Written by: Moniek James, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Lean Six Sigma is a process improvement discipline commonly used to improve working conditions to improve customer service. The ultimate goal is creating flow and eliminating waste in existing processes. Depending on the nature of your business, flow could mean purchases, output, or whatever the ultimate objective is. I became certified in Lean Six Sigma in 2012. Over the years, I’ve applied the principles to various activities in my business, including my content planning, creation, and publishing. If you are a business or brand owner who wants to get clear about knowing what to create, publish, and how to be more consistent, the 5S Method of Lean Six Sigma can help. The first S in the 5S method is Sort . This means to separate what is needed from what isn’t needed. When you apply this to your content marketing activities, ask yourself the following questions: What is the primary objective right now for my business? What type of content will help me achieve that objective? What is the most important conversation that my audience needs right now? What does my audience want to hear/read/watch/need right now? What would push them to take the types of actions I need them to take right now? Once you’re clear on your immediate need, the second step in the process is to Set in Order. Let’s imagine that your content marketing process was on an assembly line. How would you need to arrange things in an order so that when they are ready to be used, they are readily available? During this phase, you’re creating a content marketing workflow that’s efficient, aligning with your objectives, and supporting the sort phase. Focus on the difference between what needs to be done versus what needs to be done now because everything can’t be a priority. Now you’re ready to Shine . If you were a factory owner, you would be adding oil to the gears and doing maintenance to ensure that your equipment runs smoothly. The shine phase is focused on eliminating breakdowns. When it comes to your content, perhaps you would create templates or guides to follow every time you publish. This saves time and ensures that your content is consistent in its appearance, reinforcing your brand identity. The Standardize phase intends to create process maps or standard operating procedures to support growth. This prevents overwhelm and allows for consistency. With a standardized process, you’ll maintain the quality you want to create in your workplace. You can maintain the quality that you want to create in your content, whether that is the tone of your writing, your graphics, or your video quality. Regardless of who's implementing your plan, the quality stays the same. The last phase of the 5S Method in Lean Six Sigma is two-part, Sustain, then Scale, and this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where you maintain the norms that you’ve put in place while planning for growth. At this point in your content marketing journey, you may be looking to branch out to new platforms or do more using your current channels, which will require a higher level of input and investment. Mastering your content marketing process at your current level will prepare you to expand. I encourage you to apply the 5S model from Lean Six Sigma to step up your content marketing efforts so you can be credible, be visible, and you can be paid. For mindset, marketing, and business ownership tips, connect with Moniek on Instagram or her website ! Read more from Moniek ! Moniek James, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Moniek James is a Master Content Strategist, veteran, military spouse, speaker, author, columnist and online entrepreneur. Her passion is teaching purpose-driven business and brand owners how to leverage strategic content marketing to build awareness, establish credibility and create their profitable digital footprints. Moniek has been featured in the Huffington Post, Fit Small Business, VoyagePhoenix and the Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs and believes that entrepreneurship is a building block to economic empowerment.

Written by: Stefan Eng, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Over a couple of decades, the travel trade has been challenged by several crises. But without any exception, this fantastic industry always rose like a Phoenix from the ashes and came back. How come, you might ask? To understand why, I looked back. And the answer, I believe, is found our history from centuries ago. And more recent events tell us it was not a “one-off.” Curiosity conquered the fear. The explorer and writer Marco Polo for (1254-1324) instance. When he left Italy to travel the Silk Road to Asia, did he know he would spend the next 24 years traveling and exploring before coming back? I would say probably not. But for sure, he must have known it was not going to be a weekend trip. Even though he was traveling with his father, who had previous traveling experience , was he ever scared to go? Scared to meet the adventure, whatever it might be? I think we can all agree that Mr. Polo, including his father and other companions, were all very brave, traveling without knowledge on what to expect on the way. The curiosity conquered the fear. Would you even consider experience the same adventure without technical facilities that exist today? On the other hand, Cristopher Columbus (1451-1506) only spent 12-24 months away from home, but Several times instead. In fact, he traveled overseas four times, and mainly he explored the Caribbean. However, at the time, the theory of the earth being round rather than flat was not recognized everywhere. Even though Columbus was a believer, how could he be 100% sure not to sail too close and fall over the edge behind the horizon? And like Mr. Marco Polo, he must have been very excited over what to expect when reaching the final destination. But was he ever afraid to meet with other people, different cultures, and complex, strange languages? Or was the curiosity and need to know more too strong also for Columbus? Have courage, take a ride in the largest firecracker in the world! Amongst more recent explorers we find are, of course, Neil Armstrong and Christa McAuliffe, both astronauts and two of the very few people on the planet who had a chance to travel to space. In both cases, I would imagine that it was a dream from their childhood, when they, like most kids, look at the sky and ask, "Hey, what’s out there?" Moving from that theoretical question into a situation where you take a seat inside the biggest firecracker in the world and then ask someone to ignite it, that takes some courage, doesn’t it? If you are really honest, would you actually do that ride? Would you, in fact, be that brave in such a real-life situation? Especially after knowing Christa McAuliffe and the rest of the crew died when the space shuttle Challenger exploded, 1 minute and 12 seconds after takeoff, on 28 January 1986? Most certainly, it was, and still is, the curiosity and interest in knowing more, that is driver. To know about people, culture, languages, science, and technical progress. For sure, it takes some courage to accompany such an adventure where they are actually risking their lives in their search to discover and understand the yet unknown. Curiosity & Courage is key for the future too. Travel trade is under siege at present. However, it has occurred before, and it will happen again. Regardless, the travel trade has always raised like a Phoenix, from the ashes, and mankind continued exploring the world. The best proof is looking back through our history. Nothing has ever stopped mankind from explore, investigate and experience. This is also why the travel trade will never die. Viruses like the swine-flu, Spanish-flu, Act of good such as tsunamis, volcano outbreaks and floods; strikes, war's and other challenges has been in our way from time to time. But eventually, someone always took the lead in new discoveries. How do you see the future of travel in thirty years? So, what is your idea of the future of travel? How do you see that we travel and where too? What will be the purpose of our traveling in thirty years from now? Leisure, Business, or just Bleisure? Or maybe something that we don’t yet know about. The Discovery? Take a chance to share your theories and be a Guest Author with the Travel Employees Networking Group and let us know your theories for the future. The biggest question I have is if mankind will have set foot on Mars in the year 2051? What do you think? All information is available on our site in the Travel Employees Networking Group menu “Guest Author.” Follow me on Facebook , Instagram and Linkedin ! For more information about Stefan Eng visit his website Stefan Eng, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Stefan Eng has more than 37 years of experience working for Airlines, GDS's, Travel Agents, Tour Operators and Airline IT Companies in this global industry. In 2008, Stefan founded the Travel Employees Networking Group in Linkedin. The group is now a relevant and strong platform to collaborate and discuss travel trends. In addition, members can find open positions or search for new candidates. At present, the group has more than 43 000 members. To support the group, Stefan established in early 2020 the site www.travelemployees.com, an Online Magazine & Marketing Portal for Travel Professionals. Here the audience can find articles, quizzes and lists by Stefan and his Guest Authors as well as opportunities to advertise for (or find) the world's greatest travel products and services.  Travel Employees Networking Group's Online Magazine Travelemployees.com has been elected to be "One of the best Online Travel Magazines on the Planet" by Feedspot. Stefan is also a consultant in the travel industry, providing services within especially Product Management, Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Design and Movie Creation.

Coach Rita Hurry is an Entertainment Spiritual Coach focusing on the balance of Body, Mind and Spirit, which is the foundation to success. Coach Rita Hurry specializes in the following: Law of Attraction, Meditation, Energy Healing and Breathwork. She has been coaching for over 17 years and her clients include – Casting Agents, Musicians, Music Producers, Writers, Artists, Actors, Singers as well as Business Owners, CEO’s, Entrepreneurs and other Professionals. Her clients are based all over the globe. Introduce yourself, Rita. As well as being a Body, Mind, Spirit Teacher, Co-presenter and Co-Producer of an online show RIME Entertainment Showcase and Co-Director of RIME Entertainment, I am a calm soul, who loves to travel to different countries, eat different cuisines at restaurants, spend quality time with loved ones, watch good films, dramas and documentaries, listen to all genres of music, depending on my mood, read biographies and meditate. I am based in the UK in Essex, just outside of London. I used to be a very shy and anxious girl, who dreamt of being confident but struggled through most of my teenage life, feeling socially insecure in myself. I was always searching for a way to deal with this but nothing seemed to help long term. I knew I could be more than I was but knew that as long as I battled with anxiety, I would hold myself back. That was until I discovered meditation. Meditation helped me to rediscover who I was from the inside and helped me to break down my fears and gain the clarity I needed to open myself up to life and the opportunities life brings. I value my time spent in meditation, time spent in yoga and other forms of workouts and quality quiet time, which helps me continue to build the foundation of who I am on a daily basis and which has made me a successful entrepreneur and Business Woman I am today. What is it that you do for your clients? I help clients build a relationship with themselves, which often gets overlooked. The foundation of success is self-knowledge self-belief and self-awareness. Once an individual takes time out of everyday living to connect within and act from a place of valuing self, they start to make decisions and take action on making things happen that bring long-lasting fulfillment and happiness based on their needs. They become creators in their life and not just reactors to what happens, which leaves them susceptible to stress and anxiety. I incorporate various modalities in my work, depending on each client’s needs covering the Body, Mind and Spirit connection, which gives each person balance in their life. The modalities I cover are Law of Attraction Coaching, Energy Healing (Chakra, EFT and Intensive Energy Healing) and Meditation Teaching. My clients gain confidence in themselves, gain the motivation to take action on their goals, feel stronger in letting go of the past and gain the clarity of the direction they want to head in. Who should hire/work with you? I work with women who are Professionals, Entrepreneurs, Business Owners, Women in the Arts & Entertainment Industry and Teaching Professionals. If you feel you have lost that connection to yourself and are overwhelmed with emotions that keep pulling you back and forth, leaving you feeling stressed and close to burnout and are lacking fulfillment in your life, be that personally or professionally I can help you gain that body. mind and spirit balance needed. What are your Top 3 Tips for anyone struggling with self-doubt and anxiety? The majority of self-doubt arises due to negative situations that have happened in the past. Your past is not your present. The person you were then, making those decisions that led to that situation is not the same person right now. Right now you can be different. You are different. Your past is now a dream. Focus on the present. Not the future or the past. All you have is right now, so what evidence is there right now, that things will not go well? What concrete evidence do you have in the present, minus your thoughts? Nothing? Then go for it. Get to know you. Get to know your fears, your weakness and what drives you. Become an expert on you. We always easily take time out to get to know potential partners or friends, but we never take time out to truly get to know ourselves and what makes us happy and fulfilled. When you do this, you understand how to manage those fears and anxieties and know where they come from. When you know this, you become easily equipped to deal with self-doubt and anxiety. Meditate, Meditate, Meditate! The most powerful remedy for all self-doubt and anxiety. It helps you build the foundation of who you are and helps you clear those fears that hold you back from living your dreams. Whether you meditate for 5 or 30 minutes every day, meditation will help you navigate your life and become more self-aware…which is your power in this world. What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now? My big goal is to be able to help as many women all over the globe connect to the importance of self-awareness and discover the power of meditation in their daily lives which will help them be successful both personally and professionally. Where do I see myself in 10 years’ time?…I see myself doing Body, Mind and Spirit retreats abroad, growing in my own spiritual journey, healthy and fit, promoting more great talent with RIME Entertainment and creating documentaries and just continuing doing what I love and being able to explore and travel to more countries, learning and experiencing more beautiful things that this world has to offer. Visit me on my Facebook, Instagram, Podcast, and Website! Read more from Rita!

Written by: Kate Laviolette , 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. Would you let your business operations go haywire? No. Of course, you wouldn’t! So why let stress hijack your nervous system and mindset? Let’s face it, being stressed is good for no one, especially entrepreneurs that want to attract the right clients, need to support themselves, and have invested greatly in their businesses. If you want to maximize your efforts, attract clients more consistently, enhance your overall sense of well-being, sleep better, become more productive, and have more energy, you have to start taking care of yourself as well as you take care of your business and those you love. If you’re not taking care of either of these aspects of life, ask yourself if you’re ready to stop sabotaging yourself and if you say YES, set up a consultation with me to get out of the hole you’re in. But no matter what, don’t worry if you don’t have self-care habits established yet. These three hacks will start to teach you how to take control on the spot, keep your cortisol levels low, and your confidence high. 1. Get your superman on... sort of. Research by Amy Cuddy and Dana Carney of Harvard and Berkeley, respectively, have shown that there are a few body positions called power poses. These plummet your cortisol levels and increase your testosterone levels, helping you feel and be more confident. These postures are open postures that take up a lot of space, like arms overhead or on the hips, legs wider than hip-width apart, chest open, and head held high. If you feel those stress levels go up, just hold one of these open stances for two minutes, and you’ll start feeling and functioning with a more level head. 2. Explore box breathing. This technique uses equal counts for your inhale, a hold, your exhale, and another hold. It helps to stimulate your vagus nerve’s parasympathetic function to help bring a sense of calm, normalized blood flow, decreases stress hormones, and reduces the ill effects of stress on the body and mind. It has been linked to more focus, clarity, and improved energy levels, resulting in you being a better entrepreneur and individual. 3. Get grounded. Earthing is something we as humans have to do for our health and wellbeing. We are not designed to be around as much electromagnetic activity as we have in our daily lives from our phones, computers, wifi, and other technology. When you’re in contact with the Earth’s surface or the flora it supports, your body gets rid of the excess micro voltages that get stored up and create damage over time. From grounding, your circulation increases, inflammation decreases, and your nervous system starts to calm down and focus on restorative activities aiding in healing, memory retention, cognitive sharpness, and decreased pain. Not into going outside? Check out Bio-Energy Products for grounding sheets, mousepads, desk mats, bands, and more. They help you work it into your busy and potentially tech-heavy day to allow you to feel confident you’re supporting your overall nervous system health and function. Try incorporating some of the methods into your life to start seeing big results. Unsure about starting these methods on your own or ready to receive some extra guidance and accountability? Join my Online Nervous System Management Program or contact me for a consultation to see what accountability and support opportunities work best for you to keep your stress in check and help you and your businesses thrive. Follow me on Facebook & Instagram ! Kate Laviolette, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kate Laviolette is an entrepreneur herself and an international movement and lifestyle coach who swiftly takes clients to their next level of growth, health, and wealth. After overcoming debilitating neurological and spinal conditions with an integrative lifestyle, she combines her research background with holistic training to teach you the science and most efficient practices behind healing and creating a limitless life. Kate provides a powerful and safe space to help you step up to the next level of your growth and performance at work and home. Set up a consultation or work with Kate through Live Beyond Limit, her movement and lifestyle studio with a unique and talented team of professionals offering classes, coaching, and certifications to people in person, online, and through retreats.

Written by: Iliana Rocha, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise . I strongly believe that honest relationships and ethical foundations are at the core of business success. Being positive and promoting openness in an organization will propel you towards meeting your goals. Many believe that leadership is something you are born with; I believe in a growth mindset – that is, you can learn to be the best leader you possibly can be. There are a variety of leadership styles and probably even more models to describe them. Following my mantra – the simpler, the better – I’ll use a modified version of the Blake Mouton managerial grid, sprinkled with my own interpretations, to talk about leadership. The grid is based on a leader’s concern for results and concerns for team/individuals. It goes something like this: Complete lack of focus results in chaos. But being solely focused on results and not on how those are achieved or growing your employees makes you a tad of a dictator (and gets you sub-par deliverables). You can’t be all nice either – you have to provide guidance and sometimes constructive criticism, or your employees will see you as a pushover. A servant leader, on the other hand, is very focused on results while simultaneously looking to grow people, encourage them, and ensure they enjoy their work environment. A servant leader is focused on providing direction and removing obstacles while allowing the team to do their best work. Now, you can tell from the naming conventions that I’m not hiding which style I encourage. That is on purpose – I disagree with the adage of “to each their own.” Sure, there are situations and people that will call for different management styles where you won’t really have the option to be nice, let’s say. But overall, I encourage everyone to improve their leadership skills so that they can predominantly operate in the Servant Leader quadrant, not least because I’ve found it to be the style that produces the best results. Also, the generations that have recently entered the workplace and those entering the workplace soon have a distinct preference for organizations and leaders who trust them and will work with them to improve their skills. So sooner or later, we won’t really have much of choice on leadership style if we want to be successful people managers. The proliferation of agile development and its success in driving quick innovation are testaments to servant leadership's value. If you aren’t comfortable in the servant leadership quadrant, you need to look at yourself and your team. Are you hiring the right people? If you can’t trust them to do their best work when you have provided guidance and support, then take a look at your hiring practices. But more often than not, the challenge lies within. For most of us, the command and control management principles are deeply ingrained, and we need to work hard on unlearning certain behaviors. That being said, you still have to be authentic to yourself. Maybe you can operate somewhere in the in-between areas. If you try to just simulate a leadership style, you will appear to be inauthentic, and it won’t work for you or your organization. So you need to adopt a growth mindset and take small steps to grow as a leader. For more info, follow me on Facebook , connect with me on LinkedIn and visit my website ! Read more from Iliana ! Iliana Rocha, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine Iliana Rocha is a senior business leader with extensive consulting and coaching experience in all things business. Iliana has been working hand-in-hand with businesses in optimizing their strategy and operations and is now President & Lead Coach at Clubnet Solutions Inc. Her focus is on working with entrepreneurs and small business owners on scaling and transforming their businesses profitably. She is in the process of publishing her first book: Level Up! Low Hanging Fruit to Instantly Improve Your Small Business. Iliana holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Ryerson University, a post-graduate certificate in Strategic Relationship Management from George Brown College, and a Bachelor of Commerce and Finance, with a Major in Economics from the University of Toronto. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a certified Agile Coach (ICP-ACC). She is in the process of receiving an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certification as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC).

Written by: Vicki Chisholm, 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 on earth does intuition have to do with your business? Intuition is your inner voice that tells you to follow a different way, not the way you are being told, but by how you are listening to others voices instead of your own inner wisdom. Some of the most incredible businesses have been built purely from intuition. This inner knowledge is the thing that is going to generate the income to keep your business sustainable and the cashflow in force. Many people seem to misunderstand that by following everyone else’s voice, you are setting yourself up to fail and maybe procrastinating because external influences are misleading you. Which ultimately leads to self-sabotage because you are NOT listening to the truth within. Here are the 5 signs to watch out for: 1. You listen to everyone else, your coach, your peers, your partner, your parents, but avoid listening to the crazy voice inside of you. 2. You ignore the crazy idea to follow your path and instead sign up for different courses, programs, and support levels that are completely out of alignment and not in line with you listening to your own voice . 3. You feel drained, exhausted, and lack motivation, doing what you are being told you should do, you don’t feel excited about the next steps. 4. Business is not working; clients/customers are not coming through the door; there are consistent business problems, which is just causing you stress. 5. You're struggling to gain clarity, and you cannot relax no matter what you do. You feel irritated, feel stressed, and feel like you are spinning so many plates, your sleep is disrupted. Do you resonate with any of the above? Did you say yes? You are not alone! One of the most empowering breakthroughs you can have is choosing to change the way you connect with your inner voice. It is one of the things I teach my clients in our coaching sessions, to explore what is sitting right within, what is the heart really saying to you? What is that inner wisdom trying to get you to listen to? If you could trust your inner wisdom, how far would you then take your business/success? Are you ready for the next steps? To help you find your own voice and let your intuition guide you, here are some things you can do to change this. 1. Sit in silence – just a few moments, focus on your breath, clear the noise. 2. Let your creativity flow – map it out, follow the crazy path you want to create, see if It’s possible (chances are it is more than possible) 3. Journal – incorporate this into your daily activities 4. Clear out your mind, energy, and space – declutter, exercise, meditate whichever suits you best 5. Get Support – Find someone who will teach you how to connect to your inner guidance, trust your own instincts and follow your heart's desires. In addition to the above, I’ve just launched a trial offer for a 30 minute Oracle Card Mini Breakthrough Healing Session, which is aimed at helping you gain clarity, receive guidance, implement an energy clearing breakthrough – click here to book. For more information, follow Vicki on Facebook , LinkedIn , and visit her website ! Read more from Vicki ! Vicki Chisholm, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Vicki Chisholm is an International Personal Power Coach in the UK, combining coaching and holistic therapy to transform mumpreneurs and female entrepreneurs' lives and business development. She is highly engaged in Transforming the Lives and Businesses of Mums and Female entrepreneurs around the world. Vicki transformed her own life from: Domestic Abuse, Autoimmune Disease, Anxiety, Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and is also a former successful Virtual Assistant. Vicki’s incredible intuition has guided her to retrain and overcome the impossible in her own life, and now she shares this success with her growing list of clients. Vicki’s passion to lead women back to their inner empowering world is what makes her work priceless.

Written by: Heather Guernsey, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise . As many people are aware of, we have both a conscious mind, as well as a subconscious mind. Our conscious mind is what we are aware of; it’s our logical brain, the one that tries to dissect and figure everything out in an organized fashion. But it is so limited compared to the vastness of the subconscious mind, which holds every memory we’ve ever experienced, every thought we’ve ever had; it’s all-knowing. And it’s connected to Universal Intelligence—or “the Powers That Be.” Have you ever wondered why so many illnesses remain “incurable,” or diagnosed as “degenerative” or “chronic” by medical professionals and they prescribe a lifetime of pharmaceuticals to treat the symptoms, yet the actual root of the illness is never made clear? This is often because the root is emotional, and linked to trapped negative emotional energies that have not been released from a person’s energy field or physical body. So how can we find these answers? How can we get to the root of illness, or chronic pain, or unhealthy life patterns such as self-sabotage and procrastination? The answer is more simple than most would choose to believe: it comes down to a very focused form of energy healing called the Emotion Code. This incredible modality was developed by Dr. Bradley Nelson as is broken down into steps in his book The Emotion Code. The Emotion Code method of energy healing combines asking yes/no questions to the subconscious mind through muscle testing to determine what trapped negative emotional energies are contributing to the issue we are working on at the time (mental, emotional or physical) and at what age the emotion got stuck in one’s energy field. Having the emotion and the age at which one felt a certain emotion is usually enough information to then consciously remember the incident that made them feel this way. For example, we may pull the emotion “abandonment” around age seven from someone. More often than not, they are then able to consciously think back and may respond with confirmation such as “that makes sense, age seven is when my parents got divorced,” etc. The clearing of these emotions is done with a magnet and the details of that part of this energy healing can be found in the Emotion Code book if you are curious to learn this seemingly magical work! That being said, I still always recommend finding a practitioner (such as myself!), so you can get the full experience the first time around. While muscle testing is an integral part of this method of energy healing, it can also be used on a daily basis to help you make good and healthy decisions. Think of it as a physical way of checking in with your “higher self.” Let’s talk about the sway test; perhaps the most simplistic method of getting answers from one’s subconscious mind. (Go ahead and try this—it will blow your mind!) Stand up, with your feet about hip-width apart, toes facing forward. Keeping your eyes open, begin to think of love— unconditional love, everything and anything that makes you feel joy and happiness. You will notice that there is an invisible force that seems to shove your entire body forward involuntarily. This is what will happen when you ask a question and the answer is “yes” or affirmative. If you’re new to playing with muscle testing, then it is more than likely you will give this a shot, have it work, and then your conscious mind will immediately begin throwing the doubt at you: “well, that wasn’t real, I knew I was supposed to move forward, so I did,” or “it probably won’t work every time,” and so on. This is normal, and just as you need to learn to trust your intuition (or your gut), it would be wise to trust your muscle testing as it will provide the same answers for you as your intuition. When you have tried getting your affirmative sway, repeat the same process, only this time think about war, hate, famine, sorrow, anything negative; and watch what happens. You will inadvertently feel the same force sway you backward. It’s bonkers—but it’s real! It does take practice to feel confident in trusting it. Swaying back is the body’s way of giving you a negative answer—almost as if you are pulling away from that which you are thinking about in the moment. While I am a huge advocate for the Emotion Code modality, if you aren’t quite ready to dive into that work, you can still begin to integrate muscle testing into your daily life. Begin by practicing with things you already know the answer to, such as stating your name, versus a fake name. Similarly, you can ask about what is good for your health and wellness; “Is it in my highest interest to eat this entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s at 11 pm?” (sadly, you can expect a sway back on this one!) It’s really a magical tool to help you make better choices for your mind, body and soul, and can give you the reassurance you need about certain things. For example, you could even use it if you had a weird feeling (intuition!) about going on a first date with someone you met on Tinder. “Is it in my highest interest to go on this date?” See what happens. I don’t think that you should count on it as a tool for predicting the future by any means, but it can help you to become more confident in trusting your intuition. I hope you find this nifty little tool helpful in your everyday life as I have! More often than not, our intuition is spot on, and practicing muscle testing can give you the confidence you need to truly trust your gut. Follow Heather on Facebook , Instagram , Youtube and visit her website for more info! Read more from Heather ! Originally from Maine, Heather has been a dancer & performer her whole life, and spent the majority of the last decade performing on the stages of Las Vegas. Over a year ago, she embarked on her spiritual journey and was led to The Emotion Code method of energy healing- and the rest is history! Heather owns a remote energy healing business called Soul Path Energy Healing and currently practices the Emotion Code modality (though her repertoire is expanding quickly!), supplemented by Oracle Card readings and other offerings to help her clients process the healing that they are receiving. This work has changed Heather’s life, and the lives of so many others. She is so passionate about her purpose and hopes to help as many people as possible through this miraculous work!

Written by: Aimee Teesdale, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. A few days ago, I found a note that I had written as a young girl around the age of 13. It was a pep talk, to myself, in the form of a mixture of heart-based wisdom and demanding expectations. There was one particular sentence amongst the scribbles that really jumped out at me. It said: "Love yourself! But not too much. If you're not happy with yourself, then no-one else will be, and that's what you want." There are 3 things that struck me simultaneously about what I'd written. 1) The fact that I felt the need to tell myself to love myself was confirmation I didn't at that time 2) That deep down, I already knew the secret to peace and success even at such a young age (only to forget it and rediscover it again at age 31) 3) That we are conditioned to believe that loving oneself 'too much' is a bad thing. Even as adults, we use the phrase "s/he loves himself!" as a derogatory term denoting an arrogant individual instead of a positive compliment or achievement. When I used to give public talks on how to increase confidence, I would regularly get people in the audience tell me: "But I don't want to be so confident that I look arrogant," as though arrogance sits on the same scale as, and a higher degree than confidence. I now realize that this is not true. Loving yourself more, and thus being more confident, will NOT make you arrogant if you are TRULY loving because arrogance is NOT a state of being caused by true love. Arrogance comes from fear and is when a person feels the need to inflate their ego to compensate for their deep, hidden, unloving beliefs they actually hold about themselves. In effect, they do NOT love themselves. They are only pretending that they are (often even to themselves). The more you truly love yourself, what happens, in fact, is that you become more secure, forgiving, authentic, compassionate, creative, service-orientated, and successful in your endeavors. You joyfully pursue your passions and fulfill your life's purpose because you feel less afraid of things not working out. You can create more financial security, freedom, and abundance because you are more focused on serving others since your needs are already met. People including clients, romantic partners, friends, and collaborators - are magnetized towards you because you feel good to be around. Your physical and mental health improves, and you are more resilient in the face of setbacks because you are not attached to any particular outcomes, objects, or others as a source of validation. You attract golden opportunities, experience magical synchronicities, and experience more ease and flow to life because you start allowing a greater intelligence source to lead and guide you instead of YOU insisting on controlling everything. And on top of all that: You just feel GREAT, and life becomes a fun game to play. How do I know? Because that's EXACTLY what's happened in my life, and in all of my client's lives too. So, let's stop accusing arrogant people of "loving themselves" and instead have forgiveness and compassion for the fact that they are not, actually, loving themselves. Let's encourage (true) self-love like we encourage eating more fruit and veg: it's REALLY good for you! And let's start loving each other more, too. Twenty years on, I've written myself a new pep-talk, one that maybe my future self will one day again look back on. This time it says: "Love yourself. Limitlessly." And I am a champion for you to do the same. You are warmly invited to: Fall In Love With You™: a very special, free live masterclass on Wed 20 January 2021 in which I reveal my transformational 5D Method™ to becoming the person you would love to be and creating the life and business of your dreams. Click the link for more info & to register. Connect with Aimee through her website or Instagram! Read more from Aimee! Aimee Teesdale, Executive Contributor Brainz MagazineAimee Teesdale is an international six-figure success coach, speaker, author, podcast host, and digital nomad, living her dream life whilst enabling others to live theirs. Using her signature 5D Method™, Fearless Framework™ and Love.To.G.I.V.E Approach™, she enables service-based business owners and entrepreneurs to accelerate towards six-figure success and create financial security, freedom, and prosperity from doing only what they love faster than ever. Her ability to create such rapid transformational results with her clients is due to her personal experience overcoming 20 years of struggle, fear, and severely limiting beliefs. Discovering the secret to success - both for individuals and humanity - really is: less fear, more love.

Written by: Rayson Choo, Guest Writer There are two kinds of relationships you need to build with the media: individual relationships with media people and general relationships with media outlets — newspapers, TV, radio stations, podcasts, magazines, and internet-based publications. Like any other people, the media people (reporters, editors, editorial writers, bloggers, podcasters) respond to the same things. They are drawn to like-minded people interested in them and their families, who like them for who they are and not just interested in what they can provide. Here are five tips that I believe can help you to win them over. Make Personal Contact The first step towards knowing someone is to make a personal contact. If you want people to know more about you and your brand of products/ services, you often need to make the first move. The best way will be to introduce or refer to a particular person by a mutual friend, client, or even an acquaintance. However, if that is not possible, what you need to do is search for the name of the reporter or podcaster who writes or broadcasts about the issues related to your niche. It will be great if you know the name of the reporter when you are asking for them because if you ask for 'the entrepreneur podcaster' or "the business reporter," it will tell 2 things about you: 1) You are cold calling and someone who is calling without any connection to him/her or the media outlet, hoping to get something out from them. 2) You haven't bothered to do any research to find out who the entrepreneur podcaster or the business reporter is, which will definitely lower down your chances of getting featured. Can you imagine sending a formal letter without bothering to check the spelling of the addressee or the correct address that you're sending it to? Makes sense? To be honest, cold calling is not really effective because you are just simply using a set of templates (a huge chunk of words), editing the names, and just sending them to them. In my opinion, you should not do this ever if you truly want to work with these podcasters or reporters! Everyone should take the time to get to know the person through the content they've created. Read their captions. Do your homework! Then do as what Gary Vaynerchuck has instructed. Reach out and ask how you can help them. Bring them value. Don't ask for anything in return. Be genuine. Be patient. Don’t be another person who’s always looking for solicitations. This will dampen your branding and reputation as an entrepreneur, influencer, or whatever role that you are doing right now. Research Well Before you can get the media to 'work' for you, you need to know what the journalists or interviewers want. Research on the publication that he or she is working in and find out the key topics he or she focuses on before pitching your story. If he or she has their own podcast, listen to it. Listen to the type of questions that they will be asking for during the show. This not only helps you to learn the type of content these journalists/podcasters are looking for, but it also allows you to craft your story in a way that is relevant to them and their audience. Once a journalist realizes that you have put in the time to research them, they will be more open to hearing your pitch. Here's an example, if the podcast's theme is about gratitude, then go all-in with the theme of gratitude. Do not talk about anything else except for Gratitude unless the things that you are going to story tell have links to the theme of Gratitude. Makes sense? The next example will be this: If Brainz Magazine editors are looking for writers to write about “How to Prioritize Your Time in 2021”, would you write to them and say that you would like to contribute an article about what happened in 2020? Absolutely not! If you do not go with the theme, guess what, it will not only make you look or sound awkward in the media, it will also bring your value down. If you do not understand what the question means, you can ask them to elaborate for you. There's no harm in doing that. Just make sure that you do not assume, or else it’ll make an ass out of me and you. Relationships are key Fostering and growing these friendships are really important for you and your clients. People often think that money can solve everything - even with press media or any forms of media publicity. Well, yes, you can, unless if you are filthy rich and you are ready to spend. However, many of them forget about the other value that money can't buy, and that is genuine relationships. This is something that bloggers, deejays, journalists, podcasters, and other human beings on Earth treasure the most. So, how can you build relationships with them? The answer is simple. Treat them the same way you make friends with other people. By being friendly and providing value with no expectation of return. I'm sure that's how you treat your family and best friends, right? One thing is for sure: relationships take time to grow. It is not built in an instant. You don't have to become their best friends to get media features. You have to establish yourself as someone that can be trusted to know what you are talking about. If you do not know what you are talking about or not coherent with what you are saying, then all the more, this will turn their attention away from you. Hang Out Where They Hang Out Conferences and events can be the best places for you to make that all-important first face to face contact with them. As the saying goes, the first impression is always the most important thing when you meet somebody new. Hence, don't immediately talk about how you or your organization want to be featured on their covers or articles. Journalists are human too. Instead, socialize with them a little and get to know more about them before inviting them to meet you and your organization. Remember, they are always busy with their work, and your invite has to be worthwhile for them. They will only accept your invitation if you have something interesting to offer them that they couldn't receive over the phone or email, such as seeing your work in action or the chance to meet a VIP. Go That Extra Mile Once you've spent time talking to a journalist/podcaster during networking events or via emails, take that extra step out of your comfort zone by asking them out for face to face meet up. It could be done through a lunch or dinner or supper. It depends on both of your schedules and what's comfortable for you two. Meeting with a journalist or podcaster outside not only allows you to relax outside of your office or work environment, but it also allows you to solidify the friendship and find out more about themselves personally. You can also follow them on their LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram/Twitter and share a thoughtful comment on whatever they have written or shared on these social media platforms. You can join in the conversation or provide them with answers to questions that they may have raised. When you provide them with what they want, when they want it, it can turn into many more if the media finds that you are responsive, valuable, and comfortable with handling an interview. Rayson Choo, Guest Writer, Brainz Magazine Rayson Choo is dubbed as The Celebrity Whisperer. What he does is he picks the brains of the best entrepreneurs you have in this world, such as Gary Vee, Grant Cardone, etc. to find out from them what are some of the simple and effective steps that millennials can take to experience success in the swiftest and most effective way possible. He does that through podcasting. The millennials who have listened to the podcast have experienced personal transformation because they have gotten the tips they need to move forward. (Podcast link: https://apple.co/3422gwc)

Written by: Amie Crews, Guest Writer Leadership is a huge topic, and one that has so many lenses to it. In fact, that’s what makes it both incredibly simple yet hugely complex all at the same time. Being a leader can be lonely too. In this article, I want to share how leadership can be isolating and how you can increase your effectiveness by being aware of the emotional impact on yourself and others. All leaders experience isolation and stress, but it’s a topic that is rarely discussed out loud. In a corporate world, having a team around me meant that I could talk things out, share the load and get some perspective on my challenges. In contrast, treading the first steps towards entrepreneurship was an unexpectedly tough landscape. No one really talks about how all the confidence and clarity you have can be whipped away from you when you are having a tough day, trying something new, going out on a limb with a difficult message; making decisions where only you see the full picture, or building and launching a new product, service, or business. Sometimes you experience feelings with supportive, productive thoughts that can ride them out easily. Other times you might feel stuck in them for several days or longer, twisting yourself up in knots over and over. But there is another way. An often-overlooked aspect of leadership is self-compassion, or the art of being kind to oneself. When I talk about self-compassion, I’m talking about the ability to notice the energy and emotion in our bodies and how we’re responding to it. It’s about reflecting with respect for ourselves and giving permission to feel. After all, if we can’t lead ourselves with compassion, how can we be a lighthouse for others? I’ve challenged myself on this several times in my life by asking, “How can I be a role model [self-compassion] if I’m not living and breathing it myself?” Often, it is the foundations of life that we need to look to. Getting sufficient rest, eating foods that fuel and sustain, staying hydrated; it is usually the fundamentals of our wellbeing which get ditched in favor of late-night Netflix binges; just another biscuit and grabbing a cuppa instead of reaching for the water. Such simple tactics, and if these are not in place, it’s less likely that you’ll find it easy to be kind to yourself in other ways. Calibrate your internal compass. As an entrepreneur, those who look towards you are not necessarily employees or people supporting your business. They are the people who follow your journey, who love your products and services, who want to live a slice of your life in theirs. I talk a lot about not comparing yourself to others, and as a coach on a mission to help people lead their own best lives; it’s easy to say – be kind to yourself, but I am acutely aware that it’s not always easy to look at our internal compass and navigate to kindness as our true north. When you increase your self-compassion, you can reduce your feelings of isolation and increase your effectiveness, and in turn, you enter a cycle of learning how to be kind to yourself and what that really means for you. Leading yourself and others effectively means becoming aware of the emotional impact of the work you do within the parameters of noting those feelings, particularly the uncomfortable ones, and feeling empowered to talk about them. Compassion in everyday life. Noticing the ups and downs is important; a few minutes spent each day; perform a brief body and mind scan; noticing how your energy is. It’s ok to reach up to cloud nine when you’ve had an awesome win and sit with a quieter energy when work or life feels overwhelming. Honestly, as you’re reading this, think for a moment; when was the last time you sat in silence and gave yourself the time to reflect on that? If you’re like 97% of the people who have experienced an emotional wellbeing session with me since May, that’ll never be, or at least, not since writing reflective journals as part of university studies. It takes a conscious effort, and it really makes a difference. From several years of personal experience of (mostly) daily practice, I feel so much more resilient, and noticing those niggles means you can address them before they become an issue. Hold a kind space. It’s worth considering who you have around you to hold a supportive, open, and non-judgemental space. I’m not talking about those therapy sessions over a glass or two; I mean really holding that space for you. Perhaps it’s participating in a session that supports your emotional wellbeing, your coach, mentor, or business community, or a trusted friend who will truly just listen. I am truly fortunate to have people in all these camps who I can call on. They let me speak without giving their opinion and let me speak without interjecting with their own agendas – that’s crucial. There is something incredibly powerful about closing your mouth to hear and share in others' stories and experiences without being poised to jump in and share your own. They allow someone space to speak, be silent, and hold that space, waiting until they have finished. The mute button on a video call has never been more useful! Acknowledge the emotional impact of the work you do. “I had no idea you felt like that” I hear it time and time again when people are talking about shared experiences; colleagues sat in the same room in some situations yet still so far removed from one’s individual, personal experience. This happens because naturally, people are focused on solutions, alternatives, solving problems, and remedying a crisis. Don’t get me wrong; all those elements are important; however, too often, the emotional impact is skipped over in favor of tacking the aforementioned items. Does it seem easier to talk about problems and solutions? Probably in most cases, yes, it does because we haven’t been taught to put ourselves first, acknowledge what we’re thinking and feeling and allow it to simply be. Why? Emotions mean vulnerability. Vulnerability feels exposing. I’ve been guilty of withholding my true emotions when I didn’t feel safe to share them. Feeling exposed can bring up thoughts and beliefs. I’m talking about all kinds of emotions and questions. “Is it ok to show my sadness?” “What if I cry and people perceive me in a certain way?” “What if I thought that was a massive success and felt elated, but others didn’t share in that?” I know I’ve asked myself questions like this before, but when you ask through the lens of compassion, not sabotage, the answers are often vastly different. Do you feel comfortable and safe to share your experiences' emotional impact and become ever more effective as a leader? Maybe now is the time to start? Follow Amie through 'Your Best Happy Life' on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Connect with her on her Facebook and website . Amie Crews, Guest Writer Brainz Magazine Amie Crews is a life coach on a mission to teach busy and stressed people practical ways to move themselves up the priority list so that they can live a better, happier life now with more joy, ease, and freedom. She is also the Founder of Your Best Happy Life Podcast and Membership.

Written by: Brooke Hamilton, Guest Writer Parents can be involved in their athlete's college recruiting journey without losing their valuable time and money on recruiting services. With a well prepared and planned timeline, they can learn to think and act like world-class recruiting agents and help their athlete be recruited at the college of their dreams. The timeline is the most crucial piece of the college recruiting journey, especially for you, the parent, if you want to be heavily involved in the entire process without losing your money, time, and mind. The college recruiting journey can be extremely complex at the best of times. The most crucial piece to this journey must be planned and prepared in a very strategic way. A timeline that includes effective strategy and processes. The most effective timeline will start from year nine. This allows four years to build a successful college recruiting campaign. Four years to learn the who, where, when, and what comes next. You don’t need a recruiting service. You and your athlete are the only ones who can give your athlete the best journey they could ask for. Only you can promote and support them like any parent would. No one else can do that. Build Skills For Life Your athlete needs the skills and tools that will take them into the future, not just during college, but beyond college. No recruiting agency or other services will give them all the tools and skills they will require to succeed in life. I Know The Journey I have been an elite student-athlete, and I'm now the parent of a student-athlete. I know the journey all too well. I know the pain, anxiety, stress, and fear. I know the travel involved and the financial pressures. I know about having a lack of knowledge, accountability, support, and resources. I saw everything my parents gave me to achieve my dream of being a star track and field athlete. Ultimately, my parents lost their houses and their marriage. That’s hard for me to carry through life. I Refuse To Let This Be Your Story Honestly, I refuse to let that be your story too. I want to help because my journey was destined to be so many things but had so many challenges, so many upsets, disappointments, depression, and anxiety. That's not something I want for you, your athlete, or your family. I know for sure that planning, preparation, strategy, and timing are absolutely everything. That's why I know this timeline will work for you and your athlete. I am about to give you the number one strategies and processes you can use to guide your athlete through those college gates and on to professional sport. They will also enjoy a very successful and lucrative career after college. Year 9 At the beginning of year nine, you should be arranging meetings with the school’s guidance officer to express your athlete’s interest in playing college sports. Ensure your athlete will follow the core course curriculum that is National Sporting Organisation (NSO) approved. If they don’t follow the approved courses, they won't get into the sports program they want. Begin building lists of their hopes, dreams, goals, and aspirations. Please make sure everything you're doing resonates with your athlete's interests and goals. A crucial step in year 9 is encouraging your athlete to keep a strong academic mindset. Stress the importance of this to them. I know it can be hard around 14 and 15 years of age to motivate them, but it is super important. The best way is to create a vision board and encourage them to look at it every day. Discuss the consequences of not keeping a strong academic mindset, such as not gaining entry into college. They are a student-athlete, not an athlete-student. Whether they're in division one, two, or three, they must have strong academics. Start building schedules and practicing good time management skills. Every element of your athlete’s life must go into your schedule. Sports, academics, community events, rest, relaxation, training sessions, study sessions, sleep plans, and meal plans all go in the schedule. The only way to effectively prepare your athlete for college is to get their schedules right. The way to assure deadlines won’t be missed is by using an effective schedule and perfecting time management skills. Next, begin creating your athlete’s list of colleges. You should have a minimum of 25 at this point. And start building a list of potential scholarships and contributors. There are so many places your athlete can find scholarships, grants, funding, and prize money. If you start building these lists now, your athlete will be ready to start approaching them when it's time. At this point, your athlete should introduce themselves to at least two coaches. Keep in contact with coaches and guidance officers to determine what level your athlete will likely be performing at. From there, you will know what coaches to approach. This doesn't mean if your athlete is level two in year nine, they won't be level one in year 12. Don't let your athlete ever give up on chasing that big fish. While you are building college and scholarship lists, you should also start building your athletes support network. This is absolutely critical. It's the key strategy throughout the entire journey for you and your athlete. You both need support. Start assessing finances and begin a college budget. You need to track what finances you have to begin with and what finance your athlete will still need for a free ride through college. You will need to work out what the cost of college will be. Determine what funding and contributors your athlete already has. From there, each time they gain a new scholarship, more prize money, or another grant, add it and keep track. You have to keep track. We don't want them paying off debt into their thirties. Now is the time to research the rules and regulations of your athletes top 5 choice colleges. Keep updated on what is required, so you don’t miss a thing. You don’t have to scramble to find the time to research what the rules, regulations, requirements, policies, and procedures are in the spare of a moment. Encourage your athlete to compete in high school and representative sports and academic teams. Please don't enter them in every major level competition. We don't want them to burn out. They're still growing and need to avoid suffering a serious injury from overuse. My suggestion is to increase performance gradually. Start with two representative teams in year 9, then increase it by one the following year, and so on. When your athlete reaches year 12, they will be competing in high-level tournaments, which will help prove they will be an asset to a coach and his team. Begin preparing interview questions. What questions will your athlete ask when they attend interviews? Prepare answers to questions they may also be asked. Look at some of the common questions: research coaches and their teams. Think about what questions they may ask your athlete and contact other students to ask what kind of questions they were asked. Your athlete can be prepared for every interview. When it comes to attending interviews, they will be confident, prepared, and ready to go. When they walk in for an interview, first impressions go a very long way. With preparation and practice, your athlete will be confident, positive and walk in with their shoulders back and head held high every time. Finally, begin preparing the sports portfolio and social campaign. You don’t create a sports portfolio. You build one over time. Prepare it now and add to it as your athlete progresses along their journey. Start creating their social profiles also. Build out their social media profiles, and lock their accounts securely to avoid the wrong audience viewing them. The only people you should include in your athlete's audience are the coaches, scouts, admissions, and anyone who makes up your support network. Spreadsheets It's a great idea to keep spreadsheets. You will need spreadsheets to keep track of coaches. What coaches your athlete has had interviews with, and who they have sent emails to. Keep track of the whole progression with every coach. Track which colleges your athlete has approached and the scholarships they have applied for. You will also need spreadsheets to track finances. Get to know spreadsheets so you can keep track of everything. Year 10 You should keep monitoring your athlete's GPA. They must be maintaining a good grade point average. Encourage them to take pre-college classes to contribute to the sports program and degree they wish to study. Put together introductory letter and email templates. If you have templates, you can personalize them each time you send them out, and it will save you a ton of time. Build a swipe file of subject lines too. Subject lines have to stand out to catch a coach's attention. I suggest you keep swipe files of subject lines in a document to copy and paste them. It's a big time-saver. Increase your athlete's target list of colleges to a minimum of 50. Continue adding to the list of scholarships and contributors, whether they are already secured or they are potential contributors, and keep building your athletes support network, in and out of college. Encourage them to join college group forums and chat rooms. Your athlete should now be taking part in extra competitions and source additional coaching if needed. If they’re not producing the results they need to be; it's a possibility you may need to look at additional coaching. If you recognize signs of struggle or decline in performance and get down on themselves about it, look at what solutions you can develop that will help make the situation better for them. Start attending college summer camps for extra exposure and skills improvement. There are often scouts hanging out at coaching camps, and you just never know who will see your athlete when they attend. Continue building their sports portfolio and start creating highlight videos. Your athlete should include highlight videos throughout their social media campaign, and will send them off to coaches, add them to the sports portfolio, and include them on their profile pages. Every time you shoot one, put it at the top of each page as the most recent. Coaches can watch the most recent highlight first. They can continue down the playlist to see how your athlete has progressed throughout their journey. Continue building out social media profiles, and create a schedule that includes thorough research of scholarships. Your athlete should continue researching rules, regulations, requirements, policies, and procedures. As you're going along the timeline, you will learn that you have to research almost everything. The hard work and effort are definitely worth it. This is also a good time to gather references and recommendations your athlete will add to their sports portfolio. References and recommendations are massive. Anyone who has worked with your athlete in some capacity can provide one. You'll find many people are happy to give out a reference. You can’t have too many references and recommendations. They are people who can back up your athlete’s story. While in year 10, begin making introductions to coaches. Start with 15 or more coaches at this point, and double-check all spreadsheets are up to date. Check them weekly because you don't want to miss anything. Year 11 Let's look at the year 11 timeline. Your athlete should begin the exam and essay preparations. Encourage them to take practice tests regularly. I encourage our clients to start doing this step sooner than year 11 because they have so much going on already that to start the exam and essay preparations in year 11 won't be as effective as preparing them earlier. Review your athlete’s academic goals and ensure they are still taking the appropriate courses. Additionally, review the recruiting process for your athletes target colleges and levels. Ensure the recruiting process is the same, and you are up to speed with everything, such as when exams and deadlines are upon them. Ramp up your athlete’s social media campaign, and spend time building out their brand. This is super important. Your athletes brand and logo become their identifier. They become known by placing it everywhere. When an email lands in a coach's inbox with your athlete’s logo on it, they will already know who your athlete is. I also suggest creating a website. We help our clients build a website because it's an extra place for coaches, admissions staff, and scouts to go. It an extra place to view your athlete’s profile and switch out of social media. You can create a beautiful website and highlight your athlete’s entire journey. Join college chat groups and forums if your athlete hasn't already, and contribute to discussions. It will help your athlete become known in the college community. Research all colleges, coaches, sports programs, and styles of the college community. Wherever your athlete plans on going to college, ensure that the community will be a good fit for them. You don’t want your athlete to be stuck somewhere that doesn't fit. They won’t have fun and will likely struggle. The community must be exactly what they’re looking for. Encourage your athlete to increase competition levels. Add one or two higher-level tournaments, and begin studying the desired sports team they want to be part of. Study their history, stats, and coaches. Have your athlete start attending training sessions and tournaments those teams participate in. I suggest inviting coaches to also see your athlete perform. They like to show up and check out what the talent is like in person. You may not know they are there, but make sure they always know where your athlete is competing. Give them dates and places so that the coach can watch them in person. Begin scheduling unofficial visits now too. Get them into your athlete’s schedules, and start ramping up community involvement. Motivate your athlete to build employability skills through volunteer work, fundraisers, charity work, and community projects. Choose activities that aren't going to require a big-time commitment, and your athlete can achieve results from. Double-check, your athlete is registered with the correct National Sporting Organisation and build a profile page. You will use a profile page for their social media profiles, and they will include one in the sports portfolio. After they're registered with the correct NSO, you will want them to continually build that profile page. At this stage, I would suggest reviewing your athlete’s pre-prepared interview questions and check they're still applicable. It's crucial they are ready and prepped to go. Keep updating the tracking sheets and start considering the level of interest your athlete is receiving from coaches. Continue checking all spreadsheets are up to date and begin re-ranking your athlete's list of colleges. They may have changed their mind on a few things over the last two years. They’re teenagers, after all. Re-rank the list of colleges and ensure they've still got the ones they really want to go to at the top of the list. Review all funding, scholarships, and grants your athlete has already received, and review and touch base with those contributors who have shown interest. Continue building a strong support network. A strong support network is everything, which is why I include this step every year. You must keep building on that network. Your athlete's going to need support, and so are you. Make sure you both have support everywhere you turn. At this stage of the journey, it's my suggestion you start prepping your athlete for college life routine. I help my clients do this through my SNORES Method, which I created to help parents build a healthy life balance for their athletes. I help athletes prepare for college life routine by balancing sleep, nutrition, organization, relaxation, education, and sport. It's a great method for you and your athlete. It's super important you're looking after yourself also. Double-check your athlete is keeping track of their GPA and have all application paperwork ready to go. It's good to be prepared. Any documents your athlete will need for a college or scholarship application, have them ready to go at any moment. Year 12 Keep building your athletes sports portfolio throughout year 12, and make sure the entire document has page numbers, section numbers, and sub-section numbers that exactly match the contents page. Continue building a strong support network, and go full force on your athlete’s social media marketing campaign. Seriously ramp it up. It’s time to increase your athlete’s visibility and exposure. This is where it all counts. This step includes highlight videos also. Your athlete will have changed physically, mentally, and emotionally over the last four years. No doubt they are producing magical results, which is why it's extremely important that you consistently update their highlight videos. By now, your athlete should have secured some great funding, but don't stop there. Keep going, ramp up the scholarship search, and contact those previously interested contributors to check they are still on board. Now your athlete is getting to the nitty-gritty of the journey. Big decisions need to be made. Narrow the target list of colleges to 15 serious choices, with at least five of those currently heavily recruiting athletes. Stay in college chat groups, and ask questions that are still unanswered. Send out applications to the top colleges on your athlete’s list, and start scheduling official, unofficial, and game-day visits. Encourage your athlete to consider their responses if they’re extended an offer for an official visit. This is a really crucial time because your athlete doesn't want to waste their time, nor do they want to waste a coach's time. Encourage them to consider what their responses will be. Continue taking exams and finalizing essays, and upload scores to the eligibility center for your athlete's NSO. Keep researching rules, regulations, requirements, policies, and procedures. Look at your athlete’s finances and determine what they still need in scholarships and funding. What is still needed to achieve a full ride? What’s still needed for your athlete to earn six figures in scholarships? Make sure all finances have been sorted. You don't want your athlete to end up having to pay college debt into their 30's. I suggest you work out what scholarships your athlete does have and which ones they will need to maintain. What scholarships will they need to reapply for every 12 months? Put them into your athlete’s plan and schedule for college. When they start college, they will already be living by a college schedule. There will be no nasty surprises. They will be prepped and ready to go. It’s extremely important the scholarships they need to reapply for are included in their schedules throughout college to avoid missing deadlines. Your athlete should be mimicking a college life routine. This is super important. Encourage them to live by college routine. It will help reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and loneliness when they enter college. Continue sending out applications if there is no decision yet, and encourage your athlete to keep working in the community and look for leadership roles. They should be developing skills and abilities they can take into a leadership role in college. Leadership skills are a massive asset in the eyes of any coach. They want your athlete to know how to lead. Finalize all scholarships, grants, funding, and prize money and ramp up your athlete’s presence in college chat groups and forums. It's time to get serious and encourage your athlete to consider all offers and make a decision. It's a huge decision. This will be the biggest decision of their life so far. They may struggle with it. However, you need to help them consider all offers and make a decision. Lastly, prepare for entry to college and watch your athlete absolutely crush it. They will have an amazing career in sport and career after sports. The best part, they won't accrue college debt. Even if your athlete's not division one on a full-ride scholarship, it doesn’t mean they can't get a full ride. They can accrue as many scholarships, funding, prize money, and aid as they possibly can. To recap, the college recruiting timeline must start from year nine to effectively help your athlete stay on track with preparation, planning, and strategy. How do you take your athlete through the complexities of a huge life-changing journey? By having a plan now! Encourage them to build and improve their skills and abilities. Keep your athlete’s marketing campaign moving throughout the next four years, creating exposure and growth. Their progression will be mammoth. The main elements required to make the journey a smashing success are research, preparation, dedication, motivation, and communication, persistence, organization, and support. If you want to be part of your athlete's journey and be alongside them enjoying the experience, it's crucial you start with creating that timeline. Once you have a planned and prepared timeline, you will achieve results beyond imaginable belief without losing your time or money. By Brooke Hamilton CEO, PEAinternational

Julie and Corey started their company, SB PACE, due to the 2020 pandemic to assist small businesses. Since then, they have expanded into helping start-ups, companies looking to improve, and small business mergers and acquisitions. They wrote the book on small business disaster preparedness and continued to help small businesses by leveraging their knowledge and experience working for Fortune 500 companies and Big Four consulting firms. Julie and Corey are the experts small business owners turn to when looking for sustainable, long-term success. Who are Corey & Julie? Corey: Hey. I’m a Virginia native living in Richmond now, but I’ve bounced around a bit living in Florida, Georgia, and Alaska. I’m a big fan of the outdoors, whether it’s hiking, camping, hunting, or all three at the same time. I love to cook and spent a significant time working in and owning restaurants before getting into business consulting. I also enjoy working with my hands, whether that’s learning some new skill in my workshop or doing projects around the house. Julie: Hi, I’m Julie! I grew up in Minnesota, but am an east coast girl at heart, having lived between New Jersey, Philadelphia, and now Richmond, VA for the past 20 years. I enjoy the outdoors (hiking, biking, running, exploring new areas), and traveling. I’m also an avid reader, focusing on books directed at self-improvement or learning new skills that will help grow our business. I love spending time with my family, which isn’t often enough with all of my siblings living on or near the west coast. What is it that you do for your clients? We teach our clients how to achieve long term sustainable growth for their small businesses. Because so many small businesses start as a hobby or passion project, it’s not uncommon for them to start their business without a solid foundation. We are experts at building strong businesses and at implementing growth strategies. Who should hire/work with you? We love working with passionate business owners who are ready to go from working in their business to on their business. We work with small business owners to help them structure a plan that gets them from where they are today to where they want to be, with achievable steps that show results. This also applies to those business owners who still have a full-time job and would like to make their side project or business their full-time career. We also love working with the aspiring entrepreneur who is ready to start a business but doesn't know where to begin. We help to build solid foundations, ensuring that the business is built to last. We focus on starting strong and having a plan that takes you through the first year of operations. How do you complement each other? The strength of SB PACE is in the way we cannot only work together but also service our clients. Corey is analytical, logical, math-oriented, and process-driven. He can listen to a client to describe a problem, and his brain starts working through solutions almost immediately. Julie is strong on communication, asking questions, developing relationships, understanding how clients (existing and prospects) like to work and communicate. She’s patient and takes the time to build relationships. The result is that clients experience both the logical, process side of business and the essential relationship portion. Julie handles sales and marketing, a lot of strategy and planning. Corey handles infrastructure, back-office support, systems and process, and technology. The complementary skills of Julie and Corey is one of the first things clients comment on when working with SB PACE. What is important to keep in mind when having a business with someone? Always have an operating agreement. This protects the business, the partnership, and, most importantly, the friendship. Everyone goes into business thinking, “this will be great,” but the reality is it is almost always much different. People have different long term visions. They want different things for the business, and having something in place when you start makes it easier to have those conversations. As part of our annual strategic planning, we complete a retrospective on how things are going, reviewing things like where we can communicate better, accountability, and direction for the business. You need to be able to talk about the good things and the bad, and you need to be able to do it openly. You have to be ready to hear difficult things, and you have to hold up your end of the partnership. It’s easy to get off course if one or both people aren’t communicating, so even if the conversation is difficult, find a way to have it. And if there’s a friendship/relationship there that existed before the business did, you should find ways to make that a priority. Not everything can be about the business, or someone’s going to get resentful. There’s nothing wrong with having a life outside of the business. What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now? Our big goal for SB PACE is to serve, touch, and/or inspire 1 million small businesses over the next 10 years. It’s a huge goal that requires us to be focused on delivering consistent and relevant content, expanding our network and overall reach, and having self-service programs available to small business owners. We are committed, and 100% believe the goal is achievable. Connect with Julie Traxler and Corey Harris on their LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook , or Twitter or visit their website . Read more from Julie Traxler & Corey Harris!