Written by Katie Simons, PharmD, BCPS, CCHT, Transpersonal Hypnotherapist and Coach Dr. Katie Simons, PharmD, BCPS, CCHT, is a clinical pharmacist, transpersonal hypnotherapist, psychedelic medicine facilitator, and coach specializing in nervous system regulation, personal transformation, and holistic healing. She is the founder of The Holistic Apothec, a resource for coaching and education on healing through altered states of consciousness. Self-love has become a bit of a buzzword these days. It's often depicted as taking bubble baths, saying kind things to ourselves in the mirror, and buying ourselves flowers just because. And while those gestures can feel good, they are a far cry from true self-love. Because real self-love? It is not all sweetness and light. It is the kind of love that gets its hands dirty. It is the kind of love that sits with discomfort, listens to the parts of ourselves we have ignored, and gently says, "I see you. You still belong." Most of us have spent years learning how to perform for approval, contort ourselves to be accepted, and package our emotions in a way that does not rock the boat. That performance can be subtle, such as smiling through a boundary violation, over-explaining our needs, or shaming ourselves for being “too much.” And behind that performance is a pile of our own unloved parts that never got a proper seat at the table. We have exiled our anger, our grief, our power, our shame, tucking these parts away to keep the peace or try to secure love. The deeper reality is that we cannot fully love and accept ourselves without also loving the parts we have buried within ourselves. The ones we were told were too wild, too needy, too sensitive, too much. Those parts do not disappear just because we stopped looking. They go underground, into the shadow. And if we want to return to wholeness, to actual, grounded self-love, we must do the shadow work to retrieve them and bring them home.   What is shadow work? We all have parts of ourselves we would rather not see. The critical thought we swallow. The flash of anger we pretend did not happen. The quiet ways we sabotage our own joy. The shame we still carry over a moment long past. The confusing resistance to things we know are good for us. Most of us shove these pieces into a mental basement, lock the door, and hope they do not make too much noise. These are signs of what is known as the shadow, and they do not just appear out of nowhere. They are formed over a lifetime. The term “shadow” was coined by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, who described it as the unconscious aspects of personality that the conscious ego does not identify with. Often, these include traits, impulses, and emotions that were judged as unacceptable or unsafe during our development. So we repress them. Over time, they move out of our awareness but continue to operate from the background, often in ways that leave us confused or stuck. Shadow work  is the process of turning towards these unconscious, shunned parts of ourselves instead of avoiding them. It is the act of shining a light on what we have hidden away in order to understand it. These parts may cause problems when ignored, but they are not bad. They are simply unintegrated. Shadow work is less about fixing yourself and more about building a relationship with the pieces you have exiled. Learning why they exist. Listening to what they need. And bringing them back into wholeness so you can live more fully from your authentic self.   Inner child as the core of shadow work At the center of so much of our shadow lives our inner child. The part of us that felt confused, scared, rejected, or abandoned in developmental moments that mattered. When we talk about shame, fear, or guilt in the present, what we are often experiencing is a protective layer wrapped around a much younger part of us who was doing their best to survive by making sure our caregivers were happy with us. The emotions that are triggered from our inner child are signals from a part of us that once had no other option but to hide. The inner child is not just a metaphor. It is the emotional imprint that lives on as a felt sense in the body. The tightening in your chest when you ask for help. The urge to shrink when you are misunderstood. The ache of loneliness even when you are not alone. These responses often have roots in our real, lived experiences when we had to abandon our authenticity for an attempt at a secure attachment. Shadow work means recognizing that these younger parts are still active within us. Doing shadow work through the lens of the inner child invites us to become the safe adult we once needed. Instead of bypassing or managing symptoms, we begin to reparent ourselves with compassion and presence. By going back to the small versions of ourselves, we have the opportunity to listen, soothe, and provide the love, acceptance, and safety to little selves. And in doing so, we begin to restore a sense of inner safety that many of us never had the chance to develop.   How do you do shadow work? Shadow work begins with paying attention, specifically to the parts of us that feel reactive, avoidant, or stuck on repeat. Maybe we find ourselves bristling when someone offers feedback. Or perhaps we go quiet and agreeable in situations where our boundaries are crossed. Maybe there are certain people who light up our inner critic with no clear reason. These are not random responses. They are invitations to notice ourselves. Every overreaction, shutdown, or judgment is a breadcrumb leading back to a part of us that is asking to be seen. Following these breadcrumbs often means getting curious about our triggers. When something evokes a strong emotional response, instead of pushing it away or justifying it, we can pause and ask: What is this really about? Why does that bother us so much? What does it remind us of? When did we first feel that way? Triggers are messengers. If we follow the emotional thread, it will usually lead us to a time, place, or memory where something important was misunderstood, dismissed, or left unmet. This is where the real work begins in forming a relationship. Once we meet the parts of us that learned to protect or perform, we can begin to offer what was missing: presence, acknowledgment, acceptance, and love. Integration happens through reframing the emotional imprints  of the past with new imprints we provide ourselves from within. These parts need to know we are listening now. And while this is a deeply personal practice, it can be made more easeful with a witness, someone who can hold space , ask better questions, and reflect back what we might not yet see clearly. With time, this process builds self-trust. We become people who no longer abandon ourselves when discomfort arises. We meet it with curiosity instead, and that is where lasting change begins.   What embodied self-love actually looks like After doing this kind of work, something profound begins to shift. We start responding to life from presence rather than from a defensive strategy. That familiar urge to withdraw or lash out loses its grip. We catch ourselves before spiraling into stories that no longer serve. We speak our needs with clarity, and we tolerate the discomfort of not being understood without making it mean something personal about our worth. This is what integration looks like in real time. It's about self-awareness, not perfection. We recognize our patterns as they emerge and are able to choose differently because we trust ourselves to hold the tension of the moment. We are no longer scrambling for validation or managing perception. There is more space inside us, more breath, more capacity. We become resourced rather than reactive, and the armor we've been wearing our entire lives starts to drop away. The self-confidence that emerges from shadow work allows us to open ourselves up to connection and life on an entirely new level. This is the radical romance of self-love. It is not a one-time act, but a continuous relationship with the parts of us that we have taken responsibility to love and hold. As we return to ourselves over and over again, we begin to understand what it means to be grounded in our own presence. And from that grounded place, love stops being a transaction and becomes something we fully embody.   From self-love to unconditional love When we commit to this inner reclamation, something even bigger opens up. As we piece ourselves back together, we cultivate a kind of wholeness that naturally extends beyond us. We are no longer relating to others through a lens of unhealed wounds, unspoken expectations, and bids for validation. We are not loving to get something. We are loving because it is who we have become. Unconditional love is love that demands nothing in return, and it is grounded in our own authenticity . It requires discernment, boundaries, and an honest relationship with ourselves. But when we are no longer waiting on others to prove our worth, love transforms. It becomes less fragile, transactional, and performative. It can breathe. This kind of love does not need reciprocity to exist, because it's about being rooted enough in ourselves that we can meet others where they are without losing who we are. The more we integrate our shadows, the more we expand our capacity to hold complexity in ourselves and in others. And that, perhaps, is the most radical romance of all. Follow me on Instagram , and visit my LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Katie Simons Katie Simons, PharmD, BCPS, CCHT , Transpersonal Hypnotherapist and Coach Dr. Katie Simons, PharmD, BCPS, CCHT, is the founder of The Holistic Apothec, a platform for coaching, education, and healing transformation through altered states of consciousness. A clinical pharmacist turned transpersonal hypnotherapist, psychedelic medicine facilitator, and coach, she blends neuroscience, somatic practices, trance techniques, and spiritual wisdom to guide clients in creating lasting change. Drawing on a decade in academic medicine and years in holistic healing, Katie’s programs focus on nervous system regulation, trauma recovery, overcoming limiting beliefs, and medication tapering. Her work bridges science and mysticism, offering a grounded, accessible path to deep healing, authentic living, and personal freedom.

A Therapist and Coach, Elizabeth Day works at the intersection of neuroscience, psychotherapy, and lived experience to help people create profound, lasting change. Using Rapid Transformational Therapy, she blends psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming, and cognitive behavioural therapy to help clients release limiting self-beliefs, break lifelong patterns of negative behaviour, overcome addictions, and resolve emotional roots of physical conditions such as autoimmune conditions and rehabilitation. What sets her work apart is not only its depth, but its authenticity. After escaping a 30-year relationship marked by physical, emotional, and financial abuse, Elizabeth understands trauma from the inside out. This lived experience allows her to connect deeply with those seeking the strength to leave controlling relationships, as well as those navigating the complex aftermath – healing PTSD, rebuilding confidence, and reinventing their lives. Alongside her private practice, she works extensively with corporate clients, drawing on over two decades of experience in the corporate world. She has seen firsthand how unresolved trauma, stress, and belief systems impact performance, leadership, and workplace culture. Through her work with companies, including with the award-winning collective Spark and Claudia Schwinghammer, she helps organisations build cohesive teams, retain engaged employees, and create emotionally healthy environments that drive productivity, performance, and profit. Her work is about transformation – personal and professional – and empowering people to thrive, not just survive. Elizabeth Day, RTT® Therapist & Coach What inspired you to become a therapist and life transformation expert? My inspiration to become a therapist and life transformation expert came directly from my own healing journey. Experiencing first-hand the power of this work showed me what is truly possible when trauma is addressed at its root. I saw how this kind of therapy could turn lives around – breaking the grip of lifelong trauma, dissolving limiting beliefs, and freeing people from repeating negative patterns in relationships and choices that once felt inescapable. As I healed, I realised that what had once felt unchangeable could be transformed. I witnessed people – myself included – go on to achieve things they had believed were unattainable, reinventing their lives and stepping into joy, confidence, success, and a life that is limitless. Training with Marisa Peer was a pivotal moment in that journey. She was my greatest inspiration and played a profound role in helping me rebuild myself after escaping an abusive relationship. Her work didn’t just change my thinking – it gave me the tools to reclaim my identity, my future, and my belief in what was possible. I have always been deeply empathetic and driven by a genuine desire to help others. Becoming a therapist allowed me to turn a painful chapter of my life into something powerful and positive – to pass on what helped me heal and to support others in rewriting their own stories, not as survivors, but as thriving, empowered individuals. What is Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT®) and how does it work? Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT®) is a powerful, results-driven therapeutic approach that works by addressing the root cause of an issue rather than just managing the symptoms. It combines the most effective elements of psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to create rapid, deep, and lasting change. RTT® works with the subconscious mind, where our beliefs, emotional responses, and behavioural patterns are formed – often in childhood or during significant life events. Through guided hypnosis, clients enter a deeply relaxed but aware state that allows them to safely access the origins of limiting beliefs, trauma, or patterns that are still influencing their lives today. Once these root causes are identified, the emotional charge around them can be reframed, released, and replaced with a new mindset. What kinds of challenges or life patterns do you most often help clients overcome? The challenges I most often help clients overcome are anxiety and depression, particularly when they are rooted in unresolved trauma or deeply held limiting beliefs. Many clients come to me feeling stuck in cycles of self-sabotage and procrastination – wanting to achieve their goals but repeatedly holding themselves back without understanding why. I also work extensively with people who find themselves repeating negative patterns in relationships, whether that’s attracting controlling or emotionally unavailable partners, struggling with boundaries with family or friends, or reliving dynamics from earlier life experiences. Addictions, eating disorders, and issues around weight are also common, as these behaviours are often coping mechanisms linked to emotional pain rather than a lack of willpower. PTSD is a significant focus of my work, alongside chronic physical conditions where the body has been holding unresolved emotional stress. I also support clients through pre- and post-operative rehabilitation, helping the mind and nervous system create the conditions for healing. In many cases, this work reduces symptoms to such an extent that planned medical interventions or surgeries are no longer necessary, or recovery times are dramatically improved. Ultimately, the common thread across all of these challenges is the subconscious mind. By addressing the underlying emotional drivers rather than just the surface symptoms, clients are able to break free from long-standing patterns and move forward with greater health, confidence, and control over their lives. How is RTT® different from traditional therapy or coaching? RTT® differs from traditional therapy and coaching by working directly with the subconscious mind, where limiting beliefs and emotional patterns are formed. Rather than focusing on managing symptoms or analysing experiences over long periods of time, RTT® is designed to identify and eradicate the root cause of an issue. Then it replaces those limiting or damaging thoughts with new beliefs. It combines psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, NLP, and CBT to release the thoughts and beliefs we have related to past experiences and replace these negative thoughts and beliefs with empowering ones. This allows change to happen quickly and sustainably. While coaching focuses on future goals, RTT® removes the subconscious blocks that can prevent progress, making change feel natural rather than forced. Many clients experience significant shifts or permanent resolution in just a few sessions, gaining clarity, confidence, and lasting transformation. How does RTT® work, and what does this look like in terms of working with your clients? RTT® works by understanding how the brain is designed to protect us. Our brains are essentially prehistoric – they haven’t had an operating system upgrade, even though the world we live in and the dangers we face are very different. The subconscious mind’s primary role is survival, and it does this by protecting us, prioritising us, and sometimes even punishing us. Historically, survival depended on belonging to the tribe. Being accepted, loved, and connected was essential, while rejection could mean death. As a result, the brain seeks the familiar, even when it’s unsafe – such as repeating negative relationship patterns. In some cases, it may even create physical conditions to force someone to slow down, prioritise themselves, or receive care and attention. Punishment can also show up as anxiety, self-sabotage, or guilt, designed to prevent behaviours that once risked rejection. In practical terms, the process begins with a free Discovery Call to explore what the client wants to change and to explain how we would work together. This is followed by a more in-depth pre-session call to drill down into the issue and clarify the desired outcome. The RTT® session itself lasts around 90 minutes to two hours. Using hypnotherapy techniques, I guide the client into a deeply relaxed state – similar to daydreaming or being on autopilot – where the subconscious mind is more accessible. From there, we revisit key scenes from the past that relate directly to the issue being addressed. Once identified, I use a range of therapeutic tools to reframe, resolve, and eradicate the limiting beliefs formed at those moments. The culmination of the session is a personalised recording containing new thoughts and visualisations to replace the old patterns. Clients listen to this daily for 21 consecutive days, ideally first thing in the morning or before sleep, when the subconscious is most receptive. The entire process is collaborative and client-led, empowering individuals to create lasting change. What results do your clients often notice after working with you? Clients often experience noticeable changes very quickly, with the presenting issue resolved in just one to three RTT® sessions. This can include long-standing physical conditions, addictions, or deep-rooted blocks around confidence, success, and trauma – many of which clients were previously told they would have to live with. Once that initial shift happens, confidence grows, and clients naturally begin to think bigger. They set more ambitious goals and feel motivated to address other areas of their lives. That’s where the coaching element comes in. Together, we create a clear plan, refine goals as they evolve, and I support them throughout the process. This approach is at the heart of my Limitless Life Programme – helping clients not just create change, but sustain it and step into a life that feels truly limitless. What misconceptions do people have about emotional blocks and mindset change? Many people believe that it’s not available to them or that it’s not sustainable. They think it’s just who they are. The reality is, it’s available to everyone. They just need to access the root cause. What do you wish more people understood about healing and transformation? I wish everyone knew that it is available to them, that there’s not much that isn’t insurmountable, and that includes physical conditions that they believe are genetic and inevitable. The reality is that almost 90% of physical illness is caused by emotional trauma that then manifests itself in the body. And once any of these presenting problems are resolved, people’s lives can be transformed and limitless. We just have to understand that. Why should someone consider reaching out to you today? Someone should consider reaching out to me today if they’re tired of managing symptoms and ready to create real change. If you’ve been living with anxiety, trauma, self-doubt, repeating relationship patterns, or even physical conditions that don’t seem to shift, this work offers a different way forward – one that addresses the root cause, not just the surface issue. I combine powerful therapeutic tools with lived experience. Having rebuilt my own life after long-term abuse, I understand both the courage it takes to ask for help and what’s possible on the other side of healing. You don’t have to have all the answers or know exactly what you need – just a willingness to start. Change doesn’t have to take years, and you don’t have to do it alone. If something in your life feels stuck, heavy, or no longer aligned with who you are, reaching out could be the first step toward clarity, confidence, and a life that feels lighter, freer, and truly your own. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Elizabeth Day

Written by Erica Stanzione, Yoga and Meditation Educator Erica Stanzione is a NYC-based yoga and meditation educator, retreat host, and teacher training leader. She was given a mission and has a deep passion for supporting and empowering her students as they elevate their lives spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and energetically. Since the very beginning of my career as a yoga and meditation educator, I’ve always had a sweet spot in my heart for my twenty- and thirty-somethings who are navigating those uncomfortable and unavoidable growing pains of life that we all encounter. I have a particular love for those decades and the conversations around that time of my life, because it was when everything had to go so very wrong in order for it to eventually go so right. It has become a tremendously valuable and often discussed chapter that allows me to feel very grateful that I can now support others so they never feel like they are alone. With that, and for the first time in my career, I am being guided to share the true depths of my story that many don’t know, so I can hopefully protect anyone who is meant to see this from years of unnecessary heartache, as well as incredibly messy moments that can be avoided when we’re brave enough to be honest with ourselves and those we love. I was twenty-seven years old when I thought I had it all. My ex-husband and I had recently bought an adorable house one hour north of my beloved NYC. We had two very comfortable salaries, loving families, great friends, a cute dog, the Mercedes in the driveway, beautiful vacations, date nights at fancy restaurants, and a gorgeous new diamond on my left ring finger. I thought I had made it. I thought I had achieved everything that society projects onto us as “success” in this country. That was until I woke up one morning feeling deeply unhappy, uninspired, and unfulfilled. In just three short years, that entire life that we worked so hard to build came crashing down. It was then that the Universe broke me down, woke me up, and taught me what “all” really is, and how true internal success is actually defined. I met him when I was twenty-three years old. He was six years older, and it was a whirlwind of a romance. Three years later, we bought a house and then got engaged within the year. It was all unfolding exactly how I had wanted, and I was in a constant state of excitement. I was married at twenty-eight. We had a dream wedding on the beach in Westhampton, New York, and we were so proud to have paid for it ourselves. Then, on our one-year wedding anniversary, we returned to the Hamptons to celebrate, and the novelty of the life we had built together no longer felt so shiny. It was a moment I’ll never forget because it was one of those significant occasions in life when my intuition truly made itself known by screaming at me and warning me that our relationship was slowly but surely beginning to unravel. When we returned home from that trip, the very apparent truths and holes in my heart were coming through on my yoga mat day after day, week after week, and month after month. They were all pointing to upsetting but starkly clear thoughts. My heart feels heavy. I feel like I’m suffocating in this marriage. I feel like I’m stuck living in this small town that I’ve outgrown. My corporate career is sucking my soul out of me. This isn’t the life that feels right for me anymore. It was a constant reel in my head, and with each passing day, I fell deeper into that hole of despair, struggling with the guilt of leaving my marriage. But I will never quit anything without doing everything in my power to exhaust all options first. So I tried everything imaginable to salvage what was very obviously imploding. I’ll never forget that Saturday afternoon when, as a young couple without children yet, we should have been enjoying brunch and cocktails and roaming around museums and parks. Instead, we were on a couple’s therapist’s couch in Warwick, New York, discussing our constant arguments. I was trying to put on a happy face and stay present in the session that was costing me an arm and a leg and frustrating me beyond measure. Yet it wasn’t the price tag that was disturbing me. It was the fact that on that couch, on that particular day, I felt that the state of my emotional currency was leaving me completely bankrupt. With an attempt to stay engaged in the discussion and fight the good fight, I couldn’t help but hear my soul as it internally screamed, “How the hell did I get here?!” I was completely depleted mentally and emotionally and was starting to feel like maybe there was no fight left in me, and that the damage was beyond repair. It was then that I knew in my gut and began to accept that these sessions were just foreplay for the inevitable. Years later, I learned that during our awakening process, the sharp pains of self-discovery and growth don’t always feel loud or dramatic at first. Instead, they feel like small, subtle, undetectable shifts that eventually accumulate over time and add up in monumental ways. One day we wake up and no longer recognize our reality, who we’ve become, or feel like we can stomach living a life that no longer fits. Our relationships, thoughts, patterns, and behaviors begin to feel unbearable and intolerable to live and perpetuate. That was how it happened for me. I didn’t realize how heavy and energetically stuck I felt until years later, when I finally felt the lightness after the release and the freedom that comes on the other side of healing. I am always in awe of, and admire, couples who met young and are blessed to evolve together and remain deeply in love. Unfortunately, for us, we weren’t one of those couples. Everything about me was starting to change from my yoga practice and initial certifications, which had become my absolute lifeline during that time, and he sadly wasn’t willing to come with me for the ride. Even though we were only married for a little over two years, I felt like I was a wife for the full seven years we spent together. It was a role and a title that I truly cherished. But the Universe taught me that it wasn’t a role I was meant to have with him. When the chips finally landed after the divorce, he went back to his hometown that he loved, and I went back to the place where I’ve always belonged, Manhattan. The place where our love story had started over seven years earlier. But this time, God was starting to reveal to me in very subtle ways that it was now time to begin a different kind of love story. The love story with myself. And that’s exactly what I did. Today, at forty-two years old, I can say with one hundred percent confidence and certainty that I am the happiest and most peaceful I have ever been in my life, and I don’t regret a single element of my journey. It all happened exactly as it was meant to. I know that it was flawlessly orchestrated in order for me to share my purpose, build my offerings, and continue to nurture my craft in the yoga industry. It also had to happen that way to position me to meet the love of my life that I’ve always dreamt of and know God has prepared for me. For anyone reading this who feels like they too are unconsciously going through the motions of life and falling victim to social conditioning, I invite you to be fiercely brave and truly honest with yourself in these explorations and the responses that follow. Your future self will be so grateful that you did, especially if you crave a full life rather than one that leaves you wondering, “What if?” Are you in relationships, living situations, or careers just because you felt pressure from society, your parents, your friends, or what you see on social media? Are your choices a 'hell yes' within your soul, or are they just comfortable and easier financially? Having a joyful, safe, and successful marriage, and not just a really fun five-hour party for your wedding, owning a home, having an abundant career, and eventually starting a family are all enormous blessings and aspirations. But please remember that it doesn’t have to happen on the same timeline as those around you, or just because you’ve hit a certain age. Perhaps you don’t desire any of this or that more traditional lifestyle, and that is an equally courageous and perfect decision as well. Please don’t be afraid to live a life that others don’t understand. Don’t be afraid to choose yourself and focus on what genuinely makes you happy. Don’t be afraid to do things on your timeline and consciously choose the right partner, even if finding your person takes longer than you expected. If it isn’t happening for you yet, trust it. If those are things you desire, they will arrive when the time is right. I’ve learned that the Universe will never hand us anything prematurely and will only deliver our desires when they are ripe for a successful outcome for all involved. So please trust that timing, even if it’s confusing, frustrating, or doesn’t make sense at first. Your twenties, and especially your thirties, are the time to have fun, figure out who you really are, and use these exploratory and foundational years to set yourself up for your future, both personally and professionally. Give yourself the gift of space to grow, heal, and love yourself first. Build your career and financial independence. Get healthy mentally and physically. Create deep connections with friends and family. Generate those layers of grit and resilience that will carry you through life. Travel to places near and far that inspire you and take your breath away. Do everything and explore all avenues that bring you joy and light you up, because you’re never going to get these incredibly precious years back. There are also major advantages to getting married and starting families later in life, as even healthier love comes after we’ve done the work on ourselves. When we’ve healed old wounds and are truly self-aware, emotionally regulated, able to communicate effectively, and able to resolve conflicts with ease, the long-term success of the relationship dramatically increases. Maturity teaches us the difference between choosing karmic partners who were meant to teach us lessons and divinely guided partnerships. Maturity teaches us to prioritize emotional connection rather than just physical attraction. With age and life experience, we also learn the difference between chemistry and true compatibility, as well as real connection versus attachment. Ultimately, can we reframe this social and cultural conditioning and remind ourselves that there isn’t a timeline for love or a deadline for when our blessings are meant to arrive? Because when we truly embody and radiate self-love, self-respect, inner peace, and self-awareness, we will inevitably and undeniably attract a much higher caliber of partner and all of the soul-aligned opportunities that are meant for our highest good. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Erica Stanzione Erica Stanzione, Yoga and Meditation Educator Erica is an industry leader in guiding the life-changing practices of breathwork, vinyasa yoga, and meditation. She leads by example both on and off of the mat, and teaches others about the profound effects of our mindfulness practices that far exceed the external benefits. The intention behind her classes, workshops, retreats, and trainings are to serve as a sacred container where her students feel safe to step further into their power, confidence, emotional intelligence, spiritual connection, and continuous evolution.

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 Michal Ravid Vrabel, Lawyer & Life Coach Michal is a lawyer and a life coach. A former criminal defense attorney, who spent the vast majority of her professional life in courtrooms, she has encountered all walks of life. The founder of Pathways Life Coaching, she now focuses extensively on success mindset coaching, personal and professional relationship coaching, and end-of-life coaching. In the great journey and sometimes stormy seas of man’s life, perhaps the finest thing that we long and crave for is that eternal beauty that is happiness, forever calling our name, but seemingly a universe away. We are all no strangers to this struggle. I, myself, have struggled throughout different junctures of my life with the pursuit of happiness. As I spent the majority of my professional life as a lawyer, I faced the constant challenge of finding the ideal work-life balance, along with the guilt and unhappiness that sometimes arose as I had to prioritize and create harmony between the two. As a criminal defense attorney, there was always the chase after an acquittal or a better plea deal. In my personal life, there were other struggles that threatened to hinder my sense of happiness, from challenging relationships, the transition to motherhood, dealing with aging parents, and the most challenging of all, the devastating diagnosis of my beloved husband, who is bravely fighting terminal cancer, a battle that my family and I live through to this day.    In my body of work, I do find a common desire amongst individuals from all walks and creeds of life, the desire to find happiness and joy, something that we all too often feel as though is missing from valuable avenues of our lives. As a seeker of happiness, and one whose goal is to help others in their pursuit of it, I would like to open the window to some of the origins of human’s pursuit of happiness, the struggle that we face in navigating between the external and the internal forces that influence our state of happiness, and from there, I will give you a glimpse into a crucial component that I have developed with myself, as well as during my work with other a component that can serve as a pivotal catalyst in the pursuit of happiness the practice of what I refer to as “The Triangle of the Three Selves”.   A brief review of the pursuit of happiness throughout history From the dawn of time, human beings have been pursuing happiness in different ways, shapes, and forms. While ancient Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle, viewed happiness as “Eudaimonia,” not a fleeting emotion, but a lifelong state of well-being, living a purposeful life and a flourishing one, Far Eastern philosophers, such as Confucius and Lao Tzu, focused on the cultivation of inner peace, contentment, and finding fulfillment from within, rather than from external pursuit. Furthermore, the pursuit of happiness was also not lost on nations around the world, who recognized it as a value to pursue and protect. While the United States 1776’ Declaration of Independence recognizes the unalienable rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, other countries followed suit, some within their constitutions such as South Korea’s article 10 of the amended constitution from 1987, which guarantees human dignity, worth and the right to pursue happiness for all citizens, or Japan’s article 13 of the 1946 constitution, which embraces the pursuit of happiness as a supreme consideration in legislation and in other governmental affairs while others, such as many European countries, have embraced the pursuit of happiness not through a single constitutional right, but rather by prioritizing holistic well-being, through robust welfare apparatuses, prioritizing work-life balance and well-being as a goal incorporated through other legislation and agendas. Moving on to current modern times, as I ponder the concept of happiness, I cannot help but mention the renowned professor of psychology, Dr. Martin Seligman who is considered by many the founder of positive psychology whose “PERMA” model, expressed so eloquently in his 2011 Book “Flourish”, served as both an inspiration to me and many others, Seligman formulated the five core elements for a flourishing, fulfilling and happy life. These virtues were in this successive order and harmony: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments. So, there is no doubt that happiness has been occupying the minds of humans for a long while, as it has been a goal and a marker for a well-balanced life and a satisfying existence. Nevertheless, if the concept of happiness has been around for as long as it has, I cannot help but wonder why so many of us proclaim not to be happy, or to not find happiness in our everyday lives? More so, where would be the best place to start our pursuit of happiness?   The “battle” between external & internal influences in the search for happiness Throughout my life’s journey, and through the eyes of others, I have identified common threads that I believe hinder the desired outcome of happiness. One of these threads is the trend of people attaching their sense of happiness directly to external forces, rather than taking the time to examine their own state of mind, emotions, actions, and thoughts. In the professional realm, happiness will often be measured by the position one holds, one’s compensation, the recognition at the workplace, or via one’s social standing amongst their peers. In the personal realm, focusing on personal status, relationships with family members, friends, or significant others, and the state these relationships are in, will usually serve as a substantial indicator of one’s happiness, or lack thereof. Another common thread I have identified in both the personal and professional realms is the noticeable trend of placing judgment on the external forces, including the people within them, as the grounds for unhappiness.  Furthermore, I found that people often mistakenly allocate their resources to the material realm, believing that expensive material possessions will elevate their happiness. Unfortunately, that is not usually the case, and in some instances, the dissonance between one’s possessions and their actual well-being will just intensify the notion of failure in the pursuit of happiness. Living in our modern world, which offers so many external stimulations, attractions, and distractions, we often get caught up in this vicious cycle, convinced that the achievements and compensation attached to success will necessarily make us happier. In other words, we create a direct link between the external sphere and our inner happiness. It did take me many years and life experiences to come to the conclusion, that happiness per se is not necessarily the end goal, but something that I wish to experience throughout my life journey, with the hope of making every moment count, I have also learned that I should not be shy in investing in my own self, recognizing my true authentic self, before I could reach this exhilarating feeling. Therefore, I would suggest that before we strive to find happiness externally, and in order to be successful in our pursuit of happiness that will come to fruition in the external sphere of our life’s journey, one should find happiness internally, or more precisely, find happiness from within their own internal sphere, within their true, authentic selves.   What is the “Triangle of the Three Selves,” and how could it lead us closer to the path of happiness During various interactions with people, I often offer to explore the practice of what I like to call the “Triangle of the Three Selves”, which is, in my humble opinion as I have seen many positive breakthroughs as it was embraced and practiced, a significant key to unlocking one’s true authentic self, one’s wisdom, potential and last but not least, one’s happiness from within. The Three Selves are as follows: Self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-reflection. The Three Selves do not stand alone but rather connect to each other and feed off each other. The Three Selves can serve as a crucial component in our search to not only better ourselves and our surroundings but also to better our life’s journey and get us one step closer to reaching our full potential, our goals, and dreams. So, let’s dive into each of the Three Selves, explore their practice, and identify their relevance to gappiness.   How to reach self-awareness and why it is significant in our pursuit of happiness Self-awareness is all about actively, yet quietly, observing and watching, examining one’s internal state, emotions, sensations, and thoughts. One must learn to look within themselves and truly understand their own strengths and weaknesses, beliefs, and values. One should also find out what brings them joy and happiness, and just as important, what does not. It is a process, not an easy one at times, but a very rewarding one. It is an empowering method that will assist with the practice of self-reflection, lead to Self-Acceptance, and through that, improve one’s performance in all aspects of life, hence, getting one closer to the actual feeling of happiness, a better overall well-being, and leading one in the right paths towards reaching the desired destinations. As I guide my clients in their practice of self-awareness, I explain that they should think about it as mapping out a road, their own personal road map. It is essential to identify the obstacles within oneself, as well as the qualities one can use to one’s advantage as they face life, their relationships, their work, and the people around them. I can tell you that I came into my own authentic self, only as I dived into the practice of self-awareness, recognized my weaknesses, and acknowledged my strong suits. From there, it was easier for me to experience true joy and happiness, as this awareness also opened the door for self-growth and new opportunities. I believe that this practice of self-awareness will lead to inner peace, help one find wisdom and strength within oneself, and, hence, enhance one’s sense of happiness.   On the practice of self-acceptance and the benefits that would follow So, now that you have practiced self-awareness and acknowledged your emotions, thoughts, strengths, and weaknesses, it is time to work on self-acceptance. I do find that this part of the triangle, the self-acceptance part, has significant importance and is a crucial key to one’s happiness and to one’s success in life. During the practice of self-acceptance, we must embrace, accept, and appreciate all these aspects of our beings, including the qualities as well as the flaws, without judgment. An inability to do so might limit our growth, inner peace, and the happiness that we seek. As we do so, we should be very compassionate with ourselves and avoid any negative self-talk. Through this process, one will foster a healthier self-image and build emotional resilience that will play a vital role as they approach life and its various encounters. Note that, as flaws will also be acknowledged through this process, a path towards betterment of oneself will be carved, as the acknowledgement and acceptance of the flaws will exist alongside, in harmony, with one’s acknowledgement and acceptance of their qualities, which will assist one in the pursuit of self-growth, development, and improvement. It is important to remember that no one is perfect, but it is also the imperfections, along with our qualities, that make us beautiful, whole, and unique! I have no doubt, as I often remind not only my clients but also my loved ones, that only when we are able to be acceptable to ourselves will we be acceptable to others. This self-acceptance will make a huge difference in the very way we carry ourselves through the different pathways of life, our professional lives as well as our personal lives. When one learns to feel whole and accept oneself for who one really is, one can walk tall with confidence, a sense of peace and pride, and thus joy and happiness can follow. On self-reflection and how it completes the “Triangle of the Three Selves” Self-reflection is about taking the time to meditate, evaluate, and reflect on our own characteristics, actions, and behavior. As we do so, clarity and better vision should follow, and from there, we can tap into the desired happiness that we are seeking. As I think of self-reflection, I cannot help but remember something that I was told years ago. It goes like this: “When you point a finger at someone else, three fingers are pointing right back at you.” Think about it, visualize it. So often, in our pursuit of happiness, and as we feel as though we are failing to reach it, we tend to point the finger immediately at someone else, or something else that is happening in the external sphere of our lives. What I have learned throughout my life experience, and even my pursuit of happiness, is that truth is imperative! One must be honest with themselves, take accountability, and not forget the three fingers pointing back at them. I can say that this practice has helped me significantly in multiple encounters, particularly when parenting teenagers. As I reflected on my own actions & emotions, I learned to handle trying situations with greater patience and understanding, thus, logical resolutions became easier to achieve. Once one recognizes their own actions, reactions, and true emotions, clarity about the situation and a better understanding of the obstacles to happiness could follow, and so a path to happiness and better results in experiencing it should be within reach.   How will internal happiness impact the external sphere of our lives As I have experienced it myself, I have also seen the quantum leaps that individuals experience, as well as cooperations that try to enhance their employees’ experiences, productivity, and happiness in the form of a better work environment and wellbeing of staff members, as the practice of the “Triangle of the Three Selves” is adopted and internalized. I believe that the practices of self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-reflection, which do require honesty, deep thinking, compassion, and understanding, can bring each and every one of us one step closer to finding the desired happiness, first and foremost, from within! I maintain that the ripple effect of this newfound happiness from within extends to the external sphere of our lives, thereby enhancing our journey as a whole and our sense of happiness, specifically. Remember, knowing oneself is wisdom! Accepting oneself is empowering! Reflecting on oneself and the different encounters in our everyday life is eye-opening and a way to master the best version of who we desire to be, how we want to view ourselves, and how we wish to be seen amongst others! If you are ready to dive deeper into the practice of the “Triangle of the Three Selves,” If you are ready to explore the happiness from within, and let it shine into all the external avenues of life, I invite you to reach out for a one-on-one guidance, coaching and support, as a unique plan will be tailored according to your specific needs. You can contact me directly via my email,  michal@pathwayslifecoaching.com,  or schedule your consultation with me  here . To learn more about my work, visit my  website  or my  YouTube  channel. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Michal Ravid Vrabel Michal Ravid Vrabel, Lawyer & Life Coach Michal is a life coach with an integrated approach, guiding clients towards discovering their true, authentic self, including bringing their true inner strength and wisdom to fruition. The founder of Pathways Life Coaching, she has a professional background in criminal, public, and international law, with extensive experience as a criminal defense attorney. Michal's mission is to guide her clients into a successful path in their life's journey, thus creating a unique, tailored coaching plan for every client, from CEOs of hedge funds, corporate group coaching, personal coaching, with a focus on success mindset, improving and enhancing personal and professional relationship,s and end-of-life coaching, for terminally ill patients and caregivers.

Written by Elizabeth Tsekouras, Education and Career Coach Liz Tsekouras is a successful education and careers coach with a background in Sociology and Psychology. Her specialism is in neurodiverse coaching, where she provides tailored guidance to clients to improve their academic/career performance, confidence, and wellbeing. Whether in the workplace, educational settings, families, friendships, or intimate partnerships, relationships are where neurodivergent individuals often feel the most misunderstood. Many people I work with are highly capable, intelligent, and motivated, yet repeatedly experience breakdowns in communication, trust, or connection. They are often told they need to be “more professional,” “less emotional,” “more flexible,” or simply “better at people.” Neurodiverse relationship challenges are rarely about lack of effort or ability. More often, they stem from mismatched communication styles, unspoken expectations, and nervous systems operating under constant strain. From a coaching perspective, sustainable connection comes from intentional shifts in how we understand, support, and relate to one another.   Here are five coaching steps that help transform neurodiverse relationships across personal, educational, and professional contexts. Step 1: Shift from “what’s wrong?” to “what’s happening internally?” In schools, workplaces, and families, behaviour is often judged without context. Missed deadlines, withdrawal, emotional intensity, rigidity, or shutdown are quickly labelled as motivation or attitude problems.   A coaching lens shifts the focus inward toward the nervous system. Neurodivergent individuals often operate under heightened cognitive, sensory, or emotional load. What looks like resistance or disengagement may actually be feeling overwhelmed.   Coaching invites reflection questions such as: What internal demands might be present right now? What does stress or overload look like for this person? What support would reduce pressure rather than increase it?   This shift replaces judgment with understanding and creates space for more effective responses.   Step 2: Shift from assuming meaning to clarifying communication Miscommunication is one of the most common challenges in neurodiverse relationships. Directness may be perceived as bluntness. Silence may be interpreted as disinterest. Emotional expression may be seen as unprofessional, while logic-heavy communication may feel cold or dismissive. Coaching helps individuals and teams slow down and clarify meaning instead of assuming intent.   Rather than reacting to how something was said, the focus shifts to: What was the message? What was the goal of this communication? How was it received and why?   This is especially powerful in leadership, education, and workplace settings, where misunderstandings can quietly erode trust and confidence over time. Step 3: Shift from performance to psychological safety In achievement-oriented environments, people are often rewarded for masking, suppressing needs, emotions, or differences to appear capable and composed. For neurodivergent individuals, this comes at a cost. Coaching reframes success as sustainable engagement, not constant performance. Psychological safety (the ability to ask questions, make mistakes, express needs, and set boundaries without fear ) becomes foundational. When safety is present: Learning improves Collaboration strengthens Burnout decreases Step 4: Shift from self-regulation to shared responsibility Neurodivergent people are frequently told to manage themselves better and to regulate emotions, organize thoughts, or adapt communication. While self-awareness is important, coaching recognizes that relationships are systems, not solo efforts. Healthy environments support regulation through: Clear expectations Flexible communication options Permission to pause or clarify Respect for different processing styles This shift moves responsibility from the individual alone to the shared environment, a critical mindset change in inclusive education and workplaces. Step 5: Shift from “managing differences” to valuing contribution Too often, neurodiversity is framed as a challenge to be accommodated rather than a strength to be leveraged. Coaching helps individuals and organizations identify how different thinking styles contribute to creativity, problem-solving, focus, empathy, and innovation. Instead of asking, “How do we make this person fit?” the question becomes: What strengths are present here? Where does this individual thrive? How can roles, expectations, or pathways align more effectively? When differences are valued rather than managed, relationships become more collaborative and empowering. A coaching perspective on connection Across education, careers, and everyday life, neurodiverse relationships don’t fail because people aren’t trying hard enough. They struggle when systems and expectations don’t account for differences. Coaching offers a space to slow down, reflect, and build relationships that support both performance and wellbeing without asking individuals to abandon who they are. Moving from misunderstood to connected begins with small but intentional shifts. And in the right environment, those shifts can change everything. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn  for more info! Read more from Elizabeth Tsekouras Elizabeth Tsekouras, Education and Career Coach Liz Tsekouras is a dedicated coach and specialist neurodiverse educator who draws on over a decade of experience to help individuals build confidence, strengthen their learning skills, and navigate challenges with clarity and purpose. She provides personalised coaching that empowers clients to harness their abilities, develop effective strategies, and achieve meaningful academic, professional, and personal growth.

Written by Eric Burdon, Self-Help Guru Eric S Burdon has been writing about the self-help industry for over 10 years. His weird experiences, refreshing perspective, and curiosity have culminated in the Eric S Burdon YouTube channel and writing on Medium. With literally thousands of books published year after year in the self-help industry and even more articles that complement that, there is no shortage of advice offered on how to fix ourselves and be the best we can be. While a lot of it can certainly be well-meaning, a few things I’ve been noticing a lot of these days are something we can all relate to on a human level. Utter exhaustion and strain. Whether it’s from the overwhelming barrage of information, aggressive marketing, weird AI chatbot coaching experiences, or just a desire for some inner peace, a lot of people are checking out from the industry. And frankly, I can’t blame people for wanting to do that. At our core, we are flawed individuals, and so the race for constant improvement is never-ending. We’re all running on our own treadmills in the hopes that all of this spinning and improvement will culminate in something meaningful for us. But it’s that very environment and mindset that can be so draining. Even if we don’t intend to, we can find ourselves slipping into that with even the habits that we pick up to soothe ourselves. So here are some things that we can genuinely do to change that cycle around and give ourselves a genuine pause. To hop off the treadmill, as it were, and catch our breaths, even if it’s for a little while.   Take a deep breath and pause from self-help The first tip is ironically what I’ve just suggested: lean into those sentiments of being overwhelmed or just done with it. The only difference is that you’re doing so deliberately rather than having those emotions spiral out of control. Our emotions are powerful forces in our lives that can spur our actions and the decisions that we make. What’s also worth noting is that what we experience is, by extension, something that we experience for a specific reason. As such, pausing and spending time figuring out why you feel this way, beyond just the surface-level feeling of being overwhelmed by self-help, can be a huge help. It can help you learn more about yourself and your core values. It can even help you realign with what you truly value and approach the situation from another angle or a better pace than you are going in right now. Or it can be the time you need to genuinely take a pause, put the project on the back burner, or never return to it again and try something else. Focus on the good Because there is always room for improvement, it’s easy for us to get into the cycle that whatever we’re doing is not good enough. This expectation of ourselves has even made its way into habits that were designed to be relaxing, like meditation. We get so caught up in trying to have the best meditation session, pose, or sporting the proper outfit that we lose the plot on what meditation, or any other activity, for that matter, is meant to be like. And so one of the other techniques is simply to recognize that and lean more into the latter half to focus on the good that picking up a certain habit is like, or being a beginner to something. To look at what you’ve genuinely gained rather than focusing purely on what you’re lacking. And even in some cases, consider whether what you have gained thus far is good enough to warrant slowing down a little or settling with what you’ve got. After all, I know plenty of people have gone through a midlife crisis even when they’ve achieved some great things. Reminding yourself to slow down and simply be and enjoy life can be a stronger and better answer than rapidly looking for flaws or other things to improve in your life.   Get off your back On that note, it also pays to not be on your case so much. As I’ve said, self-improvement is like a treadmill, it’ll never end, and you can keep on pushing for higher numbers and better results for as long as you like. But the biggest problem is that the industry never tells us to be measured or to take a break. They’ve cultivated a mindset that culminates in our inner voice telling us we’re not good enough or that we can work on this area. We never really experience true satisfaction after something is done. And if we ever achieve something that other people recognize us for, we downplay it. Getting off our backs allows us to be more honest with ourselves and who we are. We learn to take a compliment, feel good about it, and know that we’re deserving of it based on the work that we’ve done. Going beyond that to say that we’re not always striving for more or that we’re sick of self-help can ease our tensions and those of others. It results in this idea that not everything is a race and that we can be ourselves. It allows us to tap into what self-help is really about, incremental growth and a mentality that allows us to genuinely pause and enjoy the benefits.   Don’t be afraid to be laid back There aren’t any secret strategies or techniques to really practice here. Our journey is our own, and we should have full agency over the direction and the pace that we’re going in. What this looks like is giving ourselves the space we need to take a step back and to stand on firmer ground and take it all in. What you’ve achieved, what you’ve gained, what you’ve endured, everything. Do that, and when you’re ready to jump back on, if at all, then you can do so with more purpose and vigor than ever. Follow me on LinkedIn , YouTube , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Eric Burdon Eric Burdon, Self-Help Guru Eric S Burdon is a self-help writer and self-help guru. Having engaged with the self-help industry for over 10 years, Eric has created various strategies that weave through the multiple tropes of self-help to help people grow. Seeing how that has helped him grow, his mission is to spread what he's learned to others. His goal: change the self-help industry for the better, one person at a time.

Written by Jeremiah Johnson, Creative AI Expert Jeremiah Johnson is known for his creatively practical approach to technology. He educates some of the world’s largest corporations on using AI for research, communications, and automation. Known as Jay to friends and J.I. to clients, he's been sharing standout AI tools across social platforms for over 300 consecutive days, and counting. For most business leaders, artificial intelligence still feels like a tool, something you use to speed up tasks or automate workflows. But that framing turns out to be temporary. The next phase of AI adoption is not about smarter tools. It is about digital teams. Multi-agent systems represent a fundamental shift in how work gets done. Instead of relying on a single AI model responding to prompts, organisations will increasingly deploy networks of specialised AI agents that collaborate, negotiate, delegate, and self-correct, much like human teams do today. This article explains what multi-agent systems are, why they matter, and how they will reshape the future of work at a structural level, not as hype, but as infrastructure. What are multi-agent systems (in plain business terms) A multi-agent system (MAS) is an environment where multiple autonomous AI agents operate together, each with a defined role, objective, and decision-making capability. Rather than one general-purpose AI doing everything, work is distributed across agents that may: Analyse data Generate options Validate outputs Monitor risk Coordinate execution Escalate decisions when uncertainty increases The key distinction is interaction. Agents do not act in isolation, they exchange information, challenge assumptions, and adapt their behaviour based on the system’s evolving state. In practice, this mirrors how effective organisations already operate, except that the coordination happens at machine speed. Why single-agent AI hits a ceiling Most AI deployments today rely on a single model acting as a conversational interface. This approach delivers quick wins, but it breaks down as complexity increases. Single-agent systems struggle with: Long, multi-step workflows Conflicting objectives Continuous monitoring and adjustment Parallel decision-making Accountability and traceability As tasks become more strategic (spanning departments, time horizons, and constraints), a single agent becomes a bottleneck. Multi-agent systems remove that bottleneck by breaking cognition into coordinated parts. The organisational parallel: From tools to teams Multi-agent systems succeed for the same reason teams outperform individuals on complex work. Each agent can be: Specialised (finance, legal, operations, creative) Constrained (clear scope, guardrails, escalation rules) Auditable (logs, rationales, decision paths) Replaceable (swap or upgrade without redesigning the system) This architecture enables what might be called composable intelligence, organisations assemble AI capabilities the way they assemble teams, not software licenses. Over time, the competitive advantage will not come from having “better AI,” but from designing better agent ecosystems. Where multi-agent systems will first transform work 1. Knowledge work at scale Consulting, strategy, research, and analysis will increasingly be handled by agent collectives that explore scenarios, stress-test assumptions, and surface insights continuously, without waiting for human prompts. 2. Operations and decision orchestration Supply chains, pricing, staffing, and forecasting will rely on agents that negotiate trade-offs in real time, adapting faster than static dashboards ever could. 3. Creative and product teams Creative direction will remain human-led, but agents will handle exploration, iteration, validation, and audience simulation, compressing cycles without diluting judgment. 4. Management and coordination Many managerial tasks, such as status tracking, risk sensing, follow-ups, and alignment checks, are coordination problems. Multi-agent systems are uniquely suited to solve them. The strategic importance: Why these changes power structures Multi-agent systems quietly challenge one of the oldest constraints in business: cognitive bandwidth. When organisations can: Run parallel reasoning at scale Simulate decisions before committing Monitor outcomes continuously Adjust strategy dynamically Hierarchies flatten, planning horizons shorten, and execution tightens. The result is not fewer humans, but fewer blind spots. Leaders move from information gatherers to decision architects whose primary agency is to design systems that think alongside them. What leaders must get right early Multi-agent systems amplify both intelligence and error. Governance matters. Forward-looking organisations will focus on: Clear agent roles and escalation paths Human-in-the-loop decision thresholds Ethical and compliance constraints baked into agent logic Transparency over black-box optimisation Continuous evaluation, not one-time deployment This is less about IT maturity and more about organisational design discipline. The future of work is not human vs. AI The future of work will not be defined by humans competing with machines. It will be defined by humans orchestrating teams of machines. Multi-agent systems turn AI from a reactive assistant into an active collaborator, one that works continuously, scales intelligently, and adapts alongside the organisation it serves. The leaders who understand this early will not ask, “How do we use AI?” They will ask, “How do we design intelligence as a system?” That shift will separate AI adopters from AI-native organisations. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Jeremiah Johnson Jeremiah Johnson, Creative AI Expert Jeremiah Johnson is an AI expert working at the intersection of creativity, technology, and systems thinking. He educates startups and corporations on AI-powered research, communications, and automation. His clients often commend him for his creative approach to problem-solving. He credits this to his previous career as a modestly successful music i an, which saw him performing to tens of thousands live and millions on national television. Jay decided to pursue a career in tech after having the epiphany that technology is simply creativity in disguise. This is the foundation of his professional approach. Jay is also a firm believer in the power of purposeful education and its ability to bring people closer to the lives they want to live.

Written by April Michelle Ratchford, Occupational Therapist/Podcast Host April Ratchford, OTR/L, is an autistic occupational therapist and the voice behind Adulting with Autism. She supports neurodivergent adults across the world with relatable storytelling, lived wisdom, and empowering strategies for real-life challenges. Breakups hit different when you’re autistic, ADHD, or both. It’s not just “sadness.” It’s nervous system whiplash, loss of routine, dopamine withdrawal, and your brain running a 24/7 replay with zero closure. Then Valentine’s Day shows up like a glittery punch in the throat. So no, this isn’t a “glow up era” article. This is a reset. A real one. Here are 12 steps to get through the messy middle without losing yourself.   1. Name what this actually is: Grief plus nervous system disruption When the relationship ends, your brain isn’t just missing a person. It’s missing the predictability, the pattern, the check-ins, the familiar sensory and emotional rhythms. That’s why it feels like your entire system is collapsing. You’re not being dramatic. You’re dysregulated. 2. Give yourself one week to fall apart on purpose Mourn it. Cry. Be mad. Be in your bed. Watch the movie. Eat the weird comfort food. But put a time container on it. If you don’t, your brain will turn the breakup into a long-term identity story, “I’m unlovable, I’m too much, I’ll never find anyone.” No. One week to grieve hard, then we pivot into reset mode.   3. No contact is not petty, it’s a neurological intervention Autistic rumination plus social media access is a straight line to self-destruction. Unfollow. Block. Mute. Remove. Not because you hate them. Because your brain will keep trying to solve a puzzle that has no solution. And because your nervous system cannot heal while you’re still “checking.” 4. Stop chasing closure, it’s an illusion that keeps you stuck Closure is a movie script. In real life, sometimes people leave and you will never get a clean explanation that satisfies your autistic brain. If you keep waiting for the perfect reason, you’ll stay emotionally handcuffed. Closure is what you decide it is. Like Inception: the top keeps spinning. You don’t get to know. You decide what’s real and move.   5. Don’t “fix yourself” because someone left If they made you feel like you were the problem, your brain might go straight into, “Let me become perfect so no one leaves again.” No. That’s not growth. That’s trauma-driven compliance. Your reset is about understanding yourself, not erasing yourself.   6. Treat it like dopamine withdrawal, because it is Relationships are dopamine. Messages, attention, affection, sex, routine, even the fights, your brain gets used to the stimulation. When it ends, you crave the hit. That’s why you want to text. That’s why you want to stalk. That’s why you want to “just talk one more time.” You’re not weak. You’re withdrawing. So don’t feed the addiction. Replace it. 7. Don’t numb with alcohol, sugar, or chaos hookups I get it. I’ve done it. The “fuck ‘em dress.” The club. The sugar binge. The spiral. The next relationship is too fast. The romantic movie marathon. But listen: numbing gives you a high, then you crash worse. The goal is natural regulation, not chemical whiplash. 8. Build structure before your brain builds a spiral Unstructured time is dangerous after a breakup. If you have nothing planned, your brain will fill the day with rumination. So you need a simple daily structure: One thing for your body One thing for your environment One thing for your mind One thing for connection (even if it’s minimal)   Structure isn’t punishment. It’s scaffolding.   9. Use the reset rule: One new skill for 30 days Here’s where the OT brain comes in. Neuroplasticity loves a new task. Pick one thing you’ve always wanted to do and commit to it for 30 days:   Dancing Painting Learning a language Lifting weights Cooking one recipe Guitar Anything   You’re not doing it to “be better.” You’re doing it to rewire your brain away from the relationship loop.   10. Audit your part without self-hating Yes, reflect. But don’t use reflection as a weapon against yourself. Ask: What did I ignore? What did I tolerate? Where did I abandon myself? What do I need next time?   Then stop. No forensic analysis for six months. That’s rumination pretending to be self-awareness.   11. If they come back, they don’t get automatic access to the new you Here’s the question everyone has: What if they come back? If they come back, they earn it. They don’t get a free pass because you shared history. You don’t owe them the healed version of you. You built that version. They walked away from the previous one. If they push your boundaries, that’s your answer.   12. Redefine Valentine’s Day so it doesn’t define you Valentine’s Day is not a measure of your worth. If you’re single, it’s a normal day. If you’re heartbroken, it’s a grief day. If you’re partnered, it’s a celebration day. But it is not a scoreboard. If you want to do “Palentine’s” or “Galentine’s,” do it. If you want to game, do it. If you want to go quiet, do it.   But don’t let a holiday turn your breakup into a verdict.   Final word: you’re not broken, you’re resetting If you’re neurodivergent, breakups can feel like your entire identity collapses. But it’s not your identity collapsing. It’s your system recalibrating.   Give yourself the week. Do the reset. Build structure. Stop feeding the loop. And if you need one sentence to hold on to. You can miss them and still choose you. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from April Michelle Ratchford April Michelle Ratchford, Occupational Therapist/Podcast Host April Ratchford, OTR/L, is an autistic occupational therapist, writer, and global advocate for neurodivergent adults. As the creator and host of Adulting with Autism, an internationally ranked podcast with over two million downloads, she blends clinical expertise with real-life lived experience. April specializes in supporting autistic young adults as they transition into independence, higher education, and adult identity. She is known for her clear, empowering approach that makes complex neurodivergent challenges accessible and manageable. April is currently advancing her studies in neuroscience through King’s College London to further elevate her work in autistic well-being and adult development.

Written by John Comerford, Author/Motivational Speaker John Comerford is the author of Tarzan Loves Jane and Battle Armour (25 Tools for Men's Mental Health). John is also one of the authors of the number one Amazon best-selling book series, Start Over. I am a survivor of child abuse. For 40 years, I stayed silent after being sexually abused in the Catholic Education System. Decades of shame and self-destruction followed, until a mental health crisis finally forced me to face what happened. My silence almost cost me my life. If I were a child today, the abuse would not stay hidden in my memory. It could be filmed, shared worldwide in seconds, and used to blackmail me for more. The predator would not need to be nearby; they could reach me through my gaming console, phone, or laptop. The companies behind these platforms choose to ignore it while making huge profits. For parents, immediate action is crucial. Start by checking and adjusting the privacy settings on all devices your child uses. Keep an open line of communication with your child about what they encounter online and encourage them to speak up if anything seems unusual or distressing. Empowering your family with these basic precautions can help protect against potential threats. This is the troubling reality of the online gaming industry. Children's online playgrounds are already becoming places where predators hide, and the need for better protection is often discussed but not always acted on. The crime scene hiding inside your child's gaming console Every single second, ten children somewhere in the world are being sexually exploited or abused online. One in twelve children globally, approximately 300 million a year, are victims of online sexual exploitation. In Australia alone, 82,764 reports of child exploitation were made to authorities in 2024/25, a 41% jump from the previous year. Online enticement reports to the US National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children nearly doubled in the first half of 2025, surging from 292,951 to 518,720. Much of this happens inside children's games. In these environments, predators can start grooming a child in just 19 seconds, the time it takes to pour a cup of coffee. Most parents do not realise that the device they gave their child could connect them directly to organised paedophile networks worldwide. Parents should watch for warning signs such as excessive secrecy about online activities, sudden changes in behaviour, reluctance to talk about new online friends, and spending significant time on social media or gaming platforms. Recognising these signs early can help intervene before harm occurs. A single predator used one gaming console to victimise 459 children This is a global issue. Here in Australia, a 27-year-old man was arrested in Maryborough as part of Operation X-ray Wick. Over 12 months, specialist investigators conducted forensic examinations of his electronic devices and uncovered over 23,000 videos and images of offending against 459 identified victims across Australia and overseas. He has been charged with 596 offences, including producing child abuse material and engaging in sexual activity with a child using a carriage service. Police say this man targeted children on social media and gaming platforms from 2018 to 2025, using many profiles to groom or coerce children, mostly aged 7 to 15. He carefully saved and organised the material into named folders, creating a disturbing collection. Among the devices police took from his home were gaming consoles . One man, over seven years, harmed 459 children. Investigations are still ongoing. Crime Command Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Denzil Clark was blunt. "We are seeing an increasing prevalence of children being groomed, coerced, or threatened into taking and sending sexual images of themselves, often through popular apps, games, and social media sites. The trauma that this causes a child is significant". These stories are not just warnings. They are evidence of crimes where children's games are the tools. Uncomfortable truth: Popular games made for children have become tools for exploitation, and company leaders often overlook this problem To be clear, the gaming industry has built colourful, immersive digital worlds for children. These worlds have chat, voice, and messaging features that let strangers contact kids directly, but oversight has not always kept up with how complex these platforms have become. Roblox has over 85 million daily active players, the vast majority of them children. Researchers who tested the platform described the risks as "deeply disturbing", pointing to a "troubling disconnect between child‑friendly appearance and reality". Test avatars overheard players discussing sexual activities and heard sounds associated with sex acts during voice chat. In one test, an adult avatar successfully requested the Snapchat details of a five‑year‑old's avatar using language vague enough to bypass moderation. An adult contacted a five-year-old's avatar on a platform designed for children. A former Roblox employee was quoted in court filings as saying, "You have to make a decision, right? You can keep your players safe, but then there would be fewer of them on the platform. Or you just let them do what they want. And then the numbers all look good, and investors will be happy". Every boardroom in Silicon Valley should remember that quote. Fortnite is no safer. Predators use Fortnite Creative maps to post vague prompts like "Join our Discord" that funnel children off the platform and into unsupervised servers with no age gates, no safeguards, and no way of knowing who's on the other end. When concerned users report these tactics, they're met with automated responses and silence. A parent trying to flag the same issue to Epic Games was passed from inbox to inbox until the complaint quietly died. The pattern is the same across every platform, predators initiate contact through in‑game chat, build trust, then push children to move conversations to third‑party apps like Discord, Snapchat, or WhatsApp, where monitoring is weaker, and abuse escalates. A UNICRI report warned that as gaming and metaverse platforms expand, developers have focused on "rapid user growth, which can come at the cost of effective community moderation and management". The UN is saying these companies chose growth over children's safety, and the industry has barely reacted. The lawsuits are piling up, and they paint a devastating picture Legal action has started, and the findings are serious. Louisiana sued Roblox, with Attorney General Liz Murrill accusing the platform of being "overrun with harmful content and child predators" and alleging it prioritises "growth, revenue, and profits over child safety". Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman called Roblox a "playground for predators" and told parents directly, "Get your kids off Roblox". His 68‑page complaint alleges Roblox knowingly enabled the sexual exploitation and abuse of children across the United States, and that in‑game currency, Roblox, is used by predators to lure kids into dangerous situations. Law firms in several states have filed lawsuits for families whose children were exploited on the platform. One lawsuit called Roblox "a digital and real-life nightmare for kids." By December 2025, more than 80 lawsuits had been consolidated into multidistrict litigation in California under Judge Richard Seeborg, with more expected to follow. Several cases allege severe abuse and, in some instances, suicide following prolonged grooming on the platform. Roblox's sign-up process only asks for a username, password, and birthdate, with no age verification. For years, anyone could send direct messages to children. The company only started blocking adults from messaging users under 13 in 2024, long after the problem was known. In Australia, the eSafety Commissioner required Roblox to make accounts for users under 16 private by default. These protections, which many expected from the beginning, were only introduced after the government stepped in because the company had not acted on its own. Roblox responded by calling the lawsuits "sensationalised, outdated and out-of-context". Tell that to the 459 children in Queensland. The AI accelerant: When technology becomes a predator's best friend On top of the gaming industry's negligence, artificial intelligence has made the problem even worse. AI-generated child sexual abuse material increased by 1,325% from 2023 to 2024, according to industry tracking organisations. AI-generated abuse videos rose by 26,362% in a single year between 2023 and 2024, as tracked by online safety organisations. Sixty-five percent of AI-generated material is classified as Category A, the most extreme level, showing rape and torture of children, according to online child protection agencies. US reports of generative AI linked to child sexual exploitation rose from 6,835 to 440,419 in one year, as documented by national reporting centres. Predators now use AI to create sexually explicit images of children who are just playing games like Roblox, Fortnite, and Call of Duty. They alter a child's face and body to make realistic abuse material from a game screenshot. The Internet Watch Foundation calls this a "child sexual abuse machine" and says it has never seen a crisis like this in 25 years of tracking online abuse. So far, gaming platforms that host children's images and avatars have done little to stop them from being taken and misused. The grooming playbook: Six steps that take 19 seconds Australian Federal Police investigators have identified a six‑step grooming process that plays out with chilling consistency inside games and on social platforms: Fake account: The predator creates a profile pretending to be a child, using stolen photos and teenage slang. In games, they pose as a skilled player offering help. Trust building: Innocent chat, "What games do you play?" "I hate school too." The predator mirrors the child's world. Off-platforming: The conversation moves to encrypted apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Kik, where no one is watching. The predator starts asking personal questions, "Are you happy at home?" Sexual conversation: Sexual topics are introduced gradually, framed as normal curiosity. Boundaries are tested. Sexual images: Requests escalate from selfies to swimwear to nudity. Some predators pose as talent scouts, others share stolen images to create false trust. Blackmail and exploitation: Once compromising material is obtained, the trap snaps shut, "Send more or I'll tell your parents." Terrified and ashamed, children comply as demands escalate. On some gaming platforms, it takes only 19 seconds to go from the first message to a sexual conversation. What once took months now happens in the time it takes a parent to load the dishwasher. What parents need to know right now? Predators don't pick children at random. They target the lonely, the struggling, the ones seeking validation, and they weaponise three tools: Fear: "I know where you live." "I'll send these photos to everyone at school." "I'll hurt your family." Flattery: "You're more mature than other kids." "No one understands you as I do." "You're beautiful." Fake offers: "I'm a talent scout." "I can make you famous on TikTok." "I'll send you Robux if you send me a picture." A smartphone is not just a harmless toy, it is a portal. A gaming console is not a babysitter, it can be a potential crime scene. Parents need to know which apps their children use, which games they play, and who they talk to online. They should also create an environment where kids feel safe to speak up if something feels wrong. To foster this trust and openness, consider starting conversations with questions like, 'Have you come across anything online that made you uncomfortable?' or 'What do you like most about the games you play, and are there parts you don't enjoy?' You can also encourage kids to talk about any new friends they've made online by asking, 'Who did you play with today?' or 'What's your favourite thing about talking to your gaming friends?'. These conversation starters can help parents stay informed while making children more comfortable sharing their online experiences. What must change and who must be held accountable? The gaming industry must face legal consequences Self-regulation has failed badly. Companies like Roblox and Epic Games, which create worlds for children, must require age verification, real-time AI-powered grooming detection, and strict enforcement backed by law, not just public statements. If you build a digital playground and invite millions of children, you have a duty of care. This is not just a suggestion, it is a legal, moral, and ethical responsibility. Parents can play a critical role in advocating for change. They should consider reaching out to local lawmakers to demand stronger regulations and accountability from gaming companies. Joining or supporting organizations that focus on online safety and child protection can amplify their voice. By participating in campaigns or initiatives that call for legislative reforms, parents can help ensure the protection of all children online. Governments must act more quickly Australian law enforcement needs more funding and resources. The eSafety Commissioner's action with Roblox shows that regulation works, but it came years too late for many children. Stronger penalties for AI-generated abuse material and platform negligence must be made law now. Schools must teach digital survival Every school in Australia should have thorough online safety programs, starting in primary school, that show children how grooming works, what warning signs to watch for, and where to get help. Survivors need support Millions of children have already been victimised. They need mental health services that understand trauma, legal help, and communities that believe them. The battle armour mission: Breaking the silence Through my Battle Armour podcast and advocacy, I have heard from survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Many of us have been burdened for years. Shame, self-blame, and the belief that we were at fault. Silence protects predators, not children. The 300 million children being exploited online today could become tomorrow's traumatised adults if we do not act now. Many will not survive. Financial sextortion alone has led boys and young men to take their own lives. For 40 years, I thought I was alone and that speaking up would ruin me. I was wrong. Speaking up saved my life. Breaking the silence gave me purpose. Helping other survivors showed me I am not alone, and neither are they. The children being groomed on Roblox right now, the teenagers being blackmailed on Discord, the children being groomed on Roblox, the teens being blackmailed on Discord, and the young gamers being led from Fortnite into predator-run servers, they are all of us. They are me at 11 years old, confused and hurt, carrying a secret that affected me for forty years. We need to hold the people who built these platforms accountable for what happens inside them. The reckoning The gaming industry created these dangerous spaces. They allowed children to be harmed. When the lawsuits came over 80 so far, they called the evidence "sensationalised". It’s been reported that one person, one screen, and one gaming console can ruin 459 childhoods. The platforms that allowed this are worth billions. It  isn't whether the gaming industry can protect children. It's whether they ever intended to. The 300 million children who depend on us deserve an answer. If you or someone you know has experienced childhood sexual abuse, support is available through local government agencies. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and visit my website for more info! Read more from John Comerford John Comerford, Author/Motivational Speaker John Comerford is a leading advocate for men’s mental health and trauma recovery. A survivor of childhood sexual assault, he spent 40 years suffering in silence. After a suicide attempt, John began the journey to confront his past and rebuild. His book "Tarzan Loves Jane", a dark romantic comedy, is based on his true story. He later created "Battle Armour" and "25 Tools for Men’s Mental Health" to give back. Today , he speaks, writes, and leads with one clear message to all men, Speak up. His mission states, "No man suffers in silence".

Written by Jonathan Barca, Founder and Executive Director Jonathan Barca is an independent brand founder and executive director focused on building long-term wholesale infrastructure and culture-led business ecosystems. His work explores the intersection of fashion, creativity, and sustainable brand development. In the current creative economy, brands are often built to respond rather than endure. Visibility is prioritised over structure, speed over clarity, and short-term attention over long-term trust. While this approach can produce quick results, it rarely creates something that lasts. I’ve learned that the most resilient creative brands are not reactions to trends. They are systems. They are designed intentionally, built patiently, and structured to evolve without losing their core identity. This perspective didn’t come from fashion alone. It emerged through years of working across music, culture, and brand development, where sustainability is determined less by momentum and more by infrastructure. Why trend-driven brands struggle to last Trends are not inherently problematic. They reflect cultural movement and changing consumer behavior. The issue arises when brands are built for trends rather than within a wider system. When a brand’s identity is tied too closely to a moment, its growth becomes fragile. Design decisions are rushed. Supply chains are stretched. Messaging becomes reactive. Over time, the brand begins chasing relevance instead of reinforcing purpose. What’s often missing in these scenarios is operational clarity. Without clear systems behind the creative output, consistency becomes impossible. Trust erodes, internally and externally, and the brand becomes dependent on constant reinvention just to stay visible. Related article: Designing Independent Brands for Long-Term Longevity Systems create creative freedom, not limitation There’s a misconception that structure limits creativity. In practice, the opposite is true. When systems are in place, creative decisions can be made with confidence rather than urgency. Designers are not forced to overproduce. Founders are not pressured to overcommunicate. Growth can be paced intentionally rather than forced by external expectations. A long-term system includes more than product development. It encompasses supply chain relationships, communication standards, retail partnerships, pricing discipline, and cultural alignment. Each layer reinforces the others. When these systems are clear, creativity becomes more focused. It stops performing for attention and starts serving a purpose. Culture is built through repetition, not noise One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that culture forms quietly. In music, the work that lasts is rarely the loudest. It is the work that is consistent, emotionally honest, and repeated over time. The same applies to brands. Cultural relevance is not created through constant announcements or exaggerated narratives. It is created when people encounter the same values expressed clearly, again and again, across different touchpoints. Brands that function as systems allow this repetition to happen naturally. Their identity is stable enough to be reinforced rather than reinvented. Over time, trust compounds. Related article: The Relationship Between Music Culture and Fashion Identity Systems Infrastructure as a creative asset Infrastructure is often treated as a secondary concern, something to address once visibility is achieved. In reality, infrastructure should be considered a creative asset from the beginning. How a brand produces its garments, communicates with partners, and manages growth sends a stronger signal than any campaign. These decisions shape how the brand is perceived long before consumers consciously engage with it. I’ve seen this principle applied directly through my work with LML Clothing by Halfwait, where the focus has always been on building durable systems first and allowing growth to emerge from that foundation. The goal was never rapid scale, but long-term credibility. This approach requires patience. It also requires resisting the pressure to appear bigger than you are. But over time, it creates stability that trend-driven brands struggle to achieve. Related article: How Brand Architecture and Wholesale Infrastructure Shape Creative Independence The role of restraint in long-term growth Restraint is one of the most underutilised tools in brand building. In an environment that rewards constant output, choosing to slow down can feel counterintuitive. However, restraint allows brands to protect quality, preserve identity, and maintain internal alignment. Releasing fewer products, communicating with intention, and choosing partners carefully all contribute to longevity. These decisions signal confidence rather than scarcity. When a brand is structured as a system, restraint becomes a natural outcome rather than a forced discipline. Moving from reaction to intention Building a brand as a long-term system requires a shift in mindset. Instead of asking, How do we stay relevant? The question becomes, What are we reinforcing? Instead of chasing growth, the focus shifts to strengthening foundations. Instead of reacting to the market, brands begin to define their own pace. This does not mean ignoring cultural movement. It means engaging with it thoughtfully, through a stable framework that can adapt without breaking. The future belongs to structured creativity As consumers become more discerning, the brands that will endure are those that feel grounded rather than performative. They will be the ones that communicate clearly, operate transparently, and grow with intention. Creative work does not need to be loud to be impactful. It needs to be coherent. When brands are built as systems rather than trend responses, they gain the freedom to evolve without losing themselves. And in an increasingly saturated market, that coherence becomes the most valuable currency of all. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Jonathan Barca Jonathan Barca, Founder and Executive Director Jonathan Barca is an independent brand founder and executive director focused on building long-term wholesale infrastructure and culture-led business ecosystems. He is the founder of LML Clothing by Halfwait, an international fashion label operating through a direct-to-retail model. His work explores sustainable brand development, operational clarity, and creative-led business strategy. Through his writing, Jonathan shares insights on building resilient independent brands in a global market.

Written by Tiffany Ludwicki, Health Coach Tiffany Ludwicki is well-known when it comes to Snoring and sleep issues. She is the founder of Mind Body Mouth and the Stop Snoring Solution (an online and virtual program) Most people don’t stop using CPAP because they don’t care about their health.They stop because something about it feels impossible to live with night after night, breath after breath. For many adults diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the first treatment they encounter. For some, it brings noticeable relief. For others, it becomes a nightly source of frustration: uncomfortable masks, disrupted sleep, dry mouth, anxiety, or the sense that rest now depends entirely on a machine. If CPAP has felt difficult, discouraging, or unsustainable… you are not alone. Difficulty tolerating CPAP is common, and it does not mean treatment has failed or that you have done something wrong. It often means your body needs additional support beyond air pressure alone. When CPAP feels harder than it should CPAP is designed to hold the airway open during sleep, reducing pauses in breathing. While this approach is effective for many people, it does not address why the airway collapses in the first place. As a result, some individuals struggle with: Mask discomfort or pressure intolerance Persistent dry mouth or sore throat Jaw tension or facial discomfort Fragmented sleep despite consistent use Difficulty maintaining long-term compliance Over time, frustration can build. Sleep may begin to feel like a chore rather than something restorative, increasing stress around bedtime and making sleep and CPAP compliance even harder. Sleep apnea is more than an airway problem Sleep-disordered breathing is influenced by more than anatomy alone. Muscle tone, tongue position, breathing habits, posture, and nervous system regulation all play a role in how stable the airway remains during sleep. In many adults with sleep apnea or snoring, the tongue rests low in the mouth and the lips remain open at rest, especially during sleep. These patterns can reduce upper airway stability and contribute to collapse, even when a CPAP device is used correctly. This is where a more functional perspective becomes helpful. Supporting the muscles involved in breathing can complement medical treatment and, in some cases, reduce reliance on external devices. How myofunctional therapy supports breathing during sleep Myofunctional therapy focuses on retraining the muscles of the tongue, lips, jaw, and face to support healthier breathing patterns. Rather than replacing medical care, it addresses the functional habits that influence airway behavior during sleep. Therapy typically includes: Establishing consistent nasal breathing Improving tongue posture at rest and during sleep Developing a relaxed, functional lip seal Reducing unnecessary tension in the jaw and face Supporting coordination between breathing and posture These changes aim to improve airway stability from within, rather than relying solely on external pressure to hold the airway open. CPAP a nd myofunctional therapy It is important to be clear: CPAP remains a standard and often necessary treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.  However, many adults benefit from a combined approach. When breathing patterns and muscle function improve, individuals may find that: CPAP feels more comfortable and tolerable Mouth breathing decreases Snoring and nighttime restlessness lessen Sleep feels deeper and more restorative For some, therapy becomes a supportive adjunct to CPAP. For others, particularly those with mild sleep apnea or significant functional contributors, it may play a more central role under medical guidance. Considering cost, comfort, and long-term care CPAP therapy often involves ongoing expenses, including equipment replacement, supplies, and maintenance. When compliance is low, these costs can feel especially burdensome. Myofunctional therapy on the other hand, is about addressing contributing factors early and sustainably. By improving breathing mechanics and muscle coordination, therapy can alleviate symptoms and provide lasting results that carry over into improved daily function. For those already invested in CPAP, myofunctional therapy may help support long-term dependence on devices by improving their comfort and effectiveness when they are needed. When to explore additional support If CPAP use feels consistently difficult or ineffective, it may be worth exploring whether functional breathing and facial muscle patterns are contributing to the challenge. Signs that additional support could be helpful include: Persistent mouth breathing during sleep and waking hours Ongoing snoring despite CPAP use Jaw pain, clenching, or facial tension Waking unrefreshed or fatigued Difficulty tolerating masks or pressure A collaborative approach involving medical providers, dental professionals, and myofunctional therapists can help clarify next steps. Final thoughts Struggling with CPAP does not mean you are failing treatment. Sleep apnea is complex, and effective care often involves more than one approach. Supporting how your body breathes, rather than focusing only on airflow, can open the door to better sleep and greater comfort. Myofunctional therapy offers a supportive, non-invasive option for addressing the functional side of sleep-disordered breathing, working alongside medical care to help make rest feel more natural again. If this feels familiar, working with a trained myofunctional therapist can provide clarity, structure, and a sustainable path forward. Here are some quick links to help determine if your CPAP struggles can be mitigated.  Discover why you may snore or have sleep apnea by completing this assessment:   5 Steps to Help Tired Adults Discover Why They Snore… And How to Get a Healthy Night’s Sleep without Disturbing Their Loved Ones Book a Snoring Assessment call with a professional   Myofunctional Therapist . Visit   Mind Body Mouth  for more information. This article reflects current interdisciplinary perspectives on sleep-disordered breathing, oral function, and airway stability, informed by clinical education and research-based resources, including Mind Body Mouth. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Tiffany Ludwicki Tiffany Ludwicki, Health Coach Tiffany Ludwicki is a leader in sleep performance. A history of snoring and memory loss combined with a child born with airway issues, Tiffany created strategies to dramatically improve their sleep quality. She has since dedicated her life to helping others unleash the snoring beast within to find peace throughout the night and optimize their potential throughout the day. She is the founder of Mind Body Mouth and the Stop Snoring Solution, an online program with virtual group coaching to assist others in stopping snoring and reducing sleep apnea events. Her mission is to spread awareness of the dangers of snoring and through snoring cessation, improve people's energy and reduce their risk for chronic disease and divorce.