Confidence and self-awareness are often the hidden drivers behind meaningful career transitions. After years of navigating roles that didn’t align with her strengths, Emily Jackson discovered how deeply confidence shapes the choices we make, the risks we take, and the value we bring to any professional environment. Her journey from uncertainty to clarity has informed a practical approach to career growth, showing how understanding your skills, transferable experiences, and personal values can open doors to unexpected opportunities. In this interview, she shares insights on building self-trust, recognizing your unique strengths, and navigating career transitions with confidence, particularly for women rethinking their professional paths. Emily Jackson, Speaker, Author, Career Transition Coach What first made you realize that confidence and career direction are deeply connected? When I started out in the professional work environment right after college, I was definitely lost & remained lost for over 8 years in a career path that wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t right for me and the direction I wanted my career to be going long term. It didn’t allow me to utilize my strengths & my values. But here’s the problem, I didn’t know my strengths and values. Why is that? Because I had zero confidence! When you build confidence, you start to realize the importance of self-awareness and how being self-aware goes hand in hand with your confidence level. Once I was able to build my confidence and understand myself better, I was able to create steps towards my desired career path. Plus, once I had some success in those career steps, I was able to continue to grow because of my confidence in myself. How did moving from industries like fitness and aviation into tech sales reshape the way you think about transferable skills? I think a lot of us instantly get fatigued when we hear “transferable skills”. It seems like such a monotonous thing to figure out, plug into your resume, or talk about during an interview. But transferable skills are more than that. When I was looking at where to go next in my career (either by goal or force), I had to look at my transferable skills deeply in order to navigate how I could bring value to roles, organizations, and career paths that I had no obvious experience in. Diving into my transferable skills helped me build confidence in my capabilities to really go any direction I desired. Now, I re-evaluate my transferable skills consistently in order to understand any skills I’m lacking for success in my role & what headways I can start working on now to get to my 5-7 year career goal. What do most women misunderstand about career transitions when they’re trying to reinvent themselves professionally? Women tend to focus on what they lack first and foremost as opposed to what value they bring to the table. For example, when I was let go from my job in the aviation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic and looking for what’s next, I could have looked at the tech industry and thought, “I don’t have any background in tech specifically, so I shouldn’t apply to those roles.” But what I did instead was focus on the skills and value that I do bring to the table within my varied background. A lot of employers out there hire based on potential and personality, not solely on your specific experience for the role. We all know that the knowledge needed for the role can be taught, the right fit for a team cannot. Why do introverts often struggle to see their strengths in leadership and sales environments? When you hear the word “salesman,” what do you think of? You likely think of an outspoken man, possibly at a car dealership, who is pushy and won’t take no for an answer. Ultimately, when you think of sales, you think of an outspoken, loud, aggressive individual. When I first got into sales, I assumed that was the personality type I needed to fake in order to succeed. As an introvert, I went into my first sales role thinking I had to make myself stand out and I needed to play a part in order to be taken seriously. This stems from the negative connotations we often hear about introverts. Things like: “she’s oddly quiet”, “she never talks to me, she must think she is better than me”, etc. I’ve found that being an introvert has been great for a sales role. I am an active listener, empathic, and observant. Those are all great skills for sales success! What patterns do you notice in women who stay too long in careers they’ve already outgrown? Quiet quitting is the first thing that comes to my mind. I’ve seen many women (& experienced this myself) who are in a career/role that is no longer suited for them & they simply start to shut down and convince themselves that they don’t care and don’t have further aspirations. I’ve also seen women start to panic and feel burnt out and stressed, even when they have been achieving in a role for a long time. Once you are past your “expiration” date of a specific role or career path, you often start to have physical symptoms telling you it’s time for a change. This will happen before your mind even catches up with this need to change, so it’s important to stay in tune with what your body is telling you. How do you help someone rebuild self-trust after years of self-doubt or professional misalignment? Building self-trust is all about continual self-evaluation, giving yourself grace, and not being afraid to fail. Think about the most successful person you know. Do you think they got there by never failing and never having times of doubt and mistakes? Absolutely not! We all make mistakes, have moments of doubt, and make not-so-great career decisions. When that happens, you just have to keep getting up & learning from your mistakes. That’s where self-evaluation comes in. When I experience self-doubt, I think about all the WINS I’ve had recently. I think about all the skills and strengths that I have & I give myself grace for stumbling. Reference those transferable skills (hopefully you’ve written these down) and keep adding to them as you gain new experiences in your career. You are always growing professionally, whether you realize it or not. That is the best way to combat self-doubt. What does “confidence breeds abundance” mean in practical terms for someone trying to advance in their career? When you are confident, you take bigger leaps in your career. If I hadn’t built up my confidence, I never would have applied for a role in an industry that I had no prior experience in. I was confident that I could learn an entirely new industry, jump into a sales role as an introvert & continue to grow in my career with new challenges. Confidence breeding abundance also means that confidence helps to ensure you are in the right role, organization, and industry. I say that because you wouldn’t have confidence without knowing yourself fully. When you know yourself fully, you are leading with your true self & your whole self. This opens the door for leadership roles as it becomes apparent to your peers and colleagues that you are confident you will rise to any new challenges. How has your own experience with anxiety changed the way you lead and communicate today? My experience with anxiety and self-doubt makes me have more empathy towards those I lead. I am aware of what those on my team may be experiencing & am in tune with the type of support I should provide. Of course, everyone experiences anxiety differently and what worked for me may not work for others. However, as an empathic leader, I am always listening to those I lead and ensuring I am leading with awareness & the utmost support. This also makes me think about vulnerability and how that has been such an important growth driver for my issues with anxiety over the years. When I’m speaking with my team and mentees, I always encourage vulnerability & not separating out the “home you” from the “work you” as I did for far too long. If someone feels stuck but afraid to make a change, what’s the first step you believe they should take? If you are feeling stuck & afraid to make a change, the first thing I would do is reach out to your network. Reach out to mentors, friends, and associates that you are close with & ask if they’ve had this experience and what they did to take that next step. There is nothing more valuable than an outside perspective. What would be even better is if you know of someone in your network who recently made a big change. Reach out on LinkedIn; it never hurts to ask. People enjoy helping others. Plus, what’s the worst that could happen when you reach out? They ignore you? Who cares! When I encounter a tough situation in my leadership role, my mentors are the first people I go to for advice. Even if they haven’t experienced the same thing, their viewpoint is extremely valuable. Lean on your support systems! Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Emily Jackson

Growing companies often become dangerously dependent on owners, founders, and key employees without realizing the operational risk building underneath the surface. Amazon Best Seller Escape the Owner’s Trap explores why leadership continuity, accountability, and operational clarity matter more than ever in today’s business environment. Business owners across construction, manufacturing, trades, and service industries are responding to a message that many leaders already know deep down but rarely discuss openly: growth does not automatically create stability. In many companies, increasing revenue actually hides operational weaknesses that continue building beneath the surface until pressure finally exposes them. That conversation is helping drive momentum behind Escape the Owner’s Trap, the new business leadership book by international business advisor Dan Paulson, which recently achieved Amazon Best Seller status in multiple business categories. The book focuses on a challenge that affects organizations of every size: businesses becoming too dependent on owners, founders, long-term employees, or key leaders to function effectively. While many companies appear successful from the outside, operational strain often grows internally as decision-making, accountability, customer relationships, and critical knowledge become concentrated around too few people. As companies expand, those dependencies frequently become larger risks instead of smaller ones. What is the owner’s trap? The owner’s trap occurs when a business becomes overly reliant on one individual to maintain operational flow, solve problems, make decisions, manage relationships, or drive accountability. Founders often create this dependency unintentionally while building the company in its early stages. Long-term employees can also become operational bottlenecks when too much knowledge or responsibility remains isolated with one person for too long. Over time, the business gradually adapts around individuals instead of building systems, communication structures, and leadership depth that allow the organization to function consistently under pressure. Many owners do not recognize how serious the problem has become because growth can temporarily disguise operational fragility. Revenue increases, workloads expand, and the company continues functioning, creating the appearance of stability. Behind the scenes, however, communication breakdowns, leadership bottlenecks, employee confusion, and inconsistent accountability often continue growing alongside the business itself. Eventually, the organization reaches a point where everything still flows back to the owner or a few key individuals despite having more employees, more customers, and more operational complexity than ever before. Why organizational reliance has become a growing concern Economic pressure, workforce shortages, burnout, leadership transitions, and succession concerns have intensified operational strain for many businesses during the past several years. Companies are increasingly discovering that years of undocumented knowledge, unclear accountability, and concentrated leadership responsibility create significant risk when unexpected situations occur. A sudden illness, retirement, resignation, or leadership absence can quickly expose how dependent the organization has become on specific individuals simply “knowing how things work.” Research and analysis published through the Harvard Business Review have repeatedly highlighted how organizations become vulnerable when operational knowledge, decision-making, and leadership authority remain concentrated around too few individuals. Founder-led businesses are often particularly vulnerable because leadership authority, customer relationships, and operational decision-making tend to remain highly centralized for extended periods of time. According to Dan Paulson, many companies wait too long to address the issue because operational pressure constantly pushes long-term planning into the future. “Most owners are not intentionally creating unhealthy dependency,” Paulson explains. “They are trying to keep the company moving forward while handling constant pressure, staffing issues, customer demands, and operational challenges. The problem is that over time, the business slowly becomes conditioned to rely on the same people for everything. Eventually, growth creates more complexity, but leadership structure and accountability never fully evolve alongside it.” Why the message behind the book is resonating with business owners Unlike many traditional business books focused primarily on motivation or theory, Escape the Owner’s Trap centers on practical operational realities that many leaders experience daily. The book explores how communication breakdowns, leadership overload, undocumented processes, weak accountability, and inconsistent execution quietly create organizational instability over time. Rather than presenting growth as simply a sales or revenue challenge, the book argues that sustainable businesses require stronger operational flow, leadership development, and shared responsibility throughout the organization. Business owners across multiple industries have connected strongly with those themes because they see those challenges playing out inside their own companies every day. Many leaders recognize the feeling of carrying constant responsibility while simultaneously struggling to delegate effectively. Others see themselves in the operational chaos that develops when employees wait for answers instead of taking ownership. Long-term dependency on key individuals has also become increasingly visible as experienced employees retire, workforce turnover increases, and companies attempt to scale faster than their operational infrastructure can support. The book also addresses a reality that many owners quietly experience but rarely discuss publicly: business growth can become emotionally exhausting when everything continues depending on the same person regardless of how large the company becomes. Expanding revenue does not automatically reduce pressure for owners if leadership structure, communication, accountability, and operational clarity fail to mature alongside the organization itself. The MAAX framework and operational stability The concepts inside Escape the Owner’s Trap are built around Paulson’s MAAX framework, which focuses on Management, Accounting, Accountability, and eXcellence as interconnected drivers of operational performance. The framework emphasizes behavioral consistency, leadership clarity, communication flow, and execution discipline rather than relying entirely on reports, meetings, or overly complicated systems. The goal is not simply documenting procedures for the sake of documentation. Instead, the framework focuses on creating organizations capable of operating more consistently under pressure without constant dependence on one individual to hold everything together. One of the key themes throughout the book involves helping organizations identify operational vulnerabilities before major disruption occurs. Many companies do not fully recognize the risks created by undocumented knowledge, unclear leadership responsibilities, inconsistent accountability, or centralized decision-making until an unexpected situation forces those weaknesses into the open. By then, operational recovery often becomes significantly more difficult emotionally, financially, and structurally. Paulson believes the growing response to the book reflects broader concerns many organizations are currently facing. “Businesses today are dealing with more operational pressure, complexity, and uncertainty than they were even a few years ago,” he says. “A lot of leaders are realizing they cannot continue building companies where every major issue, decision, or customer problem still routes back through the same person indefinitely. Eventually, something has to change if the organization is going to become sustainable long term.” Why business continuity matters beyond the owner The discussion surrounding operational dependency extends far beyond business owners themselves. Employees depend on organizational stability for income, career growth, and security. Customers rely on consistent service, communication, and execution. Families are often heavily impacted when leadership pressure consumes an owner’s time, health, and emotional energy. Communities can also feel the effects when important local employers struggle because too much operational knowledge or responsibility remained concentrated around too few individuals. Healthy succession planning, leadership development, and operational visibility are ultimately about protecting people as much as protecting businesses. Companies that build stronger communication structures, leadership depth, accountability systems, and shared operational knowledge generally adapt far more effectively when difficult situations eventually arise. Organizations that delay those conversations often discover their vulnerabilities only after significant disruption has already entered the system. Related article: Why Revenue Growth Does Not Build Strong Companies As more leaders continue reevaluating how their businesses operate under pressure, the growing attention surrounding Escape the Owner’s Trap reflects a broader shift happening across many industries. Owners are increasingly recognizing that sustainable growth requires more than increasing revenue alone. Long-term stability depends on building organizations capable of functioning consistently even when leadership transitions, operational disruption, or unexpected challenges eventually occur. For more information about Dan Paulson, the MAAX framework, or Escape the Owner’s Trap, visit Dan Paulson Let’s Go or connect through the MAAX Systems LinkedIn page.

Written by Helen Kenworthy, Artistic Director Helen champions the arts as a tool for change. Now, as CEO of RYTC Creatives CIC and Give Get Go Education, she mentors young people, creates pathways for them to thrive in the arts, and helps launch successful careers. For the longest time, learning has often been measured by what can be seen, tested, graded, or neatly recorded. Young people have been encouraged to work towards academic targets, meet expected standards, follow instructions, and demonstrate progress through visible outcomes. These things still have value, but they do not tell the whole story of what a young person needs to grow, contribute, and thrive in a changing world. Today, the conversation around education and youth development is expanding. It is no longer enough to ask whether young people can remember information, complete a task correctly, or reach a fixed benchmark. We also need to ask whether they can communicate with confidence, work with others, think creatively, adapt to challenges, express themselves, solve problems, and keep going when something feels unfamiliar or difficult. These are not soft extras. They are essential competencies for life, learning, work, relationships, and meaningful participation in society. This is where the performing arts offer something powerful. Through drama, theatre, voice, movement, rehearsal, storytelling, and performance, young people are not only introduced to these skills in theory. They practise them in real time. They learn by doing. They learn by listening, responding, trying again, taking creative risks, sharing space, managing nerves, and discovering that their voice has value. At RYTC Creatives CIC (The RYTC), this kind of active participation sits at the heart of empowering young talent. Performing arts become more than a creative outlet. They become a living space for confidence, collaboration, creative problem-solving, emotional awareness, and personal growth. For young people who are brilliantly underestimated, this matters deeply because it creates opportunities to be seen differently, supported differently, and allowed to grow beyond the limits others may have placed around them. The development of 21st-century competencies cannot be left to chance. Young people need environments where they can practise the skills that life will ask of them, not only the skills that exams can measure. Performing arts provide one of those environments, and when delivered with purpose, care, and inclusion, they can become a transformative pathway into confidence, capability, belonging, and future possibility. What learning was once expected to deliver For the longest time, learning was often judged by what a young person could show on paper or prove in a test. They were expected to attend, listen, remember, repeat, complete the task, follow the rules, and reach the expected standard. In many settings, success was closely linked to grades, behaviour, attendance, discipline, and the ability to fit into a system that already had a clear idea of what progress should look like. Of course, structure matters. Knowledge matters. Academic achievement still has value, and young people need strong foundations to build from. But when learning is viewed only through results, it can miss much of what is happening inside the learner. A grade may show one part of a young person’s ability, but it does not always show how they think, how they communicate, how they recover after a mistake, how they manage pressure, or how they begin to trust their own voice. This has been especially difficult for young people who do not naturally shine in traditional learning spaces. Some are full of ideas but find it hard to express them through written work. Some are creative, observant, emotionally intelligent, or natural leaders, but those strengths are not always easy to measure. Some may appear quiet, distracted, resistant, or unsure, when in reality they are trying to navigate a system that has not fully recognised the way they learn best. That is why the conversation around learning has had to grow. It is no longer enough to ask only, “What can this young person remember?” or “What result did they achieve?” We also need to ask, “How are they learning to take part?”, “Can they work with others?”, “Are they growing in confidence?”, “Can they think creatively?”, and perhaps most importantly, “Do they believe they have something valuable to contribute?” What 21st-century competencies are really about At its simplest, 21st-century competencies are about preparing young people for the world they are actually growing into. They are not only about what a young person knows, but how they use what they know. They are about how young people think, communicate, collaborate, adapt, solve problems, manage change, express themselves, and take part in life with confidence. These competencies include collaboration, creative problem-solving, communication, confidence, emotional awareness, adaptability, critical thinking, resilience, and self-expression. They are sometimes described as skills for the future, but in reality, young people need them now. They need them in classrooms, friendships, families, creative spaces, communities, interviews, workplaces, and everyday decisions. This matters because knowledge alone is no longer enough. A young person may understand something, but they also need to be able to explain it, apply it, question it, share it, and use it with others. They need to know how to respond when something does not go to plan, how to listen to different perspectives, how to contribute ideas, and how to keep going while confidence is still developing. For many young people, these competencies are not built through instruction alone. They are developed through experience. They grow when a young person is given space to try, reflect, speak, listen, lead, make mistakes, solve problems, and try again. That is why active, creative environments matter so much. They allow young people to practise these skills in real and memorable ways. How the world has changed for young people The world young people are growing into looks very different from the one many adults were prepared for. Careers are changing, technology is moving quickly, communication happens across many platforms, and young people are expected to adapt to new information, new environments, and new pressures at a much faster pace. The old idea that learning is mainly about getting through school, passing exams, and then following one clear route into the future no longer reflects the reality many young people will face. Today, young people need to be able to think across different situations. They may need to work with people from different backgrounds, use creativity in practical ways, solve problems that do not come with clear instructions, and communicate their ideas with confidence. They may also need to manage uncertainty, navigate comparison, deal with pressure, and keep developing skills throughout their lives. This does not mean academic learning is no longer important. It means academic learning now needs to sit alongside a wider set of competencies that help young people use their knowledge well. A strong education should not only help a young person answer questions. It should also help them ask better questions, explore possibilities, build confidence, connect with others, and recognise where their strengths can make a difference. That is why learning spaces need to evolve. Young people do not only need information handed to them. They need opportunities to practise being active participants in their own growth. They need spaces where they can try, contribute, collaborate, create, reflect, and discover that they are capable of more than simply meeting expectations. Why this change in learning matters This change matters because young people are not preparing for a fixed world. They are preparing for a world that will ask them to keep learning, keep adapting, keep communicating, and keep finding new ways forward. If learning only focuses on memorising information or meeting narrow expectations, it can leave young people underprepared for the real situations they will face beyond the classroom. A young person may know the right answer, but still struggle to speak up in a group. They may have creative ideas, but lack the confidence to share them. They may be capable of solving problems, but become overwhelmed when the path is unclear. They may have talent, insight, or potential, but need the right environment to practise using those strengths in ways that feel safe, supported, and meaningful. This is why learning has to become more active, more human, and more connected to real life. Young people need spaces where they are not only told what to do, but invited to participate. They need to experience what it means to listen, respond, lead, collaborate, make mistakes, recover, and try again. These are the moments where growth becomes more than a concept. It becomes something they can feel, practise, and carry with them. When learning changes in this way, young people begin to see themselves differently. They are no longer just trying to meet a standard set by someone else. They begin to recognise their own voice, their own contribution, and their own capacity to grow. That shift is powerful, especially for young people who have spent too long feeling that traditional systems only notice what they find difficult, rather than what they are capable of becoming. The transformative power of performing arts The performing arts offer a different kind of learning space because they ask young people to become active participants, not passive receivers. In drama, theatre, voice work, movement, rehearsal, storytelling, and performance, young people are not simply being told about confidence, communication, collaboration, or creative thinking. They are practising these skills in real time, often without even realising how much growth is taking place. This is what makes performing arts so powerful. A young person learns to listen because a scene depends on it. They learn to communicate because their voice, body, timing, and presence all carry meaning. They learn to collaborate because creative work is shared. They learn to solve problems because the process is rarely perfect the first time. Something changes, something feels difficult, something does not work, and they have to find another way through. There is also something deeply human about creative participation. It gives young people permission to explore ideas, emotions, characters, stories, and perspectives beyond their own immediate experience. This can help them build empathy, emotional awareness, and confidence in ways that feel natural rather than forced. They begin to understand not only how to express themselves, but also how to notice others, respond to others, and share space with care. Performing arts also allow mistakes to become part of the process. In many traditional settings, mistakes can feel like failure. In a creative space, mistakes can become rehearsal, discovery, adjustment, or even the beginning of a better idea. That shift matters because it teaches young people that growth is not about getting everything right the first time. It is about staying engaged, being willing to try, and learning how to move forward with others. This is why performing arts should not be treated as an extra or a reward after the “real” learning has happened. For many young people, performing arts are where real learning becomes visible. They build confidence through participation, communication through practice, collaboration through shared creation, and problem-solving through lived experience. In that sense, the stage becomes more than a place to perform. It becomes a place to grow. The work of RYTC Creatives CIC (The RYTC) RYTC Creatives CIC (The RYTC) is rooted in the belief that young people grow when they are given meaningful opportunities to take part, create, express themselves, and be supported through the process. Its work is not simply about introducing young people to performing arts. It is about using drama, theatre, creativity, and active participation as a practical route into confidence, communication, collaboration, and personal development. Through creative workshops, rehearsal, storytelling, theatre-based learning, and performance opportunities, The RYTC gives young people space to learn by doing. They are not only asked to watch or listen. They are invited to use their voice, explore ideas, work with others, take creative risks, and begin to recognise their own contribution. This kind of participation matters because it allows growth to become something young people experience, not just something adults describe to them. The RYTC’s work also recognises that talent does not always appear in obvious or traditional ways. Some young people need time before they feel confident enough to speak. Others may show leadership through listening, empathy, imagination, humour, observation, problem-solving, or the ability to bring a group together. In a creative space, these qualities can become visible. They can be noticed, encouraged, and developed. This is what makes The RYTC a creative catalyst. It creates opportunities for young people to discover what they can do through practice, participation, and encouragement. By placing active involvement at the centre, The RYTC helps young people build competencies that support learning, life, creativity, and future opportunity. It does not only prepare young people to perform. It helps them practise becoming more confident, capable, expressive, and connected versions of themselves. Why this matters for the brilliantly underestimated At The RYTC, the phrase brilliantly underestimated speaks to young people whose potential is often missed, misunderstood, or not fully recognised in traditional spaces. These are young people who may have creativity, insight, humour, imagination, emotional intelligence, leadership, or deep sensitivity, but who may not always show those strengths in the ways adults expect. Their brilliance is there, but it may be hidden behind anxiety, low confidence, different learning needs, communication challenges, behaviour that is misunderstood, or systems that have not looked closely enough. This is why performing arts can be so powerful. They create more than one route into expression. A young person can communicate through voice, movement, character, storytelling, humour, imagination, presence, and emotional expression. Someone who seems quiet in one setting may begin to take up space in rehearsal. Someone who struggles with written work may show insight through improvisation. Someone who has been labelled as difficult may reveal leadership, empathy, or creative instinct when given the right support and responsibility. For the brilliantly underestimated, this is not only about inclusion. It is about recognition. When young people are seen through what they can bring, not only what they find difficult, confidence begins to grow. They start to experience themselves as capable, creative, and valuable. That shift matters because it gives them more than a place to take part. It gives them a reason to believe they belong. The role of parents, caregivers, and community Developing 21st-century competencies is a role for everyone. Young people need support from parents, caregivers, educators, creative practitioners, and the wider community around them. Each has a part to play in helping young people believe that their voice matters, their ideas have value, and their growth is worth supporting. This support does not always need to be complicated. Sometimes it begins with noticing what a young person enjoys, listening without rushing to correct, encouraging them to try something new, or giving them permission to make mistakes without shame. For a young person who is still building confidence, that kind of support can make participation feel safer. It can help them move from “I cannot do this” to “Maybe I can try.” Parents and caregivers play a powerful role in helping young people recognise their own growth. The encouragement they give at home can shape how safe a young person feels to try, speak up, make mistakes, and take part in new experiences. When parents and caregivers notice effort, confidence, curiosity, creativity, and progress, not only outcomes, they help young people understand that their development matters beyond grades or formal achievement. Educators also have an important role in widening how progress is recognised. In classrooms and learning spaces, they are often the people who can see when a young person needs a different route into confidence, understanding, or participation. By making room for creativity, discussion, group work, performance, reflection, and practical learning, educators can help young people build competencies that support both academic growth and life beyond the classroom. Community gives young people places to practise these skills in real and meaningful ways. Creative organisations, youth programmes, local arts spaces, mentors, and supportive networks can offer access, encouragement, and opportunity beyond formal education. These spaces matter because young people need more than potential. They need environments where that potential can be noticed, nurtured, and developed. When parents, caregivers, educators, and communities work together, young people receive a stronger message: their development matters in more than one setting. They are not only being prepared for exams, but for life, relationships, work, creativity, and contribution. That shared encouragement can help young people, especially the brilliantly underestimated, feel seen, supported, and capable of growing into the future with confidence. Conclusion Young people become more confident, capable, and creative when they are given real opportunities to participate, practise, and grow. They need spaces where communication, collaboration, creative thinking, adaptability, and self-expression are not only spoken about, but lived. Performing arts offer that kind of space because they allow young people to learn through doing, not only through instruction. This is why the work of RYTC Creatives CIC (The RYTC) matters. It shows that performing arts are not simply about being on stage. They are about helping young people discover what they are capable of, how they can contribute, and how their voice, ideas, and presence can have value. For the brilliantly underestimated, this kind of recognition can be especially powerful because it creates a different way to be seen, supported, and encouraged. As the world continues to change, young people need more than knowledge alone. They need the confidence to use what they know, the creativity to approach challenges differently, and the courage to keep growing. When performing arts are used with purpose, care, and inclusion, they become more than a creative experience. They become a pathway into confidence, capability, belonging, and future possibility. When young people are given spaces where they can try, create, speak, listen, make mistakes, and be seen beyond narrow measures of achievement, they do not only develop skills. They begin to recognise themselves as contributors. That is the deeper power of performing arts, and it is why this work matters. To explore more about this work and the wider Creative Pathway approach, visit here. Creative Pathway Methodology: Of Course You Can!™ serving the brilliantly underestimated The full portfolio can be found here. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Helen Kenworthy Helen Kenworthy, Artistic Director Helen Kenworthy’s career embodies the transformative power of the arts, from her early roles in the prestigious West End with Bill Kenwright to her impactful work in regional theatre. As manager of the Oxfordshire Youth Arts Partnership, she created pathways for young people to thrive in the arts, with many going on to successful careers. Now at RYTC Creatives CIC and Give Get Go Education, Helen continues to inspire and mentor the next generation of theatre-makers and community leaders, offering invaluable opportunities for growth and professional development.

Written by Nkemdilim Njideka Nwofor, Mental Health Coach I have a background in treating clients with ADHD, MDD, and ASD. In my psychiatric practice, I have seen that more than 50% of my clients struggle with sustaining attention, overstimulation, low motivation, low comprehension, and cognitive overload. Spiritual health holds a profound, often overlooked value in transforming emotional well-being. While therapy, medication, and coping strategies play vital roles, they often address only the surface. Spiritual Health reaches deeper, rebuilding the core of who we are - our sense of purpose, hope, and connection to something greater. When emotional pain overwhelms, it becomes the unseen force that accelerates healing, reduces suffering, and unlocks resilience like nothing else. A lifeline at rock bottom Imagine hitting rock bottom, overwhelming despair, suicidal thoughts clouding every moment, or exhaustion that makes even breathing feel heavy. In these dark places, logic fails and willpower crumbles. Spiritual health steps in as an anchor. Books and workbooks by T. D. Jakes and John Bevere become powerful tools here. T. D. Jakes speaks raw truth to crushed dreams, betrayal, and restoration, reminding readers that pain is a pathway to purpose. John Bevere confronts fear, unforgiveness, and spiritual stagnation with bold clarity, urging breakthroughs from bondage to freedom. When you immerse in their teachings during crisis: Hopeless spirals interrupt as scripture and wisdom reframe suffering. Isolation fades, you sense you are not alone in the fight. Suicidal despair loses grip when eternal perspective emerges, this season passes. These are not fluffy affirmations. They are battle tested weapons that shift mindsets from victimhood to victory, often pulling people back from the edge faster than therapy alone. Accelerated healing and unexpected self awareness Prioritizing spiritual health sped up my healing process and increased my self awareness sooner than expected. What I thought would take years unfolded in months. Daily prayer, Scripture meditation, and reflection, revealing hidden triggers and wounds I had ignored for decades. Self-awareness exploded when I saw anger rooted in unforgiveness. Anxiety traced to control idolization. Depression lifted as I released performance based worth. This was not vague insight. It was precise clarity, enabling targeted healing. Spiritual discipline acted like X ray vision for the soul, exposing roots so therapy and life changes could strike true. Medication works faster with open mind Medication stabilizes brain chemistry, but a closed, bitter heart resists. Spiritual health unlocks receptivity, making medications work faster by opening your mind. As faith softens defenses, treatments penetrate deeper. Antidepressants integrate more smoothly without subconscious sabotage. Therapy breakthroughs multiply because you are primed for truth. Overall healing accelerates, symptoms fade faster when spiritually engaged. It is synergy, pills rebuild wiring, spirit rebuilds willingness. No conflict, spiritual health amplifies medicine. From darkness to light: Symptom intensity drops Spiritual health decreases the intensity of your symptoms by taking you from a dark place to light. Emotional storms do not vanish overnight, but their fury dims. Panic attacks shorten, peace interrupts midway. Depressive voids lighten as joy sparks return. Overwhelm bows to purpose, pain has meaning. This is not denial. It is reframing, trials become training grounds. Intensity plummets because light displaces dark. Unmatched strength for leaders Leadership demands steel under fire, decisions amid chaos, carrying other burdens, modeling calm in crisis. Spiritual health gives you the most strength when you are in a leadership position, helping you rely on fewer coping skills. Without it, leaders burn out on shallow coping, alcohol, workaholism, people pleasing. Spiritual grounding changes everything. Rely less on band aids, draw from an infinite source. Pressure forges wisdom, not wreckage. Leaders stay grounded, deciding from peace, mentoring from overflow. Rock bottom leaders rise strongest, their testimony inspires teams, turning followers into family. Challenge Without Spiritual Health With Spiritual Health Rock Bottom Despair dominates Anchor + tools (Jakes/Bevere) break cycles Healing Speed Slow- years-long Accelerated, awareness sooner Medication Resisted, slower Open mind = faster results Symptoms Intense, prolonged Decreased intensity, dark to light Leadership Coping overload Peak strength, minimal crutches The future of Psychiatry: Integrating spiritual health The future of psychiatry is shifting toward holistic integration, where spiritual health becomes a core pillar alongside medication and therapy. Pioneering practitioners already blend faith based approaches, recognizing that patients with spiritual grounding show faster recovery rates, better medication adherence, and lower relapse, up to 30 to 40 percent improved outcomes in studies. Coming shifts include routine spiritual screening at intake. Hybrid protocols, CBT plus prayer. Psychiatrist training in faith dynamics. Precision dosing via spiritual receptivity. Institutions like John Hopkins validate that spiritual care rivals medication for depression. Holistic psychiatry, body, mind, spirit, unlocks unprecedented healing. Expect these changes: Spirituality assessments as standard intake, identifying beliefs that accelerate or hinder healing. Faith integrated therapy protocols, pairing CBT with Scripture meditation or prayer practices. Training mandates for psychiatrists to understand spiritual dynamics, collaborating with pastoral counselors. Precision psychiatry leveraging spiritual receptivity to optimize drug efficacy, mind opened by faith, medications working faster. Preventive models teaching spiritual resilience to high risk groups, reducing crisis admissions. This is not fringe. Leading institutions like Duke and Harvard are publishing data showing spiritual interventions rival antidepressants in mild to moderate depression. Forward thinking psychiatry will treat the whole person, body, mind, and spirit, yielding unprecedented results. Without Spiritual Health With Spiritual Health Reactive coping (distractions, outbursts) Proactive peace (prayer, wisdom) Symptom intensity: High, prolonged Intensity: Reduced, light displaces dark Medication: Slow, resisted Medication: Enhanced, faster efficacy Healing timeline: Years Healing: Accelerated, clarity sooner Psychiatry future: Siloed treatments Psychiatry future: Holistic integration Leadership: Drained Leadership: Unmatched strength, less coping The ultimate transformation Spiritual health is not optional, it is foundational. T. D. Jakes and John Bevere equip the journey, personal pursuit ignites it. It catapults you from survival to thriving, darkness to destiny. Start today, pick one book, one verse, one prayer. Watch healing accelerates, symptoms fade, strength surge. Your emotional health, and the future of mental health care, depend on embracing this hidden power. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Nkemdilim Njideka Nwofor Nkemdilim Njideka Nwofor, Mental Health Coach My journey into mental health began through my own struggles and ineffective coping strategies. Those challenges sparked a deep curiosity about how the mind responds to stress and adversity. I began seeking answers to better understand my thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. As I committed to healing, I developed healthier coping skills and stronger self-awareness. What once felt like setbacks became growth opportunities. The tools and insight I gained transformed both my perspective and functioning. Today, my experience fuels my passion to help others build resilience and access meaningful mental health support.

Written by Josh Sagar Chauhan I, C.E.O, Model, and Multi-Talented Artist Josh is a C.E.O., model, and multi-talented artist with over a decade of experience in financial services, renowned for delivering insightful, up-to-date coverage on international affairs, culture, and technology, offering clarity and perspective. The hyper-accelerated landscape of modern professional careers, the human body has become the ultimate ledger. It records corporate stress, registers systemic trauma, and increasingly bears the brunt of a vicious cycle of institutional punishment. When analysing the trajectory of professionals, particularly those operating under high visibility campaigns or intense management scrutiny a disturbing pattern emerges, the correlation between trauma modeling, sudden weight gain, and subsequent management hostility. To understand why professionals frequently gain weight during or after major campaigns, one must first look at the psychological models of trauma. Chronic stress triggers a sustained release of cortisol, a hormone that fundamentally alters metabolism and promotes adipose tissue storage. However, the psychological mechanism is even more profound. For many individuals navigating hostile or deeply predatory professional environments, weight gain serves as an unconscious defense mechanism, a physical shield against unwanted attention or an embodied manifestation of internalised distress. Yet, within modern corporate frameworks, this involuntary physiological response is met not with institutional empathy, but rather with punitive action. The cycle of management hostility and systemic abuse Why do management structures and campaign directors turn on individuals who experience unprecedented weight gain? The answer lies in the darker corners of organisational psychology: The aesthetics of compliance: In high profile careers, the individual is often treated as a corporate asset or a visual extension of the brand. Deviating from a prescribed physical standard is frequently misinterpreted by management as a loss of control, a lack of discipline, or a rebellion against the corporate ethos. Scapegoating and projection: Management teams under immense pressure often project their systemic anxieties onto vulnerable individuals. A change in an employee's physical appearance provides a tangible, albeit unjust, pretext for hostility, bullying, and marginalisation. The Isolation Tactic: By weaponising an individual's weight gain against them, managers undermine the professional's self-esteem. This systematic erosion of confidence ensures the individual becomes easier to manipulate and less likely to challenge predatory workplace practices. This specific dynamic mirrors the lived experiences of advocates and public figures who have challenged entrenched power structures. In postcolonial contexts and indigenous rights advocacy, such as the prominent work associated with figures like DJ Saguaro (HRH Sagar V. Chauhan I), the battle against institutional marginalisation often manifests physically. Activists and leaders frequently endure severe systemic blowback, where the toll of fighting deeply rooted biases leads to immense physical exhaustion and trauma induced weight changes, which corporate or adversarial entities then weaponise to discredit their authority and campaigns. When faced with relentless management abuse and the isolation of physical stigma, professionals increasingly turn to substance use to numb the psychological pain. The modern careerist does not merely seek recreation. They seek functional survival. Why management inflicts harm The psychology behind why management engages in this specific form of abuse is rooted in the preservation of hierarchy and control. "Organisational systems are illegally conservative, seeking to maintain established power dynamics at all costs." When a professional's body changes due to trauma, it exposes the toxic nature of the environment itself. Management does not wish to look into that mirror. To admit that the campaign or the workload caused the weight gain would be to admit corporate liability. Therefore, it is psychologically safe for management to pathologise the individual. By labeling the worker as unprofessional, unhealthy, or unfit for the campaign, the institution absolves itself of guilt and maintains its illusion of flawless operation. Until corporate structures move away from punitive aesthetic standards and address the root trauma models driving employee distress, the human cost of modern success will continue to be measured in both physical suffering and chemical dependency. The London initiation Upon entering the competitive London scene, the pressure to conform to a specific subcultural elite was immediate. The initiations were not formal. Instead, they were woven into the fabric of after hours industry events, backstage gatherings, and late night studio sessions. In these spaces, chemical consumption was weaponised as a metric of social capital and professional trust. To be considered relevant, one had to participate in the rampant drug culture that defined the era. Cocaine and synthetic stimulants were treated as standard workplace fuel, utilised to project an aura of effortless energy and creative invincibility. For Saguaro, navigating these rituals was not about recreation. It was an exhausting survival strategy to maintain a foothold in rooms where indigenous advocacy was frequently misunderstood or patronised. The constant hypervigilance required to balance cultural integrity with the demands of the London scene laid the groundwork for severe systemic trauma. The mechanics of weight gain The psychological toll of these drug fuelled environments quickly manifested physically. The human body cannot sustain prolonged exposure to chemical highs, sleep deprivation, and intense social pressure without consequence. As the initial artificial highs of the London lifestyle gave way to deep exhaustion, Saguaro's endocrine system experienced a severe trauma response. Chronic exposure to toxic environments triggers a profound metabolic shift. The nervous system, constantly operating in a state of fight or flight, floods the body with cortisol. This hormonal cascade actively promotes rapid, unprecedented weight gain, particularly as the body attempts to protect itself from prolonged psychological siege. For Saguaro, the sudden physical change was the direct, visible ledger of the trauma endured during those coercive initiations of coolness. The weight was not a sign of personal neglect. It was a physical shield developed by a heavily taxed system trying to survive systemic hostility. Management failures The true crisis, however, lay in the catastrophic failure of management and campaign directors to safeguard their talent. Rather than recognising the rapid weight gain as a clear diagnostic symptom of burnout and environmental trauma, the management structure chose pathologisation and abandonment. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Josh Sagar Chauhan I Josh Sagar Chauhan I, C.E.O, Model, and Multi-Talented Artist Josh Chauhan is experienced in banking, finance, luxury sales, marketing, advertising, and recruitment, with a desire to continually learn more. A proficient digital and creative consultant, Josh I has over two years of experience in niche brand and project delivery. With more exposure in advertising, television, and radio, as well as acting and live performance to national and international audiences, Josh Chauhan I is in research & development for his Incorporation Umbrella, Miwted.

Written by Guy Van de Putte, Spiritual Guide & Mentor Guy Van de Putte works as a guide for those looking for help navigating life's challenges or finding themselves at a crossroads. Blending shamanism, breathwork and constellation therapy with the non-dual and yogic traditions, he has a wide toolkit to support the power of presence and the healing words to accommodate lasting change. Have you ever had that feeling like there’s something you’re supposed to do here, but you can’t remember what it is? You’re alive, on planet Earth, with a body, a mind, and a billion options to choose from. The vast array of choices seems to paralyze you. You look around, or on social media, and it looks as if everybody has got it all figured out and under control. They’re living the dream. Or so it seems. All the while, you haven’t got a clue what to do or how to do it. You might try to give the impression you actually do, but deep down, something feels missing. A burning thought emerges. There must be more to life than this. A nine to five, pretty structured life, organized social activities, and interactions. Everything Hollywood promised you. But what’s the purpose of it all? Were you born to work, sleep, consume, be like everybody else? The fancy job title has lost its blaze of glory, and the glorious paycheck has become business as usual. The dreams you had as a child seem like distant or even repressed memories. It’s like you have forgotten all about that important thing you were supposed to be doing here. People call it a midlife crisis. Or a spiritual awakening. Or maybe just a phase. It might be the first time in our lives we have actually stopped and started asking ourselves those deeper questions. Our minds keep raging, looking for clues and trying to figure it all out. Life turned out boring, and we desperately want to reignite the spark we felt as children, when all seemed possible. We feel stuck. We might be tempted to take bold actions. Leave our jobs or relationships, or even take a gap year to travel the world to “find ourselves”. The purpose of life is just being alive and in life. To do what comes naturally to us. When we were growing up, everybody asked us what we wanted to do, or rather become, when we were older. The best answer to that would be “happy,” of course. But that’s not what was meant. What was expected was a job title like pilot, teacher, doctor, or nurse. At that moment, a seed was planted in our minds. We had to become something. Just being ourselves wasn’t enough. So we started thinking big, because there were expectations now. We had to make our parents proud. The most interesting people I know didn’t conform. They created. Some find it even hard to give themselves a job title. They do a bit of this, a bit of that. Whatever seems to pull them at any given moment. They seem to float along with life and always land on their feet. Some offer more distinct services. Others change with the winds, but their work evolves with their personal growth. Now you might be thinking there’s nothing out there for you because you can’t really think of anything. But you don’t have to. What’s holding us back is not the lack of a passion in our lives, but the ideas we have made up in our mind about it. So in that sense, that very mind that is trying to figure it out is at the same time sabotaging the possible outcome. You know what you like to do, but maybe you don’t see how you can make a living out of it. Maybe you think you’re not good enough to do it. Maybe you don’t know where to start. Or thousands and thousands of other possible reasons not to do it, not to take it further. Let’s say you like to write. Just start writing. Make time for it every day. You don’t need to have an entire novel in your mind. You don’t need to know how the book should be published or who would buy it. Take it step by step. Start acting upon it. Just for the pure joy of doing it. Maybe you’ll find out it’s not entirely what you prefer, but it will lead to something else. There is no destination to get to, carved in stone. So you cannot fail. Let your path unfold. Ask yourself the question at any moment. What would be the most exciting to do now? Without thinking what it should lead to. That’s the future. Stay in the present, in the now. Stay in this moment. Let the future figure itself out. The rosebud doesn’t think about when it should bloom or not. It just blooms, because it’s built into it. That’s how it works for all of life, all of creation. Accordingly, also for you. Since you are part of creation, part of life. You didn’t choose what you like. You were born with it. It was planted within you to share with the world. Just become still and listen to that quiet voice of intuition inside of you. Let that voice be your guide. Observe all the limiting beliefs that surface. All the ideas of not knowing how or not being good enough. By becoming conscious of what they are, you expose them to the light, and they can start to dissolve. You don’t have to let them decide anymore. You create a choice for yourself. When those automated beliefs and reactions become a thing from the past, you can truly start being yourself at any given moment. You’ll be in sync with the flow of life and all of creation. You’ll be in harmony. Trust in life and trust that the interests you were born with won’t lead you astray. Let them be your compass while you navigate this wonderful and adventurous journey called Life. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Guy Van de Putte Guy Van de Putte, Spiritual Guide & Mentor Guy Van de Putte works as a guide for all those looking for help navigating life's challenges or finding themselves at a crossroads. His passion is helping people who are ready to wake up go beyond the stories and patterns that unconsciously run their lives. Thereby helping them to debunk the lies they told themselves, that are at the root of all the drama in their life, and take back the power over their own lives. So the old wounds from the past can be permanently healed and a new life of true freedom can emerge out of that. A fulfilled life in service of and in harmony with their true calling.

APIs are the main way to access modern products such as mobile apps, SaaS dashboards, partner integrations, and even internal microservices. And in 2026, DDoS isn’t just about “taking a site down.” Attackers increasingly aim for the expensive stuff: API endpoints that trigger heavy database queries, login routes that force repeated authentication work, and traffic patterns that look annoyingly close to real users. While the technical stack is very important, it's also worth remembering that attacks don't happen in isolation. Understanding the human side of cybersecurity helps frame why protecting APIs is ultimately about protecting people and businesses, not just infrastructure. A solid API protection stack should do a few things well: absorb volumetric floods, detect abusive patterns at the edge, rate-limit intelligently, validate clients (not just IPs), and give you clean visibility when something weird starts brewing. Here are seven tools that are widely used for exactly that. 1. Fastly (Next-Gen WAF + Edge DDoS mitigation) Fastly is a strong first choice when you want DDoS resistance plus API controls close to the user before traffic hits your origin. The advantage of handling enforcement at the edge is simple: you stop malicious traffic early, which protects not only uptime but also backend costs. Fastly’s security stack typically shines in: Edge rate limiting for noisy endpoints (login, OTP, search, pricing, checkout APIs) Bot and abuse signals that catch “low-and-slow” attacks that don’t look like a classic flood WAF policies you can tune to your API’s behavior (including common injection and protocol anomalies) Fast incident response, since you can adjust rules quickly and push them globally If you’re comparing options for the best API protection for DDoS attacks, Fastly is often on the shortlist because it combines performance, edge enforcement, and flexible controls that fit real-world API traffic patterns, not just static websites. 2. Cloudflare (API shield + DDoS + Bot management) Cloudflare remains a leading choice for broad DDoS coverage and has an enormous network footprint. For APIs specifically, their API Shield approach (mTLS, schema validation, and discovery) is useful when you need to tighten who can call what, especially for partner or mobile traffic. Where Cloudflare helps a lot: Automatic DDoS mitigation (L3/4 and L7) API discovery so you can find “shadow APIs” that teams forgot existed Schema validation to reduce abusive requests that technically “work” but shouldn’t exist Bot management that cuts down credential stuffing and scraping that can look like DDoS 3. Akamai (App & API protector/prolexic) Akamai has profound experience in large-scale DDoS events and commonly appears in enterprise environments where traffic volumes are massive and attack frequency is high. If your APIs support high-value operations (payments, trading, account actions), Akamai’s mature security tooling and support model can be a real advantage. Typical strengths: High-capacity DDoS absorption Advanced L7 protection for application-layer attacks Strong enterprise support and SLAs Good fit for complex multi-region architectures 4. Imperva (API security + DDoS protection) Imperva is known for protecting applications and APIs with a focus on layered defenses, DDoS protection plus WAAP (Web Application and API Protection). It’s helpful when you want solid security coverage without assembling too many separate products. Why teams pick Imperva: API-aware protection beyond basic WAF patterns DDoS mitigation designed to handle both bursts and sustained attacks Security analytics that make it easier to explain what happened after an incident Policy control that can be shaped around sensitive endpoints 5. AWS WAF + AWS Shield Advanced (for API gateway / ALB / CloudFront) If your APIs are primarily on AWS, the AWS-native route can be clean and effective, especially when paired with CloudFront at the edge. AWS Shield Advanced is built for serious DDoS scenarios, while AWS WAF gives you rule-based filtering and rate controls. This combo is particularly effective when you want the following: Tight integration with API Gateway, ALB, and CloudFront Managed rules plus custom rules for your endpoints Rate-based controls (useful for burst abuse) Centralized security ops inside AWS tooling One caveat: you’ll still need thoughtful tuning. API traffic is messy, and “one-size-fits-all” rules can either miss abuse or block legitimate users. 6. Google Cloud Armor (with Cloud Load Balancing/Cloud CDN) Google Cloud Armor is a solid pick if your APIs already sit behind Google’s HTTP(S) Load Balancer and you want protection that feels “built in,” not bolted on. What most teams like is how quickly you can put sensible guardrails in place to block obviously junk traffic, slow down abusive clients, and keep your origin from getting hammered. In plain terms, Cloud Armor is useful because of the following: It benefits from Google’s scale, so big traffic spikes are less likely to become a “drop everything” emergency. You can put common-sense WAF rules in front of APIs (things like suspicious payload patterns, weird request behavior, or probing endpoints). It’s good for catching traffic that’s “not quite normal," the kind that isn’t a dramatic flood but still causes latency, retries, and cost blowups. It plays nicely with Cloud CDN and global load balancing, so you can keep performance up while you’re tightening security. If you’re on GCP, it’s one of the more straightforward ways to get serious protection without redesigning your whole edge. 7. Microsoft Azure WAF + Azure DDoS protection (for Azure API management / front door) If your stack is mostly Azure, this combination is the “keep it simple and consistent” option. Front Door gives you a clean global entry point, the WAF filters out the obvious garbage at the edge, and Azure DDoS Protection is there for the bigger, uglier spikes. It’s especially handy when API Management sits behind Front Door because you can: Enforce one set of WAF/rate rules across regions, Protect sensitive endpoints like login/token routes, Avoid your APIM and backend services taking the first punch. In practice, teams pick this setup when they want something that’s easy to operate day-to-day: fewer moving parts, decent visibility, and controls that are close to where the traffic enters.

Written by Leoniek van der Maarel, Academie voor Verlies/Grief Training Centre Leoniek van der Maarel is a Dutch psychologist, grief expert, author, and trainer with a clear and powerful mission. "Creating a world where grief is no longer a silent struggle, but a supported path forward." By protecting children from grief, you actually take away the tools they need to cope with it. You do it out of love. That is the first thing I want to say before I say anything else. When an adult decides to protect a child from the pain of loss, by not naming it, by avoiding the conversation, by saying that Grandpa has “gone on a long journey” it comes from a deep desire to spare that child. Not from indifference. Not from unwillingness. But the protection you think you are offering does not work. That is exactly what I want to demonstrate here. Children already feel the absence, even when nobody says anything Imagine this. You are eight years old. The atmosphere at home is different than usual. Adults speak more softly, or not at all. People come by and cry. Someone who was always there is suddenly gone. You feel that something is happening. But nobody explains what. Imagination is worse than reality What does a child do with that tension? They fill in the gap. With what they know, with what they suspect, with what they tell themselves in the silence of their bedroom. What children tell themselves is rarely less frightening than reality. Often, it is worse. Because imagination has no limits, and neither does fear. Silence does not protect the child. Silence enlarges the loss. It makes it bigger, scarier, and unnameable, and therefore unmanageable. Children are already aware of the atmosphere in the home. They are waiting for information. They are waiting for permission. Permission to feel what they already feel, to understand that what they are feeling makes sense. Permission to ask questions. Permission to be sad. Silence makes loss bigger and scarier than it is There is something remarkable about loss that is not spoken about. It grows. Not the loss itself, but the fear surrounding it. The uncertainty. The feeling that there is something you are not allowed to access, something too big to talk about, something that even the adults around you cannot handle. For a child, that is a disturbing message. If even the grownups cannot carry this, how am I supposed to? An honest explanation of what is happening What an honest explanation does, age appropriate, calm, without giving every detail at once, is bring the loss back to a human scale. It gives it a name. What has a name can be pointed to. What can be pointed to can begin to be understood. What is understood can begin to be carried. That is not a small step. It is precisely the difference between a child who learns to grieve and a child who learns to avoid. Children who do not learn to grieve carry it with them Unprocessed loss does not disappear. It moves into the background, but it remains present, as an unnamed emptiness, as a pattern of avoidance, as a sensitivity that suddenly appears later in life without the person understanding where it comes from. In my work with adults, I meet them regularly, people who experienced a major loss as children and never spoke about it. Not because they were not affected by it, but because the conversation simply never happened. The loss did not officially exist. Therefore, they could never officially stop and acknowledge it, cry about it, ask questions, or say goodbye. Those children are adults now. They are still grieving, sometimes decades later, sometimes without knowing exactly what they are grieving for. They carry a burden they were never given the opportunity to put down. Protection that was well intended at the time has, in the long run, stood in the way of something essential, the opportunity to learn that loss is bearable. That sadness is allowed. That it does not destroy you. Honest communication gives children language, it creates understanding Children do not need protection from reality. They need language to understand reality. When you tell a child that Grandma has died, that her heart has stopped, that she is not coming back, that you are sad too, you give that child something valuable. You give them words for what they are feeling. Words are tools. With those words, a child can ask questions. They can name their sadness. They can tell their teacher what happened at home instead of remaining silent out of shame or confusion. They can cry in bed at night because they miss someone, instead of lying awake with a vague fear that has no clear source. Being honestly age appropriate does not mean telling everything. It means telling the child what they are able to understand right now. Concrete, simple, without euphemisms that create more confusion than clarity. "Gone on a journey," "we lost him," or "he is sleeping forever" are phrases that mislead children. They are not accurate. Children sense that. Even phrases such as "Grandpa is a little star in the sky now" can be confusing, however understandable it is that adults use that language. A child who knows the truth, however difficult that truth may be, is stronger than a child who is left in uncertainty. That is not theory. It is what you see in practice, again and again. What this requires from you as a professional As a coach, therapist, or social worker, you meet parents and caregivers who want the best for their child but do not know how to have the conversation. People who are grieving themselves. People who barely have the words themselves for what has happened. Your role is not to take over the conversation. Your role is to help the adult around the child have that conversation. To show that honesty is not the same as causing harm. That a child who cries is not falling apart. That sharing sadness is something that connects people, not something that damages them. This requires knowledge. It requires an approach that creates space for the complexity of loss in children without losing your way. It requires that you know how to take the lead in that conversation, even when it becomes uncomfortable, even when the pain is greater than anyone expected. The five things you do not want to skip 1. Give words to what has happened Children sense that something is wrong, even when nobody names it. Help parents explain the loss clearly and honestly, using language that matches the child's age. No euphemisms, no detours. 2. Give permission to feel Many children try to be strong for the adults around them. Help them understand that sadness, anger, confusion, and fear are normal responses. Feelings do not need to be fixed. They need to be allowed. 3. Make space for questions Children process loss in pieces. They ask a question today and ask it again next week. That is not a sign that they were not listening. It is a sign that they are gradually understanding what loss means. 4. Involve the important adults Supporting a child almost always means supporting parents, caregivers, or other important adults as well. Help them start the conversation, tolerate emotions, and remain emotionally available to the child. 5. Take the lead when loss becomes complicated Children need adults who do not look away from pain. As a professional, you provide structure, language, and direction. You help the family make loss discussable, so the child learns that grief is something they can carry. Children can cope when adults are present Children can cope with big losses in their lives, provided they have adults who support them, who teach them how to cope, how to feel, how to find the words for feelings that just cannot be put into words. Children can cope when they learn that what they feel matters, that it is valid, that nobody tells them, "You should not talk about this" or "Let us just go on with our lives." We teach children how to live. Let us start teaching them how to deal with loss. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Leoniek van der Maarel Leoniek van der Maarel, Academie voor Verlies/Grief Training Centre With over 25 years of experience and a deeply personal connection to her work, Leoniek has become one of the leading voices in the field of loss and transition. Her approach is grounded in the understanding that grief does not always begin with death, and healing is never one-size-fits-all. Her career is defined by one central truth, grief is everywhere. In the aftermath of a death, a divorce, a broken family bond, or a lost dream, it weaves itself through human lives in ways both visible and silent. And yet, society still often asks us to "move on" too quickly, or without the right support. Leoniek’s life's work is to change that.

Written by Funk Roberts, Fitness Expert for Men Over 40 Funk Roberts is one of the world’s leading health, fitness, and longevity experts for men over 40. He is the creator of the Over 40 Alpha Brotherhood, a bestselling author, certified hormone specialist, and founder of National Testosterone Awareness Day, helping men reclaim strength, energy, confidence, and vitality as they age. Testosterone levels in men are declining faster than ever before, and the effects are showing up in millions of men over 40 through increased belly fat, low energy, muscle loss, poor sleep, reduced libido, brain fog, and declining overall health. Research now shows that modern lifestyle factors such as chronic stress, poor sleep, processed foods, insulin resistance, environmental toxins, and loss of lean muscle mass are creating a hormonal environment that suppresses testosterone production and accelerates aging in men. The good news is that low testosterone is not simply an unavoidable part of aging. In the article I am going to you will learn the current state of testosterone levels in men today, important for testosterone for men over 40, how testosterone is made and how to increase your testosterone levels. You will discover by improving sleep quality, reducing visceral belly fat, building lean muscle through metabolic resistance training, managing cortisol levels, and supporting the body with proper nutrition and recovery, many men can naturally optimize testosterone levels, improve metabolic health, increase energy, and dramatically improve their quality of life after 40. Testosterone levels are declining at alarming rates If you are a man over 40, 50, and 60 there is a good chance you have felt the shift happening in your body, even if you could not fully explain it. Your energy is lower than it used to be. The belly fat seems harder to lose. Recovery takes longer. Your motivation feels inconsistent. You may notice less drive in the gym, less mental sharpness during the day, and less resilience to stress overall. Sleep feels lighter, your body composition changes faster, and despite working harder, you often feel like your body is working against you instead of with you. Many men assume this is simply aging. But what if much of what you are experiencing is connected to one of the biggest health crises affecting modern men today? Testosterone levels are declining at alarming rates. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that testosterone levels in men have steadily declined over the last several decades, even when researchers adjusted for age and body weight. In other words, a healthy 45 year old man today often has significantly lower testosterone than a healthy 45 year old man a generation ago. This matters because testosterone is not simply a hormone associated with masculinity or libido. Testosterone acts as one of the body’s primary anabolic hormones, influencing muscle mass, metabolism, energy production, cognitive function, recovery, confidence, bone density, insulin sensitivity, motivation, and overall vitality. When testosterone declines, your entire system feels it. Unfortunately, modern life is creating the perfect hormonal storm for men over 40. Poor sleep, chronic stress, processed food consumption, metabolic dysfunction, environmental toxins, excess belly fat, and sedentary lifestyles are all contributing to hormonal decline on a massive scale. The result is that many men are now living in chronically catabolic states without even realizing it. Why testosterone matters more after 40 Testosterone becomes increasingly important as you age because your body naturally becomes less anabolic over time. In simple terms, anabolic means your body is in a state where it can efficiently repair, rebuild, recover, and maintain lean muscle tissue. Catabolic means the opposite. The body is breaking down faster than it can rebuild. When you are younger, your body can often tolerate poor habits. You can recover from late nights more easily, maintain muscle despite inconsistent nutrition, and push through high stress levels without immediately seeing major physical consequences. After we reach the age of 30, our testosterone levels naturally decline 1 to 2 percent every year, so by the time we reach the age of 40 we may already be struggling with low testosterone levels. We also need to factor in that muscle protein synthesis becomes less efficient, recovery slows down, and the body becomes far more sensitive to stress, sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, and inactivity. This is one reason why many men over 40 suddenly feel like they “aged overnight.” The body is no longer operating in a healthy anabolic environment. Research from the National Institutes of Health has shown that low testosterone levels are associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, reduced muscle mass, depression, fatigue, and lower quality of life in aging men. The problem is not simply low testosterone itself. The problem is the internal environment modern men are creating inside their bodies every single day. How testosterone is actually produced One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding testosterone is that it simply exists independently inside the body. In reality, testosterone production is part of a highly sophisticated hormonal process involving the brain, endocrine system, metabolism, sleep cycles, nutrient status, and stress regulation. The process begins during deep wave restorative sleep in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland inside the brain, which signal the testes to begin testosterone production through luteinizing hormone. But one of the most important raw materials needed to create testosterone is cholesterol. This is where many men become confused. For years, cholesterol was portrayed as the enemy of health. But cholesterol is actually the foundational building block for steroid hormones including testosterone, cortisol, estrogen, and progesterone. Without adequate healthy cholesterol levels, your body cannot properly produce hormones. This does not mean consuming highly processed fats and junk food. It means understanding that your body requires healthy dietary fats and nutrient dense whole foods to support hormone production. Eggs, salmon, sardines, avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, grass fed meats, and omega 3 fatty acids all provide important building blocks for hormonal health. At the same time, hormone production depends heavily on: metabolic health insulin sensitivity body fat levels sleep quality micronutrient intake stress regulation recovery capacity This is why testosterone optimization is never about one supplement or one quick fix. It is about improving the entire internal environment your hormones rely on to function. Why men are becoming more estrogen dominant One of the most overlooked hormonal issues affecting modern men is estrogen dominance. Estrogen is not inherently bad. Men require healthy estrogen levels for cardiovascular function, libido, bone health, and brain function. The problem occurs when estrogen levels become disproportionately high relative to testosterone. This imbalance is becoming increasingly common in men over 40. One major reason is excess abdominal fat. Fat tissue contains an enzyme called aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen. This means the more visceral belly fat you carry, the more testosterone may be converted into estrogen. Research published in Obesity Reviews has shown strong links between obesity, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and declining testosterone levels in men. This creates a dangerous cycle. As testosterone decreases, belly fat accumulation increases. As belly fat increases, more testosterone converts into estrogen. This worsens insulin resistance, inflammation, fatigue, and hormonal dysfunction even further. At the same time, men today are exposed to increasing amounts of endocrine disrupting chemicals found in plastics, pesticides, processed food packaging, and many personal care products. These compounds can interfere with natural hormonal signaling and contribute to a greater estrogenic burden inside the body. Many researchers now believe environmental exposures are playing a major role in the widespread hormonal decline occurring in modern men. The five hormones that heavily affect testosterone Testosterone does not operate alone. Your hormonal system functions as an interconnected network, and several hormones heavily influence testosterone production and balance. While testosterone gets most of the attention, several other hormones play major roles in regulating testosterone production and overall hormonal health. Estrogen As mentioned earlier, estrogen must remain balanced with testosterone. Excess estrogen contributes to fat gain, water retention, fatigue, mood changes, low libido, and hormonal imbalance. Cortisol Cortisol, your primary stress hormone, plays one of the biggest roles. Short bursts of cortisol are normal and healthy, but chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated for long periods of time, creating a more catabolic internal environment. Chronically elevated cortisol suppresses testosterone production, worsens sleep quality, increases abdominal fat storage, and accelerates muscle loss. Insulin Insulin regulates blood sugar and energy metabolism. Chronically elevated insulin from poor nutrition and excessive processed carbohydrate intake contributes to insulin resistance, fat gain, inflammation, and lower testosterone levels. Research has consistently shown that men with obesity and metabolic syndrome often have significantly lower testosterone levels. Thyroid hormones Your thyroid controls metabolic rate, energy production, temperature regulation, and cellular function. Poor thyroid function can contribute to fatigue, weight gain, poor recovery, low libido, and reduced testosterone production. When thyroid function is impaired, the entire metabolic system slows down. The body works as a system. Testosterone Testosterone itself acts as both a hormone and a signaling mechanism influencing muscle protein synthesis, energy production, motivation, fat metabolism, and physical performance. The healthier your entire hormonal ecosystem becomes, the more efficiently testosterone production is supported naturally. Insulin also plays a major role. When insulin remains chronically elevated due to excessive processed food intake, inactivity, and poor metabolic health, the body becomes more insulin resistant. Research consistently shows that obesity and insulin resistance are strongly associated with lower testosterone levels in men. Six ways to naturally increase testosterone after 40 The good news is that the testosterone crisis affecting men over 40 is not permanent, and in many cases, it is highly reversible when you begin changing the environment inside your body. I have personally witnessed this time and time again inside the Over 40 Alpha Brotherhood, where men in their 40s, 50s, and 60s have naturally increased, doubled, and in some cases even tripled their testosterone levels in a relatively short period of time by improving the foundational systems that control hormonal health. The key is understanding that testosterone optimization is not about chasing shortcuts or relying on one magic supplement. It requires changing the lifestyle patterns that are suppressing testosterone in the first place. When you improve sleep quality, reduce visceral belly fat, build lean muscle through metabolic resistance training, manage chronic stress, nourish your body with balanced Meta Test Boost meals, and support recovery with the right nutrients, your body often responds far more powerfully than most men realize. The body wants to heal, recover, and thrive, but you must create the conditions that allow it to do so. Improving testosterone naturally requires improving the systems that support hormonal health. 1. The testosterone diet: Eat three balanced plate meals per day Instead of chasing extreme diets, your focus after 40 should be creating balanced meals that stabilize blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and provide the nutrients needed for hormone production. You should be eating no more than three times per day and every meal should have a source of: High quality protein: Muscle building, metabolic processes inside the body, building blocks of bones and muscles. Healthy fats: Contain good cholesterol that is critical for testosterone production. Starchy complex carbohydrates: Important for supporting your thyroid gland and metabolism, and gonadotropin releasing hormone. Hypothalamic centers in the brain require adequate glucose from carbs to function properly. This glucose stimulates the release of gonadotropin releasing hormone, which is key in testosterone production. Vegetables and fruits: Contain fibre and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals that are critical for testosterone production. Balanced meals help create a more stable anabolic environment for hormone production and recovery. 2. Prioritize restorative sleep One of the fastest ways to damage testosterone production is poor sleep. Deep restorative sleep is where some of the body’s most important anabolic and recovery processes occur. Testosterone production, growth hormone release, nervous system repair, muscle recovery, and metabolic regulation all depend heavily on sleep quality. Research from the University of Chicago found that sleep deprivation significantly reduced testosterone levels in healthy young men after only one week of restricted sleep. What most men fail to realize is that not all sleep is equal. The goal is not simply spending more time in bed. The goal is improving sleep quality and achieving approximately 3 to 4 combined hours of deep wave sleep and first cycle of REM sleep nightly. This is called restorative sleep. This fully supports testosterone production, metabolic health, muscle recovery, cognitive performance, and nervous system regulation. Without restorative sleep, the body remains in a chronically stressed, catabolic state that suppresses testosterone production. 3. Manage stress aggressively Chronic stress has become one of the biggest testosterone killers affecting men over 40 today, and most men dramatically underestimate how much it impacts their hormones, metabolism, recovery, and overall quality of life. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, and cortisol directly competes with testosterone production. This accelerates belly fat accumulation, muscle loss, fatigue, hormonal dysfunction, and poor recovery. The good news is that managing cortisol and improving stress resilience does not require extreme interventions. In fact, some of the most effective strategies are surprisingly simple when done consistently. Walking outdoors daily has been shown to reduce cortisol levels while improving parasympathetic nervous system activity, which helps shift the body out of a chronic stress state. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology found that spending time in nature significantly reduces cortisol and improves mood and mental recovery. Breath work and slow nasal breathing have also been shown to improve heart rate variability and nervous system regulation, helping the body transition from sympathetic fight or flight dominance into a calmer parasympathetic recovery state. Meditation has been shown to significantly reduce cortisol levels by calming the nervous system and shifting the body out of a chronic fight or flight state. Research published in Psychoneuroendocrinology found that mindfulness meditation can lower cortisol production, improve stress resilience, and enhance parasympathetic nervous system activity, helping the body recover more efficiently from chronic stress. Gratitude journaling has been shown to help reduce cortisol levels by shifting your focus away from chronic stress and negative thought patterns while improving emotional regulation and nervous system balance. Research published in Psychosomatic Medicine found that practicing gratitude regularly is associated with lower stress biomarkers, improved mood, better sleep quality, and increased parasympathetic nervous system activity, all of which support healthier cortisol regulation and recovery. Strength training itself can also become one of the most powerful stress management tools when programmed correctly. Short metabolic resistance workouts combined with recovery days help improve insulin sensitivity, regulate cortisol, support testosterone production, and improve overall resilience. The key is understanding that more is not always better after 40. Excessive high intensity training without adequate recovery can actually increase cortisol and worsen hormonal dysfunction. This is why balancing training stress with recovery becomes critical. 4. Get rid of visceral belly fat Belly fat is not simply cosmetic after 40. It becomes hormonal. Visceral fat increases aromatase activity, meaning more testosterone is converted into estrogen. It also contributes heavily to insulin resistance and chronic inflammation. The good news is that reducing visceral belly fat can significantly improve testosterone production, insulin sensitivity, energy levels, recovery, sleep quality, and overall metabolic health. Research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that resistance training and increased lean muscle mass improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic function, both of which are critical for reducing abdominal fat and supporting healthy testosterone levels. Studies have also shown that high protein diets help preserve lean muscle tissue, increase satiety, and improve fat loss outcomes, particularly in men over 40 who are experiencing age related muscle loss and slower metabolism. At the same time, research from the University of Chicago demonstrated that poor sleep significantly lowers testosterone levels while increasing cortisol and impairing glucose metabolism, making restorative sleep essential for reducing visceral fat and improving hormonal health. Combining metabolic resistance training three to four times weekly with balanced high protein meals, restorative sleep, daily walking, stress management, and reducing ultra processed foods and sugar intake creates one of the most powerful environments for naturally reducing belly fat and improving testosterone levels in men over 40. 5. Support testosterone with key supplements While supplements are never a replacement for proper sleep, nutrition, training, and recovery, certain nutrients play important roles in supporting testosterone production, stress regulation, and overall hormonal health in men over 40. Magnesium, for example, is involved in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body and has been shown to support sleep quality, muscle recovery, nervous system function, and healthy testosterone levels, particularly in men who are deficient. Zinc also plays a direct role in testosterone synthesis and immune health, with research showing that zinc deficiency is associated with significantly lower testosterone levels in men. Vitamin D functions more like a hormone than a vitamin and has been strongly linked to testosterone production, metabolic health, immune function, and mood regulation, with studies showing that men with low vitamin D levels often have lower testosterone levels as well. Omega 3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation and support cellular health, while adaptogenic herbs may help improve stress resilience and cortisol regulation. Certain adaptogenic herbs such as ashwagandha have been shown in research to improve stress resilience, reduce cortisol levels, and support healthy testosterone production by helping the body better adapt to chronic stress. 6. Perform short metabolic resistance workouts Long excessive cardio sessions can increase cortisol and accelerate muscle loss when overused. Research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has shown that resistance training significantly improves lean muscle mass, insulin sensitivity, metabolic health, and testosterone support in aging adults, making short metabolic resistance workouts one of the most effective training strategies for men over 40. Unlike long duration steady state cardio, metabolic resistance training helps preserve lean muscle while simultaneously improving conditioning, increasing caloric expenditure, and reducing visceral belly fat, all of which support healthier testosterone levels and overall metabolic function. This style of training combines compound resistance exercises with controlled intensity and strategic recovery to create a powerful anabolic stimulus without excessively overstressing the nervous system. Short metabolic resistance workouts are often far more effective after 40 because they help preserve lean muscl, improve insulin sensitivity, support testosterone, burn visceral fat, improve conditioning, reduce metabolic dysfunction. Three to four weekly metabolic resistance workouts lasting roughly 30 to 45 minutes combined with proper recovery is often ideal for men over 40. The goal is not destroying your body. The goal is creating enough stimulus to adapt while recovering well enough to remain anabolic. The real goal is not becoming younger The testosterone crisis affecting men over 40 is real, but it is not hopeless. The good news is that your body has an incredible ability to recover, adapt, and rebuild when you begin creating the right internal environment for hormonal health. Testosterone optimization is not about chasing shortcuts, quick fixes, or trying to feel 25 again. It is about restoring the foundational systems that allow you to feel strong, energized, mentally sharp, resilient, and physically capable as you age. When you improve sleep quality, reduce visceral belly fat, build lean muscle through metabolic resistance training, manage chronic stress and cortisol, nourish your body with balanced high protein meals, and support recovery with the right nutrients, your hormones often respond far more powerfully than most men realize. I have personally witnessed this transformation countless times inside the Over 40 Alpha Brotherhood, where men in their 40s, 50s, and 60s have naturally increased, doubled, and even tripled their testosterone levels by changing their lifestyle habits and improving their metabolic health. The biggest mistake many men make is believing decline is inevitable. While aging is unavoidable, rapid physical and hormonal decline is not. Your body wants to heal, recover, and thrive, but you must give it the environment to do so. The habits you build after 40 will directly determine the quality of your energy, health, strength, confidence, and longevity for decades to come. For many men, making these changes does not just improve testosterone levels. It changes their entire life. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Funk Roberts Funk Roberts, Fitness Expert for Men Over 40 Funk Roberts is a former professional athelte and now is one of the world’s leading health, fitness, and longevity experts for men over 40. After overcoming addiction, depression, and low testosterone himself, he dedicated his life to helping men reclaim their strength, energy, confidence, and purpose as they age. He is the founder of the Over 40 Alpha Brotherhood, a multi seven figure fitness community with thousands of members worldwide, and the creator of over 100 transformation programs for men over 40. Funk is a bestselling author, certified hormone specialist, Harvard Extension School graduate, and creator of the Men Over 40 Global Health Summit.His mission is to help one million men over 40 transform their health and lives naturally. References: Reproductive Biology Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism National Institutes of Health – Testosterone and Aging Obesity Reviews – Obesity and Testosterone Decline University of Chicago – Sleep Loss Lowers Testosterone Harvard Health – Testosterone and Men’s Health Endocrine Society – Hormonal Health in Men Nutrients Journal – Dietary Fat and Hormonal Health Cleveland Clinic – Aromatase and Estrogen Function Cureus Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association Journal Asian J Androl. Psychoneuroendocrinology Psychosomatic Medicine Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism – Cortisol and Testosterone Suppression National Institutes of Health – Exercise, Cortisol, and Stress Regulation Guidelines for optimizing rigor and reproducibility in inclusion of premenopausal females in integrative physiology research Intakes of long-chain omega-3 (n-3) PUFAs and fish in relation to incidence of asthma among American young adults: the CARDIA study Sleep loss lowers testosterone on young healthy men Pesta, D. H., & Samuel, V. T. (2014). A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutrition & Metabolism, 11(1), 53. Cinar, V., Polat, Y., Baltaci, A. K., & Mogulkoc, R. (2010). Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Testosterone Levels of Athletes and Sedentary Subjects at Rest and after Exhaustion. Biological Trace Element Research, 140(1), 18–23. Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men Comprehensive Nutritional and Dietary Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder—A Randomized, Controlled 12-Month Trial A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study Examining the Hormonal and Vitality Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in Aging, Overweight Males Mascio, J., & Mascio, J. (2026, May 3). Micronutrient deficiencies and low testosterone: the missing link in male health. Goldman Laboratories. Wrzosek, M., Woźniak, J., & Włodarek, D. (2020). The combination of a diversified intake of carbohydrates and fats and supplementation of vitamin D in a diet does not affect the levels of hormones (Testosterone, estradiol, and cortisol) in men practicing strength training for the duration of 12 weeks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 8057.

Written by Alan Wayne Wiederhold, Co-founder | Entrepreneur | Author | Podcast Host Alan Wiederhold is the cofounder of Neuma, a neuroscience-driven wellness brand focused on brain performance, resilience, and purposeful living. A veteran, entrepreneur, and endurance athlete, he shares insights on stress, human optimization, cognitive health, and doing hard things. Neuroscience is forcing us to rethink one of the biggest assumptions about high performance. Not all drive comes from ambition. Sometimes it comes from survival. For most of my life, I believed my relentless drive was discipline. I thought success came from grit, endurance, and work ethic, wake up early, push harder, stay moving, outwork everyone. From the outside, it probably looked that way. I built businesses, led teams, ran ultramarathons, and spent decades operating in high-performance environments. But over time, I began to realize something uncomfortable, much of what I thought was ambition was actually nervous system conditioning. What looked like discipline on the outside was often hypervigilance underneath. Modern neuroscience is changing how we understand trauma, stress, resilience, and human performance. Researchers like Bessel van der Kolk have helped bring mainstream attention to how unresolved stress and trauma influence emotional regulation, physical health, relationships, and even decision-making. That conversation matters because many high achievers are unknowingly rewarded for survival patterns. The high performer’s secret nobody talks about Many of the behaviors celebrated in leadership culture can also exist as adaptive stress responses. These include perfectionism, chronic overworking, difficulty slowing down, emotional suppression, hyper-independence, constant achievement, needing control, and high stress tolerance. Corporate culture often rewards these traits. Society applauds them. Leadership books glorify them. But neuroscience asks a more important question, "What if some high-performing behaviors are actually rooted in nervous system survival mechanisms rather than healthy adaptation?" Trauma is often misunderstood because people associate it only with catastrophic events such as combat, violence, or severe accidents. Trauma is less about the event itself and more about how the nervous system encoded the experience. For one person, trauma may come from war. For another, it may come from years of unpredictability, criticism, emotional neglect, abandonment, or childhood abuse. The nervous system only learns one thing, "Am I safe?" When the answer becomes “not consistently,” the brain adapts accordingly. Sometimes that adaptation looks a lot like high performance. When success becomes armor For years, I lived in what I now understand was chronic sympathetic activation, fight or flight. I was always moving, always producing, always scanning, always preparing for the next thing. If I slowed down, discomfort surfaced, stillness felt unsafe. Achievement became temporary relief, the next race, the next accomplishment, the next project, the next business goal. From the outside, it looked like ambition. Inside, it was exhaustion. One of the most pivotal moments of my life did not happen during a race or after a business milestone. It happened sitting across from my wife. We had been married for decades, raising children and building a life together. From the outside, we looked stable and successful. But emotionally, I was disconnected, present physically, absent emotionally. During a marriage exercise one evening, she looked at me and said, “I love you, but I’m not in love with you anymore. You don’t even love yourself.” That moment stopped me cold. At first, I wanted to defend myself. I was working hard, providing, showing up, at least I thought I was. But the truth was harder to face. I had spent most of my life learning how to perform instead of learning how to feel safe being fully seen. That conversation forced me to confront unresolved childhood trauma that had quietly shaped how I viewed vulnerability, relationships, success, and even rest itself. For the first time, I realized achievement had become armor. Underneath that armor was a nervous system operating in survival mode for decades. That realization did not instantly heal everything, but it created awareness and awareness became the beginning of change. The brain and body keep the score At one point, I was in arguably the best physical shape of my life. I was running ultramarathons, training relentlessly, and pushing myself physically at high levels. Yet mentally and emotionally, I felt depleted, not tired, exhausted. That is where many founders, entrepreneurs, executives, athletes, and high performers quietly live. The assumption becomes, “I just need more discipline,” “I need more caffeine,” “I need to work harder.” But neuroscience increasingly shows that chronic stress reshapes the brain and body over time. Research surrounding the autonomic nervous system, cortisol regulation, and chronic stress demonstrates how prolonged sympathetic activation influences sleep, emotional regulation, cognitive clarity, inflammation, recovery, and decision-making. In other words, the operating system matters, and the brain is the operating system. If the nervous system is dysregulated, performance eventually becomes reactive instead of intentional. That affects focus, patience, creativity, recovery, leadership, emotional regulation, resilience, and relationships. This is not weakness. It is biology. Neuroplasticity changes the conversation The hopeful part of modern neuroscience is that the brain is adaptable. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural pathways based on repeated experiences, behaviors, thoughts, and environmental inputs. For years, many believed emotional patterns and behavioral conditioning were largely fixed, but modern neuroscience shows otherwise. Patterns can change, responses can change, behavior can change, and adaptation can change. Psychologist Daniel Kahneman famously demonstrated how much of human behavior operates through fast, automatic pattern recognition systems designed for survival rather than conscious reasoning. Much of what we experience emotionally happens beneath conscious awareness long before logic enters the picture. That is why awareness alone is rarely enough. You cannot simply “mindset” your way out of nervous system conditioning. The brain changes through repeated experiences that reinforce safety, adaptability, and regulation. That may include therapy, mindfulness, physical movement, breathwork, emotional awareness, sleep optimization, recovery practices, healthy relationships, and trauma-informed interventions. The goal is not to eliminate stress entirely but to increase adaptive capacity. Why high performance starts in the brain We often think performance starts in the gym, in business strategy, or with motivation. But performance begins upstream, in the brain. Your ability to focus, regulate emotions, recover from stress, adapt under pressure, and make decisions all originate there. If the nervous system is overloaded, performance becomes reactive, if it is regulated, performance becomes intentional. This applies to founders, executives, athletes, veterans, parents, creators, and anyone carrying invisible stress. The highest performers I know are not simply physically strong, they are neurologically adaptable. That represents a different level of resilience entirely. Endurance taught me what neuroscience later confirmed As an ultrarunner, I have spent thousands of miles listening to my brain negotiate discomfort, “You’re done,” “This is too much,” “You can’t keep going.” Sometimes those signals are legitimate, sometimes they are protective overreactions. The brain’s primary responsibility is survival, not peak performance. That distinction matters. Discomfort and danger are not always the same thing. Training teaches discernment, as does emotional healing and self-awareness. The ability to recognize, “This is discomfort, not actual threat,” can transform leadership, relationships, recovery, and performance. What leaders need to understand If you lead people, this conversation matters professionally as much as personally. Unresolved stress patterns rarely stay internal, they show up externally through burnout, emotional volatility, impatience, poor listening, defensiveness, inability to delegate, overwork culture, and control issues. A dysregulated leader often creates dysregulated environments, while a regulated leader creates stability. Leadership is not just strategy, it is nervous system stewardship, and that may be one of the most overlooked conversations in modern leadership today. The real definition of resilience Resilience is often mistaken for grinding harder, but that definition is incomplete. True resilience is adaptability, recovery, emotional flexibility, clarity under pressure, the ability to remain grounded during uncertainty, and the ability to experience discomfort without being ruled by it. That is trainable, and that is where hope exists. Final thoughts For years, I believed my greatest strength was discipline. Today, I believe it is awareness. Understanding how the brain responds to stress changed how I think about leadership, performance, relationships, recovery, and purpose itself. Some of the traits we celebrate in high achievers may not always be evidence of health, sometimes they are evidence of adaptation. The good news is that adaptation can evolve. Neuroplasticity means your story is not fixed, your nervous system is not your destiny, and high performance does not begin with pushing harder. It begins with understanding the brain driving everything. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Alan Wayne Wiederhold Alan Wayne Wiederhold, Co-founder | Entrepreneur | Author | Podcast Host Alan Wiederhold is the cofounder of Neuma, a neuroscience-driven wellness company behind Cogni-6™, a scientifically formulated blend created to support brain performance, stress resilience, and purposeful living. A Navy veteran, entrepreneur, author, podcast host, and endurance athlete, Alan’s work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, human performance, and resilience. After navigating trauma, burnout, and personal reinvention, he became deeply passionate about understanding how the brain, nervous system, and mindset shape the way we live, lead, and perform. Through content, speaking, and Neuma, his mission is to help ambitious humans stay sharp, build resilience, and power their purpose.

In a market crowded with activewear brands, Alo Yoga has become one of the clearest examples of how modern branding is evolving beyond products. Founded in 2007 by Danny Harris and Marco DeGeorge, Alo began as a yoga apparel company. But its rise has been driven by something larger than clothing. The brand has positioned itself as a wellness ecosystem that includes apparel, digital fitness content, retail experiences, skincare, and a strong lifestyle identity. That distinction matters. Many companies compete primarily on product features, price, or distribution. Alo competes on belonging. Its stores are designed to feel more like wellness spaces than traditional retail locations, and its marketing consistently reinforces a specific vision of health, movement, and modern luxury. Customers are not just buying leggings; they are buying into a lifestyle. This reflects a broader shift happening across consumer brands. As products become easier to replicate, the harder advantage to copy is identity. Community, aesthetics, experience, and emotional connection increasingly matter as much as the product itself. Alo also illustrates the growing power of founder-led brand building. Harris and DeGeorge have remained closely connected to the company’s vision, helping maintain consistency as the brand expanded from apparel into a broader wellness platform. The lesson for entrepreneurs is not simply to create a better product. It is to create a world people want to join. That may be the most important branding insight in the Alo story: in the next generation of consumer brands, the strongest companies will not just sell things. They will create communities, identities, and experiences that customers choose to become part of.

Most people do not need to be “fixed,” they need to be gently guided back to the truth of who they are. Angela Attar is a North London-based holistic healer, spiritual guide, Kabbalistic energy healer, and homeopath whose work helps people move beyond old emotional patterns, inner noise, and disconnection through her signature programme, Journey to the True Self. Born from her own experience of healing a chronic illness and a profound spiritual awakening in 2009, Angela’s approach weaves together Kabbalistic wisdom, soul-level healing, and holistic medicine to uncover what is really keeping people stuck. In this interview, she explores why healing often goes deeper than mindset, why old patterns repeat despite years of inner work, and what it means to guide others while still walking her own path. Angela Attar, Holistic Healer & Spiritual Guide What first led you to create Journey to the True Self? It began with my own experience of being unwell in a way that medicine couldn't fix. For years, I lived with endometriosis, a chronic condition that caused relentless pain. Conventional medicine offered management but no answers, and deep down, I knew the illness was telling me something. My body was in dis-ease, asking me to listen. In 2009, everything shifted. I came across a book about the healing power of thought and something stirred in me that I can only describe as an awakening. I began exploring the mind-body connection, natural medicine, energy healing, and eventually the ancient wisdom of Kabbalah and piece by piece, I healed. What became clear through that process was that healing isn't just physical or even emotional. It is a return to the soul. Journey to the True Self grew from that understanding, a programme I wished had existed when I was at my lowest point, now held open for others who are ready to begin their own path home. How did your own healing journey shape the practice you have today? My practice didn't come from a textbook. It came from necessity. I trained as a Reiki Master because my first energy healing experience opened a doorway I hadn't known existed. But almost immediately, I felt called to go deeper, and that led me to Kabbalah, a tradition that, for me, holds the most profound and complete map of the soul I have ever encountered. Over time, I came to understand that what I had always been reaching for in a session had its roots in Kabbalistic wisdom. The Reiki Foundation gave way to something I now call Kabbalistic Energy Healing, a practice that works at the level of the soul, not just the energy field. Alongside that, I studied homeopathy, which spoke directly to my belief in the body's innate intelligence. Each thread of my practice arrived through lived experience first, and I think that is precisely what gives the work its depth. I didn't arrive at this as a theory. I arrived at it as a human being trying to find my way back to myself. What makes Journey to the True Self different from coaching or therapy? Coaching tends to work with goals and strategy, where do you want to go and how do you get there. Therapy tends to work with the past, understanding what happened and why. Both are valuable. But Journey to the True Self works at a different level entirely. It works with the soul. That means we're not just talking about what you think or what happened to you. We're exploring who you truly are beneath the patterns, the fears, the conditioning and gently returning you to that. Sessions weave together spiritual guidance, emotional healing, and Kabbalistic Energy Healing, which means we're working on every level simultaneously: the mental, the emotional, the energetic, and the spiritual. People often arrive having already done therapy. They know their patterns intellectually but can't shift them. That's because some things can't be talked through; they have to be moved through at a soul level. That's what this work does. It doesn't just relieve symptoms. It supports lasting transformation from the inside out. Why do you think so many people are feeling disconnected from their inner guidance today? We live in a world that rewards output above all else. We're conditioned from an early age to look outward for answers, to experts, to metrics, to the opinions of others and to distrust the quieter, more subtle wisdom that lives within us. Add to that the relentless pace of modern life, the noise of constant connectivity, and the pressure to perform, achieve, and appear well, and the inner voice simply doesn't get a chance to be heard. Many people I work with aren't broken. They're exhausted. They've been running so long, managing so much, pushing through so consistently, that they've lost touch with themselves. They don't know what they actually feel, what they truly want, or what their soul is calling them toward. Disconnection is often the result of survival. The path back is not about doing more; it is about learning, perhaps for the first time, to slow down, turn inward, and trust what you find there. Where does modern wellness often stop short when it comes to fear, stress, and anxiety? Modern wellness has given us extraordinary tools: breathwork, mindfulness, movement, and nutrition. These matter. But they often address the symptoms without touching the root. Fear, stress, and anxiety are not simply physiological states to be managed. They are, in my experience, signals from the soul. They arise when we are living out of alignment, when our choices, our relationships, our daily lives are disconnected from who we truly are and why we are here. When we treat anxiety only as something to calm down, we miss the message it is carrying. When we treat stress only as something to reduce, we miss the invitation it is offering. The missing piece in much of mainstream wellness is the soul. Without that dimension, we can feel better temporarily but never truly free. Real, lasting change requires us to go beneath the surface to understand what the fear is pointing to, and to address that. That is where Journey to the True Self begins. What is one sign that someone is living from fear rather than soul alignment? The clearest sign I see is a life built around avoiding rather than choosing. When we are living from fear, our decisions are driven by what we don't want. We avoid conflict, avoid failure, avoid being seen, and avoid change. We say yes when we mean no. We stay in situations long past the point they are serving us. We keep ourselves busy so we don't have to feel what is underneath. There is often a pervasive sense of heaviness, a feeling of going through the motions, of performing a version of your life rather than actually living it. People describe it as feeling like they are watching themselves from a distance, or like something essential is missing, but they can't name what. That gap between the life you're living and the life your soul is calling you toward, that quiet, persistent ache, is one of the most common things I encounter. It is almost always pointing to something that deserves to be heard. What helps a person begin rebuilding trust in their own inner wisdom? The first and most important thing is learning to pause. We are so accustomed to reacting to life, to emotions, to other people, that we rarely give ourselves the space to actually feel what is true for us. The practice of pausing, even briefly, begins to create the conditions in which inner wisdom can be heard. You acknowledge what is arising. You slow down enough to understand it rather than push past it. Gradually, you begin to soften the grip of the habitual response, creating room for something truer to emerge. From there, it becomes a practice of noticing. Noticing when something feels aligned and when it doesn't. Noticing the difference between the voice of fear and the voice of the soul because they do feel different, and with practice, you learn to tell them apart. Trust is rebuilt through small, consistent acts of listening. Every time you honour what you genuinely feel rather than what you think you should feel, you are strengthening that connection. It is slow work, but it is the most important work you will do. How has being on your own healing journey shaped the way you hold space for others? Profoundly and in ways I'm still discovering, because I'm still on it. I don't hold myself up as someone who has arrived. I am a fellow traveller who has walked far enough along this path to guide others with some steadiness, but I know what it is to feel lost, to struggle, to not yet understand what a particular season of your life is trying to teach you. That lived experience means I don't hold space from a place of distance or clinical detachment. I hold it from a place of genuine recognition. When someone sits with me in their fear or their confusion or their grief, I am not watching from the outside. Something in me knows that terrain. I also think it keeps me humble. The moment a healer believes they have all the answers, something essential is lost. Staying on my own journey, continuing to learn, to grow, to be challenged, means I remain a student of this work even as I guide others through it. I think that makes the space safer, more honest, and more real. Why do so many people keep repeating the same patterns, and what does it actually take to break the cycle? Because patterns don't live in the mind. They live in the body, in the energy field, in the soul. We can understand a pattern completely, know exactly where it came from, be able to articulate it with great clarity, and still repeat it. That is because intellectual understanding alone doesn't create change. The pattern has to be met at the level where it actually lives. In Kabbalistic wisdom, there is a concept called tikkun, the soul's unique correction in this lifetime. The repeating patterns we experience aren't random. They are, in a very real sense, the soul's curriculum. The same dynamic surfaces again and again, not to punish us, but because the soul is asking us to meet it differently this time. What it takes to break the cycle is threefold. First, the willingness to stop and look honestly at what is actually happening. Second, the courage to feel what has been avoided, because patterns are often held in place by emotions we have never allowed ourselves to fully experience. Third, soul-level work that addresses the root rather than the symptom. When we approach our patterns not with shame or frustration but with genuine curiosity, asking what this is here to teach us, everything shifts. That is the work and it changes everything. What would you like readers to understand about taking the first step toward their true self? That it doesn't require you to have it all figured out. So many people wait until they are ready, until the timing is right, until they understand exactly what they need, until things are calm enough to look inward. But in my experience, the moment you feel called is the moment you are ready. The soul doesn't send that quiet nudge by accident. The first step is simply a conversation. No commitment, no pressure, no expectation. Just a gentle, honest exploration of where you are and whether this path feels right for you. That is what the Free Discovery Call is for. I want readers to know that whatever has brought them to this moment, the exhaustion, the anxiety, the sense that something needs to change, that is not a weakness. That is the soul speaking. It is asking to be heard. If you are willing to listen, the journey home has already begun. 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