Written by Cora Darlington, Menopause & Midlife Transformation Coach Cora Darlington challenges the narrative that midlife is decline. As a Menopause and Midlife Transformation Coach with 20+ years of experience, she is the creator of HOMECOMING and the "Menopause as Sexy" movement, empowering women globally to claim their power years as their most transformative, potent, and vibrant season. It is 3 am. You are awake again, unsettled and restless for no reason that you can name. In the early morning darkness, you reach for comfort and familiarity, but none comes. What is in its place is an odd inner displacement that you don't know what to do with. You have been holding it together for everyone for a long time. Your family, your work, your friends. You are the capable one. The strong one. The one who has her shit together. But something fundamental is shifting on the inside. Only you know. The roles that once fit like your second skin now feel ill-fitting and claustrophobic. You look in the mirror and barely recognise the woman staring back. Your mind says, I am falling apart. Your soul says, no, not falling apart. Divinely re-arranged. My love, listen to me carefully. You are not falling apart. You are being lovingly dismantled by your own soul. What you are experiencing is a sacred crisis, soul rebellion. Your body, your psyche, your soul, they are staging a magnificent coup against everything that has kept you small, silent, and disconnected. Every system in your being is rising up and saying "no more." This is a breakdown. That will ultimately lead to your glorious rise. If you say "yes" to it. What is really happening in midlife? We live in a culture that punishes and shames women for coming undone. From the moment you could understand language, you have been taught to hold it together. To accommodate. To observe what was needed for you to gain love and approval. You became an expert in managing everyone's emotions, whilst burying your own so deep you eventually forgot they even existed. You sacrificed yourself quietly and called it love, called it duty, called it being a good woman. A strong woman. And good, strong women do not crumble, they do not unravel, they do not grieve, and they certainly do not rage. But when the seismic dissolution of midlife comes, when the foundations you have carefully built your entire life upon begin to crack, you panic. You think that surely something is catastrophically wrong. And that wrong thing, well, it must be you. The medical establishment is only too happy to confirm this. They tell you that you are hormonally deficient, that your body is malfunctioning, that your symptoms need managing. And the message is brutally clear, you are a problem that needs to be solved. The wellness industry packages it differently, of course, but the message is fundamentally the same. The relentless drive to sell you supplements and meditation apps, all designed to help you "get through" to help you "feel like yourself again." As if the goal is to go backwards. And then there is the forced emergence of January. A 'new year', and with it the expectation to be a 'new you'. As if what you need right now is another performance to perfect. But here is the truth that needs to be told. What if falling apart is the most powerful thing you will ever do? What if your body, in its fierce wisdom, is orchestrating a sacred dismantling because the old structures can no longer contain the potent and powerful woman you are becoming? The intelligence of your dissolution Let me be absolutely clear, I am not romanticising this. The unravelling is brutal. It is confronting in ways you have never experienced. Some nights, you will wake with panic beating loud in your chest and throat, convinced that you have wasted your entire life. That it is too late. That it is over for you. But here is what I have discovered in the fire and ashes of my own death and rebirth. There is a fierce, powerful, uncompromising intelligence in your dissolution. There is a Divine power that is driving it all, and it is not punishment, it is love. Your body's rebellion Your body is not broken. She is just refusing. For decades, your literal biology has been in the service of others, reproduction, nurturing, caregiving. Your entire energetic output has been directed outwards. Towards everyone but you. And now? Your body is staging a revolution. She is saying, "My turn. Finally." The decline of oestrogen during menopause is not a deficiency disease, it is an evolutionary shift. Your body is redirecting your precious life force. She is calling it back home, to you. She is taking back what you have been lovingly giving away for decades. Research shows that up to 80% of women experience hot flushes during menopause, and studies indicate that 40-60% report significant sleep disturbances. But here is what the medical establishment does not tell you, anthropological research suggests menopause evolved as an adaptive advantage, redirecting women's energy from reproduction to wisdom-keeping and community leadership. So, consider this. The hot flushes? Your body is burning away all that no longer serves you. The insomnia? Your nervous system is finally saying, "I will not remain on high alert for everyone else's comfort anymore." The brain fog? Your brain refuses to scatter her attention like crumbs. She is done serving everyone else's hunger while starving herself. These are not symptoms of decline. They are somatic acts of liberation. She is speaking, "I will not be ignored. I will no longer accommodate and enable your smallness. I demand that you finally be with me." Your psyche's uprising Your identity dissolution? It is not you losing yourself. It is your psyche tearing off the roles and the masks. The good daughter. The devoted mother. The supportive partner. The reliable friend. The strong woman who never complains. These roles served you well once. But somewhere along the way, they became prison bars. Now your psyche is ripping those roles apart. They do not fit the woman you are becoming. They are becoming lies. The disorientation? It is the liminal space between who you have been pretending to be and who you actually are. The grief? It is acknowledging and honouring what is ending. The rage? It is fire-filled evidence of every single compromise you ever made, every time you abandoned yourself to keep someone else comfortable, every moment that you chose the approval of someone else over your own soul's truth. Your dissolving is making space. Because you cannot emerge as the woman you came here to be whilst clinging desperately to the version of you that no longer exists. My own reckoning By my mid-40s, despite a rocky and difficult start, I had created what everyone called a successful life. A thriving coaching practice. Impressive track record. A beautiful husband and daughter. But inside? I was slowly but surely disintegrating. I had been so clear, so sure, now I was questioning everything! I became a stranger to myself. And the rage? It threatened to destroy me. All the times I had pretended that something did not matter, when it did. All the times I had pushed away the pain of my heartbreak in the name of being so wise and understanding. All the times I had worn the responsibility and burden and shame that was never mine to carry. It burned through me, literally, often spilling out in a way that I just could not control. Every tool I had diligently learned in order to manage myself no longer worked. There was no 'managing' the deep truth screaming inside of me, I had outgrown my entire life. And my soul would not be silenced. For a while, I tried to hold it together. Because I am a coach, I am supposed to have answers. But my unravelling did not give a shit about my credentials. It was going to have its way with me. And so, finally, on my knees one day in the shower. I surrendered. Here is what I discovered when I finally stopped fighting. My falling apart was the most sacred and necessary rite of passage for me to move through. It was my soul saying, "The life you have built is too small for who you are becoming. Let it burn." My death led to my rebirth. What brought me to my knees also brought me home. That is when I created homecoming, because there was nowhere to go that honoured this passage as sacred initiation rather than a steady, trauma-filled decline. A permission slip for your own unravelling So here you are. January. The month everyone else is telling you to construct a newer, better version of yourself. I say, F***k that. What if you just give yourself permission to breathe, to feel, to fall apart without immediately putting yourself back together? What if you just give yourself permission to destroy the false versions of you so that the real one can emerge? What if you just give yourself permission to not know who you are, or what you want, or what is next, for now? What if you just give yourself permission to gracefully disappoint others in the name of your own truth? What if you just give yourself permission to grieve and rage and fume fiercely? What if you just give yourself permission to be who you are, exactly as you are, now? What if you just gave yourself permission to give up the fight? You can do it. The woman who held it together for everyone? She was surviving. The woman who made herself small? She was keeping herself safe. Mourn her. Thank her. And then let her go. She brought you here. But she cannot take you where you are going. If this is landing in your body like a deep truth, I want to gift you something. My ebook "The Great Surrender: A Guide to Your Homecoming "  is the companion I so desperately desired during my own dissolution. The type of self-inquiry that transforms everything Once you have given yourself permission to fall apart consciously, here are the questions that will guide you through. Instead of asking yourself "What is wrong with me?", ask the fiercer questions: What is falling away because it was never mine to carry? What roles, expectations, and obligations are dissolving because they were always someone else's agenda, not mine? What versions of myself am I shedding because they no longer fit the woman I am becoming? The good girl. The people pleaser. The woman who does not rock the boat. Which masks am I finally ready to tear off? Who am I when I'm not performing for anyone? What is my soul yearning for? Who is the woman of my wildest dreams? Because underneath all of the performance, you are more powerful than you have ever dared to believe. Why you need a guide through this threshold You cannot guide yourself through the threshold alone. Not because you are not capable, you are ferociously capable. But threshold spaces require witnessing. They require a woman who has walked the terrain and can look you in the eyes and say, "This is normal. This is sacred. You are not crazy. You are being initiated." When you are in the wilderness, you need a guide who knows the wilderness intimately. This is the heroine's journey that we take in my 12-month programme, "Homecoming". We do not bypass the falling apart. We do not manage ourselves through it. We surrender to it and honour it as the sacred and divine rite of passage that it is. We walk through all four passages together – The Great Undoing, The Deep Forgiveness, The Reclamation, and The Rise. Real transformation demands the full arc. It takes a full year because sacred passages cannot be rushed. The integration happens between our calls, in the living of your actual life. The wisdom emerges in the practice. In the daily choosing of yourself. But it all starts here. With this first passage. The Great Undoing. With giving yourself fierce permission to fall apart consciously. My invitation If you are reading this and recognising yourself, the 3 am awakening, the stranger in the mirror, the exhaustion of holding it together, I need you to hear me. You are not faulty. You are not failing. You are not crazy. This is not the end. You are simply in the empty and liminal wilderness. And this wilderness is where women become wise. So my love, stop running, stop fighting. Lay down your masks and walk toward your crown. This is your initiation into power. This is your homecoming. And you absolutely do not have to walk it alone. Ready to go deeper? Homecoming, my 12-month transformational journey  begins enrollment mid-September 2026 and is limited to 24 women. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram and LinkedIn  for more info! Read more from Cora Darlington Cora Darlington, Menopause & Midlife Transformation Coach Cora Darlington turned her own midlife unravelling into a revolutionary approach to menopause. With credentials in NLP, CBT, life coaching, women's wellbeing, executive coaching, meditation, and yoga, she has spent two decades guiding women through transformation. She created HOMECOMING – a 12-month journey through The Great Undoing, The Deep Forgiveness, The Reclamation, and The Rise – for women aged 40-60+ who refuse the disempowered narrative. Her work passionately challenges mainstream menopause coaching that treats this passage as a medical problem rather than a sacred initiation. Author of "The Great Surrender," Cora's approach is bold, unapologetic, and rooted in lived experience. Her mission: No woman left behind.

Tatiana Aleobua specializes in nervous system regulation and burnout recovery, a focus shaped by her own journey of healing chronic stress and burnout. As a holistic and spiritual nurse, she blends clinical knowledge with mind, body, and energy-based practices to support sustainable healing. As the founder of Wholistically Yours LLC, she helps individuals restore balance, clarity, and long-term vitality through approaches grounded in both experience and care. Tatiana Aleobua, RN, Reiki Practitioner, Wellness/Nutrition Coach Who is Tatiana Aleobua? Tatiana Aleobua is a Registered Nurse, Reiki Practitioner, wellness and nutrition coach, emerging medical aesthetics nurse, and holistic wellness entrepreneur. She has also recently passed her Michigan Life Producer exam, expanding her ability to support individuals and families through living benefits and long-term protection. She is a single mother of five wonderful children and a devoted bichonpoo who continually motivates her to lead with purpose. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and still a resident of Southeast Michigan, Tatiana’s work is deeply rooted in spirituality, creativity, compassion, empathy, understanding, and resilience. Astrologically, she is a Pisces sun, Leo moon, and Libra rising, blending intuitive sensitivity and emotional depth, confident heart-centered leadership, and a natural desire for balance, harmony, and connection. She is inspired by art, music, movement, nature, and spiritual practices, all of which shape her integrative approach to healing. With a long-term vision of opening her own wellness center, Tatiana is committed to becoming a well-rounded practitioner who honors multiple paths of healing with mastery and intention. What is Wholistically Yours LLC, and why did you start it? Wholistically Yours LLC is a holistic wellness business founded in 2023 to support the healing of the mind, body, and soul as one interconnected system, honoring the wholeness of the individual. After years of working in traditional healthcare, from pharmacy to nursing, Tatiana observed many individuals managing symptoms without addressing underlying causes. Her interest in holistic care grew as she recognized the gaps between physical treatment, emotional well-being, and nervous system health. The business was also rooted in her own personal healing journey through burnout, nervous system dysregulation, and unresolved trauma from childhood into adulthood. Wholistically Yours LLC became both a place of service and a living blueprint for how healing can occur with compassion, empathy, and integration. What specific problems do you help your clients solve? Tatiana helps clients navigate chronic stress, burnout, emotional overwhelm, nervous system dysregulation, and the long-term effects of unprocessed life experiences. Many of her clients are highly functioning individuals who appear capable and composed externally but feel depleted, disconnected, or out of alignment internally. She also supports those who are simply seeking a more natural, integrative approach to healing and are open to exploring new and holistic pathways to wellbeing. How does your approach to holistic wellness differ from traditional healthcare? Traditional healthcare often focuses on symptom management, which can feel like placing a bandage on a wound without fully addressing what caused the injury. While this approach is essential in many situations, it frequently overlooks lifestyle patterns, emotional health, stress responses, and nervous system regulation. Tatiana’s approach integrates medical knowledge with holistic and spiritual practices to identify root causes rather than just surface symptoms. Her work emphasizes long-term regulation, prevention, and balance across the mind, body, and energy system, allowing healing to unfold in a more sustainable and embodied way. What are the main services you offer, and who are they best for? Reiki sessions support nervous system regulation, stress relief, and energetic balance by helping the body shift from the fight-or-flight response into a state of rest and restoration. Wellness and nutrition coaching focuses on sustainable lifestyle changes, nourishment, and habit-building to support energy, health, and long-term well-being. Halotherapy, or salt therapy, supports respiratory health, immune function, and relaxation by inhaling micronized salt in a controlled environment. Spiritual and intuitive guidance offers space for reflection, clarity, and self-awareness, supporting individuals through life transitions and personal growth. The digital wellness store provides carefully curated supplements and wellness products to support nutritional needs, daily balance, and ongoing self-care beyond sessions. These services are best for individuals of all ages experiencing burnout, chronic stress, respiratory concerns, pain, emotional fatigue, nervous system imbalance, or those seeking deeper regulation, nourishment, and alignment in daily life. Can you share a success story that highlights the impact of your work? Being featured in Voyage Michigan Magazine was a meaningful milestone recognizing Tatiana’s integrative approach to wellness and entrepreneurship. Beyond media recognition, success is reflected in clients consistently leaving sessions calmer, clearer, and in a more regulated state of their emotional and nervous systems than when they arrived. Her growing online presence across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Threads has further expanded her reach, allowing her to educate, inspire, and support a broader community beyond one-on-one care. Why do you include spiritual practices like Reiki and tarot in your wellness services? Spiritual practices address layers of healing that are often overlooked in conventional care. Reiki supports nervous system calming and energetic balance, while intuitive practices help clients gain clarity, insight, and self-awareness. These modalities complement medical care rather than replace it, enabling healing on both tangible and subtle levels. What are the top three reasons someone should choose you as their holistic coach? Tatiana offers a unique blend of medical training, spiritual depth, and lived healing experience. She has personally walked the path of recovery that she now supports others through. Additionally, her mobile services allow her to meet clients where they are physically, emotionally, and energetically. The third reason is best discovered through direct connection, where her presence and approach can be fully experienced. How do you help clients balance physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being? Balance is supported through individualized care that addresses daily habits, emotional processing, nervous system awareness, and spiritual alignment. Tatiana helps clients build consistency through small, intentional shifts rather than drastic changes. By fostering awareness, regulation, and self-connection, clients learn to respond to their needs with compassion and sustainability rather than urgency or burnout. What is one common misconception about holistic healing you want to correct? A common misconception is that holistic healing does not work or that it should produce instant results. In reality, holistic care works by addressing root causes and supporting the body’s natural ability to regulate over time. Healing requires patience, consistency, and active participation, often leading to deeper, longer-lasting transformation than quick fixes. What should someone expect when they reach out for the first time? Clients can expect a warm, safe, and nonjudgmental space where they are welcomed with openness, compassion, and genuine support. Each interaction is grounded in care, respect, and the intention to meet the individual exactly where they are. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Tatiana Aleobua

Written by Dharma Rebecca Funder, Executive Reinventionist & Leadership Strategist Dharma Funder is an Executive Reinventionist and Leadership Strategist who guides high-performing executives to achieve sustainable success through nervous-system-led leadership and embodied transformation. Urgency is often praised as a marker of commitment and drive. In high-performance environments, it is treated as evidence of leadership readiness. In reality, urgency is more accurately understood as a signal of capacity overload under pressure. Leaders who operate in persistent urgency are not demonstrating effectiveness; they are revealing a system operating beyond its ability to contain demand. As complexity increases, leaders face compressed timelines, higher stakes, and greater ambiguity. When internal capacity is sufficient, these conditions sharpen judgment. When it is not, urgency fills the gap. Speed substitutes for clarity. Motion replaces discernment. Decisions are made to discharge internal pressure rather than advance strategic direction. This is why urgency scales poorly. It narrows perception, reduces tolerance for nuance, and accelerates reactive behavior. Over time, it degrades decision quality and destabilizes organizations. What initially looks like responsiveness becomes volatility. Why urgency culture persists in high-performance environments Urgency persists because it is structurally rewarded. In performance-driven cultures, speed, visibility, and immediate action are consistently reinforced. Leaders who move quickly are perceived as decisive. Those who pause are often misread as hesitant or disengaged. Over time, urgency becomes conflated with commitment, while deliberation is mistaken for indifference. Busyness becomes a proxy for impact. Motion becomes proof of leadership. Organizations begin optimizing for activity rather than orientation. As a result, the baseline for what qualifies as "urgent" steadily escalates. What was once exceptional becomes routine. What was once routine becomes intolerably slow. Eventually, urgency is no longer reserved for genuine inflection points. It becomes the default operating state, independent of actual conditions. The system runs hot continuously, rewarding output while eroding stability. What urgency actually signals When urgency becomes chronic rather than situational, it functions as a diagnostic. It signals a mismatch between external demand and internal containment capacity. "Urgency is not a leadership skill. It is a signal of capacity overload." In urgency-driven leadership systems, decisions are made to relieve internal load rather than advance strategic intent. Meetings are convened to create the appearance of momentum. Priorities shift before outcomes can be evaluated. Teams are redirected mid-execution. What appears as agility is, in fact, reactivity under sustained pressure. At this stage, leaders often experience momentum without direction. Pausing feels risky. Slowing down threatens exposure of misalignment, unresolved complexity, or insufficient internal margin. Acceleration becomes compensatory. Speed is mistaken for control. This pattern is distinct from genuine situational urgency. In true crises, urgency mobilizes action briefly and proportionately, followed by recovery. The problem arises when activation becomes permanent, when urgency shifts from a tool to a dependency. At that point, its costs compound. How urgency degrades decision quality Urgency operates by narrowing focus. In acute situations, this narrowing can be functional. Sustained over time, it becomes corrosive. "Speed substitutes for clarity. Motion replaces discernment." Perception contracts. Leaders lose peripheral awareness and become less able to detect weak signals or integrate dissenting information. Decisions are optimized for immediacy rather than coherence. Second- and third-order consequences are deferred in favor of short-term pressure relief. Tolerance for ambiguity collapses. Under sufficient containment, leaders can hold competing signals without forcing resolution. Under urgency, ambiguity becomes intolerable. Decisions are rushed to eliminate uncertainty, even when additional time would materially improve outcomes. Reactivity accelerates. Attention becomes captured by the most recent input rather than the most consequential one. Tactical noise displaces strategic signal. Over time, judgment becomes brittle. Early effectiveness is sustained only through increasing effort, until strain overtakes capacity. This is not a failure of intelligence, discipline, or intent. It is the predictable outcome of operating beyond internal capacity limits under load. The organizational cost of urgency-driven leadership Urgency does not remain contained at the leadership level. It propagates through the organization. Teams experience instability as priorities shift without orientation. Execution fragments. Trust erodes. Over time, people reduce discretionary effort, not from disengagement, but from learned unpredictability. Strategic coherence weakens. Organizations move quickly but without compounding advantage. Tactical execution continues while long-range direction blurs. Growth occurs, but it lacks structural integrity. Innovation capacity declines. Urgency favors the familiar over the exploratory. Risk tolerance narrows. The organization becomes efficient at repeating what already exists, while losing the capacity to adapt when conditions change. Talent retention becomes fragile. High-capacity operators may tolerate urgency temporarily, particularly during expansion phases. Sustained urgency without relief, however, leads to attrition (often quietly, often at senior levels), further increasing load on the remaining system. These costs rarely appear immediately in performance metrics. The degradation is incremental, normalized, and cumulative. What stability looks like under pressure Stability is not calm, and it is not restraint. It is surplus capacity under pressure. "Stable leaders can pause without losing momentum, decide without rushing, and hold competing signals without collapse." Their authority does not come from speed, but from internal coherence under load. Pressure sharpens their judgment rather than distorting it. Stability manifests in observable patterns. Decision rhythms remain consistent regardless of volatility. New information is integrated rather than reacted to. Situational urgency is addressed without becoming systemic. This requires internal margin: the capacity to absorb demand without fragmentation. When that margin exists, complexity does not trigger urgency. It triggers consideration. Ambiguity becomes workable rather than destabilizing. Stability as the real competitive advantage In volatile environments, leadership stability becomes a differentiator. Organizations led by stable leaders absorb shocks without overcorrection. They maintain direction without rigidity. They respond deliberately rather than reactively. "Urgency may move things forward temporarily. Stability is what allows organizations to endure." As markets continue to reward speed and scale, the leaders who sustain impact will not be those who act fastest, but those who expand capacity fastest. They recognize that urgency is a signal, not a skill, and that authority emerges from containment, not motion. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Dharma Rebecca Funder Dharma Rebecca Funder, Executive Reinventionist & Leadership Strategist Dharma Funder is an Executive Reinventionist dedicated to helping successful leaders reclaim clarity, confidence, and calm under pressure. Drawing on principles of neuroscience, emotional regulation, and embodied leadership, she guides CEOs and senior executives through the transformation from overdrive to sustainable performance. Her work, The Resilience Code™, blends science, strategy, and soul to create leaders who thrive from the inside out.

Written by Aleksandra Tsenkova, Psychotherapist, Author, Speaker Blending Person-Centred therapy with coaching and DBT, Aleksandra Tsenkova helps people worldwide heal trauma, unpack emotional wounds, and step into confidence. As 2026 is recognised as the Year of Cognitive Health, conversations about focus, memory, and emotional regulation are gaining momentum. In a world shaped by constant stimulation, burnout, and rising expectations, caring for the mind has never felt more urgent. But what if the mind is not something to optimise, measure, or fix? From a Person-Centred perspective, this invites a different way of thinking, one in which cognitive health is less about doing more and more about being met as a whole person. This article explores these ideas through a Person-Centred lens, offering a shift away from performance-driven narratives and toward a more humane understanding of how minds truly thrive. Before exploring how cognitive health can be supported in therapy, workplaces, and across the lifespan, it is worth pausing to reflect on what the term truly means. A Person-Centred lens invites us to look not at what the mind produces, but at the conditions that allow clarity, focus, and resilience to emerge naturally.   1. Why cognitive health matters now? Cognitive health has moved into the spotlight not because people suddenly care more about their minds, but because many are quietly struggling to keep up. Prolonged stress, digital overload, and blurred boundaries between work and rest have left individuals feeling mentally fatigued, distracted, and emotionally drained. What was once occasional exhaustion has become a persistent way of being. At the same time, “thinking well” has taken on a moral and professional dimension. The ability to stay focused, regulated, and productive is often treated as a personal responsibility, rather than a reflection of the conditions in which people live and work. When attention wavers or clarity fades, the experience is frequently internalised as failure, rather than understood as a human response to ongoing pressure. From a Person-Centred perspective, this moment invites us to listen more closely. Beneath concerns about concentration or memory often lies a deeper sense of overwhelm, disconnection, or not being able to rest mentally. Understanding why cognitive health matters now begins not with demands for improvement, but with acknowledging how people are actually experiencing their inner world.   2. Rethinking cognitive health: A person-centred definition Cognitive health is often understood in terms of sharp memory, sustained attention, and mental efficiency. While these abilities can be valuable, a Person-Centred perspective invites a broader and more humane understanding. The mind does not function well simply because it is trained to perform, but because it feels supported, safe, and understood. From this viewpoint, cognitive well-being is experienced as a sense of internal clarity, emotional safety, and meaning. It is reflected in the ability to trust one’s own perceptions, to think without constant self-monitoring, and to remain mentally present without fear of failure. When individuals feel accepted rather than evaluated, their thinking often becomes more fluid and less effortful. Central to this process is the self-concept and the internal conditions described within the Person-Centred approach. Congruence, acceptance, and empathic understanding create an inner climate in which the mind can organise itself naturally. Rather than striving to optimise cognitive performance, Person-Centred care focuses on restoring the conditions that allow thinking to unfold with authenticity and ease.   3. When the mind is overloaded: Listening beyond symptoms When someone says, “I can’t focus anymore,” it is often treated as a deficit to fix. From a Person-Centred perspective, however, these words carry a deeper message about the emotional and relational pressures a person is experiencing. Difficulty concentrating is rarely just a cognitive problem, it is frequently a signal of overwhelm, anxiety, grief, or disconnection. Cognitive fatigue can emerge when the mind is constantly navigating stress, unprocessed emotions, or environments that demand more than it can sustainably give. By focusing solely on attention or memory, we risk overlooking the lived experience behind the words, the mental exhaustion, the tension, and the longing for understanding. When the mind is acknowledged as part of a whole person, not a collection of functions, to optimize clarity, focus, and resilience often arise naturally.   4. Cognitive endurance as a relational process Endurance is often framed as the ability to push through to force attention, memory, or focus despite fatigue. From a Person-Centred perspective, however, true cognitive endurance emerges not from effort alone, but from feeling supported, understood, and psychologically safe. The mind can sustain itself when it is met with acceptance rather than pressure. Relationships, whether in therapy, at work, or at home, play a crucial role in this process. When individuals feel genuinely heard and valued, their mental resources naturally replenish, and focus becomes less about willpower and more about presence. Emotional support, validation, and empathic connection create an environment in which the mind can organise itself with clarity and resilience. In this sense, endurance is relational, it thrives not in isolation, but in connection. By prioritising understanding over performance, Person-Centred care nurtures a mind that is capable of sustained attention, meaningful thinking, and genuine engagement with life.   5. From metrics to meaning: The cost of performance-driven minds In many workplaces and schools, cognitive health is measured by output, efficiency, and visible performance. While these metrics may seem practical, they often come at a hidden cost: the mind’s capacity to rest, reflect, and process experiences is overlooked. Constant evaluation and the pressure to perform can quietly erode focus, creativity, and emotional resilience. When systems prioritise results over human well-being, individuals may feel that their value lies in what they produce, rather than in who they are. The subtle toll of living under continuous scrutiny is often invisible, but deeply felt fatigue, anxiety, and disengagement accumulate, leaving the mind drained even when outward achievements remain high. From a Person-Centred perspective, the shift is clear. Rather than judging cognitive health by performance alone, we can pay attention to the conditions that foster well-being: supportive relationships, psychological safety, and environments that honour the whole person. When meaning replaces metrics as the guide, minds are free to thrive without being reduced to numbers.   6. Therapy as cognitive care: Creating person-centred conditions for mental clarity Therapy is often thought of as a place to solve problems or train the mind to perform better. From a Person-Centred perspective, its primary role is different, therapy provides the relational conditions that allow the mind to organise itself naturally. Mental clarity, focus, and resilience emerge not from instruction, but from being truly seen, heard, and understood. In this space, the pressures of performance and evaluation are set aside. Clients are met with empathy, acceptance, and respect for their internal experience. It is in this environment of psychological safety that thinking becomes less effortful and more authentic. Cognitive endurance grows when the mind can rest, reflect, and explore without fear of judgement. Therapy, therefore, is a form of cognitive care, it nurtures the mind by nurturing the person. By prioritising understanding over correction, therapists help clients reconnect with their own capacity for clarity, insight, and sustained attention, not as tasks to master, but as qualities that naturally unfold when the whole person is valued.   7. Closing reflection: Honouring the mind by honouring the person True cognitive health cannot be forced or measured in isolation. It flourishes quietly, as a by-product of being seen, heard, and valued as a whole person. When attention is given not to outputs but to the lived experience of each mind, focus, clarity, and resilience emerge naturally. In a culture that often equates mental worth with productivity, there is a gentle invitation here: to slow down, to create space for reflection, and to meet minds with patience and respect. By returning agency to the individual rather than subordinating them to systems or metrics, we allow thinking to unfold with ease, authenticity, and dignity.   Caring for the mind, then, is not about fixing what is broken, but about honouring the person who inhabits it. In that honouring, the mind thrives.   Note: This article draws on themes explored in greater depth in my book: “The Person-Centred Approach: A Modern Return to Carl Rogers’ Theory,” exclusive on Amazon .   Follow me on  Facebook ,  Instagram , and LinkedIn  for more info! Read more from Aleksandra Tsenkova Aleksandra Tsenkova, Psychotherapist, Author, Speaker Aleksandra Tsenkova supports individuals on their healing journey by integrating Person-Centred therapy, coaching, and DBT. She helps people process emotional pain, recover from trauma, and rebuild inner trust to step into their confidence. With a deep belief in each person’s capacity for growth, she creates space for powerful self-discovery and lasting transformation. Her work is grounded in a passion for empowering others to reclaim their voice and unlock their potential. Through her writing, Aleksandra invites readers into meaningful conversations about healing, resilience, and personal freedom.

Written by Jane Jawad, Co-founder of Centaura Group and Strategic Adviser Jane Jawad helps SME owners turn operational chaos into enterprise value through AI, automation, and strategic dealmaking that drives 15-25% EBITA Growth and exits worth 2–3x more. Technology and AI are no longer future-facing concepts. They are now core drivers of business growth, efficiency, and resilience. For CEOs and senior leaders, the question is no longer whether to adopt technology and AI but how to do so strategically, without wasting time, money, or momentum. When implemented correctly, technology does not just improve operations. It fundamentally changes how a business scales, competes, and creates value. Why technology and AI are artificial for business growth today Traditional growth models rely on adding people, increasing costs, and stretching capacity. This approach quickly hits limits. Technology and AI allow businesses to grow without linear increases in overhead. They enable leaders to automate routine work, make faster and better decisions, and respond to change with agility. In practical terms, this means: Higher output without increasing headcount Better margins through efficiency and automation Faster decision-making using real-time data Stronger resilience in volatile markets Businesses that embrace this shift outperform those that rely solely on effort and experience. How technology and AI drive sustainable growth 1. Operational efficiency and scale Most businesses leak growth through inefficiency rather than a lack of demand. Manual processes, duplicated tasks, disconnected systems, and slow approvals reduce capacity and create hidden costs. Automation and AI remove these bottlenecks by streamlining workflows across sales, finance, operations, and customer service. When processes are automated and systems are integrated, teams spend less time managing work and more time delivering value. This creates immediate productivity gains and long-term scalability. 2. Data-driven decision making Growth depends on decisions where to invest, which customers to prioritise, when to expand, and how to manage risk. AI enables leaders to move from hindsight to foresight. Instead of relying on static reports or intuition, businesses can use predictive insights to forecast demand, identify trends, and optimise pricing, inventory, and marketing. This leads to faster, more confident decisions and significantly reduces strategic risk. 3. Business resilience and adaptability Markets change quickly. Customer behaviour shifts. External shocks are unavoidable. Technology-enabled businesses adapt faster because they have visibility, flexibility, and control. AI supports scenario planning, early risk detection, and rapid experimentation, allowing leaders to pivot without destabilising the organisation. Resilience is no longer about size. It is about systems. Common mistakes businesses make with AI Many organisations struggle with AI adoption, not because the technology fails, but because the strategy is unclear. Common mistakes include: Adopting tools without linking them to business outcomes Treating AI as a one-off project rather than a capability Fearing workforce disruption instead of focusing on productivity Overinvesting in technology before fixing core processes AI does not replace strategy. It amplifies it. Without alignment to growth objectives, even the best tools deliver little value. What a growth-ready technology stack looks like Successful businesses start with strong foundations. Core systems, finance, CRM, operations, and data platforms must be reliable, integrated, and trusted. These systems form the backbone that AI depends on. Once the foundation is in place, AI can be applied to high-impact areas such as: Lead qualification and sales forecasting Automated reporting and performance insights Customer retention and churn prediction Workflow automation and approval routing The focus should always be on measurable outcomes, not technology for its own sake. A practical roadmap to implement technology and AI High-performing organisations approach AI adoption in phases. First, they gain clarity by mapping how the business actually operates. This highlights inefficiencies, risks, and opportunities for automation. Second, they pilot targeted use cases with clear return on investment. Small, focused initiatives reduce risk while delivering quick wins. Finally, they scale intentionally by improving data quality, documenting processes, and supporting teams through change. Adoption, not implementation, determines success. This approach ensures technology becomes embedded in the business rather than bolted on. Technology As A Long-Term Value Driver Beyond efficiency, technology significantly increases strategic optionality. Businesses with clean data, scalable systems, and predictable performance are easier to manage, easier to grow, and more attractive to investors, partners, and buyers. Even for leaders not planning an exit, building a technology-enabled business creates freedom, resilience, and long-term value. The leadership role in technology-led growth Technology does not transform businesses, leadership does. Successful leaders focus on outcomes, empower teams, and build cultures that embrace learning and continuous improvement. They prioritise adoption over perfection and ensure technology serves the strategy, not the other way around. AI is not about replacing people. It is about enabling them to operate at a higher level. The bottom line Technology and AI are now essential tools for growing a modern business. The leaders who act deliberately, strategically, and early will build organisations that scale faster, operate smarter, and remain resilient in an uncertain world. Growth is still a choice. The tools to achieve it have simply evolved.   Follow me on LinkedIn  and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Jane Jawad Jane Jawad, Co-founder of Centaura Group and Strategic Adviser Jane Jawad is co-founder of Centaura Group, where she helps established SMEs unlock hidden value and prepare for high-multiple exits through AI, automation, and strategic deal advisory. With nearly two decades leading transformations for major corporates, she now channels that expertise exclusively toward £10m–£75m businesses across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Jane works with owner-led firms to eliminate founder dependency and engineer EBITDA growth that translates directly into valuation uplift. She co-founded the SME Innovation Network and writes about AI strategy and building companies that buyers actually want to buy.

Written by Elizabeth Ballin, Professional Certified Coach In this series, Elizabeth Ballin, PCC, offers reflections from her coaching and mindfulness practice on how people discover insight, meaning, and resilience in the changing landscape of modern life. Her perspective is rooted in years of working with people from many cultures and in a driven curiosity that understands human growth as life in motion. Leaders often share with me their frustration about not being listened to or trusted and ultimately not getting the results they want. This frustration does not reflect a lack of competence. More often, it comes from genuine care for the work and a strong desire for success, both for the company and for themselves. Yet as pressure to perform increases and leaders become overly stressed, teams can lose clarity about their roles. What begins with good intentions to perform well can unintentionally create distance, leading to disengagement and reduced motivation. One of the most effective changes leaders can make is intentionally taking the needed time to focus not only on what they are sharing, but on how it is being received. When leaders listen carefully to their team and colleagues and ask well-chosen questions, dialogue opens, ideas surface, and leaders gain the feedback they need to adjust direction and make sound decisions. What is often less obvious is that this kind of listening and asking must also happen internally. Leaders need clarity before they can offer it to others. Effective leaders make sure they carve out time to reflect on open-ended questions, listening from within for the answers before they enter the room. This internal listening looks much the same as it does with a team. It involves slowing down and asking oneself thoughtful questions. What am I really trying to decide here? What feels clear and what does not? What assumptions am I making? If I were a member of this team, what would I want from my leader? Do I know where to find the answers to some of my questions before I enter the meeting? Leaders who take the time to reflect this way arrive in meetings more grounded and clearer in their thinking. Leadership can be surprisingly isolating. I often see doubt, fatigue, and hesitation behind leaders’ competence and composure. Many believe they must be the ones with the answers, equating strength with being right, decisive, and in control. Decisiveness does matter. What weakens leadership is not decisiveness itself, but decisiveness that comes from absolute power rather than connection to the people it affects. I worked with a senior leader who was highly respected for his expertise, yet struggled to engage his team. His communication was deeply detail-oriented. He had not realised that others lacked his depth of understanding, which caused the strategic picture to be lost. In coaching, we clarified his intent and encouraged him to begin meetings with bigger picture questions before moving into detail. He learned that his meetings were experienced as boring and unfocused, not because of a lack of expertise, but because his team could not follow his line of thinking. After working through this, his communication became clearer and more engaging, and he began to recognise and connect with the talent in the room. Meetings became more dynamic and interactive, and his ideas gained traction. In a nutshell, dialogue and openness are sometimes mistaken for a loss of authority. In practice, they allow leaders to gather perspective, test assumptions, and understand the impact of decisions before they are made. Strong leadership holds two capacities at once: the openness to listen and learn, and the courage to decide and stand behind that decision. When these are held together, leaders remain connected to their teams without losing direction. No team expects consensus on every decision. They expect leadership. They want to understand what has been decided, why it has been decided, and what is now required of them. When this is communicated clearly, most teams will follow, even when they would have chosen differently. People do not need to agree to commit. They need to feel included before the decision and clear once it is made. At the heart of effective leadership communication are three qualities that show up again and again in real leadership situations: vulnerability, humility, and courage. Vulnerability often appears when a leader walks into a meeting with a clear intention, shares their agenda, and signals that thinking is still open. They invite questions or perspectives, listen closely, and use what they hear to refine direction before moving forward. When contributions are acknowledged, the next phase can begin. Humility shows up when a leader realises they may have missed something or been wrong and is willing to reconsider. It does not weaken authority. Teams tend to trust leaders who can hold their position while staying open to being wrong. Courage comes next. It is the moment when listening ends and decisions need to be made. The leader takes what has been heard, makes a decision, and moves forward. There is no guarantee it will work. That risk is part of the role. Over time, confidence grows even when outcomes are not always successful. Leaders know they have listened, thought things through, learned, and acted with integrity. If you observe successful leaders, they tend to be people who do their thinking before they enter the room. They are clear about what they know, what needs exploration, and what still needs testing. They can sit with unanswered questions without rushing. They use dialogue to inform decisions rather than dilute responsibility. They are explicit about when discussion is open and when a decision has been made. Once it is made, they stand behind it. Authority, therefore, does not come from total control. It comes from judgment, consistency, and follow-through. Trust builds because people experience being taken seriously, even when the final decision rests with the leader. When leaders take the time to think things through before they enter the room and make sure to create space for others to contribute, authority no longer needs to be defended. It is recognised. Follow me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Elizabeth Ballin Elizabeth Ballin, Professional Certified Coach Elizabeth Ballin, PCC, is an ICF-accredited professional coach and mindfulness practitioner working globally with people and professionals from many backgrounds. She combines emotional insight, cultural intelligence, and practical structure to support meaningful growth. She brings a lifelong multicultural awareness, deepened by twelve years of coaching across more than twenty cultures, which helps her attune to the emotional and practical realities her clients face. Her writing spans themes such as curiosity, creativity, well-being, communication, judgment, and the inner shifts that support meaningful growth in the complexity of modern life.

Written by Dr. Ardeshir Mehran, High-Achievers Depression & Anxiety Disruptor Psychologist Helping Professionals & Parents Resolve Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, Trauma, and Live a Fulfilled & Bold Life | Author of the Bestseller Book, “You Are Not-Depressed. You Are Un-Finished.” | Keynoter & Podcaster Your nervous system is shaping your leadership more than you realize. Colleagues. Has your leadership stopped feeling steady and started feeling heavy? It’s not because you’re doing it wrong. You’re probably carrying a heavy emotional load for far too long. Welcome to the emerging science of emotional regulation. An executive whom I deeply respect recently asked me about emotional regulation. She said, “Leaders often experience ‘survivor sickness.’ They absorb so much from their teams—fear, uncertainty, anxiety. How do we stay anchored when everything around us feels unstable?” Such a powerful question. And an urgent one. Emotional regulation is now a must-have core capability for executives, boards, leadership teams, and families. Let’s break it down. 1. What is emotional regulation really? Regulation isn’t about feeling calm or feeling good. It’s about access. Emotional regulation means your nervous system is flexible enough to access clear thinking, values, and fuller emotions under pressure, instead of defaulting to reactivity. It’s not a personality trait. It’s not a mindset hack. It’s not emotional suppression. It's your neuro-behavioral autopilot. It’s a trainable, body-based leadership capacity. This is how I explain it. Think of emotional regulation as the suspension system in a high-performance car. A powerful engine without good suspension doesn’t make you faster, it makes you unstable. Regulation doesn’t remove bumps in the road. It lets you absorb impact and stay steady without losing control. From a science perspective, regulation means: Your nervous system can move fluidly between activation and calm. Stress moves through your body instead of getting stuck in it. You retain choice, perspective, and connection, even in uncertainty. 2. Why are high-functioning leaders especially vulnerable? The leaders who struggle most with emotional regulation are often the most capable. You read the room. You care deeply. You take charge. But over time, you may absorb what your teams can’t carry—fear, grief, resentment, panic. This absorption slowly shapes: Your emotional boundaries Your decision-making Even your identity as a leader When dysregulated, your style reverts back into predictable earlier trauma, anxiety, or attachment patterns. You begin living in a state of mobilization. You see alertness as an asset. Without regulation, alertness becomes a liability. Eventually, your body confuses alertness with threat. Your dysregulation becomes habitual. What's unfortunate is that leadership development focuses on mindset, skills, and strategy, often overlooking emotional regulation as a core asset. 3. What regulation (and dysregulation) look like in real life Regulated You feel you have options. You can pause. You stay connected with healthy boundaries. You recover. Dysregulated You avoid or react impulsively. You protect, withdraw, or over-control. You stay stuck. You feel numb or become pushy. Here’s the truth many leaders miss: Your team doesn’t just follow your decisions. They also adapt to your nervous system and the emotional undertone you project. So, the real question isn’t: “Am I under pressure?” It’s: “What emotional state am I transmitting right now?” 4. How do I know if I am dysregulated? Dysregulation shows up as recurring physical patterns: Jaw & face: clenching, headaches, flat expression- irritability, emotional distance Breath & chest: shallow breathing, tightness - urgency, anxiety Neck & shoulders: chronic tension - feeling overburdened, constantly “on” Heart & circulation: racing heart, cold hands - hypervigilance, narrow thinking Gut & core: digestive issues, tight belly - loss of intuition, second-guessing Overall, leaders often describe persistent feelings: Survivor sickness Wired and tired Over-driven or shut down Feeling like having no real choice How to go from survival mode to a reference point Lead from values, not urgency. Stop asking, “What should I do?” Start asking, “What state am I leading from right now?” When you become an internal reference point, chaos dissipates. Regulate on demand. This helps. Scan this QR code to access the guidance I’ve developed for my clients. Clients use it before board meetings, major activities, or to sleep better. Use it. Share it. Build real mastery. Work with a therapist or coach who is an expert in the nervous system reset of high achievers. The positive results tend to surprise even high performers. One honest question before you go: What state are you leading from most days? What would change if you led from a more regulated place? If you’d like my support for yourself, your team, or for keynotes, I’d love to connect. hello@ardeshirmehran.com Dr. Mehran Studio   Podcasts  |   Blogs  |   YouTube Bestselling Book:  You Are Not Depressed. You Are  Un -Finished. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Dr. Ardeshir Mehran Dr. Ardeshir Mehran, High-Achievers Depression & Anxiety Disruptor Dr. Ardeshir Mehran is disrupting the mental health field. His mission is to help heal depression and to ease he emotional suffering of people across the world. Everyone else portrays depression as an immovable cause, a mood disorder that must be treated. Dr. Mehran busts this myth and focuses attention on the real culprit, the unfulfilled life we must lead when we deny our birthrights. He is the developer of The Bill of Emotional Rights©, based on 30 years of research, coaching, and clinical work. Ardeshir is a psychologist, trauma therapist, and behavioral researcher. He has a Ph.D. and a Master's from Columbia University, New York City. He lives in Northern California with his wife, son, and Lucy (the family’s golden retriever).

Written by Marta Magdalena Marek, Trauma Informed Breathwork Facilitator Marta Marek, founder of ONIMA Breathwork , is a trauma-informed breathwork facilitator who guides individuals and groups to heal from within, release emotional blockages, and find lasting balance through the power of breath. Picture this: a single, intentional breath shifting the weight of years-old pain, quieting the storm inside without a word spoken. As a breathwork facilitator, I’ve witnessed countless individuals confront trauma not through endless talk, but by reconnecting with their body’s innate rhythm. Trauma often lodges deep in our physiology, manifesting as chronic tension or emotional numbness, and breathwork offers a direct way to access and release it. In this exploration, we’ll uncover the evidence-based reasons breathwork is emerging as a transformative approach in trauma therapy, blending ancient practices with modern research to empower your healing journey. Trauma’s body impact Trauma isn’t just a memory . It’s a physiological imprint that disrupts the nervous system, leading to heightened stress responses and altered breathing patterns. When we experience overwhelming events, the body shifts into survival mode, often resulting in shallow, rapid breaths that perpetuate anxiety and disconnection. Breathwork intervenes here by recalibrating these patterns and fostering a sense of safety and presence. Unlike traditional therapies that focus on cognitive processing, breathwork targets the somatic level where trauma is stored, allowing for release without retraumatization . Science of breathwork for trauma Recent studies highlight breathwork’s efficacy in addressing trauma-related symptoms . A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that breathwork significantly reduces self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression compared to control groups, with effect sizes indicating meaningful clinical improvements. For those with PTSD, techniques like Sudarshan Kriya yoga have shown reductions in symptoms, including hyperarousal and respiration rate, with benefits persisting up to a year post-intervention. Another study on veterans demonstrated that breathing-based meditation normalized anxiety levels after just one week, proving to be as effective as cognitive processing therapy in long-term PTSD management. These outcomes stem from breathwork’s influence on the autonomic nervous system. Practices emphasizing prolonged exhalations , like cyclic sighing, outperform mindfulness meditation in enhancing mood and lowering physiological arousal by stimulating the vagus nerve. High-ventilation methods, such as Holotropic Breathwork, may facilitate emotional catharsis by accessing altered states that promote integration of traumatic experiences. Overall, research suggests breathwork’s therapeutic potential rivals established treatments, particularly for those seeking non-verbal, body-centered healing. Breathwork benefits for trauma Beyond symptom relief, breathwork builds resilience by teaching self-regulation. It helps discharge stored energy from the body, reducing physical manifestations like chronic pain or insomnia often linked to trauma. Participants report greater emotional clarity, improved relationships, and a renewed sense of empowerment. For holistic mental wellness, it complements other therapies by addressing the mind-body divide, making it especially valuable for PTSD and complex trauma. As a facilitator, I’ve seen it foster community and connection, turning isolation into shared strength. Breathwork for deeper healing What sets breathwork apart is its accessibility. It requires no equipment. It’s a skill you can cultivate anywhere. Approaches like conscious connected breathing bypass the conscious mind to process subconscious memories, while slower techniques restore balance to overactive stress responses. Integrating it with therapy amplifies results, as evidenced by studies showing combined benefits for anxiety disorders and trauma. If you’re in Washington, DC, local sessions can provide guided support tailored to your needs. Starting breathwork daily Starting small is key. Begin with a few minutes of focused breathing each day to build comfort. As you progress, explore guided practices to deepen the experience. Remember, while breathwork is empowering, it’s wise to consult a professional if intense emotions surface. Ready to breathe through your healing? Discover more about breathwork’s transformative power by visiting the International Breathwork Foundation or booking a session with a certified facilitator like myself. Take that first breath toward freedom today. Follow me on Facebook ,  Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Marta Magdalena Marek Marta Magdalena Marek, Trauma Informed Breathwork Facilitator Marta Marek is a trauma-informed breathwork facilitator and founder of ONIMA Breathwork. Originally from Poland and now based in the United States, she transformed her own struggles with depression and Hashimoto’s disease into a mission to help others heal through conscious breathing. Marta works internationally with individuals, couples, and corporate groups, guiding them to release emotional tension, regulate the nervous system, and reconnect with inner peace. Her work combines science, spirituality, and self-awareness, reminding us that every breath is a doorway to transformation.

Written by Michael Klein, Owner & Director at Michael Klein Arts, LLC Michael Klein is best known for his work and achievements in the field of contemporary art. As both a dealer and curator, he has had a long and distinguished career as a New York gallery owner and director, representing an international roster of emerging and mid-career artists. He became the first in-house curator for Microsoft Corp. In the early ’80s, the East Village, a Manhattan neighborhood, was the epicenter of experimental art and new talent, a neighborhood and movement now some 40 years ago. The neighborhood blossomed into a community of artists, writers, and musicians. The area was slowly being gentrified, storefronts emerged as boutiques and cafes, and new galleries, many run by artists, opened, including Nature Morte, International with Monument, and Fun Gallery, home to Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. Jeff Koons, too, began his career in this setting. Many of these enterprising galleries opened on Sundays, gaining a following of collectors curious about this new art but busy in Soho on Saturdays. I discovered Schuyff’s work on one of those Sundays, seeing it in a group show at B Side Gallery in 1982. I came home with a great work, a found painting framed in an ornate gold frame. My partner at the time was shocked that I found something in the East Village to my liking. My interests at the time were focused on Post Minimal work and conceptual art championed by dealers in Soho and Midtown. The painting is a combination of found image and painted surface, typical of what became a trademark of Schuyff’s hand. The picture is a found black and white portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven, mounted on wood and framed in a second-hand shop gold frame. Typical of his “Overpaintings,” Schuyff inserted his own painted biomorphic shape, red, yellow, and blue in color, which seems to hover in the space between the picture below and the painting’s surface. It is this tension between figure and ground, black and white and color, pictorial realism and painterly abstraction that, to the viewer, is simultaneously soothing and alarming. I was also curious about the link between time past and present proposed by the work. In many of his “found” paintings, I would later learn that the past is revitalized in the present. It was this inherent tension, a challenge between what is given and what is imagined, that caught my attention and made me buy the painting on the spot for $200.00. Schuyff’s career grew rapidly, with many solo and group shows, including those in Europe and Japan. One particular exhibition that stood out for me was organized by Adelina von Furstenberg, Director, in 1987 at the Centre d’art contemporain Geneva. A year later, he appeared on the cover of Artnews in March 1988, a significant accomplishment for this 30-year-old artist. He was, and still is, a unique talent. Abstraction is the lifeblood of Schuyff’s work, underscored by “complex geometric patterns, and in these patterns is a mysterious light that illuminates the surface of his canvases.” He plays with light to define space, to create space, or to give a painting a certain atmosphere. The surface is flat, yet there can be great depth or the illusion of space, bringing the viewer closer to the geometric system being portrayed. Each canvas feels alive, as if illuminated from a secret interior source. Pat Hearn, the East Village entrepreneur, along with Soho grand master Leo Castelli, presented his works, along with other notable art dealers such as Larry Gagosian, Paul Kasmin, and Mary Boone. In spite of this attention, Schuyff has remained modest in a culture that seeks stardom as a goal. I know him to remain extremely focused on his work, not fame. Peter and I got to know each other in New York. I remember a studio visit on 14th Street, when I had to find him in order for him to sign the painting I had bought. We later lost track of each other, though I followed his career from afar until we were both, by chance, living and working on the West Coast. Peter was living and teaching in Vancouver, B.C., having arrived in 2003, and I was in Seattle, Washington, serving as Curator of the Microsoft Art Collection. I learned that he was out west from a mutual friend, so I called Peter, made several studio visits, and our friendship was rekindled. The result was that I acquired a terrific abstraction for the Microsoft collection, and later a series of seven works on paper, watercolors, in fact. Peter stayed in Vancouver for a few years and then moved back to his native Holland. He was born there in 1958 and now makes his home in Amsterdam and Bari, Italy. I have continued to follow his work and, when possible, acquire pieces, both paintings and works on paper. Over the years, we got to know each other better, though I never showed his work in my gallery, which I still do not know why. Labelled by many as Neo-Geo, short for Neo-geometric conceptualism, the term came into use in the early 1980s in America to describe artists who criticized the mechanization and commercialism of the modern world. Schuyff has taken this further by exploring a vast array of geometries in tandem with a strong sense of color. The variants range from simple grids to complex arrangements, proportioned patterns laid out as flat fields or painted to suggest the illusion of depth and space. Color may be chosen from nature or based on artificial light. There is no single formula, but rather an ongoing study and interpretation of patterns. As Schuyff explained in the Artnews article, he seeks to inspire the viewer. To do so, he actively explores all the possibilities of geometry and his passion for color, luminescent, provocative, and moving. Each canvas is energized by his color choices. At the same time, he may employ light infused within the geometry to draw the viewer closer to the work. Recent solo shows combine works composed of patterns and optical illusions from the 1980s through his most recent pieces, revealing the evolution of his study of light. In 2017, a survey of Schuyff’s work from 1981 to 1989 was shown at Le Consortium in Dijon. Other recent shows include the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Whitney Biennial in New York, and galleries such as Almine Rech in Brussels and White Cube in London. Last year in Bari, Italy, he was invited to the exhibition Peter Schuyff, Available Light / Luce Disponibile at the Fondazione Museo Pino Pascali. It was a mini survey that included classic works from the 1980s alongside more recent pieces, illustrating the evolution of his study of light, space, and texture. Most recently, he produced two elegant shows with Massimo di Carlo and his galleries in Milan and London. The London show presents a selection of recent paintings, each an intimate study in and about abstraction. The artist Simon Linke has written eloquently about these works, and I quote his comments here: If Schuyff’s paintings contain a “story,” it is one that orbits process, the alchemy of colour as light, its quasi-spiritual resonances, and the regulating discipline of the grid. Together, these form a kind of conceptual triumvirate. This story sits outside the paintings rather than being generated from within them. It operates as an art-historical and theoretical framing device, invoking modernism’s utopian aspirations, the legacy of mediated imagery, and the translation of perception into a system. These are rich and legible signifiers, and when taken together, they read as a philosophical proposition about abstraction and its historical ambitions. It is Schuyff’s instinct for rhythmic structure, combined with his explorations in color, that makes these works both unique and highly relatable through their clarity and balance. Through his paintings and works on paper, he continues the now century-long Modernist tradition of experimentation and individual expression. As noted in a review from a few years ago, “…addressing the works’ playful, charming, and strange qualities speaks to the heart of the artist’s engagement with fact and fantasy, volume and flatness, abstraction and representation.” Follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Michael Klein Michael Klein, Owner & Director at Michael Klein Arts, LLC Michael Klein's expertise lies in his role as a private art dealer and freelance, independent curator for individuals, institutions, and arts organizations. Today, Michael Klein Arts works with a diverse group of artists, estates, galleries, and non-profit institutions, providing management, curatorial, and other consulting services. At the same time, the company serves institutional as well as private collectors, focusing on developing collections of emerging, mid-career, and established artists. The company also organizes traveling exhibitions both in the United States and abroad.

Written by Nazoorah Nusrat, Holistic Life Coach Nazoorah Nusrat is a holistic life coach, mind-body practitioner, and founder of Clarity Coaching Energy. Through NLP, somatic healing practices, and heart-led alchemy, she helps people reconnect to their souls, release limiting beliefs, and heal from burnout, trauma, and toxic relationships. High-functioning people rarely fall apart in obvious ways. Instead, they quietly lose connection to themselves while still appearing capable, composed, and in control. Drawing on trauma psychology, nervous system science, and holistic healing frameworks, this article explores how identity erosion often occurs within narcissistic dynamics, and how reconnection becomes possible. There is a moment many high-functioning people reach that feels both subtle and deeply unsettling. Life has not collapsed. From the outside, things may even look stable. Responsibilities are handled, roles are maintained, and others may still see you as strong, dependable, or resilient. Sound familiar? And yet, internally, something essential feels missing. You may notice a growing detachment from who you thought you were. Decisions feel harder. Your motivation fades. Emotional responses feel muted or strangely delayed. You are not depressed in the clinical sense, but you are no longer connected to yourself in the way you once were. That feeling of joy seems distant. This experience is often described as “losing yourself.” In reality, it is rarely random. It is especially common in people who have spent prolonged periods within narcissistic or emotionally imbalanced dynamics. What you are experiencing is not a failure of character or resilience. It is an identity reset. Identity erosion within narcissistic dynamics Narcissistic dynamics do not always present as overt abuse. More often, they are subtle, relational, and cumulative. They reward emotional accommodation, hyper-responsibility, and self-suppression. Over time, the individual learns, consciously or unconsciously, that safety comes from being agreeable, capable, or emotionally contained. Clinical trauma research, including the work of Judith Herman and Gabor Maté, shows that prolonged relational stress reshapes self-perception and emotional regulation. High-functioning individuals are particularly vulnerable because they adapt well. They remain outwardly stable while slowly disconnecting from their own internal cues. What begins as coping gradually becomes identity. Intuition dulls. Boundaries soften. Emotional responses are delayed or overridden. The body remains tense while the mind rationalises the situation. This is not a weakness. It is an adaptation. Eventually, however, the system reaches capacity. The nervous system’s role in losing and reclaiming you I’ve spoken about Polyvagal theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, in recent articles. If you haven’t heard of it, go check it out. It helps explain why identity collapse often follows prolonged emotional vigilance. When the nervous system spends years oscillating between hyper-arousal and emotional shutdown, the self becomes organised around survival rather than authenticity. This is the point at which many people feel lost. The familiar internal structure dissolves before a new one has formed. Motivation drops. Old goals feel hollow. There is grief for the person you were, alongside a quiet awareness that returning to that version of yourself is no longer possible. This phase is deeply uncomfortable, but it is also biologically intelligent. The body is no longer willing to sustain an identity built on self-abandonment. As Bessel van der Kolk’s work demonstrates, trauma is not only remembered cognitively. It is stored somatically, which means identity repair must involve the body, not just insight. Why holistic healing supports identity reorganisation Identity does not live solely in the mind. It is encoded in posture, breath, muscle tension, emotional reflexes, and what biofield research refers to as the body’s energetic coherence (NIH, HeartMath Institute). This is why purely cognitive approaches often fall short when someone is rebuilding themselves after narcissistic or emotionally dysregulated environments. The groundwork doesn’t settle, and the bricks come tumbling down again. Holistic healing supports identity reset by restoring safety at the level where it was lost. Nervous system regulation, somatic awareness, reflexology, acupuncture, sound-based practices, and energy-informed approaches allow the body to release survival patterns without requiring repeated verbal processing. As regulation increases, something subtle but profound happens. Internal signals return. Boundaries become instinctive rather than forced. Intuition sharpens, and the sense of self reorganises from the inside out. This is not self-improvement. This is self-reclamation. From identity reset to purpose For many people, the identity reset becomes a turning point. Not because it’s dramatic, but because it strips away illusion. Values clarify, tolerance for misalignment diminishes, and energy redirects toward what is genuinely meaningful. This is often the phase where people, including myself, feel drawn to help others. Not from a place of fixing, but from recognition. Once you understand how deeply identity can be shaped by relational dynamics and nervous system states, you begin to see the same patterns everywhere. The most uncomfortable part of this experience may not come from the internal recalibration, but from how others now perceive you, or more accurately, how they cannot adjust to who you are becoming. Why I do this work My work is rooted in this understanding that many people seeking support are not stuck or lost. They are navigating an identity reset that they were never taught how to understand. Through Clarity Coaching Energy, I work with individuals who have outgrown survival identities, narcissistic dynamics, and roles that required self-suppression. My approach integrates nervous system regulation, holistic coaching, somatic awareness, and energy-informed practices to support people in reclaiming their real identity, safely and sustainably. This work is not about becoming someone else. It is about removing what was never truly you. You can learn more about my work here . You can explore my writing and reflections here . Closing reflection If you feel as though you’ve lost yourself, consider this possibility. You may not be disappearing. You may be reorganising. What feels like emptiness is often space. What feels like confusion is often the nervous system releasing an identity that no longer fits. The identity reset is not the end of you. It is the beginning of living from alignment rather than survival. With the right support, it can become the most grounded and truthful chapter of your life. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn  for more info! Read more from Nazoorah Nusrat Nazoorah Nusrat, Holistic Life Coach Nazoorah Nusrat is the founder of Clarity Coaching Energy. With over 20 years of experience in health and wellness, she supports people moving through grief, burnout, or identity shifts to reclaim their clarity, confidence, and inner calm. As a reflexologist as well, Nazoorah blends science, spirituality, and soul to help her clients reconnect to their truth. Having moved through and healed from narcissistic relationships and dynamics, Nazoorah is passionate about emotional alchemy, sacred leadership, and creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and empowered. References: Herman, J. (1992). Trauma and Recovery. Basic Books. Maté, G. (2022). The Myth of Normal. Avery. Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory. W. W. Norton. van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. Viking. Siegel, D. J. (2010). Mindsight. Bantam. Chopra, D. (2017). The Healing Self. Harmony Books. National Institutes of Health. (2021). Biofield Science and Regulation. HeartMath Institute. (2022). Coherence and Emotional Regulation.

Written by Andrea Yearsley, Creative Leadership Coach Andrea Yearsley helps ambitious women break free from the chaos. With her effective system, her clients learn to establish clear limits, boost their productivity, and reignite that creative spark they thought they'd lost. Creative flow is often described as something elusive, a gift, a mood, a moment of luck. In reality, it is far more practical than that. Flow is what happens when the nervous system is regulated enough to allow focus, curiosity, and decisiveness to coexist. It is not personality-based. And it is not earned through effort. Why pushing harder breaks flow When pressure is sustained for too long, the system prioritises vigilance over creativity. That trade-off is intelligent, but costly. Leaders often respond by doubling down, more structure, more thinking, more control. The result is usually competence without ease. Flow disappears not because skill has gone, but because safety has. Regulation changes how leadership feels When the system is supported rather than overridden: decisions feel cleaner confidence stabilises authority stops feeling performative Leadership becomes embodied instead of managed. This is the shift most high-performing creatives are actually looking for, even if they describe it as wanting clarity, confidence, or creativity back. Those are downstream effects. The cause is physiological. A different kind of authority The leaders who sustain long careers are not the ones who tolerate the most pressure. They are the ones who know how to step out of constant readiness, without guilt and without collapse. They don’t disappear. They recalibrate. And from that place, leadership becomes less costly. Not because the work got easier, but because the system supporting it became more intelligent. Follow me on LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Andrea Yearsley Andrea Yearsley, Creative Leadership Coach Andrea Yearsley is a Creative Leadership for Women. She helps ambitious women break free from the chaos. With her effective system, clients learn to establish clear limits, boost their productivity, and reignite that creative spark they thought they'd lost. Her clients go from putting out fires daily to embracing strategic leadership. They typically see a 50% increase in their team's output while slashing their hours by a third, turning overwhelmed into a well-balanced life where they can thrive at work and at home.

Written by Dana Medvedev, Narcissistic Abuse and Intimacy Coach Dana Medvedev is a leading Intimacy & Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Coach and creator of REVIVE, a breakthrough program helping women rise from emotional manipulation, reclaim their power, and feel safe, sensual, and unstoppable again. Why does the very thing we crave in love, safety, trust, and stability, so often leave us feeling restless or even bored? Many people confuse calm with dullness and passion with chaos, leading them to chase drama instead of intimacy. This article unpacks the psychology behind why stability feels unfamiliar, who struggles with it most, and how true passion thrives when built on a foundation of steady, healthy love. Have you ever been in a relationship that was calm, consistent, and safe, yet you caught yourself thinking, “This feels boring”? You’re not alone. Many people struggle with stability in relationships, even though they say it’s what they want. Here’s the paradox, the very thing we crave, trust, safety, emotional stability, is often the same thing we run away from. Instead, we get pulled into roller coaster love, relationships filled with drama, intensity, and adrenaline. But here’s the truth, stability isn’t boring. It’s the foundation of a healthy relationship. In this article, we’ll explore why stability feels dull to some who struggle most with it, and how to shift from chaos to real intimacy. Passion vs intimacy: Why we get confused Many people confuse passion with intimacy. Passion is intense, fiery, and unpredictable. Intimacy is calm, steady, and built on trust. When passion masquerades as intimacy, love feels alive only when there’s chaos, jealousy, dramatic fights, or makeup sex. The adrenaline rush creates the illusion of closeness. Freud believed this attraction to chaos often stems from unconscious childhood experiences. Jung would call it being drawn to familiar archetypes, even if they’re unhealthy. If you grew up in unstable environments, calm love may feel foreign, while chaos feels like home. This is why stability feels boring to some, it doesn’t match the emotional intensity they’ve been conditioned to crave. Who struggles with stability? Not everyone rejects calm love, but certain people are more likely to find stability boring: The drama-seeker: They need conflict to feel alive. Without highs and lows, they feel unseen. The trauma-bonded partner: They unconsciously choose partners who recreate unstable dynamics from childhood. The novelty addict: They chase new partners, hookups, or risky experiences to escape vulnerability. The avoidant lover: They mistake stability for loss of freedom and push away closeness. The common thread? A fear of real intimacy. Chaos distracts from vulnerability, while calm forces us to face ourselves. What a healthy relationship really looks like Movies and social media sell us the idea that love should always feel like fireworks. But real, healthy relationships often look very different. In a stable relationship, you can: Communicate openly without manipulation. Trust your partner’s consistency. Build deep intimacy over time. Grow together instead of tearing each other apart. This doesn’t mean passion disappears. In fact, stability is what allows passion to last. When sex is based on trust instead of adrenaline, it becomes richer, deeper, and more fulfilling. Why stability feels “boring” (biology explains it) The feeling of “boredom” in calm love has more to do with your nervous system than your partner. Unstable relationships trigger stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. That chemical cocktail feels addictive. Stable relationships activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the body. If you’re used to chaos, this can feel like emptiness. But “boring” is actually your body’s way of healing. Stability is not the absence of excitement, it’s the presence of safety. How to break free from roller coaster relationships If you find yourself repeatedly drawn to intensity, here’s how to shift toward healthier love: Notice your patterns: Ask yourself, Do I confuse intensity with love? Do I get restless in calm relationships? Redefine intimacy: True intimacy is built on trust and vulnerability, not adrenaline highs. Sit with stillness: When calm feels uncomfortable, don’t create drama. Breathe, journal, or talk it out. Heal old wounds: Work with a therapist or coach to process past trauma. Chaos often reflects unresolved pain. Choose growth over drama: Invest your energy in shared goals, deep conversations, and long-term intimacy. Breaking the cycle means accepting that stability feels unfamiliar at first, but over time, it becomes the greatest form of love. The Jungian perspective: Integration matters Jung believed maturity comes through integration, balancing both passion and stability. Passion without intimacy burns out. Stability without passion feels lifeless. Together, they create love that is both exciting and secure. When we stop projecting old wounds onto partners and embrace stability, we finally experience real intimacy, a connection that is alive, steady, and transformative. Final thought: Stability is not boring, it’s healing So, why do we find stability boring in relationships? Because many of us confuse chaos with love. We chase roller coaster emotions, mistaking them for intimacy. But stability is not boring, it’s the soil where intimacy grows. The thrill of unstable love always fades. The calm of stable love creates a flame that lasts. If you’ve been caught in the cycle of drama, ask yourself, Am I chasing adrenaline, or am I ready for intimacy? Healthy relationships are not boring. They’re brave. They’re nourishing. And they’re the kind of love that truly lasts. Follow me on LinkedIn and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Dana Medvedev Dana Medvedev, Narcissistic Abuse and Intimacy Coach Dana Medvedev is an Intimacy and Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Coach and a survivor who turned her own trauma into transformation. She is the creator of REVIVE, a powerful program guiding women through the deep work of healing after narcissistic abuse, emotionally, psychologically, and somatically. Known for her sharp intuition, raw honesty, and deeply empathetic presence, she holds space without sugarcoating. Her no-nonsense style cuts through victimhood and confusion to help women reclaim their bodies, boundaries, and brilliance. Her mission is personal, to help others do what she did, break the cycle, rebuild from the inside out, and come home to themselves.