Written by: Debbie Gill, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. When I got sober on June 6, 2000, I began to hear many slogans, none of which affected me more significantly than Polonius's "To thine own self be true" from Shakespeare's Hamlet. It was vital to restore honesty in my life and thereby learn acceptance. I learned to accept myself, and by doing so, I became authentic. Being true to yourself means you are authentic. How do you know if you are authentic? Certain aspects or qualities are indicative of inauthenticity. See if any of these resonate with you: Are you a people pleaser or a perfectionist? Are you judgmental, or do you manipulate people? Are you overconfident or cocky? Are you able to express your feelings and emotions without hesitation or fear? Have you faced your fears? Do you say one thing and do another? Are you truthful in all areas of your life? Do you learn from your mistakes, or do you blame others for them? Have you found your life purpose? Do you allow other people to know the "real" you, or do you hide certain parts of yourself that you find unattractive or unacceptable? For the last question, you may not even be aware you push those aspects down into your subconscious and wonder why you aren't happier, more successful, or more anything than you are. Shadow Work is a powerful tool to uncover those unacceptable aspects. Once brought to the surface, they can be integrated, allowing you to become a whole and balanced person. "The greatest act of courage is to be and to own all of who you are — without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth of who you are." — Debbie Ford Learning to be authentic means you must accept all your imperfections as well as the positive aspects you have. It means taking a good look at what is under your hood, or in other words, having deep introspection. It means letting go of any self-seeking and grandiosity you may have. Developing authenticity is simple but not easy. There are several things you can do to help you bring out the real you. The first thing is to be conscious of your words and actions. Notice when you feel good about them and when you don't. Do you empower others or tear them down to make yourself look better? What feels real? What doesn't? Explore your reactions and see if you can respond instead. Explore your fears and walk through them. Do you fear failure to such a degree that you don't even try? If so, be comfortable with being uncomfortable and do something you're afraid to do. Be okay with learning how something doesn't work. Walk through that fear and see what happens. You may discover a truth about yourself. Delete, or dis-create, limiting beliefs that no longer serve you. Core beliefs are indoctrinated in you as a child. No one escapes this. When you identify beliefs that are holding you back, you must get rid of them somehow. You can't just put another belief on top because the old one will come back, just like an unwanted weed. There are various methods for accomplishing this; one of them is the Clear Your Beliefs Program. To become authentic does require inner work, but the result is priceless. So, my question to you is, "Would you rather go within or go without?" Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Debbie! Debbie Gill, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Debbie Gill is the founder of Go Within Spiritual Coaching and Go Within Yoga. She integrates her knowledge and experience as a spiritual coach and yoga teacher with the wisdom of Caroline Myss, a Medical Intuitive and five-time New York Times bestselling author, Anodea Judith, an expert on the Chakra System, somatic therapy, and yoga, and Lion Goodman, creator of the Clear Beliefs® Process. As a Certified Clear Beliefs® Coach, Debbie can assist you with clearing core beliefs that hold you back from becoming your true self and living your true purpose through the Clear Beliefs Process® (CBP). The CBP is a set of tools and techniques that frees you from past limitations so you can freely choose your beliefs and live an empowered and more fulfilling life. Debbie is the author of, Struck by Lightning: My Journey from the Shadow to the Light, where she chronicles her life’s struggles with her shadow aspects and addictions. The spiritual memoir reflects her emergence from the shadow caused by traumatic wounds to the light where truth brings awareness and healing. A grateful recovering alcoholic since June 6, 2000, she lives the 12-Steps of AA and practices its principles in her daily life, and continues her study at CMED with Myss and Judith, and Goodman.

Written by: Whitnie Wiley, 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 gets in the way of you accomplishing your goals? If you are like most, what gets in the way is not external to you. As we attempt to achieve our goals, the thing that gets in the way for most of us is ourselves—our mind, really, or the things we think. We start to imagine all the reasons why something won’t work or wonder whether we are good enough or worthy of the accomplishment. Once we throw up those barriers, it becomes difficult to do what we had set out to do. There are scientific reasons why we do this. Instead of just having a goal, making a plan, and taking action as a way to protect ourselves, our monkey brain starts to ponder all manner of things that are not particularly relevant to the task at hand. Then once the mind begins on this independent journey, it can be tough to get it to slow down to get a positive thought in edgewise. The best course of action is to keep our minds filled with positive and affirming thoughts out the gate, though not in some positive thinking, rah-rah, new age-y way. Put simply, when positivity fills our minds, there is nowhere for negativity to gain a foothold. But, there is hope. If a crack appears and negative thoughts wander in, we can attack the barriers to success those thoughts build. One of the best approaches is to turn our thoughts from ourselves to others. Whether the others are family, friends, or strangers, or they are involved in the endeavor that we have started to have doubts about, it doesn’t matter. When we focus on serving others instead of ourselves, we tend to relax and improve our well-being. Try this. Picture someone you love and put a smile on your face. While you’re smiling and thinking these thoughts, focus on the project. Shift your thoughts back and forth between the project and the benefit completing the project will have for this person. If you start to get anxious or nervous about whether you can complete the project, simply go back to thinking about the person you love and the benefits to them. Your goal here is to fill your mind with thoughts of love and happiness for someone else when the project is complete, not how you’ll get it done or even if you can. You’ll notice that as long as you are focused on someone else, smiling, and feeling what you will feel when you can give this person the gift of the project’s completion, there is no room for you to thinking negatively about your performance. It may not be possible in the beginning to hold on to that thought, but know that with practice and over time, you will. This is your why. Our whys are not usually to make money or buy new things but to feel the underlying emotions we want to enjoy. We aim to make the people we love happy. And we want to live lives of significance. The big and small dreams we dream of are about getting to those emotions. When we focus on the emotional aspects instead of just the outcome itself, we can break through those intellectual barriers that negative thoughts can introduce while accomplishing our goals. Our brains are designed for survival purposes to seek the negative. However, with focus and intention, we can retrain our brains to better serve us by turning our attention back to our why when it starts to move in a direction that is not serving us. Once our focus is in the right direction, it is time to take action. Our thoughts provide a foundation or a platform from which we can perform, but it is only in taking action that we will develop the confidence to complete the task. The more we move forward despite the negative thoughts that come up, the more confidence we’ll have to take action in the future. We may never get to a place where negative thoughts never pop up, but we can learn to navigate around them and achieve our goals anyway with the right tools. It is not the absence of fear, obstacles, or self-created barriers that matter, but the fact that we take action despite them—breaking down the barriers in the process. Want to learn more from Whitnie? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website. Read more from Whitnie! Whitnie Wiley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Whitnie Wiley is a leader in organizational, leadership, and employee development. After spending years in companies with crummy cultures and lousy leadership, Whitnie has dedicated herself to helping organizations and individuals adopt and implement strategies that create workplaces people love to work in. As an in-demand coach, speaker, and trainer, Whitnie shares wisdom from her own life experiences, as well as those of her clients, with grace, humility, and humor to drive change in today's business world. Her clients include aspiring, emerging and new executives aiming to be the kinds of leaders even they'd want to work for and organizations seeking to hire, develop and promote the best talent. Whitnie is a seven-time bestselling author and is anticipating the publication of four books in 2021, including her first solo effort, "The SIMPLE Leader(TM)." As the host of "Love Your Work," she interviews guests about the work they love to do, their journey, and lessons learned along the way. She also co-hosts the "Life, Lemons & LemonDrops" and the "Beyond Your Best Plan" podcasts.

Written by: Motti Wein, 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. A story is told of a wanna-be farmer who begged & cajoled, on a daily basis, an experienced farmer to show him the trade. Acquiescing, the experienced farmer began digging the earth with his spade. “What are you doing to the earth?” screamed the trainee in shock. “Please don’t ask any questions and you shall see,” answered the farmer. Next the farmer put some seeds into the ground and watered them. “Why are you ruining the seeds with water?” screamed the trainee in shock. “Please don’t ask any questions and you shall see,” answered the farmer. Next, when the wheat stalks grew, the farmer chopped them down, removed the wheat kernels and ground them up into flour. “Why are you destroying the beautiful plants?” screamed the trainee in shock. “Please don’t ask any questions and you shall see,” answered the farmer. Next, the farmer kneaded the flour into dough and put it in the oven. Again the trainee screamed in shock and again the farmer answered the same. Upon completion of the baking, when the trainee smelled the fresh delicious aroma of the bread, did he finally understand each step of the process. Many individuals fresh out of college have idealistic dreams. They want to accomplish a certain task and feel they are ready to do so. Many times they are. Most of the time they are not. Experience teaches more than the classroom can ever teach. Experience comes with success and failures which cannot be learned from a textbook. Experience comes with learning how to work with others which cannot be learned from a textbook. Experience comes with witnessing, with one’s own eyes, the pleasure they can cause someone else which cannot be learned from a textbook. Experience comes with witnessing, with one’s own eyes, the pain they can cause someone else which cannot be learned from a textbook. Experience comes with dealing with problems with cannot be learned from a textbook. Owning your own business is definitely worth it. Not necessarily, however, straight out of college. Work for another. Get experience. Then open a small business using your amassed experience and watch it, with G-d’s help, take off. Connect with me on LinkedIn or visit my website for more info! Read more from Motti! Motti Wein, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Founded in 2015 by Motti Wein, we don't view honesty as the best policy; rather, we view it as the foundation for all policies. Let us use our cumulative decades of experience in overcoming adversary, leadership, trust, real estate, customer service, business acumen, family values, and our good name to help you manage and grow your NJ real estate investment portfolio. We may be reached at 732-415-8446 or emailed at WeinRealtyLLC@gmail.com. Wein Holdings, Wein Consulting, Wein Management, and Wein Lending are Wein Realty, LLC divisions. Please note we are a proud member of "Mem Dalet" - an initiative to encourage traditional Jewish workplace values in an ever-increasing nationwide culture of harassment & assault against women and general hostility towards religion. For more information, please contact us. Regarding Mr. Wein's work in kosher supervision, please email Wein.ChaimM@gmail.com or MWein@JewishHomeFreehold.org.

Written by: Jessie Liew, 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 Parents Struggle In Digital Parenting Their Children? They always thought it is the children they need to change. I see this common especially for parents who sit in the coaching session with me. They are struggling with their children’s screen habits. They do not know how to digital parent their children. Whenever they try to stop their children to get access to the screen, they always get rejection and resistance from their children. Some parents told me that they feel they have become monster moms. They feel that they are not able to connect to their children due to screen. The parents have no idea what are their children doing online. What about you? Are you struggling with your children’s screen habits? Do you feel that you are not able to connect to your children due to the screen? Do you know what your children up to online are right now? Most parents have concerns about the internet dangers out there, screen/games addiction, exposure to inappropriate content such as porn, cyberbullying, online predators, and changes in their children’s mindset and behavior. Let’s dive into it one by one. 1. Screen or game addiction. Too much screen time can impair brain structure and function; it can cause obesity, insomnia, mood swings, and even problems at school. 2. Exposure to inappropriate content such as porn The internet is a gateway to another world which host all kind of contents, which may be inappropriate for our children. Sometimes, even the content is not harmful, the content itself is bias, or has hidden agenda to twist and turn our perspective. Further, the content that has been exposed to our children many times will manipulate or change our children’s mindset. Once their mindset has been changed, you will see changes in their behavior too. 3. Online predators There are an estimated 500,000 online predators active each day. Children between the ages of 12 and 15 are especially susceptible to be groomed or manipulated by adults they meet online. According to the F.B.I., over 50 percent of the victims of online sexual exploitation are between the ages of 12 and 15. 4. Cyberbullying Do you know that 65% of 8-14 year-olds have been involved in a cyberbullying incident? Parents have those concerns, but yet they are not sure how to approach their children and screen habits. Why do parents struggle in digital parenting their children? 1. Lack of education and skills on internet safety and digital parenting. Most parents I talked to, revealed that they have no idea on Internet Safety or how to digital parent their children. Further, if the parents are not well versed with technologies, they will even feel it is something far beyond their reach. Many of them tried many ways include digital detox, trying to sit with the children whenever they are with the screen, imposed rules on the screen. They usually find themselves having resistance from their children or find the method is not workable. 2. Reluctance to understand the online world. The parents refuse to understand their children’s online world. Here’s what I think about it. Understand our children’s online world doesn’t mean we have to like what they like. It means understands your children's preferences and character in their choices and decision-making. There is a saying, once you felt understood, you will make an effort to understand others. 3. Not sure on how to allow their children to explore the Internet boundaries on their own. This is the most common problem I heard from the parents. They do not know how to identify the Internet dangers and how to set boundaries with it. Thus, the best option they have is to ask children to get away from the screen. However, the Internet also has a lot to offer, such as a huge home library, for them to research for their homework, for them to learn new things or ideas, for them to communicate with teachers and friends, and a lot more. We need to raise smart kids who can navigate these dangers and use the internet for their enrichment. Here’s a testimonial and case study of Simona Condrachi. You can find this testimonial and case study from her e. Simona is a parenting coach and a mother of 2 boys. Here’s what she said: Before meeting her I felt like I was in tension with my kids as the Screen Time was always an issue among us… I feel relaxed and secure once I could implement everything I discovered to be useful as they know to set the limit on their own and use the electronic devices in a positive way. To find out more about Simona case study, go to this link. Here is the good news, with our digital parenting program, you can build a better relationship with your children and empowering your children to use electronic devices responsibly and staying safe on the Internet. I hope this helps you realize the power you have in your children’s future if you choose to embark on digital parenting. If we can help you establish a better relationship with your children while empowering them to use the Internet and technologies responsibly while staying safe on the Internet. Would you be interested? I am looking for responsible parents who love and care about their children and screen use / Internet Safety. They wanted to build their children to be better future digital citizens and they want to have a life-long lasting relationship with their children. They want to become confident digital parents. If this is you, click here to book a free strategy call with me. If you would like help with reducing your children’s screen addiction and improving your relationship with them, join my free Facebook group to get immediate access to all of my free training. If you would like 1:1 coaching with me to help you reduce your children’s screen addiction and improve your relationship with them, book a free strategy call with me . Follow Jessie on Facebook for more information. Read more from Jessie! Jessie Liew, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jessie Liew is a Digital Parenting Coach. As a cybersecurity expert, a mother of 4, she also has to face the same task as all parents, which is rearing safe & responsible digital citizens. We are living in a digital era, and hence we need new skills to parent our children. She’s been working in the cybersecurity field for more than 14 years. She also holds professional certifications in Cyber Security (CISSP, CRISC, and CISA). She has been able to shape the companies’ employees' internet habits as well as in her own children. Her Mission: Empower Parents to nurture their children to use the Internet and technologies in a positive way while staying safe on the Internet. This builds the foundation of our future Digital Citizens. She is looking for parents or educators who want to nurture their children to be responsible digital citizens and build a great relationship with their children.

Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview Chérie Carter-Scott, Ph.D., MCC is a visionary anomaly. As a child, she was deeply reflective and spiritual. She started to question the purpose of life at a very young age as she experienced living in an alcoholic home. Rather than becoming a statistic, she explored possibilities to find out who she was, what she could contribute, and where she belonged. Life wasn’t easy when at 20-years-old, her mother died, her family split apart and she found herself orphaned. This singular moment was her wake-up call, the realization that her future was in her hands, and whatever she made of her life was up to her. Dr. Chérie was born with special gifts: the ability to speak in complete sentences, the capacity to draw out another’s truth, the capability to synthesize and articulate the bottom-line of a conversation in minimal words, and the synchronization of both her left and right hemispheres to work in alignment. She has always been highly disciplined and when she determines to start or stop doing something, you can consider it done! For example, when she discovered that she was a procrastinator, she set out to eliminate this tendency. At the age of 25, she asked for and received her life purpose: to be a catalyst supporting people’s transformation from the inside out. Her life has been guided by her “Messages,” inner imperatives that provide direction without any explanation. Dr. Chérie is the original life coach, often copied yet never replicated. Her abilities are practical and profound, totally human yet a channel for spirit, improving everything and everyone that she encounters. She learns from everything that has happened to her. She firmly believes that the 10 Rules for Being Human were given to her to share with the world. She lives by their illumination that enables her to learn her lessons and move on. She is an example of walking her talk. She sees tragedies as an opportunity to connect the dots of her life and be an example for others to see what it means to “be the change.” She has overcome each challenge or obstacle by applying what she has been given to share with the world. She helps others overcome their challenges and make the seemingly impossible happen! You’re called the “ Mother of coaching “ how does that feel and what responsibility does this come with? It feels great because I started coaching in 1974, most people I have worked with haven’t even been born by that time. I feel honored to be the “ Mother of Coaching “. My students started calling me that, they said you are like our mother but not just that you are the mother of coaching. Everyone seems to be a coach these days, do you feel the industry needs to be regulated? The International coaching association and others have those responsibilities to uphold the standards of the coaching industry. For me the ultimate goal is for every human to have the basic understanding and skills of a coach, as far as I am concerned we can’t have too many coaches in the world. Not everyone will be a coach by profession but everyone should have that growth mindset. What’s your advice for new coaches? It depends on what their goals are, we can’t have assumptions, I would ask a coach what are your goals for 2022, what are your goals for yourself and your clients, I would then share what I would do in their shoes but would encourage them to keep in mind we are different people. We come from different backgrounds and have different experiences. Having clear goals is the most important for establishing a baseline which can then be invaluable for yourself and your clients. What should an individual look for in a coach or mentor? It’s interesting you would ask that question, it’s a critically important question. I wrote a chapter about this question in my book “ Transformational coaching “ looking at style, energy, how you learn and grasp concepts, how you respond to homework. I believe you should always look forward to seeing your coach or mentor. Your coach needs to be someone whom you want to develop from and glean from their knowledge and expertise. What should a coach be looking for in a client? I offer a complimentary “ Chemistry session “ I explain the difference between coaching and mentoring, I set out expectations and create a real partnership. It’s important to build an honest conversation about where they are at. I address full communication. I ask for how they respond to being asked to do homework so I can ascertain if they are the right client for me. What makes a great coach? I call this “ living life as a coach “ It’s so important that as a coach you are enjoying life. Your lifestyle has to match that which you are coaching and expecting others to achieve. A coach must be a great example of living out their own dreams, that they have gone through the process of confusion and doubt and are overcoming the challenges and going for it and living it out. What does the world need right now more than ever? Understanding, compassion, care, and kindness more than anything. We need to have empathy. We need less anger, if you’re angry, great, but deal with it in private, don’t take it out on others because you have something going on. Think about little acts of kindness, think about giving back and doing good. Hold yourself accountable for the good you can do, care for the planet and each other. For more info, follow Chérie on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and visit her website!

Written by: Dani Bultitude, 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. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental difference in brain structure which is largely an inherited condition. Statistics worldwide have indicated that ADHD affects mainly males, and it was believed that it only affected children; that as adults we ‘grow out of it’. These previously reported ‘facts’ are now being disproven, with current studies suggesting that ADHD diagnoses in girls is often missed due to a number of biases relative to expected behavioural norms in children. There are growing numbers of adults now being diagnosed, many of them women in their 30's and 40's. A time of life for many when the combined load of paid, unpaid work and the role of primary parent, creates an unsustainable situation. How many hours a day do women work between these commitments while their children are young? Approximately 16hrs a day. An 80-hr week. That sounds totally doable, notwithstanding the requirement to be virtuously patient and flawlessly emotionally regulated to remain calm in the storm of a 4-year old’s tantrum. The patriarchy usually reveres someone who works those hours (a dedicated senior executive perhaps) and pays them a shit tonne of money. It calls the rest of us a working parent and takes a hefty chunk of our take home pay in childcare fees for the privilege of allowing us to ‘choose’ to work. ADHD remains under diagnosed in women and girls. Many ‘experts’ still seem to think that this is because ADHD is more highly correlated with being male. What we know is that kids are more likely to be identified and diagnosed at a younger age if they present with externalised symptoms, such as hyperactivity, which disrupt the classroom. Kids who do not present in this way are likely to go under the radar. This tends to be the majority of girls with ADHD. In women, ADHD symptoms tend to manifest in correlation with hormonal changes. This means that they are either likely to be diagnosed around age 12 (after the start of menstruation), in their 30’s – 40’s (due to hormonal fluctuations post childbirth plus the pressures outlined above) or in their 40’s - 50’s as they move into perimenopause / menopause. The signs of ADHD in younger girls comprise a range of symptoms not considered holistically, with many being internalised which do not cause outward problems for other people. However, these symptoms may manifest in challenges with anxiety, depression or risk-taking behaviours in adolescence such as alcohol use, or rebellious behaviours at school. These activities will be identified as a problem, and the underlying cause will be overlooked. Hence contributing to inaccurate statistics relative to gender. ADHD is experienced by many as not a deficit of attention (which is why attention-deficit- hyperactivity-disorder is such a misnomer and you’ll see I don’t use it across my business), but rather an abundance of attention or strong emotion that has some trouble being regulated. If you have a predominantly hyperactive ADHD type, you can see and know ALL OF THE THINGS that need to be done, but you cannot possibly do them all. If you have a predominantly inattentive type, you may not actually notice the things that need to be done. Your brain effectively ‘blocks’ them out, as a coping strategy of sorts. If you have a combined type ADHD there is usually a push- pull scenario of a mix of these. Centrally the symptoms of ADHD derive from the challenges of not possessing an effective operating system via dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitters working the way they should. Let’s just say at times, things can get a little out of whack. Here is an inside scoop into a mother’s experience with ADHD When faced with literally 100 things on the to-do list, it can be difficult to figure out a way to do them all or prioritise which is most important, or urgent. You try to do a bit of all of them (wasn’t multitasking a valued skill in the 90’s?) which leads to 85 things getting half done, and you forgetting what you started and what you didn’t. Which makes you feel like you’re either a, losing your memory or b, losing your mind. When another kid asks mum “where is my thing?” and you literally try not to lose your shit. After a while the thoughts of "what's wrong with me? Why can’t I do this?" grow. You are sleep deprived from the demands of attending to small children throughout the night. You carry the mental load of scheduling not only yourself, but every other member of the household. Is it a green day at daycare? Jeans for genes day? Yellow day? What the fuck is yellow day?! Did your high schooler get their 3D interpretation of an Australian artwork started that is due tomorrow? No? You need what? Clay? Plaster? Sure, ok let’s figure out where we buy that during my lunch ‘break’ today and yes, I’ll help you build it after dinner tonight... You finish work and race to pick up the kids before after school care closes and they call child services because you are always the last one picking up. Your partner rings to inform you of an urgent deadline and they will be home late. The kitchen floor is so dirty you hope your mother doesn’t pop in and see what a failure you are at domestics. You need your car serviced, but last time you did that the mechanic couldn’t help himself but pass judgement on fact you are ‘not looking after your car properly’. Dude – that’s why I bring it to you; surely the engine won’t stop if the outside isn’t washed and it’s full of crackers? Then you end up losing it in a puddle of tears by the 6th time someone yells ‘muuum, I’m HUNGRY!!’ that evening precisely 2 minutes after eating their last snack while you’re trying to cook dinner. Inevitably this goes on and on and these women drop down or out of the workforce to try to cope. Maybe they take the part time role that isn’t the management role they used to love, that pays a lot less than they used to make, because that’s what is expected that mothers do to manage all of this. Which somehow makes them feel even worse because they are reporting to someone with less experience than they have, who happens to be a bit of an idiot and the sheer stress of the under stimulation and frustration somehow makes throwing the computer out the window to get some damn natural air flow into the office a viable consideration. But the part time job doesn’t actually help. For many mid-career professionals, dropping down to 2 or 3 days a week is terribly unsatisfying. Professional standing is lost, along with their seniority. The extra hours now not at work are spent doing more ‘stuff’ at home that generates no dopamine hit. I don’t know about you, but I get no sense of satisfaction in getting all the washing done. I love my kids TO BITS, but I am a better parent when I am happy. This is not necessarily correlated to when I have oodles of time to do craft with them. OMG I am so bad at craft. I seriously would rather burn the house down than attempt to clean up the bloody glitter for the next 6 months after making a mind jar. Which ironically is supposed to be a mindful strategy for inner calm. Maybe in a flurry of frustration or despair they quit or feel so tired they think they must have a serious disease, and front up to their GP because they feel they are failing at life. Inevitably the GP unfortunately misses the signs of overwhelm, dysregulation, challenges with organisation, and burn out, and prescribes an anti-depressant. They walk away feeling a little confused, thinking “but I don’t feel depressed…. but maybe I am?” The anti-depressant helps for a while by kind of lowering the intensity of everything; but given they weren’t actually depressed to start with, inevitably doesn’t solve the issue they are facing. When things continue and they still don’t feel any better, they take themselves off to therapy. Their mood is up and down. They are irritated, frustrated, impatient and chronically stressed. PMS is a next level horror show. If they are lucky, they will encounter a professional who understands how ADHD presents in women; or usually they will see an Instagram meme or a TikTok video (seriously) and start going down a rabbit hole of research and realize….”bloody hell, this is my life. How did I not know about this?” Feminist perspective needs to influence the narrative about ADHD. Having some sort of innate ability to juggle all of the things is presumed in many a household to be part and parcel of being female. So much so that one day many of us wake up and go: hang on, we never actually discussed this. Why are all of these domestic tasks mine? What about my career? The psychological burden of the invisible mental load is enormous for many women. It is the thing that fuels relationships to break, particularly when one party carries it, and the other does not understand the extent of what it even is. ADHD medication is a wonderful thing, and it helps a great many people feel calm, achieve clarity out of the fog, and feel focused for the first time. It assists with managing to regulate emotions, attention, and over time, assists ADHDers to develop increased insight and awareness into ourselves, our thoughts and behaviours. There is a reason we’re a bit quirky, hey? Cool. It is only one part of the puzzle, however. Counselling supports a framing of identity; unpacking fixed and persistent believes about our worth and capacity; that an ADHD diagnosis is a bloody wonderfully helpful thing when you lived a life not knowing why you felt different. Coaching strategies can help with task initiation, completion, organisation, creating external structures, and prioritising what you need to do and when. This is all very important. You also need to eat well, exercise, get enough sleep and do things that bring you joy. But a big part of this is making choices about your lifestyle. Otherwise, all we have succeeded in doing is taking a big, long list of things you were struggling to do, and then added a bunch more stuff to do that list. Not actually all that helpful, particularly if you tend to over function. Or under function. Which covers basically everyone with ADHD into those two categories. What we are looking for is balance. An equilibrium of sorts. Yes, a little bit of Zen. I’m not a very Zen-like person. I like to punch things which helps me feel calm (don’t worry, just a bag). We are all a work in progress. NO ONE CAN DO IT ALL. The people you watch and think ‘well, she’s got it together’ likely have a nanny, a cleaner, a personal trainer, and a housekeeper. Women in previous generations were expected to leave the workforce to allow them enough time to be the primary parent and manage a household. It was a completely shithouse way to manage the societal inequalities that manifested through choosing to procreate. I still don’t understand why in the 1950’s women were expected to leave the workforce when they got married. Like being married is a thing that you can do instead of having a job. But that’s the point. They didn’t get to choose! It was the outspoken, pain in the arse feminist who shunned the status quo by saying “actually, no…. that all sounds a bit fucked up and I’m going to do it differently thank you very much”. And the partners who loved them more for it, and said: “hell yeah, what she said” and then took their turn staying home with the babies and vacuuming the lounge. Many of us can’t afford to outsource all those things – life goals. But maybe it’s not that you can’t afford to; it’s the guilt and self-judgement you carry about choosing to. You may feel it’s privileged, or that you have failed because if you admit needing to. This is not helpful, ban any sentence including the work ‘should’. Taking your power back as a woman in midlife creates a legacy of change for future generations. By actively choosing how many of the things you can realistically do (and want to do), and which things you need to delegate (to someone else) to outsource (by paying someone else) can allow you to start to simplify your life. A little bit anyway. Too simple and us ADHDers would get bored. For many neuro-divergent women, we have neuro-divergent partners; we have fabulous neuro-divergent children. They need our energy, our advocacy, and our commitment to parenting in ways that grow confidence, self-esteem, and connectedness so they can flourish. As parents we need to model learnings about relationships, about life, about communication, about love. Our relationships and families tend to need a lot of ongoing work and energy to meet everybody’s needs. I am very much actively trying to grow my tribe into next generation feminist thinkers; our kids are watching and observing everything we do. We can’t say one thing and do another, because what we do goes a lot further than what we say. So stop worrying about what you ‘should‘ be doing, and start thinking about what will work for you. What do you value? What is most important? What is getting in the way of living the way you need to, in alignment with your values? This is how we guide ourselves through the changes we need to make, because it is intrinsically connected to what we genuinely care about. It is likely that the feminist politics regarding the nature of domestic life are alive and well in your home, and in addressing the impact of ADHD effectively women need to call this shit out. Many clients I work with are drowning in domestic tasks, without critically evaluating why it is all their responsibility. I encourage you to reflect, challenge and raise the issues relevant to your circumstances in support of your own wellbeing. Signing off for now. Yours in ADHD life. Dani Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Dani Bultitude, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dani is the CEO and Founder of The Divergent Edge: an innovative and unique service providing support to adults with ADHD. Through the utilisation of telehealth, access is available to the services of The Divergent Edge across Australia. With a background in Social Work for over 20 years, Dani thrives on diversity and challenge and has worked in a variety of roles across community services, mental health, disability and education; including counsellor, mentor, trainer, clinical supervisor, and is an experienced manager and leader. Dani has a vision to facilitate opportunities for positive change; through being prepared to be authentic, honest, and outspoken about both the benefits and challenges of being neuro-divergent. The Divergent Edge promotes and embraces their clients to channel their energies into areas of likely success; where they may have an ‘edge’, while providing support and practical assistance to overcome challenges. Dani was diagnosed with ADHD (Predominantly hyperactive type) as an adult, which she experienced as a life changing opportunity to both understand and finally be herself. She also finally realised that building her own organisation was the thing that she was meant to do. Dani’s Edge is her capacity to see the big picture and think strategically, through a heightened ability for abstract reasoning: or you could say, making sense of things that at first glance don’t seem connected! She is passionate about the development of psychologically safe workplaces, personal and systemic leadership, and seeking opportunities to push the boundaries of what’s possible to create meaningful change.

Written by: Dr. Margaret Potter, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. During the past 18-months we’ve been hit with the impact of COVID-19 across the globe. Sadly, the effects are ongoing and each one of us continues to be touched in some way. It may be an internal struggle with our own mental or physical health; dealing with the limitations placed on our usual lifestyle; supporting our friends and loved ones to cope with insecure employment, ill-health, separation and loss. The enormity of the situations being faced by everyday people continues to challenge us and it is easy to see why we can sometimes feel overwhelmed. Pre-COVID-19 most of us were in the habit of striving for bigger, better and more. Success being measured by quantity rather than quality. Perhaps we were overly absorbed in our work, rather than in our lives outside of work, but one of the more helpful things during this pandemic has been the opportunity to slow down and take stock - to pay attention to, and fully appreciate what is truly important to us. One way to do this with your clients, friends and family is to encourage them to identify what activities bring them joy with little or no effort. It may simply be seeing a smile on their child’s face; a big hug from their partner; an excited dog waiting at home to greet them; spending time in the garden or sitting at a favourite spot watching the world go by. These are simple things that have a positive impact on one’s health and well-being. It is true to say that before COVID-19 we may have partaken in such activities, but all too often we tended to take the little things for granted. While we cannot control all that is happening in the world around us, we can certainly take charge of how we focus our attention and filter information to amplify or diminish events. So, whenever you are experiencing difficulties, rather than dwelling on the negative seek to fully embrace all that is good in your life. Instead of concentrating on what is missing, make a list of what you have. Actively take control of those things you can, while letting go of those things you cannot. More often than not, what is most central to our happiness and fulfillment are little gems that lift our spirits and help us to shine. So, identify and protect your treasure – those activities and people that will sustain you in good and bad times and regardless of the obstacles you may face in life always keep searching for the upside! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Dr. Margaret Potter, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Margaret Potter is a highly respected educational leader and an internationally certified performance coach with more than 20-years of experience. She is Director of the TELL Centre, which provides short courses to support health professionals with their teaching, supervision and assessment activities. As a consequence of her PhD research on the patient-practitioner interaction in healthcare, Margaret is a sought-after speaker and expert on various topics associated with optimising communication. Her motto: Keep learning – keep growing!

Written by: Marie McCarthy, 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 often hear women say how bad they feel when they become emotional at work, i.e.: crying, getting upset in front of their boss or colleagues. Women end up wracked with guilt, saying “I’m not strong, I let my emotions get the better of me”, “Why couldn’t I just keep it together and cry in the bathroom where no one could see me?” Hang on a second… aren’t men just as emotional in the workplace? But often just because they don’t shed a tear, doesn’t mean they are not emotional. They just have a different way of showing it. How many times have you been in meetings where men raise their voice, start shouting and using inappropriate language at colleagues, bang their hands on tables, or worse again throwing a pen across a room! This is where there is a significant transformation begins for many women. They begin to feel the need to take on a more masculine approach to how they appear in work. However, when they do this, they are out of touch with who they truly are, leading to frustration, anxiety, stress. This can often lead to burnout and women leaving the workplace. Now this isn’t about bashing men for being emotional, but for women to stop beating themselves up if they do show emotions. Men show emotions, just in a different manner. Women who are in tune with their female energy are generally more confident, feel more at ease within male-dominated industries, don’t suffer from imposter syndrome, bring a greater human connection element and creativity. Both male and female energy is needed in the workplace. If a workplace has an equal balance of male and female energy this generally leads to a much more enjoyable environment, resulting in higher staff retention, improved performance, targets been met, less stress and fewer sick days been taken, improved job satisfaction and less burnout. Research has shown that having women in the workplace and having a greater balance of gender diversity is key for organizations’ results: “Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women on boards financially outperform companies with the lowest representation of women on boards. Gender-diverse teams have higher sales and profits compared to male-dominated teams. A recent Gallup study found that gender-diverse business units have higher average revenue than less diverse business units.” What can organizations do to support women stepping into their power? Look to understand their values and what are their motivations within the workplace. Encourage women to go for promotions. Give women opportunities to grow their leadership skills. Look for ways that allow flexi work or working from home more during the week. Stop penalising women for having children and having to take time off to look after them if they are sick. McKinsey, in partnership with LeanIn.Org. A recent 2021 report found there was an increase in women’s representation across all levels of corporate sectors in 2020. While this is positive and there have been significant strides made by organizations for more gender balance especially at the senior leadership level, more needs to be done. Women also need to take responsibility to acknowledge their own unique skills and that their female energy has a significant role to play within their workplace. If more women can tap into their female energy, then they can have a greater impact for the better. Marie McCarthy is a leading Mindset Coach and International Mindset Speaker. Marie helps female entrepreneurs and senior leaders within a corporate setting to remove stress, fear, and anxiety. This allows her clients to finally live their dream life, on their terms without feeling guilty. Marie has developed her unique “TTR Method Program” (Triple Transformational Results) This program enables her clients to finally understand where their learned behaviours have come from and how this affects them in their daily lives. Marie’s ability to unravel and get to the heart of the issue results in her clients achieving rapid life-altering outcomes where they are empowered, confident, and fearless. The skills her clients develop last a lifetime, not just during the timeframe of working together. Thus, giving her clients complete control over their own mindset, to handle any challenges or future limiting beliefs that may arise. Follow me on Faceb ook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Marie McCathy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Marie McCarthy is a leading Mindset Coach and International Mindset Speaker. Marie helps female entrepreneurs and senior leaders within a corporate setting to remove stress, fear, and anxiety. This allows her clients to finally live their dream life, on their terms without feeling guilty. Marie has developed her unique “TTR Method Program” (Triple Transformational Results) This program enables her clients to finally understand where their learned behaviors have come from and how this affects them in their daily lives. Marie’s ability to unravel and get to the heart of the issue results in her clients achieving rapid life-altering outcomes where they are empowered, confident, and fearless. The skills her clients develop last a lifetime, not just during the timeframe of working together. Thus, giving her clients complete control over their own mindset, to handle any challenges or future limiting beliefs that may arise.

Written by: Tom Paine, 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 worked with a client earlier this year who was convinced she needed a career change. She wanted to turn her back on the recruitment sector, a world where she’d created a strong reputation, and built a strong skill set. For her, the job had become stale. She lacked purpose and was burned out. She was fed up with the day-to-day grind and sick of being bossed around by a controlling director. From the moment she woke up, to the moment she went to bed, she felt very uneasy about her situation. She knew deep down that something in her life had to change. Everything pointed towards the job itself. She felt happy in her life otherwise, she had a great support network and a loving partner. For her, the only option was to totally change her career. Something I know too well, having made the leap myself. Her next move was to hire a coach, and I was lucky enough to be selected as the person to guide her through this challenging time in her life. So, I began our sessions by questioning whether this was something she wanted to do. And over the next four coaching sessions, we did a lot of work around her belief system and value structure, and this involved a lot of self-reflection. Interestingly, this particular client had several ‘lightbulb moments’ during our sessions that lead to her knowing what she wanted. Moments of realisation, similar to a light being flicked on in your head that gives you crystal clear answers to questions you’ve been trying to answer for a while. I see this in most coaching sessions, my clients have awakenings they’ve been searching for. We go through their past decisions, probing into why they made the choices they did. And I help them to question their perspective and I challenge their thinking. On this occasion, the thinking was based around whether to turn her back on her career. What did she decide in the end In this case, the realisation was that her values didn’t match up to the organisation she’d been working for. We reshaped her belief system so that she left the coaching process knowing that she could get a better job elsewhere. And guess what? She didn’t leave recruitment. She found a job working for a company that matched her values. What a turnaround from the first session. By fully understanding who she was and what she stood for, she was able to assess her current job through different set of spectacles. It wasn’t the recruitment career that was the problem, it was the culture of her organisation that didn’t match up. She had been focused her frustrations in the wrong place. My point here is that if you have career questions, I can help. Massively. Time and time again, people leave my coaching process with a clear vision of where they are taking their lives. It’s incredibly rewarding to see, knowing that they didn’t have a clue what to do, to begin with. The experience is there for you to take advantage of, but you must be willing to take the first step. And sometimes the best step is to hire a coach with experience in this exact area. Interested to learn more about working with me? Subscribe to my mailing list for more content like this including exclusive offers. Follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter and visit my website for more info! Read more from Tom! Tom Paine, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Tom Paine is a Certified Life Coach, offering expertise in resilience, confidence growth, and relationship management. Professionally, Tom spent ten years working in the Recruitment sector. He built an excellent reputation as a specialist IT Consultant, eventually becoming a Business Manager, leading sales teams responsible for £8m annual turnover for global and SME organizations, relocating to London and Manchester. Tom’s sales team operated at 18 staff at its peak, ranging from Junior Consultants to Principals, Managers, and Team Leaders. Tom coaches people based on their needs, supporting them to overcome restrictions in their life. Tom's clients experience a renewed sense of confidence, well-being, and energy, enabling them to take control of their lives, to start living with happiness and fulfillment. He blends corporate experience, spirituality, and goal setting to fantastic effect.

Written by: Adele Chee, 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. Choice is the purest expression of free will. The freedom to choose allows us to shape our lives exactly how we wish - provided we have the resources to do so. Having said that, indeed, some of us may have more choices than others, but it’s no denying that we all have choices. So, how do you decide on the choice to move forward with? Imagine playing with a set of cards you’ve been dealt. How do you know when to play by the rules of the game and when you should create your own rules - which includes not to play at all? Step 1: Have clarity of your goals Without kids of our own, I get what my husband has coined as my “mummy-fix” with the children of our family and friends. At times, when us adults and the kids are playing a game together, to strictly follow the rules of the game would alienate some of the kids. So, there are obviously a few choices we can make. However, before we make them, let’s consider the goals we want to achieve. In this scenario, the aim was for everyone to play and have an enjoyable time together. Hence, we chose to adapt and make up rules that suit the lowest common denominator, so that we can all get on with having fun. Here, we see that having clarity of your goals will enable you to formulate well-reasoned options and take appropriate actions. This is a universal principle that is applicable in all decision-making processes. Step 2: Be explicit about your options Some may consider the above a light-hearted and low impact scenario. Is it really? Put yourself in the child-who-couldn’t-play’s shoes because the decision was to stick to the rules of the game. What could the lasting impact of being shunned away - by his or her own family no less - be on this child? Therefore, besides being clear about your goals, you need to be explicit about your options as well i.e what exactly are these selections that are at your disposal and what do they entail. At times, certain possibilities may seem a little obscure. Then, perhaps an evaluation of your biases is needed to remove the smokescreen and bring it out into the open; or reframing the choices you have could help you see them from a different angle. When you have direct visibility of your alternatives, you will be able to evaluate how likely each of them would meet your goals and pick the winning option. It is also important to note that life is not a deck of printed cards. Hence, goals and options can be modified through the course of the game. This is because we will continuously be dealt with new or different cards as we progress. Therefore, having the ability to conscientiously gain clarity of your goals and options as you advance, will empower you to make the choices that are right for you and those around you. If you need support in gaining clarity of your goals and options to decide on your best choice forward, please schedule a FREE non-obligatory 30-min session with me. For more info, follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website! Read more from Adele! Adele Chee, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Adele is a transition coach and mentor. She supports professionals and entrepreneurs, who are standing at a crossroads and feeling overwhelmed by their options to move forward. Through her proprietary S.P.A.R.K.© self-alignment model and program, she has helped clients around the world to be in control and navigate through shifting environments with confidence. A change-enthusiast herself, she believes that having clarity and alignment of one’s values, strengths, vision and purpose - “core elements” of their self - are essential in enabling a person to take ownership and be the agent of their own life. She has gone from lab coats to business suits, working on the international stage out of Asia and Europe, in the consumer goods and pharmaceutical industries. In the 15 years of her corporate career, she has held a variety of roles from marketing and communications to project management and consulting. All these experiences led her to finally realizing her personal ambition of becoming a coach and she started her coaching practice during a global pandemic.

Written by: Jodie Gallant, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Think back for a minute. Can you remember the daydreaming you did as a child? You’d be sitting in class, picturing yourself anywhere but there, or lying in the grass, staring up at the clouds imagining who you’d become. My hope is that you still do some of that daydreaming, but I’ll bet it happens a lot less often. I know that schedules are so full now from doing all the things, that it feels more difficult to just sit back, relax and imagine yourself being exactly where you want to be in the not-so-distant future. I’m here to tell you though, that daydreaming (or vision casting as I like to call it), is so important. MAKE TIME for it! Without vision-casting, how are you going to get to where you want to go? After all, you can’t follow a map without a destination in mind. What is Vision? Vision is the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom, based on your individual desires for your business and your life. Think about how you want to spend your time, with whom, doing which activities and even with what material items. Then there’s the vision for your business, which should fuel your life, lifestyle and dreams. Keep in mind, your vision should NEVER be concrete…it’s supposed to change! As our experiences occur, we grow, learn, and change and that has a vital impact on our vision growth. If we don’t periodically check in on that, then our immediate actions that become habitual, will continue to support the old version of our vision and not the new one that has evolved. This stalls our momentum toward the achievement that we truly desire. As our BIG VISION evolves, we need to check back in for clarity, so that we can establish a short-term vision to again establish aligned action for moving forward. Be honest with yourself on what you desire, what you want, how it looks and most importantly, how it feels. Gain some clarity on what your CURRENT reality is. How are you showing up? What are you doing? How are you feeling? What is your truth? We often know in our hearts the BIG ideas, but we don’t always give ourselves the space to capture it into form of a visual such as a journal or checklist, or even in audio form with a voice recording. We hold it close and as time goes on, we add to it in our minds, but don’t stop to evaluate and most importantly release it from our minds. I invite you to take a few minutes to stop, check-in with yourself, and be that kid again who just wants to daydream. Is the vision you’ve held so dear still your vision today? What’s changed? What remains? What can you release? What can you welcome? Ask yourself: Is this vision still what I want today? What in this idea or thought in my vision matters most? Are the actions I am taking, doing, delegating or sharing leading me towards this vision to become a reality? Vision is not strategy. It’s simply the horizon to keep us moving on the right path. So, once you’ve gained some clarity in your latest vision, you can build your roadmap (strategy/action steps), producing the momentum to get there. Hello there…dreams coming true! Just don’t forget to revisit your vision from time to time. It’s okay if your dreams change as you do! So, whether it’s once a week, twice a month, or once a quarter, make the time to CHECK BACK IN! If you’re ready to put your vision into visual form and share it, I’d love to hear from you, so I can cheer you on! Find me on Instagram and share away. Want to learn more from Jodie? Follow her on Facebook or Linkedin and visit her website. Read more from Jodie! Jodie Gallant, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Business Strategist and Coach for JMG Business Strategy, Jodie Gallant, uses her experience in marketing and planning, paired with owning 5 NH local businesses while raising a vibrant family, to inspire, lead, and support entrepreneurs to achieve the life they desire through the design of their business. Having left a secure 15-year corporate marketing and leadership career in 2012 to build two family businesses alongside her husband and three small children, Jodie quickly realized the hustle and grind was not going to work. Today she guides her clients to achieve their goals with the support of the strategies and tools she lives by. Jodie is the host and curator of the Connect Mastermind for ambitious female leaders, offers 1:1 Coaching for high-performers, and is the host of the To The Point Podcast.

Written by: Katie Johns, 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. From a young age, we are taught to think our way through life. Work hard. Keep trying. Figure it out. Do more. Push harder. We have ended up in a world of busyness and ‘doership’ to quote the wonderful Tosha Silver. But what if you are doing all of the things and it’s still not working? What if you have tried, pushed, strived and still you are not where you want to be? What happens if doing everything we are told we have to do [or you feel you ought to] in order to achieve success, makes you sick, unhappy and disconnected? What if the traditional way of marketing and ‘doing’ business doesn’t work for you? I’ve recently had a couple of weeks off, I got sick and it stopped me in my tracks. A few years ago I would've kept on working, struggled through somehow, worked from my bed, putting others needs before my own and definitely not asked for help. But that way is not for me anymore. What I did realise during that enforced period of rest was that part of the reason I was ill, is that I had in fact slipped out of flow and back into push. Even with all of my knowledge, the personal development work I have done and the work I do now with clients, I had fallen back into old habits. It’s indoctrinated into us on such a deep level, that even when we become conscious we can still slip back in. So how do we embrace a way of marketing and growing our business in a sustainable way, through ease, joy, flow and grace? We simply choose and keep choosing. It’s then our job to stay conscious and keep an eye on ourselves to make sure we don’t slip back into those old ‘doership’ ways. This isn’t easy work, I am asking you to step away from one of the biggest constructs there is. Our society is built on the very foundation that you build your business through hard work, grit and determination. You do what it takes and if that doesn’t work you throw something else into the mix. It’s difficult for us to even contemplate another way of doing things because the online space is so noisy telling us this is the way you do it. And even some of the new wave of more spiritual business coaches don’t always seem to practice what they preach...the hustle seems very real. And you absolutely can build a business like this but do you want to? Those are the key questions you need to be asking yourself. Do you want hustle or flow? Constriction or expansion? Ego or soul? Burn out or freedom? Because the truth is, you can market, grow and sustain your business in a different way, one that feels aligned to you, that is easy, fun and joyful. But you have to make that choice and then watch yourself like a hawk to make sure you don’t slip back into your old ways. It involves faith, trust and surrender and probably a fair bit of social media and email unfollowing /unsubscribing too! In many ways pushing can seem easier, we believe we are making things happen, it’s in our control and control feels safe, solid and certain. The incessant doership is also a great way of drowning out the negative voices in our head, the ones that tell us we don’t know enough, do enough, good enough, so we keep busy and don’t give them space to talk. And then there’s everyone else, they’re all hustling and achieving incredible results, you don't want to be left behind do you? Believing in the unknown and unseen is harder and why so many of us slip back, that’s why support and accountability from someone who has walked the path and understands how to grow and market a business from flow is so vital. And movements like Soulacy are so important in spreading the word about what it really means to build, grow and sustain a business from soul. As part of my work with clients we look at the different levels of consciousness you might be operating from and how this impacts your marketing and business, so you can see where you might have crept back into doership, where you need to embrace flow and surrender more and how you go about doing that, in a way that feels right for you. Here’s a few examples of how it feels to be in or out of alignment/flow, so you can start noticing when things aren’t right and what changes you can make to bring yourself back in, before you make yourself sick or burnt out. Growing a business out of alignment is possible but it’s driven by ego, it’s not much fun, it doesn’t nurture your soul and eventually it catches up with you in one way or another. Growing and sustaining a business from flow is amazing but it’s not always easy and can feel lonely and scary at times, as the old ways of doing business vie for our attention everywhere we turn. Feeling like you’re not the only one on this road to doing business in a more flow-based, conscious and soul legacy way, has immense power and it’s why surrounding yourself with like-minded people is so important. Remember, you are not alone, you are here to do great things, you are a change maker, and change isn’t always easy but always worth it when it’s soul-aligned to you. If you’d love some support with all things soul led business and marketing, come and join my free community, a sacred space to discuss all things work/life blend, consciousness, doership and flow, to support you on the journey Katie Johns, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Katie Johns is a Soul-Led Business, Marketing & Inner Guidance Mentor who works with Conscious Change Makers, helping them to run and market their business from the soul through her particular method of soul + energy + action. Katie knows that the traditional, old paradigm ways of marketing and running a business can leave soul-led entrepreneurs feeling disconnected, burnt out, and unhappy. However, she believes that your business is an energetic extension of you, so if you are not in alignment with certain areas, you are not going to create the impact and legacy you desire Katie empowers soul-led entrepreneurs to start doing business their way, connecting them back to their purpose, passion, and personal power, ready to take inspired, aligned action in the direction of their dreams. Doing business and marketing that feels good and does good. Katie is a monthly contributor at Brainz and Soulacy magazine, and she is regularly asked to guest speak on podcasts about her subject.