Written by: Tricia Brouk, 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. Working with thought leaders on shaping their speaker platform is an incredible privilege. In this exclusive interview with Empathy Educator Dr. Kristen Donnelly of Abbey Research, she shares her thoughts on shame and vulnerability, gets into why we struggle with the hard questions, and how “doing” empathy is a group effort. What has brought you to this moment in time? The answer is both simple and complicated, so bear with me if you will. The simple answer is that I was raised to serve everyone around me as often as possible. Our family mission statement is to ‘impact lives and create wealth,’ and we’ve always taken that to mean holistic wealth; economic, spiritual, emotional, psychological, relational, etc. Therefore, every major decision I’ve made — where to go to school, what degrees to pursue, what jobs to interview for —has been in the spirit of service to others. I don’t think it’s any secret that 2020 demanded some internal investigation for most of us about our calling, purpose, and priorities, and I was no different. For me and my company, that meant leaning into the dream I’d always had to be a speaker and serve large audiences through my words and ideas. As a team, we decided to pursue a specific path that would increase my service capacity — and it has! The complicated piece of this answer is my own self and what I had to do to get ready to serve in that capacity. Just because you dream something doesn’t mean you believe you deserve it — or at least it didn’t work for me. Leaning on trusted coaches, colleagues, and family members, I began to deconstruct all the lies I believed about myself and the world. I still believe a fair few, but I know they’re lies now, and that makes all the difference. I’ve always known that where I am right now is where I want to be, and I made consistent professional decisions to be here. However, the secret sauce is deciding to trust myself and those around me that the big dream is the one I’m on this planet to fulfill. As an empathy educator, who do you want to serve and why? When you look around the world, many folks know this whole ‘being human’ thing is hard and that maybe we don’t all have it figured out. There’s something itchy in their souls — they know they can be better, deeper, fuller humans in some way, but they don’t know quite how. That’s where The Good Doctors of Abbey Research come in. We believe that the only true way to be human is to do it together, in mutual service of each other, as we work to make this place better than it was when we got here. I love the questions that make other people uncomfortable - “Why can’t we say ‘spirit animal’ anymore?” “What is colorism, and why is it a problem?” “Why are pronouns such a big deal?” I love them because someone asking them is ready, even if for just a frustrating moment, to change and grow. I can’t teach folks that it’s important to care about other people, but I can help them figure out how to care about other people in fresh ways. How are your workshops and YouTube episodes supporting a global community? By creating environments where we normalize changing our minds and unlearning things about how the world works, our participants and viewers are freed to learn without shame. We have conversations about colonization and its aftermath, intersectionality and its necessity, popular culture, and it's a way of teaching us about people we’ll never meet. We’ve discovered that one of the biggest barriers to change for quite a few folks is that they feel they should have known better already. They’re embarrassed, ashamed, and overwhelmed. By starting the conversation from the place of “the person who walked in here was doing the best they could, but let’s talk about how to be a bit better moving forward,” we gift our participants/viewers with the knowledge that they’re not alone in not quite knowing how to human. We’re all working it out together, and feeling ashamed of who you were three years ago or three minutes ago isn’t productive. See what was wrong, fix it, and move on. What’s your big goal? In the last several years, Dr. Brene Brown has explained vulnerability and its importance to millions and millions of people around the world. It’s allowed so many to understand the power of radical honesty with self and others, and I’m so grateful for her work. I want to build on it and help people understand the true power of empathy. Empathy needs to be a disciplined posture of how we move about the world because empathy isn’t a simple word that appears on greeting cards or Instagram memes. Empathy is committing to understand others and react to their pain or experiences like theirs and not comparisons to our own. We don’t commit to agreeing with them or approving their choices, and we simply commit to seeking understanding. It’s hard work and requires a lot of self-reflection and emotional intelligence, not to mention a heaping dose of curiosity and a working relationship with vulnerability. However, I believe it’s mandatory to bring this deeper version of humans we all crave, and I want to do everything I can to help us get there. Kristen Donnelly (MSW, M.Div, Ph.D.) is a TEDx Speaker, empathy educator, speaker, and researcher with two decades of experience helping people understand the beauty in difference and the power of inclusivity. She is one of The Good Doctors of Abbey Research, where she and Dr. Erin Hinson seek to foster empathy and creativity to empower inclusive communities through cultural analysis and training. Their podcast, The culturecast, is on iTunes. Kristen is also co-owner and COO of their parent company and an unapologetic nerd for stories of joy, hope, and change. Kristen lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband, surrounded by piles of books and several video game consoles. For more info, follow Tricia on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Tricia! Tricia Brouk, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Tricia Brouk is an internationally award-winning director. She has worked in theater, film, and television for three decades. Tricia founded The Big Talk Academy, where she certifies speakers in the art of public speaking. She was the executive producer of Speakers Who Dare and TEDxLincolnSquare, and now The Big Talk Live. She is currently being featured in a new documentary called Big Stages, which highlights the transformation of her speakers. Tricia’s commitment and devotion to inclusion are priorities as all of her shows, events, and communities are diverse. She curates and hosts the Speaker Salon in NYC, The Big Talk, an award-winning podcast on iTunes and YouTube. The Influential Voice: Saying What You Mean for Lasting Legacy was a 1 New Release on Amazon in December 2020. She was awarded Top Director of 2019 by the International Association of Top Professionals and Top Ten Speaker Coaches in Yahoo Finance in 2021. Her documentaries have received critical acclaim— winning Best Documentary Short at The Olympus Film Festival and Los Angeles Movie Awards. Tricia has spoken at Forbes, Pride Global, New York Public Library, I Heart My Life Live and The National Organization for Rare Disorders.

Written by: Maria R. Malec, 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 if we didn't have a term for "depression" "anxiety" "sadness" "anger" "fear" or any of those other negative feeling descriptives? How else would we describe what we are feeling? Are labels and diagnoses necessary because they validate what we are feeling; that what we are feeling is real? Would it be accurate to say that these labels suggest how we are feeling by the mere definition of the word? How about entertaining the concept that what we are feeling is simply out of alignment with our idea of or expectation of what it means to be happy and at peace? Is happiness your goal or just to not repeatedly experience events of the past in the now? If you didn't feel the effects of that "label", what would you feel like instead? What would you replace those self-defeating experiences/emotions with? Have you ever thought about it in this way? What if you could just flip the script? I'm here to tell you that with the proper tools and consistent, simple practices it can be achieved. You no longer need to be a prisoner of your mind and can effectively find relief. How great is that? The 3 requirements for flipping the script: Belief that healing can be achieved The desire and willingness to be healed Active participation in the healing process Thoughts are the vocabulary of our minds. Everything we tell ourselves, our mind believes. It goes without saying that if we don't believe healing is possible... we are right, it probably won't happen. As improbable as it sounds, many people really don't want to be healed. The common thought process here is that the label defines us. If we don't have the diagnosis/label, then who are we? We must first come to terms that we are not our diagnosis/label. Many people are paralyzed with the idea of having a void where the label once was. As a result, these people are resistant to the door of change. One of my favorite quotes for change to happen is, "Our desire to change needs to be greater than our desire to stay the same." That's when the magic happens. Ultimately, the power of change resides in the belief, willingness, and act of doing. What we focus on expands, whether it's good or bad, which is why we need to pay close attention to our words/thoughts. Our minds work best with pictures, which is why those tormenting emotions are that much more painful. Our minds don't actually know the difference if an event happened a year ago or if it is currently happening. If you are picturing an event over and over again, as I call brain looping, your brain and body are responding as if it is currently happening. Your body is creating the chemistry that manifests in those unsavory emotions. Emotions are the vocabulary of our bodies. Sadly, these bodily signals are the things that someone who is suffering is desperate to turn off. Yet, it is our emotions that signal us as to what needs attention. Turning them off with pharmaceuticals, alcohol, excessive exercise, or other addictions is like driving your car without signal lights. Here is a 3 step process that you can start with and develop over time to flip the script from P.T.S.D. to C.A.L.M. Flipping the script is the ability to look at your issues through new lenses and working through the trauma without turning off your emotions. Despite what you currently believe, the power is within you to shift in the way you think and feel. This process is powerful and effective if you incorporate it into your daily life. Don't let the simplicity of this law of attention fool you. When properly executed, amazing things happen. Step 1: Concise choice of words Choose a specific set of affirming words in the present tense. The brain likes consistency and responds well to repetition. This is how we reprogram our thinking... flip the script! Examples: I am whole I am in the process of healing I am Safe I am at peace My body reflects radiance and vitality Each day I am creating a meaningful life I am opening my heart and learning to trust again I believe in myself. Step 2: Clear Visualization Create a picture in your mind to envision while you repeat your affirming statement. Only use one statement at a time. After all, you can only focus on one image at a time. You can get as detailed as you desire. The more detail, the greater the connection to the pleasurable emotion. Ideas: Think of something you enjoy, a specific person, food, or activity. BE SPECIFIC! Family member's name Best friend's name A red delicious apple Butter pecan ice cream Pepperoni pizza running on a trail dirt biking on a track reading a book in a hammock Favorite vacation spot Your pet Step 3: Corresponding feeling with Visualization During this infuse your image (from the visualization in Step 2) with a good feeling. How does your image bring you joy? Fully FEEL what you see. This is the most important component of this exercise. Memories (pictures/visuals) are always attached to an emotion. As you repeat an affirming statement with a visual that is attached to a positive feeling, you will start to feel the new effects of the reprogramming process. When you give your mind new images to focus on you effectively begin to heal from the damage of a self-sabotaging mindset. You can only think one thought at a time. If you are consistently putting your attention on self-affirming statements coupled with an enjoyable visual and positive corresponding feeling, you will begin to see your life transform. Do it as much as you can. Do it daily for a minimum of 21 days. And 66 consecutive days if you want it to become automated, a.k.a. a habit. A pretty darn good habit to have by the way. While this process above may seem like a silly exercise, you will soon find out that your determination will give you positive results. You get what you put into it and the benefits will speak for themselves. Flipping the script is merely a starting point to ignite your healing from sabotaging thoughts of things that you are no longer experiencing except for in your mind. If you change the way you look at things the things you look at have no choice except to change. Start with believing that relief is possible. Be open to possibilities and take an active role in the process. The mind is a complex machine that requires specific, yet, simple methods to control how you feel. The control is absolutely within your reach. Trust that all you do serves your highest good. About Maria For the past 2 decades, Maria has been a wellness advocate for informed self-care and ‘Chemical Free’ living. As a result of countless hours of training and personal development, she thrives on teaching others how to design unique blueprints for vitality by implementing a “live above the wellness line” mindset. Her enthusiasm stems from helping others make informed decisions and becoming responsible for how they care for themselves and their families. She's "#justamom" on a mission with a heart for sharing what works to make the world a better place for all. Her Mission Teach self-reliance and self-care skills to busy moms who need help to overcome health & wellness hurdles so that they may confidently experience self-care success living elevated with everyday wellness. Want to learn more from Maria? Visit her website. Maria R. Malec, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine As a Human Experience Coach, Maria reminds folks that living is an art. Using various tools found in nature, she creates experiential retreats that ignite one's inner healer. She brings people to the awareness that their level of wellness is directly related to their peace of mind. Through heart/brain coherence, it is her mission to inspire others to paint a beautiful living by daring to declare their innermost desires, bringing peace to chaotic hearts, and helping them to restore themselves to their original blueprint of design. Her methods teach others how to find their flow and live fully with all their senses.

Written by: Suzie Ayonna Suttles, 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. Loving yourself isn't selfish. It's critical for your health, self-esteem, self-confidence, and success. When you love yourself, you will make yourself a priority, and you'll take care of yourself because you realize you deserve nothing less. Learning to cultivate self-love is a necessary tool for inner and outer growth and healthy relationships with others. Here are a few tips to enhance your self-love: Learn to silence your inner critic and start viewing yourself in a positive light more often and highlight your accomplishments more than you spotlight the things that didn't go as planned. Whenever the inner critic surfaces, reminding you of the many times you've failed, remember your triumphs! Try this practice for 30-days and see what happens. You got this! Spend time helping others in your community by volunteering as a way to boost your self-esteem. When you focus on serving others, you take a mental break from the stress of life and provides a lesson in gratitude. Volunteering also has the power to boost your opinion of yourself because you get to help someone in their time of need. It allows you to remove the attention from yourself and serve another human, and it's a reminder that to see good in the world, you must create the change you desire to see. Learn to love your neighbor as you love yourself by being a good friend because it makes you feel good about yourself. There are times when we aren't being a good friend to others because we struggle with being a good friend to ourselves. When you are a good friend, everyone wins, and you build stronger and solid relationships with others. Learn to forgive yourself for the mistakes you made in the past because, let's face it, we've all done things we aren't so proud about. The time has come for you to forgive yourself for those missteps and give yourself a break from doing what you thought was best at that time. Would you forgive someone you cared about? Well, learn to do it for yourself as well, no one is perfect, and we're all learning as we grow. Learn to pursue the things you need in your life and not what you want. When you've taken care of your needs, you'll be in a better position to receive what you want. Your needs come first, and when you tend to satisfy those needs, you exemplify true self-love. Pursing your wants leaves you feeling empty and drained because you feel like something is missing. When you focus on fulfilling your needs, your manifestations will begin to flow effortlessly your way. Relax and focus on true fulfillment, which is self-love. Spend time taking care of your body and finding an exercise tailored to your sense of joy and excitement. Exercising should be seen as a fun and healthy way of caring for yourself and not a chore. Self-harm is the opposite of self-love, and poor diet and lack of exercise leave you feeling drained and aren't a good example of self-love. When you make eating a healthy diet and exercising your body, you're showing yourself self-love and self-care. Making this your daily habit and watch how your energetic vibration raises in self-love. Learn to appreciate your uniqueness because the most valuable parts about yourself are those that are different from everyone else. You have a different set of qualities, skills, and abilities that are all unique to you, and it's time for you to stop being embarrassed about them and learn to appreciate them. They are the unique qualities and gifts that make you the beautiful you, and learning to appreciate them cultivate more self-love. Learning to practice gratitude for everything and everyone in your life builds self-esteem and self-love. You begin to realize your life is better than you think, and you are better than you think you are. Gratitude is truly a life changer! Learn to be kind to yourself and learn to respect yourself the same way you do others. You are responsible for looking out for yourself, and you shouldn't place that burden on anyone else. Would be to anyone else. There is nothing wrong with being kind to others, but when you're kinder to others than yourself, you show up with a self-love deficit. Self-love is the key to inner happiness and success and is a skill that can be developed with the proper training and assistance. Without self-love, you face an obstacle with self-development. Join our FREE private Facebook mental health support community today by subscribing to our monthly self-care newsletter, and start cultivating healthy self-love. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , or visit my website for more info! Suzie Ayonna Suttles, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Suzie is a Certified Intuitive Guide, Healer, and Reader, who is a survivor of childhood psychological abuse, and domestic violence abuse. She is a thriver of PTSD, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and an Intuitive Guidance Coach fostering the heart of men beyond the abuse of their past. Empowering men to move from the mindset of the victim to the mindset of the victor. She is a published author of 6 books, and her work was featured on HubPages, HealDove, and The GTCC Titan Review. Suzie is a proud member of the Phi Theta Kappa National Honors Society.

Written by: Ilaria Storch, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. A nomad that started traveling only in adult life may sound a little different, as it is quite usual, recently, for babies to travel and babble in many languages. I took some time to get my soul nomad on the road, and for me, it meant doing it together with my husband and kids since they were small. This illustrates that we can be inspired in many ways and structures, as nomads, to fit our personality, possibilities, and opportunities. As much as quiet time is important and discovering unique places is a real gold mine for self-discovery, the fun and joyful part in you and I will want to share this with someone, at some point – preferably in person, and not only virtually. As human beings, we are all born creative, active, and adventurous. It is also very natural that sometimes you can get caught up in a sea of responsibilities and obligations and lose track of what really makes you feel alive – be it a country, a way of living, a deep will to change it all, reset how you are raising the kids, managing your business, relationships, and even your time off to relax and think. Each day more, it is important that one can become more resourceful from inside, find that place for you to dream, explore, prosper, even during this pandemic. We are nomads from within before we explore outside, and I certainly feel that one fuels the other, each day more. The definition of a nomad is a person who does not stay long in the same place, a wanderer. A wanderer is described as a person who travels aimlessly – now, I say, stop here and let this sink in and let me translate this to how I see it today, with a free meaning to it. As you release your day and plans and let them wander around in your mind, with no specific “aim,” that is, with no immediate intention of achieving anything, the sudden sensation of freedom and lightness is powerful. The distinct ideas and perspectives that will appear from getting "nomad" with your thoughts are like when you roam around an unexplored city, like when you look for another place or neighborhood to live as if playing with your infinite choices. Yes, stopping and thinking has been so villainized that you may even feel guilty by desiring it. Well, you have my permission to daydream a bit, go nomadic on your feelings, let them guide you to where you want to be before you get on a new, exciting plan mode! My children are adults now, and I am so grateful for the daydreaming alongside the hard steps. Amazing times too, each day, into parenthood, into being there for my family, while mindfully putting my personal projects on hold, until I got hold of them and set them in action, at my inner nomad right time for it all to thrive and grow. You see, you never know where your great inspiration, change, and even letting go of what does not serve you anymore will come from. When you expand your view on familiar things and people around you and start seeing it all from a different light, you gradually look up to what can be, to what you desire again, or anew. The familiar ways may or may not support you, yet you are responsible for your vision and for setting it in movement. It is amazing what happens next, original ideas pop in, you start looking for specific support, the air clears out gradually, and your people start to find you! This road is a vital one for yourself, your soul, your self-growth, and it will bring another meaning, not only for you but for those around you too, in a more authentic and enjoyable way. So, go deep, go nomadic on yourself first and trust your vision! Look for me next month for more inspiration and let me know what you think, and I will write back to you. You can connect with me also at Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info! ILA at Life Coach Nomads Your Connection Coach Ilaria Storch, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ilaria Storch, a Life Coach Nomad, is the creator of Life Coach Nomads, where she shares her passion for travel and for inspiring people everywhere to access their true center and find more connection and energy on the way to more joy, fun, and fulfillment. She practices that following your emotions, wrapped up in a personal structure that can connect your goals, desires, and love, is the path to all real and true growth. Wherever you are, change is nomadic by essence, and it takes time, support and starts inside you when you absolutely desire to develop yourself and move on. She has a Bachelor´s Degree in Advertising, speaks many languages, won a Fashion Illustration Award during College, and loves coaching her clients towards their expressive life journey.

Written by: Justine Hebert Dinesen, 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. Everyone is subject to stress at various points in time-triggered both in our professional or personal lives. In Denmark, approximately 430,000 have symptoms of severe stress, and 35,000 are on stress leave every day. Stress is a natural response to perceived “dangers.” It is an unconscious reaction that increases our physical strength to fight or escape — the classic "flight or fight" response. The sympathetic nervous system takes over, triggering the production of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline to encourage quick action. Fat and sugar content increase in our blood, pulse and blood pressure rise, our senses are heightened, our immune system is strengthened, and our access to the intellect and reason is decreased in favor of immediate instinctual responses. In the short term, stress is positive as it enables us to “flight or fight.” It allows us to perform on stage, gather a high level of energy to finish up a project, take a quick decision or save a child from a fast-driving car. The problem arises when stress is prolonged or chronic. That is to say, when the body’s stress response continues after a threat has passed or when the source of stress is constant. Cortisol and adrenaline hormones stay high in our bodies, putting our mental and physical health at risk. Our body starts developing physical, cognitive, or behavioral stress symptoms. We can become forgetful, disorganized, and have difficulties concentrating. We can feel exhausted, get recurrent headaches, migraines, or stomach problems, have difficulties sleeping, or lose sexual desire. We can also experience a change in appetite, an increase in our consumption of alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes, or feel more irritable, aggressive, or tend to withdraw into ourselves. Warning signals only get worse, and the consequences more serious and long-lasting if ignored. So the earlier you handle your stress, the better. Here are some recommendations to reduce and prevent stress in daily life. 1. Sleep well and enough — aim for at least 7 hours a night. Sleep is of utmost importance to function optimally and feel good. Too little sleep gives stress. The body and nervous system are recovering during sleep, and the brain is being cleansed. To increase your chances to sleep well and enough, it is important that you: Go to bed at the same time everyday. Do not take a nap after 2 pm. Do not drink coffee or caffeinated drink after 3 pm. Do not drink alcohol after 7 pm. Do not watch television or use screens an hour before going to bed If you have difficulties falling asleep or if you wake up during the night, write down everything you think about on a piece of paper. When your thoughts are on paper, they don’t fill as much space in your brain. You can also try to relax your body and face and focus on your breathing. 2. Slow down. When we feel stressed, we feel like running faster, but this is exactly what we should avoid. We need to get our stress hormones to drop and therefore reduce our level of activity. Prioritize and delegate — only do what is absolutely necessary. It may feel like you need to get that market analysis done as well as finish off painting your garage while working full-time, but you need to only do what is absolutely necessary and delegate or postpone the rest until you feel better. Disconnect — take a break from your phone. Put your phone on silent, turn off your notifications, start a social media detox and only look at your phone when absolutely needed or at fixed times. Notification alerts are known for increasing our stress levels and compromising our productivity. Schedule some “do nothing” time — It can be extremely challenging when we feel stressed not to do anything, but this in turn what we need the most. Try to sit on a bench outside or lie down on your couch chilling or listening to soothing music. Avoid rushing —When you are in a rush, your stress hormones rise. This is what you want to avoid when you are already stressed. Make sure to have a good time before you meet with your doctor, deliver your kids to kindergarten or meet up with a friend. 3. Practice 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity. Physical activity is a prerequisite to feeling good. It is relaxing. It clears the mind and gives a better quality of sleep. Indeed, many good hormones are released when we exercise. Endorphins help relieve pain and stress and trigger a happy feeling within our body that are accompanied by a more positive outlook on life. Serotonin boosts our mood and overall sense of well-being. It can also help improve appetite and sleep cycles, which are often negatively affected by stress. Regular exercise also helps balance our body’s level of stress hormones, such as adrenaline. However, it is important NOT to practice intense physical activity when feeling extremely stressed. It drastically increases the levels of adrenalin and cortisol, which are already high when suffering from chronic stress. Ultimately, it can worsen stress symptoms and lead to burnout. Aim for moderate physical activity when you are already feeling stressed. It can be anything from going for a walk, taking a relaxing bicycle ride, having a short yoga practice (Hatha or Yin), or gardening. 4. Relax your mind. Often when we feel stressed, our mind is agitated, we have racing thoughts, and we feel like we always need to be productive. This is our nervous system tricking us. We actually need to do the opposite in order to get our body and nervous system in balance again. A good way to slow down is to practice mental relaxation to disconnect from your invasive thoughts. If you are very stressed, you may not be able to meditate, which is perfectly normal. In that case, get rid of your thoughts by watching slow television instead. Watch slow TV: travel and wildlife documentaries or gardening and cooking programs. Listen to soothing music Soak in a warm bath Do breathing exercises Practice guided meditation like Yoga Nidra, or meditate if you are already acquainted with meditation. 5. Take at least one work-free day a week. Work is important, but so are you! Most of us are reading our work emails when we are off. It may seem innocent as we are not answering them, but it is distracting. From the moment you read your emails, you are thinking about work, and you stop being fully present. So take real time off when you are on weekends or on leave. Turn off your work emails from your phone, leave your computer in your bag, and relax. Do not feel guilty for taking real-time off. It will help you recharge your batteries, regain overview and ultimately, better endure work pressure in the long-term. 6. Plan some time to do what you enjoy and give you energy. When you feel stressed, it is important to plan some time for yourself to do the things you like. Ideally, once a day for 15 minutes to an hour, depending on your available time. But it can also be a few times a week if this is more convenient. It will give you something to look forward to, recharge your batteries and teach you to prioritize yourself. 7. Listen to your body. You need to learn to follow your body's needs rather than your mind's requirement to deliver and perform. Ask yourself what you feel like doing and listen to what your body is telling you. Do you feel chest pain when you think about attending that family birthday? Then, don’t do it. It might not always be an option to do what you want to do, but it is always good to ask yourself what you would like to do in the different situations you encounter. It is a good way to learn to be in contact with yourself. Follow Justine on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website. Justine Hebert Dinesen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Justine H. Dinesen is a certified and experienced Life and Stress Coach, speaker, and wellbeing consultant. Besides conducting one-on-one coaching online and in-person in Copenhagen, over the past several years, she has held numerous workshops and courses both inside and outside of Denmark. Justine herself experienced an extreme period of stress while working as a Bid Manager for a large renewable energy company, a personal experience that ultimately led Justine down a new and highly rewarding career path, informing and helping others to prevent or alleviate stress and its symptoms and consequences in their lives. Thanks to her English, French, and Danish fluency, she can reach a wide audience across borders, helping them attain goals, shift into new career paths, navigate difficult decisions, improve their self-esteem, and generally renew their spark for life.

Written by: Oriel Ross McKinney, 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. Many times, we have a defensive posture. We react as inconveniences and problems arise. Not only does this bad habit abuse and challenge our time, but worse is we cannot react at our highest level because we're not directing the conversations. Here are my personal suggestions to orchestrate living your life by design and not by default. 1. Sell yourself. This means not only putting yourself in the right spaces but also surrounding yourself with champions and sponsors who will recommend you, mention your name for consideration, and create progressive environments. There is a method of selling yourself. Establish yourself as a curator of solutions. Confidently present your ideas and track your success. You can sell yourself easily when there is a history of wins. And know, wins don't have to be grandiose; in many situations, they are implementing ripples of change and creating headway. 2. Strategize your sales targets. Exceeding your sales targets doesn't occur by happenstance. Be intentional about the methods used to achieve sales goals. When reverse engineered, this type of planning dictates when you should take specific actions to attain success. Hope is essential, but it is not a sales strategy. Connecting with a certain number of leads, providing information, and answering questions are what carry you to the finish line on your timeframe. You drive your results. 3. Create long-term goals. It is always interesting when clients are goal setting. They tend to be annual goals. Sometimes what you achieve in a year is foundational, and your rocket moment exists because of that hard work. Do not let the social media highlights create unrealistic expectations. I advocate for short- and long-term goals. Where will you be in 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years? Continue to revise and achieve. 4. Build in personal and creative time. Absorb elements of peace and moments of calm. A healthy cadence includes respite and rejuvenation. This is a part of a mental health check. If you don't reset your body and brain, they will reset for you. Moments to exhale are just as important as your most productive hours. 5. Put your resume away. In other words, do not be boring. So many of us have practiced our elevator pitch to the point where we spew it out ferociously without even noticing the bodies we takedown in the process. Breathe. Pause. Listen. Connect with people. Find something in common. Ask questions. Design a life where you are relatable. Where you know how to appreciate the value in every encounter. Where you appreciate the connection more than the picture that will serve as your next post. You have the absolute authority to steer your life's direction. Appreciate your worth and know it is your time for your voice to be heard and for the world to see your talent. I thank you personally for your contributions. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Oriel! Oriel Ross McKinney, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Oriel Ross McKinney is a renowned Business Strategist, Author, and Speaker. Known as The Small Biz Engine®, her experience includes a successful 20-year tenure in Business Strategy and Development, Finance, Non-Profit Management, and Entrepreneurship. As the mastermind behind several success stories, brands, and businesses, she methodically assesses her projects and delivers profit-driven strategies again and again. As a producer and co-host of the Many Hands Podcast, Oriel hones in on business & socially conscious topics while unveiling success in a brilliant way. For those looking to transition from corporate workplaces to entrepreneurship, read her anchor chapter in the anthology, Soaring Beyond the 9 to 5, or tap into one of her signature F.U.E.L.® Academy courses. On a personal level, Oriel's biggest challenge and gift are being a mom to two children who were born prematurely. In her spare time, she supports preemie babies and their families in any way she can. Her motto is “You’re your greatest asset; invest in yourself.”

Written by: Robert McAlister, 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 have written many articles relating to crisis leadership over the years. If the last 18 months (the global pandemic) has demonstrated anything, then it is the importance of good crisis leadership and thinking about crisis leadership qualities and abilities in a different way. We would probably all agree that leadership, even on a normal day, can be a challenge. Still, leadership in a crisis defines most leader’s careers by its exceptional demands, complexity, and urgency. Therefore, this article explores what additional qualities and skills are needed between being a good leader in steady-state periods versus leadership within a crisis. Most research regarding core crisis leadership skills suggest that the fundamental basics required are the following, and I strongly believe that to be true based on my long years of experience: Sense-Making Decision Making Communicating If we were then to agree that most crisis priorities are about people. For example, the victims, the families, the responding teams, and their leaders, all of whom are under significant pressure and possible trauma, then this indicates a clear skill set of any crisis leader; that of advanced people skills. What has become clear over recent years is a greater need for a blend of hard and softer skills. It is the latter that is the most neglected in the crisis field, a field fixated by automation, robotics, technical systems, and standard operating procedures and models. Leadership Intelligence IQ + EQ = LQ Without a doubt, emotional intelligence is a key to real crisis leadership success. However, just as cognitive intelligence is not the only solution, nor is emotional intelligence. For real crisis leadership, you need both cognitive intelligence (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ). Through the application of both, one can derive Leadership Intelligence (LQ). Having Leadership Intelligence (LQ) will allow you to demonstrate the relevant job knowledge and skills while also demonstrating emotional intelligence of self and others. Leadership Intelligence (LQ) allows us to switch between leadership styles to suit the situation. Situational leadership allows the leader to assess the circumstances and chose a style that best suits them. Research clearly indicates that leaders who achieve the best results do not rely on one leadership style alone. A good leader uses an eclectic approach in order to ensure they provide an appropriate and measured response to any situation and particularly in the immediate chaos of a crisis. Complexity and The Perfection Trap Decision-making and decision-making models are often-sighted, as one of the mainstays of crisis leadership skill sets, but to make good decisions, there are other complementary skills required, that of situational awareness and critical thinking. One of the biggest crisis leadership challenges is seeing things as they are, not as we are — with our biases unconsciously shaping what we see and pay attention to. How do leaders improve their ability to understand, visualize, and describe the crisis environment and context to enable good decision making, often with limited quality information available? This is the challenge. Thin Slicing Malcolm Gladwell popularized this term in his work, Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. Gladwell explains that people ‘think without thinking’ and indulge in thin-slicing (heuristics) whenever they encounter a new person, a new situation or must make a decision about something very quickly. According to him, people make snap judgments quickly by relying unconsciously on thin slices of experiences. Characteristics such as: Do you trust your hunches when confronted by an important decision? Do you feel in your body if a decision is right or wrong? Do you put a lot of faith in your initial feelings about people and situations? Do you put more emphasis on feelings than data when making a decision? Do you trust your experience when arriving at the reasons for making a decision, even if you cannot explain why? Sense-Making and The Perfection Trap In a crisis, when the reality is changing by the day (or even by the hour), when there is no way of knowing with certainty what lies ahead or the best course of action to take, there is no time for perfection. If we expect to have the perfect plan in place to deal with such a complex challenge like the current global pandemic, we are going to be incredibly frustrated and disappointed with our results and the inevitable criticism this will bring. Perfection is sometimes a worthy idea, but when it comes to accomplishing our biggest objectives within crises, it is something that we need to get comfortable with. Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization Health Emergency Program, has been at the front lines of several global health threats, including the fight against Ebola and now the coronavirus. On managing through a crisis, he says: “If you need to be right before you move, you will lose. Speed trumps perfection. Perfection is the enemy of good when it comes to emergency management.” Getting Comfortable with the Unknown When looking at our biggest objectives, it is easy to fall into the trap of wanting to design the perfect path forward, so we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the steps we are taking are leading us to where we want to go. The problem with that is that the bigger the goal, the bigger the unknowns. If you have ever hiked up a mountain, you have probably encountered a “false peak.” For those who might be unfamiliar, when hiking up large mountains, you will eventually face a hill that from your current perspective, looks like the summit. It has a crest, it stands against the sky, and by all accounts, you will believe it is the end-goal. However, the closer you get to the false summit, you will realize that the hill you are walking up is blocking another hill you will need to climb. The term false peak has been used periodically throughout the pandemic, particularly relating to lockdowns and the light at the end of the tunnel, such as the easing of current restrictions and a return to normality, whatever that make it look like. There is no such thing as a perfect crisis management plan. As crisis leaders, our days are littered with moments when we think, “I wish I would have known that sooner.” But the trouble is—you could not have known that information going in. It would not have been possible. We know what we know. We know what we do not know. But we do not know what we do not know. Those types of unknowns will not show up on our radar until we come within range of them. Personal Resilience The emotional consequences of perfectionism include fear of making mistakes, stress from the pressure to perform, and self-consciousness from feeling both self-confidence and self-doubt. All these will undoubtedly affect your performance as a crisis leader and, ultimately, that of any response or recovery efforts. When looking at the goals, we want to accomplish. It is important to be mindful that most of them will require us to take one step forward and one step back so we can then take two steps forward. During great uncertainty, leaders across all industries are adjusting strategies, rewriting the rules of operating, and sometimes making things up as they go. This kind of leadership demands great confidence, mental agility, and a huge amount of personal resilience. As anyone who has been a crisis leader will tell you, personal resilience and awareness of your own resilience counts. The good news is that research suggests positive construal can be taught. Leaders can make themselves vulnerable by how they think about things. Therefore, teaching leaders to think of stimuli in different ways—to reframe them in positive terms when the initial response is negative or in a less emotional way when the initial response is emotionally “hot”—changes how they experience and react to the stimulus. You can therefore train leaders to better regulate their emotions and pressure. This training seems to have lasting effects. The cognitive skills that underpin resilience, then, seem like they can indeed be learned over time, creating resilience where there was none. Frame adversity and pressure as a challenge, and you become more flexible and able to deal with it, move on, learn from it, and grow. Getting caught up in wanting everything to be perfect the whole way through is not realistic, and it is a good way to keep ourselves from accomplishing anything at all as crisis leaders. Crisis Leaders of the Future Crisis Leaders need to manage people in some of the most complex of real-world situations, requiring rapid coordination, communication, and decision-making under extreme pressure. Crisis Leaders of the future need flexibility, agility, and creativity in leadership thinking and styles, the ability to perform under pressure whilst maintaining vital interpersonal and self-perception skills to achieve maximum results. As I always say to my clients, “Threats Change – So Must Our Thinking.” Follow me on Instagram , Twitter , LinkedIn , or visit my website for more info! Robert McAlister, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Robert’s mantra is ‘think differently’ and he certainly walks that talk in everything he does. Certainly not one for taking the easy path, he thrives on a challenge and the words ‘the most tenacious person we know’ are a major understatement. He is a recognized leader in the field of leadership and team coaching. and is the Director and driving force behind Glenbarr Coaching, who offers a very different coaching experience. For over 30 years he has worked globally with a diverse range of high profile clients from Governments to NGO’s, Private Sector Corporates to Public Sector Agencies. Celebrities and Senior Executives who have all benefitted from his sought after talents. Such a wide portfolio and body of work has provided him with very unique insights and approaches to training and coaching strategies that work and are sustainable. The central theme to Robert’s career has been people development and growth. Specialising in mindset, behaviours and team dynamics to effect positive outcomes and increased performance. Equally at home in the boardroom or challenging field environments getting his hands dirty, Robert’s real magic is bringing the best out of individuals or teams to achieve their goals. If you are looking for a truly transformational experience that is remembered and relived long after any official training or coaching session, then Robert is the guy to talk to!

Written by: Roberto R. Bravo, 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. Recently, there has been a growing interest in Ethics in the financial, industrial, and business sectors. This ancient, and ever-renewed philosophical discipline is attracting the attention of some progressive and innovative economic groups around the world. The revered intellectual subject is moving out of the academy and into the street, into the world of business. Why? What does Ethics have to do with stock markets, the foundation of companies, the invention and development of products, the expansion of markets? What is Ethics? Ethics can be defined as the science of what ought to be. To understand what Ethics is and why Ethics, we must therefore ask ourselves about what ought to be, and to do so, it will be necessary first to deal with being, and perhaps also with science. The question of being appears, at first sight, very profound. Very philosophical. If we ask anyone in the street what being is, or more precisely, what their being is, we will hardly get a simple or even coherent answer. Most likely, the unaware passer-by will not understand our question in the first place. But if we do not use the word being in abstract, as a noun, but as a verb, the answer will readily emerge: What are you? We will surely get a great diversity of answers: mechanic, tradesman, baker, engineer, pilot, dentist... Hardly anyone would say that he or she is a man or a woman, or a human being or even a biological organism (even less, probably, will they define themselves basically as a mind, or a certain consciousness unless, of course, he or she is a guru or a professor of philosophy). Instead, everybody will answer according to the activity they carry out. Ask a child what he wants to be when he grows up, and he will say fireman, truck driver, or astronaut. In other words, people define themselves by what they do. As concerns man, it would seem that being is defined by doing. The ought to be is, therefore, an ought to do. But do what? The old Latin adage, "Age quod agis" gives us an answer: "Do what you do." Ethics begins by discovering what we do, by finding the core reason why we define ourselves as bankers, politicians, teachers, lawyers, or businessmen, to realize those characteristics consciously in ourselves so that the term by which we say what we are can be properly applied to us. This may sound like an easy task, but there is hardly anything quite as difficult. The reason? There are just a few. Our social nature leads us to consider what we do not merely as individuals but with regard to our role in the community, which is precisely where the activity one performs makes sense. (Robinson Crusoe, alone on his island, need have been all those things simultaneously, or none of them.) The development of commercial, financial, industrial, and business activities has been immersed since its distant origins in a complex social context. And the benefits originating in those activities are by no means alien to that context — a fact that has been particularly evident in the face of the current global pandemic, which is compelling us to reconsider, among other things, our social-economic activities and relations. Today we are witnessing a renewed interest in Ethics in the economic, business, and political fields because it is becoming increasingly clear, within the increasingly interrelated world of today, that economic, political and social well-being cannot be achieved in the individual without regard to the whole social group. What we do, we cannot do without taking in the whole of society. Otherwise, we won’t be what we ought to be. Progress and improvement at the individual level are not possible to the full extent without progress and improvement for all. Hence, the growing interest of the progressive and driving sectors of the economy in the general social development. This is why what at first sight might appear to be an academic discipline of purely theoretical interest is reaching out of the academic sphere (where it has never belonged exclusively, by the way) and attracting the attention of those concerned for the well-being of all, as a most effective way to define properly what we are ― and what we want to be. The discovery, or rediscovery, of Ethics is a necessary first step in making the society we want. One that will lead, among other things, to better understand the issues involved in decision-making processes today and the social (not only economic and business) responsibility that goes with them. That is why Ethics. Want to learn more from Robert? Follow him on Youtube & Linkedin or visit his website. Robert R. Bravo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Besides his long experience as a researcher and lecturer on Ethics, Logic of Science and Philosophy of Language in Universities of Spain and Latin America, Roberto R Bravo writes and teaches on management skills in the areas of language and argumentation, coaching, leadership, and conflict management from a philosophical standpoint. Member of the editorial board of some academic and non-academic journals, he has published a number of essays, short stories, books for children, and translations. He is currently working on several books, both fiction and non-fiction.

Written by: Kristie Kennedy, 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. “A mighty flame follows a tiny spark.” — Dante Alighieri. Imagine the power to transcend beyond inconceivable heights despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The willingness to lead with a limp can unlock the doors to exponential potential. Oprah Winfrey profoundly stated, "When you undervalue what you do, people will undervalue who you are." Five days a week I sit with pen and paper in the coaching seat and the number one confession I hear is, “I have imposter syndrome.” The inability to believe that you are worthy of being highly compensated, or perceive you’re good enough is kryptonite to executive presence. The effects are disempowering thoughts appear in constantly apologizing, second-guessing your decisions or missed opportunities due to fear of criticism. Self-limiting beliefs will sabotage success faster than you can blink your eyes. There are innumerable saboteurs of success yet we are focusing on the leader of the pack, imposter syndrome. The word sabotage means to destroy something. It originated from French workers who jammed their wooden shoes (leurs sabots) into industrial machinery to stop production. It is a deliberate action aimed at weakening through disruption of normal operations. Can you see the ultimate outcome of a negative thought? To stop you from achieving, attaining and accomplishing your goals. The saboteur’s objective is to halt and hinder a person, plan or process from being successful. The subtle intention is to undermine or overthrow an established power. Champions eat external obstacles for breakfast. On the other side of the coin is courage to confront internal barriers of brilliance created by your own beliefs. I’ve discovered seven confidence-keys to rise above the saboteur of success which is the nemesis of next level leadership. Awareness — powerful presence begins with acute self-awareness. In your fragility lies fortified strength and the power to realign on the inside. Acceptance — embrace the willingness to release what was and welcome all that is to come. Acknowledgment — vulnerability dismantles the ego and allows you to own your truth by standing in transparency. Authenticity — you are distinct by design and never have to live in someone else’s shadow for fear of shining your light. Audacity — nothing massive ever occurred by being passive. Dare to play by the rules you write. Appreciation — harness the power of gratitude and the spaciousness of abundance until the mountains of frustration surrender. Action — radical results are the by-product of relentless execution in the face of excuses. “I come as one, but I stand as ten thousand” — Maya Angelou. Research shows that women often sabotage their success because they lack confidence not competence. There is no time for shrinking when you're focused on seizing limitless opportunities. Make a conscious choice to be a flambeau (a flaming torch of fire) in the heat of the fight, in the valley of the famine, in the furnace of frustration and in the face of fear. The story that has the greatest impact is the one you are repeating to yourself, and change is the perfect catalyst for a jaw dropping plot twist. “BREATH is life. You are not the pebble washed to the shore by the wave, but the fish that swims in the wave. Breathe in to fill, to draw in the light. "SLOW." He told her, with awareness. Breathe out to empty and pause. Hold in that space between. Now breathe in...To fill.” — J.D. Robb Pause to Ponder: I choose to breathe in… I will breathe out… Want more from Kristie? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin. You can also visit her website. Read more from Kristie! Kristie Kennedy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kristie Kennedy, The Image Confidence Expert, is a TEDx Audacious Leadership Keynote Speaker and Authentic Lifestyle Author. As the owner of Queenfidence Global Image Consulting, her electrifying inspirational gift empowers women with confidence and clarity keys to find their voice, free their voice and look fabulous using their voice. She specializes in four areas of peak performance: mindset mastery, massive momentum, magnetic messaging, and potential maximization. She is a Certified Radical Resilience Trainer who builds powerhouse mindsets to equip them for success. Kristie's evocative teaching style elevates your self-perception from stuck to unstoppable, invisible to invincible, and timid to tenacious. Her bodacious belief is a testament that you can shift from mediocrity to magnificence one daring action step at a time.

Written by: Jenny Vukovcan, 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. Becoming an entrepreneur requires a shift in identity. This part of the entrepreneurial journey is often overlooked. You might be a parent who dreams about realizing your full potential and making money doing something you love. Or you are an employee who is working to make ends meet, and you dream about becoming successful at something specific so you can feel like you are living your purpose and power. As in all changes in life, whether you are becoming a parent or an entrepreneur, going through a divorce or getting married, moving, or hitting another milestone in age, you get to level up to a different version of yourself who looks, acts, and thinks differently. Using NLP Master Robert Dilts’ process Neurological Levels as a guide, I like to envision us, humans, as an onion with many different layers of identity. The center, or the core, is who we innately are with our personality, characteristics, and ways of thinking and being when we were born. The next layer is us as a child with all the same characteristics and personalities but now with added thoughts and understanding, which changes our behaviors, skills, and beliefs. These layers keep being built out throughout our lives, and for every change we encounter, another layer is added with a new set of skills, behaviors, beliefs, and identities. We often align ourselves unconsciously with these new identities because of the obvious changes in our behaviors, skills, thoughts, and appearances. For example, becoming a teenager means puberty, different schools, and a change in interests and activities. And becoming a parent means a change in priorities, added multi-tasking abilities, change in body form, and a new home environment. I have noticed from personal experience as well as with the people I coach, that sometimes we go through major life changes like becoming parents or starting a business, and another layer is added with new environments, skills, and behaviors, but our thoughts, beliefs, and identity often remain at the identity below. If we consciously or unconsciously do not align ourselves at this new level in ALL areas of our lives, we can often end up feeling unfulfilled, purposeless, depressed, and unmotivated and wish for things to “go back to normal.” Last year during Covid is a prime example of this. Many entrepreneurs stayed in confusion and inaction and, as a result, felt trapped, lonely, and powerless, while others rose to the occasion and started new businesses or pivoted an existing one and 10x their revenue. What is the main difference between the two? I believe the ones who took charge of their circumstances and created a positive outcome for themselves were the ones who had aligned themselves with this new identity of being an online entrepreneur (and living in the middle of a pandemic) and changed their environment, behaviors, skills, thoughts, and beliefs to match this new identity. Those who didn’t often got stuck on one or some of the levels and resisted becoming this new version of themselves because their new identity wasn’t aligned with what they had envisioned. If you feel this message resonates with you, you can take the first step today to becoming the person you want to be and designing the business and life you envision by answering these 5 questions below: What’s missing right now from you living your full potential? Which of the neurological level is that challenge on? Imagine the future you that has all the success you want. Who is she/he? (Describe where you are, what you do specifically, how you express your innate talents and skills, what beliefs you hold about yourself and the world, what your purpose is here) What gets to change in your environment, behaviors, skills, capabilities, and beliefs to match that new identity? What is the first step? Whether you are an entrepreneur or not, once you match your environment, behaviors, skills, thoughts, and beliefs with the person you want to be, you can start living with a renewed sense of purpose, fulfillment, and personal freedom. For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit my web site ! Jenny Vukovcan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jenny is a Lifestyle Coach and Business Mentor for heart-centered start-up entrepreneurs. Her mission in life is to empower others to own who they are, live their soul purpose, and create lives they love through entrepreneurship. She has worked as an NLP Somatic Coach and NLP Master Practitioner for over 15 years and helps her clients reach new levels in their business and life. Originally from Sweden, Jenny has four children, lives in California, and combines mom life with a thriving business working only a few hours a day. Running a successful online business academy for the modern boss, Jenny coaches, and mentors start-up entrepreneurs on how to access their inner wisdom and implement simplified strategies to build a business and life they'd love to wake up to.

Written by: Beth Brown, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. There is something beautiful happening on the planet right now. Yes, beloveds, we are certainly in the throes of challenging and chaotic times, but humanity is also moving through a Great Awakening as we have never before experienced. Not only are we waking up from hundreds of years of systemic injustices, inequalities, and conditioned disempowerment and slavery, we are waking up to what brings us pleasure, to what feels good and brings us joy. We are remembering that pleasure is our birthright and we are divinely and uniquely created erotic beings. We are waking up to our Erotic Blueprint™. As a Certified and Licensed Erotic Blueprint™ Coach, I am clear that my mission on the planet is to help shift consciousness around sexuality from shame to full self-expression, and part of my mission is spreading the teachings of the Erotic Blueprints™ created by world-renown Somatic Sexologist, Jaiya Ma. At our core, we are erotic beings, and our bodies are our instruments of pleasure, yet most of us do not fully understand how to play our own instrument nor how to instruct our partners on how to do so. As a collective, a true understanding of the power of our sexuality has been kept from us. When we are fully self-expressed in our sexuality, it shows up in all areas of our lives. When we are connected to and own our full sexuality, we are living a life filled with vitality, pleasure, joy, and love. Knowing what our Erotic Blueprint is gives us access to our full self-expression and pleasure. When we have access to our full, unabashed erotic pleasure, we’re able to: Have a deeper intimate connection with ourselves and with our partner(s). Heal our shadow wounds and reconnect to a profound love of self. Stand in our full power and shine our inner radiance. Lower our stress and anxiety. Our sexual health is equal to our overall health and well-being. Stay “young” longer. Sex is like an anti-aging elixir Live a vibrant and fully self-expressed life, feeling confident and free. As a middle-aged mama, I’m in a full-bloom reawakening and reclaiming of my divine erotic power. I have the Erotic Blueprints and Jaiya’s transformational Erotic Blueprint Breakthough™ Course to thank for that. Before experiencing Jaiya’s work, it was as if I only had a toe in my sexuality. I was in the murky swamp of post-menopause, with no signs of a libido– feeling old, tired, and thinking I was completely dried up sexually. The needle-mover for me was healing the shadows of trauma as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. Being able to finally integrate and free the shadow of the scared “little girl” who had been hiding for so many years until she felt it was safe to be “seen” has given me access to a profound sense of freedom, empowerment, and a renewed love of self. Now, as a woman in her 50’s, I have never felt more vibrantly alive and free; not only in my sexuality, but I see it showing up in all areas of my life. I am more comfortable in my delicious aging body, more confident in speaking my voice and declaring my boundaries, but most importantly, I have a deepened relationship with myself which has broken me open to unconditional heart-centered love for humanity. I want this for everyone on the planet, so let me tell you a little bit more about the Erotic Blueprints. Our Core Erotic Blueprint™ is like a map that helps us understand how we’re wired for pleasure and what arouses us sexually. Once we learn the language of our primary Erotic Blueprint, we can then expand into and be fluent in other blueprints, which allows us to properly feed ourselves and our partners in all the ways. There are 5 Erotic Blueprints: Energetic, Sensual, Sexual, Kinky and Shapeshifter. The Energetic is turned on by anticipation, tease, and is super sensitive to energies. The superpower of an Energetic is that they can experience orgasms without being touched. The Sensual is aroused by all of the senses and loves closeness, beauty, and deliciousness. Their superpower is that they can easily experience full-body orgasms. A Sexual is excited and pleasured by straight-up nudity and sex and can go from zero to sixty when it comes to getting down to business in the bedroom. In fact, that’s one of their superpowers, along with being super fun and playful. You’re a Kinky if you’re attracted to the taboo, meaning anything that is out of the ordinary uniquely to you. The superpower of a Kinky is that, similar to the Energetic. They can reach orgasm without being touched due to the psychological power dynamic that’s happening within the safe container of their scene. Lastly, but certainly not least, I introduce to you the Shapeshifter! The Shapeshifter says, “Yessss, please! I love all of the things! Can I have more, please?” Their superpower is that they can shapeshift into a variety of orgasmic experiences and still want more...more...more. And on that note, there’s so much more to share around the beauty of the blueprints and how knowing what your blueprint is can break open your access to juicy orgasmic sex, pleasure, joy, vitality, and love. So, join me in the revolution of sexual healing and erotic freedom! Look for me in future editions of BRAINZ Magazine, where I’ll dive more deeply into the Erotic Blueprints™. Click here to take the quiz to find out what your Erotic Blueprint is. For a deeper look into what the Erotic Blueprint Breakthrough Course is all about, click here. ©2021 bethbrown Follow me on Instagram, or visit my website for more info! Beth Brown, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine As a Certified and Licensed Erotic Blueprint™ Coach trained directly by world-renowned Somatic Sexologist, Jaiya, Beth is clear on her mission to anchor the frequency of love and to help shift consciousness on the planet around sexuality from shame to full self-expression. Her passion is helping middle-aged women reclaim access to their divine creative life force and erotic power so that they are shining in their full radiant bloom. Beth is also a gifted and internationally known therapeutic harpist and sound healer, incorporating her talents to enhance and deepen her clients’ healing and embodiment experience. She is a graduate of the International Harp Therapy Program in San Diego as a Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner (C.H.T.P.) and studied sound healing at the Globe Institute of Sound & Consciousness in San Francisco. She is also an Accelerated Evolution Transformational Guide, having studied under the tutelage of Satyen Raja of the Accelerated Evolution Academy.

Written by: Derick Grant, 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. Being in the athletic world, we are all told to be great. Having played 8 years for the Harlem Globetrotters myself, I’m not a stranger to what it means to be great. We took pride in saying we were the greatest form of family entertainment around. Now that I am in the world of coaching world-class athletes, coaches, and high performers, I’m seeing that there is a distinct difference between good and great. More importantly, there’s an unseen level that comes after great, it’s the elite level mindset. Everything in life is a mindset. Our mind is what allows us to perceive all situations, and it’s based on the lens we view through our subjective point of view. How we perceive that experience will ultimately determine our behavior in that situation. For you to become an elite-level performer, there is a perspective that must be obtained. It’s simple, yet not easy. Most of the population has a pretty good mindset. All this means is that when a situation happens, they use it to their benefit so long as it’s perceived as a positive situation. When an undesirable situation occurs, they view it as negative, forcing them to play the role of a victim. When you have a victim consciousness, you view life as if it’s always happening to you. You have no control, life is just doing what it does, and you are just a participant with absolutely no influence on the situation. The mindset of the great performers understands or views life from the perspective that every situation happens through them. They see everything happening because of them. But they at times fail to see the undesirable situations as lessons to learn and grow from. Life is happening through them. If you have the mindset of being great, then chances are, you are going to be more successful than 98% of the public. You realize that life happens because you are putting your stamp and influence on it. Your ability to consciously manifest and create in your life is well above the general population. There is another level though, this is what the greatest of the greats all achieve. Their mindset is that life is happening for them. They view every situation as an opportunity for them to grow, learn, and improve. So instead of being upset when they encounter hardship or a problem, they have the perspective of, this test was needed for them to become aware of a weaker area in their life. In essence, they welcome resistance. Resistance is what builds muscle if we were to think of it as weight lifting. The struggles, hardships, setbacks, disappointments, etc. are all needed because it brings awareness to a facet of their life that was not fully developed. The late great Kobe Bryant shot 4 airballs in the 1997 playoffs during the Western Conference Semifinals that would have sent the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals if they had won. I remember watching him shoot airball after airball and feeling bad for this scrawny little guard trying to prove his worth. I could only imagine the embarrassment he must have felt. At the time, I didn’t realize that Kobe’s mindset was different. He was the epitome of having an elite-level mindset. His mindset allowed him to use those 4 airballs as a sign that he needed to improve his conditioning and leg strength so he would have the power to get the ball all the way to the basket that late in the season. So that upcoming offseason he began a rigorous weight training program to improve leg strength. He took a perceivable negative situation and used it to his advantage. Kobe went on to say that the moment “helped shape me,” and develop an elite-level mentality that was unshakeable. Elite-level performers have an uncanny way of transmuting a situation’s energy that seemed like nothing good could come from it into the very catalyst that propels them to reach new heights. When you have an elite-level mindset, you’ll realize that life is always happening for your benefit. This is a choice we all have the opportunity to make, but it takes a conscious decision to perceive life’s glass as being half full. Make the choice to perceive every situation as a teaching lesson to mold you into a better version of yourself. When you can do this, you’ll see that life has always been for you! Be your best, DG Want to learn more from Derick? Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit his website. Derick Grant, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine After traveling to 70 different countries, and playing 8 years for the Harlem Globetrotters, Derick Grant set out on a mission to help hundreds of athletes, coaches, and people tap into their infinite seed of greatness. His client base consists of but is not limited to the NBA, WNBA, NFL, executives at Fortune 500 companies. He is an author, TEDx speaker, and revered as one of the most powerful performance mindset coaches in the athletic world. His revolutionary approach to mindset by teaching what the mind is, and how to use it as a tool has helped influenced high achievers across the globe. His podcast, “The Pathway to Your Results”, helps teach people how to find this seed of greatness we all had inside of us.