In this interview, Alisa Laveau shares how her lifelong fascination with spirituality, psychology, consciousness, and science evolved into a mission to help others unlock their highest potential. From hypnotherapy and transformational coaching to her ambitious vision of reconnecting science and spirituality, she discusses the ideas, experiences, and purpose driving her work through Laveau’s Metaphysical Co. Alisa Laveau, Hypnotherapist and Applied Metaphysics Coach Who is Alisa Laveau? How did your journey into the world of spiritual science, hypnotherapy, and transformational coaching begin? Since I was a child, I’ve been on a mission to forge my own path, vehemently opposing the status quo and, frankly, refusing to do what I was told. Early on, this tendency of mine to do my own thing regardless of what everyone around me felt I “should be” doing led me to unconsciously prioritize my own interests, self-development, and evolution. Those interests spanned esotericism, spirituality, psychology, physics, and astronomy. I’ve studied these subjects in my free time since high school, which allowed me to become adept in my understanding of them by early adulthood, leading me to pursue them formally. Because I spent so much of my free time studying these subjects, it made sense that eventually I would make a career out of them. Throughout this process of educating and mastering myself, it quickly became apparent that I had wisdom, knowledge, and experience that, if shared, could elevate the lives of others. So what began as me freely advising people in my day-to-day life in my early twenties, over time, became something I knew I could spend my days doing. I knew that I wanted to help change the world, as I was simultaneously experiencing my own becoming. That process of self-actualization throughout my life has fueled my desire to help others do the same, at least those who are ready. I believe it's important to "walk the talk" when in the business of helping people actualize superior expressions of themselves. But I also believe that you have to want it and believe it to achieve it. To many, though, my path may seem super non-linear, and it is. But I’ve spent my time ensuring that everything I do falls under one coherent umbrella, allowing me to help people become the best possible versions of themselves, utilizing science, subconscious reprogramming via hypnotherapy, and tailored coaching plans that give people the tools necessary to apply it all effectively. You didn't just enter an existing professional field, you seem to have created your own lane entirely. What was missing from the fields of coaching and therapy that you felt compelled to fill or transform? So when I was a kid, my mother felt it necessary for me and my siblings to be in therapy. I am realizing now that this was likely because we had experienced traumas early in life that were not within her control. But I remember feeling like whatever therapy was supposed to be doing wasn't happening for me. Even when I experienced therapy as a teen, it just was not cutting it for me. I felt like it was just an hour where I could talk to a professional about things that were on my mind and occasionally get some useful feedback. The thing is, I felt like I could do that with my friends, and I would probably get a lot more out of it. I often did. As I matured, I began to associate talk therapy with just that, talking. Though talk therapy has its benefits, in the world of self-actualization and transformation, I personally don't believe that it's as effective as it could be. Not knocking it, though, as it works for many people. But that’s what interested me in hypnotherapy from a very early age, and is why I am a certified hypnotherapist now. I understood that something deeper was happening that was inhibiting people from becoming the version of themselves that they could visualize but struggled to actualize. I know there are millions of people around the world wondering why they can't just do the thing. What is holding them back from just doing it? It's their subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is running the show. I understood that to incite real, lasting change, we had to go deeper. At the same time, I've always known and articulated that there is nothing that exists that does not embody an energetic form first. I felt it was important to incorporate the science of energy in this process of helping people master themselves because, when you pair knowledge of the quantum field with hypnotherapy and tools to reprogram the subconscious mind and shift your reality, there is truly nothing that you cannot accomplish. But I also can’t believe that for you. You have to believe it too in order for it to work for you. Your work is rooted in original theoretical frameworks that span consciousness, quantum mechanics, and cosmology, and you're now pursuing a formal B.S. in Physics with a minor in Astronomy. What are you actually building, and what drives that pursuit? My entire life, I’ve exhibited and articulated very non-linear ways of being and thinking. My non-linear nature is in alignment with the true nature of reality. So sensibly, this knowingness permeates everything I do and is part of my driving force. It’s my mission to change the way the world perceives reality and the way we utilize and perceive science, spirituality, and the mind. Today, the world has cognitively separated science from spirituality, believing that they’re in completely separate categories. This is false. You cannot have one without the other. Quantum entanglement has already proven that there is no separation. That is an illusion. So, pairing the two with the power of the mind, because your thoughts, perceptions, and beliefs shape your experiences, unlocks levels of reality that we haven’t even been capable of imagining. The fact is, we are not perceiving reality in its truest state. The same way humans are only able to perceive less than 1% of the entire electromagnetic spectrum, that's about how much of the true nature of reality we're perceiving. It’s because of the way that we think, paired with our vibrational frequency, that contributes to our perception and experience of reality being far less multidimensional than it actually is. So what am I building? I’m building a body of thought. I’m building new ways of perceiving existence and creation itself. I am actively remarrying science and spirituality so that we can utilize them both coherently as a unit. Because once we alter and elevate the way that we collectively think, believe, vibrate, and study the science of spirit and energy, which is everything, we will get to witness the rise of a civilization that is actually conscious enough to handle the type of technology and transdimensional travel that is possible. But in order to get there, we’re going to have to engage in more unified ways of thinking, being, and evolving. It’s my life’s mission to help the collective get there. How would you describe the core mission behind Laveau’s Metaphysical Co.? To help people actualize superior versions of themselves while teaching them the mechanics of manifestation, the quantum field of consciousness, and their subconscious mind. It’s also important that this information be paired with the necessary skills for people to apply that knowledge to their daily lives so that they experience powerful, lasting alterations to the process of their personal growth and development. It’s my goal for Laveau’s Metaphysical to be a hub for people to learn all about the science of spirit and manifestation, meditation, and self-development while equipping them with the tools necessary to actually apply all that they’ve learned, versus just shelving it to be forgotten. Contrary to popular belief, the collective frequency is rising. So it’s time we raise our frequencies as individuals to match it. Laveau’s Metaphysical Co. is here to help make that happen, one soul at a time. Who are the types of clients you work with most? What are they done tolerating and ready to change by the time they find you? I love the second half of that question. Because to truly change, you’ve gotta be sick of tolerating less than what you know you can achieve. But being sick of not existing within your full potential isn’t enough. You have to be ready and willing to take action. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes. What you cannot be willing to do is give up on yourself. Cause this sh*t ain’t always gon’ be easy. But I promise it will be worth every ounce of your effort in the end. So that’s who I work with. I work with those who are willing to do whatever it takes to become the best at whatever it is they do or seek to do. The people who are no longer willing to compromise on their journey toward achieving their dream self and reality. What are my clients typically tolerating when they find me? Well, there’s a wide range of things. But the general consensus is regularity and a feeling of not living up to their fullest potential. They’re often aware that potential begins to lose its value when it’s not acted upon, and they’re tired of not acting on it. They also know that life can be far grander than it may have been so far. So they come to me to help them hit the ground running, and equally as important, to receive the tools that will ensure that they keep up the momentum. As a certified hypnotherapist and spiritual scientist, how do you bridge those two dimensions in your sessions, and what makes your work distinct from conventional hypnotherapy? So, most of my hypnotherapy sessions are anything but standard. In the cognitive portion of my sessions, which is the part where we discuss presenting issues and strategies to overcome them, I not only give clients actionable day to day steps to take to change their habits long after our work is done, but I also teach them how to transmute their energy, raise their frequency, and manage their fluctuating emotions so that they become more adept at controlling the outcomes they experience in their reality. By becoming more aware of your emotional state on a moment-to-moment basis and managing it more intentionally, you not only raise your vibrational frequency, but you can quite literally shrink space-time, allowing your manifestations to actualize more quickly and with greater precision. Essentially, I teach people how to manifest their dream life and self in half the time, with double the accuracy, while simultaneously helping them reprogram their subconscious minds to rid themselves of limiting associations and beliefs that hinder them from reaching their goals, whatever those goals may be. What are some of the transformational results someone can expect when working with you? It’s quite common for clients to experience significantly less anxiety and stress, a deeper connection with source, however you define source, and with self, better sleep, higher levels of creativity and motivation, clearing of mental fatigue and emotional blockages, healthier interpersonal and even professional relationships, weight loss, the release of a myriad of “bad” habits, career advancement, financial increase, and some have even significantly grown their social media presence. There really is no limit to what you can accomplish after leaving my sessions. It’s just up to the client to decide how big they feel like dreaming and achieving. At Laveau’s Metaphysical Co., the sky is only the limit if that’s the limit you set for yourself. But just know, the bigger the goals, the greater the changes you have to make, which will ultimately lead to a far deeper transformation. What’s the most common misconception people have about hypnotherapy, and what would you want someone who's on the fence about it to actually understand before they make their decision on whether or not to move forward? The most common misconception and fear that people have regarding hypnotherapy is their belief that it’s some sort of mind control. Many fear it because the media, an excellent example being the movie Get Out, has placed a subconscious association in their minds of hypnotherapy being synonymous with the idea that hypnotherapists make you think and do things you did not consent to. This could not be farther from the truth. First of all, hypnotherapy is a deeply relaxed and focused state. You’re not asleep, unconscious, or out of control. Before we even begin the hypnotic portion of a session, in the cognitive, or talking, portion of the session, we discuss the client's goals and needs. The language that I utilize in the hypnotic portion of the session is actually a direct reflection of the client's own language. There’s nothing that is said or done in a hypnotherapy session that’s not in direct alignment with the goals and needs of the client. Because here's the thing. As I mentioned, you're not unconscious when you're under hypnosis. You’re deeply relaxed and in a state where it’s easier to bypass the critical mind so that we may effectively access and reprogram the subconscious mind. Even then, if I were to ever use language that was not in direct alignment with what the client needs and wants, they would experience massive resistance. This would render the therapy useless. In fact, it could even cause harm. As hypnotherapists, we’re not in the business of causing harm. Our number one obligation is the welfare of the client. I also want to mention that at the beginning of every first session that I have with a new client, we spend some time dispelling fears and misconceptions. My clients are allowed to ask any questions they wish in order to make them feel more comfortable and trusting in the process. I want you to trust in the process. This is necessary for your own growth and for you to get the most out of your sessions. I also offer free consultations for anyone who’s on the fence. It’s part of my job to make my clients feel as comfortable and heard as possible. You've spoken about helping the collective evolve its perception of reality, science, and consciousness. What does that world actually look like to you? The one on the other side of this work, succeeding at the scale you're envisioning? I just want to start by saying that I’m aware we are living in very challenging times. To many, it may seem like the world is literally ending. In fact, that exact rhetoric is often used to describe the times we’re living in as the “end times.” But it is not the end of the world. It’s the end of an age. The Iron Age, to be exact. A new Golden Age is on our horizon. As I mentioned earlier, I believe the collective consciousness is steadily rising. Contrary to popular belief, this is actually why things seem to be getting worse. We get to witness the storm before the calm. The chaos before eventual peace. People are waking up in masses and believing less of what they’re told and more of what they feel. I’m proud of humanity right now. I believe we’re actually headed exactly where we’re supposed to. A world where free energy technology is utilized without limitation, and without those in dwindling power deliberately stifling its public advancement. Where fossil fuels are obsolete, as well as wars over oil, and all wars entirely. A world where humanity has reached unity consciousness and no longer perceives a reality where separation exists. A civilization that has learned to harness the energy and power of other cosmic bodies and has technologically advanced enough to not just travel off planet, but live off planet. A civilization that has mastered transdimensional travel and is capable of traversing the cosmos in fractions of a moment. A reality where people can holographically project the structure of their DNA so that they’re able to restructure their own code and heal their minds and bodies without the use of medication or anything outside of themselves. Lastly, a world where death is no longer a “natural part of life,” and where people instead can transmute the energy of their physical and spiritual bodies to ascend in consciousness and physically travel to higher dimensions of reality without having to perish first. This is what I believe the world on the other side of this work, and the work of many others like me, looks like. It may sound like science fiction, but consider this. Where do you think science fiction writers and directors got all these ideas from? Nothing has ever been discovered. Only remembered. How can readers connect with you, explore your offerings, and begin their transformation today? Regarding social media, I love interacting with the community on TikTok because I’m not going to lie, the vibes over there are immaculate. So that’s where I’m most active on social media. There, I’ve built a large community of amazing, like-minded people, and I’d love for you to be a part of that. You can find me there. You can also find me on Instagram and on Facebook. For those who wish to book a hypnotherapy session and are ready to become a version of themselves they’ll be immensely proud of, I offer free 30-minute consultations to prospective clients seeking clarity on how my sessions work and the type of results they can expect. After our consult, you may notice an intense desire to change. After that first session, you may notice a feeling of deep relaxation, motivation, and even an enhanced outlook on life. If you found me, that means you may be being nudged to act. Don’t let the opportunity to alter the trajectory of your entire life pass you by. If you have any questions or wish to collaborate, you may visit my website or email me here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you, Brainz Magazine, for giving me a platform to share my mission and story. To those of you reading this, thank you for your time. Let’s change the world together. Visit my website for more info! Read more from Alisa Laveau

Written by Jonathan Barca, Founder and Executive Director Jonathan Barca is an independent brand founder and executive director focused on building long-term wholesale infrastructure and culture-led business ecosystems. His work explores the intersection of fashion, creativity, and sustainable brand development. Transparency has become one of the most frequently used words in modern business. It appears in annual reports, marketing campaigns, sustainability reports, and corporate mission statements across almost every industry. Yet despite its growing popularity, transparency is often treated as a communication strategy rather than an operational philosophy. In fashion, that distinction matters. Consumers, retailers, manufacturers, and strategic partners are asking different questions today than they were a decade ago. They are increasingly interested in how products are made, how businesses operate, and whether the organisations behind the products demonstrate consistency, accountability, and integrity. While design and aesthetics continue to attract attention, trust is becoming one of the industry's most valuable forms of currency. Transparency is no longer simply about sharing information. It is about creating confidence. Transparency begins long before communication Many people associate transparency with what a brand chooses to communicate publicly. In reality, transparency begins much earlier. It begins internally. Every operational decision contributes to a culture of transparency. The way suppliers are selected, how quality standards are maintained, how expectations are communicated, and how problems are approached all become part of a company's identity. These processes may never appear in marketing materials, yet they shape every interaction a business has with retailers, manufacturers, and customers. I have come to believe that transparency is less about disclosure and more about alignment. When the values a business communicates publicly genuinely reflect the way it operates privately, trust develops naturally. There is no need to manufacture authenticity because authenticity already exists within the structure itself. This distinction becomes increasingly important as businesses grow. Expansion inevitably introduces complexity, and complexity has a way of exposing inconsistencies. Businesses that establish transparent systems early are better equipped to maintain clarity because transparency has become part of their operating rhythm rather than an initiative introduced later. Trust is created through consistency Trust rarely develops through a single campaign, announcement, or successful collection. Instead, it forms gradually through repeated experiences. Products arrive when expected. Communication remains clear. Quality is maintained across production cycles. Challenges are acknowledged honestly rather than avoided. Individually, these moments may appear ordinary. Collectively, they shape reputation. In many industries, trust is often viewed as the outcome of success. I believe the opposite is true. Trust is one of the conditions that make sustainable success possible. Fashion has always been a relationship-driven industry. Whether working with manufacturing partners, retailers, logistics providers, or customers, every interaction contributes to a broader perception of reliability. Transparency strengthens those relationships because it reduces uncertainty and creates confidence over time. Transparency creates confidence rather than certainty No business operates without challenges. Production schedules change. Material availability fluctuates. Shipping delays occur. Market conditions evolve. Perfection has never been the expectation within professional partnerships. Confidence, however, is. One of the most valuable outcomes of transparency is that it allows businesses to navigate uncertainty without damaging trust. When communication remains honest, timely, and proactive, temporary challenges become collaborative conversations instead of unnecessary conflicts. Retailers and manufacturing partners understand that global commerce involves variables outside anyone's control. What they value is clarity. They want confidence that expectations are realistic, information is accurate, and communication remains consistent throughout the process. Transparency does not eliminate uncertainty. It gives people confidence in how uncertainty will be managed. Relationships are becoming more valuable than transactions Modern business is steadily moving away from transactional thinking and toward relationship thinking. Technology has made products more accessible, manufacturing more global, and communication almost instantaneous. As these barriers continue to disappear, one competitive advantage becomes increasingly difficult to replicate, genuine professional relationships. Relationships are strengthened through repeated experiences of reliability. Transparency accelerates that process because it removes unnecessary ambiguity and encourages honest dialogue from the beginning. Over time, businesses that communicate openly begin to establish reputations that extend well beyond individual products. Their identity becomes associated with professionalism, consistency, and dependability. These qualities are difficult to quantify on a balance sheet, yet they often determine which partnerships continue for years and which remain short-lived. In many ways, transparency has become one of the defining characteristics of the modern relationship economy. Transparency improves leadership One of the less obvious benefits of transparency is the way it influences leadership itself. When organisations commit to operating transparently, leaders naturally begin asking better questions. Are our production standards being maintained? Are our partnerships healthy? Are our decisions aligned with our long-term vision? Could we confidently explain the reasoning behind the choices we make? This level of self-examination creates accountability. It encourages businesses to think beyond immediate opportunities and consider the long-term consequences of every operational decision. For independent brands, especially, leadership becomes one of the strongest competitive advantages available. Products evolve. Markets change. Consumer preferences shift. The standards established by leadership, however, continue shaping every conversation throughout the organisation. Transparency, therefore, becomes far more than a communications exercise. It becomes a leadership discipline. A long-term competitive advantage Through building my own business, I have come to view transparency as one of the most durable competitive advantages available to an independent brand. While trends, technologies, and consumer behaviour will continue to evolve, trust retains its value regardless of market conditions. Businesses that communicate clearly, operate consistently, and build honest relationships create resilience that cannot easily be replicated. Through my work with LML Clothing by Halfwait, I have seen how transparency strengthens every layer of the business, from manufacturing partnerships and product development to conversations with retailers and long-term planning. Rather than treating openness as a marketing tool, it has become part of the operating philosophy that guides decision-making. That philosophy has reinforced something I have come to believe strongly. Sustainable growth is rarely built through complexity. More often, it is built through clarity. Looking ahead As the fashion industry continues to evolve, transparency will likely become less of a competitive differentiator and more of a fundamental expectation. Consumers are becoming more informed. Retailers are becoming more selective. Manufacturing partnerships are becoming increasingly collaborative. In this environment, businesses that rely solely on carefully crafted messaging will find it more difficult to maintain credibility over time. The brands that will continue to stand out are those whose actions consistently reflect the values they communicate. They will understand that transparency is not simply about revealing more information, but about ensuring every aspect of the business operates with integrity, consistency, and accountability. When transparency becomes embedded within operations rather than layered onto communications, it creates something far more valuable than visibility. It creates trust. And trust, strengthened patiently through consistent actions and honest relationships, remains one of the strongest foundations upon which any enduring business can be built. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jonathan Barca Jonathan Barca, Founder and Executive Director Jonathan Barca is an independent brand founder and executive director focused on building long-term wholesale infrastructure and culture-led business ecosystems. He is the founder of LML Clothing by Halfwait, an international fashion label operating through a direct-to-retail model. His work explores sustainable brand development, operational clarity, and creative-led business strategy. Through his writing, Jonathan shares insights on building resilient independent brands in a global market.

With more than 24 years in the insurance and restoration industry, Mark has seen property losses from nearly every angle – as a claims adjuster, restoration professional, consultant, and auditor. As a Senior Consultant with Bower Group, that background now shapes how he evaluates complex commercial losses, from hospitals and schools to manufacturing plants and courthouses. In this interview, he talks about what objective consulting really looks like, how the industry is changing, and what keeps clients coming back. Mark Siegwald, Senior Consultant, Bower Group Can you introduce Bower Group and describe your role as a Senior Consultant? I serve as a Senior Consultant with Bower Group, where I work with insurance carriers, contractors, and property owners to evaluate complex property losses. My role is to assess damage after events like fires, floods, storms, and other disasters, develop repair scopes, review estimates, and provide objective recommendations. I've spent more than 24 years in the insurance and restoration industry, working as a claims adjuster, restoration professional, consultant, and auditor. That broad background allows me to approach every project from multiple perspectives while keeping the focus on accuracy and practical solutions. How does Bower Group deliver its consulting services? Our work is built around experienced consultants who perform independent assessments and provide technical expertise throughout the claims and restoration process. We collaborate with insurance carriers, contractors, engineers, and property owners, but our role is to provide an objective evaluation of the loss. Every project is different, so our approach is tailored to the property, the scope of the damage, and the client's specific needs. What sets your approach apart in the property damage consulting industry? I think the biggest difference is experience combined with objectivity. I've worked on both the insurance and restoration sides of the industry, so I understand how each stakeholder approaches a project. That perspective helps me evaluate damage fairly without losing sight of the practical realities of restoring a building. My goal isn't to make a project bigger or smaller than necessary. It's to make sure the repair plan accurately reflects the damage and supports a successful recovery. What types of clients and industries do you typically work with? Most of my work involves commercial and institutional properties. Over the years, I've worked on hospitals, schools, municipal facilities, courthouses, sports complexes, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and office buildings. Every type of property presents different challenges. A hospital has different operational priorities than a warehouse, and a manufacturing facility has different concerns than a school. Understanding how each building functions is just as important as understanding the physical damage. What services do clients rely on you for most often? Clients typically bring me in to perform damage assessments, develop repair scopes, audit restoration estimates, review pricing, evaluate reserves, and provide consulting throughout the recovery process. Many of the projects involve large commercial losses where multiple parties need an independent assessment to help guide decision-making. How do you stay current in an industry that continues to evolve? The best education still comes from being in the field. Technology, building materials, and restoration methods continue to change, so I make it a priority to stay engaged with projects and continue learning. I also maintain industry certifications and pay close attention to how restoration practices evolve. Every project teaches me something, and I think staying curious is just as important as staying informed. Do you work with repeat clients, and what keeps them coming back? Yes. Much of my work comes from long-term relationships with insurance carriers and organizations that value consistency and objective evaluations. Trust is built over time. Clients know they're going to receive honest assessments, thorough documentation, and recommendations based on the actual conditions rather than assumptions. I think reliability is one of the biggest reasons people continue working together. How do you measure success on a project? Success starts with accuracy. I want to know that we've correctly identified the damage, developed a realistic repair scope, and provided information that helps everyone make informed decisions. Good communication is another important measure. When property owners, contractors, and insurance representatives understand the process and have confidence in the information they're receiving, projects generally move much more smoothly. What does your involvement look like after your initial assessment is complete? It depends on the project. In many cases, I continue reviewing documentation, answering technical questions, evaluating updated estimates, and providing additional consulting as repairs move forward. Large commercial losses often evolve as more information becomes available, so ongoing collaboration is an important part of the process. How are consulting projects typically structured? The specific billing structure depends on the assignment and the client. Consulting engagements are tailored to the scope of work, so there isn't a single pricing model that applies to every project. What types of projects have you worked on over the past year? I've continued working on large commercial property losses involving fire, water, wind, and mold damage. These have included projects for healthcare facilities, municipal buildings, industrial properties, and commercial organizations. Every assignment is different, but the common goal is always to help clients understand the damage and develop a practical path toward recovery. Are there projects you choose not to take on? The right fit depends on the type of property, the scope of the loss, and whether my experience aligns with the client's needs. My work is focused on complex property damage consulting, so I generally concentrate on projects where independent technical evaluation can provide meaningful value. What challenges has the industry faced in recent years? The biggest challenges have been rising construction costs, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and increasingly complex buildings. Restoration projects today often involve advanced building systems and more coordination between multiple stakeholders than they did earlier in my career. Those factors have made careful planning, communication, and accurate documentation even more important. How do you adapt to changes in the restoration industry? I try not to assume that the way something was done ten years ago is automatically the best approach today. New technology has improved documentation, moisture detection, estimating, and communication, but technology doesn't replace experience. My goal is to combine modern tools with practical field knowledge to make better decisions. How important is teamwork in your work? It's essential. Restoration projects involve insurance carriers, contractors, engineers, consultants, facility managers, and property owners. Everyone has a different responsibility, and successful projects depend on clear communication and mutual respect. I've learned that listening carefully is often just as important as providing technical expertise. Where do you see the property damage consulting industry heading over the next decade? I think we'll continue seeing greater use of technology, better documentation, and more sophisticated building systems. At the same time, I believe experienced consultants will remain essential because someone still has to interpret the information, understand the building, and make sound professional judgments. The human element won't disappear. How has your leadership style changed over the course of your career? Earlier in my career, I thought leadership meant having answers quickly. Today, I think it means asking better questions, listening carefully, and creating an environment where people can make informed decisions. Experience has taught me that confidence is valuable, but humility is equally important. There is always more to learn. What developments in the industry are you most excited about? I'm encouraged by improvements in technology that allow us to gather better information and document losses more accurately. Moisture mapping, thermal imaging, digital estimating platforms, and other tools have made the industry more efficient. What excites me most is finding ways to combine those advances with the experience that still comes from walking buildings and understanding how they perform in the real world. What advice would you give to professionals building a career in this field? Don't be in a hurry to think you have all the answers. Spend time in the field, ask questions, and learn from the people around you. Pay attention to the details because small observations often lead to the biggest insights. Most importantly, remember that you're not just evaluating buildings. You're helping people recover from difficult situations. If you keep that perspective, you'll make better decisions and build stronger relationships throughout your career.

Some careers are built around trends. Others are built around a clear point of view. For Chicago-based tattoo artist and oil painter Iman Ali Tirmizi, success has come from staying connected to the ideas that first inspired him as a child growing up near Anchorage, Alaska. While his surroundings have changed dramatically over the years, the principles behind his work have remained consistent: observation, patience, and authenticity. Those ideas have helped him build a career that bridges two very different worlds. “I've never been interested in chasing what's popular,” Tirmizi says. “I've always been more interested in creating something that feels real.” How growing up in Alaska shaped Iman Ali Tirmizi's career Tirmizi spent his childhood just outside Anchorage, where daily life revolved around nature and the changing seasons. Long winters, endless summer daylight, forests, mountains, and open space became part of how he understood the world. He spent hours outdoors studying animal tracks, weather patterns, and landscapes. That environment also encouraged independence. “Growing up where I did, you learn to pay attention,” he says. “You notice details that other people might miss.” Those observations eventually found their way into his artwork. As a child, he filled sketchbooks with images of wildlife, rivers, and mountain ranges. Drawing became a way to capture the feelings he experienced outdoors. Looking back, many of the themes that define his work today began during those early years. Discovering tattooing and building a creative foundation As a teenager, Tirmizi was introduced to tattooing through a friend. What started as curiosity quickly became a serious pursuit. “The permanence of tattooing fascinated me,” he says. “The idea that something you create becomes part of someone's life forever carries a lot of responsibility.” At sixteen, he began practicing with a borrowed tattoo machine. He spent countless hours refining his technique and developing his own style. Instead of following popular designs, he focused on imagery that reflected his personal experiences. Mountains. Forests. Wildlife. Minimalist landscapes. These became the foundation of his artistic identity. At the same time, he developed a passion for oil painting. While tattooing demanded precision and commitment, painting gave him space to experiment and reflect. “Painting lets me slow down,” he says. “It's a completely different process, but both forms of art teach you patience.” Why moving to Chicago became a turning point By the time he reached nineteen, Tirmizi realized he wanted to challenge himself creatively. Alaska would always be home, but he felt ready for something bigger. Without a detailed long-term plan, he boarded a flight from Anchorage and moved to Chicago. The transition was far from easy. He worked in different tattoo shops, took walk-in clients, and adapted to a city environment that felt completely different from the quiet landscapes he knew growing up. Still, he viewed the challenge as an opportunity. “I wanted to put myself somewhere that would force me to grow,” he says. That decision became one of the most important ideas he ever acted on. Building a tattoo career through authenticity Chicago's tattoo scene is highly competitive, with artists representing countless styles and specialties. Rather than trying to blend in, Tirmizi leaned further into what made his work unique. His wilderness-inspired designs offered something different. Clients connected with the personal stories and experiences behind the artwork. Over time, he built a loyal client base and established himself within the city's creative community. His success did not come from a dramatic breakthrough. Instead, it came through consistency. “A lot of people think success happens all at once,” he says. “Most of the time it's just showing up every day and doing the work.” That mindset has become a defining part of his career. The big idea behind his work One of the most important ideas driving Tirmizi's career is the belief that creativity works best when it stays connected to personal experience. Many artists focus on trends. He focuses on observation. His tattoos continue to draw from the wilderness landscapes that shaped him. His paintings blend memories of Alaska with the architecture, movement, and energy of Chicago. The result is work that feels both familiar and evolving. “Where you come from doesn't disappear,” he says. “It becomes part of everything you create.” That philosophy has helped him navigate two very different environments while maintaining a clear artistic identity. What's next for Iman Ali Tirmizi? Today, Tirmizi continues to balance tattooing and painting while expanding his creative skills. He remains committed to learning, experimenting, and finding new ways to express ideas that have followed him since childhood. His story is not one of overnight success. It is a story about taking a simple idea seriously, investing time into a craft, and trusting that authenticity can create opportunities. For Tirmizi, the biggest lesson is straightforward. “You don't need to have everything figured out,” he says. “You just need to keep moving forward and stay honest about why you're creating in the first place.” That approach has guided him from the forests of Alaska to the creative neighborhoods of Chicago, and it continues to shape the career he is building today.

Written by Andy Travis, Therapist Andy Travis is a therapist specialising in addiction recovery, mental & mood health, sex/love/relationships, and men's well-being. He uses techniques like live guided meditation, simple hypnosis, and somatic enquiry, personally tailored to give his clients access to their inner resources. If you work, self-sabotage, control, scroll, shop, abandon yourself or others, seek approval, rage, drink or drug too much, if you feel guilty when you stand up for yourself, if you confuse love with rescue, this article could give you some tools to be the loving parent that perhaps the child within you has been calling out for. In my personal healing journey and in working with others, I use the methods below often. My goal here is to provide enough knowledge for you to start using them right away. ‘‘We first see the world though the eyes of a little child, and that 'inner child' remains with us throughout our lives, no matter how outwardly 'grown-up' and powerful we become. If our vulnerable child was hurt, abandoned, shamed, or neglected, that child's pain, grief, and anger live on within us.’’ – John Bradshaw, ‘Homecoming.’ Journal writing One way to start is by finding a quiet place and writing a letter to a younger version of yourself. Pick an age where something important happened, and let them know that you want to connect with them and that you want to be there for them from now on. Take some time to remember/imagine yourself at that age. If you have any photos of yourself from that time, look deeply at them. Then see if they want to write back to you. If they do, allow them to move your pen, let it just write. Sometimes writing with your non-dominant hand helps, especially if they’re fairly young. For a conversation that moves back and forth more quickly, you may want to create initials to start a line. You could call your Present Self ‘PS’ for short, and if you want to talk to your 8-year-old self, you could use ‘8YO’. Or use a loving nickname. In this way, the dialogue looks a bit like a film script, with the character’s name starting each piece of dialogue. Inner dialogue John Bradshaw called the inner child "the part of us that is most alive, most creative, most spontaneous." So it’s worthwhile to get some conversation started. Try listening to how you talk to yourself for a day. If it’s critical, I invite you to simply practice the opposite. You can also talk with your inner critical parent, respectfully encouraging them to retire, letting them know that you can manage things from now on. Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families is a 12-Step peer support group. It has excellent literature, including the ‘Loving Parent Guidebook’, which spells out a process to become your own loving parent. You can start an inner conversation whenever you have a spare moment. Ask your little one: “What do you need right now?” Sometimes I ask my inner child what he’d like to do next, or for help with simple decisions. Before starting to consciously reparent myself, I thought my inner child would be demanding and irrational. Once we started to communicate, I was pleasantly surprised at how cooperative and wise he was. Mirror work Mirror work was popularised by the late Louise Hay. Her inner child work can be found here: Forgiveness/Loving The Inner Child. When I was working through the Loving Parent Guidebook, I wanted to skip the mirror-work part: my relationship with mirrors was warped by both vanity and harsh judgement of my body shape. Try this next time you have a quiet moment in front of a ‘looking glass’: pause, look into yourself through the reflection of your eyes, and speak to yourself with the tenderness you would offer a child. Say something like: "I see you. I'm here for you. I love you." Notice what arises. Over time, this simple practice can begin to heal your relationship with yourself. I’ve found mirror work to be one of the quickest and most direct ways to check in with my inner child and inner teenager. It’s also helping me undo both vanity and dislike of fatty places on my body! Bradshaw described how we first come to know ourselves through the mirror of a caregiver's face. Mirror work, in adulthood, is a chance to offer ourselves the steady, loving gaze we may not have received when we were young. Reparenting check-in I’ve found this method to be a lifesaver when I’ve started to get heated or reactive, and I want to interact with others as a calm, compassionate adult. It’s drawn from the Loving Parent Guidebook. Try sitting quietly and moving through these four questions: What physical sensations and emotions do you notice? Who (what part of you) needs your loving parent’s attention? What triggered this part? How can you tend to this part from the loving parent within you? To wrap up "Each one of us has a three-year-old child within us, and we often spend most of our time yelling at that kid in ourselves. Then we wonder why our lives don't work." – Louise Hay, 'You Can Heal Your Life'. Inside you lives both a wounded child and the capacity to be a loving parent to that child. I hope the tools above inspire you to get started or keep going. Feel free to visit my website for some free guided meditations on this theme and to share any feedback or questions. Lastly, I wrote the first draft of the poem below with my non-dominant hand. I wanted to explore the deepest beliefs of a younger, less intellectual version of myself. Enjoy. What I know to be true for sure Roses smell nice, Unless they’re rotten. Anything rotten smells bad, Including farts. Chips taste nice, Unless they’re not cooked well. Rabbits and most furry friends Feel nice, Unless they’re dirty. Sunrises look beautiful, Unless I hadn’t slept all night. Then, when I saw the sunrise, I just felt worried, So I couldn’t feel the beauty. Going to sleep near the ocean at night Sounds holy. Unless there’s a storm, Then it sounds a bit scary. But what I can’t Smell, Taste, Touch, See, Or hear, That’s where “true” and “for sure” Get tricky and sticky. Sometimes, I have a feeling, Drifting off by the holy ocean On a beach holiday, After a day of sunny adventures, That I know Love to be true, Peace for sure, And there is no “unless.” Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info. Read more from Andy Travis Andy Travis, Therapist In 1988, when Andy was 17, his mother began training to be a lifeline telephone counsellor. She would often talk to him about it. He was fascinated. The following year, Andy had a series of out-of-body experiences. They confirmed what he'd been reading about the parallels between mysticism and quantum physics. He embarked on a lifelong journey of meditation. In his early 30s, a mood disorder and sex/love addiction led him to 12-step peer-support groups, where he continues to volunteer today. He established Meeting Point Counselling in 2016.

Written by Monserrat Menendez, Interior Designer Monserrat is an entrepreneur, interior architect, and sustainability advocate, as well as the founder of Senom Design, a firm dedicated to merging innovative design with sustainable solutions. With over a decade of experience across residential, commercial, and international projects, she specializes in bringing clients’ visions to life through thoughtful, high-impact interiors. I’ve been watching the Texas hemp industry get dragged through the courts for months now, and every time I see a new headline, I think the same thing, we are banning the wrong thing. As of June 2025, the Texas 15th Court of Appeals allowed a near-total ban on smokable hemp products to take effect, overturning a temporary injunction that had kept retailers open since April. The next legal battle is set for July 27. While the courtrooms debate what “smokable” means, an entire ecosystem of farmers, formulators, architects, and material innovators is holding its breath. Here’s the thing no one in the legislature seems to want to talk about, hemp is not one product. It never was. The plant they keep mistaking for the problem Cannabis sativa has been cultivated for over 10,000 years. The ancient Egyptians used their fibers. Chinese medicine documented its applications centuries ago. Colonial America did not just tolerate hemp, it required farmers to grow it. Sails. Rope. Paper. The fabric of a functioning civilization. Then the 20th century happened. Political conflation. The War on Drugs. Decades of policy built on fear and, frankly, on protecting competing industries, cotton, petroleum, plastics, and synthetic textiles, that stood to lose if hemp kept its market share. The 2018 Farm Bill was supposed to close that chapter. It legalized industrial hemp federally, capping THC at 0.3%. It was an acknowledgment, finally, that the plant and the policy had been confused for long enough. Texas is now trying to reopen it. What we actually lose when we ban hemp I work in luxury interior design. I also work in sustainability. Those two identities used to feel like they were in constant negotiation with each other. Hemp is one of the materials that helped me stop arguing with myself. The applications go far beyond what legislators are trying to regulate. Hempcrete, a composite of hemp hurds and lime, is actively being used in high-performance, low-carbon construction. It sequesters carbon during its lifetime, not just at installation. Hemp textiles are showing up in luxury interiors, upholstery, drapery, and wall coverings. The hand feel has evolved. The durability is remarkable. The footprint is a fraction of conventional cotton. Hemp requires no synthetic pesticides, uses significantly less water than cotton, and improves soil health through a process called phytoremediation. It pulls toxins out of the ground. Hemp-based bioplastics are being explored as alternatives to petroleum-derived packaging. Hemp seed oils are entering wellness and functional food markets. None of this gets you high. None of this is what the Texas legislature is concerned about. But all of it gets caught in the crossfire when policy cannot tell the difference between a plant and a product. The real question is not about hemp I have spent over a decade watching fear-based thinking dominate conversations that should be about innovation. The design industry did it with reclaimed materials, "will clients accept it?" The hospitality sector did it with sustainable textiles, "do they perform?" Now, policy is doing it with hemp. What we are really watching is a collision between two fundamentally different visions for the future. One that protects established industries and existing comfort zones. One that asks, what if we built things differently? The farmers, the formulators, the hemp textile designers, and the hempcrete architects are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for the chance to compete on merit. To let the science speak. To let the market respond. When we legislate a plant out of existence without distinguishing between its applications, we do not just harm one industry. We signal something much more damaging, that we are not serious about the sustainable economy we keep saying we want. What comes next July 27 is the next court date. That is when the legal argument continues. But the real argument, the one about what kind of economy we are building, what materials we trust, and who gets to decide, that one is ongoing. I am not here to tell you hemp is perfect. No material is. But I am here to tell you that banning it wholesale, without precision, without nuance, without listening to the people actually building with it, is a failure of imagination dressed up as policy. We have been here before. We banned things we did not understand. We protected industries we did not want to disrupt. We paid the price later, in pollution, in toxicity, and in systems that were never designed to last. Hemp has been waiting for this moment for a hundred years. The least we can do is not make it wait for another one. Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Monserrat Menendez Monserrat Menendez, Interior Designer Monserrat is an entrepreneur, interior architect, and sustainability advocate, as well as the founder of Senom Design, a firm dedicated to merging innovative design with sustainable solutions. With over a decade of experience across residential, commercial, and international projects, she specializes in bringing clients’ visions to life through thoughtful, high-impact interiors. She is the U.S. Brand Ambassador for U Green, an organization that helps companies become more profitable while empowering people and brands to follow a consistent path toward sustainability through transformative education and specialized consulting. As an Executive Contributor to Brainz Magazine, she shares her expertise in design, sustainability, and innovation. Her mission is to create spaces that are not only beautiful but also responsible and forward-thinking.

Harlem, NY – June 23rd – Wellness + Ageless Beauty, founded by Meditation guide, yoga instructor, and wellness entrepreneur Michelle Wagman, announces ROK Yoga Flow with Michelle, a soulful movement class designed to help participants breathe more deeply, release tension, and reconnect with themselves. ROK Yoga Flow with Michelle offers an intentional yoga experience that blends mindful breathing, gentle strength, spiritual grounding, and self-paced movement. The class is designed for those seeking a supportive space to restore balance, reconnect with their bodies, and cultivate inner calm. “ROK Yoga Flow with Michelle is about coming back to yourself through breath, movement, and presence,” said Michelle Wagman. “This class invites each person to move at their own pace while creating space for release, grounding, and renewal.” Michelle Wagman has been devoted to the practice of yoga for over 35 years and completed her 300-hour yoga teacher training through a lineage-informed program rooted in the precision, reverence, and sacred discipline of the Iyengar tradition. ROK Yoga Flow with Michelle will take place on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. at Rokmil Studios. Participants are encouraged to bring a yoga mat, water, and an open heart. The class welcomes all levels/beginners/intermediate practitioners and emphasizes mindful movement, breath awareness, gentle strength, and spiritual grounding. The Sunday offering expands Wellness + Ageless Beauty’s mission to create sacred, accessible spaces for mindful living, nervous system balance, ritual practice, and inner radiance. Through meditation, yoga, and community gatherings, Michelle helps others return to calm, clarity, resilience, and a deeper connection with themselves. Registration is available here. For more information, visit or follow Wellness + Ageless Beauty on Instagram and Facebook. About Wellness + Ageless Beauty Wellness + Ageless Beauty is a wellness-centered community founded by Michelle Wagman. Rooted in mindful living, nervous system balance, ritual practice, and inner radiance, Wellness + Ageless Beauty offers meditation, yoga, and community gatherings designed to support conscious living, spiritual grounding, and inner transformation. Media contact Michelle Wagman Founder, Wellness + Ageless Beauty Email Phone: 917-439-7886

Written by Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO Wayne Elsey is the founder and CEO of Elsey Enterprises. Among his independent brands, he is also the founder and CEO of Funds2Orgs. I’ve been in warehouses watching men and women sort through thousands of gently worn shoes and sneakers. Candidly, it’s hard work, and that’s what drives me to build global companies with environmental and social accountability. Caution is warranted, but the ESG business strategy makes sense, and this is an opportunity for any company to get involved. The better choice is an ESG business strategy for social responsibility What I’ve learned in the decades of building businesses is that staying within the lines and in your comfort zone isn’t good business. It may appear like success for a company, but playing it safe isn’t the answer. At a time of political noise and regulatory uncertainty, focusing on purpose-driven business does matter. Your clients will remember what you do now. Developing an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) business strategy means risk management and value creation. The fact is that companies have repeatedly seen how exposed they are to supply chain, regulatory changes, and resource scarcity. Additionally, social factors indicate the strength of your relationships with your vendors, workers, and customers. The reality is that ESG goals can’t be an afterthought, and purpose driven business and profit are both equally achievable. But the underpinning of a robust ESG business strategy is to align the following three things: Sustainability Risk Financial reporting The numbers are not subtle 99% of S&P companies and 94% of Russell 1000 businesses issued sustainability reports. Those were record high numbers. Idealists don’t lead these companies. They answer to institutional investors, customers, and boards. These companies, especially their boards and investors, want proof of performance. In addition, 41% of the largest corporations in the world have net zero targets across their entire supply chains. So, while the perception may seem to be that very few companies are walking away from sustainability, the fact is that for profit companies are indeed moving forward with clear ESG business strategies in their operations. Why? Because avoiding ESG is a risk. What it actually looks like to build corporate sustainability for any business ESG can include profit and purpose driven business and can be built into the operations of a company. Make ESG business strategy structural: In my social enterprises, we’re focused on the reuse economy. It’s a for profit business approach paired with a purpose driven business, meaning ESG is baked into operations across marketing, finance, and sales. Align your team around outcomes: The very first place to ensure ESG is part of your operations is to embed it in your company’s culture. The more your team is involved and sees profit and purpose, the more they’ll be motivated. It’s essential that everyone can speak the ESG language of what you do. Separate the noise from the business of corporate social responsibility: ESG is a lightning rod in some places, but again, companies are still moving forward with ESG business strategy because they have a responsibility to minimize risk. Ensuring business sustainability minimizes risk in a very uncertain time. Set ESG targets you can actually verify: Finally, commitments without metrics don’t become profit and assets for your company. Therefore, it’s essential to be specific with goals, time bound, and reporting, just as 99% of S&P companies and 94% of Russell 1000 businesses have done. Think like a company owner: Environmental and social outcomes aren’t add ons, and they’re essential. As a private company, we don’t report earnings, but we discuss performance internally and publicly demonstrate the global impact we make with our partners. Where most leaders actually get it wrong concerning ESG When leaders attempt to do ESG, they fail. It’s not because it’s the wrong idea. It isn’t. It happens because they treat it more like a marketing and communications side project than an operational one. What that means is that they state their intentions, hire for the right language, but don’t integrate it across the business. Doing so is the biggest mistake, and it bears repeating. For ESG to take hold, thereby mitigating sustainability risks and increasing profits with socially minded consumers and B2Bs, it’s essential to remember that, despite the noise, people don’t stray far from their values. In other words, people care about their neighbors and future generations in their families. When you turn down the volume on the noise, the gap between what purpose driven business can do for any for profit company and when companies show genuine care for their communities, consumers respond in kind. Why? Again, because people live their values, even in a time of immense noise, they continue to live and work by them. The noise around ESG is temporary, but the underlying forces, including investors, global regulation, supply chains, and workforce values, are very permanent. They don’t reverse with noise. They continue to push forward, and the business leaders who realize this are the ones who will become more profitable and sustainable. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Wayne Elsey Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO Wayne Elsey is the founder and CEO of Elsey Enterprises. Among his independent brands, he is also the founder and CEO of Funds2Orgs. This social enterprise helps nonprofits, schools, churches, civic groups, individuals, and others raise funds while helping to support micro-enterprise (small business) opportunities in developing nations and the environment.

Written by Hiba Yazbeck, Founder Hiba Yazbeck is a global finance executive, CPA, and the founder of Shifting Gaia™. Bridging the gap between corporate leadership and transformative resilience, she draws from her own healing journey to champion purposeful living and conscious decision-making in both business and life. Greenwashing has become the villain of the sustainability conversation. We blame it for consumer confusion, misplaced trust, and the slow pace of environmental progress. But after years of researching how sustainability claims are made, presented, and evaluated, I have come to believe we are often pointing at the wrong target. Greenwashing matters, but it is a symptom. The deeper problem is accountability or, rather, the absence of it. When companies are not expected to explain or substantiate a claim, exaggeration is not just a risk. It becomes a commercially convenient strategy. What greenwashing looks like Greenwashing is the practice of making a product, service, or company appear more environmentally responsible than the available evidence supports. It can be deliberate, but it is not always an outright lie. Often, it is subtler: a vague word, a green color palette, a leaf icon, or one genuine improvement presented as if it defines an entire business. A brand may highlight recyclable packaging while offering no meaningful information about sourcing, manufacturing, or the materials themselves. Another may describe a product as “clean” or “conscious” without explaining what those words mean in practice. The problem is not that every environmental claim is false. Many brands are making sincere efforts and real improvements. The problem is that consumers are often given no reliable way to distinguish a meaningful commitment from a carefully designed impression. The result is a marketplace where language can carry more weight than evidence. That is difficult for shoppers, but it is equally difficult for the companies doing the harder work behind the scenes. The accountability gap It is tempting to treat greenwashing as a communications problem that can be solved with better wording, stricter advertising standards, or more skeptical consumers. Those changes can help, but they do not address the incentive structure underneath. In most serious fields, important claims invite scrutiny. A public company cannot simply announce its financial results and expect the market to accept them without disclosure, controls, and review. A pharmaceutical company cannot describe a treatment as safe without evidence and regulatory oversight. Sustainability often works differently. A brand may describe itself as clean, responsible, environmentally friendly, or carbon conscious without offering a consistent level of proof. The words are powerful, yet the standards behind them vary widely. Even the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, the main U.S. reference for environmental marketing, acknowledge that what companies think their green claims mean and what consumers actually understand are frequently two different things. When verification is optional, even companies with good intentions can be pushed toward optimistic storytelling because they are competing in a market that rewards simple promises. This is why the problem is larger than a few misleading campaigns. The system itself makes it too easy for claims to outpace evidence. Why honest brands lose The absence of accountability does not only confuse consumers. It can also punish honest brands. Imagine two companies in the same category. One invests in responsible sourcing, clearer ingredient information, lower-impact packaging, and meaningful supply chain transparency. The other invests primarily in attractive packaging and confident language. Without a shared way to evaluate both, they can make similar-sounding claims, and consumers may not be able to tell the difference. The honest brand absorbs the cost of doing better while receiving little visible advantage for its work. That is not a healthy market signal. Accountability changes that equation. When claims are supported by evidence and assessed against consistent criteria, genuine effort becomes visible. Transparency becomes a competitive asset rather than a marketing risk, and brands that are doing the work have a fairer opportunity to earn trust. Three questions to ask Consumers should not have to become full time investigators. Still, three practical questions can make a meaningful difference before trusting an environmental claim. First, ask: what exactly is being claimed? Is the statement about the ingredients, packaging, sourcing, shipping, emissions, or the company as a whole? A broad claim may be based on one narrow attribute, so specificity matters. Second, ask: what evidence supports it? Look for clear explanations, relevant documentation, credible certifications, or transparent reporting rather than a slogan alone. Third, ask: what is missing? A strong claim about one feature should not distract from unanswered questions about the rest of the product or business. These questions are not about demanding perfection. They are about replacing assumptions with enough context to make a thoughtful decision. Building better systems This is the gap Shifting Gaia™ was built to help address. Rather than asking consumers to trust claims or decode them one by one, the platform works to make the information behind a brand easier to assess and understand. The purpose is to move the conversation from self reported promises toward structured evaluation, where evidence, tradeoffs, and transparency can be considered together. The goal is not to call any brand perfect, nor to shame a brand for having work left to do. It is to make the basis for trust more visible. Brands are reviewed against defined criteria across areas such as ingredients, sourcing, packaging, environmental impact, social alignment, and transparency. This approach reflects a simple principle I learned over more than two decades in finance: a claim means little without a way to verify it. Audits, consistent reporting, and comparable metrics are what make trust possible at scale. Sustainability deserves the same seriousness. Moving beyond blame Greenwashing is real, but it is not the whole problem. It thrives because too many sustainability claims can be made without clear standards, comparable evidence, or meaningful accountability. The solution is not to ask consumers to become more suspicious, more exhausted, or more perfect. It is to build systems that make trustworthy information easier to find and harder to manipulate. When accountability becomes the norm, exaggerated claims lose their advantage. Honest brands gain the recognition they deserve. Consumers can make better choices without becoming investigators. That is the shift sustainable commerce needs next: less storytelling without proof and more transparency people can actually verify. I built Shifting Gaia because I needed it to exist. After my own health journey taught me how much hidden weight sits behind the word “clean,” I wanted a place where evidence speaks louder than packaging. If you are tired of guessing, explore Shifting Gaia Ratings™ and the Brand Directory to see how brands are evaluated, and join our newsletter for practical guidance on buying better with more confidence. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Hiba Yazbeck Hiba Yazbeck, Founder Hiba Yazbeck, CPA, founded Shifting Gaia™ to bring radical transparency to the wellness industry, a mission ignited by her battle as a Stage IV breast cancer warrior. Drawing on over 28 years of corporate financial leadership, she built the platform’s proprietary Shifting Gaia Score to rigorously vet brands for health and environmental impact. Hiba operates at the intersection of resilience and strategy, ensuring that sustainability is measured rather than just marketed. Her work transforms personal adversity into a collective tool for conscious living, empowering consumers to trust what they buy and leaders to act with purpose. She is also a committed philanthropist, supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and educational endowments.

Personal development entrepreneur and speaker Danny Morel is set to bring his live transformational event, Awaken Your Highest Self, back to New York City this summer. Scheduled for July 24-26, 2026, the three-day event is designed to help attendees identify and break free from patterns that may be holding them back, while creating space for greater clarity, purpose, and personal growth. According to the official event page, participants will be guided through an immersive experience focused on self-discovery and transformation, with the goal of helping individuals step into what Morel describes as their "highest self." Over the years, Morel has become known for his work in personal development, mindset, and transformational coaching, building a global audience through his content, speaking engagements, and live events. The return of Awaken Your Highest Self reflects the continued demand for experiences centered around personal growth and self-awareness, particularly among entrepreneurs, professionals, and individuals seeking meaningful change in their lives. Readers interested in learning more about the event or securing a place can visit the official event page. You can also explore our exclusive interview with Danny Morel on the Brainz Podcast, where he shares insights on personal transformation, mindset, and creating a life aligned with purpose and fulfillment.

Written by Matijas Slivnik, Naturopath, Therapist, Musician Matijas Slivnik is a naturopath specializing in burnout, hormonal balance, and chronic fatigue. He combines natural medicine, energy healing, and healing sounds to help clients restore body and mind, delivering lasting results with over 12 years of experience. In today's fast-paced world, many people reach the end of the day physically at home but mentally still caught between work responsibilities, family obligations, deadlines, and endless to-do lists. What was once described as simple tiredness has evolved into something much deeper. People increasingly report waking up exhausted despite a full night's sleep, struggling to concentrate, feeling emotionally overwhelmed, and experiencing a persistent sense that their bodies never truly recover. According to the naturopath and founder of the PraNaturas Method, these symptoms have become some of the most common concerns among his clients. Alongside nutritional support, lifestyle optimization, and natural approaches to regeneration, he has increasingly incorporated the therapeutic sound of the handpan into his holistic practice. With more than three decades of musical experience, he has witnessed firsthand how music and vibration can provide support during challenging periods of life, not only for himself but also for many others seeking greater balance and resilience. Why are so many people experiencing burnout and chronic stress? The human nervous system was never designed for constant notifications, uninterrupted accessibility, information overload, and perpetual multitasking. Modern life demands continuous attention. Emails arrive around the clock, phones never stop ringing, children require care, and professional responsibilities continue to expand. When this state persists for extended periods, the body remains in a prolonged state of alertness. Although individuals continue functioning, their ability to enter deeper states of rest and recovery gradually diminishes. Common signs of chronic stress and burnout may include persistent fatigue, difficulty sleeping or non-restorative sleep, physical tension and muscle tightness, reduced concentration and mental clarity, feelings of anxiety or overwhelm, loss of motivation, emotional exhaustion, and a constant sense of never truly switching off. This is precisely why many health and wellness professionals today emphasize approaches that help regulate the nervous system and restore a sense of internal safety. The power of sound in supporting nervous system regulation Sound has accompanied humanity for thousands of years. Drumming, chanting, music, and vibrational instruments have played important roles in ceremonial, meditative, and community practices across cultures. Among modern sound instruments, the handpan, sometimes referred to as a hang drum, is known for its warm, soothing, and harmonious tones. Many listeners describe the experience as calming, grounding, and emotionally restorative. While handpan sessions are not considered medical treatment and should never replace professional healthcare, growing research in music therapy suggests that certain forms of music and sound-based interventions may contribute to stress reduction, emotional well-being, and psychological recovery. Several studies have also explored the positive effects of music-based interventions in individuals experiencing symptoms associated with burnout, emotional exhaustion, and prolonged stress. Supporting every generation through sound Stress is often associated with working adults, but the reality is that emotional overload affects people across all stages of life. Children and teenagers Today's children face increasing academic expectations, packed schedules, digital overstimulation, and social pressures from an early age. As a result, many young people experience restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and sleep disturbances. Listening to the gentle sounds of a handpan can offer a valuable opportunity to slow down, a moment free from screens, performance expectations, and everyday pressures. Parents and busy professionals Modern parents frequently juggle careers, family life, household responsibilities, and countless daily obligations. Many dedicate their energy to caring for others while neglecting their own well-being. A common sentiment expressed by clients is: “I spend my entire day taking care of everyone else, and by evening, I have nothing left for myself.” In these situations, sound-based relaxation can create a space where individuals allow themselves to pause, release mental tension, and reconnect with their inner resources. Older adults Later stages of life bring different challenges. Some individuals experience loneliness, while others navigate major lifestyle changes following retirement or cope with health concerns and uncertainty about the future. Pleasant auditory experiences often encourage relaxation, presence, and emotional comfort. For this reason, many older adults find sound sessions to be a meaningful complement to activities that support quality of life and overall well-being. Integrating sound into a holistic naturopathic approach Within naturopathy and the PraNaturas Method, health is never viewed solely through the lens of symptoms. Instead, attention is given to the individual's complete story, including nutrition, sleep quality, daily routines, emotional burdens, stress levels, recovery capacity, and nervous system function. For this reason, sound is not seen as a standalone solution but rather as one element within a broader framework of support. When balanced nutrition, digestive support, restorative sleep, stress management strategies, breathing techniques, regular movement, dedicated recovery time, and sound-based relaxation practices are combined, the body is provided with conditions that may help activate its natural regenerative processes more effectively. Sometimes the body needs less, not more When people feel exhausted, their instinct is often to push harder, drink more coffee, work longer hours, add more activities, or seek additional stimulation. Yet there comes a point when the body no longer benefits from increased effort. Instead, it needs space. This may be one reason why the handpan resonates so deeply with many people. It asks for nothing. There are no goals to achieve, no performance standards to meet, and no expectations to fulfill. It simply invites presence. In a society that constantly demands attention and productivity, moments of genuine stillness have become increasingly rare. The handpan offers an opportunity to reconnect with the present moment, to experience what it feels like to simply be. Whether someone is a child, a parent, a busy professional, or an older adult, everyone needs moments of pause. Sometimes, it is within those quiet moments that the journey back to balance, vitality, and well-being begins. How he uses the handpan sound support in practice As part of his professional work, he facilitates live sound meditation sessions and sound baths for groups, individuals, and special events. Depending on the circumstances, sessions may also be offered online. In addition, he creates and professionally records studio-produced therapeutic audio content designed to support both mental and emotional well-being. These recordings are often provided to clients as an ongoing resource for relaxation, mindfulness, and inner balance between sessions. Everything is vibration He believes that personal transformation begins within. When individuals invest in their own growth, awareness, and well-being, the way they experience the world begins to change. Relationships evolve, perceptions shift, and new possibilities emerge. Every day offers a new opportunity to move forward, to grow, and to create positive change. Because when people transform themselves, they inevitably influence the world around them. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Matijas Slivnik Matijas Slivnik, Naturopath, Therapist, Musician Matijas Slivnik is a naturopath specializing in burnout, hormonal balance, and chronic fatigue. With over 12 years of experience, he combines natural medicine, energy healing, and psychotherapeutic modalities to support holistic health. As an experienced musician, he uses music and healing sounds to enhance healing. Matijas is the founder of PraNaturas, helping clients restore energy and balance naturally.

Written by Ayeesha Kanji, Holistic Transformation Coach Helping individuals, teams, and communities grow through customized group coaching, teaching, training, accountability, and holistic development experiences. Recently, I was featured on a podcast to talk about self-awareness, wellness, and self-leadership. Honestly, I could go on and on about these topics! But at the end of the day, it all comes down to this: the more awareness we have about who we are as individuals, the more we grow into a place of self-acceptance, self-love, and self-compassion. Every day, we consume a mountain of content on TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms telling us how to love ourselves and how to make more time for self-care. The reality is that we live in an incredibly loud, hectic world. We’ve been conditioned to believe that constant busyness is a badge of honor. But what if we shifted that energy? What if you chose to be busy loving yourself? What if you became busy leading yourself toward deeper self-awareness? The real driver of growth Self-awareness is one of the ultimate drivers of personal growth. However, evolution doesn’t mean forcing yourself into a rigid daily routine of reading a book every single day or checking off endless professional development boxes. Being hard on yourself about your awareness doesn’t work. In fact, it usually has the opposite effect. You know the old saying, “Slow and steady wins the race”? That completely applies here. The journey of self-awareness must be taken slowly. Yes, it can be uncomfortable. Yes, self-love can feel deeply uncomfortable at times, too. But it is incredibly liberating. When we talk about finding true happiness for yourself, this is exactly where it comes from: the trifecta of self-love, self-awareness, and self-leadership. Leading yourself first Let’s look at this through a professional lens. Imagine you’re sitting in a performance appraisal, and you bring up a goal: “I want to work on my leadership skills.” My question to you would be this: "Where is your awareness regarding your professional skills right now? What specifically do you want to work on? How will that awareness help you lead your team better, or lead yourself better?" Before you can lead a team, you have to lead yourself. Why wellness is the missing link In the podcast, I also dive deep into wellness, because your daily habits make a massive difference. If you’re rolling out of bed and immediately reaching for your phone to check emails and text messages, you are rushing your nervous system. Instead, try to slow it down when you wake up. Stretch in bed for a moment. After hours of sleep, our bodies are naturally tight. Take your time to properly prepare and start your day intentionally. When you start with presence, you’ll realize you can still get everything done without the frantic rush. In my coaching practice, I intertwine wellness, leadership, and self-awareness. All three are deeply linked. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can only focus on one at a time. You can absolutely have all three, you just have to be willing to make the time for it. You make the time to go to the gym. You make the time to do your meal prep. Where is the time for you to work on just yourself? Where is the time to build the awareness and accountability required to lead yourself better? Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Ayeesha Kanji Ayeesha Kanji, Holistic Transformation Coach Ayeesha Kanji is the Founder of Chestnuts Coaching & Consulting and Business Partner of UMSRA. With over a decade of experience in human resources, adult learning, leadership development, and wellness, she helps individuals and organizations navigate change with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Through her coaching, workshops, and writing, Ayeesha combines practical strategies with a deeply human approach to personal and professional growth. Learn more about her work, articles, and coaching on her website.