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. I decided to watch the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory through the eyes of the owner of the business — Willy Wonka. I learned some interesting lessons that gave me ideas on how to think a little differently in my own business. 1. Create curiosity. Willy Wonka created suspense, mystery, and curiosity. It was very exciting — his doors have been shut for three years, and then he has this great contest. The people who win will get to spend a day in his factory and have a lifetime supply of chocolate. It created a huge buzz, and people were excited. Who are you? What are you doing? How can people learn more and be involved? 2. Limited availability. Of all the chocolate bars in the world, there are only five golden tickets. On top of excitement, only a select few will win. FOMO at its most aggressive. FOMO is a real thing. Limit the number of people you can work with - for your own sanity and keep what you offer special. 3. Speak to a niche. He's speaking to a specific demographic - to children. The adults are only there to help the kids obtain the golden ticket. Speak to the people you want to attract. Solve their problem. 4. Use great build-up and a countdown. The contest creates drama, people stealing from each other, side bets, incredible sales of chocolate. The contest created scams as well, so anytime that a contest has a lot of momentum, it's interesting to see the side hustle that's going on in the background that maybe we wouldn't have noticed otherwise. This adds to the build-up. Add excitement to what you’re offering. Perception is projection. 5. Weed out who isn’t right for you. In this example, Willy Wonka was looking for a replacement for himself to run his business. What better place to look for someone who can be raw and authentic and open to his vision than a child. These five children walk in with their guardians, and he does what we don't tend to do as business owners - he allows them to weed themselves out. We aren’t the right fit for everyone, so accept the people that are a great fit. It will increase your overall success. I know I've been guilty of getting a client or hiring someone while trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. We're not the right fit for each other. That's not a bad reflection on myself or the business owner, and it's not a bad reflection on the client. It just means that we're not really there to fit and serve each other the best possible way , instead of letting that go. We just keep trying to get the square peg in the round hole because we're going to make it work, we're going to make a difference, and we're going to make an income. Sometimes, it’s just not the right fit. Willy Wonka was raw, genuine , and said, "here's my vision, and this is who I am and what my company is," and he just allowed them to weed themselves out so he could find the right fit. Somehow we feel hurt by the process that maybe we're just not right for someone or vice versa. What we do shouldn’t be about ego. The Four Personalities Four exaggerated personalities that we all represent to some degree, whether from the business owner or client perspective, are represented in the movie. First represented is the glutton — all about what he wanted at the expense of others —the person who does not listen. Second is the Spoiled Brat — all about herself and what made her look and feel better. And she wanted instant gratification right now. The third is the one that's greedy and overeager and wants the spotlight. Fourth. In the end, the last man standing was personality four — the little boy who asks what's going to happen to all of the other kids. He's genuinely concerned about these people, these kids who gave themselves the boot. Not everyone is ready for a change. When the final winner asks what will happen to the other kids, Willy Wonka tells him — "don't worry, they will remain their normal, terrible selves, and nothing will change." True and tragic when they had this amazing opportunity in front of them to become better than who they were, and they didn't even know it. They got in their own way. Spread positivity. The quote I love that Willy Wonka says at the end is: so shines a good deed in a weary world . It's easy to be negative when launching or running a business. On the flip side, if we are looking for the "light that shines in a weary world," our businesses can grow. On my own Hero's Journey, sometimes I am the guide, and I am also sometimes the hero. We need to play all of those roles equally with enthusiasm. Things I’ve learned over the past 4 years: Embrace your zone of genius and spend as much time there as possible Find people whose zone of genius is where you lack skills. Trade, support, hire, etc., to get the help you need. Realize that business is a process. It’s fluid and not linear. Where you end up might not have been on your radar at all. Add the word “pivot” to your vocabulary. There is no failure, only feedback. Many people will be supportive — stick with those who build you up. "Success" isn’t only about money. What lessons have you learned along the way that would make someone else’s journey faster, easier, and more supported? 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 a mom of 18 and The Naked Podcaster, a Mindset Coach, and Motivational Speaker. She is also an NLP Practitioner and has 15+ years in the foster care sector as both a parent and a trainer, has written the blog "Mom’s Running It" for 9 years, and is a published author of a self-help memoir "Hello, My Name Is... Warrior Princess". She teaches Compounding Joy, bringing fast, easy, actionable exercises to people to increase their joy and gratitude. She is also married to an amazing man in Reno, NV, is a runner, minimalist, and healthy lifestyle enthusiast. Compounding Joy, using the theory of compound interest to create a happier life! If you’ve attended events or heard speakers in the past and gotten excited about making changes only to return home and not know what to do with the information, or feel frustrated at not knowing how to implement the information, you’ll love this talk! Compounding Joy brings fast, easy, actionable exercises to people to increase their joy and gratitude. Not only will you walk away with what to do, but you’ll also know-how in quick, easy steps.

Written by: Lorraine Miano, 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. One of the most uncomfortable and least anticipated moments in a parent’s life has to be "the talk." We’ve all heard of, if not, in fact, experienced "the talk" during our adolescent years. Puberty rolls around, and our parents start becoming uncomfortable, maybe even avoiding eye contact with us. They shift awkwardly in their seats. They pray that we might have already heard “the talk” in our health class, leaving them off the hook. However, ultimately, they knew it was one of the important, necessary yet often unenjoyable parental duties that faced them as we slid hormonally into our teen years. Things haven’t changed much. Conversations surrounding sex and our reproductive years often started embarrassing and avoided, and so it’s no surprise, once menopause rolls around, the dismissal and avoidance continue. This even extends to conversations we should be having with our healthcare providers. Why are we so uncomfortable talking about sex and our bodies? As menopausal women, we should be educating our families about what is happening to us, particularly if we are experiencing uncomfortable or debilitating symptoms that can affect our daily lives and those around us. Quite often, our partners and children may not know or understand why we are throwing our clothes off, sweating profusely, wandering the house in the middle of the night, or why they may be on the receiving end of our sudden mood swings. This even extends to the workplace. The sad truth is, many women aren’t even aware of what is happening to them. In a recent survey I did of 100 women, over 80% did not know anything about menopause before entering this phase of their lives. As well, the same number said they received no help or guidance from their healthcare providers. Many of them were not aware that some of the physical and emotional changes they experienced were indeed signs that perimenopause was upon them. So, before we women can educate our families, we must first educate ourselves. Many divorces could possibly be avoided if only menopause was talked about more openly in our culture. Unfortunately, it is often made light of, made fun of, and women are often left feeling as though they must hide what they are experiencing. Add to that the fact that most doctors are not educated about menopause (they actually receive fewer than 3 hours of education) and often dismiss what women are experiencing as purely anxiety or depression. Quite often, the first course of medical attention these women receive is a prescription for an anti-anxiety drug. There has been a long history (in fact centuries) of medical misogyny surrounding women’s health, and unfortunately, it continues to this day. Thankfully the conversation has started to turn. More and more women are speaking up, including many celebrities. Books are being written, and alternative health options are becoming available in the way of functional medicine doctors, health coaches, and menopause specialists. Resources and support are becoming more available. Another reason to consider having “the 2nd talk” about perimenopause/menopause now is that quite frequently, women may begin their menopausal journey at about the same time their daughter(s) may be going through puberty. There are multiple similarities with both of these natural phases of our reproductive lives, including fluctuating hormones, mood swings, and more. It is the perfect opportunity to share our experiences and educate our daughters about what they are currently experiencing as they go through puberty and how they can prepare and better experience their menopause years with a healthy mind and body. We can begin by sharing the three stages of menopause. This refers to the natural progression of menopause and does not take into consideration premature, chemically, or surgically induced menopause. Perimenopause is the time before a woman reaches menopause. The perimenopause years are the time when the ovaries are shutting down and hormones are fluctuating. This is usually when uncomfortable hormone imbalance symptoms begin to occur, such as anxiety, hot flashes, irregular periods, insomnia, weight gain, low libido, and fatigue. The average age a woman begins perimenopause is around 46 and can last anywhere from 2 and up to 15 years. Once a woman has gone 12 months without a period, she has reached menopause, which is actually just one day: the 12 month anniversary of when menses cease. The average age that a woman in the US reaches menopause is 51. Once a woman has reached menopause, the very next day, she is considered post-menopausal and will be for the rest of her life. This can be at least 30% and up to 50% or more of her lifetime. This is why it is so very critical for us to live our lives in preparation for these years and encourage our daughters to do the same from a young age. To avoid the health concerns women of previous generations have experienced, we must take the steps now to educate our young daughters about menopause. We must educate them on how their lifestyle choices, including food, movement, and stress, can affect how they will ultimately experience their perimenopause and post-menopause years. We must enlighten them and dispel the many myths and misconceptions surrounding menopause and encourage them to approach their perimenopause years with positivity and even a celebratory mindset. These absolutely can be the very best years of their lives. Ultimately, we must cultivate in them a desire to love and nourish their bodies during each cycle of their reproductive years, from puberty through post-menopause. If our daughters treat their bodies well through each stage of life, they are almost guaranteed to experience minimal health concerns. This could include prevention of auto-immune diseases, infertility, PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), Thyroid disease, insulin resistance, leptin resistance, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (the 1 killer of women), osteoporosis, anxiety, and depression. Not to mention the common (although not normal) symptoms of hormone imbalance that surround perimenopause and menopause: weight gain, hot flashes, insomnia, low libido, dry vagina, thinning hair, fatigue, and more. Our daughters need to understand that there are multiple options for them if and when they experience uncomfortable hormone imbalance symptoms. These include not only hormone therapy but holistic lifestyle options as well. They must be allowed to choose the option that they feel is best for them, without feeling judgment or guilt for the choices they make. They may want to seek a healthcare professional specializing in menopause to help guide them with this important decision. Ultimately, our daughters should understand that this is a natural progression of life. One hundred percent of women will experience menopause in one form or another if they live long enough. As mothers, we always want the very best of everything for our daughters, including a long, healthy, and happy lifespan. The 2nd talk may just help make that a reality. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Lorraine Miano, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine As a certified health and hormone coach as well as a post-menopausal woman herself, Lorraine Miano discovered her passion of offering menopause advocacy, support and resources to women in all phases of menopause through health coaching, proper nutrition and preventive lifestyle choices. She received her certifications as a Health Coach and hormone health expert from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Lorraine has been able to help even more women by writing and publishing her first book, The Magic of Menopause: A Holistic Guide to Get Your Happy Back! The book helps guide women through the struggles they face as they begin menopause and helps tackle the daily changes such as balancing hormones holistically, getting a better night’s sleep and reducing or eliminating hot flashes, to name a few. It has been named one of the Top Ten books on Menopause by The London Evening Standard and has reached 1 on Amazon’s Best Seller’s List. Lorraine loves to encourage women with her mantra “Menopause is NOT an ending! IT IS a new beginning!”

Written by: Nancy Hovde , 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 motto in my coaching business and personal life is, ask yourself if what you are doing today is taking you closer to where you want to be tomorrow? I believe this is an important motivation motto for everyone from leaders, entrepreneurs, business executives, students, and all individuals who wish to stay on track with their goals and intentions. Are your actions supporting you to feel your best, think your best, perform your best and be your best so that you can live your optimal life? Sometimes roadblocks, challenges, or even a major crisis, such as the global pandemic, can cause uncertainty, discouragement, or feeling blocked from moving successfully forward with our intentions. This can happen even when we have committed to applying the best of our efforts, and suddenly something out of our control throws us off track. A little over a year ago, when the pandemic was just starting, my clients had just started on their New Year Intentions. They were experiencing momentum and motivation from January 1st up until about the middle of March. Then things changed when nearly every state and country were in some form of lockdown. Clients shared their uncertainty which led them to become discouraged. The lockdowns were leaving them hesitant. Instead of feeling the unlimited motivation that had been encouraging their positive intentions and changes before the lockdowns, they shared they were now feeling uncertain, inhibited, and limited with how they could achieve their goals for positive change. Maybe you felt like this, too? I know I had my moments when thoughts would cross my mind about hunkering down, avoid taking any risks, and wait things out. But guess what? I know that choosing any of those options most likely would lead to feeling despair, more uncertainty, and getting stuck in a rut, which will only be harder and harder to get out of. Sometimes, there is no major crisis, and yet, you know you want to feel empowered and have clarity with the positive changes you wish to create, but you are feeling blocked, confused, and hesitant. We need to pinpoint why. Get to the root cause of why you are blocked and feeling uncertain or stuck. Most of the time, there is always at least one fear or limited belief preventing us from moving forward. Being aware of any hidden fears you have about living your optimal life can bring awareness. When you embrace those fears long enough to understand the cause, we can then dissolve those fears and choose empowerment to go for what we truly want. When clients come to me feeling uncertain, blocked, or discouraged, we work through the process and address the issue(s) holistically. We create awareness about how our feeling of uncertainty affects the Mind/Body/Soul: Physically, we feel frozen. Maybe we feel more tired than usual, and all we can think about is getting more sleep. Physical activity can help get us out of a rut or feeling stuck. Just moving the body is moving the stagnant energy. Get moving! Go for a walk, clean out a drawer or closet. Mentally, we may feel bored or feeling overwhelmed. Like you’ve tried everything, and nothing is working, lack of clarity on what you even want or what the next steps should be. Soul, we feel unfulfilled and like there is more to life, more meaning, purpose. You may have a strong nagging feeling that there is something more for you, that your life should have more fulfillment, more meaning. But you have no clue what that could be or how to discover it. Once we understand how uncertainty affects the Mind/Body/Soul, I generally use what I refer to as Reflection for Awareness, Clarity, and Accountability. Throughout this process, we put a really strong focus on everything in the past six to 12 months that was positive. For many of my clients, this can be a more challenging stretch, considering the pandemic that started last year and is still present. So, we have to really dig deep here. The Reflection for Awareness, Clarity, and Accountability process is as follows: The first is awareness. Create a list of everything you can recall in the past six to 12 months that really worked out well for you. This could be with your health/wellness goals, your career or business, any new endeavors, hobbies, activities, new interests, your home environment, relationships, and any area of your life you noticed positive change or improvements. Then, reflect on what was it about these things that actually worked? What was it about them that made them so positive or successful? Was it certain action steps you were consistent with? Was it old beliefs, outdated patterns, or unhealthy habits you let go of and replaced with more nourishing, positive, and inspiring beliefs, habits, and new routines? List whatever you feel was truly positive and beneficial for your wellbeing and your success. This transitions into the next step. The second step is clarity. Now, it is time to be real honest with what didn’t go well. This part of the process will provide clarity that will help us create the right action steps. Of course, I know for many of us, the first thing we can all put at the top of our list of what didn’t go well would be the pandemic. I did this, too, then realized the importance of focusing on other things as well, those things that may have held us back or tripped us up with our goals. Sometimes we trip ourselves up with having limited beliefs or negative self-talk. What do you need to stop doing? How can you make a positive change or improvement to get to where you are now to where you would like to be? Yes, we can all blame the pandemic for tripping up our goals, intentions, dreams, and plans. However, if we truly want to keep moving successfully forward, we’ve got to accept where we are and begin to work within smaller steps if needed. Lastly, the third step is accountability. Hold yourself accountable. Look for opportunities and create action steps. Once we have clarity on what we want, we can begin to create a plan of action. Typically, many of us will sit down at our desks with a laptop or pen and paper to reflect on setting new intentions for positive change. If it works for you, then I encourage you to continue. However, in speaking for myself and a number of clients, getting outdoors, in nature, to reflect can work very effectively as well. In any case, take some time to reflect on the above tips. Allow this insight you’ve reflected on to create those positive changes and new intentions over the next several weeks and months. Embrace having simple but clear goals. Having an action plan is what helps to feel empowered along the way, as well as seeing the successful desired results. If you would like support and encouragement with those positive changes you wish to create, please contact me. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Nancy! Nancy Hovde, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Nancy is a leading Life Empowerment Coach who has combined her professional background, credentials, personal experience, knowledge, and insight to inspire and motivate those who wish to create positive change. For over 15 years, she has empowered clients who desire positive change with career/life purpose, personal growth, or wellness goals. Nancy will help you discover how true change can happen when we use our time and resources to develop our minds and spirits, examine our values, and let go of issues that hold us back. She inspires and guides clients to live their optimal life through her books, blog posts, articles, and coaching services. Nancy is the author of Uber Empowerment and Uber Empowerment Quotes: 500 Inspirational Quotes for Knowledge, Insight & Wisdom. Her credentials include Certified Life Coach, B.A. Interpersonal Communication, Stress Management Specialist, Behavior Change Specialist, and Certified Personal Trainer.

Mona AlHebsi, is an Award-Winning Hotelier, HR Practitioner, Success Coach, Renowned Author, and Speaker. She has recently been named “Most Influential Woman in Hospitality Human Capital” and "Inspirational Female Leader" due to her eminent contributions to the hospitality industry and Human Resources profession. Through her book “Beat The Odds,” Mona aims to provide a roadmap to all hoteliers and working professionals on how to make their work a vehicle to delivering excellence and achieving astounding success. She instinctively knows how to ignite the courage in others to stay true to their values and capitalize on their strengths, which will ultimately steer them towards success and fulfillment. Mona's life mantra is "The more odds you beat, the greater will be your feat"! Who is Mona? I was born near the mountain area in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (one of the 7 emirates in UAE), the eldest of 7 siblings, a wife, and a mother to a lovely 18-month baby boy. I live in Dubai (the city of opportunities), where I have started my working life around 17 years back where I’ve worked with some of the most elite luxury hotels & resorts in the industry like Burj Al Arab, Grand Hyatt, Jumeirah Creekside Hotel & Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel and became highly successful in the field of Hospitality HR, Coaching and Leadership. My mantra in life is, “The more odds you beat, the greater will be your feat”; so, beat the odds and enjoy the rewards. I’m very honored to have had an extremely rewarding career life because I made a conscious decision to enjoy every moment of my career journey and behave differently than the majority in terms of being brave to stretch myself identify the potential opportunities that exist in every scenario that I went through to stay unique and relevant. Henceforth, I won multiple awards and accolades in my industry and field when I did things differently and continued adding value to my community in different shapes and forms. I’m also a passionate author and blogger; I’ve summed up key tips and techniques that I’ve personally applied myself in a career guidebook “Beat The Odds” that’s the main message for working professionals is to continue innovating and finding new ways during their peak career years to become the most sought-after expert in their field/industry. Currently, I’m operating my own Coaching & Consulting Business, and I’m quite content with my current lifestyle as I’m able to spend quality time with my family while I continue contributing and helping committed people create more meaningful careers that will enable them to enjoy a more balanced and better-quality life. What is it that you do for your clients? I’m a Success & Career Coach who helps people to experience real career success by first eroding some limiting mindset and behavioral patterns. We then work on defining priorities and putting them into actionable steps using some powerful tried and tested techniques that I’ve extracted from over 17 years of my professional life. As a coach, I create the space for my clients to express themselves and show them how capable and resourceful they are to turn their dreams into reality. I take them out of their comfort zones, then hold them accountable during our coaching journey and champion them throughout this exciting process of self-discovery. Who should hire/work with you? I specialize in helping women stand out, succeed and be a sought-after expert in their field/industry. I do mostly work with hoteliers in their mid and peak career phase who either feel stuck in their current roles and would like to move on to their next level or looking for more challenging opportunities. I also work with groups and organizations that are looking to empower their female employees to take charge of their careers and be more effective. What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now? I envision myself having a one of its kind academy that creates a positive impact in the community. This academy would cater to the needs of modern women by having experts to help women on both career paths as well as crucial life skills path like things to do with creating life vision, grasping EQ skills, living to enjoy, and achieving personal mastery, to mention a few. Women from all backgrounds and walks of life can join the academy to polish and enhance their life skills, network with other women, and share experiences that will ultimately benefit everyone. Focusing on women and growing their capabilities have always been a passion for me because knowledge is power and powerful women lead to powerful and civilized societies. I didn’t yet decide whether this academy will be fully physical or virtual or a mix of both, considering the pace of changes humanity is going through right now. What are your 3 tips within your expertise? I strongly believe that everyone gets a fair chance in life, and it's up to the person to capitalize on the opportunities he/she gets to create a happy and meaningful life out of it. I’ve talked about the key “Secrets of Profession” extensively in my book “Beat The Odds,” having applied them myself and experienced immense success in my career, I will mention my top 3 here: Identify your core values and innate strengths using the right tools. Stand out by not following the majority and introducing new solutions. Focus on building your personal & professional brand name Big Time! For more personal effectiveness and career success tips, visit my website. Connect with me on LinkedIn and follow me on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook! You can also subscribe to my channel on YouTube. Read more from Mona!

Written by: Henrik Pettersson, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. A thousand years ago, the Catholic Church prepared the people with seven sins to control them; pride, jealousy, lust, wrath, greed, gluttony, and laziness. Conscience issues that would steer the people in the right direction. Our view of conscience today is more about feelings of guilt, which overrides the will and ability to take action. It's unfinished projects that grow into sourdough. We are careless with the economy, ignore a healthy diet and regular exercise. We don’t do enough for the family, and don’t take environmental issues seriously. And so on. Feelings of guilt that eventually suffocate the ability to take action. That makes us overinterpret other people's disapproval. Stress puts us at a disadvantage, which makes us believe that it is better to help others than live our lives. A think tank that drains you of the energy you so desperately need to fix your own projects. Tips that Balance a Bad Conscience Step 1. Conscientious choices. What will your choice result in? Will the consequences be pleasant or anxious? Will anyone be hurt? Will you be beaten, or will you be forced to regret your decision? How will it affect your relationships? Keep in mind that feelings of guilt that remain over 24 hours need to be addressed. Step 2. Accept what happened. Accept that you can’t get it undone and release it as soon as you can. Don’t poison your life, don’t dwell on your mistakes. Understand that perfection doesn’t exist. Instead, adopt a learning mindset. Hold the line for what you know is right and proper, stay in the boat, and continue rowing at the pace you can. No matter how much it blows - continue in the right direction. Step 3. Forgive. Feelings of guilt often come from selfish decisions. One way to punish yourself is to avoid doing what should be done. Instead, embrace courage and take action. An emotional maturity that gives better self-confidence in the long run. Therefore, it is important to ask the one you hurt for forgiveness. Because even if the other person doesn’t accept your apology, it is for your own sake. You must do it for your own self-confidence. Step 4. Only for today. Three words to release the bad conscience and program you for a more balanced life. Does it take time? Yes. Is it worth it? Every day of the week. Ask yourself what you can do to become worthy of your attitude and behavior. Step 5. Start today! "The depressed live in the past, the anxious live in the future, only the balanced life in the present." What Lao Tsu wrote down 2,500 years ago also applies during the IT age. Take control of your emotions today. There’s nothing to wait for! Step 6. Turn the situation around. Retrieve positive things from negative events. For example, if you have overdrawn your account, you see it as a lesson. If you made sure to avoid the training, see it as a start to the important inner conversation. If you backed down from a challenge, ask yourself what might be the benefit of it and come back fully charged with adrenaline. Step 7. Divide. When trying to handle several sourdoughs at the same time: separate the different problems. Dividing both objects and projects into their components is the basis for solving problems successfully; If you can’t solve the problem, divide it and clear the parts separately. In summary It’s about taking out the compass direction for the good conscience while avoiding what hurts you. Feeling guilty does not help the person you hurt. It doesn't make you a better person, at the same time as it risks passivating you. Hold the line no matter how much it blows, stay in the boat, and keep the pace you can. It is guaranteed to increase your ability to deliver strong results. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and subscribe to my Youtube channel! Read more from Henrik! Henrik Pettersson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Since 2004, Henrik has been working as a coach, educator, and motivational speaker around Europe. Life is about growth. The challenge to growth is to gain boldness to handle our fears and vulnerability. To strengthen your spine - to be able to manage your challenges towards stronger results. Life’s tough at times, and the formula for gaining more boldness, and dig deep into, is Faith – Energy – Focus. His new book is built on the three pillars above and is called: program yourself to success. Henrik is frequently hired by large companies like Volvo, H&M, and Avis.

Written by: Louisa Havers, 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. Are you ready to create a frequency of aligned money? If the answer is yes, you need to think about your energy and tame your monkey mind. Everything is energy, a series of frequencies and vibrations. We're all familiar with the idea of waves and frequencies transmitting across space and changing the way we live. Just think, WIFI, radio and tv waves, x-rays, and microwaves; we turn something on, and electrical impulses and frequencies make that thing work. And, if it doesn't work, we look to upgrade the tech or improve the connection. Human beings have their own WIFI too! It's our Aura, a two-way transmission between ourselves and the universe. If things in our lives aren't working as smoothly or as successfully as we'd like, it may mean that our WIFI needs an upgrade; some attention to help tune it to channels that allow us to achieve what we truly want to experience. However, here's the rub, our personal energy field is extremely complex. Our three energetic wisdom centers – head, heart, and hara (the area below our belly button, also called our gut instinct), send out electromagnetic waves that affect everything in our lives – from friendships, family, relationships and health, to money and work. In short, non-aligned or negative thoughts and emotions attract unwanted experiences. Whilst this may seem a scary proposition, it's also an exciting one. By changing thoughts and emotions that don't serve us, we can upgrade our experiences for the better. It's powerful stuff! But what, I hear you say, has this to do with the money? In short, everything! We might be motivated by growth and having more success or an income breakthrough but find ourselves stuck, or worse, going backward. This is what I like to call being halted by the iceberg of consciousness. We're all aware of our thoughts daily, but this conscious thought is only 5-10% of what's actually going on in our minds. It's the tip of the iceberg. Our subconscious and unconscious minds lie beneath the waterline. It's here where our unintentional habitual thoughts, behaviors, values, actions, and identity have the most significant impact on our outcomes. These thoughts affect the electromagnetic waves, frequency, and vibration our human WIFI sends out into the universe. Let me clarify. The reasons we want an income breakthrough are held in our conscious mind, but our motives not to allow the income breakthrough are held in our subconscious mind. If we are not in flow, it's like driving a car with one foot on the brake – creating a push-pull sensation in our lives. We all know the score. We've created our goals, planned our road map, and our conscious mind knows where it's going. But what is our subconscious up to? What if..? What if..? What if..? Have you found yourself on the what-if train? What if I succeed? Can I sustain it? Do I want the extra responsibility? What if my family doesn't approve? What if my friends and colleagues don't like me anymore? What if I have to spend too much time away from my family? What If I go for it and lose it all? What if people find out I'm a fraud? What if I get sick from having to work hard? What if I can't live up to the expectation? Does this resonate? Why is it we feel this fear when we start to get what we want? Stepping outside our comfort zone can trigger our subconscious into giving reasons not to allow success. Our monkey mind is quiet when we're walking the same, well-trodden, safe route. But when we step off this path, it starts monkeying around, questioning the wisdom of our actions. Our brain is just trying to keep us safe - doing whatever it takes to stop us from feeling the fear. It makes us put our foot on the brake. This might have been useful when we were living in caves, but it's not helpful now! Everything we experience is down to the energy state we are in, reflected in three energy flow types. When we're in flow, it feels like everything is going well; it's effortless; work and relationships are thriving; we feel fulfilled, and things feel easier and easier. We are open to allowing things to flow in and to receive them. When we're in resistance, we're making progress towards our life goals, but it feels labored; as if we're moving in the right direction, but something is holding us back, for instance, we manifest an unexpected bill, or we receive more money and then get sick. When we're in reversal, it feels like going backward from our goal and our intention. It can start to manifest with compassion fatigue or crisis fatigue, burning out and impacting all areas of life, health, relationships, and income. No one likes feeling out of alignment, but how do you change your energy state? The most crucial step is to raise your energetic vibration and attraction point; take the path to energetic self-mastery, which helps uncover areas in our energy field impacting our life experiences. Freeing up resistant and reversed energy around money creates the space to manifest that income breakthrough you crave. It means you can increase your energetic attraction point, bringing your Head, Heart, and Hara into the flow. Over time working with my clients, I've developed a method for aligned success. It enables anyone to achieve an abundant and prosperous paradigm and transform their human WIFI so that they can manifest with ease. Four tips for success: A crystal-clear vision and intention - energy follow intention. Therefore a crystal-clear vision of the direction you're traveling and a solid intention is crucial. This is a muscle we need to use and develop. A paradigm and vibration for success - create a frequency and vibration of belief, faith, and certainty by letting go of beliefs that have made a current reality. It's vital to imprint new beliefs that will get you to the next point. Taking aligned action - the energy behind the action you take is vital. It must be aligned and feel good, as your energy is infused in the action you take. Your capacity to receive - what you have in your life now is based on your current level of receiving. Expanding this capacity to receive by improving relationships with fun, joy, and all the good you allow to you helps grow and expand your wealth consciousness. Creating a new paradigm for success is about mastering the art of knowing how to do it; how to hack your subconscious so that you can get into a super flow state and attract all you desire. Using my method for daily intentions enables almost magical manifestation. It's not really magic; it's making simple, practical changes to your energy mindset that transforms your life experience. After all, what could be more exciting and magnetic than building that belief in yourself, having that faith, that frequency of certainty. If you want to learn how to create a new paradigm for success, a new electromagnetic frequency around money and your wealth attraction, then why not join my FREE 5-day Aligned Money Expansion Masterclass? It starts soon and reveals how Coaches can break through an upper-income limit by manifesting in the Akashic Records. Visit my website for more information. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Louisa! Louisa Havers is an internationally renowned Master Transformational Coach, Master Manifesting teacher, Master Akashic Records teacher (Soul Journeys® Method), and business mentor. She enables high achievers and coaches to unlock their superpowers, turbo-charge soul-aligned magnetism, and "lift the ceiling" in both their lives and businesses. It’s a journey Louisa knows works as she’s personally undertaken it. Years spent leading change in the highly pressurized and stressful social services sector led to shingles and chronic fatigue, compelling her to break free from the corporate matrix of overwork. It was the first step to creating her own life of freedom and dream business income. Louisa enables clients across the globe to activate quantum leaps to success in their journey to fulfillment, self-love, and a six / seven-figure income. Daring to live your life’s purpose is genuinely possible under Louisa’s loving, powerful and insightful guidance.

Written by: Betsy Kauffman, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. If we honor our values, they should dictate our decisions. A company’s values should be no different — if a company claims to value a transparent, collaborative work environment, its values, and culture should naturally reflect that. Corporate values are something many companies tout but do not adhere to when the rubber meets the road. But the companies who are authentic about their values — internally and externally — reap the rewards. Let’s look at a few examples. Attracting the right employees: Oftentimes, it is due to their boss or supervisor when people leave a job. But an answer that also ranks high on the list of reasons people seek employment elsewhere is a company’s culture. If a company has a strong set of values and earnestly lives them out, it will attract high-quality candidates who share the same mindset. Creating a Community: You are bringing together an incredibly diverse team from all backgrounds (if you are doing it right, at least) — you need to build a community that has a foundation. Corporate values are a great way to accomplish this. Everyone uses the same roadmap as they operate their respective jobs and responsibilities within the company, and they are all in sync and working toward a common goal. Creating an identity: This starts internally, but the goal is to extend this externally to your potential customers and the public. Many companies are well-known for their customer service or how they exhibit integrity in their business dealings. This public perception begins with a strong code of ethics and values internally. Making Company Decisions: As mentioned above, if we honor our values, they should dictate our decisions. If there are strong corporate values in place and a history of allowing those values to serve as a roadmap to success, decision-making becomes a lot less complicated. When in doubt, revisit those values, and they will point you in the right direction. But how do I create corporate values? If this all sounds great, but you are unsure where to start with creating or revamping your corporate values, there are a few simple steps to help you on your journey. Let your mission statement be your catalyst: This should be the spark that ignites the fire. Your mission statement is what will connect your work to current and prospective employees, as well as our intended audience. People buy from companies that they resonate with, so find the target audience that aligns with your mission and genuinely connect with them. Create values that are unique to your company. Don’t take the easy way out and copy another corporation’s values or grab the first list you see off the Google search. You need to sit down, preferably with other executives and maybe a few employees as well, and have a real conversation around the values the company wants to highlight. Think out of the box and really consider what will resonate with your employees and your customer base. One caveat: make them easy to remember. They can be unique, but they need to be memorable — otherwise, they won’t become a part of the culture organically. Don’t be afraid to evolve. These corporate values shouldn’t be a rotating set of documents, but they shouldn’t be written in stone either. While honesty and integrity will never go out of style, as the market evolves and the company grows, it may be time to revisit and update the corporate values — to reflect better where the company is and where it’s going. At the end of the day, corporate values are all about people. To be successful, you need great people. They may not always agree or come from the same backgrounds, but the corporate values give them something in common as they collaborate to accomplish the company's mission and goals. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Betsy! Betsy Kauffman, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Betsy Kauffman is a globally recognized Leadership and Organizational Agility Coach with more than 20 years of experience working in Fortune 500 companies. Her company, Cross Impact Coaching, helps leaders create innovative, aligned, disruptive agile organizations. Betsy has observed and worked side by side with hundreds of CxO leaders. She has seen just about every variation of how Leadership Teams operate and execute (both successfully and not so successfully). She deeply understands and has experienced firsthand when the team of individuals charged with leading the organization isn't aligned, focused, and working as one; the rest of the organization suffers. She is a published author providing thought leadership to agile and project management communities and speaks internationally on leadership, corporate culture, and organizational agility. She just completed her first TED talk - “4 Tips to Kickstart Honest Conversations at Work” in September 2020 in conjunction with the TED@PMI partnership and was selected by the TED editors to have her talk brought to the main stage– check it out at TED.com!

Written by: Lucie Matsouaka, 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. Imagine a politician that you admire deeply because of the way he carries himself in public. He’s respectful, kind, and seems to truly care about the needs of the people. Moreover, he’s intelligent, well educated, masters his craft, etc. You don’t always agree with everything he stands for, but you admire the fact that, at least, he tries his best to serve the people. Of course, no one is perfect; you know that so you’re willing to work with what you have. What’s not to love about him? He seems to be a family man, an amazing husband who holds his wife’s hand in public and takes good care of his kids. The ideal package. Because of all those great characteristics, whenever you mention his name in conversations with your students, kids, colleagues, or family members, you often refer to him as one of the few leaders you truly respect. Then one day, as you’re watching the news on TV, you hear Breaking News. You see a mugshot of your role model, the man that you aspire to be like with the words, Allegations of Cheating on his Wife with Multiple Women and Domestic Violence. You pause for a moment, all types of emotions running through your heart. You’re angry, disappointed, hurt, heartbroken, discouraged, disgusted, shocked, aggravated, and you feel betrayed. The first words that come out of your mouth are, "I can’t believe this. You don’t even know who to trust anymore." And it’s not over. You now have to find a way to explain to your students, kids, or those who respect you and look up to you why you introduced him as a great person to follow in the first place. That’s uncomfortable, right? Well, we’ve all been there in life. And if you haven’t, it’s coming. I only chose the political arena as an example. How about a university professor, a teacher, a community organizer, a pastor, the CEO of an Inc. 500 company, a colleague, or a dear friend you introduced to your family, anyone you see as respectable? I can guess why you feel disappointed when things like this happen. Deep down in our hearts, we have a clear idea of what true leadership looks like. Even if we don’t always do the right thing ourselves, we have high expectations for our leaders, and we expect them to lead by example. The truth is that their success in one particular area of life gives them influence and credibility in many other areas of life. We now expect them to be honest, transparent, and sincere both in public and behind closed doors. They give us a sense of hope. They permit us to dream big by the way they carry themselves. They challenge us to become better human beings. We tend to forget that they’re all human beings with weaknesses and flaws in those high expectations. We forget (or we don’t know) that the true essence of leadership success is success in our private lives first before we’re successful in the public eye. While we’re watching popular “leaders” do big things in the world, young people are watching as well. They’re not only watching them, but they’re also paying attention to the adults' reactions closest to them. Unfortunately, we keep emphasizing skills while neglecting the most important part: character, the leader's heart. I’ve had these conversations with young people on several occasions, and most of them say the same things, "I can’t wait to become an adult myself because these adults dropped the ball." This to say that those in leadership are not reliable and need to be replaced by people from their generation. What they don’t know is that despite their eagerness, drive, and strong desire to be in charge and become the change they want to see in society, they might end up making the exact same mistakes we’re making today or worse if they don’t have the proper guidance. Sadly, when it comes to leadership, young people often receive their “cues” or guidance from the wrong sources. Whose fault is it? As I said in my previous article , I refuse to blame them. It’s our job to try our best to guide them and put the right (or proper) information in front of them as early as possible. How do we introduce this new type of leadership to the next generation? It starts in our homes, schools, communities, and our seminars. We have to emphasize the importance of integrity in leadership, i.e., becoming a better person overall. Teaching them how to make their values the cornerstone of their lives will allow them to understand what true leadership is about. It will force them to work on their character first and then create the desire to lead with integrity. Here are a few ideas on how to help the next generation of leaders lead better. 1. Self-examine. Always start with yourself. Is there something in your attitude, character, motives, and lifestyle that isn’t healthy? Are you willing to have some people around you who have the capability to hold you accountable? What are your values? What are the things you’ll never compromise? This first step, in my opinion, is the most important because when we get this right, it allows us to identify the type of leaders we can proudly point out to the young people we care about in our lives. 2. Help them develop their self-awareness (personality, strengths, passions, etc.). 3. Expose them to strong , accomplished leaders through books, conferences, podcasts, different perspectives, different ways of thinking, etc. 4. Help them stretch themselves. We need to put our youth in a situation where they’ll be forced to push through their limits and think differently. Push them out of their comfort zone. That’s how they’ll expand and grow. They should start making mistakes while still under our leadership because once they get out there in the real world, it’s tough. We need to give them opportunities to lead projects, speak in public, speak in front of a camera, take the initiative, etc. Meanwhile, we praise them when they succeed and coach them in their failures. 5. Make sure they read, read and read the right books. Leaders are readers! Do some research on the best books on leadership, read them yourself first to ensure that the information aligns with your values, then suggest them to the youth around you. That is why I first asked you to self-examine. You can’t lead anyone where you’re not going. Kids are keen observers. They will easily figure out when you are not truthful or lead by example and confront you. 6. Speak life into their lives. Be generous with your praise, remind them how great they are, and plant the seed of self-belief in them. Help them see themselves just the way God sees them. If you help them see their own potential, they’ll feel empowered to take on bigger challenges, and by default, they’ll expand even more. 7. Last but not least, don’t put leaders on a pedestal, no matter how great they are in your eyes. If you do, you’ll introduce them to others as such. In our home, we teach our kids to be students, not followers. We encourage them to observe, study leaders, and study us. We encourage them to question unethical behaviors or advice. We’re all human beings, and we make mistakes. However, some leaders try their best to be the same in public and private, while others choose to live an inconsistent life made of deceits and lies. At the end of the day, if we want the next generation of leaders to learn how to discern between the two types of leaders and aspire to become the type of leaders that we will be proud to introduce to society, it’s our responsibility to start within our homes, our schools, our small communities, in our everyday conversations. As John Maxwell says, "Everything rises and falls on leadership."[1] My heart desires to help build the next generation of leaders who don’t just learn skills. Anyone can learn skills and build a huge organization. Remember this, the more a leader grows, the more influence s/he gains. If the foundation is wrong, the leader will eventually fall. When a leader falls, it drastically affects the hope of those who believe in a better society. It affects our future leaders. We can prevent this. If you have been inspired to start doing things differently, share this article with others, and let’s continue this important conversation. Now, I want to hear from you! To connect with me, visit my website or follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn , and Instagram . If you speak French, feel free to join our French-speaking community, L'Emergence De L'Entrepreneur , for more tips for emerging entrepreneurs. Read more from Lucie ! Lucie S. Matsouaka, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Lucie S. Matsouaka is a Certified Professional Career Coach who believes that it’s not enough to only help people look good on paper before a job interview. As an International Youth Leadership Coach, she gives them the tools they need to separate themselves from the masses and have a successful career, no matter what that means to them. She founded L’Emergence De L’Entrepreneur, a French-speaking empowerment platform where she teaches emerging entrepreneurs how to navigate entrepreneurship storms to stand out and be successful. Reference: 1. Maxwell, John C. The 21 indispensable qualities of a leader: Becoming the person others will want to follow. HarperCollins Leadership, 2007.

Written by: Motti Wein, 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. "Harassment" is perhaps the most feared word in business today. Each Human Resources department around the world invests countless hours and dollars into training and other preventive measures to avoid it. What if there is a much cheaper and less time-consuming way to protect oneself and one's business from harassment difficulties? Two issues ago, I spoke about being on a “last-name-basis” in all business relationships. This ensures the business relationship remains purely business. Last issue I spoke about the dangers of technology. This issue I would like to conclude the series by discussing: “We” Praising the job vs. the worker Having a positive role model 1. When referring to a member of the opposite gender with yourself, avoid “we” and instead stick to: “You and I.” While on the surface this appears trivial, it is another constructive fence that will ensure the business relationship remains purely business. 2. In a similar vein, when praising a co-worker of the opposite gender, focus on the job they did. “You did a great job” is more appropriate than “You are great.” When praising a spouse, it is just the opposite. “You are great” is more appropriate than “You did a great job.” 3. Words cannot adequately convey the importance of having a positive role model in business. We all have strengths and weaknesses. It is crucial to have someone trustworthy to look up to and confide in weaknesses to ensure we don’t stumble. While easier for such a positive role model to be one’s immediate supervisor, it does not have to be. Depending on the situation, it may even be preferable not to be. If it is more comfortable to confide in a friend, a former teacher, or one’s spiritual leader, so be it. Like most Torah Jews, I have my rabbi I confide everything with, and he guides me. Lakewood, NJ, has been used worldwide as a positive example of how to reopen a close-knit community from Corona without compromising public safety. Our children have not missed a single day of in-person school since schools reopened last summer. Governor Phil Murphy of NJ met with Lakewood's rabbinic leaders, and his staff had daily interaction with the same rabbinic leaders to ensure all protocols were met and being followed. Working as a team, with everyone respecting each other, enabled Lakewood to reopen as it did. We live in a world where flattery is out of control. Everyone wants to be liked by others. As a result, our self-esteem has gone down the tubes. With all the advanced technology today and the amassed wealth we as a whole have merited to earn especially compared to previous generations, psychologists and harassment lawyers are raking in money like never before. Why? Instead of trying to be like others and bridging differences by changing ourselves to fit in, let’s bridge differences by being proud of who we are, staying true to ourselves, and respecting those who are different. My father obm grew up in Brooklyn in the 1950s, a proud Jew surrounded by Italians. I grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, a proud Jew surrounded by virtually every ethnicity. My children are growing up in Lakewood, proud Jews surrounded by Hispanics. My father got along with his neighbors, I got along with mine, and my children get along with theirs. Applying this to the business world, we work with many ethnicities, religions, and demographics. By keeping the business environment business, by being proud of our differences versus being ashamed, and by respecting those who are different, may we merit seeing success, bliss, and eternal happiness both in our business lives and in our personal lives. We will merit a “good name” which no one can take away from us. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to sharing more tips on future issues. Connect with me on LinkedIn or visit my website for more info! Read more from Motti! Motti Wein, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Founded in 2015 by Motti Wein, we don't view honesty as the best policy; rather, we view it as the foundation for all policies. Let us use our cumulative decades of experience in overcoming adversary, leadership, trust, real estate, customer service, business acumen, family values, and our good name to help you manage and grow your NJ real estate investment portfolio. We may be reached at 732-415-8446 or emailed at WeinRealtyLLC@gmail.com. Wein Holdings, Wein Consulting, Wein Management, and Wein Lending are all divisions of Wein Realty, LLC. Please note we are a proud member of "Mem Dalet"--an initiative to encourage traditional Jewish workplace values in an ever-increasing nation-wide culture of harassment & assault against women and general hostility towards religion. For more information, please contact us. Regarding Mr. Wein's work in kosher supervision, please email Wein.ChaimM@gmail.com or MWein@JewishHomeFreehold.org.

Written by: Liz Sparkes, 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 do it. We get stuck in our ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. We feel blocked in areas of our lives and seemly feel as though we can't break free. Patterns within the brain develop at a very young age. Many experiences throughout our lives get held at conscious and subconscious levels. Sometimes we do not consciously recognize that the same situations or repeated life experiences are occurring again and again. Our internal landscape, our mindset, is reflected to a greater extent, in our outside world. We can become accustomed to viewing the world in a certain way because events previously confirmed our worst fears. Therefore encouraging similar patterns and experiences over and over again. Beliefs and thoughts that we hold interact with our experience and ongoing interactions with the world. As human beings, we often block that which we don’t want to feel, and this unprocessed energy then impacts our ability to move forward. Our intention to let go of emotional experiences, allowing integration, is essential to wellbeing, manifesting the life we want and living in a more compassionate presence. Toxic emotions and patterns get held in the body and brain, interacting with our conscious and subconscious. I believe deeply, from personal experience, in the potential of ceremony and ritual for renewal. I really encourage you to read the work of Alberto Villoldo. He explains in-depth how through ceremonial conscious release, we can heal very deeply held emotion. Often these are emotions and emotional blocks that we don’t realize we are holding on to. We are experts at being blindsided by our own emotions. Meaningful acts of love, forgiveness, and the connection with the deepest essence of who we are can rewire aspects that have kept us stuck for decades and even lifetimes! Ceremony and ritual can be subtle and private or within the caring embrace of a group. The use of journaling, writing letters, and detailing the intentions we wish to bring into our lives, followed by a letting go into a fire, can be powerful. It is important when engaging in ceremonial release and intention setting that the background work has been addressed. Any limiting beliefs or subconsciously held patterns that block change need to be welcomed into the conscious. Timing is everything. This is a process that doesn’t need to be rushed but consciously and lovingly worked through. I encourage people to begin to acknowledge the lunar phases, and these support the process of transformation. As the moon waxes towards a full moon, our emotions begin to be pulled to the surface, enabling more clarity of that which is buried deeply. Whereas the quieter time where the energy and light withdraw during the waning phase support a quiet, contemplative time. A time in the lunar cycle that is supportive of planning new and exciting ventures. If you want to invite the new and embrace exciting changes, it really is well worth engaging in the process of letting go. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and visit my website for more info! Liz Sparkes, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Liz Sparkes is a health psychologist, intuitive coach, and meditation and reiki practitioner. After completing a Ph.D. in Pain Psychology and training to facilitate meditation and mindfulness, Liz dedicated herself to helping others feel more empowered and fulfilled. Liz has developed academic and private transformational courses for heart-based living, meditation and compassion, awareness, and moon living. Liz works with groups and individuals in workplaces, health settings, charitable organizations, and holistic retreats. Liz utilizes a mixture of psychological and ancient spiritual methods for healing and to support living life from the perspective of the heart, gaining greater insight and intuitive trust.

Written by: Patricia Faust, MGS, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. You mention the word aging, and most people automatically go to old. There is a lot of ground between aging and old! Aging starts the day we are born. As we age growing up, we initiate a complete change of our body. If you have children, you can watch your child learn and grow right before your eyes. The process is indeed a miracle to behold. You understand these bodily aging changes because you can see them happen. At the same time, the young brain is in a massive growth spurt. Even though you can’t see the brain itself grow, you see the results of the changing brain. You understand that the brain is aging and changing because you can see the physical changes that come with the aging brain. The young brain is growing neurons and synaptic connections in response to the environment. If there are a novel and complex environment, the young brain responds by adding new cells and connections rapidly. All of this extra growth is known as cognitive reserve. These rapid changes continue until around the mid-twenties – the early thirties. Yep, that’s right! The automatic growth of new cells (neurogenesis) and new connections (neuroplasticity) slows down significantly after you hit the ripe old age of twenty-five. The aging brain is making changes in a whole different way after about the age of twenty-five. Cognitive decline starts to happen! Cognition is planning, decision-making, thinking, and speed of processing (ability to think quickly). But through your thirties, you have so much cognitive reserve stored up that you don’t notice the telltale signs of aging. You start burning through the extra cells and connections you grew when you were younger. Because you have these extra cells and connections, you don’t notice any significant changes. Around forty–years old, you start to notice the tip of the tongue problems – you know what you want to say, but you just can't get it out. You forget what you wanted to get from the grocery store and you forget phone numbers, addresses and other bothersome details of life. This is when young adults start freaking out. The biggest fear is that they are on the slippery slope to Alzheimer’s. So, what is going on when your brain is aging? I gave you specific age ranges for these changes. But the truth is, your brain does not know how old you are! Your brain ages by the lifestyle that you lead. The latest statistics from the Alzheimer’s Association state that Alzheimer’s is a lifestyle disease, and lifestyle can actually put you at a 90% risk of developing dementia!! That stat alone can change the whole perspective on how we view Alzheimer’s. It shifts us from victim to control. Growing new cells and recovering brain volume is neurogenesis. More connections in the brain (neuroplasticity) also increase brain volume. The discovery of neurogenesis and neuroplasticity is recent and completely upended the belief that our brains were fixed after age 25 and continued to decline until the day we died. Now we know that we have the power to maintain a high functioning brain until the day we die if we live a brain-healthy lifestyle. Back to the dilemma of aging to old. When do you have to start taking care of your brain? If your brain is still functioning on a high level in your thirties and forties, is it necessary to take the extra steps to keep it functioning on a high level? Yes, it is! To reiterate, our brain ages by the lifestyle that we live. The younger you start living a brain-healthy lifestyle, the less damage you have to repair. To put it plainly, you are never too young or ever too old to start living a brain-healthy lifestyle. So, what is this miraculous brain-healthy lifestyle that can impact the function of our brains? There are a number of different renderings of what should be included in this lifestyle. I use a six-part model to explain brain health. 1. Move/Physical Exercise We have received the DNA hardwiring from our prehistoric ancestors to stay on the move. We are not built to sit around all day. Our first humans died if they didn’t move, and unfortunately, we can die because we don’t move. When we move, our heart beats faster, and we are pushing more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the brain. Our prefrontal cortex (executive center of the brain) is an energy cannibal. Our brain doesn’t have its own energy source and relies on the blood, oxygen, and nutrients sent to it by our heart. This influx of blood, oxygen, and nutrients also release a neurohormone – BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which functions as a fertilizer to help new baby neurons bud from neural stem cells. One of the only ways the BDNF is released is by exercise. You grow new neurons (Neurogenesis) when you exercise! 2. Challenge/ Mental Stimulation Our brain is very good at pruning cells and synaptic connections that we don’t use. In fact, we lose 5% of brain volume every decade after about age 40! When we live in a novel and complex environment, our brain is challenged, and we create new neural connections (Neuroplasticity). Challenging your brain does not mean specifically using online brain games. Taking a vacation to another country where you don’t speak the language can give your brain a big boost. Learn that language before you take your trip, and your brain will love you forever. Anything you do that requires effort to use your brain to the maximum is paramount to growing new synaptic connections. Between Physical Exercise and Mental Stimulation, you are creating brain volume and actually changing your brain. 3. Nourish/ Nutrition The brain is very specific about its nutrients. Many foods can hurt your brain, and many that can help your brain. Western culture has not done a great job of promoting healthy eating. Obesity and diabetes type 2 are at epidemic numbers. Diabetes type 2 is so detrimental to your brain that consideration is given to renaming Alzheimer’s to Diabetes Type 3. The mind diet is touted as a brain-healthy diet. Dark leafy vegetables, dark-red-skinned fruit, olive oil, food sources that are high in antioxidants, dark chocolate (!), and red wine(!) omega 3 fatty acids are core foods that need to be considered in this diet. The body is far better at metabolizing foods, and the brain is more apt to benefit from food sources to provide proper nutrients. 4. Connect/Socialization We are hardwired to connect or to be with other people. The first humans survived by staying in groups. And today, we are dependent on groups to maintain our cognitive health. When we are part of a group, faith-based, family, lifelong friends, etc., we know we have someone watching our backs, and we reciprocate. Research has determined that being part of a group increases our cognition. The isolation of the 2020 pandemic has made a disastrous impact on those who could not communicate freely with other people. The incidence of those diagnosed with dementia died at an increased rate of 16%. They did not die from COVID-19. 5. Sleep We have really short-changed the value of sleep throughout the years. It became a badge of honor if we gave up sleeping to finish big work projects, study for an exam, or have an active social life and still get to work on time. As it turns out, our brains are very busy during the night, and sleep is necessary. During the day, we bring in lots of signals meant to become memories. These signals are held in the hippocampus (center of learning and memory) until we go to sleep. The hippocampus scans the brain for similar memories and consolidates this new memory with others that are already encoded. This consolidation increases signal strength to make recall easier, but the memories will never be exactly as you remembered them. A second function takes place in our brains while we are sleeping. We have glial cells (another type of brain cell) that form channels filled with cerebral spinal fluid. These channels run throughout our brains. During sleep, the glymphatic system cleans and flushes toxins and cell debris accumulated in the brain. You put yourself at a higher risk of developing dementia when you don’t sleep. 6. Calm/Stress This is another hardwired gift from our prehistoric ancestors. Our brain is always on alert because its main function is to keep us alive. The acute stress cycle is kicked off automatically when our brain senses danger, real or imagined. Adrenalin starts flowing throughout our brain and body before knowing that we have responded to a stress event. It doesn’t matter how hard we work to have a healthy brain. If we can’t control our life's stress, we negate all of the beneficial changes we made in our brains. When we can’t get out of the chronic stress cycle, we are pushing cortisol, the ultimate stress hormone, throughout our brain and body. Cortisol doesn’t care what it destroys. And our brain takes a huge hit with a loss of neurons and synaptic connections resulting in less brain volume and a lower functioning brain. Stress and the aftermath of stress is a big topic, worthy of its own article. Reading about maintaining a healthy brain, and practicing this lifestyle, come in at two different levels of awareness. Intellectually understanding the importance of living this lifestyle is paramount to practicing it. Commitment to making these life changes results in a high-functioning brain until the day you die. With some education and coaching, you can change your brain and, ultimately, change your life. For more info, follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and visit my website! Read more from Patricia! Patricia Faust, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Patricia Faust is a gerontologist specializing in brain aging, brain health, brain function, and dementia. She has a Masters in Gerontological Studies degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Patricia is certified as a brain health coach and received a Neuroscience and Wellness certification through Dr. Sarah McKay and the Neuroscience Academy. My Boomer Brain, founded in 2015, is the vehicle that Patricia utilizes to teach, coach, and consult about brain aging, brain health, and brain function. Her newsletter, My Boomer Brain, has international readers from South Africa, Australia, throughout Europe, and Canada. Patricia’s speaking experience spans the audiences' spectrum as she addresses corporate executives on brain function, regional financial professionals on client diminished capacity, and various senior venues concerning issues around brain aging and brain health.

Written by: Sandra D´Angelo, 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 know the feeling when you are super busy, doing way too many things at once but keep feeling frustrated because you aren’t getting the desired results? You feel stressed, a bit overwhelmed, and yet you continue to pile on the pressure. So you work even more, harder, longer, and eventually, all that work yields results. But at what cost? In this article, I will be sharing 5 quick ways to increase your work productivity. These quick hacks will help you focus your energy and use your time more wisely. 1. Set weekly and daily goals. Imagine getting into your car and start driving without having a clear destination. Initially driving around will be interesting as you will get to know new places, but eventually, your car will run out of petrol, and you need to refill. Your petrol bill will start getting higher and higher, and with time, you start getting tired of driving around aimlessly. The same can be applied when setting your work goals. If you don’t set them, you will spend your work hours jumping from one task to another without a clear plan. It will be easy for you to get distracted by all the tasks that come your way, and it gets hard to say “no” because all of a sudden, everything starts to seem urgent and important. You find your energy and efforts to be all over the place, which results in you getting more tired, stressed, and distracted. In the long-term, wandering around without a clear goal and plan won´t bring many positive results. Instead, it is more likely to impact your motivation and your physical and mental well-being negatively. Remember: A confused mind cannot take effective action. If you aren’t clear on the exact destination – how will you know which path leads you there? Now you might be saying to yourself, “Sandra, I already have my goals set,” to which I would reply, “do you get them done?” To help you reach the goals , you set it is important to break them down into smaller, more obtainable goals. Breaking your goals down into smaller pieces helps your brain process them more efficiently by knowing exactly what needs to be done every day and helps track your progress better. If you haven’t done so already, start setting up your weekly goals as of this moment. Start by asking yourself: What do I want to achieve by the end of this week? (be as specific as possible) Why do I want to achieve that? Why is that important to me? What difference will it make once I have achieved these goals? After you have identified your weekly goals, identify your daily goals: What do I need to achieve each day to get to where I want to be at the end of the week? Once you have your daily goals, think about specific daily tasks which will propel you towards reaching your daily goals. Write these tasks down on your to-do list (priorities, secondary importance tasks, additional tasks + set clear deadlines). *If you wish to receive a free Worksheet that will help you outline and customize your step-by-step Weekly Action Plan – reach out to me! 2. One task at a time. A lot of us consider ourselves to be great multitaskers. The truth is that by multitasking, you end up constantly switching your focus from one task A to task B or C, Which can be very distracting. You may feel as if you are super productive because you are doing many things at once. But at the end of the day, when you reflect, you realize that you might have compromised the quality of the tasks you performed, or you may have actually taken longer to perform them together rather than focusing on each task separately. Focusing on less, you actually achieve more because you will be “all-in,” so to say. All your energy, focus, and effort will be dedicated to that one thing in front of you. Higher quality and greater results are guaranteed! 3. Get comfortable with saying “no.” Being a “yes-person” won’t make you more liked, appreciated, or respected. You cannot please everyone, and you shouldn’t strive to please everyone. Especially not at the cost of losing your own authenticity. Setting your goals will help you understand what your priorities are. According to that, you will understand what you need to do and say “no” to everything else that doesn’t serve you. You can come back to those extra tasks later once you have checked off the priorities of your list. Being able to say “no” doesn’t mean that you are arrogant or selfish. It means that you respect yourself and your time. It means that you know how to spend your time and energy wisely and therefore achieve higher results. 4. Take breaks. Working long hours without taking breaks won’t increase your productivity or effectiveness at what you do. Working without breaks does exactly the opposite. It makes you less focused and more stressed. You are no good to anyone if you are running on empty. Make sure not to skip your lunch breaks and take regular small breaks throughout your day. Ideally, you want to distance yourself from your desk. Get a glass of water, get some fresh air, and change your environment, even if it is just for a minute. 5. Be the first one in the office and do hard tasks first. Now I know this might not be for everyone, but you may need to work harder to improve your productivity. Not everyone wants to start their workday earlier than they have to. It can, however, turn out to be very productive! I used to do that all the time, not because I had to do it but because I wanted to do it. Your focus is normally at the highest in the morning so being in the office before your colleagues will allow you to have your peace and quiet time — no distractions. You will be able to achieve more in less time. Additionally, dealing with difficult tasks first will give you a sense of accomplishment early in the day, which will help you go through the rest of your day in a less stressed and, therefore, more effective way. Interested to learn more about increasing your focus, taking effective action, boosting your productivity, and achieving outstanding results in your career & privately? Learn more about my services & reach out to me. For more information, connect with me on Facebook , LinkedIn and visit my website ! Read more from Sandra! Sandra D´Angelo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sandra D´Angelo is a full-time Certified Life Coach & Trainer dedicated to coaching Business Professionals in being more successful and making a bigger impact in their careers & privately. Sandra believes that every individual can achieve whatever they set their minds to and that all they need is already within them. She helps them analyze where they currently are, where they want to be and then bridge that gap through her specific coaching program. Sandra holds an MBA in Communications & PR and has years of experience working in sales & consulting in Switzerland and Germany. Including building two successful business units from scratch. Before becoming self-employed, consulting & coaching have always been a part of Sandra´s professional life. Behind her is a strong track record of professionals from different backgrounds who she helped to explore their true potential and create the lives they want.