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. Feeling bloated, mood swings, headaches, and breast tenderness are some of the common symptoms of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) and things you ‘just have to deal with,’ right?! Well, no. Actually, these signs and symptoms of PMS are not the norms. In fact, PMS is your body’s way of telling you that there is an imbalance within the hormones within your body. And an unhealthy period can affect your fertility. When it comes to having a healthy period, there are 4 hormones at play here: Oestrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and testosterone - yes, even women have testosterone, just in a small amount. What are these hormones? Estrogen helps control your cycle, protects bone health, and plays a key role in female secondary sex characteristics such as the development of breasts, underarm hair, and pubic hair. Progesterone also helps control your cycle; however, it plays a role in preparing the body for conception and maintaining pregnancy. It also affects your sex drive. Cortisol is the stress hormone, which affects the body’s response to stress. It affects your metabolism and immune response. Testosterone, although the male hormone, is present in females to assist with the growth, maintenance, and repair of reproductive tissues and bone mass. And why does an imbalance affect me? Based upon what these hormones do, it is not hard to see that an imbalance will cause irregular periods, mood swings, and a lack of sex drive. However, they also affect each other. If you have low progesterone, this will cause an increase in estrogen, which results in hot flashes, especially at night. It will also make it difficult to sleep, whilst too much can make you feel tired. Whereas if there are fluctuations in your estrogen levels, this will affect your serotonin levels, thus causing mood swings. Notice, an imbalance of these hormones is causing the symptoms of PMS. So, what can I do? Okay, I’m not going to tell you there aren’t any medical options - there are! You can get medication to rebalance your hormone levels, and you can even get HRT (hormone replacement therapy). However, there are many holistic options, too, to help you rebalance your cycle. There are 4 things to look at: 1. Your exercise levels. So, you know exercise is good for you. However, what isn’t always shared is the effect it has on your cycle. In fact, regular exercise is a key element of treatment for women with PCOS (poly-cystic ovary syndrome). In particular, yoga has been shown to be an effective treatment for issues with the menstrual cycle and alleviate PMS symptoms. Exercise will also help you to obtain and maintain healthy body weight for having a child. Being overweight or underweight can significantly impact your fertility and your ability to carry a child during pregnancy. 2. What you are eating. Nutrition is key in life in general, but certain foods can help or hinder this due to their nutritional content when it comes to a healthy cycle. Ginger, cinnamon, pineapple, vitamin D, and B vitamins will all support a healthy cycle. Whereas red meat, dairy, fatty foods, and sugar can all have an unhealthy effect on your cycle. Again, eating healthily will help you manage your weight, but ladies, it is important to consider nutritional content for a healthy cycle. And as your cycle has 4 phases, this does vary at different stages. For example, during your ovulatory phase, focus on anti-inflammatory foods like whole fruits, vegetables, and almonds, which will support the functioning of the liver. 3. Hydration. Alcohol and water intake. Being healthy doesn’t mean you can’t have any alcohol, but you should keep this to a minimum, especially during the menstrual phase of your cycle. Your estrogen is on the rise during your menstrual phase, and your body may be prone to cramps. Avoiding alcohol during this phase will help ease or avoid cramps. For the same reason, staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water is essential throughout your cycle. Water can help ease cramps and backache and help your period move along quickly as it helps prevent blood thickening. Quicker period due to being hydrated? Yes, please! How much should you drink? Well, when the body is well hydrated, you will have 5 clear urinations a day. So, drink what your body needs. 4. Your lifestyle choices, including what sanitary wear you use. Yes, even our lifestyle can affect whether we have a healthy cycle or not, from our sleep to sanitary wear. Did you know non-organic tampons are regulated by the FDA, which allow a small number of dioxins? Okay, the levels are so low that brands aren’t required to list them in their ingredients list. But do you want to be putting toxins in your body when an organic option is available? How do I know what is right for me? The best place to start is by being seriously open and honest with yourself. Look at your lifestyle. How much do you exercise? What exercise do you do? Do you change what you do depending on where you are in your cycle? What about what you eat? Do you eat whatever your partner does, or do you consider what your body needs? You could be eating healthily but not in a way that gives your body the health it needs. How often do you have a cup of tea when you need a drink rather than a glass of water? Or even some juice? Caffeine and sugar, both things you could be adding in that harm your body, rather than just hydrating. The fact is there are so many different things you can do. It just starts by being honest about what you are doing now. Then make small changes to begin, like taking yoga for 1 hour 3 times a week or changing what you have for breakfast to make it high in fiber. Whatever you do, keep a journal. Log what you are doing, why, and then how you feel when you make these changes. Remember, it can take a few weeks for changes to be felt, so be easy on yourself. Your next cycle may not be a dramatic change, but give it time. Follow Liz on Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter and visit her website for more info. 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: Tara Best, 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. Over the past three years, there’s been huge growth in the numbers of people undertaking solo self-employment. The explosion of amazing online tools from website templates, apps, and social media to video conferencing and file sharing means that for some, starting a business of their own is as simple as having a good idea and getting activated! And how amazing is that? The self-imposed human boundaries (we must work 9-5, Monday to Friday, we must go to an office to work) no longer need to apply. People can shape their working life to suit their own needs and desires. I know how important that is. I walked away from jobs when the hours (and expected overtime too) threatened to take over my life. They also made me incredibly unhappy. Plus, there's only so much heart and soul one wants to put into a job when you’re building profit and making money for someone else, right? Giving a job everything and getting a promotion (and maybe a £1,000 pay rise?!) once a year isn’t okay. So, it’s no wonder things were going to change. Then came Covid-19. It’s accelerated many changes to our lives (adopting online shopping and working from home just two of those significant changes). Still, it also saw many workers furloughed or let go. Many turned to self-employment to see them through the past 12 months in the hope of creating a life with better terms. Even those who remained employed were often based at home, their working day resembling that of a freelancer more than before. It’ll be interesting to watch what happens when economies recover. Will people stick to solo self-employment? The freedom it offers and the potential to scale income are invaluable to many, so firms might have to up their game to attract the best talent back. But solo self-employment can mean a steep learning curve for someone used to being part of a team. Not only do you need to learn about or outsource many back-office tasks, but you might also find one or two limitations rear their ugly head. Self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and even loneliness can hamstring those efforts to scale your business. At best, they will probably spoil what should be an enjoyable ride! I know exactly how that feels. I let some of those issues nearly destroy my business in the early days of 2016/2017 when I didn’t know what I was doing, was bullied, and constantly doubting myself. Then there’s the self-discipline required to do the work. Since going self-employed in 2015, I’ve rarely struggled with this as I’ve always been busy and loved the job I’ve been lucky enough to do! But now, I’m known as the positivity queen by peers and clients, both of my businesses are flying, and I’m never, ever lonely. So, here’s my advice for anyone solo-pioneering right now, and it’s based on two key truths: A positive mindset can be your internal cheerleader You don’t have to be lonely even if you work alone Why mindset matters so much? Let’s dive into mindset first. Our minds are incredibly powerful, which you’re probably very aware of if yours is causing you to bother. But what you might not know is that you have an unconscious mind and a conscious one, that the former is far more powerful. The unconscious takes up a staggering 96% of your total sense and is 1 million times more powerful than the conscious! That means that is the part you need to work on to change your outlook. If your unconscious mind is rooted in a place of negativity or self-doubt, you’re going to find every day a struggle. Think of it this way - your unconscious mind can be your best friend or your very worst enemy. The good news? You can choose which one you want, and with a bit of work, your new positive mindset will become an internal cheerleader you take everywhere with you. How to develop a positive mindset? One thing to note is that mindset work will never be ‘finished. I started working on mine years ago, and I still work on it every single day. No exceptions. But it doesn't take much time out of your busy days, and I promise you will see benefits before long. So how does it work? I use a morning routine that includes affirmations, mediation, and gratitudes to ensure I’m set for the day ahead. I use a vision board to help me visualize my successes incredibly clearly and a journal to help me make sense of what’s lurking in my mind and get myself in the right frame of mind. Mindset work also carries on throughout my day, where I make an effort to see the positives in everything, no matter how small. And it really, truly has transformed my business and my life for the better! Banish solo self-employed loneliness. If you’re used to a bustling office, then working on your own from home can feel overwhelming - 8 or 9 hours stretching ahead of you. But I passionately believe it doesn't have to be that way. Here are my top tips to help the day fly by and grow yourself a network of people to support you. Collaboration over competition. It might sound like a cliché, but it’s so true! Try to connect with people who are in the same boat or journey. Whatever sector or role you’re in, I know there will be other people out there with the same challenges as you. Talking to them will help you both! Find some business besties. When I got my first business coach, I got to know some of her other clients. The same happened with my second coach and the subsequent mastermind I joined, and some of those ladies remain my business besties several years on. We chat, we hold each other accountable, and we offload. It’s amazing - you can’t beat that support. Keep learning and investing in yourself. If you join online challenges and coaching courses to learn new skills for your business, you’ll find yourself talking to all manner of business owners and entrepreneurs. Not only will you be learning, but you’ll also be happier too. Make sure you take breaks. I am a huge advocate for getting outside for a brisk walk and some fresh air every day, no matter how busy I am. You can use this time to call a friend or loved one, which will help you stay connected. If you’re one of the thousands of people who have taken the step to be self-employed in the past year or so, then well done, that is often the hardest step! I hope you reap all the rewards and benefits of being the master of your destiny! I genuinely believe that the steps above will help you make the most of your skills and opportunities, so if you find yourself struggling with your self-belief or feeling lonely, make sure you implement them. For more mindset and productivity tips and some brilliant marketing inspiration, make sure you listen to my podcast Tara Talks, follow me on Instagram , and like me on Facebook . Read more from Tara! Tara Best, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Tara Best of Tara Punter Coaching and Tara Punter PR is incredibly passionate about all things mindset and marketing and helping business owners thrive while taking control of those limiting beliefs likely to hold them back in business. As a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Coach, NLP Practitioner, Practitioner of Time Line Therapy and Hypnotherapist, she has the tools required to help clients rewire their subconscious mind, to help them create unlimited success. She combines this with her marketing and public relations expertise to truly help her audience thrive. Best is also the voice behind the popular podcast Tara Talks and soon to be a published author.

Paula Orezi is the author of a motivational poetry book, From Me to You, and co-author of the 1 International Best Selling book, Experts & Influencers: Women's Empowerment Edition. She has a passion to help people be inspired to make a change creating a positive and win-win outcome. Her experience includes mentoring others and leadership development. Paula's life motto is to be a Change Agent in everything she does. Her messages are for business-minded professionals or anyone wishing to start their own business and need help to overcome mindset beliefs, being organized, and conducting sales through relationship-building. These are the ingredients that she believes others can benefit from to see results. Her why is to help people overcome destructive patterns regarding thinking habits and daily investment habits. Paula has been featured in podcasts that encourage others to live with purpose and dream big! The creation of the Paula O! Store was founded on the concept of Be You! She has impacted many with her branded products that stand for the mission of empowering others to be themselves and find their life’s calling in an adventurous way. What is the business objective of your company? To become a global brand that is recognized for creating positive change via speaking opportunities and authoring books. Describe your product (service) in your own words. Explain what you are and what you want to become? I create products and services that support the messaging of being yourself and becoming a change agent. I want to be known by the messages delivered on all platforms supporting these positive initiatives. My goal is to ultimately develop a following that supports what the Paula O! brand stands for and its impact. Who is the target person, what do they currently know, think, and believe about the company or brand? Truly it is for everyone that believes that they can impact the world! How does your product (service) solve your prospective client’s problems? The brand offers a message that is geared towards being who you are meant to be! It’s about taking the approach of becoming a change agent which is the foundation for real positive impact to start occurring in communities. It is important to set up the stage by building a firm foundation in order to have a lasting effect in any area of life! Paula helps with that groundwork and mindset. What are your key differentiators from your competition? The key is that I am speaking out of my platform of Life Experiences and knowledge gained through others. I stand out because I am myself and no one else. Hard to have competition when you are the original you! How do you want to brand yourself? I want to brand myself as a change agent that brings value by helping to foster positive change. Creating influencers to influence. I have a passion to speak and help people get inspired to make a change that will create a positive and win-win outcome. What is your background story? Give us a detailed background story that got you to where you are right now. During my teen years, I struggled like the typical teenager with self-identity and worth. I thought of myself as not being good enough to be someone important in life or to offer anything of value to others. I quickly started to doubt my existence in this world. My thinking had an impact on my decisions in life. I used to compare myself to others thinking if I only had their gift, talent, abilities then I could bring something to the table. I quickly learned that I was stuck with Me for all my life and I needed to be okay with that! During my years in college, I wanted to start my own business. I tried every business opportunity that came my way no matter the objectives. I had no stand in what I was aiming to represent in life and was lost! Then I started my life in Corporate America and immediately became harder on myself because I felt so devalued and minimized. In every job that I had, I felt intimidated to take on new projects, give presentations, or lead others. I kept allowing outside influences in the workplace to define who I was and what my abilities were. I did not want to be rejected so I would go with the flow. After several jobs and setbacks of business opportunities, I realized that I did not define my life’s mission. Therefore, I would accept anything that came my way instead of taking a closer look to see if it fits who I am and what I stand for. Going along with the flow was not what I wanted to stand for. Then one day during my time at work, my thinking changed and I started to see myself as a person that can create the change by simply being myself and being a change agent in everything I do. I can bring positive change to the world and get out of my comfort zone to help others have that defining moment as well! We are created for a purpose, for a time to be ourselves and contribute to this world using our gifts, talents, and abilities. So from that perspective, I created a simple T-Shirt that stated, I am Good Enough! I developed it with the idea that sometimes staring at a T-shirt that has a statement is worth more than speaking it out loud. I used to be a shy person and now I have developed a confidence that allows me to use my talents to be expressive in creative ways. Then Paula O! Store was birthed out of frustration of how the world has cookie-cutter standards on who a person should be! The blog was created to offer a place of motivation, learning, and community. My why is to help others not feel outcast but to be themselves and let their talents display unashamed! Today, I am a people-connection machine. My energy and personality draw people and I love meeting new people. My friends always tell me that I should be a motivational speaker because of my animated personality and the advice that I give them. I believe this is a hidden gift that I accidentally discovered when placed in platforms where I had the opportunity to communicate to the masses. Check out what's inside the Paula-O store on their website or email directly at porez815@gmail.com for more info.

Written by: Linda Evans, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. The worldwide loneliness epidemic has been building for several years now, not initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic but exacerbated by it. Even though loneliness is a social term, chronic loneliness can cause serious health consequences such as an increased risk of premature death, dementia, and heart disease. The United Kingdom has elevated it into an issue worthy of political attention by designating the first Minister of Loneliness in 2018 to address this public health problem. We don’t need to wait for a government-appointed official to tackle loneliness for us. Contrary to popular stigma, loneliness does not just affect the frail or elderly. It does not discriminate based on age group, gender, living situations, income level, marital status, or career fields. Everyone is susceptible, but no one needs to feel helpless. We can use our agency and current circle of human associations, however, limited, to fight back against loneliness. We are inherently social creatures who crave meaningful human connection. When we are socially fed, we are more productive, more creative, and more resilient. I have moved many times in my life and have worked hard to maintain relationships with friends and family, many of whom I have not seen in years. But whether you desire to better connect with your family members, romantic partner, colleagues, school friends, or neighbors, it all comes down to friendship, which Google defines as “a state of mutual trust and support.” Here are 19 tiny ways that can pay off in immeasurable fulfillment when done with genuineness. Of course, you don’t need to do these all at once. Spread them out amongst multiple people in your life and watch those friendships flourish. 1. Follow up on social media posts. Don’t just scroll past them, like, and comment to share your reaction or any relatable personal experiences and thoughts. 2. Let them know when you are reminded of them. When something triggers your mind to think of someone, let them know immediately! Friendships stay alive because you hold space in each other’s minds and hearts, regardless of the physical distances. 3. Send interesting, funny, or informative recommendations. Let them know of any song, book, article, recipe, movie, TV show, restaurant, podcast, blog post, website, event, clothing, shoes, jewelry, billboard, or meme that you think they would enjoy. Even if they don’t enjoy it, they’ll appreciate that you thought of them. 4. Tell them when they appear in your dreams. The more random, the more amusing, even if you haven’t contacted them for years. 5. Reach out personally on their birthday or anniversary. If you don’t have an extensive memory (most of us don’t), write these in your online calendar as recurring annual events and check your calendar every day. 6. Send well wishes for upcoming specific events. If you know they have an interview, surgery, presentation, race, or any other nerve-heightening event coming up, send them a simple message like, “Good luck! You’ll do great!” to give them a boost. 7. Ask how specific events went. Follow up and ask for details to show that you care and offer support if needed. 8. Follow up more than once after hardships. If they lost a loved one to death, experienced some trauma, or endured some chronic ailment, check in on them multiple times. Healing often takes weeks, months, or years. A burden shared is a burden halved. 9. Celebrate milestones. After they have completed some major accomplishments, put any jealousy aside and express your happiness for them. Whether it be a new job, new pet, new house, or new credential, joy shared is joy doubled. 10. Surprise them with gifts or handwritten cards. This is hard if you don’t live near them or have their mailing address, but maybe you can ask their friend or family member for it. We all love receiving unexpected cards and gift packages for any occasion or none at all! 11. Send photos of enjoyable memories. When those Facebook memories come up, or you come across a picture of you two, forward it to them to savor some former good times. 12. Feed on inside jokes. Randomly refer back to something only the two of you experienced together to increase your bond, even from afar. Feed on old laughter. 13. Invite them to do things and get them on your calendars. When you have an idea for something fun to do, don’t just say, “We should do that someday!” Set a specific time and place to meet up, put it in your calendars, and follow-through. Friendship is made of a chain of interactions that turn into memories. Plan future memories to look forward to. 14. Ask for their advice. Most people enjoy feeling like they have wisdom worth sharing. You’ll also learn more about their values and experiences. You don’t need to apply their advice if you disagree with it, but always thank them for their thoughts. 15. Thank them for things they have taught or given you. If you do apply their advice, follow up and let them know how it improved your life. When you wear or use a gift, they gave you, send them a picture of it and thank them again. Everybody loves to see their gift being used and appreciated. 16. Share specific events in your life. When something noteworthy, interesting, or hilarious happens to you, share it with some people. It gives them an update on your life and provides them a chance to give you an update on theirs. 17. Be vulnerable and share personal emotions. Uncomfortable feelings like loneliness or sadness are our natural indicators to reach out for human connection. You can combine this with asking for advice on how to feel better, leading to planning a fun get-together. 18. Validate their thoughts and feelings. Our deepest need is to feel heard and understood. Whatever they share with you, guard it preciously and affirm their thoughts/feelings, especially if you don’t agree. Strive to withhold judgment. 19. Give tough love when needed. Sometimes, being honest and preventing someone from making a major mistake is the truest sign of love and support, even if it’s uncomfortable for both of you to talk about. It doesn’t matter what mode of communication you use to do these - we are fortunate to live in a time of many instantaneous and cheap (or free) options, so use what feels most natural to your friendships. Online written messages/comments Video recordings Voice recordings Texts Emails Phone calls Voicemails Handwritten letters/cards Increased use of technology like social media is not the culprit for loneliness; it is a neutral tool or resource that can be used to one’s benefit or detriment. If we use it passively, it can increase our sense of social isolation. If we use it actively and intentionally, it can deepen our social connections. Fighting loneliness and deepening friendships doesn’t just happen if you know how to or even if you’re highly motivated to do so. You need to do it. The rewards will come. Follow Linda on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit her website for more info! Read more from Linda! Linda Evans, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Linda Evans is a strengths-based career coach and personal branding expert. In 2011, she founded her virtual career coaching business, Launched by Linda, LLC. Her full-time career has been in higher education since 2012, and she currently works in Career Services at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Linda has a B.A. in American Studies and a minor in Ballroom Dance from Brigham Young University, and an M.A. in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University. She is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has certificates in positive psychology and public speaking.

Written by: Jenn Taylor, 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 began our process to go tiny in February 2015, during what is now fondly remembered as “The Purge.” 18 kiddos have been in our home long-term. When we began our downsizing journey, we had 12 living at home. That's pretty epic and probably pretty gutsy. Our minimalism journey was born from stress. Many people embrace minimalism for financial reasons or to leave a smaller footprint, which is fantastic ideals. But ours was solely due to reducing overwhelm. In 2015, I was working corporate, and I dreaded going home the entire drive home from work, knowing the house would look like a tornado and that I'd spend my evening, every evening, coming home to attempt to put it back together. Two things happened very close together. Dane told me one day that he didn't feel like he could help me clean the house anymore because it was so overrun, and a friend came to visit. When she walked in, instead of relaxing, she said, “Wow, you have a lot of stuff.” Those two things made it impossible to ignore my stress. We downsized over 70% of what we owned while at the same time beginning what was also known in our home as the “Mass Exodus.” 12 of those kids were born in 10 years, so while there were pregnancies, three kids in diapers, and two kids breastfeeding at a time for years, on the back end, we knew they'd all be leaving close together. We gave the kids the option of taking their bedroom furniture with them, or we donated it. We also continued to downsize the rest of the house as our family grew smaller. On my google rabbit hole of searching, I looked into permanently downsizing our home, not just reorganizing it. My searches revealed minimalism, and a new world opened up to me. I began purging rooms one at a time, and our belongings lessened over the three-month process. Minimalism became freedom, and a new path was set. This was a path I had been on a few times in my life. Times when I recalled being at my happiest, in all honesty, but keeping up with the Joneses and the lure of consumerism, along with having a huge family, were battles that I had been losing. With renewed purpose and a new beloved feeling of lightness pushing on into minimalism felt amazing. We felt less stressed, overwhelmed, and our home felt like a place we wanted to come home to. We were running things — our stuff was no longer in control. As renters, we were able to move to different homes as kids moved out. We started with 2200 square feet to 1750 to 1440 to 1000 square feet. We had an ongoing process to consider what we regularly used as our family grew up and out. Moving into a 250 square foot RV suddenly didn’t seem to be as big of a hurdle as I might have once felt. No, I would have never anticipated this change in my thoughts and feelings. I did realize some minimalists continue to live in the house they own and shifted their priorities to maintain minimalism. In contrast, other people live only in what fits into a large backpack. Minimalism looks different to all of us, and we all have to navigate that journey in our way. I knew we hadn't found our sweet spot yet, but I had a bit of hesitation that we would go too far in the opposite direction. My concern moving into 250 square feet was doing all the things we usually did on a smaller scale. Our lives have been changed for the better with minimalism. However, minimalism is not deprivation. The answer to this concern was to pour over Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube and follow families that were already living this way. What did they use the most? What were their biggest challenges? How do you function normally in a much smaller space? Dane and I knew the soonest we could consider going tiny was the summer of 2018 after the three girls that graduated high school had moved out, and we'd be down to two girls at home. Two kids from 12 just a few short years ago was the first time we felt like our biggest downsize was possible. We also knew it would probably be the summer of 2020 when we were down to only one at home. We were ready to go tiny in a big way. Dane and I have had different ideas on what our big would look like. While he wanted a 600 square foot 10 and a half wide tiny house on property we owned and a Sprinter van for traveling, I wanted to buy a school bus and create a home we could park or travel with. Zoning laws for a tiny house wasn't quickly a viable option, and considering the price of the property, the cost was also prohibitive. Similarly, as we weren't planning on a DIY skoolie, that seemed like it would also end up taking more money than we were able to spend. Dane and I had stayed a few days in a tiny house in Auburn, California, to get a feel for going small, and we realized we didn't entirely mind the foot-wide space, although it wasn't ideal. But we didn't want to sleep in a loft. Our choices continue to be whittled down. But the dream to go from a sticks and bricks traditional home to something out of the box was on the not-so-distant horizon. In the end, the RV had some very appealing aspects. First was the availability — there is a lot to choose from. Second — RV’s cost much less than a skoolie or tiny house, and third, financing seemed to be easier if we went that route. The other benefit is that slide-outs are common, so we weren't locked into an eight-foot-wide home. We looked at RV's at shows and lots and narrowed down the floor plans we preferred, and decided not to get anything new. We also decided we wanted the engine included and the option to tow a car. Our journey might not have begun with finance or a smaller footprint, but as the time drew closer, both of those became more of a draw. Knowing we could move or travel if we decided that we had a level of freedom, our new Tiny Home RV felt like life was filled with amazing opportunities. When we crunched the numbers and had a better idea of how much we would be saving. It was astounding. This made the drive to go tiny, even stronger. And then we did it. We bought the RV! For more info, follow Jenn on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit her website! Read more from Jenn! Jenn Taylor, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jenn Taylor is Mom Of 18 (yes 18 kids!), a Transformational Coach for Christian Women, and the host of At A Crossroads with The Naked Podcaster - a 4-year podcast to uplift others in their struggles. Her goal is to help others get through life’s struggles faster, easier, and with more support (and joy!). Jenn is also a motivational speaker, has written the blog "Mom’s Running It" for over 9 years, and is a published author of a self-help memoir "Hello, My Name Is... Warrior Princess" - which she will email to you as a pdf for free. She is also married to an amazing man in Reno, NV, is a runner, minimalist, and healthy lifestyle enthusiast. If you’ve attended events or heard speakers in the past and gotten excited about making changes only to return home and have felt frustrated at not knowing how to implement the information, you’ll love working with Jenn!

Written by: R. Natasha Stephens, 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. As a Transformational Coach, it is hard to talk about the transformation process without talking about why transformation is paramount to our existence. I believe if we knew what part our evolution plays in the grand scheme of things, more of us would commit to it. It is rarely known that something we all share in common is a vital component to our metamorphosis, and that is pain. But I will get to pain later in the text. To start, we should be aware that our existence is purposeful in that the Creator has concerns for problems in this world that He created us to solve. The solutions to those problems come in the form of visions and dreams called purpose. Without your fulfilled purpose, that problem goes unresolved the way we were meant to solve it, based on personality, gifts, talents, etc. As we look at the state of the world, we see a reflection of just how many of us are pursuing our true life’s calling. Hopefully, for those who may feel their lives don’t matter, you can start to see how important each one of us is. With that said, our mission and focus should be to pursue purpose. Some of us may beg to differ because we feel like we are the problem or our lives are riddled with problems, so how can we ever begin to think we can be a solution? Well, the operative word here is, feel. Yes, those feelings get us in trouble every time. When we decide to construct our lives based on truth rather than emotions, imagine how grounded and firmly placed we would be no matter what we face along the way. Truth is constant, but feelings are fleeting. Just look at the current divorce rate. Feelings come and go, and they’re up and down. If we’re rooted in truth, when the winds and storms blow in our direction, we will be like a firmly planted tree, steadfast, unmovable, and abounding as we’re focused on pursuing purpose. Don’t get me wrong. We need emotions. They are key to our humanity, but we must learn to harness them. The truth is, we are designed and created on purpose to solve a solution to the world’s problems. Just imagine if everyone fulfilled their purpose, how much better the world would be! Now that we are aware that we have a purpose, how does pain factor in this process? Pain is universal, and it’s something that we all deal with collectively. It connects, unites, and most importantly, it centers us. No matter our differences and how vast those differences are, the one thing we share in common is pain, and if we desire change, it must start with ourselves, and it can’t happen without pain. Oftentimes, pain leads us to our purpose. “Humans seldom have created anything of lasting value unless they were tried or hurt,” says billionaire Jon Huntsman. Pain comes in different forms but, no matter how it comes, if we embrace it with this perspective, rest assured it will not be in vain with something good coming from it. Whether it’s the state of pain and discomfort it takes to change by thinking and doing differently or the pain of our past, present, or future experiences, it’s necessary! As an analogy, the birthing of a baby brings new life into the world and is inarguably worth all the pain the mother endured through labor and delivery. Embracing pain with this mindset helps to cause less suffering than it does when we resist it. An unknown authored quote says, “pain will leave after it’s done teaching you.” It’s essential for your development. Don’t know where to start with your transformation? Start with pain! Allow pain, whether it’s a pain of change, planned or unplanned, or the pain of experienced trauma be an opportunity for a brand new reality. There is no list of do’s or don’ts for this inner process because in discovering our own essence of being, the process of transformation is less concerned with “doing” and more with “being”. This revelation should be like music to the ears for those who already feel overwhelmed or even underwhelmed with the endless mundane daily tasks for life’s maintenance. Transformation is about the commitment to pursue higher than realized levels of existence. Will you commit today for yourself and the world? We need you. Lovingly written, R. Natasha Stephens, CLC Specializing in Transformational Coaching Transformational Coaching with Natasha Follow Natasha on her Facebook and Linkedin . Watch her videos from her Youtube channel. R. Natasha Stephens, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Natasha, a retired dental hygienist, turned entrepreneur as owner of Transformational Coaching with Natasha and a women's athleisure clothing brand, Ripped and Restored, is committed to the transformational journey as she discovers new ways of being and higher than realized levels of existence through the power of pain and using it to her advantage as a springboard to create an ideal life for herself. Along the way, she answered the call to empower others with this revelation. With fiery passion and authentic advocacy, she is dedicated to revolutionizing mental health and fitness by embracing the pain of conflict and resistance in whatever form as a weapon for good. Realizing that thoughts shape reality, Natasha's coaching model is built around mindset shifts resulting in realized potential. She loves to volunteer in local and global dental missions, physical exercise, and travel in her spare time.

Written by: Lois Wagner, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I am going to get one million views of my TEDx talk! My topic is so relevant, and the world needs to hear how we can help people who have experienced harassment, abuse, domestic, sexual or gender-based violence, or rape. They need to know how to navigate the road to recovery! I spread the news far and wide and I excitedly watch the views under my video titled From Fear to Forgiveness to Freedom on the TEDx YouTube channel. And… Slowly the views creep up to one thousand in a month. The numbers A conservative estimate is that there are 7,8 billion people in the world, of which 49% are female. That is 3.8 billion females. 3 800 000 000 women and girls. And 50% (1 900 000 000) of these are over 25 years old. “They” tell us that one in three women experience some form of physical or sexual violence! I am excluding children and youth from this discussion which makes the numbers even more horrific. I am also excluding men and boys from this analysis. They, too are victims. Again conservatively, I estimate that 630 million adult women are abused. We can break it down even further and say that 50% live in urban areas, the other 50% without access to the internet or news media. That still leaves us with 315 million (315 000 000) women who are abused, who have access to and who need information and support. And 13 million in my country alone. And again, conservatively, if I could reach just one percent (1%) of these women, that is 3 million people. Or 0.1%, that is 315 000 women. TEDx has 30.9 million subscribers. So, where are my viewers? Viewers who will benefit from watching my message? Yes, I want the numbers. I want credibility. But more importantly, I want my message to reach those women (and men) who can benefit from my story. Who can be transformed and move from victim to survivor to thriver and beyond to freedom? And yes, and who may hire me as a keynote speaker or coach. Just for interest A TEDx speaker is not allowed to edit or change anything on the video. You are not even supposed to take a minute or two to make a promotional video. You never know when TEDx will post your video. It could take anything from one day to seven months. Your TEDx organizer may watch out for it and advise you. You get the most traction in the first week after the video is available. People like to watch talks at work during lunch and in the evenings – not on the weekends. What I did As soon as I was aware that my video was out there, I asked everyone I know to watch it, like it, comment, and share it. So far, I have 40 comments and have replied to all 40 to ensure that YouTube can see that there is a conversation happening, that there is engagement. The more views and comments, the greater the search ranking. One problem is, I have been asking all my family and friends to like and comment and share on so many other videos that I have posted that this was just another “ask,” and they were probably sick and tired of my needy approach. I posted the link to my video on all my social media channels and pinned it to the top of each site. This is not a good strategy as most social media platforms prefer original content and do not like to take their clients away from their site onto another site. For example, Facebook is not happy to promote your link that takes your friends to YouTube and away from them. LinkedIn has the same system. If you watch the linked video on LinkedIn, it does not count as a view. A better strategy is to write a blog and put the link in the blog. Then post the blog. And keep adding the link into the comments rather than the main post. I did target my audience correctly. I posted the link on many social media pages and groups where women survivors, healers, and activists hang out. I posted the LINK! I shared the news of my TEDx talk with my own network and newsletter subscribers. I could have been more conversational and engaged with them, asking for feedback and opening up discussions and debates around the topic. I celebrated successes, big and small. I announced and celebrated it when I learned that I was going to do a TEDx talk. I announced when I got my red carpet and TEDx sign. I celebrated when the video went live. And I celebrated with an announcement when I hit 1001 views. I talk about my TEDx talk in podcasts and summits. In the month since my talk appeared, I have mentioned the talk twice in interviews. And there are more on the way. I wrote a short post on South African Freedom Day – stating that we would never be free until we stopped gender-based violence. My TEDx talk heading. I love alliteration, and I love the concept of From Fear to Forgiveness to Freedom. But what does this heading mean to the potential viewer out there? Select words that the viewer is searching for. A better heading could have been: How to forgive a rapist Can you forgive the unforgivable? How do you recover from sexual trauma? My TEDx talk description and bio. It is too generic. Nowhere does it say that this is a story of survival after rape! I did not have a “hook” for the viewer. I could have asked a question or thrown in a few statistics, or mentioned that I had a graphic model of recovery to share. I should have said that it is emotional and maybe even given a *TRIGGER WARNING* and mentioned why the viewer should listen to me and trust me. What I am going to do now (and what I should have done then). I am going to ask my network for ideas on going forward – the next steps and the next topics. I am going to start using these hashtags (I am a slow starter at using hashtags) ideas worth spreading ted speaker ted talks tedx speaker tedx event professional speaker I am going to promote my hashtag Walking _Without_Skin walking without skin I will link my talk to my book- Walking without Skin: A journey of healing – From fear to Forgiveness to Freedom. And to my latest project – to eradicate sexual and gender-based violence by being BRAVE. Instead of just posting my talk, I should have added more value sharing lessons or take-aways, or the back story and I could have provided the transcript and a copy of the graphic. I will do this now. To reach all my followers, subscribers, and connections on social media, I will need to post several times. I will recycle my TEDx talk. Share it again each time I hit a new milestone, such as a round number of views or comments. (Can’t wait to send out a note that I have 10 000 views and 100 000 views) Celebrate anniversaries of when the talk first appeared and when the occurrences in the talk took place. For example, in May 1996, my butterfly logo was born. This is my symbol. Although it Is not mentioned in my talk, it represents the occurrences in my talk, so I will write a blog about it. I will look for news of sexual violence or trauma and write a blog about it. I will Add TEDx speaker to my email signature. I will add the video to my website. I will make a video about my talk. Sharing where what and how, or where I am now on my journey. And I will create a strong Call to Action. I will approach other TEDx speakers from the speaking community and arrange to review our videos and then share lessons learned with the broader community. A series of quotes with an image from the video will create additional awareness. Further ideas to consider To encourage those who have not viewed the video, I will consider creating a poll or a quiz around the talk with a prize. Maybe offer a prize to the first person who sends a screenshot of 2000 views. To get a wider audience and exposure -ask friends who have mailing lists to promote my talk and to tag their friends in their posts about my talk. Conclusion So, maybe I never got the million views I was hoping for. But I know that my message has reached a few victims, that they know that they are not alone and that there is help out there for them and they too can thrive and find freedom. And you can learn how to become visible using my TEDx talk experience. Watch my TEDx talk on forgiveness and freedom! *Trigger warning* For more info, follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube-Channel and visit my website! Lois Wagner, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Lois Wagner: Your friend for forgiveness. Helping you move from victim to survivor to thriver and beyond and then to freedom, after facing a life or business challenge or adversity. Lois lost a business and went bankrupt, she was attacked, raped, and left for dead, she was forced into retirement, and experienced many other challenges. Her work is based on these personal major adversities and life experiences. Lois learned to forgive (she forgave the rapist and the business partner who betrayed her) and to move on to a more rewarding and fulfilling life. Lois guides you to build your resilience and grit, to develop a growth mindset, to energize your mojo, and learn to forgive. This is achieved via one-on-one coaching, group masterminds, and keynote presentations. Lois’s book – Walking Without Skin: A Journey of Healing – From Fear to Forgiveness to Freedom is part memoir and part self-help guide. Fly Free with Lois – Your Friend for Forgiveness

Written by: Laurence Nicholson, 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. For anyone who has been on my Proactive Executive Corporate Mental Health Training course, they will know I mention using ‘brain training’ apps as part of the approach to optimizing brain performance around attention, selective attention and impulse control, and even mention one specifically because of its ability to adapt to the user’s performance. Firstly, no. I am not altering my opinion nor my recommendations around using them, but I am going to provide a bit more guidance in relation to what they can achieve, why they are useful, and when to use them. What has prompted me to write about this, is the ever-increasing number of such apps available which promise all sorts of long-term benefits and ‘miracles’ of the longevity of brain performance for a short-term use in earlier life, which is definitely not the case. As with most improvement approaches in any area of our lives, they require ‘life-changes,’ meaning that the actions need to become part of our everyday normal habits in order to be effective. Predominantly, brain training works to exercise our ‘fluid intelligence,’ which is our ability to apply present unique factors together with our learned experiences and education (our crystallized intelligence), to a problem to be solved. Within the corporate environment where I spend much of my time providing training, fluid intelligence is considered a predictor of a person's capacity to work well in environments characterized by complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity, and anyone who has undertaken a psychometric test will have found it often contains a Cognitive Process Profile (CPP) which shows the calculated results of a person's fluid intelligence and cognitive processes. This is mapped against suitable work environments to match the role to person, for optimized resourcing. Fluid intelligence has a growth and decay profile, which peaks at around age 20 and then gradually declines. This decline may be caused by natural localized shrinking of the brain in the right cerebellum, a lack of cognitive practice, or the result of age-related changes in the brain. Crystallized intelligence also has a growth and decay profile, but typically increases gradually, stays relatively stable across most of adulthood, and then begins to decline after age 65. The exact peak age of cognitive skills remains variable between individuals. It is thought this ‘variability’ is due to working memory capacity, which is closely related to fluid intelligence, and is a cognitive system with a limited capacity that can hold information temporarily. Working memory, as a theoretical concept central to cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and neuroscience, is important for reasoning and the guidance of decision-making and behavior, and is often used synonymously with short-term memory, but some theorists consider the two forms of memory as being distinct, assuming that working memory allows for the manipulation of stored information, whereas short-term memory only refers to the short-term storage of information. When considering the neuroanatomy, fluid intelligence involves both the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, and other systems related to attention and short-term memory. Crystallized intelligence appears to be a function of brain regions that involve the storage and usage of long-term memories, such as the hippocampus and amygdala within the limbic system. What was interesting in the research on training working memory, and that training's indirect effect on fluid ability, so is directly relevant to the ‘brain training’ apps, is that because working memory is thought to influence fluid intelligence, then training to increase the capacity of working memory could have a positive impact on it. There is a caveat though, and some researchers question whether the results of training interventions to enhance fluid intelligence are long-lasting and transferable, especially when these techniques are used by healthy children and adults without cognitive deficiencies. A meta-analytical review published in 2012 concluded that "memory training programs appear to produce short-term, specific training effects that do not generalize." (see footnote [1]) In a series of four individual experiments involving 70 participants (mean age of 25.6) from the University of Bern community, Jaeggi et al. found that, in comparison to a demographically matched control group, healthy young adults who practiced a demanding working memory task (dual n -back) approximately 25 minutes per day for between 8 and 19 days, had significantly greater pre-to-post-test increases in their scores on a matrix test of fluid intelligence. (see footnote [2]) However, there was no long-term follow-up to assess how enduring the effects of training were. Two later n-back studies did not support the findings of Jaeggi et al., finding that although participants' performance on the training task improved, these studies showed no significant improvement in the mental abilities tested, especially fluid intelligence and working memory capacity. (see footnote [3]) It is now widely considered that the balance of findings suggests that training for the purpose of increasing working memory has short-term or no effects on fluid intelligence, hence they needed clarification I alluded to, which is that whilst short term is recognized, these exercises need to become part of your everyday routine throughout life to continue to experience the benefits, so any suggestions that using such apps for a few weeks/months/years in your life will likely provide a long term improvement in your cognitive capacity related to fluid intelligence, is the claim of a modern-day ‘snake oil salesman’ and not to be believed. The bottom line is, by all means, use the apps, but be prepared to add them to your ‘forever’ routine, to maintain any cognitive benefits they provide. Follow me on Facebook , connect with me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Laurence ! Laurence Nicholson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Laurence Nicholson is the CEO and founder of the N Cubed Group, My Better Life – Mind Coaching, and Exec Mental Health Solutions, through which he works with both Corporate clients and individuals, to improve and optimize mental health, performance and resilience, in order to realize measurable improvements in business and personal productivity and decision making. A Mind Coach, certified as a Corporate Mental Health Facilitator, holding 'Distinction' grade certifications in Life Coaching, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Psychoanalysis, Depression Counselling, Anger and Aggression Management Counselling, Criminal Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and Corporate Wellness Coaching, Laurence is also trained in Corporate Coaching and Mentoring, Behavioural Analysis, and to expert level in non-verbal deception detection and analysis. He has spent over 35 years working across corporate environments, as both a consultant and leader, and when he was first sent abroad for work way back in the 1990’s, he became fascinated by how different people and cultures think and behave in different ways under the same conditions, and quickly became addicted to immersing himself within local environments, in order to get a true experience of thought processes and event-behavior associations. Human psychology and behavioral patterns became his passion, and he used his corporate consulting work as a way to enable him to travel extensively and to study wide and diverse behaviors, and investigate the ‘how and why’ of our brain’s processes, and more importantly the impacts of stress and change on people, universally. His business education and experience as an advisor and consultant in procurement, finance, law, information technology, organizational change and executive management, combines with his life experiences and numerous culturally immersive experiences from working in over 14 countries around the world, to provide what his clients consider as a unique appreciation of their individual circumstances. Laurence aligns himself with Jungian psychodynamic theory, with its spiritual element, and supports this as a certified and attuned Reiki Master Teacher and a Certified Meditation Teacher. [1] Melby-Lervåg, Monica; Hulme, Charles (2012). " Is Working Memory Training Effective? A Meta-Analytic Review " (PDF). Developmental Psychology. 49 (2): 270–91. doi:10.1037/a0028228. PMID 22612437. [2] Jaeggi, Susanne M.; Buschkuehl, Martin; Jonides, John; Perrig, Walter J. (2008). " Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory ". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (19): 6829–33. Bibcode:2008PNAS..105.6829J. doi:10.1073/pnas.0801268105. JSTOR 25461885. PMC 2383929. PMID 18443283. [3] Chooi, Weng-Tink; Thompson, Lee A. (2012). " Working memory training does not improve intelligence in healthy young adults ". Intelligence. 40 (6): 531–42. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2012.07.004. Redick, Thomas S.; Shipstead, Zach; Harrison, Tyler L.; Hicks, Kenny L.; Fried, David E.; Hambrick, David Z.; Kane, Michael J.; Engle, Randall W. (2012). " No Evidence of Intelligence Improvement After Working Memory Training: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study ". Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 142 (2): 359–379. doi:10.1037/a0029082. PMID 22708717.

Written by: Melia Diana, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. By far, we live in a world of disorder, chaos, and confusion. What if I can tell you there is another way. Would you listen? Would you believe with your heart, mind, and soul... there’s something greater than your feelings? Your thoughts? Your fears and insecurities? What if you can gain better clarity of emotions and behavior patterns affecting your relationships? Or have the faith to push through mountains? Sounds pretty good, right? The truth is most people lack accountability and avoid detoxification to get truly healthy in all areas of their lives. Why? Ultimately it takes faith, hard work, and a trust without seeing what lies ahead. We are told to believe God without seeing Him. To trust the process because He knows what’s good for us. “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (John 20:29 NLT). Yet, we would rather live in our feelings. We would rather put up with misery and drag it around. Why? This is why God sacrificed His son, Jesus, so we can have an intimate relationship with Him. A faith and trust in God is designed for us to have a Vertical Relationship with Him. To be changed by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. To lean on Him during trials and tribulations. To be at peace with Him when those storms come twirling in… and they will! God says, “I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give” (John 14:27). Right there, it tells us that the world cannot give us peace! Yet, so many of us are still running around frantic, not knowing Jesus as our Savior and Healer. Many often think temporary illusions of happiness will grant them peace and stability. Yikes! We want to control. We justify and put up defensive walls avoiding the harsh reality. We want everything handed to us on a silver platter. We want a quick-fix. Truth is, most people are full of selfishness, fear, ego, and manipulated by the devil antics. I say this not to belittle or attack, but to share with you that God’s Word is alive and real. That He is our source, not your fickle feelings…. Know this: the devil will do whatever it can to stop you from having a deep kinship with Jesus. To keep you extremely busy, you don’t have the energy or time to spend time with Him. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our messes and ourselves that we miss the point. We miss out on what God is doing behind the scenes. To the naked eye, we can only assume our own interpretations at a surface level. Getting right with God takes legitimate effort. No, this walk is not easy. I realize that’s not a selling point, but its lasting fruit will outlast any negative feeling. Most people abandon ship before they truly give it a real try. The moment things get hard… replays of old, worn-out patterns and toxic mindsets set it, and conformity happens. In order to be changed by Him, we have to follow Him. Allow God to do His thing! And when he does- your behaviors start changing, which allows us to deal with our feelings properly. God is greater than your feelings! He knows everything. “Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything” (John 3:20). Every day we are faced with countless decisions. How we respond. How we allow it to make us feel. Changes will happen. I’m always reminded of the power of God’s Word. That our thoughts directly affect our emotions and feelings. Feelings come and go. Be encouraged to live out of your feelings and in God’s Word. Not sure about you, but I wanted to be changed, and I was tired of living that “old life” not bearing any fruit. What about you? Tired of living off your feelings? Is it going to be God or your fickle feelings? Subscribe and check out more episodes on— The Vertical Relationship Show on iTunes and listen to my podcast on my website! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and check out my website and YouTube channel! Read more from Melia! Melia Diana, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Melia is an International & Best-Selling Author, Certified Christian Counselor, Award-Winning Contributing Writer, Relationship & Dating Coach, Trainer and Podcaster. She has spent over 14 years in medical and fitness field, as a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant, Certified ACSM Personal Trainer and Personal Training Specialist, completing numerous certifications. But it doesn’t stop there! Melia’s extensive certifications and background led her to utilize her faith, knowledge, experience and personal development to brand and design her own Signature Coaching Programs. She developed a unique methodology to help clarify the missing links and identify core root problems hindering God’s best. She takes her clients through a one-on-one transformational healing journey, guided by the Holy Spirit, for restoration of their hurting souls and removal of toxic wound patterns. With a godly approach, she helps Christian women to break soul barriers and have loving relationships they’ve always desired. She is a faith-based published author of Vertical Relationship: 4 Steps To Salvation & Getting Right With God and International Best-Seller of Overcomer: Redeemed Masterpiece, where she wrote “7 Keys To Finally Have a Godly Man.” Melia is also a Best-Selling author of Raising the Bar Volume 6, her eye-opening chapter is “Relationship Breakthroughs & Breaking Barriers.” Melia’s faith-based podcast is called The Vertical Relationship Show, inspired by her heartfelt book. Her topics include godly relationships, marriage, dating, inner healing, and fitness & health from a Kingdom mindset perspective. Learn how to heal “God’s Way” and cultivate thriving relationships with others, yourself, and most importantly-Jesus! She sprinkles God’s Word in her podcast to reveal His truth with no fluff. God’s mission for Melia, is to help lost souls find true healing to cultivate fruitful relationships. With her God-given spiritual gifts, Melia desires to genuinely encourage and inspire others to heal through the love of Jesus Christ. Blessings xo

Written by: Marlena O´Donnell, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always feel like doing things I should or have to do. Most days, I get things done. No procrastination, no overthinking, no abandoning of the tasks. They just get done. But there are other days when I look at the list of things I need to take care of. All sorts of excuses come up; “I’ll do it later,” “I’m tired,” “Let’s check social media posts first,” “This job is far too big to do it in one day — it will take weeks, so no point in starting today, I will start tomorrow,” “I can’t be bothered” or “I need to feel ready.” Sound familiar? Whilst it may be possible to delay some tasks. Not everything can be done later. So how do you get things done when you don’t feel in the mood to do them? You already know the answer - “just do it!”. Easier said than done, you may say, so let me share with you 5 tips that will help you complete tasks no matter how keen or not you are to do them. Don’t wait to feel motivated. It is easy to believe that you need to be ready, be in a certain mood, be in the zone, feel excited, and eager to get things done. But that’s not true. It’s a trick your mind plays on you. You are always ready, always able to take action. The mood you are in does not decide if or how well you will perform tasks and how long it will take you. It is unable to predict the outcome of your actions. Your mood does not even know about the task. It has no power to think! There is no point in giving it any attention, so you may just as well turn your attention to the job at hand! Give up perfectionism. There is no uniform measure of perfection - each of us creates our criteria. One person’s work may be perfect in their eyes and considered to be far from perfect by others. Aiming for perfection is a “perfect” excuse for procrastination, not finishing tasks, or even never getting round to doing the tasks in the first place. It is easy to overthink what we want the outcome of our actions to look like rather than focusing on getting the job done. However, giving up on perfection does not mean doing a shoddy job—quite the opposite. Focus on doing your best rather than on being perfect. It is likely that the results will be the same! Stay focused. A message pops up on the screen. Let’s check social media. What’s on the news? Maybe I am missing out on something. Does this resonate with you? It’s easy to get distracted by unnecessary noise. Your conscious mind is programmed to agree with you, so if you are procrastinating because you are not in a mood, not ready, overwhelmed, or bored, you will find all sorts of exciting things you could be doing other than the tasks at hand. Every time you get distracted, it takes you a while to get back to the task (sometimes more extended than the task itself!). But have the power not to give in to the distractions. You can stay focused on what you are doing by giving it 100% of your attention, by staying in the present - not letting your mind wander off outside the current moment. I’ve faced numerous distractions since I started writing this article. Kids next door were playing football in the garden, making a lot of noise. The phone rang. New emails and messages were coming in. Whenever my mind switched focus from writing to something else, I brought my attention back to what I was doing by looking at the screen and working out what I need to write next. One more sentence and then another and another. Another trick that helps to stay focused is telling yourself that you will concentrate on doing the task for 5 or 10 minutes and then another 5 or 10 minutes. Usually, after the initial 5 minutes, you are in the flow of doing something, so you want to carry on. If you find messages and emails distracting, turn your broadband off for a couple of hours or book a time slot in your diary for checking social media and messages. Put your phone somewhere not easily accessible. Turn off pop-up messages on your laptop. Break tasks down into chunks. If you feel overwhelmed by a job that may take you a whole day to do, try breaking it down into smaller chunks and dispersing them over multiple days, you will still get it done, but it will not feel as if you’d spent a long time doing it. There are various ways you can make a big task appear more manageable. You can schedule it in your diary (e.g., 30 mins) and only do it for that length of time. If you don’t finish, schedule another slot in your diary to do it later. You can also perform the same task every day for a specific length of time, such as 15 or 30 mins, then stop and return to it for another 15 or 30 mins (or whatever length of time you’d decided) the following day. Your mind easily tricks you into thinking that something is too big or will take too long. But you can also easily trick your mind into doing a big task by pretending it’s a series of smaller tasks! Take time out. This may appear counterintuitive, especially given earlier advice on staying focused. But taking time out is not about giving in to distractions but a genuine need for all of us to take a break. Not taking a break to make a cup of coffee whilst still thinking about the project you are working on but taking a break from your busy mind. Stop and stay present at the moment. Don’t think about what’s just happened or what you still have to do. Enjoy the now. Don’t pay attention to your thoughts, but focus on your surroundings - what you feel, what you hear, and what you see. By “resetting” your mind, you will get a fresh perspective, inspiration, and energy to carry on. So make sure you take a break several times a day for a couple of minutes or longer - observe what is around you rather than what’s inside your head. Your mind can be your friend or your enemy. You have the power to master your thoughts and stay focused regardless of how you feel, regardless of the enormity of the task or the various distractions around you. Use that power to get things done! For more information, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Marlena! Marlena O’Donnell, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Marlena O’Donnell is a certified life coach, mentor, and motivational speaker specializing in freeing her clients from beliefs that are not serving them well. Marlena has successfully helped many people gain an unwavering belief in themselves, confidence, motivation, and courage to go after what they want in life through individual and group coaching, mentoring, and workshops. Marlena has personal experience of overcoming significant challenges in life and succeeding against all odds. This, combined with her thorough understanding of both business matters and personal issues, puts her in a unique position to help her clients successfully navigate their way through difficulties they face in all areas of life and achieve “the unachievable.” As a motivational speaker, Marlena inspires others to make powerful and lasting changes in their life. She has been a keynote speaker at business events, online conferences, and summits.

Written by: Patricia Renovato, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. How do you approach your life? Are you goal-oriented? Do you track your progress? Are you always trying to master an activity or a subject? What motivates you to grow? A growth mindset is choosing to expand every day. A physical achievement can realize this, a work accomplishment, a shift in perspective, a new experience, overcoming fear, learning something new, etc. It’s about committing to growing in some way, every single day. It’s not always easy because sometimes you may have bad days. But even in those bad days, your commitment to growth can be small, like setting an intention for the day before getting out of bed. Once growth work becomes part of your routine, you naturally start incorporating it as part of your day, just like brushing your teeth. Do you ever go without brushing your teeth at least once a day? You define what is normal for you. It shouldn’t feel like work that you want to procrastinate. It involves activities that inspire you and aligns with your life goals. Everything that you choose to do is an investment towards the grander vision for your life. You were not put on Earth to be stagnant. You were not designed to survive. There’s a meaning for your existence, and it’s expressed through your purpose. It is intended to serve the world in some special way. If you find that you’re stagnant, ask yourself: What are you afraid of? It’s easy to get started because you decide the pace, and you know the source of your motivation. Here are some steps to help you integrate daily growth into your routine: Commit to growth Allocate time for growth. You can start with 5 minutes and then increase from there. Adopt a “learn mode” attitude. Be realistic about what you can and want to commit to. Get clear about your goals. What does the end goal look like? You have short and long-term goals; how does your growth work support that? Why do you want it? What do you expect to gain from it? And who else does it serve? Be adaptable as your goals may change over time once you start changing. Do you have your own buy-in? Why is committing to a growth mindset important to you? What will keep you motivated? Be honest about the things that could get in your way and develop a plan to get back on track. It’s about the journey. Appreciate the milestones you experience along the way. Enjoy the process - this is a commitment you are making for yourself. Stay curious. Follow Patricia on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit her website for more info! Read more from Patricia ! Patricia Renovato, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine For over a decade, Patricia kept ignoring the growing sensation that she could do more to serve the world. It was daunting to think about dramatically changing her life without direction. After spending some time searching for the answer, Patricia found her calling as a Life Coach. This became the vehicle for her to facilitate the transformation of people who felt stuck in their life, not knowing how to begin a new journey. Patricia dedicates her time to connecting people with their genuine passion for living a passionate and purposeful life. Patricia’s innate ability to see people’s potential beyond their purview inspires clients to work through the inner blocks preventing them from living their dream.

Written by: Angie Gira, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Do you care about being happy? I know I really cared about being happy, and I still do. I mean, I made a career out of helping people live a life that brings them true happiness, so needless to say, I’m an advocate. While the value I place on happiness hasn’t changed, my perspective certainly has. Prioritizing happiness led to some of my lowest moments, but it’s also what got me out of them. I’ll share with you the 3 key perspective shifts I’ve learned about prioritizing happiness. 3 shifts have changed my life by allowing me to control my happiness instead of letting it control me. Shift 1: Process Negative Emotions When we care about feeling happy, we can easily feel inclined to push away negative emotions and feelings of heaviness. I was guilty of this for a long time. I wouldn’t allow myself to process any negative emotions because they didn’t feel good. Emotions we don’t process become the elephant in the room, and the longer we ignore them, the bigger that elephant gets. Resist the urge to distract yourself from the emotions you want to avoid. Be curious with yourself and try to understand what these emotions are truly signaling to you. Why do you feel this way? Shift 2: Define What True Happiness Looks & Feels Like Have you ever really defined what true happiness means to you? One way prioritizing happiness held me back in my past was cause I had no idea what true happiness meant to me. I thought it just meant doing things that made me feel happy all the time. That’s not quite what it is, though, is it? To achieve the life we aspire to have, we will go through moments of discomfort. That’s part of it. That’s actually the beauty of it. It’s how we build our story. Take a moment to reflect on what true happiness means to you. What does it look like? What value does it bring to your life? How does it allow you to enhance the quality of your life? What does it feel like? Shift 3: Distinguish between Instant Gratification & True Happiness This was a game-changer for me. Instant gratification has never been a more pressing topic than it is right now. My message here isn’t to tell you that instant gratification is the root of all evil. However, we must be aware of the distinction between instant gratification and true happiness. Chasing instant gratification leads to a fixation on a fleeting feeling of happiness or maybe even perceived happiness. More often than not, this derails us from true happiness. To help you distinguish between the two, ask yourself, is this action aligned with my definition of true happiness? Will this bring me closer to my vision or push me away from it? Embody your vision of true happiness. Follow Angie on her Instagram and Linkedin . You can also visit her website for more info. Angie Gira, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Angie Gira is a Life & Mindset Coach. Inspired by her vision to positively impact the world, Angie's work focuses on helping millennials live a life that brings them true happiness. Driven by her belief that we are all unique, she is dedicated to tailoring her private coaching packages to meet the needs of each client. Key elements in her coaching strategies include helping you enhance the quality of your relationship with yourself, finding your why, and cultivating a purpose-driven mindset aimed at helping you achieve your goals.