Written by Cali Werner, Director of Business Development and Behavior Therapist Cali Werner, PhD, is a licensed clinical social worker, sport psychology consultant, and elite distance runner who specializes in OCD and anxiety treatment. She is the Director of Referral Relations at the OCD Institute of Texas and founder of Athlete Rising. We often hear the term OCD thrown around in ways that are completely misaligned with what it actually is. Individuals will say things like, “I am so OCD,” or “If you walked into my room and saw how neat it was, you would understand I have OCD.” When described in this way, people think they are identifying characteristics of OCD when, in reality, they most likely are not. Individuals with OCD struggle with intrusive thoughts or triggers (i.e., obsessions), followed by repetitive or ritualistic behaviors (i.e., compulsions) performed in an attempt to relieve the anxiety brought on by the intrusive and unwanted thoughts. The ritual may bring temporary relief, but it ultimately reinforces the obsession and keeps the anxiety cycle going. When someone says, “I am so OCD because I like to keep things neat and tidy,” they are typically describing Type A personality characteristics or perfectionistic tendencies. The keyword here is like. When an individual likes a behavior, they are not describing OCD. They are describing ego-syntonic behaviors that align with their sense of self and do not feel distressing or unwanted. If perfectionistic tendencies significantly impact functioning and the individual does not see a need to change them, this may reflect something more consistent with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD), rather than OCD.   It is important to note that individuals with OCD do not like engaging in their repetitive behaviors or experiencing their intrusive thoughts. They feel driven to perform rituals in order to prevent something bad from happening. OCD is an ego-dystonic disorder, meaning the behaviors feel unwanted and inconsistent with the person’s values. For example, someone may feel they have to arrange everything in their backpack perfectly before a big presentation. If this is truly OCD, they are not organizing because it makes them feel productive or “on top of it.” In fact, they likely wish they did not have to complete the ritual at all. They feel compelled to do it in order to prevent the presentation from “going sideways.”   Most individuals with OCD have insight that their thoughts and rituals are unrealistic or irrational. However, the intensity of the anxiety can make it feel impossible not to engage in the compulsion. When left untreated, OCD often worsens over time and can lead to significant impairment.   The gold-standard treatment for OCD is a specialized form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) known as Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP). Many clinicians may say they treat OCD, but if they are not providing evidence-based ERP, they are likely not delivering the most effective treatment for this disorder. A helpful resource is found on the Anxiety Society Podcast, episode “ Good vs. Bad Therapy , ” which explains how to determine whether you are working with a quality, evidence-based clinician. Research shows that individuals with OCD are often untreated or misdiagnosed for 12-17 years after symptom onset. This delay highlights the need to build awareness and challenge misinformation in the media. Treatment for OCD is specific, and it works. Individuals with this diagnosis should not have to suffer when effective, evidence-based care is available. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn , TikTok , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Cali Werner Cali Werner, Director of Business Development and Behavior Therapist Cali Werner, PhD, LCSW-S, CMPC, is a clinician, sport psychology consultant, and elite distance runner whose work bridges high-performance athletics and mental health. As Director of Business Development at the OCD Institute of Texas, an intensive treatment facility that treats OCD, anxiety, and related disorders, and founder of Athlete Rising, she specializes in treating athletes struggling with OCD, anxiety, and perfectionism. Drawing on her experience as a Division I runner, where she won 9 conference championships, at Rice University, her participation in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon, and her doctoral research on Olympian mental health, she integrates personal insight with evidence-based practice.

Written by Matijas Slivnik, Naturopath | Therapist | Musician Matijas Slivnik is a naturopath specializing in burnout, hormonal balance, and chronic fatigue. He combines natural medicine, energy healing, and healing sounds to help clients restore body and mind, delivering lasting results with over 12 years of experience. When we talk about health, we usually think first of the heart, lungs, digestion, or the brain. Rarely, however, do we truly consider the lymphatic system. And yet, this hidden network within our body represents one of the most important pillars of our immune defense and natural detoxification processes. In my work as a naturopath, I often observe how little people actually understand what the lymphatic system does and why it plays such a vital role in our overall well-being. In naturopathy and naturopathic therapy, the lymphatic system is placed at the very top of the priority list when it comes to building long-term, resilient health. The lymphatic system is not something people casually discuss in everyday conversations. You won’t see it highlighted on most healthcare posters or emphasized in basic health education. And yet, it is always there, working quietly in the background to protect and cleanse the body. It functions like an invisible river flowing through every tissue, transporting essential information and substances between cells. What is the lymphatic system? The lymphatic system is a complex network of lymphatic vessels, capillaries, lymph nodes, and organs through which lymph flows, a clear fluid that collects excess fluid, toxins, metabolic waste, and bacteria from tissues and delivers them to the immune system. Along this pathway, lymph does not merely remove waste, it also transports white blood cells that fight infections and help identify where immune defense is truly needed. Few people realize that the lymphatic system has no “motor” or pump of its own, unlike the heart, which drives blood circulation. The word lymph  originates from Latin and means “water,” which perfectly describes its nature as the body’s internal cleansing flow. Lymph moves slowly, under low pressure, and its circulation depends heavily on our own bodily functions, muscle movement, breathing, posture, and even simple activities like standing up and walking. Why the lymphatic system is essential for health The lymphatic system is not only responsible for detoxification and drainage, but it is also a key partner of the immune system. Within the lymph nodes, critical communication between immune cells takes place. This is where pathogens, waste molecules, and foreign substances are recognized, analyzed, and met with an appropriate immune response. This means that the lymphatic system does far more than cleanse, it actively directs immune activity. Scientific studies increasingly confirm that the lymphatic system is an active participant in immune regulation rather than a passive drainage network. Its endothelial cells and lymph nodes play a selective role in transporting cells and molecules, optimizing immune surveillance throughout the body. What happens when lymph flow becomes sluggish? When we talk about the lymphatic system, we are really talking about balance and proper drainage. If lymph does not flow efficiently, due to lack of movement, chronic stress, burnout, or ongoing inflammatory processes, stagnation can occur. This stagnation may manifest as persistent fatigue, a feeling of heaviness in the body, increased susceptibility to infections, swollen lymph nodes, fluid retention, skin problems, and slower tissue regeneration. When waste products are not properly removed, they can accumulate, weakening immune resilience and slowing the body’s natural ability to heal and regenerate. How to support the lymphatic system naturally every day Supporting the lymphatic system does not have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, it relies on simple daily habits that benefit the entire body: Drinking sufficient water throughout the day Eating a balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables Regular movement, walking, yoga, or any activity that activates muscles Deep breathing and conscious stress reduction Gentle stimulation of lymph flow through techniques such as manual lymphatic drainage, massage, or dry skin brushing Because the lymphatic system has no pump of its own, muscle movement acts as its natural engine. Research confirms that physical activity is one of the most effective ways to promote healthy lymph circulation. The lymphatic system and modern medicine Although the lymphatic system remains underrepresented in conventional medicine, scientific interest in its importance is steadily growing. Emerging research shows that the lymphatic system influences not only immune responses but also fluid balance, inflammation regulation, and even responses to viral infections. These findings reinforce the idea that the lymphatic system is a dynamic, multifunctional network, not merely a passive “drainage channel.” That said, there is still significant room within modern healthcare to place greater emphasis on lymphatic health and its role in preventing chronic conditions and burnout-related imbalances. A foundation for true health If we truly want to care for our health, we must look beyond what is visible on the surface. The lymphatic system is a hidden yet essential part of the whole organism. It cannot be ignored if we seek stronger immunity, higher energy levels, and overall vitality. By learning to listen to our bodies, respect their natural processes, and support them with simple, natural practices rooted in naturopathy, we allow health to become a natural outcome rather than a constant struggle. The lymphatic system is not just a biological structure, it is an expression of our vitality, our immune intelligence, and our internal balance. Caring for it is not an “extra.” It is the foundation of lasting health. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Matijas Slivnik Matijas Slivnik, Naturopath | Therapist | Musician Matijas Slivnik is a naturopath specializing in burnout, hormonal balance, and chronic fatigue. With over 12 years of experience, he combines natural medicine, energy healing, and psychotherapeutic modalities to support holistic health. As an experienced musician, he uses music and healing sounds to enhance healing. Matijas is the founder of PraNaturas, helping clients restore energy and balance naturally.

Written by Geoffery Nnalue, Tech founder, product leader and Author Geoffery Nnalue is a passionate tech professional and founder of The Circlesapp, a business solutions company that help businesses sell smarter and grow their revenue while improving customer experience and sentiment You know AI could transform your business. You have read the case studies, seen the potential, and understand that staying competitive in 2026 means embracing these tools. But every time you think about introducing AI to your team, you imagine the reactions. The fear. The resistance. The whispered conversations about job security. This fear is not unfounded. Your team has seen the headlines about AI replacing workers. They have heard stories about automation eliminating entire departments. And now their boss wants to bring this threat into their workplace. Of course , they are scared. But here is what most business owners miss: the problem is not AI itself. The problem is how you introduce it. Get this wrong, and you will face resistance that stalls your progress for months. Get it right, and your team will become your biggest advocates for AI adoption. Why your team is really scared Before you can address your team's fears, you need to understand what they are actually afraid of. Most business owners assume their team fears being replaced. While that is part of it, the deeper fear is about becoming irrelevant. Your team members have built expertise over the years. They take pride in knowing how to solve complex customer problems, handle tricky situations, and deliver results through their experience and judgment. When you talk about bringing in AI, they hear, "Your expertise does not matter anymore. A machine can do what took you years to learn." The second fear nobody talks about is the fear of looking incompetent. Your team imagines struggling to learn new systems while younger, more tech-savvy colleagues adapt easily. Nobody wants to be the person who cannot keep up. Understanding these real fears is the first step to addressing them effectively. This is not about convincing people that AI will not replace jobs. It is about showing them how AI makes them better at the jobs they already have. The three-phase framework that works After helping multiple small businesses implement AI successfully, I have found that teams who embrace it fastest follow a specific framework. Most business owners skip straight to announcing changes. That is where resistance builds. Phase one: Show value before asking for change The biggest mistake is announcing "We are implementing AI" before showing your team why this matters to them personally. Instead, start by identifying the most frustrating, time-consuming tasks your team handles regularly. Not the tasks you think are annoying, but the ones they complain about. Then, quietly pilot an AI solution for one of these pain points. Do not make a big announcement. Just implement it, let it work for a week, and then casually mention: "Hey, I noticed we have not had to deal with that annoying task as much lately. I implemented a tool that handles it automatically now." When people realize AI eliminated something they hated doing, they start getting curious instead of defensive. You have shown them that AI is not here to replace their valuable work. It is here to eliminate the busywork so they can focus on what they are actually good at. Phase two: Make them part of the process Once your team has seen one example of AI making their lives easier, bring them into the conversation. Schedule a meeting where you ask questions and listen. "What tasks do you wish you did not have to do every day? Where do you feel like you are wasting time on things that do not require your expertise?" Let your team identify the problems. Then ask: "If we could automate this task, what would you rather spend that time doing?" This question shifts the conversation from what they are losing to what they are gaining. Maybe they want more time for creative problem-solving or building customer relationships. When your team sees AI as the tool that gives them time for the work they actually want to do, resistance evaporates. Phase three: Celebrate wins and share results Once you implement AI tools, track the impact and share results regularly. But do not just share business metrics like "We increased efficiency by 30 percent." Share the human impact. "Sarah, remember how you used to spend three hours every Friday on scheduling? AI handles that now, and I noticed you have been able to focus on the strategic project you have been wanting to tackle." Make heroes out of team members who embrace AI tools effectively. When the rest of your team sees their colleagues thriving, they want to experience that too. The conversation that changes everything There is a specific conversation you need to have with your team before implementing any AI. Gather your team and say something like this: "I want to talk about the future of this business and your roles in it. Over the next few years, AI is going to change how every business operates. I know that probably sounds scary. But here is what I want you to understand about my vision." Then paint a picture of two futures. "We could ignore AI and keep doing everything manually. That means you will continue spending hours on tasks that frustrate you. It also means we will become less competitive and grow more slowly." "Or, we can embrace AI strategically. We use it to eliminate the work nobody wants to do anyway. That frees you up to focus on the things that actually require your expertise, creativity, and judgment. The things that make you valuable. The things that no AI can replicate." "I am not bringing AI in to replace any of you. I am bringing it in so you can do more of what you are actually great at, and less of what wastes your time." This conversation works because you are addressing the fear directly while casting a vision of a better future. The three rules for success As you move forward, three rules will determine whether your team embraces or resists the changes. Rule one: Start with augmentation, not replacement Your first AI implementations should clearly augment what your team does, not replace it. Choose tools that handle tasks your team does not want to do anyway, or that help them do their work better and faster. For example, if you have a customer service team, start with an AI that drafts responses for your team to review and personalize. They still own the customer relationship. AI just makes them faster and more consistent. Rule two: Provide training that builds confidence Invest in hands-on training where people actually use the tools with real work scenarios. Give them time to experiment without pressure. Create a "safe to fail" environment where asking questions is encouraged. Assign an "AI champion" on your team, someone who catches on quickly and enjoys helping others. Peer-to-peer learning often works better than formal training sessions. Rule three: Maintain transparency Nothing breeds fear like uncertainty. Hold regular check-ins where you share honestly about what is working, what is not, and what you are learning. If you are considering expanding AI use into a new area, discuss it with your team before making decisions. Transparency builds trust. When your team knows you are not hiding anything from them, they can focus on adapting rather than worrying. What this looks like in practice A small marketing agency I worked with wanted to implement AI for content creation. Instead of announcing "We are using AI now," the founder started by using AI to generate first drafts of social media posts for the most tedious client, the one who wanted fifteen posts per week on dry technical topics. After two weeks, he mentioned to his team that he had been testing something that made those posts less painful. One team member asked what he meant. He showed them how AI-generated solid first drafts that they could then refine with their creativity and the client's brand voice. The response was immediate, "Can we use this for other clients too?" Within a month, the team was using AI extensively for first drafts, research, and headline ideation. But they still owned the creative direction, final polish, and strategic thinking. The founder later told me, "If I had just announced we were implementing AI for content creation, they would have panicked. By showing them how it solved a problem they hated, they could not wait to expand its use." The future your team actually wants Here is something most business owners do not realize: your team does not actually want to keep doing everything manually. They do not love the tedious tasks, the repetitive questions, or the administrative busywork. What they love is doing work that matters. Solving real problems. Using their expertise. Making an impact. AI gives them more opportunity to do exactly that. It eliminates the noise so they can focus on the signal. When you frame AI implementation this way as a tool that gives your team more of what they actually want from their work, resistance becomes enthusiasm. Fear becomes excitement. And your business transformation accelerates because your team is pulling you forward rather than holding you back. Taking the first step If you are ready to introduce AI into your small business in a way that builds excitement rather than resistance, start with one simple action: identify the task your team complains about most and find an AI solution for it. Do not overthink it. Just eliminate one pain point and let your team experience what AI can do for them. That single win will open the door to bigger transformations. The key is to remember that successful AI implementation is not about the technology. It is about the people using it. When you prioritize your team's experience, address their fears honestly, and show them how AI enhances rather than threatens their value, you create a foundation for transformation that extends far beyond any single tool or system. Your team wants to do meaningful work. AI can give them more opportunities to do exactly that. Start there, and everything else will follow. P.S. Do you not know the right AI tools for your small business? I cover this and how to use them to build an obsessed customer base in my book titled "Obsessed Customers – How Businesses Can Use AI to Create a Cult-Like Brand.” Get it here . Follow me on LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Geoffery Nnalue Geoffery Nnalue, Tech founder, product leader and Author Geoffery Nnalue is a tech founder and product innovator driven by the mission to reshape how modern businesses grow. With nearly a decade of experience across product management, sales, and customer support, he has built a reputation for turning complex challenges into simple, scalable solutions. As the visionary behind The CirclesApp, he is pioneering new ways for business owners to build smarter, more profitable companies with customers who are genuinely obsessed with their brand. Geoffery’s work sits at the intersection of technology, commerce, and human behavior fueling tools that help entrepreneurs sell better and create unforgettable customer experiences.

Written by Cameron Tukapua, Heartfelt Living Coach, Chinese Medicine Practitioner Cameron Tukapua is a Heartfelt Living coach and Chinese Medicine practitioner. She helps people align the head and heart to create meaningful, purposeful lives, and is the author of 'Heartfelt Living - Your Ancient Wisdom Guide to Healing and Spiritual Awakening'. On February 17, we gallop into the Fire Horse year. Firepower comes from the sun; it is hot, fast, expansive, energising, and light. In nature, it is an endlessly creative power visible in our sunrises and sunsets. In the human realm, fire corresponds with the heart and the power of love. Photo credit: Nemyrivskyi Viacheslav A horse’s power is dynamic and full of momentum. Horses are herd animals, and they are instinctually aware of others. They like to follow a confident leader and need security, safety, and structure. A horse can move from a standstill to galloping in a few seconds. Their energy is finely tuned and changes quickly. The Fire Horse union happens once every sixty years. There are five elements and twelve signs in the Chinese Zodiac. Each year, there is a different combination of element and sign, and the last pairing of these two energies was in 1966. To explore the macro trends of this upcoming year, let us reflect on what happened in our world back then. Looking back at the mid-1960s, we see a time of expanding consciousness. It was the dawn of the ‘Age of Aquarius’. The Aquarian drives for truth-telling, equality, freedom, support for youth, futuristic thinking, and social transformation were clearly in play. People were exploring different ways of thinking and challenging existing social structures. Global movements for equality brought sweeping changes in awareness and action. People protested on the streets, openly challenging injustices. Younger people were driving the changes, with many standing up as strong-hearted leaders. In the mid-1960s, many people began exploring meditation and spirituality. That seed beginning is now maturing in 2026 with the rapid acceleration of the yoga, qigong, wellbeing, healing, coaching, and mindfulness movements. The inadequacies of mainstream health services are highlighting the need for self-care in healthcare, bringing the power and responsibility back to the people. Sixty years ago, there was a rise in people-led transformation. Dr. Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights Movement and demonstrated the power of love and unity as a peaceful force for change. He used plain truth-telling and a vision for a better world to galvanise human hearts. “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.” – Dr. Martin Luther King During those years, yoga masters from India arrived in the US, sharing ancient wisdom teachings and practices to give people a direct experience of our true divine nature. The Beatles’ discovery of Maharishi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation, propelled these spiritual teachers into the spotlight. Baba Muktananda, from the Siddha Yoga lineage, went to the US to share his message, “God dwells within you, as you, for you.” The Eastern spiritual traditions give us practices to access our inner spiritual power, in contrast to seeing God as a power outside us. Politically and spiritually, the message encouraged owning our individual power to co-create new lives by cultivating inner and outer harmony. At this time in 2026, we can see that strategy is highly relevant. The Fire Horse as a year of change We can expect this year to be fiery. In many places in the world, humanity is in a state of chaos. Leaders and governing systems are falling, as what was false and artificial is being exposed. It is an unstable time, especially if we are used to feeling settled and comfortable. The energies of this year are high-powered and revolutionary. Something new is trying to be born. Uncertainty is a breeding ground for fear, and many of us have been conditioned to think we should know what to do in all situations. In the ancient wisdom teachings, ‘life is a mystery’, and time is a great revealer. The Prigogine principle states that once an organism experiences chaos and disorder as a means of dismantling itself, it always reassembles itself into a more evolved and expanded structure. Witnessing the collapse of the old and the birthing of the new can catalyse a heart awakening. Our hearts are attuned to unity, purpose, and meaning. In times of chaos, we are more likely to ask deeper questions. “What is important to me about this situation?” “What does this mean for me personally and for the wider collective?” “What can I control, and what is beyond my control?” “How and who can I help?” “What help do I need, and who can support me?” Reflecting on these questions activates the higher mind. Expect to receive answers, which can come at any time. Make a note of what you receive, as flashes of awareness can disappear as fast as they arrive. At this powerful time of transition, it may be helpful to look back on the snake year we are leaving as a time for shedding old skins and letting go. By contrast, the energy of the Fire Horse is go, go, go. Reflect on what you needed to let go of. As you go forward, be bold and choose to engage this fiery energy to grow and evolve. Our growth this year will be faster than ever before. Fire, the heart, and the spirit Fire is one of the five elements of Chinese philosophy. In nature, it is associated with the sun and the summer season. In this hot season, the light of the sun shines brightly, and our gardens bloom into full maturity. We feel more open and expansive in the sun. Too much sun and we get burnt. Not enough, and we can feel sad. This is reflected in Seasonal Affective Disorder, a condition in which people experience lower mood or energy levels during times of reduced sunlight, particularly in the winter. Science and nature-based philosophy agree that the presence or absence of sunlight powerfully impacts our energy, emotions, and sense of well-being. In Chinese medicine, the fire element on a human level corresponds to the heart. In our heart lives the light of pure awareness, our unique, individual expression of the divine spirit of life itself. Our heart is our personal link to the heavenly realms. In the Taoist context, ‘heaven is the overarching intelligence of life itself’. The Chinese medical term for our individual heart spirit is the ‘Shen’. As individuals, the Shen is what makes us special and unique. As a collective, we all connect to the ‘Yuan Shen’, the original spirit, and we each carry a spark of the same heavenly light. The original spirit is divine, blissful, and whole. It exists in the heavenly realms as our pure nature, which is programmed for harmony and balance. Raising our vibration through dance, play, fun, laughter, meditation, chanting, and prayer helps us engage our lightness of being. When our hearts light up, we can see and understand life more clearly. This assists us in forming more loving relationships where we honour ‘the one in the many, and the many in the one’. Fire and love, the primal energies of life Fire, as a primal energy, assists in warming and transforming us on all levels. In Chinese medicine, we learn how the warmth of the fire in our belly provides cooking power for digestion and drives us into action. The fire energy warms the blood, assisting circulation to all tissues in the body and helping to activate the heart. On a spiritual level, fire expresses as a warm-hearted way of being. The natural character of the heart is to be open, light, expansive, and free, like children. It is the state of ‘original innocence’, which has a blissful quality. The heart is our opening to love, which manifests in its myriad expressions. Love is the most powerful unifying force in life. In the Upanishads, an ancient yoga text, it is said, “We are born of love, and when we die we return to love.” Between birth and death, as souls, we are here to evolve through learning and experience. For many of us, the biggest life lessons come through relationships. Heart-to-heart territory touches our depths. Here we discover the richest treasures of life. We can also find it the hardest to fathom. The horse Horses are herd animals that prefer socialisation to isolation. Many humans born in the horse year tend to navigate social situations with ease and grace. Horses have big heart energy, and they form powerful bonds with other animals and humans. As grazing animals, horses like space to roam and look for greener grass. Horses need freedom to exercise their full strength and power. They like to play with speed and are naturally graceful in activity and movement. Horses are very sensitive and have lightning-fast reflexes. They sense what is happening in their environment and are naturally attuned to other living things, including animals and humans. They will move on quickly when situations are threatening or dangerous. The electromagnetic field of a horse’s heart is very powerful. HeartMath scientists have evidenced that horses can very easily come into ‘coherence’, a state of flow where we experience a harmonious sense of order and connectedness. Their sensitive nervous systems can quickly down-regulate. Being around a relaxed horse, walking, grooming, or simply being near them can help people come into coherence. Horses are known by many to be powerful heart healers. Navigating the Fire Horse year Both the Fire and Horse energies are powerful, passionate, and dynamic. We will feel this in our nervous systems, which can be easily overstimulated this year. Settling the energy is critical if we are to avoid burnout and overwhelm. In the five-element creative cycle, fire feeds earth. Bringing the fast, dynamic, speedy energy of fire down to earth will help us avoid burnout this year. Fire is spirit and awareness, whereas earth manifests as the physical body, in the muscles and the flesh. Earth energy also powers the digestive organs and the processing of food and thought. Coming back to the felt presence of the body and steering and calming the mind is a necessity. Finding ways to stay grounded and stabilise these fast, fiery energies is critical. Simple things like walking barefoot on the earth, eating yellow, orange, and root vegetables, lying on our bellies or on the ground or bed, and spending time in nature can help. Slow rhythmic breathing with longer exhalations than inhalations helps to calm the nervous system and reset the ‘rest and relax’ response. Be practical. Allow plenty of time for everyday tasks and give your full attention to the rhythms of sleeping, eating, cleaning, exercise, and rest. Maintain order in your outer world. Keep your home and workspace clean and tidy to reflect your inner order and purity. Conserve your energy. Notice where and with whom you feel in flow. Make time to connect and socialise with people who nourish you, and balance that with time for silence and stillness. Nurture your energy to match your outputs. For example, if you work hard physically or mentally, be sure to feed your body and brain regularly with quality nutrition. Plan time for silence and solitude. If your work brings you into contact with lots of people, balance that with time for solitude. Communication uses a lot of fire energy. With too much talking, we can burn out. Fires need embers and times for slow burning to stay alight. Silence is an age-old medicine neglected in our urban world. When we are silent, we can listen to ourselves. Many of the people I see in clinical practice have overstimulated nervous systems. The epidemic of anxiety is related to overthinking. Taking time to retreat from the world and constant engagement with people and screens is medicine. Allow time for integration. If there is a lot shifting in your world, slow down. Change takes energy. Give yourself more time and space to attend to the new. Treat yourself like a newborn baby, protect yourself, and go gently. Golden moments Fire is light, and it communicates through our heartfelt awareness. Paying attention to our heart and how it feels in any situation turns up that light. Noticing where we feel open, free, and expanded is a compass for navigating the shifts in direction that will arise this year. Pause and take in the moments of beauty. Notice how you feel when you are with those you love and allow those feelings to penetrate your heart space. Breathe them fully into your being and consciously expand their presence. Practise gratitude for the blessings and mercies of each day. We help make our life good, true, and beautiful when we honour the small touches of grace. When possible, pause to observe the sunrise or the setting sun. Be sure to have time outside every day and look up. Notice the light in the clouds and the stars in the dark evening sky. If this is not possible, light a candle at the beginning or end of the day. Remind yourself often that you are a divine, whole, heavenly being having an earthly experience. Be open to transformation this year and expect good things to happen. The Brainz 2026 message was, “Celebrating a bold and purpose-led year ahead.” Imagine the seeds you have sown coming to full maturity, supporting your visions, hopes, and dreams to manifest in the world of form. Put your energy and passion into what you really love and take small steps towards the life you would like to live. Create more space to run free and wild. When you are feeling restless, move your body and express that energy. Dance, run, sing for your life. Open up to spirit. Find a practice that helps you go inside for answers and trust the wildfire of your own heart. “What you seek is seeking you.” – Rumi Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Cameron Tukapua Cameron Tukapua, Heartfelt  Living Coach, Chinese Medicine Practitioner Cameron Tukapua is a wellbeing coach who shares ancient wisdom teachings from Chinese Medicine, along with Qigong, Yoga, and Meditation practices. She helps people align the head and heart. Cameron has written a book called ‘Heartfelt Living,’ and her work has been featured in Thrive Global. She offers Individual coaching, online study pathways, and face-to-face wellbeing retreats.

Written by Alessandra Mantovanelli, Sound Therapy and Integrative Coaching Alessandra Mantovanelli is a Sound Therapist and Integrative Coach, offering energy and somatic healing, mindful eating coaching, and Psych-K facilitation. She founded Waves for Thriving to help you shift from surviving to thriving by cultivating a heart-centered connection and coherence between your mind, body, and soul. Deeply traumatised people see the world through distorted lenses, which bias their thinking, feelings, and actions in the present. A profound shift in our identity, life, authenticity, and connection occurs when we release trauma from our bodies. What unfolds is our pure, untouched soul essence, which was never wounded. As we become whole, a sense of light joy emerges, along with an awe for life’s simple wonders. What is trauma? Trauma is any perceived threatening experience (conscious or unconscious) that overwhelms the body-mind’s ability to cope and renders us helpless.[1][11] During traumatic events, we are unable to self-regulate and may lack a compassionate witness for comfort. There is not enough time, space, resources, or permission to adapt, respond, or heal. Young children are more easily overwhelmed by emotionally painful or distressing events because their brains and nervous systems are still developing, and they are not able to stand up to adults or speak for themselves. Early childhood trauma often results in adverse effects on cognitive and emotional development, increased inflammation, and a less diverse gut microbiome. It may also lead to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, dissociation, depression, and other health issues later in life. [2][3][4][5][6] Types of trauma A single unbearable event can result in acute trauma, such as a serious accident or injury, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse; witnessing violence or death; or sudden parental separation (“too much, too soon”). Complex trauma develops when people experience ongoing abuse, bullying, neglect, abandonment, chronic illness, domestic violence, living near or participating in war (“too much for too long”), as well as housing instability, unsafe environments, starvation, discrimination, and financial struggle (“there is not enough for too long”). An experience can become traumatic when it feels unsafe, overwhelming, and dysregulating. Some examples include birth stress, being left alone, floods and other natural disasters, losing a pet or loved one, romantic breakup, moving to another city or school, illness, and invasive medical procedures, especially if experienced early in life or in the absence of support.[1][7] Firefighters, therapists, and family members of trauma survivors can experience secondary (or vicarious) trauma and develop symptoms similar to those of direct trauma. Collective and historical trauma, such as genocide or systemic oppression experienced by a community, can affect future generations and shape cultural identity. How does trauma affect our body, perception, and connection to the world? When we feel threatened, our autonomic nervous system activates survival responses such as fight, flight, freeze, appease, or dissociation. Our thinking brain (the prefrontal cortex) goes offline, while the fear and emotional centres (the amygdala and limbic system) take over, flooding us with intense emotions and visceral sensations such as a racing heart, sweating, shaking, and shallow breathing [8,9,10]. As a result, we lose the ability to regulate emotions, leading to extreme panic, confusion, total dissociation, or freezing.[1][8] Traumatic experiences may cause parts of us to feel persistently unsafe, always on the go, angry, hypervigilant, distrustful, powerless, or helpless, undermining our sense of control, dignity, connection, belonging, and meaning.[1][11] Trauma can also trap people in shame, eroding self-esteem and confidence, increasing defensiveness and self-protection behaviours, and consequently undermining their relationships with others.[1] Severe trauma can lead to long-term symptoms of PTSD, such as intrusive thoughts, phobias, hyperarousal, startle responses, mood swings, nightmares, irritability, poor sleep, and difficulty with memory, concentration, and logical thinking. Trauma can also show up in repeated patterns, such as self-harm, addictive behaviours, recurring accidents, or re-enactments in relationships.[8][12][13] These outcomes can result from chronic dysregulation of the nervous system and sensory processing, as well as changes in brain function and neural circuitry, reduced communication between the two brain hemispheres, and heightened survival responses to subsequent distress.[10][13][14][15][16][17] It’s important to note that these symptoms may have other causes, and not everyone experiencing one or more of them has been traumatized.[1] The body imprint Traumatic experiences leave an imprint on the mind, brain, and body, with ongoing consequences for how we survive in the present and alter our perception of reality: “It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think”.[8] Trauma memories can persist as fragmented survival patterns in the body, even when the conscious mind cannot recall the original event.[1][8][18] These implicit bodily memories may resurface as sudden fear, emotional flooding, reliving, or a sense that “something is off,” often triggered by a scent, sound, person, time of day, or place, even when we are safe in the present. Manifestations of unresolved trauma can be ever-present or hidden for decades, may grow more complex over time, and sometimes appear seemingly disconnected from the original event.[1] After trauma, we can lose a sense of a coherent self and become fragmented into different parts as a way to stay safe and survive. The wounded, traumatized part is often disowned to suppress painful feelings. Meanwhile, another part continues with day-to-day life.[18] It is important to know that you are not crazy or weak. The range of feelings, sensations, and beliefs that arise from trauma is the body crying for help and the disconnected parts yearning to come back home. Therapeutic approaches for healing Somatic approaches invite us to bring mindful attention to our bodily sensations, posture, and movement. Somatic practices can uncover unconscious patterns, help the body complete unfinished stress responses interrupted by trauma, release stuck energy, and make us feel safe in our bodies. Over time, they can improve nervous system regulation, resilience, posture, and breathing, and these embodied experiences can be integrated into daily life, restoring our connection to ourselves and others. In particular, the Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach focuses on building a compassionate connection between our fragmented parts and the ‘Self,’ a higher, whole part of us that cannot be damaged and inherently knows how to heal. EMDR uses eye movement desensitization and bilateral stimulation to reprocess traumatic memories and convert emotionally charged, implicit trauma memories into integrated, explicit memories, reducing automatic stress responses.[8][19][20] Neurofeedback provides real-time feedback of brain activity and can help regulate neural oscillations associated with calmer nervous system states. It has been shown to reduce PTSD severity by improving cognitive control, emotional regulation, and dissociative symptoms.[21][22] Equine-assisted therapy can help individuals with severe childhood trauma and attachment disruptions who do not feel safe with humans. Play therapies, including sensory and movement-based games, help children process trauma, organize sensory input, and foster affective connections.[14] Cultivating self-compassion, along with co-regulation with individuals who can hold a warm and calming presence, can enhance the sense of safety and connection in relationships. Other healing activities that can help regulate the nervous system and engage the different parts of the brain include expressive arts, drawing, music, dance, qigong, trauma-informed yoga, healing touch, breathwork, singing, humming, and sound therapy. Overcoming trauma As Dr. Peter Levine says: “Trauma is about loss of connection to ourselves, our bodies, families, others, and the world around us; as we limit our choices by avoiding feelings, people, situations, and places, we gradually constrict our freedom, lose vitality, and the potential to fulfill our dreams”.[1] Healing trauma involves restoring coherence to all fragmented aspects of the self: cognitive, emotional, bodily, mental, and relational, including our relationship with different parts of ourselves and with others. Another important aspect of healing is improving the connection and communication between both brain hemispheres, helping to place traumatic experiences and emotions in the past rather than allowing them to hijack the present. By understanding that cellular and nervous system survival patterns exist to keep us safe, and by expanding our window of tolerance for distress and our ability to self-regulate, we open the pathway to greater resilience. We can overcome trauma because our body and mind have an innate ability to heal, and our higher, wiser selves offer us infinite support, possibilities, and wisdom. Instead of feeling victimized and stuck in the past, we face our wounds with compassion, embrace change, reclaim ownership of our bodies and lives, and trust that a new path will unfold. Healing from trauma is one of the most important steps we can take to change our lives, creating a ripple effect that benefits society as a whole. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Alessandra Mantovanelli Alessandra Mantovanelli, Sound Therapy and Integrative Coaching Alessandra uses a unique integrative approach to help people move from survival to thriving, integrating and harmonizing their body, mind, and soul in a freeing dance. She holds a Master’s in Sound Therapy along with certifications as a Mind-Body Eating Coach, Somatic Trauma Healing and Reiki Practitioner, and Psych-K® facilitator. By combining her knowledge of physics and wave frequencies with biofield and energy balance therapies, she bridges ancient healing techniques with modern science. As the founder of Waves for Thriving, Alessandra is dedicated to helping individuals embrace their healthiest, happiest, and most conscious selves, unlocking their highest potential. References: [1] Levine, P.A. (2008) Healing Trauma: A Pioneering Program for Restoring the Wisdom of Your Body. Canada: Sounds True, 90,pp. [2] Merrick, M.T., Ports, K.A., Ford, D.C., Afifi, T.O., Gershoff, E.T. and Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2017) ‘Unpacking the impact of adverse childhood experiences on adult mental health’, Child Abuse & Neglect, 69, pp. 10-19. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.03.016. [3] Fan, L. and Hu, T. (2025) ‘Early childhood trauma and its long-term impact on cognitive and emotional development: a systematic review and meta-analysis’, Annals of Medicine, 57(1), p. 2536199. doi:10.1080/07853890.2025.2536199. [4] Borrego-Ruiz, A. and Borrego, J.J. (2025) ‘Early-life gut microbiome development and its potential long-term impact on health outcomes’, Microbiome Research Reports, 4, p. 20. doi:10.20517/mrr.2024.78. [5] Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, Williamson DF, Spitz AM, Edwards V, Koss MP, Marks JS. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Am J Prev Med. 1998 May;14(4):245-58. doi: 10.1016/s0749-3797(98)00017-8. PMID: 9635069. [6] Beurel, E. and Nemeroff, C.B. (2024) ‘Early life adversity, microbiome, and inflammatory responses’, Biomolecules, 14, p. 802. doi: 10.3390/biom14070802. [7] Van der Watt, A.S.J., Du Plessis, S., Ahmed, F., Roos, A., Lesch, E. and Seedat, S. (2024) ‘Hippocampus, amygdala, and insula activation in response to romantic relationship dissolution stimuli: a case-case-control fMRI study on emerging adult students’, Journal of Affective Disorders, 356, pp. 604-615. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.04.059. [8] Van der Kolk, B. (2014) The body keeps the score: brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York: Viking Press. [9] Arnsten, A.F.T. (2009) ‘Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function’, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10, pp. 410-422. doi:10.1038/nrn2648. [10] Lee, S.W., Gerdes, L., Tegeler, C.L., Shaltout, H.A. and Tegeler, C.H. (2014) ‘A bihemispheric autonomic model for traumatic stress effects on health and behavior’, Frontiers in Psychology, 5, Article 843. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00843. [11] Herman, J.L. (2015) Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—from domestic abuse to political terror. 2nd ed. New York: Basic Books. [12] Ho, J.M.C., Chan, A.S.W., Luk, C.Y. and Tang, P.M.K. (2021) ‘Book review: The body keeps the score: brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma’, Frontiers in Psychology, 12, p. 704974. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704974. [13] Bremner, J.D. (2006) ‘Traumatic stress: effects on the brain’, Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 8(4), pp. 445-461. [14] Kearney, B.E. and Lanius, R.A. (2022) ‘The brain-body disconnect: a somatic sensory basis for trauma-related disorders’, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16, p. 1015749. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1015749. [15] Blithikioti, C., Nuño, L., Guell, X., Pascual-Diaz, S., Gual, A., Balcells-Olivero, M. and Miquel, L. (2022) ‘The cerebellum and psychological trauma: a systematic review of neuroimaging studies’, Neurobiology of Stress, 17, p. 100429. doi: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100429. [16] Tian, T., Zu, Z., Liu, D., Feng, J. and Zhu, W. (2025) ‘Impact of childhood trauma on tripartite functional connectivity within the medial prefrontal circuit and the tapetum of the corpus callosum’, Journal of Affective Disorders, 390, p. 119849. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.119849. [17] Schiffer, F. (2022) ‘Dual-Brain Psychology: a novel theory and treatment based on cerebral laterality and psychopathology’, Frontiers in Psychology, 13, p. 986374. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.986374. [18] Fisher, J. (2017) ‘Trauma-Informed Stabilisation Treatment: a new approach to treating unsafe behaviour’, Australian Psychologist, 3(1), Article no. 007. [19] Van der Kolk, B. (2000) ‘Post-traumatic stress disorder and the nature of trauma’, Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 2(1), pp. 7-22. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2000.2.1/bvdkolk. [20] Coubard, O.A. (2015) ‘Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) re-examined as cognitive and emotional neuroentrainment’, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, Article 1035. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.01035. [21] Askovic, M., Murdoch, S., Mayer-Pelinski, R., Watters, A.J., Elhindi, J., Aroche, J., Kropotov, J.D. and Harris, A.W.F. (2025) ‘Enhanced cognitive control following neurofeedback therapy in chronic treatment-resistant PTSD among refugees: a feasibility study’, Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, p. 1567809. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1567809 [22] Harmelech, T., Hendler, T., Gurevitch, G., Fine, N., Fruchter, E., Amital, D., Goldental, N., Gross, R., Robinson, M.A., Lebois, L.A.M., Kaufman, M. and Tendler, A. (2025) ‘Amygdala-targeted neurofeedback for dissociative symptoms in PTSD: converging evidence from three independent studies’, Psychiatry Research, 353, p. 116752. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116752.

Written by Lorraine Kenlock, Holistic Psychotherapist Lorraine Kenlock is a Turks & Caicos-based psychotherapist specializing in trauma, ADHD, and mind-body nutrition. With advanced training in EMDR and somatic therapies, she helps clients across the Caribbean heal through culturally-attuned online and in-person sessions." When yoga classes, mindfulness apps, and spa days can’t soothe a nervous system that never gets to rest. Wellness has become a language of modern life. We speak it fluently now, through yoga studios on every corner, meditation apps on our phones, morning routines optimised for calm, and spa days carefully scheduled into busy calendars. Wellness promises balance, presence, and resilience. It promises that if we do the right practices, often enough, we will finally feel better. And yet, beneath all of this effort, many people feel quietly exhausted. Not just tired, but worn. Not just stressed, but unsettled. As if no amount of stretching, breathing, or self-care quite reaches the place where the fatigue lives. This is not a contradiction. It is a clue. The wellness paradox We live in the most wellness-aware era in history, and also one of the most dysregulated. People know how to meditate. They know the value of movement. They understand the importance of rest. And still, their bodies remain tense, their minds restless, their sleep shallow. The paradox lies here, wellness practices are often expected to do what only safety and recovery can. Yoga classes, mindfulness apps, and spa days are designed to support regulation. But they cannot override a nervous system that is constantly being asked to perform, adapt, and endure without pause. A nervous system shaped by modern life The nervous system evolved for short bursts of stress followed by recovery. Hunt, flee, rest. Act, then restore. Modern life rarely offers that rhythm. Instead, the body is asked to: Stay alert for constant communication Make hundreds of small decisions daily Perform emotionally while remaining composed Manage uncertainty without resolution Be productive, available, and resilient. To the nervous system, this doesn’t feel like ambition or opportunity. It feels like a continuous demand. Over time, the body adapts by staying “on.” Muscles tighten. Breathing becomes shallow. Sleep becomes lighter. The nervous system remains vigilant, not because something is wrong, but because something never ends. Why slowing down can feel so hard Many people report an unexpected experience when they try to rest, anxiety rises instead of falling. Stillness feels uncomfortable. Quiet feels loud. The body resists slowing down. This is often misinterpreted as impatience, lack of discipline, or an overactive mind. In reality, it is a nervous system that has learned to associate safety with motion, productivity, or vigilance. When the body has been bracing for a long time, stopping removes the distraction. Sensations, emotions, and fatigue that were postponed come rushing forward. The nervous system isn’t rejecting wellness, it’s revealing how much it has been carrying. When wellness becomes another performance In wellness culture, care is often framed as something to be done well. Morning routines perfected. Meditation streaks maintained. Progress tracked. Results expected. What begins as support can quietly turn into pressure. Instead of asking, What does my body need? We ask, Why can’t I keep up with this? The nervous system does not relax under expectation. It tightens. And when wellness becomes another area of self-evaluation, it risks reinforcing the very stress it aims to relieve. The missing conversation: Safety What most wellness conversations leave out is the role of felt safety. The nervous system regulates not through intention, but through experience. It calms when it repeatedly receives signals that it is no longer under threat. Safety is not abstract. It is physiological. It is built through: Predictability and rhythm Reduced urgency Emotional connection without performance Time without monitoring or evaluation Rest that doesn’t need to be earned Without these conditions, even the most well-designed wellness practices struggle to take root. Relief vs. Regulation A massage can relax muscles. A yoga class can quiet the mind. A spa day can offer a moment of ease. But relief is temporary. Regulation is cumulative. Relief is a pause from stress. Regulation is a new baseline. Without ongoing signals of safety, the nervous system will always return to what it knows best, vigilance. This is why wellness can feel like something we constantly need to “revisit,” rather than something that slowly becomes embodied. Where healing actually happens Nervous system healing rarely happens in dramatic moments. It unfolds quietly, in ordinary experiences that teach the body it no longer has to brace. Moments like: Ending a day without rushing into the next one Being emotionally met without explanation Moving gently instead of pushing through Sleeping without anticipating tomorrow’s demands Doing nothing, and not apologising for it These moments may seem small. But to the nervous system, they are profound. They create new expectations. New patterns. New possibilities for rest. Rethinking wellness as a cultural practice True wellness is not about optimisation. It is about softening the conditions of daily life. It asks us to reconsider: How much urgency do we normalize How often is rest postponed How productivity becomes identity How care is framed as personal responsibility rather than shared culture Wellness is not something we accomplish. It is something the body gradually allows when life becomes less demanding on the nervous system. A kinder question Instead of asking: Why can’t I relax? A more compassionate question might be: What has my body been asked to carry for too long? When we begin there, wellness stops being a performance. It becomes a process of remembering how to live in a body that feels safe enough to exhale. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Lorraine Kenlock Lorraine Kenlock, Holistic Psychotherapist Lorraine Kenlock is a psychotherapist specializing in trauma, ADHD, and the mind-body connection, with a unique focus on Caribbean mental health. Blending EMDR, nutritional psychology, and culturally attuned therapy, she helps clients heal from chronic pain, grief, and shame, both in Turks & Caicos and online. Her groundbreaking work bridges island traditions with modern neuroscience, offering a fresh perspective on resilience.

Written by Gabriel Azuola, Head of the House of Azuola Legal strategist, founder of Cola Blanca Consulting, and Head of the House of Azuola, advising global FinTech and public institutions on regulation, governance, and strategic growth. Dedicated to ethical leadership, institutional development, and responsible innovation. I have just finished watching the new Amazon Prime documentary Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision. These are ten lessons from His Majesty’s work, lessons that we can apply to our own lives, regardless of who we are or where we come from. Over the past decade, a significant part of my professional career has been devoted, among other areas, to the field of sustainable development. While working as the Executive Director of the Costa Rican Foundation for Sustainable Development, Entebbe, I had the opportunity to participate in COP16 in Cali, Colombia, in 2024, a landmark summit for global biodiversity and the protection of natural ecosystems. Protecting the environment and the oceans has certainly become a passion for me, and something I intend to continue pursuing in the years ahead. That being said, I watched Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision three times, back-to-back, because I sensed something in it that deserved more than a headline. Some works are not meant to be consumed once, they are meant to be listened to until their deeper argument becomes audible. Furthermore, anyone who has worked or volunteered in these fields can recognise the pioneering and extraordinary work His Majesty The King has carried out for decades in defence of the environment, and, by extension, of our shared home, the planet itself. Nevertheless, I must admit that until this documentary, I had never fully understood the deeper pursuit that has guided His Majesty for so long, what he calls “Harmony.” In this documentary, His Majesty not only gives us a truly magisterial lesson on his vision, but also offers the public a rare opportunity to enter his mind, and, to a certain extent, his personal struggles, his experience of criticism and ridicule, and his resilience in continuing to pursue a long-term vision for the protection of our planet and the search for Harmony. As presented in the documentary, Harmony is not a vague ideal, nor a sentimental slogan. It is the recognition that nature has the power to both teach and heal, that the world is shaped by an underlying order, a kind of natural mathematics, and that everything is connected, nothing truly separated. It is the understanding that we are not apart from nature, but part of it. Harmony, in The King’s vision, is also about bringing together different elements, different backgrounds, disciplines, traditions, and systems, so that they function as one. It is about drawing from the best of the past to create something new, resilient, and sustainable. And perhaps most importantly, it is a reminder, that we all share, and that remembering what we share heals, preserves, and saves. In that sense, Harmony is not something reserved for kings, scientists, or architects. It is something any of us can find, a way of bringing things back together again, and of returning nature to every aspect of our lives. Yet beyond the definition itself, what stayed with me most after watching this documentary was something even more practical, the lessons. Because Finding Harmony is not only a statement of vision, it is also, quietly, a masterclass in leadership, perseverance, and the discipline of living according to one’s principles. For that reason, I would like to focus on ten lessons I personally took from His Majesty’s work in this documentary, and ten lessons I believe all of us can apply, regardless of our background, profession, or place in the world. Lesson 1: Childhood passions shape lifelong achievements In His Majesty’s own words, he began worrying from a young age about the effects of modern life on the natural world. He was deeply concerned about the impact that new technologies and growing patterns of consumption were having on ecosystems and on life itself. What struck me most is that he did not set those concerns aside as a passing phase, nor did he allow them to disappear as the responsibilities of his title grew. Instead, he carried that early conviction forward, and transformed it into decades of consistent work. From this, I take a lesson that feels both simple and demanding, we can almost always find a way to pursue the dreams that matter to us, and to fight the battles we consciously choose to fight, even when life becomes complex. That is what it means to remain truthful to oneself. And it is precisely why it is worth looking back to our teenage dreams, not with nostalgia, but with honesty, and asking what once gave us passion, and what part of it we may still be called to fulfil. Lesson 2: Lead by example, your home should reflect your ideas Since His Majesty, then The Prince of Wales, moved to Highgrove in the 1980s, he turned his home into a living test bed for his ideas about Harmony. Highgrove was not merely a residence, it became a place where principles could be tested, refined, and made visible. Robert Greene’s Law 9, from The 48 Laws of Power, advises us to win through actions, never through argument. It seems to me that the young Prince of Wales understood this instinctively. He knew that the only way to validate a long-term vision was not by relying on his future title or public platform, but by building credibility through what he could demonstrate with his own hands, on his own land. He took what was once an empty landscape and began, patiently, to restore it. He rescued threatened heritage varieties of flora and proved their value through practice, not theory. Through trial and error, he brought nature back into farming and gardening at a time when much of the modern world was moving in the opposite direction, towards chemicals, pesticides, industrial fertilisers derived from fossil fuels, and the wider logic of “quick efficiency” at any cost. He was ridiculed. He was labelled extreme. He was dismissed by headlines. Yet he did not argue. He continued. And over time, the results spoke for themselves. His organic initiative, Duchy Originals, became a national brand, and according to the documentary, has generated over £50 million for charitable causes. The lesson for me is clear, sometimes the most meaningful work must begin quietly, within the discipline of our own homes. We build, we improve, we persist, we ignore the noise, and eventually, we let the outcome become the argument. Lesson 3: Put your ideas in the service of others After his success at Highgrove, His Majesty chose to pursue a larger and far more complex ambition, to test whether Harmony could benefit not only a piece of land, but an entire community. In the 2000s, he acquired Dumfries House in Scotland, an estate surrounded by an area deeply affected by industrial decline. His intention was not merely to restore a beautiful place, but to heal what was broken around it. The goal was to regenerate land, create sustainable opportunity, and prove that renewal is possible through a different relationship with nature, work, and community. What stands out is that Dumfries House was not saved as a museum object, something preserved only to be admired from a distance. It was saved as a living project, a place meant to bring balance, vitality, and dignity back to local life. In the documentary, one senses that His Majesty is driven by a simple but rare instinct, not to leave things broken if they can be repaired. The lesson is clear, passions become truly meaningful when they move beyond personal fulfilment and find a way to serve others, when what we love doing becomes, in some form, a contribution. Lesson 4: Don’t wait for opportunities, build them One of the most striking moments in the documentary comes when the work at Dumfries House begins and a very practical problem appears, the necessary workforce simply did not exist. They could not find stonemasons or carpenters, so they started training them. They needed people with hospitality skills, and the staff they required was not available, so they created the courses and taught them. This is leadership in its most concrete form, not complaining about the absence of resources, but building what is missing so that the vision can become real. The lesson applies far beyond estates and restoration projects. Life does not always hand us the tools, platforms, or specialists required to fulfil our ambitions. Sometimes we must create the opportunity ourselves. And if, in the process, we can lift others, giving them not only work, but direction and dignity, then the value of what we build becomes far greater than the original goal. Lesson 5: Find Harmony with God Midway through the documentary, we see His Majesty walk quietly into his garden and take a moment of gratitude, praising God for the gift of having lived long enough to witness the fruits of his own harvest. He then shows a small sanctuary he built within the garden, bearing a simple inscription: “Lighten our darkness, we beseech you, O Lord.” It is a short scene, almost easy to overlook, yet it may be one of the most revealing moments in the entire film. Because it makes something clear: Harmony, as His Majesty understands it, is not only about landscapes, architecture, farming, or sustainability. It is also about the inner world. It is about restoring a right relationship between ourselves and the Creator, a humility that recognises that we are not the authors of life, but its stewards. In an age obsessed with control, that may be the deepest form of Harmony of all. Lesson 6: If you don’t like something, challenge it Inspired by his education in architecture, His Majesty began to challenge the way Britain was building its cities. He questioned not only the aesthetics of modern development, but the deeper philosophy behind it, the idea that efficiency alone is enough, even when it produces places that feel soulless, fragmented, and disconnected from human scale. The documentary reminded me of something I have written about before, when something is not right, when it goes against truth, dignity, or Harmony, one should not remain silent. There is a responsibility to say what needs to be said, even when doing so is unpopular. Because that, in the end, is what it means to speak the truth, for a deeper reflection on this principle, see my Brainz Magazine article “What Our Words Reveal About Us” Yet what makes this lesson even more powerful is that His Majesty did not stop at criticism. When arguments were not enough, he returned to the principle of leading by example. He proved his point through action by helping bring to life Poundbury, in Dorchester, a real town built to demonstrate that a different model of development is possible. Lesson 7: Everything we build in this era must be in harmony with nature One of the documentary’s most consistent messages is that Harmony is not an optional aesthetic, it is a requirement for survival. Whether we speak of homes, cities, farms, or entire economies, the era of building against nature is coming to an end. His Majesty’s vision insists on a simple truth that modern life often forgets, nature is not a background to human progress. It is the foundation that makes progress possible. When we design systems that ignore natural limits, we do not become more advanced, we become more fragile. The lesson is therefore both practical and moral, everything we build in this century must either work with nature, or it will eventually collapse under the weight of its own imbalance. Lesson 8: Don’t limit your vision to one place, think globally What the documentary makes clear is that His Majesty never treated Harmony as a purely British idea, or as a project confined to the United Kingdom, or even to the Commonwealth. Instead, he sought to carry its principles across borders, cultures, and regions, speaking to a wider human responsibility. Because some visions are not meant to remain local. When an idea is truly rooted in nature, it becomes universal by definition. Soil, water, beauty, balance, community, and sustainability are not “national” concern, they are human ones. The lesson is therefore simple, begin where you are, but do not build as though your responsibility ends at the edge of your country. The world is now too connected, and the stakes too high, for small visions. Lesson 9: Build from the goodness that was already there One of the most consistent principles in His Majesty’s vision is that true progress does not begin by erasing what came before. It begins by recognising what was already good, what was already true, and building from it with intelligence and care. This is not nostalgia. It is discernment. It is the ability to look at the past, at craftsmanship, tradition, heritage, and natural wisdom, and extract what still has value, then apply it to modern challenges such as sustainability, housing, and regeneration. Whether you are a banker, a journalist, a politician, an architect, or a doctor, the principle remains the same, look back, not to retreat, but to recover. The past is not perfect, but it often leaves behind foundations of meaning, beauty, and order that we would be foolish to discard. Harmony, in this sense, is not about going backwards. It is about moving forward without losing what made us human in the first place. Lesson 10: Make a difference At one point in the documentary, Amelia Fawcett remarks that His Majesty has spent his entire life using his position, his convening ability, and his platform to make a difference. It is a simple statement, yet it captures something essential about what leadership should mean. Because the point of influence is not visibility. The point of influence is responsibility. And the purpose of responsibility is to leave things better than we found them. This is the final lesson I took from Finding Harmony, we should always aim to make a difference, however small, and to improve what is within our reach. We can begin immediately by applying the lessons above, starting in our own homes, expanding to our communities, ignoring the critics, and letting our actions become our proof. We do not need to begin with a platform. But we do need to begin with courage. We can educate ourselves, train ourselves, refine our skills, and dare to build something that serves others. In the end, Harmony is not only a vision to admire. It is a responsibility to live. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Gabriel Azuola Gabriel Azuola, Head of the House of Azuola Gabriel Azuola is a legal strategist and founder of Cola Blanca Consulting, advising FinTech firms, investors, and public institutions across global markets. He has guided cross-border regulatory strategy and high-value capital mobilization, contributing to ventures surpassing $150 million. Azuola also serves as Head of the House of Azuola, a historic Latin American lineage dedicated to civic duty and ethical leadership. His work focuses on responsible innovation, institutional development, and principled governance.

Written by Lisa Major, Guest Writer When someone you care about is trapped in a narcissistically abusive relationship, “get out” might seem like the obvious advice. This article explains why it’s not. The psychology of narcissistic abuse creates conditions that make leaving not just difficult but, for many, genuinely dangerous. As a Certified Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician and Person-Centred Psychotherapist, I work with the mechanisms that keep people trapped and they have nothing to do with weakness. What actually happens to the self in a narcissistic relationship? To understand why people stay, you first must understand what narcissistic abuse does to the architecture of the self . This goes well beyond ‘low self-esteem’ or ‘not knowing your worth’ which is the kind of reductive framing that saturates most advice on the topic. Carl Rogers, the founder of person-centred therapy , described a concept called the organismic valuing process, our innate capacity to evaluate experience from within, to know what feels right and what feels wrong based on our own internal compass. In a healthy relational environment, this process operates freely. You feel hurt, you register hurt. You sense danger, you respond accordingly. Your experience and your awareness of that experience are congruent or aligned. Narcissistic abuse systematically dismantles this alignment. This happens through persistent gaslighting, intermittent reinforcement and the imposition of what Rogers termed conditions of worth. This ‘conditioning’ shows up in the rigid, shifting standards you must meet to receive any semblance of acceptance. You gradually lose access to your own evaluative processes. You stop trusting your perception. You begin interpreting your experience through the abuser’s framework rather than your own. Rogers would recognise this as a catastrophic externalisation of the ‘locus of evaluation’. What this means for survivors is that instead of ‘knowing from within’, you are trained to look to someone else to tell you what is real. The clinical term for this state is incongruence. A fracture between your real experience and what you allow yourself to know about that experience. This is not a character flaw. It is a predictable neuropsychological response to sustained relational betrayal. Why the brain cannot “just decide” to leave Dr Ramani Durvasula’s clinical framework  identifies the trauma bond as one of the primary mechanisms that keep people locked into narcissistic relationships. The concept, originally described by Dutton and Painter in 1981 , refers to the formation of powerful emotional attachments under conditions of intermittent maltreatment and power imbalance. In narcissistic abuse, the neurochemical cycle of idealisation, devaluation, and occasional reprieve creates this reinforcement pattern and it operates on the same reward circuitry as addiction. This goes deeper than only neurochemistry. Jennifer Freyd’s research on betrayal blindness  demonstrates that when harm comes from someone upon whom you depend such as a partner, a parent or an employer, your psyche has a vested survival interest in not seeing it clearly. Awareness of betrayal by an attachment figure comes at a huge cost. If you fully recognise that the person you love and depend on is systematically harming you, the implications are overwhelming. Your relationship, your housing, your children’s stability, your social world, your identity as it has been constructed around this partnership, all become destabilised. The organism suppresses the betrayal not because it is foolish but because doing so preserves the attachment upon which survival feels contingent. This is compounded by what Lalich calls bounded choice , the reality that someone’s perception of their available options is constrained by their circumstances. Financial dependence, immigration status, children, religious community, cultural expectations, fear of escalated violence are not excuses. They are structural realities that narrow the corridors of possibility. When we tell someone to “just leave,” we are operating from outside these constraints and judging from a position of freedom the person does not have. The cognitive architecture of staying There is a further dimension that most popular accounts miss entirely. Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory  describes our fundamental human need for internal consistency. When a person holds two contradictory pieces of information simultaneously such as “this person loves me” and “this person is systematically harming me”, the psychological discomfort is intolerable. Something has to give. In narcissistic abuse, the resolution almost always tilts toward justification. The person rationalises, “All relationships are difficult…I am expecting too much…If I were a better partner, this would stop”. The clinical literature on antagonistic relational stress describes this with devastating precision, motivated reasoning drives the person to justify using emotional reasons to reach a desired outcome -  staying in the relationship. Feelings override rational evidence. The explanations tilt toward the beneficent. This is the core of what keeps people stuck. Now here is the part that most advice-givers miss entirely, the self-blame is not just an emotional response. It serves a protective function. If the abuse is my fault, then I have agency. I can fix it. I can change, try harder, be better. The alternative, that this is about the other person’s characterological antagonism and nothing I do will alter it, is existentially terrifying. This framing strips away the illusion of control. People take on blame through the emotion of shame precisely because that formulation allows the relationship to sustain and the attachment to be preserved. Rogers would have understood this immediately. The conditions of worth imposed by the narcissistic partner demand that the person sacrifice their organismic experiencing to maintain the relationship. You learn that your feelings are wrong, your perceptions are distorted, your needs are excessive. Over time, you internalise these conditions so thoroughly that they feel self-generated rather than imposed. The person is not choosing to stay in some straightforward, deliberate sense. They are operating within a self-structure that has been reorganised around the abuser’s reality. What “just leave” actually communicates When friends, family, or even therapists tell someone experiencing narcissistic abuse  to “just leave,” the message received is rarely the one intended. What the person hears is confirmation of what the abuser has been telling them all along, that this situation is their fault, they are failing at something that should be simple, it is their inability to extract themselves which reflects a deficiency in character. This is why the antagonism-informed treatment framework explicitly identifies “Why didn’t you leave?” as one of the most harmful questions a clinician can ask. It is a question predicated on a fundamental misunderstanding of the dynamics involved. It collapses the complexity of trauma bonding, betrayal blindness, cognitive dissonance, bounded choice and the systematic erosion of the internal evaluative processes into a simple failure of will. For a person already drowning in shame and self-blame, it is one more voice echoing the narrative that something is wrong with them. The clinical reality is more nuanced. Working with clients experiencing narcissistic abuse cannot be reduced to the question of leaving. Many clients are not going to leave and effective therapeutic work has to account for that. It means fostering radical acceptance and realistic expectations, facilitating disengagement and lifting self-blame. It means connecting the relational behaviour to the fallout the client is experiencing and cultivating spaces where authenticity and individuation remain possible even within the constraints of the existing relationship. What actually helps Recovery from narcissistic abuse, whether someone is still in the relationship, has left, or is somewhere in the uncertain territory between, requires something fundamentally different from advice. It requires the restoration of the internal evaluative processes that the abuse dismantled. In person-centred terms , this means creating therapeutic conditions that directly counter those of the narcissistic relationship. Where the relationship imposed conditions of worth, the therapeutic space offers unconditional positive regard. Where the relationship demanded an external locus of evaluation, therapy supports the gradual reclamation of the person’s own organismic valuing process. Where the relationship produced incongruence and self-fragmentation, the therapeutic relationship provides empathy and congruence that allow the person to begin tentatively trusting their own experience again. As Joseph observed , while many therapeutic approaches might alleviate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, only those that are actively facilitating the congruent integration of self and experience will lead to post-traumatic growth. For narcissistic abuse survivors, this distinction is critical. Symptom management is not sufficient. The damage is to the self-structure itself and meaningful recovery requires its reconstruction. This is slow, non-linear work. Clinicians working with narcissistic abuse are effectively starting at square minus ten, the conditions for growth have been so thoroughly blocked that they must first be re-established before anything resembling traditional therapeutic progress can begin. The actualising tendency , Rogers’ foundational concept of the organism’s innate drive toward growth, does not disappear under narcissistic abuse it is profoundly obstructed. Unblocking it requires patience, clinical sophistication and above all, an understanding of what the person has actually been through. Moving beyond simple narratives If you know someone experiencing narcissistic abuse, the most useful thing you can do is resist the impulse to fix it for them. Sit with the complexity. Recognise that staying does not indicate a lack of intelligence, self-respect, or courage. Understand that the mechanisms holding them there such as betrayal blindness, trauma bonding, cognitive dissonance, the erosion of the internal locus of evaluation and bounded choice are formidable, well-documented psychological processes, not personal failings. If you are the person in this situation, reading this, recognise that your difficulty in leaving is not evidence that something is wrong with you. It is evidence that something was done to you. The fact that you are reading about it, trying to make sense of it, engaging with the complexity of your own experience, that is your actualising tendency still at work. Still reaching toward growth, even when every condition for growth has been stripped away. Specialised support exists. It is worth seeking out a therapist who understands the specific mechanisms of narcissistic abuse and antagonistic relational stress. Not just someone who treats generic trauma but someone trained in the particular dynamics that make this form of relational harm so resistant to the usual interventions. Lisa Major, Guest Writer Lisa Major MA PGDip is a Person-Centred Experiential Psychotherapist (MNCPS Accred) specialising in narcissistic abuse recovery. She is one of few practitioners globally certified by Dr Ramani Durvasula’s training and holds the NATC (Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician) credential. She practises at Sentio Psychotherapy in Widnes, Cheshire. For a free 30-minute consultation, visit Sentio Psychotherapy Practice .

Annyx Day has achieved a Diploma in Police Foundations Program; a Bachelor of Arts with a Specialization in Organizational Communication Degree; and a Master of Arts Integrated Studies with a focus in Work, Organization, and Leadership Degree; and is a Rapid Transformational Therapy ® (RTT®) Practitioner/Certified Hypnotherapist as well as a Rapid Transformational Coaching® (RTC®) Success Coach. She has had amazing opportunities of being a figure skating coach, a flight attendant, a police officer, a director of business development, a communication officer, a 911 dispatcher, and a supervisor in a national operation centre. Annyx Day, RTT® Hypnotherapist, RTC® Success Coach Who is Annyx Day? Please introduce yourself. I am the founder and CEO of Living Life Above – Moving Yourself Forward in Ontario, Canada. I am bridging the gap between personal and professional excellence. I have achieved a Diploma in Police Foundations Program; a Bachelor of Arts with a Specialization in Organizational Communication Degree; and a Master of Arts Integrated Studies with a focus in Work, Organization, and Leadership Degree; and I am a Rapid Transformational Therapy® (RTT®) Practitioner/Certified Hypnotherapist as well as a Rapid Transformational Coaching® (RTC®) Success Coach. I have had amazing opportunities of being a figure skating coach, a flight attendant, a police officer, a director of business development, a communication officer, a 911 dispatcher, and a supervisor in a national operation centre. Discovering as well as learning both RTT® and RTC® from Marisa Peer and her amazing staff have been the catalysts to my own internal healing from childhood trauma, PTSD, grief, postpartum depression, anxiety, and stress. What inspired you to start helping people through RTT® and hypnotherapy? I am a proud graduate of the Marisa Peer School. Learning about and applying Marisa’s Rapid Transformational Therapy® (RTT®) and Rapid Transformational Coaching® (RTC®) methodologies were the catalysts to healing the obstacles and challenges in my own life. Now, I pay it forward by helping and guiding my clients rise above their obstacles and challenges to self-betterment both in their personal and professional lives. In bridging the gap between people’s personal and professional excellence, I am grateful to be privy to understanding my clients’ past, being touched by their stories, watching them rise above their trauma leaving the ashes behind them, re-discovering themselves, seeing them stand in their own power, and now living unstoppable lives! From a very young age, I always wanted to inspire others to move beyond life’s obstacles and challenges and live their best lives. I am living my purpose every day! How would you describe your approach to healing and transformation? I wholeheartedly believe you need to heal your past trauma (whatever that may be) to be able to live mindfully in the present. To be mindful is to be made aware of your thoughts, your emotions, your actions, your behaviours, and the events that happen as a result. To be mindful of all of these aspects is where the transformation can take place. Just think, what a beautiful gift to understand why you do what you do, why you think the way you think, why you behave the way you behave, but also to be made aware that you have the power to shift your mindset. When you shift your mindset, your entire life begins to evolve and this is when manifesting the life you want becomes reality. But, you have to heal from what is stopping you and keeping you stuck first. You heal your past, you transform your future, and yes, it is that simple. The first step is being open to the healing process and the key to success is being guided by someone who knows how to do it and who has done it for herself. What issues do you help your clients overcome most often? I specialize in anxiety/stress; grief/loss; confidence/self-esteem; and relaxation/being grounded. I have helped clients at many different healing stages in their lives and their ages varied between 25 to 82 years of age. My clients’ success stories are as follows: some have healed from severe anxiety and debilitating panic attacks; some have let go of the heaviness of grief of losing their loved ones; some have found inner-peace and freedom from healing their traumatic past; many have risen and healed from childhood trauma; most have experience an increase in confidence and self-esteem; some have understood why they procrastinate; some awakened to their self-worth and stopped self-sabotaging; some have found their voice and now stand in their power; most have understood they are enough just the way they are; some have accomplished long life goals; one has won his MMA championship, became an actor, and got engaged; one has won her bodybuilding championship and became an entrepreneur; some have expanded their self-worth after ended relationships to narcissists; some have left misaligned relationships; most have understood they are allowed to create healthy boundaries; most have forgiven people who hurt them the most; some have recognized how powerful they really are after healing from a life threatening injury; some have discovered the link to their weight struggles; most have interrupted dysfunctional cycle and upgraded their lineage; some have manifested the life they wanted; one manifested her forever home; some excelled in their businesses; one achieved clarity and has written his first manuscript; some have become better managers; one has felt confident driving again after losing 4 dear friends to fatal car accidents; one acknowledged it saved her life; some have quit drinking; some have quit smoking; most have healed their mother and father wounds; most have healed from their limiting beliefs; most have healed their inner child; most have changed their perspective on life; most have recognized how harmful learned behaviours can be unlearned; most have learned how powerful self-praise really is; and all my clients have had many AHA moments during and after their RTT® sessions! How does Rapid Transformational Therapy® (RTT®) work differently from traditional therapy? The RTT® methodology combines the most effective techniques from Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy, and psychotherapy. RTT® is about healing your past in a much quicker way than what traditional therapy can offer because we go to the root, the cause, and the reason of your issues. Instead of working backwards, RTT® goes straight to the cause. We don’t dissect the symptoms, we go directly to what caused the symptoms in the first place. Within the first 20 minutes of my RTT® sessions, my clients understand where their issues come from and most of my clients experience their first AHA/epiphany moment of the session. No time is wasted. Why should clients suffer any longer? This premise is what motivated Marisa Peer to create RTT®. In essence, my clients only need 3 to 4 sessions (3 to 6 sessions are recommended). Furthermore, most of my clients have more than one issue and it is much easier to understand how everything is intertwined and interconnected. When you heal one issue, everything else follows suit e.g., I helped a client with past abusive relationships and we went to the root, cause, and reason of the anxiety. In doing so, her issue with drinking drastically reduced without even doing a session for stop drinking. Can you share a breakthrough moment a client experienced through your sessions? I always get AHA and epiphany moments for my clients. Most of my clients have two or three and some have many during their sessions. I truly believe those AHA/epiphany moments are magical because these are where the life-changing shifts happen in my clients’ lives. These are the moments my clients understand why they do what they do, why they think the way they think, why they behave the way they behave, and what has been keeping them stuck. I wholeheartedly believe these AHA/epiphany moments can only happen during hypnotherapy and when tapping into the subconscious mind. This is why RTT® is so powerful and transformational! What are the biggest misconceptions people have about subconscious healing? That it is even an option. Thus far, most people I have spoken with don’t even know true healing is achieved at the subconscious level. However, the more I speak about it the more people know about the deep, healing, and permanent benefits of RTT®. Another misconception is that therapy is necessary for years and years. Deep, life changing, and permanent results are achievable in 3 to 6 RTT® sessions. Who is your ideal client and why should they reach out to you? Men and women between the ages of 45 and 65 who are all in. They trust the healing process (even though they may not know anything about it), they love themselves enough to want to heal, they are tired of living the way they have, and they are curious in discovering what is on the other side of healing trauma. I work with 36 clients every quarter and I am accepting new clients now. I am able to work with local, national, and international clients because I offer in-person and online sessions. Clients should reach out to me if anything I have said resonates with them and because my clients get amazing results… my testimonials speak for themselves! How do your coaching sessions help people manifest the life they want? The Rapid Transformational Coaching® (RTC®) methodology combines in-depth techniques helping you understand how to overcome limiting beliefs, adopt a growth mindset, all with a kiss of RTT®. I start by asking my clients to define what success means to them and I help them get there. Defining their goals and getting really clear on what they want to accomplish are essential starting points. The application of powerful RTC® techniques allow my clients to integrate meaningful progression towards their personal and professional goals. In this journey, my clients gain wonderful insights about themselves, they accomplish personal milestones, and they learn how to adopt a growth mindset and maintain it. My clients experience personal and professional growth beyond their expectations and they learn how to manifest their dreams and desires. What’s the first thing someone can expect when they begin their healing journey with you? They don’t need to keep suffering. Furthermore, it won’t take several months or years of therapy to get positive, concrete, and life-changing results. My RTT® healing package is 12-weeks in total. It fast-tracks you in your healing journey much more rapidly than traditional therapy can offer. Manifesting the life you want is possible. My RTC® Success Coaching package is 8-weeks in total. RTT® is about healing your past, and RTC® is about manifesting the life you were meant to live. These are the results my clients achieve when working with me. How can someone book a discovery call or start working with you? As previously mentioned, I am accepting new clients now, and they can reach out to me at my email , or they can request a Discovery Call via my website , or call me at 613-797-8096. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Annyx Day

Written by Shannon Layton, Leadership Igniter | Coach | Keynote Speaker Shannon Layton is a leadership igniter, transformational coach, and seasoned keynote speaker with over 30 years of leadership experience, helping impact-driven leaders navigate pressure and uncertainty while transforming self-doubt into calm confidence. What’s the difference between a high-performing team unraveling after a change in leadership and a struggling organization making a comeback under new leadership? The difference comes down to leadership accountability. Leadership accountability is not about punishment, pressure, or micromanagement. At its best, accountability is a leadership discipline rooted in consistent practice, aligned actions, respectful relationships, and clearly explained expectations. It’s not soft leadership. It’s clear leadership done with C.A.R.E. This article explores four defining characteristics of accountable leaders who sustain trust, engagement, and performance across their organizations. What is leadership accountability in today’s organizations? Leadership accountability, in its simplest form, is the choice to own decisions and their outcomes. Accountability is often defined as “taking ownership,” yet that language subtly misses the point. If accountability requires taking something, the question becomes, where are you taking it from? True accountability doesn’t begin by taking something from others. It begins as an internal choice. Leadership accountability, at its core, is the decision to own your choices and their outcomes and to allow that ownership to shape how you show up in the world every day. How accountability starts with internal ownership Accountability is a moment-by-moment practice, one that calls for disciplined, conscious choice. Leaders continually choose how they think, feel, act, and behave, fully accepting the impact of those choices on their teams and organizations. This internal ownership is what distinguishes accountability as a leadership practice, not just a managerial expectation. When leaders consistently choose accountability, trust grows. Trust is the foundation upon which committed, high-performing, and resilient teams are built and sustained. Why leadership accountability fails in most organizations Accountability rarely fails because people don’t care. It fails because the conditions required for accountability are missing. In many organizations, accountability is treated as a corrective measure rather than a leadership practice. It shows up only when something goes wrong, often accompanied by blame, frustration, vague directives to “do better,” or silence in the hope that issues will magically self-correct. Over time, this creates cultures where self-doubt grows and accountability is avoided instead of embraced. How unclear expectations undermine accountability Some of the most common accountability breakdowns include assumed expectations, inconsistent follow-through, and values that are communicated but not consistently practiced. When leaders depend on others’ perceptions to match their unspoken expectations, they set themselves and their teams up for disappointment. Standards are enforced in one moment and ignored in the next. Feedback is delivered without context, relationship, or clarity. Results fall short or land differently than expected. Self-doubt widens the performance gap When accountability lacks calm confidence, consistency, and clarity, people protect themselves. They internalize self-doubt, disengage, play it safe, or quietly withdraw discretionary effort. What looks like resistance is often self-preservation. The result is a widening gap between intention and impact. Leaders have the best intentions to foster collaboration and high performance, but the absence of confident, disciplined accountability produces confusion, mistrust, unproductive chaos, and stalled momentum. Accountability begins with the leader, not the team Just like a pace car controls the speed and maintains order on the track, leaders set the pace for the organization. Leaders are always leading, especially when they think nobody is watching. Teams mirror what leaders model, tolerate what leaders excuse, and repeat what leaders reinforce. When leaders avoid ownership, shift blame, or apply standards inconsistently, accountability and trust erode, regardless of how clearly expectations are stated. The truth is simple. Teams don’t resist accountability. They resist inconsistency and perceived deception. How accountability feels shared, not imposed Accountability doesn’t start with policies, scorecards, or systems. It starts with how leaders choose to show up, especially when things don’t go as planned. When leaders look at themselves first, owning missteps, following through on commitments, and aligning words with actions, they create psychological safety and credibility. Their behavior signals, “I am trustworthy.” In that environment, accountability feels fair rather than threatening, and expectations feel shared rather than imposed. When leaders choose accountability as a disciplined leadership practice, the ripple effect is immediate. I once observed a new senior leader acknowledge in a team meeting that a missed deadline was the result of their own lack of clarity. Instead of deflecting or justifying the delay, they owned the impact and reset expectations moving forward. The shift in respect and commitment was almost immediate. The team became more open, more engaged, and more willing to take ownership themselves. Accountability isn’t something to enforce. It’s something to embody. It must be practiced before it can be expected. It’s not a directive. It’s a demonstration. That level of accountability doesn’t happen accidentally. It requires intention, discipline, and care, starting with consistent practice. The 4 characteristics of accountable leadership: C.A.R.E. Consistent practice Teams learn how to work within organizations by watching what leaders repeatedly do more than what they say. Consistent practice is a daily leadership discipline, not a moment. Accountability shows up in daily, visible behaviors, especially when doing the right thing is uncomfortable or inconvenient. Accountable leaders consistently choose to own their decisions, emotions, behaviors, and outcomes. They don’t disappear when results fall short, shift blame under pressure, or model exceptions for themselves. Over time, consistent practice builds credibility. That credibility creates a deeper level of trust, one where people feel safe to be honest, admit mistakes, ask questions, and show up fully. This is the kind of trust that fuels strong commitment, discretionary effort, and high-performing teams who have each other’s backs. Aligned actions One of the quickest ways to erode trust is the “do what I say, not what I do” leadership gap. Accountable leaders eliminate this gap by aligning their actions with both their personal values and the organization’s stated values. How leaders express their thoughts, make decisions, and take action sends a powerful and consistent message. This alignment determines whether accountability is avoided or welcomed. When actions and values are aligned, accountability stops feeling imposed and starts feeling principled. Teams don’t have to guess which standard applies. They see it modeled every day. Respectful relationships All businesses are people businesses, and accountability is fundamentally relational, not rooted in systems or hierarchies. True accountability is built through trust, dignity, and psychological safety, not fear, control, or compliance. Every person desires and deserves to be heard, seen, understood, and respected, especially during difficult conversations. Respectful relationships create the conditions for feedback loops that are both positive and constructive. When leaders prioritize respect, they create space for learning, repair after missteps, and accountability conversations that strengthen rather than damage relationships. People are held accountable without being diminished, and performance improves because people feel safe enough to fully engage. Explained expectations Let’s solve the real leadership problem, not the surface one. Most accountability breakdowns aren’t performance issues, they’re explanation failures. What gets labeled as defiance or laziness is often the result of assumptions, misalignment, and leaders skipping the step of explaining expectations and confirming understanding. A mid-level leader once described a team member as “resistant to doing what was expected.” After a conversation grounded in explained expectations, it became clear that the team member had never been told what success actually looked like. Once expectations were clarified and understanding was confirmed, performance improved without any additional pressure. Accountable leaders clearly communicate expectations, explain why they matter, and double-check for understanding and buy-in. This removes the number one accountability derailer, ambiguity. Explaining expectations requires leadership courage. It’s difficult to explain expectations if you are avoiding the conversation. When explained expectations are paired with respectful relationships, compliance and mediocre performance give way to engagement and discretionary effort. Accountability becomes mutual, not punitive. Leadership accountability is a choice practiced daily Leadership accountability practiced with C.A.R.E. is not a personality trait. It is a practiced leadership choice. It’s not just about intention alone. It’s about choosing how to show up every day. That’s where accountability actually lives. When leaders consistently practice aligned actions, invest in respectful relationships, and take the time to explain expectations and confirm understanding, accountability stops being something people fear and starts becoming something they trust and advocate for. For a deeper look at how leaders earn and strengthen trust, the foundational currency of effective leadership, read The Leadership Trust Quotient: Leading With Trust on Brainz Magazine. In today’s organizations, accountability done with C.A.R.E. isn’t optional. It is essential. It’s how trust is built, cultures are sustained, and results are achieved without sacrificing people in the process. Leadership accountability isn’t about being harder, it’s about leading better. If this perspective on leadership accountability resonates with you, take the next natural step. Book a discovery call to explore having me speak on leadership accountability at your organization or event, tailor a leadership workshop or program to your specific business challenges or goals, or partner with you or your leaders individually to transform self-doubt into calm confidence. Follow me on Facebook ,  Instagram , LinkedIn ,  and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Shannon Layton Shannon Layton, Leadership Igniter | Coach | Keynote Speaker Shannon Layton is a leadership igniter, transformational coach, and seasoned keynote speaker, and the founder of Awaken Your Best Life, LLC. Helping thousands of impact-driven global leaders navigate pressure, uncertainty, and burnout while transforming self-doubt into calm confidence in the age of AI and rapid change, her work blends executive insight with deep mindset and stress regulation practices for sustained performance and wellbeing. Follow Shannon on Brainz to explore her insights on leading with clarity, confidence, and trust in times of change.

Written by Anne-Sophie Gossan, Transformational Career Coach Anne-Sophie Gossan, founder of Inner Spark Coaching, supports individuals going through career transitions so they find meaningful direction, reignite their spark, and thrive. She brings calm, clarity, and deep empathy, and asks the questions that unlock their truths while holding space for both vulnerability and growth. Most women don’t realise they’re already being brave. Not in the dramatic, movie-moment way, but in the everyday decisions or reflections they make behind the scenes of a career disruption. The courage to stay. The courage to leave. The courage to admit you’re no longer who you were. The hidden psychology of career disruption Career disruption, whether chosen or forced, is one of the most identity-shaking experiences a woman can go through. A recent article from Harvard Business School shows that women are still significantly less likely to apply for roles unless they meet every listed qualification, a pattern driven more by internalised self-doubt than actual capability. And according to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report, 43% of women consider leaving or downshifting their careers due to burnout, misalignment, or lack of support, not lack of capability. But here’s the part we don’t talk about enough, "Career disruption forces a woman into a new relationship with herself. Not the professional mask she wears at work." Not the version she thinks she “should” be by now. But the version who is asking harder questions: What do I actually want now? Who am I without this title? What am I allowed to leave behind? What am I allowed to want next? These questions aren’t signs of instability. They’re signs of courage. Courage isn’t a moment, it’s a habit, a choice, a discipline We’re taught to imagine courage as a single, dramatic act. But in career transitions, courage looks more like a series of micro-agreements with yourself. The courage to be visible to yourself Before you can be visible to others, you have to stop hiding from your own reality. This is often the hardest part because it means acknowledging the gap between the life you built and the life you want. “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” – Brené Brown The courage to connect Not networking. Not “putting yourself out there.” But telling one trusted person the truth about where you are. Women Google things like “How do I know if it’s time to leave my job?” or “What if I don’t know what I want next?” long before they say them out loud. The courage to back yourself when everything feels uncertain Identity shifts create cognitive dissonance, the psychological discomfort of being between selves. Psychologist William Bridges calls this the “neutral zone,” the messy middle where the old identity is gone but the new one isn’t formed yet. Most women interpret this wobble as a sign they’re failing. It’s actually a sign they’re finding their way. The courage to act before you feel ready Every major career study shows the same pattern: women wait for readiness, men act on potential. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the decision to move with it. Why this matters now We’re living through a moment where women are rewriting their careers in real time. The pandemic cracked open long-held assumptions about work, identity, and ambition. Burnout is no longer a private shame but a global pattern. And the desire for meaningful work is no longer a luxury. It’s a non-negotiable. The women who navigate this period well aren’t the ones with the perfect plan. They’re the ones who build a relationship with themselves that can hold uncertainty. A relationship where courage isn’t a performance but a practice. So here’s the real question Not “What’s my next career move?” But, “What part of me is trying to come forward? And what courage does she need from me today?” Because once you’re in relationship with yourself, the next step becomes clearer. Not easy. But clearer. If you’re in a career disruption right now, here’s your invitation. Choose one act of courage this week. Not a big move. Not a reinvention. Just one small agreement with yourself. Tell someone the truth. Admit what’s no longer working. Say the thing you’ve been keeping quiet about. Write the idea you’ve been holding back. Let yourself want what you want. Because courage grows in action. If this resonated You can explore more reflections, tools, and stories here . And if you want support navigating your own career disruption, contact me for a free session . No pressure, no strings, just meaningful connection. Follow me on Facebook ,  Instagram , LinkedIn ,  and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Anne-Sophie Gossan Anne-Sophie Gossan, Transformational Career Coach Anne-Sophie Gossan spent 25+ years in the corporate world navigating high-stakes environments and career transitions. She spent years building a career and a home, juggling the demands of raising two boys while holding down a very demanding job. When redundancy struck, it shook her confidence and identity in ways she hadn’t anticipated. She decided to qualify as a coach and to create Inner Spark Coaching: Reimagine Your Story, a safe space where her clients can reclaim the unstoppable version of themselves that’s always been there. Through coaching, conversation, and deep transformation, she guides individuals into their next chapter with clarity, confidence, alignment, and renewed purpose.

Written by Christopher A. Suchánek, Founder, Chief Strategy Officer, and Speaker Chris Suchánek is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Firm Media, an award-winning national marketing agency specializing in helping plastic surgery, oral surgery, and med spa practices thrive. There is a particular kind of damage that happens when you are not believed. In my experience, it is often more destabilizing than the original event itself. Trauma is not only what happens to us. Trauma is what happens inside the nervous system afterward as it searches for one thing above all else: orientation and safety. The body needs to know that what it experienced was real, that it makes sense, and that it is not alone. Being believed does that. It tells the nervous system, “This happened. You are not imagining it. You can stop defending your reality.” When belief is withheld, something more corrosive begins. Your system is forced to split between two realities. There is your internal reality, what your body knows, remembers, and feels. And then there is the external reality, where your experience is minimized, dismissed, reframed, or quietly denied. Over time, that split erodes trust. Not just trust in others, but trust in yourself. Instead of simply processing the original event, your nervous system now has to manage an ongoing threat. Am I safe to speak? Will telling the truth cost me connection? Is my body lying to me? Was it really that bad? That constant self-monitoring creates a state of hypervigilance that often lasts far longer than the initial trauma. The body is no longer just holding pain. It is holding silence, self-suppression, and learned invisibility. One of the hardest truths I had to face was that the disbelief that impacted me most did not come from strangers. It came from the people closest to me. The ones I assumed would protect my reality. The ones whose approval mattered. The ones I instinctively turned toward for grounding and safety. When my experience was denied or reframed by those people, my nervous system did what it needed to do to survive. I adapted. I questioned myself. I learned how to reinterpret my own knowing in a way that preserved connection, even when it came at my expense. Over time, I stopped asking, “Is this true?” and started asking, “How do I need to understand this so I can stay?” That pattern did not stay contained to those relationships. It followed me into my work, my leadership, and the rooms where decisions were made. I noticed myself overexplaining things I already knew. I noticed hesitation where there used to be clarity. I noticed moments where I deferred, not because I lacked conviction, but because conviction once carried a cost. What surprised me most was how familiar it all felt. I had unknowingly built a world that mirrored that early disbelief. Not because I wanted to, but because it was what my nervous system recognized as normal. The shift did not come from proving anything to anyone else. It came when I stopped abandoning my internal reality. Walking away from that pattern was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It was also the most rewarding. Because on the other side of that choice was coherence. Energy returned. Clarity sharpened. The exhaustion lifted, not because life became easy, but because I was no longer carrying distortion. And something unexpected happened. When I stopped tolerating disbelief, different people appeared. Conversations felt steadier. Truth no longer required defense. I no longer needed to explain my knowing in order to earn my place. Walking away was not an ending. It was a recalibration. Healing, for me, has not been about reliving the past. It has been about reclaiming authority in the present. Choosing coherence over approval. Choosing truth over familiarity. There is nothing more powerful than trusting your own perception again. And there is nothing more courageous than leaving a reality that requires you to disappear to belong. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info. Read more from Christopher A. Suchánek Christopher A. Suchánek, Founder, Chief Strategy Officer, and Speaker Chris Suchánek is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Firm Media, an award-winning national marketing agency specializing in helping plastic surgery, oral surgery, and med spa practices thrive. With over 25 years of experience spanning the entertainment and specialty medical sectors, Chris has worked with iconic brands like Warner Bros., MTV, and EMI Music, earning international acclaim, including a Grammy Award with Brainstorm Artists International.