Meagan Hruska is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, entrepreneur, and trauma-informed practitioner who is redefining how healing is experienced in modern therapy. Through her integration of experiential and somatic practices, along with Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, she helps individuals and families reconnect with themselves, rebuild trust, and create lasting transformation by engaging both the mind and body in the healing process. Meagan Hruska, Licensed Mental Health Counselor Who is Meagan Hruska? I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor LMHC, leader, and innovator in the mental health field, with over 10 years of clinical experience across diverse settings. I currently own a private practice where I specialize in experiential learning, somatic based therapy, and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. I am also the co founder of Dusty Boots Barn, which provides equine assisted mental health services along with training and workshops for professionals in mental health, healthcare, and education. Previously, I served as an Adjunct Professor, teaching and working within university counseling centers to support students, faculty, and staff. My experience also includes residential and inpatient units, outpatient treatment, federal probation, state prisons, and county jails. I was honored by the South Carolina Department of Corrections for developing and implementing an anger management program for incarcerated individuals, and I contributed to a community prevention team focused on reducing sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. At the core of all my work is a deep commitment to helping people reconnect with themselves. My intention is to guide individuals back home to who they truly are in mind, body, and soul. What inspired you to become a therapist and trauma informed healer? My journey began when I was 19, sitting in a men’s group at a local county jail. I remember the therapist asking when they first experienced or witnessed violence. What followed was a flood of deeply personal and painful stories. In that moment, I realized these were not bad men, but individuals shaped by trauma, disconnection, and a lack of safety and love in their early lives. That experience changed everything for me. I knew I wanted to help people reconnect with the parts of themselves that had been buried beneath pain. Early in my career, I worked in similar environments including prisons, probation programs, and inpatient settings. During my training, I was introduced to equine therapy through a mentor who showed me the power of experiential healing. Working with horses opened my perspective to deeper levels of transformation where healing is not just talked about but felt and embodied. That experience shaped my path as both a therapist and a trauma informed healer, and it continues to influence my work today. What makes your approach to counseling and healing unique? My approach centers on experiential and somatic based practices that engage the whole person, not just the mind. While traditional therapy often focuses on conversation and insight, I create opportunities for clients to physically experience change. For example, to illustrate the weight of unresolved past experiences, I may ask a client to hold a stack of books and not put them down. As the physical strain builds, they begin to connect that sensation to the emotional weight they carry in their lives. With families, I might invite them to share a meal together in session to model connection and quality time. With individuals, I may guide them to embody their most confident self through posture, movement, and presence. In couples or family sessions, I sometimes ask clients to communicate alignment without speaking, relying only on body language. These exercises often reveal deeper truths than words alone. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is another powerful component of my work. Horses provide immediate, honest, and nonjudgmental feedback, allowing clients to experience themselves and their relationships in real time. When therapy becomes an experience rather than just a conversation, it becomes more authentic, impactful, and transformative. How do you help clients rebuild trust in themselves? Rebuilding trust begins with creating opportunities for clients to experience their own inner knowing. Rather than simply telling clients to trust themselves, I guide them to generate their own ideas, reflect on past experiences where their instincts were accurate, and test new behaviors in safe and supportive ways. Experiential work plays a key role here. When clients directly experience what happens when they listen to themselves, trust begins to develop naturally. Equally important is the therapeutic relationship. I genuinely believe my clients have the answers within them, and when they experience that belief from me, it often becomes a catalyst for their own self trust. Trust is not built through thought alone. It is built through lived experience, consistency, and embodiment. What specific mental health challenges do you often support individuals and families with? At the core, I see one primary challenge, disconnection from oneself and from others. When individuals are disconnected from themselves, it becomes difficult to form meaningful and healthy relationships. This disconnection can manifest in many ways including anxiety, emotional dysregulation, relationship conflict, and a lack of clarity or purpose. Many people have never experienced what true connection to themselves or others actually feels like. My work focuses on helping clients rediscover that connection and rebuild it in a way that is authentic and sustainable. While this process can be challenging and requires commitment, consistency, and willingness to step into the unknown, it is also where the most profound healing occurs. What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and how does it benefit clients? Equine Assisted Psychotherapy involves working with horses alongside a licensed therapist and a qualified equine professional. It is grounded in the principles of safety, rhythm, and relationship. One of the key benefits is that it removes the pressure to verbally process trauma. Clients can engage in healing through experience rather than words alone. Through activities such as groundwork, somatic exercises, and rhythmic riding, clients can regulate their nervous system, build self awareness, and develop relational and emotional skills. Horses are highly sensitive and respond to body language and emotional states in real time. They offer honest, immediate, and nonjudgmental feedback, making it difficult to hide or perform. This creates a powerful opportunity for clients to develop authenticity, presence, and self awareness. Because horses are relational herd animals, they also provide a unique experience of connection, trust, and belonging, especially for those with trauma or attachment wounds. What results have clients experienced through your therapeutic process? Clients often report a deeper connection to themselves and a stronger sense of self trust. They begin to live more authentically, express their voice more clearly, and align their lives with their true values. Their relationships improve, and their overall sense of fulfillment and well being increases. However, these results come from active participation. The clients who experience the most transformation are those who fully commit to the process and are willing to engage in the work, even when it feels uncomfortable. True change requires more than attending sessions. It requires action, courage, and a willingness to face all parts of oneself. What is the first step someone should take if they are ready to begin healing with you? The first step is a decision, choosing to become who you are meant to be. You do not need to have everything figured out. That is my role as a therapist. But you must be willing to commit to the process and engage fully in the work. Healing is not always easy or comfortable, but it is always worth it. Follow me on Facebook and visit my website for more info! Read more from Meagan Hruska

Written by Maria Isa , Legacy Architect Maria Isa spent over a decade building billion-dollar brands across Africa. Now, as a Legacy Architect and mBIT coach, she guides experts in building a legacy of impact and influence. You've succeeded in your career and earned respect, yet something feels missing. This is a crisis of direction, not ability, and it's more common than you think. The success trap nobody warns you about I've worked with remarkable people over the years, senior leaders with decades of experience, entrepreneurs who scaled businesses across markets, and professionals who manage million-dollar budgets and build notable reputations. And almost all of them, at some point, have said some version of the same thing, “I know I am good at what I do. But I am not sure I am doing what I am actually here to do.” That sentence signals a quiet internal compass. Success, often steered by others, can lead to losing touch with yourself. This is not burnout, though burnout can follow. This misalignment is one of the most overlooked challenges facing high-achieving professionals today. What misalignment actually looks like Misalignment rarely announces itself loudly. It creeps in through small, persistent signals that are easy to dismiss when you are busy achieving things. You may feel restless after a promotion that should satisfy, or uncertain when asked to define your real contribution. Your answer shifts depending on the audience, because your genuine response is still emerging. You may notice your content feels performative rather than compelling, as if you are playing a version of yourself rather than communicating authentically with your full expertise. You chase goals, but satisfaction is brief, as discomfort returns when each milestone does not quite fulfil you. “The problem is never a lack of capability. It is a disconnection between what you know, what you care about, and what your gut is telling you, three things that, in a busy professional life, rarely get to sit in the same room together.” by Maria Isa, Founder of AfriMaisha Why success does not automatically bring clarity Professional development often centers on external measures like strategy, execution, and visibility. These achievements, however, do not guarantee internal clarity. Few people are taught to value inward development, listening to your values, instincts, and what matters to you, not just your analytical mind. Research from Deloitte’s global workforce surveys has consistently found that a significant proportion of professionals feel disconnected from a sense of purpose at work, even those who are externally thriving. This is not just a generational issue or a wellness trend, but a structural gap in how we develop professionals. I grew up watching brilliant people across Africa build exceptional careers, only to wonder, in their forties or fifties, whether they had built the right thing. Their expertise and achievements were real, but that clear and confident voice, articulating who they were, what they stood for, and what they were leaving behind, had not yet developed, often postponed for the next deliverable. That is the pattern I built Afrimaisha to interrupt. Three signs your internal compass needs recalibrating Before you can find your direction again, you need to identify where the disconnection is happening. These are the three signs I see most consistently: You struggle to articulate your message with confidence. This is not about your job title, but your actual message. The point of view that makes your expertise distinctly yours. When someone asks what you do, you may find yourself reaching for safe, generic language instead of speaking with the clarity and conviction your experience has earned you. You are visible but not resonating. You show up. You post. You attend. But the opportunities, collaborations, and clients you want are not finding you, because the version of you the world sees is not quite the full picture. There is a gap between your expertise and how you communicate it. You are hitting goals but losing meaning. Each milestone brings a shorter window of satisfaction. You are not ungrateful. You are simply misaligned. The goals were real, but they were built on someone else’s map of what success should look like for you. The N.A.V. Method – Notice, Align, Voice The framework I use with my clients is called the N.A.V. Method, which stands for Notice, Align, Voice. It is a practical, three-stage process designed for high-achieving professionals seeking clarity in their message and legacy. This method draws on the principles of mBIT, Multiple Brain Integration Techniques, a methodology developed by Grant Soosalu and Marvin Oka. As a certified mBIT coach, I have adapted these ideas so clients can use the wisdom of the head, heart, and gut, three distinct and equally important centers of intelligence, to guide their next steps with confidence and clarity. It does not ask you to abandon what you have built or start from scratch. Instead, it asks you to do what most professionals have not done, turn inward deliberately before taking your next step outward. It works in three stages: Notice. This is where everything begins, with honest observation. What are you doing when time disappears? What problems do people bring to you without being asked? What themes have followed you across every role, industry, and country you have worked in? Noticing is not overthinking. It is data collection from the most important source available, your own lived experience. Align. Once you have noticed the patterns, the alignment work begins. This means bringing your analytical mind, your values, and your gut instinct into alignment, rather than forcing one to override the others. It is about finding a direction where all three can move together. Most professionals are highly skilled at using the head center of intelligence. Far fewer have learned to integrate what the heart and gut know. This is where clarity stops being purely intellectual and begins to be felt. Voice. Clarity without expression is invisible. The final stage is learning to articulate your direction, your message, your expertise, and your point of view with clarity and confidence that captures attention and builds connection. Not a polished personal brand designed for an algorithm, but your real voice doing meaningful work in the world. This is not a quick fix, nor is it a years-long process. With structure and support, clarity can replace confusion in weeks. This leads to sustained professional momentum, something that hustle and external strategies alone cannot create. Your direction was never lost, it was drowned out If this message resonates, know that your clarity is not lost. It has simply been drowned out by noise and the expectations of others. You do not need more skills. You do not need a bigger platform. You do not need to wait for a promotion or business milestone before moving in your own direction. Your internal compass was never broken. It just needs recalibrating. If you see yourself in these words, let’s continue the conversation on LinkedIn, where I share weekly insights on message clarity, legacy positioning, and thought leadership. For visual learners, YouTube is where I explore the N.A.V. Method and legacy architecture in more depth. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn  and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Maria Isa Maria Isa, Legacy Architect Maria Isa believes that legacy isn't about leaving something behind but rather by transforming your expertise into impact you can witness. A former Strategist for the likes of Unilever and Colgate- Palmolive, she spent years making products unforgettable. Now, as the Legacy Architect and founder of AfriMaisha Marketing Consulting, she helps corporate executives do the same for themselves. Through mBIT neuroscience coaching, Maria ensures her clients show up with a presence that is fully aligned with who they are. She is the author of Modern Advertising Essentials and guides successful professionals from being known only to their industry peers to becoming a voice that influences generations. Reference: https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/issues/work/content/genzmillennialsurvey.html

Written by Annyx Day, B.A., M.A. , RTT Hypnotherapist and RTC Success Coach Annyx Day is the founder and CEO of Living Life Above, Moving Yourself Forward, a RTT Practitioner/Certified Hypnotherapist, and a RTC Success Coach. She helps and guides her clients excel in their personal and professional lives. RTT ® is about healing your past much quicker than traditional therapy can offer because I go to the root, the cause, and the reason for your issues. I don’t dissect the symptoms, I go directly to what caused the symptoms in the first place. If you wonder what that healing journey looks like, I explain the different stages you may experience. The RTT® methodology, created and founded by Marisa Peer, combines the most effective techniques from Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Hypnotherapy, and Psychotherapy. Instead of working backwards, RTT® goes straight to the root, cause, and reason for someone’s issues. Therefore, most of my clients only need 3 to 4 sessions to help heal deep-rooted issues and trauma. You cannot do the lie anymore You are hurt, feel broken, and you need help. In my previous article titled “A Roadmap to Healing: How to know you are on the right path,” I explained how I wholeheartedly believe everyone comes to a crossroads at one point in their lives, where they recognize there is a problem, and now they have to decide to either go left or go right. The road to the left represents a state of denial, ignorance, irresponsibility towards personal healing, letting fear dictate your future, and so on. The road to the right represents the opposite. It represents courage, knowing you are worthy of not feeling this way anymore, healing one’s past, strength, curiosity, facing the unknown, loving yourself enough to know you deserve a better life, exploring limiting beliefs, moving beyond what is keeping you stuck, personal growth, expansion, breaking free from the status quo, having faith in your soul wanting more out of life, and so on. Once this realization comes into your life, you absolutely have the power to heal yourself. The acknowledgement of self-worth This occurs when you acknowledge you deserve a better life and that something needs to change. You deserve a better life than being stuck in survival, fight, or flight mode, and you are entitled to explore what inner peace, freedom, and having a regulated nervous system actually feel like. You are allowed to live your life filled with inner peace and freedom. First, second, and third RTT® sessions Most of my clients come to their first RTT® session anxious, nervous, and not really knowing what to expect, and that is okay. It is my job to answer their questions, set them up for success, and say, “Trust yourself, trust that your subconscious mind has all the right answers for you to heal, and trust the RTT® process.” At the end of their first session, most of my clients say, “I feel much lighter, like a weight has been lifted,” and “I have not felt like this in such a long time.” My clients never leave my office feeling the same way they came in. By their second session, my clients already know what the groundwork looks and feels like. They are very curious about what else they can heal. At the end of this session, they understand themselves even better and realize how all their issues are interrelated, interconnected, and interdependent. Some clients have healed issue #3 as a by-product of healing issue #1, e.g., some of my clients automatically drank a lot less because they healed from anxiety and stress from being in abusive marriages. By their third session, my clients really look forward to the process and how they will feel at the end of their session. They are genuinely excited about what comes next for them. This is where I teach them about manifesting and guide them in learning how to receive and manifest the life they are meant to live. Every session builds on the last, and it is a progressive shift forward. The paradox of facing the darkness Facing the darkness is one of the scariest things you will do. Here is the truth, though, you need to face the darkness, but also move through it to get to the other side. Most importantly, what awaits you on the other side is the light that will guide you beyond survival mode, where inner peace and pure freedom are felt, and where permanent transformational healing takes place. The breakthrough You awaken to what you had to endure, what you have been through, where it has led you, and how it has shaped you until now. This is the saddest part of awakening, but the most liberating if you are properly guided by a professional who has been there herself. It is the saddest part of healing because you start imagining what your life would have been like and looked like had you not had to go through the trauma, had it not been part of your life. Some clients get stuck here, after their first session, if they don’t allow themselves to be properly guided or if they feel they can’t go on with subsequent RTT® sessions. But know this, if you trust yourself that you can do this and trust the process, you will get to the other side. This awakening is liberating when you recognize how strong and resilient you actually are because you endured the trauma. In fact, you would not be who you are today. Some people may see this as a weakness, conversely, I would argue it is the opposite. You instinctively did what you did, or didn’t do, in order to survive the trauma. When you recognize this, you enter the space in which you learn how to trust yourself again, which allows you to step back into your own power. The mindset shift Now you need to ask yourself, what do you need to change in order to break the cycle and create a new healthy lineage for yourself and for those who follow? There may be many answers to this question, and of course, it will depend on the context surrounding your situation. First and foremost, you need to lean into yourself, trust yourself again, love yourself more, and acknowledge you are absolutely worthy of changing direction to improve and create a new path forward, one that your future lineage will thank you for. It could mean developing better communication skills, improving one’s accountability, taking your responsibilities more seriously, instilling new patterns that positively affect family dynamics, creating a positive environment that supports being seen and heard, upholding an environment where safety and support are primordial, fostering unconditional love, setting healthy boundaries, giving yourself grace, becoming more empathetic, embracing self-betterment from a place of gratitude, and the list goes on. The truth about perfection Acknowledge that you are not perfect. In fact, no one is perfect. Never chase perfection because that is a race you will not win. Marisa Peer, creator and founder of RTT®, says, “Those who are perfectionists are the unhappiest people I know. We are all flawed people living in a flawed world.” Yes, there will be days when you feel you have taken two steps back, that is just part of the healing process. Instead, take those days as proof that you have made progress. Take those moments to reflect on how far you have come. Therefore, you need to learn to give yourself grace. I always say, “The only job we have is to be better than we were yesterday.” You have to be kind to yourself, give yourself grace every single day, keep forgiving yourself, but keep moving forward toward self-betterment. Moving yourself forward Keep leveling up and keep rising because the Universe keeps rewarding those who rise. Along your healing journey, especially once you have learned a life lesson, the Universe will “test” you with a similar situation to see how you will react. If you hold your ground in that situation, then the Universe will reward you for standing in your power. Let’s take, for example, the situation where you have created new healthy boundaries with a “toxic” friend/acquaintance and start saying “no” when you really mean “no.” As uncomfortable as it may be, when you stand your ground and remain in your power in that situation, pay attention to what the Universe sends your way afterward. I had a client say “no” in a challenging friendship situation, and that same week, she won a gift certificate. This is one example, but I have many more. In essence, keep rising no matter the day you have had. People accumulate more wisdom from hardship than they do from success. Furthermore, some have succeeded because the hardship taught them so much, even within those “what not to do” nuances. I know I have! Emulate leadership Lead by example because others are currently inspired by your journey. Never underestimate your efforts, your determination, your resilience, your drive for self-betterment, and someone is always watching you with admiration. When you are doing it for yourself, others will learn to do it for themselves. Learned behaviours? Absolutely! If people learn negative behaviours, they can absolutely learn positive behaviours as well! Here is the truth, sometimes this healing journey may feel like a solo journey, and it may be for the time being, but know the time will come for you to share your healing journey with people, and they will be inspired by your path. As with most things, this will have a positive domino effect. The switch Eliminate bad habits and replace them with healthy ones, e.g., fuel your body, drink healthy liquids, and think positive thoughts. Your body will demand better from you, and your overall health will expect a better response moving forward. Make anew Detox your mind, body, and soul. Along with thinking better thoughts and taking care of your body, pay attention to your environment. Declutter your space and create your personal sanctuary because your environment contributes to your wellbeing. Furthermore, ask yourself, “What does my soul need?” Then honour it. When you start living in a space of safety, inner peace, and freedom, the mind, body, and soul will follow suit. Peace may feel strangely quiet and uneasy at first, but stay in that frequency. True healing thrives in this frequency. Self-recognition Acknowledge how far you have come. Never forget where you came from and how far you have come. Do not compare yourself to others. Instead, make the comparison between you from 1, 3, 10, and even 30 years ago to the way you are today. Acknowledge and stand in your growth, your evolution, and your lessons learned! Here is an important reminder, do not let anyone put you down or diminish your efforts toward self-betterment. Those who don’t have your best interest at heart. Be your loudest voice, your loudest cheerleader, and self-praise every single day! Go even deeper Heal what still lingers with another RTT® session. Usually, I focus on one issue per session. If, after your third session, you feel something else needs to be resolved, then book another RTT® session. For those who do not know, each session builds on the last, and you learn so much more about yourself with each session you experience. I always say, “RTT® is like a spa session for your soul!” Prioritize self-praise Praise yourself every single day, multiple times a day. The purpose of self-praise is not to boost the ego, it is to calm and strengthen your soul. Self-praise is the most important thing you can do for yourself. When you prioritize self-praise, you validate your self-worth every time. Conversely, when you allow other people’s perceptions of you to be more important than your own, you are essentially giving your power away. Think about it, "Why would you give greater importance to someone’s judgment of you over what you know to be true of yourself?" To practice self-praise is to stand in your own power. Honour your purpose Re-discover your soul’s purpose. Every one of us has a purpose, whether you know what it is or not. The most beautiful gift you can give to others is to be your true self. We are meant to live our lives in alignment with our purpose. If you do not know what your purpose is, ask yourself, “What did I love to do between the ages of 6 and 9 years old?” “What brought me joy?” Whatever your answer is, do more of it. If this is something you wish to explore for yourself, if you are starting your healing journey, or if you have heard how RTT® fast-tracks clients in their healing journey and want to experience it for yourself, contact me here , or 613-797-8096, and I will be honoured to help and guide you! If you would like to know how I have helped my clients heal themselves, please read my clients’ testimonials here . Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn  for more info! Read more from Annyx Day, B.A., M.A. Annyx Day, B.A., M.A. , RTT Hypnotherapist and RTC Success Coach Annyx Day is bridging the gap between people’s personal and professional excellence. Regardless of the various careers she upheld, one theme always stood out to her. Why do people do what they do in their personal as well as professional lives, and what is behind people’s behaviours? Her life’s purpose has always been to help people and to inspire people to move beyond life’s obstacles and challenges and to live a better, more evolved life. Annyx is the founder and CEO of Living Life Above, Moving Yourself Forward, a Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) Practitioner/Certified Hypnotherapist, and a Rapid Transformational Coaching (RTC) Success Coach.

Sandra Merula is a Mental Health & Life Coach, author of “ADHD and Autism. The ‘Together’ People,” working as a mentor at the intersection of Autism, ADHD, trauma, and power dynamics. A neurodivergent thinker herself, she challenges rigid diagnostic narratives and explores identity beyond labels. Her work blends structure with intuition, psychology with depth, and clarity with unapologetic honesty. Through her writing and cat-assisted philosophy, she invites individuals to rebuild identity consciously, not obediently. Sandra Merula, Mental Health Coach, Neurodiversity Mentor Who is Sandra Merula? Sandra Merula is a mental health and life coach, ADHD, autism, OCD, AuDHD, and BPD mentor and author who works patiently with emotional health and neurodiversity, with a particular focus on the complex experience of living with AuDHD herself. My story, however, did not begin with a professional title. It began with trying to understand my own mind. For many years, my life moved through constant extremes. Peace felt unfamiliar to me, and during calmer periods, I sometimes recreated chaos, almost as if I needed to confirm the painful things I had been told about myself growing up. For a long time, that cycle defined my life. The shift came when I began looking at life from a different perspective. I started seeing it almost like a complex computer game. In a game, you make decisions, you face consequences, you lose some rounds and win others, but you also keep learning how to play better. You can always do better! At some point, I asked myself a question that changed everything. What if everything I had been through, the chaos, the mistakes, the painful relationships, the self-blame, could become something useful? What if those experiences could help someone else understand themselves sooner than I did? Remembering how very much I needed someone understanding, a mentor, who would tell gide me through the darkness, or happily salute me if I succeeded.  That idea eventually became my work. “You have to go through the darkest of times to become the person you would have needed in those moments. And that person is your life’s purpose.” – Jenny Dinovi Today, I work with people from many different walks of life, teenagers trying to understand themselves, adults navigating identity and burnout, professionals struggling with confidence, couples, parents, and individuals who feel that their inner world does not fit into conventional expectations. But mostly, trying to slowly show people who is actually suffering (inner child), or who is the real enemy of your beautiful self (you!). A particularly important part of my work focuses on neurodivergent individuals, especially those living with both ADHD and autism. If the experiences I described earlier can feel intense, neurodivergent people often live them at an entirely different level. I once heard a sentence that stayed with me, “Someone you needed most in your darkest moments often becomes your life’s purpose.” That idea resonates deeply with my work today. At the same time, I remain a student of this work. Human psychology is complex, and growth never really ends. As the saying goes, if you think you have learned everything, you have learned nothing. And perhaps that is why I often joke that I will always be a bootmaker without boots, someone who helps others repair their shoes while continuing to walk and learn herself. My work begins where people finally stop trying to fix themselves and start understanding how their minds were always meant to work. I actually start to forget and hardly believe that before fully entering the field of mental health and neurodiversity, I spent over fifteen years working in business leadership, including roles as a general manager in sales and in the fashion industry. It’s extraordinary what shifts we might experience in life!  What inspired you to focus your work on emotional health and neurodiversity? My work started long before I had a professional title for it. It started with trying to understand my own mind. For many years, I lived the same experience that many of my clients now describe, feeling different, intense, misunderstood, and constantly trying to “fix” myself. Only later did I understand that I was navigating life as a neurodivergent person. That realization changed everything. It helped me see how many people, especially those with both ADHD and autism, grow up believing they are broken, when in reality, they were never given the right framework to understand themselves. My book “ADHD and Autism: The Together People” grew from that experience. I wanted to describe the daily realities of living with both conditions, not just the clinical definitions. Today, my work focuses on helping people understand their emotional patterns, rebuild self-trust, and finally feel that their inner world makes sense. What are the most common challenges your clients face before they come to you?  Most people who come to me are exhausted from trying to function within systems that were never designed for how their minds work. Many of them are highly intelligent, deeply empathetic, and incredibly talented. But internally, they often feel chaotic or overwhelmed. Some of the patterns I see most often include: chronic burnout from years of masking feeling like they are “too much” emotionally or “all over the place” physically difficulty trusting themselves or their decisions cycles of overthinking and self-sabotage confusion about identity and purpose Many of my clients have spent years being told they are lazy, dramatic, or overly sensitive. In reality, they are usually people who have been navigating life without the right language or understanding for their experiences. Once that understanding begins to form, things start changing surprisingly quickly.  What makes your coaching or mentoring different from other support options out there?   The biggest difference is that I approach emotional health from three directions, psychology (mostly one tool in particular, lived experience, and pattern recognition. I am not speaking as an outside observer about neurodiversity. I understand it from the inside. That allows me to notice patterns that are often overlooked, especially in people who live at the intersection of ADHD, autism, trauma, or high emotional sensitivity. Another key difference is that my work focuses heavily on identity reconstruction. Many people arrive believing they are fundamentally flawed. Instead of teaching coping strategies, we work on understanding the deeper internal narratives that shaped how they see themselves. When those narratives change, behavior and emotional regulation often shift naturally. Real change usually begins when people stop fighting their minds and start understanding how it actually works. What results can someone expect after working with you one-on-one?  The most important change people experience is clarity. For many of my clients, it is the first time their inner world makes sense. Instead of feeling like they are constantly battling themselves, they start recognizing patterns in how they think, react, and process emotions. Some of the shifts people often report include: reduced mental chaos and overthinking stronger emotional boundaries greater self-trust when making decisions improved relationships and communication a sense of identity that feels authentic rather than forced My goal is not to create dependence on guidance. It is to help people develop the ability to understand themselves well enough to navigate life with confidence and self-respect. What advice would you give to someone who’s struggling but hasn’t reached out for help yet? If you feel overwhelmed, misunderstood, or as if your mind is somehow “too complicated” to figure out, you are far from alone. Many people spend years believing their struggles mean something is fundamentally wrong with them. In reality, what they often lack is not strength or intelligence, but the right framework to understand how their mind works. You deserve clarity about your own inner world. And asking for support is not a sign of weakness. It is often the first step toward finally feeling at home in your own mind. Some advice I heard exactly 2 days ago, which actually left me super impressed, made me feel safe. If that is ok, I’ll pass it through, “In this day and age, when we have everything, we lack even more, and to feel even more miserable, we turn to too much incorrect social media, where we start to compare ourselves to others, always us being the failure, let’s be, we must be insanely, unopologetically, absurdly to the point that it is hilarious, forgiveful to ourselves. You think someone will come and tell you to ease up? To chill? To stop, breathe, and think for a minute? No, ain’t happening. So please, no matter what, try to hear, amid all this noise, how very much you need your own kindness and forgiveness, so please, leave yourself the heck at peace!  Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Sandra Merula

Written by Elliot Ross Surgenor, Visionary Entrepreneur and Founder Elliot Ross Surgenor is the founder and CEO of Fly Business Aviation, with operational bases in Miami, Scottsdale, and Cabo. With a background in media, entrepreneurship, and luxury aviation, he specializes in elevating private travel through innovation and exceptional client service. There’s a moment in every business that no one plans for, but eventually, everyone faces. It doesn’t appear in strategy decks, and it’s never part of the plan. Yet when it happens, everything is tested. Not your vision or your long-term strategy, but your ability to respond in real time. It doesn’t happen gradually Contrary to what most people expect, failure doesn’t build slowly. It arrives all at once. One variable shifts, then another, and suddenly what felt controlled just minutes ago is no longer stable. In private aviation, this can happen within hours. I’ve seen flights fully confirmed just before departure, only for everything to change at the last minute, not because of one issue, but because multiple variables shift simultaneously. A weather system changes, an aircraft becomes unavailable, a timeline collapses, and the entire operation has to be rebuilt in real time. But this isn’t unique to aviation. Every business has its version of this moment. This is where leadership actually shows Anyone can lead when things are working, when timelines are respected, processes hold, and outcomes feel predictable. But leadership isn’t defined in those moments. It’s defined when information is incomplete, time is limited, and the cost of getting it wrong is real. In that moment, you don’t have the luxury of analysis. You only have the ability to decide. The instinct to react is the biggest risk In high-pressure situations, most people default to reaction. They try to fix something quickly, reduce immediate tension, and move fast just to regain control. But reaction is not leadership. In many cases, it creates a second problem, one that didn’t need to exist. Over time, I’ve learned that the goal is not to move fast, but to move correctly, especially when speed is expected. Clarity is a competitive advantage When everything starts to break, complexity increases. More variables, more options, more noise. But the strongest leaders don’t add more, they remove. They focus on what is still viable, what is no longer acceptable, and what actually protects the outcome. Clarity is not about knowing everything; it’s about eliminating what doesn’t matter, quickly and decisively. People don’t expect perfection, they expect control One of the most misunderstood aspects of leadership is the expectation of perfection. In reality, people don’t expect everything to go right. They expect you to handle it when it doesn’t. Whether it’s a client, a team, or a partner, what they are evaluating is simple: do you understand the situation, can you communicate it clearly, and can you move forward without hesitation? In many cases, the situation itself matters less than your response to it. Your systems get exposed, not created There’s a common belief that strong leaders rise in crisis. The reality is more uncomfortable. Crisis doesn’t build leadership, it reveals it. And most people don’t realize what they’ve built until it’s too late to change it. Under pressure, you fall back on your systems, your team reflects your structure, and your decisions reflect your habits. If those aren’t solid before the problem, they won’t appear when you need them. The cost of hesitation is higher than the cost of being wrong This is one of the hardest lessons to internalize. Most leaders fear making the wrong decision. But in high-stakes environments, hesitation is often more expensive than error. Waiting leads to missed timing, lost opportunities, and erosion of trust. Decisiveness, even when imperfect, creates momentum, and momentum is what keeps operations alive. What this moment teaches you Over time, you begin to understand that the day everything fails is not an anomaly, it’s part of the system. Every business will eventually face a breakdown, a misalignment, or a moment where things stop working. And in those moments, the same principles apply: stay clear, not reactive; prioritize with discipline, not emotion; and communicate with control, not urgency. Every business will eventually face the day everything fails. Not hypothetically, not eventually, but inevitably. And in that moment, there are no strategies left to hide behind, no time to rethink structure, and no space to hesitate. There are only decisions. Because leadership isn’t defined by how well things run when everything works. It’s defined by what happens when they don’t. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Elliot Ross Surgenor Elliot Ross Surgenor, Visionary Entrepreneur and Founder Elliot Ross Surgenor is a leading entrepreneur in private aviation and the founder of Fly Business Aviation, based in Miami, Scottsdale, and Cabo. With a background in media and international business development, he has built a company known for its innovation, personalized service, and refined operational standards. Elliot also leads Lusso Jet Design and Air Dining Cabo, subsidiaries focused on luxury jet interiors and in-flight catering. His expertise spans brand strategy, client experience, and aviation operations. He is also the host of a podcast exploring leadership and the future of the industry. Passionate about giving back, Elliot supports philanthropic efforts, including initiatives for children in need.

Written by Andrew Murphy, Mindset Self-worth Coach Dru Murphy is a certified mindset self-worth coach who has been helping people all over the globe change the way they see themselves and gain a deeper sense of self-worth and confidence for more than 5 years. His simple but effective coaching style is what makes clients comfortable enough to be open and trust him fully as their coach. First, let me say that this is a lesson I know we all must revisit (some of us more often), but building resilience and having an adaptive mindset will help you overcome obstacles, thrive in the face of change, adversity, and challenges, and create a fulfilling path through life. This is a strategy that will take practice, but over time, if you can master it, your life will change. Resilience and the adaptive mindset are two interconnected concepts that are essential for personal and professional growth. As we delve into this topic, you will discover how these skills can empower you to overcome obstacles, thrive in the face of change, challenges, and setbacks, and create the life that is exactly the one you want. 1. Understanding resilience Definition: Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity, challenges, or setbacks. It involves adapting well when faced with trauma, difficult situations, failures, or stress. Think of resilience as a psychological "muscle" that can be strengthened over time, and as with muscles, if you do not use it, you will lose it. Key elements of resilience: Emotional awareness and regulation: Being able to recognize, understand, and manage your emotions under pressure. People with high emotional awareness tend to maintain composure during tough times. Optimism and hope: Viewing setbacks as temporary rather than insurmountable obstacles. This does not mean ignoring difficulties, but rather seeing the possibility of a better outcome. Problem-solving skills: The ability to objectively assess a situation, generate potential solutions, and make decisive actions, even when faced with uncertainty. Support systems: Building and relying on supportive social connections, such as friends, family, colleagues, or mentors, can buffer the effects of stress. Self-efficacy and confidence: Belief in one's own ability to handle challenges and the willingness to take risks and step outside of comfort zones. Example of resilience in action: Consider the story of a professional athlete who faces a severe injury. Instead of giving up, they focus on recovery, undergo intense therapy, and return to competition stronger than before. The journey to regain their footing is marked by perseverance, acceptance of setbacks, and learning from the process. 2. The adaptive mindset Definition: An adaptive mindset refers to a way of thinking that embraces change, uncertainty, and continuous learning. It is a mindset that seeks growth and pivots strategies when necessary, rather than becoming stuck in rigid beliefs or methods. Note that this is not your comfort zone. Characteristics of an adaptive mindset: Open-mindedness: The willingness to consider new ideas, perspectives, and feedback. Individuals with an adaptive mindset are curious and flexible. Growth-oriented approach: A belief that skills, talents, and knowledge can be developed through effort, practice, and persistence. This contrasts with a fixed mindset, which sees abilities as static and unchangeable. Embracing failure as learning: Instead of fearing failure, those with an adaptive mindset see it as a valuable opportunity for growth and insight. Agility and flexibility: Quick to pivot strategies when circumstances change. This skill has become especially important in dynamic work environments and fast-paced industries. Continuous learning: Adaptive thinkers are lifelong learners. They seek knowledge from diverse sources and continuously refine their understanding. Why an adaptive mindset matters: The world is changing right before our eyes. When we look at technological advances, globalization, and societal changes, we can see that the ability to adapt and grow is critical. Those who can shift their approaches and rethink problems are more likely to thrive in complex and unpredictable situations. 3. Building resilience and an adaptive mindset Strategies to build resilience: Develop self-awareness: Practice mindfulness or reflection to understand your emotions and triggers. Cultivate optimism: Focus on past successes and visualize positive outcomes to reinforce a hopeful outlook. Build strong connections: Nurture relationships that offer emotional support and collaboration. Take care of your body: Physical health impacts mental resilience. Sleep, nutrition, and exercise are key. Break down challenges: Approach problems in smaller, manageable steps. Strategies to foster an adaptive mindset: Seek feedback: Actively request and incorporate feedback to refine your thinking and behaviors. Learn new skills: Step out of your comfort zone and acquire skills that challenge your current abilities. Reframe challenges: Look at obstacles from different angles to find new paths forward. Focus on the process: Prioritize learning and effort over immediate results. Stay curious: Read, explore, and engage with new ideas regularly. 4. The connection between resilience and adaptability Resilience and an adaptive mindset are interdependent. Resilience helps you endure and push through hardships, while adaptability allows you to pivot and change course in response to new information or changing circumstances. Together, they create a cycle of learning and growth. The resilient person does not simply "bounce back" but learns and evolves through each challenge, while the adaptive thinker thrives by transforming obstacles into opportunities. I want to stress that these are strategies and tools that will take practice and, with time, become easier. One should not rush or feel stressed when failing to implement these tools. Remember, “this is a marathon, not a sprint,” so slow down, take your time, and be kind to yourself, even when you fail or miss the mark. You are learning, and learning takes time. I encourage you all to reflect on your own experiences. Where have you demonstrated resilience or adaptability in your life? How can you continue to strengthen these abilities moving forward? As a mindset and self-worth coach, my job is to help guide you with tools and strategies that will lead you to a more fulfilled life, where you can freely pursue your goals while maintaining a high level of self-worth and, most importantly, a growth mindset. If you are interested and want to know more about my coaching and whether I am the right coach for you, feel free to contact me for a free consultation call, where we will discuss your goals, challenges, and how I can help you. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram ,  and visit my LinkedIn  for more info! Read more from Andrew Murphy Andrew Murphy, Mindset Self-worth Coach Dru Murphy is a certified ACT/CBT mindset self-worth coach. He is the owner and founder of Level Up Coaching & Consulting. He specializes in helping clients with developing a deeper sense of self-worth and a better understanding of who they are and want to become. Dru's unique and effective coaching style is what sets him apart from other coaches. Not only will he support and guide his clients along their personal development journey, but he will also hold them accountable and demand discipline.

Written by Lina Jurgile, Mindset & Transformation Coach Lina is a Mindset and Transformational Coach, Reiki Master, and certified NLP, Hypnosis, and Time Line Therapy® practitioner. She helps women heal emotional blocks, reprogram the subconscious mind, and align their energy to create a confident, joyful, and purposeful life filled with balance and inner peace. Hey there, beautiful soul. If you're reading this, I have a feeling you're one of those incredible women who's been carrying a quiet weight for far too long. You know the one, the nagging voice that whispers, "You're not enough," right when you're about to step into something bigger, better, or just plain true to you. Maybe it's showing up in your relationships, where you give and give but feel like you're always chasing approval. Or at work, where you hold back your ideas because "Who am I to speak up?" Or even in those late-night scrolls, comparing your behind-the-scenes mess to everyone else's highlight reel, leaving you exhausted and wondering, "Why can't I just feel worthy?" I'm Lina's guide here, wait, no, I'm your mindset mentor, an NLP practitioner, timeline therapy expert, and Reiki Master. My mission? To help women like you rise in self-worth so you can shine like the diamond you already are. I've walked this path myself and with my 1:1 clients over six-month journeys, watching them break free from that silent prison of self-doubt. And today, we're diving deep into exactly how low self-worth keeps brilliant women like you stuck, and, more importantly, the three powerful NLP shifts that can set you free. These aren't fluffy affirmations; they're practical, transformative steps rooted in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), designed to rewire your mind from the inside out. Picture this: You're in a room full of women just like you, strong, talented, kind-hearted, but each one dimming her light because of that deep-seated fear of not being enough. That's the audience I light up for: the ones nodding in the front row, stuck in toxic relationships they know they deserve better from, afraid to quit that soul-sucking job, dreaming of moving to a new country but paralyzed by "what ifs." The people-pleasers who want to say "no" but can't, the dreamers who long to start that passion project but tell themselves they're too old, too silly, too fat, too boring, or that others will judge them harshly. If that's you, this article is your invitation to freedom. We'll unpack the pain, the roadblocks, and then I'll walk you through those three NLP shifts, step by step, so you can start applying them today. By the end, you'll have tools to quiet that inner critic and step into the worthy, shining life waiting for you. Let's start with the heart of it: understanding the silent prison of "not enough." This isn't just a passing thought; it's a core belief that shapes every corner of your life. And it's sneaky, it doesn't scream; it whispers, eroding your confidence bit by bit until you're stuck in patterns that feel impossible to break. The deep ache of feeling 'not enough', and why it keeps you stuck Imagine waking up every morning with a subtle dread, not from external chaos, but from that internal voice questioning your worth. For so many women I work with, this is daily reality. It's that soul-tired exhaustion from feeling fundamentally unworthy, like you're always one misstep away from being exposed as "not good enough." This belief isn't born overnight; it's often rooted in past hurts, childhood messages that you had to earn love, a breakup that confirmed your fears of abandonment, or failures that replay like a broken record, whispering, "See? You're flawed." This core pain point, the fear that you're inherently not enough, fuels everything. It's why you stay in toxic relationships, pouring love into partners who don't reciprocate, because deep down, you think, "If I just try harder, I'll prove I'm worthy." But it never works; it only leaves you resentful and drained. Or why you cling to that job you hate, afraid to quit because "What if I fail again? What if no one hires someone like me?" The frustration builds as you watch others thrive, wondering why you can't muster the courage to chase your dreams, like starting that business, moving abroad, or simply saying "no" to demands that overstep your boundaries. Let's get real about the frustrations this creates. First, there's the emotional weight: that constant inner tug-of-war where you feel invisible or overlooked. You give your all in friendships, family, or work, but get crumbs in return. It bubbles up as resentment, "Why does no one see my worth?", and leaves you questioning if you're even lovable as you are. Then there's the endless self-doubt in decisions. Simple things like choosing an outfit or voicing an opinion spiral into "What if I mess up?" This steals your joy, turning life into an exhausting overthinking marathon. Comparison is another thief. Scrolling through social media, seeing "perfect" lives, amplifies the pain: "Why can't I have that confidence? That happiness? That success?" It feels unfair, like you're sidelined while others shine. And the roadblocks? Oh, they're brutal. Not knowing where to start is huge, vague advice like "Just love yourself" falls flat because it doesn't address the root. Past hurts replay on loop, trapping you in cycles: "If I failed before, why try now?" Lack of support adds isolation; friends might say "You're fine," but they don't get the depth, making change feel lonely. Daily challenges stack up too. Morning mirror battles set a negative tone: "Ugh, look at me," making you fake confidence all day while feeling like an imposter. Boundary struggles mean saying "yes" when you mean "no," leading to burnout and resentment. Over-apologizing zaps energy, "Sorry" for existing, for sharing ideas, turning interactions into drains instead of energizers. But here's the truth: This prison is silent because you've normalized it. You've adapted to shrinking, settling, hiding your light to stay "safe." Yet deep down, you crave more, to wake up feeling enough, to attract the love, career, and friendships you deserve, to shine without apology. The good news? You can break free. As an NLP practitioner, I know our minds are programmable. NLP, neuro-linguistic programming, focuses on how language, thoughts, and behaviors shape our reality. It helps reframe limiting beliefs, release past anchors, and create new neural pathways for empowerment. In my 1:1 work, we dive into this over six months or more, blending NLP with timeline therapy (to heal past timelines) and Reiki (to clear energetic blocks). But today, I'm sharing three key NLP shifts that my clients use to escape this prison. These are actionable steps you can start right now. Each shift includes explanations, real (anonymized) client stories, and step-by-step guidance. Let's set you free. NLP shift 1: Reframing the inner narrative, from 'not enough' to 'inherently worthy' The first shift is all about reframing, changing how you interpret your experiences and self-talk. In NLP, we recognize that our words create our world. That "not enough" narrative is a frame that's limiting you, but you can swap it for an empowering one. Think of it like this: Your brain filters reality through beliefs. If "I'm not enough" is the filter, you'll see evidence everywhere, an ignored text as rejection, a work critique as proof of inadequacy. Reframing flips the script, highlighting your strengths and worth. One client, Sarah (not her real name), was stuck in a toxic relationship. She'd stay up nights thinking, "If he really knew me, he'd leave." Her low self-worth kept her people-pleasing, afraid to say "no" or demand better. Through NLP reframing, she shifted to "I am worthy of love as I am," and it changed everything. She left the relationship, started a side hustle, and attracted healthier connections. Steps to apply this shift: Identify the limiting frame: Set aside 10 minutes daily. Journal the "not enough" thoughts: "I'm not smart enough for that promotion," "I'm too much for anyone to love." Notice patterns, do they stem from past events? Be gentle; this is awareness, not judgment. Challenge the evidence: For each thought, list counter-evidence. NLP calls this "reality testing." Ask: "What proof do I have this is true? What proof says otherwise?" For Sarah, evidence against was her friends' admiration and past successes. Write at least three positives. Create an empowering reframe: Turn the negative into a positive. Use "I am" statements: From "I'm not enough" to "I am inherently worthy, growing every day." Make it specific: "I am worthy of respect in relationships." Say it aloud, feeling the shift. Anchor it with visualization: Close your eyes, imagine embodying this new frame. See yourself saying "no" confidently, shining in a meeting. Use NLP anchoring, touch your thumb and forefinger together while visualizing to "anchor" the feeling. Trigger it anytime doubt creeps in. Practice daily integration: For a week, reframe one thought per day. Track in a journal: Old thought, new frame, how it feels. Over time, this rewires your neural pathways, making worthiness your default. This shift alone can dissolve that nightly whisper, helping you feel seen and valued. But let's build on it. NLP shift 2: Releasing past anchors using timeline techniques to let go of old hurts Low self-worth often anchors to past events, those moments that "proved" you're not enough. In NLP and timeline therapy, we work with your mental timeline (how you store memories) to release these anchors, freeing you from replaying old pain. Your timeline is like a mental line: past behind, future ahead. Traumatic memories can "stick," pulling you back. Releasing them allows forward movement. Take Mia, a client afraid to start her dream coaching business. Childhood criticism from parents anchored the belief "You're too silly to succeed." She people-pleased at her job, stuck in fear. Through timeline work, she released those anchors, quit her job, and launched her venture, which is now thriving. Steps to apply this shift: Map your timeline: Sit quietly. Imagine your life as a line, where's the past, present, and future? Some see the past on the left, the future on the right; others see it behind/ahead. There's no right way, discover yours. Identify key anchors: Think of "not enough" moments: A rejection, failure, criticism. List 3-5. Note the emotions: shame? fear? This highlights what holds you. Float above the timeline: Visualize floating above your timeline, looking down at those events. NLP dissociation reduces emotional intensity, see them as distant movies, not personal. Release with reframing and energy clearing: For each event, ask: "What did I learn? How did it make me stronger?" Reframe: "That rejection taught resilience; I'm worthy regardless." If you're open, add Reiki-inspired energy work: Place your hands on your heart, breathe deeply, and imagine white light dissolving the anchor. Reintegrate and future pace: Float back into the now, then forward to a worthy future. See yourself shining, saying "no," starting that project, being in healthy relationships. Anchor this vision (thumb-forefinger touch). Daily maintenance: Spend 5 minutes nightly reviewing. If an old anchor resurfaces, float above it and release it. Over time, the past loses power, freeing energy for the present. This shift clears roadblocks, turning "stuck" into momentum. Clients like Mia say it’s like lifting a fog, they finally see their diamond shine. NLP shift 3: Building future worth using submodalities and visioning for lasting empowerment The final shift uses NLP submodalities, how you represent thoughts (visual, auditory, kinesthetic), to amplify worthiness and envision a shining future. Low self-worth often dims positive images; we brighten them. Submodalities are qualities: Is your "not enough" image dark or small? Make worthy visions bright and big. This programs your brain for success. Emma, afraid to move countries, saw her future as blurry and scary. We adjusted her submodalities; now she's in her dream location, confident and free. Steps to apply this shift: Assess current submodalities: Think of a "not enough" belief. Note: visual (dim, far)? auditory (harsh voice)? kinesthetic (heavy feeling)? Journal the details. Contrast with a positive memory: Recall a worthy moment, small win, compliment. Note the submodalities: bright? close? warm? This is your "worthy template." Adjust the negative: Take the "not enough" image; change it to match the worthy: brighten, enlarge, soften the voice, lighten the feeling. NLP's "swish pattern": Imagine the negative image small and far, and "swish" the worthy one big and close. Vision your future: Create a worthy future scene: You shining, new job, healthy love, saying "no" easily. Apply strong submodalities: vivid colors, empowering sounds, joyful feelings. Anchor and rehearse: Anchor this vision. Rehearse daily: 10 minutes visualizing, stepping into it. Feel the worthiness. Integrate with action: Pair with small steps: Say "no" once weekly, journal wins. Track progress; adjust submodalities if needed. Combining these shifts, my clients transform over months, leaving toxicity, starting dreams, and shining unapologetically. Breaking free: Your path to shining like a diamond Beautiful, you've made it through. That silent prison? It's cracking. These three NLP shifts, reframing narrative, releasing anchors, and building future worth, are your keys. Start small; consistency builds the change. Remember, you're not broken; you're a diamond under pressure, ready to shine. If this resonates, imagine what six months of 1:1 work could do, deep dives into NLP, timeline therapy, Reiki, tailored to you. We heal the root, so you attract the life you deserve: fulfilling relationships, bold careers, and unshakeable worth. Ready to rise? DM me on socials or book a discovery call. You've got this, your light is needed. Shine on, diamond. 💎 Book a free discovery call here . Follow me on Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Lina Jurgile Lina Jurgile, Mindset & Transformation Coach Lina is a Mindset and Transformational Coach, Reiki Master, and certified practitioner of NLP, Hypnosis, and Time Line Therapy®. After transforming her own life through deep mindset and energy work, she now helps women release emotional blocks, reprogram limiting beliefs, and reconnect with their true selves. Combining neuroscience-based tools with Reiki energy healing, Lina guides her clients to create inner freedom, confidence, and a life aligned with purpose and joy. Her mission is to help women remember their power and consciously design the life they deserve.

Written by Jason Brett, Founder and Creative Director Jason Brett is the co-founder of Curated by Dapper & Suave, a mentor, mental health first aider, and charity trustee. He champions creativity, confidence, and community through events that empower small businesses to shine. Retail is evolving, but not in the way many expected. While technology, automation, and convenience continue to accelerate, a quieter shift is happening alongside it. Customers are no longer satisfied with simply purchasing a product; they want and require connection, transparency, and meaning. The experience gap in modern retail Walk into many retail environments today, and the experience is often the same, efficient, functional, but lacking depth, with minimal engagement, limited conversation, and little to no emotional connection. I have experienced this in well-known flagship stores located in London. Customer service, once the cornerstone of retail, has, in many cases, become secondary to speed and convenience. Yet the irony is this: efficiency does not build loyalty, experience does. And this is created through human interaction, where body language, tone of voice, and presence all play a critical role in shaping how a customer feels. A simple acknowledgment, eye contact, or genuine conversation can transform a transactional moment into a memorable one. These are not soft skills; they are commercial assets. From transaction to connection Through our pop-up shopping markets, we made a deliberate decision to return to something that feels almost “old school”, real interaction. Not just showcasing products, but creating an environment where customers meet the person behind the brand, as that is where true differentiation lies. Customers don’t just want to see what you sell, they want to understand who created it, why it exists, and how it is made. This is where storytelling becomes critical. The rise of story-led buying We are seeing a clear shift in consumer behavior, with customers becoming more conscious, more curious, and more selective. We are seeing this far more with the younger generation, who have a better understanding and are sharing this with others. They are actively moving away from mass-produced products and poor-quality imports. After talking to new businesses who are joining our Curated by Dapper & Suave Markets, they are seeing this at well-known markets that let anyone in, often with items that have little or no provenance or are bought and claimed to have been made themselves, which is often not the case. The customers and other brands at markets want to see independent brands and makers with visible processes and businesses and brands with authentic stories. There is also increasing scrutiny around originality. Customers are asking more questions about whether products are genuinely designed, sourced, or created by the businesses selling them. This shift signals something important, "Trust is becoming a key driver of purchase decisions, and trust can only be built through transparency and storytelling." Why people are often overlooked One of the most surprising observations in retail is how often the most valuable asset, the person, is underutilized. Many businesses invest heavily in visual merchandising, branding, and marketing, but they often overlook the importance of customer engagement, communication, and presence. Yet it is the person standing behind the product who has the greatest influence on whether a customer buys or walks away. “People buy from people” is not just a sentiment; it is a behavioral reality. Investing in the person behind the brand At the core of any strong brand is the individual behind it. A brand is not just a visual identity; it is a human identity. It's all about how you communicate and present yourself, engage with customers, and share your story, all of which contribute to how your brand is perceived. This is why, within our own model, we prioritize getting to know every business we work with. Through direct conversations, often starting with a simple Zoom call, we go beyond the product to understand their journey, process, and intention. Effective curation is not just about product mix; it is about people alignment. Curated, kind, connected Our values, Curated, Kind, Connected, are not branding statements. They are operational principles designed to address what modern retail is missing. Curated – thoughtful selection that maintains quality and balance Kind – a conscious focus on customer experience and human interaction Connected – creating environments where relationships can form When these elements come together, the outcome is not just a successful event, it is a meaningful experience that extends beyond the point of sale. The future of retail is human-centric Retail does not need more products; what it needs more of is authenticity, transparency, interaction, and care. As consumers continue to move toward more conscious buying behaviors, the brands that will stand out are those that prioritize human connection. Ultimately, customers may remember what they bought, but they will always remember how they felt. Final thought The question for businesses is no longer, “What are you selling?” It is, “How are you making people feel, and who is delivering that experience?” In today’s retail landscape, the most powerful differentiator is not the product. It is the person behind it. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Jason Brett Jason Brett, Founder and Creative Director With a strong background in hospitality, customer service, and retail, Jason Brett knows the power of genuine connection. As co-founder of Curated by Dapper & Suave, he creates welcoming spaces for small businesses to share their stories and grow through creative pop-up events. Jason is also a mentor, mental health first aider, and charity trustee who champions wellbeing, confidence, and inclusion. His work inspires others to embrace authenticity and express themselves with pride.

Stacey Soans  is a Toronto and Vaughan based Director of Human Resources in the construction industry, published author of Fairways and Femininity, professional model with over a decade of editorial and beauty campaign experience, and an avid golfer who has played internationally. Her work bridges leadership, creativity, sport, and modern professionalism. Your career spans Human Resources, modeling, golf, and authorship. How did these paths come together? Stacey Soans: While each path began independently, they eventually aligned in a very organic way. Modeling introduced me to discipline and visual storytelling early on, golf became a space for focus and connection, and Human Resources shaped my leadership and strategic thinking — particularly within construction. Writing Fairways and Femininity allowed me to connect all of these experiences into one cohesive narrative that reflects how multifaceted modern careers can be. You are a Director of Human Resources in the construction industry. What makes HR leadership in this field unique? Stacey Soans: Human Resources in construction is highly dynamic and deeply operational. In the Toronto and Vaughan markets, you’re navigating compliance, labour relations, safety, and culture simultaneously. It requires credibility, adaptability, and strong communication. You’re working with people at every level of an organization, which makes the role both challenging and impactful. You’ve worked in editorial and beauty modeling since the age of 12. How has that long-standing creative career shaped you? Stacey Soans: Editorial and beauty modeling is rooted in creativity and collaboration. From a young age, I learned how to tell a story visually — translating concepts, moods, and identity through imagery. Over time, that work refined my eye for detail and helped me evolve creatively as the industry changed. Longevity in modeling requires adaptability, consistency, and a deep understanding of visual expression, all of which continue to shape how I approach creativity today. How long have you been playing golf, and what does the game represent for you today? Stacey Soans: I’ve been playing golf for many years, and it has grown into an important part of my lifestyle. I’ve had the opportunity to play in several countries, each offering a unique golf culture and perspective. Hawaii remains my favourite place I’ve ever golfed — the environment and energy are unmatched. Golf also has a strong fashion element, which I explore in Fairways and Femininity, and it’s an incredible space for networking, where relationships and conversations develop naturally. What inspired you to write Fairways and Femininity, and how did your academic background shape the book? Stacey Soans: Writing Fairways and Femininity marked my transition into published authorship and allowed me to bring intention to years of experience. My academic background at the University of Toronto played a key role in that process. The rigor of the program strengthened my writing, research, and public speaking skills, teaching me how to communicate ideas clearly and thoughtfully. The book reflects that foundation — blending structure, storytelling, and personal insight. What advice would you give to professionals looking to build a multidimensional career? Stacey Soans: Embrace all parts of who you are. Your interests, skills, and experiences don’t need to compete — they can complement each other. When your career is aligned with your values and creativity, it becomes both sustainable and fulfilling. The most impactful professionals today are those who allow themselves to evolve. Follow Stacey Soans Journey Stacey Soans on Instagram Stacey Soans’ Website

Delia Brett is a transformational coach, embodiment teacher, and yoga instructor with over 23 years of experience. She danced professionally for more than 30 years, including 25 years with EDAM Dance, becoming a master of contact improvisation and a mentor to generations of dancers. For 17 years, she co-directed MACHiNENOiSY, an interdisciplinary company creating boundary-pushing, radically inclusive performances across Canada, the U.S., and Europe, including transformative projects with Queer youth. Delia Brett, Coach, Teacher, Facilitator, Dance Artist Who is Delia Brett? I am a movement educator, coach, and artist devoted to the intelligence of the body and the relational field we live within. For over 30 years, I’ve been immersed in the study of movement, not just as performance, but as a way of listening. Listening to gravity, to sensation, and to the subtle ways we organize ourselves in relationship to others and the world. My lifelong practice and mastery of contact improvisation, alongside my work as a choreographer, dancer, and collaborative creator of interdisciplinary performance, have shaped how I understand both art and human potential. Through this, I’ve come to know how powerful we are, how we build worlds, and how we midwife the formless into form. I have been teaching contact improvisation and dance for over 30 years and continue to offer this work through intensives, workshops, and guest teaching at festivals. This remains a vital part of my embodiment practice and continues to inform everything I offer. At heart, I am a people artist. I work with and through the relational field. Today, my work expresses itself through three distinct but interconnected streams: Art Full Well, my transformational coaching practice; Green Room Yoga, the studio I steward; and East Van Wisdom School, an evolving, community-based learning space. Each offers a different entry point, but all are devoted to helping people reconnect with their own knowing, their creative power, and their place within the living fabric of life. Can you share what inspired you to start your work with Art Full Well and how it aligns with your mission? Art Full Well is my coaching practice, and it emerged after two and a half years of study with Dr. Claire Zammit and the Global Institute for Women-Centered Coaching. Through that work, I began to see myself more clearly and to recognize the often misunderstood capacities an artist develops, the ability to stay present under pressure, to work with complexity, to say yes to what is happening, and to transform it in real time. The art of utilization. Resilience. Embodied intuition. Creative and practical knowing. Art Full Well is where I bring that together with the deeper context of healing, personal transformation, and collective change. The name holds its meaning: Art as alchemy and mastery, the capacity to shape and transform. Full as wholeness, moving beyond fragmentation and survival. Well as both wellbeing and the deeper wellspring of knowing within us. This is the space where I do my deepest work. I work in long-term transformational containers, typically a minimum of 12 sessions over three to six months, because real change happens through relationship, over time. Most people arrive feeling disconnected from themselves, unsure of what’s possible, or operating from pressure and expectation. What we begin to uncover is that they haven’t lost their capacity, they’ve lost a relationship to their own knowing. As that relationship is restored, something shifts. They begin to experience themselves as creators, able to feel, respond, and give shape to their lives from within. This is the work of becoming a living, breathing work of art. How does your approach to movement and mindfulness benefit clients seeking personal transformation? It depends on the context, but the essence is the same: learning how to listen and how to trust what you hear. In my coaching work through Art Full Well, this happens through deep inquiry, reflection, and relational support. It’s a process of untangling, remembering, and reclaiming. In my yoga and movement classes at Green Room Yoga, the entry point is immediate and physical. Through sensation, breath, and attention, people begin to reconnect with themselves and with the intelligence of their own bodies, directly. This is deeply informed by my ongoing work in contact improvisation and improvisational movement, where listening, responsiveness, and relationship are central. Classes open the door. Coaching allows that awareness to be lived, integrated, and sustained. What sets your yoga and wellness offerings apart from other practices in the industry? My teaching is rooted in the art of improvisation. Each Yoga class begins with a moment of sangha, where students share what they’re arriving with and what they’re needing. This creates an immediate experience of being seen and included, and gives me real information to work with. From there, I compose the class in real time. It is not a fixed sequence, but a living, responsive process, and within that, it is highly precise. If someone is working with pain or restriction, I meet it directly in the flow, guiding them to feel what is happening and understand how to respond. Over time, they develop a deeper connection to the intelligence of their own bodies. I place strong emphasis on transitions, how we move, how we organize, and how we relate to effort and gravity. My classes are both playful and strong, grounded in deep core connection and an embodied sense of support. What may appear fluid is actually highly attuned. The aim is to move people out of striving and into inhabiting themselves, so movement is experienced rather than performed. How do you ensure that each class or session is tailored to meet individual client needs? In yoga, I don’t work from rigid, one-size-fits-all sequencing, but that doesn’t mean it’s unstructured. I’ve been teaching yoga for over 24 years, and my classes are carefully composed. I weave a flow, a sequence that students can follow, but within that, I build each movement from the ground up. I return to the same fundamental pathways again and again, so people can begin to recognize patterns in their own bodies and find an expression of each pose that truly meets them where they are. It’s precise, but it flows. In coaching, the work becomes even more individualized. Sessions unfold in real time, shaped by what is present and what is needed. In both spaces, I’m listening, not just to words, but to how someone moves, how they hold themselves, and how they relate. That’s what guides the work. What is the most common challenge your clients face, and how do you help them overcome it? The most common challenge is disconnection, not just from the body, but from the whole spectrum of themselves. Many people have lost connection to the truth that they are not separate, that they are part of the living flow of life, whole within it, and not outside of it. That they are free, their voice matters, their choices matter, and their lives make a difference. Instead, they are often living within inherited patterns, ideas about who they should be and what is possible. My work is about restoring that connection. In movement, this happens through direct experience. In coaching, we create the space to unravel what is not true and reconnect with what is. It is not about fixing, it is about remembering, and reclaiming one’s place within the greater movement of life. Can you describe the role of community in your work, and how it contributes to the healing process? My approach to community comes from my decades in the arts, where people are the primary resource. I spent 17 years building a collaborative, interdisciplinary company, creating work with artists across disciplines, and eight years developing a performance process for queer youth across British Columbia. Together, we created eleven original productions. What I witnessed again and again was what becomes possible when people are given space, trust, and a shared purpose. People come alive. There is something powerful that happens when we are seen, when we are included, and when we are invited to contribute to something larger than ourselves. This is the foundation of East Van Wisdom School, a space where people gather to explore, contribute, and learn together outside of rigid hierarchies. It’s a place where different voices, practices, and perspectives can meet, and where people are not positioned as passive recipients, but as participants in a living field. Community, in this sense, becomes a site of transformation. We begin to see ourselves in one another, to recognize our shared humanity, and to expand through that reflection. What impact have you seen on clients who commit to your programs over time? In yoga, people often experience increased strength, ease, awareness, and connection to their bodies. I have been teaching at Green Room Yoga since 2008, and some students have been practicing with me that entire time. I have seen real transformation, but I have also come to understand the limitations of staying only at the level of asana. Yoga was always meant to go deeper. The most profound and life-altering shifts, however, happen through coaching. In my long-term containers, I have seen people navigate divorce with grace, transition careers, create meaningful and aligned work, and launch their own businesses. I have seen clients step into leadership, heal long-held relational wounds, and move through patterns that once felt impossible to change. Some have moved cities or even countries. Others have resolved chronic pain or reconnected with a sense of purpose they thought they had lost. Beyond the external changes, something deeper happens. People begin to trust themselves. They reconnect with their intuition, their creativity, and their place within a larger field of life. They begin to experience themselves not as separate or limited, but as part of something alive, and as someone who can respond, create, and shape their life from within. This is why I see coaching as deeply transformational and inherently spiritual work. It is the dissolving of limited self-concepts and a return to something more true. As people reconnect with their creative power, they don’t just change their lives, they change the world. How can someone new to yoga or movement get started with your offerings without feeling overwhelmed? The simplest place to begin is with a class at Green Room Yoga. It is an accessible and supportive environment where people can reconnect with their bodies, their breath, and their own experience without pressure. For those drawn to movement more deeply, I also offer dance and improvisation workshops and intensives. These are spaces for relational embodiment, where movement becomes a vehicle for greater awareness of ourselves, how we show up, how we relate, and how we engage with the world. They are also spaces of witnessing and shared experience, where we encounter the extraordinary capacity of other human beings. This is deeply uplifting. Movement, in this context, becomes a vehicle for both personal and collective healing. What would you say to someone on the fence about reaching out to you for support in their personal growth journey? You don’t need to be ready , you just need to be willing. I begin with a conversation. We explore where you are, what you sense is possible, and what may be in the way. I listen, reflect, and help you see what you may not yet be seeing in yourself. Most people are not being met in that way. I see people as creators, artists of their own lives. This work is about becoming the living expression of who you are. You don’t need certainty. Just the willingness to begin. Read more from Delia Brett

Written by Mark Durieux, Sociologist and Educator Mark Durieux is a sociologist with over two decades of experience as a university instructor. Lead co‑author of Social Entrepreneurship for Dummies, he lectures, researches, writes, and publishes in environmental, economic, urban, and public sociology as well as research methods. Imagine a world where every corner of life, from the air we breathe to the schools we attend, is transformed into a marketplace, where the vibrant commons of nature and community are steadily paved over and replaced by commodified landscapes and privatized institutions. This is the unfolding reality driven by market fundamentalism. What does it mean for our sense of self, and how might we reclaim the spaces it threatens to erase? As Joni Mitchell once lamented, “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” Today, that parking lot is no mere convenience. It is a sprawling, relentless system that turns trust, education, health, and even our imagination into commodities designed for extraction and sale. What is market fundamentalism? For decades, scholars have traced how neoliberalism, characterized by privatization and deregulation, has hollowed out democratic institutions. It often cloaks itself in technocratic language like “efficiency” and “modernization.” Market fundamentalism strips away this veneer. It elevates the market to near-religious status, insisting that every facet of life must be commodified and measured through profit alone. In this worldview, public institutions become suspect unless they mimic private firms. Collective goods like clean air, public education, and health care are recast as burdens to be sold off. The shift from citizens to consumers Perhaps most insidious is the colonization of our minds and hearts. Trust shifts from collective institutions to charismatic leaders and corporate brands. We are encouraged to see ourselves primarily as consumers, our agency expressed through purchasing power rather than democratic participation. Problems are framed narrowly as technical issues to be solved by experts, not as political challenges demanding collective debate. This narrowing of imagination confines us to roles as competitors rather than co-creators of society. How crises are engineered At the heart of this colonization lies a deliberate tactic, engineering legitimation crises. Market fundamentalism doesn’t wait for public trust to erode organically, it manufactures the conditions for failure. The playbook is familiar: Strategic sabotage: Public institutions suffer budget cuts and staffing freezes. Visible failure: Schools falter, hospitals strain, and infrastructure crumbles. Blame shifting: Politicians blame “government” itself as inherently inefficient. Privatization as salvation: Private alternatives are offered as the only viable solution. This cycle has been rehearsed worldwide, from Chile to Britain, and recently in Brazil and Hungary. We see it reflected in modern political administrations that systematically weaken education and civil service to justify further market incursions. The reality of two-tier societies Market fundamentalism rarely eradicates public services outright. Instead, it creates dual systems that bake inequality into the very structure of our lives. We see a residual public tier that is underfunded and stigmatized, serving marginalized communities. Meanwhile, a premium private tier emerges, offering high-quality access mainly to those with wealth. This stratification permeates education, health care, and security. When those with access to private tiers have little incentive to defend universal systems, the erosion of shared goods accelerates. The rise of the cheerful robot Max Weber famously described modernity as a process of disenchantment, where the world becomes calculable and predictable. Market fundamentalism pushes this further, turning nature into “natural capital” and human relationships into data points. Sociologist C. Wright Mills warned of “cheerful robots”, individuals who adapt unquestioningly to bureaucratic demands. In today’s market-driven world, they morph into data-savvy optimizers of personal brands, hyper-rational as consumers but powerless as citizens. When institutions favor markets over people, democratic participation feels futile. Cynicism and withdrawal follow. 4 ways to re-enchant our world If market fundamentalism is a colonizing regime, are we doomed to live under its shadow? Not necessarily. Resistance begins with understanding the forces at play and intentionally building alternatives. Restore trust as a public good: Trust is infrastructure, not just a feeling. Rebuilding it requires investing in public institutions, practicing radical transparency, and creating genuine participatory processes that empower people beyond token consultation. Defend democracy’s immune system: Universities, independent media, civil services, watchdog NGOs, and unions are democracy’s immune cells. Supporting these institutions materially and politically is essential to resisting the erosion of our shared values. Reclaim the commons: We must assert that some things belong outside market logic, healthy ecosystems, basic healthcare, education, housing, and safety. This is a cultural project, expanding cooperative models while telling new stories of shared responsibility. Revive the sociological imagination: Understanding that personal struggles reflect structural problems reconnects us to collective action. Reawakening this imagination helps us see beyond individual blame and recognize the political nature of our crises. Start reclaiming your agency today Market fundamentalism is paving over more than physical landscapes, it is eroding institutions, social bonds, and our very capacity to imagine alternatives. Yet history reminds us that colonization always breeds resistance. The challenge before us is both simple and profound, "Will we accept a future where everything is paved, privatized, and profited from? Or will we reclaim the collective authority to decide where paradise begins, and where the paving must stop?" Take the first step today by supporting a local public institution or community cooperative in your area. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Mark Durieux Mark Durieux, Sociologist and Educator Mark Durieux is the developer of the increasingly popular Generative AI app, The Sociological Imagination , and the lead co‑author of Social Entrepreneurship For Dummies. He has researched and written extensively on introductory, environmental, economic, urban, and public sociology, as well as on research methods. Mark works with communities and organizations in Canada and abroad to advance social entrepreneurship, equity, and democratic engagement. His mission is to democratize sociological knowledge, thereby inviting the public into critical, hopeful conversations about how society can change for the better.

Written by Lee Lin Cher, SEC (O Level) English Tutor Mr Lee Lin Cher, SEC (O Level) English Tutor and Exam Strategist. Mr Lee Lin Cher is a veteran teacher and tutor, coaching students on the subject of English language for the Singapore-Cambridge SEC (O Level) English exams. He has been teaching since 1993 and has authored (to date) a total of 16 books on the subject. Teachers. Love them or hate them, they are here to stay, for now and perhaps forever. Since the dawn of time, teachers have purportedly made a difference in the lives of their charges. In fact, there is an old saying in teaching: “Some students succeed because of their teachers, others succeed with or without their teachers, while the rest succeed despite their teachers.” As a teacher who has been around in one way or another since 1993, I hope I belong to the first of three categories, but the reality is that I might actually have belonged to the last two categories for some of my ex-students. Having been in education for 33 years, I have had the benefit of encountering real teachers and those who claim to be teachers. What makes a real teacher? First, it’s not the skill set There is an old saying in the field of recruitment that skill sets can be trained, but not attitudes. The same truth applies to teachers. We can have a highly-skilled teacher, but if the teacher doesn’t possess the right attitude, the skill sets simply go to waste. As with every field and industry, there are those who are in it just for the money. In Singapore, teaching pays well enough, and so does tutoring (whether in a group or individual setting). As with any ‘chopstick’ influenced country (countries with a predominantly Chinese or Chinese-inspired influence), Singapore and Singaporeans place a high premium on an exceptional education. Due to this obsession, teaching jobs tend to command a pay that is on par with, if not above, the market rate. This remuneration is enough to attract incumbents who are not the best match to the teaching and tutoring industry. Just to clarify, I don’t find anything wrong with the money. One should be handsomely rewarded for a job well done. Teachers and tutors with their undue impact on students’ lives should be well remunerated for charting the course of their charges’ future. The profession creating all other professions should be given its due recognition, and recognition should go beyond a nominal pat on the back for a job well done. Money is the best reward for any job well done. But money alone attracts the worthiest people, and the least worthy ones as well. It’s the heart, and not just the part There are those who play the part of the teacher really well. They can create a phenomenal lesson plan (with AI, this is way easier to do than in the past), execute it flawlessly, say the right things, master their content, etc. In so many ways, they are ‘doing’ what a teacher does, and that’s ok. But that’s also where the buck stops. Something’s missing in the whole equation. The Chemistry teacher who really cares I have had the ‘misfortune’ of teaching in a place with a phenomenal Chemistry teacher. I use the word ‘misfortune’ because I feel like an imposter every time I run into such teachers. Those who have read my blog and website will know that I have always been devising schemes and ways to ‘escape’ education. I believe that education is a generational ‘curse’ in my family. Quite a few of us in my extended family are teachers, and if we track all the way back to my grandfather’s village in China, every household had and (still) has a teacher. So when I run into the said Chemistry teacher, I feel like a fraud. I never really address her by name, and I don’t look her in the eye. I address her as the ‘real teacher’. What makes her tick At one point in my life, I would have believed that real teachers are like unicorns. They are myths that we would love to believe in. Yet, this Chemistry teacher has proven that real teachers exist. Firstly, she goes above and beyond what is required of her to spread the word of Chemistry. She creates videos, which is really not required of her, and posts them on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok (All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.) More importantly, she has the heart of a real teacher, and not just the heart of a Chemistry teacher. Last year, in October and November 2025, during the written paper for the Chemistry exam for the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O Levels, this Chemistry teacher was at the exam venue, armed with calculators, mathematical instruments and stationery. She was there to support them psychologically and practically. Her appearance was a morale booster. None of the students expected her to be there. And beyond this morale boosting, she was there with practical assistance. The calculators, mathematical instruments, and stationery were for those who had, in their anxiety and haste, forgotten to bring the essentials for their exams. I don’t just see her as the ‘Real Chemistry Teacher’. We can drop the ‘Chemistry’ and literally see her as what she is: ‘The Real Teacher’. That’s what I have been addressing her. And that’s why I am somewhat afraid of her. And if you haven’t realised, unicorns do exist. Real teachers outside the system Not all teachers exist within the system. Some happily provide vital support from outside the system. Our Vice Principal is one such person. He is an engineer by training, and for quite a huge part of his life, that was also his profession. Now that he is our Vice Principal, he employs his engineering skills to provide support that was unheard of in the past. Within that one short year that I have known him, he has created app after app to boost the teaching capabilities of the teachers under his leadership. And every app is more powerful than the previous one. His latest app, which was unveiled this morning (at the point of writing this article), is an app that trains students for the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O Level English Paper 4 examination, i.e., the Oral (Speaking) Examination. That is definitely a trailblazer. Having been exposed to the world of internet marketing, I can literally see the monetary potential of all these apps. There are those less worthy, with apps less noteworthy, who are charging premium prices for their half-baked creations. Here, we have a smorgasbord of apps that can make it to the teaching app billboard (if there is one), and they are under wraps. “It’s not about the money,” that’s his belief. In addition to the apps, he has also created a website to promote brain-based learning in Singapore. It’s a resource site for teachers, pro bono. And that’s what makes him a real teacher, it's not just about the money. In fact, it’s (literally) never really about the money. Prison break I have vowed once and again that one day, I will break my generational curse and dig my way out of teaching and education. Somehow, in the face of the real deal, I have dug myself deeper into it. Our CEO, other than her hectic duties as a CEO, involves herself in teaching activities that are really not required of her. She is involved in our Speaking Examiner training, and she puts herself through Speaking Examiner duties. Once again, we witness the manifestation of the Heart of a Teacher. Real teachers have a heart. They have a heart for what they teach, they have a heart for their students, and they have a desire to make the world a better place. I am in a place filled with such people. If you are a teacher and you are in a place filled with such people, blessed are you! If you are a teacher and want to belong to such a place, drop me an email through my website. We are based in Singapore, by the way. And blessed you will be! (While I still devise schemes to dig my way out!) Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Lee Lin Cher Lee Lin Cher, SEC (O Level) English Tutor Mr Lee Lin Cher, SEC (O Level) English Tutor and Exam Strategist. Mr Lee Lin Cher is a veteran teacher and tutor, coaching students on the subject of English language for the Singapore-Cambridge SEC (O Level) English exams. He has been teaching in one way or another since 1993, and has authored (to date) a total of 16 books on the subject. An unwilling educator, Mr. Lee had been trying to escape from the education industry forever. A life-changing experience in May 2025 convinced him that escape is not an option and that it is in his destiny to continue teaching and transforming the lives of his young charges.