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. Many people find Spring is the perfect time to begin something new or create a positive change in one or more areas of their life. The positive change could be with career, wellness goals, or personal growth. When clients come to me for career/life purpose coaching, a holistic approach helps ensure success. Why? Because when we feel our best, we tend to think more positive thoughts. When we are feeling our best and thinking positive thoughts, we perform at our optimal level. This is why I encourage clients to either begin a new wellness program or review their current program and review what is working and what is not. What kind of things are you doing for wellness? Although it is ideal to always have a wellness program in place, there is certainly something about Spring that beckons us to consider adding something new to our current regimen. Yet, some of us might find ourselves starting a completely, entirely new wellness program. As a Life Empowerment Coach, I share with clients that wherever you are with your current wellness program (and maybe you are not even on a program, or maybe you are happy with your present wellness program), how about at least considering including something new? There are many diets, exercise programs, meditation/stress management techniques available. However, wellness is so much more than just what is at the surface; you know, the general wellness program that looks like: maintaining a balanced diet, exercising three times per week, and finding 20 minutes to meditate each day. There is so much more to a complete wellness program. Below are some areas to consider: that can help create a complete, holistic wellness program and experience a more fulfilling life. And if you are overwhelmed with beginning, please reach out to me. I am happy to help you get started. Physical/Medical Health What does your current diet consist of? Do you enjoy the exercise/workouts you do each week? Are you even making time for exercise? How do you currently manage the stressful situations in your life? Physical/medical health is a must if you want to enjoy a fulfilling life. To get started, consider what changes or improvements you would like to see in your physical/medical health. What challenges or obstacles seem to be keeping you from achieving optimal physical/medical health? What preventative healthcare steps do you currently make a priority? Are you getting regular check-ups? Chiropractic, acupuncture, nutrition, exercise, and massage are just a few of the preventative action steps that can help keep you physically strong and medically healthy. Consider adding one or a few of these therapeutic treatments into your wellness regimen. What addictions or unhealthy habits do you need to give up? These would include recreational drugs, smoking, alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, and overeating. As a Life Empowerment & Behavior Change Specialist, I can help you nip these habits. Contact me if you would like to get started. Mental/Emotional Wellness Taking inventory of your present situation and current circumstances, overall, how is your mental/emotional wellbeing? How do you cope with difficult situations? How do you balance your emotions? Which emotions do you seem to be dealing with most often, and how do you deal with these emotions? What changes or improvements would you like to see to your mental state? Included in emotional wellness are the relationships we have in life or would like to create. The more aware we are, accepting of, and able to deal with our feelings and the feelings of those around us, can help create more positive relationships. It is important to have positive, healthy relationships as this allows us to feel supported in life. When we seem to lack emotional support, this can leave us feeling drained and affect our happiness. Reflecting on your current relationships, are you happy? Are there areas you would like to improve? Do you feel weighed down by your relationships or your emotions? If so, what kind of improvements or changes could you make? Consider creating healthy boundaries. Spiritual Wellness Spiritual wellness can mean religion and/or personal faith for some and while this is all very personal, as well as important to many people, try going even deeper and perceiving the meaning of life and your place in it. Do you currently feel you can find meaning, hope, and inner peace in your life through work, nature, family/friends, music, volunteer work, or within the community? How fulfilled do you currently feel in your life? Do you feel as if something is missing or that you lack a sense of purpose? Personal Growth Would you like to grow more intellectually in your life? Do you find you are intellectually stimulated in your life, or do you feel bored? Personal growth needs to be included in your wellness plan as this completes a holistic wellness program. Do you have sufficient creative outlets? Is there a new activity, hobby, or area of study you would like to start, learn, or improve? Perhaps you would like to work more on how you solve problems or learn to think more creatively. Maybe you would like to be more productive in a certain area of your life. What would be the first step you could take so you could start to see progress? Many of my clients have found my Self-Discovery Program has opened up new opportunities, fresh insight, and creative ideas to move forward with and begin to integrate into their daily life. Self-Care While all of the mentioned areas above are definitely part of a Self-Care regimen, I encourage clients to include additional Self-Care. Below are some suggestions for Self-Care: What does self-care look/feel like to you? Spa time, manicure/pedicure, time in nature, massage, listening to your favorite music, watching a sunset. Whatever creates a feeling of calm, peace, relaxation and brings you back to balance, make time for each day. Take some time for reflection, journaling. Read something inspirational. Discover more Self-Care tips here. Make time for yourself this Spring and reflect on what is working and what does not seem to be working in your life. Create some changes or improvements that allow you to live a more fulfilling, healthy life. Contact me if you would like coaching for Motivational Wellness and/or Self-Discovery. Wishing you a Happy, Healthy Spring! Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! 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.

Written by: Annette Densham, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. There's a good old saying 'you've got to be in it to win it.' They're not just hollow words. If you have started a business or growing a business, it is because you have a solution to a problem. You want people to know what you do and how you can help them. So the name of the game is to stand out. That means putting yourself out there. When it comes to business awards, many in business have preconceived ideas about the process; not based on fact, but bound up in personal belief systems, misinformation, and assumptions. There are many reasons people don't enter, including: I've not done enough (there are many awards with start-up categories) I'm not good enough (that is impostor syndrome talking. Pick up a pen and brain dump all the wins you've had in the past year, and you'll see you are good enough. Why not you?) I don't want to give financials (most awards I know don't want your figures; only percentage growth or client growth or other achievement markers) It's all about ego (well, maybe some are, but most are a celebration of a business's achievements) My clients are not impressed by awards (maybe your prospective clients might be impressed, PR is all about perception and putting yourself out there) It costs too much (yep, some do have an entry fee, some don't. If you have to pay one, count as a marketing cost) I'm waiting for someone to nominate me (don't hold your breath, if it is to be, it is up to you. Why wait?) It's all about showing off (it depends on how you look at it. I'm biased - awards are a great op to benchmark, reflect, and step up. What's wrong with celebrating your wins?) What if I don't win, I'll be embarrassed (maybe you don't win, but I can guarantee that your followers and supporters will be impressed you had a go. Who wins everything anyway?) I'm not sure what to do (ask :) ) I'm too busy, I don't have enough time (outsourcing is your friend) My business is too small (there are so many awards for small business, from solo businesses to small businesses with 20 employees) I don’t do anything glamorous or earth-shattering (there are so many awards for so many industries, niches, and categories, which I guarantee I can find one to fit any business) I bet everyone wins or makes the finals (there are some awards that are truly ego-based, but after 10 years of writing submissions, there are far more that have a rigorous process you have to go through. Only the ones who make an effort and meet selection criteria get through) I'll wait till next year when I have done more (maybe you will, maybe you will find another reason not to enter. Chances are you have done enough given the wide variety of awards out there) I'll be a judge so I can see what the process is (awards have really clear selection criteria so you can see what the process is. Being a judge doesn't necessarily make things clearer - judges are human and make human decisions, and what is right for one award may not apply to another). One thing is certain, if you do not have a go, you will never know what the outcome might have been. Awards are just one element of a robust profile building plan. If you want to stand out, then you have to be prepared to do things that make you uncomfortable; the joys of small business marketing. Until you go through the awards process, you have no idea of the serendipitous outcomes awaiting you -- the boost to your confidence and your team's, insights into your business you'd never have had if you hadn't dug deep through the awards process, the gravitas money can't buy, and the credibility that comes from putting your business out there. What have you got to lose? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Annette! Annette Densham, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Multi-award-winning PR specialist Annette Densham is considered the go-to for all things business storytelling, award submission writing, and assisting business leaders establish themselves as authorities in their field. She has shared her insights into storytelling, media and business across Australia, UK and US speaking for Professional Speakers Association, Stevie Awards, Queensland Government and many more. Three times winner of the Grand Stevie Award for Women in Business, gold Stevie International Business Award and a finalist in Australian Small Business Champion awards, Annette audaciously challenges anyone in small business to cast aside modesty, embrace their genius and share their stories.

Monica helps busy women simplify their wellness so they can sleep better and have more energy to enjoy life. A yoga therapist and neuromuscular-body alignment expert, Monica trained with renowned neuromuscular therapist Lee Albert and graduated with honors from her MBA. She lived and worked in both Sweden and China, where she started her entrepreneurial journey. She now runs her Sleep Simplified Six-Week Coaching Program and VIP Sessions remotely while traveling the world and getting her beauty sleep. Learn more about Monica’s work at monicalebaron.com Monica Le Baron, Sleep & Yoga Therapist Who is Monica? At the moment, I live in Mexico with my mother and siblings. I enjoy reading, exploring the world, drinking good tea, hiking, and finding unique spots to practice yoga. I’m a Certified Yoga Therapist, Sleep coach, Neuromuscular Balance expert, entrepreneur, and MBA. A few years ago, I was anxious, chronically stressed, and suffering from insomnia and pain. As a woman, I find it easier to show up for everyone else before even thinking about myself. This was part of the reason why I was struggling. I thought that spending time on self-care was selfish. But something was seriously wrong. I felt unhappy, unworthy, and unlovable. I wasn’t sure how to process my feelings, and that made me feel even worse. I had no idea what to do, so I started researching anything that could help me feel better. I tried psychotherapy, acupuncture, self-help books, and every other healing modality I could find. While some of them helped me feel a little better, nothing gave me the relief I wanted most. I started to doubt myself even more and fear that I would never feel happy again. A friend of mine who knew I was seeking ways to heal introduced me to a yoga therapist. At first, I thought this was a great way to get “free yoga classes” since my insurance would pay for these services. Little did I know, the therapy aspect to yoga therapy was exactly what I needed. With yoga therapy, I found what I’d been searching for and so much more; that is when my life began to change. Together with my yoga therapist, I created short routines of simple techniques that helped me become more aware of my body, feel calm at a moment's notice, fall asleep at night, and feel rested in the morning. I started getting eight hours of sleep each night. That was life-changing after so many years of insomnia! Just by getting better sleep, my whole life changed. My mood improved, I had more energy, I felt more focused, and I could get more work done with less effort. By taking ownership of my healing and happiness, I discovered joy again. My journey into self-care with yoga therapy showed me that self-care isn’t selfish. It’s the only thing that helps us show up at our best to serve others. I started to take better care of myself in all aspects of my life, I learned how to love myself for who I am, I started eliminating toxic people, activities, and products from my life, and I started having more good days. Yoga therapy helped me develop self-love, a deeper compassion to heal past issues, reconnect with my body so that I can understand what it needs to be at its best, release stress and anxiety so that I can live in the present, and finally feel rested after getting a good night’s sleep. This is why I became a yoga therapist. It has changed my life for the better, and I want to help other women heal to rediscover the joy in their lives. If you’re feeling anything like I used to, I want you to have your breakthrough moment too. I know you feel too busy to spend any time on yourself, but it is through self-care and self-love that we can serve our loved ones more powerfully. You can actually create more time and space in your day when you learn simple techniques to practice self-care and self-love. Maybe you’re showing up for your loved ones everyday, but you’re starting to feel overworked or undervalued. Maybe you’re feeling frustrated and simple tasks like picking up dirty socks have the power to make your blood boil. If you don’t learn how to take care of yourself, you’re going to burnout and either no longer want to or be able to serve your loved ones. Simple techniques that I can teach you to have the power to help you feel more connected to yourself, which can allow you to stress less, it can help you manage your emotions so that you're less triggered to feel mad, afraid, tense, angry, or any other emotions that you don’t want to live in. Living your life with joy is possible, and I’m here to help you get there by creating your own unique wellness recipe. What do you believe in? SPREADING JOY & PECANS like confetti to the world! INSPIRING AND EMPOWERING humans to self-heal, be fearless, and live a blissful life! SELF-HEALING. The body is a perfectly designed machine, and self-healing is possible! Our mind, body, and soul are inner connected. LIVING YOGA—not just practicing on the mat. Mindful living and conscious communication elevate both ourselves and the world around us. COMPASSION toward ourselves and others. Noticing without judgment. CELEBRATING life and every micro-movement toward our healing journey and/or achieving life goals. Giving back one AVOCADO HUG at a time. What is it that you do for your clients? I help busy women simplify their wellness to sleep better and have more energy to enjoy life. I help my clients take ownership of their wellness and teach them simple tools to incorporate into their busy schedules to reduce stress and anxiety, reduce pain and bring more focus, productivity and joy into their life. Here are different ways to work with me: Stress Management Mini-course for only $27 USD Sleep Simplified Six-Week Coaching Program Or you can work privately with me as well. Who should hire/work with you? Are you having trouble falling asleep at night because nothing seems to turn off your brain? Are you feel anxious, overwhelmed, and tired all the time? Are you dreaming of waking up feeling rested and with the energy to be more productive and be able to spend more quality time with your loved ones? Are you craving to feel good naturally instead of buying things to make you feel better? Do you have a good life, but something seems to be missing? If you said yes, to any of the above questions, then we might be a good match to working together on any of the above Qs. If you’re ready to: Feel more alive, centered, and happy. Be conscious about what’s keeping you tossing and turning at night and wake up ready to take on anything the world brings you. Learn how to declutter your mind and life so you’re able to be more focused, productive, and abundant. Master simple breathing and meditation techniques to quiet the mind and feel calmer during the day. Discover tools to either help you get calmer or energized. Learn simple and effective stretches to reduce neck, jaw, and shoulder tension. Add self-love sparkles and self-care activities to your life to lift your state of mind and vibration without guilt. Then, you’re going to love working with me. Tell us more about Yoga Nidra? Yoga Nidra is a sleeping gem everyone’s talking about. It got me sleeping again after years of battling insomnia, anxiety, chronic stress, and pain. The best part is that it’s so simple! Just lie down (or sit) and listen to it. Yoga Nidra is the yogic tool for sleep, rest, and restoration. It is a guided meditation that works on all the levels of the being. You can use Yoga Nidra before an important meeting, to unplug after work or before going to bed, to help you fall asleep faster, and feel rested in the morning. They say that 20 minutes of yoga Nidra, equal to 2 hours of rest. Wanna try it? Download my free 10-minute yoga Nidra audio and get ready for deep relaxation. What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now? I would like to impact a million humans in the next 10 years while maintaining my health and enjoying my life, as I do know. And I’m currently writing my first book, so I’m working on making it a New York Times Bestseller. Follow Monica on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit her website for more information! Read more from Monica!

Written by: Shelley Tilbrook, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. How to captivate, connect and convert your audience with the pitch-perfect fruitful formula. Professional pitch presentations are used widely in business, yet very few of these skills are taught in schools and universities or implemented well at an executive or management level. There’s an expectation of on-the-job learning, but guess what – there are proven formulas and essential ingredients. Even those not in sales, you will find yourself needing these skills in business. You may be pitching an idea to a boss, pitching to an investor for seed funding, pitching to a potential sponsor. The fruitful formula can apply to each of these scenarios. It’s a topic that I’m passionate about, as I have seen good ideas stumble at the starting blocks and powerful strategies fail to gain support, as they are falling short in one or more critical success factors. Over 20 years of developing sponsorship pitches, investor pitches, and funding sales decks, I have seen what works and began to appreciate the power of storytelling . It was for this reason I developed the ‘pitch-perfect program,’ a fruitful formula designed to help employees, executives and entrepreneurs win over the room with a persuasive pitch . ​​ The proven storytelling formula, with a design that delivers impact, will captivate your audience, stir emotion, and ultimately inspire action. The benefits of executing a perfect pitch include the following: Develop a meaningful connection with your target audience; Motivate the desired behaviors without selling and move them to action; Captivate your audience through powerful stories; Communicate with clarity and confidence; Achieve emotional resonance with your audience; Attract the right people with shared values for sustainable partnerships; Ability to influence and persuade; Establish credibility, authority, and leadership; Maximize buying psychology and subconscious mental triggers; and Create memorable, meaningful compelling messages. Many presentations and pitches we see are missing fruitful ingredients involving an equal measure of science and art. The science, being the formula and psychology, the art, being the design and delivery. Both improve with practice. So what makes a great pitch? Here are the 7 P’s of the Pitch Perfect Program that we have seen deliver the most fruitful results for our clients, and some of these might surprise you. The 7 P’s include: 1. Purpose; 2. Personable; 3. Priceless painkiller priorities; 4. Prosperous; 5. Persuasion; 6. Performance – Pitch & Promise; and 7. Pizazz. So let’s explore these in more detail. 1. Purpose People don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it. What is your purpose? Whether referring to individuals or organizations, your purpose is simply the reason why you exist. The best way to share your purpose is to bring the audience in, inspire them with your vision and invite them to collaborate. Studies have shown that pitches that create engagement and collaboration have effectively gained the desired outcome. The way to move your audience to understand your passion is to use storytelling to explain your WHY and let them connect the dots that resonate. This will attract like-minded individuals with the same values. When you present something you are passionate about, people can pick that up in your vibration. People, specifically investors and managers, respond to those following a passion because they are more likely to overcome obstacles and go the extra mile to deliver a result. So be clear from the outset, why you do, what you do. 2. Personable People do business with those they know, like, and trust. You need to ensure your pitch covers you and your team’s expertise to give them confidence in your ability, credibility, and authority. Share case studies and stories where you have achieved exceptional results and be personable, not robotic, in your presentation, so they get a good feel for who you are and what you represent. Authenticity is key. Read the room and make eye contact. The best setting for a pitch is removing all desks and seating people in a semi-circle arrangement. If you control the room set up, you can influence their attention and make them active, not passive, during the presentation. Furthermore, if you have the opportunity to understand the individuals you are pitching to, you can better equip your presentation to appeal to their personality type (DISC or Myers-Briggs profiling) by delivering information in a style that supports their decision-making process. Likewise, knowledge of their personal interests will help to connect at a personal level. Mentioning their name, repeating a phrase they have said or painting a picture of their future using your product will not only make them attentive and alert, it will help them envisage working with you in the future. 3. Priceless, Painkiller Priorities If you can make the problem you solve too important to place a value on, it becomes priceless. Help them see what their life or others will be like from the transformation you deliver and align with their values. For example, you are not helping people lose weight. You are changing their lives, improving their health, improving their relationships, making them happier – things money can’t buy. You are not just growing their bank balance. You give them freedom to have choices and a lifestyle they want, a good education for their kids. You are not just improving their systems and processes. You are saving them time – the most valuable commodity of all. The second is painkiller solution. If you solve a painful problem, you can highlight the pain (and even the cost) of it not being solved. This can make people uncomfortable, but it will help to move them to make a decision. The third is to unpack their priorities, values, and what motivates them and help them see the transformation you provide with storytelling. The higher the priority, the more likely they will act on it. 4. Prosperous What's in it for them. Always make the pitch about them and how you can help them. Share with them the fruitful results that they can expect by doing business with you. By sharing how you understand their biggest problem, struggles and situation, you will develop a deeper connection with the audience. A pitch should always be tailored and customized to the audience's needs, with the exception of an investor pitch where you may be presenting to multiple parties at one time, like a shark tank situation. 5. Persuasion Your ability to influence, persuade and get the desired response will be largely linked to your ability to tell your story with compelling anecdotes and evidence. You’ve heard the saying, “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.” You will need to highlight the features and benefits but focus on the transformation. Features alone don't drive behavior. If you only promote the product attributes, you will likely generate lackluster results. Research has shown decision-making is controlled by the limbic system in the brain. People buy on emotion, then rationalize with logic. You need to move them to an emotional state. A Harvard Professor, Gerald Zaltman, believes 95% of purchase decisions are made subconsciously. With emotion being the biggest driver of decision-making, focus on making your audience feel during the pitch and all interactions leading up to and following their decision. 6. Performance – Pitch & Promise Performance is two-fold. Firstly, how you deliver the pitch, and second, the outcome, you promise. "The most confident person in the room wins." Pitch with conviction. Believe in your product. How you deliver the pitch is important. Here some tips to include: Pause after an important statement for impact. Repeat a statistic for impact. Group critical factors into threes for flow. Give your solution a name and use alliteration for simplicity and memorability, i.e., Pitch Perfect Program. Active participation can be achieved simply by asking your audience for a response. For example, “Do you want to hear how we’re going to solve this?” Then wait for the yes or repeat the question. With your promise, ensure you include your solution's outcome and forecast performance with clear, measurable metrics. The proof is in the pudding, so if you can, share other results you have achieved that are similar. 7. Pizazz We have seen one PowerPoint too many with too much text, no supporting visuals, inconsistent design, or no music, which is diminishing your ability to create maximum impact. 60% of people learn and communicate with visuals, so they will understand your pitch faster if designed well. Colour has the ability to ignite an emotional response subconsciously, and music has the ability to change moods and inspire action. The design of your presentation is critical to highlight the most important information using contrast and scale. You can influence the audience's mood with color and ensure the pitch is delivered with an emotive and engaging format. A short, impactful video is far more effective at communicating complex ideas than you explaining them. Video also has the ability to raise the level of excitement with music, animation, and real people. The key is to keep them short, punchy, and seamlessly integrate into your presentation. Avoid switching tech, as you will lose momentum and energy in the room. By touching all the senses, you can achieve the highest emotional response, but this is not about manipulating their subconscious. It is about helping the audience achieve the desired emotional state that your pitch (product or service) will deliver. You will only attract people that truly need what you have and, therefore, a more sustainable partnership. As you can see, there is quite a lot of detail and preparation required to present the perfect persuasive pitch. If you need help developing a pitch, sales deck, or after some coaching, contact Shelley Tilbrook at the fruitful group to discuss your requirements or join the waitlist for the Pitch Perfect Program , a 6-week online training program – your playbook to develop, design, and deliver a persuasive pitch. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Shelley Tilbrook, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Shelley Tilbrook is a leader in building brands, presenting persuasive pitches and using storytelling to captivate, connect and convert audiences. After a corporate career in sports and events as a senior marketing executive, she launched her own digital marketing and branding agency, Fruitful Group. She combined her mission 'to engage, educate and empower entrepreneurs to scale sustainable brands', with her expertise around strategic marketing, digital transformations and brand storytelling. She developed the fruitful foundations for building blooming brands, the pitch perfect program and the fruitful formula of content marketing to help start-ups and scale-ups, succeed. She founded the Fruitful Faculty, an online school for entrepreneurs and consults across sport-tech, ed-tech, med-tech and eCommerce with clients including; Athletics Australia, Athletes for Hope Australia, Kidney Health, Political Racquet, and many startups. Her purpose: To positively impact lives with fruitful brand solutions.

Written by: Jennifer Jank, 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. Just as no one expects the Spanish Inquisition, no one expects a business owner to work against their very own staff! Both employee and employer have incentives to keep the other happy. By making you happy, they get a paycheck. When you make them happy, they’re more likely to stick around. However, you may be inadvertently sabotaging their success. Modern business culture, especially for those who believe in “the grind” and “the hustle,” drains productivity instead of enhancing it. The human brain is not a computer and works best when it’s periodically allowed to recharge. Some mind maximizers are put in place outside the workplace. Good nutrition, adequate rest, including enough sleep, exercise, and other routines, help the human brain refresh. As an employer, you can set policies that either boost your staff’s efficiency, or decrease it. “Never mistake motion for action.” - Ernest Hemingway When do you schedule staff meetings? Everyone has a period of time during the day when they’re most refreshed, alert, and ready to work. It should be devoted to hard or complicated, or important tasks. Meetings, emails, administrative issues, and the like are a terrible waste of this time. Instead, they should be scheduled when everyone’s energy takes a dip. While it’s true that not everyone is all in their places with bright shiny faces at the same time, it’s also the case that most people are bears when it comes to chronotype. That means their internal clock is more or less in sync with the sun. The typical 9 to 5 schedule works pretty well, and their energetic time is in the late morning. Lion chronotypes are up early, and their peak energy is a bit earlier in the morning compared to bears. Wolves are your night owls, and their most energetic time is just afternoon—people who have difficulty sleeping ( dolphins ) peak in the late morning as well. Save your meetings for mid to late afternoon since that avoids key energy times for all your staff. This might be more difficult if you have employees spread across multiple time zones, but maximize the use of key focus periods as much as you can. What opportunities are provided for collaboration? Staff working from home also need to talk to each other. Being able to bounce ideas off colleagues is important for team bonding. Not to mention that it benefits you as the business owner, as your employees will come up with more creative ideas when they collaborate. When everyone’s working from home, you could set up Zoom calls with breakout sessions. Or simply schedule time on everyone’s calendar once a week to gather informally over Zoom or whatever your preferred video conferencing software is. At the office, make sure there are cozy spots where employees can gather comfortably. That also means they don’t get the stink-eye from a manager walking by because everyone’s been briefed on the need for coworking. Breakthroughs are known to happen when people can get together spontaneously and discuss the issues they’re having. Self-organizing teams are key to success in Silicon Valley. In fact, Alphabet co-founder Sergey Brin planned office space where no employee was more than 200 feet away from food so that workers would be encouraged to interact with others regularly (Burkus, 2015).1 How is the physical environment set up? Employees working from home may need your help to make sure that their setup is ergonomic. If they’re working from laptops, provide a monitor and separate mouse and keyboard if you can supply sit-stand desks as well, even better. At the office, ergonomic options are important, and so is the way that employees are physically distributed. Unfortunately, it seems that some companies are still buying into the open-plan office and/or “hotdesking.” When employees are all together in a room, there’s a lot of background noise. That creates more cognitive load, decreasing productivity because part of the brain is distracted by the noise. It also tends to reduce privacy, which often results in employees staying in their own spaces and not having those creative face-to-face interactions (Wertz, 2019).2 “Hotdesking ,” where employees don’t have an assigned desk, reduces the amount of physical space you need if not everyone is on the same schedule. However, for the workers, having to choose a new desk day after day is also draining. It’s an additional decision to make and one that doesn’t move your company forward. How often do you distract your employees? Don’t be my former boss. I was unfortunate enough to be located near his office. Every time he wanted something, he’d jump up and come into my cube, and I had to drop whatever I was doing to pay attention. It drove me nuts, especially when I was trying to get some complex work done. It takes about 23 minutes for someone to get back to work after they’re interrupted. Do you want to waste this much time? If you have an idea for your employee, write it down instead. Do you insist that emails be answered as soon as they come in? That’s also very distracting and usually unnecessary. Most clients will accept a company policy that the employees respond to emails during certain times of the day. They need to be told, and it’s also helpful to send an automated reply that their message was received and will be attended to. If you expect employees to respond instantly to emails, then they must have their notifications on. However, email notifications are very distracting. At the very least, your workers need to be able to disable notifications for email and messaging during their important work time. Are they able to batch their tasks together? There is a productivity cost to task switching. When your staff has to answer an email, then arrange your business trip, then answer another email, then research a topic, then arrange another business meeting, their brains are fatiguing. Instead, let them set their schedules to batch like tasks together as much as they can. Such as by answering emails at one time! True, it’s not always possible. Virtual assistants, for example, often need to work on a variety of tasks during the day. When everyone (including you) batches tasks together whenever they can, your team will be much more efficient. When are they able to stand up and walk around or get fresh air? I know, you’re paying for people to work. But are you paying for the time they spend with butt in seat, or are you paying for results? If it's the latter, you get better results by allowing short breaks. Intense concentration is possible for about an hour, after which the brain needs some rest (not emailing) for 15-20 minutes. Even if you don’t need intense concentration from all your workers, a break now and then helps everyone out. This can help you with those late afternoon meetings you’ll be scheduling. I’m not going to lie. I have come very close to falling asleep in the boardroom during afternoon meetings. Very, very close. Avoid sluggishness by scheduling “meetings on the move” whenever you can. Walk around the building, around the block, whatever, as you’re discussing business. If you have employees with limited mobility, wheelchairs or scooters mean they can still join in. By working with the human brain instead of against it, you’ll find your workers become magically more efficient. Without them having to work longer hours (and you paying for those longer hours.) Yes, a lot of what I’ve said is contrary to popular culture. But did you really decide to become your own boss so that you could go along with the herd? I didn’t think so! Follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jennifer! Jennifer Jank, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jennifer “JJ” Jank works with women who are making the leap from employee to entrepreneur through courses and a book published in February 2021. She also helps businesses build their online credibility through eBooks, testimonials, and articles. JJ holds a BA in Physics from Rutgers University and an MBA in Finance from New York University. She is a Certified Financial Planner ™ professional. Currently, she’s the President for the Women Leaders Forum in Coachella Valley and the webmistress for the Palm Springs chapter of AAUW. She is also a speaker on various topics, including personal finance and entrepreneurship. JJ has been published in Journal for Divorce Financial Analysts and Coachella Valley Weekly, among others. Source: David Burkus & Jia Wertz

Written by: Adelina Stefan, 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. Like a physical anchor, problems can hold us in one place, keeping us stocked and preventing motion, but, as Rumi said, “One day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open, and the world is full of beauty”. As a Professional Coach, people usually come to me to find a clear direction towards their goals and what is required to implement them, often feeling overwhelmed with so little time to act on their goals. We often use imagery and visualizations to depict their challenges and milestones of the journey ahead, making the coachees explore their own ways and envision their current situation from different perspectives. Among others, the navigation metaphor or sailing terminology is not seldomly used to help individuals communicate and deal with complex aspects of their personal or professional life. From a more practical perspective, Personal Agility System, known as PAS, created by Peter Stevens, starts with the metaphor of navigation, helping you identify your vision and making it easier to act upon it. As Peter says, "Life is the ocean." "You are the Captain of your own boat, navigating to your long-term goal and personal Jamaica." Drawing on your life experiences and leisure activities seeks to clarify and understand what really matters to maintain the equilibrium between your personal and professional life and sail towards your target destination. In Personal Agility, you can assess at any moment where you are in relation to your True North, your higher self. As in sailing, you must be agile in a fast-paced environment to sustain your growth. What is really essential is to know yourself, identify your strengths and weaknesses, fine-tune your strategy, transform obstacles into opportunities, prioritize what is important, what is urgent, and what you need to finish today or this week. Your sailboat's current position is the current position of yourself, either on a personal or a professional level. What really matters is your unique professional value proposition while having the right people on board, positioned in the right seat to access the right means. Growth is a combination of potential, purpose, exploration, and direction, not a destination. To grow personally or professionally means to continually move forward towards what really matters to you, to connect with your higher-self, and be able to operate at a higher level. Having the agile mindset to inspect and adapt continuously, you trim the sails to ensure that they are set in the optimal position to maximize the benefit of wind and lead to your desired destination. Determine your vision and where you want to reach and create your smart goals. By clearly defining your goals, you can translate your creative ideas into practice, developing self-confidence and self-efficacy. Even if the weather conditions cannot be influenced, you need to anticipate, be proactive and act accordingly to set the sails spot-on. As the Captain of your own boat, you can turn the steering wheel in a certain direction and go wherever you want. Choose your destination and navigate towards it. As all sailors know, you tack according to what the wind and the conditions will allow. Even if the destination can change during emergencies caused by strong winds and storms that make you feel lost, your journey is a self-discovery process, and the wealth is everlasting. Start navigating to identify the best way to reach your desired destination. You may meet other boats surrounding you in the sea - they represent your social network and may influence you positively or negatively. In times of stormy weather, by asking a powerful question such as “Who can help?” other boats may offer you support, helping you stay on course and remind you of your values, what really matters, without letting others design the trajectory for you. As in sailboat racing, winning is important, but in Personal Agility, it doesn’t necessarily mean winning in a race. Working with your celebration partner to reward yourself for small goals regularly will inspire you to reflect on your priorities and unlock new opportunities. Thank you, Peter, Maria, and Liviu, for such a well-structured framework that facilitates meaningful conversations with my coaches, both personal and professional! Follow me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Adelina! Adelina Stefan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Adelina Stefan is a Professional Certified Coach & Intercultural Facilitator specialized in Career Development, with a deep expertise in international HR recruitment and selection and Training and Development. Having worked for 10+ years across cultures, Adelina seeks to catalyze individuals’ potential, helping them create and implement their unique career blueprint and, at the same time, achieve a healthy work-life balance. She specializes in working with ex-pats and mid-to senior-level executives dealing with challenging work environments that can affect their performance and well-being. She supports organizations in building a corporate coaching culture by highlighting individuals’ maximum potential and engagement to become dedicated and highly successful employees. Her practice includes Career, Life, Executive, and Agile Coaching for individuals and developing and implementing corporate Human Resources practices for improving intercultural relations.

Written by: Sarah Jones, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. How to pack a punch and influence when working remotely! Due to the restrictions of lockdown, the professional landscape has shifted radically towards remote working. Unfortunately, the tactics and strategies of face-to-face interaction in the workplace don’t necessarily translate to virtual meetings. We can no longer depend on the hearty handshake, direct eye contact, and the nuances of body language. The rules might have changed, but there are still powerful ways to convey confidence, charisma, and gravitas over video conferences, interviews, and online networking. Preparation is Key There’s nothing less dignified than being stressed and frazzled before an online meeting. It helps to dedicate 10 minutes to review notes, tidy your working space, prepare a hot drink and compose yourself before joining a conference call or interview. The Importance of Presentability Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you should join that video conference in your pyjamas. A tidy and put-together look is vital for a sense of executive dignity. Dress is smart, professional clothes that make you feel comfortable and confident, keep your hair neat, and don’t neglect grooming. A clean, minimal background does wonders—and, of course, a clean working space. Make sure your camera lens is spotless and find a space with good light. To maintain an aura of professionalism, use a simple zoom name and avoid virtual backgrounds. Technicalities Video conferences come with a handful of technical difficulties. Connections drop, the sound gets distorted and audio distractions abound. To combat this, it’s best to speak slowly and calmly, enunciating with a strong, clear voice. This will distinguish you amongst the rabble and keep you from mumbling. Stay muted when not speaking to avoid distracting sounds from your end, and mute all desktop notifications before a call. There are actually technical advantages to online conferences. The chatroom is a powerful tool you can utilize in many ways. You can send links to agendas, respond to speakers, and ask and answer questions to maintain your presence on video calls. Body Language in the Virtual Space Our screens may separate us, but that doesn’t mean body language isn’t as vital on video conferences as it is in face-to-face meetings. At home, we can easily forget not to hunch, swing around on our chair or fidget. Not to mention, the issue of eye contact has suddenly become more complicated. The way to maintain confident eye-contact on video conferences is actually to keep your focus on the camera, not on your colleagues. It may feel strange, but this will look professional to your colleagues and keep them engaged. Try to maintain poise and posture for the duration of a video call. It helps to avoid multitasking, as we can sometimes forget we’re on camera. And remember, the art of mirroring is just as relevant online as it is in real life. Subtly mirror whoever you’re speaking to, as this builds a sense of trust and camaraderie, even online. Mise-en-scène Composition can make all the difference to how others perceive you on a video call. Take the time to position the camera at eye level and frame yourself properly. Your head and shoulders should take up most of the screen. Avoid too much distance, but be careful not to get too close, either! This will keep colleagues engaged and present while you’re speaking. Mindset, mindset, mindset It’s easy to lose sight of your worth when working from home, surrounded by family and clutter. The truth is, your value doesn’t change depending on the environment. You take it with you, always. Remember who you are and how much you’ve accomplished. This is the source of your confidence and gravitas. When you believe it, you allow others to perceive it. If you want to help to improve your virtual influence and gravitas, contact me at sarah@sarah-j.com or visit www.sarah-j.com to book a free call! Follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn , and Instagram ! Read more from Sarah! Sarah Jones, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sarah Jones - Published author, speaker, accredited personal & executive coach helps motivated, ambitious professionals & executives improve their career, find a new career, and help teams accelerate success & performance. Due to significant early challenges in her own life, Sarah has always been tenacious, entrepreneurial & unafraid to speak her mind. At times being the only woman in the boardroom amongst international corporations in her early 30s, she is a beacon of strength for leaders and individuals. In Sarah’s former career, she was a leader in corporate affairs but founded Sarah-J Coaching to help individuals & leaders become their personal best in life and their careers. She is dubbed the phrase 'regroup, reboot, and reinvent' - a three-step change process - having helped to pull out individuals from the trenches & into their own spotlight through her transformative and action-based coaching approach. Her book ‘From Vulnerable to Invincible’ helps readers identify how to step into their challenges, reframe & learn, to launch themselves to success. She also regularly contributes to the media such as BBC, The Guardian & Sky. She regularly speaks and has delivered empowering talks for Pearson Business School and Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

Written by: Sarah Lewis , 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 number one thing that comes up in every conversation I have with clients or other entrepreneurs is: how do I attract “soulmate clients”? “Soulmate clients” definition: people who are aligned with you in every way and are a dream to work with. They are ready to do the work, self-motivated, eager, and all in. They pay on time, maybe even in full. They write the best testimonials and rave about you every chance they get. They are go-getters and take action to create their results. To have a thriving business, you need clients. But not just any clients. Clients that fit this definition and are a dream to work with. This is true no matter what kind of service-based business you run, whether you are a coach, a mentor, a healer, astrologer, etc. So, the question is, how do you attract soulmate clients? And the answer is actually pretty simple: most of it has to do with a clear marketing message. Your marketing message is the most important thing you need to grow your business and stand out online in your field. Start with your message before you focus on anything else in terms of strategy. And focus on your message until it’s crystal clear, strong, and clean. That is the foundation of your business. What is a marketing message? Your marketing message is made up of all the words you use to communicate the work you do and the value of your offers to potential clients in your audience. Those can be spoken words (audio or video) or written words (in a social media post or a newsletter, for example). It captivates your audience and attracts soulmate clients to you because they clearly understand how you can help them solve a problem they have. You will know your message is clear when the right clients (not just anyone) enquires about working with you, book discovery calls with you, or expresses interest in working with you and, of course, says YES to you! It may take a bit of time to clarify and refine your message, which is normal. Everything you share adds up over time and builds trust with your future clients. 3 things you need to clarify in your message: 1. Who your target audience is and, more specifically, who your soulmate clients are; 2. How you can help them, a PROBLEM you help them solve; 3. Your unique voice. This may be the most challenging piece, but it is the most essential. It is just you, being you, sharing your message in your own words, with your own values and unique traits. This is what makes you stand out from the crowd and positions you differently than anyone else. Because no one can be exactly like you. My top 8 secrets for magnetic messaging: 1. Speak to 1 person in your content. Think about the one person who is ready now, who wants to work with you now, and what does this person need to hear? Speak to that ONE person. 2. Make your message and content about your audience ! No matter what you share, bring it back to them. They are the star of the story. That is how they will relate to what you say the most and trust you. 3. Use empowering language, show your audience what is possible for them. Stop pressing on their pain points. 4. Write the way you speak and share your message with a consistent tone & voice. If you are not sure how you speak, record yourself speaking and then listen to it and write as close to that as possible. 5. Speak to the desires of your soulmate clients, to what they want to become. Paint the picture of what is on the other side of working with you. Talk about the outcome and the transformation they desire. That makes your message very strong. 6. Educate your content by giving value, tips, your point of view on a topic. This helps you to be seen as an authority. Do this more than writing inspirational content. 7. Let your audience know you can relate , be empathetic to what they are feeling and going through and show them another way is possible! 8. Be super clear and specific with what you share. Don’t assume people know what you do, what it means, how you help etc. Give specific examples, get in their heads, and speak to their emotions. That makes your message sharp and very effective! Which of these 8 secrets will you implement now? Let me know by getting in touch on Instagram or my website ! Sarah Lewis, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sarah Lewis is an Intuitive Business Coach and a leader in the online space. She specializes in helping heart-led, mission-driven women entrepreneurs build thriving online businesses in a way that is aligned and authentic. She merges her unique approach to heart-centered marketing and soulful selling with her intuitive gifts, energy healing and subconscious reprogramming to help her clients quantum leap in their business and create the income and impact they are here for. Sarah has clients from all over the world and helps them create heart-centered 6 figure businesses and beyond.

Written by: Susan Watson, 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. Stress — what it is, and can we catch it. You may notice that stress seems to sometimes run in families, groups, workplaces, and anywhere where there is more than one person. There is a reason for this. Stress is a term we use for negative emotions like worry, anxiety, and frustration, and it is contagious. You can “catch” it from other people, and it can leave you feeling emotionally drained exhausted. To further explain, look at stress as energy. We all need energy to function well, be motivated, move and live a healthy life. However, when we have too much energy (stress), our body releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin into our bloodstream. Our fight, flight, or freeze response is activated. Now, we have moved into a survival mode, and our body reacts as if we are under attack and threat. In normal life, we move back and forth between our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. That is, between fight, flight, and freeze, rest and digest systems which is normal and expected as we all have times of high-stress level. This is perfectly normal and healthy. The problem can be when we start living our lives in constant sympathetic nervous system mode. Our bodies are pumped full of stress hormones daily. What you experience at this time is that you may find you are living with anxiety, constantly stressed, worry, negative thinking, brain fog, and anger. Eventually, you start to have physical symptoms and experience burnout and fatigue. At this point, I want to say that all those symptoms mentioned are just some that you may experience with high constant stress levels or toxic stress. They are all normal and expected. They are the way your body is biologically designed to react when you are living in sympathetic nervous system dominance. Your body is reacting as if you are under constant threat and danger. It is reacting this way to give you the energy to survive. However, living in this state constantly is not a healthy way to live. Now that we know what stress is and how it impacts our bodies let's consider why it is contagious. Simply watching someone else tense up with stress can trigger the release of the stress hormone cortisol in our own bodies. We all have mirror neurons which are brain cells that fire up and activate when we do something or observe someone doing the same thing. So, when we are around emotional or stressed people, we start to react the same way. We literally have a shared response. Therefore, if there is a stressed person in a household, others may also feel stressed. It is no one’s fault. We are made this way. All mammals have this ability. Think about a herd of cows in a field. One cow becomes spooked and runs away. The other cows follow. That is motor neurons at work. The good news is you can make the changes. You need to reduce the stress levels and step out of toxic stress. It is not difficult, but you must do this regularly. The hard bit is actually remembering to do it often. The benefits are great for everyone. Just as motor neurons pick up stress, they pick up peace and calm too. There are methods and exercises that you can do throughout the day everyday that can help you achieve a calmer life. When you do them regularly, you will pull yourself out of the toxic stress zone and feel better, and think clearer. I recommend that families should do this together and make it fun. Here are a couple of easy methods that you can start right away: 1. Full Muscle Body Relaxation Squeeze your fists and toes, tight so tight your arms legs are tensed, hold for 5 seconds, release and flop – do this every chance you get throughout the day. Every time you do this, you step out of toxic stress and hold for 10 seconds your thinking brain comes back online. 2. Colour Scan Visualize a lovely shade of blue or lilac, a nice calming and relaxing color. Then, as you scan from your head to your toes, count slowly from 10 – 1, and as you do this, the color of your choice fills up your who body. Relaxing and calming. Colour changes emotions and feelings. Use this in bed at night if you have problems sleeping too. 3. Breathing Place your hands behind your head, push your elbows back. Feel your ribs open and breathe lovely deep breaths – just a few of those breathes take you out of toxic stress. There are 3 amazingly simple exercises that can greatly improve your peace and calm in your life. Simple, but they only work if you use them often. The results are well worth the effort. I work with children and adults who have experienced stress, anxiety, trauma, and much using many methods best suited to each person. I fully recommend to everyone that if a young person has stress and anxiety, it is always a good idea to take the exercises and learning into the home. All family members or caregivers can use them too. As lockdown is relaxing here in the UK and after a year of seclusion at different levels, stress is heightened for many, particularly for returning to school and the workplace. The good news here is that feeling this way is a normal reaction, and it can be helped and managed. If you find yourself in this position, please know you are not alone and that support and a helping hand is available. If you have any questions, I am happy to help. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, connect with me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Susan! Susan Watson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Susan Watson specializes in working worldwide with all ages experiencing Anxiety, Emotions, and Trauma in a content freestyle, so that no talking really needs to occur unless wanted. Working with feelings and emotions within the body, Susan releases the emotional connection of past experiences. She teaches self-help tools to help others live their best life, the life that is deserved. Susan supports individuals, groups, and the workplace with her Be Your Own Empowered Hero workshops, which were introduced as a measure to reduce the risk of future issues with mental and emotional health.

Written by: Cynthia Jones, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Self-improvement is a personal journey. I have realized that we all are meant to grow but that growth will look different for everyone. A good definition of self-development is a lifelong process of consciously improving one self’s various aspects of their life. You are constantly pursuing change. Knowing that the human potential is limitless, not the limits you place on yourself. As they say, “As a Man Thinketh So is He” Now you can see how imperative it is to think only good things of yourself. If not, you will find yourself someplace you didn’t intend. Now think of some reasons why you want to improve your life. Are you looking to improve on your negative habits? Are you looking to improve your relationships or become more productive? You only need one reason why you want to improve yourself, and it’s enough to start the journey. I can still remember when I wanted to improve my work schedule because we had just had our son. I was unwilling to work nights anymore as I wanted to be there for my family as it was growing. Now 16 years later, we have a good son who is a great teenager and loves being around his family. I know that one decision has changed our lives for the better. As a passionate growth advocate, I’ve compiled a shortlist of my best tips, which will help your personal growth journey. 1. Don’t stop learning. Learning something new every day is one of the things you can do to improve yourself. As I am an avid reader, I learn a lot by reading self-help books. The more books I picked up, the more I exposed myself to wisdom. The five books that changed my life were: Think and Grow Rich –Napoleon Hill Feeling is the Secret –Neville Goodard The Magic of Believing –Claude M. Bristol 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness –Jim Rohn The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People –Stephen R. Convey Aside from reading, you can also listen to a podcast about new skills and business ideas. Personal development will require time and dedication to do every day, but you’ll reap the benefits in the long run. To be honest, learning is something I do daily but did not set out to do initially. After my master's, I thought I would never learn again! I am so glad I had second thoughts and started reading and learning again. This time it's different because I am doing it to please me and help me grow personally, not professionally it's no longer a means to an end. I pick a lot of things I find exciting and know will reap a great reward. My encouragement is never to stop growing positively! 2. Consider working with a coach. Rather than doing it alone, talking to your family or friends and sharing your goals might help keep you motivated. Also, working with a coach has become quite the norm in today’s society. In sports, you will not find an Olympic Athlete without a team of coaches working behind to assist or a successful CEO without its team members. So if most of the top successful people need coaches, why wouldn’t you. That is part of their success; receiving support and getting outside perspective in their goals. Working with coaches has inspired me to new levels. What I normally look for in a coach is someone who is doing something I want to do on a higher level. The higher level should be mentally, intellectually, and financially. These three areas are a must for me. Coaches are a great resource to show you the way to developing your business. Coaches also support you in becoming comfortable in the unknown. 3. Being open with yourself and accepting that you have flaws. You may be hard-wired to always create the best impression of yourself, which is why it is sometimes hard to accept that you have flaws. One important thing to remember is that “you are enough. You may have flaws, but learn to accept them. True self-improvement is learning to accept yourself above all”. Once you have recognized the thing you do not like, then begin to ask yourself what you can do to replace this thing? The brain is designed in such a way that you cannot take away a habit without replacing it with something new. Start with one and then more on to others if you wish. Don’t think of this exercise as finding wrong things, rather things that you can improve on. Improvement should be something you are always working towards. I know this personally as I am always looking for ways I can improve daily. It can be as small as adding vegetables or fruits to every meal or making your bed when you wake up in the morning. When you are working in small steps, it won't be long before you have built a mountain! 4. Planning your goals and challenging yourself to accomplish them. Write down your goals – and I like to use the phrase “I am so happy and grateful that now….” to make the goal present. Also, make the goal very specific so that you know exactly what you are working towards. The best definition of a goal I heard is “the progressive realization toward a worthy idea.” It is something you get to set and the ways you would take to achieve those goals. You are more likely to complete your goal when you track your progress. Even better, why not make it a challenge by trying to complete it within 30 days. It can be quitting a habit or developing a new one. If you do it 30 days in a row, then you’re likely to stick with it. Once you complete the challenge, it will inspire you to start new ones. The journey to improving yourself can be challenging at times but will reap loads of rewards. You need to constantly work on yourself because as you create a better you, in turn, you will create a better life. It does take commitment and perseverance but take one step at a time. I hope that these 4 ways can help jumpstart your self-improvement journey. You may fail multiple times, but don’t feel discouraged. Be kind to yourself and understand that improving yourself is an ongoing process. You’ve got to keep moving on and start again if necessary. Also, remember to enjoy the journey. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Cynthia Jones, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine As a first-generation college student, Cynthia began her career in Cybersecurity with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a double masters in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity Policy. She worked her way through college with limited support. Fortunately, she had her husband by her side as she completed her masters degrees. As she entered the male-dominated field of cybersecurity, Cynthia had to learn how to show up with confidence to avoid dismissal which many women struggle with. It was at this job she realized her ability to empower other women to become fearless in pursuing their purpose. She now has accumulated 20 years of experience in mindset coaching and has helped many women on and offline pursue their goals with courage and continues to watch them succeed.

Written by: Tanya Slater, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. It’s happening! But for real, this time… We’re coming out of lockdown! Now obviously, this is great news for so many reasons, but it’s still important to get your sh*t together in the run-up. I know that you’re already booking things into that empty notebook you formerly referred to as your diary, and that you’re starting to look hungrily at restaurants that are taking bookings and events that will happen on a bigger stage than a 14inch screen. But hold fire! It’s exciting, I know, but there are some longer-term beneficial things you could and should be doing as we emerge from our cocoons. Here are some things you may want to consider as you prepare for the coming weeks and months… 1. Play your part As well as being able to hand over all of the stuff that you’ve had year-long daily reminders about that you don’t need or want anymore, remember that in clearing out your old stuff via the means of a charity shop visit you’ll also be doing your bit for recycling and community support. Giving people the opportunity to buy pre-loved and good-quality second-hand bits and pieces is not only going to save on landfill, but is also going to really help out those who are financially conscious right now. 2. Clean your house Okay, so I know that people are coming to see you and not your house, but remember that you’ll want to make those people feel treasured, happy and comfortable to be in your home. During the height of each lockdown, you’ve been convinced that you’ll get those shelves put up, the rubbish in the hallway cleared out, and the second coat of paint in the living room slapped on. Well, that time is running out. Get it all done now. Look better, feel better, and don’t restrict the number of people you can have over to your house because they can’t physically get through the door and there’s nowhere to sit. 3. Make sure you mean business I don’t know how the lockdown has affected your business or the way you work, but please, if you do one thing for me (for yourself) do not get straight back into the bad habits that will have been present in your working life before you’d ever even heard of Covid. The best way to declutter in this area of your life? Sort your diary out. Lockdown has proved that we absolutely do not have to attend in-person meetings. Zoom fatigue then proved that we absolutely do not have to ‘jump on a call’ every single time someone has something to say. And, working from home then proved that it’s just not bloody feasible to spend your working life being ‘visible’ or readily accessible, and that actually, just as much can be achieved via an email or a voice note. Declutter your diary from meetings that don’t have to be meetings, and see your productivity (and your mental wellbeing) vastly improve. It’s an exciting time, but don’t just count down the days. Make them count. Need some help getting started? Come and say hi over on Instagram and grab my free Start with Why Decluttering Workbook. It will help you get some clarity and focus back in your life. You can also check out my website, learn about my Home Clearing Club starting again soon and join my free private community, The Curious Souls Life Clearing Club, or my Instagram. I cannot wait to meet and empower you to take control of your home so you can take control of your life. Read more from Tanya! Tanya Slater, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine UK based home educating mum, Tanya Slater, spent a decade decluttering her home and her entire life. In doing so she overcame her crippling mental health and improved her human experience exponentially. The Girl Who Simplified condenses 40 years of life challenges, learning, and experience, and is now a work of passion transforming people’s lives with her proven transformation formula and simplify to succeed message. Tanya now teaches busy women how to take control of their homes so they can better take control of their life. It’s best described as well-being, confidence, clarity, life, family, relationship, mental health, and business coaching all rolled into one and uniquely disguised as a home clearing course to make positive and lasting change. Basically, it’s magic! Born out of lockdown, Tanya’s Home Clearing Club method is a 49-day online course that gently guides student’s week by week, room by room around their home to remove all their excess ‘stuff’. Very quickly, everyone starts to understand the ways in which the things they have accumulated over the years have been holding them back and adding to their overwhelm and exhaustion.

Written by: Karen Mc Dermott, 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. Take a moment to ask yourself a question. Do I live with intention? If the answer is no or I don’t know, then it is time to consider embracing this high-achieving way of living. Living with intention means results, bigger and better than you could ever imagine. Why? I hear you ask, well it's because when you set an intention, things begin to shift around you to make way for receiving. The more people in the world living intentionally, the more success there will be. In turn, the more harmonious our world will be because when one person is successful, everyone around them benefits. It has a ripple effect! Here are some key components of intentional living: ASK and be clear about what you want. Know an aligned opportunity or inspired thought when it presents itself. Have the courage to act immediately if it is a definite YES. Trust YOUR ability to know. Answers are inside. Support to make it happen is outward. Have fun, live on purpose, and expect! There are more and more opportunities available for everyone and what excites me the most is that there is more and more room for innovative thoughts than there ever was before. Gone are the days when you were deemed mad and sent to an asylum for having an out-of-the-box thought. We are fortunate enough to live in an era where new thinking is embraced and supported, even financially invested in. Do you think Thomas Edison had such support? And what is more, we do not need to know everything, we need only know more about what it is we are aiming to achieve, we need to be open to the journey of receiving. Many intelligent people do not make a big impact in this world because they do not have the courage to act on the journey because they do not have the ability to have faith in the outcome. It is such a waste of a great mind, but it demonstrates the value in having the passion for the outcome and the unwavering faith that it WILL happen. Prioritize increasing your knowledge in your chosen field but also have the courage to action inspired thoughts and opportunities. That is a one key to success when living through intention. Another aspect of value with intentional living is that we can make things happen quicker, which also means that success happens in our lifetime, not when we die, and we get to reap the rewards of our life’s work in our lifetime. When I was writing The Miracle of Intent some attributes were very clear to me with the five people I interviewed. Each of them had a sense of authenticity, a strong belief in themselves and the outcomes they were aiming to achieve and a powerful purpose that drove them forward. These attributes can be learned and so everyone can be a person who lives with intention if they choose to. Embracing the self-development required to live with an open heart and mind is a valuable investment. The BIG word here is CHOICE. Everyone has the choice and quite often, the only thing holding any of us back is either our belief in ourselves or we simply just don’t want it enough. Importantly, many of us live very full lives and should we want to live with intention, we need to consistently declutter that which no longer serves us. Then we will have the space in our lives for the new and have a choice over what moves to let the new in. Should we not make room before we set an intention, the decision about what goes will be made for us and will be beyond our control. I want to leave you with the thought that yes, we can have anything we want when we set our mind to it. I am a big advocate for intentional living, I do it every day. But one thing to be mindful of when setting intentions is to set them aligned with your core values because if you do not honor this what you do achieve may not be as fulfilling as it could be when it is a goal achieved without compromise. For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Karen! Karen Mc Dermott, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Karen Mc Dermott is an award-winning publisher, multi-genre author, and TEDx Speaker. Karen realized her passion for story after an epiphany led her to write her first novel in only 30 days. Karen has gone on to build a publishing empire and is the publisher for many well-known best-selling authors and also aspiring authors alike. She is a regular Forbes writer and her signature book series is the Alchemy of Life Magic series. Karen is a passionate teacher and runs her own publishing academy, Everything Publishing Academy, which recently won an award for innovation. Her motto in life is 'When time and circumstance align, magic happens.'