Written by: Robin M. Wilson, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. This year, I was assigned to teach kindergarten French within my school building. Initially, my school hired me to teach science and art. Then, I became a first-grade English language arts teacher. Now I am teaching in a French-language immersion classroom, and it is truly a full-circle moment. I am in the same classroom where I conducted French- language learning research as an undergraduate student. Last week, I was honored to usher my kindergarten scholars into our classroom. It was their first time being in a classroom setting. Therefore, they learned how to properly walk into our learning space. They learned how to properly sit at their desks and how to walk in the hallways quietly. All of this may sound simple. However, it takes time to develop these habits. For them, it was a new experience. My first week working with my young scholars was successful because I have cultivated the powerful habit of consistency. Regardless of your sphere of influence, consistency can create effective learning environments, whereas the lack of consistency can create dysfunction. I can speak candidly about the power of consistency for effective leadership. My first three years in the classroom were challenging—not because I could not teach or lead—but because it simply takes time and continual learning to become an effective teacher. Teaching is multifaceted. Admittedly, I am still growing as a classroom teacher. A major component of effectively leading scholars is classroom management. You will not learn this in a teacher preparation program. Classroom management is critical to teaching, and the key to mastery is consistency. Whether you are leading in a classroom or a boardroom, the leadership principle of consistency applies. It is the language that we all understand. It impacts the culture of your workplace. Additionally, it can shape how people respond to your leadership. In my view, I think of consistency in four components. That is CEAPR: Consistent Communication What type of communicator are you? It is important to become self-aware. That means that you can identify how you give and receive information. It also means that you are aware of your body language. We often attempt to give information in the same way that we receive it. However, I truly believe that communication is for the receiver. Therefore, it is important to understand yourself and the people that you serve. Intentionally observe how people communicate and be mindful of what drives your communication style. Next, be consistent in how you communicate with people. This builds trust and promotes mutual understanding. A tool that can give you insights into your communication style is the 16 Personalities Assessment. This assessment tool is intended to support your understanding of how your personality can affect different aspects of your life, including your professional life. To complete the assessment, visit https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test. Consistent Expectations In any given situation, we all like to know what to expect. It gives us a point of reference and parameters to successfully operate within a given space. While objectives may change and it is important to be flexible, the people that you lead must know what you expect of them from the beginning. Set reasonable and high expectations. Verbally communicate your expectations and post visual reminders. Additionally, give them support and adequate time to master various tasks to demonstrate proficiency. Finally, consistently communicate constructive feedback and give your team members opportunities to self-assess their performance. Be intentional about how you communicate feedback and hold people accountable. Consistent Actions Sometimes it is hard to look inward and make critical assessments. This is hard for most people. However, self-reflection is necessary to develop consistency and to grow. Self-reflection can support our understanding of whether our actions are in alignment with our intentions. As a leader, one of the ways that I self-reflect is through journaling. Journaling can be a powerful self-reflective practice. It fosters critical and creative thinking. If I have a challenging day of teaching, I will think about what went right and what could have been done differently. In other words, I think deeply about my “glows” and “grows.” Furthermore, I plan and strategize to improve. There will always be people who do not want to follow the guidelines that you have put in place. However, your actions must align with your expectations of the people that you lead. When integrity is a part of your leadership model, people may not like your expectations, but they will see your example. This is leadership consistency in action. Consistent Positive Reinforcement Never underestimate the power of positive reinforcement. I have been in spaces where shaming and blaming have been used as tactics to motivate group members to perform. However, this strategy does the opposite. It lowers the morale of the environment and breeds mistrust and resentment. Instead, it is more effective to use positive reinforcement to cultivate a culture of achievement. This can be done through genuine recognition and appreciation. Most people like to be recognized for a job well done. I believe in giving honor when honor is due. When you spotlight people within your team who are doing an excellent job, it not only reinforces the desired behavior but can build trust and rapport within the team. Furthermore, it can increase the morale and motivation of the people that you lead. Like properly sitting in your seat or walking in the hallway, these components of consistency seem simple. However, it takes time and practice to properly lead people. Whether you are leading five-year-olds or fifty-five-year-olds, consistency speaks volumes to the people that you serve. It is the language of effective leadership. If you are a leader within an organization, you should strive to learn something new every day. Are you consistent in your leadership? How do you communicate and model expectations for your team? What areas do you glow in? What areas do you need to grow in? We all have areas for growth. It is important to ask ourselves reflective questions daily. Additionally, we must be willing to change to increase our leadership effectiveness and capacity. Beyond teaching my kindergarten scholars the curriculum content, I am committed to leading them with consistency. I have high expectations of them, and I expect to have a successful school year of continuous learning and growth. My scholars are discovering what it means to be learners in our classroom. They are following my lead. And that is a great start. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Robin! Robin M. Wilson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Robin M. Wilson is the founder and CEO of Robin Wilson Educational Consulting LLC, where she combines her research knowledge and professional experience to guide nonprofit organizations in developing effective strategies for serving youth, especially young girls and women.

Written by: Cheryl Meyer, 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. 1. Build a supportive community that enjoys similar healthy habits. 2. Learn how to have optimal liver health. I have done 3 podcasts on liver health, the liver’s function, its importance, what to eat for liver health, what supplements support liver health. Eat cruciferous vegetables, and bitters and eliminate toxins in all areas of your life. 3. Eat a healthy diet; health is multi-factional. Eat the rainbow-all the nutrients, phytochemicals, catechins flavanols, vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, fatty acids create a synergy to create resistance to disease and a sense of vitality. Eat low sugar, low chemicals, no processed or fast food. Include healthy omega 3 fats and fiber. 4. Avoid GMO oils. They are often vegetable omega-6 oils. GMO oils have BT Toxins in them or the crop they are from has been heavily doused in Glyphosate (Roundup known by Monsanto’s own research to cause cancer). Both are toxic to the body. 5. If the fruit or veggie is on the dirty dozen list, buy it organic. You don’t need a heavy dose of poison with every bite. This list has been sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. This list is put out every year by EWG.org, and these items could have as many as 73 different toxins on them that range from neurotoxins, known or probable carcinogens, suspected hormone disruptors, developmental or reproductive toxins, and environmental toxins. Many of these toxins are also killing our bees and butterflies. No pollinators no food. 6. If the food or vegetable is genetically modified, buy organic. Find the current dirty list, GMO list, and omega-3 oil list US Grocery store PLU code: Organic produce has a five-digit code beginning with “9.” Conventionally grown produce has a four-digit code. GMO produce begins with “8.” 7. Ask your MD to run the new cholesterol test for LDL particle size. Small particle LDL is dangerous. You need the other cholesterols for brain and cellular health. 8. Don’t smoke. Smoking distributes toxins and heavy toxic metals into your body and taxes your liver to expel them. 9. Maintain a healthy weight. 10. Exercise 3-5 times a week. Move for liver and heart health and to maintain flexibility. 11. Practice stress management- Twice a day take a 3-minute break to breathe and reset your parasympathetic nervous system. I use Dr. Andrew Weil's 4-7-8 breathing exercise. 12. Get 7 continuous hours of sleep a night. 13. Use an electric air purifier in the rooms in your house where you spend the most time to reduce environmental pollutants in your home. 14. Make sure you maintain adequate Vitamin D and Magnesium levels. Ask your MD to test the next time you see him. 15. Start to look up ingredients on your personal care and cleaning products on EWG.org. Trade out items that have high toxin scores with lower toxin items. My book It Feels Good to Feel Good, Learn to Eliminate Toxins, Reduce Inflammation, and Feel Great Again shares what I found and what I now use to lower my toxic load. Available on Amazon. Follow my podcasts for more health information. I run quarterly detoxes to remove toxic ingredients from what you eat and break the addiction. Join my mailing list and enter a contest to win a boxed set of my two books. One entry per person. Contact me at Cherylmhealthmuse@gmail.com for information on the next detox. Follow Cheryl on Facebook, Instagram and connect with her on LinkedIn! Read more from Cheryl! Cheryl Meyer, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Cheryl Meyer suffered from autoimmune disease. By eliminating hundreds of toxins, she reversed her pain. Cheryl has a BA from UC-Berkeley and is a health coach from IIN. Cheryl is an award-winning author, international bestseller, health coach, speaker, local tv host, and guest podcaster. Cheryl has written four books on health and toxins available here. Her podcast is on Voice America. Cheryl specifically works with clients with chronic illness giving them hope and helping them find solutions. It is never too late to start healthy habits. Cheryl is available to speak about the toxins in our world that are making us ill. She is a sought-after expert on toxins, in our food, cleaning, water, minds, including toxic stress and toxic lack of sleep. She also talks about the impact of toxins on our children and our pet’s health. Contact Cheryl for one on one coaching or speaking at cherylmhealthmuse@gmail.com. Eliminating toxins is a crucial step to regain wellness.

Written by: Ceza Ouzounian , 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. Again he is dismissing your feelings. Making out you are overreacting to something. You know deep down you aren’t overreacting. You are upset and you want your partner to take ownership of his part in it. But he keeps dismissing it and blaming you for overreacting, again it is your fault. If you don’t want to be upset, don’t overreact. He knows he is hurting you but is refusing to look at his part in the situation. You feel like what is the point of talking to him when you are upset, even when he isn’t involved he dismisses your feelings. When you are frustrated by work and just want him to listen so you can offload and talk about it, but instead, he finds a way to belittle you and make you feel bad. When you get upset because for the 100th time he is being the understanding friend and listener to some random person’s problems but can’t be that to you, you are the crazy, jealous one. When you want to bring up a difficult situation in the relationship that needs to be addressed, he tells you you’ll talk about it tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes. The issue stays unresolved. When you want to be intimate and show love and affection to him, he says you are a weaker human giving into your sexual desires. There is always a reason to put your feelings down. Slowly you are starting to feel unheard and unworthy. You close down because what is the point of showing emotion or speaking about it. And when you do have an outburst from shutting down all your feelings it just reinforces his “you are crazy and can’t control your emotions” chat. You are sick and tired of being dismissed. Sick and tired of being the unimportant one. Sick and tired of feeling so closed up. You are becoming like him. And you hate that. You are questioning why you are putting up with this, still holding onto that hope that he will open up and hear you and be the partner you desire, who cares how you feel, who wants you to feel good, who is there to support you however you are doing, who talks to you with respect. If you are in this place, I’m sorry you are in this place, it’s a rubbish place to be. I’m going to give you some steps to help you feel better and decide what to do next. You don’t know what to do next. Step 1: Let go Let go of everything you are feeling now. Go somewhere private, where you won’t be disturbed, and journal or say out loud how you are feeling. When we start shutting down our feelings, it just festers away inside, so let’s tap into them and get them out. Start journaling on how you feel about being dismissed, not being able to talk to your partner, how they talk to you, all the things you wished you could say to them. Keep writing until there is nothing to write. Write whatever comes to mind, don’t think about it, just write. This is just for you, no one else is going to see it or hear it (if you are talking out loud). While you do this exercise allow whatever feelings coming up to come up. If you get angry, let yourself get angry. If you want to cry, cry. If you want to scream into a pillow, do it. Get those emotions out. Step 2: How do you want things to be? You’ve let go of everything you’ve been holding in and feeling as a result of being dismissed. Now, it is time to tune into how you want things to be in your relationship. You can visualise it or write it down, whatever method works best for you. I want you to think about how you see the future of your relationship, are you able to openly talk to your partner? How do they react? How are they with you? Do they talk to you openly? How do those difficult conversations go? How do you feel in all of these moments? As you visualise, really tune into your feelings. How does it feel to be able to have that kind of relationship? Take your time with this exercise, sometimes it helps to write down everything then visualise it. The main thing is you feel into how it could be and hold that visual and feeling for a little while. Step 3: What does your gut say? You may be feeling like you don’t know what to do next, but deep down you know the answer. It can be hard to get to that answer when you are having a thousand different thoughts and emotions on what to do, but trust me it is there. Step 1 was to remove the resistances that will cloud the real answer of what to do next. Step 2 was giving you the chance to tap into what is possible and get into a more positive energy. Close your eyes and ask yourself what is the next best step for you. You may not get the answer straight away, and it may come in a thought, a picture, a feeling, a sign, or your inner voice whispering it to you (possibly shouting it to you), however, you get your intuitive messages, listen out for it. When you get that message it’ll come with a deeper knowing and feeling that this is the right next step for you. Listen to it and trust it, and if you can act on it straight away before all of the resistances try to cloud your actions. If you find you don’t act on it and shy away from doing whatever that next step is, don’t worry, you’ll keep getting that message until you act on it. Sometimes we need to hear the message from our intuition several times until we do something because it can be a scary next step. Trusting your intuition (gut instinct) can make such a difference in your life and it can take practise tuning into it. I would recommend steps 1 and 2 until you get used to listening to your intuition as it helps tune into it from a positive place rather than a negative. I know it can be really hard when you are in a relationship with someone who dismisses your feelings and it can really affect how you feel about yourself. If you need to work on this in more depth or just want to reach out to me, please get in touch. You are worth being appreciated and being recognised. Follow me on Faceb ook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my we bsite ! Read more from Ceza! Ceza Ouzounian, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ceza Ouzounian is a Relationship Coach, an Energy Alignment Method Mentor, Fitness Instructor, best-selling author, and speaker. She helps successful entrepreneurial women have the relationship they desire. Ceza knows exactly what is required to have a relationship you love that is full of support, passion, and love and has helped many women reach their desired relationship. She shares the valuable lessons from her own journey and what she has learned from work with clients and those around her to support her clients to have their dream relationship.

Written by: Dr. Hynd Bouhia, 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. Despite making inroads, there are still too few women yet in the male-dominated world of advanced technology. The sector is booming; some countries can’t fill 1,000,000 tech jobs. But in many cases, the proportion of female to male ratios are shrinking. As mentioned in my previous Article [1] on “women in AI”, a male-dominant tech force constricts the future for women, as in AI’s built-in sexist outlook. In other cases, the lack of engineers is a matter of life and death. When male mechanical engineers dominate the design of auto-collision airbags, they ignore smaller framed women and children, resulting in deaths. Male civil engineers get more excited about large, centralized dam-building projects, rather than structuring distributed water delivery systems so that families benefit. The point isn’t that females are better than male engineers. Gender determines neither competence nor intelligence. Women simply bring a fresh perspective, different than men. They tend to encourage more inclusive design or apply more creative innovations. The result enriches the outcome. Co-ed teams tend to come up with more new ideas, discoveries, patents than those with men alone. By working alongside as equals, men and women improve the work of each other, to the benefit of society. No woman expects to be handed a position in technology Mainly in emerging countries. She knows early on that such an achievement will require twice the work as men. But she also senses early on that that a career in STEM for young women is equivalent to job security, financial independence. More than that, it is a personal affirmation that – even finding herself alone on a large team of men – her hard work has earned her a place in a new, exciting and highly competitive field, and should hold her head high. This pride was expressed, in another field, by the pioneering female founder of the cosmetics giant Estée Lauder: “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” While still too few, women engineers exist. In 2010, after 82 years of all-male domination, the Academy Awards finally honored a filmmaker who was female. Kathryn Bigelow won an Oscar for Best Director of the almost entirely male action movie: The Hurt Locker, which also won Best Picture. So, she knew something about breaking into the men’s club. “If there's specific resistance to women making movies,” said Bigelow, “I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can't change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.” Success stories out of Africa [2] The very same outlook applies to every woman in Africa and in any developing countries as she used to meet resistance to breaking into the fields of technology and engineering. That’s how Moroccan Najat Mokhtar entered various male-only sectors – nuclear, atomic energy, defense, security – where she lit a candle within the gendered darkness. She was nominated in January 2021 as the Vice President of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Dr. Najat Mokhtar confirms how mentality change is required so that more women can reach same level of responsibilities as men in international institutions. For that girls need to be encouraged to choose scientific fields. She has the same roadmap to female leadership: self-discipline, perseverance, self-confidence, and ignoring unconstructive remarks. This same rigor leads the African woman to overcome political obstacles and bring a more integrated approach to her chosen field. Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou, aged 35, became Benin’s youngest female Minister of Telecommunications, while Botswana’s even younger Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, 31, became that country’s Minister of Investment. Dipuo Peter has led South Africa’s energy and transport ministries. Senegal’s energy and telecommunications ministries are both run by females. And a whopping eight Egyptian ministers are women. Now having become heads of state in several countries, the African woman appears to have grown impatient with the role of “associate,” “assistant” or “deputy” and are fighting to take on the responsibility of lead decision-maker – at any age. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Hynd! Dr. Hynd Bouhia, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Hynd Bouhia has cumulated more than 20 years of professional experience in high-level and leadership positions, covering investments, financial structuring, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development strategies. Hynd Bouhia was nominated by Forbes among the 100 most influential women in the world in 2008 and the most influential women in Business in the Arab World in 2015 and honored as a member of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars in 2018. With a Ph.D. from Harvard University (GSAS 1998), an Engineering degree from Ecole Centrale Paris (1995), and a Master from Johns Hopkins SAIS (2000), Hynd Bouhia started her career at the World Bank in Washington before joining Morocco’s Prime Minister as an economic advisor. She was appointed in 2008 as the Managing Director of Casablanca Stock Exchange. After that, she structured and managed investments and venture capital funds. As the CEO of Strategica, she advises entrepreneurs, companies, and institutions on economic intelligence, sustainable finance, and growth strategies. Dr. Hynd Bouhia is the author of the motivational book for women entitled "Africa Girl, African Woman: How agile, empowered, and tech-savvy females will transform the continent for good." References: [1] https://www.brainzmagazine.com/ [2] https://www.amazon.com/

Written by: Emanuela Visone, 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. Patience vs. Quick Fixes The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. ... If patients hounding doctors for a newly available miracle drug only realize that a sound evaluation of a drug takes months and even years of strenuous work, would they be so anxious to serve as guinea pigs? Three Problems of Standard Medical Procedures: We want a quick fix, so we often take toxic substances (unknown to us) to “cure” ourselves of health problems. These chemical substances generally treat the symptoms not the cause of the disease (health problem). As soon as we stop taking the “cure,” the original symptoms return, and we once again have the original problem. Furthermore, our body must deal with the side effects of having taken a toxic substance. The rest of the story… When you have a headache, the doctor prescribes/recommends a drug. The headache disappears and everyone is happy. No one ever asks the question, “What caused the headache?” Based on the treatment prescribed and the resultant “cure,” we can conclude that the headache was caused by “a drug deficiency.” However, a little research will tell us that a typical headache drug is composed of salicylic acid-an absolute poison to the body, thus a “drug’s deficiency” is out of the question. In fact, any drug on the market, including cortisone that I have personally taken when I was on Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for a couple of years is composed of chemical toxins which are poisonous to our bodies. It’s a form of steroid that does not flush out of the liver. How then can drugs alleviate symptoms, cure ills, wipe out disease, and generally make us feel better if they are poisonous? To understand how drugs “cure” symptoms, let us look a little deeper into how a drug takes away the pain. Did you know that a headache drug will relieve any pain in the body, whether it be a headache or a toe ache? The only exception to this is stomach pain. A headache drug will not help stomach pain. Ask the pharmacist how does such a drug work? He will tell you that it has some sort of numbing effect over the entire body, so regardless of where the pain is, it will be relieved. Why doesn’t this drug take care of stomach pain? He may reply that this is one of the great mysteries of such a drug! However, some scientists have an answer as to why this drug will not stop stomach pain. Every pill or capsule of this drug you take (buffered or not) causes about a teaspoon worth of bleeding in the stomach. If you have a headache, which is generally caused by toxins in the blood, from something you’ve eaten that was harmful, and then you take a headache drug causing internal bleeding, which do you think would be more life-threatening? In most cases the internal bleeding. The body must now shift its attention to the higher priority problem (bleeding stomach) and the headache disappears. Does this headache drug remove the toxins from the bloodstream that caused the headache? Not at all, it just created a diversion or a more life-threatening situation for the body. A drug “cures” you by creating a problem of its own. How many times have you taken antibiotics for infections? As soon as the antibiotics are stopped, the infection sometimes returns, right? It is because the antibiotics do not cure the infection, rather the antibiotics are so toxic to the liver and the rest of the body that the body must “wall off” or put on “hold” the infection process to deal with the drug before it kills the body. Once the drug is dealt with, the body will, as soon as it has built up adequate nutrients and energies, resume the cleaning process via the infection. There are many so-called “cures” on the market today that can make disease symptoms disappear. The bottom line is that nearly every quick fix or so-called “cure” will rob energy from the body, change the body’s priorities to focus on the drug-induced problems (whether in a synthetic, chemical, or natural form as medicinal herbs) but the cause is not addressed or eliminated. I wish there was a natural quick “cure” for all degenerative conditions. There isn’t any! As I have personally experienced dealing with my own health issues, a chemical or a natural “cure” helped my degenerative symptoms disappear many times, only to come back with a vengeance when I stopped utilizing those “cures.” Your Health, Your Choice! One of the best books I’ve ever read is Food is Your Best Medicine by Henry Bieler, MD. He wrote that over twenty-five hundred years ago on the island of Cos in classical Greece, a bearded physician-teacher, Hippocrates sat in the shade of an Oriental plane tree on a beautiful hillside and warned his wide-eyed circle of medical students in one of his most concise statement of scientific principle: “Thy food shall be thy remedy.” No one, to date, has more significantly given us a way of life. The medical profession insists it strives to emulate the Father of All Physicians and, indeed, is required, before licensing, to take the Hippocratic Oath, one of the most supreme declamations for high ethical standards ever written. Yet today there are thousands of dedicated bacteriologists, pharmaceutical researchers, and chemists sitting in glimmering white laboratories in every major city throughout the world, busily turning out synthetic, if highly touted, magic elixirs for every known ailment. Unlike that of the wise Hippocrates, their battle cry appears to be: Thy solution shall be our newly invented remedy.” Yet despite the advances in technology and the millions spent on medical institutions that are filled to overflowing with the diseased and the hopeless, there are still issues. Here in our country where the greatest abundance of food and the highest living standards in history are to be found-a truly vibrant healthy person is as rare as a pearl in a barrel of oysters. So, while we are the wealthiest country in the world, we are also, comparatively, one of the least healthy. Our forecasts for the continued increase in the incidence of cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease-in fact, all degenerative diseases-are most dismal. While it is true that no medicine is innocent, one cause of grave concern is the disastrous reactions these sometimes harmful, potent, drugs may cause – reactions which may extend far into the future. Another serious negative result of the use of certain drugs is the possibility of addiction. And when the novice goes in for self-medication, using drugs prescribed for others, the result may become truly catastrophic. People rush into doctor’s offices, craving for a “quick cure” with a “miracle drug” they’ve just seen on TV only to discover-in increasing numbers-side effects so serious that presently they have additional disorders in urgent need of treatment. So, the help they seek is often outweighed by the tragic damage to the body. Although millions are spent for clinical testing, the study of the action and effects of these extremely unsafe drugs is still in its inception. One day you’ll hear of a new drug hailed as a typical Hollywood popularity, as a potential lifesaver; six months later it is quietly withdrawn as a lethal weapon. Sadly, anxiety-driven Americans following the warning voices of TV drug commercials, ads in magazines and newspapers, consider health something that can be purchased in a bottle at the drugstore; they forget or never knew that health can be found only by obeying the clear laws of nature. A strong immune system is key! As bacteria like DT 104 develop greater resistance to newly discovered antibiotics, it can leave you vulnerable to the sometimes-deadly effects of these viruses. But bacteria cannot develop resistance to a strong immune system. Thus, the best protection is to maintain the strongest immune system possible. Research has confirmed there are steps you can take to boost your immune system’s capabilities: Get enough sleep. This is especially important for people under a great deal of stress. The average is eight hours a day. Exercise regularly. This can easily be accomplished by walking 20 minutes, five times a week. Get a minimum of at least 20 minutes 3 times a week. Drink plenty of good, pure, water. A minimum of 4 eight-ounce glasses of water a day will help flush out toxins from your body. This does not include water in coffee, tea, soft drinks which are the worst for you, or in other liquids or foods. The general rule of thumb is to take your weight and divide by 2, this is how many ounces of water you should drink per day. Consume at least 5 fruits and vegetables every day. Not only will you be exposed to fewer food-borne pathogens, but vegetarians have fewer degenerative diseases. Eat whole foods. Whole foods, like salads, raw vegetables, and fresh fruits provide a greater complement of vitamins, enzymes, and other health-inducing factors than in processed foods. Include foods like garlic, ginger, lemon, and cabbage in your diet. They have been shown to boost the immune system. Dietary supplements such as wild-crafted microalgae, food enzymes, antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10, and vitamin C from natural food sources also have been noted to have positive effects on the immune system. For example, eating wild-crafted microalgae has been proven to support the immune system in many unique and important ways. Maintain a joyful attitude as well as practice some form of meditation. These activities have been demonstrated to reduce stress and create a greater sense of well-being, both of which are key factors in maintaining a vibrant immune system. Recommendation: Please be patient as you start working with the natural healing model by eating more quality organic foods and whole food supplements to assist the healing of your degenerative condition. Allow time for your body to do its cleansing which often requires patience. Know that using probiotics, enzymes, quality whole food supplements, and changing your diet to whole foods, you are helping your detoxification organs become stronger. Soon internal healing will take place, and you will experience a level of health and vitality beyond your imagination. Every TV commercial on prescriptions comes with the longest list of side effects and many are life-threatening and yet people will still not think twice about taking these medications. “To live by medicine is to live horribly.” - Dr. Carl Linnabus I hope you found this article very informative so you can make a better decision for you and your family. If you’d like to learn more, I’d be happy to schedule a zoom meeting or you email me at embodyvitalityconsulting@gmail.com . You can also call me on 917-597-3512. My book Healing Through Nature’s Medicine, A Story of Hope will also give you a step-by-step guide on how to choose the best foods on earth for your body. Follow Emanuela on her Facebook , Instagram , Linkedin and visit her website for more info. Read more from Emanuela! Emanuela Visone, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Emanuela is a leading expert in restoring health and a Master Transformational, Health, and life coach. After 20yrs recruiting in the finance industry, she discovered her true calling for naturopathy and helping people and their pets throughout the US. The value she provides her clients has put them in a position to gain better health and live a more fulfilling life. Having restored her own health, Emanuela is excited to share her victory and help others do the same, from thyroid conditions, shrinking nodules, blood pressure, hormones, and much more. This inspired her to write her first book, “Healing Through Nature’s Medicine,” A Story of Hope. Having restored her St. Barnard’s health as well, Emanuela coaches many pet owners on how to become their own best healer. She loves spending time with her family and friends, the outdoors, and her deepest passion is helping others transform their health. References: Dr. Henry Bieler The Experts’ Optimal Health Report – Christian Drapeau, BSc, MSc Neil Solomon, MD., PhD

Written by: Asim Aliloski, 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. While I am writing these lines to you, I am sitting on my balcony on the French Riviera overlooking the port with superyachts moving around and the private jets flying above me. DOUBLE K - Kapturing_photography And I am thinking that it must be super cool to have all these toys. That it must be amazing to express yourself in these ways. At the same time, I am reminding myself that nothing on earth is permanent. I see Sean Connery’s property from my balcony too. The James Bond actor died recently and nobody has bought his villa so far. I am wondering if he felt fulfilled in his house? If he appreciated it? If he used it for good? If he used it as an opportunity to grow and reconnect with his soul? Moreover, if this house had a meaning for him? Did he appreciate the French Riviera the way I do? I don’t know the answers. But what I know is that wealth without spirituality feels empty and meaningless. It just becomes an unfulfilling accumulation of stuff. Your purpose is to bring spirituality into matter. To fill it with soul. YOUR soul. How? Here is your spiritual path to wealth: Enjoy everything but don’t get too attached I have met wealthy people who have it “all” but enjoy so little. People sometimes get too attached to all these toys they have. It’s not that they own a car, house or yacht anymore, but they ARE those things. True enjoyment comes when you let go of false identification and realign with who you really are: A soul, a divine being having a human experience in this physical reality. Then you will become more playful and enjoy your wealth even more. Always remind yourself of the impermanence As a human you are not immortal. Your wealth is not immortal either. You will die; your wealth might disappear one day. It may sound a bit scary, especially if you have a problem with death but there is also a hidden gift on the other side of the coin: You start discovering your spiritual values when you remind yourself of the impermanent nature of matter. What’s worth living and dying for? Your spiritual identity wants you to express and expand your true values in all areas of your life. Where there is no love, there is no meaning If you don’t truly love the things you have, then probably they are not worth it. Your purpose is to love and deepen your love for all that you are, have and desire. When you develop non-attached love and appreciation for material things, they ultimately become a spiritual experience. Because at the end, high-end spirituality is all about expressing love and appreciation for everything. Allow to fully receive and give Some spiritual scriptures are telling you that “It is more blessing to give than to receive”. I really don’t get that ideology. It’s like saying breathing out is better than breathing in. You need to do both. And I believe that you should learn to be better at both. The more you receive, there more you can give. They more you give, the more you can receive. If you allow it to happen so. Allow yourself to fully give AND receive in order to be in greater harmony with your wealth. Stay connected with the Source Once my guru told me that whatever we want does not matter in absolute terms because what we truly desire is God, the Source of All. Behind all your material desires and dreams, there is this yearning for unconditional love, unlimited joy and infinite connectedness. Which is found in God. If you deepen your relationship to the Source and let go of what is blocking you from expressing it, the more you will discover the unlimited possibilities of how superabundance wants to flow into your life. The separation of spirituality and material wealth has always been an illusion. In truth, there is only oneness. At the end, always keep in mind that you are meant for an abundant life. YOU ARE MEANT FOR GREATNESS. Namasté, Asim PS: Get here your free audio activation to awaken your divine greatness. For more about my superabundance coaching, check th is out . Get access to my private Facebook group for all wonderful entrepreneurs and leaders. All German-speaking souls, reach me he re . Follow Asim on Face book , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit his website for more info! Read more from Asim! Asim Aliloski, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Asim Aliloski is an Austrian bestselling author, transformational speaker, spiritual leader and award-winning business and life coach. Asim has been listed amongst the 101 Most Fabulous Coaches in the World 2020, Top 20 Business Coaches 2021, Top 50 Influential Leaders by Kosmo Magazine, and he is a proud winner of the European Enterprise Awards 2020. His mission is to share spiritual wisdom that uplifts the energy and consciousness of people and businesses. Asim has been working with heart-driven leaders, entrepreneurs, celebrities and creatives helping them to awaken their divine greatness and make their life purpose a success. Through this work, people unleash their intuitive and spiritual intelligence in order to create personal fulfillment, optimum health and ultimate abundance alongside a high-end wealthy lifestyle. Asim, CEO of Asim Aliloski International, founded his coaching and consulting business at the age of 25 and has been exploring the power of consciousness for several decades. The native Viennese with Greek-Macedonian origins combines in his work elements from ancient Greek philosophy with universal spirituality rooted in Sufism and Buddhism along with transformative coaching. Coming from a underprivileged family living on welfare, he mastered to become one of the most recognised spiritual coaches and leaders in the world.

Written by: Ilaria Storch, 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 do you think about catching up with all ideas and actions that are not yours? I love the idea of catching up in a casual and intimate way, coming from a personal desire to sincerely know how you are getting along, and those you care for too, yet when catching up or being on top of everything presents a paralyzing feeling, that you are falling behind all that you need to do, it is time to take some personal assessment of what is going on with yourself and your goals. Even if you are a top engineer, or a physician, where you must be knowledgeable of all the latest improvements in your areas, in real-time, I feel it is wise to be aware of how you are feeling with your focus and health, to best serve those who need you. Below are some positive examples of catching up to inspire you. With friends and family about how everyone is doing. Setting up a time to meet and have a proper conversation, with a colleague, or boss, to talk about where you are, who would benefit from some help and nudging. Keeping up and catching up with your health and exercise, taking action to improve that. The scheduling ones, like catching up with your kid’s, or pet´s, yearly shots, and overall health. Checking in with the elderly you know – I always feel they need to be seen, heard, and hugged. For most of us, me included, the exercise of being guided from within, while being percipient of what is around you, each time more seems like a resource to be counted on, where catching up can be used as a light to activate your projects, your life, reaching out to what you desire to catch up with, with your things, and not from a place of fomo (fear of missing out), but as a powerful tool to only be motivated, at that moment, to keep on doing what you love, organize your papers, work, and home, doing all you can with the time and resources you have at that moment. Here I will show you 8 steps on how you can start releasing your catching up by outer standards: Start your day writing down, or sketching, or recording on your phone, a couple of things you would really enjoy doing, schedule them into your calendar. If you are a night person, do this before you go to sleep, to set the intention for the next day. Swap heavy-task deadlines for smaller-task ones, so that you get a sense of moving faster towards your bigger duties, and still feel you get to choose. Spend some time remembering what brings you joy after accomplishing, from tiny tasks, like cleaning up your desk, removing pictures on the wall that do not inspire you anymore, to bigger ones, like finally changing jobs or renovating your place. Get out of groups that are not connected to your improvement and that are not open to dialogue and creativity. Time-block some time on your calendar to create your new goals and do what you can to move on. Play with and exercise your freedom of choice and apply it on different areas where you can be helpful and learn something different. Apply for free online courses, set up a page with your experience and thoughts and keep your journey in motion, especially if you are not fulfilled at work, or are looking for a job. Read the books you want to and watch the films that inspire you to get moving and motivated – it doesn´t matter if they are not trendy at all. The perspective that things happen one at a time is quite delusional – a bit like when we learn history at school – we go from one period to another, yet everything is happening at the same time, in different ways, around the world. The same happens with life in general, where you must meet a project deadline, go to the doctor, organize your kid’s, or pet’s schedule, and yours too, maybe tend to relatives, friends, exercise routine, do groceries, relax – for each person, their agenda. It took me some years to figure out that it is quite impossible to get one area “finished”, or at least flowing before you go to the next one – I think mothers know that yet instinctively, or at least we are trained to, we rush and tend to everything and everyone before we can even think of catching up on our thriving new ideas. One way to getting closer to having your responsibilities and your fun projects running together, sometimes not so smoothly, is, if you have resources, to delegate some tasks and ask for help. Today, I am a huge believer in allocating some resources to mentoring and coaching – it is amazing when you are driven from within and can also get great output from experts that can see you and your work under a brand-new perspective – so exciting and productive! And when resources are short, take a deep breath and do your own research and poll around your closest friend, or colleague, or even a boss, true people that you can trust and will give you real feedback. You can thank them with a brownie or cookie afterwards – maybe even bake it yourself – and keep the flow of connectivity in action. Remember – be Nomad in your inspiration! I would love to know what is draining you and not letting you catch up with your true self – write to me at: ilariastorch@gmail.com You can also connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Read more from Ilaria! Ilaria Storch, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ilaria Storch, a Life Coach Nomad, is the creator of Life Coach Nomads, where she shares her passion for travel and for inspiring people everywhere to access their true center and find more connection and energy on the way to more joy, fun, and fulfillment. She practices that following your emotions, wrapped up in a personal structure that can connect your goals, desires, and love, is the path to all real and true growth. Wherever you are, change is nomadic by essence, and it takes time, support and starts inside you when you absolutely desire to develop yourself and move on. She has a Bachelor´s Degree in Advertising, speaks many languages, won a Fashion Illustration Award during College, and loves coaching her clients towards their expressive life journey.

Written by: Safia Haque , 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. Let's jump straight in: As long as we believe that our children have the power to annoy us we are stuck and lose our ability to stay calm. It’s like having a big red button pinned to our chest and telling the kids over and over: Don’t press the button, please don’t press the button. But what will kids do when they see a big red button they will press it again and again and again. So first of all we need to take the red button off our chest and take control back so we stay calm and can react in any way we want to whatever situation we are confronted with. So how do we see this reality that our kids don’t have the power to annoy us, make us upset, angry or put any other emotions inside of us regardless of what they are doing? There is only one missing link, one mindset shift, one insight we need to have to come out of this misconception that keeps ruining our calm as humans. Are you ready to really hear it with your heart, because this shift is not from the mind but from the heart? Here we go: “Your children never have, never will, and never can annoy you in the first place.” It is a fact that they never had the power in the first place, but the power has been with us all along, as we have to think about their behaviour in an annoyed way in order to feel annoyed. It is not possible otherwise to feel annoyed; When you think annoyed-you will feel annoyed... When you think happy-you will feel happy... Take a moment and see for yourself that this is true, think a happy way about any of your child’s behaviour and see if you feel happy at the same time. Now if you have the power to think and feel in any way about the behaviour of your child, then it is not the child that is annoying you but your own thinking. This means that you have the ability to stay calm in any situation, as the child does not have the power to make you think and feel in any way. You have the power to think and feel in any given way about the behaviour of your child and if you think back their must have been times where you did this. Sometimes your children will do the same behaviour but you thought about it differently depending on your own state of mind at that moment. Let's explore further: Has there been times where you got upset when your child spilled the whole cereal bowl over their clothes 5 minutes before you have to leave the house? Now has there been a time where the same thing happened, but you stayed completely calm and just got on with sorting the mess and leaving the house still on time. What changed, its you thinking that changed. We have the freedom to think and therefore feel any way about any given situation. For example, my son had been struggling with Maths work, a lot of tears and stuff, now sometimes it looks like my frustration is coming from him crying about maths, but if that was true then I should be reacting the same way every time but I am not. I am calm and cool-headed as long as I am clear about the reality that his crying can not make me annoyed, upset or give me any other kind of feelings whatsoever. When you go through this one mindset shift with me you will be the calmest and most cool-headed parent in your neighbourhood. For more info, follow me on Fa cebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my web site ! Read more from Safia! Safia Haque, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Safia Haque is an Effortless Parenting Coach, a Speaker, and a Home-Educator. After going through a life-changing Psychological Paradigm Shift that made her parenting effortless, non-reactive, and peaceful. She is on a mission to take one parent per family through the powerful Inside-Out transformation. She is the creator of the Effortless Parenting Course and is working with parents worldwide to raise happy, healthy, and confident children without any guilt, stress, or worry.

Written by: Kristen Kubik, 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. Get inside their heads. Write to them about their pain points. Create content that draws them in. Talk about the transformation. Cue the eye roll, because this is such a blanket set of statements at this point; and, as entrepreneurs, we are tired of hearing them. We are ready for something different - but how do you call in your ideal client if you’re not talking to them? Creating the avatar? *Reframe inserts the chat* Coming up with your ideal client is one of the easiest things ever, but it is also something we often overthink every single day as entrepreneurs. We get so focused on honing in on the “perfect” person that we often forget the most important aspect. We were our very first client. If the things we did - the systems, the strategies, the framework, etc. - didn’t work for us, then we wouldn’t learn ways to teach them to others. We also wouldn’t have the power to expand our knowledge to find ways to help people in not only situations that were similar to ours, but also situations that are different and require different styles of solutions. So, if you catch yourself having trouble with or worried about tapping into your ideal dream client when it comes to creating content, courses, or whatever else, then try this: Think about where you were in the part of your journey that you’re looking to call people in from. Then answer the following questions: What did you struggle with? When we look at where we struggled, we are able to start to see where others may be struggling. However, you want to make sure that you are mindful of using your privilege as a bulk of your content; because then you risk alienating a large portion of your potential audience. What were you scared of? Examine the fears you had during the beginning of your journey. What did they look like? What did they feel like? How did they impact you on a physical level, a mental level, an emotional level? Don’t be afraid to get vulnerable in this portion. This is where the magic happens! What did you wish for? Don’t think in terms of birthday candle wishes. Think in terms of things you wished were different, things you wished you had, things you wished you could do, experiences you wished you could create or experience, etc. What did you desire? We often underestimate our desires, because we’re taught that we can’t have anything that’s “too much,” “too big,” or “too crazy” by society’s standards. What were your goals? (Personal and business) This is another place you get to dream big! Our personal goals are so important, but they also differ so much from our business goals a lot of the time. What did you need that you didn’t know you needed back then? The best question is often last, and this time it’s not different. When we look closely, we can often find little bits of information and lessons that we didn’t realize we needed back then. Maybe it’s learning to connect to your intuition so you can stop looking for external validation, but in order to do that you needed to learn the difference between your trauma responses and coping mechanisms versus your actual intuition. Maybe it was how to learn to slow down and listen, rather than stay in hustle mode. There are so many takeaways from our experiences if we look closely. When you are able to tap into where you were at that point in your journey, it makes it much easier to start to paint the picture of where they are now when it comes to talking to your ideal client. Then you can create the content; you can make the videos; you can create the course; you can call in the clients; and so much more. Follow Kristen on Insta gram , TikTok , YouTube , and visit her webs ite ! Read more from Kristen ! Kristen Kubik, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kristen Kubik is a recovering corporate people pleaser who decided that sleeping until 10 am and wearing leggings to the office was a much better idea than staying miserable in the 9 to 5 world. Utilizing her talents as a graphic designer, she opened her branding agency in 2016, which later evolved into business mentoring, helping entrepreneurs and career-driven women simplify the steps to their goals and strengthen the connection to their intuition and self-love. Kristen is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who thrives on empowering others to reach their business and mindset aspirations by focusing on embracing their uniqueness. She is also the host of the "As Told Unfiltered" podcast, which is a deep dive into the realness of being an entrepreneur.

Written by: Natalia Nicholson, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. ‘Imposter Syndrome’ was labelled as such by the field of psychology in 1978. The syndrome was deemed to be a new discovery, made by two female psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes. I propose this was not such a new discovery and is in fact a behaviour well known by the Windrush Generation, that came from Caribbean countries to seek a new life in Britain between 1948 and 1971. ‘Imposter Syndrome’ refers to the way a person feels ‘out of place’ in a certain social context. This is not recognised as a mental disorder as such unlike Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), ‘Imposter Syndrome’ happens at selective moments, normally when a person is in a situation, where they feel that their skills or knowledge is being ‘assessed’, by individuals who are of importance at that time. I propose that ‘Imposter Syndrome’ should not be labelled as such, it is not a mental disorder recognised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder used by both Psychiatrists and Psychologists. In fact ‘Imposter Syndrome’ is simply a way of labelling specific feelings that are part of succeeding rather than simply functioning in an alien culture. Something the Windrush Generation are very aware of. In 1951 a term code-switching was termed in a book, Language of the Sierra Miwok, by Lucy Shepard Freeland. Code-switching was the term used when sociologists studied when and why African Americans changed their dialect from African American English (AAE) to standard English, the dialect spoken by white Americans. What is Code-Switching? Let’s look at code-switching a little more. Everyone adapts their speech to some degree based on who they are talking to, usually because the way you have traditionally spoken is not deemed acceptable by the group you seek to assimilate with. The ingrained prejudice in Western Culture, towards any behaviour that is not considered the social norm, is slowly shifting. This shift has not come without code-switching and for many Black women adopting the process of code-switching has been the only way to gain the position they are in or to gain progression in their careers. Women are also impacted by behaviour that falls into code-switching due to Western social norms regarding women and their capabilities. Women are typically told they should not express anger or show any form of aggression. Anger and aggression in a woman are seen as a sign of weakness, yet for a man, they are often considered signs of strength. This contradiction is obvious and impacts women in the same way, code-switching has resulted in Black women already being accustomed to adapting the way they speak. The need to both suppress feelings of aggression and change the way language is not just used but spoken, can result in feeling like you don’t belong. This is what I believe triggers the feeling of being an imposter. The Windrush Generation in the UK exhibited code-switching by changing from Caribbean dialogue to the way mainstream White English people talk. Feelings of being an imposter are a natural progression from code-switching and happen when you abandon your authentic self in an attempt to fit in. Women are programmed to do this every time they ‘fall into line’, fall into language and behaviour which fits expectations that Western Culture has dictated. This often happens in business when women want to appear less intimidating, for some women this is what happens during marriage, many others feel this is the only way to maintain a relationship. Repressing who we are is classic unhealthy behaviour, the rage that comes as a result of it is real, as is the desperate need for release. Yet the message is clear, women must deny any expression of anger and ignore their true self in order to assimilate in business environments. l suggest that labelling this feeling as ’Imposter Syndrome’, gives it far more power than it really deserves. Feelings associated with ‘Imposter Syndrome’ have been considered to occur more in women and women of colour, no surprise there! “Women, women of colour, especially black women, as well as the LGBTQ community, are most at risk,” says Brian Daniel Norton, a psychotherapist and executive coach in New York. This is why even the leading ‘Imposter Syndrome’ expert Valerie Young accepts that one way to combat it is to label it as a feeling or ‘an imposter moment’. Women Succeeding in Business Women are succeeding in business yet not at the same rate as men. This has been partially attributed to ‘Imposter Syndrome’, which is something all women can take control of. Valerie Yong, Speaking with Time , has the following advice, "The goal is not to never feel like an impostor." I agree that rejecting feelings of being an imposter or concern over how you are being assessed in a business environment is not going to help. Instead accept that ‘Imposter Syndrome’ is a result of code-switching, a behaviour required to succeed in all areas of life at one time or another. As a woman, especially a woman from a minority, accept that to be successful, practicing code-switching is necessary. When you do this you take back the power you don’t have a syndrome or mental deficiency, your feelings are part of being a success and not due to so-called ‘Imposter Syndrome’. The most successful women and men need to practice code-switching and as a consequence may feel like they don’t belong, or they are an imposter in a business environment. This is also more likely when under pressure to perform or in business environments where individuals are constantly evaluated. Taking a step back and realising why you feel like an imposter and understanding that every successful person is highly likely to have experienced the same feelings, can be all that's required. Women may also benefit from attending Emotional release workshops and therapy sessions to uncover rage that has been absorbed for years, especially women who want to succeed in the world of business and have suppressed any feelings or expressions of anger. Tips for Women and Quicker Success in Business Join a network to find allies and share experiences, you have a fierce group of amazing successful female businesswomen out there wanting to help you! Mentor other women and share your experience and knowledge, by mentoring you will train your brain to accept that you are worth listening to. Write down when you suppress anger or even just disapproval and why look for patterns and ask yourself if you are practicing code-switching behaviour? Accept that code-switching behaviour will often cause feelings of ‘not belonging’ or ‘imposter moments' as Valerie Yong coins them so accurately. Don’t be afraid of how you feel and accept it’s just part of becoming a success! Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and Twitter ! Read more from Natalia! Natalia Nicholson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Natalia Nicholson is a Serial Entrepreneur, Business and Digital Marketing Coach, and Professional Public Speaker. Natalia has over 20 years of experience working as a digital serial entrepreneur and has had plenty of her own failures as well as success stories. This has perfectly placed her to be able to offer insight and advice to other women aspiring to become digital entrepreneurs, together with those who have already launched their own businesses. Through her mastermind group, Women in Digital Business, Natalia teaches them the best way to leverage the potential of digital marketing and helps them to learn the best ways of overcoming the challenges that they are facing when it comes to becoming successful online businesswomen. Her passion for online business coaching and digital marketing has inspired her to bring inspiration to women from largely overlooked underrepresented groups. References: Impostor Phenomenon Measurement Scales: A Syste matic Review article Front. Psychol ., 05 April 2019 Impostor Feelings Fuel Negative Mental Health Outcomes fo r Minority Students , Study

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. Did you know the qualities of the person you might want to spend the rest of your life with when you were 7 years old? Did you know the kind of life you would want to live in adulthood when you were a teenager? Did you know what your retirement life could look like when you were in your 20’s? I did. Throughout my life, I have been asked by a significant number of people on how I could have such clarity in my life, which has consequently contributed to me fulfilling what I’ve set out to do. It made me reflect on my life’s story. As a survivor of “tough love” parenting, I must acknowledge the role my unique upbringing has played in this matter. Enduring physical, mental, and emotional afflictions from a tender age makes you ask important life questions pertaining to beliefs, values, purpose, and aspirations earlier than one normally would. What I have learned from my experience is that there are three critical success factors that will enable us to authentically achieve our ambition – SELF, GOAL, and SUSTENANCE; and it is vital to be explicit in what they constitute. Having clarity in these areas will support how you project yourself, steer yourself in the right direction and remain true to yourself. 1 Self Who am I? What are my beliefs, passions, strengths? What am I worth? Answers to these questions are important to shape how we view ourselves and the world. This impacts how we would show up for ourselves and others, which impacts how others would show up for us as well. By way of illustration, in spite of the hardships in my youth, I’m a person who consistently chooses to look at things in a positive light and find joy even in misadventures. As one who is passionate about diversity, I believe that there is always another way. My ability to break things down as well as connect the dots gives me the confidence to resolve issues. What am I worth? I hope I’m worth a smile on someone’s face when they need one, or a sounding board that inspires a spring in their step. These are some phrases that have been said to me over the years which I treasure and fulfill me – “You’re bright and chirpy everytime I see you”, “I’ve never seen you stressed”, “I miss the sound of your laughter” and “I knew you’re absolutely the right person to reach out to”. 2 Goal What do I want or need, for myself and others? What is my purpose and vision? Knowing the answers to these questions not only gives you something to aim for but helps improve your focus and performance because it guides how you organise your resources so that you can make the most of your life. As an example, having had a hemmed-in childhood, I want* to have the freedom to live my life on my own terms. To do so, I know that I need* to be in an environment, or create one, that fulfills me. (*NB: it is imperative to differentiate your wants from your needs) My passion for people gives me the desire to envision a world filled with empowered individuals authentically living their best lives. This became my true motivation for pursuing a lifelong vocation in supporting others to gain clarity and have the confidence to achieve their goals within their circumstances. How do I know that I’m achieving my goal? I feel contentment and satisfaction with what* I have, which encompasses my contributions to the success of others. These give me a sense of pride that fuels me with energy to keep doing what I’m doing. (*includes material possessions and intangible matters e.g. experiences, feelings, mindsets, perceptions, character.) 3 Sustenance What is going to motivate me to stay who I am? Who can support me and keep me honest? Appreciating how you can sustain being accountable to your true self will help you realise more for yourself as well as those around you. This is because you are aware of your standards as well as the choices that you have and can make; enabling you to discern the options from the distractions and prioritising the ones that matter most. For instance, to effectively juggle the various hats that I wear in my personal and professional life – as a wife, daughter, sister, extended family member, friend, coach, mentor, consultant, writer, traveler, and responsible member of society – I know that when push comes to shove, I will need to prioritise my love and loyalty; which for me, is family, always. This is because I know that for me to persevere as I am in tough times, I will require motivation and support; and these are the people who will always have my back, no matter what. Having said that, as I swap the different hats that I have on my rack, I would continue to identify what and who I need in the moment to stay authentic. This is how I “be present” and remain accountable to myself. In the process, I have the visibility and ability to decide on the changes I should or shouldn’t make and take action accordingly. When you have clearly defined your self, goal, and sustenance, making decisions and taking actions comes naturally; to change habits, establish boundaries, seize opportunities – even who to spend the rest of your life with. Thus, enabling you to authentically achieve your ambitions. 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 crossroad and feeling overwhelmed by their options to move forward. Through her proprietary S.P.A.R.K.© self-alignment model and programme, 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 realising her personal ambition of becoming a coach and she started her coaching practice during a global pandemic.

Written by: Natasha Stephens, 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. Instead, I should say you don't have to feel great to start because you are already great! Greatness lies within you but through process, it must be excavated! Some of us may or may not already know this. However, I believe the work of process is the real issue here. Committing to the process of discovering, realizing, and activating our full potential requires work and patience. Despise not the day of small beginnings. There is a purpose for those seemingly drudging difficult days. Those long drawn-out days may seem like punishment or like you're doing something wrong. Before I get into this, God says to look at it as a day. It's a season necessary for shaping and preparation. The problem comes when distractions and deception lend way to impatience, tempting us to abort the process as we seek relief from the laborious pushing. I was sent to remind you that it is “as a day”. Meaning, it is temporary. The time will pass, so why not pass the time beginning to build that dream, relationship, ministry, business from the ground up with the finest of detail. If you're going to build, make it built to last. Greater will come as you commit to the process. Persevere no matter how uncomfortable, painful, and long. As you build you are building something even greater within you. As you learn new things and try new things you gain a broader perspective and expand your scope along the way. Humble beginnings produce great character. It shows us how far we've come and what it took for us to finish to completion... the sacrifices, the sweat, and tears. We actually value it more when we've worked hard and long for it. don't underestimate the beginning, it lays the foundation for which we build upon. Circumventing those necessary steps is like skipping the steps to building a house. Leaving out the groundwork is a recipe for disaster as the house will lack integrity to withstand the natural elements. Inevitably the house will collapse from storms or strong wind. So if you're going to build, make it built to last. If we are aware of what those seemingly insignificant days of waiting while we work do for us regardless of how it feels, we would embrace it. Well, now you know and for some of you, this is a fresh reminder. Here is a rule of thumb... if it looks and feels insignificant, chances are it is significant. Because we are committed to our natural proclivities we miss the supernatural. God wants to develop the greatness inside of you. Commit to your potential! Now, go be great! Want to learn more from Natasha? Follow her on Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube or visit her website. Read more from Natasha! Natasha Stephens, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Natasha, a retired dental hygienist turned entrepreneur as owner of Transformational Coaching with Natasha and a women's athleisure clothing brand, Ripped and Restored, is committed to the transformational journey as she discovers new ways of being and higher than realized levels of existence through the power of pain and using it to her advantage as a springboard to create an ideal life for herself. Along the way, she answered the call to empower others with this revelation. She is dedicated, with fiery passion and authentic advocacy to revolutionize mental health and fitness by embracing the pain of conflict and resistance in whatever form, as a weapon for good. Realizing that thoughts shape reality, Natasha's coaching model is built around mindset shifts resulting in realized potential. In her spare time, she loves to volunteer in local and global dental missions, physical exercise, and travel.