19 pandemic, within the last week felt lonely during the week and elevated stress levels. Why does psychological safety matter? According to an article I read in Gallup, moving the needle up on psychological safety can lead to: Edmondson says that nearly all of the work we do today is knowledge work and that when people lack a sense of psychological safety, they will be reluctant to share, use, and integrate their knowledge so it is mission-critical to build a healthy and effective team. For me when I was leading teams psychological safety was paramount, I found it led to high-quality decision making, healthy group dynamics and good interpersonal relationships, greater innovation, and more effective execution of our outcomes. We were also attuned to the changes taking place in the organisation and to work as one super team. This made a difference in how much money we were bringing into the organisation. Can we keep doing what we have been doing? I do not think we can keep doing what we have been doing and expect our employees to keep performing at their best. In the past, managers have kept conversations boxed into work and non-work categories, During the past year, many managers had to have conversations which were off-limit topics like childcare, health-related concerns and caring for other family members. I do not think we can return to the old normal if we want to remain competitive and allow our employees the choice of where they want to work. I think we need to look at hybrid working if we fail to do this as organisations we are going to struggle. Hybrid working arrangements are presenting their challenges and managers need to become flexible to deal with the same workload with added complications. How Managers can create a psychological safety environment Going forward the managers must create an environment where the employees are encouraged to share aspects of their situations that affect their work scheduling or to encourage their employees to make the right choices for themselves and their families, balanced against the needs of their families. Managers should take responsibility to create an environment where these issues can be discussed openly. Psychological safety is needed more than ever to enable constructive conversations in the new and potentially fraught and challenging environment. I am going to take you through the steps which I believe are needed to get this right in your organisation, these have worked for me and I am hoping will help you on your journey. Step 1 – Set the Scene. I found it helpful if I was open about my challenges, this helped my team to be open and for us to share ownership of the problem. Your team needs to recognise that everyone must be clear and transparent about the needs of the work and of the team and jointly own responsibility for succeeding, despite the many hurdles that lie ahead. Step 2 - Say “thank you” – more often Recent data reveals that psychological safety is highest for employees recognised within the last month and lowest for those never recognised. Make gratitude a habit, set aside each week to think about which of your colleagues stepped up to deliver for the business. Then take time to tell that person you appreciate them and be specific about what you appreciate. I found this also helps with reducing stress in the employees. Step 3 – Check in with your employees regularly I found that in a hybrid work situation this became even more important. Our priorities are constantly changing and most of us need that connection. Psychological safety is highest for employees who check in with their managers at least once per week and lower for those who check in less frequently. In summary, psychological safety takes time to build but moments to destroy. The default behaviour is for us to hold back, to fail to share even the most relevant thoughts at work especially if they are not sure these will be well received. When your employees do take the risk of speaking up but get shot down, they and their colleagues will be less likely to do it next time. As a manager, it is important to be vigilant and push back when you feel your employees are letting their teammates down. At its core, psychological safety is about feeling comfortable bringing my whole human self to work. For employers it is about empowering your staff, you feel that you can trust your employees to do the jobs they have been employed to do. These three simple steps, setting the scene, saying thank you and checking up with your employees regularly can take you a long way in creating an inclusive and psychologically safe environment for your employees and increasing their engagement. Follow me on Facebo ok , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Suki! Suki Collins, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Suki Collins is a leading Business Coach and an accredited Executive Coach. She has had over 20 years of experience at the senior HR management level. She practices a coaching style of management and has seen the difference coaching can make to an individual, a team, and the organization. On an organization level, she was responsible for establishing a Medical School in the United Kingdom. Currently, the School is in the top 5 Medical Schools in the UK. She coached senior leadership to utilize HR tools for ensuring performance and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity (EDI), and belonging are at the heart of everything Suki does. Suki is the Founder/Director of Pebbles Coaching and Wellbeing Consultancy, established in 2020. Her company aims to provide coaching to individuals, teams, and organizations, leveraging the insight of over two decades’ senior management experience within two top Universities and extensive executive coaching experience. Suki is passionate about new challenges, has a positive outlook on life, and this is carried through everything she does. She strongly believes that a positive mindset can take her through any challenges she faces in life. Suki’s mission: spread the word about the positive impact of coaching.

Written by: Albana Vrioni, 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. “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high, and we miss it, but that it is too low, and we reach it.” Michelangelo A goal that transcends you is a goal aiming to realize something that seems out of reach, something that outlasts you, and makes a positive impact on those affected by it. Such goals are complex and challenging as they seek to create something new in ways that are genuine and meaningful. Why would we want to pursue goals that transcend us? The pursuit of transcendent goals fulfils 3 distinct roles: personal mastery, professional fulfilment, social fulfilment. Personal mastery - Aiming high exposes us to novelty, which activates neural pathways our cognitive functions in ways that regenerate our brains. Aiming low keeps us on what we know and are comfortable with, leading to reduction of cognitive functions and speeding brain atrophy. People pursuing transcendent goals master better self-control and are often dotted by creative imagination and creative vision. Professional fulfilment – when professional life is aligned or dedicated to the pursue of a transcendent goal, we function in our zone of excellence. Pursuing goals that transcend you mobilizes your positive neurochemistry into a generative state of highest performance. The production of feel-good neurochemicals and the activation of your brain’s motivation centre help you channel your energy and express your genius in ways that are productive and towards creative accomplishment. Social fulfilment –anthropological studies indicate that civilisation is related to the quality of taking care of one another. Because of the nature of transcendent goals, their realisation creates positive impact for a larger community and the next generations - not only through the solution, the service, or the product, but also through the quality of relationships you establish with the people that support your pursuit. How do people come to the idea of pursuing transcendent goals? For some people it is a response to an inner call. Beneath and beyond everyday struggle and buzzing minds, at the inner core of every human being, resides an innate desire to experience aesthetic beauty, live with dignity, and contribute to something meaningful. As we start living more mindfully this innate desire becomes more prominent. For others it is an educated choice in seeking ways for self-realization. Scientific backing and increased awareness on the personal, professional, and social fulfilment effects of pursuing transcendent goals create educated desire to explore its potential. No one ever changed the game by playing safe. Therefore, when you set goals that reflect your desire to impact the world in a way that’s ten times greater than you are, you know that this is not egoistic. It is an expression of your courage to unfold and realize your potential. How can we succeed in pursuing goals that transcend us? Pursuing goals that transcend us requires a strong desire and a definite purpose, supported by strong willpower and creative imagination to carry the pursuit over the bumpy road of its realization. To succeed such a pursuit, I suggest considering a handful of self-reflecting questions: 1. What do I find challenging in my work or life? Seek the challenge. You have a challenge when you have a goal – the bigger the goal, the more compelling the challenges. Chose to pursue what you find most challenging. Game changers thrive on a challenge. When you're facing a challenge - welcome it with curiosity and look at it as an opportunity to grow. Instead of reacting to it and presenting resistance, try to understand it from a different point of view. The point is not to change your mind or convince others to change theirs but to land in a generative space of new ideas through understanding, tolerance, and curiosity. Moreover, the point is to confront a challenge in ways that will benefit the vision you have about the future. 2. Who is (will be) benefiting from my service or the realization of your goal? In what areas/ways is the achievement of my goal creating progress, and for whom? When you seek to create a breakthrough, it’s beneficial to understand in what ways the new situation will be better, and for whom. Setting a clear goal in terms of what interests and whose interests you want to impact will help you get your best allies. Also, think about how my goal achievement may be disadvantageous and for whom. Although it is not always possible to satisfy everyone through the aim you pursue, awareness of its impact, positive and negative, is critical to success. To succeed, make sure that you are in the service of the people (or groups of people) who you want to inspire. 3. How can I explore my goal achievement? Once you have a clear sense of purpose, and a big idea that you could be excited about, seek a community of people who can help you see the big picture and achieve what you cannot achieve alone. Do not spend time only with people that think and act like you. Like-minded people may not help you grow, as you are not challenged. One common practice of the greatest leaders and most successful innovators is the creation and use of a Mastermind group – trusted people who offer specialized knowledge, challenge you to think out of the box, and contribute to the creation of something bigger than the sum of the parts. Mastermind groups help you access specialized knowledge needed to achieve your goal, expand your vision, and sustain your achievement. 4. How will the rewards of goal attainment be cherished by those who contributed to its achievement? When the rewards of goal attainment are cherished by those who supported you, you have created a new generation of leaders – of people who will seek goals that transcend them. Leading yourself in achieving a goal that transcends you, is almost always associated with leading others in achieving that same goal. At this point, you will want to clarify: What kind of rewards expectations is bringing people together in your mastermind group? What kind of leadership will you apply? Directive or participative? Centralized or distributed? Select what resonates with you, but make sure it resonates with your goal. Your goal is not you. 5. How sustainable and fit for the future is the way I’m achieving my goal? This is eventually the point at which leaders are most challenged. In a world that is changing fast, how can one thrive or even survive in the shorter term in ways that benefit longer-term fitness? How can one succeed in an unfair or unbalanced game? How to reconcile conflicting values, and competing priorities? Because everything is achieved through conversations, even in the age of artificial intelligence and Metaverse, the neurochemistry of conversations gives us the answer. To assure future fitness you need to create alliances that perform in the spirit of TRUST, valuing transparency, relationship, understanding, sharing, and testing assumptions. It’s the principal gateway to greatness. 6. How am I taking self-care while striving for a goal that transcends me? Pursuing a transcending goal is not about sacrificing oneself to the benefit of the others. It is about fulfilling your dream by helping others fulfil theirs. And in doing so, there may be need for bravery, as not every situation yields for collective immediate and tangible win-win. To succeed you need to commit to self-care. Note that the richer you are inside, the more of it you can radiate outside; the stronger your inner resilience, the sounder your outer efforts; the more centred and connected you are inside, the more purposeful and harmonious your alliances outside. Pursuing goals that transcend you is a quest for fulfilment. Without fulfilment success is void and the ultimate failure. Fulfilment, though, requires pursuing transcendent goals. It’s a mindful choice to step into this quest. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Albana ! Albana Vrioni, Exexcutive Contributor Brainz Magazine Albania Vrioni coaches and advises business leaders worldwide on Generative Leadership and Entrepreneurship - supporting them re-imagine the future, see beyond what’s obvious, and reconcile conflicting truths and competing values. Having succeeded in critical transitions, Albana developed strategies on how to shift the mindset for creative achievement, boost resourcefulness, and manage one's energy to achieve what matters and thrive in changing the game. Her mission: A conscious leader in each game changer.

Written by: Clare Ford, 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 truly believe that it is every person’s birth right to be “fully expressed”. Yet the saddest thing I see in the education space is children not being encouraged to have a voice. Not being encouraged to ask questions and just regurgitating information for the sake of getting the grades. So actually, perhaps we need to ask whether children can thrive AND excel in school, or whether they choose to EXCEL in school or THRIVE. Einstein once said, “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life thinking that it’s stupid.” And yet this is exactly what happens in the education system. Now I know, from experience, that the “one-size-fits-all” approach is no longer working and is outdated. And for a child to thrive, they have to be seen, heard and validated for WHO THEY REALLY ARE. My name is Clare Ford, and I am an expert educator, teen mentor and wellbeing entrepreneur, with over 20 years’ experience working with parents, kids and teens. I help unmotivated, disengaged and bored learners “switch on” so that they are confident, fulfilled and happy, as well as academically successful. My passion is seeing young people unlock that potential inside them, which I do by valuing their emotional growth and personal development, as well as supporting them to develop the key foundational life skills that they need. As a conscious parent and educator myself, I learn from my own teen sons and students every day. I think that the ONE MOST IMPORTANT THING for our children to thrive is to see them for who they are, not for who we want them to be. Here are my recommendations for parents to help their children thrive: Get CLARITY – around expectations regarding timetabling; homework; deadlines Make SPACE – I see how over-scheduled children are with clubs and after school activities and need time and space to just “be” Get CURIOUS – make time to listen when asking your child or teen about their day or their friends - often the “shoulder to shoulder” approach works well – driving; walking together or preparing a meal CELEBRATE the “wins” – however small; don’t underestimate how much anxiety the majority of children experience daily in a school setting Be KIND to yourself so that your children are kind to themselves and not overly critical. I talk about this further in my Chapter called “Nurturing the True Essence of Your Child” in “Not Another Parenting Book” where I explain that for our children to live a true, purposeful and impassioned life (to thrive and excel), not only do we have to be connected with our soul’s desires., but we have to see our children for who they really are, not for who we want them to be. So, in conclusion: You are here to be you. Everyone’s reality is different. Your child is not you. Your greatest gift to your child is to be fully present and connect with them so they felt seen, heard and validated. Your child will blossom in their own time. Your child’s uniqueness is their greatest gift to humanity. Follow Clare on her Faceboo k , Instagram , Linkedin and visit her website for more information. Clare Ford, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Clare is an award-winning education expert with over 20 years’ teaching experience, international best-selling author and Founder of Switched ON!, the cutting-edge global education platform offering inspirational education and parenting solutions. Clare has spoken on several radio shows, global summits, podcasts and TV about redefining education with her unique Switched ON! Learning Method and delights audiences with her combination of wisdom, expertise and humour. Clare is passionate about untapping the potential of each and every one of the children and teens she teaches for them to shine.

Written by: Melissa Skoff, 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. Why do you need a money coach? I asked myself this same question as my husband and I sat down to pencil our first budget several years ago. We had no idea where our money was going, what our goals were, and were completely overwhelmed. As we began our journey of tackling our mountain of debt it seemed insurmountable. It was challenging in so many ways that I hadn’t realized. How many coaches do you think a professional athlete has? He or she probably has more coaches than one can imagine. Even if the athlete is an expert in their sport, a coach in every area is necessary to reach new heights, new skill levels, and new degrees of mastery. The athlete must have coaches including mindset, mental health, nutrition, strength, speed, and sport-specific coaches. That’s a lot of coaches! After our experience of paying off $160,000 of debt in 20 months, I realized the value of coaching. After working with a coach, we were able to see things we weren’t able to before. We were able to go further, faster. So much of money management is emotional and has absolutely nothing to do with mathematics. Thus, enter in the value of coaching. If you could have a life-changing coaching experience to change your mindset and your behavior, would you? If you could work with a coach who completely changes the trajectory of your life and helps you to build a legacy of wealth and generosity, would you? As you can see, working with a money coach costs pennies on the dollar compared to the life-changing value. The value of working with a money coach truly cannot be measured. A money coach is an absolute must to have on your team to ensure your success. If you are serious about building your wealth, your legacy, and making your future better than your present, work with a money coach. Trust me, your only regret will be not starting sooner. Sign up for a free consultation, I’d love to help you! Just so happens I’ve got a group coaching program running this fall called Money Masterminds. I will help you hone your budgeting, saving, and investing skills. You will get all the benefits of working with a money coach without the price point of individualized coaching. Let’s do this! Follow Melissa on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website for more info. Read more from Melissa! Melissa Skoff, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mel, the Money Coach, is a leader within the world of financial coaching. She is known as the Medical Professional's Go-To Money Coach as she is also a Nurse Practitioner and Graduate Nursing Educator. After Mel and her husband paid off $160,000 in 20 months, she set out to help others do the same. She has the heart of a teacher and has dedicated her career to helping others win with money, especially medical professionals. She is the creator of Money Masterminds, a group coaching platform where she helps her clients improve their financial literacy and hone their budgeting, saving, and investing skills. She also has a YouTube channel called Mel the Money Coach, where she helps her listeners learn all things related to finances. Her mission: Everyone deserves to live financially free.

Written by: Justine Beauregard, 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. Hundreds of billions of emails are sent and received daily. How are you making sure yours are marked a priority? It starts with your subject line. This and your preview text are all people see when they browse their inbox on any given day. It’s your first – and often your last – impression with potential buyers. These people gave you access to their personal mailbox, so an assumption that this means they’re open to buying from you shouldn’t be far off. The key is to use the leverage you have with them wisely, starting with the subject lines of whatever you send them. If you’re looking to land on a great one every time, you’re in for a treat. This is a quick read and a masterclass in how to write the perfect subject line. Get ready to take notes! 1. Browse Your Own Inbox There are examples of great and not-so-great marketing all over the place. Training your brain to recognize and understand why something speaks to you more than the rest is a secret success weapon you should be using daily. So, what’s your inbox telling you? Do you react well to secretive subject lines most? Non-nonsense ones? Short or long? Funny or fact-based? What makes you feel the urge to click “open” and read an email meant for you? Like attracts like. This activity will give you a very good idea of what your audience will open because they’re drawn to you. They probably share more with you than you think. If you tend to gravitate towards a specific style of subject line, chances are they’re more likely to open it too. Test this today. Write an email with a subject line inspired by one from your inbox. 2. Embrace Your Voice Be yourself! Subject lines that feel like a real human wrote them to perform better than those written by a marketer. If there are words you use in your marketing elsewhere or a certain tone, like casual or funny, make sure you don’t switch to a weird marketing robot when you get to writing your subject lines. It’ll throw people and harm your open rates. Also, don’t shy away from sharing your thoughts and opinions about current events, trending subjects, or controversial topics! People love to hear honest and unique perspectives about these kinds of things. Just remember, the reader is your focus. Make sure it’s valuable for them and not just a rant about popular culture or the latest celebrity trend. 3. Go with Your Gut Your first idea is often your best idea. Whenever you write a “draft” subject line, challenge yourself to stick with it. Too frequently, I see my clients wasting time on multiple drafts – and mind drama about their drafts – that is better spent elsewhere. Pair this with our tendency as humans to self-correct and self-edit ourselves into more jargon and less clarity, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster on your hands! Trusting yourself to deliver exceptional results on the first try is a beautiful exercise of leadership. It isn’t about saying something perfectly, it’s about saying something PERIOD. If you screw it all up, guess what? You have an opportunity to share it better and strengthen relationships with your subscribers. The ones who are gracious and forgiving. Making mistakes is part of entrepreneurship. The money is in the mistakes when you take them as lessons and gifts and apply what you’ve gained for good. Remember that. The bottom line? When someone opens your email, you have an opportunity to leave a lasting impact on their life. When you do this well, you are opening yourself up to more income. Better results with email lead to better results across other platforms as well. It also helps with credibility and visibility from people ready to buy what you sell. Oh, and send a test email to see how it feels when you receive the email before you hit that send button. If your immediate instinct is to skip over it, your subscribers will likely have that reaction too. Have fun with email today! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Justine! Justine Beauregard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Justine Beauregard is a Marketing Coach for compassionate entrepreneurs worldwide. She uses the skills she's learned as a marketing and sales training expert since 2008 to empower her clients to thrive in their zones of genius + joy to maximize their net impact and income. Since 2015, she has launched two 6-figure businesses of her own and developed a unique marketing process that allows you to be yourself, do what you love, make an impact + still feel like a human who cares. It has been used by hundreds of entrepreneurs worldwide to grow up to 6x revenue in as little as 30 days. Her work and expert opinions have been featured in major online publications such as Brainz Magazine, CIO.com, FitSmallBusiness.com, and Business2Community.com.

Written by: Kc Rossi, 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. Alia Crum, Ph.D., who directs the Stanford Mind and Body Lab, shares, "Our minds aren't passive observers, simply perceiving reality as it is. Our minds actually change reality." You are the creator of your destiny — and it starts with your mindset. When you grasp this concept, you can remarkably improve your life and business. Mindset includes your beliefs, thoughts, and attitude and is as unique as your fingerprint. It’s responsible for the decisions you make and how you show up in the world. In fact, there is a natural progression of occurrences that happen triggered by a thought, and I call it the Mindset Cascade™. Think of a waterfall that gently progresses from at the top and then trickles down. In the same way, the Mindset Cascade™ begins at the top with a thought. That thought or idea in your head stimulates an emotional response. That feeling state influences taking action or not. Action, reaction, or inaction contributes to producing a result or lack thereof. To recap, your thoughts trigger your feelings which trigger your actions which produce your results. Putting special effort into grooming your thoughts will help you gain a massive advantage. Here’s a guide to help you take control of your Mindset Cascade™ to radically improve results: Situation = Your circumstance — something that is factual and out of your control. Thought = An idea in your head — subject to opinion and can be controlled. Emotion = Feelings in your body — a sensation triggered by your thoughts. Action = The process of doing something — this could be action, inaction, or reaction fueled by your feelings. Results = The outcome — consequences of your action or inaction. Let’s look at an example to see how this unfolds in a real-life situation. Say, as an entrepreneur, one of your quarterly goals is to enroll 3 new coaching clients. If the top of your Mindset Cascade™ consists of thoughts like I’ll never be able to find the right clients, It’s going to be difficult to get exposure, and I’m no good at sales, then the likelihood of you achieving your goal is grim. Let’s follow the ripple effect to highlight what I mean. Your negative thoughts are unsupportive and initiate feelings of insecurity, comparison, self-doubt, and maybe even hopelessness. From that emotional state, the action you take will be weak at best. You may even find that you get stuck and take no action at all. It’s easy to see how the results from this scenario will be lackluster. Flip the script and follow this positive and transformative Mindset Cascade™. Using the same desire of filling your client roster, if your initial thoughts are, I’m so excited to connect with my divine right clients, I know the people that I’m meant to serve will gravitate towards me like a magnet, and My coaching gets client’s amazing results already you can energetically feel the difference between the first case study. From that point, emotions of excitement, confidence, commitment, and purpose arise. When positive and powerful feelings are present, positive and powerful actions occur. Networking with the intention of developing solid relationships, inviting prospective clients to a discovery session with you, and focusing on collaborations with people who have an aligned audience are examples of possible action steps you’ll be motivated to take. These actions will help you accomplish your goal with ease. The cool thing is that the Mindset Cascade™ works in reverse as well! Ask yourself the following questions to illuminate which thoughts you need to initiate the process: 1. What is the result that I want? 2. What are the action steps required to reach my desired outcome? 3. How do I want to feel when I achieve my goal? 4. What thoughts will support my desired emotions? Dive into this exercise with enthusiasm and vigor! I suggest creating an affirmation list of all the positive thoughts that will support your success. It’s effective to record your voice repeating the affirmations. Most smartphones have an audio recorder built-in making it easy to create a recording. As you playback the audio, visualize the power in your words with full faith and feel the truth in your voice. Through repetition, you will build new neural pathways in your brain. “Every thought you think and feeling you feel strengthens the circuitry in your brain known as your neural pathways. Neural pathways are the basis of your habits of thinking, feeling, and acting. They are what you believe to be true and why you do what you do.” — Hilary Stokes Ph.D. and Kim Ward Ph.D. You’ve now learned a secret that can unlock all that you desire, isn’t that empowering? Practice the skill of positive thinking on a daily basis. This will ensure that you launch your Mindset Cascade™ with intention, powerfully contributing to your best-producing results. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Kc! Kc Rossi, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kc Rossi is a Mindset and Self-Leadership Coach who supports entrepreneurs scale a profitable and soul-aligned business. She’s been a full-time entrepreneur since 1991 and has built six and 7+ figure businesses. Kc is a Certified Aromatherapist, Mind-Body Eating Coach, and NLP Practitioner. This allows her to bring an integrated and intuitive approach to her coaching. Kc is the Founder of The Soulprint Method™, a system that combines energy, mindset, and spirituality. This holistic approach provides extreme clarity, dissolves limiting beliefs, improves performance, and opens the way to experience and share your full potential. She is the host of Women Developing Brilliance® — The Spirit of Business, a show dedicated to cultivating confidence, increasing visibility, elevating vibration, and leading with purpose without burning out. When she’s offline, you can find her whipping up plant-based eats or hiking the Finger Lakes Trail in Upstate, New York. Kc is an Executive Contributor of Brainz Magazine. Her work has been highlighted in ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Thrive Global, SmallBizDaily, International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapists, Female Entrepreneurial Association, and The Smart Girl Tribe.