Progressive Thinker Justine Reichman, founder of NextGenChef, considers eating healthy a basic human right. NextGenChef is empowering the next generation of culinary innovators dedicated to regenerative practices and making nutritious food more affordable. Her San Francisco-based platform supports socially-minded entrepreneurs with the resources they need to launch their businesses and begin creating greater access to quality food products. The expansive network offers real tools, including a directory of culinary mentors, help with research and development, and dynamic community events. Justine wants to change the conversation so that people everywhere demand a better food system. Can you tell us more about your mission, purpose, and the work that you do? The mission of NextGenChef is to create greater access to a healthy food system. We do this through a platform that connects and supports food and beverage entrepreneurs who build better-for-you food businesses. We connect food entrepreneurs with ventures, resources, thought leaders, and industry experts so that the entrepreneurs can gain insight into the information they need to be able to make more informed decisions. We help them to create better-for-you businesses resulting in greater access to healthy food. In addition, we educate consumers so they make more informed choices about food, which is better for the environment as well. What are the challenges that your customers experience? We look at our customers as our members. They are startups who are often faced with just getting out of the gate. They have an idea but don't know how to implement it and get to the next level. Another common challenge is that entrepreneurs think that they can create a business out of their kitchen, but they are not sure who the market is. We have people who are doing research and trying to understand what the future of food is. We help to demystify what the future of food looks like and the role that these founders are playing in it. We also share those findings with the end consumers so they better understand what they're consuming and, at the same time, create greater awareness on the part of food entrepreneurs. You have a profound understanding of entrepreneurship and building connections. What do you enjoy helping people with the most? I enjoy solving problems. When people say they can't do it, it's that either they don't know how to do it or they don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then there's a way to fix the problems. Of course, some problems are not solvable, but then we adjust. I like to connect people with the resources that they need. If they don't have adequate information, I help them find it and connect those dots. I encourage them to surround themselves with the key experts and resources. Guiding people to take that vision from concept to purpose is my sweet spot. It's where I do my best work and it's what makes me the happiest. A healthy and sustainable food system is something NextGenChef stands for. If you could give 3-5 tips on how socially-minded startups achieve that vision, what would that be? Don't try to be everything to everyone is my first tip. We think about products from the soil to the shelf, from what you're creating to how you're packaging it. You will realize that not everything is going to be local, healthy, affordable, and regenerative. If you want to be local, then maybe stay in that niche and follow that. Start small and focus. My second tip would be to follow your passion. If you're passionate about waste, be mindful of waste reduction. Whether it's about how you're building your product or how you're packaging your product, follow your vision and your passion. The other thing that I think is most important is to look at sustainability for the company, for you, and for the product. When you're focused solely on the product and not on yourself, that's not sustainable. Integrating sustainability into our daily lives both personally and professionally helps us build a more sustainable business and life. The last point is authenticity, which is a really important thing for businesses today more than ever. Finally, can you share with our readers your next big goal or project? Right now, we are working on Essential Ingredients, which is super exciting. It is a podcast that I'm launching where I get to talk to the founders, the thought leaders, and industry experts who are spearheading the future. It gives me great insights that I will be able to share with the community members of NextGenChef. Moreover, it allows me to connect those members with other founders and thought leaders so that they can build their businesses more sustainably and regeneratively and be able to connect, collaborate, and innovate together. As we think about the future of food, we're working towards our common goal of building a more sustainable and regenerative future. We've got kids and grandkids and the world is going to go on for a long time after us. We have to think long-term. To follow Justine you can find her on Facebook, Instagram, join the NextGenChef community for regular live events, or listen to the Essential Ingredients podcast.

Collaborated post There is not a lot more important to business, especially a small business, than its employees. If you have employees that are happy, then the work that they do will be good and their levels of productivity will increase. That is exactly what will help your business to grow, which is why it is important to not forget to look after your team. Making some small changes to different habits can drastically improve your levels of productivity in the workplace, as well as the office efficiency. These things will help you to get more work done over a much shorter period of time, and it will help to keep small and unnecessary tasks to a minimum. If you want to do more for your employees, then here are some of the ways that you can ensure that their productivity is kept up. Delegate There is no getting away from the fact that delegating things out to others can be a risk. However, for some employees, having an increase in responsibilities is something that can be important for helping to improve job satisfaction and morale. As a result, it can also improve productivity. Look for those employees that need to have some more responsibility. If they have a proven track record so far, then this is something that will help their career and their potential. When you allow your employees to have a chance to gain certain skills and to harness their leadership experience, it can benefit your company, as well as provide your employees with a big sense of achievement. Start as you mean to go on When it comes to having new employees, then you need to make sure that their start in the business is a good one. Having something like an orientation is good to get to know some of the ins and outs of the workplace and the company, but looking into help with employee onboarding should be a consideration too. New employee onboarding is where you integrate a new employee with the business as a whole, as well as getting to grips with the tools that are needed as a new employee, and the information that will help them to do their job well. When you start off in a positive way, it will help them to be as productive as they can be, even if they are new. Reduce Distractions Social media is something that can be useful at times, but on the whole, can be a big productivity killer in the workplace. Of course, having something like a no-phone policy won’t be feasible, so instead, look for ways to make sure that your team can stay focused. This is why it is a good idea to think about encouraging your employees to turn off their phones, but you should encourage them to take some breaks throughout the day, where they can check them. Then when they are back at their desks, they can be as productive as possible. If they feel like they can’t leave their desks, then it can hinder productivity.

Written by: Visa Shanmugam, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. It’s no secret that developing and maintaining a positive mindset is essential to success. Most of us believe that our actions (how hard we work, how much we study, how much we work out) impact our success and results the most. It’s not. Your subconscious thoughts, beliefs, the energy you embody and the attitude that you have while taking action impact your results more than the action itself. In fact, I strongly believe that the thoughts that you think before taking a particular action impact your results more than the action itself. That’s how important a positive mindset is. BUT, positive thinking is not always easy to develop or maintain and that’s because of three major misconceptions and myths around positive thinking. I am breaking down the three most common myths about positive thinking. Myth No.1 - Positive Thinking DOES NOT Mean That You Always Have To Be Happy. This common misconception leads to a lot of frustration, as it’s impossible for anyone to be happy all the time. As human beings, we are designed to feel a wide range of feelings, from complete euphoria to utter devastation. From jealousy to contentment. From confusion to clarity. This is the beauty of being human. What we need to realize is that there are no ‘bad’ feelings. All feelings are good and valid. But not all feelings make us feel good. There is a big difference. In this article, I will be referring to ‘bad’ feelings as negative feelings emotions (anger, jealousy, frustration, sadness, grief) and ‘good’ feelings as positive feelings emotions (joy, excitement, confidence, love). I believe that a lot of us fall into the trap of denying ourselves negative feelings in the name of positive thinking. This is detrimental to our well-being and the overall goal of building a positive mindset. A positive mindset is built when we allow ourselves to feel our true feelings. I used to be scared of emotions such as sadness, grief, fear, and anger. These were unwelcome emotions because they made me uncomfortable, and the people around me uncomfortable. Happy emotions, on the other hand (joy, excitement, pride), are feelings that make everyone feel good. So it makes sense that we feel good sharing our positive feelings and emotions, but feel the need to hide our negative feeling emotions. Have you ever observed your child or a friend crying and told them to “Stop crying. This is nothing” or we have tried distracting them with an ice cream or a Netflix binge? How many of us have felt deeply uncomfortable by watching someone grieve because we don’t know the right thing to say? Telling others to stop crying, or to be happy, or distracting them with other activities has very little to do with helping them and more to do with helping ourselves. It sounds selfish, but we tell our children not to cry because seeing them in pain and discomfort makes us deeply uncomfortable. Rather than sit with our discomfort, we tell our children to cheer up, so that we don’t have to experience any uncomfortable feelings. In order to get good at positive thinking, we have to get good at experiencing ALL FEELINGS. When we avoid our negative feelings and emotions, the effects are two-fold. First, we never begin our exploration for the root cause of them and second, we take away our chance at experiencing positive feelings and emotions at a deep level. You can’t know heat without experiencing the cold. You can’t know happiness, without experiencing sadness. In order to experience positive thinking, you have to give yourself and others permission to experience negative feelings and emotions, without censorship. Toxic positivity is the term used when we cover up our true feelings with fake happiness because it’s what is expected of us. When we cover up our true feelings and plaster them with positivity, we trap the negative emotions inside of us physically. If it’s not acknowledged, then it can’t be processed. If it’s not processed, then it can’t be released. If it’s not released, there is no room for the positive feelings to be deeply integrated into our being. Myth No.2 - You Are Born To Think Positive Or Negative You are not born as a positive thinker or a negative thinker. Your family, friends, childhood experiences, and many other variables shape you into whether positive thinking and mindset come naturally to you. You can go from a glass-half-empty kind of person to a glass-half-full. I am living proof of this. How? By becoming aware of the thoughts that you think on a daily basis. We think around 60,000 thoughts a day, only 5% of which we are consciously aware of. The other 95% are subconscious and happen on autopilot. These are thoughts that you think all the time, which are so habitual that it’s impossible to separate where the thought ends and where you begin. Thoughts like “I am not smart enough. I don’t have what it takes. I need to lose weight. I am not confident enough” are thoughts that we think are true about us. We have thought it so often that they must be true, right? Why else would we think it? Not every thought you think is true. Most of the thoughts that we think are perceptions and beliefs, not actual truths. Our negative thoughts are not our own. It was placed by someone else on to you or you interpreted it based on an experience. A well-meaning friend, teacher, or a parent that was trying to help us become our best version. “You need to work harder” becomes “I am lazy”(belief). “You are chubby” becomes “I am fat” (belief). “You are dark” becomes “You aren’t pretty” (belief). Negative feelings are easier to believe and hang on to because our brain is wired to focus on them. It’s easier to believe the negative things about us than the positive ones. Have you ever noticed that several people might give you compliments, but the one person that doesn’t or gives a backhanded compliment is the one you obsess over? In order to cultivate a more positive mindset and thinking, it is vital that you learn to decipher what’s fact and what’s a belief. “I am not smart enough” or “I am lazy” and “I am too busy” is not a fact. It’s a belief. Beliefs can be changed. Facts cannot. When you learn to differentiate your thoughts between facts and beliefs, then you have the freedom to pick whether or not you want to continue believing them. You have the freedom to choose which thoughts you think repeatedly and which ones you let go of. If thinking “I am lazy” doesn’t make you feel good, then it’s a belief that you have permission to let go of and replace it with “I am willing to believe I am productive”. It’s not always easy, but if you want to create a life that feels more joyful, meaningful and fulfilling, the thoughts you think are pivotal. Thoughts are easy to hold on to and easy to let go of. You are the master of your thoughts. Your thoughts don’t master you. Myth No.3- I Can Only Feel Positive When Others Feel Positively About Me Fact: Positive thinking occurs when we learn to celebrate the small wins along the way One of the biggest personal struggles I have faced in my life is learning to celebrate myself, without waiting for others to celebrate me. When we are children, we look to our parents, elders, teachers and caregivers to give us feedback on whether we are behaving appropriately or not. Am I behaving well? Am I making them proud? We learn to feel good about ourselves when others find reason to feel good about us. Our self-esteem and self-worth become intricately tangled with what others think of us and how they feel about us. As we get older, we shift this responsibility from our teachers to our college professors, from our parents to our bosses in our jobs. We wait to feel positive about ourselves until a third party has permitted us to feel positive toward us. “If they think I am good, then that must mean I am worth feeling good about”. One of the foundations of positive thinking is learning to feel good about who we are in the present moment, instead of waiting for others or a future version of ourselves. I will feel better about myself when I have lost 10 lbs. I will feel better about myself once I get into that school. I will feel good about myself if I get this promotion. We wait to feel positive until we have the positive news in hand. This is backward. Instead, learn to celebrate every small step you take towards the big goals that you are working towards, which builds positivity. You worked out today, but the scales don’t show it. Celebrate yourself anyway. You interviewed for the job but didn’t get the interview. Celebrate yourself anyway. You applied to your dream school but didn’t get admitted. Celebrate yourself anyway. Celebrate the journey, not just the outcome. In order to build a positive mindset, you need to be the first in line to celebrate your greatness. And there is greatness within all of us. For more information, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Visa Shanmugam, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Visa Shanmugam is a mindset transformation coach helping professionals reach their highest potential in all areas of their life through radical self-love and spirituality. She has overcome an auto immune disease, depression and deep cultural programming, to creating a life and career of her dreams, including her coaching business Becoming You LLC. Visa is an MBA graduate from University of Texas at Dallas and worked for Microsoft and Fossil.

Collaborated post A fleet of business vehicles needs to be well managed. Small savings on the fleet can go a long way, especially if you can save on fuel. Fuel costs are usually one of the largest expenses in a fleet, behind vehicle depreciation. It’s very important for any business running a fleet of vehicles to make sure that they have processes in place to manage fuel usage. Introduce A Telematics System A telematics system connects your business with your team on the road. The system works to give you an insight into where your vehicles are, and how people are using them. This means you have access to live and historic data about the performance of your fleet, so you can take action to improve things if needed. You can better insight into the fuel habits of your drivers, which then means you find more ways to cut costs and improve your bottom line. When you know how much fuel you’re using, you buy it in the most cost-effective way, from somewhere like https://fuelbox.co.uk/. Keep Your Vehicles In Working Order Vehicle downtime is a huge inconvenience to any business. Vehicles being unavailable or delayed can cause problems like employees missing out on business-critical meetings or a customer being let down by a missed appointment or a late delivery. This can have a knock-on effect on your profits and your company’s image and reputation. Check your vehicles on a regular basis to make sure they’re working properly to prevent problems from occurring. Your regular checks should include: External vehicle condition (tire condition, visible damage, indicators) Fluids (oil, screenwash, brake) Vehicle interior and equipment (seat belts, mirrors) Function checks (lights, horn, wipers, brakes, fuel) If you service your fleet, you can prevent a lot of vehicle downtime and increase your fuel efficiency. Encourage Refueling At The Right Places The cost of fuel can differ widely between different fuel stations. It’s wise to have a list of preferred suppliers in your vehicle policy that you prefer your drivers to use on the go, to keep costs down. Some telematics solutions can be integrated with a fuel card providers to guide your employees to the nearest, cheapest place to refuel. Encourage Fuel Efficient Driving There are lots of benefits to your fleet of vehicles driven in a sensible way. Sensible driving reduces wear on the vehicle and reduces the risk of accidents. The best way to improve the behavior of your drivers and encourage them to practice fuel-efficient driving is to educate them on how to do it. Offer driving training schemes, as well as education on the daily responsibilities like keeping their tires inflated to manufacturer spec, not idling unnecessarily, and not braking or accelerating too harshly. Your telematics solution can monitor your driver’s driving style, which is one of the most effective ways of managing your fleet efficiently. You can find any issues and room for improvement with your drivers and fix any issues in real-time.

Written by: Susan Watson, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise Let us start by looking at what exactly is trauma. Trauma is when our mind and nervous system experience such an overwhelming amount of stress that is just too much, too soon, too quickly for us to process the emotions linked to it correctly. It is just beyond our individual ability to cope. This is particularly important as each of us has a different ability to cope. Therefore, trauma is not the situation or experience; trauma impacts us and everyone is different. Therefore, two people can experience the same situation in every way. One person walks away with no lasting impact, and another may feel coping with life is unbearable. Now that we have identified what exactly trauma is, how does it impact us? In the early days after a traumatic event, there may be overwhelming emotions such as fear, grief, anger, guilt, shame etc. What then happens is a time for processing and making sense of what has happened. At this time, many of those feelings start to lessen and fade. For some people, this isn’t the case, and living with trauma can strain mental well-being. Some may experience depression, anxiety, PTSD and some may start to avoid the pain and experience by using adaptive behaviors such as alcohol or drugs. There may be difficulties with trust and maintain relationships such as work, family, or friends. In many ways, life can be a struggle. It is important to remember here that after a trauma, the autonomic nervous system, which is the body´s control system, will be stuck in the trauma response (fight-flight). The sympathetic nervous system is activated and running, flooding the body with adrenalin and cortisol. More hormones to be ready for survival measures are in self-preservation and defense mode. Therefore, all the emotions we mentioned earlier are fully normal. Anger gives you a burst of energy and all the other emotions such as fear and anxiety; depression is a clear sign of this. It is important for everyone living like this to know this is exactly what is causing the emotions and reactions, which can help greatly by reregulating the nervous system. I love the work of Eric Gentry, the wonderful Trauma Expert and author for Forward Facing Trauma Therapy and Healing the Moral Wound. Eric's work has been an enormous influence in my approach to trauma, and I am so grateful for all he shares with the world. My greatest lightbulb moment seems so simple, and it is. One of the key tasks in releasing past trauma and living your best life is to learn to relax your body fully and completely. No one has experienced anxiety, fear, or anger with a full and completed relaxed body. It is impossible. Practicing both developing an awareness of thoughts and tensions in the body and then relaxing fully and completely resets your nervous system and brings your parasympathetic nervous system back into action – this is your resting part of your system. If you are going into a situation that is stressful for you, do this with a relaxed body, practice many times each day just to fully and completely relax, it is simple but takes a lot of practice to get this right so you can do this in the most anxious moments. Use the following exercises daily. Complete a body scan working from your toes to your head, squeeze each muscle for 5 seconds and relax and then work all the way down from your head to your toes. Now flop, fully flop like a bowl of wet spaghetti. Every part of your body is relaxed, which helps you feel safe, think clearer, digest your food better, and switch back on your ability to learn. You could sit with your hand on your heart and another on your tummy and just look about you. Notice that at this very second, you are 100% safe. We often get told to breathe, belly breaths when anxious or in this heightened state, but that can be difficult. So, sit up straight, hands behind your head, push your elbow back. Do you see what happens? You open your rib cage, and every breath becomes a belly breath. It just happens naturally. Take the time to practice this, becoming aware of tensions in the body, relax fully and completely, do it 100 times a day, no 200 times a day. I can hear you all gasp. Remember, 200 times a day is less than 10 – 15 minutes a day in total and will empower you and help you munch on your journey to a calmer, more peaceful life. Now, this is just one part of moving on, but it is a major part, and for many it is all they need to move on with the life they wish for. If you wish to know more about other exercises or methods available, please know you can contact me directly. My purpose in life is to help others live the very best life they can. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , connect with me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Susan ! Susan Watson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Susan Watson specializes in working worldwide with all ages experiencing Anxiety, Emotions, and Trauma, in a content freestyle, so that no talking really needs to take place unless wanted. Working with feelings and emotions within the body, Susan releases the emotional connection of past experiences. She teaches self-help tools to help others live their best life, the life that is deserved. Susan supports individuals, groups and the workplace with her Be Your Own Empowered Hero workshops, which were introduced as a measure to reduce the risk of future issues with mental and emotional health.

Written by: Susan Van Staden, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Goal setting is not a new concept and yet people, including business people, still fail to set goals. In theory, you are 100% in control of your life, of the chaos and stress as well. You choose what you do and how you react. Success is the intentional, deliberate, pre-meditated use of daily choices and actions. I am going to repeat this: Success is the intentional, deliberate, pre-meditated use of daily choices and actions. Taking conscious actions determines your success level. Setting goals to those choices and actions makes it easier. It gives you a roadmap to follow. Any goal setting is better than nothing. You can change your life instantly by simply making a decision. Goals are INSTRUCTIONS to yourself, and the cornerstone of any business – or important life decision. So let’s do some goal setting today. Let’s set your goals for 2021, easy step by step. You can use this method for any future goal setting; we are using the Funnel of Focus technique. Whether it is important Business goals or a personal goal, no matter, the process is the same. Taking your business next level or wanting to go on that holiday to Mauritius. Goals are a purpose, and the actioning thereof is your strategy in achieving them. Your clear vision for 2021 sorted, ready for ACTION!! To start, take a clean piece of paper and write down 5 – 6 Goals you want to achieve. Out of these, choose the most important Overriding goal . This is a goal that is important to set your goals into a forward motion. This is also the goal that you will come back to. To test the importance, give answers to the following questions: (Try for more than one answer). What will you lose if you don’t take action on the goal? When will your overriding goal be accomplished? Where are you right now in relation to your goal? What do you need to do in order to achieve your goal? What are the obstacles between you and your goal? What factor sets the speed in your overriding goal? What is your area of strength relative to this goal? What is your weakest point relative to the goal? What is the worst thing that could happen in the coming year to affect your goal? What is the best thing that could happen to affect this goal? Now we action the goal: What are the 3 most important things you can do in the next month to accomplish the goal? What is the single most important thing you can do this week towards the goal? What long-term actions can you take to keep the goal going? Once you have answered all these questions, you should have a clear vision of your goal and what actions you will need to take to achieve it. You can do the same for all your other goals. It is important that you create habits to accomplish your goal. Habits are the key to accomplishing goals, and most great habits begin as goals. It’s a choice. It is in your power to use habits to reach your goals. The difference between Goals and Habits - Goal: Is something you want and are willing to work towards. It is the future. Habit: Is an automatic pattern of behavior acquired through frequent repletion—something you do now and ongoing. You have the potential to create an extraordinary life for yourself. Failure is essential to success, so take the lessons of your failures and turn them around. What you do with the minutes, hours and days of your life dedicate how successful you are and what kind of life you will have. Take conscious action now, by setting some goals, implementing them effectively, staying focused, and revisiting the goals and adjusting them when needed. Making goals work for you! Happy Goal setting! Connect with Susan on LinkedIn and visit her website for more info! Read more from Susan ! Susan Van Staden, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Susan is a Reformer, People of this personality type are essentially looking to make things better. Susan started Efficio Business Consulting wanting to offer her over 25 years’ experience to reach and help Coach as many Start-up Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners with a with a program that concentrates not only on the business and growth, but helping the owner step into that roll—building a bridge between builder and business. She lives in the beautiful scenic George, Garden Route, South Africa and has two successful adult daughters, her inspiration, pride and joy.

Written by: Maki Moussavi, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. A hallmark of high-achieving people is that they are driven. They know what they want and they go after it. A goal is set. Tasks are lined up to reach that goal. Single-minded pursuit begins. The goal is realized. But at what cost? I had to ask myself that question when I realized I was miserable at the height of my corporate career. MISERABLE. Honestly, it kind of scared me. Was there something wrong with me? How could anyone in my position be unhappy? I was steadily ascending the ladder, financially comfortable, and able to do pretty much what I wanted. How, exactly, was this a problem? I didn’t know at first. I did a lot of self-reflection trying to get to the answer. I had to be brutally honest in my assessment of myself and what was driving me in order to figure it out. There’s obviously no one reason, but a major driver that stood out in particular for me was this uncomfortable truth: I was driven by a need for validation from others. I needed proof that I was good enough, and for me, that came in the form of promotions, salary increases and other forms of recognition. If I didn’t get that validation, what did that say about me? My validation-seeking behavior started when I was quite young. I didn’t get what I needed from at home, so I sought it elsewhere: at school. I was an excellent student, academically and behaviorally. I got the proof I needed that I was, indeed, good enough in the form of grades and praise. The reward system worked for me. I knew that I could prove my value to myself and others by continually reaching for bigger and bigger goals in order to “grow.” "The reality is that it’s easier to prioritize work above other areas because it is how we prove our value." As a transformational and executive coach, I see that the need for external validation drives many high achievers. Career growth tends to be prioritized above all areas of life. Other parts of life get sacrificed at the professional altar. We rationalize that it “will all be worth it” when we’ve reached some milestone. We promise ourselves that we’ll pay better attention to the areas of our lives that are suffering after a particular goal has been reached. But how often does that really happen? The reality is that it’s easier to prioritize work above other areas because it is how we prove our value. It’s even easier to make it the top priority because it’s directly tied to our survival, e.g. it’s how we put money in the bank to live our lives. In professional environments , we are encouraged to put work above all else. Sure, there may be some lip service paid to why it’s important to take a break, go on vacation, and maybe your company even has some ping pong tables thrown in to show you just how much they want you to have a little break in your workday. But none of this cancels out the fact that you can see, with your own eyes, how people who put work above all get ahead. The people who say yes to everything, travel relentlessly (or at least did before the pandemic!), and send emails at 1 a.m. are rewarded. The people who have made it clear work trumps everything else is held up as the shining examples of what an employee or leader should be. "The damage is permanent, and she’ll have to deal with it for the rest of her life" Back in my corporate days, I had a friend who was in sales. Her team had gone through some changes that increased her workload significantly. She was hoping for a promotion, so she put her head down and did the work. Most of her team were road warriors, and she was often at work alone in her area. The stress was continuous, and she worked many more hours than usual during that time, telling herself it wouldn’t be that way forever, and she could duke it out. One day, around lunchtime, she started to feel strange. Her chest hurt, and she was having a hard time taking a deep breath. There was no one around, so instead of asking for help, she drove herself to the hospital nearby. There, they confirmed she’d had a heart attack. At the age of 37, with no underlying risk factors. The doctors said it was “stress cardiomyopathy.” The damage is permanent, and she’ll have to deal with it for the rest of her life. We’ve all heard (or experienced) stories like this. But it’s madness, isn’t it? There’s no professional achievement that’s worth your health, relationships, or peace of mind. Work isn’t the end-all and be-all, though too much of the messaging we receive enforces the idea that it is. We can’t compartmentalize our lives. We can’t set professional and personal goals that are mutually exclusive. What we experience in one area, we experience globally. If your goals are work-focused to the exclusion or de-prioritization of the other aspects of your life, you risk so much - perhaps your health, and certainly the intangible, emotionally fulfilling parts of life that we can be quick to push aside in order to feel valuable. Do your goals need to be re-evaluated? Be sure to consider your life as a whole. You don’t lead two separate lives - you lead one. Make sure it works for you holistically. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn and visit my website for more information! Maki Moussavi, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Maki Moussavi is a transformational and executive coach, speaker and author who helps executives and organizations who seek to empower, strengthen and transform their leadership and teams. Maki provides the mental tools and accountability to enable highly transformative, professional and personal development that focuses on “reprogramming” to a new mindset that is authentic and aligns personal, career and organizational aspirations while gaining clarity on direction and vision. She also supports executive teams and organizations to empower meaningful change during times of transition or cultural challenges. Maki is a corporate career veteran and Master’s-trained genetic counselor.

Written by: Rita Hurry, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. What is so strange about the ‘WooWoo’? I often hear many professionals say how they don’t want none of that ‘woowoo’ stuff to help them in business, their career, or their personal life and brush it off so easily. But what if the ‘woowoo’ thing was actually way more powerful than the practical things you do to be a success? What if it was the foundation of it all succeeding? Would that be so strange? What is the ‘woowoo’ stuff? Breaking down – the ‘woowoo’ stuff is the things that you do outside the box. It is the spiritual things, the faith, the belief in oneself, the meditation, the visualization, the soul work you do internally that transforms the external things in your life. If I had to sum it up – it’s the unseen things that fill in the gaps of effective daily living. Often this is why it is most pushed away to one side, because it is something unseen that requires a deeper connection. So how can it help me? There is so much going on that is unseen and yet is so powerful. Electricity is never seen but is the backbone behind everything we use in our home and office. Gravity is unseen and again so powerful. The wind is unseen yet can make the difference between a lovely day, to a bad day. All these things and so much more are unseen and play a huge part in our daily lives, so how much more can the unseen ‘woowoo’ stuff help us? Meditation enables you to gain the clarity you need to achieve great results in your professional life and personal life. It opens up the soul to be a part of your everyday life and gives you the guidance and the self-belief that leads to success. Without self-belief and faith in who you are, you leave yourself susceptible to doubts, which can sway you and stop you from making decisions that are right for you. Without that true connection to who you are and taking that time out to connect within, you leave yourself vulnerable to being pulled and pushed by external situations, instead of having built a firm foundation in who you are and creating life from the inside out. According to societal expectations, there comes a time in the cycle of life when reacting to circumstances and trying to keep playing the game of life can lead to burnout. Unfortunately, this can be too late for many. But when you balance the practical things in day-to-day living and include the ‘woowoo’ as part of your daily living, you will avoid this and create the balance needed to gain success to a happy and fulfilled life. Remember, happiness starts from inside and no matter how much you try to avoid the inner work, it will safeguard you for the future and be the foundation you need regardless of external situations. So next time you come across the ‘woowoo’ stuff, give it a go…it might open the door to new positive opportunities in life. Visit me on my Facebook, Instagram, Podcast and Website! Read more from Rita! Rita Hurry, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rita´s mission is to help individuals in the Creative Arts, Media, Music and Film Industry, believe in their dreams and never give up on making them come true. Making the impossible - I'm Possible. She began Life Coaching in 2003 and has never looked back since. She is a great believer in Personal Development and Mindfulness work, whether it is practically or spiritually. Rita is a Subject Matter Expert in Law of Attraction & Flow Coaching, Mindfulness & Meditation, Business as well as Nirvana Fitness and Energy Healing. She was was awarded Best Law Of Attraction Coach in 2015. She has coached many clients across different professions. For example, CEOs and Entrepreneurs; Casting Agents; Actors; Singers; Musicians; Authors; Artists; DJs; and so many more across the globe and nationwide, including those working in the education industry. She currently is the co-founder of RIME Entertainment and co-hosts and co-produces an online Interview Show called RIME Entertainment Showcase where she and her co-host interview people from all over the globe who have overcome hurdles in life and are now fulfilling and living their dream.

Written by: Stephanie Kable, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. People with a fixed mindset don’t learn languages. They say they are not good at languages. They’ve never been good at it. They think it’s just too difficult and it’s probably too late for them to speak a foreign language fluently. However, there are people who adopt a growth-mindset - and we see a lot of them at Live-English.net - who, no matter their age, their work situation, how busy they are with their family, they always find time to learn. People with a fixed mindset don’t think they can change. They don’t like change, whereas people with a growth-mindset embrace change and use it as an opportunity to learn and improve. So how do you get a growth-mindset? Be Aware Of What You Don’t Know The first step to have a growth-mindset is self-awareness. There is so much that we don’t know, not only the knowledge we know we’re lacking, but also all the different fields of knowledge that we don’t even know exist! When learning a foreign language, a fixed-mindset person would be happy with whatever level they reach as long as they can communicate in that language. But a person focused on growth would like to broaden their vocabulary, know more expressions and idioms to speak like a native, grasp the subtleties of grammar, get to know the local culture, and have a better accent write like a native, etc. And even someone with a decent level knows there’s so much more to learn about. Get Clarity Once we are aware and accept that what we don’t know is endless, it’s time to make a list of the centers of interest that we’d like to go deeper with, then we should prioritize them and make a plan on how to reach our objectives. We need to be strategic with our choices. Are our skills aligned with our goals in life? If we decide that it’s time to improve our skills in a certain language, we need to determine how we want to improve our language skills. Are we going to read an article a week, watch a video, practice speaking skills with a private teacher, take part in a conversation Club to practice with other learners? The possibilities are diverse and correspond to different needs and objectives. When we have clarity on what we want to achieve, the answers become obvious. Keep The Momentum The enthusiasm we get when we start learning is amazing. The secret to being successful is to keep the motivation over time despite the difficulties and challenges. In order to keep the momentum, we need 2 elements. The first one is to be able to measure our progress. We want to achieve concrete, achievable objectives. If our big goal is to speak a language fluently, an achievable objective would be for example to review one grammar rule and to make sure we apply it properly when we speak until we get to the point we don’t even need to make a conscious effort anymore. The second element is to make ourselves accountable. A teacher is the best person to keep us accountable and make sure that we book our 2 lessons a week, that we read or practice our writing between lessons. Accountability is often under-estimated. But the main reason why e-learning (learning independently with an app) fails is the lack of accountability. Be Patient An important part of the learning process is failure. There will be periods of times when learning will be more difficult; we will feel a plateau in your progress. It doesn’t mean we’ve reached our maximum potential. It’s just a natural learning process, a time to digest all the new content we’ve learned. Typically, learning a language starts slowly, then there’s a steep acceleration that turns into a plateau. The plateau may be quite long, but by persisting, we’re just getting ready for a new steep acceleration. Dedicate Yourself To Lifelong Learning The question is not how long it will take to reach our goals. The question is: how far can we go? Once we reach a milestone, we’re in for the next goal; we keep growing. When personal growth is at the center of our life, there’s nothing to stop us. Every situation is an opportunity to grow and improve. We like following the news, let’s follow news websites in the language we want to learn, we want to watch movies, let’s make sure we watch them in the original language. So even when we are not formally learning, we should take every opportunity we can to get more exposure to the language we want to learn. Learning a foreign language requires a growth-mindset. Don’t say “I can’t” or “I am not …” anymore. When we are on the path of personal development and growth, we get stronger in our mind, our level of self-esteem improves, our sense of fulfillment and happiness increases. Besides the proven effects on us, let’s not forget to enjoy the journey, because, after all, learning a language is fun! Follow me on Facebook , LinkedIn , YouTube , Instagram and visit my website for more info! Stephanie Kable, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Stephanie Kable is the CEO of Live-English.net, an English online school that helps professionals worldwide feel more confident with their English as a second language. Through online one-to-one and group lessons via Zoom, the team of native-English teachers provides an efficient, convenient, and fun way to improve English speaking skills. Stephanie holds a B.A. in Management from the University of Paris-Dauphine (France) and an M.A. in Information Systems from Institut Mines-Telecom - Business School (Paris, France). Fond of languages, technology, business, and personal development, Stephanie combines all these fields of knowledge to offer unique English courses focused on each learner's needs.

Written by: Mark Sephton, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. In many ways, life can be made simpler by hanging our coat on this one principle I want to share. It’s a principle I have adopted in my life and business and has been the single most valuable principle I have embraced, and I have had the privilege and opportunity to see the true fruit of it in my life. It has become one of my keys to the kingdom of unlocking myself, and the great thing with this key is it will unlock you too. Like with all things, it's not often that one principle will solve all our pains and discomfort, especially in the case of wanting to know what direction one is to take. What choices should one make, how do I live my life and show up in such a way that my very being? My energy and core serve this world and the people in it, that in such a way we feel in-tune with our core inner self and the bi-product of staying true and living out of our core. It results in a world and community around us being effected for their greater good by the very essence and trajectory of our life. So what is this principle? Stephen Covey said it best "Start with the end in mind". I have a considerable strength and gift where I specialize in helping individuals find their purpose and create platforms which showcase their skills, strengthen their performance, and yet promote their own inner peace, which becomes so attractive to others around them, that they can't help but attract opportunities and people and situations which then create such a euphoria of excitement for both those who want to connect with you but most importantly how you end up connecting deeper with yourself, that what is offered cannot be ignored because we all only get one shot at this life. I recently came across a man called David Abend. David is the founder of thebucket.com, the essence of David is found through his work. When he founded "the bucket "it was really to encourage people to look at their mortality, and by embracing their mortality, it can actually shape the direction you take in life, which is exactly my point. We only get one shot at this life, and when we consider our final end, it helps sharpen our ending, which helps us choose our beginnings more effectively. So with the principle being “ Start with the end in mind“, why has this served me so well and why is the principle about to solve a heck of a lot of your frustration and confusion with how your life should look and what choices you should be making in order to have a life that makes sense to you? Which is true to your core beliefs and actually impacts and serves a world that desperately needs you to be showing up and creating such a wave through the energy you manifest by being so clear on your purpose that those around you can’t help but take notice. You see, when you start with the end in mind, decision making becomes so much easier and so much more exciting. When I work with my clients, we spend a significant amount of time on this very principle, which is underpinned by my GPS system, which gages an individual's health based on 10 key fundamentals that make up a person's basic DNA. I established this GPS out of 3 years of case studies and notes that I discovered 10 common points of pain, challenge, opportunity, and success when I looked through. So I created a system that gages an individual's performance and health based on these 10 fundamentals. The findings are what formalize my client sessions. The GPS is like an internal MRI. It looks at your beliefs, behaviors, actions, blind spots, efficiencies and deficiencies, it's through these findings that we can fine-tune, tweak, evolve and shape the next 12 months to really hit the nail on the head with regards to our life mission and ensure our business and our life represent something this world needs and solves one of a million problems that mankind is faced with. Let's be clear the essence of business is really solving a problem, the more people that are affected by a problem; the more impact your business will have on solving it. It's so vitally important when considering "Start with the end in mind "for this principle to really serve you. You must get crystal clear on what it is you want your life to represent. What is it you want people to associate with you? What do you want to be remembered by when you leave this earth. I spent a year defining and sharpening what it is I want my life to represent. So I ask you, what do you want your life to represent? What do you want to be known for? What ignites and fires you up where you feel immersed in your sweet spot. If these questions are hard to answer, my GPS will shed some light on these questions you may have. The seriousness of understanding and answering these questions will save you a lot of time and pain in trying to figure out. Too many people go to the grave without knowing who they really were and or being intentional about the life they really wanted to live. This is your life; this is my life. I want to impact as many people as I can, I want to start fires in the hearts of men and women, and for their purpose to be much bigger than themselves, the world needs kindness, it needs people to show up, it needs help, it needs you. When you fully embrace starting with the end in mind, your decisions become easier to make. For example. Let's take relationships. We all have them. In most cases, we have all been involved In a romantic relationship. Suppose your heart is to get married one day. In that case, it is stupid to start dating a person when you know you could never marry them, of course, dating helps us build an understanding and reassures us of whether someone would have the ability to be a long term partner, but what I am cautioning you with through this example, is making sure what you commit to whether it's in a relationship or business opportunity that it will take you to where you want to go and most importantly will fan the flame of what you really want your life to represent and how you want to be associated. My driver is influence, so when I consider any opportunity or when I am proposition with a business opportunity if there is no clear opportunity to influence human beings, I don't entertain the idea any further. The amount of people on LinkedIn who message me and say "Mark how would you like to have a 6 figure income doing this or that" really is hooking me with the wrong bait. I am not interested in how much money I can make. I am interested in how many lives I can effect for the greater good of them and those around me, period. So if my backstop is influence, it certainly makes decision making a lot easier and actually a lot more exciting. I love helping people find their backstop and then using that backstop to make awesome decisions that shape your life's direction, which is where I feel my superpowers as a coach and mentor rest. Outside of this guiding principle, I have 2 other keys that serve me in my choices. They are simple yet effective. Only commit to the things you love ( Key 2 ) and commit only to the things you are good at ( Key 3 ). Add this to Key 1, which is "start with the end in mind "and only commit to the opportunities and people which will take you to where you want to go, and when I say where you want to go, this is actually a place inside yourself, a place which is your internal sweet spot, then life will make more sense, and then your life and business will start to make the waves you so desperately want it to. Feel free to follow Mark on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, or email Mark at info@marksephton.com You can buy his books Inside Job & Plot Twist on Amazon! Read more from Mark! Mark Sephton, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Mark Sephton is a personal mentor to entrepreneurs. His mission to help others has seen him break into global markets while working with startups and millionaire entrepreneurs worldwide. Mark's love for entrepreneurship has been expressed through serving as TV host of the show "One More Round." When not on the big screen, Mark is a regular contributor to Entrepreneur Magazine and a speaker for corporate events, entrepreneurship summits, and major conferences worldwide. His expertise in personal and professional development has positioned him as an expert in the industry, resulting in transformational experiences for audiences, clients, and businesses alike.

Written by: Lisa Kindle, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Slowing down invites us to focus on the moment. Creativity flows when we take the time to reconnect with ourselves. Here’s a little meditation to make space for creativity in your day. Begin by allowing yourself to do this short exercise below. Let’s begin: Observe your surroundings. Consider the space you are in. Feel the weight of your body in your chair. Feel the texture of the floor beneath your feet. Is there a distinct aroma in your space? If you were to appreciate the moment you are in right now without judgement, what would you appreciate the most about it? Ask Yourself: What did you appreciate most at this moment? What is it you want to remember about this particular moment? Creating affirmation cards is a perfect way to remember things we are grateful for. Write it on a piece of paper you have handy. Even a sticky-note will do. If you want to make it even more personalized, use an index card and grab your art supplies. Affirmation cards help maintain a positive mindset and can stimulate your creative juices. “Enjoying “non-doing” when you can simply “be” feeds the creative soul.” - Liz Dean Do you still need more tips to boost your creativity? Try one of these: Download a binaural app, choose an audio file that matches how you would like to feel. It’s a fascinating way to get in the flow-zone! Take a “nature-thought-walk” with your idea or problem like a movie playing in the background of your mind. Begin to observe what’s going on around you as you walk. Doodle for five minutes. Have your own dance party! Go offline for a set period of time. Being creative means challenging yourself every day, doing something out of the norm, creating without judgment. One of the main ways to let your creativity flow is to slow down, turn things off – and the real “biggie” – to say no. What thing can you say “no” to that will make the most impact? Make a commitment to yourself over the next few weeks to try one of the activities above, getting in the flow, working on the practice “to simply be.” Be still and listen to your inner voice. Be empowered by what it has to say to you. Be you. Be free. Be creatively alive! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram Read more from Lisa! Lisa M. Kindle, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Lisa Kindle, a therapeutic art life coach and leader in building a creative community that inspires people worldwide, is dedicated to a creative lifestyle with a personable approach and an artsy twist! She now coaches one-on-one and in group settings, including retreats and workshops. With over 25 years of professional experience as a corporate designer, photographer, graphic designer, small business owner, and all-around visionary, Lisa's creative spirit shines through connecting people and ideas.

Written by: Linda Evans , Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Have you been trying to get more done by multi-tasking? A better question might be, when was the last time you did NOT multi-task? Those times are rare due to the large variety of tasks we need to do for our jobs and families, not to mention basic self-care like getting enough exercise and eating healthily. However, multi-tasking is a myth. It is literally impossible for our human minds to do more than one thing at once. When we attempt to multi-task, it’s really just our brains switching between tasks, and each time we do; our brains consume extra time and energy. This increases the likelihood of making mistakes because our attention is not fully devoted to the task or is not concentrated on the task for very long. Therefore, it actually takes longer to do any task while multi-tasking because we are not fully focusing on it and need extra time to fix mistakes. The more tasks we try to juggle, the less effective we are at any of them. So instead of feeling productive and saving time, we feel more exhausted, distracted, and less productive. “But there are not enough hours in a day!” Realistically, it is likely not possible to be single-tasking all the time. Some things don’t require singular focus and may actually be more enjoyable while multi-tasking, like listening to music while washing dishes. Other things are dangerous to do while multi-tasking, like texting while driving. The key is to decide which tasks require and deserve single-tasking and which tasks can be stacked with others. Here are some common tasks we try to do while multi-tasking but probably should not - tasks that take careful word choice, critical thinking, and/or deep listening. Participating in Zoom meetings, 1:1 conversations, or 1:1 quality time with a loved one Writing reports, emails, or texts Conducting research or analysis Attending conference sessions Single-tasking during these types of tasks will not only increase comprehension, quality, and connection, it will also conserve energy. When we eliminate the tug of war for our attention, we instantly feel more relaxed and less anxious. Additionally, people can usually discern whether you are multi-tasking while talking to them, even if the distraction is invisible in your mind. Your time and attention are arguably the most valuable and generous things you can give anyone. Single-tasking while being with others - whether it be a 1:1 with a colleague, a date with your romantic partner, or a playdate with your child - will strengthen your relationships. Multi-tasking while being with others will erode your relationships over time. Some tasks can actually be enhanced while multi-tasking. When we need to do something physically tedious or repetitive, it is often much more pleasant to combine it with something that entertains the mind auditorily (rather than visually). Pairing a task from each list would be a harmless and even productive way to multi-task. Body: Exercise Chores Yardwork Eating Grooming Mind Music Podcasts Audiobooks To single-task while doing important things, we cannot rely on willpower alone. Our multi-tasking habits and distractions (both internal and external) will win. Single-tasking is a skill like a muscle; it gets stronger with practice. Here are some tips for setting ourselves up for success to practice single-tasking: Do daily meditation to practice bringing your mind back to one thing: breathing Get sufficient sleep so you will have enough mental energy to redirect your attention Write a “vomit list” in which you unload everything on your mind before starting a task Schedule single-tasking blocks on your calendar and stick to it - ideally 30-90 minutes Communicate to people who may interrupt that you will be unavailable during single-task blocks Hide or delete all browser tabs except the one(s) you need for your task Take brief breaks to move your body and rest your eyes Turn your phone to silent and put it in another room Turn off notifications on your computer Clear your desk Obviously, not all distractions and interruptions are within our control. Things will come up to hi-jack your attention. Quickly assess if it is urgent to respond to, and if not, return your attention to your task. Ultimately, our lives are a combination of multi-tasking and single-tasking. Rather than haphazardly trying to do multiple things at once and doing all of them poorly, we can take more control over what we focus on singularly, and when we multi-task. The key to living a productive and meaningful life is to be intentional about how we manage our time and attention. Make sure to follow Linda on Facebook , LinkedIn , and visit her website for more info! Read more from Linda ! Linda Evans, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine LindaEvans is a strengths-based career coach and personal branding expert. In 2011, she founded her virtual career coaching business, Launched by Linda, LLC. Her full-time career has been in higher education since 2012 and she currently works in Career Services at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Linda has a B.A. in American Studies and minor in Ballroom Dance from Brigham Young University, and an M.A. in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University. She is also a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, and has certificates in positive psychology and public speaking.