Written by: Kim Wilkinson, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. When most people hear the word Trauma, they often think of First Responders and/or people who have suffered a violent act such as physical or sexual abuse. Trauma is the response to an event that overwhelms an individual's ability to cope. Trauma is resistance to Grief. I will explain this more later. Our earliest experience of trauma can happen in the womb and often, for most of us, trauma is experienced in our first year of life. If a woman has a significant amount of stress during pregnancy or experiences trauma herself, those traumatic emotions can be felt by the baby. If the actual birth has complications, the baby can experience trauma. Just because we can’t remember something doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect us. If our basic human needs such as the need to feel safe, the need to be loved, the need to be heard and the need to belong are NOT being met, we can experience trauma. How many times have we heard “if baby has been fed, and baby has been changed, let baby cry.” If you are a parent, guaranteed you have done this, I did. We only know what we know. What we know we have learned from what we have been taught and from our experiences. If I knew 20 years ago what I know now, I would have parented much differently, and I likely would have been able to handle my own trauma better. The experiences a child has in his/her first three years of life and whether or not those basic needs are met impacts the child’s brain development and also determines their ability to cope and self-soothe later on in life. These first three years are so much more important and crucial than we realize. As parent’s our intentions are good. However, most of us can barely manage our own stress and traumas, so what do you think we are teaching our children? It is no wonder there are so many concerns regarding mental health and addictions. We have created many of these problems unconsciously. This is known as GENERATIONAL TRAUMA. Most of us don’t remember our first three years of life, so of course, we are not going to remember this trauma, but I can tell you it is very real, and it lies deep within. Today’s triggers can take us back to those initial unpleasant experiences where we didn’t feel safe, loved heard or that we belonged. This reflects in our current behaviors such as anxiety, depression, anger, etc. A child being left to cry can experience feelings of abandonment, feelings of being unloved, not worthy, not belonging. When a child cries or throws a “temper tantrum” they are trying to communicate how they feel emotionally. This “behavior” is the only way they know how to communicate their emotions at that age. We tend to view it as bad behavior and at times will punish them for this. Whether it is a time out, being sent to their room, or scolded, the underlying message being sent is that they are not entitled to be heard, that their feelings don’t matter and/or to grieve alone. Grief. This is another word very misunderstood. When most people hear the word grief they think of death. While this is very true, grief is something we experience with any loss and/or change in familiar patterns of behavior. Losing a pet, your job, your health, your home, a relationship, losing the feeling of being safe, loss of connection (covid is a great example of this), loss of feeling in control, these are a few of the many situations in life that can cause GRIEF. Most of us are actually taught to avoid and distract from feeling grief. We are told and taught, “suck it up,” “don’t cry or don’t feel bad,” “just give it time,” “keep yourself busy,” and to basically just do anything other than feel the pain or discomfort of whatever we are going through. We eat, drink, shop, work, gamble, binge Netflix, or actively use substances to avoid dealing with the pain, the grief. This is what can lead to addiction. This suffering is a result of unresolved grief that has created trauma. When we don’t deal with the grief, all of that emotional energy is stored within, creating chaos in the body. This is Trauma, resistance to grief. We get triggered, and we continue to go to our distraction tool and end up stuck in suffering. That stored emotional energy eventually shows up physically in the body as illness and/or disease. Anxiety, depression, extreme anger, exhaustion, constant judgment, isolation and dissociation are symptoms of UNRESOLVED GRIEF, also known as TRAUMA. Our behaviors (especially those viewed as unhealthy, negative or unethical) are trauma responses. These often roots back to our basic human needs not being met or from not properly dealing with the grief caused by an overwhelming emotional experience. We have these trauma responses because whatever has triggered us has caused us to not feel safe or not feel loved or heard or that we belong. It takes us back to the initial pain from experience and we re-live the experience. This cycle drives us deeper into our trauma, deeper into suffering. Again, we only know what we know and without this awareness, we continue to stay stuck in our trauma, without any healing or coping mechanisms and continue to teach this perception and these behaviors generation after generation. We do this because it is all we know. In our minds, in our belief systems, this is how we deal with life. There is a much better way. We can find healing. We can find freedom. We can find joy. Yes, we will continue to be triggered, yes, we will have more unpleasant experiences, but we can learn to better manage them and move through them and not stay stuck in a place of suffering. I am hoping by now you have a different awareness, a different perspective and perhaps you can even see that you have some trauma, some unresolved grief that you were not aware of. I have had many clients initially tell me they haven’t had any/or much trauma or grief and soon after working together, they come back to me with a long list of experiences that they realize have created unresolved grief and trauma. When a person can learn to recognize this and can work through the specific actions to find completeness to the pain, to ensure their basic needs are met, to let go of the emotional energy that has been stored, not only do they heal, but they also transform. Their overall health improves, their relationships with family and friends improve, they find peace and even joy. It is time to break the cycle of generational trauma. Things are going to happen. We are going to experience losses. We are going to have struggles in relationships, in our careers and with health. We are even going to have to deal with death at some point, even if it is someone who has reached the end of a long life. We may even experience violence. We can’t avoid these things, but we can learn to manage them better. We can learn to better educate and support our children. We can start to break the cycle of generational trauma and even reduce the risk of mental health and addiction concerns. To learn more about Trauma and Healing, get instant access to my FREE 1hr Trauma webinar https://mailchi.mp/09ca8b3dce3a/instant-access-to-trauma-presentation To learn more about online programs and workshops for mental and emotional health (including parent programs and workshops) visit https://linktr.ee/mom.calm Kim Wilkinson For FREE resources and additional supports for managing Mental and Emotional Health, please click here and visit my page. For more information on the Grief Recovery Program, visit my website or follow me on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube , LinkedIn , and Twitter . Read more from Kim ! Kim Wilkinson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kim Wilkinson is an expert in Emotional Health and in helping people to move from SUFFERING to EMPOWERMENT. Through her own family struggles with Mental Health, PTSD, Addiction, and Traumas, including losing her 22-year-old son to overdose, Kim found healing, recovery, and transformation. Most of all, through this journey, what Kim found was purpose and a passion for helping others. Kim's approach with clients is one of compassion, non-judgment, and patience. She knows firsthand how applying specific tools and techniques can bring healing and recovery and bring abundance and success in all areas of life. Kim continues to work a few days a week at the Addiction Treatment Centre that her son attended. However, most of her time is focused on supporting people through Grief Recovery (online and in-person). A message from Kim "The whole world is grieving right now, and we all have unresolved grief. It's time to learn how to take care of our Emotional Health and break the cycle of Mental Health concerns and find an end to our suffering."

Written by: Jenny Gattinger, 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. After much wait, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was recently signed into law by President Biden. With this latest stimulus package, Americans making less than $75,000 ($150,000 for married couples filing jointly) will receive a check of $1,400 per person plus up to an additional $1,400 per qualifying dependent. So, what are some ways you can best put your stimulus check to use? You may be wondering… Pay your outstanding bills. If you’ve been struggling to pay your bills during Covid times, paying those off with your stimulus check should be your main priority. Start or fund your emergency account. Traditionally, it was recommended to have an emergency fund equaling between 3 and 6 months of expenses. However, considering the current state of the pandemic, some financial professionals are now recommending having up to 1 year of expenses socked away in an emergency fund. If you’re just starting out, make sure to check out high-yield savings accounts for the best interest rates. Pay off debt. Have you been relying on your credit cards to get you through Covid times? If so, your stimulus check could be used to pay off your credit card debt. Not sure where to start? You can start by listing all of your debts from smallest to largest. After making minimum payments on each debt, put any extra money towards the smallest debt to knock it out. Once that one is gone, put the amount you were paying towards it towards the next smallest debt to knock that one out and so on. This “snowball method” allows you to build momentum to power through paying off all of your debts. Sinking funds for big purchases. Are you planning to purchase a house within the next few years? Or maybe you realize that your car will need a replacement soon? Heck, maybe you’re dying to go on your first post-pandemic vacation! If you are current on your bills, have a fully-funded emergency fund, are debt-free and you anticipate a big, upcoming expense, you may want to deposit your stimulus check into your corresponding sinking fund to get you closer to your saving goals. Invest. If you find that none of the above applies to you, your stimulus check is the icing on the cake. Take advantage of the extra money and pay yourself first! Whether it be finally getting around to opening an IRA or putting the extra money into the one you already have, here’s your opportunity. Not to mention, you still have until April 15, 2021 to invest for 2020. Investing your extra $1,400 can go a long way. Just how long? $1,400 invested for 30 years at a 7% conservative average rate of return would be $10,657. Not bad! If you’ve already got your retirement accounts fully funded, another option could be to invest in an S&P Index Fund, in individual stocks or REITs. Generally speaking, the younger you are, the more room for risk you have. You can read up on some of Jim Cramer’s picks for more information. Interested in learning more about how to organize your finances? Join our upcoming group coaching course where we will dive into financial goals, budgeting, saving strategies, passive income, side hustles and retirement saving strategies. Here’s to taking action and powering up your finances once and for all. Your future self will thank you! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jenny! Jenny Gattinger, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jenny is a personal financial coach with a passion for helping millennials reach their financial goals. Having completed a degree in Economics, along with Dave Ramsey’s Financial Coach Master Training, she teaches them how to organize their money and put it to work so that one day, sooner rather than later, they won’t have to. A millennial herself, Jenny’s financial savviness has allowed her to follow her dreams of travel and visit 50+ countries as well as compete internationally in two different sports, all while maintaining a sense of financial wellbeing.

Written by: Jamie Dooley, 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. Heart Alchemist, Manifestation Coach & Brainz Magazine Executive Contributor Women all over the world are waking up to the biggest lie marketers and advertisers have swooned us with for the past century; that we don’t have enough, are not enough, and that they have the solution. Not enough beauty Not enough sexiness Not enough love Not enough money Not enough time Not enough education Not enough health Not enough fitness Not enough organization Not enough cleanliness When you look outside of yourself for these things, marketers are correct, you will not have “as much” as someone else (comparatively), which can feel like “not enough.” And since we can now peer into the lives of millions of people we don’t even know on social media, there is always someone showing us how much more they have than us. It’s an advertiser’s dreamland! Every woman reading this has been raised in a time of consumerism and materialism. It’s so mainstream and prevalent in every minute of our day that we completely forget our attention is bought and sold. We are the commodity. Neuroscience shows us just how unconscious our daily programming is. If we don’t do the work to activate the future planning part of our brains, we are basically just Zombies, consuming the latest thing or trend that will make us feel alive for two minutes, making the same choices day after day, without any forethought about what we’d prefer instead. Listen up, sister ...no person or thing that exists outside of you can EVER fill your internal well like an open heart can. Nothing. You will easily spend a million dollars over your lifetime trying to fill that void of not enough . OR, you could learn this secret now, work less, and finally build that dream home, travel the world and leave your mark on the world. Wake up! After coaching hundreds of women privately, I have found that women have MORE THAN ENOUGH of everything we need ALREADY WITHIN us. When you learn how to open your heart fully, your perspective shifts, instantly, to see all of the abundance you already have. You realize the latest face cream or running shoes aren’t going to make you feel young. Feeling young makes you feel young. You realize a weekend getaway won’t make you fall more in love with your partner. Feeling love for your partner makes you fall more in love with your partner. See, we have all the chemicals we need inside of us to make us feel any emotion we desire. We simply have been SOLD the idea that things trigger the emotion. YOU trigger the emotion! Your thoughts, your visions, your creative ability to manifest in the quantum field. Women (and men with balanced masculine/feminine energy) are skilled at it naturally. It’s just that we forget! It is the divine feminine gift we were given, that so few learn to use. We have everything we need to birth something out of nothing. And when you learn how it will change everything. Your heart is either open, or it’s closed. Your life is either in a state of expansion or contraction. You can’t be a little pregnant. And your heart can’t be a little open. You can have gradients of resistance to being open, but there is only one vibratory emotion tied to an open heart; Unconditional Love. ...The kind that lives within you ...The kind that is Universal ...The kind you were sent here WITH, already planted deep inside of you But, unfortunately, we aren’t taught about it in school. We are taught about everything we lack and given this basic formula to get to “enough:” Go to college and get massively in debt before age 22 Get a job you don’t particularly like to pay off that debt Make money to buy things, so you feel good about yourself Get a promotion or raise to keep up with the people you aren’t keeping up with (all 1 million of them that you can now see from your pocket on social media) Go back to school or hire a 5 figure coach when you realize you don’t have enough skills to make enough money to buy enough things that will make you feel skinny, young or loved Women all over the world are waking up to this ridiculous mind prison that keeps us stuck living the same program and pattern day after day, never dropping into our hearts to check in with ourselves about what we truly want instead. Never realizing how complete, whole, and perfect we already are. When your heart is open, and you live your life with a flowing “Internal Well” you always have enough because your vibration is one of abundance. You attract people, ideas, and opportunities with ease. New ideal clients pour in. Your spouse starts flirting with you. You find space for rest and play. Your creativity soars. Your heart is the most underutilized tool you own. Reach out to me if you’d like to learn more about how to expand it. Connect with me and more women like you in our free Facebook community , and visit our website to learn more about our programs. Read more from Jamie ! Jamie Dooley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jamie Dooley is a highly intuitive, heart-based life and business coach, who teaches the art of expansion through energy healing and writing. She is the CEO of The Expansion Group, a collaborative for female dreamers, doers, bosses, and entrepreneurs. Jamie is also the author of Self-Coaching Mastery, and a manifesto expert who teaches women how to embody their sexiest, healthiest, wealthiest selves and have fun in the process.

Written by: Moniek James, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. When you're running a business, your content that helps prospects and customers build Know, Like and Trust and get the most out of your company. Particularly when we think about social media content, we think about the context for product-based businesses and are focused on highlighting the product itself. The value of content for a service-based business isn’t often considered, and there may be missed opportunities to raise awareness, build credibility, engage with potential customers, or retain existing customers. The first content idea is testimonials. If you struggle with finding the right words to say to connect with your audience, allow your existing customers and clients to say it for you. User-generated content (UGC) is brilliant social proof because potential customers have an opportunity to identify with your existing customers and see themselves in their experiences. You also get to plant the idea that people are already buying from you, which creates a sense of FOMO, fear of missing out, and supports sales. As a service-based business owner, your work probably involves direct interaction with the people you serve, so sharing your business birth story and your learning journey adds a layer of credibility to your offers. In the online world, it’s easy for a person to pretend to be something they’re not, so don’t be shy about touting your unique combination of experience, education and skill. Sharing what you’ve learned along the way shows that you can be a pain reliever for your intended customers. Who’s on your team? Highlight the people who help you support your customers and clients every day. Adding a human face to your brand creates connections that aren’t possible when you only talk about your product. Service-based business owners have the luxury of “touching” every customer, so give people an idea of who they can expect to interact with once they invest in your business. Sharing behind-the-scenes content is good for fostering connections as well. If your business creates some type of visual transformation, sharing before and after content is incredibly powerful. No matter what industry you’re in, social media users love to see the astonishing results of how a person, place, or thing has been changed, and you can show what the results of working with you look like. Even if your product isn’t something that can be held in a customer’s hands, there is an opportunity to position your service-based business as a trusted resource while preparing your audience to buy from you. Allow your social media content to help your business grow. For mindset, marketing, and business ownership tips, connect with Moniek on Instagram or her website ! Read more from Moniek ! Moniek James, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Moniek James is a Master Content Strategist, veteran, military spouse, speaker, author, columnist, and online entrepreneur. Her passion is teaching purpose-driven business and brand owners how to leverage strategic content marketing to build awareness, establish credibility and create their profitable digital footprints. Moniek has been featured in the Huffington Post, Fit Small Business, VoyagePhoenix, and the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs and believes that entrepreneurship is a building block to economic empowerment.

Written by: Yvette Bodden, Guest Writer Brainz Magazine The word power reflects strength, might, or force that is not always tangible. Countless men and women want it, and oftentimes the people who possess the elusive gift are the select few that can grant it forward. Power comes in many forms, such as financial, political, social status, title, connections, and expertise. It can be tied to who or what you know and where you come from, but either way, people go to great lengths for a chance to get a piece of it. Regardless of how it’s obtained, once received, it becomes a major responsibility to bear. Managing power can be taxing for those that do not understand how to use it. There are plenty of do-gooders who help the less fortunate or broken, using their influence to benefit others. Unfortunately, some individuals maneuver circumstances forcibly or maliciously that can overwhelm their victims, causing distress and mental or physical suffering. The variations of how authority is manipulated are dependent upon a list of factors that impact how we step into our power. Personalities, psychological history, emotions, and gender can affect our relationship with power. Meaningful differences are possible between men and women when it comes to the handling of power. The expectation for a man is to remain in control constantly. Men are conditioned from a young age not to cry or demonstrate emotion. Generations of males are trained to perpetuate the idea, clench to their personal power by repressing feelings. Society’s perception is for males to lead in business, religion, and relationships. It isn’t unheard of for women to seek security in a male partner. In fact, a lot of us are raised to believe this is how partnerships work. Men protect, provide a safe haven ensuring his family’s security. This can set unconscious limitations that leave those around them in a precarious mindset of extreme vulnerability and disadvantage. Fortunately, times are slowly changing and moving away from the old-school ways of thinking. Power comes in numerous ways, and now more than ever, women are using their voices to express it. The mighty force, however, does not come without burden. Guilt can be an indirect consequence of power when actions are misaligned with character. The feeling of culpability can also creep in when you come into a position of strength unaware of its true energy. Occasionally, women walk into circumstances where exercising power can result in remorse. Personal feelings related to low self-esteem or lack of self-worth can feed insecurity, creating unproductive guilt. The idea that we don’t belong in a boardroom, commanding role, or anywhere we are the only woman standing can be intimidating. This is the moment where owning one’s power minus guilt becomes vital to our individual growth. The person in a room full of highly experienced, educated, and accredited individuals who, on paper, have everything that spelled success. Living in guilt of enjoying the company of people who lived a life of privilege. What made me think I could take part in a world that I couldn’t afford? A woman ending a marriage that no longer made her or a spouse happy. Experiencing the anguish of a broken relationship where boundaries set were overstepped and expectations not met. What right did I have to be true to myself, instead seek life that celebrated my authenticity? An entrepreneur and author born from a need to inspire others. It was the first time I’d written for others. Never did I imagine there was a book inside of me. How dare I assume that I could do or be more? What business did I have being a Writer? These women represented me at different times in my life. It has taken years to embrace who I am and take my power back without regret. Baseless guilt has the potential to hinder you from greatness. If you feel bad or remorseful about walking into your power, begin the process by taking these pivotal steps. Silence the Negative Voices: We all struggle with self-doubt and insecurity. It is the whisper trying to convince us that we will fail or the fear that stops us from even trying the things we most desire. We cannot control what happens to us, but we do have a say in our thoughts and beliefs. Quieting the negativity that comes from a lack of confidence or courage sets a tone for future actions. Recognize Worth: There is no one else like you. Each of our unique stories matter and have lessons that can help someone else. Your thoughts, ideas, dreams, and emotions are important, so is what you bring to any table. Do not shortchange yourself by believing you have nothing to offer. We all have something to give back to the world. You demonstrate power when you acknowledge that you are deserving of greatness. Learn the Power of Self: Embrace your truths, the good, bad and painful. The experiences lived are fragments of a story but do not define who we will be or predetermine the journey's course. One of the most powerful gifts we can give ourselves is to allow being seen and heard. It isn’t necessary to take on anyone’s burdens or be who others expect you to be. Living in your authenticity is power in itself. There is a lot of freedom in standing in the power of the true self. Understanding one’s individual power and how it can be used positively is life-changing. Guilt can be eliminated by reaching self-acceptance and realizing our value. I invite you to step into your power, relinquish the guilt, instead shine your light without fear of its rare brilliance. Follow Yvette on Facebook and Instagram. You can also visit her website at www.awakened-woman.com.

Originally from Maine, Heather has been a dancer & performer her whole life and spent the majority of the last decade performing on the stages of Las Vegas. Over a year ago, she embarked on her spiritual journey and was led to The Emotion Code method of energy healing- and the rest is history! Heather owns a remote energy healing business called Soul Path Energy Healing and currently practices the Emotion Code modality (though her repertoire is expanding quickly!), supplemented by Oracle Card readings and other offerings to help her clients process the healing that they are receiving. This work has changed Heather’s life and the lives of so many others. She is so passionate about her purpose and hopes to help as many people as possible through this miraculous work! Who is Heather? “I am many things. I am a daughter, a sister, a lightworker, a healer, and a lover. I have worn many hats (literally) over the years. When I was six, I began ballet lessons and graduated with my BFA in ballet performance from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. After that, I promptly moved to Las Vegas to be a showgirl in the strip’s longest-running, last-standing, classic showgirl show, “Jubilee!” at Bally’s. After I left the show, I moved to LA for a stint. I studied improvisational comedy at the renowned Groundlings school before moving back to Vegas to work a variety of odd jobs that kept me afloat while taking part in a lot of community musical theatre productions. I also launched my first business, Princessland Productions, and enjoyed bringing magic to kids’ birthday parties all over the valley. And then… I hit my breaking point and had my lifetime low. The nutshell version? I got my heart smashed, was miserable at my day job, was betrayed by someone I trusted, was thousands of miles from my amazing family; I was the closest I’d ever been to depressed. It was a perfect crap storm, and something finally snapped in me, and I realized I was completely done with the day-to-day life I was leading. I needed a massive life change. So that’s when I got myself a life coach and an Emotion Code Practitioner, and my energy healing journey took off from there! I’m now back in Maine and have been growing my beautiful remote business, Soul Path Energy Healing, for over a year now.” What is it that you do for your clients? “I think the easier question would probably be, “What don’t you do for your clients?” We can tackle such a wide variety of issues via the energy healing work that I do. Basically, we get right to the root of whatever issue my client wants to work on, whether physical, mental, or emotional. I’m able to tap into the subconscious mind, which has all the answers, and receive information about what trapped, negative, emotional energies are contributing or causing the issue they are experiencing. Of course, are they consciously aware that their best friend ghosting them back in 6th grade for a week may be contributing to their lack of self-love at age 45? Probably not! But by clearing these unconscious emotional contributors, clients can see a HUGE shift in their confidence, their openness, their worthiness, and their overall happiness.” Who should hire/work with you? “Great question! Some of the individual issues I help people with regularly include chronic pain, feeling anxious, moving fully past trauma, unhealthy life patterns, self-sabotage, procrastination, lack of self-worth, lack of self-love, the energetic walls around their hearts, attracting their ideal clients on repeat, finding their life’s true purpose, confidence, better sleep—the list goes on! But what I’m realizing is that I’ve attracted a lot of beautiful clients who have come to me with one issue or another and have continued working with me for months because something in them shifts. They really begin to awaken in a spiritual sense. Meaning that they become more open to this bigger picture of the Universe and what their life’s purpose may be, and how to move forward with this newfound knowledge and lust for life. So to answer your question, people who feel like there “might be something more than this 9-5 nonsense” or people who know they are stuck because of suppressed trauma and are ready to let it go and move forward happily and healthily—these are the people I love to work with because so often they end up realizing that they have their own lightworker abilities as well. A couple of my clients have the ability to communicate with spirits and the like—it’s so incredible to be a part of their journey and to witness their evolution (as well as my own!).” What is your big goal? "My big goal is to reach as many people as possible to help them on their healing and awakening journey. I am currently developing a program for those in the beginning stages of ‘waking up’ and who want to learn the basics of energy work. There will be lessons and videos on all kinds of ‘woo-woo' topics such as crystals, muscle testing, intuition, channeling, and so much more! (Launch date coming soon! Follow me on Instagram for the latest updates!) I’m also working on my own skills constantly by receiving my own healing from other lightworkers/healers. The more shadow work we do, the more our intuition opens up. I’m living proof of this! When I began my business, I was certified and practiced the Emotion Code modality, which I primarily use. However, because I’m so tapped in now, I can receive information psychically while working on clients—whether it’s messages from loved ones who have crossed over, full scenes from people’s past lives, or physical sensations. I’m constantly evolving, and it’s really an exciting journey! One of my other big goals is to focus more on group healings soon, rather than just one-on-one sessions, again, in an effort to help even more people. I will also be hosting a spiritual retreat in Bali, July of 2022 with a good friend of mine, and we will be announcing details on that soon as well! The more people I can reach with this beautiful work, the more people can heal themselves from the things that are keeping them stagnant, and the more we can raise the collective vibration of the planet!” Follow Heather on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and visit her website for more info! Read more from Heather!

Written by: Sarah Cady, 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. Maybe you just aren’t worth it. Maybe your value is just pretty low. Maybe you shouldn’t be investing in yourself with your time, energy, or with your (or your spouse’s/family’s) money. You shouldn’t if you are truly not worth it. Full disclosure out of the gates here—as a practitioner and coach, I happen to think you are worth it and that you do hold great value, but that obviously doesn’t matter enough to benefit you if you disagree and, most importantly, don’t act like you are of value. What matters is if you think you are worth it—worth caring for, worth saving. It’s ultimately for you to decide. I see the disconnect often in my practice—people will think and say they are of value but then will not act accordingly. So, how much are you worth? Let me rephrase that, "How much do you act like you are worth? What is your value? What is the price tag (figuratively and literally) you would put on yourself? How much is your happiness worth? How much is your health and well-being worth? What is the price you would pay to save yourself from hardship, struggle, despair?" I feel like we take things on a case-by-case basis and put things on a ‘severity scale’ to assess whether or not things/situations are ‘worth’ addressing. To offer a practical example, if your car broke down and needed extensive repairs, you would most certainly find the money to pay to fix it because having a reliable, functioning car is necessary. (Why do we sometimes take better care of our vehicles than we do ourselves?) I find that this ‘severity scale’ assessment is especially true when it comes to our health. If you found out you had cancer, or if you had a major accident and needed surgery to repair your body, and you were the one who literally and personally needed to pay for care to heal and repair yourself…would you? Would those things, those situations be worth it and warrant the investment, whatever the cost? Certainly, those situations are pretty ‘severe.’ Of course, you would do whatever necessary to take care of those things. Right? In those cases, you would treat yourself like you are worth a lot (even though the financial cost would be considerable). But what about your daily struggles that aren’t as overtly severe but still plague you every single day--affecting your function and your enjoyment of life? What about those struggles that have maybe become an underlying thread of your existence—almost like an extension of you, occupying your thoughts, robbing you of vitality, and threatening your current and future state (maybe even threatening your work or relationships)? Are those things worth spending time, energy, and money on addressing? Of course, the common subject here in any of these situations is—you. The situations, health conditions, and struggles are not what you would really be taking care of, spending time, energy, and money. It’s you. You are the commodity. You are what you are assessing a value to each time to say yay or nay to investing in your well-being. So, how much are you worth? Are you ‘worth it?’ I engage with people inquiring about healthcare who are suffering every single day. People who want to find answers, solutions, relief, and ultimately find freedom from that suffering. Because of their health struggles, their work-life and relationships are suffering. Their simple enjoyments of life are fading away or pretty much gone altogether. They want to find care and are searching because the ‘care’ they have had up to this point has failed them. They say they are committed to doing all the work necessary to get well. But then…. The investment holds them back. They say they just can’t spend the money on themselves. They have just told me they feel like they are drowning in their struggles, cannot continue on the way they are, and are desperate for answers, solutions, and care, but when it comes time to take that action step, they won’t, and feel like they can’t, make it happen financially. In my opinion, I find it’s a bigger, deeper problem than just not having the funds available. Because let’s be real, we often find the resources to spend money on less important things than our health and well-being even if we can’t come up with all the funds upfront—vacations, home renovations, aesthetic treatments, a luxury car, just to name a few. Why is wellness and health care different? In my opinion, it’s a value problem. It’s a self-worth problem. It’s selfish, as I have been literally told. It’s selfish for them to ‘spend’ on themselves in this capacity even though they say it will provide them with everything they are looking for and even though they are miserable. They describe how much they are suffering and struggling but then don’t feel like they can spend what’s necessary to help themselves. And so, they essentially choose to stay stuck. They see themselves as an expense rather than an investment. It’s heartbreaking when you really sit with that for a bit. I wish I could snap my fingers and make these wonderful people understand their value because, at its base, I feel like that’s the real issue at play. I wish I could clap my hands and help people understand there is nothing more valuable than their health and well-being and how investing in themselves to gain the freedom they are craving is so worth it—no matter who they work with! But of course, I can’t. I can just support, encourage and pray for them to one day see that they are worth it and then take action. Because I think we all need to understand that there is a cost to everything. Sometimes that cost is financial, and sometimes that cost is much, much bigger and more devastating than that (and oftentimes costs us things, times, experiences that are unreplaceable). Those are the costs already in play. These wonderful people are already ‘paying’ for illness in many ways--costs that can be swapped out if only they understood their true value. If this is you, I urge you to understand your worth, your value. I urge you to see your health, well-being, and happiness as some of the greatest treasures to you and your loved ones. I urge you to take control of your wellness, find a practitioner who will appropriately support you in your journey, and surround yourself with people who also understand your value. If need be, get financially creative and resourceful and make it happen for yourself. The light at that other end of the tunnel is bright, and you deserve to bask in it! What are you worth? What would you pay to be free from your struggles? What would you pay to feel your absolute best and brightest, to feel free and light? Are you worth it? I say you are. I say you are an amazing being who deserves to feel amazing, and I hope you also believe that and, more importantly, act like it. Sarah Cady, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sarah Cady, FDN-P, is the Owner and Practitioner of REIFY Holistic Lifestyle & Nutrition Coaching. She has had the privilege of coaching and supporting other healthcare practitioners in the Lifestyle/Functional/Natural Medicine space (for more than two decades) while also running her own holistic practice. Sarah specializes in working with clients who are motivated and committed to their wellness but are struggling with health challenges, don't know why and don't know how to 'fix it.' She provides them access to specific lab testing to help finally uncover the contributors to their struggles. She then builds an individualized and targeted diet-lifestyle-self-treatment plan to help them finally become free from those struggles and frustrations and truly feel and function at their absolute best, coaching them and supporting them along the way. Sarah is passionate about seeing people finally achieve freedom from their health challenges and relishes in such successes of her clients.

Written by: Bri Neely, 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 have spent a decade of my life working in nursing homes, specifically with Alzheimer's patients. The work was hard, and the hours were long, but I cared for these residents like they were my own family. This disease is heartbreaking, watching individuals turn into someone unknown. I've been thrown against doors, spit at, clawed at, cursed, harassed, attacked with objects, and cornered into very unpleasant situations. I've had to negotiate with residents on why they should be wearing clothes out in the hallways, kindly convince residents to eat so they wouldn't have to get thrown on another medication and/or supplement that they despised taking, I've had to escort residents to the bathroom and explain to them exactly what they are there for, I've had to help resident's get dressed due to them not understanding what to do, tucking them into bed and wishing them a good-nights rest, just like you do for your children. I am not upset with the residents that gave me a hard time, I loved them dearly, and my heart hurt for the suffering they endured daily; they were my people, and I felt privileged to be part of this journey with them. I learned from the best, her name was Sally, and she taught me everything I needed to know, and if it weren't for her guidance, I would have lost my marbles years ago! She was patient, compassionate, and understanding of the individuals living with this disease. She comforted families, she helped them understand, and she grew to be part of their family. She had the heart, and I'd like to say she passed it down to me. Once I became a nurse, I strived to be as determined as her to ensure that the residents felt love and make their world as happy as it could be. I also made sure to offer help to others who needed it because I knew this was a team job, and we all needed each other in some way or another. I did this for a while; I was as helpful as possible for my staff and residents, I advocated for them and listened to their concerns and suggestions. But after a while, I began to feel like I was floating on a ship alone. Supervisors, when present, weren't taking things seriously, doctors weren't open to your suggestions, and my voice always felt unheard. I began to feel like I was constantly nagging when in reality, I was advocating for my staff and residents, something nurses are meant to do. This job took a toll on me, and I couldn't just pretend like everything was normal in this setting; this setting was failing everyone included. Residents were neglected, whether from short staffing, complaints being ignored either medically or in the facility, or family who stopped coming to visit. On the floor, the staff was the heart of the facility. They saw day-in and day-out events, yet they seemed to be the last to be heard. They worked long hours to help cover shifts because they cared for their people, and they wanted to make sure they were getting taken care of properly, but the good ones become burnt out due to being overworked and underappreciated. With individuals who present beginning stages of Alzheimer's, I have never once witnessed a doctor suggest a strict diet consisting of whole plant-based foods, exercise, or ask them about their lifestyle habits; things that have been proven to significantly benefit the mind of not only everyone but for Alzheimer's patients as well. Instead, they are given the diagnosis, told it's too late, and start on a medication that will help slow down this disease's progression. It's not necessarily the doctor's fault; the companies that pay these doctors, the schools that trained them on the pharmaceutical approach rather than the health approach. It is not the patient's or families' fault either; we've been groomed for these circumstances. Our whole life has become a rhythmic pattern with high standards of never unceasing these patterns; they are the industry's life support; they are the fuel for pharma. Did you know that pharma wasn't a thing until the early 1900s? Holistic approaches were utilized, and using herbs and natural remedies were glorified for healing; because we've always known that nature will always provide. The American Medical Association wasn't fond of this. They wanted their approaches to be utilized, but they weren't finding much interest in the citizens. So, like any money-hungry business, they began to play dirty. The AMA offered incentives, and they wanted to take homeopathy out of schools and grant funding for those who complied and continued to threaten those who did not. By 1923, the United States had only 2 homeopathic schools out of the 22 thriving before the AMA stepped in. Natural started to no longer be normal; drug therapies were pushed as the material taught in medical schools. All accredited schools were based on synthetics and drug research, and if you didn't go to an accredited school, you would very unlikely find a job. As the years move forward, isn't it mind-blowing that we have somehow managed to become more overweight, diseased, and diagnosed? Have you stopped to think about how advanced we have become, yet health issues rise year after year? Are you alarmed by the number of children with some underlying issue, whether mentally, physically, or emotionally? Does it scare the hell out of you that Alzheimer's is increasing while the diagnosis' shows up in younger patients with every passing year? Within my ten years of working in this field, I have personally witnessed this myself; each year, I noticed the residents' ages were becoming younger and younger. My passion for this profession slowly diminished because I began to feel like I was serving the problem. Already intrigued by natural healing, I had felt like a hypocrite serving medications and foods that I knew for a fact were failing these people. Between my child having health issues, running a daycare, and observing the systematic norms for childhood; from my years as an aide to becoming a nurse, to personally contributing and witnessing our failing healthcare system, I was fed up, and in my heart, I knew I needed to make a change. Healing is the greatest gift you can give yourself, a gift that never gets old but instead grows in value as time passes. Healing gave me a deep understanding of who I was, who I am, and why I am here. Healing is the key to a fulfilling life. Healing is the answer to the problems of our world. When we are unhealed, we become full of uncertainty and confusion about ourselves. We grow into what we have known rather than who we are meant to be; too many of us have been created to comply. Instead of holding our own beliefs in our hands, we have handed them over to others to decide. I see this through the way we're brought into this world, what we are taught through public schools, the pressure of college during such uncertain times in someone's life, our healthcare system, our food industry, and our life overall. I have been part of this compliance for almost three decades; it's hard not to fall into the patterns of what others label normalcy. But I reached a point of too much toxicity, and I began to see life through a different lens, a lens that gave me 20/20 vision during the greatest awakening year that happened to be 2020; coincidence? I started reviewing my life and opening my mind to the past beliefs and thoughts I had pondered. These were my beliefs, my opinions that I mostly kept to myself due to the fear of judgment and not being right because, like many, I had been conditioned to believe that others knew what was best, not me. For example, in nursing school, I had so many questions laid to rest due to the teacher being unable to answer the questions or being told the questions were irrelevant because they would not be on the test. The test was 90% medication-related. Memorize your medications, and you will pass nursing school with flying colors. I'm not here to state that medications are not important because I know they are, and I know they can be true lifesavers. Still, they shouldn't be the answer to every ailment. From what I see, medications are a majority of the problem for not thriving. I wanted to become a nurse and be like Florence Nightingale, the nursing pioneer. Florence was a nurse who took action and solved issues that were not being addressed properly, someone that stood up and stood out amongst the rest. She nurtured, healed, and went the extra mile to ensure her patients received the best care. Although today's circumstances are extremely different than what she had endured, I feel like she is looking down and shaking her head at what has become of the health industry. I strive to be like her and change how we are doing our work, seeking healing rather than a temporary solution, offering love and a listening ear rather than medication. Alzheimer's has opened my eyes to the world that has been created. A world that is full of artificially toxic garbage. We choose quantity over quality, hate before love, pill versus problem-solving, easy over hard, fine instead of fulfilling, and addictions rather than uncovering truths. Generations have been set up to become this way, we are failing mother earth, and we are failing one another. 2020 was hard for all of us in some way or another, but with major lessons to teach us all. I learned huge lessons, including the importance of having healthy relationships, environments, and lifestyles. I questioned why unfortunate events seemed to always happen to me? It was easier to play victim versus facing the reality of why these toxic connections always followed me. I was a people pleaser; I took in others' traumas and insecurities to suppress my own because, at the time, it was easier to take care of other's traumas rather than dealing with mine. Traumas are rooted in us; they can be from our ancestors or our own experiences, either way, they create our systems, and when left unattended, they rule our circumstances. By uncovering these truths, I began my own healing journey and discovered that too many of us are suppressed by our traumas. I began to really think about my years spent caring for Alzheimer's patients, seeing sadness, resentment, anger, and the loss of dignity. A majority of these individuals I cared for spent their whole life caring for others or lived lives others told them to live. Let me add that you saw far more women living in these facilities than men, many coming into these facilities already on many medications, anti-depressants being a popular one I noticed a lot. Between our answer to healthcare always being surgery or medication, to our food choices being tainted with harsh chemicals, to our school system setting us up with busy work to distract us from the beauty of life to being trained to believe that feelings should be suppressed rather than expressed, to believe women should be seen rather than heard, to believe that life is about catering to everyone else's needs rather than your own, it's no wonder why the Alzheimer’s rate is becoming worse with every passing year. We have been running programs and consuming toxins that don't feed the human spirit; the human spirit is being stomped on and treated like a science experiment. Part of me feels like I have abandoned my residents, but I know that some great humans care for these people with love, just like I did. I give true love to these workers because I know it takes a special heart and a strong mind to care for these residents, and you don't get enough appreciation as you deserve; I am here to tell you that you are wonderful, and God has placed you in these positions for a reason. My residents have motivated me to be part of the bigger picture. With being challenged to change what has been, I realized that I needed to be part of what could be. I needed to stand for my resident's grandchildren and the generations to come after, the change will be a major challenge, but I know in my heart that this is what my residents would have wanted. Disease and diagnosis have become the rulers of our healthcare system; it's become so normalized to have some ailment or determined diagnosis, but it's not normal. What's normal is resolving your traumas and discovering your worth. Fighting for what you believe in and feeling secure about your decisions. Understanding your body and realizing that only you know what you truly need to keep it well. Loving yourself so you can be at your best for everyone you serve, having boundaries on who and how you serve. Knowing that our bodies and nature are intuitively connected, and since we have been harming nature for quite some time, it only makes sense that we are harming ourselves in the process. It's about understanding that balance is key; overconsumption of anything can have its side effects. A letter to my residents, I have carried your heartache for quite some time, holding sadness in my heart for the struggles you have had to encounter. Many of you lived a hard life filled with disappointment, hurt, and regret. I know this because I've heard it through your moments of clarity, your times of confusion, and I've seen it through your faces that are longing for rest. I have valued our time together, and I have been blessed to be part of your journey. You have taught me so much, and now it's time for me to honor that. I am sorry for the pain and suffering you have had to go through. I know that God has plans for all of us, whether we understand it or not. He has placed me on this journey of understanding the importance of memories over money. He has made it continuously clear that our lives need to be relearned, retaught, and reframed. He has given me the knowledge of understanding what works and what does not. He has given me an open mind and a heart full of love, leaving no room for judgment but rather compassion for where you are at. I am here to help guide others on self-discovery, which will organically lead to overall wellness. Helping others understand the correlation between all things that we consume and how to heal themselves without selling their body to pharma. I will be someone who listens and helps educate, knowing that the power to be well is within you. I know this is what you all were seeking, someone to understand, to know that your issues were due to unspoken feelings, someone to help guide you into healing instead of prescribing you medication. You were wonderful, and I dedicate my work to you all. I am proud to be part of this new revolution, to plant new seeds for us and the generations to follow. We all have a purpose in this rising revolution; find your purpose and live it. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Bri! Bri Neely, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Bri is a mom, nurse, and mentor who is ready to change the world! As a mom, she has understood that we hold the key to our future; how we raise our children depends on the outcome we receive in our society. As a previous nurse specializing in Alzheimer's care, she has seen the outcome of our conditioned patterns and will no longer contribute to the problem. Instead, she is ready to be part of the solution! Her experiences, both personal and professional, have led her to her purpose, becoming a mentor for those ready to reclaim their lives and restore their roots. Bri has traveled on her own healing journey, which has lead her into becoming her true authentic self; she has found purpose through her traumas and is ready to share her gifts with the world! She believes that to heal our future, we must start with ourselves. Bri is passionate about emotional health, physical health, conscious parenting, trauma healing, and mindset work and is fully convinced that these are the vital components for a thriving future.

Written by: Ruby Rose Walker, 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. “Mastering others is strength; mastering oneself is true power” — Lao Tsu. We are all leaders in our own right, at work, at home with our families, and in our own lives. All great leaders know that true leadership is about leading from the heart as well as the head. It’s about authenticity and genuine care. But what about when it comes to ourselves? We can all probably express what leadership style helps us thrive, but how do we apply that to leading our own lives? When you take a flight, the initial safety demonstration instructs you to put your own mask on before attending to others. I must admit, when I was a child, this did worry me a little as I saw the demonstration of the child waiting patiently for their oxygen, “hang on a second! what?” This is because, in the event of an emergency where the cabin loses air pressure, tending to others before tending to yourself will likely cause you to fall unconscious. By the time you've helped others, you may not have the capacity to help yourself, and you’ll then be incapable of helping anyone. The same applies to leadership. To be able to serve others and to be able to lead the way and create a safe environment where creativity flourishes, you must make sure that you are functioning at your optimal. Mentally, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. The world is undergoing incredible transformation at the moment, and the need for strong leadership is higher than ever, which means the importance of self-leadership is at an all-time high. During times of change, there are often many unknowns in your external environment that you can’t control, so it’s important to acknowledge what is within your control. Leading yourself is within your control, and there are three important aspects of self-leadership that will help you thrive in change — self-awareness, self-acceptance, and personal growth. Self-awareness Spend time getting to know what makes you tick and what energizes you. At our core, we all have values and beliefs that drive us and determine what we consider to be important in the way we work and live. It’s important to become conscious of and understand your own needs in line with these. Any time you feel that you are not aligned or that you aren’t completely happy, you’ll find that it’s almost always because something in what you’re doing isn’t in line with your core values. Take time to stop, reassess and realign if you have to. Living and leading in line with your values is key to setting yourself and others up for success and fulfillment. Get to know what triggers you. This can be other people, daily occurrences like traffic, phone calls, emails. We have very little control over other people and our outer environment, but we do have control over how much we let it affect our inner peace. Self-awareness includes becoming aware of your self-talk. 95% of all your thoughts are subconscious, so what is going on in your subconscious mind when the conscious mind isn’t paying attention? There is no benefit in negative self-talk and self-sabotage. Make a habit of reframing your internal noise and chatter to a more constructive and positive guiding voice, and you’ll be amazed how much your life transforms as a result. Self-Acceptance As a recovering perfectionist, this has probably always been the most challenging one for me. Accepting ourselves for who we are, as we are, is the only way we can truly be happy. As a leader, it’s important that you lead by example, but that doesn’t by any means mean that you need to be perfect. People will respect you for your authenticity and will find comfort in the fact that you’re relatable. As humans, we get so caught up in the idea of succeeding and improving at everything that we miss the opportunity to accept and embrace where we are and how far we’ve come. Make sure you make time to reflect, recognize your strengths, and celebrate your wins. We rarely celebrate our victories because we’re so quick to jump on to the next big task. When you celebrate a win, you release dopamine, the ‘feel-good chemical in your brain. You’ll be more positive, open, and be able to think more clearly and creatively. When you are in this state, your brain has the space to develop new and creative ideas that can’t form when you’re stressed, and your brain is in a state of ‘survival.’ Part of self-acceptance is knowing when you need support and asking for it. Asking for help is powerful not only for you but for others as well. It offers others the opportunity to gain trust, to grow, and to serve. Human beings have an innate impulse to serve. It’s part of why most people become leaders, but as a leader, asking for help empowers others to live that out as well. Personal Growth Personal growth is about constantly growing by reflecting and evolving to become the best version of yourself. Essentially to grow through what you go through. Be open to learning, don’t let the same things trip you up, make positive changes, develop new strategies, learn new skills, take on opportunities and help others develop and grow. An integral part of becoming a better leader is knowing that there is always room for improvement and embracing the journey as a part of life. “The only constant in life is change” — Heraclitus. The only constant in life is change. It’s the only thing we can be sure of. It’s what keeps life exciting and makes us feel alive. To truly embrace change and lead others through it, we must first focus on leading our own lives in line with our values. Developing strong self-leadership will allow you to weather any storm and to guide others through them as well. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website ! Ruby Rose Walker, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Ruby Rose is an international coach whose clients achieve life-changing transformation from the inside out. She is passionate about empowering individuals to step into their full potential so that they can live with intention and lead with impact. Her unique life growing up across continents and cultures along with her non-linear career path, strongly influences her approach in unlocking the right path for each client. Knowing intimately how no two lives are the same, her work with clients is personal and tailored to each unique situation. She strongly believes there’s no right approach for all, and coaches individuals to tap into their own unique potential to achieve a fulfilling life of their own. Having overcome her own experiences with burnout in the past through mindful rewiring, Ruby Rose aims to be a partner on your journey to create a life of alignment, empowerment, and purpose you deserve.

Written by: Danielle Christy, 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. Spices have been around since early civilization. Hunters and gatherers would use them to wrap meat in the leaves of bushes, discovering that this process enhanced the meat's taste, as did certain nuts, seeds, berries, and bark. Over the years, spices and herbs were used for medicinal purposes. They were also used to mask unpleasant tastes and odors of food, and later, to keep food fresh. Influenced from all over the world from Ancient Egypt, early Chinese, ancient Greece and Rome, medieval Europe, and ancient Mesopotamia. All of these areas around the world have brought ten remedies, healings, and cooking techniques to the spices we use today. Spices not only impart flavor to food but also heal the body in amazing ways. A few most common spices we are familiar with are: 1. Cinnamon - Cinnamon can lower blood sugar by several mechanisms, including slowing the breakdown of carbs in the digestive tract and improving insulin sensitivity. It can be used in sweet and savory dishes, from chicken to cookies. 2. Sage - There is promising evidence that sage extract can improve brain and memory function, especially in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. 3. Peppermint - Many studies have shown that peppermint oil can improve pain management in irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. It can also boost mood and energy for workouts. 4. Turmeric - Curcumin is a remarkably powerful antioxidant helping to fight oxidative damage and boosting the body’s own antioxidant enzymes. This is important because oxidative damage is believed to be one of the key mechanisms behind aging and many diseases. Curcumin is also strongly anti-inflammatory, to the point where it matches the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs. Make sure you add black pepper anytime you're cooking with it to ensure you get the full health benefits. 5. Cayenne Pepper - Cayenne pepper is very rich in capsaicin, which reduces appetite and boosts fat burning. It has also shown anti-cancer potential in animal studies. Add a pinch to your favorite spice blends and dips to add that extra kick. 6. Ginger - 1 gram of ginger appears to be an effective treatment for many types of nausea. It is also anti-inflammatory and can help reduce pain. It adds a ton of flavor to ethnic cuisines and delicious steeped in hot water for tea. 7. Fenugreek - Fenugreek has been shown to improve insulin function, leading to significant reductions in blood sugar levels. Also known to increase libido and in women who are breastfeeding. It can be used to promote milk flow 8. Rosemary - Helps prevent allergies and nasal congestion. Delicious for roasting meats and vegetables and cuts down carsinigions in meat when they are grilled or cooked at a high heat. 9. Cilantro - promote the detoxification of heavy metals, reduce anxiety, improve sleep, lower blood sugar levels, boost your heart health, support your digestion, promote skin health, and fight free radical damage that can lead to several degenerative diseases 10. Mustard Seeds - excellent source of folate, vitamin A, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Plus, mustard seeds can reduce inflammation that causes pain and swelling, treat gum disease, boost the health of your heart, skin, and hair, and help to prevent or fight infections due to their antibacterial and antifungal properties. Also great to sprinkle on cooked broccoli to ensure you get full nutritional benefits. The best way to get more spices into your life is to cook at home and experiment with a variety of spices that will add tons of flavor and make food more enjoyable. A few tips on storing spices they stay fresh for about 6 months, store in a dark, cool place, and only buy what you know you will use. There is no need to buy something you won’t use. Buy organic when you can, and for a quick flavor bomb, heat some olive oil in a pan with a mixture of whole spices to bloom and cook for a few minutes, then pour over your favorite proteins or vegetables. Remember, have fun and fuel your body with the nutrients it needs to live a life well-loved. For more information, follow me on Instagram and visit my website! Read more from Danielle! Danielle Christy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Danielle Christy is a holistic health coach and self-taught personal chef dedicated to helping families and people around the world stop feeling overwhelmed with healthy cooking by showing and coaching them on how to stock their kitchens with healthy ingredients, meal plan and get back to having family meals again. Danielle holds a BA in Hospitality from Northern Arizona University and Certified Health Coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She has helped families of all shapes and sizes create and establish a concrete strategy to ultimate health through learning what individually works for them and using whole real food as the medicine of life.

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 get asked often how Dane and I have such a positive, thriving relationship. To make sure I’m completely transparent, this isn’t my first relationship; I'm divorced more than once. Reverse engineered made me an expert on how to have a successful relationship. Ironic, how that worked out? Another thing that made me an expert on this topic is that Dane and I didn’t always have a good relationship. Our relationship, like many, went from really good, not good, bad, super awful, ugly, splitting up, to amazing, and it’s been amazing for years. This is how we keep our relationship fresh and amazing despite challenges. And yes, this is how we keep it spicy. Dane and I maintain a really positive relationship together with 18 kids in the mix, and if we can do it, so can you. One We are a blended family, and our kids were supportive from the very beginning. Most of our kids were between the ages of 11 and 21, so they were kept somewhat in the loop about our dating lives. They knew we were dating people, and they loved being involved in the process in a limited way. This helped us as they understood they wouldn’t meet someone just because we had begun dating. They were able to voice their concerns, ask questions, and felt as though they had a say in the eventual blending of our lives together. We were open and honest when things started to get serious. They helped plan meetings and activities, and we asked them for their input. That doesn’t mean they were running the show. It means we heard them. Involve your kids in a healthy way to your dating, so they feel valued and seen. After all, they’re part of this if you move forward. Two Dane and I texted the week before we met. We sent each other goofy pictures and really kept in touch with each other during the day via text. I think our personalities are pretty goofy, which made things a lot easier. If you’re in the beginning stages of dating, be yourself. We’re goofy and fun, and we were both very much ourselves. To set some parameters, we text the same amount now, over 7 years later than we did in the beginning. We were realistic about the amount we texted. We didn’t text more because the relationship was new. This set us up for success down the road because it was sustainable. It may sound odd, but we have a really great text relationship. We’ve used it to keep us connected when we’re apart; we send pertinent info, ask questions — never stopped learning about each other. We’re still hilariously goofy and fun, with some sexy thrown in there pretty often. Determine what ways you can connect that make you both happy and are sustainable. Notes? Texts? And do them regularly. Three We happen to love a lot of the same things and have similar values. We capitalize on that. We love being outside. We respect and adore each other. We have the same list of priorities — God, ourselves, each other, our kids, everyone, and everything else. We’re both physically active, we eat healthy (for the most part). We both love to laugh, prioritize date night and listen to each other. We spend every morning together while drinking coffee and connecting. We’re great at capitalizing on stolen moments with each other. We’re affectionate in front of our kids and with our kids. Find what connects you — your commonalities — and capitalize on it. Four We're each other's best friends. Hands down, this was extremely important to us. Dane is my best friend. He’s the first one I want to share things with, the one I want to bounce things off, and the person who lets me talk to process, so my brain doesn’t explode. He’s my biggest cheerleader and fan, and I am the same for him. Be your partner’s best friend. Five One thing that we made sure we did was maintaining our own identity. Dane plays basketball, and I love to watch him, though I don’t understand the rules. I do know if he's had a good game. I’ve taken videos and edited them for him so he can see what he could do differently. I can discuss the entire game and ask questions if I don’t understand something. I know if the game is going well for him — outside of the score — just by watching his mannerisms. I’m a runner. He knows if I've had a good run or not based on me crossing that finish line. He knows my general time. He waits at the finish line for me, and he captures it on video for me. He can tell not only by my time but my expression if it was a good run. He listens to the people ahead of me, makes comments about the race to get an idea of how I’m doing. And, he knows I can’t talk right away because I might throw up. The biggest thing that we've done is kept and that what makes us happy individually. We support each other without taking on the other person’s identity, and we also find things we like to do together. Keep doing what you love and support your partner’s ambitions. Capitalize on where they crossover and don’t take on their identity. Six In a relationship, finances are something that people really struggle with. Dane and I have very different ways of attacking things, but we want the same end goal. We check in monthly with each other and make sure that we still shoot for the same goal. We ask, "Are you just doing it in a way that's different from me?" This helps us know that we are on the same page and understand each other’s priorities. Finances used to be difficult and stressful, and one day we hashed it out. The tension we had been feeling was gone in 5-minutes. We were brutally honest with each other, had numbers written down, and compromised easily. For years, what’s worked for us is having our own private accounts that both link to a joint account. We put money into the joint account as we need to, which is where all the household bills are paid. We have autonomy in our personal accounts. Hash it out and back up your perspective with numbers to come to a healthy agreement on how you do your finances. There is no one right way. Seven Communication is the biggest issue in relationships. Dane and I spend time really touching base and communicating. We appreciate our older kids when they can watch our youngest one because we can run to the store or do something quick. As often as we can, we take advantage of just those few stolen moments with each other. I'm gonna say it again, our attitude, fun, adventure, and silliness really are positives that made this relationship so incredible. Knowing that we're not going to always agree on everything, but we can figure out a compromise if we have a conversation. We also took the Love Languages quiz and the Myers-Briggs personality test — both free online and even your kids can take (which I highly recommend). It was important to know about each other in a deeper way, so our personalities made more sense. Many conflicts could be resolve if we simply spoke each other’s “languages.” Have conversations, not confrontations, to work through your communication. Learn about what makes each other tick. Eight Getting out of the house and away from the kids has been important in keeping our relationship a priority and not getting into a rut. Having a date night once a week and implementing rules for date night helped. One rule is we really try hard not to talk about our kids. That can be difficult because sometimes our date is the only time that we are not around our kids, but we try to minimize that. Another hard and fast rule is that we do not talk about our relationship. Date night is not the time to hash out every issue we've ever had. This was a bigger deal for me because I felt like I finally got him alone, and we could talk about our negative stuff, but it wasn't healthy. We decided to set a separate time to discuss things in our relationship — what we were struggling with daily when we are touching base. That fostered such an open relationship between us. We have fewer issues. Date night shows that we've put each other as a top priority. If we fail, the family fails, and it's even more challenging to make sure that you're awesomely successful in a blended family. Date night taught our kids how important our relationship is, and for fun, we let them create dates for us. Date night is one way you can make your relationship a priority. Set rules so that it’s fun and engaging in a positive way. Nine Dane definitely parents his kids more, and I parent my kids more. We always know what the other one is doing, thinking and where we're at. This is to ensure that we understand the parenting direction with each other's kids. Discipline is a really big difficult thing to navigate with a blended family, and it’s vital. This can include ex-spouses, schools and school activities, follow-up on discipline, etc. We’re blessed that we parent similarly, and our kids know we check in often with each other and with perspective ex-spouses. Yes, there are issues that will come up, and being on the same page with your partner is a huge part of this working well. Stay in your lane when parenting kids, and communicate your parenting direction. Ten Sex. Like most aspects of a relationship, sex comes down to communication. We have a lot of kids, and we both work hard. So, making sure we keep things spunky and spicy is very important. We capitalize on stolen moments together when possible, and if we have to, we schedule sex. I know that sounds un-sexy. However, it gives us something to look forward to and text each other about during the day. This is the only person I’m having sex with. It’s a healthy part of our relationship that brings us closer together emotionally and is a fantastic physical release. So, we really need to figure out what works for us. Mornings aren’t a favorite. Bedtime is the most convenient, and if sleep needs to be high on the priority list due to schedules, we go to bed a little early. Speak up about what works for you from the time of day to the positions that feel the best. Sex is the dessert of a relationship. Eat dessert. Dane is the guy I love, respect , and care about more than anyone in the world. He's the one I want to get the best of me because he definitely sees the worst in me. If you’re in a relationship and you stopped shaving your legs, putting on makeup, or dressing up for one another — start doing it again. Take care of yourself and put yourself first because when you're single, the first thing you're going to do is sign yourself up for Brazilian Butt waxing — just in case you meet some guy and want to have sex. This goes for me too. Manscape, brush your teeth, put on a nice shirt. Treat your partner like the relationship is new, and it will feel that way. Dane and I really like to dress up for each other. We like to have fun together. We like to support each other and respect each other because this friendship ultimately is what we want to stand the test of time. When you keep each other as a top priority, things stay spicy. For more info, follow Jenn on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit her websit e ! 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.

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