Victoria Chardon is an ICF certified Executive Coach and a manager at Google. She is a member of Google’s coaching advisory council and the co-founder of Rising Star Leadership, a successful coaching consultancy focused on helping people take the lead in their personal and professional lives. She is a passionate advocate for breaking down mental health stigma in the workplace and has had roles within Google leading mental health initiatives as well as participating in panel discussions on the topic. Who is Victoria? I am a wife, a manager, a leader, a coach, a businesswoman, an entrepreneur, a writer, a dog mum, an advocate, a mentor. But these are all just labels that we apply to make sense of our identity. The truth is that just like you, I’m a human being who is trying to navigate this thing called life — and I try and help others navigate it, too. How are you helping people to do that? Directly, I’m helping people through my coaching work, both at Google and via my own business. Whether it’s a one-off, powerful coaching conversation or an ongoing coaching engagement, my aim is always the same: to help my clients reach a deeper understanding of themselves and what they want and to walk towards their goals. Indirectly, I’m doing many other things. By being a compassionate leader, I’m invested in creating a psychologically safe and motivated team who feels nurtured and supported not only in their daily work but on their career journeys. By speaking up about my past mental health challenges, I’m creating space for others having similar experiences and letting them know they’re not alone. Ultimately, I’m a big believer in the shared human experience. Coaching is growing in popularity. What can you tell us about coaching that we don’t already know? Coaching is about creating a safe, non-judgemental space for an individual or group to explore their own thoughts and feelings, in order to move towards their goals. These goals can be personal or professional; there’s almost always an overlap. We can compartmentalise all we want, but beneath the surface, the person we are at work and the person we are outside meet and influence each other on some level. Coaching helps us to uncover all the layers. It can feel therapeutic, but it’s not therapy. How do you recommend finding a good coach? Great question! Finding a coach can feel overwhelming. Many coaches these days have an area of expertise which can help narrow the search, but a good coach should be able to coach any person on any topic. What is more important is the chemistry between you. Here’s a few suggestions to help you find your ideal coach: Ask your network if anyone has a recommendation for a coach they’ve worked with personally. Check the coach’s background, training and experience. Formal training indicates that a coach has invested time and money into learning the craft, has had supervision from a master coach, and has done exams. A credential from the ICF, AC, or EMCC is a good indicator too, as this means they are required to work according to a strict code of ethics. There are some great coaches out there without these credentials though, so this can be tricky; I’d look out for strong endorsements in that case. Almost all coaches will offer you a free taster session. This is your chance - and theirs - to see if you’re a fit. I’ve turned down potential clients who I didn’t feel the right chemistry with. I can’t stress enough how important this ‘click’ is — trust your intuition! What kind of coach are you? I subscribe to the school of thought that we coach the whole person and not just the topic. When I start a session with a client and they tell me their topic, it’s almost never the real issue - it’s an open door to what really matters to them. I do a lot of ‘leadership coaching’, but I use the term broadly. Leadership isn’t just about the position you hold professionally - it’s about how you show up across your life. That’s why we called our business ‘Rising Star Leadership’. The definition of a rising star is ‘a person who is likely to be successful’. We support our clients to be successful in whatever it is that they set out to do — and they take the lead in making that happen. You’ve been on the receiving end of coaching, too. What difference has coaching made to your life? I originally started working with a coach because I was struggling with imposter syndrome at Google. I was in my first leadership position and in every meeting, I felt like I was in the wrong room. I’d never been coached before, and I was surprised at how deep the process took me; halfway through the first session, I was in tears and mortified about it! I laugh looking back because one of the biggest obstacles I’ve overcome though coaching is to stop pushing away my vulnerabilities. I’m empathetic and highly sensitive, and I’d rejected this side of myself my whole adult life. Women have learned not to show these traits if they want to be successful. I’ve realised that you can be a woman, and be a leader, and be vulnerable, and be successful. It’s certainly been a journey, but I’ve come out of it stronger, more aware of who I am, and much clearer on the difference I want to make in my corner of the world. You have a business background as well as a coaching one. How important is coaching in a business context? Firstly, companies are waking up to the fact that coaching is a skill that business leaders need. It’s not enough anymore to expect the top-down style of leadership to be effective, and I think we will see this style phase out over time as younger generations entering the workforce have different expectations and ambitions. Leaders need to understand situational leadership to be effective in managing their people — they need to recognise when to tell, when to advise, when to coach, and when to delegate. Secondly, coaching has a role to play in staff development. Traditionally, executive coaching has been aimed at the top level. The truth is that coaching can benefit everyone, no matter their level. Imagine a company where everyone was genuinely motivated to reach their full potential - what would be possible? This year Rising Star Leadership started offering a corporate programme to help companies that are ready to incorporate this mindset. We’re helping them to grow their non-exec levels into top performing leaders, and I’m excited to see the impact this is already having in their business. Thank you Victoria! Final question: tell us something surprising about you! I have an impulsive, adventurous streak which a lot of people don’t see! I’ve traveled to unusual places, jumped out of a plane, and paraglided on skis. Often these experiences are spur of the moment and I’ve definitely had moments where I’ve regretted them. I’m also a huge fan of Formula 1 and rollercoasters. I suppose there’s a secret adrenaline junkie in me somewhere! For more information, follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Victoria!

Written by: Jolisa Webb, 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. Divorce can be devastating, both emotionally and financially. It's a delicate time that can easily result in poor decision-making, especially if you feel overwhelmed by the overall process. And since many of these decisions can have a long-lasting impact on your financial health, it is essential to choose wisely. Being intentional and making sound decisions can prevent any additional insult to injury and shorten the time it takes to recover financially. Follow these strategies to get your finances in order as soon as practicable during the divorce process. First, make and take the time to open your own bank account and close any joint accounts. You don't want to be stuck with any financial liabilities your soon-to-be-ex creates. This doesn't just include bank accounts. Any credit cards are also potential nightmares. Contact your bank and credit card companies and explain the situation and open new accounts in your name only. This might be easier to do before closing the joint accounts to ensure that you'll have access to money throughout the divorce process. Next, consider your housing situation. This is often one of the most emotionally challenging decisions you will have to make. It can be immensely complicated by the presence of children. When children are part of the picture, it's best to consult with an attorney to examine your options. On the other hand, if children are not involved or your will soon be an Empty Nester, do you really need all that house? In addition to the mortgage, remember to factor in the utilities, maintenance, lawn care. Notwithstanding nostalgia, it's often more prudent to sell the home and move on in the long run. In addition to the home, take an inventory of all your other assets. Do you know the full extent of your financial holdings during your marriage? In many cases, one spouse handles the financial matters, and the other is happy to stay out of it. This is nothing to feel ashamed about or beat yourself up about. We all have our strengths, and if this came more naturally to your husband than you, it's called a partnership. However, now that the partnership is dissolving, it's time for you to get smarter and develop an accurate picture of what you have. You might be surprised by what you discover. Still, this knowledge is crucial since you must collectively decide how to handle the assets. Do you split them? Sell them and split the proceeds? Or hire a lawyer and battle it out? Be sure to obtain a current copy of your credit report so you know where you stand financially. Your spouse may have opened a joint account or credit card without your knowledge. Additionally, if you get the feeling your soon-to-be ex might be hiding assets, consider hiring a forensic accountant. Now is also the time to look at all your insurance needs. You might need to get on your own medical insurance plan. What items do you still own that need to be insured? Your insurance costs might be much less now. There's no reason to carry more insurance than you need. Your situation has changed, so your insurance needs have likely changed as well. Make changing your will and the beneficiaries on your life insurance and retirement accounts a top priority. For some reason, this step is often overlooked. And yet, there's a good chance that your beneficiary was your spouse, so you'll probably want to list new beneficiaries. For most accounts, this is easily accomplished by filling out a simple form. Ensure that, in the event of your death, your assets go to those you want to have them. Don't forget to create a new budget. It is very likely your income and expenses have changed, so it only makes sense that your budget will change too. If you've gone from a two-income household to a single income, there's likely less margin for error. Create a budget that makes sense for your new circumstances. This can also be another very emotional exercise, and to be clear, I feel your pain. I love a killer handbag or stilettos as much as anyone, but this is the time to be clear about needs versus nice-to-haves. Bottom line: Divorce is a process that will likely represent a significant change in your life. It can affect everything, from how you manage your schedule to who you call if your car breaks down. Navigating the divorce process can be incredibly challenging if financial matters are not handled intelligently. Think you can't afford to hire anyone other than a lawyer? Think again. That is why one of the last strategies I recommend is that you hire and regularly consult with a team of professionals who can help you. In fact, hiring other experts to support you, like a CPA, mediator, and especially a divorce coach, will save you time, money, and energy. It is often the cumulative list of a lot of little things that can increase stress during and after divorce as you seek to move forward with life. Working with a team of experts can help you arrive at financial decisions which alleviate a lot of this stress and expedite the time it takes you to heal and move forward in a way that aligns with your best self. Follow me on Facebo ok , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Jolisa Webb, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jolisa Webb is a CDC Certified Divorce Coach ® and the owner of Beauty in the Midst, LLC, a woman and Veteran-owned small business company. Beauty in the Midst DBA Divorce Coach Confidante is rooted in healing presence and holistic, action- and outcome-focused philosophies. As a divorced mother, a retired and highly decorated Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, and an executive leader, she knows first-hand what the divorce experience can feel like both personally and professionally. With a career spanning the globe, Jolisa has over 30 years of executive, analytical, and leadership expertise in strategic human resources management, with demonstrated success in command and control, communications, information management, personnel, training, protocol, and military equal opportunity. As a result of her own lessons learned, she became a divorce coach to help female Veterans and other professional women who might be thinking about divorce, in the midst of a divorce, or struggling to move on in the aftermath of a divorce. Jolisa understands how lonely and overwhelming the divorce process can be no matter how intelligent, accomplished, strong and beautiful a woman is. No matter where they are in the divorce process, her Signature Packages are designed to help her clients think and make decisions in a way that honors their truth.

Written by: Bénédicte Sivarajasingham, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. You often feel tired, moody. You struggle to lose that stubborn 5 kgs from having been stuck at home during the last pandemic. You even think that you stopped having the ability to lose weight all together! You have aches and pains here and there. You suffer from brain fog. You name it. You accept this as the new normal! You are getting older. You work too much. You take pills to get those recurring headaches away, supplements to get more energy, drugs to regulate your blood pressure, hormones, blood sugar… You do not question anything. You trust the healthcare system. You believe life will slow down for you. You keep going. What about asking why? Why do you lack energy? Why do you start having joint pains? Why do you have high blood pressure? Is it normal to have recurring headaches? What are you doing to feel the way you feel today? What are you not doing to feel better? Start asking why! Keep asking why! This is what functional medicine does. What the heck is Functional Medicine & why should you care about? You are used to going to the GP when you don't feel well. You have a broken leg which will be fixed. You are tired and might get some multivitamins or other supplements. You have thyroid issues, you will get some drugs to help your body regulate. Conventional medicine treats your symptoms. Functional medicine goes a level deeper. Functional medicine wants to understand the root causes of your symptoms, why your body is not functioning as it should and wil focus on restoring the way it should be! You are meant to be full of energy to thrive and live your best life! If you look at the tree picture above, imagine You are the tree! The branches & leaves are the product of the nourishment of the soil. Did the soil get enough rain, sun, fertilizer? What was going on during the different seasons? Were there lots of storms and not enough sun? Conventional medicine will aim to fix the branches and the leaves. Give you solutions to make the leaves greener (drugs), fix the branches with a bandage...etc. While functional medicine will partner with you to look closer at your soil! You Are You Because Of YOU! You have your own genetic, You have your own story, You have your own lifestyle and environment you live in. As a functional medicine health coach, I will look closely with you at your tree, the roots, the soil to grow greener leaves, new leaves, stronger branches. We will co-create a plan to nourish yourself to flourish! Creating your health is a journey, not a destination. You just need to know that you are moving in the right direction. Approaching your health with a strict diet and cruel hours at the gym is NOT the way… For a very long time, I approached my health by addressing only my nutrition & putting up with cruel hours at the gym! Did I notice a change in my fatigue, mood, and brain fog? Health & wellbeing do not depend only on what you eat & how much you exercise. Your wellbeing is a mixture of modifiable lifestyle factors Nutrition Rest & Relaxation Movement & Exercises Stress management & resilience. With Functional Medicine coaching, we address the areas you want to work on and find simple solutions that fit you, what you like, what resonates with you, and what can fit into your life to make them long-lasting & sustainable. We teach you lifelong strategies & tips to live your best vibrant life. You have the keys to your health! You have the power to heal! Dealing with your chronic symptoms like fatigue, bloating, insomnia, joint pains, headaches, mood swings, thinking it will pass, or medications will help, will not solve your problem in the long term. What you are doing is just suppressing the symptoms. You create pressure within you. Like in a pressure cooker, you will have an explosive mess on your hands if you take the lid off when it is at full pressure! As my mentor, Sachin Patel says: “You are the doctor of the future!” You have wisdom in you and know if something is wrong with you or not; what is good for you and what is not. If you are not satisfied with the answers you get from your conventional doctor on your symptoms next time, if you sense that something is not right with you: keep asking why!? Address the causes of your symptoms! Work on your soil. Nourish your mind & body with the functional medicine principles to flourish! You have the keys to your health. You have the power to heal! If you are interested to discover how functional medicine coaching can help you on your health journey, start downloading my free resources: My 5 tips for Easy Healthy Living by clicking Here or Book a Health Strategy Call with me Here to chat and see what you can do. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Benedicte! Bénédicte Sivarajasingham, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Benedicte Sivarajasingham is an entrepreneur, founder of b well coaching and mum of 3 wearing all the hats! Corporate high flyer for over 20 years, she turned her health challenges into her passion. As a functional medicine certified health coach, Benedicte helps busy working mums to live a healthy more balanced life in just 5 minutes a day, connecting their mind & body for more balance and inner peace. She uses her own experience to empower clients to implement micro-moments into their day to refocus, get some clarity and natural energy to manage and reduce stress into their life! She is passionate about demystifying health myths, making living healthy easy and fun, giving her clients very practical tools customized to their Lifestyle to change the way they live and feel better in the long run. Benedicte loves connecting with people, especially on an intercultural level. She lived in 6 European countries, gave birth to her 3 children in 3 different countries, speaks French, German, and English loves cooking for her family and community and is eager to keep teaching her clients and kids new mind-body medicine techniques to bring the body and mind incoherence.

Written by: Limba Veselinovikj, 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 go through life day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, and we get carried away in the process called life. We are too busy with work, chores, family, and friends that we rarely stop and recognize that we take care of everyone else, everyone else’s needs but our own. What happens next is that we always feel tired, not happy, not fulfilled and eventually we become sick, we become this irritated stressed person that just had enough. Remember everything starts from YOU and you are the only one who can change the way you feel or do things. So stop for a minute and ask yourself “ Do you care for yourself?” Start by taking care of yourself first In order for you to be a good parent, good wife, good partner, a good colleague, a good person start by caring about you first. Before I give you the tips take a few minutes to reflect How do you feel about yourself? How do you see yourself? In which ways do you appreciate yourself? How do you feel when you are alone with yourself? In one regular day, how much time do you spend taking care of others v.s you? Do you know yourself well? What does your heart /soul desire? Here are the 3 steps to start your self-care routine First Tip - Put Yourself First Allocate 30 to 60 min a day, no matter what, and do some self-care routines from the 7 pillars ( physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, psychological, social, environmental, and professional well-being), anything that you love, explore, try something new. Second Tip - Move Your Body When you are feeling down, depressed and low with energy and you do not feel like doing anything, change your state. Start moving. It can be a walk outside, dancing on your favourite music, playing with your kids, or playing with your dog. Stretch, jump and do some movement. When you change your body state, your mind and your energy will follow. Third Tip - Do Something New Find something new that you have never done before, and do it. It can be anything from cooking, to drawing, to creating something new. Explore and do some fun activities. You can create a self-care tracker or a small challenge for yourself to do it in the next 30 days, every day. I have created a tracker, so get in contact and I will send it to you. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Limba! Limba Veselinovikj, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Limba is an Internationally Certified Business and Career Coach that helps leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, consultants, and coaches to build, grow, and scale their career or business. She uses various methods and techniques to help her clients see what is possible and be the best they can. She comes from a strong HR background for over 14 years, trainer and founder of the HrConsultico brand, and she is also the President of the Coaching Support Group in Skopje.

Written by: Simon Haigh, 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. Women are still comparatively under-represented in the decision-making and therefore, deal-making aspects of business, whether internally or externally. However, for an organisation to really thrive and optimize its chances of having an optimal deal-making culture, all of its people need to be to be empowered. To encourage this, it is essential to create, and maintain, an environment that allows for balance of the masculine and feminine and one in which women can play their part as proficient deal-makers. So what to do?? Develop suitable organisational policies with objective measures. Organisations should, of course, be vigilant for gender bias in their recruitment, development, and promotions policies, procedures, and processes. They should also seek to reinforce the positive positioning of accomplished female deal negotiators by matching them with senior executive mentors/sponsors. Without this structured support in place, the immense power of prevailing biases will usually prevent the feminine from advancing as far as it should. Organizations should play their part in correcting the current biases and gender stereotypes by developing and enforcing policies, procedures and processes through objective performance measures. In so doing, it is really important to constantly examine the organization’s culture for hints of bias, gender stereotype nuances and enhancing gender-neutral practices are fully entrenched. Educate on, and self-check, biases. We all, men and women, need to reflect on our own biases in terms of viewing aggressive women, or indeed women as a whole, as being unsuitable for deal-negotiation success. Also, when women recognize the extensive nature of second-generation bias, they are usually better armed to navigate more permanent positive results in a more confident manner. Create a safe place for sharing and communicating. The comparative underrepresentation of women in senior business positions only serves to reinforce the second generation and other biases and, as a consequence, the unfortunate status quo. Given the numerous layers of “bias glass-ceilings” that women face in business and, as a result, given the relatively lack of senior women in business and deal-negotiation roles, a safe place for sharing, communicating, challenging, learning, and innovating is to be encouraged. It is, in turn, really important to frame these re-balancing activities in terms of leadership development for all, rather than as a perception re-calibration exercise. Organisations should build sharing and learning communities in which women can safely discuss their situations, compare experiences and support each other in their progress. Provide impactful deal-making skills-building and mentoring programs. While we might all be born with an instinct for negotiating deals, providing impactful negotiation and deal-making training that provides the impetus for effective gender-neutral skills enhancement is essential. In addition, providing mentoring programs to women to ensure that they are aware of promotion opportunities or chances to shine in the organization is very important. Ensure that the organization audits and seeks to constantly improve its full deal and negotiation gender representation activities. Organisations can do this in a number of meaningful ways, from constantly reviewing their programs to reflecting on who was engaged in which roles during the course of the review period. They can then reflect upon who was engaged, how male and female candidates were each communicated to, and in return how they communicated back to the organization and to one another. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Simon! Simon Haigh, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Simon Haigh, known as The Growth Strategist, helps organizations and leaders unlock, build and sustain business, leadership, brand, and mindset growth through his coaching, consulting, training, publications, speaking, and e-learning programs. Simon’s clients include high-performing leaders, companies, business schools, professional organizations & Government bodies globally. His work is endorsed by world no. 1 leadership thinker Marshall Goldsmith. He is nominated by PeopleHum Top 200 Influential Thought Leaders 2021, Thinkers 360 4 Sales, 9 Entrepreneurship, 10 Legal & IP, 13 Health & Wellness, 33 Mental Health, 37 Management & 47 Emerging Tech, and featured in the PeopleHum Top 100 Thought Leader series for Mindful Negotiation. He has also been featured on numerous global TV and radio outlets, and two of his three Amazon 5 Star books – How to be a Better Dealcloser and Dealmaking for Corporate Growth, are endorsed by Marshall Goldsmith, and he is an associate member of the Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching Organisation. Simon is also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker.

Written by: Jola Pypno-Crapanzano, 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. Self-care is in my opinion the highest form of self-love. I generally take good care of myself but in the past few months, I worked intensely on multiple complex projects, and I noticed that I had come close to a dangerous state of burnout. Yes, it can happen to all of us. The trick is to be able to recognize it and take appropriate action before it is too late. I noticed alarming signs and I immediately went into a protective mode. I doubled up on my self-care routines and rituals. And within just one three-day weekend I rejuvenated my body, mind, and soul and I restored my physical and mental energy. This recent event triggered me to brainstorm and create a list of 101 self-care activities which I share in this article. Some of them are super simple, some are more require preparation, some you can do at home, some will require you to visit a specific location. Regardless of which one you choose, try and enjoy a few or every single one of them if you feel like it. In no particular order here are the 101 ideas for self-care rituals you can start implementing right away: Get a pedicure and/or a manicure. Get a massage and/or facial Read a book or a favorite magazine. Sit in a garden or a backyard and listen to the birds singing or other sounds of nature. Take a bubble bath—complete with candles, essential oils, and relaxing music. Pick or buy a bouquet of fresh flowers. Go for a walk listening to the favorite music or sounds of nature. Put on a homemade face mask. Permit yourself to watch a Netflix show without guilt. Take a nap without an alarm clock. Order your favorite dinner. Do something crafty: like creating a vision board or a crystal grid. Go to the library or bookstore, find a quiet corner, and read. Watch a funny movie and laugh hard. Walk barefoot on the grass wet with the morning dew drops Perform new or full moon manifesting ritual Take a dance lesson. Take a day/week off from social media Burn your favorite candle or diffuse some oils with scents you love Sit in a coffee shop and enjoy a beautiful cup of coffee not in the paper cup. Go shopping at a fancy specialty grocery store and buy some delicious rare or exotic food. Try out a new hobby. Practice yoga. Enjoy guided meditation. Make a quiet and not rushed breakfast Go for a ride in the car with the windows down and an open roof. Go for a bike ride. Go hiking. Go to the beach. Listen to your favorite podcast. Have a 20-minute stretching or tapping session. Go to the park and people watch Go swimming. Plan your dream vacation or a weekend getaway. Carefully dress up on clothes that make you feel great. Declutter an area in your house or apartment. Do something that you have been procrastinating on. Bake cookies or a cake you love and eat some guilt-free… Watch the sunrise or sunset. Have a picnic with a traditional basket, a bottle of wine, some sandwiches. Go to bed early or sleep in late. Research something and write an article about it. Unfollow a bunch of people on your social media who don’t add value to your life Go to an art museum. Go to a happy hour at a bar and enjoy a beautiful fancy cocktail/mocktail. Buy yourself some new makeup. Go to a sauna. Take e nap outside on a hammock or a lounge chair. Slowly and lovingly brush your hair with a luxurious brush. Take the time to do your makeup and blow-dry your hair Write a list of 10 things you are grateful for. Prepare some healthy meals and snacks for the entire week. Buy yourself a beautiful new journal or a book. Call, write a letter, or email an old friend. Cook your favorite meal and serve it in beautiful china. Say “no” to someone. Make your bed in the morning Create a list of all your successes and accomplishments in life. Refill your water bottle frequently. Watch a TED talk or a motivational webinar. Be selfish- prioritize yourself. Write a list of things you love about yourself Put your phone on do not disturb or airplane mode for a day Buy a new mattress, or a pillow, or a set of new sheets Change your sheets. Try a new baking or cooking recipe. Rearrange the furniture or redecorate some living spaces in your house Create playlists for workouts, relaxing, meditating, creating, etc. Look at positive affirmations, motivational quotes. Watch videos of cute baby animals. Organize your photos in albums and delete multiple pictures from your camera roll. Just for fun play an old phone game. Organize your pantry or/and kitchen. Cuddle in the softest clothes under the coziest blanket. Start journaling. Try a new calming and grounding breathing technique. Learn something new. Watch your favorite movie with friends, popcorn, and favorite drinks. Go skiing or ice-skating. Do something nice for someone else. Surprise a friend or a loved one. Make a super healthy and delicious lunch and focus on chewing every single bite. Create a list of all the compliments people tell you. Do absolutely nothing. Sit by the fire pit. Take a hot shower and/or ice bath. Cuddle with a pet. Take some great photos of yourself or nature. Stare at the night sky full of stars. Be a tourist in your own city. Sing Karaoke. Solve a crossword puzzle. Play your favorite board game with friends or family. Read or write poetry. Pray and or attend a religious ritual. Participate in a book club. Have a lunch date with a friend. Get a coloring book and color like a kid. Do something unexpected and spontaneous. . Start learning the basics of a new language. Learn how to play an instrument. Additionally, I noticed that my best ideas and most valuable and brilliant insights come to me when I am in the shower, when I walk outside and when I exercise. A huge benefit of self-love and self-care is a better mental health, because people who love and take care of themselves are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, or low self-esteem. Self-love and self-care are so important because they impact a positive mindset which is essential for success in life and for mental happiness. So, schedule your personal “me time” in the calendar! You are worth it! For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Jola! Jola Pypno-Crapanzano, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jola Pypno-Crapanzano is a Certified High-Performance Coach™️, NLP and TLT®️ Practitioner, founder and CEO of Coaching Journey with Jola, two times International Bestselling Author of “One” - Your wellness guide to body, mind, and soul and “stay home”- When you can’t go outside, what happens inside? She carries Masters Degree in Scientific-Technical Information from Silesian University in Poland. She has over 30 years of combined experience working with thousands of unique individuals and groups of people serving them in many different capacities. First, as a tour guide traveling worldwide (almost 70 countries visited so far) and translating into 4 languages, then working in the entertainment and hospitality industry as part of operational management in a large publicly-traded company in NYC. Finally, coaching people initially as fitness, wellness, and lifestyle coach and most recently more holistically as Certified High-Performance Coach™️, NLP and Time Line Therapy®️ Practitioner. She also helps her clients with positive intelligence, specializing in strengthening their Mental Fitness and supporting them through various strategic interventions. Her mission is to help one million people live their lives to the fullest, reach heightened and sustained levels of clarity, energy, courage, productivity, and influence and show them that it is possible to live lives of their dreams, on their terms, without regrets, be fully engaged, joyful and confident and build an incredible lasting legacy.

Written by: Kamini Wood, 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. An extensive body of research has proved that our minds and bodies are intertwined. Stress, anxiety, and depression can cause serious health issues, while a positive mindset can boost our energy and physical well-being. Similarly, resentment may harm both your mental and physical welfare. Explaining the link between our mind and body, one study indicates how the act of forgiveness can literally lighten a burden off your shoulders. Furthermore, research shows that forgiving someone who has done you wrong can help lessen anxiety and stress, lower the risk of depression, boost your immune system, and lower blood pressure. In addition, the act of forgiveness can help let go of negative emotions and improve your relationships. What Are The Benefits Of Forgiveness? The importance of forgiveness lies in the benefits you will experience after you choose to forgive deliberately. Forgiveness is a moral quality focused on goodness that occurs when we are unfairly treated by others. Consciously choosing to forgive, you are selecting not to hold the grudge but to offer the goodness towards the person who acted unjustly instead. What are the benefits of forgiveness? Here are some reasons why you should consider forgiving someone who unfairly treated you. 1. Forgiving can Boost Your Emotional Health When you decide to forgive and forget, you are actually not doing something good for others – you are doing it for yourself. Choosing not to forgive but to dwell on the pain others caused you keeps you trapped in bitterness, anger, and indignation. On the other hand, pardoning someone who has done you wrong can reduce unhealthy feelings of anger, bitterness, and resentment. 2. Forgiveness Helps Rekindle Closeness The act of forgiveness can help you repair relationships and restore closeness, extending the hand of friendship and offering goodness. Also, forgiveness can strengthen your relationships and help develop a deeper bond with your partner, family members, and friends. 3. Forgiveness Improves Confidence The act of forgiveness can boost your self-esteem and confidence as it can help you become a better person. 4. Forgiveness Promotes a Philosophy of Peace Letting go of grudges can motivate you and people around you to live up to a philosophy of life founded on forgiveness and inspire you to contribute to a better world. 5. Forgiveness Improves Your Mental and Physical Health Forgiving can help free you from the control of the person who hurt you. Letting go of bitterness improves mental health and helps you experience less anxiety and stress. Furthermore, forgiveness improves heart health and boosts the immune system. It can even lead to feelings of understanding, compassion, and empathy for the person who harmed you. What are The Effects of Being Unforgiving? If you choose to hold a grudge, you might become anxious or depressed. Moreover, bitterness can weaken your relationships and cause you to feel that your life lacks purpose. In addition, if you are unforgiving, you might bring bitterness and resentment into every new experience or relationship. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that person who harmed you should still be welcome in your life or that what happened was alright. Forgiveness means that you have made peace with the pain another person caused and that you are ready to let it go and move on. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Kamini! Kamini Wood, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kamini Wood is the founder and CEO of Live Joy Your Way and the AuthenticMe® RiseUp program. An international best-selling author Kamini is driven to support people of all ages to heal their relationship with themselves and to stop outsourcing their self-worth. As a result, her clients become their own confident, resilient self-leader with healthier relationships. Kamini is a certified life coach, board-certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, holds specialty certifications in Calling in the One®, Conscious Uncoupling®, NewMoney Story®, and teen life coaching. Also trained in conscious parenting, Kamini aims to meet her clients where they are, supporting and guiding them on their journey to where they want to be, both personally and professionally. Her mission: create space for each person to see the unique gifts they bring to this world.

Written by: Samantha Redd, 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 often talk about toxic exes or narcissists and how to protect ourselves, but we often neglect these individuals' damage to our children. I have spent the past ten years studying how to protect children who must interact with a parental figure that is toxic. I have found three key things that children dealing with a narcissistic parent need to resist the gas-lighting or other abusive tactics a narcissist will employ. I'm saying that when the courts and police don't help in the meaningful ways that children need to be safe from an abuser, there are some things you can do to give them a good foundation to grow from so your child will be ok given the enormous situation they face. 1. Build meaningful connection The first one is connection. It would be best if you connected in meaningful ways with your child so that they would trust you. Connection is so important because the narcissist is doing everything they can to destroy the bond you have with your children. Relationships can be challenging for you if you happen to have a narcissistic parent yourself. I help my clients discover their inner child and use that to form the basis of their connection with their children. "What do you like to do as a kid, well do that with them!" It sounds simple, but if your parent was a narcissist, you were raised trying to please other people and not focusing on your own needs or being a child. 2. Validate your child The next one is to validate your child; you must hear them out. You have to hold space for your child and not judge what they say but validate their feelings. The narcissistic parent is not validating them because the kids are seen as an extension of themselves and not as a separate person, but this is where you step in. Hold space, hear them out, and validate what they say, don't be so quick to say no. A fun game I would play would be, "I hear what you are saying, so help me get to yes." Mommy is saying no because of "x," so what can you suggest that will get me to yes! This game does two things, and it lets them know that their opinion matters and you respect that; it also engages their imagination, which is critical if the other parent is abusive. Imagination is the spark of hope. Another game you can play is the know your truth game. You can say my shoes are green, which is the wrong color, and have your child correct you, "no mommy your shoes are blue." This is a fun game and can help kids against the gas-lighting attempts from the toxic parent. 3. Empower your child The last one is to empower your child to speak their mind. Gone are the days of parenting with the do as I say because I'm the grown-up. We are not raising kids to work in the factories or be good soldiers, so our parenting needs to reflect innovation, independence, and empowerment to help them make good life choices. You build a relationship of respect, unconditional love, and the strength to hold onto what is important to them. Your job as their parent is to give them the tools in their toolbox to thrive. All of these must be exaggerated because you are compensating for two parents, especially if one is working against you. I never said it was easy, but for the parents that are committed to breaking the cycle of abuse for the next generation, I'm here for you. Follow me on Facebook, Youtube, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Samantha! Samantha Redd, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Samantha Redd is an expert in trauma recovery through using shadow work and her death doula training. She works with moms who are domestic violence survivors in high conflict divorce by using a mix of real-world experience and a unique view of spirituality to educate, heal, inspire, protect, and rebuild her clients and help them find their purpose. Samantha has a Ph.D. in Chemistry and uses her expertise in that field to help her clients understand the link between stress and sickness. In addition, she has dedicated her life to helping people recover from loss and find their way back to their true selves as a way of honoring the growth that comes with that loss. She is also the CEO of Decoding the System and has been helping people with grief for 20 years. Samantha is also a high conflict divorce survivor and wears a mask and pen name because she can only be present and a light for others by hiding in the darkness.

Written by: Nurit Amichai, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. “There’s no point. That dream died a long time ago.” These words came from a young client of mine, only 30 years old. Her schooling and training were to prepare her for the very intense and competitive world of professional classical vocal performance – she’s been singing her entire life. Now, after several years away from the professional circuit and a monumental move to another country, she questions whether her dream of singing was really her true dream. She hasn’t performed in over eight years and she’s frightened by the idea of training to audition for any vocal opportunity. What happened? What killed that dream? When we look back over our shoulder in the direction of the dream that didn’t happen, we can find all kinds of reasons why and all kinds of places to put the blame. The hopelessness that follows the failure of our desires materializing can be frustrating and painful … can even lead to depression if we let it. Going to auditions and being turned down more than once can feel like the biggest failure in history. When we see our dream job in front of us and we apply for it, knowing in our hearts it’s the best job for us, then someone else is hired, we feel crushed. It’s hard to hold on to hope and the dream when powerful people are saying no to your desires. Over time, the desire begins to diminish, and we wonder what in the world we were thinking. Failure is Part of Success Let’s face it, failure is scary and the backlash emotionally, as I said earlier, can be devastating. We view the failure as a confirmation that we’re just not good enough – our self-esteem and worth take a beating and we see that we are the failure, not that we failed. It’s true that there has been a shift in psychology over recent years that encourages the need for failure in order to succeed. We recognize that what we consider failure is actually part of the process of succeeding. We have an opportunity to build our education in a hands-on way, a chance to learn from our mistakes, change what didn’t work, and try again. Nevertheless, how many times do we hit the wall before we decide to let the dream go because no matter what we do, it’s not happening? When is it better to cut your losses and quit? Letting go is hard. My client spent years pursuing her dream of becoming an opera singer. She saw herself on stage, singing with other professionals, she worked hard to get there. That kind of investment is hard to give up and abandon. Is It Bad to Quit? It’s an interesting thing that we view failure so differently from quitting. Failure, while bitter, is almost praiseworthy. Failure is something that happens on the way to success. We admire and encourage people who have failed at their endeavors but keep ongoing. However, when someone quits, our tendency is to frown upon, be unsympathetic, or even indifferent toward them. But what is really going on? Well, the bias against quitting will keep people in places they should have left long ago. Relationships that will never work out, jobs that suck the life from them, commitments that aren’t beneficial for them. The fear of quitting is like a gun to the head. People “stick it out” and they end up pouring their life energy into something they know they need to let go of – but the stigma of being a quitter is too daunting. The end result is a very large draw on their mental and emotional health. It may surprise you to learn that in current psychological literature, goal abandonment is not considered a bad thing. When a goal, or dream, becomes unattainable, the benefits of quitting are a viable option. Truth told, failing repeatedly feels awful and is definitely a serious blow to a person’s self-esteem, no matter what we say and hear about failure being part of the road to success. Chronic failure drains a person mentally and physically. Changing the paradigm, we can look at quitting as an opportunity to pursue meaning and growth in other areas, which can ultimately increase our sense of value and purpose. Still, determining that our dream is a pipe dream and unattainable is tough. Here is where we get to analyze our dream and decide whether the obstacles to reaching it are changeable or if we can even control those factors. The more we can control the success factors, the more likely our goals and dreams can materialize. Time to Move On In reality, we all have a number of things in our lives that we would like to refer to as dreams or goals. So, instead of focusing on the one that just doesn’t seem to be working out, the one that’s draining our mental, emotional, and physical energy, put more energy into the things we’re really good at, things that give us pleasure and provide a way to give back to life In time, if we’re observant, we’ll notice that we can identify another dream that we’ve had and shelved in favor of pursuing the vapor cloud. Again, studies have shown that people who are able to make the shift into engaging in an alternative goal after abandoning one that was unattainable, enjoy great benefits to their mental and physical health. You see, you’re not quitting, you’re just replacing one goal or dream with another. One last thing… Anything that feels like a loss, something we’ve given up on, deserves to be mourned and buried. The important thing is to move on from there. A short mourning period is good, but continually digging up the corpse and ruminating on how, “If I’d only ….”, is only going to make us feel worse, not better. Leave it in the ground. The bottom line: After you let it go, move forward with hope, energy, and enthusiasm for a new pursuit. PS – If you’d like to learn more about what it takes to make dreams come true, be sure to follow me and check out my article in Brain Magazine next month. Follow Nurit on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit her website for more info! Read more from Nurit! Nurit Amichai, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Nurit Amichai is a holistic therapist and life coach who provides individuals with an opportunity to strip away old, unproductive and damaging habits and create new, lasting behaviors that support the dynamic and powerful life they really want to live. As a result of a devastating illness, she set about rebuilding her body and life through nutrition and fitness. Realizing that wasn't enough, she entered the personal growth world where she allowed her truths to surface by giving herself permission to face and then release the pain and self-destructive behaviors she had harbored for so many years. This experience birthed the desire to share these lessons and gifts with others. She has merged all of the disciplines learned over decades — nutrition, fitness, and mental and emotional health — into the true passion of her life: to help people heal and gain optimal health, giving her clients the benefit of many years of learning and experience, coaching them and giving them tools for finding fulfillment and unleashing their own personal power.

Written by: Nilima Amit, 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. Our life is a roadmap of the CHOICES we make. These choices are sometimes made from the space of love and freewill but there are many choices that are made from the space of peer pressure, social influence, fear of missing out, to feel belonged to a group and many more such reasons. These choices sometimes work wonders and sometimes just ruin the whole course of life. Choices, even when they go right, don’t give satisfaction and contentment. Let’s not mention what happens when they go wrong. The after-effects of wrong choices last longer, ruin relationships, health, finances and much more. At times the mark of the wrong choice on one’s life is forever and also makes them vulnerable to a lot of unwanted judgment and attention. Low impact wrong choices teach lessons, help to grow and become better and they work as a stepping stone in our life. But we aren’t lucky every time with the wrong choice. A few wrong choices give a setback and move life in reverse gear, or the damage is beyond repair. A few examples of choices gone wrong: Spouse Career Substance abuse Gambling Finances What can we do while making choices so that even if the Choice is not very apt but still won’t create a huge dent in our life? Ask the below questions before making a choice : Will I be embarrassed to take responsibility for my choice? Is this choice in alignment with my beliefs, principles and values? Will this choice give me happiness now and forever? Am I making this choice from the space of lack or missing out? Answering these questions will help you to make the choices that will make life better in some way or the other. Always remember your present is the reflection of your choices from the past and your future will be decided on the choices of TODAY! Make the RIGHT CHOICE. For more information, follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website! Read more from Nilima! Nilima Amit, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Nilima Amit is a Bestseller Author, Holistic Life Coach, and Reiki Healer. Her life is a beautiful and interesting journey from having an opportunity to be born to Osho follower parents to self-discovering her own Calling. This journey transmuted in the formation of her company, One Life Many Jouneys™. Coincidentally her bestseller book is also with the same name. The mission of One Life Many Journeys™ is to spread the light and guide souls in their quest in emotional and spiritual quest. Her book, handcrafted workshops, and Reiki infused products like affirmation box, wish box, Money, and Relationship box are created to help in the same.

Raeesa Mahomed is a transformational life coach and her tagline 'Be the best you' aptly describes the results she gets with her clients. Raeesa has helped hundreds of clients remove negative programming from the subconscious mind and take them to a place of positivity and empowerment and create the life they want. She comes from a decades-long award-winning international career in radio, TV, and film, and her path to deep self-reflection and life coaching began when she faced a life-threatening illness a few years ago. She now also helps others heal from disease by addressing their emotional health and spirituality. She is also a writer and motivational speaker. Tell us a bit about yourself. Who is Raeesa? Well, the short answer is I’m a broadcaster, Master life coach, mother and lover of life. But there’s a long answer too. I live in Durban, South Africa – a beautiful sub-tropical coastal city which is also the biggest port in Africa. I’ve been in broadcasting (television, radio and film) for over 30 years, working here and abroad (London mostly). In 2010 my feature film ‘For Better For Worse’ was released in the cinemas (I wrote the screenplay and played the lead). I am currently senior producer for drama, religion and languages on Lotus FM, which is a national radio station and also a practising life coach. I have two daughters aged 22 and 16 and I feel they have been my most rewarding achievement. That’s a fascinating profile. Broadcasting is very different from life coaching as a career path. How did you get into the latter? Good question. Life coaching wasn’t even on my radar and then in 2013 I fell seriously ill with a life threatening disease. I was devastated as I felt I had always led a healthy lifestyle. This led me to doing a lot of introspection and reflection. I realised that I hadn’t fully dealt with past painful experiences and I set out on a quest of learning and growing spiritually. One thing led to another. I found an excellent life coaching course and this really changed my life. I continued learning and this helped me immensely to heal and to grow as a person. I decided I wanted to share my learnings and then started practising as a life coach. I continued at the academy and did my Masters which was a gruelling programme and test. Since then I have coached and helped so many people and it’s honestly one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. So tell us more about your life coaching. What do you focus on and how do you help your clients? I help people become the best version of themselves. This is a line that has almost become a cliché, but it is the best way to describe what I do. Every single human being is filled with immense potential and power and we each have unique and special talents. We all have the ability to use that potential and talent to become highly successful and happy, living lives filled with love. But we allow negative life experiences, negative emotions and beliefs to hold us back, fill us with doubt and keep us down. All people do this at some point. I guide my clients to see what it is that is holding them back and show them how to release all of this. And then build on reprogramming themselves with positivity and empowering thoughts and beliefs; and give them a roadmap to achieve their goals. That sounds very empowering. I’ve seen on your website that your niches are anxiety and depression, health and weight loss. Why these specifically? I noticed that the overriding factors that were holding back most of my clients are depression and anxiety. These are unfortunately extremely common and are getting more and more widespread. So I focus on these. I trained myself more extensively in these areas and now have very successful programmes to overcome these. They empower my clients with effective tools to address both depression and anxiety and to continue doing it on an ongoing basis. I have a personal interest in health. On the journey to my own healing, I did a lot of reading and research and realised how much we can do to make sure we remain in optimal health so that we hardly ever have to see a doctor or the inside of a hospital. And these are not just the obvious ones like diet and exercise (both crucial factors) but mindset and emotions. These are so often overlooked in the treatment of physical diseases. And I also noticed that so many people wanting to lose weight were also overlooking the crucial emotional factor. So in becoming the best you, which is my tagline, one has to look at all these aspects – overall mental, emotional and physical health and wellness . I must add the spiritual factor. I have also found that spirituality contributes immensely to overall wellbeing and I’ve included this in my coaching. Whatever one’s spiritual or religious beliefs, connection to and belief in a higher power is enormously beneficial in lifting one’s energies and achieving success and wellbeing in every aspect of one’s life. Sounds like a very holistic coaching system. What do you do when you’re not working or coaching? What are your interests and hobbies? I am a water baby which is great, seeing I live at the coast. I love swimming and all water sports. I love reading, travelling, playing tennis, listening to music and am a trained kathak dancer, so like to unwind through some dance moves. And I have a passion for travelling. Well let’s hope all the international travel bans get lifted soon. To conclude, what are your plans for the future? My coaching is one of my main focus areas in my life. I help people heal and grow and become their best selves and I can’t think of anything more rewarding. So I would like to reach more people through international talks and symposiums, group coaching and bring out a book which I’m working on. I would also like to travel and coach. Sounds exciting. Hope you achieve all this and more. Thank you so much and well done to Brainz Magazine for showcasing the best ideas and articles in this field and so many excellent coaches internationally. Want to learn more from Raeesa? Follow her Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit her website. You can also email her at info@raeesamahomed.co.za. Read more from Raeesa!

Written by: Jeremy Han, 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 seldom meet a business leader who does not want his or her company to experience exponential growth. However, not every business owner or leader achieves this result because they fail to deal with these three things. While there are many ways to grow a business, I consider these three absolutely essential for exponential growth. I define exponential growth as growth that doubles at least every two to three years. The first – Dealing with the mindset of the team While every company and their executive team will usually declare that they want to see exponential growth, most will not openly share their misgivings about how they can achieve it. One CEO, whose company I coached scaled 11X between 2017 to 2020, told me that the greatest obstacle he faced in scaling the business was to convince his people that it was really possible to achieve exponential growth provided they had a clear and simple plan that could rally the people and give them a glimpse of the path to success. He said that his team, all experienced executives with corporate backgrounds, found it hard to think differently from others in the industry. Every industry has its precedents, and people find it hard to think outside of it. Breaking this mindset by showing them how we will do things differently, so that we can obtain a different result, is the key to success. Thus, for the leader to help the team to change their way of thinking, the leader must be prepared to develop plans that are different from other players in the industry. But too often, companies don’t invest the time to find out how to do things differently. So they announce they have a great plan that would lead to exponential growth, and then they do exactly what they have been doing before all these years. And that is why over time, the more experienced an executive is, the harder it is for them to change their way of thinking and doing, and the harder it is for them to change their mindset. I had a client like this once. The CEO decided she needs to run the company differently, but her management team fought it because they did not want to change the way things were done because “for the last ten years, we have been doing it this way….” We need to break this. Which leads to the second point. The second – Make strategy simple, not complicated, so people actually get it. This is one of the greatest ironies of business and I think it has a lot to do with consultants over-complicating things. And that is why one of my clients, the CEO of a fast-growing health-tech business, told me they are glad I am a coach and not a consultant because consultants are like sea gulls. (I will not go into what it means here). The word strategy is often linked to some grand plan but it really just means choices; what choices do we have to make, given our limited resources, to win? I observed that companies that really scale are those that can boil down their grand plans to a few key choices that tell the company what outcomes they desire, and then to focus on making these choices happen. A very good example I keep using to illustrate this is from the recent blog post from insurance company Lemonade, as they shared how they scaled from 0 to $100M in 3 years. In a nutshell, they outlined a few key activities that when done together and repeatedly, it generates momentum for growth: You can see how it works here: https://www.lemonade.com/blog/zero-to-100/ And then keep repeating this virtuous cycle. Just keep focusing on these few things that create the synergy needed to keep scaling. As executives, what we need to do is to break things down and keep it simple, and then tell everyone in the team this is how we scale, and ask them to align what they do to contribute to these few key things. This helps our people to see that indeed it is possible to grow exponentially, and not fall into the ‘analysis paralysis’ trap, which leads to people falling to old habits and things they are familiar with. Recently, a fast-growing company I am coaching now needed help to develop a strategy that could help them align the whole company in one direction and give clarity to actions, and we spent a couple of days breaking their entire game plan for the next five years to just 4-5 key components that is easily understood by all, so that they can grow exponentially without getting lost in the noise and mess of scaling up. These 4-5 areas can now be easily communicated to all stakeholders including their board and investors, so that everyone can get behind these objectives. And the third – Find the right people to scale This is a lot harder than it sounds like because most companies have teams or employees who have been around a long time. While they may have contributed to the company in the past, they might not be the best people who could take the company into the future. So do we fire them? Of course not! They have the experience and trust built up over the years and that is not replaceable. What we can do is to either help them to level up, and if they cannot make the leap, then recognize that they contribute best where they are currently, and we as the leader, have to find someone who could play the future role that we need for scaling the business. This is what happened when I worked with a sixty year old company, and we had to take into consideration that several of the key leaders who had been with the company for the last thirty to forty years would not be able to contribute to the new plans. After two years of giving them ample opportunities to grow and adjust, they graciously knew they would contribute best at their current positions, and new leaders need to be raised to help the company achieve its exponential growth for the future. As long as everyone is treated fairly in the process, we can find the right people without overturning the boat. It is a delicate process, because finding the right people is absolutely critical for scaling a business. So how do you find the right people? I suggest you look for grit or resilience in the face of uncertainty as a key criterion besides the usual ones on qualifications and experiences. This is because you will need people who can fight the rough battles ahead. Scaling up is not for the faint hearted, so you need leaders who can thrive in ambiguity and are self-motivated when things do not go according to plan. So what next? So if you are a business leader who is gearing up your company to scale, think about these three points I mentioned. 1. Do your people really believe the company can achieve a result different from the rest of the players in the industry? How can you help them to start thinking it is possible? 2. Is your strategy simple or complicated? Does everyone know what to do, and how they contribute to it? 3. Do you have the right people on the right seats to fly your rocket? Can they weather the varied types of storms that will come? You may want to sit down with your team and start asking these 3 questions. Find out what they think, and then decide what to do next. Exponential growth is possible if you know how. And you do not have to do it alone. We have tools and resources to help you. To learn a proven methodology, scan here to sign up for our free online course ‘How to Scale Your Business’. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Jeremy Han, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine He is a certified Scaling Up coach with Gazelles International, specializing in coaching executive teams of scale-ups across the world to maximize their profits and their impact. His clients are companies in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Nepal in a diverse range of industries. They range from publicly listed conglomerates with revenues above a billion dollars to fast-growing scale-ups between $10m - $800m in revenue size. His personal mission is to help 100 CEOs, in 10 years, to impact 100m people. Besides business growth, he has helped companies to set lasting legacy goals that spur both dynamic growth and long-term impact. Some of these goals include creating 1m jobs in 10 years, clothing 1m people in 10 years, and enabling 1m under-privileged children to attend university in 10 years.