Written by: Gurpreet Kaur, 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 was 2 o’clock in the morning and I was sitting with my journal in hands and trying to make sense of my life. I was sitting alone in my tiny dark apartment when I out loud asked myself these questions: Where is God? What is God? Why isn’t he helping me right now when I need him the most? I was depressed and life didn’t make much sense to me. I still had a job to pay the bills and was working hard to maintain a 3.9 GPA in my Masters program. I was doing what I was supposed to be doing as a 23-year-old young adult but I sure wasn’t feeling happy. I always have been a deep thinker so God has been a part of my psyche from the beginning. I was always fascinated with God. So, I have been curious about how God helps people and why. Who is deserving of his blessings and why? What do “the unfortunate” people like me needed to do to be more worthy of his blessings? It’s All Up to You Many such questions were swirling in my head, but no satisfying answers were present. Studying humanistic and existential psychology frameworks was helpful in realizing that there is more to me than flesh and blood. I was craving for answers on how to create a happier and struggle-free life. I didn’t want to be unhappy, sad, depressed, or broke. The more I worked towards creating a happy, joyful, and abundant life, the more I realized that it is all up to me. God doesn’t bless you because you have been good. God doesn’t curse you because you have been bad. In fact, there is no good or bad. It just is. Stop Judging Yourself as “Good” or “Bad” When you practice being non-judgmental towards yourself, you set yourself free from all the shackles that are created by society. I definitely have broken many such shackles that were all in my head. Nobody was holding me back but myself. No God was going to bestow blessings on me because I was being “good.” This notion of being good or bad creates duality in your mind that makes you judge your own actions and behaviors. You start to categorize your actions into these “good or bad” categories. You start to stop your own blessings because you feel you don’t deserve a good grade because you didn’t study hard enough. You feel you don’t deserve a big house because you are lazy. You feel you don’t deserve a sexy body because you don’t exercise for hours. You feel you don’t ______ because ______. You fill in the blank with your limiting beliefs. Prefer Growth Over Fear I was afraid of admitting that I did not need God. And it was because I felt scared by God. God was something that judged me to decide whether I was worthy of his blessings or not. It took me a long time and a lot of soul searching to realize that God is within me. I just have to come out of the illusion of my own conditioned and scared ego. The God I know today is very different than what I learned about from my upbringing. With this realization came the understanding that I can have anything I want if I work towards that. For me it became the process of finding God within me. It became about growth and development instead of waiting for God’s blessings. I learned that I had to work towards them. I needed goals with due dates, I needed a plan of action, and I needed to take some actions. Find God Within I realized God doesn’t come down to create your goals for you. God gave you that ability so you have to do that for yourself. Have you ever heard that “God doesn’t help those who can’t help themselves?” I feel it is so true. Not because God hates on those who don’t do anything. It’s just that they don’t claim their Godliness from within. And I believe the whole purpose of your life on this earth is to realize your Godliness. Any struggle or hurdle you face in life is to remind you that you are more powerful than you think you are. Your job then becomes finding more power and strength within you. Dream Big. Create Goals. Take Action. So, I would encourage you to write down your goals. Put your dreams on a piece of paper and put a due date next to them. Research shows that people who write their goals achieve 50% more likely to achieve than people without goals. Pretty much all motivational and success gurus teach those written goals get accomplished. Please don’t wait for God to bless you with certain things you desire. You will have to put the work into it. Start with dreaming big. And break down that dream into achievable goals. And put a due date to those goals. If you don’t achieve it by that end, that’s fine. But do put a date for your goals. Now get to work. Find out what you need to do to achieve that goal. What you need to learn and become before you can realize that goal. You are God in the making. Realize that. You are powerful beyond measures, my friend. Claim it. Follow Gurpreet on her Facebook, Instagram and visit her website for more info! Read more from Gurpreet! Gurpreet Kaur, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Gurpreet Kaur is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Life Coach, Speaker, and an Author. Dr. Kaur is very passionate about self-love, self-empowerment, wellness, reaching the full potential, and applying quantum mechanics principles to daily life. Dr. Kaur teaches a step-by-step self-care process to live a mentally and emotionally healthy life.

Written by: Anna Filatova, 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. Running my own company was always a big dream of mine. However, it took me years and a lot of courage to pursue my dreams and become a coach and mentor, and I’ve never looked back since. I’m finally doing what I love. The most rewarding part of being a coach is to see others getting huge results and moving towards something so big that they thought they were never able to reach. Even though being a CEO of your company is great, with a big title come a lot of responsibilities. When you run your own company, you have to wear a lot of hats, and you have to be comfortable with all of them. There’re many things that we have to do for our companies, but I believe there’re 3 main things that every CEO should focus on to be successful: the company’s vision, team building, and the company’s financial situation. 1. Company’s vision “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” —Jonathan Swift Your company’s vision is your company’s direction. It’ll motivate you and your team if you have one and keep everyone on track towards what you want to achieve in your business. As they say, if you don't know where you're going, how will you get there? As a CEO, you need to understand the present and know what is possible in the future. This will allow you to create and put in place strategies that will help you to map out your way to success. 2. Team building “Together, ordinary people can achieve extraordinary results.” — Becka Schoettle Even if you’re a solopreneur and don’t have a full-time team yet, you need to surround yourself with those who can help you in the different areas when you’re stuck or need advice. For example, you might touch base with an accountant every quarter to look at your finances or hire a virtual assistant to help you with a couple of temporary tasks. Either way, you have to make sure that you’re building the best possible team. Ideally, you want to work with and hire those who are better and smarter than you. If you achieve this, you won’t need to worry about their performance and capabilities. All you have to do is lead them, coach, and delegate the tasks. 3. Company’s financial situation “Cash is to a business as oxygen is to an individual: never thought about when it is present, the only thing in mind when it is absent.” — Warren Buffet When you’re are solopreneur, the decisions that you make will make the fate of your business. One of the most important decisions that you’ll have to make is about your company’s finances. In order to do that, you need to understand various financial statements, the difference between revenue and profit, how to keep your expenses to a minimum, and why cash flow is important. You’ll need to make short and long-term financial plans and create strategies that will get you there. Even though these 3 things should be your main focus, the reality is that you’ll have much more than these 3 things on your plate. Especially if you’re a solopreneur, you’ll have to be an effective leader, marketing manager, strategist, salesperson, accountant, customer service manager, and procurement manager. You’ll be responsible for every decision you make, including the tough ones, and you need to be certain of those decisions. As a CEO, you’ll use a lot of your own resources, such as energy, time, and money. If you’re spending too much energy and time on a task that can be delegated, hire someone to do it for you. If you don’t have the resources to hire, you’ll have to prioritize and do what is the most important at that particular time. Being a CEO can be tough, but it’s also incredible being your own boss. You can set your own schedule, have flexibility and freedom and do what matters to you rather than what someone else wants you to do. I’m certain that becoming a CEO was the best decision I’ve ever made. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Anna! Anna Filatova, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Anna is the founder of Dreams and Beyond Coaching Ltd, a coaching and mentoring firm that was founded in March 2020. The company is LGBTQ+ friendly and it offers a variety of services including 1:1 coaching and mentoring, one day intensives, group programs and DISC personality profiling. The services are available internationally as most of the work is done online. From a young age, Anna has been curious about learning and development and areas such as personal fulfilment, potential and success. She has always believed that people have hidden potential and by believing in them, challenging and mentoring them, she has helped a large number of individuals to thrive and achieve high results in their careers and lives. Anna earned an Honours BA Degree in Business Studies in International Hotel Management from National University of Ireland Galway in 2011 and a MBA for Executives with Global Perspective from London School of Commerce in 2015. She has been awarded the Brainz CREA Global Award 2021 in recognition for her creative and innovative ideas, and adaptability in business. Before becoming a certified coach, Anna spent 9 years in Hotel Management and 5 years in Investment Banking. When she was 25, she had burnout that made her realize that health, well-being and work-life balance are more important than killing herself for a fast career progression. As a Business and Success Coach, Anna helps entrepreneurs and business owners to strive for success in business and their personal lives without feeling stuck, overwhelmed and burned out. She ensures that they have all essential tools and resources for development, growth and success.

Written by: Dave Bahr, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. You stand in the batter's box, the bottom of the ninth inning, bases loaded, 2 outs. You grip the bat tightly in your batting gloves and tap the bat at home plate, signaling that you're ready for the pitcher to throw the pitch. You wave the bat up over your shoulder and dig in. The pitcher winds up and fires a 95 mile per hour fastball right down the middle for a strike. Ok, not the right pitch to swing at. Next pitch, you swing and foul it off to the right side. The count is no balls, two strikes. Now what? A curve? A changeup? Or another fastball, you've got one shot. The pitcher winds, throws, and you swing and hit the ball for a game-winning grand slam! Four runs in, and your team has come back from behind to win! What is uppermost in your mind as the batter? A batter's mind, I wonder? What has become instinct to the athlete is incredible to the layperson such as me, who is as ardent of a baseball fan as there is. What I find fascinating for any batter, I don't care who you are or what league you play in, is the courage necessary to face a pitcher in that box night after night. The scenario I painted above is a one in thousand shot, but it has happened in the major leagues this year a few times. What courage is involved in batting and utter vulnerability is an amazing thing to me. Let's think about this for a second. If you're a batter, you have the chance that the ball might hit you. You have to, no matter what, banish that fear, or you'll never step into the box. There have been some pretty graphic moments of major leaguers being hit by pitches. I'm not here to discuss those. It's a risk you take, no matter what league you're in. The inverse idea is that you have the tools necessary not to get hit by the pitch because you have good movement and bat speed. You take that chance as a batter, with the bat in hand, that your movements will be better and more coordinated to hit that flying object. To me, that's courage. How very like life itself. I got into a Lyft the other day to go to the airport. Being blind, driving is not an option. I can't drive, so I was putting my life, literally, in someone else's hands to get where I needed to go. I trusted that person and their abilities behind the wheel to do the right thing. There's courage and vulnerability on my part, as the passenger, to get into that car, trusting, without certainty, I might add, that I will reach my destination all in one piece. This example is perhaps more extreme than getting into a batter's box, but I have a question for you to think about. How many times do you get into the batter's box of life and not even realize the courage you are putting out into the Universe? Those little car trips you take to the grocery store, perhaps. Or the times you go to pick up a prescription. You trust yourself to get into your car and drive over to where you need to go. I find this fascinating. Those times could potentially turn into accidents. We trust that the other drivers on the road know what they are doing and that something could happen even during the simplest of trips. I'm not advertising a fatalistic bent, that's not my goal here. My goal, and curiosity in life, is to examine small bits of courage, just like that batter in the batters' box, facing a pitcher. Where will that pitch go? Will it be a strike that you can't do anything with? Or will it be a pitch you can hit somewhere to score a run? Or will it be a pitch you hit that someone catches, and you're out? In the last case, you gave it your best shot, and it didn't work out. Again, how very like life itself. You might try some idea in your business or personal life, and it just might not work out, but, darn it, you gave it your best shot. These are just thoughts to consider as you go about your life. Please don't discount the courage and utter vulnerability it takes to do the small things daily. Follow Dave on Facebook and Linkedin. You can also visit his website for more info. Read more from Dave! Dave Bahr, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dave Bahr is an author, speaker, and comedian focused on demystifying the public's perception of interacting with people with disabilities. As founder of In-Sightful Living, Dave works as an accessibility consultant, aiding organizations to enhance their systems, environments, events, and cultures to support people with disabilities. Blind from birth, he teaches that having a disability is not a hindrance but an asset. His book, Prave: the Adventures of the Blind and the Brittle, is an Amazon 1 bestseller and has received awards from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. His coaching program Stop Look and Listen is a new and innovative approach to helping people perceive their strengths through deep focus and concentrated analysis. Dave enjoys listening to and discussing music and taking in baseball games on the radio when not advocating or coaching.

Written by: Hanna Hanula, 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. Living a busy life, surrounded by convenient takeaway options and colorful ads of ready meals just to be put into the microwave, we rarely stop to think about the importance of food on our mood. Yes, in theory, we all 'know' that proper nutrition is one of the keys to a healthy life. Yes, in theory, we all 'know' that we can improve our health by keeping a proper diet. But how exactly does it work, and how can food influence our mood? Think of the food you consume as pure energy that consists of healing properties, various chemical compounds, and their interactions within our cells. The very food you consume acts every single time, like the data being encoded inside your cells, affecting it either positively or negatively. If your diet is rich in wholesome foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood and fermented foods, then the chances are that your mood is stable. However, suppose you consume many processed foods like pastry, fried food, sodas or instant soups. In that case, the additives that are used in their production (like hydrogenated oils, sugar, gluten, flavor enhancers, and food colorings, among others) may lead to anxiety and depression. Just like you can mess up your excel sheet by putting incorrect data, an unhealthy diet can lead to gut dysbiosis that, in turn, may trigger mood disorders and other health-related issues. To put it simply, if you regularly eat processed food, you're more likely to be unmotivated, unhappy, bloated and inflamed. But what does my gut have to do with my mood? Our gut forms an Enteric Nervous System made of neurons that governs the function of the gastrointestinal tract. The ENS has over 500 million neurons, making it secondary to the brain. That is why our gut is called a 'second' brain because its irritation can send signals to the central nervous system (CNS), which in turn can prompt mood changes. The gut serves as a manufacturing plant for over 30 neurotransmitters – tiny messengers between cells. Among those, we have, for example, serotonin that is known as a feel-good compound. When our serotonin levels are high, we naturally experience happiness and relaxation. However, when it's lacking, we may suffer from anxiety, depression, sadness, low energy, and crave sweets. And 90% of our serotonin – let me repeat that, 90%! – is produced and stored in the gut! Another example, GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid) has a calming effect on us. When its production is deficient, then we may experience chronic stress and sleeping troubles. Dopamine is, in turn, responsible for our motivation, enthusiasm, and drive. Low dopamine can cause apathy, chronic fatigue, feeling of boredom, and, again, depression. Other neurotransmitters are acetylcholine and glutamate, to name just a few. To support the proper production of all neurotransmitters, we need a balanced microbiome More and more scientists are learning that what's good for our health comes down to what's suitable for our gut microbes. A 2019 review published in Frontiers in Nutrition concluded that diet is the most significant factor influencing microbiome composition. And to have that balanced microbiome, we need to provide gut bacteria with the right food. Our good bugs thrive on fiber which is only found in plants. That is why it is essential to consume fresh fruits and vegetables daily. Also, to ensure the proper development of good bacteria, we want to avoid excessive intake of processed carbohydrates, foods high in yeast and sugars that actually contribute to gut dysbiosis. At the same time, we could increase our intake of foods rich in probiotics and prebiotics. The best sources of probiotics – the live bacteria, are fermented vegetables, kimchi, kefir, unsweetened yogurts, and kombucha. They enhance the digestibility and absorption of nutrients, activate the immune system, improve bowel movements and overall metabolism. Prebiotics are food (a fiber that acts as a fertilizer) for good bacteria in our gut. So what can we eat to feed our tiny little friends? Garlic, onion, leeks, unripe banana, oats, flaxseed, and apples. As you can see, everything we put on our plates, every meal we eat, and every single snack we munch affect our gut and mood. So make an audit of the foods you regularly consume and see if they contribute to a healthy microbiome or rather fuel gut dysbiosis. For more info, follow Hanna on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit her website! Hanna Hanula, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Hanna Hanula is a leading nutritionist, naturopath, and mindset coach specializing in gut and mental health. She is a former sufferer of high functioning anxiety, ADHD, social anxiety, and several digestive issues (mainly IBS, Candida, Sibo and food intolerances) who healed herself by working holistically on the gut-brain axis. She then developed her own unique method called GEM based on gut healing (G), energy medicine (E) and mindset (M). She became passionate about helping others understand the importance of the influence of food on our mood. She is a founder of Souliciously Hanna, a coaching practice through which she runs group programs called Holistic Anxiety Reset and coaches private clients. She is also the author of Stress & Anxiety - the ultimate remedies guide. Her motto is that if you really want to heal your anxiety and feel comfortable in your body, then you need to address your emotional center - your gut.

Written by: Raeesa Mahomed , 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 . In my last article on the power of self-belief, I mentioned to you that there was a reason why beliefs are so powerful and can effect change and promised I’ll talk more about this in my next article. Why do you need to know this? The thing is, until I became aware of why beliefs were powerful before I understood the mechanics of it, I wasn’t really convinced it would work, and I didn’t try to use it to achieve my goals. When I studied my life coaching course and other books and material on our minds, thoughts, energy, universal laws, and all things wondrous, that changed. "Faith can move mountains . " Have you heard the saying, "Faith can move mountains" ? And that prayer is all-powerful and can achieve miracles? Well, what is faith? It is deep, unwavering conviction and belief in a higher power that will give us what we pray for. It is not religion specific and holds true for anyone who is deeply spiritual. Personally, I have seen it work in my life, over and over again. Belief is the same thing. It is a deep sense of knowing, and when we have that conviction, we bring about our desires. How? Beliefs are ideas and concepts you accept as truth , and these beliefs are ideas that have been programmed into your subconscious mind by the outside world and your experiences. From the time we are tiny babies, we are being programmed. (In fact, we start absorbing information unconsciously from the womb!) Then as children - first from our parents, then siblings, then friends and teachers. This information eventually gets organized into our belief system. These programs are always running and operating from our subconscious mind. It is our reality . That is why everyone has their own interpretation of the world because we all have different experiences and programming. We make sense of the outside world based on what is already in our minds. It Gets Better I’m sure you’ve heard of the laws of attraction and vibration. The law of attraction states that like attracts like. The law of vibration states that everything in the universe vibrates at different frequencies, including emotions, thoughts, and states of being. When we firmly believe that something is true, when it is our reality, we align ourselves with the vibration of that state. When we believe we can achieve our goal, we align ourselves with the vibration of that goal. Like attracts like, and so we attract that goal to us. It might sound too be good to be true, but it is. And it works. "But it doesn't work for me" I’ve heard this time and again from my clients. And I’ve said it myself. It’s because we humans are frail, we overthink, we get despondent, we are at the mercy of the vicissitudes of life. Life is complex, and we have good days and bad days. Even for those who know about how powerful belief and faith are, we have days of hopelessness and doubt. Ah, doubt. Who has not been its victim? It’s because life shoves us around a bit, gives us a few knocks. But it’s supposed to - so that we can summon the resources that every single one of us has within us and use it to get back into the fray. We need to constantly fight against negatives – thoughts, emotions, and beliefs and replace them with positives. If we do so, we learn, grow, develop and become better versions of ourselves. It is through life’s struggles that we get stronger and build character. We need to conquer doubt because this is the opposite of belief and draws our goals further away. Consistency is the key So the reason we find that belief doesn’t always bring about one’s goal is that we’re not consistent. We give our subconscious mind confusing messages. In the morning, we do our positive, motivating affirmations, and then a few hours later, when we are having a bad day at work, we start doubting and thinking negatively. This undoes the good work of the affirmations. A few negative thoughts are not going to do lasting harm, but they can become a habit, and that’s the problem. So work at bringing yourself back to a happier, more confident mindset. Mindset Our minds are the tools we must use to fight this fight . Mindset is key. This is because thoughts, if given validation, lead to beliefs. Negative mindsets give us a bleak outlook on life and create negative beliefs, which then lead to negative outcomes. Our thoughts can be our friends or our enemy. We get to choose. Oh Ye of Little Faith You don’t have to do it. But it’s in your best interests. Only you can change your life for the better. Only you can create your own success. The power is in your hands. You do it by believing in it and then acting on it. By the way, you have to take steps to achieve your goals, just sitting back and believing is not enough. But, if you don’t believe you can do it, you might not even get started, or you might be half-hearted in your efforts which will render them less effective. So believe. Believe in yourself and the change you can bring about through it. Believe that you can overcome any obstacle if you put your mind to it. If you fall down, get up and start again. Never give up and never give in. Want to learn more from Raeesa? Follow her Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit her website. You can also email her at info@raeesamahomed.co.za . Read more from Raeesa! Raeesa Mahomed, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Raeesa Mahomed is a transformational life coach, and her tagline 'Be the best you' aptly describes the results she gets with her clients. Raeesa has helped hundreds of clients remove negative programming from the subconscious mind and take them to a place of positivity and empowerment and, in so doing create the life they want. She comes from a decades-long award-winning international career in radio, TV, and film, and her path to deep self-reflection and life coaching began when she faced a life-threatening illness a few years ago. She now also helps others heal from disease by addressing their emotional health and spirituality. She is also a writer and motivational speaker.

Written by: Aimmee Odom, 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 am inviting you to live intentionally. To live with intention is a fabulous way to live with purpose, joy, and meaning. Sound divine or still confused? Let me explain more. Have you noticed your life at times may have seemed you’re on autopilot? For example, do you have your head down, rushing around feeling like your head is chopped off? Are you running around with your to-do list, only to feel like your list keeps growing and growing? With our hectic lives and all the ups and downs, we can feel overwhelmed, depleted, and with no sense of the meaning of life. Although we spend most of our time in the “daily grind,” we forget what we want in life. I used to focus on getting through the week rather than thinking about my life’s purpose. I used to wake up every morning before work and think, “I have to go to work.” Or “I should go to the gym.” Oh, here is the mac-daddy oh them all quotes, “Is this all there is to life?” Does that sound like you too? If so, then you will love this! To live with intention is to know your why. It’s to live with purpose. What is yours and why? For example, when I wake up now, I say to myself, “I am so curious what I will learn today?” And “I get to go to the gym to take care of my sacred body.” Now the mac-daddy quote is, “I am the creator of my life.” It puts you in the driver’s seat. You will now be the director, no longer the actor of your life. Sound divine? Here Are Three Simple Yet Mighty Steps To Live With Intention 1. The Choice Is Up To You We choose how we want to feel at any given moment. A person with a high quality of life feels everything, but they decide not to stay in a suffering state. The choice is all ours. If something awful happens, allow yourself to feel what you need to feel, then ask yourself, “What can I learn from this experience?” Then choose a higher vibrational feeling. Remember, we are in the driver’s seat, and life is happening for us, not to us. 2. Get Clear On What You Want Clarity is power! We can live our whole life and not ask these simple questions, “What do I want?” “Who do I want to be?” “What do I want to achieve?” When we are clear on why the universe works in mysterious ways to open new doors and allow our dreams to come true. 3. Daily Gratitude Gratitude is magic! When you are grateful, you are rich. Our brains are wired to think negatively, but negative thoughts are few and far between once you start a daily gratitude list. Your life will become brighter and more magical cause you are training your brain to look for beauty vs. what is wrong. I love to think life is magical cause I am living the vision I created, not living in the circumstances made for me. I want that for you too. It’s all a mindset shift. It can be as simple as this: change your words, change your perception, which then changes your energy, and life becomes magical. But it’s up to you to find the magic. Live with intention, and you will have an extraordinary life. Until next time laugh, love, and be uniquely you! Want more info? Follow Aimmee on her Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube Channel. You can also visit her website to get in touch. Read more from Aimmee! Aimmee Odom, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Aimmee Odom is on a mission to inspire people to tap into their own uniqueness. To live life to the fullest, we need to look within. After many hardships of life, including weight loss, divorce, and learning disabilities, Aimmee has unlocked the key to fulfillment! Her teachings are a pyramid of change through body, mind, and spirit. This pyramid of change will ignite your personal power, get clear on who you want to be, and learn how to listen to that little voice we call intuition. The most powerful key of all is Love. Love is the key to enlightenment, joy, and the uniqueness of you!

Written by: Eugenia Oganova, 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. Have you felt that as soon as you’ve created a BIG plan; like “Yes! I’m going for this!!” like “Ready to uplevel - to fill that program, to be fully booked" Everything goes DOWN??...😕 Like things worked out and you’re on this high; 💪“Yes! I signed these clients! 💪I know what I’m doing, 💪I’m an expert, they’re having great results – I’m just loving my life and my business! 💪It will be all awesome from here on!” . And then you are having a “dry spell” and all this fear and worry comes up? . Doubts like: 😟“Maybe I should just stay at the level I am, stabilize and stop trying to expand my business?” OR 😕 “Who am I to even imagine this amazing thing I wanted?” OR 😞“Maybe I just not cut out for this?” That is where it's very tempting to activate that emotional not-enoughness cycle… . If you are starting to get stuck on “I don’t have… (something you want)... so how do I get it??” You are in the emotional cycle of scarcity! . At this point, it is NOT about “finding external solutions” or “correcting your messaging” or “doing more.” It is first about exiting the cycle of not-enoughness. By realizing… 🍄 that you’ve pre-decided you are not where you should be; 🍄 that you’ve pre-decided that you are in lack, missing something; 🍄 that you’ve pre-decided that external event means something about your worth! . These subconscious decisions perpetuate your negative experience. And thus, instead of creating the next BIG step, the Quantum leap you were shooting for, You end up feeling like “everything is crashing down” (Your motivation, your worth, and your results!) . The good news is that this is all PERCEPTIONAL!🔥 "Perception" means that you decided to believe that specific view on reality. But this also means that you can choose to believe a better view, a more empowering and expanding view! . This is literally what I do with my clients! 👉I specialize in helping coaches in personal transformation niche to become masterful in how they handle these internal emotional waves and “periods of darkness” so that they can consciously create the future for themselves and their business that they envision! . 🔥 The coveted “ease and flow” and “consistent $10k months” are all on the OTHER SIDE of this not-enoughness cycle!🔥 . 👉Here are 3 things you can do to get out of an emotional not-enoughness cycle that sabotages your upleveling: 1. Learn to recognize when you are looking at everything through the lens of lack. That realization alone will help you become an OBSERVER to your current circumstance – to step back a bit so you can see clearly. If all you have is the “experiencer”, there is no one left “driving”! . 2. You need to stop the frantic action, and instead look at the lesson the current circumstance is teaching you. What meaning are you giving your current circumstance? Like what “Not having the $10k month after previous $10k month – What does this mean about you?” Or “Not having the upleveling result you predicted from your marketing – What does this mean about you? TIP: 🔥absolutely NOTHING!🔥🔥 . If you were exactly where you need to be (even if your Ego doesn’t like it!) what will this circumstance mean? . 3. You need to give your current situation a new Soul-aligned meaning. Out of that new meaning will come the correct not-scarcity-based inspired ACTION! . As a Wealth Energetics Business & Marketing coach, I help my clients become self-masterful in how they handle their “Dark moments” so that they could ride the momentum wave🌊 and create consistency of multiple 6-figures in their coaching businesses. . Together we work on aligning your business and marketing strategy to your unique Soul Design – the way you’re meant to do it! – so that you only do what actually works for you and save yourself years of pressure and forcing yourself into ineffective strategies. . If you know that, even though you’ve achieved so much in your business, this cycle of emotional not-enoughness keeps creeping in – I invite you to apply to work with me. 👇 Let’s set up a free Business Soul Strategy session so that I can look at your specific business situation, and what you need to adjust to stop the pressure and instead create the reality you desire in your business! CLICK HERE to set up a free no-obligation call with me. 👇 👇 👇 It’s time for you to put your mindset and strategic efforts into correct direction and finally create that momentum and flow of consistent $10k+ months!🔥 Follow Eugenia on her Facebook and join her free Facebook Group , where she teaches free live classes there every week. Read more from Eugenia! Eugenia Oganova, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Eugenia Oganova is an international Conscious Wealth Energetics Business & Marketing Coach for coaches, healers, and holistic health professionals who desire to fully step into their Soul Mission and live their Purpose through a profitable business. She creates high-end custom business, marketing & energetic strategies so that you can attract premium clients and uplevel to multiple 6-figures without burning out or self-sacrificing. Eugenia is a Soul Strategist and a Self-Transformation expert with over two decades of expertise in spiritual entrepreneurship, transformational therapy, and conscious healing and a best-selling author of 3 books. Eugenia has created many programs that activate long-term core-level transformation in her clients using an energy-based approach coupled with transformational psychology, extensive business and marketing knowledge, and her clairvoyant wisdom.

Written by: Carolyn Wellington, 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. Time to step out of the shadows Have there been times when you were about to do something or think about doing something, suddenly that little voice inside your head starts to speak up, saying, ‘Hey, what do you think you’re doing?’ Your dreams are unrealistic, and you will never achieve anything. You’re not confident enough. You’re not as good as them. That negative voice inside your head, running your life, holding you back, and clipping at your wings. How are you supposed to prioritize yourself, move forward in life, achieve your goals and create the life you deserve when this inner negative voice keeps speaking up when you are just about to take that step forward. Oh, my goodness, it’s taken days, weeks, months, or years for you to take that step but stop here comes the voice of disbelief, again. Every time you think you’ve got this, the words of destruction start to speak. Meet your inner critic, your inner saboteur! The negative voice inside your head will criticize and degrade you. What Triggers This Voice Of Negativity? It’s not your fault that you have come to be like this. Other people’s beliefs, the past, relationships, parents, grandparents, partners, school, college, work have played a huge part. People’s thoughts and attitudes become embedded within your brain. These can have a damaging effect on you, which in time can undermine your every accomplishment. Your inner critic plays a significant role in how you see yourself and your self-esteem. When you don’t know how to deal with your inner critic, it can leave you feeling ashamed, worthless, or low in mood. If you allow your inner critic to control too many of your actions, it can hold you back from personal and professional growth, connection, and your full potential. Even though the way we think influences how we behave, those thoughts are not always true! We All Have Two Inner Voices: A confident voice that lifts us, encouraging us to step out of our comfort zone. A negative voice that constantly pulls us down, sabotaging our every thought, stopping us in our tracks. Now is the time for self-destruction to end and take back the reigns of your life. Follow These Few Tips And Tricks To Help Reclaim Your Life and Remove The Saboteur Within: 1. Acknowledge Your Thoughts When negative thoughts show up, acknowledge them. Try to understand where they are coming from and what has triggered them. Why am I feeling this way? What has triggered this thought? Is there a pattern to these thoughts? How do these thoughts affect my everyday behavior? How do these thoughts affect my mood and relationship with others? 2. Separate Facts from Feelings Your self-saboteur may be telling you that you are a terrible person or that everything is your fault, but is that true, is it a fact? Try to separate facts from feelings. Is there a more positive way to look at the situation? Step outside of the confusion; look from outside your walls of pain 3. What advice would you give to a friend? If a friend came to you with the same problem, what advice would you give to them? How many times have you helped a friend out and then said to yourself, why can’t I do this for myself? Well, you can, so start today. Step away from the situation, look at it as if it was a friend. What would you say? 4. Practice Positive Affirmations Replace negative thoughts with positive statements. Have a selection of motivating, healing, and encouraging phrases. Pick one and repeat it to yourself. Positive affirmations can help to combat self-sabotaging thoughts and patterns. 5. Distract Yourself From The Negativity Replaying the same negative thoughts can be soul-destroying and does not resolve the issue. If you find yourself going over the problem time and time again, distract yourself. Take yourself away from the damaging thoughts. For example: Read a good book Listen to a motivating, encouraging podcast or YouTube video Play a game Go for a nice refreshing walk Exercise Meet with a trusted friend for a chat and a coffee 6. Focus On Your Strengths When self-sabotage takes over, we forget about all the good times and upbeat times. So, when this happens, grab a notebook, and challenge your inner critic: Write down all the things you know you are good at and have achieved. Make a note of the times in your life that people have said encouraging and positive things about you. 7. Start A Journal A great way to start challenging your inner critic and self-saboteur is by writing a journal. Some of the great benefits of a journal are: It keeps your thoughts organized Helping to shift from a negative mindset to a more positive one Journaling can help identify and manage emotions Help manage stress by writing problems down, allowing you to think things through. Giving you a focus, a goal, a purpose. People journal differently. One of the main factors is that it is helpful to you and something you look forward to doing. There are so many journals on the market, so find one that feels right for you, as this will become part of your daily life. Journaling is not just about taking time out to write it is about setting goals, your journey to becoming a better you in all aspects of your health and wellbeing. 8. Remind Yourself That You Are Not Alone We all have an inner critic and experience self-doubt at some point in our lives. Remind yourself that your inner critic does not have to control your life. Use the tips above to help silence your self-saboteur, so you can work on becoming the best version of yourself. The person you know you can be and deserve to be—time to bid farewell to your inner critic and say hello to the new confident you. Today is the day to start focusing on what you can do, not on what you can’t do. I know you’ve got this! Want to learn more from Carolyn? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website. Read more from Carolyn! Carolyn Wellington, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Carolyn Wellington offers a wealth of experience in health, wellbeing, lifestyle, and sports therapy, successfully working with entrepreneurs, elite world-class athletes, television, stage, and theatre, plus achieving her own personal goals of being ranked 7th in Britain as a bodybuilder, becoming a multi health and wellness award winner and establishing herself as health and wellness writer. After training as a nurse, she realized she had a real passion for sport and helping others. She had grown up in a family environment of fitness, exercise, and positive thinking and knew that to achieve anything, you had to work hard, commit and be consistent. Her road has not always been easy, and she has faced many challenges, losing her sister at a young age, divorce, becoming a single parent, and many more. Her positive mindset and determination have proven to serve her well. She has become a highly sought-after coach, supporting others as they transition to become the best version of themselves. Her clients stretch from the UK, USA, and globally. Her mission states that "Positive thinking, positive actions equal achievements." At the age of 61, Carolyn is a great role model for what she stands for and promotes.

Written by: Rodolfo Parlati, 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. Modern society requires leaders to be able to communicate on several levels effectively. In many cases, conventions, biases, and wrong beliefs lead to a distorted perception of your communication’s effectiveness. Indeed, communicating effectively with your interlocutor means knowing how to express yourself verbally, with your body language and the expressions of your voice clearly and coherently. In a world in which people constantly live a frenetic life, where your run your race despite what happens around you, they tend to forget the importance of emotions. At the basis of effective communication, there is a need for emotional contact, understanding, meeting, welcoming, support, and trust. Whenever you try to communicate with others by only “sharing” information, you don’t communicate at all. What remains is a simple illusion. For example, today’s leaders need to build a clear vision and inspire their teams. This will need to follow and make it their vision, too. To do this, they have to connect with people on an individual level and lead others to move from an “I” to a “we” mentality. Leaders need to create an environment based on mutual trust by improving both their verbal and non-verbal communication. 10 Simple Points To Develop A Leadership Based On Effective Communication To communicate effectively, you cannot pay attention only to how you say something, but it is also essential to take into consideration the person to whom you are speaking. That said, there are some rules that, if put into practice, can optimize the effectiveness of your communication as a leader. Therefore, if you want to improve your communication skills at work, follow these 10 simple points: 1. Be authentically yourself If you want to become an effective communicator, you need to capture the attention and earn the trust of your interlocutor. Being authentic demonstrates a higher level of awareness and respect for others’ emotions and thoughts. It means not being afraid of what you feel and welcoming your interlocutor’s sensations. 2. Avoid generalizations and speak in the first person You should always avoid generalizing because this only decreases the responsibility you take for what you are saying. At the same time, by speaking in the first person, you can guarantee a higher value of the message you are sharing with your interlocutor. 3. Be Assertive in your communication Assertiveness is the ability to express yourself, your emotions, and ideas sincerely and calmly, respecting the rights and the point of view of others, without attacking or offending. Before speaking, you need to clarify in your mind what you want to say and express your opinion in a calm way, use a relaxed tone of voice and maintain eye contact with your interlocutor. Motivate your "don’ts" or your requests and show respect if you do not agree with their point of view. 4. Ask questions Questions allow you to show interest in your interlocutor, accumulate more information, and even guide the conversation. You can do it by exploiting two types of questions: open questions, which require a detailed answer and allow you to obtain more information and better understand the wishes and requests of the person, and closed questions, that provide a dry answer, basically yes or no, and allow you to obtain the information you need quickly. 5. Listen actively to your interlocutor Active listening helps you build a relationship of respect and trust and is very important for effective communication and enriching your life and the others’. To do this, you need to show interest, focus the conversation on your interlocutor, not make judgments, and not interrupt. 6. Share emotions Being an effective communicator also means knowing how to share emotions. These make a message authentic and alive by revealing a sincere interest in what the person is saying and manifesting our feelings and thoughts. 7. Be a master of the topic Effective communication also goes through mastering the subject you are going to talk about. Improvising only leads you to share a message that won’t surely be understood correctly by your interlocutor. 8. Use a persuasive language If you can touch the emotions of the person in front of you, you will have a good chance your message will be memorable. You can do it by assuring your message is understandable, believable, emotionally involving, and contagious. Furthermore, this helps you evaluate the effectiveness of your communication by answering the questions: ‘What is working?’, ‘What is not working?’, and ‘Why?’. 9. Keep aligned all the communication channels Effective communication takes into consideration all the channels n the same way, and not a single one at a time. Your words, tone of voice, gestures, and body language have all the same importance and are part of a unique message you want to transmit to your interlocutor. 10. Summarize At the end of a conversation with a person, it is useful to briefly summarize what has been said, remembering what the expectations of the two parties are, and defining the goals. This will allow you to make sure that both you and your interlocutor have clearly understood each other. In Conclusion Effective communication, mostly in the workplace, can affect the productivity of a team and even the success or failure of a project. Becoming an effective communicator requires consistency, commitment, clarity, discipline, open-mindedness, and a deep willingness to listen to what people are saying sincerely. With practice, you can improve and become a leader able to communicate well both in the workplace and in everyday life. By making the effectiveness of communication a priority and building a valuable communication system able to connect all the people involved, leaders can radically improve both their effectiveness as communicators and their performance. For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit my we bsite ! Read more from Rodolfo ! Rodolfo Parlati, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rodolfo Parlati is a Professional Life & Executive Coach. Always inspired by the desire to impact others positively, his mission is to help people and professionals be happy and successful by finding out their inner potential and exploring the right path to follow to "give shape" to their goals. Passionate about building connections, the key elements of his coaching strategy are creating meaningful actions to attain the clients' goals, knowing what is holding them back, and supporting them in finding higher awareness. His natural curiosity has always driven him to be an eager lifelong learner, explore new fields, and look for the answers to any question.

Written by: Todd Richardson, 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. Have you ever evaluated your life and noticed that the same negative thought patterns keep popping up? In my experience helping clients with the 4 F’s (Faith, Family, Finances, and Fitness), I’ve noticed this powerful truth: Many times, on the opposite side of those negative patterns and red flags are the areas of our strongest gifts and opportunities. For example, maybe you’ve bought into the idea that you’re not good at managing your money. Whereas, if you developed a plan, you might find your financial objectives are not all that far off. Or maybe, pesky pounds have been getting you down for more time than you’d care to admit, but a trainer could customize a program to help you lose weight faster than you ever thought possible. Henry Ford said, “Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them.” With that in mind, the question then becomes, what are you going to do? You don’t have to spend your life in the spin cycle, revisiting the same frustration again and again. But you do have to make a choice if you want change. Attack problems like an athlete attack a defense. Discover what’s holding you back. Find a way forward. Look for mentors, new perspectives, and coaching to propel you forward. “We can’t solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them,” Albert Einstein was quoted as saying. Remember, oftentimes, the purpose of a goal is not the goal itself. Rather, its pursuit is about who you are becoming. It makes sense then, why your old way of thinking won’t lead you to a new state of being. What thoughts are you thinking today? Are you taking in and acting on new ideas that line up with your growth process? Todd Richardson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Todd Richardson is the founder of Strategic Futures Consulting, O.C. He is passionate about helping people figure out what's keeping them from their destiny. Todd walks people through a process that enables them to see clearly the roadblocks in the way of their financial success. He provides an individually-tailored prophetic business blueprint to his clients which contains clear action steps for them to take. He has received countless testimonies from his clients about their increased financial gains, health miracles, and obtaining a balanced, healthy entrepreneurial life. His clients have included business entrepreneurs, business executives from Hollywood, physicists, scientists, and attorneys, as well as everyday people looking to scale their businesses. His mission: For every problem, there Is a solution.

Written by: Linda Evans, 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. If you have come to a point in your career where you feel the need to make a change, this article will guide you through how to make more precise changes in order to increase your career and life satisfaction. As a career coach, my primary goals are to help clients clarify what they want and what they are willing to do to achieve it . Many clients simply feel stuck and dissatisfied but do not know what or how to change in their careers. There are many factors to consider - Which do you want to change? Which do you not want to change? Tasks Strengths What are your natural talents in which you excel at more than the average person? Are you getting to use some of your strengths everyday? (i.e.good with hands, math wizard, charismatic public speaker, etc.) Gallup’s research over decades has found that people who use their strengths everyday are 6 times more likely to be engaged in their jobs. Passions Are you doing something that you genuinely care about? (i.e. healing people, making something beautiful, planning events, etc.) Do you feel any enthusiasm about your work? Simon Sinek said , “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” Autonomy How much external structure would you like to be provided for you? How much control do you have over how you spend your time and energy? Variety How many different things do you prefer to work on within a week or month? (i.e. few long term projects vs. many different smaller projects/tasks) Do you feel bored or overwhelmed with the number of things you work on? Creativity How much do you enjoy creating new and different products, services, and processes? How much creativity is required of you, and do you enjoy that? Challenge Some people enjoy settling into routine tasks, while others always want to be pushed beyond their comfort zone. What level of difficulty do you prefer in your work? Do you currently feel bored or overwhelmed at work? Conditions Security How often do you feel threatened by the likelihood of being let go or replaced by automation? Do you feel that you are able to remain at your job as long as you choose? Safety How often do you feel threatened by danger and harm of any kind (physical, emotional, sexual, etc.)? How many times have you suffered occupational hazards at work? Diversity How comfortable do you feel being your authentic self? Do you feel the need to censure or hide any of your core identities? How much do you feel differences (yours and others) are respected within your work culture? Recognition How much do you value visibility and celebration by others for your work, internally and/or externally? How motivated are you by the positive attention of others? How often do you receive public rewards for your work? Compensation Pay Is your compensation enough to meet your living needs, pay off debt, and save for the future? Do you want a steady salary at a regular interval, or do you prefer for your payment to be directly proportionate to the time/energy you invest (i.e. commission & bonuses)? Are there opportunities to earn/request higher pay over time? Benefits Are you satisfied with the number of sick/vacation days provided? Do you feel free to use them as you please? Are you satisfied with the coverage provided for medical, dental, and/or vision insurance? Are you satisfied with the retirement offers and level of employer contribution to your retirement fund? Are there benefits you really want that you currently do not have? (i.e. loan forgiveness, tuition remission, mental health services, child care subsidy) Perks What else does your job offer besides money and benefits? (i.e. free meals, devices, recreational facilities, discounts, swag, trips) Would you like more perks to make your work life easier or more pleasant? Structure Pace Do you perform better under pressure imposed by external deadlines? How rushed and stressed do you feel in your work? Do you feel that you are able to satisfy all the deadlines in your work? Schedule Do you like to work the same hours on the same days each week? Are you required to work during evenings, holidays, and weekends? How well does your job schedule work with your personal life? How much flexibility do you have in requesting a change in your work schedule as needed? Location Where do you do your most productive work - at home, in the office, or in a variety of places? How much control do you have over where you work? How much flexibility do you have in requesting a change in your work location as needed? Growth Advancement How far do you want to progress in your organization or industry? Do you feel like your quality of work and tenure are recognized and rewarded with promotions/raises? Professional Development How much time and resources does your organization invest in your learning of new skills, knowledge, and credentials? Do you feel supported in staying up-to-date in your industry? Leadership Do you seek to obtain a management or supervisory role? Are there opportunities to work up to a leadership role in your organization or industry? People Coworkers Do you trust your coworkers to do their jobs? How well do your strengths and skills complement each other? How well do you enjoy being around your coworkers? Gallup’s research continually shows that those who have a best friend at work are both more engaged and productive. Managers Do you admire and respect your direct supervisors? Do you mostly agree with the major decisions of your organization’s executives? Do you feel that you receive the supervision, feedback, and mentorship you need to do your best work? Do you feel safe speaking up with feedback or requests without retaliation? Clients How much do you like, respect, and care about the people you serve? Do you feel like you are able to serve and satisfy most of your clients? Purpose Impact How big and wide of an impact to improve others’ lives would you like to make through your work? Where, who, and how do you want to impact in a positive way? Are you satisfied with your current level of impact? Cause/mission What issues in the world do you most care about? How much do you want to address your most valued issues through your job? (i.e. clean water, sex trafficking, animal rights, religious freedom, etc.) Family legacy Do you have a certain trade or industry in which your family members have worked for generations? How much do you value continuing the work your older family members have been in? These categories and questions provide a useful framework for self-assessment of your career satisfaction, whether you are currently considering a big change or not. Journaling would be more effective than simply answering these questions in your own mind. Discussing them with others you trust may bring even more insights. If you want to work with a professional career coach, I would be honored and delighted to help! Make sure to follow Linda on Facebook , LinkedIn , and visit her website for more info! Read more from Linda ! Linda Evans, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Linda Evans is a strengths-based career coach and personal branding expert. In 2011, she founded her virtual career coaching business, Launched by Linda, LLC. Her full-time career has been in higher education since 2012, and she currently works in Career Services at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Linda has a B.A. in American Studies and minor in Ballroom Dance from Brigham Young University, and an M.A. in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University. She is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, and has certificates in positive psychology and public speaking.

Written by: Amber Barry, 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. Your goal is business growth, and that usually goes one of two ways: As your business grows, the more you work, and the more chaotic things get. Or you can’t quite figure out how to grow and get busy! Either way, automation can come to the rescue! They can help you streamline everything from your customer experience to your marketing campaigns, grow and nurture your audience and build your brand visibility. In fact, according to recent research: 80% of companies leveraging marketing automation solutions achieved lead-generation growth 77% saw an increase in their conversion rates 91% of businesses questioned considered marketing automation to be “very important” to their online marketing success Building out your automations is an investment of your time, energy, and money (at least for the software you're using and for setup and management if you're not planning on doing it yourself), but it often pays off big time in the long run. To use automations to their fullest potential, you must be sure that you know your ideal clients inside and out. I talk about this a lot, but it's truly one of those foundational elements of your business that you're not going to escape! You must know how to attract your people, and even more importantly, how to earn their trust and secure their loyalty. If you're just getting started, this can feel pretty challenging. I totally get it, which is why I built the Go-Getters Couch to $5K! This 12-week program is designed to help you move forward one step at a time WITHOUT overwhelm, confusion, or analysis paralysis. I also get that you might not be fully ready to jump into a 3-month training program, but you do have to start somewhere! If you haven't been able to gain the clarity you need to start or the momentum you need to move forward, then take a deep breath. Let’s start from the beginning. How do you (or how can you) create an exceptional customer experience for your new leads or clients? It all begins with deeply knowing and understanding your audience. Once you know that, you can start to create and deliver the best possible experience for them. When you use a platform like Ontraport, they're looking it makes it easy to create streamlined systems that automatically help your audience get to know you and your offers. It also helps you gather data so you can deliver exactly what they're looking for so you can make smart marketing decisions as you move forward. Your marketing automation platform can track: Every click of every ad on every ad platform Clicks on your website and landing pages, or on your membership site What emails are opened and clicked, including which specific links are clicked Information gathered from online forms, questionnaires, and surveys Everything your customers purchase from you and anything they return All of the feedback they share with you, your sales reps, or the service team Every referral they make And so much more! All of this gives you so much information, which can help you determine exactly what your potential clients need help with and what kind of solutions they're looking for—and when you know that you can deliver personalized communications. This could include tailored emails or text messages to your subscribers or specific tasks and reminders for you or your sales team to follow up with. Each piece of communication you create can be specifically designed for each client you are dealing with! Some people think that automations are impersonal or annoying, but think about it this way— your computer is personalized to your needs, right? The more you use it, the more it "knows" you. These personalizations are designed to make your user experience better and your life easier. The same way your computer gathers information about you, your marketing automation platform can gather information about your audience. It's all learning, designed to help you deliver the exceptional customer experience that your potential customers are looking for. Choosing the right platform will help you: Gather and store information about each new subscriber Segment your new leads into groups based on that information Deliver the correct communication to each group at exactly the right time Here’s a simple example: You have two new subscribers. One signs for a freebie and opens your delivery email immediately. Another signed up but hasn't opened it after a day or two. You don't want to send a reminder to the person who already opened theirs because that gets annoying! But you can send a friendly reminder to the other person, so they get the value from the freebie that they're looking for. Choosing a marketing platform that's right for you and your business is important. My best advice is to choose one that you can grow into overtime. This saves you time, energy, and sanity in the long run because it’s a huge drain to keep platform hopping. No matter which platform you choose, plan to start at the beginning, focus on one thing at a time and learn how to do the basics. You do NOT need to know everything right away, but the more you know, the more you’ll be able to streamline. A great first step is to create a basic lead generation and follow-up campaign. This generally consists of two landing pages (an opt-in page and a thank you page) along with one automated email campaign. Interested, but still a bit intimidated? Download the Go-Getters Toolkit and get started for just $27. It includes landing page and campaign templates, video tutorials to get you started, an automation checklist, and a whole lot more! Automations are my nerdy little wonderland. Do you use them yet for your business? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Amber! Amber Barry, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Amber Barry is a U.S.based business strategist and consultant specializing in digital marketing, automations, and social media advertising for small businesses and startups. She is passionate about deconstructing the process of establishing and growing a business and aims to make it less overwhelming and easier to navigate for new business owners. She is the founder of Amber Barry | Digital, a digital marketing and advertising agency, and creator of The Go-Getters Club, where she offers online courses and coaching to women in business to help them maximize their marketing efforts and turn their small steps into big wins and massive momentum. She is a Registered Nurse and a Certified Health Coach by training and draws from her 12+ years of experience in health and wellness and 20+ years as an endurance athlete to help people transform their journey as business owners into an enjoyable, successful, fulfilling experience.