Marie Hernandez is a women's empowerment and digital entrepreneur business coach. After a devastating divorce at 50 that left her jobless, 10 thousand miles away from family, with 16 cents in the bank, she knew she needed to rewire her thinking. She has dedicated her life to the service of women who want to become empowered to alter the course of their lives. The owner and CEO of Marie Hernandez Coaching, LLC., she travels, lives, and works globally and offers women’s empowerment coaching programs that help women 45+ bridge the gap from where they are to a place of love and strength and live any life they choose. Download her free workbook "Rewrite Your Life Story," which will help guide you to understanding the lies we believe and shift your mindset from limited to "anything is possible." Who is Marie? I’m a digital entrepreneur, business coach, and expert in sponsored travel. After a devastating divorce at 50 that left me jobless, 10 thousand miles away from family, with 16 cents in the bank, I knew I needed to rewire her thinking. Choosing to use my passion for travel, I embarked on a life-changing mission to travel the world on sponsorship and teach other travel lovers how they could use their social media presence in exchange for dream travel experiences AND collaborate with businesses to better the world. I have dedicated my life to the service of others who love all that life has to offer and who revel in the wonders of the world and its beautiful people, cultures, and cuisine. The owner and CEO of Marie Hernandez Coaching, LLC. I travel, live, and work globally and offer digital business and sponsored travel coaching programs that help people turn their passion for travel into a profitable digital business and travel the world on sponsorship. What is it that you do for your clients? I teach, give them tools, strategies, and empower them to Exchange their Social Media Presence For Once In Lifetime Travel Experiences. Who should hire/work with you? Retreat leaders, independent travel agents, bloggers, and digital business owners who have social media networks and want to use them to travel on sponsorship. What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? My big goal is to continue to slow travel the world, connecting with people, places, and cultures and collaborating with them to bring awareness to those who might not be able to travel. I also am in the process of finding a villa in Tuscany to have retreats where people can learn about sponsored travel and how to incorporate it into their lives. In 10 years, I want to be still traveling, connecting with people, and spreading love. My soul finds joy through my passion for travel. I love meeting new people, experiencing new cultures. I revel in finding more people to love. I leave a piece of me with everyone I encounter. I refuse to believe that one person can’t change the world. I can and won’t give up. No matter how small that change is, I will leave my mark. I see love instead of hate. I see humans instead of color. I see light instead of darkness. Love is love, and I will travel this world spreading it, inspiring others to use their passion to do the same no matter what that passion is. I would love to invite the readers to join me in my free Facebook group, Seriously Travel Tribe, where they can collaborate, share, learn, and commune with like-minded travel lovers. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Marie!

Written by: Rodolfo Parlati, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. The fear of failure is an inevitable feeling that we all have experienced at least once in our lives. Because of this fear, we tend to avoid dramatic situations, distancing ourselves more and more from our projects and dreams. A feeling of failure and frustration seems to pervade us continuously. The fear of failure often becomes the cause of your failures because it blocks you and deeply conditions your decisions. The most serious mistake that people often make is to doubt their abilities. They ask themselves if they can win against the challenges that life presents them, and they believe that there is no escape from this vicious circle that seems to feed itself. Instead, most times, adversity is necessary to succeed! Life is a constant challenge: facing risks and even failures is part of the game. How boring would be an existence with no ambitions, news, or obstacles? Try to imagine! Here are typical symptoms of the fear of failure: Avoiding challenging tasks Procrastinating Continuously worrying about the opinion of others Conviction of not being good enough Being pessimistic Nurturing a constant feeling of humiliation Having difficulty in taking any kind of responsibility Rejecting the opportunities that arise Feeling lost and trapped in daily comfort Cheating To overcome the fear of failure, you need to be determined, focused, and persistent. It is not failure itself that individuals fear. Rather it is the perceived negative consequences that follow it that worry and stress them. These are the main negative consequences of failure perceived by people: Loss of self-esteem Feeling ashamed and embarrassed Disinterest by the people considered important Distorted perception of your self-effectiveness Believing in an uncertain future Disruption of the personal balance How to overcome the fear of failure and learn to embrace it? Here are 7 powerful strategies. Learn from mistakes. Even the smallest of your goals brings with it the possibility of failure. You have no idea how many times people have failed in their career and personal life, but the only option they have is to get back up and go on. So, embrace failures and don't let them control your future. They are basic life lessons from which to learn and get value. When you focus on the action and avoid any kind of judgment or comparison with others, you increase your confidence, motivation, and performance and reduce anxiety. Do not stick your head in the sand, and address the problem . People usually tend to deal with difficult situations in three main ways: they avoid them, interpret them emotionally, or deal with them. If a stressful situation worries you, you can choose to: Avoid it as much as possible Convince yourself and accept it Face it and try to solve it By following one of the first two choices, handling the situation only provides short-term relief and gives the illusion to have solved the problem somehow, while it has been got around. Instead , if you want long-term benefits, you should opt for the third choice, and focus on solving the situation, even if it worries you, and find out how you can make it better. Do not be ashamed. The most common fear of failure that people experience is the fear of shame and humiliation. Everyone has felt this sensation at least once in life. This can lead people to limit their possibilities, block them in clearly wrong situations, and force them to pretend in front of others. For these people, failure is certainly seen as a shame. The key to overcoming this fear is to create an environment in which failure is not followed by laughter, mockery, and embarrassment. Instead, it is essential to believe in your ideas, carry them forward, take full responsibility for negative situations, and perceive mistakes as teaching. Think positive and overcome your fears. Are your fears truly rational and highly likely to come true? Think about it. Many people end up worrying about the worst-case scenario, often without logic. Thinking positively means setting your mindset always to see the sunlight. The fear of failure can be so powerful that it obscures your clarity of thought, and so you do nothing but only focus on possible negative results. By doing so, you get overwhelmed by anxiety and think about all the obstacles that stand in your way. Giving up becomes the only possible solution. What if you think about the successes you can achieve? How do you feel if you force yourself to be unstoppable and face any obstacle that comes your way? Thinking positively will open your mind to new perspectives that will allow you to find the strength and courage to face any challenge. Focus on things that are under your control. One of the reasons people are so nervous and stressed is that they focus on aspects or situations they cannot directly change or control. Instead, if you focus only on what you can control, you will soon experience a sense of trust and certainty. You can do this by avoiding focusing on the result, which you cannot control, and concentrating on the actions to take, your performance, to have a better chance to succeed. Start small. To avoid being overwhelmed by the fear of failure, a powerful strategy is to start by setting small goals to accomplish. Step by step, they will lead you towards your final destination. Life is like a marathon. You. have to be calm and consistent to save energy throughout the whole race. By doing so, these small goals become the “stones” of motivation, self-esteem, strength, and ambition with which you’ll build your road towards success. Get out of your “comfort zone .” People are afraid of change. They want to know what will happen in their future, but this attitude leads them to remain stuck in a “limbo” where there is no progress and improvement. Magic happens when you finally get out of your “comfort zone” and find the courage to face your fears and insecurities. It’s also true that the chances of failing become higher, but this is the only way that lets you know yourself better and find out who you are by giving your inner potential a possibility to emerge significantly. Each end is only a brand new beginning . Whenever you fail to attempt, you need to analyze the various paths to reach your projects and dreams. Thus, a failure will be nothing more than a path you explored and from which you will learn that there is still something more to discover. In this way, you will not avoid continuing to walk, explore and struggle, but you will move forward because fear of failure will not arise. In the end, it is said that “ every end is only a brand new beginning ,” and failures just signify the end of one thing and the start of something else. Life will never stop surprising you and offering you opportunities as long as you are willing to continue walking and building your happiness and well-being. For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , or visit my we bsite ! Read more from Rodolfo ! Rodolfo Parlati, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rodolfo Parlati is a Professional Life & Executive Coach. Always inspired by the desire to impact others positively, his mission is to help people and professionals be happy and successful by finding out their inner potential and exploring the right path to follow to "give shape" to their goals. Passionate about building connections, the key elements of his coaching strategy are creating meaningful actions to attain the clients' goals, knowing what is holding them back, and supporting them in finding higher awareness. His natural curiosity has always driven him to be an eager lifelong learner, explore new fields, and look for the answers to any question.

Written by: Angie Gira, 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. Is your busy life serving you? Our world has gotten so fast-paced, and we’ve grown accustomed to the busy life, the hustle and bustle of it all. Are you actually productive and efficient? Are you reaching your goals? Or do you just have a lot on your plate, and you’re juggling it all? We can’t juggle forever. So, how do we get productive, not just busy? Let’s break it down. There are three key elements, and they’re all governed by one rule of thumb — find what works and serves you best. Step One — Prioritization If you’re like me and don’t like scheduling every little detail of your day, this step is even more vital. Start by setting your intentions and write your goals for the month. As the days go by, break them down into small actionable steps per week and then per day. You must be crystal clear on what your goals are for the month, week and day. I always like to remind myself. We can’t track what we don’t measure. Your weekly and daily goals need to be the clear and precise action steps you need to take to reach your monthly goal. Write your goals down. Don’t just know them. A Harvard Business School study asked its graduating MBA class how many of them write their goals and action plan down. Only 3% of the class had their goals and action plans written down. 10 years later, they found that that same 3 % ended up earning 10x more than the remaining class. You seem like a 3 percenter to me — so make sure you write your goals and action plans down. Step Two — Organization There are a million and one tools out there to help you get organized. Personally, more than half of these tools leave me feeling more overwhelmed. It becomes a task on its own, just keeping up with them. So, I’m pretty standard here. I like to use my notebook and my calendar. As the rule of thumb goes, pick the tool(s) that work best for you. Use this to set timelines for yourself, create a to-do list, important deadlines, reminders, etc. Like any journey, your journey will come with obstacles and detours. Knowing what we must get done and when it needs to get done helps us stay on track. A little added bonus, I usually add a couple of random reminders on my calendar to motivate myself. My last one read, “I am capable of achieving all that I set out to do.” Step 3 — Discipline I kept this one for last cause I really want this to stick with you. If you truly want to crush your goals, you gotta have discipline. My University Ethics Professor used to say, “If you don't discipline yourself, someone or something in life will force you to get disciplined. The choice is yours." Don’t wait for something external to discipline you. Use your why as motivation to be disciplined. Believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and have the discipline to get yourself there. So, there you have it; Prioritization - check Organization - check Discipline - check Here’s to you, crushing your goals and leading a more productive life that’s aligned with your vision. Follow Angie on her Instagram and Linkedin . You can also visit her website for more info. Read more from Ang ie ! Angie Gira, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Angie Gira is a Life & Mindset Coach. Inspired by her vision to positively impact the world, Angie's work focuses on helping millennials live a life that brings them true happiness. Driven by her belief that we are all unique, she is dedicated to tailoring her private coaching packages to meet the needs of each client. Key elements in her coaching strategies include helping you enhance the quality of your relationship with yourself, finding your why, and cultivating a purpose-driven mindset aimed at helping you achieve your goals.

Written by: Jennifer Natalie, 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. Gratitude isn’t a common habit, but life is more challenging than it needs to be without gratitude. Feeling grateful resets your perspective, and this is a gift you can give yourself each day. If you find yourself feeling pessimistic or overwhelmed, a little gratitude can get your attitude back on the right track. Gratitude is free, enjoyable, and effective. Practice gratitude each day with these actions: Write it down. Make a daily habit of writing down a few things that you can be grateful about. Ideally, you’ll do this early and late in the day. It gets your day off on the right foot and sets you up for a good night of sleep. Be grateful for the little things. There are plenty of small things you can be grateful for each day. A great cup of coffee, the sound of birds in the morning, or the fact that you have a new set of tires on your car can all uplift your mood. Go for a gratitude walk. This is a great way to get out of your head. Go for a walk and look for things that you can be grateful for. A beautiful tree, a child, playing in her yard, a friendly dog, or a nice, cool breeze are all things you could choose to feel gratitude about. Avoid making comparisons. When you compare one thing to another, you demean it. Be grateful for something exactly as it is. This applies to people and things. Tell people you’re thankful. Show people that you’re grateful for thanking them. Whether it’s your neighbor for keeping his yard so nice or the cashier at the store. Be thankful and let them know about it. Enjoy your pet. Pets give us plenty of reasons to feel gratitude. Give your pet some extra attention. You’ll both feel great. Donate your time or money. Give your resources to something that you think is valuable to the world. It could be a charity or other organization. Time and money can have a great impact. Make a list of things that impress you about yourself. Have a little gratitude for yourself, too. What are you impressed by when you take a long, hard look at yourself? You’ll not only be expressing gratitude, but you’ll also be doing wonders for your self-esteem. Write a positive review for a business you appreciate. Business owners love positive reviews. It makes them feel good and can boost their business. Be supportive and express your gratitude. Meditate on the things that you’re grateful for. Put your focus and attention on those things you’re most grateful for. You might develop an even greater appreciation for them. Minimize judging and complaining. Judging and complaining are the opposite of gratitude. People that do this aren’t enjoyable to be around, either. Keep your negative thoughts and opinions to yourself. Avoid judging others, and you’ll find that you’re happier and less stressed. Be thankful at mealtimes. Since you eat at least one meal each day, this a great way to develop a habit of expressing gratitude. Be grateful for your food and the people sharing it with you. Be grateful for everything you have. Even if you’re struggling. That doesn’t mean you have to be satisfied with your current situation, but you can still be grateful for what you do have. Practice gratitude. Your mood and perspective will be lifted. Your opportunities for success will increase. And you’ll receive even more good things to be grateful for! Follow Jennifer on her Facebook, Instagram and visit her website for more info! Jennifer Natalie, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jennifer Natalie is a Certified Life and Relationship Coach and CEO and Founder of Positivity on Purpose. Jennifer Natalie began her coaching career by way of her own personal experiences and felt a strong pull to improve the lives of others. She is passionate about making a positive and lasting impact by helping her clients find their joy, purpose, and igniting what sets their souls on fire. Life is not meant to be ordinary; it is meant to be extraordinary.

Written by: Sima Azadegan, 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. Ever since we have been a child, we have been told the right thing to do. Society has planned a blueprint for our lives to follow and reach success, glory, and happiness. We have been programmed to go to school, finish college, get married, have children, and live happily ever after. Yet, this plan is not a sure proof for us to reach our happiness, purpose, and reason for being on this planet. What has been lacking is incorporating our heart’s desire which has been gifted to us ever since we were born. Being already programmed from our own heritage and background, we enter this world. We have to navigate our lives through rational thinking and experiences to make well-thought-out decisions for ourselves. It's like going through the tidal wave of the ocean as we battle each wave while trying to stay afloat and not sink into the bottom of the ocean. I often say that with each breath you take, you unravel the truths of life as you go through your journey. The process of life for some people can be very routine and mechanical, but not for those who are conscious and aware of their guiding light or, as I call it, their own intuition. I will not talk about the intricacies of intuition, which you can probably read on the internet. Still, instead, I would like to give you hands-on experience of intuition in my life that has helped me fight the tidal waves and finally helped me reach my heart's desire to create my clothing company, Sima Collezione. As a young girl of only 9 years of age, I was placed in a disposition to learn classical piano. This journey took most of my adolescent years. By the age of 17, I entered the University of Southern California, and by 20, I was already married. For the next 20 years, I raised my children and became a piano teacher. My rational mind was steering the wheel through those years. I tried my best to create the best life for my family, as again, this is what our preconditioned mind is supposed to do. The true testament of my intuition started rising when at 36 years of age, I lost my good friend to ovarian cancer. Fearing that I would share the same destiny one day, my inner voice, intuition, started knocking at my inner walls, telling me to wake up. A soul awakening happened that prompted me to go on a journey of my inner consciousness. As my intuition led the way, I was challenged to face my own demons, strengthen my weaknesses and polish my own flaws. The only way I could do this was because I solely on my own decision to listen to my inner voice guiding me the way. The journey of your own consciousness is a painful one, and it can only be cleared if you have an awareness of your own issues. This journey lasted for 14 years until my intuition guided me to go against all odds and prompted me to manifest my own heart’s desire. At 50 years of age, I pursued my dream, my vision, and my mission. I created my clothing company Sima Collezione! With a clear mind, soul, and spirit, I have taken on the assignment of empowering women throughout the world and helping build positive consciousness through my clothing company. My vision is to help women shine their own individual beauty and inner light. I want to help women tap into their own confidence within rather than what the superficialities of the world outside expect. Through my clothing company, I would like to help women incorporate all the positive forces of nature, such as love, compassion, kindness, peace, and charity. Through Sima Collezione, I would like to create soldiers of light until eternity! I am truly grateful and honored to announce that Sima Collezione will be featured at the New York Fashion Week this September! Dreams do come true with the Power Of Intuition! Follow my journey on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin. You can also visit my website for more info. Sima Azadegan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine After living a complete life, Sima Azadegan has decided to follow her passion and make her dream come true. As a young girl, Sima started her classical piano training, which led to the momentum of her life. She raised her family and, at the same time, was on the board of directors of four major charities. Her toughest challenge was going through the journey of her inner consciousness that led to her true purpose and creating her company Sima Collezione. Her brand's mission is to empower women by bringing out each woman's inner beauty and light. Her brand has incorporated all the positive forces of nature, and its ultimate goal is to spread positive consciousness for all the women around the globe. Her collection will be featured at the New York Fashion Week this coming September. Sima says," We all have a responsibility to follow our dreams, manifest our talents, and make the world a better place."

Written by: Mags Thomson, 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. PR is a great way to get your business noticed by new audiences and potential customers. Where advertisements usually only highlight a specific product or service, sharing your opinions, expertise, and stories through media outlets is a great way to create a human connection with your potential clients. The more you get your name and business out there, the more this effect will compound. It is a longer-term strategy within your arsenal of marketing strategies. Because, although media attention can create a sudden and massive burst in your visibility, it is often more about building a foundation of authority in your field. You can pitch directly to a publication and respond to source requests from journalists (try https://www.helpareporter.com/) or join a publication like BRAINZ or FEM to regularly contribute and build the authority of your voice. Of course, just getting your name and contact details listed in a publication is a good start, but there are ways to make the most of such a mention. I’ve listed some ideas below on how to leverage your PR mentions. 1. List the article on your website, linking to the article. A simple way to add authority to your brand and improve the SEO for your website is by listing and linking to articles, podcasts or shows you were featured in. As a visitor to your website, seeing your media features gives me a sense of your authority. It shows me that you have something to say and that people are listening. From an SEO perspective, it is essentially the same thing. Moz.com explains that “the search engines consider [external links] as third-party votes.” In other words, both human and search engine visitors to your site will see the listing and linking of your PR exposure as confirmation that other people appreciate your expertise, so they should too. 2. Tag the publication when you share on social media. Sharing the article you were featured in on your socials is another great way to show the world that you have things to say, and people are letting you say it! When sharing the article to your socials, make sure to tag the publication so they can engage and possibly reshare your post. This will give you more exposure for this post (and possibly some new followers), but, perhaps even more importantly, it makes the algorithms happy, so your other posts will also gain more traction. When you see the publication share about your article, engage with the post too. Interacting with other accounts is another way to make the algorithms happy. So, adding the social to your social media by tagging, liking, and commenting means that you don’t just generate more exposure for your article. It also means that posts about your products and services will get some extra juice. 3. Create more content around the article. Use the article as the basis for a live video, podcast episode, or blog post. “I was recently featured in So-And-So Magazine, and it made me think about. So, I decided to share some more about ….” You catch my drift! You can elaborate on your own contributions or respond to the journalist or other contributors (please be kind and constructive, this is about relationship building too). You can also give more in-depth ideas or practical tips to take the content of the article further. Again, link to the original article, tag the publication when you share your new blog or video. It will all add to the traction you can get out of your PR efforts. Your story is your greatest and most unique selling point. Have you ever lend a book or magazine to a friend because you thought a story or piece of information in it was just SO insightful? Well, now is the time for you to be the author of that book or magazine article! Harness the power of storytelling and collaboration to propel your business forward with the help of House of Hives. By joining a collaborative publication and getting your story out in a way that invites people to share about it. Find out more about our services here. Follow Mags on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit her website for more information! Read more from Mags! Mags Thomson, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Mags is a story coach, impact co-creator, and the founder of House of Hives. She helps female entrepreneurs and change-makers use their personal stories in their business, bridging the gap between emotive storytelling and strategic marketing. Together with developmental editor Karina Asti and event strategist Ana Gallo, she helps women co-create books and collaborative online summits to empower themselves and their brands. Resources: https://moz.com/learn/seo/external-link

Written by: Viviana Di Leo, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Why you need to stop giving them the power over others. Since I started, my business self-worth has been a subject I have been drawn to. So much information out there that you can get lost understanding. It is not self-esteem. It is not your confidence. Many definitions talk about your self-worth allocated to your achievements or what you achieve in life, and I cannot disagree more. This is why some people don’t value themselves and feel they are unworthy if they fail at something. Or make their worth proportional to their bank account or the number of clients. Nothing farther from this. “Self-worth is the opinion you have about yourself and the value you place on yourself .” I like this definition a lot , but this other one below will help me point out what I have learned from working with my clients. "Self-worth is the internal sense of being good enough and worthy of love and belonging from others." Not feeling good enough or worthy of receiving is a common theme that clients bring up all the time in their sessions or groups. Many people feel like they are less than others and that they are inferior in some way. Changing that perception of yourself that you have internalized is an important step in your healing journey. As you work towards leading your most meaningful life, you need to change the self-talk going on in your mind. Have you gone on a date and heard “It’s not going to work out” or had a job interview and you were told, “This is not the place for you”? It is extremely easy to interpret these types of statements and situations by feeling like you did something wrong. You can start with a lot of negative self-talk about how you are not good enough, how you didn’t give it 100%, that you should have done this or not have done that. These kinds of thoughts and interpretations of events give the power of your feelings and thoughts to other people . You hand over the meaning you have in your life and who you believe you are to them. How can you stop doing this? When you give a different meaning to the situation and reframe your thoughts, you can immediately change how you feel. Instead of focusing on what has happened or what could have happened, focus on the present moment. Don’t dwell on how that date could have been the love of your life or how that job could have been the best one ever. Be grateful for the opportunities to come because those things didn’t work out. You can shift the meaning you are giving events, and you will see a huge difference in how you feel inside. Ask yourself who is telling you that you are not good enough. It just might be you telling that to yourself. Be kinder to yourself! Set your standards. Feelings of being unworthy often come when you compare yourself to others. There is an ever-present culture in society shouting about what we should be doing or could be doing. Social media is full of posts that can leave you feeling like you are not doing enough and that you are inferior. Constantly comparing yourself to others also gives away the power of your thoughts and feelings. You are a unique individual; you are not like anybody else out there. In her book “100 Days to Brave”, Annie Downs reminds us that we are unique, and every one of us is not below or above anyone because we were made unique. We were made who we are. Comparing yourself to someone else is not necessary. You are not a copy of others and what they need to be or do to have a happy, meaningful life. Comparing yourself directs your focus outwards and towards others. Everyone makes decisions based on their own beliefs and stories about who they are. Learn to focus on your internal beliefs, on what you think and feel about yourself. “Where focus goes, energy flows,” — Tony Robbins. Focusing on the negative directs your energy to the negative. You will spend all your time recycling thoughts from the past and beating yourself up over decisions you made or things you did before. Shift your focus from those negative feelings and stop thinking about what you do not have. Direct your focus and energy on what you want in the future. Learn to stop giving focus and energy to negative emotions from your past. Do not let your interpretations of your memories have power over your future. If you are ready and willing to build your confidence and start a journey of self-discovery to heal and become an impactful leader, I am happy to help you with this. Creating a tool kit that allows you to feel confident and fulfilled with your life is something I can help you with. I will be happy to help you initiate change and transform your life forever. For more information, follow me on Facebook , Instagram and visit my webs ite ! Read more from Vivian a ! Viviana Di Leo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Viviana Di Leo is a Certified Peacefulness & Fulfilment Coach. She helps women on their self-healing journey to live a more peaceful and fulfilled life. She's an Expert in Biodecoding & Emotions.

Written by: Mariela De La Mora, 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. Authenticity has become performative. I worked in Marketing for 16 years before becoming a Leadership Coach, and I often found myself in situations where I was putting a message out there that I knew wasn’t the truth and — ultimately, I’ve quit jobs over this, too. Q: So, how can brands keep it real with customers? A: Authentic marketing Authentic marketing means the business itself reflects the values they market: how they operate, who they hire, where their money goes, and how they treat customers and employees. It’s more than saying you stand for something on Thursday and going back to business as usual by Monday. It’s not much different from what you’d expect from an authentic person: someone’s who is words consistently align with their actions. Authentic marketing is a reflection of a brand’s true values rather than a “performance” of them. On the other hand, performative marketing aims to manufacture emotion or trust (saying ‘the right thing’) to elicit a buying decision. Or even worse, it manufactures insecurities and then weaponizes them against you to make you buy. These kinds of manipulation tactics are often referred to as ‘bro marketing .’ Here are five ways to build a more authentic brand: Tell your brand stories. Everyone has a story. Brands often think they don’t, but if you scratch below the surface, they do. Stories create an emotional connection and make you 22 times more memorable. Sell products/services you actually believe in. This one seems like it would be obvious. But if you don’t think your product is really helping people, you’re selling a false narrative, not a true solution. Be transparent about how your business operates and how it aligns with your values. This may include things like where and how you source materials, diversity, and inclusion accountability. Transparency is important , especially when you make a mistake. Being an authentic brand means taking ownership, not being perfect. Remain consistent across time and platforms, or you risk being called out for being performative. Walk the talk. Your business model and your actions should match your true values. Don’t ‘perform’ good values. In a world where we’re exposed to hundreds of marketing messages a day, customers want to feel that they are buying from a person, not a corporation. They want to work with brands that align with who they are. That’s why building an authentic brand involves humanizing it and building a lasting relationship with your audience and customers, not just a transactional one. Follow me on LinkedIn , Instagram , or visit my website for more info! Mariela De La Mora, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mariela is a Life Coach and certified EQ Leadership Coach who helps women of color become powerhouse leaders of purpose-driven brands. Her mission is to help women of color break glass ceilings by healing the generational trauma and cultural conditioning holding them back from becoming the leader they can be. She was named one of the top 10 leadership coaches by Yahoo Finance and has coached 6 and 7-figure CEOs and even leaders in the United Nations. She previously spent 15 years in marketing while leading teams across the globe. As a 1st generation Mexican American, she was often the only woman of color in senior leadership and had to break past systemic and mindset barriers to do it. She now helps women bridge that gap through trauma-informed life coaching and emotional intelligence development, so they can fully step into their power and lead with intention.

Written by: Dr. Hynd Bouhia, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. In a few short decades, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gone from science fiction movies to commonplace phone apps. Also known as cognitive systems or machine learning, AI is found in nearly every aspect of the economy. That requires sophisticated programming skills and an understanding of nano-technology, as the nature and role of information are changing fast. Consider “Alpha Go,” perhaps the most complicated game design since chess. Alpha Go was programmed to a machine, which is a match that triumphed over the human world champion. Now think of how AI may disrupt and even replace less skilled labor – truck drivers, taxicabs, pizza delivery, and postal workers. Both man and woman are unlikely to be made obsolete or redundant. They will always have more creative power. But their training and education will need to race to adapt to the demand for new skills. Legal and political frameworks will determine how – and if – the economic and social environment can develop. This demands a balance of power. AI and machine learning capacities must be harnessed to serve the goals, needs, and social equity of all humanity, not the other way around. That balance can’t happen with just one gender in charge of programming and managing AI and the future it defines. Women's involvement in AI is essential to avoid biased outcomes and emerging technologies that do not fit women’s needs and expectations. Less than One Woman in Five AI Programmers A University of Copenhagen study found women represent less than one in five AI programmers. This has consequences. Male coders impart their ideas, outlook, belief structures, goals, and desires into AI, so machines simulate the masculine mindset. The lack of a female at the table, or the keyboard, will distort its future function and behavior. Only if women position themselves in the coding phase and the electronic process can AI work for both genders forever. This programming cannot simply be anchored in the past. Since 1900, robots have “read” and digested 3.5 million [1] books filled with 11 billion terms. What do they learn? Based on this legacy, AI sees women and men described quite differently. Women are described in texts and poetry and novels as “beautiful, emotional, sexy, and shrill.” Men, by contrast, are “brave, calm, rational and correct.” Negative verbs about a woman’s body are repeated five times more often for women. Female adjectives focus on passive outward appearances; those for males emphasize character, behavior, and action. Thus, are otherwise neutral algorithms taught to be sexist, biased. Struggling to answer questions, billions of smartphones may be infected in this manner. AI may reinforce discrimination just as human systems are starting to eradicate it. Trusting a machine to recruit, hire or promote, any jobs requiring judgment and responsibility will “automatically” be given to men. The struggle continues. Nevertheless, advanced research continues, and more discoveries and innovations are made in technologies and computers. The same University of Copenhagen, together with the University of Helsinki, demonstrated [2] that it is possible to predict female and male preferences based on how their brain responses match others. This is revolutionary in adapting media content and helping us better understand our own selves. Scaling up Artificial Intelligence Needs more Women The scaling up of AI and the development of new emerging technologies could be another driver behind the persistent gender gap: the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution (4thIR). This term captures the dynamics unfolding in the workplace and at home, unleashed by IT – robotics and remote sensing, 3D printing and artificial intelligence, Big Data, and the Internet of Things. These advances tell us which route is fastest, recognize faces from photos, answer questions asked into phones. They merge the physical, digital, and biological worlds in ways that offer both exciting promise and extraordinary peril. Among the first jobs to be eliminated and replaced by the 4thIR are primarily clerical, administrative, and repetitive tasks and women overwhelmingly held these positions. Innovative disruption may often create more opportunities, even as it destroys others. But new and emerging jobs – depending on skills and experience in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), do not have a lot of women in the pipeline. Unless women are prepared to be left behind in tomorrow’s Revolution, they must wake up and lean in today, prepared to be part of the game and become leaders of this disruptive new trend. This only emphasizes the need for professional female role models, inspiring girls who may follow their path, stand on their shoulders, and build on their examples. This need runs through all disciplines, but nowhere more than in science and technology. To be sure, 30% of today’s scientists are now female, but they still struggle against the current. In the hottest fields of Artificial Intelligence, women do not exceed 13% of the workforce, allowing male-programmed machine learning algorithms to perpetuate gender stereotypes. Finally, it is important to prepare women [3] in getting more involved in STEM and to enable them with technology at all levels . If the future of our economies depends on more female implications, women must be able to design, build, use, shape, and consume digital tools and products. Whether for e-commerce, marketing platforms, learning apps, or artificial intelligence, advanced tech is both a front-end means of empowering the female entrepreneur, the female startups, and a back-end outcome through which she improves technology’s form, content, and fit. For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my webs ite ! Read more from Hynd! Dr. Hynd Bouhia, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Hynd Bouhia has cumulated more than 20 years of professional experience in high-level and leadership positions, covering investments, financial structuring, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development strategies. Hynd Bouhia was nominated by Forbes among the 100 most influential women in the world in 2008 and the most influential women in Business in the Arab World in 2015 and honored as a member of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars in 2018. With a Ph.D. from Harvard University (GSAS 1998), an Engineering degree from Ecole Centrale Paris (1995), and a Master from Johns Hopkins SAIS (2000), Hynd Bouhia started her career at the World Bank in Washington before joining Morocco’s Prime Minister as an economic advisor. She was appointed in 2008 as the Managing Director of Casablanca Stock Exchange. After that, she structured and managed investments and venture capital funds. As the CEO of Strategica, she advises entrepreneurs, companies, and institutions on economic intelligence, sustainable finance, and growth strategies. Dr. Hynd Bouhia is the author of the motivational book for women entitled "Africa Girl, African Woman: How agile, empowered, and tech-savvy females will transform the continent for good." References: [1] news.ku.dk [ 2] di.ku.dk [3] www.amazon.com

Written by: Melia Diana, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Have you ever felt unworthy? That numbing feeling of self-doubt and loneliness… Fact is, most people don’t really understand who they are in Christ. We run around grasping at straws and looking for answers and affirmations of others. Losing your identity to the world will lead you down a treacherous path. I get it! For many years, I didn’t understand the truth of my identity in Christ. Your identity with GOD means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life begun” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our identity does not lie upon people, circumstances, money, or a job status. If this defines who you are… you will continue to stay lost, feel unworthy and desperately lonely. You’ll continue to live in fear, not be content, and be captive to the devil’s antics. Seriously, friends… it took many mistakes and a lot of falling down and getting back up to learn this valuable lesson. Let’s always remind ourselves - it’s a daily satisfaction, it never ends, but our love for Jesus should outshine people. Who we are in Christ is who we belong to you. Do you know what I mean? It means when chaos surrounds us- we are stable in God. When the world is shoving money, sex, and lust… down our throats- we are stable in God. It’s no wonder why we are lost in our identity! This is why a vertical relationship is vital. We are lost without Christ, yet the world tells us different. Who are you going to believe? When you learn to depend on God alone, your weakness become strengths. His power saturated your soul. When you find full completeness in Him, you are better to serve others. Why, you ask? When we are rooted in Christ, we have the mind of Christ. The Bible says, “But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14). We have a devil, the ruler of the word out there trying to deceive you, my friends. We live in a spiritual realm. Do you know that? Without the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we will not understand His ways or who we are in Christ. When we accept Jesus in our hearts, we become spiritually reborn and gain access to the Holy Spirit. “Spirit gives your life because you have been made right with God” (Romans 7:10). We have authority over the devil, yet we allow it to still mess with our mind, heart, and soul. We can never please God or understand our identity without knowing Him. And without knowing Him as your personal Savior, we will continue to be lost. Insecurity does not serve. Spiritual blindness does not serve. Self-doubt does not serve Him. Can you trust human wisdom over the power of God? Do you know what it's like to have a vertical relationship with Jesus? If not, I invite you to a free invitation to come join the Sister support community and get inspired and encouraged! We need to depend on him alone and not be saturated with worldly thoughts! Subscribe and listen to a full episode of “The Vertical Relationship Show” on iTunes! And here for Android listeners. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and check out my website and YouTube channel! Read more from Melia! Melia Diana, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Melia is an International & Best-Selling Author, Certified Christian Counselor, Award-Winning Contributing Writer, Relationship & Dating Coach, Trainer and Podcaster. She has spent over 14 years in medical and fitness field, as a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, Certified ACSM Personal Trainer and Personal Training Specialist, completing numerous certifications. But it doesn’t stop there! Melia’s extensive certifications and background led her to utilize her faith, knowledge, experience and personal development to brand and design her own Signature Coaching Programs. She developed a unique methodology to help clarify the missing links and identify core root problems hindering God’s best. She takes her clients through a one-on-one transformational healing journey, guided by the Holy Spirit, for restoration of their hurting souls and removal of toxic wound patterns. With a godly approach, she helps Christian women to break soul barriers and have loving relationships they’ve always desired. She is a faith-based published author of Vertical Relationship: 4 Steps To Salvation & Getting Right With God and International Best-Seller of Overcomer: Redeemed Masterpiece, where she wrote “7 Keys To Finally Have a Godly Man.” Melia is also a Best-Selling author of Raising the Bar Volume 6, her eye-opening chapter is “Relationship Breakthroughs & Breaking Barriers.” Melia’s faith-based podcast is called The Vertical Relationship Show, inspired by her heartfelt book. Her topics include godly relationships, marriage, dating, inner healing, and fitness & health from a Kingdom mindset perspective. Learn how to heal “God’s Way” and cultivate thriving relationships with others, yourself, and most importantly-Jesus! She sprinkles God’s Word in her podcast to reveal His truth with no fluff. God’s mission for Melia, is to help lost souls find true healing to cultivate fruitful relationships. With her God-given spiritual gifts, Melia desires to genuinely encourage and inspire others to heal through the love of Jesus Christ. Blessings xo

Written by: Stephanie Cunningham, 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 small business owners and entrepreneurs are bootstrapping and funding their businesses with their own personal funds. Once things get going, they can generally breathe a little better, and the business becomes somewhat sustainable. This is when many folks become comfortable or even complacent. However, this is when it becomes critical to have a “war chest.” What is a war chest? This is the reserve of funds for things that may come up either with unexpected events or situations out of your control. This may seem absolutely insane but stick with me on this. As a business owner, if you bring in $1,000 worth of sales every day, is it unreasonable to put aside $50 a day? That then equates to $250 a week (with a five-day week) and $1,000 a month on average put aside. This does not seem like much, but as your sales increase, you continue to put away the 5% into an account that you do not touch. When your busy season is in full swing, say a construction company during good weather, you are saving 5% of your sales and likely not feeling the sting of trying to put money back. Then when you are in the slow season, and maybe you go down to $100 a day, you are still putting away that $5. This is not a payroll reserve account or a cushion in the event it is a slow month. This is your war chest. The war chest monies are set aside for that big client that you recently parted ways with. In their frustration, they dispute the $5,000 payment made by credit card for their contract. Did you know that credit card companies allow up to one year for a dispute and will take those funds back without warning while you are left to provide documentation and support that you provided the necessary services? This happens quite often, and it can and does destroy small businesses. That $5,000 could be their payroll, mortgage on the building, or merchandise to sell to generate revenue. As they are called, these chargebacks can take upwards of 90 days to resolve, leaving you as the business owner to either figure it out or suffer. Additional fees are generally incurred from the credit card processor as well, making that $5,000 grow substantially. The war chest is for the customer that falls in the entryway of your building and gets hurt, who later ends up suing you and your insurance carrier, or the client who suddenly dislikes the remodel you finished a month ago. Legal fees add up quickly. What about the client you work with that ended up with a hacked bank account, and suddenly their $10,000 invoice that was paid by ACH now gets returned? These events happen every day and can take up to ten days to resolve. How many small businesses could handle that? What if all these events happened in the same month? Without a war chest, they may not survive. These scenarios are ones I can speak to personally and why I advise every client that I serve to have these monies set aside. In three days, more than $20,000 was disputed or returned by the client’s banks. I did not flinch. I was able to manage just fine but had I not had my war chest . I would have gone out of business. If this had happened in my early stages of business, I would have certainly not recovered. The theory behind the war chest is the more successful your business becomes, the increased exposure you face. By putting that money aside in the event, you need an attorney, need to dispute a customer contract, or whatever the case, maybe you can adjust but still maintain the flow of business. It seems simple enough, but most small businesses are not prepared to face what could happen. This does not make them less of a business or less successful. It just means they have room for planning and preparation. The need for preparation is more important today than ever if you have employees or coming off the pandemic. Prepare for the worst but hope for the best. Build your war chest. Feel free to follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn or Instagram , and visit my website ! Read more from Stephanie Cunningham! Stephanie Cunningham, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Stephanie C unningham has a Masters’ Degree, in Accounting and Financial Management. She writes about accounting and business for today’s world. She has extensive knowledge of the non-profit, construction, real estate and service industries which she serves. Stephanie has become a leading expert in QuickBooks as well as outsourced accounting services. Stephanie lives in Missouri and volunteers and cooks for her local rescue mission, serves with Made to Serve as well as Race for Rett, mentors local female high school students, has a passion for wine and cooking, and loves spending time with her family and close friends.

Written by: Irina Krasko, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. You must have heard that gratitude is the first step to success. But did you know that there is such thing as gratitude overdose, too? The key here is the ”first step.” I would say an ongoing first step - a continuous base for your success and progress. Set aside all the spiritual gloss, the function of gratitude is simply to set your focus on positivity and resourcefulness. When you tune your attention to what you already have, your mind goes into a more resourceful and creative state, opening your eyes to the endless opportunities around you. Conversely, when you’re focused on what you don’t have, you lay out a bumpy, less effective runway to take off. Negativity never helped moving forward! But here’s the trap... A lot of people who practice gratitude get hooked and… somewhat stuck. It makes us feel comfortable, helps with positive emotions, and keeps our mood on high frequencies. Now, the thing is, all of the above can easily make you complacent too. And when you get complacent, you slow down, become shy in your ambitions, and eventually consent to settle for mediocre. While ‘NOW’ is important to be happy and healthy, it doesn’t mean you should not strive for more and better for yourself. I don’t deny that we all have different needs and desires. But have you ever noticed that nagging feeling that something isn’t aligned? It’s like a missing jigsaw piece. And we often try to shush that feeling by indulging in even more gratitude, fake-solving the jigsaw. When in fact, that missing piece is your strive for a better future. As humans, we always want to see what’s beyond the horizon. So if you find yourself continuously repeating to yourself “I’m just happy the way it is,” “I’m fine with what I have,” “I don’t need much” - check with yourself in a brutally honest way - are you really...? Without undermining the power of being grateful for the present - it simply doesn't work in isolation if you want to live to your full potential. The desire and anticipation of something better on their own give you a splash of dopamine, and has an incredible power to drive forward actions. And where there is action, there is a result. Add to it an unshakable belief, and you immediately start seeing more doors opening. Today people have become more aware of how much power our minds have, but far from many actually use it for their benefit. Our minds can be trained and “tuned” to success. And it’s not that hard and doesn’t take long, especially when you get the right support. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn! Irina Krasko, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Irina Krasko is a talented life & mindset coach. She helps accomplished professionals connect their success with a genuine sense of fulfillment. Working with those who seem “to have it all” from outside but are deeply unfulfilled from inside, she helps them find more meaning and passion in their lives and build a lifestyle they truly desire. The biggest lesson she learned in her corporate and coaching life was that the bridge is better built from fulfillment to success, not the other way round. The sense of inner calm and uncompromised confidence is what empowers people to thrive and succeed with ease in any part of their lives. In Irina's coaching program, she uses tools and techniques designed to permanently transform your mindset, solidify your authentic inner confidence and become unstoppable and fast in achieving your goals.