Thokozile Eunice Mahlaola is the founder of The CherryBlue House, a consortium where they deal with career development, personal development, content writing, and music entertainment. Since 2015 she has self-published three books and has two books and a music album coming out in 2020. Her online courses have changed the lives of people from different parts of the world. She has studied Creative Writing and Editing through the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism as well as Language and Literature and Public Relations Management both through the University of South Africa. The eighteen years of combined corporate and entrepreneurial experience she has gathered has prepared her to work with individuals, employees, and new entrepreneurs who want to know their life’s purpose, align their priorities with their values and be more productive in their lives, work, and businesses. Who is Thokozile? I am a child of Elohim, an empowered woman, a wife, a mother, an entrepreneur, and an eternal student. I live my life based on my life’s purpose, which is to live my best life and to help others do the same by aligning their lives, careers, and businesses with their lives’ purpose. Being authentic and artistic is at the core of who I truly am. I am an ambivert, and I am comfortable spending hours by myself reading, writing, working, yet I also enjoy working with many different people from all walks of life. Three words that describe me are ambitious, inquisitive, and kind. How did you get into entrepreneurship? Becoming an entrepreneur was a natural transition for me as I went from assisting my family in their businesses to establishing my own. My late father was a tuckshop owner; my mother is a seamstress; my late sister was a deli chef in the making, and my brother runs a hair salon and a carpentry business. I grew up helping in their businesses after school , which led to me being bitten by the business bug. I made my business transition by establishing my company while I was still employed, so I can test the market and build my clientele before I go into it full time. How do you balance having three different titles? The work I do in all three of my fields has the same foundation, which is my life’s purpose. Whether I sing soulful music, write fictional stories or create developmental content, all I do is help my audience, readers, and communities to embrace their journeys towards becoming their truest selves. I believe in using my talents, gifts, skills, and knowledge as resources to deliver my products and services. Tell us about your signature course, Born to Be. Many people never give a thought as to why they are alive. They live their lives on repeat, merely existing. They never realize that there is more to life than attempting to make money by having jobs they hate. When we realize this, life starts to be precious and time becomes valuable. Born to Be helps people see themselves and life in a new light as we help them make sense of who they are and what they are meant to do with their lives. We help them find their place in the world, to align with their highest values so they can be efficient in their lives, careers, and businesses. What is your book Pearls – Sophisticated and Mysterious about? I wrote this short story collection because I felt that in the age of influencers, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists, people want so much to appear perfect, successful, and influential in societies that they somehow forget that they have human needs that need more attention than appearances. The stories follow the lives of four characters, and their stories invite the reader to walk in their shoes and to change and grow in their own life as the- characters do. These are stories of hope and dreams, courage and ambition, identity and self-love, and growth and strength. Give us a glimpse into your upcoming music album Love Legacy. The truth is I am a romantic who is in love with love, and I show that in my album as I celebrate love in all its forms. In essence, I celebrate eternal love, self-love, romantic love, love for all human beings. The songs are delivered in soulful melodic and poetic forms. We are still in the studio working on it; however, you can hear what it sounds like on my YouTube channel ! What projects are you currently working on? We are excitedly preparing for three paid memberships, which will commence in January 2021. The first one is Enriching Lives and is for individuals who know that something needs to change in their lives but have no idea what that change is and how to bring it about. The second is Equipping Professionals , and through it, we assist employees in positioning themselves to excel in the corporate world. The third one is Establishing Entrepreneurs . It focuses on helping business owners build strong foundations for their businesses and apply current industry requirements to stay relevant in their specific markets. To register for any of the memberships or the course, contact us at info@tcbh.co.za . We are also open for bookings and collaborations. Follow Thokozile Eunice on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit her YouTube-Channel ! Read more from Thokozile !

Written by: Gabriella DeLorenze, 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 called sensitive? Or emotional? Too emotional? Yeah, me too. As a kid, I can remember crying all the time. I can also remember family members saying, “Oh, there she goes again” or “Does she always do this?!” Both implying to me that my tears were not wanted nor welcomed. Now, I can tell you, as a kid, these feelings made me think that I was not wanted nor welcomed. I would run away in anguish, embarrassed and ashamed of my sensitive feelings and of myself. Hello, childhood traumas . What does this look like in a 30-year-old? It looks like a simple disagreement or argument with my fiancé and needing to excuse myself (read: storm off crying) because he invalidated my feelings. Or, getting defensive and defending my emotions to wit's end when that’s not even with the conversation was about at all… mainly, it looks like a not helpful way to cope with anything nor a positive way to treat anyone. Fun Fact: No one likes their feelings to be invalidated; it hurts us. That’s why many of us subconsciously throw it out to others in fights…it’s hurt us in the past, and we feel like we want to hurt this person in front of us. And eye for an eye, if you will. A very helpful reminder, especially in moments of disagreements or hurt, remember that the person you’re arguing with loves you. It’s simple. And if you’re in a disagreement with someone who doesn’t love you, think about that. It’s most likely not worth your time nor energy at all! If you can remember that, at our core, we’re, as Oprah says, Spiritual Beings having a Human Experience . The human experience emanates all of our faults and errors, our sins, and our imperfections. That is who we are. Yes, always want and strive to be better; as our sister Maya Angelou preaches, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” So it is. And so, the cycle goes. Forgiveness isn’t always easy, nor is it always available to us right away. And, forgiveness is always a release of negative, unwanted energy and a rise in your vibration. Forgiveness holds the power to change you. It will challenge you and it will redefine your definition of love. Forgiving the man who raped me remains the highest level of healing in my life thus far. It isn’t always perfect, sometimes my mind thinks of him and my body clenches or I get tears in my eyes, but overall, a weight in my heart, mind, womb and body has lifted. I feel lighter, releasing the control my resentment of him had over my body and my life. I am able to show up as a different person because of this constant practice of forgiveness. I am only able to support my clients healing from similar situations of assault because of this practice. Life is filled with a series of lessons that we must learn in order to evolve or to change. Insanity teaches us that you can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. The same is true for life: you can’t do or think the same things over and over again and expect different results*. *Example Results: promotions, awakenings, the infamous “more,” wealth, knowledge, leadership, growth, expansion, etc. If you are looking to be more confident, self-assured, and less stressed, a great place to start would be looking at: Where have you felt confident in the past? (i.e., What felt good/easy/aligned to do?) What makes you feel unsure or insecure? Look at why you don’t feel confident. Or who taught you that you weren’t good enough? There is a moment of trust and surrender during each learning cycle. Inviting in forgiveness, remembering we are all flawed humans, seeing the lesson, grieving the loss of a part of you that no longer serves you, attempting to put your new habit into effect, failing, trying again, reminding yourself why this change is important (perhaps it’s mirrored to you from a love one again) AND ONLY THEN (insert a few more failed attempts,) the lesson will be learned. The key to life and evolution is simply searching for the meaning in everything. Instead of asking yourself, “Why is this happening to me?” a more appropriate question is, “What is this here to teach me?” That way, you’re staying in constant inquiry. If you’re single , think about your past relationships, there’s probably something in common with each of your past partners (then, look back at your relationship with the men/father figures or mother/woman figures [pending your sexual preference and orientation] in your life – there’s usually a connection.) If you’re happily in love or happily single think about other relationships, work roles, arguments or complaints that you’re constantly experiencing…The hardest part is identifying the pattern. Once you are conscious of the pattern, actively find the words for it. Acceptance and ownership are the first steps. The words that healed me and my lesson loops the most were words like: codependency, middle child syndrome, perfectionist, defensive and understanding my imbalances (mainly, my expectations ) as an Enneagram 2 (the Helper). Not the “happiest” of words at first glance but, sometimes our best healing comes from being open to the possibilities that words/things/actions that we used to run from have the power to heal us. We simply need to allow ourselves to love all of the nooks and crannies that comprise us of us. The sins, flaws and cracks. Dimples, scars and cellulite. I love it all! You wouldn’t be YOU without it! Once you can point it out and own it, you can forgive yourself for it and those who taught you. You can then begin to heal it, manipulate it and form it like playdough into whatever serves you now. Your defensive-ism has protected you for many moons; does it still serve you now? Is it hindering your current relationships? Invalidating those you love’s feelings? Your perfectionism is great for organization at work; does it serve you in your home? Same for all of your other patterns of self-protection: denial/avoidance, silence, numbing out, etc. Look at yourself. All of you, masks off. Accept yourself so you can accept others and their blemishes. Here is your permission slip: Be sensitive, be defensive, be perfect. Until those traits no longer serve your highest power. And then, when you know better, do better. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , m y Facebook-group and visit my website . Read more from Gabriella ! Gabriella DeLorenze, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Gabby is an intuitive embodiment coach for coaches. She is an athletic trainer with a MED in Biomechanics, a life coach and an E-RYT/YACEP. Gabby has over a decade of experience healing 500+ souls and 1000’s of hours teaching the mind-body connection through coaching, anatomy and movement/yoga rehabilitation. Through mindset coaching and facilitating healing your emotional and physical bodies, Gabby will teach you to melt your stress and anxieties so you can start living your healthiest and happiest life. Together, we will find tangible tools to heal old relationships, cultivate self-love and create the space for an abundant life.

Written by: Suzanne Ratti, 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 we near the end of the year, it is human nature to slow down a bit. We all look forward to the holidays, and many people take time off. But, now is the home stretch to finish the year strong! In this article, we discuss the common myths about year-end sales and how to end on a high note. Myth No.1 Everyone is Waiting to Make Buying Decisions. This is, by far, the biggest reason that salespeople take their foot off the gas at year-end. While many people do take time off, most decision-makers are trying to finalize budgets, submit forecasts, and buying decisions for the coming year are already being made behind the scenes. So, if you don’t get the sale and/or your budget allocation now, you’ll likely miss out if you wait until after the New Year! Myth No.2 Decision Makers Are On Vacation If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is “normal.” Vacations have been canceled or postponed, and more people are working from home. So, how many of your decision-makers are on vacation? In a ‘normal’ year, many decision-makers enjoy the extra time around the holidays to get things off their plate. This year is no exception. If you’ve been struggling to get past the gatekeeper, the end of December is a great opportunity to circumnavigate that process. After all, the gatekeeper is probably on vacation too! Bonus tip: Make a genuine appeal to the decision-maker for a few minutes of their time. Most decision-makers have worked their way up the ladder, and they’ll likely appreciate that you’re still burning the midnight oil at year-end. Take advantage of this window to reach decision-makers and find a solution to their problems. My best years of sales were due to strong closings in December! Myth No.3 Are You Solving or Selling? Jeffrey Gitomer, the proverbial King of Sales, used to say, “No one wants to be sold, but they love to buy!” The only way to ensure your approach is genuine and authentic is to be sure you’re solving a problem. If you’re just selling something, you’re going to struggle. If you are actively looking for problems to solve, you’ll win every time. More importantly, if there is no problem to be solved by the product or service you sell, just provide value. When I realized that my prospect didn’t need my product right now, I would always look for additional opportunities to help them…even if it didn’t correlate to a sale. Maybe they need a connection to another service provider? Perhaps they need a holiday gift idea for a family member? Probing questions will help you uncover the problems that they need to solve. By providing value, you’ll create a long-term relationship that will position you for a sale in the future. Don’t buy into the theory that year-end selling is an uphill battle! With the right approach, you can close business, win sales, and create long-term relationships that will generate revenue long after the holidays (and 2020) are over. If you need help creating year-end strategies, you know where to go! www.Ideas360llc.com Do you need more creative ideas for Sales & Marketing? Follow us on YouTube, Facebook, Linkedin and visit our website! Read more from Suzanne! Suzanne Ratti, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Suzanne Ratti is a Sales & Marketing Strategist, a proven performer and an entrepreneur with a passion for helping businesses revolutionize the way they deliver their products and services to their target audience. Her background in Sales and Marketing for powerhouses like Xerox and SmartCEO allows her to translate real-world experience, critical skill sets and proven results for businesses in virtually every industry and setting. Suzanne provides engaging coaching and presentations that can inspire, motivate and empower business owners, solopreneurs, and their sales teams to think differently.

Written by: Rita Hurry, 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 different type of Christmas. Due to the pandemic this year, many will be celebrating Christmas differently. Some will have fewer family members at the dinner table, but it may be a Christmas for one for some. This may be a welcome change for some, who will enjoy some quiet time alone, but for others, this could lead to the feeling of loneliness. What can instigate that feeling of loneliness? Many things could instigate the feeling, the main being what society promotes as the ‘ideal Christmas’ in the media. Christmas is always promoted as a time for lots of people to be together, celebrating the festivities, and if that isn’t enough, couples getting together and celebrating. It is never portrayed as one person enjoying the festivities at home on their own. This ignites that presumed feeling of loneliness before the actual big day, which can create anxiety. Another instigator is spending too much time on Social Media platforms and scrolling through the so-called ‘perfect happy lives’ you see on your newsfeed and believing that everyone has someone at Christmas, apart from you. All this can lead someone to become sad and anxious and eventually lead to depression, as that feeling of loneliness takes over. So what can you do to combat this? Mindset Your mindset is your number one go-to tool during times like this. You have every right to enjoy Christmas, just as much as those spending it with others. It should not take away the joy that this festive period can bring just because you are on your own. Think about it – you can eat what you want, when you want. You can get up later if you choose. You can binge-watch all the TV programs you want or switch off the TV altogether and listen to music instead. You can dance around your house/apartment and stay in your place. You don’t have to answer to anyone and avoid any awkward questioning. It can be a joyful day to just enjoy being you and enjoying your own company. To get to this point, though, you need to steer your focus off what society or social media portray the ideal Christmas day to be and create your own. Christmas can be anything you want it to be, and if it is that time of year where you get to have a ‘self-care’ day…do it. How you perceive your reality is important here. Step away from the expectations and focus on the good things you have gained so far this year, and recognize that Christmas is no exception. Yes, it may be the first time you are spending Christmas on your own due to the pandemic, but focus on the fact that you have a roof over your head, food to eat, clothes on your back, and a comfy bed you can fall into any time you decide to take a nap. By taking your focus off the circumstance and onto the small, simple pleasures of life and the things you are grateful for, you will find that before you know it…Christmas and the festivities will be over. Remember, it’s just one day out of all the 365 days of the year. But for those of you who find it difficult to re-focus your mind, there are many helplines, including the Samaritans, who are always at the end of the phone for you to talk to if close friends and relatives are not available. Another option is to gather everyone around the Zoom Virtual Platform and have a good catch up virtually. If it works for businesses and team meetings, why not make it work for Christmas gatherings. Visit me on my Facebook, Instagram, Podcast, and Website! Read more from Rita! Rita Hurry, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine 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. She also is a published author and has 2 books based on the Law of Attraction principals available on Amazon. Along with the spiritual work she does, Coach Rita also co-owns RIME Entertainment Limited and is a co-presenter and co-producer of an online interview show, RIME Entertainment Showcase, where both her sister and her interview various talents in the Arts and Entertainment industry, sharing their journey and inspiring others to never give up on their dreams. Coach Rita’s mission is to help everyone to Think Big and Make the impossible… I’m Possible.

Written by: Susan Watson, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. It is important to remember that looking after kids and parenting does not come with a manual. No one is a perfect parent. There is no such thing as the perfect family. None of us get it right, and so do not beat yourself up about it making mistakes. I am no expert in this area – just a mum of 3 and a grandparent to 8, who has made a lifetime of mistakes. Kids knew me as the morning monster. I have been called a very shouty granny, but I hope this is information helps or is useful to someone. This is a huge subject and barely touches upon it. There may be even one little snippet of information that may help one person, and then it is helpful. It is important to start by stating that Sensory Meltdowns cannot be and are never a choice. Behavior does not come into this. This is a reaction of the nervous system, and it is a reaction and not a choice. It is, without a doubt, extremely draining and upsetting to observe any sensory meltdown. Witnessing and supporting your child through a sensory meltdown is one of the most difficult things a parent can go through. It may test patience and control to the limits. A good place to start for making positive change is with anxiety. If you have a child playing up, having sensory challenges, or is anxious, you cannot help in any way or improve the situation if you are overstressed or anxious. You need to self-regulate and manage yourself first. A simple way to regulate your own body is to relax your body fully and completely. Just for one second, throughout the day. Breathe! The more you do it, the longer you stay outside, toxic stress and anxiety. You can stay calm and in control when you need it most. I always say do this 200 times a day, and you will be in a place of self-regulation. This 200-times is just a couple of minutes per day. That is the number one priority – Self-regulation. Let us look at practical methods you can do during a sensory meltdown from sensory overload. This is while it is taking place. Regardless of how it comes about, when your child has a sensory meltdown, it is a force to be reckoned with. It presses your own stress and anxiety buttons. Although everything may seem to be out of control, you can do things to help your child in regulating their system, which is what is needed most. When they are in a meltdown, your child is in a full-blown fight or flight mentality. Reasoning with them is pointless. There is no reasoning. Their sympathetic nervous system has kicked into survival mode. They can do nothing about this. They cannot think or listen. The logical thinking mind is shut down, and the hearing is impaired. It is so important the emotional brain is now in control. Model Breathing One of the most effective approaches for calming a child is to try calming breathing techniques. However, in the middle of sensory overload, a child will likely not be able to attempt to slow their breath. Remembering that reasoning is impossible, so this is very unlikely. That is the time to start the exercises yourself. It is amazing how your loud but controlled and calm breathing can influence such a situation! You can do a loud but calm deep breaths – loud and long. Their breathing and body will sync with this and will help you stay calm. Enteroception is the awareness of what you feel inside your own body – some children have impaired Enteroception. This is emotions and feelings and any changes taking place within the body. Each child will have their own struggles. Here are a few activities that will cover some of the major problems and offer some help: Kids Yoga Mindfulness Emotion Matching Games – Cut-out pictures in magazines or create emotion cards. Have the child match the emotions to the card. Breathing exercises – Pay special attention to what they can feel in their body. You can let do activities like smelling flowers/blowing out candles – keep it fun! Age dependant – Social stories in pictures can be useful. How emotions feel – Track their emotions during the day and how emotions can make them feel. Use relevant facial expressions. Heavy work activities – Pushing walls, yoga stand and pull sticks, weighted blankets etc. Now for the parent, here are a couple of hints that may help you survive a sensory meltdown: Remind yourself that your child is in fight or flight and no longer can use reason or logic. Your child is now operating out of the emotional center of the brain and most likely cannot understand you. The best thing you can do is to stay calm and keep them safe and let it pass. This situation will cause your blood pressure to rise and your frustration level to shorten as a result. Taking repetitive deep breaths can relax your body's muscles. It is the quickest way to calm your body down and decrease the release of stress hormones. Slow and calm breaths will allow you to continue thinking from the logical part of your brain and not from the brain's emotional center, where a child with a meltdown is coming from. Both of you in this part of the brain will not help either of you. Breathe in from your nose and out through your mouth. Nice long slow breaths out. One of the most important thing is consistency. Try to respond in the same way each time so that the young person can know what will happen if they behave in certain ways. It is important to set limits and boundaries around certain dangerous behaviors and that the young person knows what they are. Not all behaviors are sensory. Some are just children testing to see what they can do. Children will benefit from having healthy boundaries. Lastly, do not forget to celebrate when the child manages to tolerate a situation for the first time or attempts to self-manage their behavior. Cut yourself some slack. You are doing the best you can. Recognize that too – well done. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, connect with me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Susan! Susan Watson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Susan Watson specializes in working worldwide with all ages experiencing Anxiety, Emotions, and Trauma, in a content freestyle, so that no talking really needs to occur unless wanted. Working with feelings and emotions within the body, Susan releases the emotional connection of past experiences. She teaches self-help tools to help others live their best life, the life that is deserved. Susan supports individuals, groups, and the workplace with her Be Your Own Empowered Hero workshops, which were introduced as a measure to reduce the risk of future issues with mental and emotional health.

Written by: Angelina Threadgill, 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. Yes, that’s what you want, and no, it is not rude. I see it almost every day and even more frequently this time of year. Parents tell their toddlers that they are being rude or bad for talking back. But let’s take a look at what talking back actually is. It is a response to something that someone else, in this case, the parents, tell their kids. And mostly, what they hear is a demand or punishment. Naturally, that’s something we as adults would question, or we’d at least be trying to explain ourselves. In children, though, this is considered rude or disrespectful. But why is that? Aren’t children allowed to have an opinion or disagree with us? I mean, we question everything, schools, political decisions, medical treatments, the cars others drive, the way we raise children, the way we wash clothes, how we dress. Why do we tell our children not to question what we decide for them? And why do not more parents teach their toddlers to talk back? It’s simply because we don’t know it any different. It is understandable that many of us still feel like talking back is rude, and something a toddler isn’t supposed to do. We feel that way because that’s how we were raised. We were taught that one does not talk back. So, it’s not surprising that many of us use it as a parenting tool. But I’d like you to think about what it does to our toddlers when we use it. Firstly we teach our toddlers that we have power over them and the strongest wins, even though that might not be the one with the best arguments. Our toddlers learn that their opinions don’t matter and that they are not being heard or understood. We simply tell them we don’t want to hear what they have to say. That makes our children feel like they don’t matter and they don’t learn how to stand up for themselves but rather surrender to their fate. This might sound harsh to you, and it should because we all want the best for our children, and that’s why it is so important for us to understand how our behavior can affect them. We take away their chance to learn how to argue in a sophisticated way and verbalize their arguments and emotions. Have you ever wondered why your toddlers choose you to fight and argue with the most? Because you are the person they feel most comfortable around, and that loves them no matter what. Talking back is a big step in a toddler's mental and social development. They learn that they can change an outcome by using words and arguments. Talking back helps children to get their point across, boosts their vocabulary, and teaches debating skills. A child that is encouraged to speak their mind from an early age will most likely form healthy self-esteem, know how to express feelings adequately, and doesn’t simply follow the rules but checks to what extent they are useful. And that is the reason why you want your toddler to talk back, why you even want to encourage that behavior. It’s only a small shift in how we talk to our toddlers that can turn the disadvantages into positive traits that benefit them even as adults. The hard part is to find out what things we do or say to our children and how it makes them feel. To make this more relatable, I often tell the moms I have the opportunity to work with to imagine being in a similar situation. By imagining a similar situation, you have the possibility to feel the way your toddler feels, which makes it so much easier to empathize because you understand what’s going on with your child. So talking back is an opportunity—an opportunity for you and your child to connect and learn from and with each other. For more information, visit my Instagram and website ! Read more from Angelina! Angelina Threadgill, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Angelina Threadgill is a German educator, parenting consultant, and mother dedicated to supporting moms of toddlers to achieve a less stressful everyday life without feeling overwhelmed by showing them how to get a better understanding of not only their toddlers but their own behavior and guiding them to a mindful way of parenting without punishment. Over the last decade, Angelina has been working successfully with parents and children between the age of 1 and 6 years in different countries and from different cultures. Her focus is always on finding behavioral strategies that are individually tailored to the needs of the mothers and their toddlers. Angelina has a German degree in education and further education as a practical guide for prospective educators and fluent in German and English.

Written by: Eva Medilek, 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 an American citizen, I’ve been looking closely at the leadership in this country. These last 4 years have seen a different type of leadership than we’ve grown accustomed to in the past, and this last year has seen this country suffer as a result. Leadership has changed, shifted, and is being looked at more closely than ever. We are all leaders. Some of us are leaders in our homes. Some of us are leading teams. Some of us have followers on social media platforms that look to us as role models and influencers. To say that you are not a leader is selling yourself short. You are a leader, and people are watching you. But what type of leader are you? Are you a leader that connects or a leader that divides? Is your leadership based on courage or fear? Leaders rise in times of adversity and turmoil. Leaders stay focused on the Vision. But there is another component of leadership that lays the foundation for showing up in times of adversity and turmoil. That component is the ability to have the intimate conversations that go deep and peels back the layers of protective armor that keeps us comfortable in the level of leadership that we have been practicing to date. Leadership that makes us look all-knowing. Real leadership takes intimacy. Real intimacy takes courage. The courage to look in the mirror at your own blind spots. The courage to help others see their blind spots. The courage to feel the shame, guilt, and embarrassment of not getting it right and the courage to keep moving forward until you do. Until you can have the conversations that allow you to go deep, your leadership cannot be fully effective. Sustainable Transformation and change will not happen if you are not willing to feel the feelings of discomfort. Being worried about what others think of you, being worried about perfection, having that looking good conversation will not inspire people to believe in you, buy from you, invest with you or follow you. Leadership is changing. Courage is the new fashion in the leadership wardrobe, and intimacy is a closet where you get to hang your cloak of courage. Now is not the time to hide. Be present to the discomfort, the fear, and the pain that people are experiencing. Acknowledge it and seek to understand it so that you can show up in a way that has people feeling seen, heard, and respected. Lean into the feelings of compassion, understanding, and a deeper level way of being so that you can be the role model of intimate, courageous leadership for sustainable connection and transformation. For more details on how to be influential at home, at work and in your communities, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and visit my Website. Read more from Eva! Eva Medilek, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Eva Medilek is a Certified High-Performance Coach and a Relationship Success Coach. She has coached both men and women in personal development, leadership, and mastering habits for success. She specializes in helping powerful and successful women have happier, healthier, more intimate connections in their relationships without giving up their power. Eva knows firsthand how a driven personality type can leave you feeling lonely, disappointed, frustrated, and resentful. You can achieve higher levels of success without sacrificing your health, well-being, and relationships. She uses her personal experiences along with her leadership, transformational, and high-performance training to teach you the pillars of high performance as well as showing you how to communicate in a way that fosters intimacy, influence, and connection in your personal and professional life. High performance is succeeding consistently over the long term while maintaining a healthy life full of positive emotions and relationships.

Written by: Adelina Stefan, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. As a Professional Coach passionate about personal development and continuous improvement to catalyze individuals’ potential, I was curious to try Personal Agility System to help me better organize my work and achieve and maintain a balance between work and personal life. Living in an uncertain, volatile environment and holding different hats every day, including the coach, entrepreneur, mother, wife, and ex-pat hat, I often feel overwhelmed having too many things on my plate and limited time to do everything I intended to. My recurrent thought was, "How could I become more effective, getting everything done and still maintaining a healthy work-life balance?" The Start of My Personal Agility Journey I came across The Personal Agility System (PAS) during my Scrum Master Certification with my trainer — Liviu Mesesan (liviumesesan.com), who presented PAS as a simple framework to keep your personal and professional life on track while reflecting on your goals and moving in the right direction. In other words, Personal Agility can be seen as Scrum used on an individual level, where instead of working with an entire team, it’s only you and yourself who is in charge of your journey. Using the Personal Agility framework daily made me realize that, as the sailor of your own boat and to navigate, apart from sailing skills, you also need to adjust the sails properly to ensure that you are moving towards a more balanced and fulfilled life. Hence, when I feel that I’m not going in the right direction, by asking myself powerful questions such as: What really matters? Which possibilities do I have? What brought me value last week? What could I achieve this week/today? Which things are important, and which are the urgent ones? What can I start working on immediately / soon and which later?, and last, Who can I delegate it to make it better and faster?, my state of mind started changing, creating and working more towards my goals and vision, and keeping my motivation constantly high, while continuing sailing towards my target destination, without getting my energy lost into unnecessary tasks and details. 5 Tips How Can We Embrace Change and Make Personal Agility a Daily Habit: 1. Be present and calm when something is not working the way you would like to. Validate your emotions. Remember that you cannot change the circumstance itself, but you can change your perception of it and your prioritizations using simple visualizations such as the Personal Agility System. 2. Redefine your dream destination and revisit the What Really Matters list. Identify the red flags and think about how much time you spent on things that are not so important. Reflect on what may have caused this deviation. 3. Ask for help. You will realize that there are many people around you, and, even if at the beginning you may think that you can complete a task faster than others you may help you, remember that in time, you can achieve more than you have initially thought. Get a mentor or coach who can help to validate yourself and implement new healthy habits. 4. Avoid procrastination. If you aren’t taking any action quickly, the chances are that your goals will become even more distant. Adjust the sails, change your boat's direction so that it navigates towards what really matters, removing any obstacles or unnecessary details that may delay your work. 5. Celebrate small wins weekly to achieve big goals. We often tend to focus on the outcome, ignoring any important steps along your way that contributed to our success. Remember that big achievements don’t happen overnight or in a few days, but you need to work constantly towards your vision. Rewarding yourself for small goals regularly will help you acknowledge that you are on the right way and increase your self-esteem. Using Personal Agility will unearth your higher self-potential, empowering you to take control over your own personal and professional life and do what is most effective for you. Follow me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Adelina! Adelina Stefan, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Adelina Stefan is a Professional Certified Coach & Intercultural Facilitator specialized in Career Development, with a deep expertise in international HR recruitment and selection and Training and Development. Having worked for 10+ years across cultures, Adelina seeks to catalyze individuals’ potential, helping them create and implement their unique career blueprint and, at the same time, achieve a healthy work-life balance. She specializes in working with ex-pats and mid-to senior-level executives dealing with challenging work environments that can affect their performance and well-being. She supports organizations in building a corporate coaching culture by highlighting individuals’ maximum potential and engagement to become dedicated and highly successful employees. Her practice includes Career, Life, Executive, and Agile Coaching for individuals and developing and implementing corporate Human Resources practices for improving intercultural relations.

Written by: Holly Mosack, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise . It’s that time of year again when you’re either asking others what gifts they would like for the holidays or people are asking you, and you’re just drawing a blank. So, I thought I would make it a little bit easier for you and give you some ideas of what to get the “woman who loves CrossFit.” I polled 100 women, and they gave me some great ideas: gift cards for healthy restaurants or nutrition stores (don’t pick out any random supplement or protein powder, though), and pain relief stocking stuffers such as ibuprofen, Epsom salt, or creams like RockSauce Fire Relief Cream (which comes with a roller ball applicator). Services like manicures/pedicures, massages, or one month of meal prep are sure to be splurges she would appreciate. One unique idea was a fitness photoshoot so she can be proud of the gains she has made. And, of course, anyone would appreciate you paying for her gym membership for a month or two. But if you’re looking for a specific idea that you can buy online, look no further! I’ve compiled a list of 10 gift ideas for you, ranging in price. 1. Ring Bandit Lifting weights and doing pull-ups can wreak havoc on rings, but women don’t want to take them off and lose them either. Ring bandits are cloth bracelets and watch bands with a hidden zipper pocket in them to protect your ring. They’re thin and stylish and come in a variety of colors. 2. Jump Rope After a few months of CrossFit, one of the first investments an athlete typically makes is a jump rope. Having to sort through the ropes at the gym and find one the right length can be frustrating. Double Under Wonder offers custom ropes. You pick out the colors of the rope and the handles and can either enter your height or choose an adjustable rope. 3. Socks Not your average socks, socks with some pizazz! Many lifts involve rubbing the barbell up the shins, so socks provide a little added protection. I love the socks at The Sox Box . They have holiday socks, hero socks and will even customize the socks. Plus, they have donated nearly $100,000 to charities this year. 4. Jewelry Women who lift weights or do CrossFit are usually proud of it, too (check their social media feeds). A tattoo is a great option, but if you don’t want to go that permanent, jewelry might be the next best thing. There are plenty of cute options on Etsy, including this “Strong is Beautiful” pendant for $20. 5. Leakproof Apparel Did you know 1 in 3 women leak when they are exercising? And if they’re not a part of that percentage, there is a high probability that they would prefer not to have sweat soaking through in that region of their body or could use some added protection on their heavy period days. Moxie Fitness Apparel has a patent-pending liner that wicks moisture into a center, absorbent layer, trapping it from the outer shell. Wear, wash, repeat. 6. Grips It can get hard to do many pull-ups or other hanging repetitions when your hands are constantly either getting torn up from the friction or just too damp from sweat. Bear Komplex offers a variety of grips to fit different sizes of hands. So, if you’re sick of her showing you all of her callouses or blood blisters, do her a favor and buy her some grips. 7. Tank tops You can never have too many tank tops. These days they come in all sorts of styles (crop, muscle, etc.) and have too many funny or inspiring sayings to count. Again, plenty of Etsy stores out there for you to support small businesses. FitMissLifestyles has some cute holiday-inspired tanks that she probably won’t buy for herself but would love as a gift. 8. Knee Sleeves These have been a blessing for me. They give me support when I’m doing squats and a little added protection when I’m doing burpees, slamming my knees onto the gym floor. There are many knee sleeves out there, but I definitely recommend paying a little more for higher quality like Rehband . And while I’m talking about knee sleeves, I’ll mention wrist wraps. The Rogue Fitness wrist wraps are my favorite, providing great stability. I won’t work-out without them, and they last a long time. 9. Massage Gun I don’t think any CrossFitter would be mad at receiving one of these this year! Like the ones offered through Theragun , these handy-dandy tools are great at deep muscle treatment without having to get a professional massage. These are the most expensive of all the gifts on this list, but you can always make a DIY drill massager out of a jigsaw, too, if you want to save a few bucks. 10. Stocked Gym Bag If you think the woman in your life already has all of the above, why not get her a new gym bag with some staples like natural deodorant from the women-owned small business, The WholeSoul Company , hygienic liquid chalk , ShowerPill’s individually wrapped wipes, and Gym Hair’s sweaty hair solution (for when there’s no time to shower). Throw in some 100% natural Rockin’ Green detergent to get the funk out, a new blender bottle, and some rip fix , and you’ll have her set for months with no worries of any returns! Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Holly! Holly Mosack, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine When Holly ended her career in the United States Army, she struggled to find her purpose in the civilian world (outside of being a mom) until she and her husband started a CrossFit gym. She quickly found a new passion in helping women become stronger, both physically and emotionally. She wants to empower women to stay active by removing barriers, which is why she founded a line of leak-proof apparel, Moxie Fitness Apparel, to help the 1 in 3 women who experience stress incontinence. Holly is an executive-level communicator with 15 years of manufacturing experience in talent acquisition strategy, service quality, and continuous improvement. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and is a CrossFit Level I Trainer.

Written by: Kimberly Schehrer, 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 sad reality about our education system is that it teaches our children “what to learn” but not “how to learn.” This results in our teens failing in their studies and outside lives. If parents play an active role in making sure their teen develops executive function skills, this will not be the case. What are Executive Function Skills? Executive functions are self-regulatory skills that enable people, in this case, teens, to achieve their goals and ambitions. Most teens with ADHD have executive function disorder, but so do many people without attention deficits. For teens to become effective learners, they need to learn to: Pay close attention Follow instructions Plan and prioritize Keep on track Manage time Control emotions Organize their thoughts Start and finish tasks efficiently, etc. We are living in an era where our teens report feeling more stressed than their parents. With their executive functions not well developed, they are likely to succumb to all that life throws at them. Learning to learn can make all the difference with getting great grades, self-confidence, motivation, and even is a staple for college preparation. How does Poor Executive Functioning Affect Your Teen? Poor executive functions are often at the root of poor academic performance—specifically, poor planning and organizational skills. As time goes by, their self-esteem declines due to missed assignments, slipping grades, and lack of flexibility to handle setbacks. They start to become unmotivated or, worse, non-compliant. They are more likely to turn to rebellion and substance abuse to numb the pressure and pain of believing that they are worthless and have no direction or purpose in life. When really, they haven't been taught the skills to learn effectively and efficiently for better grades, resilience to setbacks and pressure, and to regulate their emotions. Some teens struggling in school begin to believe that they are stupid (They often say this in the initial session of working with me) or "not cut out for college." This shows you how important executive functions are to your teen’s success in school, work, and life. The Three Most Important Executive Function Skills for Teens The brain develops from the back toward the front. So, the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive functions, is last to fully develop. In fact, the prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed until the approximate age of 25. Parents often assume their teen’s skills will develop as they role model effective executive functions. While parents do serve as their teen’s “external drive,” the objective should be that teens internalize the skills and strategies to become self-directed, independent learners. Your role as a guide is critical in giving your teen “brain-building tools” that will help them in school and beyond. Here are 3 important executive functions you can help your teen develop: Organization skills Organization skills help your teen to efficiently organize or arrange thoughts and materials in an orderly manner. Being organized is essential for your teen since it helps them to: Have mental clarity and improved focus Set and achieve goals Keep track of assignments, and improve accountability. And reduce their stress levels. Students are often bombarded with lots of homework and extra-curricular activities (at least before COVID), but they are not taught the fundamentals of being organized. It is never too late to evaluate your teenager’s organization skills and develop the necessary strategies to be successful. Time Management Skills Our second executive function skill is time management, which helps your teen: Start and complete tasks Set priorities Submit work on time Plan effectively for the short and long term And break down a complex assignment into manageable chunks. When assignments are turned in by the due dates, your teen learns the importance of dependability and the positive impact on their academic and work performance. Acknowledge your teen for completing their assignments and turning them in according to the due dates. Refrain from expecting a perfect or high score, at least initially. They need to meet deadlines and understand schedules first. This may seem counterintuitive. Yet, aiming for perfection can lead to not finishing assignments in a timely manner, and points are taken off for not meeting the deadline. However, if your teen completes homework with a reasonable amount of effort and meets the deadline, they can receive a higher score. Accountability Teens need to know that any action, also known as a choice. They decide to take has a consequence—an important life lesson. The third “behind-the-scenes” skill you need to teach your teen is being accountable. Your teen possessing this skill will ensure that they are trusted and respected. Teaching your teen to be accountable is easier said than done. This is the reason they should see you do it first. You need to breed a culture of personal accountability in your home. For example, make sure everybody knows and abides by the house rules. Let them know that privileges are contingent upon effort and follow-through, which impacts their performance. However, be willing to listen and negotiate in special circumstances. Teens with ADHD, and certainly for middle school students, develop a weekly check-in with their teacher. I have seen many times where the student completes homework, needs a prompt to place their homework in their backpack, and then they forget to turn it in. Students may think they’ve turned in their assignment with remote learning only to find out later that they didn’t upload it correctly. By being in communication with their teacher, you can ensure their homework was turned on time. Teens need encouragement to check their online student portal each week, independently, to ensure all their assignments have been accounted for by their teacher. Let your teen know that checking their grades and assignments weekly is as much about their responsibility as it is to verify that their teacher hasn’t overlooked an assignment. They need to know that teachers make mistakes too. By checking the system each week, they are holding both themselves and their teacher accountable. If there was a mistake, it is more easily resolved while still fresh in everyone’s mind than after significant time has elapsed. Personal accountability not only keeps your teen’s conscience in check, but it helps them to feel more empowered and in control of achieving their goals. Mastering executive functions is the key to unlocking your teen’s potential. Once they have these fundamental skills, they can more easily apply accelerated learning techniques to learn more effectively and achieve better grades with less effort. Every teen is brilliant in their unique way. If their light isn’t shining bright, it just means they haven’t mastered executive function skills and effective learning strategies. For more information, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Kimberly Schehrer, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Kimberly Schehrer is a Teen Breakthrough Expert, International Bestselling Author and Founder of Academy for Independence. For over 20 years, she has been working with teens to accelerate their learning strategies, improve their executive function skills, and increase their self-esteem. Parents love how Dr. Kimberly helps their teens succeed with remote learning and adapt to today’s unprecedented times. Teens love how Dr. Kimberly is easy to talk to and helps them to believe in themselves to get results they’ve never imagined. Through individual coaching, tutoring, and group programs, she teaches tweens/teens how to improve their grades and have a competitive advantage for college. Check out her podcast, Raising Unstoppable Teens.

Deni Van is a Hypnotist and Trance-formational mentor, helping individuals accelerate their personal, professional, and spiritual growth. She is the CEO of Heartfelt Awakening Media, publishing books, meditations, videos, and Podcasts. Deni is also the owner of Sycamore Hypnosis, about 65 miles NW of Chicago, providing one-on-one custom programs in-person locally and internationally online. And she is the creator of personal, professional, and spiritual development training, including CE approved continuing education courses. Today we’re chatting with Deni Van, CEO of Heartfelt Awakening Media, Owner of Sycamore Hypnosis, and CE approved Instructor. Thank you for being with us Deni, I’m curious to know. What is your most common request for using hypnosis? Hypnosis for weight loss. If you do a Google search how many times people type in ‘hypnosis for weight loss,’ you’ll find it’s in the hundreds of thousands. So yes, people are looking for that thing to help them achieve their goals and weight loss is at the top of the list. I started my healing journey in 2001, I was 35 years old at the time. On the outside, I looked very successful and had it all together. I remember the day I was diagnosed with a very fast-spreading form of cancer, my kids were six and 12 years old. Feels like yesterday. When faced with that kind of diagnosis, you're pretty much told what to do next. So the doctor is going on about how they’re going to inject me with radioactive dye to trace and decide if they’re going to remove one or several lymph nodes to help determine if I was going to get chemo with my radiation. As the doctor was going on, there was a tiny little voice inside that said, “That's not for you.” I understood the meaning of ‘time stood still’ in that moment. I said no to all of it except for removing the tumor. They pretty much retorted, “What! Are you crazy? You could be dead in two years!” This year, 2020, I celebrated 19 years since that day. Starting my journey from that day to now is about creating inner space. This inner space is a state of being. That's what hypnosis is. Another word is ‘trance.’ And it's so natural to us that when people tell me, “Oh, I can't be hypnotized!” I'll ask them, have you ever experienced watching TV and all of a sudden 30 minutes went by and you don't know where the time went? Or, have you ever experienced driving along a regular route and then realize you can't account for the last 15 minutes? If you've experienced these things, you've experienced hypnosis. In the state of hypnosis is where the change work happens. The challenge can be getting into this state to do the work. If you're on a journey of weight loss wanting to know about nutrition and what is best for your body, connect to this inner state of trance. One of my mentors Dr. Upledger called this inner space the Inner Physician. This inner knowing and intelligence that we all have access to and it has everything we need. This is where the change works begins. But we have to get our mind, our thoughts, ideas, and beliefs in alignment with the goal of weight loss. You may have experienced this. You set a goal to lose weight as a new year's resolution, you're committed and ready to go. And then, next thing you know, you're eating all of the things you're not supposed to be eating. You’re right in the middle of a self-sabotaging episode! Hypnosis goes deep, and it finds the parts that are creating self-sabotage. These parts wake up and react with, "What do you mean you're gonna lose weight? You're not worthy of that! That’s too big of a goal. You can’t do that. Do you remember what happened when…?” Have you experienced this type of inner dialog? This behavior is a defense mechanism and it’s easy to use as a learned way to protect oneself. This defense behavior can cloud your judgment. Next thing you know, you're eating things or behaving in ways that are exactly opposite of what you want to achieve. There is a part of the Mind that I like to call the gatekeeper. It will allow in information that it feels is beneficial and let go of the rest. We know the brain has a limit of so many bits of information that it's capable of focusing on at once. Through hypnosis, we are able to bypass the gatekeeper of the mind and then the unconscious is open to receive the change work. I really don't like to call it unconscious. I like to call it superconscious. This is the larger part of us. We are Human Beings. The Human is the seen physical part. The Being is the unseen metaphysical part. This part of us is intelligent. I don't like to call it unconscious. However, within ourselves and within our own wholeness of consciousness, we are only consciously aware of a small percentage of everything that is happening. Everything else is in the dark, so to speak, unless we put our focus, attention, and awareness on it. What is the unconscious? I love to use the analogy of a big mansion. Imagine it's completely dark inside and It's huge. There are so many rooms, floors, sections, yards, and terraces. As huge as you can imagine. What we're consciously aware of is what we can shine a light on. What's in front of us? This is how I like to explain what's unconscious. We all have unconscious programs running in the background. For example, I want to wear a size six, and I want to wear a two-piece bikini and travel the world but there is a part inside that says, “Oh really? You're not good enough for that! Who Do You Think You Are? You’ve failed so many times in the past. You’ll fail this time.” These parts begin to wake up and protect us from failing again and will pull us back into our comfort zone. This part of us can't be tricked, forced, or coerced. We go through a hypnosis process to integrate these parts, some are thoughts and experiences, past emotions that were suppressed, and now they're waking up as you react to your reality. All of these parts have to come to the point of willingly integrating all of their knowledge, wisdom, and understanding with the wholeness that you are. At the same time, this super consciousness is taught how to do the rewriting and reprogramming of all the parts at the same time releasing the emotions, beliefs, ideas, programming, and suppression that no longer serve right now. This integration process is so beautiful because it happens within your healing team. So I can't tell you what to do because your gatekeeper is going to not let it in. We utilize this natural state to do the change work. What are your tips for those who want to use hypnosis for weight loss? I have 4 tips you can start with right now for just about any goal. First, check out guided self-hypnosis meditations. Try different ones. See what works for you. These are our best sellers. Then, become aware of when, what, and how much you’re eating. Know when you are releasing those feel-good hormones. Next, know you are worthy of your goals. The biggest reason people turn to hypnosis is because there is something inside preventing them from receiving what they want. Finally, get the help and guidance you need. It’s time to get selfish in the right way. Just like the analogy of if you're on a flight and the oxygen masks come down in the cabin. if you're busy trying to help everybody else put their mask on and you don't put yours on first, you're going to be the first to pass out. Who's going to help you? Shift your mindset on what it means to be selfish. Not taking care of yourself is self-sabotage. For more information, follow Deni on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit her website!

Written by: Alina Machita, 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 Emotion Code is the perfect healing modality for working with unprocessed trapped emotions from childhood or, more specifically, ‘Inner Child’ work from the ages of conception to around 6 years old.a Before we can explore if you have a wounded inner child, it helps discuss what that is. From conception in your mother’s womb until around the age of 6, your subconscious mind is making decisions about what and how you ‘should’ be (act) to fit in and be seen as okay and looking for ways to ‘feel safe.’ All your memories from this time are stored in your subconscious mind. And they will continue to have a huge impact throughout your entire life and if you bear children in their life (lives) as well. Once they are released, you will be able to give and receive love more with healthy boundaries. Your parent’s emotions and lifestyle habits at the time of our conception and up to the age of 6 affect how your ‘Inner Child’ sees itself now. Their stress levels were, how excited or resentful they felt about you being born – everything they ate, drank, thought, and did play a huge role in how safe you felt even before you were born. Dr Bradley Nelson suggests that it is typically the 3rd trimester where these emotions show up, and there can also be inherited emotions passed on from past generations. Your mother’s emotional stability and the early infant care you received from her, your father, other siblings, if there were any, extended family and/or other caregivers greatly affect the impact of your early years. The key thing here is that the subconscious stores these memories forever! Any negative associations or feelings formed in your first six years will be hiding there. They will be impacting your life every single day without you being aware of it. You can even inadvertently pass them on to your own children. Is My Inner Child Damaged? The signs of you still having a ‘wounded inner child’ will show up in various ways. They ultimately, if not released, will continue to show up in more unhealthy ways of being. Take a good look at your relationships, and this may indicate how much of a wounded inner child still exists in you. Feeling like you’re the victim. You feel like bad things always just happen to you. You have no control over it, and it is not your fault. Low self-esteem. Nothing you do is ever right. You’re useless. How could anyone ever love you? You feel ugly. Like self-esteem problems above, but this focuses on your body. You’re fat, ugly, your skin is awful, your hair is a mess etc. You have problems with addiction. You’re trying to make the pain go away with drink or drugs or food or sex, but you don’t know where the pain is coming from. Problems with sex. You may find sex unsatisfying. You don’t get much pleasure out of it and don’t feel you’re connecting with your partner. You value “things.” You need to gather more and more things. You store them up because having them makes you feel safer or more secure. You’re a bully. Maybe you’ve heard the expression “the best defense is a good offense”? Your trapped negative emotions are urging you to hit first and hit hard. That’s the best way to never be vulnerable. These characteristics can show up in addictions, poor relationships, commitment issues, emotional and physical imbalances in the body, and on and on the list goes. How The Emotion Code Helps The Wounded Inner Child The Emotion Code healing process can finally uncover these ‘Inner Child’ trapped emotions and release them during several sessions. Otherwise, you will continue to create your same life drama over and over and over and then repeat repeat repeat. You will not change the script by just talking about it or by consciously trying to tell yourself a different story. Many people live their existing life in a grown-up's body but with a child’s mind. As an adult, your inner child is yearning for attention, recognition, understanding, care, and support that it never received as a child. Not receiving help to remove these trapped emotions impacts every single decision you make in your life – good or bad. If you no longer want to attract the same negative situations, relationships, finances, health issues, etc., you need to change and release your inner child's story! Take time to examine what you have been telling yourself and why otherwise, the same drama just continues. Many Addictions Are A Result of Unresolved Inner Child Emotions The longings that you still have for acceptance, love, support, and understanding are a direct result of these submerged negative trapped emotions. You may try to silence these deeper longings with drugs or alcohol, being sexually promiscuous, gambling, becoming a shopaholic, binge eating, becoming anorexic, or overeating to an unhealthy degree. It may also show up if you are a workaholic – anything that allows you to avoid the real and deeper needs may indicate you have unresolved inner child emotions. Start Your New Life Today Let today be the day you decide not to live like this anymore. That it is time to let go of your negative emotions and start living a life full of love, happiness, and success. Click here to book a free session and make a commitment to start healing yourself now. Expect miracles! Book your free session today! For more info, visit my website & follow me on Instagram! Read more from Alina! Alina MaChita, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Hi, I’m Alina. I’m an empath, a transformational healer and a Subconscious mind Specialist. I have an unshakable passion and gift to help women stop self-sabotage, unlock their subconscious mind, release trapped emotions and subconscious blocks, keeping them from living in love, accomplishments, and balance. Most of my work is done directly within your Subconscious Mind where your Power is; utilizing muscle testing is a way to communicate with the subconscious mind and sophisticated systems like Emotion and Body Code and Raising levels of consciousness, removing physical and emotional blocks and stored trapped imbalances that can keep you from abundance, creativity, emotional balance and lightness of being.