Written by: Amy Bondar, 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. Since the pandemic began, there has been a collective weight in the world. Do you feel it? You may be feeling that weight in your chest, the heavy tension in your shoulders or heart, the sadness in your eyes and perhaps it is even showing up as body fat and you have gained “COVID-19.” The stress, uncertainty, fear, anger, polarities and tensions with friends, family and co-workers take its toll. Values being challenged, restrictions, freedoms being taken away, lockdowns, fire breaks, openings, closings, masks on, masks off, depression, anxiety, disbelief – this all has an impact. It affects us collectively and it no doubt influences our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. For many these stresses can often be expressed through emotional eating. Throughout the pandemic I have heard endless accounts of people saying they are stress eating, binge eating, eating out of boredom and even eating for joy and pleasure when so many joys and freedoms have been restricted. There is a purpose for what we crave and the foods we turn to when we want to alter our mood state and feel better about life. We often crave salty snacks like chips, crackers, popcorn and pretzels to ease our tension and worry. Our adrenal glands – the glands that help us handle stress – are sodium dependent , so when they are overtaxed and constantly living in flight or ‘fright’ mode, which we have been feeling daily for 18 months, it is normal to crave salty food to provide the adrenals some needed fuel to function and keep going. When feeling depressed and need comfort we can often turn to serotonin boosting foods, such as bread, pasta and pastries, to help us feel happy. We can even crave chocolate for the much needed magnesium that can help us relax when feeling anxious and stressed. Chocolate also contains Phenylethylamine and when consumed, it releases endorphins in your brain that produce a mild feeling of euphoria, mimicking the sensation of being in love, and for those whose relationships are strained as a result of the pandemic, there may be a lot more chocolate bingeing going on. Nuts and nut butters are often overeaten when we feel the need for more fun. Excess caffeine has also been overconsumed for the desperate need to excite, stimulate and energize when feeling stuck, bored and mundane. For others the emotional rollercoaster is felt in the body through aches, pains, fatigue, apathy, insomnia, indigestion, irritable bowels and so much more. Our body gives us physical feedback through symptoms to let us know when something is not right in our lives. Weight gain can also occur when life feels heavy. You may notice that you are carrying extra weight or holding on to body fat that you can’t shed despite your best nutritional and exercise intensions. This weight may be symbolic weight. The heaviness you feel in the world may be the heaviness that you are carrying in your body. How do we release it? How do we shed this collective weight, ease the symptoms and regulate emotional eating? I think we first have to acknowledge how we are feeling, truly own it and express it. We need to give ourselves permission to feel the absolute chaos of the world we have been living in for 18 + months. It is real. It is raw and you are not alone in it. We are all connected and we have shared a collective experience. Although we may all express that experience differently, we have all been impacted. Perhaps just acknowledging this truth and letting ourselves feel and express this collective weight, can we begin to feel lighter and heal. We need to give our body a serious dose of love, compassion and care so we can shed the heaviness, release the tensions felt deeply in the body, regulate our eating and begin the process of letting go. Want to learn more from Amy? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website. Read more from Amy! Amy Bondar, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Amy Bondar, Nutritional Therapist, Certified Eating Psychology Coach, Speaker, and Author, changes life! Amy brings two decades of experience in the field of nutrition and mind-body coaching and believes that nourishing our body with the power of food, resolving stresses that are blocking our physiology and hindering our full potential, and living a life with purpose are essential ingredients to optimizing our health. Amy offers virtual consults and lectures to clients around the world and will inspire, educate and guide you to transform your relationship with food, body, and self.

Written by: Carmel Murphy, 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. Nobody told me it would be so time-consuming. When I left the corporate world behind, I’d been chasing freedom and flexibility. Yet here I was: Exhausted. Overworked. Uninspired. In my OWN business!?!? Chasing my tail all day trying to not only serve clients but get MORE booked in on the calendar… Needing more leads, more sales, more clients, the “more, more, more!” mantra dominating every waking minute. I believed that to get more – you had to do more. Marketing tasks dominated my ‘to-do’ list… leaving me little to no time to even think straight if what I was doing was actually working! Vlog more Post more on social media Send more emails Fill more workshops Make a new course Learn all the techy stuff Keep up with all the admin tasks Liaise with my V.A. and team Set up marketing campaigns Serve and support my clients and members More and more networking! I felt pressure to keep up, not to waste time… not to lose momentum… Growing an online business is exhilarating – until it’s not. Until the exhilaration turns to exhaustion. Until the never-ending tasks take over your life – and the guilt of NOT doing them quickly enough follows you everywhere. On the edge of burnout, my brain foggy, anxiety peaking, self-doubt surging, and no end to the madness in sight. I decided to do the SCARIEST thing I’d ever done. I went against all the marketing advice which says “consistency is key!” And I stopped. That’s right – I STOPPED! I took a FULL week off…(eek!!!) I gave my V.A. a week off too. No posts, no vlogs, no networking, no client work. I shut the office door. The ‘to-do list’ was left on the desk. Incomplete. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altschuler For the first few days, all I could think about was the business. I stressed about how people would notice that I wasn’t on social media. That I had disappeared. Given up. What would they say? What would they think of me? Would I lose the gains I’d already made and have to work twice as hard to get them back? Despite the fear, I allowed myself to BE . I slept when I needed to sleep, and I walked when I felt like moving. I sat in the sauna, and I meditated. It was terrific – eventually! I had left it so long to switch off that it took a few days to relax enough to enjoy it. And guess what!? No one missed me! Here I believed the world would end if I stopped – but it didn’t. 😉 The following week I tentatively opened the office door. I switched on the laptop and gathered my team. Before we did anything more – it was time to regroup and reimagine our marketing strategy. Here’s the method we’re using: Combat Burnout: The S.A.S. Method So I’m BACK! I am feeling refreshed and reinvigorated. With the hard lesson well and truly learned: You have to be FIRST in all areas, or you cannot show up for anyone else. Like on a flight when they are going through the safety instructions… when the oxygen mask drops, ALWAYS put your mask on first… otherwise, you’re of no help to anyone else! And when it comes to creating marketing content (minus the exhaustion!), here’s what our renewed focus is on: 1. Relevant content to your target market 2. Reusable content (splice, dice, reshare, repurpose!) 3. Searchable content (know your keywords and use them!) 4. Evergreen/long-life-span content (quit wasting time and energy and start creating legacy content that will drive traffic for YEARS!) 5. Valuable content (stop selling and start serving, solving and showing what’s possible!) The best format for content that fits all five categories? VIDEO! Why? Because text/image social posts disappear from newsfeeds within minutes… never to be seen again. If they get seen at all. But videos can SURVIVE! Videos are favoured by the algorithm ‘gods’ 😉. As Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said: “Right now we’re focused on four key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping and Messaging.” And, of course, the rise of Reels and TikTok is leaving those unable to pivot in the dust. Don’t get left behind. And stop wasting your time and energy. Focus on creating content with the BEST CHANCE of being viewed. Keyword loads them and publishes them on video-sharing sites so they can be found for YEARS to come. So they show up in search engines. So people can find YOU! Stop focusing on one-off content that disappears. And stop creating content for content’s sake. Streamline your tasks. And focus on creating value-packed videos! Need some video-creating inspiration? Download >>The Top 5 Videos To Use In Your Marketing Now To Attract MORE Clients Online<<< PDF. Then promise me you’ll book your next long weekend in your calendar- you deserve it! Follow Carmel on Fac ebook , LinkedIn and visit her website for more info! Read more from Ca rme l! Carmel Murphy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Carmel Murphy is known for being an out-of-the-box thinker and an expert in human behavior, marketing, and business strategies. Carmel’s passion for people, curiosity, know-how, business acumen, and background have come together to develop unique programs around marketing, copywriting, and videos designed to create higher conversion and increase sales and profit in business. Carmel coordinates, hosts, and delivers membership programs, workshops, and events to teach business owners how to build and market a sustainable online business.

Written by: Laurence Nicholson, 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 all have experienced habits of some kind, from physical ones like twitches or tapping the nose when thinking, to emotional responses or comfort eating, and chemical addictions like smoking, drinking and drug abuse, and as everyone knows, some are harder to break than others. Habits are formed by regular repetition of specific behaviours until they become automatic and executed by our ‘limbic brain’ as an unconscious activity. Formation can be a slow process, typically of approximately 66 days for one to become an unconscious behaviour, but can be established as quickly as 18 days or as slowly as 254 days. Serendipitously, I was on a trip to Florence just prior to the COVID outbreak, taking a break from looking into habits and their formation, as some research into the effectiveness of CBT and Cognitive Re-Alignment, when I came across a group of young people looking for signatures and sponsorship for their work fighting against drugs in the country, up by the Plaza Michelangelo. They represented ‘Communita Lautari’, a facility for education and rehabilitation, and ultimately social reintegration, of dependent people, through a therapeutic programme run by a team of psychologists, doctors, psychiatrists, educators, community operators, employment counsellors and social workers, all free of charge to the individual and their family. I only had a short time to talk, and was fascinated by the stories of two of the young men who described their introduction to their psychologists and behavioural coach/therapist as the turning point for them, because it was through them and the sessions exploring the root causes of, but more importantly the neural connections between, trigger events and their reactions of resorting to drugs, that they managed to change their dependence on substances and become ambassadors for the programme to help others like them. They had been through many options of drug reduction programmes and therapies, but none had worked from the basis of addressing the causes and the links between events and responses, so had ultimately failed to provide a long-term solution. Their stories reminded me of my own journeys breaking dependencies earlier in my life, including one on medications for manic-depression, achieved with the support of a fantastic psychotherapist, through identifying and breaking the links using awareness, alternative action strategies, and a lot of hard work. Neuroscience has shown that we create neural pathways in relation to events throughout our life, especially during early development, and continue to do so based on our experiences and learnings, which link the event (trigger) to a responsive behaviour, which ultimately has consequences. When the reaction or responsive behaviour is based on flawed thinking, the reaction can be less than positive and have consequences which can negatively affect our lives. Consider the difference between the reaction an extrovert has on getting an invite from friends to a party, versus an introvert, who may have had a bad experience at such an event in early life, who is filled with anxiety and dread at the same invite. The event trigger is identical, but their experiences have been very different and so their reactions are polar opposite. One is excited and one is thinking of ways to say no! So, what can be done? Well, with some structured steps, and hard work on identifying the root cause of the flawed or negative thinking, exercises can be created to replace the negative associations with positive outcomes, and if practiced over time, can change the feelings of dread into some sense of excitement, assuming of course they actually want to be a more socially inclusive person. It is this type of approach that CBT and positive re-enforcement exercises use, to help those wanting to break an unwanted habit which they feel is holding them back, and make positive changes to their lives. These days I deal with many clients who have developed event/reaction habits, using many of the methods I learned through both my own experiences and my training, with significant success, so you should never give up because breaking your own habits is only as far away as a good life coach with behavioural therapy skills and real-life experience, and a lot of trust and hard work, but believe me, and others like the two men I fortuitously met that day who have overcome their own habits and dependencies, when I say it is SO worth it. Now we are slowly emerging from the pandemic restrictions with all the new habits we have formed in response to the requirements to keep ourselves safe, you might want to think about habits YOU want to break, such as the early signs of an obsessive-compulsive disorder relating to hand cleaning, or the deepening of a technology addiction, and keep things in perspective relating to risk and put away the tech and social media to make your nearest and dearest your social focus. It is far more rewarding to Live in YOUR moment with those around you physically, rather than watch other people's moments online. Using tools such as behaviour analysis diaries, and situation retrospectives, both of which I teach in my courses, you can identify the triggers of unwanted reactions and create a plan of replacement-responses, to alter your reaction and thus also change the consequences for the better. Follow me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Laurence! Laurence Nicholson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Laurence Nicholson is a Global-Award Winning ‘Burnout Prevention Educator (Burnout Hacker)’ the CEO and founder of ‘burnout-hacker.com’, as well as the CEO and Founder of the N Cubed Group, My Better Life Coaching, and Exec Mental Health Solutions, through which he works with both corporate clients and individuals, to improve and optimise mental health, cognitive performance and resilience, in order to realise measurable improvements in both business, and personal, productivity as well as decision making, but more importantly, understand how to prevent suffering the real trauma of burnout, and so protecting their families and lifestyles from its impacts. He has spent over 35 years working around the world, across personal and corporate environments, as both a consultant and leader, and since experiencing 2 significant burnouts himself some 10 years ago, neuroscience, human psychology and behavioural patterns have become his passion, and he now uses his travelling to study wide and diverse behaviours, and investigate the ‘how and why’ of our brain’s processes, and more importantly the impacts of stress and change on people, universally. He also coaches others in how to educate people in Burnout Prevention, most recently in Tokyo, Japan just before the pandemic, with his Cognitive Masterclass. Part of his Burnout Prevention Educator Certification.

Written by: Cindy Saunders, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. So, what is emotional intelligence, and why do HR Professionals need it? In the world of Human Resources, there is a constant flow of challenging dynamics. HR must consider a broad scope of demands extending from the shop floor to the Executive Suite. Depending on the structure of the organization, the subject matter can be expansive. At all times, HR's proverbial plate is overflowing. Then, add the global pandemic. This CNBC article describes the way the pandemic has impacted HR: "Since March 2020, armies of HR workers have been key to helping companies shift to remote work. They've had to lay off tens of millions of workers, then hire them back during a global health crisis. They've conducted survey after survey, drafted every type of business update, and filtered down messages from the top, frequently bearing the brunt of negative feedback from employees." 𝟵𝟴% of HR decision-makers say the pandemic has transformed their role. 𝟳𝟬% say it has been the most challenging years of their career. The pandemic has changed the landscape of our workforce. As leaders in caring for people at work, HR professionals need more resources than ever before to perform their job and address their own self-care needs. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the edge that organizations are recognizing as the strategic paradigm to business. Human Resources can lead their companies by learning how to strengthen themselves and the organization with understanding more about EI. Cornerstones of Emotional Intelligence Perceiving Also known as self-awareness, perceiving is the foundation of emotional intelligence. Understanding what you are experiencing allows you to understand those around you. Instead of being overcome with pressure, EI supports you with awareness. You're able to extract emotional data from that awareness. What seemed muddy becomes clear. Managing Once you understand what is occurring underneath the emotional reactions you experience, you can manage situations more easily. Then, building on your strength from perceiving, you can redirect emotions appropriately. Making Decisions The day is often speeding by, with pressure building; you still need to make many important decisions. Hiring, discipline, creating or adjusting policies, performance management, training, benefits, etc. The list is long and having a clear head free from bias and judgment ensures your decisions are sound. With EI supporting you, impulsive decisions become something in the past. Achieving Sustaining motivation is very much centered around our emotions and energy. When you have the EI "edge," you don't spend so much time worrying about failing. Your capacity to manage situations and take more control leaves you energized instead of drained. As a result, you can increase and maintain a higher level of achievement. Influence The ability to recognize, manage and raise emotion is crucial in the role of an HR professional. The volume of people, policies, and interactions within your position is high. The greater your level of influence, the easier your job becomes. EI gives you the skill to increase your impact. For Human Resource Professionals worldwide, staying updated on the latest HR trends have never been more critical. Emotional Intelligence is the new paradigm for business success. If you are interested in how to increase your Emotional Intelligence, reach out today! Free Download: Leading with Self-Awareness CNBC article by Jennifer Liu Connect with Cindy on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website. Read more from Cindy! Cindy Saunders, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Cindy Saunders is a Leadership Coach and HR Professional with over twenty years of experience working in manufacturing, mining, finance, and staffing industries. She is the founder of Leaders Rise, a Leadership Coaching company. Her leadership and coaching style is characterized by her drive to develop informed and engaged work environments through leadership coaching. She combines Emotional Intelligence, Workplace Styles, and Leadership Principles in her Coaching and Leadership Development Programs. Cindy considers strong and authentic leadership throughout an organization as an essential key to success. Cindy is a published author, holds designations as Global Professional Human Resources (GPHR), Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR), SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) Strategic Human Resources Business Partner (SHRBP), and is certified as an Executive Coach with the World Coach Institute (WCI).

Written by: Tim Nash, Executive Contributor Executive Contr ibutors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. “It’s more like starting a fire than opening a door.” This is how I was introduced to the incendiary nature of Gestalt. Before attending my first Gestalt workshop, I knew it was a kind of therapy but not much beyond that. I also knew that a fire was much more dangerous a door. What I did not know was the affect the fire would have on me… As I learned from our fearless workshop leader Paul Barber: "Gestalt neither accepts nor rejects anything; it widens our awareness and raises our consciousness so we might become everything we are." This got me thinking… If I can’t reject parts of myself that I dislike, do I have to accept them? A radical idea. And so it is with Gestalt. Whatever answer you come up with, you base it on your own experience – whatever the truth looks and feels like to you. One key principle I learned early on is that THE BODY NEVER LIES. But what do the experts say? What would my coach say? It does not matter. What does your experience tell you? What does your gut say? This is personal responsibility on a whole new level – whether in a therapy or coaching session. Yes, eventually the ideas and principles of Gestalt transcended the world of therapy and entered the world of learning and development. My world. In fact, in 2016 I became a 'Gestalt Practitioner in Organizations' - even though I wasn't looking for a new job title. After coming in, to contact with Gestalt theory and practice at that first workshop, I began a quest that led me to the accreditation. A fire had been started inside of me. Incidentally, one BIG CONCLUSION I’ve made after 20 years of helping people change and develop is that experience is the best teacher. But do listen to the thoughts and opinions of people you like and trust. However, their experience will look different from yours. Their truth might be different, too. Sources of inspiration are many. The one source of truth is your own. WARNING: If there is a part of yourself that you are hiding from, it will not stay hidden for long. Not if you embrace these ideas. Case Study Jane often butts heads with her boss and other authority figures. Conflict has always been a big part of her work reality. This is an unhealthy pattern that keeps repeating itself – one that is preventing her from functioning as her Best Self. It has even cost her a job promotion or two. To illuminate and break this pattern, a Gestalt intervention might facilitate a direct and open dialogue between Jane and a problematic authority figure – either her current boss or even the first authority figure when the pattern began. One BIG WAY that Gestalt differs from other forms of therapy is that it looks into the past only if there is a relevant connection to the present. Rather than just talking about what she would say, she would tell the person directly what she thought and felt. Her unfiltered words. Outcomes Through this authentic and intense exchange, she would deepen her awareness around this relationship. More importantly, this pattern she has with authority figures in her life. The cathartic release that comes from expressing her true unfiltered feelings in her real words could break this pattern. No matter if the issue is conflict, job dissatisfaction or something else that prevents you from feeling and performing at your best, here are two ways Gestalt facilitates change: 1. It clarifies what you need. By raising your awareness to what you need in the present moment, Gestalt cuts straight to the essence of what matters most. At least to you. If you are unhappy in your job but you keep trying to push your feelings away, a Gestalt intervention could bring them to the surface and help clarify what you need to do to change your situation. 2. It moves you into action. The clarity from raised awareness moves you into action and makes your actions deliberate. "Awakening" under a tree can be enlightening, but it might not move you to act. A Gestalt intervention moves you into action. Action facilitates change. If you become aware that you are suffering from a deadly, but curable, disease, I am sure you would take swift and deliberate action to eradicate it. Living life deliberately is the opposite of living life on autopilot. It "focuses upon the wisdom inherent in direct experience", writes Paul in Gestalt Therapy Reappraised. As a result, Gestalt is much MORE PRACTICE THAN THEORY. In defense of direct experience over theoretical knowledge – wouldn’t you rather learn a language from someone who can speak the language? Or the pitfalls of parenting from a parent? Conclusion As a practitioner new to the field, I have much to learn about how Gestalt can support me in my work – and the people I work with! However, I like to think that everything I do in my development work is informed by the empowering ideas and principles I have learned thus far. Here are 6 Gestalt principles and how specifically they empower you (scroll down the webpage to black button – see screenshot). I take great comfort in knowing that any wisdom I acquire along the way will come from direct experience. I do not need a professional title for that. One of the more radical ideas I have gleaned from my learnings and from my own experience is that PEOPLE CHANGE IF AND WHEN THEY ARE READY. Not their boss. Not their partner. Them. On stage at a Coaching Congress a few years ago, I explain here how I have come to this conclusion. Have the chaos and uncertainty of the last year two years left you spinning? You are not even sure what you want right now. But you know you are ready for a change. You have thought about going for a new job role in your company…you have also thought about transitioning away from your company. Before you can make this change, you first must be clear on what you want. Only then can you focus on the key goals and priorities and create the action plan that will lead you there. That is why I created KICKSTARTER – a 3-session 1-to-1 coaching program with a LASER FOCUS to help senior professionals like you kickstart your next move - new job role, career pivot, or something not yet clear. If you are ready for a kickstart, let me help you clarify what is most important to you and create the plan to go after it! Learn more about how you can apply for this limited-time offer. Regardless of where you are with your conflict management skills or job satisfaction, one MUST-HAVE skill for every single professional in the post-2020 world is virtual presence. Click here for FREE GUIDE: 5 SECRETS FOR VIRTUAL PRESENCE. In addition to the GUIDE, you will get regular tips & strategies as a member of my tribe! Thanks for reading, Tim For regular tips and closer interaction, connect with me on LinkedIn and Facebook. Reach out and let me know you’ve read this article. Read more from Tim! Tim Nash, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Tim Nash is on a mission to help senior professionals escape their energy-zapping maze, focus on what matters and pave the way for success. Via the empowering principles of Gestalt, he guides his clients below the surface to overcome what is preventing them from performing at their best. For over two decades, Tim has helped young professionals to C-level executives lead and collaborate across cultures. He is also the founder of The Path To Peak Performance which includes his dynamic coaching practice and American Transplant web series.

Written by: Ulrika Sullivan, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. It’s Monday morning. I just woke up from a night of tossing and turning with a restless feeling in my body. My mind immediately started its relentless focus on the day to come. The urge to figure out the next step to finally make progress on my latest project. Here I was already in a stressed state and it wasn’t even 6.30 am in the morning. I was far from inspired to get out of bed. I reached for my phone not far from me on the nightstand. I thought to myself “Why am I not feeling good even after a night sleep?” “Something is not right, what is it that I do that makes me feel so stressed?” Ignoring my inner inquiry, I started to mindlessly open and scroll my usual phone apps in an attempt to catch up on the latest. And in that moment I heard. “You’re not believing enough.” As I stopped scrolling I heard myself respond back to myself ”What? I’m not believing enough? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I am believing SO hard in this project and I am working SO hard. How is it so that I’m not believing enough? “You’re not believing in YOURSELF enough”, my inner voice said ”Well, THAT’s a different story. I could definitely use some less self-doubt and more self-love for sure, but why does that matter? I’m focusing all I can on this project, and doing everything I can to move it forward.” I righteously responded in my head getting annoyed with my inner conversation. “You’re not listening” the voice within me said. “Listening to what?” “Your truth.” I put my phone down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling realizing that something’s had to change. When we deal with self-doubt we also block the clear channel of our own wisdom within. We think we can create progress through trying to figure it all out with our minds. How can we increase our sense of trust and believe in ourselves and what we’re creating, and at the same time be productive, make a huge leap forward and create beyond our wildest dreams? The answer is to consult our heart and intuition first and allowing the sensory experience to be the first pass of impression. When we consult our inner wisdom first we are not automatically absorbing ‘instructions’ from outside ourselves as truth. The interpretations and assumptions of outside input may make us feel worried or distracted because there’s always an option in which direction to go. This or that? Now or later? And so on. The mind has the tendency to immediately turn external input into an interpretation or assumption that has the capacity to confuse us. Our connection to our heart energy and intuition is often expressed through inspiration. And when we feel inspired, there’s no confusion. Inspiration is connected to the unbounded creative Self that exists within that just wants to live carefree and enjoy life. As I’m lying there in bed on this Monday morning, I’m feeling everything else than carefree and inspired. I’m clearly not enjoying life as it’s presented to me right now. Ugh! So back to the question “What is it that I do that makes me feel so stressed?” This question inspired by the desire of self-awareness opens up the opportunity to get curious and find out how we can see our life differently and in a new light. When we learn how to identify and manage patterns, habits, and behaviors that we maintain that takes us away from the connection of creation and our own inner channel to our truth. But it’s also about setting boundaries not only with how much external input and ‘instruction’ we want to take in and consider but also to what degree we are going to lean on our habits vs. the clarity of our own inner conversation. In my situation, I realized that I spent way too much time on distractions (such as scrolling on my phone right after waking up) that allowed me to get away from that inner conversation that has the potential to give me all the answers I need. So I decided to put some new boundaries down for myself and commit to some new ways of being that would give me different results than waking up stressed and beginning my day in a worried state. 4 Steps to Listen to Your Heart and Intuition 1. At the beginning of each day decide what you want to create that day. It doesn’t have to be something revolutionary or unique. It can be a small thing that that you feel is going to make a difference and that matters to you. Here’s the thing. There is a reason you’re thinking about a certain thing, trust that whatever comes up is for a reason. Remember also that what you want to create doesn’t have to be a tangible thing, it can be creating a stronger connection to something or someone. So let’s go ahead and decide on 1-3 things that you want to create today and write them down. 2. Next, here is the very important part that is completely different than what most people do. Go within first. Before you do anything else, consult your inner wisdom as if it was the only place you could receive an honest and true answer. It’s important to do this BEFORE consulting any other external source such as your favorite Facebook group or pal, your partner or spouse, or Google. The mind wants to seek a solution that is fool-proof, which is often something that is obvious and easy to get to (such as a Google search), but if you’re willing to lean on your truth you can’t go wrong. 3. Then, visualize the finished outcome of your creation(s) that day as if it was already here. What do you see with your inner eye, what are you hearing or sensing within? To consult your inner wisdom first you need to ground and center yourself and be willing to fully listen to what comes up with no filter or judgment. When you consult your inner self first you set the direction from the soul for what you want to create that day and your higher self (and your guides) are giving you exactly what you need in that moment, without distraction and external influence from elsewhere. You get your truth and that may be something your mind like (or don’t like) when you step out of your centered state. But remember that what you sense, hear or see within yourself in a centered state is your truth, and you can choose to ignore it or not afterward. With time you’ll learn how to trust the messages that come through more and more and less and less self-doubt as a result. I find it extremely helpful to have a journal handy when visualizing as things may come up that benefit from being written down or you may get an impulse to draw an image. 4. Lastly, once you have visualized your creations for the day, you ask for the next best step. Instead of letting the mind roll with possible options for a direction or solution you simply ask and listen for the answer. This is where the magic happens because the next step is naturally a seed of inspiration within yourself, not an external “should” that feels like you have to drag yourself to do. With this practice, you’ll learn how to listen to your own wisdom within yourself through your heart and intuition. Notice the difference in how you feel as you begin your day with confidence and inspiration and with less stress and worry. If you feel there’s no time to make a change, your day is too full? Don’t have time to listen to your heart and intuition? Want to learn how? I invite you to get personal guidance from me to create more space for You in your calendar and life and make a start! Or visit https://ulrikasullivan.com/intuitive-spiritual-life-coach Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit my website for more info! Ulrika Sullivan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ulrika Sullivan is an intuitive spiritual life coach, yoga teacher, and energy healer. After leaving a stressful multitasking corporate career that left her feeling on autopilot, Ulrika realized she didn’t know who she truly was. A complete inner shift led her to her “point-of-no-return” when she with clarity connected with her true self, natural talents, and life purpose. Ever since Ulrika is successfully helping busy working women to connect with their own intuition, find their inner calm, self-love, and life balance, so that they can live with more ease and flow. Ulrika is the host of the podcast “New Light Living - See Your Life in a New Light”.

Written by: Mark D. Lakowske, 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 October and in America, (and many other parts of the world) it’s fall! The colors are changing, the days grow shorter and there’s a chill in the air. The season’s transition always makes me think of the beauty of letting go and personal change. It also makes me think of the fear of change as well. Perhaps it’s because of Halloween’s festive frights? For a lot of people change and fear do go hand in hand. It’s only natural to fear what is unclear or unknown. Our minds are trying to keep us safe... but in that preservation, it can lead to something counterproductive for our wellbeing & growth. As a Hypnotherapist & Therapeutic coach, I’ve noticed that many people fear change (or doing the work of change) to the point that they would forgo better jobs, new living situations, healthy relationships and even just being truly happy. Our dreams and aspirations, our ideas & goals are important powerful forces... yet fears and limiting beliefs in & around the necessary change that it will take to achieve them often appears stronger to many people. Fear can make us question or forget how strong and resilient we actually are. The fear will try to hold you back by saying things like "You’re not good enough", "You can't do this", "This is crazy, what are people going to think", "They can do it but you can't.". Or perhaps an even subtler fear called procrastination makes you feel like not taking action right now. Serenity Raven-Wolf says “Magic happens when we stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited about what could go right.” Fear is always going to be there... especially when you are leveling up... but here’s the thing, it’s your job to make what you want bigger than the fear. Ask yourself, “Are my dreams more important than fear?” Are you willing to work with the fear and let it light a fire under you to get you moving or will you let the flames consume you? Will you choose yourself or fear? When there is something that I really want for my life (especially if it’s big, and frankly our dreams should scare us a bit because it will motivate us.) you better believe I’m scared but here’s what I say to myself – “You might be scared, but do it anyway.” When I decided to go to Australia I was scared. I had a lot of fears and doubts rolling around in my head, let alone people putting their own fears upon me. I could have easily said “Nope, I’m not doing this!”; but I had always wanted to go so I was going to make it happen. I pushed past the doubts and when I did – the way for me to go around the world presented itself. I had my “How”, I was going to teach a workshop, but it brought more fears! Still, I focused on “Why” I was doing this teaching opportunity. Before long I had doubled my time, my classes & even countries. Pushing through the fear led to an even greater experience than I had ever hoped for. When you can look fear in the face and stare it down and let it know what is important to you then the fear will quiet after a while... but it is always there. It’s about learning to live with it and use it to your advantage. So how do you push past the fear so you can move towards your dreams? First, meet yourself right where you are at. You might be fearful and that’s okay. You’re thinking about/doing something new. It’s normal to feel apprehensive. Emotions, like people just want to be acknowledged. Talk to the fear. Yes, I’m serious! Talk to the fear. Let it know what the dream is and why it’s important to you. Once acknowledged & the fear can understand your “why/desire” the fear can begin to shift. Remember you don’t need to know all the steps, you just need one step and you have to be willing to take it. That small step in the right direction is still a step! One step will lead to the next and the next. You just have to keep taking them. Stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to positive possibilities you may not have considered! Decide, choose & endeavor to make your desire bigger and stronger than your fear. Don't let the fear stop you. Your dreams are worth it! You are worth it! Full disclosure, I never used to be one to really like change and I feared it. Heck I still get scared of change – When I was offered this opportunity to write for BRAINZ Magazine fear spoke up. It said “Who the hell are you to write for a global publication? No one is going to care what you have to say when they have all these other articles to choose from. Remember in school you were really bad in English class?” My mission spoke louder though. It said “Remember who you are. Remember all that you’ve been through in your life. Your unique perspective might help someone. Your mission is to inspire others and help them towards their true potential and remember how resilient they are.” This magazine has given me a huge platform to do that, so fear can take a back seat - desire is driving this car! Appreciate what you can do. I may have failed English class in school, but I know I’m a good writer – That I can do... for the rest I have proofreaders to edit and fix my punctuations! Also remember you can do more than some and you can do more than you think. Let what you are capable of right now be the foundation of your ability to do anything. Studies have shown that practicing visualizations, even thinking or talking about your success, will more likely lead to the success you want. Have you ever heard of the phrase start from the ending and work your way backward? This is what you are doing. See yourself achieving your goal, imagine it going 100% the way you want it to go. Ask your subconscious mind “What was the step I took right before I achieved my dream?” then ask “What was the step before that?” Work your way back to the moment you're at right now to get a general idea of what it will take. This will also help you let go of the old story of “just how it’s always been”, or “I can’t do it, I’m not good enough”. You’ll be showing your mind that you can achieve & in essence saying “and here’s how!” This shapes the new you and helps you identify with your new possibilities. Who are you when you’ve succeeded in the past? Who are you when you imagine reaching your goals? Who will you be when you are living your dream? Tell that story. Whenever I desire something I always look to people who’ve done it before. If they can do it, then so can I. What did they do? How are they behaving and what are they doing differently that I should be doing too? You always want to be true to who you are, but you can model aspects from others who are living the life you want. In this same vein, it’s important to surround yourself with supportive people. I don’t share my dreams with just anyone. Only those who will encourage me and believe in the idea too, get to know what’s going on! Let as little negativity, naysaying or other people’s own biases/beliefs in on your goals as possible. We don’t need to feed the fear monster. When fear starts to interject its feeble opinion you need to turn those opinions right back around and return to sender! A good way to do this is to ask “what if?”. In NLP this is called a re-frame. It’s a shift in mindset. “What if you could do it?”, “What if it works out?”, “What if I succeed, how would that be great for me?”. When we accept that all life IS change and allow ourselves to flow with it rather than push against it in fear it makes things a bit more manageable. As I’ve gotten older I've come to embrace change. I still am fearful (especially when my goals are huge), but I know I have to walk my talk. One of my colleagues once said to me “Mark you’re like the Madonna of hypnotists or a Phoenix. You just keep reinventing yourself and coming back better and better.” I guess I am leading by example. I encourage you to push yourself, push past the fear and go for it! Not only will you feel better and achieve something that you only once dreamt about; but also you never know how you are inspiring someone else to say F-you to their fear so they can live a better life too. Your Favorite Hypnotist, Mark D. Lakowske CTC® CMHT® For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or visit my website! Read more from Mark! Mark D. Lakowske, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Multiple award-winning & internationally renowned clinical hypnotherapist Mark D. Lakowske has trained practitioners worldwide in his groundbreaking methods. Through this and his own practice, he has helped improve the lives of tens of thousands of people in countries ranging from the United States to Australia & New Zealand. Mark is an author of three books & regularly tours the world, contributing ideas to the development of hypnotherapy practice. His passion & drive is assisting people to overcome the overwhelming & live with more confident joy & happiness!

Written by: Cheryl Whitelaw, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. In this fourth article on my series on reversing the impacts of aging, I want to take you on a small learning expedition – How we create our experiences and what that has to do with aging. We are real beings with a concrete reality – my foot, my body, my eyes. How we know ourselves is a dynamic reality that starts with our core self. In my work with people who find their life limited by the impact of injury, health conditions like fibromyalgia or MS or the process of aging itself, this is a distinction that impacts the quality of their movement and the quality of their life that is possible. Let’s start at the beginning. Before we know how to talk, we are aware of the movements of our bodies. As babies, we sense and we move. Each of the moments a baby senses literally creates their still-forming nervous system and brain. We can say this is our core self – the self that is aware as I sense and move. When you think of a memory of yourself – what is that memory composed of? Do you have a picture in your mind? Do you recall a feeling, like pleasure or fear? Is it a scent that brings back a memory? Or the touch of a favorite scarf? You may have a preference for how you recall memories of yourself. Or you may have memories come into the front of your awareness when sensing something. As I write this, it is Thanksgiving in Canada, so the smell of roasting turkey brings a wealth of memories that include images, emotions, and sensations. When I was 10, I remember the sense that time moved more slowly on Thanksgiving, smelling the roasting turkey in the hours leading up to a holiday meal. I also remember the sound of my parents bickering about when to start the potatoes as part of the waiting, a small feeling of anxiety intertwined with my growing hunger pangs. This mingling of anxiety with the sensation of hunger has stayed with me for decades. And for decades I have associated anxiety with the sensations of hunger. This is one example of how I created myself from my experiences. When a baby develops from moving their hand to using their hand to control something in their environment, like grasping a cup to take a drink, it is a neurological leap to know they can create their own movement experience. As a baby learns to move and control the cup, a lot can spill during their learning curve. (Thanks be for the all-might sippy cup!) So our core sense of self comes from: being aware of how I move and what I sense, the memories and images of myself that I add to my sense of self with each experience, and my sense of myself as I move through space and learn to control and interact with my environment. We tend to rely on some inputs more than others when we create our sense of ourselves. Let’s apply the way we tend to know ourselves to learn about a new neighbor. How do we get to know who she is? Input 1: We can observe what she does – does she leave at the same time each morning? How does she look – does she look angry or sad? How do we know? Is she frowning or talking in an agitated voice as she leaves? Input 2: We can listen to stories about her told by others, a mixture of observable facts and explanations that link together experiences into a story. Input 3: We can talk to her and have our own experience with her including listening to her stories about herself. We can notice how she gestures, laughs, how quickly she talks. How do we come to know who she is? Which information do we pay the most attention to? What information feels credible, believable about who our neighbor actually is? We can ask this question of ourselves – what information do we pay the most attention to? What is the credible, believable information that tells us who we are? Stories are powerful – they are an incredible tool to make sense out of events and experiences. We tend to create stories out of the memory of our experiences and attach ourselves to these stories as key markers that tell us and others – who I am. Attention is also a powerful tool – we select and de-select information from our experience. What we attend to creates our experience. When we expand what we pay attention to, we become more consciously able to choose how we act in response to the information we select to include in our attention. How does this way of creating ourselves in what we experience relate to reversing the impact of aging? I can use my attention to press pause on the story that explains my experience. And put my attention to noticing my direct experience. The feeling of warmth from the kitchen. The texture of the cloth napkins as I set the table for the holiday meal. The homey smell arising from the crackle and spurt of the turkey roasting. The sound of my parents bickering over the potatoes. The sensation of aroused energy in my belly, a combination of hunger and anxiety. This memory comes from over 20 years ago. Once I came into fuller awareness of what I had experienced each year in the anticipation of Thanksgiving dinner, I was able to use my attention to create a change in my experience. Wanting to keep the tradition of our Thanksgiving meals, I offered to cook for my parents, whatever they wanted for our holiday meal. But the deal I made with this offer – no more bickering! What I find hopeful, is that by attending to more of what I sense and by leaving my own personal stories more open-ended, like a story that still has chapters to be written, I can find the power and possibility within myself to create changes. This connecting to my core self is foundationally available even after experiencing life-changing events. And the nexus for creating yourself from here, whatever has been written in the previous chapters of your life. Even though I have accumulated 5 decades of experience, memory, and stories about myself, I can access my core self – what I sense and how I move to create my own experience. Simply by bringing my awareness to my senses and my movement. Cultivating this capacity is crucial for people whose personal history includes life-changing injury and health conditions to change both the quality of their movement and the quality of their life. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Cheryl! Cheryl Whitelaw, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Cheryl is a leader in using movement to improve brain and body performance, reversing the impacts of aging. As a child, Cheryl asked, “If we can do war, how do we do peace?” Her lifelong exploration of that question led her into embedding transformative learning technologies into adult education, coaching, inclusion, and diversity training and supporting people to recover their personal sense of wellness and wholeness after injury and trauma. A devoted practitioner of aikido, Tai Chi, and Feldenkrais, she is committed to her personal evolutionary path to integrate body, mind, and spirit in service of peace in the world. She has coached individuals in private, public, non-profit organizations, unions, and utility companies from over 12 countries around the world. She is a published author in the field of diversity and inclusion and is well regarded for her blog on how our movement can help us create a more potent and peaceful self in the world. Her mission: Move more; react less, and live more fully with no regrets.

Written by: Holly Jackson, 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. After working with hundreds of clients, across many industries in countless niches. I have narrowed their biggest challenges down to… six common threads. If you are in disbelief, read on. It is this simple. Every single challenge you have ever faced falls into one of these buckets. And here’s the good news. The solution to each of these challenges is simple. Curious? Intrigued? Ready to get actionable results from tested strategies? Awesome! Let’s dive in. 1. Overwhelm Does this describe you…. I will never catch up. I don’t even know where to start. I am so far behind. I am burnt out, unmotivated, rushed, useless, defeated. Every time you look at your “to-do” list, it feels like you are shackled to your desk. You feel chained and burdened. As you look at it, it’s so long that you don’t even know how to start. So you sit there, unable to move. Unable to take any action forward. You are stuck. Solution: Break it down. It sounds simple right? It is. Look at the most important item on your list and break it down into small, bite size steps. Then take one small step towards that one task. Focus on one task at a time until it’s complete. When trying to identify what’s the most important thing, ask yourself this one question. What is the one most important thing I need to achieve that will make everything else on my list easier or unnecessary? PS: This question comes from a great book, The One Thing. Amazing stuff on focus and prioritization. Still stuck? Consider joining a mastermind or community. Sometimes we need others to help us figure things out. We need a community to bounce our ideas off of. A group to hold us accountable for success. That’s why my co-hosts, Matt Rouse, owner of Hook SEO, and D. Scott Smith, Motivational Listener, created the Business Builder Ninja Community. It’s a mastermind of committed business owners who want to grow and have FUN together. Check it out today! We are here to help you get out of overwhelm and into action! 2. Perfectionism You pride yourself on quality work. You love providing the best solutions for your customers. And you hate rushing. Because you don’t want to provide something that’s less than perfect. The problem is that there are times where you must test concepts out before building them. This is why beta launches and beta products are part of the process. If you are perfectionist, you find yourself second-guessing everything. You feel stuck in analysis paralysis. You also experience feelings of uncertainty, doubt, and inadequacy. Unless everything is 100% perfect, you can’t get behind it. You can’t even test it. The reality is that perfect doesn’t exist. Our goal in business is to provide the very best experience. The very best product or service...with the information we have at that moment. Nothing more. No one expects you to have all the answers. So let that go. Solution: Take action based on research. The most important thing is to know your customer. Understand their fears, needs, wants and desires. Build your research on what they need. And then build action around that. Build a beta sales launch around an idea that will add tremendous value to your ideal customer. Test it before you build it. Sell it before you over-architect it. Without testing and taking action, all you have is an idea. An idea that may or may not solve a problem the market is willing to pay for. Don’t let this be you. Don’t build out an online class based on an idea you haven’t vetted. Don’t build the airplane before anyone has booked a seat on the flight. Get an idea and a framework based on research. Take action by testing it. Then build it. And accept that it will never be perfect. It’s ok to build the airplane while you’re flying it. Some would say this is the very definition of business ownership and entrepreneurship. 3. Imposter Syndrome You’ve built your new product or service and you are about to launch. And you think to yourself, I don’t know what I’m doing. Who do I think I am launching this? You find yourself striving for perfection. You feel like an imposter in your own business. And you feel doubt, inadequacy, not good enough, and unprepared… Even though you are ready and experienced. This is completely normal. We all feel this from time to time. The key is knowing when it’s showing up and having tools to bust through it. Don’t let it hold you hostage. Don’t allow it to keep you from taking action. Keep moving forward. Solution: Let your light shine. Be 100% you. Shift your focus to all the accomplishments you have achieved. Remind yourself you only need to be one step ahead. You don’t need to have all the answers. Stop to celebrate successes/ Stop underestimating your abilities. Once you shift from imposter to being 100% you, you will feel inspired, reassured, and safe. Empowered to take on anything. 4. Technology So many of my clients find themselves stuck due to technology. They feel overwhelmed and unwilling to learn. When they look at technology, they freeze up. They feel frustrated, hesitant and stressed. The reality is that technology is necessary in your business. It can help you grow. It allows you to get organized. It has powerful tools to help you simplify and automate...saving you time. And it makes it much easier to scale. To widen your impact. Solution: Do it. Take action. Commit to learning and getting past this hurdle or resistance. Realize that technology makes our lives better in so many ways. Embrace it and get into action. Keep it simple and don't be afraid to ask for help. If you want to hire someone to build your technical solutions, great. But realize you do need it. 5. Compare & Despair You find yourself scrolling social media and you feel this sense of panic. You think “I'll never catch up” or “I’m so far behind” or “I will never be as good as him or her”. You feel defeated, useless, unmotivated, rushed and depressed. You feel this strong sense of missing out. Solution: Recognize that your journey is your journey. Stop thinking that how you grow your business should be the same as anyone else. Stop looking at social media. Stop comparing your journey or your business with anyone else. It’s useless. Release compare and despair. We are all at different stages in our life and business. You are exactly where you should be. Be grateful for where you are. For who you are. And for the road you are on today. 6. Nicheless You have a brilliant idea for a new service and you want to serve “everyone”. You find yourself resisting choosing a specific demographic or niche to serve. You think that if you choose one niche, you will limit yourself. You are trying to cast a wide net that serves everyone for everything. In doing so you will attract the wrong clients. You won’t be known for solving a problem for anyone. Because you have to know exactly who you are serving. In this phase of resisting building your niche, you likely feel confusion. A lack of focus and scarcity. Solution: Choose a starter niche. Finding the right niche for the problem you solve takes time. But start somewhere. Choose one and test it for 3-6 months. And if it works, scale it. If it doesn’t, choose another one to test until you find your people. Focus your attention and attract the right people. The more you focus, the more you will succeed. And the more you will enjoy building your business. Still Feeling Stuck? Consider joining a mastermind or community. Sometimes we need others to help us figure things out. We need a community to bounce our ideas off of. A group to hold us accountable for success. That’s why my co-hosts, Matt Rouse, owner of Hook SEO, and D. Scott Smith, Motivational Listener, created the Business Builder Ninja Community. It’s a mastermind of committed business owners who want to grow and have FUN together. Check it out today! Follow Holly on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. You can also visit her website to learn more. Read more from Holly! Holly Jackson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Holly Jackson is a certified Holistic Business Coach. Through Holistic Business Coaching, Holly helps holistic entrepreneurs and business owners start, build or scale their business without burning out. Holly’s clients learn how to cope with stress, define their life priorities, and rediscover their passion for business. She helps them see blind spots that often cost them exposure, clients, and income. Having undertaken a thriving career as an executive in Silicon Valley, Holly chose the road less traveled. She decided to leave the corporate world. She has dedicated her life to helping individuals design the life and business of their dreams. For over 12 years, Holly has provided insights, strategies, and fresh perspectives across multiple industries. Holly states, “My clients can expect accountability, growth, and an individualized step-by-step game plan for success. I believe every professional must develop their internal compass and decide what their legacy will be. Holistic coaching goes beyond helping your business and helps the whole person.”

Written by: Adelina Stefan, Senior Level 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. Emotional intelligence involves the ability to become self-aware and self-regulate our emotions and actions to interact effectively with those around us. There are several versions of emotional intelligence EI, along with many different definitions and attributes. Individuals with high level of EI recognize unspoken emotions in others as well as groups, and teams. They demonstrate empathy and strong interpersonal skills. They can acknowledge their own strengths and limitations and are open to new learnings, experiences, and interactions. These individuals are aware of their own emotions and can regulate them as well. This does not mean they hide their true feelings or not be themselves, but rather they act at the right time and express their emotions appropriately, managing disruptive impulses, avoiding judgments, and thinking before acting. Emotionally intelligent people are more likely to adapt to change, modifying their own behaviour to achieve certain goals when difficulties arise. They are also able to work in various situations with different groups and people, adapting their own approach given the situations at hand. On the other hand, people with low EI may face difficulties in self-controlling their emotions, especially in challenging situations. How to cultivate EI in coaching? In a coaching relationship, both parties involved, i.e., the coach and the coachee, can develop emotional intelligence. The coach with a high level of EI will be able to build a strong rapport with the coachees, helping them build awareness so that they can ultimately act on their goals. The person being coached will also be able to develop EI and improve behaviour. As pointed by Neale, Spenser-Arnell & Liz Wilson in their book “Emotional Intelligence Coaching”, EI plays a crucial role in coaching especially if you have high regard for yourself and others. At the same time, having high EI does not mean that coaches cannot experience emotions, and judgments during the coaching process. As described by Neale, Spenser-Arnell & Liz Wilson, the EI coaches are more “tuned in to their own intuitions and feelings, using them to understand their coachees better while managing any strong emotions they feel themselves during coaching.” Acing your EI in coaching Here are some tips to encourage your clients to build self-awareness and self-regulate their emotions: Use 360 assessments to evaluate individuals’ EI such as ESCI-360 to assess the EI leadership competencies. Debrief the client to identify their desired areas for growth. Support the clients in developing competencies aligned with their goals and objectives. As a leader, encourage employees to engage in conversations with team members, asking soft questions such as: What areas I could improve to be a more cooperative teammate? Support your client in fostering self-awareness by inquiring into the client’s beliefs and assumptions. Invite them to envision how the ideal future might look like for them and how they would feel in that ideal future. When the client has a negative attitude, help them get back on track and perceive the “failure” as a lesson and opportunity to grow, reframing their attitude with questions such as: “What could you do to successfully (fill in the blank)?” Resist from giving advice and sole problems. Trying to identify who is responsible for a problem is a waste of time. Rather, use ‘what if’ questions to help the client reflect from a different angle and help them shift in their thinking. By developing emotional self-awareness, your client would be able to recognise their emotional drivers and limitations and be able to move forward. Invite the client to explore progress, notice their progress and help them designing actions, inquiring about the support they would need and how they will be accountable. Inspire reflection by asking questions and facilitating an open discussion, whether you are a coach or a leader. Listen for understanding, knowing when and whom to ask in order to carry out a purpose. As stated by the Agile Manifesto, “Value individuals and interactions” by communicating clearly, embracing change, and creating and nurturing truly collaborative interactions. How Ignite Global’s Professional Coaching Mastery Certification (PCMC) uses EI? Professional Coaching Mastery Certification Program (PCMC) is a training program designed by Ignite Global to prepare the coach for a paradigm shift and engaging experience. Ignite Global's PCMC journey is all about enabling the coaches to become highly emotional intelligent coaches. The core of the program evolves around how we can develop our own self-awareness as well as awareness of others to be able to apply emotional intelligence in our coaching engagements. “Coaching is all about emotions. Before I started my coaching journey, I had a fair understanding of emotional intelligence; however, when I started my learning journey as a Coach with Ignite Global, I was really amazed by how being a Coach meant having the ability to intuitively tap into our clients’ emotions and being extremely perceptive to how they feel after. This understanding has enhanced every area of my life and I have personally benefited from being able to capture emotional intelligence essence through this process.” (Aurawan Sachaphornskul, Ignite Global Graduate) If you would like to learn more about Ignite Global’s PCMC training, please find more details here: Professional Coaching Mastery Certification Follow me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, follow me on Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Adelina! Adelina Stefan, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Adelina Stefan is a Professional Certified Coach & Intercultural Facilitator specialized in Career Development, with a deep expertise in international HR recruitment and selection and Training and Development. Having worked for 10+ years across cultures, Adelina seeks to catalyze individuals’ potential, helping them create and implement their unique career blueprint and, at the same time, achieve a healthy work-life balance. She specializes in working with expats and mid-to senior-level executives dealing with challenging work environments that can affect both their performance and well-being. She supports organizations in building a corporate coaching culture by highlighting individuals’ maximum potential and engagement so that they become dedicated and highly successful employees. Her practice includes Career, Life, Executive, and Agile Coaching for individuals, as well as developing and implementing corporate Human Resources practices for improving intercultural relations.

Written by: Kiesha King-Brown, Senior Level Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. If you’re in Entrepreneurship If you’re in Retail... If you’re in Marketing… You’ve adjusted to a world of constant change, and you don’t mind leading through change. But that doesn’t mean you can’t maximize effectiveness of your leadership, strategy, and bottom line by leveraging the ability to better predict customer behavior. AI gives marketers and businesses the best understanding of how customers choose to make decisions about, utilize, and shift between different products and services. It helps identify preferences and attitudes that influence buying behavior. AI helps marketers and businesses understand the needs of customers and the value to customers… from the perspective of customers. Because AI provides these understandings based on data at scale, it enables prediction of future behavior. These predictions can be done through segmentation and/or predictive analysis. Segmentation is a more familiar concept to most. It’s simply separating customers or markets into smaller groups based on specific categories. It used to be that groups were primarily demographic based on age, gender, education, income, marital status, race, occupation, family size. Demographic segmentation is about the “who”. It’s surface-level segmentation. For instance, it might define groups who would be more likely to purchase clothing from a luxury brand vs. from a value retail player based on age, education, income, occupation, family size, etc. Better segmentation is based on buying behavior. This is “the how”. This behavior can be inclusive of spending habits, purchasing habits, browsing habits, interactions with a business or brand, interactions with a business’ competition, or acts of loyalty to the brand. And it’s not an action, it’s an identified frequency of actions. A type of segmentation not often discussed but relevant in some industries and becoming more relevant is technographic segmentation. This is a group of customers relative to the role technology plays in their lives. An example could be early adopters when a business is marketing a new tech product or personalizing messaging and offers based on the device used to access a brand’s site. Knowing whether a customer typically uses their mobile device allows a business to know to reach them there vs. a customer who may typically engage using their desktop computer. This information can also benefit marketing campaigns by customizing messaging to a customer’s specific type of technology. But this type of segmentation is best used in combination with behavioral segmentation. Market or customer segmentation provides more effective marketing, better cost efficiency, increased customer retention and brand differentiation. Now let’s take it to the next level with predictive analytics which is powered by the machine learning (ML) function of AI. I don’t think there’s any argument that increasingly more challenging economic conditions, ultimate change, also increases the need for a differentiated competitive advantage… more than just segmentation. So, let’s focus on going from: Leading through change Learning from change To taking some of the guesswork out of change. Say ‘hello’ to the potential of infinite data that isn’t being sifted through manually at the rate of people, but now at two-thirds the speed of light! Now we can find zillions of once undetected “needle in a haystack” type patterns, insights, and anomalies to create data-driven marketing and business strategies relative to predicted next customer actions. Instead of leading through change…you can step up your game, your presence in your industry, and be the leader of change… On behalf of... The customer. The bottom line. And future growth. For more info, follow Kiesha on Facebook, LinkedIn and visit her website! Read more from Kiesha! Kiesha King-Brown, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kiesha King-Brown is a business savvy, customer centric tech enthusiast. She is EVP of AI Strategy for Enterprise Retail/eCommerce at ADMD Solutions and Chief Operations Officer at iDo Systems. Kiesha partners to maximize the effectiveness of branding, marketing, and strategy with the power of AI. She also helps Start-ups and businesses with intuitive go-to-market strategies and the only smart platform, Pillar Five, that functions like a Smart GPS to get businesses from Seed stage through maturity successfully and supports a technology-based ecosystem. Kiesha has a Bachelor’s in Marketing, an MBA in Management, is a member of the AI Academy for Marketers and a Certified Executive Coach. Kiesha has held Sr. Leadership positions in Fortune 200 Retail Companies serving up to the Territory Level and working on company level strategy. She has also helped small businesses improve strategy and profit in own her consulting business.

Written by: Rosalynn Robb, 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. Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” I have been a business owner for almost 8 years. My business and I have both gone through seasons of change along the journey. Yet, even with all that I’ve learned along the way, I am almost a year into my second startup business and feeling a great deal of burnout. I felt that it was important for me to stop, reflect, and reorient myself in order to find solutions that best optimize my time and resources, and leave time and energy for myself and my loved ones. Here are my ten top reasons that you as a business owner burn out and some tips to help you overcome burn out in the future. 1. You don’t pay yourself. You’re having a hard time paying all your expenses. It’s downright tough starting a new business, regardless of whether it is self-funded or if you have a loan. When you have employees, their paychecks come first, followed by all the overhead costs you wish you didn’t have, but you still need to try and pay yourself, even if it’s just a little. Keep a log of how many hours you actually put into the business, and pay yourself at least a small percentage per hour. You deserve to get paid, and as the company grows, you should pay yourself at least twice the amount that your highest-paid employee receives. 2. You don’t set boundaries with work. You worry that if you don’t respond to a late-night text or weekend email, that your client will feel that you’re not providing great customer service. Schedule times for you to check emails and phone messages, and block off times that you will not look at them. If your scheduled time is late at night or on the weekend, preschedule email replies to go out during normal business hours. Clients and customers need to understand that you are running a business and not at their beck and call. 3. You don’t have a weekly exercise routine. You’re tired and have been working nonstop and the last thing you want to do is move your body at the gym or go for a walk. Push yourself to exercise anyway. Consider it an opportunity to give yourself “me time” where you focus on something other than work for an hour. Your body and mind will thank you! 4. You don’t make your family’s events a priority. You miss out on your kid’s school event or work late and don’t go on a date with your spouse. Spending time with your family will remind you of the unconditional love and support they have for you. It’s impossible to make everyone happy in business. When you invest time in your family, you’ll be reminded that your value is not in your numbers but in the love of those that mean the most to you! Pick an evening a week you know you can be fully present without doing work at home. 5. You don’t know how to delegate effectively. You don’t think you’re a micromanager, but to an extent we all are. You try to be in two places at once, and it doesn’t work. There’s only so much multitasking one person can do before things get missed, skipped, or done poorly. Learn your strengths and weaknesses, your passions, and your “hit your head into a brick wall” projects that you don’t need to be doing. Pick one area you are ready to release to a qualified individual on your team who excels at it. 6. You don’t know how to hire quality individuals. You get desperate because demand for your product or service is high so you hire people that aren’t right for the job. You think the best of people, rather than taking the time to check out their qualifications. Sometimes you end up with employees who don’t show up, don’t abide by company policies, or just plain don’t take their responsibilities seriously. Always call work references, and talk with previous employers about your potential candidate's work ethic and reliability, and don’t be afraid to ask, “If you could find one weakness, what would it be?” 7. You don’t let go of employees that don’t align with the company’s mission and values. You allow problem employees to stay too long in the company hoping the situation will get better and you keep giving them the benefit of the doubt rather than cutting ties. Your company’s reputation and operations are at stake. It is your company; you get to decide who will represent your company to your clients. 8. You don’t lead with expectations, which allows the company environment and morale to fall. You allow for gossip or disgruntled employees. It can devastate your business when loyal employees are unhappy and feel like they have been wronged. As a leader, it’s important to confront them with both empathy and humility. Your high standards for conduct can strategically lead the company upward. Have an open-door policy to encourage your employees to speak with you. Allow them to make suggestions and give their perspectives, but ultimately make decisions based on what is best for your company. Your goal should be to help them understand your vision for the company and how they can be a part of it. 9. You don’t value your time. You allow your business to take control of your time. It is okay to be selfish about time, because you only have a limited amount of it. It’s a great quality to be the person team members come to for help, but there are times when they need to learn to stand up on their own without constant input from you. You have a lot of demands on your time, not just in your business, but also in life. Don’t get caught up in the belief that you should be micromanaging every aspect of your business. Ask yourself, “Will this be important in a week, a month, or a year from now? And could someone else accomplish this almost as well, or better than I could. 10. You don’t take vacations to recharge. You think vacations are too costly financially. What if I told you the opposite is true? Stepping away from your business for a full week can recharge you. Even staying overnight at an Airbnb or turning your phone on silent on the weekend, can actually pay off in dividends. It can give you a renewed perspective and gratitude for the people you get to interact within your business. If you cannot go on a vacation soon, you can go out to a new restaurant with friends or family and tell them you’re not allowed to talk about business at all for the night. Or you can plan your dream vacation for the next year, start tucking away money in a jar each month, and put a picture of the destination on your desk where you can be reminded of the much needed vacation. You are so valued from one business owner to another. Every point on this list I have had to wrestle with. Sometimes I just need a reminder to take one hour out of the week and eliminate work so I can breathe. Life is too short, and the people you love are too precious for you to get buried under a pile of paperwork and burn the candle at both ends. If you are struggling to know how to delegate, I would love to share my Free Delegation workshop with you. You can learn more here. Follow me on Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Rosalynn! Rosalynn Robb, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rosalynn Robb is a passionate small business cleaning owner and consultant with the sole aim of helping others. Rosalynn caught a vision after engaging in several Louisville Human Trafficking Task Force meetings. She decided to create a business that would elevate domestic work and advocate for human trafficking victims while giving back to organizations helping the most vulnerable. She believes to whom much has been given, much is expected. She has never forgotten her humble beginnings as an orphan in the Philippines, and how her forever family brought her home to Rhode Island at three and a half years of age. Rosalynn believes what touches the heart reaches the heart, and the best way to build a business is to be authentic and focus on relationships over money. Rosalynn created CleanStart Consulting to help other small cleaning business owners worldwide become organically organized with practical tools and authentic understanding. In 2021, Rosalynn plans to launch the S.H.E Foundation (Seen. Heard. Embraced.). The foundation will provide mentoring and financial support to empower human trafficking survivors. S.H.E. grants will support women seeking a CleanStart with the counsel and tools they need to help launch their own successful businesses. Rosalynn married Andrew in 2018 and they have lived in Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas while serving in the United States Air Force.