Sarah Needham is a coach with an extraordinary vision, “To create a world where everyone feels they can stand up and engage in discussion about what matters most.” She wants us all to take off our invisibility cloaks and share courageously what we think and feel. Sarah believes that we are all unique for a reason, and we should challenge ourselves to step proudly into our uniqueness, our own superpower! As a coach, she challenges herself to inspire people by holding regular sessions on this topic. Sarah’s work brings together her three core values: technology, sustainability, and challenging others to embrace their uniqueness. She helps tech founders and leaders unleash their impact in creating a more sustainable life on earth whilst prioritizing their own self-care, and in doing so, creating a more sustainable business. Sarah is an engineer with many years as a leader at one of the world's leading global engineering corporations. She is British, living in Potsdam, Germany, with her husband, two adopted daughters and two cats. Who is Sarah? Hi, my name is Sarah Needham. I am a passionate & caring person who likes to see the best in the world & other people. How would you describe yourself so that the readers know something about you? I am an emotionally connected person who really experiences the emotions of others (I am the one crying at the kids' films, for example)! I sometimes get overwhelmed by my feelings & it has taken me a long time to realize that this is ok. I am the one who will look for the person in the room who looks lonely or sad & talk to them. I love to understand people, not just what can be seen on the surface. I love nature, sport, being outside, cuddling with my family & finding little moments of joy! I grew up in Britain & have been living in Potsdam, Germany, since 2006 with my husband. We have two adopted daughters who are now 7 & 10 years old, two cats & a puppy! So we have a big crazy & often chaotic family! I am passionate about: sustainability; this to me means leaving the world so that future generations can enjoy the amazing joys of nature that we all have the opportunity to enjoy today; technology; I have a degree in engineering & love to be amazed by how things work & how we can use this to solve problems; inspiring people to step into achieving what they want to in life & creating a positive ripple through their courage to show up for what they believe in. How did you go from a degree in engineering to now being a coach? I worked in the tech industry for 17 years & held many different roles from engineering, sales, commercial & program management. As I built & flexed my career, doors always opened for me. Unfortunately, this meant I did not always ‘think’ too much about what I really ‘wanted’ to do or how I could best use my ‘strengths.’ I had been aware that I was not happy for the last 5 years in the industry, but I could not put my finger on what it was. I thought I should be grateful for the career I had built and just get on with it. After all, I had two young children. Now was not the time to take a risk & search for something new! Until one day, I could not. I had burnout from juggling my career, young children, a husband who traveled a lot & a mum living with dementia in a different country. I sat there wondering how did this happen? I had a virus (which you only get when your immunity is low) which meant I had a fever most days for the best part of 5 months. I was off work for 8 months & during this time, my mum died of dementia! This was what triggered me to stop & get clear. “If I go the same way as a mum, I only have around 35 more years left in this world!” No one else could make the changes I dreamt of! It was my responsibility. It was clear! So I walked away from my career as I knew it & started a coaching qualification… not knowing where it would take me. I started listening & getting to know myself & what ‘I wanted.’ I started seeing my unique strengths & finally started seeing how my life story was a big part of my journey. Things just started happening & I have felt my way through & built my business to what it is today. What is important to you in building your business? It is important to me that I do something I love & that my work inspires & motivates others to make positive change. MY VISION is to create a world where everyone can stand up & engage in discussion about what matters most! To take off their invisibility cloaks - share courageously about what they think & feel; then be open to listening to other perspectives & being challenged. I help tech leaders & their teams go from surviving to thriving by getting to know themselves & helping them step into courageous discussions about what matters most. Teams thrive when everyone feels empowered to contribute their strengths & perspectives towards achieving a vision they are passionate about. I believe that we have all the technology around us or can develop the technology we need & now it is about enabling courageous conversations about what matters most at home, in the workplace, and politics! What nurtures you? I love being outside, enjoying the small joys of nature. Time with my family, especially outside or cuddling up on the sofa together. Physical affection (co-regulation) is really important to me. This is one of the things I have found tough during COVID is that I cannot see or hug any of my close friends or family. Where are you too hard on yourself (or where are you unable to laugh at yourself)? I am very driven. This is a strength and can be my biggest weakness & a big driver that led to my burnout! So sometimes, I find it hard to tell myself I have done enough. I want to be a great mum so I feel like I have never done enough here. My girls are adopted, so I feel like they have been through enough already. I want to nurture them so that they can grow up to be self-confident & content women. However, I have learned that I help them by not being perfect & having hard conversations in an honest & vulnerable way… this is constant learning for me. What is the one piece of advice you wish you could tell your 10-year-old self? I wish I could tell my 10-year-old self that the biggest opportunity you have is to be different, be unique. At school, I so much wanted to fit in & be the best I could at school, at sports & being a ‘good’ girl. This meant I lost my own sense of identity for quite a long time, trying to do things to please others rather than listening to & understanding myself! Things often do not work out the way you planned, but the unplanned detour can be just as rewarding. I use the example of going through multiple miscarriages & feeling utterly broken & alone. This meant my husband & I had to have some tough discussions early on in our marriage, which has made us stronger as a couple and means that we now have the crazy family we do! I am grateful in so many ways for this detour in what I had planned for my life! What is your one wish for the planet for 2021? That everyone takes the courage to reflect on what is important to them; what they really want. If we can all start aligning ourselves to being the change we want to see in the world; whilst being kinder to ourselves & each other, then I believe we would see a major shift towards our more sustainable future! What one change are you making in 2021 to live more sustainably? Ohh, so many small changes in the way we live as a family. Trying to reduce our single-use plastic is a big one for me & one I find incredibly difficult. We now often get our food delivered from a local supplier in crates, which always fills me with joy, AND it goes further than this to changing over to shampoo/soap bars & laundry strips, for example. On a business level, I am starting the process of getting my B-Corp certification. What is your one motivational saying/book or podcast which you think others could benefit from and why? There are so many authors who I have learnt so much in the last few years that I struggle to name just one. However, Brené Brown's ‘Daring Greatly’ probably is the one I recommend to others most. Other authors I would recommend to anyone who wants to get to know themselves better include Simon Sinek, James Clear, Susan David & Marshall Rosenburg, as they all contribute to the idea that being involved in your life means being vulnerable & courageous! What are your top three tips you can share from your journey? Spend time getting to know yourself. Invest in understanding yourself. There is only one of you in this world.. Knowing your values (what is important to you) helps you make clearer decisions & explain them to yourself & others; Knowing your strengths (what you are good at) & being able to talk about them. Say what you can do & know how you can use them, then look for opportunities to play to them more; Accept your life story & recognize it as an integral part of who you are. You are the same person with the same values, strengths & life story in any ‘role’ you play in life. Yes, even as a leader at work! So take the pressure off & find ways to be you in whatever you decide to do. 2. You get to decide what you want each & every day. By ignoring something, you are ‘deciding’ not to listen to yourself. Each of these small decisions to ignore what is important to you leads you away from living the life you want. Be one thing, be true to yourself, even if that might mean having an uncomfortable discussion. 3. Own your thoughts & feelings; this helps people understand what is important to you. When you speak about them, use ‘I think..’ or ‘I feel…’. You dilute the meaning & often confuse people when you talk about your thoughts & feelings using the third person. So how can anyone get to know more about you do? My commitment for this year is to inspire 1,000 people, so I hold regular free sessions to do just this.. inspire people to be the positive change they want to see in the world. You can get notified of these events by signing up below. I have also taken some of the work I do with my clients & created the Be UNIQUE – 7-day challenge, which you can sign up for here! These are both good ways to challenge yourself & learn more about my coaching philosophy! Sign up to get event notifications. Sign up to take the Be UNIQUE – 7-day challenge For more info, follow Sarah on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit her website! Read more from Sarah!

Written by: Samantha Leske, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Many of us have grown up with families who are just doing the best they can with what they have been given in life — “their lot.” It is an old operating paradigm. One where we do the best we can, with what we have been given. Who are we to ask for more, right?! We have this whole new age movement telling us we can, and it is right. We can ask for more! We are worth more than we may ever have grown up believing. We are worthy of feeling healthy, being connected to ourselves and those around us, and dreaming big. Actioning those dreams and living them out. Self-love is a skill that changes our lives dramatically, for the better. However, for lots of our generation, it has been something that we were not taught as children ( most of the previous generation believed there is an arrogance held if self-love is embraced). It has been a skill set we have had to stumble our way through, learning the hard way, if at all. We have had to hold a firm belief that it is possible and work our way through the many obstacles until we finally feel comfortable coming home to ourselves. Sometimes it comes about because we cannot face the pain in our reality any longer. For me, I hit an all-time low when my husband left with no explanation. I knew it would be a long time before I felt ready to engage in another relationship. I just wasn’t prepared to feel unloved until I did again. It was the first time in my life, I had the realization that I had looked outward for love and approval rather than going in - and so began one of my biggest journeys home, to me. It is one that I am so incredibly grateful for because it has created a calmness, a knowing that cannot be shaken. It is me, I know me to my core, and I learned to love myself without apology — ALL of me. Now I am no different from most. I had a set of parents who were asleep, living in the third-dimensional world, doing the best they could and operating from their own pains and traumas. They did not love themselves, and they passed down every line of energy they were holding without ever questioning that another option existed. Self-love was wanky, and downright obnoxious — who the hell loved themselves? I wanted to spend some time today going over just a few parts of what self-love entails because it goes so much deeper than having a massage every now and then or indulging in a guilty food pleasure because it has been a “hard” week. Self-love is hidden in the 1000 different choices you make daily, weekly, monthly. Let’s talk baseline. This is the base point that we operate from. It is the dominant energy that runs through your life. When you feel anxious, or overwhelmed or afraid, or have any challenging experience - what are the thoughts, emotions, and feelings that you go to immediately? Is it kind? When self-love exists, love for self kicks in and runs when times get tough. Self-talk and our tapes we have played in the background consistently - what are they layered with? Self-love, or self-loathe? When you make a mistake, what do you say to yourself? This is your clear guide as to which way it swings for you. Now with the language you have running through you, would you say that out loud to another? Would you accept another saying it to you? Would it be considered verbal abuse? Being connected to your body, for many, can be challenging. If you have experienced trauma or are having trouble staying grounded in your earthly experience, you may find it hard to stay in your body. However, this is necessary for you to feel your body and what your needs are. If you can’t feel your body, you can’t care for it. Then, taking it a step further, how does it feel to meet your body's needs? To feed it healthy organic food? To exercise it? To seek treatment from the professional you require - is it easy to book that appointment, or do you find it hard to justify the financial expense? Is it okay to take time out to rest, or do you feel guilty doing so? Self-forgiveness, how does it feel to forgive you? Often we find it so much easier to forgive another who has wronged us than we do to forgive ourselves. We hold ourselves almost to impossible standards. It is so incredibly important to be responsible for ourselves and the choices we make. However, we have to be real with ourselves and kind to ourselves. If another presented the same situation to us, what would the advice be? We must remember that we are here as souls to learn and have experienced. We are going to make mistakes. This is part of the learning process! When teaching a child, how would you speak to them? With kindness, compassion, and patience. Do you not deserve the same? Even if you were not gifted this as a child (old parental paradigms playing out), you get to decide what script and energy stay and continue to run moving forward. You are worthy of being taught in a loving, respectful way, with patience and kindness flowing freely. Judgment, now this is huge! It takes up so much energy, and it really does do those who are judging, and those who are having that judgment and projection placed upon them, a disservice. We are at a point in evolution where it is exceptionally important to be coming back home to ourselves and our own soul guidance. We all have very individual missions and journeys to undertake. When we place judgment upon another, we declare that we know best for them but stating this behind their backs in an underhanded way. It’s not genuine support. It is a declaration that we know better. In truth, we don’t. We don’t know the ins and outs of an individual's journey or soul mission, even those super close to us don’t know ( despite what their ego may say) Removing judgment allows us to support those we love, to find themselves (not our definition of this, THEIR soul's guidance of what this is). Something we are all doing at different paces. It allows us to connect as an equal. It allows us to remove ego and connect from our heart space. Something we all need more of. Often within families, and friend circles, it is just accepted that judgment is the norm. Energetically it is kicking the legs out from underneath your loved one, rather than giving them a hand to jump the hurdle they are currently facing. On the flip side, accepting the judgment from loved ones is a choice. We get to choose and are responsible for the energy we allow into our space. When we decide not to engage and stop absorbing this, we feel 1000 times lighter. There is so much less energy we need to sort through before even tackling the situation in front of us. We have a responsibility to ourselves, to be connected to ourselves and our internal guidance. Allowing ourselves to absorb inappropriate judgments that are often unkind, cruel, and offered without request is a sucker's game! Judgments are a lazy and outdated way of interacting. When self-love is our baseline, we see them for what they are and clearly decide what we want to do with them without the need to apologize for our choice. Who we give our time to. This holds so much energy. We have all heard the saying. We are the common denominator of the 5 people we spend the most amount of time with. As human beings, we have something called a varying dominating oscillatory rate, which means our vibration alters to the environment we are in. Spend the day with someone who is having a great time in life, and we walk away happy, feeling bubbly and vivacious. Spend the afternoon with someone who is having a hard time in life, and you walk away feeling heavy. This is how the principle of the 5 works, you literally absorb each other's energy. We need to pick wisely if we are truly loving ourselves, let go of the friendships that are out of obligation, filled with one-sidedness or only responsibility. Engaging in relationships with people who take responsibility for who they are, what they want, who are kind, thoughtful, and willing to continue to grow is important. These are just a few considerations to embrace as we journey towards loving ourselves unconditionally. If you are ready to dive into yourself and all that, you are on a soul level. Learning to love all parts of yourself unconditionally, shadow and light. I teach this in-depth during my 6-week intensive Loving Me. Details can be found here . For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram and visit my web site ! Read more from Samantha! Samantha Leske, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Samantha Leske is a Spiritual Healer and the CEO of Nurture you, Heal you. She specializes in trauma/ shadow work and teaching women how to love themselves unconditionally. After working in the industry for over 12 years, she has a varied skillset that allows the healings she offers to incorporate all levels of a soul's journey from this life to past and birthing timelines. Samantha has recently become the best-selling author on Amazon from her contribution to the multi-author book "Intuitive, knowing her truth." Her goals in life are to live a quiet rural life with her children and animals while engaging in her soul-led mission - to help as many people awaken and heal. Loving them while they come home to themselves and their own unconditional love and acceptance for themselves. To actively be apart of the solution.

Written by: Safia Haque , 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 don't they just listen to me?” Often parents will ask me this question and it comes up as a top challenge in my conversations. They tell me that if only their kids would listen, then they would feel so much better, and all the problems and disputes will just disappear like magic. I wished I had a magic formula that could make that happen, but I actually have something even better to share with you. Our feelings of wellbeing actually never ever have depended on the fact of our children listen or not, it is how we think about their lack of listening to that determines our feelings. Just imagine you are free of the burden that only if your kids listen then you can relax, or then you can be happy. This is such a big weight to carry, due to the number one innocent misunderstanding that our children have the power to cause our feelings. But I can guarantee you that they don’t. And as soon as we insightfully drop this illusion, we are free of this burden, and we can start parenting from a completely different place. Now to the no one underlying reason, I found to be true why children don’t listen. If they did listen all the time, they would have to be robots, so where would be the fun in being a parent? But joking aside, the biggest underlying reason I found why children don’t listen is the fact that they don’t see it being modeled to them. They don’t feel heard and listened to themselves. They are often surrounded by adults that are too distracted themselves to give them two fully present and conscious listening ears. Deep listening is actually quite intense and can only be done when fully present and with full intention. So the first practical step I recommend to parents that want their children to listen more is that they notice how well they are showing their children what listening really looks like and then intentionally put the steps of deep listening into practice. The second underlying reason for challenging behavior is “insecure thinking.” When a child feels insecure, they start acting up and display all sorts of challenging behavior. A classic example is when a child does not know if they are allowed another sweet or not. This is very relevant to toddlers but can be applied across the board. When the child is not sure about the boundaries, they will feel unsure and insecure about what they are meant to do or say. So they will ask and beg and throw tantrums as they are reacting to their own insecurities at that moment. On the outside, it looks like challenging behavior from the child, but on the inside, it is their battle with their insecure feelings and a lack of life experience that gets them into all that trouble. This leads us nicely to the third underlying reason I would like to share. Do children really behave in challenging ways deliberately? I don't believe they do. It is their lack of experience in life and their lack of self-control that gets them all tripped up. I believe that the main difference between an adult and a child is the fact that we have had a lot more life experience and skills, that kids are still developing, which means they need a lot more of our compassion and forgiveness when they trip up. Just to quickly recap on how to end these challenges. Children will listen more when they feel heard too and see what deep listening looks like from the adults around them. Insecure thinking and feeling are a major underlying reason for children behaving in a challenging way and the more clearer we can make it for them the less they will fall into that thinking/feeling. They don’t behave challenging deliberately and need a lot of compassion, guidance, and understanding while they grow and find their way through life. For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website ! Safia Haque, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Safia Haque is an Effortless Parenting Coach, a Speaker and a Home-Educator. After going through a life-changing Psychological Paradigm Shift that made her parenting effortless, non-reactive and peaceful. She is on a mission to take one parent per family through the powerful Inside-Out transformation. She is the creator of the Effortless Parenting Course and is working with Parents all around the world to raising happy, healthy, and confident children without any guilt, stress, or worry.

Written by: Liz Jones, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. It is no secret what it takes to build a healthy lifestyle - exercise, healthy eating, avoid smoking and excess alcohol, sleeping well, and all the things that go with it. But yet, many people miss doing what is best for their bodies. Have you ever followed a fad diet? Or attended some exercise bootcamp? They tend to be pitched towards women, in order to help them get great results. Which, they do. You can’t fault them for getting results. But how many keep those results? It gets so time-consuming preparing fresh meals every time you want to eat. And we all know how expensive it can be to constantly buy fresh organic food, as well as the costs of a gym membership, workout clothes, the right trainers, that spa treatment or massage. Everything takes time or costs something. For a few weeks, you can do it. But unless you frame your lifestyle to include everything, then it always feels like you are making time for it, or splashing out on it. Well, it doesn’t need to feel this way. In fact, there are 3 things you can do that will help you to make the changes necessary to reach your goals in a healthy and sustainable way. Firstly, it is time to get crystal clear about what you want to achieve. Just saying "I want to lose weight" or "I want to eat better" or "I want to be fitter" won't cut it; you won't stick to it as there is no clear definition of what 'IT' is you want to achieve. And remember, it doesn’t just end there. Think about it. If you want to lose weight for your wedding, then you have a focus and likely a target weight. But you need something beyond this. Such as, wanting to maintain a healthy body for a future family, or to build your married life maintaining healthy habits like no take-aways or alcohol during the week. When you know exactly what you want to do and why, that is when you can set out the how. If you try to do it in reverse, then you can come unstuck or quit when things get challenging. Next, plan ahead. Research has shown that those who plan when they are going to exercise are over 90% more likely to do it, compared to around 50% of those who don’t plan. Have you ever just gone to the gym with no idea what you are going to do, done something, and left after hardly doing anything? I know I have. And this is not just when it comes to training. It also applies to your eating. I am sure you are aware that bulk buying is cheaper, you just need to look at the offer lines to see this. However, there is a tendency to go towards more convenient options that cost a little bit more but will save us time. After all, time is money, is it not!? Here is the contradiction. Yes, it can be a better option if you are on the go to opt for pre-made or pre-packaged items. But, when you are at home, you can save time and money through planning and pre-preparing meals. For example, if you buy courgettes, peppers, onions, you can then spend 30-minutes to cut them up and pop them into food storage tubs. You now have fresh vegetables ready to add to pasta, stir-fries, salads – anything! So, rather than buying on the go, your pre-preparation allows you to save time cooking and eat healthy meals. This leads to the third thing – time management. Time is the most precious thing you have to give and spend. Who wants to waste time spending hours cooking every single day? Or having an hours’ workout turning into a 2-hour affair? One weekly activity that works well is meal preparation on a Sunday for the week ahead. Then your fridge has food tubs with cut-up vegetables (and meat if that suits you) ready to cook. What you can also do is part-cook vegetables then put them into freezer bags. Once they’re cool, pop them into a freezer and they’re ready to finish cooking whenever you need them. And this extends over the week. Just think, you buy some chicken in the store (say 6 pieces) and instead of cooking it as you want it, you cook it all up in some nice spices and flavors. Then you have two pieces at dinner, two go ready for a salad for lunch tomorrow, and the last two you use tomorrow evening in a stew or pasta dish. This time management also extends to your activity levels so that it never ends up being pushed to the side, or something you find yourself squeezing in. Rushed workouts or multi-tasking whilst doing a workout tends to lead to poor results. If you schedule in when you are going to a workout, joining a class, training with a trainer or partner, going for a run, or whatever it is you are doing, then you will be more committed to it. In short, the 3 things that will help you make the consistent changes you want are: Get clear about what you want to achieve Plan ahead Manage your time Follow Liz on Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter and visit her website for more info. Read more from Liz! Liz Jones, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Liz Jones is a Wellness Coach, Yoga Teacher, and Fitness Professional with over 10 years of experience, with numerous qualifications and recognized accreditations. Having worked in a wide range of environments, Liz has helped professionals, celebrities, and business leaders from around the world to transform their lives and become addicted to living that healthy lifestyle. Liz is the Founder of Mind Body House, where the aim is to help others to 'Live the healthy lifestyle they love.' She is the host of the "Ladies Go Live" talk show and podcast, aiming to connect the value of great wellbeing and your professional success.

Written by: Leslie Gaudet, 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. Our lives are made up by stories. We write from our emotions based on our experiences and our experiences are what we pull from to write every word, every sentence, and every paragraph and all of that shapes how we see our world, and how we show up in our world. It ultimately comes down to the choices we make based on the meaning that we give to our experiences. You decide on what something is going to mean, and you have the choice to make it negative or positive. You can choose to continue writing a script to support your old story that doesn't serve you and keeps you spinning your wheels, OR you can choose to step outside of the norm and get curious about what life could be like for you if you decided to do things differently and viewed your world differently and then from that place, that mindset, you allowed yourself to step outside of your comfort zone and start thinking and acting and speaking from a place that supports a life you've only dreamt about. You see, every day is an opportunity for something different; for something better. This is what I was faced with when I decided to lean into living a nomadic lifestyle and working from anywhere in the world that I choose to, as long as I have Wifi. I’m not going to lie; it took a little getting my head around because I had to go small; really small. It meant everything that I owned would have to fit into two suitcases and anything that I absolutely needed to keep had to fit inside the smallest of storage units. That idea took a little bit of convincing of my husband to get around because they are just some things I can’t part with right now; that is important to me. We took off this past year (yes, during Covid) and left Las Vegas, and embarked on our nomadic lifestyle. We headed up to Canada on the East Coast known as Atlantic Canada to my husband’s hometown of Moncton, New Brunswick, and we spent four months there enjoying a glorious summer. When October 2020 rolled around, we were ready to say goodbye and we headed down to Florida and took a short 90-minute flight to Cancun, Mexico and met our Air Bnb host at the airport and then we drove down to Puerto Morelos, where we called home for the past 6 months. And it was truly glorious! When it was time to head back to the States, it was hard to say goodbye, but I knew we would be back in a few months. As a side note, right now, our lifestyle revolves around our little dog Jackson who is soon to be 15 and once he leaves us for better and greener pastures, then the world will truly open up to us in a wealth of possibilities of where we want to go next. Let me get back to what I meant, though, by the stories that we tell ourselves because I need to bring you back to the place where I first started thinking about nomadic living and I wasn’t into it at all! In fact, I was extremely resistant and that was because I was afraid. Afraid of the unknown. Afraid of the unexpected. Afraid of the planning. Afraid of traveling to a place I knew nothing about and living in a place where I didn’t speak the language. Afraid that I wouldn’t fit in or wouldn’t like the choices I would eventually make and absolutely love! It came down to me deciding on what story I was going to tell myself, which one I was going to allow to be my truth, and what I was going to allow to influence my thoughts. I chose to step outside of my comfort zone and took a giant leap of faith into the unknown realm of possibilities and I allowed myself to really enjoy the experience and was so fortunate to meet some really amazing people who are now part of my friends’ circle. If I had let my story be managed by my fears, I wouldn’t have taken a leap of faith. I wouldn’t have seen a part of the world that I had only seen in pictures. I wouldn’t have allowed myself to live my life and would have missed out on meeting some amazing people, enjoying a new culture, and I would not have spent the last 6 months in Mexico having the time of my life. It’s not easy living without a “defined” home base and living out of two suitcases, but it has been so rewarding because I found myself in Mexico. I had never loved a place with such intensity as I did when I lived in Puerto Morelos. It wasn’t hard to love this place so fiercely because the people are so amazing and welcoming and kind and hardworking and giving and just so inspiring, and so because they made me feel so welcome, I started to feel like I had found a home away from home. I left a piece of my heart in Puerto Morelos and it is waiting for me to reclaim it when we go back later this year, and I am truly looking forward to it. My story that I tell myself has evolved this past year. I learned to trust in my decisions and have faith in the choices that I make. I love the person that I am. I love the life I am living. I am living my best life now because now I understand that the stories I tell myself can be ones of empowerment and lifting myself up, and encouraging myself to be adventurous and enjoy my life. So, if you are feeling like your story is managing you, ask yourself these questions: 1. Do I like myself and the person that I am being? 2. Am I content with the life I am living, OR am I looking to make some changes, but I’m not quite sure what that is or if it is even possible? 3. Am I letting fear narrate my life? I’m here to tell you that it is possible to rewrite your story if you are willing to take a chance on the unknown with the possibility of an amazing new life and a new you are waiting just around the corner for the big reveal. If you can answer that you are living your life in alignment with your purpose, with your core values, and that you are moving towards where you see yourself in your near future, then keep leaning into supporting that vision and don’t give up. Never give up. If, however, you are not satisfied and are feeling the itch to make some changes, then the first thing to do is: Number 1. Take a Look Back and Reflect. • How have you interpreted your past experiences? • How do you choose when making decisions for your life? • Do you choose based on being safe, or do you allow yourself to step outside of your comfort zone into the unknown zone of possibilities where the magic happens and is waiting to be revealed? • Do you focus on the positive when you are in decision-mode, or do you allow Fear to be the narrator for your life? Number 2. Frame a Positive Future for yourself. • Look for the positive experiences from your past and assign positive feelings to your memories and reflect back on those often. By looking back and reflecting and then in turn facing forward, you start practicing gratitude for every gift you have and continue to receive, and you focus on changing your mindset to what is possible. • Remember that your mindset is the key to rewriting your story. • Know and understand that you have the power to change every paragraph that you write for how you live your life. • Adopt a growth mindset, allow yourself to be open to receive new ideas, new information, and new perspectives, so that you empower yourself in your choices, and allow yourself to step outside of your comfort zone so that you can make changes worth living. If you feel like you are being held back and can’t quite shake your past’s hold over you, reach out to me at lesliegaudetcoaching@gmail.com. I just may have that something for you that will help you take back ownership of your story. Looking forward to connecting with you! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Leslie! Leslie Gaudet, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Leslie Gaudet is a Mindset and Emotional Awareness Coach for women. She helps her clients achieve self-awareness around their emotional triggers by shifting their mindset to make better decisions when they respond, which allows them to bring more balance, peace, and harmony into their life. Almost 4 decades working as a Legal Assistant and Paralegal in the corporate world left her feeling emotionally and physically drained. That’s when she decided that she had to make some changes for her to live a life she loves. Those changes involved learning to love herself (without judgment or criticism). That mindset is the key to everything because our mindset influences our thoughts, and in turn, our thoughts dictate our words and actions. Thru her journey to self-love and self-acceptance, Leslie became certified as a Life Coach and attained further certifications in Group Coaching and Emotional Intelligence. She works closely with her clients, starting with mindset because that is the foundational piece to self-love and self-acceptance. She teaches her clients about triggers and how they affect us emotionally by helping her clients tune into, spot, and understand their own so that they can become more self-aware of their trigger moments and emotional responses. With proven tools and techniques and with her guidance, her clients tap into and discover their true potential to living their life and loving the life they are living. Leslie believes that you will transform your life when you Change Your Brain (the way you think).

Written by: Kelisha Mills, 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. Indeed, time doesn’t stop. For mom entrepreneurs, time is an important commodity, one that seems to be very limited. A nine to five workday can go by in what seems like 1 hour. You often ask yourself where the day went, and you can’t even remember taking a break. As a mom entrepreneur, it is very important to unplug from the workweek. I want to share five reasons why from my own experience. To increase your productivity I remember the times when I was running on fumes. Assignments due, children’s exams, work deadlines, house chores, meetings, and phone calls. I had to take the night and make it a day. It was stressful! I used to put on my superwoman cape and pump myself up with lots of “I can do this!” self-talk. In reality, those were my least productive days. Switching between tasks and roles within twenty-four hours causes you to lose focus, especially if you are not taking enough breaks in between. Sometimes, we can’t get away from a busy workweek. By the mid-week, productivity levels begin to decrease. Research shows that the most productive day of the week is Monday. You can accomplish 20.4% of your tasks. The least productive day of the week is Friday, where 16.7% of your tasks get done. That percentage drops significantly on Saturday and Sunday to 4.7%. So, it is not wise to extend your workweek to the weekend. I would suggest re-wiring your schedule and place your most important tasks earlier in the week. Understanding that your productivity levels drop on the weekend will make you more mindful about what you do with your time. To improve your memory Imagine a computer that is filled with lots of programs and information. Sooner or later, the device’s memory becomes filled, and it becomes less responsive. So it is with our mind and energy. The more you fill your brain up, and the more you pressure your body, the less responsive you become to many things. Your happiness, health, and well-being become overwhelmed. You may feel like working long hours will do good for your bottom line, but you are hurting your brain. A British study found that overworking your brain can quicken the aging of your memory and thinking skills. A few things you can do on the weekend to help sharpen your brain are: Exercise Meditate Connect with your loved ones Change your scenery To improve your creativity I don’t know about you, but I become less inspired as the workweek moves along. It’s difficult to get creative ideas on a Thursday or Friday afternoon when you have house chores or a glass of red wine on your mind. The weekend was created to help us to rest from our busy schedules. It is also a great time to do activities that will get you inspired to boost your creativity. There is nothing like a weekend getaway or a spa day that helps you calm your mind and to put everything into perspective. You can choose to fill your weekend with all of the chores your body can handle, or you can set aside a few hours to dedicate to rest and rejuvenation. I feel most creative on a Sunday because the environment is usually chill and laid back. I write down all that I am grateful for, and I plan my week. I love writing my weekly content and reviewing my goals on this day. To spend time doing what truly matters If you are tired of hearing “Mom, mom, mom!” daily, it’s usually because your attention is placed away from your children. They call you constantly to get a glimmer of your time. I know it may be difficult to get away from some of your meetings, and you’re embarrassed when they make their appearances on your Zoom calls, but your children know how to demand their attention. It’s a great idea to set aside time on the weekends dedicated to them. If you’re married or have a significant other, it’s also a great time to give that person your undivided attention as well. Let’s face it, you’re pretty amazing, and your loved ones just want to spend some time with you and to be your primary focus. Schedule fun outings or even fun nights on your Friday or Saturday evening. My family calls Friday nights “Junk Food Friday.” We order pizza or fried chicken and watch a movie or two together. It’s our “thing,” and they love that mom and dad prioritize that gadget-free time where “work” is not thought of or mentioned. To improve your mental health At the end of it all, having time to shift your focus from work improves your mental health. The term “mental health day” is increasingly used when employees decide to take a day off from work. Dealing with employees, bosses, and family life is stressful! If you have a full-time job or are an entrepreneur, over 90% of your year is spent working. Some countries allow you 2 weeks and up to one month of vacation days. That’s not enough time to live a well-balanced life. I always love to learn of those entrepreneurs who can take off for half of the year because they have systems in place and value their mental health. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that 72% of entrepreneurs are directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues. Entrepreneurs have a lot to deal with, so you can imagine being a mom entrepreneur. That’s the next level! There is so much more to deal with. The pressures, highs, and lows of entrepreneurship require the mental capacity to deal with what comes to you daily. I want to suggest taking your weekends off to help sort through those emotions. You deserve it! I hope these steps were helpful. Reach out to me in the DMs and let me know which one stood out to you the most. Follow Kelisha on her Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and visit her website. Read more from Kelisha! Kelisha Mills, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kelisha Mills is a wife, mom of 4, author, speaker, and Entrepreneur (BSc. Entrepreneurship) for over 13 years. Kelisha specializes in life makeovers for mom entrepreneurs, helping them gain the clarity and confidence they need to find symmetry to run a successful business and have quality time with their families.

Tracy Renee Stafford is a coach in Fully Embodied Fitness - a weave of yoga, pilates, dance, & functional exercise - and in Fully Embodied Living - based on 4 Pillars of Well-Being: Connection to Body, Nourishment, Presence & Growth. Her mission is to help people discover how they can make self-care a celebration, rather than an obligation, & enjoy the body for how it feels, rather than just for how it performs or looks. She ran her own studio in the Canadian Prairies heartland for 20 very rewarding years - where she taught various forms of fitness, with a specific interest in injury prevention & rehabilitation, and in empowering students with information on HOW the body works best. She is a Mindful Movement, Holistic Living & Nutrition Coach, weaving together all of her expertise into her Fully Embodied Living Programs. She currently lives in Buenos Aires, and keeps her passion for dance alive through the study of Argentine Tango. Tell me more about yourself. Next year I turn 50, and I feel better in my body now than I ever did in my 20’s. Focusing on the feeling within me & the experience of the present moment, rather than a future, external result, has been the secret to my success. My mission is to share this secret with as many people as possible. My lifelong love for cultivating body connection, body intelligence, & body reverence began in the dance studio as a young child. So much of what I learned there and in university later on (I received my BFA in Dance from York University, Toronto) I still use to this day. A healthy discipline for daily movement, a curiosity for what the body is able to feel & express, an appreciation for self-care - these gifts and more have allowed me to stay motivated towards nurturing my own health (in all senses of the word) while inspiring others to stay enthusiastic on their own journey home to the body. Dance was instrumental in fostering my interest in healthy, balanced exercise & holistic nutrition, as well as in mindfulness & personal growth, but not necessarily in an obvious way. Dancing feels amazing - some of the most memorable moments of my life have been on stage or in the rehearsal studio. But at the end of the day, in the world of performance (and often, sadly in our modern, image-driven culture as well), one is not judged by how they feel but by how they look and perform. External validation - not just to feel like I was a good enough dancer, but a good enough person - grew tiring. Never feeling at home in my body because I wasn’t thin enough, tall enough, or young enough became exhausting. And theatre life (aka ‘show business’) just simply didn’t live up to its sublime potential, instead of revealing itself to be shallow and ego-driven. The universe was clearly listening to my complaints. In the midst of my dance career, in my early 20’s, I was struck by a car while cycling, breaking my leg in 2 places. I was left with a sizeable bony protrusion on my shin and a significant leg length difference. Placing my faith in the rehabilitative power of pilates & yoga, I was able to go back to dancing stronger than ever, despite the leg issues. But the accident had woken something up in me. While health & well-being had always been an important part of my life, now my motivation was myself and not the approval of a dance teacher or choreographer. Trusting my instinct, it was not long before I was teaching Pilates, yoga, and functional, rehabilitative exercise full-time. Helping students discover their inner strength & inner healing power became far more rewarding than the applause of any audience. I became interested in creating health from the inside out in a more complete way — not only by focusing on exercise but also on creating a kind, healthy relationship with food & nutrition. I became curious about my own thoughts, and how they were holding me back from living fully in my body, confident in who I am. Rather than feeling like I needed to wait to enjoy my body until it achieved a certain look or external goal, I wanted to enjoy the experience of my body and living healthily in it, NOW, and I wanted to inspire that in my students as well. Dance transitioned into a passion, rather than a career, once I opened my own studio in Western Canada, where I am originally from. For 20 very rewarding years, I taught many different types of mindful movement to a clientele ranging from new moms wanting to re-connect to their core, to professional athletes needing cross-training, to those suffering from chronic pain. Teaching students how to become active participants in their own healing & strengthening journey, running my own business, training new teachers, and immersing myself in the art of leadership - all of this was immensely satisfying. But I knew that I had more to offer. I trusted my intuition to go independent, to relocate, to plunge more deeply into mindfulness practice, and to obtain my certification as a coach in holistic living & nutrition. All of the wisdom & education that I have accumulated over the decades is now within my Fully Embodied Living Coaching Program. Fully Embodied Fitness is the movement component. What is Fully Embodied Living? Defining ‘embodied’ might be the best place to start. To me, embodied means that we honor & celebrate the full experience, intelligence, & intuition of our bodies, hearts, & souls - and not exclusively our mental intelligence. Embodiment means that we take care of our whole self because we want to live courageously in, and from, the one thing that is with us through our whole life - our body. My Fully Embodied Living Coaching Program is based on 4 Pillars of Well-Being: Connection to Body, Nourishment, Presence & Growth. The primary pillar, as you might imagine, is Connection to the Body and its primary expression is through movement. Movement is what I like to call ‘nutritious & delicious. Physically, it gives us stronger muscles & bones, increased flexibility & coordination, while improving our sleep, metabolism, & energy levels. Mentally, it increases cognition & memory, while reducing stress. Emotionally, it boosts self-esteem & mood, while alleviating anxiety & depression. Movement is a powerful medicine that everyone can access in their own way, even if it is just by connecting to the movement of the breath. The second pillar, Connection to Nourishment, is about letting go of the unkind and very often untrue lessons that we have been taught about food, dieting, & body image, and instead empowering ourselves with our own unique, healthy, yummy, DO-able nourishment plan. It’s about making small but steady positive changes in our attitudes & actions around food & eating and embracing the good medicine that can be found at the end of every fork. The third pillar is Connection to Presence. When we cut out the external noise, and just sit in the present moment, listening within, we discover reservoirs of wisdom, joy, clarity, & serenity. It does require practice, but in time, we can build trust in our own selves, rather than seeking answers or approval from an outside voice. The fourth and final pillar is Connection to Growth. Living fully embodied allows us to live with courage, curiosity & creativity. We can more easily envision how we want to grow, so that we can discover the most radiant expression of ourselves, and share it with others. When we take good care of ourselves in all of these areas, we live more fully embodied. As I said before, next year I turn 50, and I am very thrilled to say that, in embracing these 4 pillars, I feel happier in my body now than I ever did when I was in my 20’s. I want to feel just as wonderful for at least another 50 years, and with the way that I am exercising and feeding my body, heart, mind, & soul - I think it’s very possible. What are your current offerings? I offer online, 1-to-1 coaching in Fully Embodied Living, using the 4 Pillars as a basis for my programs. I help clients create a safe, effective, & fun, customized movement practice, that lets them appreciate their physicality, a nourishment map & mindset that is enjoyable, healthy & realistic for their lifestyle, a relationship to mindfulness that honors their own intuition & insight, and a plan for personal growth & realization, that allows them to enjoy both the journey and the destination to living fully embodied I also teach online group and 1-to-1 classes in Fully Embodied Fitness. 1-to-1, I create customized exercise plans designed to correct imbalances in strength & flexibility, to relieve tension while building inner strength, & to inspire deeper body awareness & appreciation. Group classes also have these objectives and are a weave of yoga, pilates, dance, and functional, mindful movement. I am also currently editing a package of workouts for both total beginners (The Essential Series), and intermediate students (The Progressive Series) in Fully Embodied Fitness, which should be available soon. This allows people to work out at their own pace & schedule, while still receiving the expert guidance that I have acquired over my 30+ years of teaching. This seems like a lot. How do you focus on so many aspects in your work? For many years I strictly taught movement. Then I added mindfulness & breathwork. While my clients were feeling better in many ways, they weren’t necessarily reaching the goals that they had for themselves. Adding in coaching on holistic nutrition, mindful living, and personal growth has allowed me to engage with the whole person in front of me, helping them see the interdependent factors of their well-being. For example, someone may be suffering from inflammation due to work or life stress, lack of, or inappropriate exercise, poor diet, or not enough sleep. In order to truly move past the inflammatory state, their whole lifestyle needs to be considered in a customized way. This is just one example of how I am now able to more fully be of benefit to my clients. Honestly, it’s easier now. Instead of needing to put blinders on and only focus on 1 component of their health, I am able to connect with my clients as the whole being that they are. Who is your ideal client? My ideal client is someone who is tired of waiting for some moment in the future to feel content within themselves, and whose intuition is telling them that it is possible to feel good now. They are tired of looking outside for acceptance & approval and have a longing to feel at home in, and in love with their body and themselves. They suspect that their lifestyle - their diet & exercise habits, their stress levels, & their disconnection to a sense of purpose - may be contributing to their lack of enthusiasm, energy, & resilience, but find the thought of change a little overwhelming. They are ready to address their potentially long-held beliefs of unworthiness, shame, and disempowerment, and replace them with body-positive, healthy habits, & trust in self, but are not sure what’s the first step. Most importantly, they are ready to enjoy nutritious & delicious movement, nourishment, presence & growth! What have been some of the biggest lessons you have learned over your 30+ years of teaching different forms of movement, and more recently in coaching? Without a doubt, the biggest source of my learning is from my students and clients. Most people that I teach movement to, even the very experienced & adept movers, have injuries or chronic issues that require care & attention. When a student comes to me with a limitation - such as a shoulder injury, or chronic lower back pain, it is an opportunity for me to use my skills as a movement analyst and teacher, to help them move safely & enjoyably within their comfort zone as well as in helping them gently stretch beyond it. I also learn from listening to what resonates with my clients. For example, recently, a client of more than 10 years told me that what keeps her coming back is that instead of overwhelming her with too much to do in between sessions, I look for opportunities of how she can take tiny yet, consistent steps to improve her well-being, and to celebrate them! For example, taking a moment each day to feel her body & breath, or noticing how she feels in her body, not only after she creates a healthy meal, but how it felt to prepare and to enjoy eating it. Over time, she has made enormous shifts in her life and in her well-being, but it came in tiny, do-able morsels, focusing on the experience rather than the outcome. She teaches me how to be a better coach. What are you currently excited about in your work? I am looking forward to having the Fully Embodied Fitness Video Series available to all as soon as possible. The workouts are designed to improve core strength, flexibility, balance, posture, coordination, cardiovascular endurance, and include guided relaxation & meditation for reducing stress & improving focus. I am also loving the various series I am sharing with my community on social media. I share simple exercises & techniques on a regular basis to improve posture & increase mindfulness, as well as recipes to inspire more veggies in our diet. It’s so much fun sharing bite-sized ideas of how to feel better, simply & immediately. Finally, I am excited to be creating an online group retreat, focused around the 4 Pillars, allowing people from all over the world to be able to come together in a shared experience of fully embodied living! What are you excited about in your personal life? I moved to Buenos Aires a year before the pandemic struck the world, with the intention to study Argentine Tango intensively and to deepen my own personal practices of movement & meditation. While the latter has been able to flourish (I feel like I have been on retreat for over a year!), I am looking forward to being able to dance in the community here once it is safe to do so. For me tango is a shared, moving meditation - it is a perfect mix of presence & playfulness, and of discipline & freedom. I love sharing the dance floor with people of all ages, from experts to beginners, who all share a love of moving to music together. What aspects of your personal philosophy would you like to share with others? Stop focusing on the destination, let go of the journey, and just enjoy the experience of each moment. Ironically, not only do we have better outcomes this way, we can also enjoy the whole process of becoming embodied into who we fully are, rather than waiting for some moment in the future to enjoy ourselves. Being healthy does not need to be a chore, it can be a delight, just by focusing on how we feel every time we make a positive choice for ourselves. For me, it started with a passion for movement, and from that base, I was able to see how when I fed myself better - with food, with thoughts, with a healthy love & respect for myself, and with healthy, balanced movement, I am able to relax more deeply. I am able to truly realize that the destination is here. I am now able to be more fully present for myself, for my dear ones, and for my clients, and I am so grateful for that. I wish this same sense of deep relaxation, presence & joy for everyone. To me, this is fully embodied living. Interested in Fully Embodied Living? Sign up for the Free 5 Day Program, which includes daily meditation, a video of guided, safe stretches, & valuable, practical information on how to work with nutrition to Reduce Stress, &improve Connection to Body, Heart, Mind, & Growth. Follow Tracy on her Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and website for more info!

Written by: Pin Cher , 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 all know "what" we do for a living, but when was the last time you asked yourself "why" you do what you do? Finding your utmost "why" can be the key to a much more productive, engaging, motivating, and fulfilling life at work, as I’ve found out myself in recent years, too. Before entering university, I really had to think about what ‘useful’ major to study to benefit my future career and achieve my financial stability. But almost without a doubt, I chose to study International Management & Business Chinese just for the sake of helping me to land a rewarding career in the corporate world with high financial rewards and to climb up the corporate ladder, and to follow the expectation from my parents and society. After graduation, though I could never bring myself wholeheartedly to believe that pursuing money was meaningful. However, I was young, adventurous, impressionable, and I was told that money is the path to happiness and fulfillment, so I planned my career according to it. Fortunately, life teaches us many things along the way, and I was at a crossroads in my career in my beginning of my 30s, and this nagging feeling of “Is that it, is there all to life?” — kept on pondering in my head. I began reading and listening to everything I could get in my hands-on from Simon Sinek, Jay Shetty, Eckhart Tolle, Dr. Joe Dispenza to desperately get clarity on my life and career purpose and feel meaning fulfillment. Have you noticed when you meet people who find their work fulfilling and have a different energy about them? Whether it’s the spark in their eyes, genuine joy in their smile, the calm and peace they radiate, or a clear focus and purpose once they speak to you? They are lit up by what they do, and it shows. In contrast, numerous people seem perpetually “busy” and stressed by their work. They appear “successful” with a job that pays well in a corporate environment that others would love to do. Their schedule is full, and their days are productive, but yet they don’t seem to be happy and joyful. Maybe you can relate to this? As a motivational speaker and optimist Simon Sinek declared, “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” If you like to re-balance your achievement with greater fulfillment, this article gives you great insights. So, what are the strategies for more fulfillment? Here are four strategies to support you to experience greater fulfillment: 1. Detach your identity from your roles. In our society, we play many different roles in our lives, whether brother/ sister, partner/ spouse, daughter/ son, manager, leader or employee, etc. These roles and associated behavior are often shaped by rules, obligations, and expectations from others. More than often, it feels like labels that have been put on us. It’s natural for your identity to become intertwined with your employment, given that most of us spend the majority of time at work. If you are a high achiever, it’s especially easy for your “self” or your identity to conflate with your role in your career, so this becomes the primary way to define yourself and understand your position relative to others: “I’m a doctor/ manager/ entrepreneur/ banker/ lawyer” etc. Ultimately, our brains like to categorize, and upon meeting someone new, the first thing we ask and are curious about is “what do you do?” The challenge appears when there is no separation between yourself and your work role, so your self-worth becomes tied to the prestige of your job title or your success in your role. Any so-called failure in your work can lead to a devasting feeling of failure as a human being. Another dilemma is when your job or any other roles change, they inevitable will, either on your own free will or not, can trigger an identity crisis, confusion, anxiety, and a sense of losing yourself. But it’s crucial to remember your work is not your worth. You are much more than just your job title. Measuring your self-worth based on other’s perception of you- how high profile, important, or influential they deem you to be – leaves you regularly looking outward for validation and reliant on others you can’t control. So, who are you, beyond your roles? To explore this question further, you can: Spend time reflecting on who you are, what your core values and interests are, what matters most to you and how do you want to show up in the world? Actively cultivate interests beyond your professional role. This could be running, traveling, art, or anything else that captures your curiosity. Get engaged with it. Go from thinking about or reading about it to actually doing something with it, whether it’s that class to try something new, volunteering, or getting involved with communities that share your interest. 2. Bring your authentic self to work. Have you ever had the feeling of coming to work and pretending to be someone else you are not? If coming to work feels like putting on a mask, it’s probably time to change, to a certain degree. Being yourself is the best way to form meaningful relationships, which is important to career success and growth, regardless of what field you're employed in. Research shows that folks with a strong social network have better job performance, feel more fulfilled, and even live longer. 3. Clarity why you want instead of what you want. There is nothing inherently wrong with achievement. But I encourage you to ask yourself: 'Why do I want what I want?' What is your own personal meaning of success and happiness? So many of us are following the benchmark of wealth, status, and power equals success and happiness. But alternatively, you can get clear on what ‘success’ feels like for you. You can take action to generate those feelings in your life now, rather than waiting till you’ve achieved that undefined milestone of ‘ success.’ There’s nothing quite intensive as the moment of clarity when you suddenly see what’s really possible for you. 4. Cultivate gratitude. A shift towards a more appreciative mindset can trigger remarkable changes in your life & career. One that inspires you to move towards activities that speak most deeply to your heart. As studies have shown, gratitude helps you unlock joy, find meaning and fulfillment in your work, increase your self-esteem, make you more optimistic, and enhance your positive emotions. The key is to be intentional and develop a continuous habit so that you increase your gratitude across four dimensions: intensity, frequency, span, and density. What are you grateful for today, and which of these four strategies will you try first? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit my website for more info! Pin Cher, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Pin Cher is a personal development & career coach and comes from a diverse and international background. Her passion lies in working and coaching with corporate professionals and high performers to achieve even greater success. She helps them unlock their professional and personal potential and create an intentional, meaningful life that lights them up. In the past, Pin herself felt stuck and lost in her career direction. This painful experience has taught her valuable lessons and insights, and now shares her experience & knowledge in helping others achieve their own success and unlocking their hidden genius. Pin's coaching is a powerful combination of head and heart, reflection and action and her goal is to help others find their North Star to lead a life with more meaning and purpose. She brings to her clients' experience and expertise gained from multiple global careers in different industries and working with top-tier global firms. Pin is a certified coach with the Jay Shetty Certification School and holds a B.S degree in International Management & Business Chinese and an MBA from the National University of Taiwan.

Written by: Kris de Jong, 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. Guess what? You don’t have to feel stressed all the time. Chronic stress can have a detrimental effect on your physical and mental wellbeing. If you have high stress levels, you’re going to be less effective and less productive overall and in serious danger of burnout. Many of us are more stressed than usual due to the pandemic and everything that goes with it. You may have lost your job or found yourself “restructured” and in a different work role. Maybe you’ve been struggling to balance working from home and taking care of your kids. You could be increasingly worried about your finances, career, or wellbeing. Luckily, there are many simple ways to reduce the stress that you can start to apply right now. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but here are 5 powerful tips to get you started. 1. Be aware of your physical stress signals. Have you noticed that when you’re confronted with an uncomfortable situation or event, you can display physical signs of distress? For example, when speaking in front of an audience, if your boss is telling you off, or when you’ve got a tight deadline, and you’re struggling to get things done in time. When we’re in an acutely stressed state, we tend to exhibit physical signs such as shallow breathing, tense muscles, increased heart rate, or shaky hands. These symptoms are a result of our autonomic nervous system or “fight-or-flight” response to perceived danger. This was useful when we humans were living in caves and in real danger of being attacked by a saber-toothed tiger as our body got ready for action. But it’s not so useful for most of us today. We don’t have control over these symptoms at first, as they are involuntary reactions to a sudden event. But we can learn to notice them when they happen and then take action to address them. When you consciously reduce your physical signs of stress, your brain gets the message that, hey, this person’s calm, allowing you to then think and behave more rationally. Ideally, you want to walk away and find a quiet space to yourself for a moment. Slow and deepen your breathing for a few minutes. Try “square breathing,” where you breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out through your mouth for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, then repeat. Doing this will also slow your heartbeat. You can also consciously relax your muscles, especially your shoulders, and do some stretches. If you can’t walk away from the situation, try to notice any stress signs and bring them down by taking a couple of deep breaths, pausing, or deliberately speaking more slowly and quietly. 2. Don’t try to fight your emotions. Your negative feelings are never as bad as your fight to avoid them. When we experience uncomfortable emotions and tell ourselves we shouldn’t be feeling this way, it tends to make things worse. It’s better to accept and acknowledge our bad feelings and try to observe them as objectively as possible. We’re all human, and we all get upset sometimes – that’s normal! When we fight against our natural emotional state, it creates internal conflict that exacerbates the problem. Some psychologists call this “imaginary suffering.” Instead, sit with your feelings, and keep things in perspective. For example, “I can’t seem to find a job, so I’m feeling anxious and frustrated. That’s natural, but I’m working on a plan to maximize my chances” or “I’m going through a break-up, so I’m feeling hurt and angry, but I’m just going to focus on this one activity for now.” Avoid beating yourself up for having bad feelings. 3. Know that pressure is external, and stress is internal. You don’t have to turn pressure into stress. Identify what’s within your locus of control, and then focus on the process. Imagine you’re stuck in traffic, and as a result, you’re going to be late for an important meeting. You have time pressure (a deadline). Whether you turn that external pressure into internal stress is your choice. Acknowledge what you don’t have control over - in this case, the traffic. You’re probably going to be late, so accept it. Now think about what you can control. You could call ahead (hands-free, of course), let them know you’re going to be late, and give an estimate of when you’ll be there. You could spend the time in your car fine-tuning your preparation for the meeting in your mind, or observing your surroundings, or enjoying the song on the radio. Stress can be a choice, not necessarily an inevitable response to pressure. 4. Build your ability to perform under pressure. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Look for more pressure, so you have the opportunity to use your skills and grow and see things as a challenge, not a threat. Performing under pressure may require a mindset shift that allows you to thrive in critical moments. Psychologist and mindset consultant Ceri Evans talks about nurturing the ‘blue,’ or rational, part of our brain that supports better performance and decision-making, and minimizing the ‘red’ or emotional part that promotes reactive and impulsive behaviors that may be detrimental to us and others. Expect difficulties in life because they’ll always be there. The most successful people tend to see these difficulties as a chance to better themselves and their circumstances. The more you look for and experience these challenges, the better you’ll get at overcoming them. 5. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is “in” right now, and there are thousands of courses and apps you can use to build your mindfulness skills. But at its core, it simply means paying attention at the moment. Many studies show that practicing mindfulness regularly reduces stress and anxiety and enhances mental wellbeing. A recent study by Harvard University researcher Matt Killingsworth found that mind-wandering (not paying attention) tends to lead to worse emotional states. Being consciously mindful promotes happiness and a sense of calm. How can you add more mindful moments into your life? I suggest targeting specific events or activities where you would normally not be fully engaged. For example, in a meeting or at a social occasion. Make a conscious effort to use all your senses to savor your surroundings. Really listen to understand what others are saying, observe all the sights around you, notice smells and tastes, appreciate the food you’re eating, and touch your physical environment. The more you do this, the better your overall wellbeing. Take control of your stress. You can employ many other strategies to reduce stress, such as scheduling regular exercise, maintaining strong social bonds, getting enough sleep, and having a healthy diet. The key is to do what works for you and embed good daily habits that help you stay balanced, in control, and perform at your best. Stress can be optional – are you ready to conquer it? Visit Kris' website to book a free consultation, and follow him on Facebook and LinkedIn. Kris de Jong, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kris de Jong is an experienced and certified Executive Life Coach living in Auckland, New Zealand. He studied at the University of Waikato, completing a BSc in Biology and Psychology, and was later certified in Cognitive Behavioural Coaching and Professional Life Coaching. He's also a Certified Practitioner of the Global Leadership Assessment 360 (GLA360). Recently he's become a co-founding ambassador for Prox.io, a global virtual knowledge exchange platform. Kris has managed large and diverse teams over the years while building his coaching and mentoring skills. His experience in HR, recruitment, performance, and people management allows him to optimize employee coaching for organizations looking to improve workplace wellbeing. He's written over 100 articles, published in national news outlets, and featured on national radio. After achieving financial freedom at 40, Kris started Eclipse Life Coaching and is passionate about coaching and helping people to get what they want in life.

Written by: Jessica Dahlberg, 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 are getting into the “guts” of 2021. Business plans are being executed and progressing well. You are in the depths of major project deliverables or coaching multiple clients, or building the foundations of your business. It’s intense and exciting! You know you should be taking more time to work on the business and adding more “healthy habits” in your day, but you get pulled into the vortex of creating more momentum in your business. It’s where you’ve always longed to be, and it feels breathtakingly fulfilling. Then life hits. A key employee whose work is central to project success starts to crumble under pressure, and deadlines are being pushed back. On top of that, a close relationship has hit a serious wobble, and perhaps it’s even your marriage. You are pulled between these two major issues, and you find yourself grappling with too many big issues. The consequences of either of them going south are considerable. The thought of starting again leaves you feeling nauseous, and it’s affecting your focus, temper, and energy. It’s the life of entrepreneurship! Shortly I will walk you through the 4 key steps to courageously move through what can feel like the perfect storm whilst maintaining above-norm performance sustainably. My name is Jess, and I’m the founder of Jess Dahlberg Coaching. I coach entrepreneurs to achieve greater success in business and happiness in life than their Peers using high-performance habits so that you can build a lasting business. So let me walk you through the 4 key steps to Courageously move through what can feel like you’re in the middle of the perfect storm. You’ve been there before, but this one is hitting hard. Both roadblocks are hitting at the very core of who you are—a purpose-driven game-changer who has a deeply felt dream to make a positive difference in this world. Not getting these key steps right will cause us to fall deeper into our old bad habits. I hear my clients becoming reactive, demanding, distracted, working at top speed with no rest, believing they are the only ones that can solve all the issues, and the list goes on. Why do we fall into this? Because our brain is screaming – control the mess! The cost is high. Lack of sleep, morning routine out the door, losing sight of the bigger dream, and choosing Uber to eat and Netflix over home-cooked food and exercise. You become more and more tired, feeling out of control and overwhelmed. You start to hesitate in making the big and necessary decisions. You know that you are not at your best! At this point, it is becoming blatantly obvious that life is asking you to make a real, true commitment to courageously shifting into what you know works. And fast. So, what should you do? 4 key steps to bring you back into courageous Here are 4 key steps to bring you back into courageous action when you deliberately face risk, uncertainty, and even emotional exposure head-on. You know you must if you want your business to continue growing, your wellbeing kept strong for the long haul, and your relationship(s) to stay deep and connected. Here’s how: 1 – Acknowledge that you are not living or working in an optimal way. Looking yourself straight in the eyes and with both accountability and compassion. 2 – Answer these 3 high-performance, courage-focused sentences. Write your answers down with clarity and commitment. A courageous action I will take this week because a cause I believe in needs me to take it is. Another courageous action I will take this week because someone I love needs me to take it is. Another courageous action I will take this week because my Dream requires it of me is. 3 – Take time to think through, prepare how, and plan when you will take those actions 4 – Do it! What separates high performers from others is their willingness to hold themselves accountable to action – not just to do things but to do what they do with excellence. It’s not something they turn on / off. It is a deeply ingrained way of thinking and being. It is an Identity. It’s not about perfection or being seen as perfect. It’s Excellence. Being committed to creating a better future for others, and yourself, through your product or service. Go out there and act. You got this! Here's a gift! — Habit Building Guide for savvy entrepreneurs who want to add 3 new and exclusive high-performance habits to create a sustainable performance advantage as an entrepreneur. Don’t miss out! CLICK HERE If you found this useful, please join my FB group Conscious Ambition. It is full of entrepreneurs at all levels of experience. My recorded LIVE sessions giving you FREE high-performance content, tips, and tools that you can implement immediately to create the momentum you need. Hope to see you there! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jessica! Jessica Dahlberg, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jess Dahlberg is a coach focused on high performance. After emerging from a personally traumatic time, Jess transformed her life using high-performance methods and insights. Jess is focused on helping entrepreneurs unlock their next level of performance sustainably to build a lasting business. She is the Founder of Jess Dahlberg Coaching and part of a select group of certified high-performance coaches in the world. Her clients are from various industries like tech, wellness, property, coaches, and steadily building. Jess is steadily expanding the Sustainable Performance Advantage program. Her mission is to create your optimal entrepreneur's life.

Written by: Victoria Kopp, 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 so many ways that you can achieve the ultimate enlightenment. The beautiful thing about this truth is that your journey can be as catered to your experiences as you allow it to be. There is not one direct path to all things holy, wise, or worthwhile. Instead, there are unique paths for anyone open and willing to take the journey. The first highlight is to be true to yourself. If something is not working for you, even if it is working for a million other people, own that. Do not be afraid to find what feels good for you exactly where you are right now. There are so many nuisances and pieces of the puzzle in all of the infinite wisdom that creation came forth from that it is not a “sin” to lean into the new for you. If what you are looking to experience is more peace, healing, growth, joy, and love, then do not be afraid to try various methods to achieve this. When something feels like the right “fit” for you in these areas, that is how you know it is for you in this season. And you will know when it is time to allow a new method into your life when it no longer feels like you are growing. This can be true of methods, modalities, friend groups, religious groups, jobs, school, etc. When you are true to yourself and where you would like to go, it becomes clearer what is and is not working in your world. Inevitably with any growth or change, you will come across the fear. On the path to enlightenment, another highlight to note is the fact that fear does not dictate direction. Basically, this means that you will feel fear for various reasons in your life. There will be times when you feel ready to tackle and conquer that specific version of fear welling inside of you. There will also be times when you do not feel prepared. Both are ok because you can have another chance to conquer it differently and at a different season in your life. However, the presence of fear on your path and in your journey is not the indicator that you must change directions. It is a warning to your senses that something traumatic has happened around similar events. It is a warning that perhaps you need more strength, knowledge, or wisdom in that specific area before you choose to proceed. Fear does let you know that something inside of you needs to be cared for and addressed. Lovingly take fear into your arms and discover what lies underneath it, but do not allow fear to dictate the direction you get to head into next. It is also important to note that you hold a unique key. Each of us was made to think independently; develop thoughts, ideas, and creations in different ways; believe differently, and see the world differently. These differences help us see a fuller picture of who the Creator is and what creation intends for us. Without your specific key to living, each of us would be missing a very piece of who created us. What you bring to the table is beautiful and will be cherished by the people who need it. It will also be refined by the people who rub your edges raw. If you allow your differences to become beautiful in your own eyes, then it will also strengthen your resolve and what you are here to do specifically. In short, things to remember on your own unique journey to your own version of enlightenment: Be true to yourself and what is working in your life for this season. Do not let someone else’s standard dictate that for you. While you are opening yourself up to this journey, understand that fear does not mean turn back because you are going the wrong way. Instead, it is a beautiful invitation to explore the story being played inside your own heart. And whether you know it or not, you have a very unique key to the ways of the world, relationships, success, life, and love that can and will bless others. Be a beautiful version of yourself every day, and your own enlightenment will feel like the fulfillment of every day. Follow Victoria on Facebook and Instagram or visit her website for more info! Read more from Victoria! Victoria Kopp, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Victoria is one of the most sought-after lifestyle strategists in the online coaching space, helping women overcome their self-doubt and start living inside their dream lives. By winning her own battles of overcoming PTSD from an assault, altering her feelings of low self-worth, and calming her anxiety, she built a life that she is proud of and happy to live. This journey allowed Victoria to develop a lifestyle program using truth-based systems that have worked in countless situations with various individuals. She is thrilled and excited to help you thrive in life, too.

Written by: Dionne Greaves , 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 . Writing a short bio or any bio, for that matter, can be a daunting task. However, every coach, consultant, or professional should invest a few minutes in writing a short bio that is authentic, power-packed, and captivating. Here are five simple steps to help you write a short bio that leave your audience intrigued to know you more: 1. Choose the Right Voice While bios can be written in the first person, using the words “I” and “me,” writing a bio in the third person bio makes it more personal. Hold up, you said personal, but I’m writing it in the third person. Yup, you read it right! A bio written in the third person is more personal because you get to tell an amazing story about yourself based on facts. It is intriguing for the reader because they feel like they are getting to know an actual person and not just reading the facts about your life. It will captivate your audience and allows you to creatively share mundane facts about yourself without boring your audience to death. Your voice sets the tone of the script, and it should accurately reflect your personality. Don’t be afraid to make it friendly or witty while keeping it professional. A third-person bio is usually preferred, especially if someone will be using it to introduce you to a talk show, podcast, interview, conference, summit, etc. However, if you are writing a slightly informal bio for your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn profile, first-person would probably be the best fit. 2. Identify Yourself The first sentence of your short bio should state exactly who you are and what you do. It should include your name and your professional role or title. No one should have to read to the end of your bio to figure out who it is talking about. If you are transitioning between roles, you can use your most recent profession or accomplishment. Feel free to include details around your family, your hobbies, or other passions. This gives a bit more insight as to who you are as a person and makes you more human, personable, and relatable. This might look something like "Dionne Greaves, The Mompreneur CEO is a wife, mom, and corporate administrative professional with more than 10 years experience. She is also a business coach and mentor to aspiring mompreneurs and helps moms build profitable online businesses using their own skills, knowledge, and expertise." 3. State Your Mission After formally introducing yourself, readers will want to know what you are about or even why you do what you do, so be sure to share the mission behind your purpose and how you achieve this. Your personal mission may involve how you serve others, including your family and community, as well as how you or make the most of opportunities. Your professional mission may be related to academic pursuits, advancements in your career, and various other areas. Your mission should give your reader an accurate idea of what matters the most to you. It may look something like this, “Her mission is to help every mom - become whatever she wants to be, achieve whatever she wants to achieve - and still have the mom-life she so much loves and deserves.” 4. Share Key Accomplishments While writing a short bio is similar to writing a resume, in that you want to highlight specific professional accomplishments, you will need first to understand your audience to know the language you will need to use to convey the same message of your accomplishment without overwhelming or underwhelming them. You want to present your accomplishments in a way so that even if your reader is not familiar with your specific industry, they still understand what you are talking about and respond positively. Stay away as much as possible from technical jargon, unless of course, the audience is familiar with your industry. A short bio will not have enough room for you to list every single accomplishment, so be mindful of this and focus on the highlights that specifically relate to your skills, knowledge, and expertise. 5. Keep It Short and Sweet Short bios should be concise and to the point! After all, there are between three to eight sentences in length, so there is limited space to discuss personal information. Think about your audience and the purpose of this bio, as this will guide you in your approach as you splice it together. Bonus Tip: Keep It Real People actually want to get to know you, so avoid exaggerating the facts to impress them. Being authentic inspires genuine connecting between you and your audience, so keep it real! Authenticity is key. Want more from Dionne? Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, or visit her website now. Read more from Dionne!