Written by: Carmen Vasile-Nichita, 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 are reading this, please recognize that you are not taking up anyone else’s space in this world and that you deserve to be here as much as anyone else. So you owe it to yourself to take a deep breath, give yourself a break and a pat on the back and start practicing self-exploration. When you need to start somewhere is always good to start with yourself, so ask yourself: What do I need? Why choose one, choose all, or at least as many as you need. If it helps, make a list. Maybe the list sounds like this: I need Truth, Freedom, Peace, Hope, Love, Wisdom, Art, Optimism, Security, Community, Joy, Focus, Patience, Courage. More? No problem, add more. As children, we did not get to chose which of our needs would be cared for or how our emotional baggage would look like as we were growing up, but as adults, we can decide which kind of emotions and behaviors we want to pass on to our kids. But to do this, we might as well unpack first and become familiar with our own baggage, our inner child, and the needs that were never cared for or that we didn't even know we had. Because how else could we ever hope to pass on to our children a sense of security, of community, of optimism if that is not what was given to us when we were babies and children. The good news is we can put back in our suitcase only what we find useful. We can really reshape our mindset, and we can grow our beliefs limitlessly. These may sound familiar to you: I do not belong here. I cannot believe I lost again. I will never be good at that. What will my friends or family say if I make this choice for myself? These all are beliefs we are holding on to from our childhood experiences; old patterns showed to us over and over again. A good idea would be that next time you catch yourself thinking like this, to make a list that would counteract the limiting beliefs like this: I do not belong here - I am exactly where I need to be at this moment. I cannot believe I lost again - I gained valuable experience from this. I will never be good at that - I have a long way to go, but I will get there if I keep working. What will my friends or family say if I make this choice? - True friends and family will support me no matter what choice I make. Of course, shifting mindsets does not happen overnight, but we need to start somewhere if we want to help our children grow with a positive mindset. And we cannot expect our children to develop growth mindsets if we, as parents, don't encourage that first in ourselves. Here is one of my personal stories: My own flesh and blood, my 7-year-old is a warmhearted, generous, and spirited young girl. One morning on the way to school, she came up with the idea that today she will be a cheetah for the rest of the day. I immediately asked myself how she would go through the day at school, where the rules are clear, without upsetting her teacher. Instead, I said out loud to her, "being a cheetah sounds like a lot of fun and a lot of running and climbing - but running and climbing is not all you do in school. How about we invite a couple of your friends to play cheetah with you in the afternoon after school? This way, you can run and climb freely outside and be present and practice your schoolwork in the classroom." She did not wait for me to say it twice. She jumped up and down with joy, happy for the opportunity to have fun with her friends after school, and not at all worried that she will upset the teacher with her cheetah purrs and meows. I celebrated my little achievement as a parent, and I was happy to see the growth in my daughter too. A growth mindset is not a sudden revelation that can miraculously happen to us but a conscious choice, a lifelong journey. The question is: which step will you take today? You don’t have to take the whole staircase at once but take the first step. Take one, then take them all, and remember: it all starts within yourself. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info! Carmen Vasile-Nichita, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine With a degree in Arts, a Major in English Language and Literature and 20 years professional experience in the Education and Technology industries, Carmen is the founder of her own coaching startup, CVN Coaching, an English Teacher by trade, a Communication Specialist, an expat solo parent and a committed life long learner who loves to empower people through thoughtful, differentiated coaching. As a Mindset and Transformational Coach for Kids and Families, Carmen is leveraging the unique principles of Growth Mindset that she has been fostering herself from the inside out, to build a Growth Mindset culture within the environments and people that she is working with. She is also a social media marketing enthusiast and started educating herself in this area when she started creating her own business. Oh, did we mention that Carmen is Romanian-Greek-Hungarian? Why does that matter? Well, it matters because she wholeheartedly embraces diversity and she considers herself lucky to be living in times of globalisation and acceptance.

Written by: Dr. Joylyn Maniaci, 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. My business was killing my marriage. It wasn’t intentional; it was a slow drain. I was struggling hard with all the things that I needed to create and that had. to. be. done. In order to get my coaching business off the ground. I needed to write. I needed to read. I needed to network and increase engagement on social media. I was stressed because I had so much to do. I had the will to do them, but doing them wasn’t bringing home the bacon, and I was stressed. I was working my tail off and couldn’t understand why my husband wasn’t more supportive. So, I did what I do and tried to fix the problem by communicating. I tried to be more expressive of my feelings (even though my face is clearer than a 1990s mood ring) and talked about my business more, talked to him even more and tried to get him to talk to me more. It was a disaster. And it nearly broke us. “It shouldn’t be this hard,” I kept telling myself. In my mind, I just needed him to cut me some slack and be more sensitive. But the more I tried to move in that direction, the harder he resisted. The more we argued and the less we laughed. I knew things could be different, but how? I wanted to be a laid-back, easy-going badass, a kind of surfer chick that laughs easily and doesn’t get bent out of shape about anything. Someone who had a fun relationship and a thriving practice, not me, desperate to be understood and working hard to avoid divorce and failing business. What the Problem Isn’t…and What It Is We love answers. We like knowing things. Intellect is prized. It was humiliating to be a relationship coach and be confused, overwhelmed - to not know and know that I didn’t know yet be no closer to figuring out how to change the situation. This is common in our personal lives, but also strikes at the heart of business stagnation, plateaus, and disengagement, as well - when things start and then fade and wither, or worse, deteriorate into bitterness, resentment, or total separation (breakup, divorce, dissolution, bankruptcy). At the heart of the matter is not strategy or technique. It’s something that mindset alone cannot fix. It’s deeper. So I dug in. I had a coach tell me to review recent sessions I’d had with my clients - the counsel for them is what we need to hear, too. It worked. I realized after hearing myself say in several different ways, the problem isn’t the problem. The real problem is REACTION - reacting to the problem—that it exists, that it hurts, and then feeling pity, overwhelm, rejection, etc. We take the external circumstances and internalize them with feelings, a juicy narrative, and then try to pair it with some sort of objective measure to analyze and fix it. But the real problem is nothing outside, but inside: a lack of direction. The One Question You Need to Ask to Start Life on Your Terms Like most people, I knew more about what I didn't want, didn’t like, and wanted to avoid than any clear insight into what I wanted to be, experience, and have. I knew what I wanted my husband to be and do, and I fooled myself into thinking that maybe he was the problem, and if I found someone more supportive that things would be different. The inevitable result of this thinking is pain and separation and a worsening of the problem— because the problem gets all the attention and focus. We end up getting the opposite of the connection and fulfillment we seek. But as long as the focus is on something outside of ourselves, what we seek stays out of reach because that someone or something else is out of our control. The solution cannot be at the same level as the problem. Einstein told us that. So, we have to go to a different level to transcend the problem. Moving Towards the Solution The direction we have to go is in. And the answer we give is a question to ourselves: HOW DO I WANT TO SHOW UP HERE? We all have a picture of someone we admire. We all have a version of ourselves that we would like to be. Who is that person? Without insight into this, we have no direction and no motive or motivation to make us move from where we are, so more of the same shows up. I finally got bored enough with being pathetic and got curious about what easy-going could do for me and what I could do like the “her” I admired. When a bill came that I didn’t have the money yet to pay, I wondered what a badass babe would do. Turns out she didn’t sit stunned in overwhelm or cry out of desperation. She got clear on how many conversations she needed to have, calls to make in order to have the money come in and then dug in. So that’s what I started doing. When I was hurt by my husband, I wondered how I could respond differently. Badass surfer girl didn’t try harder to be understood or push an issue out of fear it would never get addressed like I had been doing. She got on her mountain bike to give some space and get out of her head, let things air out. (When she returned, he apologized! But, so did she—because she was finally willing to lay down the need to be right because her priority was on being happy together.) If success is what you seek, know what that actually means to you and then stop wishing or thinking that time will change things, that you need to try harder or achieve something else first, or insisting that it is someone else who has to change. The solution is you getting curious and getting clarity on YOU - showing up more powerfully AS you, as this version of you you’d like to be. Thinking, saying, doing what she would do is how you become her. Because whenever you feel stuck, there is not enough of YOU, not enough clarity on where it is you would like to go and who you would like to be. Instead of trying harder and paying more attention to the problem, put the attention on the future you would like to create and then start with the present moment to start creating it: How would you like to show up here and now? How would you like to see yourself handle the pickle you’re in? The One Question You Need to Ask to Start Life on Your Terms When you move toward the solution – the future you want – things turn around much faster. When you see that YOU are the reason your life is moving in the right direction, your self-esteem skyrockets, and you become unstoppable. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and visit my website for more info! Read more from Joylyn! Joylyn Maniaci, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Dr. Joylyn Maniaci is an expert in communication and relationship dynamics, creatrix and founder of the HAPPINESS clinic. Combining her personal experience of childhood abuse, eating disorders, depression, and suicide with her training in naturopathic medicine, psychology, improv comedy, and more. She developed her Future-Forward Focus coaching technique that makes happiness the marker and measure of success. She has developed innovative coaching programs, such as the 90-Day Relationship Remodel, Venus In Motion, Improv It to Improve It (Marriage Improv). She gets results for individuals, groups, and couples because she keeps the focus on the future and the most important thing in the world (and the relationship with whom all others depend) YOU! This self-described “word nerd” can identify why you feel out of touch and unhappy and give you the tools to be confident in yourself, happy, and know without a doubt that things don’t happen to you. YOU happen to things.

Written by: Eleni Poling, 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. Who we are being in this world is also who we will attract into our life and our experience. Mainstream media has made us believe that to attract in an ideal partner, we have to act in certain ways, wear certain things, show up in the world that doesn’t feel true and authentic, and even do things that perhaps we don’t even want to do - for example, go on a dating site (which many people really dislike the idea of) and fear that if they don’t do it, they will miss out and not meet anyone. Except this is not true. In my opinion, if you are showing up in the world in a way that doesn’t feel authentic to you, it is actually a recipe for disaster and even heartache in the long run. And it doesn’t work if you desire to attract in someone of integrity. On some level even, it is also quite manipulative because you are trying to change or bend behavior to ‘get’ something. When people do things that feel and are out of integrity for them, guess what they will attract into their life? People who are also doing the same. You aren’t meant to do anything except for your own inner work and live your life in alignment with your deeper truth each and every day. And then, from this place, ideal partners start showing up out of nowhere without you needing to do anything. You attract in people into your experience not because of what you do, but because of who you are being in your own life and in the world. The inner work that I am talking about here is healing your traumas, and also looking at your beliefs that you have about men, about women, about relationships, and especially about yourself. Because our beliefs create our reality. We take action from what we believe to be true. And our unhealed traumas are reflected back to us in the people that we attract in. For example, if you have a belief (conscious or unconscious) that ‘people who love me, hurt me’ or ‘people who love me abandon me,’ you will attract this in and will have partners who play this out in your life. Until you change the belief and also heal the trauma/s around this. You could replace the belief with something like, ‘people who love me show up for me’ and ‘people who love me stay with me.’ And then from this place, go into the feeling and feel the pain around this. Something cannot fully dissolve until it is fully felt in the body. Consciously practice doing this as things come up for you. Notice them. Love on them and also love on yourself every day. Give love to the parts of you that may still be insecure. Learn to put up loving boundaries with others in your life when you feel that you need to. Own your voice. This is a big one that people fear to do because they think that if they share what is truly on their heart and share their truth or feelings, that they won’t be desired. This is a huge fear that I see all of the time, and it’s not true. A high-quality partner desires and wants all of you. People who feel whole within themselves have accepted and learned to love both their shadow and their light. These people are the ones who also attract in people who feel whole within themselves as well. Intimacy with yourself and your own heart is everything. The deeper that you can go within yourself and understand yourself, the deeper that you will be able to go with another. Be the partner to yourself that you would be if you were in a relationship already. Now, I’m not saying that you need to be holy, healed, and perfect to meet someone or to attract in a quality partner. But what I do suggest is that you come to a place of deep love within yourself before seeking to be in a relationship with somebody. Choose to show up in the world as your true self every day and live your life in alignment with your heart. You do not need to go out of your way to meet somebody or do things that don’t feel good to you to meet someone. The key here is to actually detach from meeting a partner, make it all about you, and just be you in life. The detachment from seeking and ‘looking for’ will attract in a partner, and it will most likely happen when you least expect it. Because the detachment is the attraction to what you want to come into your life. For example, think of a time that you desired something in the past, and it just wasn’t manifesting or showing up in your life. You were probably stressing about it and thinking about it all of the time, but the moment that you just let go, what you wanted or desired showed up. Attracting in a quality partner is no different. The work is to focus on yourself and become the best version of yourself to attract in your match. Get intimate with yourself. Dance, laugh, play, eat good food, take care of yourself, watch movies snuggled on the couch and be in a beautiful, loving vibration and relationship with yourself. And then once you truly open your heart to yourself and let love in for you FIRST, you will attract someone who is also able to love you because they also love themselves as well. Remember, it’s not about what you do, it’s about who you are being in the world. It’s about being fully you! For more info, follow me on Facebook & Instagram! Read more from Eleni! Eleni Poling, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Eleni Poling is a teacher, mentor and healing channel who supports women to embody their most authentic spiritual and sexual expressions in the areas of intimacy and life purpose. Through live trainings, workshops, group programs and private mentoring, Eleni provides women with wisdom and somatic-based practices to embody their deepest love and deepen in their capacity for intimacy - within themselves as well as their relationships. Her brand of coaching is far from generic. Through her intensive studies in vibrational healing and mindset work, she created her own approach to transformational healing that allows her students and clients to crush limiting beliefs, break free from self-sabotage and step into being the woman that they know they were always born to be.

Written by: Tina Brigley, 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 about to spill the coaching beans — so, get ready! But first, a question? If the coaching industry is a $2.5 billion industry, why are only 4% of coaches earning more than 10K per month revenue? Why aren’t we exploring this more as a community? I don’t know about you, but this fact is alarming. To add a little bit of salt to this wound, let me share something else even more alarming. Over the last 2 years, I have surveyed over 2000 coaches from around the world, and this is what I discovered. 55% of coaches said they make less than $1000 a month in their business, and 76% said they make less than $2000 a month- That’s barely enough to survive on. But why is this? The industry is selling us parts of the business process but not the whole process. I don’t think they are trying to trick us — I really believe most just don’t know. Some gurus are saying, “You need a funnel system.” Some are saying, “You need brilliant landing pages.” Others are saying, “ You need a fancy website and branded posts to stand out from the crowd.” They are wrong! Don’t get me wrong. I think their strategies worked for them because they had the other elements working too! The truth is, you need 5 essential elements, and all the parts must move together . It’s the only way! How do I know this with certainty? My business partners were in the marketing and sales industry and worked with coaches, and they quickly realized something was missing that had coaches not win their game. You’ve waited too long, lingering in the noise so let me help you clear the clutter in your mind and give you those elements today! Why would I do this? Because I almost quit coaching before discovering this, and I don’t want you to quit. Our mission is to serve the evolution of the human race by empowering coaches to transform the world — We can’t do that without you, so let’s do this! Here are the elements: Unshakeable Belief Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can do something or think you can’t, you’re right.” Belief is so powerful, and so many of us think we have it when deep down we really don’t. You must have real belief in yourself, your clients, and your coaching business for you to succeed as a coach. You also must be willing and able to flush out limiting beliefs that are holding you back. Business Foundations When you don’t have the right business foundations in place, such as understanding the person you want to coach, knowing your methodology, and creating systems to provide a steady and predictable stream of potential clients to talk to, then your business is at serious risk of failing. Online Authority We live in a ‘connected world.’ This means we have access to literally millions of potential clients at our fingertips. That’s useless unless you know how to break through the online noise and stand out as a real authority figure in your field. If you’re hiding, people won’t see you! No conversations — No business. People are looking for leaders to rise! Breakthrough Process This is where you take a potential client who doesn’t know much about you or what you do and take them through a process that inspires them to step into the future version of themselves. It’s the point at which a potential client becomes a high-paying client. It’s also a powerful coaching conversation! Great news since you are a coach, and this is what you do! Accountability Structure We are all human, so that we may procrastinate or lose our focus at times. We also take comfortable actions that give us comfortable results — if any results at all. The most effective way to address this is to create accountability. There are many ways this can be done, like through a coach, a mastermind, a professional peer group, etc. The trick is to surround yourself with people that already have what you want. Learn from them- it’s the quickest way to get results! In hindsight, this seems like a no-brainer. But in practice, it’s not that simple. You must work on all areas to get the proverbial wheel turning. Once you do, magic happens. Consider this: There are already 10 people in your network right now that need what you have to offer. What would it be like for you if you knew how to approach them and what to say to come from a place of genuine service? Picture the day when you are working on this system, building your confidence, creating revenue and impact. What would that be like? I can tell you there is no greater feeling in the world, moving from stuck to empowered and free. Want to experience freedom? Let’s talk. Tina P.S. We’ve helped 2000+ coaches grow their business online. If you want to learn more about how to apply these strategies, please join us at our next Free Workshop For Coaches . Let’s stay connected . You can find me In My community , Facebook and LinkedIn . Read more from Tina ! Tina Brigley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Tina Brigley is a TedX Speaker, storyteller at heart, and personal development trainer to coaches around the world. After leaving her career in education to follow her passion for becoming a coach, she realized that the stories she told herself kept her stuck. Determined to rewrite her narrative, she embarked on a personal development journey that transformed her life and business. Since discovering the power of stories, she has helped thousands of coaches around the world discover what's stopping them from showing up as leaders. As Co-founder and Head of Social Influence at High Performing Coach Tina's mission is simple: To help every passionate coach to powerfully share themselves and their stories with the world.

Written by: Trish Bishop, 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’s lots of science to support the fact that we all have intuition, so I’m not going to address that here (though check out Atmana Coaching Academy as a great resource to learn more). What I’d like you to do is ask you to imagine what it would be like if you could sense the potential of a problem with your team, projects, partners or even personal relationships before they actually materialize? What kind of an edge would it give you to be able to take tactical steps to mitigate a potential issue before it even occurs? How much stress and chaos could you remove from your life and the lives of those around you if you could do this? How much time could you save if you could take steps to address a potential issue rather than dealing with the fallout after an issue has blown up? Just as you use your sense of taste to read and interpret flavors, or your sense of hearing to read and interpret sound, your intuition provides you with a powerful capability to read and interpret energetic information. Let’s look at a few real-world examples of this, because as much as this seems like a woo-woo capability, I’m all about the practical and tactical. Think back to a time you were cheated on (if this has never happened to you, that’s amazing!) Now, when you look back, maybe it was all the way back to high school, if you’re really, truly honest with yourself, did you know or sense it was happening before you actually found out about it? Another example is to think about how you felt when you met someone new and had an instant and instinctual distrust, or when you liked them immediately. This is your body, using its sixth sense to read and interpret energetic information about the other person or situation. You’re doing this all day, every day, you couldn’t turn it off even if you wanted to. The only thing you can turn off is your willingness to consciously pay attention to what your intuition is telling you. I trust my intuition implicitly and estimate I spend 80% of my day using it to decide where to focus my time and energy. This can be as simple as scanning my inbox to determine which emails absolutely need my attention right now and which can wait. I can use it to sense who is on board with an idea, who is completely disengaged, or who is a barrier to success. I use it to guide conversations to uncover the root cause of an issue or to check in on the energy of my team or a project. And I always use it for decision-making, though for significant decisions, I will also do my due diligence and be open to the potential that I may be off track, however, the majority of the time, the facts invariably prove my intuitive hit was correct. This superpower creates massive efficiencies and significantly reduces drama and stress as I can take tactical steps to bypass a potential issue before it even materializes. If this sounds like a superpower, you’d like to develop (because you already have it, you just need to start using it), read on! Here are 5 steps to help you develop your intuitive superpower: 1. Be Open and Aware. Too often, we are running a hundred miles an hour in a million different directions. This creates a lot of noise in our heads, with threads of thoughts and ideas all wrapped up in a ball of chaos that keeps us from being present. There are signs all around you, however, if you’re not being consciously present, aware and open to the possibility of receiving them, then you’re likely missing them. Slow your flow just a bit, instead of diving headlong into the next thing, take a moment to pause and sense what’s going on around you. Be aware and open, thinking too much is not helpful as this is very much an instinctual capability. 2. Get Quiet. This is a practice that will help you with developing your awareness and openness to receive intuitive information. We often create what I like to call NTA, or noise to avoid. Think of someone in your life who lives in a constant state of chaos. You know who I’m talking about, as soon as one crisis passes, the next one is already emerging. You can literally almost see them creating it. This is classic NTA behavior and it’s a mechanism people use when they are trying to avoid getting quiet. You see, in the quiet is where the truth starts to emerge and, for many people, living in chaos is far easier than facing a truth they don’t want to acknowledge. To get quiet, shut off all electronics, put away your book, and just sit quietly. If you can get out in nature, that’s even better. As each thought comes into your head become an observer and watch it float by in your mind rather than interacting with it, dissecting it, or engaging with it. Imagine it’s a cloud floating in the skyscape of your mind and let is pass. This takes practice, however, it is an important step in developing your intuitive superpower as thoughts and thinking often get in your way. 3. Build a Relationship with Your Intuition. On the surface, this step may seem as if I’m intimating that your intuition is separate from you. It is not. Your intuition is absolutely ‘of’ you. However, there are any number of deep-rooted reasons why you, consciously or unconsciously, may not trust yourself on any number of levels. To bypass these issues, I find it’s easiest to imagine your intuition as your new BFF. Imagine meeting your intuition and really resonating with the energy of this new ‘person’ in your life. You want to be near them, you want to spend time with them, you love their insights and perspective on life. Think of what your perfect soul-mate relationship would look like. How would you show up? How would you honor this relationship? What would you ask this person? What would you share with them? I believe the more you can honor and develop this relationship, the stronger your intuitive superpower will become. I try never to take mine for granted as it is such a gift in my life and I am always conscious of honoring that gift. 4. Stop and Listen. With this step, if you get any kind of sense, feeling or even remote inkling, stop whatever you’re doing just for a moment, and ‘listen.’ I try to do this physically as well as mentally to reinforce with my intuition that I’m present and paying attention. Ok, you’ve stopped, now listen…what are you being nudged to do or say? For example, if you are being nudged to say something to someone, try prefacing it with, “I feel I need to share something with you, I’m not sure why but…” and see how they react. In my experience, they are amazed at whatever message I’ve shared with them. For me, my ears may start ringing when there’s something important I need to pay attention to, so I will say (in my mind or out loud if it’s appropriate), “I’m listening, please tell me what you want me to know.” I’ll usually then have someone’s name pop into my head, or I’ll start to think about a project I’m working on, etc. so I follow that thread and either reach out to the person, or start asking questions about the project and I will invariably find that there was definitely something there for me to uncover. This is the whole deal with the issue before it’s an issue thing! 5. TRUST. Ah yes, this one is so fun and is often the most significant stumbling block in developing this superpower. Well, leg day at the gym isn’t necessarily fun either - surely you didn’t think this was going to be that easy! This is less of a step in the process and is more of a step embedded throughout the process. Think about building that BFF relationship with your intuition, can you have a BFF you don’t trust? When you create the space to become more aware and present, are you going to ignore the signs you start seeing or honor them for the powerful messages they are? When you stop and listen, are you going to act on the ‘hit’ you get or shove it aside? When you get quiet, are you going to respect the messages that start to come forward, or are you going to stay in fear of what the truth might mean? Trust is the foundation for this superpower! There is an authenticity about building this relationship with your intuition where you are stripped bare inside of your own skin as you open yourself up to this potential. I know that if you choose to do this, you will be shocked, amazed and awed by what will emerge and who you’ll become as a result. As you think about what this superpower might mean for you, I’d also ask you to consider what it might mean for the people around you. Would your team be better served if you could head potential problems and issues off before they become real problems and issues? What would your personal relationships look like if you stepped into those tricker conversations your intuition is telling you need to be addressed, but you’re avoiding? Taking ownership of this superpower is courageous work and I can tell you that the rewards will far outweigh any effort. There’s a whole other aspect of you waiting to emerge. Are you ready? For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Trish Bishop, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine After launching, and taking public, one of the first Internet Service Providers in Canada, Trish quickly found her niche as a ‘translator’ with an exceptional ability to translate business needs into solutions. She also discovered early in her career that she is highly intuitive, and then honed that gift into her corporate superpower! She blatantly integrates both the corporate and woo-woo aspects of who she is and attributes this to the amazing success she has had in her career, including developing 6 high performance teams. As an Energy Integration Coach, Trish teaches leaders how to create massive transformation for themselves, their teams and their organizations by learning how to read and interpret energetic information (aka intuition!) In addition to being a highly successful IT Project Manager, Trish is also the author of 'The Question Journey', a Shaman, Empath and Certified Angel Guide. Her mission: to heal corporate workplaces one leader at a time.

Written by: Sílvia Fontquerni , 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 . We’ve all had a boss or a manager who made our work life harder, challenging, or demotivating — domineering, unfair treatment, diminishing employees, not walking the talk, or not keeping their word. Who wants to work with a grouchy leader? Who feels appreciated by an irritating boss? In contrast, what makes a superior excellent? Two critical keys are ‘being emotionally intelligent and well-balanced.’ Well-balanced definition: It can be: Emotionally untroubled. Emotionally stable. Mentally strong and healthy. A well-balanced leader is confident, able to overcome fears / self-limitations, and bounce back from adversities. Emotional Intelligence (EI) definition: It is the ability to understand ourselves and others, to manage ourselves and our relationships. To sum it up, it is the capacity of understanding and being aware of our own feelings/emotions and other people’s feelings/emotions. (Goleman) Why Emotional Intelligence (EI) and being well-balanced are important in the workplace? Goleman affirms: Emotions are contagious, we are all interconnected, we all affect each other with our moods and actions. Our emotions automatically shift into the register of the other person we are and work with. Leaders are the ones who have the strongest effect on the team’s emotional transmission as everybody watches the leader. How can you know if a leader is well-balanced and emotionally intelligent? This type of leader can: Be fair. Be objective. Focus on what is best for the team rather than self-interests. Put themselves into other’s shoes and make people feel good. Be responsible and able to recognize own mistakes. Be transparent and trustworthy. Actively listen. Self-control. What is the impact at the workplace? An emotionally intelligent and well-balanced leader attracts and retains talented people for the pleasure of working in their presence. When people feel good, they work at their best. Feeling good is linked to efficiency, enhances creativity and decision-making skills. Positive leaders get more work done with less effort. (Goleman) It can determine a team’s success as this type of leaders are linked to: Create a positive work climate. Enhance team working. Awareness of their own emotions. Being receptive to the team’s needs. Ability to motivate and cooperate. Enhance performance and results. Does it mean that a leader always needs to be happy? No. Emotions are part of life, and we cannot change them or avoid them. Life is ups and downs, and we cannot change that. However, what we can change is how we behave regarding emotions. For example, if you feel angry at the workplace, you can: a) Start shouting at all your colleagues. b) Start canceling your team’s holidays. c) Accept your emotions and let them come and go as they are transitory without negatively or unfairly affecting others. So, then… It is on you what kind of example and leader you aspire to be. The past does not predict your future; what is important is what you will do now to become the type of professional you aspire to be. Want to learn more from Sílvia? Follow her on Instagram and visit her website. Sílvia Fontquerni, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sílvia is from Barcelona currently working and living in London, UK. Her work as a coach consists of helping individuals and professionals be at their best not only at the workplace but also in personal life. She studied Psychology, Human Resources, and Coaching. As a Life Coach, she gives support and guidance so that clients can unleash their full potential and, as a result, be able to achieve their goals: build self-confidence, overcome fears & self-limitations, gain clarity to make the right decisions, and be able to awake their inner wisdom. As Workplace & Team Coach, she helps professionals maximize their performance and development in communication, team building/engagement, emotional intelligence, and leadership. She understands the importance of a leadership role in companies aligned with organization culture, values, and goals. Innovation and change are key to a company's success.

Written by: Alix Rufas, 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. (Just as men should do the same with their feminine energy) Regardless of gender (identification), all humans hold both masculine and feminine energy within them. For a fulfilling life, it is important that both masculine and feminine energies within an individual are healthily embraced and expressed. In recent years, there’s been increasing global awareness around how, within a patriarchal society, too many women (that identify as such) have adopted an excess of masculine energy to “make it” in a masculine world. An approach that often becomes toxic towards their true feminine essence. There’s also been a lot of great work done on how women (with a feminine essence) should tap more into their (divine) feminine energy to heal and fully embody their power. While I fully agree on the importance of both of these points, I often miss an element in these discussions. And it is this: addressing how women should, and can highly benefit from, healing and embracing their masculine energy within as well. An unhealthy relationship between a woman and her masculine energy might look like: 1) An excess of masculine energy that can manifest as: Hustling 24/7 Tense Stressed Exceedingly alert and/or anxious Disconnected from their bodies and/or feelings and emotions Frustrated Exhausted Burned-out Lack of alignment 2) A lack of masculine energy that can manifest as: Lethargy Confusion No direction Lack of action and/or consistency Dissatisfaction with overall achievements and contribution to the world Feeling stuck Low on energy and stamina Low on confidence Lack of belief in their own: potential, superpowers and capacity for positive impact Avoiding taking full responsibility for their professional and/or financial fulfillment Here are my top favorite ways women can heal their relationship with their masculine energy and fully embrace its healthiest expression: 1. Understand you’re the CEO of your life - make time to see the overview and lead unapologetically. Create time for you (and you alone) weekly to check in with your life. What’s important to you? What are the top areas of life you want to prioritize? What do you need to take full ownership of? What power moves do you want to schedule next to proactively tackle your wild dreams? Goals, focus, action and a strong sense of direction are typically masculine elements. When embraced by a woman within their own feminine energy, this can create an incredibly energizing sense of forward-momentum. 2. The magic of High-Impact Moves (H.I.M). Instead “working hard” 24/7, I like to work with this question: What are the smartest, highest-impact few actions I can take today to quantum leap towards my dream goals? Often, this might mean doing something that requires a little more courage or bravery than the mundane smaller tasks (that we often do to avoid tackling the bigger things). Examples of High-Impact Moves: finally quitting the job you hate, registering your dream business, buying that plane ticket, hiring a kick-ass coach, sending a scary text / e-mail / message, messaging 10 people directly who might be a potential client… 3. Keep it fresh and lean! To maintain an energizing and aligned sense of forward-momentum, it is important to work with smart, efficient systems that counter unhelpful patterns such as perfectionism. Work in “layers” (various rounds of writing/editing/working - instead of trying to nail everything from the get-go) and take refreshing breaks in-between. Delegate as much as possible anything that is not your zone of genius. Create space for sharp, efficient, focused moments tackling what you’re really good at. 4. Sync with your feminine hormone cycle. Women with an active reproductive hormone cycle (28-35 days long) naturally have moments in their cycle in which their hormones are generally more geared towards “masculine,” focused and pro-active action. Women, you can tap into your biological intelligence to create epic momentum for yourself - while always resting and restoring too. Masculine energy within women doesn’t have to be negatively labeled, denied or dismissed as many discussions tend to do. Instead, women can empower themselves even further by embracing and healing their relationship with their masculine energy too, so that it works for them, not against them. When this happens, masculine energy within a woman (in synergy with her feminine energy) can create an incredibly energizing sense of ownership, forward-momentum and satisfaction. Curious to explore this further? Message me on Instagram @alixrufas with the word “masculine” and I’ll send you a free bonus! Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Alix! Alix Rufas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Alix is a Full Potential Speaker and Coach, empowering women worldwide to build their most fulfilling professional lives. Before growing her current coaching business and its team, she started several other ventures; worked for the International Labour Organization (United Nations), several universities, and a start-up accelerator. ​To date, she has individually coached 300+ female leaders around the world. She has led 10 leadership retreats around Europe; and given 50+ public talks. She has also created multiple online programs and transformative digital experiences. Alix is incredibly passionate about and committed to empowering women worldwide to thrive on their full professional potential.

Written by: Richa Chandra, 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 are 7 laws of branding that you should follow when you are building your personal and business brand. It can take years if not decades to build a brand that people love and are loyal to, because it takes time to build trust. Social media has made it easier, but the trendy brands do not always last longest. I follow all the laws and I teach my clients to follow the 7 laws of branding, for a steady and fast growth; The law of Contraction The Law of publicity The law of Advertising The law of Decision making The Law of Credentials Law of Consistency and Singularity Law of Meaning and Mortality 1. The Law of Contraction You might have heard about this law, and it means that “A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.” The clue is clarity. If you are clear about what principles and values, you stand for and want your brand to express, you will have followers/customers that will understand your brand immediately. A common mistake people often make is they try to want their brand to express everything. If it is a personal brand, people want their brand to stand for all their values and principles. Humans are complicated and often have contradictory values depending on the situation and circumstances. It is too much to ask to have one Name, Logo, or a tag line to express a complete person. When building a personal brand, it is important to choose values or principles that are aligned with the industry you wish to be known in. For instant, I am a professional Indian Classical dancer and have created by name in the industry in Norway, but do not mix it with my personal brand as a business coach. I might use the various techniques, music and some movements in my business coaching and I use business coaching to help my dancers/ students to brand themselves. But I am very clear which personal brand “avatar” I am working under. I use the word “Avatar” so it is easier to create a clear image of which part of yourself you want to put forward and brand. In my case, I have 3 “Avatars”; an Indian dancer, a Business Coach and a Meditation coach. When I had a clear understanding of my avatars, it was easy to express myself and my values so people could understand. You want to be true, authentic, and honest, which people can relate to, and that is why they want to connect with you. When you are clear about which avatar you are expressing, your message becomes focused and clear. Another common mistake people make when they are working on their business brand is that they front the product or service instead of building a brand that stands for the whole business, and then brand the products/ services separately. Unless you are a big company, your brand should be self-explanatory. The name or tagline should be expressing what the problem is that company solving or what services are they providing. Otherwise, people will not use any energy trying to figure out what it stands for, selling or do. People do not have time and they are always bombarded with noise all day long. They do not have the capacity to think beyond their needs and wants. If your company brand can solve their problem, you have their attention. The more attention they give your brand, the more time they spend getting to know your brand, the more likely it is that they will buy from your company. In conclusion; be very clear about what your personal or business brand stands for. Choose which values and principles you want your brand to express and get clarity. With clarity, you have a clear message, which in return gets more attention and people get to know the brand. And we all know that expression: What is known best, sells best. For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website ! Richa Chandra, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine ‘Fears don’t define us; but how we face them, does that!’ This is the mantra of Award winner ( Most aspirational businesswomen, Norway 2019) Richa Chandra lives by. She is actually the driving force and face behind the success and visibility of many coaches, entrepreneurs and workshops. In 2015, Richa faced a hostile takeover of her company and lost everything, but just a few months, without any hesitation she started 3 new businesses. She has written 3 books that have become the main Norwegian textbooks in teaching Indian Dance, and Proven benefits of Meditation, (2019).

Written by: Fran Pedron, 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. The Beast within is actually your friend … WILL YOU BE YOUR BRAVE? Have you ever been downsized? Bet you’ve experienced something earth-shattering in your lifetime. Mine looked like this: Friday back in the office from an out-of-town client’s facility – time and expense reports due on my boss’ desk. Great weekend planned in the mountains. Monday—Pink Slipped. Locked out of my computer, and I looked forward to—two weeks severance pay and looking for a new job. What started out to be a lovely Monday, changed my life forever and I was lost and scared. I was in my early 40s; had bills to pay; food to put on the table; and a lifestyle I had grown accustomed to, to live and improve. Plus, I did not know how to proceed. TWO CHOICES – WHICH ONE Whether in your personal or professional life, things change – people leave – something stops outside of your control. You either choose the adventure of purposeful change, or you become paralyzed in fear. You may have had a similar experience or at least one that looks like this. 2020 was this for many people. If you chose to go with the flow, did you see where before—you might have spun out of control, and those results left you limp, as a washrag over a waste barrel? But now, you knew that you could manage your change with ease because you made it through prior trauma successfully. What if you didn’t? What if you chose not to go with the flow and ended up with that limp washrag? Are you still paralyzed with fear and searching for a way out of that waste barrel? HOW DO YOU PIVOT “If you know yourself, but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer defeat” – Sun Tzu What did you choose? What did you do to combat the paralysis? Our mind goes blank and fear paralyzes any future action. Recognition is the first step toward upward mobility, to overcome that danger reaction, our body AND our mind decide is the only choice. Here are steps to overcome the paralysis …. Acknowledge the fear – fear is an emotion and something you can overcome. You know what that “fear” is and many times, it comes from a past experience. To solve it, you have to know what that something is. Then you understand the problem is not the boogie man. You have the confidence to solve the problem. Relax – calm composure overcomes fear. You stabilize that “fear.” Face it. See that it cannot harm you in the ways of your past. Think about the benefits – turn that negative into the positive. Take the power away from your “boogie man.” Disable it. Hold and turn that positive into the motivating factor, which releases the paralyzing hold from that particular comfort zone. Take action – set yourself up for success by purposeful strategy building. You have surmounted a problem that has set you back – that fear. And you are moving forward to your desired destiny with a plan of attack. Not only have you climbed out of the waste barrel of defeat. You have maneuvered safely through times of chaos and upheaval. BEATING the CHAOS – ENSURING STABILITY Building stability matters. Knowing you are in control during chaotic times converts into confidence, safety and self-trust, in your personal and professional life. One way to build stability is by using Smart Goals. They can be used to make plans, measure progress and change behavior patterns, which support paralysis from fear. Smart goals pad success in your favor by: clarifying your ideas, focusing your efforts, making productive use of your time and resources, and simplifying the change process. SMART goals are: Specific – simple, sensible, significant, using the six “Ws” to increase your chances of accomplishment. Is your goal on track? WHO – is involved? WHAT – do I want to accomplish? WHERE – identify the location. WHEN – establish a time frame. WHICH – identify requirements and constraints. WHY – specific reasons, purpose, or benefits of accomplishing your goal. Measurable – meaningful, motivating, establish a concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure progress you: Stay on track. Reach your target date. Experience your achievement – YEA! YES! I DID IT! …. motivation for the next phase. Achievable – agreed, attainable, is “this” goal important to you? You figure out ways to make it come true. You develop: attitude, abilities, skills and the financial capacity to reach it. You plan steps, with time frames needed to carry out each piece. You watch your goal take shape, as you move closer to completion. You build self-image. You see yourself as worthy of your goal. You develop traits and personalities that allow you to possess your goal. Realistic – reasonable, relevant, resource, result-based and must: Represent an object you are both willing and able to work toward. It can be both high and realistic – you must decide just how high you are willing to allow IT to be. Your goal must be realistically accomplishable for you. A “high” goal at times is a labor of love. Your goal is probably realistic IF you truly believe it can be accomplished. Your goal is probably realistic IF you can: taste, touch, smell, see or hear it. Timely – time-based, time-bound, time-limited, cost-limited, time-sensitive, there is a grounded time frame for accomplishment. With NO time frame, there is no sense of urgency. With a time frame, you have set your subconscious mind into motion—to begin work on your goal. Every goal needs a target date: when—today, 6 weeks, 6 months, etc. Building success into any action or behavior change is simple, when following a defined route. To address behavior changes, we follow the same path, and look at changing our behavior, through created HABITS using the same Smart Goals. Checking habits and behaviors: what is working for you? Are they good or positive: i.e. –being on time, cooking a delicious meal, smiling, following through, arguing fairly, having a happy heart, etc. Are they bad or negative: i.e. –gossiping, drinking to excess, not keeping your word, overindulging, lying, etc. Making changes by using the same Smart Goals as above and answering these questions: Specific: you notice a behavior or habit. What is it? Did it originate from an event or person’s action? Where and when you decided to form it? Measurable: measure the benefits you receive. What do you receive by continuing the behavior or habit? How much does it cost in the quality of your life? Achievable: you decide to keep it or not. How does your life look different with or without it? Realistic: you decide how it fits into your life. With any change or modification – time is a habit-creating element. What time elements work best for your success? Timely: You decide when the change needs to happen. NOW or SOMEDAY? What behavior or habit do you want to change, which will benefit you and your success? Whether you choose to awaken the beast within or not, your life quality is a decision resulting from how well you adapt and the adjustment you make to address fears, change, success, etc. Will you allow your resources to become tools, which work for you and fit into your success plans? Will you be brave and allow your beast within to be your win? For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Fran! Fran Pedron, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Fran Pedron combines intuition, education, and life experience to help clients understand their foundational self-definition, make changes, and intention-purposed plans, which align with who they are as they create their desired outcomes. Her experience in insurance, technology, accounting, communications, along with being abruptly downsized later in life, led her to understand how change affects people and their decision-making processes, along with the need to make decisions aligned with their authenticity.

Written by: Ciara Banerji, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. When I was little, my father gave me some advice. He said, “just focus on beating the boys, Ciara.” With all good intentions, he meant that if I was able to beat the boys — at sport, at school, at games — then I’d already have passed the girls by too. That sentiment might seem shocking to us today, but it’s actually still a common belief for many successful women - and men - that I meet in the corporate world. Sometimes it’s conscious, but more often than not, it’s unconscious. How these beliefs manifest. These beliefs manifest in the way we adapt ourselves to look, to think, and to behave in the world of work, taking on more masculine traits that we believe are the ones needed to be successful as leaders - competitiveness, pushing, driving results before people, pragmatism, emotional repression, black or white decision-making. Of course, these can all be helpful qualities when used appropriately, but in the corporate world, long-dominated by men, they have tended to be promoted to the exclusion of other, feminine qualities that are equally valuable. Those like empathy, listening, nurturing, emotional expression, cooperation, and non-linear decision-making. For many professional women, having to essentially hide these aspects of themselves, to be other than who they are, is a great source of stress. Particularly when they find themselves expected or need to shift back and forth between work and home life. It can lead to burnout, disconnection with their purpose, and a sense of unfulfillment. Venus is rising in the workplace . Thankfully, the world is changing. It is now widely recognized that teams thrive under authentic female leaders. Not only are more women able to be genuinely themselves and perform superbly as leaders and role models — I’m thinking of people like Jacinta Adern, New Zealand’s PM, or someone like Michelle Obama. But also, more men recognize the need to bring these qualities into their own leadership styles. However, reality can take time to catch up, particularly when it is underpinned by beliefs that may have been programmed into us as children. One of the ways I work with professional women — and indeed men — is to uncover the roots of some of these problematic, limiting beliefs. Once identified, using a mixture of positive psychology and NLP techniques, I can help shift those beliefs and re-build confidence in a much more authentic self: the self that has huge, untapped power available by letting these natural feminine qualities bloom. Take your first step now . Are you ready to reflect on your own limiting beliefs around being a woman today? If so, let’s do it! Once you identify and shift those beliefs, you will be able to step more powerfully into your authentic leadership self. Activity Read through this entirely first, then do the activity. Sit in a quiet space with no distractions and take 3 deep breaths in, releasing any tension as you exhale. Close your eyes and allow yourself to go back to your childhood. Watch the images float around in your mind and ask yourself - how did I feel about being a girl? What stories did I pick up about being a girl versus a boy? Stay present and connect to what your higher self is telling you for a little while. Open your eyes when you feel it is the right time. Once you have opened your eyes, spend a few minutes writing down any phrases that came to you about being a girl, how it has shaped you, what you observed, what you concluded as a child, and the experiences you were shown during that visualization. Now decide which of those stories running are still true for you and unhelpful to your progress and growth. Re-write and re-program those beliefs by writing down the new blueprint for yourself to view the feminine from today forward. Record and listen each morning and night to yourself speaking your new blueprint until you feel the shifts or what it brings to your life. Experiencing your authentic self. For many women, finally stepping out in their female power comes as a huge relief — once they know how to be true to themselves, the confidence that brings leads to much greater things in their career and more harmony in life as a whole. It gives women the ability to build and build rather than build and burn. In fact, many of my male clients have surprised themselves with bigger wins, more motivated teams, and a happier home once they realized that showing some vulnerability, people-centric leadership, or being more fluid in their gameplans can pay dividends as a leader. So, be mindful of what you tell young girls. I tell my daughter, “the longest relationship you have in life is with yourself, so stay connected to who you are and focus on being the best you that you can be.” What program are you projecting on to the next generation? Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit my website for more info! Ciara Banerji, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ciara is an accomplished mindset and peak performance coach, working with professionals and corporate leaders on a global basis to deliver transformational growth. Ciara's mission is to see people THRIVE and not just survive. She believes that people can reach their full potential in a way that promotes their mental stability and their happiness. Ciara is the Director of Liston Ferry Partnership Ltd, a company leading in the field of successful professional, personal and corporate transformations. Ciara coaches ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs to identify beliefs that are holding them back and permanently shift them, unlocking their strategies for change and propelling them to action. She also works with forward-thinking Corporations to put in place programmes to support more women to reach the top and to improve mindfulness throughout the workplace. Ciara draws on her Psychotherapy and Neuro-linguistic Programming training in her coaching practice, on top of her personal experience as a corporate high-flier turned business owner, wife, and mum!

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. Anyone can start a business but running a business isn’t easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it successfully and the failure rate would be minimal. However, the reality is that most businesses fail within their first year. I’ve met so many entrepreneurs with a lot of potential, brilliant ideas and strong skillset in their areas but they have been unable to take their businesses off the ground. There’re many reasons behind this: no business knowledge, unsuccessful marketing initiatives, no strategies in place, poor customer service, incorrect messaging, no differentiation and unique selling proposition, poor understanding of the market, competition and the audience. There are many advantages and challenges of both service and product-based businesses. However, many prefer to focus on services not only because of their expertise and experience in a particular field but also due to the low start-up costs, flexibility and personal fulfillment that this can provide. Running a successful business takes time, energy, effort and commitment. You can’t expect results overnight, but there are a few things that you can do to set yourself up for success: 1. Know your audience Instead of thinking what to sell, think about what problems you can solve. Do your market research and know the challenges that your target customers face and how you can solve them. Be very specific and become an expert in one area. It’s exhausting focusing on everyone and you can’t compete against every business out there. Everything in your business, including offers, messaging, sales and marketing, is built around your ideal client, their challenges and problems. Knowing your audience helps to provide solutions that they’re looking for without wasting time, energy or money. 2. Start slow You don’t have to quit your job straight away and go into building your business full time. You can start slow and consider working part-time or full-time while building your business. It’ll give you an idea of what it’s like to be self-employed and what it takes to run your own business. You can research your market, have procedures in place, build your client base and try and test different strategies before becoming a full-time entrepreneur and transition when you’re ready. 3. Keep it simple Don’t overcomplicate things as you could end up with an expensive high-end product or service that nobody wants to buy. Start small and narrow your focus to create a simple, high-quality product or service. It’ll allow you to focus your energy, time and money on the specific processes and become consistent with your offering, messaging and marketing. 4. Talk about your business When you’re new, it can be intimidating to share your business with the world. But you can’t be shy, if you want to be successful. Get out there and talk about what you do. You can do it either online or in person. Either way, it’s all about getting the right message to the right people at the right time. Connect and engage with your potential clients, share your experience and knowledge, and make them feel listened to and valued. The more you talk about your business, the more confident you’ll become and the easier it’ll get. And also you never know who you’ll meet. It could be your next paying client or a potential referral. 5. Be yourself The current market has a lot of noise. There are many different strategies and people will try to sell you their own methods and strategies that they present as the best on the market. It’s great to know your options and learn from the experts, but you’ll try to follow everyone’s advice, you’ll feel exhausted and frustrated and eventually, your efforts won’t get you anywhere. Instead, be yourself, connect with people the way you want to connect with them and the way it feels right to you. Be authentic and lead from your heart and soul. At the end of the day, it’s your business and you need to feel fulfilled and excited about it. 6. Understand legal requirements Many find this part very boring and try to avoid it as much as they can. However, it’s crucial for any business to understand government regulations. The rules for businesses are set so that the expectations for transactions and operations are known. If you fail to follow government regulations, you could face penalties. Get legal advice and hire an accountant to ensure that you have everything in place and you don’t miss any deadlines. 7. Don’t do it alone Many new entrepreneurs try to do everything alone and get lost, become stuck and feel overwhelmed in the process. Ask anyone who is running a successful business and they will tell you about the people that helped them to get to where they wanted to be. Surround yourself with people who have more experience than you and those who have already succeeded in their businesses. Hiring a mentor or coach is the greatest investment that you can have not just in your business but also yourself. Mentors and coaches can help you at any stage of your entrepreneurial journey, whether you’re just thinking of starting a business or need help with building or growing it. The support that you’ll get is invaluable and it’ll only help you to move forward faster. For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my web site ! Read more from Ann a ! Anna Filatova, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Anna is the founder of Dreams and Beyond Coaching Ltd, a coaching and mentoring firm founded in March 2020. The company offers various services, including coaching, mentoring, business consulting, training, retreats, one-day intensives, team coaching, and personality profiling. From a young age, Anna has been curious about learning and development and personal fulfillment, potential, and success. She has always believed that people have hidden potential, and by believing in them, challenging, and mentoring them, she has helped many individuals thrive and achieve high results in their careers and lives. Anna earned an Honors BA Degree in Business Studies in International Hotel Management from the National University of Ireland Galway in 2011 and an MBA for Executives with Global Perspective from London School of Commerce in 2015. 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, business owners, and their teams strive for business success and personal lives without feeling stuck, overwhelmed and burned out. She ensures that they have all the essential tools and resources for development, growth, and success.

Written by: Amanda Cottrell, 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. How often do you go through your daily routine on autopilot? You get up, get ready for work, get the kids to school, do your regular daily routines without really thinking about what you are doing. You rush from task to task with little connection to what you are actually doing. Then waste countless amounts of time mindlessly scrolling through social media with little recognition of what is going on around you at that very moment. So often, in our busy world, we rush from one thing to another with little attachment to any of the tasks or people that we are interacting with. This leads to a very disconnected, lonely society. We are less connected to “ourselves” and space our physical bodies are currently occupying. We are also less connected to the earth and nature, as many people live in large cities with little opportunity to immerse in the natural world. Yet, at the same time, we are more connected on a global scale than ever before in history through technology. Why is it that so many people feel disconnected and lonely? Do you long for connection yet feel you get very little of it? You may want to ponder, “how often do you spend a few moments just connecting to yourself?” To get present in your body and truly experience what you are feeling at any given moment? I hardly ever bet unless you have begun a journey into mindfulness and meditation. Even if you have begun that journey into self-reflection and mindfulness, there may be different points that you fall off that path and need a reminder to get back on. When you start to feel overwhelmed, depressed and anxious. This should be a big red flag to remind yourself of the need for connection and to guide yourself back to living a more balanced and joy-filled life. Here are some sources of connection that can help when you start to feel disconnected, lost, and anxious. Connection to self You are our own worst nightmare or best friend. The only person who gets to decide what one wins is yourself. Your mind can play tricks on you and make you feel unworthy, lost, insecure, anxious, and depressed. The mind can also make you feel grateful, empowered, joyful, and truly at bliss. Often the first signs of stress can cause a person to go into an anxious state. This state can be overcome by connecting to your true self and knowing that you have the power within you to make your life better, even if it is just for a few moments. When feeling disconnected you can: Slow down your breathing and connect to your breath. Meditate and become aware of your thoughts and emotions without passing judgment. Do something you love like reading, drawing, exercise, or any other hobby that helps you get out of the mind cycle and back into your body. Connection to others You get to choose who you surround yourself with. You can let positive, loving people into your life, or you can let people who suck the energy out of you. Either way, you get to choose who you let into your life. You may not get to choose your boss, family, or coworkers, but you do get to choose who you let into your inner circle and who you choose to spend your time with. If you find that you regulate yourself best by connecting with others, you can: Call a friend, especially that friend who you know can get you out of your funk and brighten your day by making you laugh or reminiscing. Friend therapy really is a thing. Take some time to get out with a good friend, even if it is just for a short walk, cup of tea, or even for just a good hug. Make a point to reach out to someone you trust and love who has your back that you have not connected with in a while. Connection to nature There is research around how our bodies actually release happy hormones when surrounded by nature. Even having a plant in a classroom can improve students' well-being. If you are feeling disconnected, here are a few ways you can connect and center yourself through connecting with nature. Go out for a walk in a natural area and, if you can, take your shoes off and walk in the grass. Feel the grass beneath your feet and just allow yourself to get grounded at the moment. Go and sit near the water. Our bodies are made of around 60 percent water. Different water therapies have been used throughout history to help people heal, improve their mood and decrease anxiety. Sit near or under a tree or even hug a tree. When my daughter was little, she would run around hugging trees, yelling “huggie” with such joy and laughter. There have even been studies that determined that hugging a tree can increase oxytocin levels in our bodies. Get a little dirty and go play in the garden. Gardening has been proven to have calming effects. If you do not have a garden or space for one, you could even just go buy a plant or a herb garden that you can put in a window. There are so many different ways to connect. If you feel disconnected, I challenge you to spend some time trying some of these activities and being really conscious about them. Put away your phone, let go of your to-do list and spend some time truly connecting. You may be very pleasantly surprised by the huge difference a few minutes of conscious connection can make to improve your mood and life. Follow Amanda on Facebook , Instagram , and visit her website for more info! Read more from Amanda! Amanda Cottrell, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Believe! Create! Inspire! Amanda Marie Cottrell is a woman who wears many hats with a BA in Political Science, B.Ed in elementary education, M.Ed specializing in creativity and technology, Reiki master, yoga for young children instructor, artist, mom, author, illustrator, and teacher. She also runs an arts-based business teaching art and mindfulness workshops. As an educator of young children for over 14 years, Amanda’s passion is education and creativity. She believes that everyone has creative capacities. Her mission is to empower people by tapping into their unique creative gifts through connection and mindfulness. Namaste!