Written by: Catherine Elizabeth Wood, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Organizations can trigger stress in the workplace unknowingly or inadvertently through unclear direction, miscommunication, unfairness, creating overwhelm, lack of support, and so on. When employees feel stressed, they are unable to think, plan, organize and experience a sense of calm. When the limbic system automatically activates the fight-flight-freeze response when the brain senses a threat such as overwhelming workloads, for example, the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for executive functioning, goes offline. How organizations can trigger stress in employees is through many different methods including toxic behaviors in the workplace. Often, we overlook how our behaviours can be unconsciously copied by another employee in terms of our gestures, speech pattern, and attitude, called mirroring. It only takes one person with toxic behaviour for the organizational culture to become toxic. This is because practiced behaviours over time, form habits that are difficult to break. Likewise, it only takes one person to model positive and constructive behaviour and incorporate some brain science-based strategies to create a culture of psychological safety, motivation, engagement, and performance resulting in a future-fit organization. What can your organization do to promote a future-fit organizational culture? Understanding how stress in employees is triggered, is key to building a brain science-based strategy that helps to build trust, psychological safety, a shared purpose, motivation, and engagement in the workplace. Only then will organizations enable employees to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Trust A critical ingredient for human motivation is trust. When there is trust in the workplace, the brain-friendly chemical oxytocin is released which builds social cognition, learning, cooperation, empathy, and psychological safety. Oxytocin reduces stress and being aware of what an organisation can do to build trust in the workplace, will enable employees to thrive. Consider how your organisation can promote a trusting work environment. Purpose One of the basic biological human needs is having a sense of purpose and meaning in what you do. When employees experience a sense of knowing and understanding of how they add value to the team and the organisation, for example, they will be more willing to tackle challenging situations rather than avoid them. Consider how your organisation can drive a sense of shared purpose across the teams in alignment. Delegation Another basic biological human need is to have a perceived sense of autonomy and control. A way to meet this need as an organisation is to use delegation of tasks, decision-making, and responsibilities. Ensuring employees can make choices in the workplace will help them to thrive by meeting this need. Familiarity When employees are familiar with what they need to do, the brain senses safety. Therefore, familiarity leads to an increase in oxytocin levels in the brain which will result in a calmer state. Besides being rewarding, clarity and transparency are key ingredients for organizational performance. Consider how your organisation can bring familiarity through clarity and transparency. Fairness Treating employees with fairness has been shown to positively impact attitudes, thoughts, emotions, and behaviours in a variety of settings. We all constantly seek to determine whether other people can be trusted because our brain is constantly making decisions about the intentions of others. Showing fairness to employees will result in positive outcomes for the organisation so consider how your organisation can demonstrate this. Confidence Boosting employees’ confidence will encourage learning and growth through structured feedback and empowering them to make decisions. Enabling employees to have a sense of pride in what they do will bring positive outcomes and build their ability to recover effectively and learn from failures. With this approach, employees will see failures as opportunities to learn and grow. Consider how your organisation can boost employees’ confidence. Novelty When employees are curious about their work, it is intrinsically motivating. Novelty triggers curiosity which activates the brains' reward centre and releases the brain-friendly neurochemical dopamine. This results in positive reinforcement, positive mood, and facilitating learning. Consider how your organisation can encourage novelty within teams. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit my website for more info! Read more from Catherine! Catherine Elizabeth Wood, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Catherine Wood, is a leader in mental resilience, science-based coaching through neuroscience, and creating new habits for behavior change. After an acute brain injury as an adult left her having irrational thoughts and self-doubt, Catherine developed an interest in neuroplasticity to understand how she could challenge her self-beliefs, promote helpful thoughts and create new habits for behavior change. Catherine has since dedicated her life to helping people to establish their self-belief in who they are as their best self to drive helpful thoughts and create new habits for behavior change in the workplace and in their personal life. Catherine is the Founder of Life Renewal, the online coaching business combining leadership coaching and team coaching with evidence-based techniques in neuroscience. Catherine helps leaders drive employee engagement by modeling leadership behavior across 7 key leadership skills. Catherine has helped clients through her own coaching programs, workshops, and digital courses including "Mastering Emotional Competence in Leadership." Catherine has been a guest writer for Thrive Global which included an article on "Seeking Opportunities While Navigating Uncertainty", and she hosted a resilience series including "The Neuroscience of Resilience". Catherine's mission: Science-based coaching for collaborative leadership behavior.

Written by: Star Hayward, 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. Years ago, when I was learning how to develop an online coaching business, my coach at the time said something that stuck with me ever since: "No one is going to find out about you if you're hiding out." I thought this sounded like sage advice, and it made perfect sense to me. Being brand new to the online entrepreneurial industry at the time, however, I didn't have a point of reference to understand what she really meant until over the next couple of years where I found myself avoiding showing up publicly A LOT. Speaking live on social media? Pitching to podcasts, summits, and editorials? All the while putting my stamp on everything that I did, said, posted... Yikes!! We were talking about another level of commitment here! Oh yes, I was up close and personal with the struggle of putting myself out there for the "world" to see as I was trying to wrap my mind around what it was going to take to truly succeed in the online game. I'll never forget the moment when I realized that marketing myself online was like playing every role in the theatre: Actor, writer, director, costume designer, makeup artist, photographer, videographer, audio-visual technician, creative designer, ticket sales… am I leaving anything out?? Being a high achiever and tenacious, I took it all on by storm with my “yes I can” optimistic attitude. I wore all the hats (for probably too long) until I finally started hiring out, but what this phase of my business taught me was a set of skills that are invaluable to me today as a Business Coach- the most important one: how to look your fears in the face and show up anyway. “The greatest myth about making yourself visible is that it's easy to do.” If you've been at this a while, then you might also know that it isn't always easy. I don’t know an online entrepreneur who doesn’t feel imposter syndrome, comparison, fear of judgment, fear of rejection, or self-doubt. Even if you’re a proficient Coach, content creator, copywriter, graphic designer, good with tech, comfortable on camera, and all the things, “emotional stuckness” can rear its ugly head more often than you'd like- especially when building momentum in your business is so crucial if you're going to truly elevate from start-up to business ownership. Looking back to the beginning (when ignorance was such bliss) and what it took to get to where I am today, it’s quite remarkable to reflect on the sifting and sorting through my fears and doing the inner work to build the confidence I needed to create and expand my visibility as an Online Coach. The months of procrastinating, hiding behind content creation, and hiding from exposing myself drove me (and my husband) crazy when finally, there came a day when I had enough of the madness. My desire for success became greater than my comfort zone that was holding me back. It was time to face the music and breakthrough once and for all. We all have times when we feel frustrated, stuck, dissatisfied, agitated, high anxiety, or even depressed. Sometimes it can feel as though nothing’s working out that day, or that month for that matter. When you're building a business, however, you can't afford to take entire days or weeks off (unless planned) while swirling down the toilet bowl of low vibration emotions that trigger self-sabotaging, self-minimizing behavior, which are the biggest killers to success. After all, no one will find out about you if you’re hiding out! If this is resonating with you, here are a few steps to help you overcome these emotional traps: 1. Consider these moments as feedback, rather than using them to beat yourself up and feel even worse. What they’re telling you is that you’re feeling confused, disconnected from your inner power and that you're second-guessing yourself while getting pulled into not-enoughness beliefs and old patterns. When negative emotions are present, it’s important to acknowledge them and take ownership of them, but not to wallow in them. It’s okay to be honest and simply say: I’m not feeling happy, clear, or inspired right now. Being honest about how you feel puts you that much closer to moving through. 2. Shift your state with simple actions such as drinking water, stretching, moving your body, taking a walk in nature, gratitude journaling, or listening to motivational audios… Anything that helps you feel good so that you can get back into a positive vibration quickly and reconnect with your primary intention, which is to show up and serve. When you're in a positive state, you have access to clarity, confidence, your inner power, and creative flow. Inspiration, intuition, intelligence, and motivation are all turned on when you’re feeling centered and good. This is the aligned energy you want to create from. 3. Once in a positive state, commit to taking one action that will move you towards your goal of increasing your visibility. It may be doing a live video, reaching out to a podcast host, applying for a speaker summit, or reaching out for referrals. As you take this one action to move forward, you may find that you now have the confidence to take another action and another. Go for it! Challenges, fears, self-doubt, heartbreak, pain- all of it's inevitable, it's what makes us human, and it's part of the duality that we live in. It’s how you meet these challenges that determine your ability to grow and keep showing up so that you can succeed in your pursuit of happiness, fulfillment, and freedom as a heart-centered entrepreneur. Follow Star on Facebook , Instagram , Clubhouse and visit her website . Read more from Star! Star Hayward, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Star Hayward is a Spiritual Business & Leadership Coach with over two decades of combined expertise in online entrepreneurship, spiritual development, personal growth, and transformation. She’s the founder of Ascending Heart Academy and the creator of the Ascending Heart Business Mastery program. Star empowers women entrepreneurs to become successful and profitable in designing a life and a business on their own terms, and become confident, feminine leaders to create the change that the world needs now. For a complimentary consultation, visit www.starhayward.com/apply.

Written by: Star Hayward, 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. Would you agree that being a heart-centered entrepreneur takes consistent courage, confidence, clarity and resilience to show up for your business and achieve the freedom and fulfillment you desire through your Soul-aligned work? So often, business owners bump up against negative emotions, like fear and self-doubt, that require mindset tools to overcome again and again. Mindset plays an important role in creating ease and flow in your business, but wouldn't you like to get to the heart of the issue so you can be done with the habitual patterns that hold you in the cycle of self-minimizing, self-sabotaging behaviors, like procrastination and hiding out? If you're in this cycle right now, then you know it feels like perpetually taking two steps forward and one step back, which makes it difficult to build upon your momentum. Having mentored many women entrepreneurs, I know that anyone stuck in emotional sabotage and "not-enoughness" is looking for a way out. Read on to learn a few tools to empower you to break free of the negative emotional patterns that are impeding your ability to stay in ease, flow, and forward progress for your business. Emotional sabotage often shows up when you're about to make a change, as in anything that’s pushing you outside of your comfort zone! When this happens , it means that a subconscious belief such as "I'm not worthy," or "I'm not good enough," sneaks in to keep you safe by producing self-minimizing thoughts and negative emotions, which triggers patterns & behaviors that have you creating the same results over and over again. For example, if you could put words behind avoidance behaviors like procrastination, hiding out, and holding yourself back, you would you likely find yourself saying something like: “I’m not good enough to..." "I'm not successful enough to..." “I don’t know enough to...” “I’m not smart enough to...” “I’m not strong enough to...” “I’m not pretty enough to..." We all have these thoughts from time to time, but when you get stuck here, it can keep you from taking any action at all (avoidance), or the actions you take aren't aligned with the outcome you really desire because they’re out of alignment with a positive state of being. This is what we call “mis-creating.” So the work is to shift back into a positive, loving state where you can take aligned, inspired action. We also want to take care of the root cause along the way by raising your frequency with some self-love and self-acceptance tools. Step 1: RECONNECT with who you really are. We’re always manifesting something through our focused attention, so the questions to ask yourself are what do you desire to manifest and what state are you manifesting from? The Universal Law of Attraction tells us that everything is energy, like attracts like, and our reality is created through our point of attraction. Manifestation is bringing into your reality that which already exists. We do this by aligning our vibration to match the frequency of our desires, and take aligned action with the outcome we desire while broadcasting that frequency. If you're broadcasting fear and doubt, the Universe responds by giving you more of that. If you're broadcasting love and abundance, the Universe delivers you love and abundance. The Universe always responds to your energy signal, so you want to be very deliberate with the signal you're giving. When you're stuck in negative emotions, it means that your subconscious beliefs and habitual patterns have succeeded in pulling you energetically out of alignment with who you really are, which is by nature pure, positive, loving energy to your core, which you have access to at all times. “Universal Energy is Love Energy, where there is no separation, only Love & Abundance.” In the Divine Feminine sense, Universal Energy is what we call Universal Oneness, which houses unconditional love and your emotions. Connecting with the feminine, Universal Oneness energy will help you become realigned in your heart and in your emotions. Visualization, meditation, and affirmations are effective ways to connect and align. After reading the Power Statements below, close your eyes and feel your way into who you are. Use this exercise to focus on opening your heart, opening to pure love, and accepting yourself fully. Reconnect with what you have to offer the world that makes you truly unique and special. See yourself as the person you need to be to fulfill your business vision. POWER STATEMENTS: "I am a divine being who is eternally abundant and a powerful creator of my life." "As a spirit being in a human body, an extension of Universal Source energy, I'm unconditionally loving and limitless." "I'm exactly who I chose to be for my life mission, with my human personality and my Soul gifts that are unique only to me." STEP 2: RELEASE blame, shame, and judgment. We all have a story. Negative emotions often surface as a result of who you're being in a story that you've written around a given circumstance in your life, past or present, that supports an identity of "I'm not worthy of love," or "I'm not enough," for example. The story that holds yourself and others as a victim, disconnects you from who you really are, which is why it doesn't feel very good! Blame, shame, and judgment only keep us from being in our divine essence through separation consciousness- making a circumstance, ourselves, or others right or wrong. However, there’s a reason for everything, and in fact, your Soul chose each and every experience you’ve had in your life for the purpose of achieving the expansion, growth, and evolution you came here for. With this understanding , you can then begin to change your story from one that holds you as a victim into one that empowers you. When you see the purpose in all things and take responsibility for your response to the conditions of your life, you can then release the negative emotional charge from your story. When you do this, you no longer have the emotional triggers that trip you into negative emotions, which sabotage your ability to take aligned action. How to release negative emotions and change your story: A: Identify who you’re blaming, shaming, or judging- yourself and others. Awareness and being honest with yourself is the first step! It's OK, you're human and perfectly imperfect. Take a few slow deep breaths and feel your heart fill up with pure, loving, white light. Then project this light to who you're blaming, shaming, and judging, including yourself, with forgiveness and compassion. As you breathe in, fill up with love and acceptance. As you breathe out, release blame, shame and judgment. By doing this, you're connecting with Universal Oneness Energy, and raising your heart frequency with self-love and self-acceptance. Now you're ready to change the story that holds you and others as a victim, and replace it with a new story that empowers you. To do this, journal about the story you've been using to justify the identity that you're being, such as "I'm not worthy of love," or, "I'm not good enough." B: Look for the silver lining. There’s a reason for everything, whether or not you consciously choose your experiences or circumstances. My school of empowered thought is that if it wasn’t meant to happen, it wouldn’t have. This allows us to take radical self-responsibility as the creator of our lives. You might ask yourself these powerful questions: What did I learn from my circumstances? How has my story (experiences & circumstances) molded me into who I am today? How are they serving me in my life and business now? C: Now, write a new story that would serve you in where you want to be in your life and in your business right now. Who do you want to be in your new story? Take some time to journal your new story and the identity or role you’re playing in your story. Fully releasing negative emotions in your story can take time and deep healing work. This exercise can help you begin the process by inviting you into the practice of forgiveness, compassion and understanding for the circumstances that helped curate who you are. By transforming your story, you're closer to embodying limitless, unconditional love and acceptance as your birthright. STEP 3: RECOMMIT to your intentions and take INSPIRED action Every manifestation begins with intention. Your business was born from an intention to follow through on a creative vision or innovative idea that inspired you. When we're connected to our intentions and take action from the inspiration they give us, we have the ability to generate incredible momentum! However, when we get derailed by negative emotions, it can cause confusion, cloud our vision, and can even cause a momentary memory loss for what we're doing and why. “Everything begins with intention.” When you're stuck in negative emotions like self-doubt, fear, self-pity, feeling insecure, inadequate, and generally not feeling good about yourself, recommitting to your intentions is a powerful way to gain clarity, realign, raise your frequency, and get re-inspired! Here's how to recommit to your intention and take inspired action... Ask yourself: a) What is my intention at this moment? (Ex: to love myself more today than I did yesterday and create my business from that energy.) b) What choice can I make right now that will be recommitting to my intention? (Ex: to refocus my priorities on what I will feel good about accomplishing today.) c) What action can I take to follow through with this choice? (Ex: networking/creating connections; send email marketing; make a social media post; self-care.) And then take that action!! Your intention could simply be to feel better at the moment; it could be for self-care to generate more daily energy; it might be to show up and serve more consistently; enroll more clients; expand your team, or simply to be in a state of gratitude. When you recommit to your intentions with conscious awareness and thought, it pulls your vibration and focus back into alignment and you'll be creating from a higher frequency once again. It doesn't matter how big or small your action is, what matters is that you take an action that is aligned with your clear intention. There you have it! Let's recap on the 3 Steps to Emotional Alignment So You Can Create with Ease & Flow in Your Business: 1) RECONNECT with who you really are so you can create from Universal Oneness Energy, ready to serve from your high heart frequency! 2) RELEASE the story that isn’t serving you and change your story to empowering so you can love and accept yourself and others unconditionally. 3) RECOMMIT to your intentions and make a choice to take inspired action so you can shift your state and refresh your momentum. All of these steps can be practiced daily. The more you do them, the more your confidence, courage, and resilience will grow and you'll enjoy more ease and flow in your business and in your life! I'm Star Hayward, Spiritual Business & Leadership Coach, and founder of Ascending Heart Academy. I have over 20 years combined experience as an Entrepreneur, Business Coach, Spiritual Mentor, and Transformation Expert. I work with visionary women who are ready to grow their wealth & impact as empowered, confident, fulfilled feminine leaders in their business –with freedom and ease! If this article resonated with you and you want to learn more about my unique process of becoming a leader in your Soul-aligned business through your divine feminine power and self-Love mastery, then feel free to reach out so we can connect. I’d also love to hear how these steps are working for you in overcoming your habitual emotional patterns and back into inspired momentum for your business! Follow Star on Facebook , Instagram , Clubhouse and visit her website . Read more from Star ! Star Hayward, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Star Hayward is a Spiritual Business Coach, public speaker, and writer. She specializes in guiding visionary women to become confident, fulfilled, feminine leaders in their business through radical self-love, emotional mastery, and magnetic business strategy. She has over 20 years of combined experience as a healing practitioner, spiritual mentor, entrepreneur, and coach. Star incorporates her training as a Reiki Master-Teacher and Certified Integrative Wellness & Life Coach to create deep transformations for her clients and help them step into a new depth of leadership, expansion, and impact. Her business growth strategies are designed to align her client’s highest vision with products and services that will create a prospering, legacy brand and lasting ripple effect.

Written by: Star Hayward, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. It’s no secret that female leadership is on the rise, as evidenced in just about every direction we look. Whether in social, political, business, environmental, or world affairs, women are carving their way into leadership positions on an exponential level. Women entrepreneurship is also on the rise, as it continues to offer an accessible avenue to create, innovate, and excel on our own terms as women, and is a call into leadership in and of itself. As a Business Coach , one of the most common traps I see women fall into when running their business is compromising their emotional sensitivities to be a “strong” leader. On the contrary, their confidence is buried under over-emotional sensitivity. They don’t feel capable or deserving of becoming the leader they need to elevate their business to a fulfilling achievement level. Issues around compromise , deservedness, and capability root from various contributing factors that, for a woman entrepreneur, can hinder her ability to become anchored within as an empowered, feminine leader. Here are two examples that I’ve found to ring true for many women: 1. Societal Expectations in the Workforce: Women have been conditioned to shrink themselves to fit within patriarchal parameters and are required to meet masculine-oriented expectations to climb the ladder of success, to receive recognition, and to be valued. This causes self-minimizing and overcompensating behavior born of a feeling that deep down as a woman, she’ll never do or be enough to measure up, or that she has to be someone she’s not to succeed. 2. Parental Dynamics: Unless a woman was shown unyielding, unconditional love by her mother, and was cherished, adored and championed by her father (the combination of the two are rare) as a young girl she is highly susceptible to developing behavior patterns aimed at winning the love and approval she craves. This often results in women giving their power away in the attempt to fill those perceived holes. In both of these scenarios, a woman will inevitably develop an imbalance in her divine feminine and divine masculine power. This may leave her feeling incomplete, inauthentic, and reaching for a false sense of confidence when faced with making difficult decisions and asking for what she wants. This can cause confusion, resistance, and unintentional sabotage that will repel the clients, opportunities, and resources she needs and desires. Does this sound like you? It is no accident then that you came across this article because I believe with what you’ll learn here, and intention, you can move yourself and your business towards balance. When in balance, you have greater access to ease, flow, and an internal alignment that enables you to step into being a truly empowered feminine leader in your business and life! Now let’s explore what divine feminine and divine masculine energy are and the qualities of each. With this distinction you can begin to grow an awareness around how they may or may not be showing up in your business. The divine feminine is the Universal Oneness energy channel that runs through every human being. It is a magnetic energy ruling the heart, connection, intuition, abundance, servitude, emotions, unconditional love, and inspiration. An example of a female leader in balance with her divine feminine energy is connected to the heart's pathway. Her past stories and future vision empower her and fill her with positive energy. She embodies unconditional love, she believes that everything is possible, and makes choices rooted in the better of the whole. She magnetizes clients, resources, and opportunities to her with ease. She uses her intuition as her inner navigation and takes action when she feels inspired. She knows the right thing to say and when to say it. She trusts in the divine flow of the universe and acts from a place where she already has love. An example of a female leader out of balance with her divine feminine energy feels alone and unsupported. She is a victim of her past circumstances and is weighed down by blame, shame, and guilt. She uses confusion and self-pity to give herself permission not to act and to give up. She doesn’t trust in her ability to communicate what she really desires for herself and second-guesses her decisions. She often uses emotional manipulation and passive-aggressive behavior to get what she wants. She is trapped in creating scarcity, always wanting more and not having enough. The opposing energy, the divine masculine, is the Universal Intelligence energy channel that runs through all of us. It’s an electric energy ruling the mind, intellect, information, knowledge, beliefs, concepts, systems, motivation, and action. A female leader in balance with her divine masculine energy is confident in her knowledge to teach and guide. She has a keen intellect and uses practical problem solving to make quick decisions. She takes action, follows through on strategies, and thrives within systems. She is a confident leader and doesn’t hesitate to ask for the sale. Her team and clients look to her for counsel. She communicates with assuredness and doesn’t get hung up on emotional details. She acts from a place of already having everything that she wants. An example of a female leader out of balancein her masculine energy will over-analyze everything, resulting in paralysis and inaction. She uses detachment as permission not to fully commit to her goals and working relationships and can easily walk away and “go it alone.” She’s judgmental of her competition and has a tendency towards elitism. She sees clients and revenue as something to acquire and will even use fear-based tactics to close sales, shaming people into buying. Take notice in these examples where they speak to parts of yourself that either resonate with you or trigger you. This will give you information for what is in or out of balance in your divine feminine and divine masculine aspects. Follow these steps to connect with and break through what is holding you from standing fully in your power, and rising as a feminine leader in your business: Identify Out of the examples and qualities listed of the feminine and masculine energy channels above, what stands out that reflects what is working well for you and raises a feeling of resistance within you? That which feels aligned and empowering is showing up in balance. That which feels like resistance or causes an emotional charge is indicating an imbalance. There’s no right or wrong, this is simply collecting data to help you become more self-aware. Make a list of your findings, and take some time to journal what comes up for you in how your behaviors and choices are showing up in your business with these two questions in mind: where am I thriving? Where am I holding back, and why? Explore Now that you have more clarity on what’s in or out of balance in your feminine and masculine energy by identifying how your own behaviors and choices show up, follow the trail of what you listed or journaled back to the source. Ask yourself these powerful questions and journal your answers: where were you displayed, taught, and represented, the behaviors and values that shaped your choices? What did you do or believe about yourself to emulate or compensate for what you were modeled? Who did you have to become, or what identity did you adopt in order to feel more loved, accepted, and valued? Imagine Our brains don’t know the difference between reality and imagination. Yet, it responds to what it perceives with an impulse that triggers a nervous system response that ultimately produces a feeling. We choose our actions and behaviors based on how we feel. The next step is to visualize yourself as a whole, complete, confident, fulfilled, feminine leader. What does it feel like to be standing in this picture? What does your business and life look like as a result of your leadership, connected to your internal power source, creating and innovating with ease and flow, letting your intuition guide you, and feeling in harmony with your passion-led mission? (keep journaling!) Choice As a leader of your life and business, you get to choose who you want to be on any given day- no matter who you’ve been. So, what would it look like to choose a new identity for yourself, one that represents who you’re ready to become? What new identity do you need to embody to bridge where you are currently to become the woman living in the visual above? Can you choose an identity rooted in abundance and limitlessness? What would you have to give up in order to do so? Describe yourself in your new identity and make this description your new daily declaration! Support Now it’s time to take inventory. What support do you need to help you break your glass ceiling? What resources do you have to lead your business to the next level and beyond? What resources do you need that will help you expand? Make a list of the resources you have and a list of the resources you need. Words are powerful, and they hold a vibration that broadcasts a frequency that the universe responds to. As a powerful creator, you have the ability to literally speak things into your reality. How many times can you count that you’ve spoken something and it came true? Let’s apply this to attract some assistance. With the list of resources you need, create a daily affirmation for each one, stated in the positive as if it has already manifested. Ex: “Unlimited resources are available to me to expand my team/run a marketing campaign/elevate my brand.” Affirmations only work if you say them, so the work for you to do is to speak these words consistently and frequently, so they become the object of your focus Hopefully, by now, you have some clarity on what needs to be brought into balance in your feminine and masculine energy channels, the empowered identity you’re ready to embody to create and innovate from, and the resources you need to become the feminine leader you crave to be. When you align your belief with your desire, anything is possible. You have to believe you can thrive as a feminine leader, that you can be in love with your business, and you will see it. As an empowered and aligned feminine leader, your business is a channel to make all of your dreams come true on your own terms. I hope these insights support your pursuit of happiness, fulfillment, and abundance on your journey of heart-centered contribution and creating positive change. The world needs you, and you couldn’t be more deserving. Follow Star on Facebook , Instagram , Clubhouse and visit her website . Star Hayward, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Star Hayward is a Spiritual Business Coach, public speaker, and writer. She specializes in guiding visionary women to become confident, fulfilled, feminine leaders in their business through radical self-love, emotional mastery, and magnetic business strategy. She has over 20 years of combined experience as a healing practitioner, spiritual mentor, entrepreneur, and coach. Star incorporates her training as a Reiki Master-Teacher and Certified Integrative Wellness & Life Coach to create deep transformations for her clients and help them step into a new depth of leadership, expansion, and impact. Her business growth strategies are designed to align her client’s highest vision with products and services that will create a prospering, legacy brand and lasting ripple effect.

Written by: Samantha Leske, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. It’s something we all hold within. Some are very aware, and others are still disconnected from their personal experiences. There is no judgment either way. Trauma does this. It keeps us looping out, either repeating the same situations over. or it places us on the consistent lookout for it to try to avoid it. Assuming you are aware, if you’re not, you may just assume it’s a family trait and get on with it. It may be downright obvious what the traumatic incident was, or it may be hidden behind our love for our parents. Or our own wanting to be normal; seriously, what is “normal “ anyway? To not be the spectacle in the room? When I grew up, I wasn’t allowed a voice. My parents were to be respected regardless. I thought that everything that happened was “normal , “ and my experience was the same as everyone else. It wasn’t until I was raising my 13-year-old brother at the ripe old age of 16, and both parents had walked away, that I began to see very clearly my experience was not the same as others. Then when I was raising my own child, I began to reflect on what experiences and expectations my parents had of me and what I wanted for my child. What I believed to be kind and loving. Oh, boy, was there a huge difference! This began the understanding of the abuse I had really experienced. It wasn’t until another 5 years after that that I understood the depth of the trauma I was holding. Over the years, as they have sporadically made an appearance, it was always filled with an expectation to conform to how the family has done things. They hadn’t been there for many years, but they still expected me to play the role they had created for me. (scapegoat) This is how trauma flows freely down the familial lines. There is a disconnect from the older generation where they can’t see or feel how their behavior impacts those expecting to receive it. They believe their need ; their right is of more value/importance, it can even be taken as far as “ you are disrespecting the family if you don’t...” Children (even adult children) not having the ability to say no, not feeling like they have an option to do things their way (following their own intuition) not being able to go against “tradition “ is exactly how trauma freely flows from one generation to the next and this is before we consider it was running through our DNA. Those around us not hearing our needs and wants trauma Those around us that put us down creates trauma Those around us that don’t take responsibility for the things they have done to hurt us and then either deny it or tell us that we have blown it out of proportion create trauma and are gaslighting us. And this is before we mention any kinds of abuse- physical, mental, emotional, sexual, or spiritual. Trauma is, by definition, energy (or an event) that has created an energy block that has no way of being resolved. This is why our childhoods are often a place where trauma is experienced- we as children are dependent upon our tribe for survival, we have to conform literally, regardless of how we feel about it. To be someone who ends these cycles, you have to see the experience for what it is. It’s not about deciding your parents were aresholes (maybe they were?) and never seeing them again. This may be necessary for your own safety and healing. It’s about being real about your personal experiences and how they made you feel. To feel safe to participate in this self-reflection and not feel guilty for it. We need to remember, hurt people, hurt people. Our parents hold trauma within them too. Until someone within your family line has the courage to be the one , it will flow freely to the next generation. What does the one look like? The black sheep . They do everything differently. They may appear difficult and want to do things their own way. They may say no when everyone else says yes. They are able to set boundaries and aren’t too fussed about how others feel about them. They have often made a declaration either out loud or to themselves that it will stop with them. They are also doing a few huge things at once. Creating a new way to parent and refusing for the old stuff to flow through to their kids. They are also simultaneously working on themselves , so they can heal their own experiences and not unconsciously pass down their wounds to their children. They are often doing it solo if they’ve had to walk away from their family, or if they haven’t, they could still be copping crap about “doing things differently. “ They may feel isolated but also know it’s important to make this stand. It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s often not even seen as a choice by those doing it. It’s a clear knowledge of where they have come from and knowing if they don’t create a stopping point. It’s going to flow to their children too. Those that have made this declaration are the change-makers and the warriors of our generation. In every piece of work we do, we heal ourselves, and the healing flows to those who came before us and prevented it from flowing down to our children. Trauma comes in many forms. Regardless of how it was created, it does a few things. It keeps those who hold it stuck and looping. It creates attractio n points within, so it keeps those loops flowing. If you don’t resolve it, you will get to watch your children experience it. Guaranteed. It keeps you locked in a lower vibration, thinking you are less than and not worthy. You emit a certain vibration that feeds lower-level beings. Yes, you read that correctly; this is just one reason why developing your psychic vision is so important, so you can see for yourself what’s going on. What I know after doing this work for 13 years is that everyone holds some form of trauma. It is possible to heal even the most horrendous experiences. You have to feel safe to heal it. You are worthy of not holding this any longer . Your life will improve greatly in ways you never expected once you have released your trauma. It doesn’t need to take years of therapy to take your power back and truly heal. Often we have held it so long ; we don’t remember how heavy it is. Ever filled a glass of water and extended your arm out from your body? Now imagine that glass of water is your trauma and now hold that glass for the same amount of time you’ve hidden your trauma; tired yet? You get to decide when you are ready and with whom you feel safe enough to do the work with. However, the trauma stays and continues to play out in your own private loop until you decide. I am worthy of being free. We don’t have a choice as children, but we do have a choice as adults how long we hold this energy and experience within our lives. Your life Your personal power Your loop Your choice. If you’re ready to let go, and put your glasses down, and discover life without your trauma leading the way, my services can be found here https://nurtureyouhealyou.com/ . For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram and visit my webs ite ! Read more from Samantha! Samantha Leske, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Samantha Leske is a Spiritual Healer and the CEO of Nurture you, Heal you. She specializes in trauma/ shadow work and teaching women how to love themselves unconditionally. After working in the industry for over 12 years, she has a varied skill set that allows the healings she offers to incorporate all levels of a soul's journey from this life to past and birthing timelines. Samantha has recently become the best-selling author on Amazon from her contribution to the multi-author book "Intuitive, knowing her truth." Her goals in life are to live a quiet rural life with her children and animals while engaging in her soul-led mission - to help as many people awaken and heal. Loving them while they come home to themselves and their own unconditional love and acceptance for themselves. To actively be a part of the solution.

Written by: Jodie Salt, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Why you should lighten up to become a luminary leader? ‘Luminary’ has become a more prominent word in my work recently. It means ‘a person who inspires or influences others, especially one prominent in a particular sphere’. My assertiveness coaching work, especially with female leaders, has shone a light on this as a particular area of focus as I support them to battle through the boardroom, successfully navigate the ‘boys club’ mentality, and shatter glass ceilings in their quest for credibility and influence. It all came to a head with a random lightbulb moment a couple of weeks back in the most bizarre of places. I was at a theme park with my two eldest daughters, and we’d just ridden the ‘The Smiler’ - Alton Towers’ biggest roller coaster with no fewer than 14 inversions and holding the world record for such. As we left the ride, I was overwhelmed with emotion. My chin was wobbling, I had a lump in my throat, and my eyes began to well up. The girls turned to me and asked, “What’s wrong, mum?” I replied, “There’s nothing wrong, in fact, completely the opposite. I feel alive!” Yes, I was overwhelmed but with joy. I felt the endorphins pumping through my veins. I felt invigorated, as if I’d been woken from an 18-month slumber. I’d no idea just how significant the negative impact this pandemic had had on me. I’d been numb. And if that is what had happened to me, then it sure as damn it had been happening for other people too. That lightbulb moment allowed me to see clearly that we’ve been living under such a big cloud for so long. It has worn us down, stripped us of our imagination, piled on the pressure and stress, pushed us to the brink of breakdown in some cases, and never have I noticed for myself and many leaders that I work with to such a degree, that we’re taking ourselves so seriously these days. The weight of responsibility and accountability has burnt us out. Feeling like this keeps us a million miles away from being a luminary leader. The answer? If I were to tell my clients to just ‘lighten up, will you!’ I’m not sure I’d get the best reaction but wait... there’s something really important and powerful in this if we look to neuroscience. My female clients specifically encounter an unwanted by-product that is a sure-fire sign that we’re on the money with this one. That sign is unexplained mid-section weight gain. It’s a classic stress signal in midlife. Here’s what’s going on... Operating under such pressure and taking ourselves so seriously causes the brain to release stress hormones - cortisol and adrenaline, whose primary job is to protect us and instigate our fight/flight response. (The mid-section weight element is protecting us by laying down fat around our organs). The issue is we’re constantly in this mode, and we’re not designed to be. The role of adrenaline is to redirect blood to muscles to run or fight when faced with danger. Our modern-day danger, however, is no longer a physical danger. It is a psychological danger, meaning that blood flow would better serve our brains than our limbs, thus hampering our ability to engage in rational decision-making when we need it most. To make good decisions and lead in a way that inspires and influences, ultimately becoming a luminary leader, requires us to reduce the levels and duration of the stress hormones and trigger the release of the feel-good hormones oxytocin and serotonin. And that’s what happened for me on that roller coaster. My body was flooded with happiness hormones, and I realized I hadn’t felt that in such a long time. These two hormones allow us to open up the learning centers in our brains so that we can tap into all of our resources. There is a tangible leadership benefit from feeling relaxed, happy, experiencing joy, and learning to lighten up! Here are some tell-tale signs that you might benefit from focusing on this as it’s not always obvious: Your accomplishments are never enough You second guess yourself You devalue your triumphs You constantly compare yourself to others You keep yourself awake at night You never take risks You are hard on others You don’t take any ‘me’ time You feel stressed quite often You very rarely find yourself laughing or having fun You’re stubborn and rigid And if you ticked off a few from that list, then here are my top tips to help you get started to making some positive changes: 1. Find humor – whether it’s in a comedy TV show or watching kittens on YouTube. Laughing reduces stress, anxiety, and fear. It bonds us with people. It boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, oxygenates the blood, relaxes muscles, increases pain tolerance, gives us more energy, and increases happiness! 2. Let go of the notion of perfection. Imperfection adds character. Get rid of or lower expectations of yourself and others. 3. Learn to manage and remove stress – step back, breathe, find the pause button – learn to respond rather than react. Practice coming from a place of desired results and principles, not moods, feelings, and circumstances. 4. Limit negativity. Negative thoughts turn into negative attitudes and actions. Focus on what can be done, not what can’t. Have an abundance mentality – always seeking new chances and opportunities. Seeing life longer term can help you perform better and remove the pressure and anxiety of scarcity and ‘only 1 shot’ mentality. 5. My favorite – be a rule breaker! – Some rules make you stubborn and rigid. Learn to bend the rules and improve your relationship with others 6. Keep working on your self–development, learning, reflection, etc. 7. Forgive easily – holding a grudge uses too much time and energy. Create peace and calm in your life. Learn how to effectively hold people accountable. Then let it go. 8. Lastly and most importantly, get out of the weeds and into the rainbows – what I mean by that is step back and discover what truly matters in your life? What is really worth your time, energy, and effort? If becoming a luminary leader is one of your goals or aspirations, you can read more about it in my new book, Woman Up, released on the 2nd of September 2021. You can be the first to be notified of its release and get access to exclusive resources by adding your email address to the waitlist. Want to learn more from Jodie? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website. Jodie Salt, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jodie Salt is an expert in assertiveness, leadership, and behavioral change. Following a successful corporate career as an Executive Coach, she now specializes in coaching women to help them smash the glass ceiling, navigate the boys club mentality and grow their credibility. She is co-founder of Ladies Life Lounge, an online members club for women who want more! Providing development, coaching, and a supportive community to help women live the happy, fulfilling & successful life they deserve. Jodie is also the author of Woman Up - The Modern Woman's Guide to Living a Liberated Life.

Written by: Alyson Williams, 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’s Selfness? Well, it’s closely related to Self-love and Self-care. One of the key questions related to Self-love and Self-care is: ‘Aren't self-care & self-love selfish?' Well, the answer is resounding no! Yet, we're taught that looking after ourselves first, putting ourselves before others is selfish, even rude at times. Words are so important — not just to convey meaning in communication with others but also the effect they have on ourselves! Sadly, words are also the weapons we use to beat ourselves up with — our own words and other people’s words. So, when talking about looking after ourselves for our own health & well-being, the word 'selfish' has gt to go! Out! Instead, enter the word 'SELFNESS!' (Yes, I created a new word for a worthy cause!) Professor Google defines the suffix “ness” as describing a state of being. By my reckoning, this makes ‘self+ness' the state of being oneself, spot-on for self-care & self-love. Selfness is the state of being ourselves! Yippee! Hurray! Celebrate! Join the Selfness Movement, promote the use of selfness as a word to describe the beauty of acknowledging & honoring ourselves. Words matter! Words are how we process our thoughts, and they're how we perceive our world. Words are the currency for relationships — connecting and communicating with each other and ourselves! Selfness promotes a healthy view of self! The more selfness there is in the world, the more self-acceptance we'll have. The more self-acceptance people feel, the less likely they are to experience negative thoughts, emotions, and behavior towards themselves and others! Maybe better mental health & well-being, even! Too simple, too naive? I hope not. As an optimist, I'm a firm believer that there is always something to be grateful for, that one person can make a difference. As a self-love mentor and advocate, I’m passionate about empowering women to fall (back) in love with themselves and live a life they desire and deserve. With this in mind, I really want to normalize the state of selfness to acknowledge and honor ourselves. So jump on board, and let's spread selfness as a concept — a feeling and something we should all strive for! Let's do this for others and ourselves! How do we do this? Use selfness in your conversations, posts, talk about it, explain what it means, get others on board. The more we say it, use it, explain what it is, and do it, the more selfness we’ll see in the world! Let’s do this! Book now or email at coach.pylc@gmail.com . You can also visit her website , linktr.ee , or contact Alyson via Facebook Messenger , LinkedIn , or +61 432 580 886. Read more from Alyson! Alyson Williams, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine In her previous life, Alyson was a teacher. For 12 years, she taught first adults, then high school students. After that, she became a public servant, retiring in 2019 after 25 years with the Australian Department of Defence. She started coaching because all through her adult life, Alyson has been informally coaching and mentoring family, friends, and colleagues. Following the collapse of her comfortable life in 2013, she overcame several major challenges to now live a life of purpose and fulfillment in her new career as a coach. Alyson is an NLP Master Coach, Extended DISC practitioner, relationship coach, leadership coach, and trained hypnotherapist.

Written by: Paul L. Glover, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I recently attended a dinner for Autism Speaks with a coaching client and his management team. To illustrate how those with autism can be included in mainstream activities, the keynote speaker told the story of an autistic boy in high school who discovered he could kick a football through the goalposts. He practiced so diligently he became the field goal and point-after touchdowns kicker for his high school football team. The speaker then showed a video of him kicking the winning field goal in the championship game and his team celebrating his achievement. When the video finished, I looked around my table and then the entire room. It was readily apparent that this room full of “macho guys,” including me, who were surreptitiously using their dinner napkins to dry their eyes, had been emotionally impacted by the video of this young man and his team celebrating their victory. And, if the speaker had been looking for it, she would have seen the impact the video had on the audience and realized she had a “window of opportunity.” And, to take advantage of this unexpected “window of opportunity,” all she had to say was, “While we appreciate the support and the donations you have made, we need you to donate more. Because young men and young women, like the young man in this video, need as much support as you can afford to give them.” And the audience, including me, would have willingly emptied their pockets and donated more money to support Autism Speaks. Instead, the speaker thanked everyone for their support and donations and left the stage. The moment passed, the audience regained its composure, and the “window of opportunity” closed. Unfortunately, the same thing happens to Team Leaders throughout each day of their workweek. “Windows of opportunity” occur daily as they interact with their Team Members, other Teams, customers, and vendors. However, because Team Leaders have been trained to be in constant performance mode – head down and focused on grinding out the day’s tasks and putting out the day’s fires – Team Leaders are too busy to see them. And, like the Autism Speak presenter, they miss the opportunity to create greater value by failing to recognize the opportunity even exists. Fortunately, every interaction with Team Members and other stakeholders can provide a “window of opportunity.” All it requires is that Team Leaders are actively looking for it and, once they see it, are then willing to expend the time and attention necessary to react positively to the opportunity. Here are examples of “windows of opportunity” that occur every day as Team Leaders interact with their Team Members: The opportunity to offer assistance without being asked. The opportunity to recognize an achievement. The opportunity to encourage. The opportunity to inspire. The opportunity to communicate. The opportunity to empower. The opportunity to train. The opportunity to develop. The opportunity to coach. There is no doubt, because of the increased anxiety caused by the pandemic and its impact on the economy, it has become even more important for Team Leaders to recognize these and other “windows of opportunity” and react positively and spontaneously at the moment if they want to maintain a High-Performance Work Team. “What ‘window of opportunity’ did you open today?” is a question every Team Leader should be able to answer at the end of every day. Want to learn more from Paul? Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit his website. Read more from Paul! Paul L. Glover, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Paul is known as The No B.S. Workplace Performance Coach. For the last 30 years, his mission has been to assist Executives, Team Leaders, and their organizations in achieving their full potential. His approach is practical, hands-on, grounded in the realities of the real world of work, and very results-oriented – but all applied with a sense of humor and panache. Paul is also a "recovering trial lawyer," a Chicago Bears fanatic, an unabashed Starbucks addict, and the author of WorkQuake™, a book dedicated to how to thrive in the Information Economy and a Member of the Forbes Coaching Council.

Written by: Chef LaToya Larkin, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. When it comes to my definition of success. There are many ways to define success, in my opinion. I think the biggest thing when it comes down to success is truly living in your purpose and fulfilling your passion. When you are doing what you truly love, money naturally comes with it. Applying the law of attraction principles in life also plays a part in the success that will come your way. It is a great feeling to set goals and see them come to life when you can cross off goals from your list. In a sense, there comes a feeling of satisfaction and peace of mind knowing you can accomplish anything you set your mind out to do. When you truly apply yourself, giving your all and doing the best you can. Develop Expertise I feel that I have achieved a level of success at a young age and will keep striving for continual success. I keep myself on track with a purse-size journal by writing down all goals and then with each goal. Give me a detailed action plan of how to accomplish the goals and things to do to get it done. I also give myself a timeline of when I will give myself to accomplish the goal because a goal without a deadline is no much more than a dream. I have always had the goal of being a published author and doing technical writing. By the age of 28, I was able to secure a book deal and become a published author. Not to mention, I develop and write the culinary curriculum for my school district. Doing these simple tasks has kept me on track and task to honing my skills and further development of the craft. Financially Comfortable I have always wanted to be a trainer and teacher. I had the opportunity to do both and am good at what I do. There was a point in my life where I struggled to find employment, and no matter how many job interviews I went on and different jobs in between. It was a struggle to find something that was true for me. I can proudly say that I have reached an optimum level of success in my career because now I’m blessed to be sought after. It’s a good feeling to turn down jobs and know that I have options of when I’m ready to leave. Someone is ready to receive me and know the value of what I bring to their company. God blessed me with the vision of my nonprofit and knows that sooner than later, it will come to life. Making A Difference When you truly love yourself, love what you do, and love everything about how do you do things in your life. Knowing the difference between needs and wants while remembering work and balance helps define the core values of who you are. When you know who you are, then you have reached a level of success because so many people go through life not knowing who they are. More so, you are relatable to reach people to make a real difference in the lives of peoples path you cross. Overall, my definition of success is living your best life unapologetically accomplishing everything you set your sights out to achieve. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Chef LaToya Larkin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Chef LaToya Larkin, CCE, is the Program Coordinator of the Culinary Arts Program at Spring High School while being the first African American Female Chef in the district (Spring ISD) in Spring, TX. Her 20 years of expansive knowledge and culinary passion have led to lifetime achievement opportunities. She received her MBA (Nonprofit Management) from Springfield College, BS (Culinary Management) from The Art Institute of Atlanta, and AAS (Culinary Arts) from The Art Institute of Houston. Besides the education field, Chef Larkin operates three businesses that reflect her passions in life. Tamale product line “Black Girl Tamales” of signature fusion tamales, Not Enough Thyme Personal Chef Services, a personal chef/catering business, clothing line Divah Chef Apparel of shirts & aprons, and It’s Thyme 4a Change, is a non-profit organization catering to at-risk youth to mentor and guide while planting the positive seed to exemplify the vast opportunities of culinary. Chef Larkin is an award-winning acclaimed chef that had the opportunity to cook for many of elite Black Hollywood to include: Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend, and Dianna Ross. She’s a literary partner in the upcoming project “Business Secret Success Entrepreneurial Thinking That Works” scheduled to be released in March 2021. She’s devoted to inspiring the youth to be all they can be so that everyone can connect to eternal love, which is the reason for our existence, and reach their full potential. Sharing her wisdom, knowledge, life experiences, and triumphs commits her to make a difference in the lives of others. She’s happy to embrace the opportunity to take part in the uplifting and happiness of others.

Written by: Reem Borrows, 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. TV is not my thing. If you left it up to me, the TV would never be turned on in our home. There are so many other things I would rather do, and as I reflect, I guess you could say I’m a bit of a TV snob. Until a friend recommended I watch the Netflix series Lucifer that is. At first, I laughed at the thought of enjoying a show about the devil. Just the idea of Satan retiring to LA to run a nightclub and pairing with a homicide detective to punish the guilty here on earth seemed pretty silly to me. But then, one evening, I turned it on, and by the end of the second episode, I was hooked. One could argue the execution of the show is flawless because how else can so many viewers be hooked? But it’s more than that. The show in itself is repetitive, the plot shallow, the ending of most episodes predictable in that the bad guy gets caught every time, and it’s cheesy. Yet, it struck me how many valuable lessons we could all learn from this show, in both our personal and business lives. It had me hooked because of its simple yet powerful messages. Here are just 4 things I have taken away from this show that has taught me to question and understand human behavior, actions, and results even more: 1. Desire In every episode, we see Lucifer use one of his key superpowers - Hypnosis. Satan has the ability to draw out anyone’s deepest, darkest secrets and desires. The person he is using his “mojo”, on usually involuntarily, reveals their innermost desires and secrets after being asked one simple question: “What is it that you truly desire?” From there, we hear every person responding with their true inner wants and dreams. This is where we realize that so many dreams are not being lived and left to waste away. This may just be a show, but how many of us do that in real life? How many of us are doing exactly what it is that we truly desire? If not, why aren’t we? Where does that leave us? How satisfied are we, and how are we turning up each day if we are not following our dreams? What is stopping us from following our desires? There is so much information out there on the power of following our dreams, and yet according to the “Global Emotional Report” – 2017, 85% of people are not happy in the workplace, and close to 40% claimed they suffered from stress. What is it going to take for us to live our life by design? If we are not in control of our life, then who have we relinquished that control to? What do we need for each of us to take that control back? Finally, if 85% of people are not satisfied in their workplace, what does this mean for organizations? Are we getting the best possible results with the best possible plans and solutions? Or are we merely grinding our way through each day and allowing circumstances to control all outcomes? What is the opportunity cost of this to business? I don’t think you can ask this question of yourself enough times each and every day before making a decision. There are many variations of this question, including: What do I want? What would I like the outcome to be? What does the solution look like? Ideally, how would I like this situation to be resolved? Imagine the results we will get when we always work from the end in mind by focusing on what we want, rather than allowing what we don’t want to take control of? 2. Accountability What an incredible lesson this was to learn from the show. Satan often points out that he is merely the keeper and minder of Hell. People blame him for the evil they face. What we learn is that we need to take responsibility for who we have become and the actions we take. In reality, what happens to us is not always our fault, but our responses to those events should not be excused by them: we have a lot more power over our lives than we think. It is easy to shift the blame on everything outside of us, but it’s only when we take responsibility and full accountability for everything that happens in our lives that we grow and flourish. Lucifer himself even blames God for his own misfortune. He looked like a monster simply because he saw himself as one. Only when he believed and showed otherwise did he gain his angel wings back. How often do we play the blame game and not take responsibility for the results in our life or in business? The reason we look to blame others or outside circumstances is to make ourselves feel better and to fill a void we already have on the inside. We have been conditioned to do this. When we judge, it makes us feel better, but only temporarily. The challenge with this blame game is we then create our own pain by wishing for something to be different, and yet again, we relinquish control. Just imagine what we could create if we stopped blaming external circumstances, accepted responsibility, and looked from within for optimal solutions? How much more powerful would the solutions and results be? In the workplace, we see people ducking and shifting blame as a self-protection mechanism all the time. So much time and energy can be saved when we accept full accountability and once again move on to the solution. Where our attention goes, our energy flows. 3. Perception This is where Lucifer becomes an even more interesting show. There are angels, demons, and various distinctive otherworldly beings running around. On the surface, it’s a case of good vs evil, right vs. wrong. Or so you think. After watching a couple of episodes, you come to see how everything and everyone can be tested. One minute you are watching angels protecting humans and then turning on them with their full wrath. The next minute you experience an enormous amount of pull towards the “demons” rescuing, protecting, saving the world, and you are cheering them on. You can even empathize with those who have done wrong and want them to be granted a second chance. The show provides us with an opportunity to see things from a completely different viewpoint. How can this be? We watch almost every character being pushed to the edge and having to make choices they normally would not have to make and are surprised by the pure evil or pure kindness they display. This leaves you wondering what is right or wrong, and what is good or bad? The answer all depends on what lens we are using to judge. Perception is such a powerful mental muscle when used to its fullest potential. According to Dr. Joe Dispenza, a Neuroscientist, we have up to 400 billion bits of information coming at us in any one second. To cope with this flood of information, our brain works hard to filter as much of what is being thrown our way as possible. We are only aware of 2,000 bits of this information in any one second. Which 2,000 bits of information we become aware of will all depend on our beliefs, values, and conditioning. So, the most important questions to ask ourselves are; What are we not seeing? What are we not aware of? How can we perceive things differently? If we looked at things from a different vantage point, would our decision, judgment, or views be different? This is precisely why we need so much more diversity in our lives and our workplace. To have a fixed mindset to only allow limited views based on what we are aware of inhibits growth. How often do you find yourself unwilling to accept new ideas? What if there was always a better way of doing things? What if you allowed yourself to entertain a whole host of new ideas before making a decision? In a work setting, how powerful would that be? Rather than doing things “as we have always done them” and expecting new results, what would happen if we truly embraced new possibilities? What if we stopped judging and allowing ourselves to be locked into narrow views? What Is Judgment Anyway And How Quickly Do We Judge? Judgment is one of the biggest blockers of creativity. The only reason we judge others is to make ourselves feel better and deflect what we don’t want ourselves to feel on the inside. This may make us feel better temporarily, but it’s not a fix because we are robbing ourselves of so many possibilities, and that void we feel will always come back until we fill it the right way from the inside. So, ask yourself these questions: How often have you rejected an idea or judged someone in the workplace? What if by doing this, you robbed yourself and your team of an incredible opportunity to learn and grow because you allowed your ego to get in the way? 4. Faith Over Fear – Letting Go Of Ego This brings us to the final point—the Ego. Our ego is there to protect us because that is how our brain has been wired. We live in a 2020 body with a prehistoric brain. It’s a case of fight or flight, feeling safe and accepted and never being rejected from the “herd.” Safety comes in numbers, and so conformity is a mechanism our brain uses to help protect us from being thrown out of the “herd.” What does this mean? Well, we are conditioned to live through fear. Lucifer is based on three key elements. What is it that you truly desire? You create your own reality, and depending on what you focus on, you get what you ask for. If you focus on what you want, you create what you want. If you focus on everything you don’t want, you will create that precisely. You choose!! Do you have a fixed mindset, and are you judging a situation with limited information? Or do you have a growth mindset and are open to exploring and entertaining many ideas before accepting or rejecting them? Again, according to Lucifer Morningside, he is merely the keeper of “Hell.” It is humans that choose their path. While pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice. The only reason we suffer is that we are constantly in resistance mode. We resist because we are operating from a place of fear to protect ourselves without even realizing it. We are constantly looking to the external world to find what is missing, yet we already have everything we need inside us. Most of us look at this and think this answer is too simple. “What do you mean we already have everything inside us? Surely there is more?” Well, this is as simple as it gets. You already have everything you possibly could want, so stop looking far and wide and go within. The second you take accountability and responsibility for everything in your life is the second you start to grow. Jim Rohn puts it best: “Your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development because success is something you attract by the person you become.” The first place to start is self-development, and as our infamous Lucifer would ask: “What is it that you truly desire?” Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! Reem Borrows, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Reem Borrows, the founder of Dreem Coaching and Consulting, facilitates change for meaningful growth. For over 20 years, Reem worked in Senior Leadership Roles, leading and developing effective teams and individuals across the areas of Sales, Marketing, and Training. Today, she uses her knowledge and expertise to help people realize their full potential in both business and personal goals. Reem’s authenticity as a leader, her business acumen, mindset development strategies, and her dedication to achieving results are the foundation of her work. She cultivates the principles, strategies, execution plans, and fundamentals of a winning mindset. She has a passion for helping people find their true calling so they can unleash their inner power. Reem focuses on helping her clients grow exponentially with Balance, Focus, and Flow. Her services are the helpful current that pushes clients in the right direction and provides them with the structure they need to make vital progress with results that stick.

Written by: Kim Conway, 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 are you manifesting? Each of us is presented with the challenge of allowing our souls to lead us instead of our thoughts. How well will you do with this? It is true; our thoughts are powerful creators, and in the words of Edgar Cayce, “Thoughts are things." What we believe becomes our truth. Inside each of us lives the power of the Creator of all, and this power creates our reality. This is good news because it means we have the power to change any aspects of ourselves and our lives! Wow! It is often The thoughts in your head That lead you down your path Instead Of the wisdom of your soul and for many It takes until You grow old To know your truth And hear it told. The thoughts inside your mind Create the journey You will find And often take you To a place You do not wish to go And when you arrive Please know You steered Your very own ship taking over the wheel And when this occurs, You truly feel A discourse A dissatisfaction And desire a completely new Direction and action... How Do We Surrender To The Loving Guidance Of Our Souls? First, we must recognize the difference between the thoughts of our ego-mind and wisdom from our souls. This is not so difficult. Our souls are our greatest cheerleaders. They fill us with encouragement, believe in us, and tell us this in each message they send. Our souls send us thoughts wrapped in love, compassion, and kindness. Our ego-mind has the job of filling us with doubt and challenges us. It makes us work hard to know our true selves and feel close to our divinity. It challenges us to trust we are connected to the power of the Creator of all. The further we move from this truth, the more chaotic the creation we sculpt. We create a path of confusion rather than peace. ...What if you decide To surrender and trust To what is inside Of your great essence Held within the embrace Of your aura And your rainbow Of color What would occur If you allowed Your own soul to rise? What would you then see With your magnificent eyes? How would this change Your journey and direction? Now have we claimed Your attention For when you settle. For the thoughts in your mind You will only find A dissatisfaction And a slowing down Of your soul’s journey... How Can We Allow Our Souls To Sculpt Our Journey? Each of us has an artist within us. If we allow our sculptors to be our souls instead of our ego minds, imagine the beauty created! We make knowing our souls so complex when it is actually simple. It is an illusion created by our ego minds which makes us believe we are disconnected from our souls. Our souls are always within reach and with us. It is in the moments of silence and absence of any stimulation we can most easily feel and experience our souls. ...For inside Each of you Is an early morning sunrise Filled with a rainbow Of color. Allow it to rise And envelop you Telling you the truth Of what you desire to know And allow your path To be lit And all aglow With the truth Bathing in your own light Giving you clairvoyance The gift of sight To see the unseen To discover all of the wisdom To create a journey Of truth and glory To discover your very own power. Allow your soul To wash away The thoughts in your mind And replace them With love And you shall find The truth of you The journey you take Is filled with growth And messages of kind And gentle glory Allow this To be your story. Tip To Get To Know Your Soul: Sit in absolute silence and imagine the energy of mother earth stirring your soul. Imagine your soul rising up and enveloping you in its lights. See its color and enjoy the feeling of love and peace. Give your steering wheel. Do this as often as you need and notice how your life and path changes in beautiful ways. Enjoy! If you would like to be led on a meditative journey to sit with your soul, try Kim’s channeled meditation album, SoulJourneys, on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTubeMusic. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website! Read more from Kim! Kim Conway, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kim Conway, LICSW, Coach, Medium, Reiki Master. Kim believes we all have the capacity to overcome our struggles and that our souls are the most powerful healers and our greatest guide. Her approach is spiritual, helping clients develop a relationship with their souls, which supports us in every aspect of our lives and helps guide us to heal, evolve, and grow. She incorporates intuitive work, energy healing, and education in her soul coaching program to help you discover and know your soul for personal development, guidance, and healing. Kim is a LICSW, developed spiritual medium, and Reiki Master Teacher who offers soul coaching, mediumship, intuitive and Oracle card readings, meditations, energy healing, and spiritual and intuitive development classes. You can listen to her Podcast, Soul Inspirations, meditation album, Soul Journeys for inspiration and healing. Kim is the Entrepreneuress of Kim Conway, LLC.

Written by: Serena Scarlett, 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. Witches get a bad rap. Wicked natures, warts, and scary cult-like followers in weird and wonderful clothing. It’s not like that. Your normal-seeming neighbor could be a witch as she lovingly stirs good vibes into the dinner on the stove and sprays an essential oil mist onto folded linen to smell fresh and lovely on her children’s beds. A spell, essentially, is you plus other ingredients. All life could be considered a spell, either well-crafted or poorly put together. Intentions are the main ingredient. Do you have clear and specific goals? Do you add the ingredients needed for manifestation? Do, do, and do some more? Radical leaders are seen as those who speak up early, speak out when others are quiet, challenge the status quo, and don’t give up easily when people try to quash their words or actions. We all hear about environmental greenies who tie themselves to trees or bulldozers. Women in the early days of women’s liberation helped us all get the vote in western societies. Why do people need a radical or rebellious start for change? Because we lack leadership. If we take more responsibility for any aspect of life and speak up, or live right and be the way we believe we should, are we radical? Perhaps we’re seen as a tall poppy. But should it be viewed that way? I don’t believe so. Many are better at going with the majority , blending in, or, at least, not speaking out to keep the peace and there are times for that when it's right. Radical healers are needed now. Where are the people who know what heals? Who are the naturopaths, the herbalists, and others who can tell us what boosts our immune system safely to prevent illness during this pandemic? I want to hear them shouting from the rooftops. Do they risk losing their license? Like the doctor who lost his license for using medical cannabis to heal severely affected children with epilepsy. We owe so much to the sacrifice he made, as his (now clinically proven) healing paved the way for many in Australia. It is finally legal to be prescribed medical cannabis now. Vitamin D has been in the news, and Vitamin C and others such as Zinc are all good supplements to give your body an immunity boost. The essential oil Oregano is a potent and powerful natural antibiotic and more. It's readily available in capsules at your friendly health food store and online. RELIV Defense is a new product recently launched in Australia and New Zealand (as well as the US) to help us humans. Sprays of essential oils such as eucalyptus or Ayers & Co natural sanitizer, which kills bacteria on surfaces for 24 hours, are available for purchase. Where are the radical health experts who could shout out this information for others to access? One doesn’t have to claim it's a cure or prevention for all that is Covid-19, but these products can be a great support to our system and situations right now. I am sharing this information that I have heard of because not everyone can get vaccinated, and alternative and complementary support is vital. I am not an anti-vaxxer. I have had both shots. But more needs to happen, more needs to be said. Health messages, please! Let's start a revolution in quiet and wise ways. Have we become so controlled by rules and regulations that the natural herbal remedies and good health and hygiene habits have largely been forgotten? Fresh fruit and greens, a healthy diet with a balance of some protein, combined with exercise and some human connection. It’s not rocket science to look into some good healthy foods and habits to boost wellness. Take some vitamins as well, if you need to. Do all that you can do. Sure, many people have health conditions, and there is no simple solution. That's understandable, but for many of us, there are ways we can move into better protection. Radical leaders and wise ones have their own stories to share as well. Wise one Caryl on her website Charms of Flight writes: “Pyrite is a powerful protection stone which shields and protects against all forms of negative vibrations and/or energy, working on the physical, etheric, and emotional levels. ... “It can be used in the treatment of bones and in the healing of cell formation. It treats lung disorders and bronchitis and has been used to reduce swelling and fevers. Pyrite aids in the treatment of infectious disease, whilst also providing protection from the disease for the caregivers”. I have pyrite in my home, I never knew it had so many purported powers! Smokey quartz is another common crystal traditionally used for protection. Julie Nelson, a modern-day white witch, has started a new Rich Witch Magick Facebook Group, www.facebook.com/groups/richwitchmagick/ , which launches publicly on 2nd August 2021. Julie says her members provide energy healing for the planet with the most recent invocation of a powerful Goddess from history called upon to heal and protect. Often answers are so simple they don’t make a big noise, and we miss hearing them. People's prayers are often quietly done at home and go unnoticed by others. In general, we don’t feel inspired to change unless things are really bad. Unfortunately, that seems to be the way of human nature. We need change now! We need radical change for a healthier way to live if we are going to have to keep living with Covid-19 for some time. Someone may have a cure or prevention. Let's not be shy about sharing what tried and tested things we already know. It's not all about making money, or politics. Share for information’s sake, and for goodness’ sake. Getting online is a great way to get the information out there, and online businesses are in a boom. But there are traps for the newcomer. The rah rah internet marketers get noticed. They get business and often make masses of money from aspiring individuals. People with a flashy, luxury look, claiming to be money-makers, mentor others in monetizing, when they may not really have done it themselves. These appeal to our shallower natures; we are sucked in by good looks and the shiny new thing. These businesses are the ‘bad’ side of the online world, as are straight-out scams. On the good side, there is an amazing amount of opportunity and many simple solutions that work effectively. Call me old-fashioned or slow , I don’t know, but I don’t build big email lists or flood Facebook with flashy advertising. I work steadily, writing, helping, doing copywriting, ghostwriting, and content for those in authentic businesses. My passion is helping those in spirituality, witchery, healing as well as entrepreneurs improving the world for others. Those in coaching, wellness, and more. If you want a hand with your business to power it up purposefully with the purest heartfelt help, feel welcome to contact me. I would love to lift your visibility, add some creative crack and join you in shooting for the stars. Let’s make some radical shifts and wise up . Rise up and be the true you. Share your helping, healing, or wise ways. The world is waiting for you to share your uniqueness. It needs you to speak up. Now. The fine print ​Results are not typical. I cannot guarantee your success, which in business is dependent on consistent effort and skill. Individual results may vary. The level of your success and the results you achieve in health or business will be subject to a number of wide-ranging factors, which include (but are not limited to) your background, your education and skill level, your experience, your effort as well as other factors. I ask that you weigh up and give due consideration to the opportunities and the risks involved before taking up what's offered from my writing or other services. Consult a medical practitioner such as your doctor before changing medications, supplements, and support. Yours, Serena Follow Serena on her Faceboo k , LinkedIn and visit her website for more info. Read more from Serena! Serena Scarlett, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Serena ignites messages while maintaining the business owner’s feel and stamp. Wholistic copywriting with alternative approaches are central for supporting unique businesses. When Magic (and the opposite) happens, Serena provides Mentoring. She delivers creative problem solving, outside-the-box solutions, and stratagems. Whatever the role or project, Serena powers it up and packs a punch. This includes presenting to a SharkTank / Dragon’s Den-style panel and a public audience at the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship in 2019. Copywriting for web pages and marketing materials are her core functions, and being a Wholistic Mentor for Entrepreneurs. The nitty-gritty / hard yards achieved: designed and ran spiritual groups, mindfulness, relaxation, and meditation classes taught conventional classes on marketing & small business management, financial (debt) management sessions, therapeutic counseling and case management, start-up and business mentoring copywriting, making business presentations, entrepreneurial pitches. International Business Mentor, with clients in the USA, Europe, and Australia. Companies that worked for include International Legal firm VisAustralia, Counselling services Converge International, Belconnen Community Services Canberra, Mission Australia, and Anglicare Canberra covering South East and South West NSW, Australia. And currently an Entrepreneur Serena Scarlett as a Spiritual Wordsmith / Wholistic Copywriting & Mentoring. KEY QUALIFICATIONS (Quals) Copywriting Training & Internet Marketing by Hot Copy, Graduate units Sydney School of Entrepreneurship, Ideation & Structure for Success in 2019 fuelled this further. Formal Quals include: B. App Sci Health (& Community) Education Post Grad Community Counselling Dip Financial Counselling. Create Your Destiny graduate with William Whitecloud April 2021 Mind Soul Spirit workshops (30 + years) The latter two being personal, spiritual, and psychic development.