Written by: Haseena Shaheed-Jackson, 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. This month we commemorate the accomplishments of Women. Women have been and will continue to be change agents, affecting change. Women are impactful and significant. Every woman must believe in their value and who they are. In this year, history has been made with Kamala D. Harris. The first female vice president. Vice President Kamala D. Harris is the highest-ranking female official in history whose heritage is African American and Asia. Vice President Harris looks in the mirror and sees her value. You must see value in yourself to add value to yourself. Believe in the person in the mirror. "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." – Ralph Waldo Emerson Within each of us is planted seeds, our potential, for us to be successful. Understand success should not be measured by wealth. Success is in the becoming. The fulfillment, contentment, and happiness. All that is required of each of us is cultivation and growing, watering, and feeding the seeds within, leading to development and growth. We fail when we do not believe in ourselves, not seeing the potential that within each of us. I say to each of us, look in the mirror, believe in the person, who and what you can become. Let us continue to foster and be the change we seek in this world. Wilma Rudolph believed. Wilma was born prematurely in Clarksville, Tennessee. She was sickly, her family was poor, and she was 20 of 22 children. Wilma had polio resulting in her having one crooked leg and a curved foot. Medical care was limited where she lived, so she had to take a bus 50 miles from her home to receive treatments. At nine years old, she decided to take the brace off her leg and was determined to walk, taking her a few years to master. From walking, she progressed to running, becoming an Olympic runner and gold medalist. Unbelievable after being able to walk barely. "Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us." – Wilma Rudolph When we fail to see the value in ourselves, we allow our gifts and talents to be wasted. We do not utilize or tap into the potential that is within. In the book of Exodus in the Bible, the Israelites did not see or believe in the value of themselves. They did not believe in who they were. The Israelites were more numerous and powerful than the Egyptians. However, they did not see their power or greatness. Their minds had been programmed to believe less of themselves. Not seeing the value in who they were. The Egyptians saw the greatness in Israelites, thus devaluing them, making them believe less of themselves. When you do not see the value in yourself, you will allow others to devalue you. In turn, you will either devalue others or place others of higher value over yourself based on their title or status in society. Know that every person, including you, is valuable. You matter. You are deserving of being respected and appreciated. When you fail to see the value in yourself, you allow others to mistreat you and not realize the potential within you. John Maxwell stated that he has the practice of seeing everyone as a “10”. I say you must also see yourself as a “10”. For you to value others, you must first value yourself. If the Israelites had seen the value in themselves, they would not have stood for being mistreated. They lacked confidence in and self-respect. As such, the Egyptians worked the Israelites ruthlessly and made their lives miserable. They performed the most difficult labor and all the hard fieldwork. Their backs were breaking for the good of the Egyptians. Do not be like the Israelites. Do not allow yourself to be devalued or mistreated for the good of another. Know and believe that you are a person of value who is deserving to be respected and appreciated. Look in the mirror, believe in who you are. Strive forward to become who you can be, not allowing the world to dictate what you can become. You are needed to bring about change and to be a change agent. Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Haseena! Haseena Shaheed-Jackson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mrs. Haseena Shaheed-Jackson is a Certified Coach, Speaker, and Trainer under the John Maxwell Team. She is the author of Reflections Within and Messages from the Spirit. Her mission is to add value to people to add value to others by intentionally growing, resulting in transformation and changing their world. Growth is a continual process that never ceases. It is a lifetime commitment that must become a habit. Ms. Jackson is the Owner of Faith, Hope and Spirit, LLC, which offers training, coaching, and speaking in growth, development, leadership, and influence. For over 30 years, she has held positions in leadership and management for various companies and organizations, where her responsibilities included mentoring, coaching, development, and training. She hosts a monthly networking group, Connecting and Collaborating to Thrive (CC2T). CC2T focuses on developing relationships and establishing a community. She actively seeks to form partnerships with others to make a difference and be impactful.

Written by: Payman Lorenzo Sarwari, 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. In today’s ever-increasing competitive marketplace, the key to not just survive but to strive is to DIFFERENTIATE. Differentiate both yourself and your business as much as possible. This applies to every line of business, whether you’re a brick and mortar business, a coach, a consultant, an E-Commerce business, or even selling hot dogs and ice creams down the street. The more you can differentiate your business, the better equipped you will be to succeed. What most people have been doing generally is to make their products or services a little bit better than the rest, or they price things differently or add a little bonus here and there. While this is fine and dandy, it probably won’t cut it anymore in today’s highly fierce business environment. The good news is that one of the very best ways to really differentiate your business is also one of the easiest to implement to any type of business. Yet surprisingly, not many people are taking advantage of it. What am I referring to? ADDING A CAUSE TO YOUR BUSINESS Being a cause-driven business and not just a purely profit-driven business. Why is having a cause linked to your business going to differentiate your business? There are several reasons for that. First and foremost, I firmly believe that as entrepreneurs, it’s our duty and responsibility to do good. Not just because it’s the right thing to do as a human being but also because it’s good for business. People want to do business with people and businesses who care and are making a positive impact in the world. Most people want to do good, but they either don’t have the money to do so or don’t know where and/or how to start. However, by aligning our businesses with a cause that is dear to our heart and which resonates with our target market, we can empower our customers and clients to do good through the purchase of our products and services. By doing so, we are transferring the power to do good to them, and in doing so, they will feel good buying from us versus from a purely profit-driven business. Not only that, but they will also share and talk about you with their friends. Effectively, they will become avid, loyal, raving, and even evangelical fans and they will become your ambassadors and ultimately, they will do your marketing for you! Why? Because people want to buy and support businesses that care and that have a positive social impact! Another powerful reason for that is that, surprisingly, not many people are doing that. That alone provides us with a tremendous opportunity to stand out and be the first to do so in our niche and industry! The good news is that there are many ways that each and every single one of us, regardless of our line of business, can add a cause to our business and start having a positive impact around us. My personal favorite model is the Buy One Give One Model . This is a concept where for each sale made, a business would donate a unit of their product and/or of their service to someone who needs it but cannot afford it. The most popular example of the Buy One Give One model is Toms Shoes by Blake Mycoskie, where for each pair of their shoes they sell, they would donate a pair to an underprivileged child. Using this model, Toms Shoes have been able to donate a staggering 100 million pairs of shoes to kids around the world! In the process, they have built the fastest growing shoe company in the world, without any outside investment, from nothing to half a billion dollars in sales between 2006 to 2011! That right there is the phenomenal power of building a business with a heart! A business that not only makes good quality products but also and most importantly, has a very positive impact in the world. That is the model that I have implemented in my own business. I am working on launching a brand of physical products through crowdfunding. For each unit of my product sold, I will be donating a pair of eyeglasses to people in a third-world country who needs them but cannot afford them. The most beautiful part of a business with a heart is that it fulfills you and makes you feel alive like nothing else. I have been an entrepreneur all of my adult life and for the past 20 years, I’ve been involved in multiple businesses around the world and I can say without any hesitation that no business has made me that excited and that passionate as the current one precisely because it’s about helping those less fortunate ones. That feeling is second to none. It’s akin to an orgasm for the sou l. It transcends both you and everything around you and everyone involved with it in a very deep and positive way. HOW CAN WE IMPLEMENT THAT CONCEPT INTO OUR BUSINESSES? The first thing to do is to identify what cause YOU are passionate about and that resonates with your clients/customers and target market. Depending on what line of business you are in, you could do a lot of things. Here are some examples to get your creative juices flowing: For every product sold, give a unit to someone who needs it but cannot afford it. Plant a tree for every sale made. Feed a homeless for every sale made. For every product sold, provide school supplies to an underprivileged kid. For every product sold, provide one liter of clean drinkable water to people in a remote village in a third world country who don’t have clean water. For every $1,000 worth of sale, build a well in a village in Ethiopia. For every new client signed, provide a micro-loan to a family in Kenya. For every $5,000 of business, set up a school in a remote village in India. For every $5,000 of business, set up a small clinic in a remote village in Guatemala. For every $10,000 of business, set up a school in Afghanistan for kids. The exciting part is that possibilities are truly endless! It starts with simply identifying a cause that you are deeply passionate about and which resonates with your target market and that makes sense with your business. And then, align that with your business. As simple as that! THIS IS NOT AN ADDITIONAL EXPENSE! Do NOT think of the products/services donated as extra/additional costs! Far from it! Because it is not! From a business point of view, they are the best money you can ever spend on advertising and marketing because of the PR and word of mouth and praise and respect it’ll generate among people, your local community and media. Not to mention, it will give your business a whole new level of identity and, most importantly, a purpose! All of us in here, we have been blessed that we do not have to worry about what to eat today or where to sleep tonight. We now have an incredible opportunity to do good by aligning our business with a cause that is dear to our heart. It is easy to implement and doesn’t add much more to our bottom line in view of the returns it can provide, not only financially but most importantly, in terms of the impact it makes and the inner fulfillment we will feel as a result of having a business with a purpose and being a business with a heart. In my podcast, Leaders With A Heart, I talk with entrepreneurs who are doing good with their businesses to share their messages and to inspire other entrepreneurs to do good. If you have a business with a heart, I’d love to have you come share your message and vision with me on a future episode in my podcast. My goal is to inspire other entrepreneurs to build their businesses around IMPACT. If I can inspire just ONE entrepreneur to build an impactful business and that entrepreneur goes on not only build an impactful business but also to inspire another entrepreneur to do the same, and they went onto build a business with a heart and inspire another entrepreneur to do the same and so on and so forth, then before long, we will have a legion of impactful entrepreneurs creating an unstoppable movement around the world. And before long, together, we can make the world a better place. This is my vision, to create an army of Leaders With A Heart. For more information, follow me on Facebook ! Payman Lorenzo Sarwari, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Payman is a serial entrepreneur, having lived in 10 countries on 4 continents and speaking 6 languages. He is a strong advocate of building businesses with a heart, a mission and a purpose. He is the founder of the Leaders With A Heart movement and the podcast of the same name. He is on a mission to build a community of Enlightened Entrepreneurs who have a heart of gold so that together we can both create impactful and meaningful businesses as well as inspiring others to do the same. Payman fully believes that Capitalism can do and be good. And that doing good is not only the right thing to do as a human being but that it also is good for business! Payman’s area of expertise is E-Commerce. He is launching a Brand of physical products made from sustainable and animal cruelty-free leather. For each unit sold, he will donate a pair of eyeglasses to people who need them but can’t afford them so that they can see clear again.

Written by: Dr. Hynd Bouhia , 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. At the inception of the Bretton Wood financial institutions following the Second World War, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund saw their role as leading institutions to restore postwar countries. They paved the way for the missions of several other international development institutions launched after them. In fact, these institutions have seen their mission change from infrastructure development to the fight against poverty and now to the realization of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and all the financial support that comes with it. Nevertheless, their mission's driving force has always been to strengthen population resilience against environmental and infrastructure degradation, economic, financial, and political challenges. Resilience helps world populations stave off persisting poverty, economic precariousness, lack of infrastructure. It also makes them embrace capacity building towards local inclusive and sustainable development. Initially, the concept of resilience was borrowed from physics. The scientific meaning of resilience is indeed connected to materials and bodies’ strength against the surrounding chocks and their capacity to restore their shape and initial characteristics. This notion was integrated into psychological theory, where it described a person's capacity to overcome the most complicated events in their lives. In any given community, resilience represents the capacity to restore their sense of living following challenging experiences. In addition, resilience could be applied to a whole region, a group of individuals, or simply to an isolated person. The ability to stand back up after failure is referred to as “resilience” by the specialists. People react differently by displaying various stages of resilience. Despite a complicated life and difficult events, some people find a way to restore their happiness and get a normal life after a failure or a terrible event. Other people, on the opposite, fall into depression and melancholy. Thus, the capacity to bounce back and to stand back up after falling is equivalent to their degree of resilience. Some need professional help from psychologist and psychoanalyst, and other need family and friends moral support. Their resilience will shape their mental strength and their capacity to cope with problems within their social group and work environment. In the business world, there are different ways of being resilient and different mechanisms to grow resilient. Often, in the complicated and cruel business environment, where we navigate, resilience seems essential and stands in the priority line, along with technical credentials and management skills. To reach success in any discipline, there are several hurdles to overcome, in addition to episodes of failures that need to be accepted—it can be a long road. Thus, the type of resilience can dictate the level of success and responsibility any person could reach. Therefore, it is fundamental to reinforce it when it is lacking. The good news is that there are several tools available to help strengthen a person’s resilience despite her background or her history, allowing her to overcome the hurdles and come out of the problems stronger and grown-up. Five steps to unleash inner resilience Having gone through several business challenges myself, I learned from experience how five simple steps could strengthen oneself and unleash our inner resilience. By following these five simple steps, it becomes possible not only to reinforce oneself but also to feel completely reborn. Thus, the five main steps to resilience can become a roadmap for each one of us: (1) an internal anger against the struggle and the misfortune; (2) a self-inflicted challenge for self-empowerment and inner strength; (3) a desire to show strength and endurance to family and friends; (4) a sense of humor instead of feeling sorry; (5) and finding an activity to channel all those emotions through art, spirituality, sports or any other interest. It is important to master these five steps and follow them diligently to keep your sanity, build self-confidence, and replenish your motivation and enthusiasm. This is the moment where you realize that failure is actually helping you grow stronger and more focused. On the opposite, falling into the victim role will only stave off the reality and deepen the sorrow. For a women entrepreneur, this is when you envelop yourself with that crocodile skin and navigate through a men-dominated business world while nurturing your own resilience to have it ready whenever necessary. Thus, the best lesson for future generations is to be mentally prepared for life's most challenging events, to resist the many destroying chocks on the way. Life surprises us when we least expect it. Besides movies, no one would have ever thought that the world could stop for a whole year due to an unknown virus. The scientific and digital developments have bluffed us into believing the invincibility of humanity and nations. The pandemic proves them wrong. The world economy was paralyzed. Human relationships were redefined. Borders were closed to contain the virus contagion and set up the necessary infrastructure for COVID-19 patients. This was the unexpected occasion to check the resilience of countrywide health infrastructures and security. Fortunately, the vaccine being produced at a record time was most comforting about humanity’s giant advances in the science of life and genetics. In conclusion, in different stages in the business cycle and our personal lives, resilience is at the center of perseverance, success, development, happiness, and simply life. For more info, follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website ! Dr. Hynd Bouhia, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Hynd Bouhia has cumulated more than 20 years of professional experience in high-level and leadership positions, covering investments, financial structuring, entrepreneurship and sustainable development strategies. Hynd Bouhia was nominated by Forbes among the 100 most influential women in the world in 2008 and among the most influential women in Business in the Arab World in 2015, and honored as a member of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars in 2018. With a PhD from Harvard University (GSAS 1998), an Engineering degree from Ecole Centrale Paris (1995) and a Master from Johns Hopkins SAIS (2000), Hynd Bouhia started her career at the World Bank in Washington before joining Morocco’s Prime Minister as an economic advisor. She was appointed in 2008 as the Managing Director of Casablanca Stock Exchange. After that she structured and managed several investment and venture capital funds. As the CEO of Strategica, she advises entrepreneurs, companies and institutions on economic intelligence, sustainable finance and growth strategies. Dr. Hynd Bouhia is the author of the motivational book for women entitled "Africa Girl, African Woman": How agile, empowered and tech-savvy females will transform the continent... for good".

Written by: Dr. Margot McKinnon, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Many of us have a growing feeling that there is a more powerful, more dynamic, and more connected version of ourselves standing just out of reach. No matter how successful and accomplished we are, there is always a new experience, a fascinating project, and a wiser self waiting to come into being. How do we grab onto this future self and become it? Feelings of disconnect with your current reality, frustration, and restlessness are clear signs that your future self is beckoning you toward growth. So, too, are feelings of being enough but knowing there is more. But what if we are uncertain or vague about how to start building a bridge to our grander self? Let’s piece together some solid planks for your bridge. One: I Am Ready Now. Many years ago, the trajectory of my professional life changed unexpectedly and dramatically. Luckily, I had the good sense at the time to document my ideas, goals, accomplishments, and insights in annual journal books, tracing my growth from birthday to birthday, my personal 'new year’. In looking back over my growth journals collection, I see a remarkable pattern for how I continuously visualized and became grander and grander versions of myself. When I was given my first journal book for my birthday two decades ago, I was in a fairly difficult time in my life, newly divorced with three primary school children, a stable job as a high school English teacher, which I loved, and a house with a mortgage that seemed insurmountable on my salary. I held my new journal book in my hands and declared to the Universe, “I am ready now to explore who I am, how I ended up in this spot, and where and how I am to move forward.” I believe, as many do, that there is a magical mysterious Force around us that will guide us in life if we know how to access It. Indeed, I teach people how to access this Force in my Ask the Universe online meetups and in my workshops. The massive results defy logic. I use the word ‘Universe’ in a non-religious sense, but you might use the word ‘Creator,’ ‘Higher Self,’ ‘Oneness,’ or a religious word for this Force. When I declared my readiness, I know now that I invited the Universe into my life, opening channels beyond my wildest expectations. Two: Explore the Exquisiteness of Your Life. I see in my journals that two years after I declared to the Universe that I was ready, I dove into discovering who I really was after divorce. Three little children looked up to me as though I naturally knew how to get us back on course. In truth, I was numb. My mission became ‘Recover the Exquisiteness of Margot.’ I explored passions, hobbies, and sports that I let go in my marriage. I made new friends. I took myself on mini-vacations in my city as though I were a tourist. Looking back now, I doubt that I would have stepped into my grander self if I had not fully replaced my numbness with passion, fun, and a dose of serendipity. Three: Ask the Universe Questions. In year three of my journaling, my school principal asked me to enroll in a Masters’ Degree program so that I had the credentials to become a principal myself. This was when the trajectory of my life changed forever. While most courses and my thesis had to do with school leadership, I took one course for myself – Philosophy of Mind. Our first assignment was to explain the relationship between Body, Mind, and Spirit, my lifelong fascination. I posed the question to the Universe. Quite unexpectedly, I heard an answer that made so much practical sense. We have 5 dimensions of self, not just 3. We have a Body, Mind, Spirit, Soul, and Oneness dimension. We are born dominant, gifted, in one of the dimensions, and we grow (or not) the others over time. I will save a fuller explanation of The Dominance Theory for my next article. For now, I will say that I discovered that I have a Spirit Dominant personality type with a massive Soul purpose, but feel trapped in a Mind and Body Dominant world. My professor encouraged me to write a book, describing The Dominance Theory as the freshest about Body, Mind, and Spirit he had heard in 50 years. I published the book The Exquisiteness of Being Human (2006). To market and sell books and give inspirational well-organized keynotes and workshops, I had to overcome my inherent shyness and grow resiliency skills. I also do not come from a family of entrepreneurs. To step away from a secure salaried job with a benefits package and pension was a daring move. I had no backup in the form of a partner who could pick up the financial pieces if my venture failed. I kept my teaching job. I still loved it even though it was becoming too small for me. It provided the financial security I needed at the time. I knew that I was in a ‘get ready’ stage for my future self. Four: Grow the Skills You Need. Being a Spirit Dominant person, I tended to become exhausted by the human experience, retreating from what I perceived as an unnecessarily harsh and abrasive world. In my get-ready stage, I practiced challenging myself out of my comfort zone. I decided to be responsibly bold rather than adopt the ‘go big or go home’ strategy. Many of us have audacious goals, but do we have the skills to bring them into their fullness? Lottery winners are known to declare bankruptcy within 5 years. Why? Because they do not have the skill to handle that much money. Incrementally, I invested in and grew the skills I needed to move my vision forward while responsibly ensuring I did not sabotage my children’s future, who were by then aged 14-20 years old. I self-published 500 copies in the initial run of my book. I wanted to test the market. Before I sunk my life’s savings into my vision, I wanted to be sure that my book had legs. At first, colleagues bought a copy to support me, but I soon found out that I sold five if I sold one copy. My book had legs and they were running. I marketed through trade shows, grew out of my shyness to accept public speaking engagements and interviews in television and print media, and increased my threshold for talking to people all day. Within two months, I sold the 500, more than paid back my investment, and ordered 1500 more. My grander version formed rapidly. I was ready for another grander version and the new skills it would require. I was ready to leave the security of teaching. I transitioned by moving to the UK and diving into my passion for spirituality through a doctoral degree at the University of Oxford. I needed to develop my scholarly skills so that I could adeptly articulate my subject matter expertise. Although proud of my accomplishments as a teacher, I knew that being Dr. Margot McKinnon would open more doors. My children were, by then, fairly independent, and the time was right. When I completed my degree, I published The Body, Mind, Spirit, Soul, Oneness Dominance Theory: A guide to elevating your 5 dimensions of self (2018). If you have not had your epiphany yet about your future direction, start building your bridge by visioning what your true exquisite self wants to do moving forward. If you have your idea, identify the skills you need to bring this vision into reality. Set targets for incremental skill-building. Five: Resist Comparing Yourself to Others. Looking around, you might get anxious that your life is not progressing as quickly as others around you. Tell those emotions to ‘get lost’ because you do not have time for doubt to creep in and sabotage your efforts. Furthermore, today people can create any image about themselves, whether true and authentic or not. You do not know what is behind the image. Stay true to your unique exquisite identity, grow the skills you need, and stick to your vision. When working with private clients, I occasionally hear, “I want to be the next Oprah.” When Oprah started as a journalist at 17 years old, she wanted to be the next Barbara Walters. Fifteen years later, she got the Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah became big ‘O’ Oprah when she ‘Owned’ her unique identity, used her daily show for skill-building, and became a valuable role model for stepping into our own power. Oprah was not an overnight success. Decades of incremental growth led to her amazing long-term success. Six: Your Story is Not My Story. As we strive, grow, have set-backs, and boldly venture forward, we will likely encounter people who want to share their cautionary tale of how their dream did not work out. Listen, glean any nugget that might apply to your situation, and then at the end of the day, remind yourself that their story is not your story. You can expand your world. Be responsibly bold. Like you, I am ready to expand my life again. When my book first came out in Spring 2018, I was invited to speak across the country, selling my book to interested individuals. But, now organizations are using my 5 Dimensions and The Dominance Theory as a tool to solve complicated issues. For example, youth anti-racism programs, empowering children living in poverty, and circumventing stress and burnout in teachers, healthcare workers, and entrepreneurs. I am ready now to grow the skills I need to reach more organizations. By joining the Brainz writing team, I will share powerfully practical and engaging articles. I will expand my international connections. I am ready now to expand my Ask the Universe online meetups and webinars. I will stay in my lane of expertise and resist comparing myself to others. I will delight in creating my own story, not replicate someone else’s. At the end of the day, I will continuously elevate my 5 dimensions of self. Next month’s article, I will share my Body, Mind, Spirit, Soul, Oneness Dominance Theory . This theory will help you see more clearly your behaviors when at your best and when stressed. Becoming more conscious about your behaviors, reining in stress behaviors, and developing more fully your best behaviors will accelerate your business, relationships, finances, and overall wellbeing. See you next month! You may order books and learn of upcoming events here and g et in touch with Dr. Margot at drmargotmckinnon@gmail.com. Spark the Spirit Productions: Where results defy logic. Follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Dr. Margot McKinnon, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Margot McKinnon (PhD) is a leader in how to circumvent burnout, remove barriers that stunt your personal brand of 'magic', and connect the dots to your next grander version waiting in the ether. Owner and Director of Spark the Spirit Productions, where results defy logic, she is fascinated by the largely misunderstood role the Spirit plays in the human struggle and triumph. Dr. Margot is author of The Exquisiteness of Being Human and The Body, Mind, Spirit, Soul, Oneness Dominance Theory: A guide to elevating your 5 dimensions of self. She shares her powerful and practical model in Ask the Universe online meet-ups, webinars, and as a keynote speaker to entrepreneurs, teachers, nurses, and social workers. Her mission: 'Budge the boulder' out of your pathway to greatness.

Written by: Debbie Debonaire, 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 caterpillar hides away until it transitions into the beautiful butterfly or moth, resting at peace until the time is right. Letting mother nature take her course. Why do many of us fight the dynamics of our transitions, from one life stage to the next, especially the transition from child to adult? Why can we not do it in peace and tranquility like the caterpillar? Our transition starts and continues throughout our lives. Beginning in our infancy and toddler days moving to childhood, early and middle, then we walk the path of adolescence until we reach early adulthood. This then takes us to middle adulthood (the arena of the midlife crisis) and finally late adulthood. Depending on whose works you read, the life stages are denoted by different kinds of terminology such as baby, child, infant, teenager, adult, elderly. No matter the language, the dynamics potentially are the same, influenced by the same outside and inside forces. For some, these transitions seem easier for them than for others. Let’s investigate why. As a baby, toddler, infant, our life stage (the arena in which we live and survive rather than the point in our lives) is set for us. Determined by the family into which we are born, the dynamics of the relationship in that family and their beliefs and values all play a part in how we start life. We are inquisitive about our lives, our surroundings, the sights, the smells, the colors and so much more, but very much from an innocent standpoint. As adolescents and teenagers, we begin to question our life stage, many confused, sometimes rebellious, sometimes in silence, not sure how to process the happenings. The changes occurring for us both on the inside and the out, physical changes of our person, hormonal changes that are very new to us, and mental changes on who we really are. Questions asked often, nurtured for many but for some go unanswered, causing more confusion to set in. Causing a breakdown in our transition as we are so unsure of who we are. Life doesn’t come with a textbook or step-by-step instructions, and neither does parenthood too. So is it luck that gives us the best transition? Luck that we are born into the ‘right' family. But then again, what constitutes the ‘right family’? Such a minefield to navigate for us all. The field can be lonely at times, the navigation unbearable. Like the newborn dear, we get up and stumble many times until we find our feet, find what works for us. See the possibilities for us unfolding. Gaining the knowledge to know which opportunities to go for and the knowledge that we have the choices to choose whether we stick with that opportunity or move on to another or get involved with more opportunities all at once. Having the support and understanding is paramount in us achieving what we set out to achieve. Being able to reach out to others gives us a sense of meaning and belonging that helps us on our life's journey. Moving forward in life, our transition into adulthood relies on what many may note as further influences, society, the environment, others around us. Many people sail through and embark on a beautiful adult life, fulfilling their dreams seeing the endless possibilities that surround them. Taking hold of every opportunity and flowing with it. Others get stuck or lost along the journey, some losing the way altogether, finding it too difficult to make the transitions necessary for them to live the fulfilling life, too many times, possibilities seen as obstacles giving them a different perspective to those who are thriving. They feel lost, depleted, alone, defeated, spent, not knowing what to do, just existing in life rather than living in life. Why so different…… The factors that may determine the different journey’s of life’s transitions Living with the past beliefs of others. Living under the control of others Allowance of outside forces to influence their choices Taking on blame that is not theirs to hold Not having the understanding of who they want to be Not really knowing what they want in life No positive guidance or role modeling Being prevented from being who they want to be Decisions are not their own. Unsure of themselves Terrified to take the risks that may be necessary to move their life forward. Such Dynamics make it so difficult for some to navigate fully in the right direction. How does one transition when they feel stuck in the chrysalis/cocoon spun around them, suffocating them, keeping them trapped, unable to spread their wings to fly like the beautiful butterfly they are. When I realized that I could change my life so that it wasn’t the one spun out for me but one that I was in control of, I further realized the changes had to be made by taking …. Just one step at a time……… Start with recognition - how has your life transitioned so far? How do you want it to transition in the future? Honesty - being honest with ourselves will get us through Openness - being open to the changes we need to make Willingness - being willing to take steps to make the changes, so our lives transition into the life we deserve and desire. Bring new habits into your life that will change the discourse and create a new course. Jim Rohn said ‘for things to change you have to change- if you always do what you always did you will always get what you always got’ How will you change your life transition journey today? Here are a few ways you can start, but remember, ‘one step at a time.’ Create a list of everything you are grateful for. You already have such abundance in your life, your vision is just blocked by the wall you have built. Create a list of all the things you have achieved. We are very good at putting ourselves don’t and reprimanding ourselves for all the things we have not done, we blank the things we have. Create a list of all the things you are good at. Again we are very good at telling ourselves what we are not good at. We forget about the things we are good at. Create a list of all the things you want to do in your life that you have not yet achieved. This can be so much fun. I love a bucket list, don’t you? Create a list of everything you want in your life. Remember you may have to make room for these by discarding everything that does not serve you well in your current life. List your goals and dreams no matter how big or small, they may be the same as 4 but they may not be. When you have created 4, 5 and 6 then you need to get down deep. If you want holidays, a house, a car, etc, you need to know exactly which ones and exactly how much they are going to cost you. Be precise; this way, you will stay focused in and on your life. Also, make them realistically tine bound. Once step 7 is in place, now the fun starts. Take each area of your life and create the steps you need to take to achieve them. Make sure you put them in the right order so that they follow each other in the correct order, or you may come up against some challenges. (take my cake analogy, you would not put your cake tin in the oven unless you had first switched on the oven. You would not put the ingredients in the cake tin unless you had first mixed them together. You would not put the ingredients in the bowl unless you had first weighed them out….. Get the picture??????? We all have choices, we all have control of our own lives, we all can live life on our own terms. Stand up for the life you want to live. Do not waste a day. I appreciate many people are struggling with this. I wasted some 30 years living my life in victimhood mode, never really transitioning fully through my teens and adulthood. Just existing until I understood that I was in control of my life and no one can stop me from doing what I want to do with my life unless I let them. Such an empowering time in my life, and yes I got in my own way many times and still do on occasions. So you see, these dynamics of the transitions in our lives can manifest lots of negatives and lots of positives. We need to make sure what we manifest is what we truly want. Simple, yes! Easy not at all!! But it does not have to be so difficult. If you follow the HOW and reach out to the right people for support and guidance, the world truly is your oyster. Create your own positive dynamics! Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and visit my website! Read more from Debbie! Debbie Debonaire, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Debbie Debonaire is a Global Emotional Resilience Consultant and Holistic Counsellor who has transformed her life, to become a beacon of light to help others suffering in adversity, fear, severe lack of self-confidence, and self-esteem. She failed suicide three times, overcame extreme clinical depression, and prolonged mental domestic abuse, so knows what it takes to take back control and transform one's life. Her story is one of extreme courage and focus and has resulted in a complete transformation that has seen her rise to become a highly esteemed expert on contemporary emotional and trauma recovery. Debbie brings solutions, inspiration, and change, through her innovative process the HeartAct Approach™ to guide career women (and men) from negative life patterns to triumphant transformation and empowerment. This gives them the courage to take back their control and live life on their own terms so that they can thrive to their true potential and live the life they desire and deserve.

Written by: Alicia Kangas, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Are you interested in taking a brief, yet deep dive into rediscovering your divine inner truth, as you then begin to awaken to your true-life purpose, and take the necessary actions towards truly owning it? If so, you may have undoubtably just stumbled across something in which by no mere coincidence you were intended to read. Hop on board my friend, let’s dive right in, and begin with a few simple questions. Have you ever felt like you were meant for something “MORE” in life, but you weren’t quite sure what that “MORE” meant for you? Are you ever fearful when it comes to doing the big things that you know you are destined to do? Do you ever find yourself trapped in a cycle of negative self-talk and genuinely believe what you are telling yourself? If so, I know exactly how you feel! Did you know that we are all conditioned to think that if we were only a little better in some way, we would be happy? Well, I can assure you that no amount of self-punishment will ever make you happy or bring control over life’s problems. Our minds have been conditioned all our lives, and as we continue to tell ourselves the same negative things over and over, we begin to genuinely believe what we are telling ourselves. Take note – this is NOT your truth, and you need to shed off these layers of conditioning to rediscover who you truly are. We must recapture our path of self-acceptance and kindness towards ourselves. When we allow ourselves to be guided by our innate intelligence and generosity, which is our authentic nature, we can be compassionately present to what is happening right now. Having compassionate self-discipline and taking positive steps in life are found through nothing other than being present. We need to recognize our resistances and accept conditioned thoughts and behaviors so that we can live in the present moment with full awareness. We need to uncover what we genuinely want in life, release all that is causing us to live out of alignment with our truth, discern between what is real and what is the conditioned mind that keeps showing up uninvited, and begin to identify our true story. Once we have done this, we begin to become this bright light amongst our world - a magnet for miracles, confidently leaping outside of your comfort zone, losing all grip in which fear once had on us, reap the rewards that come to those who operate by faith, and begin to discover and fulfill our life purpose. Once in full alignment with our life purpose, doing all we were destined to do in life, we are not only fulfilled with complete peace, abundance, empowerment, and joy, but we are getting paid to live out the life of our dreams. This is how life is intended to be, and we have been promised to be supplied for abundantly by doing so. We each have our own unique set of gifts, qualities, and talents that we have been blessed with, and we are intended to bring these gifts out into our world. When we live a passion-filled life, fully alive, present, and loving life to the fullest, chances are we are living on purpose, and that is the PURPOSE OF LIFE! Now, I still feel, however, that we should dive into this a little deeper. I am sure you have heard about finding your true purpose in life, now more than ever. As this pandemic has taken a vigorous impact upon our world, at the same time, it has created a positive revolution of more and more people finally rediscovering and redefining who they truly are. With the loss of employment crashing through our world, it has forced people to think creatively about creating an income from home. In turn, this has finally brought a vast amount of people into finally rediscovering what their true purpose really is and what that means to them. However, something many people may not have heard or thought of is what, then, does it mean to truly own it. You may have finally awakened from deep within yourself as to what your true purpose really is, but now the question I have for you is whether or not you are owning that purpose? Let me shed some further light upon this by throwing some questions out there in which you can ask yourself. Do you ever find yourself concerned about what others think of the decisions and changes you would like to make in your life? Do you seek approval from others before you make any new decisions even though you already know from deep within yourself that it is something in which you have been called upon to do? Do you ever change your mind about your path in life after hearing other’s opinions? Do you run your ideas by others, feeling as though others must accept your ideas before you make any life changes? Do you feel guilty for walking away from the things in life that no longer serve you, worrying about how your choices may negatively affect or even harm the lives of others? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, these, in fact, are some of the deepest reasons why so many people rarely follow through with their true-life purpose. We often feel as though we are destined for something more. We desire to follow a deep passion we have in life, and we are shown all throughout our lives glimpses into what we are being called upon to do. Yet right there, stopped dead in our tracks, we had finally discovered and knew from deep within ourselves what we were destined to do in life, and yet we never made that vital and key decision to truly own it! We never took action, allowing absolutely no person or thing in life to get in the way of where we deeply knew that our soul was guiding us to! This is where owning your purpose comes into play. Often, we are not even consciously aware of what is holding us back from taking ownership of our true purpose. This, in turn, leaves so many people never actually fulfilling the purpose in which they have been called upon to do in their lives. So, what is the solution? First, we need to reflect upon the above questions deeply. Do not just read them once, but truly look deep within yourself, and pay attention with a deeper awareness towards recognizing if you ever find yourself doing any of the things that so often hold people back from living out their life purpose. We must recognize the truth into what is stopping us from owning our true purpose in life. Once we have this awareness, we must then decide to follow the path in which we are intended to be on. We can no longer have a care in the world as to the opinions of others. No matter what we choose to do in life, there will always be someone who disagrees with the choices and paths we have chosen for ourselves. Take that leap of faith, slow down long enough in life to listen to what you are being called upon to do, simply trust, and then follow. You were not put here on this earth to please others or follow the things of this world. You were placed here for a purpose that was designed specifically for you. Let your fears wash over you as you walk through life in faith. You will soon find that in living this way, it truly makes life exciting, as you never have a clue what’s around that next bend. Simply hop on board, enjoy the ride through life, and before you know it, your heart and soul will be fulfilled in a way in which you may have never known or felt before! The power of living a purpose and passion-filled life, tapping into your deepest inner self, as you simply flow gracefully through the rivers of life – this is a type of untouchable inner peace and bliss that absolutely no one can ever take away from you! You have it within you to OWN YOUR PURPOSE! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Alicia Kangas Alicia Kangas, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Alicia Kangas is the Founder, Director, and CEO of HOLISTIC RIVERS, INC. It is her mission to help others to awaken to their own truth, in order to ultimately create a lifestyle of pure abundance, happiness, freedom, peace, and joy, through a holistic approach to their overall lifestyle! Alicia is an Internationally Awarded Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, Registered SomaYoga Teacher, Executive Business Coach, Positive World Influencer, Award-Winning Entrepreneur, and Published Author. She is one of our Executive Contributors who we have selected as one of our prestigious honorees for our 2021 CREA Global Award, in recognition of Alicia being one of the top entrepreneurs, influential leaders, and innovators from across the globe. Alicia also has a Biography which resides in the Dictionary of Marquis Who's Who in America, where they endeavor to profile the leaders of American society who are influencing their nation's development. Biographies in Marquis Who’s Who are of individuals whose achievements and contributions to society have made them subjects of widespread reference interest and inquiry.

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. Had I journeyed a conventional path in life, I believe I would be clocking in and out of a day job that did not fulfill me. Yes, it would ensure that I had a paycheque going into my bank account on the same day at the same time every week. But would I feel as fulfilled as I do today? The answer would be no! I am so glad that I chose the path I now walk. Had I not, I would have always had that niggling feeling telling me that there was something more for me out there. When I was 31 years old, I still didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was one of those kids in school who wondered how my peers could confidently know that they were working towards it. Were they saying it because they thought it was what they should do? Is it because it was expected of them or because they really wanted to pursue a career in these fields? I do not know the answer to that, but I know that I struggled with being engaged in school because I did not have any aligned aspirations. Fast track a few years, many jobs, and a diploma in Humanities at the age of 31, I was to discover exactly why I had never truly known what I wanted to do in life. It was because I had not been introduced to it yet. I knew nothing about authorship and publishing. But one thing was for sure, every single lived experience I had in my life was preparing me for this moment. One thing I have come to appreciate is that it is not the mind that should be navigating our destiny; it is also our heart and soul. If we do not harmonize all three, we risk never experiencing our life’s purpose. What is the Unconventional Success Strategy? 1. Ask yourself, ‘Am I fulfilled with what I am doing for my job?’ (Answer YES? Move on to the next section and enjoy the rest of the article. If your answer is NO, then move to the next step) 2. Ask yourself, ‘What do I enjoy doing most in life?’ 3. Set an intention to do more of that and get paid to do it! 4. Watch for the signs and/or inspired thoughts and have the courage to ACT! 5. Life is an adventure. Go after it with passion. 6. Have the courage to act when you KNOW that something is aligned. 7. Do not take on board others opinions. It is not your job to manage their fears. When I was 31 years old, I wrote a story that led me into publishing, where I found my calling and my soul purpose to help stories be told. I built up an amazing brand by showing up authentically, sharing my story, investing time and money into myself and upskilling all the time, and then going on to build a powerful team so that I could transition from doing everything in my business to being able to stay in my genius zone of connection and opportunity creation. When you realize that people fail in their business because they lose interest in what they are doing and in thinking of creative ways to generate cash flow. Economic strains are stressful but not the reason why businesses fail. I have known many businesses that have successfully pivoted to go with the economy and circumstances' ebbs and flows. So to ensure success in sustainability, do something you love and grow alongside your business. There are no limits to what you can make happen, no limits to what you can earn, the only limits that come are the ones set in place by you! For more info, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! 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.'

Written by: Dale Darley, 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 Ikigai, the now famous way to find your purpose, is something I have struggled with. Each time I was shown it by a coach whose group I was in or program I’d been in served only to confuse what I thought it meant. The four circle diagram that we often see is not the original Ikigai either, but something modified by another coach circa 2014. Still, I can’t complain because to make it make sense to me, I, too, have modified it… I was already familiar with Jim Collins From Good To Great Hedgehog. Which was course material for my Exec coaching course. The three questions asked were: What are you deeply passionate about? What can you be the best in the world at? What best drives your economic or resource engine? He said that it was understanding what you can be the best at. So, focusing on ONE thing right now that you CAN be the best at. Ikigai, by contrast, asks four questions: What do you LOVE? What are you GOOD at? What does the world NEED? What can you be PAID for? And where these intersect is no longer a hedgehog but an Ikigai. And the way that most people look at this is in the context of work. We are not born for work, although it seems that is what we spend our lives doing. But what if you did ‘work’ that was meaningful, gave your life purpose and a reason for being? The chances are that even when you retire, you will still be doing it. I know for sure I’ll still be writing. Writing has saved my life, and I would like to think that I will still be journaling and writing books to entertain others until I head back to the soul place. Like many Japanese words, there isn’t a direct translation into English, which is perfect as it gives us all room to decide for ourselves what it means to us. Iki is life, and the simplest translation of gai is value or worth. The value or worth you place on life could be one way to look at it. What makes you happy or brings you joy is another way. Think about all of the little things that come together to give your life meaning. This could be your work (whatever that means to you), your family, your spiritual life, or things you do for the greater good. Having a life of worth and value is great, but humans are wired for connection, and Ikigai requires a place for the energy to flow. That purpose is being of service to your community (family, friends, tribe, customers, animals, etc.). If you hate the word service, think of it as sharing your gifts. Ikigai gives you a purpose because you share your gifts and make a difference in others lives (what the world needs). Then you hit the what you can be paid for if Ikigai question. This, of course, could be many things, but what if Ikigai was about life value or life purpose? Paid can be translated in many ways. It might mean money, a reward, impact, happiness, fulfillment or how you invested your time or heart. So is Ikigai about having ONE life purpose? I don’t think so. I believe that we come to Earth to learn our lessons and discover the gifts we share with others. We have many turning points, and these are the Ikigias that become our reason for being at that time. Then there are the ways to deliver those gifts based on our knowledge, skills and experiences to date. That could be coaching, therapy, a book or a course. It could be offering a foster home to children, creating food banks or animal shelters. It could be a sporting career that you love, and when that career ends, you may coach others in it – that’s two Ikigais... When I look at the themes of my life, they are constantly evolving. When my spine fractured, my Ikigai was to inspire others to know that they could heal naturally. When I wrote my first memoir, which was a collection of life stories, it was to inspire others to write theirs and for the readers to know that there are gifts in our strange lives. As I grow and evolve, I know that my Ikigai now helps others discover who they are, use their story, give it meaning (find it’s purpose), and go out and inspire others lives – to change the world. Most of my customers write books, create courses and programs. Your customers might learn about nutrition or some other healing modality from you. Ikigai and purpose Ikigai is about finding purpose, but it is much deeper than that, and in my ponderings, this is how I have extended the model for me: Love and good at = passion – what drives you Love and world needs = purpose – what pulls you World needs and rewards = values and living by your values Good at and rewards = other motivators and opportunities for growth The net result is your reason for being. Finally, let me ask you, and these questions are based on right now: What is it that I find most important in life? What makes MY life worth living? What gives my life meaning? What drives you? What pulls you towards being your best self? Where do I find fulfillment? How do I give my heart’s desires more meaning? How am I living by my values? What are the stories that shape me that I can use to inspire others? What are the greatest rewards of my life right now? Get out there and live a happy life, which, wherever you are, doing whatever you are doing is your reason for being right now. For more information, please visit my website ! Read more from Dale ! Dale Darley, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dale works with her clients to help them to discover the magic in their story through the power of writing, journaling, and energy work. Dale is an expert at getting your story out, finding the essence of who you are, what you want to become, and supporting you to get what you want through coaching and programs. She believes that writing heals, and her vision and mission is to create a community of people who find clarity, purpose, and meaning through their writing. That these people go on to inspire others to know what is possible in the world. Dale holds an MBA from The University of Glamorgan and an ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching certificate. She served in senior marketing management roles in the IT and manufacturing sectors before working for herself.

Written by: Amber Stephenson, 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. What is confidence? According to the Oxford Dictionary, confidence is: ‘the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust .’ The state of feeling certain about the truth of something A feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities Simply put, it is belief and trust in the truth of ourselves and our abilities. When we're confident in ourselves and what we can do, we’re not worried about what we can’t do, what might not happen, or what might go wrong. Instead, we’re at peace with our expectations for the future. Sounds like a wonderful feeling, right? So let’s look at how a lack of confidence might show up in your life. It might look like… Not contributing to a group discussion Not volunteering to take on extra tasks ‘Forgetting’ to apply for a promotion/raise Typing out a text/personal message and not sending it, or rewriting several times Stressing out about everything possible things that could go wrong – including extremely unlike possibilities Trying extra hard to blend in with the people around us Not voicing an opinion or casting a vote Always playing it safe by refusing to take risks Holding onto money and items 'just in case' Putting things off for later These are just a few examples of what a lack of confidence (also known as self-consciousness) can look like in your life. It might sound like... I'm not qualified/experienced enough I'm not old enough Why would anyone choose me? I'm not ready I need to do/accomplish/have x first I don't deserve it So what causes a lack of confidence? Everyone you ask will have a different answer for this. It might be that they feel overwhelmed and honestly can't tell up from down. It might be that someone once told them they couldn't do something they believed they could, or maybe they had trouble making friends in school. There are a lot of different roads to low confidence, but if you follow any of them to their source, they will always lead to one place: a belief of not being enough. This single, simple belief that most people will deny is the cause of so much suffering in our everyday lives, but there are things you can do to build your confidence up so you can take charge of your life. My first suggestion is always affirmations because the way we think about ourselves determines every action - and inaction - in our lives. You could start with a simple I am enough. Or you could get more specific. I am beautiful and deserving of love, kindness, respect, and wealth. Whatever you choose as your affirmation, it should feel good when you say/read it to yourself, like relief instead of pressure. Write it every morning, say it to yourself every time you look in the mirror, and use sticky notes to leave it everywhere you spend time. You might not notice the small differences it makes in your day, but when you look back in a few weeks, you will be astounded at what changes for you. For a quick boost when you've had a hard day, check out my Easy Shortcuts to Confidence. For more information, follow me on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn ! Read more from Amber ! Amber Stephenson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Amber Stephenson is a Master Transformational Coach who specializes in helping women who struggle to reach their goals to identify what's holding them back and shift into success. She's on a mission to empower women to be their most powerful, authentic selves while building lives they love and making their dreams come true. Amber is a rockstar coach, a dedicated wife, mother of four, insatiable reader and avid gamer.

Written by: Trevor Folgering, 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. Have you ever been confused about how to lose weight? Have you tried numerous “diets’ and end up going through the same repetitive “weight loss cycles”? You end up losing some weight, only to regain the weight back after you finish the “diet.” Does this experience sound familiar to you? If it does, I want to help you understand how to properly lose weight without even having to go on a diet. By the end of this article, you will understand that when it comes to losing weight, it is about the specific types of foods that you eat throughout the day and how these types of foods influence the body's ability to use or store energy from the body fat stores. The “Secret Sauce” for Weight Loss Within our bodies, we have two distinct hormones that can signal the body to store the food we eat as body fat or release body fat to be used as energy at the cellular level. These two hormones are called: 1) Insulin 2) Glucagon Insulin is a very powerful anabolic hormone that is released from the beta cells of the pancreas. Each time you eat certain combinations of foods, your body has to break down these foods into glucose, which is our body's most useable energy source. Once your body senses an extra surge of glucose in the bloodstream, it releases Insulin from the pancreas. Insulin’s main role is to direct the flow of glucose into cells. Insulin signals the cell to uptake glucose, where the cell can then take glucose and convert it to useable energy. What ends up happening when you eat too many of the wrong types of foods throughout the day? Your body can store these foods as body fat! This is because the other role of Insulin is to direct excess glucose to the liver, where the liver converts the excess glucose to Triglycerides. These Triglycerides float around the bloodstream and eventually get deposited as body fat in the body. So you might be asking yourself, what foods cause a massive spike in Insulin levels? The answer, "Carbohydrates!" Carbohydrates drive Insulin production. To lose weight effectively and keep it off for life, you must control and regulate Insulin production. And that means reducing and eliminating all types of carbohydrates from your daily nutritional intake. You must reduce your carbohydrate intake to only 20 grams a day or less. Unleashing Your Bodies Fat-Burning Hormone Now it is time to unleash your fat-burning hormone! Once you eliminate the Carbohydrates from your daily nutritional intake, you need to fuel your body with another type of food… Dietary Fats! Dietary fats are the most important type of food that you can eat every day when it comes to losing weight. Here is the deal with eating fats: Fats have no effect on the release of Insulin. This is because dietary fats are broken down by the gallbladder, which releases Bile and emulsifies the fatty acid molecules so the body can use these molecules for energy. Once your nutritional intake of dietary fat is high enough, and your body has reduced the secretion of Insulin, your body then works its magic! It releases another hormone from the Alpha cells of the Pancreas. This hormone is called Glucagon. Glucagon is a catabolic signaling hormone that, when released, will travel to the liver and signal the liver to begin to break down your body fat stores to be used for energy at the cellular level. This will only happen when carbohydrate intake is low enough, and you are replacing those carbohydrates with enough dietary fats to meet your nutritional energy requirements. So, the solution to losing weight is hormone regulation, NOT caloric restriction. Controlling Insulin and Glucagon production is the key to having a lean, toned physique without the need to go on a traditional “diet.” In fact, if done right, you can eat more of the right types of foods throughout the day, which will also help improve your energy levels, reduce cravings, and leave you feeling satisfied throughout the day. (No more hunger pains!) Become a Biohacker and BioHack Your Bodyfat Stores! To truly experience the power of hormone regulation, it is imperative that you get professional health and nutritional coaching. Listen, no one has actually taught you what foods to combine to suppress Insulin and drive-up Glucagon levels. This is why for you to lose the belly fat for life, you need to be on a nutritional protocol that will help your body control these two powerful hormones. The Biohack, The Fat Body Transformation System, allows you to do just that. You will work directly with our Biohacking Coaches, who will create scientifically-backed meal plans designed for your unique biology. These meal plans will have the foods that you love to eat, so each meal you will find tasty and satisfying. (Unlike diets, where you have to eat bland and boring foods or worse yet…drink meal replacement shakes for your meals) These meal plans will also reduce the secretion of Insulin and help increase the production of glucagon – which is going to drive your body into a fat-burning state. What this means is that you will be using your own body fat for energy 24/7. Now is the time to truly experience what it feels like to become a lean, mean fat-burning machine and biohack into your body fat stores. You can achieve the body and health you truly deserve by getting instant access to The Biohack, The Fat Body Transformation System. Just click the link to speak with one of our Biohacking Coaches about how we can help you lose 40-60 lbs. of body fat in just 3 months without the need to go on a diet or restrict calories. Let’s get your body biohacked for 2021 and beyond! For more information, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Trevor Folgering, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Trevor Folgering is a leader in the weight loss and nutrition industry. For over 22 years, Trevor has relentlessly pursued the truth when it comes to losing body fat correctly. By uncovering the truth about how our bodies utilize body fat, Trevor created very specific nutritional protocols that allowed him to tap into his own body fat stores and lose 40 lbs. of body fat in a very short period of time. He achieved this without the need to go on a low caloric diet or restrict the foods that he ate. He now helps men and women achieve the body and health that they truly deserve through the science of Biohacking. He is CEO of Biohacked, a global online health and body transformation company. His mission: To shift the paradigm of the weight loss industry and re-educate the world on the proper methodologies of losing excess body fat correctly.

Written by: Edna Keep, 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. Each time a major shift happens in our lives—leaving a job or a relationship, moving, losing a loved one—we have to choose who we want to become or risk never reaching our full potential. I've reinvented myself several times in my life. Most adults have. But what many forget is that we have to choose reinvention. Each time I've done it, I've forged my new path deliberately and with foresight. Today I am giving you 5 action steps to reinvent yourself. 1) Decide what you want: Get really clear on your goal. Sometimes, not everyone can easily decide what they want, and there is a process to know what actually you want. You can also find out by taking courses on what you're really good at and then decide how you can get the most out of your potential. 2) Determine what you need to believe t o get what you want: Most of us have limiting beliefs. For example, if you want to reach your income goal of $1M a year, then think about what makes you so worthy of earning that much money and if you've tried to reach that goal but not achieved it, then think about what makes you not achieve that goal. To fix your belief system, you should practice positive affirmations every day . 3) Determine what it feels like when you reach that goal: Let's say you had an income goal, maybe $100,000 a year or $1M a year, and you achieved that goal. Now, what does it feel like to you when you reached your goal. Do you feel excited about it, you feel content, relieved, or is it a sense of confidence? This is a huge part of getting you going towards your next goal. 4) Go straight to your feeling and practice that feeling every day : Practice your feeling like you had these feelings before. Such as feeling of gratitude, state of relief. 5) New habits have to be created: You have to decide on those habits to get yourself to reach that point to reinvent yourself. Maybe that habit is to set up the morning routine where you say or listen to the positive affirmation yourself. I know this habit works really well for me, and I bet it would work for most of you as well. Habits like writing my gratitude journal and my goals, eat healthy, exercise more regularly. And at bedtime, I always try to listen to something that I want to ingrain into my subconscious to help me achieve my next goal. These are the action steps that you should take to reinvent yourself to achieve your goals. Again, remember you're the only one who can change your life. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , YouTube, and visit my website for more information! Read more from Edna ! Edna Keep, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Former Certified Financial Planner Edna discovered the power of real estate in 2007. Since then, Edna and her husband Warren have amassed a $60M Real Estate Portfolio, primarily multi-family and primary with OPM. Since 2014 she has been training and coaching real estate entrepreneurs who want to scale their real estate business into multi-family with Investor Capital. Along the way, Edna has learned that mindset is 90%, or more, of a person’s success and specifically attributes her success to studying and always working at improving her mindset. Thus, she focuses a lot on her students' mindset training.

Written by: Michelle Mercier, 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. Did you know that most high-performing entrepreneurs often credit their incredible success to basic mindset shifts and establishing the right habits? It sounds simple, but it’s really so powerful. If you can take all the steps you need to reach your goal and turn them into auto-pilot habits instead of a daily grind, you can remove obstacles and alleviate the mental load. Essentially, you can get out of your own way! Everything is available to you if you set your mind to it - you need the right strategy. Mindset shift and success habits are absolute game-changers if you want to set your path in the right direction and enjoy the journey along the way. Where most people get tripped up is forming these habits realistically. You’ve set great goals, and you can’t wait to get there. You’re clear on your mission...yet somehow, you feel blocked. I’ve been in your shoes, and I get it! Here are 5 simple ways to set yourself up for success this time..it’s actually easier than you think! 1. Recognize that “old habits die hard.” The power of habits is incredibly strong, including the habits that have already ingrained themselves into your life. You may have some habits that no longer serve you - but they are firmly rooted in your routine and unconsciousness. If it’s taken years to grow them, it’s going to take some time to change them! Various studies show that it can take anywhere from three weeks to three months to disrupt an old habit and to cement a new one in its place. Remember, when you are forming new habits, you are also undoing the old ones - don’t underestimate that. 2. Fill the void with something positive Have you ever decided to give something up that you completely enjoy - but you know it’s not good for you? Maybe you’d like to stop wasting $5 for that overpriced latte - or save the calories from all that dairy whipped cream. But the truth is - it’s a fun routine to stop by the local coffee shop and grab your frothy sweet latte every day on your way to work. It’s a moment of comfort and pleasure that your brain has come to expect every morning. Simply going “cold turkey” leaves a huge pleasure void in your daily routine - and it’s a void that your brain is looking to fill. Trying to “tough it out” and being miserable leaves you vulnerable to throwing in the towel the next time you’ve had a rough morning, and you need a pleasurable experience to boost your mood. Has that ever happened to you? Instead, fill the void with another pleasurable reward. Make your latte at home with lower-calorie options so that you can still enjoy a morning treat, get that positive moment while forming a new habit that moves you that much closer to your goal each day. 3. Don’t expect overnight results Give yourself some grace when your initial efforts aren’t perfect. Remember, it’s going to take a while to rewire your brain! There are going to be days where you fall short or regress. It is not an indicator of failure - it’s part of the natural process of forming new pathways in your brain so that eventually, your desired habit becomes the default way of doing things. If you’re feeling discouraged because you started strong and then stumbled, don’t be. Think about any skill you learned - like playing an instrument, learning a sport, or developing a trade. Did you perform it perfectly right from the start? Or did it take a lot of practice to become skillful at it? Also, stay flexible on how you execute these new habits. If you become so rigid in your expectations, you’re setting yourself up to be disappointed in yourself when life gets in the way. For example, I committed myself to listen to an inspirational podcast each morning to set a positive mindset for a successful and productive day. But I have two small children - and sometimes listening quietly to a podcast in the morning isn’t feasible...there’s breakfast to be made, snuggles to be given, meltdowns to be had. When life gives me unexpected chaos in the morning, I shift my “podcast time” to a quieter moment in the day. This way, I still stick to my habit, but I give myself the flexibility to roll with the changes. If you can adapt and still achieve an acceptable variation of your desired habit, it will feel like a success and not a setback. And who doesn’t want that? 4. Make one change at a time Trying to establish several high-performance habits all at once may be tempting because they all seem so important right now. Trust me. I’ve been there. But adding in multiple radical changes to your already busy life may take more energy and focus than you can realistically give. You run the risk of becoming easily discouraged when the habits aren’t forming as quickly as you had hoped. Instead, work on that one high-performance habit consistently, get some momentum by tracking your progress, and highlight your wins. Once that habit becomes a routine that you no longer have to think” about, then you can start with the next habit. Less frustration, more success… it’s a win-win! 5. Track your progress There are no two ways about it: people who track their actions are more likely to achieve their goals. Tracking your habits keeps your intentions “top of mind” visually and also keeps you accountable - even if it’s only to yourself. Tracking your progress naturally encourages you to celebrate your wins - boosting those “feel good” chemicals in your brain. Even if you promised yourself that you would start going to the gym every day - if you’ve made it to the gym 3 days a week, that’s still a win! Sometimes we tend to focus on what we haven’t accomplished yet, but your brain needs positive reinforcement to celebrate what we have accomplished. If you can turn habit tracking into a positive exercise, your brain will begin to look forward to it. Need a free downloadable habit tracker? No problem! You don’t need expensive apps or fancy planners to keep you accountable. All you need is a simple visual habit tracker that you can post prominently in your office, at your desk, or somewhere in your home to give you accountability and positive motivation. Grab your free printable habit tracker here and keep your goals in focus each day, even when life tries to pull you in different directions. This habit tracker helped me step into my power...and it can help you too. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Michelle Mercier, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Michelle Mercier is a Business Strategy Coach and the host of The Resilient Entrepreneur Podcast which debuted on iTunes at 15 in the Entrepreneur category and cracked the top 100 in other countries across the globe. She has close to 20 years of professional experience and has worked with a wide range of different businesses – from nationally acclaimed non-profits to major corporations like PayPal. Today, Michelle primarily works with entrepreneurs, small/medium businesses & executives to help them grow and maintain long-term success. She loves leveraging her years of experience and expertise to help bring individuals and companies to the next level.