Written by: Dr. Erika Montgomery, 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. The fundamental law of nature is energy. Everything in the physical world is made of Atoms. Atoms are made out of energy. Therefore, everything is energy. According to Albert Einstein, “energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.” Everything has its own vibrational frequency. Einstein states, “Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not Philosophy. This is Physics.” As a Psychologist, my job and passion are to teach you how to tap into the power within you. As a child, you experience the world from your subconscious mind. You are more aware of the connection to your energy body. Children sense emotions more quickly and are naturally intuitive. As you grow, your conscious mind becomes programmed by the messages of caregivers, families, communities, and society. You take on habitual patterns of thought, feelings, and behaviors that become your personality and your identity. You often lose connection with the power within. Humans are spiritual beings in a temporary physical form. As a human being, you experience this physical world through your five senses; sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. As a spiritual being, you are an energy receiver, container and transmitter. The energy contained in your physical body is the same energy that keeps your heart beating, that pumps oxygen through your blood, and keeps you alive. This energy flows through you as your Life Source. You become a master of your energy when you learn to control where you place your attention. Because where your attention goes, your energy flows. Learn to become aware of what emotions and thoughts you focus your attention on. Higher frequency emotions include peace, joy, love, acceptance, and compassion. Lower frequency emotions include anger, fear, guilt, shame, and grief. Higher frequency thoughts are encouraging, faith-filled, non-judgmental and good feeling thoughts. Lower frequency thoughts are self-defeating, demeaning, thoughts of lack, and thoughts of victimization. You have free will to choose where to place your attention, where to direct your energy, and on what you want to create. Tapping into the power within means becoming aware that your beliefs, words, emotions, and actions are creative. You are the master of your energy. Be intentional about focusing your attention only on what you desire and what you want to create. Replace low frequency emotions with high frequency emotions. The most important questions to ask yourself are: What do you want and desire? Why do you want or desire it? How do you want to feel? My call to action for you is to write down everything that pleases you, everything you want regardless of if you think you can have it or not. The secret of change is to focus all your energy on creating a new experience of yourself. Do what increases your energy vibration! 10 Strategies to Raise Your Vibration and Improve Your Emotional Wellbeing Move your body Listen to Music (high energy, high frequency music) Meditate on Love and Gratitude Dream about what you desire Diffuse Essential Oils that are pleasing to your olfactory sense Eat raw foods Use CBD daily Surround yourself with visually pleasing objects Focus on your happy place or feel good memories/images. Surround yourself with what pleases your 5 senses – hear, taste, touch, smell, see. youtube.com/watch Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Erika! Dr. Erika Montgomery, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Erika Montgomery is a Clinical Psychologist and Life Coach with 25 years of experience providing mental health treatment. Dr. Montgomery owns an online CBD dispensary with Wakanna, a Female Black-Owned CBD Company, and advocates for the daily use of CBD for mental and physical health. Dr. Montgomery is a Mental Health consultant with the Social Security Administration for the past 11 years. Dr. Montgomery hosts a weekly podcast called, "Master Your Mind with Dr. Erika," on the Law of Attraction Radio Network. Dr. Montgomery believes every human is worthy of unconditional love and has the power within to change. My motto: "Mental Health Is Human Health."

Written by: Dani Green, 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. Mindset can be defined as our thoughts and feelings. We can imagine feelings as being the energetic vapor of our emotions. We understand that some emotions have a higher energetic frequency than others. We all know the difference between negative and positive thoughts. We are encouraged to be grateful. We are instructed to imagine what we want out of life. We are told that if we are positive and grateful and let the Universe know what we want, our specific desires will come true. What happens to the fulfillment of our desires when we are having a down day, week, or month? Downtimes can feel like a missing cog that makes the wheel of life stop turning for us which adds a sense of anxiety that is further draining. Religion and the Law of Attraction I was a staff pastor for 14 years. I remember times when religion asked me to be more than I was able to be. Showing up ‘just as I am’ was not enough for me and sometimes not enough for others. I prayed, read my Bible, sang, and asked God to do something for me. The problem was that I viewed God as outside of myself and I was left waiting and wanting. The Law of Attraction is similar to religion in that we are asked to maintain an energetic frequency that attracts our desires to us. On days we cannot maintain that energetic level, we are left waiting and wanting. Mindset matters but not if it makes you feel less than or not enough. Abundance Is Everywhere! It seems to me that society is peddling the idea of making a million dollars as though it is possible for all of us. (By the way, no judgment if you value making a million dollars. You be you!) I see abundance everywhere. See abundance in nature, my home, my body, etc. – the list is endless! Money is one source of abundance. Making money starts with a creative idea. Any one of us could have a super-duper great lucrative creative idea. Maybe making a million dollars is possible and even probable but there is a more important question. What if we just asked the Universe for our highest good and the highest good of others? If making a million dollars is for my highest good, then for sure a million dollars is coming my way. If living a life of love, joy, and peace is for my highest good, then no amount of money will improve my reality. Unseen Is Eternal If we see the unseen as eternal, our values can start to shift. Everything we see is temporary, including our bodies, cars, and homes. Everything unseen and life-giving is for our highest good and the highest good of others. Arguing With Reality Byron Katie suggests if we argue with reality, we will always lose. She has a gift for staying in the present moment and accepting what is. Byron Katie is known throughout the world. She probably has a very nice house, and maybe even more than one car. I don't know if she is a millionaire, but I can imagine that doesn't matter as much to her. What Do You Value? Write down 24 words that represent what you want out of life and how you want to be. Next, choose twelve of those words that matter to you more. Now, narrow down your list to six words. Next, choose three of those words. These three words are what you value most in life. Health and nutrition are my personal hobbies. I eat carefully and exercise as much as I am able. Upon completing this journaling technique, my three words were loving, calm, and healthy. I was able to put my healthy lifestyle into perspective. Now I know being loving and calm is most important to how I want to show up for myself and others. Staying In The Present Moment I stay in the present moment and do my best to be loving, calm, and healthy. My mindset is what it is from day to day. The Universe is for me. Love fills my body and surrounds me. Every intention, word, and action toward what I want out of life is coming toward me. At just the right time for my highest good, poof, my dreams will come true! Until then, I am just happy to be me! You Are More Than Enough You are more than enough. Stay in the high vibration of Love, Joy, and Peace. Eat high-vibe healthy foods. Move your body. Be grateful. Believe in yourself. Plant dreams. Your dreams are coming true. Namaste - the Divine in Me Celebrates the Divine in You! I Love You! ~Dani Let Dani Be Your Guide to Find Your Highest Good! Dani offers a free 20-minute The Emotion Code session, which helps to remove an inherited or current emotion. Activate Your Soul Power! Live Your Infinite Greatness! Be Your Own Hero! Book a FREE Breakthrough phone call and find out about The Soul Power Experience! Go to www.danigreen.today! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dani! Dani Green, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dani Green is a certified hypnotherapist, speaker, author and spiritual activist. Dani’s core focus and passion is to guide clients to rewrite the past, present, and future Story they tell themselves at the subconscious level and to discover their own Inner Mantras. Dani has a 12-session course called The Soul Power Experience. The courses, Be Smoke Free and One & D.O.N.E. Weight Release are each six sessions. Dani also offers Intuitive sessions. Dani opened her hypnotherapy practice in 2015 and uses client-centered hypnotherapy, as well as The Emotion Code, PSYCH-K, and RIM.

Written by: Christy Roberts, 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. When someone you love dies, special occasions like Christmas, New Year, birthdays, and many other days that were once joyful and celebrated are now a huge trigger for our grief. A constant reminder that our loved one is no longer with us. Of how different our life now is, and that life continues to go on without them. As a bereaved mother, Grief Educator, Coach, and the Global Self Directed Healing Practitioner Trainer, I know all too well what a huge problem this is because these once joyful days become events we withdraw from and often fear and dread. We can begin to worry about them weeks in advance. The grief builds in your body, because you know it’s going to trigger your pain, your grief, your loss, and you already know how much that hurts. … and how much we miss them. Doing ‘the work’ The ‘grief work’ is about learning and using healthy strategies for integrating and coping with your loss today and in the future. Processing and understanding your grief Feeling your emotional pain, rather than disconnecting, avoiding, or suppressing it Connect with yourself and others Find ways to honor your loved one Redefine the relationship you have with your loved one And rebuilding your life after the loss We often judge our grief, feeling like we’re not doing it right. If you feel like you should be coping better, or be further along in your grief, then you are judging yourself. Please understand, that time does not heal our grief, it’s what we do with that time that matters the most. Grief takes time, so be kind to yourself. It’s not a race, but if you do feel stuck and like it’s time you did something, or that you need some support to help you, then reach out to a professional who understands grief. Make sure they are grief informed. You wouldn’t go to a podiatrist to fix a sore tooth, would you? Tips for Christmas, Birthdays, and Special Occasions Remember we are all unique in our grief, therefore different tips will work better for some than others. Choose from these what feels right for you. 1. You have free will First of all, culturally, there’s usually an expectation that we show up on special occasions, contribute and be happy. Because that’s the way we’ve always done it. Please understand, you have free will, you might decide it’s too hard and you don’t want to participate, and that needs to be OK. Some will find comfort in what is familiar. Others will find this incredibly difficult. If it’s too hard, you can cancel Christmas. It will still be there next year. 2. Remove expectations of how you will show up It’s really helpful to try to remove any expectations of how you ‘think’ you should show up or how you will be on the day. You may fear the day in advance, believing you will not cope. Worried about how triggered you’ll be, when in fact on the day, you may feel fine. You may feel like you’ll be OK and then on the day, become suddenly overwhelmed by your grief. The truth is you may spend the day, swinging between happy, angry, guilty, relieved, and sad. Just know, it’s all normal because there is no normal. There’s no right or wrong way because in grief our emotions swing and can be very unpredictable. I often refer to emotions like waves, they peak, they trough, then they release into the sand. 3. Have an exit strategy Grief is very heavy and tiring, it’s draining. Being around others can sometimes deplete your already low supply of energy. It’s useful before you arrive at an event, to plan how you can leave quickly if you need to. For example, when you arrive you can state to the host – I can only stay a short while and if you stay longer, it’s a bonus. Let them be pleasantly surprised. If you are struggling with energy, I would not recommend hosting events. Unless, of course, you can get some suitable support. You do have to ask for what you need. People often genuinely want to help, but cannot read your mind, or know what you need. If you are receiving help make sure it’s helping you, not hindering you. 4. NO is a complete sentence. When people invite you over, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to explain yourself. Simply say no thank you. If they don’t like the idea of you being alone that’s their business, not yours. Say - I understand, no thank you. They may say - it’s what your loved one would want. They’d want us to be together. Say – no thank you, not this time. 5. Give your grief some time and attention In the weeks preceding my son’s birthday, I feel the energy in my body change. It gets heavier and I typically find I feel more emotional. I have learned to really listen to my body, it’s a skill that develops with practice. When it begins to build up, I notice and start to spend time more actively working on my grief. You can do this in many ways: Writing letters that express how you feel Crying Self Directed Healing sessions Coaching Therapy Basically, I find ways to feel what needs to be processed and felt. Processing and working on your grief helps you to show up more balanced, calm and empowered. Please note: gratitude and meditation – whilst beneficial in the moment, is not healing. It’s like putting a band-aid on your wound. The pain is not processing, therefore it remains buried and will typically keep resurfacing. 6. Have a plan – set yourself up for success It’s beneficial to plan something to do on a special day in advance. For example: if your spouse has died, on Valentine's Day, you could reach out to a friend to do something, so you’re not alone. On Mother’s Day, I start talking with my mum and daughter weeks in advance. To plan something. Something that we are all happy and comfortable with. The first year we met up for lunch at a historical homestead, in a different environment. It kept me occupied during the day and it ended up being surprisingly quite pleasant. I focus on surrounding myself with love. People I love and who love me. People whose company I enjoy. I also focus on doing things that I enjoy. There have been a couple of occasions where I have not planned ahead, thinking I’ll be OK. I have arrived at the day and felt at loose ends and find it exacerbates my grief. 7. Find ways to accept and include your grief There’s no way we’re ever forgetting them, so one of the keys here is to include your grief on special occasions. With no apologies. If we show up and we’re emotional, or meltdown – let that be OK If we want to leave – let that be OK If we want to talk and honor them – be open to this If we don’t want to talk, then don’t push it Just be open to whatever feels right in the moment, however, you are showing up, and go with that. We are not broken, we don’t need to be fixed, we are grieving. It is a normal and natural response to loss. 8. Find ways to honor them Visit the gravesite or accident site Look at and share photos, and put some out in frames Donate to a cause in their honor Say a prayer Set an extra place on the table Light a candle Share stories and reminisce Create new rituals that include them Have an extra gift for them 9. Plan the meal Grief is often heavy and tiring. You might decide that the traditional meal is too much, so have something frozen. It actually doesn’t matter, be kind and go easy on yourself. You can cook some of their favorite things to honor them. I have spaghetti bolognaise nights, and sausage sizzles in my son's honor because he really enjoyed these. Plus it’s an easy way to bring those who were close to him together. 10. Communicate with all members of the family Grief in families can be complex because everyone grieves differently. You might find some family members want to come together while others adamantly don’t. Often you’ll hear yourself or someone else complaining about other family members. Please remember, everyone grieves differently and these differences can often trigger judgment, which just creates more friction. Everyone is entitled to grieve in their own unique way. No one will grieve the same way you do, so it is not realistic to expect that. Some want the Christmas tree up and for others, it’s a massive trigger. Communication here is essential. It’s so important to explore ways to honor each person in their grief. Expressing what you need is empowering. We need to listen We need to discuss We need to be open to finding a pathway that works for everyone. Also remember to include the children – they are often the forgotten grievers. 11. You create the rules If you need to create new rituals and traditions this is a good opportunity. Just because you’ve always done something a certain way doesn’t mean it can’t change. Create new traditions. That can be a wonderful way to honor your loved one and honor your grief. 12. Look after yourself Go for walks, exercise, drink lots of water, eat healthy foods, write, massage, whatever works for you. 13. Reach out for external support It can be so much easier to work with someone who is grief informed and can guide you through effective ways to heal and integrate your loss. It’s also beneficial to talk to people who have experienced loss. Talking and having your pain witnessed is incredibly powerful. At the end of the day, the reality is, we’re entitled to feel whatever we feel and do whatever we want to do. It’s our grief and ours alone. It’s our right to be, and to feel whatever we want, whenever we need. And remember – love yourself enough not to judge your grief. Be your own best friend, and be kind to yourself. I know beyond a doubt that our loved ones, without exclusion, would want this for us. I trust you’ve gained value from this article. I have more articles and resources on my website christyrobertscoaching.com. Keep an eye out for our free Living with Grief MasterClasses. They are jam-packed with valuable education and designed for both grievers and those in support and leadership/therapy/healer roles. Check out our events here. I have a number of videos about grief on our YouTube Channel – remember to subscribe & like. I trust you’ve gained value from these tips and hope that this shines a bit of light onto your pathway, demonstrating that it is possible to have happiness in your life again and thrive after deep loss. Much love to you all. In remembrance Christy Roberts – Creating Change Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Christy! Christy Roberts, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Christy is the Global Self Directed Healing Practitioner Trainer, an award-winning Coach, and Grief Educator with over 20+ years of Human Resources and Organisational Development experience. She helps people journey through the toughest of life’s challenges, like grief, trauma, anger, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, fear, overwhelm, stress, and burnout. Christy is passionate about unlocking our human potential, transforming mindsets, and supporting people to get out of their own way and live their ultimate lives by achieving the success and results they desire. She provides Coaching, Self Directed Healing, Workshops, and Educational Resources that positively impact people, leaders, and workplaces. As Founder of Creating Change, she is driven to make a change in our society and culture, so that we are more authentically connected to ourselves and living with passion and purpose.

Howard Wolk is an entrepreneur and investor based in Boston, and the co-author (with John Landry) of Launchpad Republic: America’s Entrepreneurial Edge and Why It Matters. Hi Howard! Introduce yourself to our readers. I am a Bostonian now living in London with my wife and two daughters. I grew up the son of a small businessman and watched my father build a company. After college, law school, and a few years as a corporate and White House attorney, I went back to help build the company. I also started and built a half-dozen other ones. What kind of audience do you target your book towards? I have always felt that entrepreneurship has not been fully understood by economists, policy wonks, historians, or the general population. Of course, everyone understands the importance of startups and small businesses. But the dynamic between startups and established companies, and how that spills over to social and political changes, has long been ignored. What would you like to achieve for yourself and your book in the future? This book was a labor of love and a chance to learn about and wrestle with important issues across several disciplines. I genuinely believe that entrepreneurs are and will continue to change the world, and we need to understand how that operates. We also need to make sure we harness that energy to solve problems and build incentives to better share the wealth. I hope our book helps bring those issues to the fore and serves as a catalyst for discussion. What is your writing inspired by? We have seen the power of entrepreneurship over the last three decades. It is amazing. Yet we can build on it and make it better, while curbing some of the excesses and collateral damage. If we can harness entrepreneurship just a little bit better, we can make the world better for, literally, billions of people. Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far. I have been fortunate to do many things – helping to start and build several companies, working in the White House, teaching a study group at Harvard, and creating a non-profit to help bridge the city-suburban divide in Greater Boston. But the milestone that has meant the most to me is seeing our main family business (Agero, the largest provider of roadside assistance in North America) reach its 50-year anniversary. The best part of it has been working with the many people involved in building it. It has been a real collaboration, and we all grew and prospered in the process. If you could change one thing about entrepreneurship, what would it be and why? I would love to see more incentives for sharing the wealth. Most technology businesses offer stock options, and most successful older companies have rewards and compensation systems in place to attract, motivate, and retain talent. But we can do more to offer carrots to companies of all types to drive these programs farther and deeper into companies and into the economy generally. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon, but I had all the right ingredients in place: wonderful parents, siblings, and friends. I grew up in an academically-oriented town (Lexington, Mass.), and was able to stay focused on achieving goals. Rather than a single pivotal moment, I took lots of small steps, built on a great foundation.

Brain Power Wellness is a holistic, school-based wellness organization that supports healthier, happier, more focused school environments. The mission of Brain Power Wellness is to help transform the culture of its partner schools through self-development, mindfulness, community building, retreats, SEL, holistic wellness, and brain training for teachers, students, parents, and administrators. Brain Power Wellness was founded by Dave Beal, a 5th-grade teacher from Brooklyn, New York. Passionate about empowering his students, Dave saw that they needed help managing stress, and he explored ways to do this in his own life with mindfulness, yoga, and tai chi. After seeing positive changes in his health and a greater connection with his students, Dave integrated mind-body exercises into his classroom. When school administrators saw the results, they asked Dave to develop school-wide mindfulness and SEL programs. Eventually, Dave left the classroom to share these powerful principles with more students, staff, and schools. Since 2007, Brain Power Wellness has impacted more than 25,000 teachers and half a million students in 500 schools worldwide. In this interview, Dave Beal, founder of Brain Power Wellness, reviews the various retreats hosted by the organization. How long has Brain Power Wellness hosted retreats? We've been hosting these retreats since 2016. We have all different kinds of retreats. The one that we just finished is for teacher leaders. The idea of the Certified Teacher Leader Retreat is to empower one or more teachers to be a point-person to facilitate a vibrant mindfulness and wellness program in school. What other kinds of retreats do you have? We have a Family Retreat over the summer. I've actually been running that a long time, about 14 years. The goal of that retreat is to bring families together in a really fun and heartwarming way—just a space where they can connect outside the normal hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. Connecting with nature and just meeting other awesome families and going to have a really fun time but also a very meaningful time. The purpose of the Family Retreat is more healing at the family level. We run Advance Student Leadership Retreats for selected students from our schools that we've worked with in a leadership capacity. And we also run Staff Retreats. Those are just individual schools where the majority of the staff will come up together. So that purpose is really to help build culture within the school. There is also a lot of stress management and just having time to get away together, practice wellness, be in nature, and sing and drink at karaoke together. Just be away from our day-to-day stressors and connect as a school community. Finally, we also run two different retreats for principals and Executive Leadership. In all of the retreats, the similarity is that the goal is to help to grow leaders who can sustain our work. How do the retreats fit into the overall Brain Power Wellness mission? The retreats represent the leadership level of our mission. So whether we're with students or teachers or administrators creating a sustainable system in the school, that's how the retreats fit in: having a space to practice wellness and mindfulness in a deeper way. It's one thing when we run a 90-minute workshop at a school, but it's another to attend a three-day retreat where you're fully immersed in this beautiful environment with like-minded people. All day long, you're practicing different exercises to bring to your students, but you're going to have a much deeper takeaway yourself. Retreats deepen the impact of the work that we do. The goal is to inspire the leaders to create a sustainable system in their schools. How often are these different types of retreats held? We hold the Teacher Leader Retreat three times a year, and the Executive Leadership and Principal Retreats are in July and August. The Family Retreat is once a year, also the first weekend in August. Then the Staff Retreats are just held in the fall and the spring over the weekend. Those are pretty frequent. We could run three or even four Staff Retreats in one weekend for three or four different schools. Those are the most popular retreats that we have. But our core Leadership Retreats are three times a year for the teacher leaders, twice for principals, once for advanced students, and once for them. The Certified Teacher Leader Retreat in November will be our last one until March. Because we do a lot of outdoor work, we avoid the very cold weather. One I forgot to mention is not so much a retreat but a really big student leadership gathering in May. We have a thousand student leaders that just come up in a day. It's not a sleepover kind of retreat but a celebration of the Student Leadership program they completed that year in their school. So we do a day of team building on the ropes, meditating at the waterfall, and presenting how they've grown as student leaders to the other students there. It's really awesome. It's a full-day program that we're doing there. How are the retreats generally structured? What kind of activities are there? The goal for the Teacher Retreats, for example, is for the teachers to deepen their own experience with mindfulness and wellness. So we have some mindfulness and wellness classes just for their self-care. Then we have a lot of activity-based learning. They learn about 50 new activities that they can bring to their students. So it's a dual approach to help them understand the need for wellness, SEL, physical exercise, and community building. They're practicing that actively themselves. But then also, in the context of learning activities they can bring back to their own classroom and school. Everything is structured. It's very experiential. We also have presentations with a more formal PowerPoint setting. But those presentations are 45 minutes long. The first 25 minutes go through the science and the purpose of whether it's the connection between SEL and academic achievement or physical health and emotional regulation, etc. The first 25 minutes are more scientific and theoretical, and the next 20 to 25 minutes are all experiential activities. Even in a presentation, they will be up and moving and interacting. So we try to keep it very engaging and experiential so that they can have a deep experience themselves and feel equipped to share tangible tools with their students when they get back to their school. One thing that we always stress—and this is through feedback—is the concept of challenge by choice. The retreats are very physical in nature, but everything is modifiable. In addition to mindfulness and wellness activities and brain breaks that the teachers are learning, we also engage in a lot of self-development training like the ropes course, hiking in nature, and things that most people are super excited about. Still, we always modify everything based on any physical limitations that folks have. So if they have a problem walking, we take them on a golf cart to the meditation place. Then on the ropes course, everything is modifiable. In all of the activities that we lead them through, we're always careful to modify. Then we always say that everything is "challenge by choice." We find it important to share with people that they're challenging themselves but at a place that feels safe for them to do so. How have the retreats evolved over the years? How do you envision them growing in the future? The retreats are getting bigger, which is one great evolution. Particularly, the retreat that we're focused the most on is the Certified Teacher Leader Retreat. With our growth plan, we expect and are excited to have that grow significantly, both in the number of participants in the retreats and the number of retreats themselves. Also, all of our retreats are currently held in upstate New York because our home base is here in New York City. It's a two-hour drive from the city and very convenient. But we also envision utilizing other facilities around the country as we expand nationally. Honor's Haven will probably always be our most regular retreat location. But, as we grow in other markets, we want to find other really beautiful areas, maybe in the Midwest and the West Coast, where we can also host retreats. Our goal is to have this kind of Certified Teacher Leader Retreat on a monthly basis for about 150 participants. The largest number we've had up to this point has been just under 100. But with the way that we're getting smarter about how we can run the program efficiently and through small teams providing a lot of individual care to everyone there, we can have a group of 100-150 people. Our goal is also to expand the number of retreats we're hosting. Actually, I spent all Saturday pouring through the feedback forms from this past retreat and just collecting people's ideas about how we can structure them better. It was really well received. Looking at the feedback forms on a five-star system, we get to 4.8 out of 5, which is very good. But still, we want everyone to have their expectations exceeded. They gave us some really good advice about how we can structure them, maybe even make them a little more spacious. My tendency is to try to put too much in because we want them to have all these tools to take back to their community. And they're like, "But we're in this beautiful place. How about we have some free time?" So that's my learning. I have to step back a bit and see what we should include in the retreat and then what we can include in the reinforcements, where we meet virtually with them every six weeks. We're still playing with the agenda and the schedule, and we're excited to see how the retreats can evolve that way. But the biggest thing is that we want to share with more schools. As we get more schools that we're working with, these one or two people become the key to the program's success. So we're really excited to grow the number of participants and the number of retreats. Do you have a favorite memory from any of the retreats? The one that comes to mind is the Family Retreat because it's just such a beautiful place for families opening their hearts to each other, including my own family. My wife, son, and I have participated in this retreat for 15 years. My favorite memory is connecting with them. On the last day of the retreat, we write letters to each other and just read those letters to each other. There's a lot of crying, forgiving, apologizing, and recommitting to creating the family we want. That's not anything I experienced as a child in my own family. It feels really healing and has helped me have a special relationship with my son. He's now 21 years old, but we have a very close relationship because he grew up doing this regularly. Then also, not only for him, but some of the students I've been working with and their families, they've been coming every year for 15 years. So it's a kind of an extended family. Then some of them now volunteer or even work for us over the summer leading the Student Leadership Program. That's always a very special time to see them grow from seven to 21 years old and step into their leadership role, helping the teenagers. Because in the Family Retreat, a lot of the teenagers will come and they don't want to be there, their parents brought them there. Then they see these really cool 19-, 20-, 21-year-old, really awesome kids, and they're like, "Maybe this isn't so bad." Then they connect with them, and before you know it, they're having an amazing time. My favorite memory is watching my son and his friends grow that way. I keep waiting every year for them to be like, "I'm too cool for this." But they actually text me around April and ask, "What are the days? I got to get the time off work." They're really excited to come. That's my most special memory and take away from the retreats. Finally, I can't speak enough about our staff. The overwhelming feedback is just how wonderful our team and our staff are. They care so much about the work that we do. They take great care of the participants; they really care about them and get to know them well. Especially for the teacher leaders, we carve out time for them to have long check-ins about the school, what's going well, and how they can help them. In addition to being a really awesome, big-scale event, it's also a way for them to connect well with the field coordinator who's taking care of them in their school. So we try to have our staff feel really supported in their role.

Written by: Ketan Kulkarni A lot of people, especially high achievers, work hard and smart to get ahead, keep up, progress in their lives, and reach their goals. Furthermore, in our often achievement driven capitalistic and materialistic world, a lot of people are inundated with a multitude of seemingly endless tasks at their workplace and beyond. These tasks often present in parallel or in series of one another forcing a person to invest significant cognitive bandwidth. Welcome to the world of multitasking! The day just doesn’t seem enough no matter how hard or smart one works! There is always more to do and more on the backburner. Ultimately everyone wants to reach their destination and be successful! However, this culture of endless multitasking poses some enormous and serious challenges! Let’s first consider a few real-life examples that we I have encountered. AJ is a 41-year-old corporate executive working in a moderate size city in Canada. She is working at least 50-60 hours per week and 10-12 weekends a year for last 6+ years. She is making 350K per year in income sometimes with additional bonuses. She has a family with 2 kids. She has 200K in student loans from her ivy league MBA. She is so busy with work that there is little time for family, her hobbies, and her friends. Her guitar collection is collecting dust. She often doesn’t show up for social events. Off note, she purchased a 1.5million $ house last year and a 120K car. She appears very successful to others. At her heart, however, she is tired of the rat race and such hard and long hours. She is feeling stressed and burnt out since she is unsure where this is all going and whether she can sustain it much longer. Her boss however says that her journey has just begun and she needs to put in a few more years of hard work!! BN is another 58-year-old surgical sub-specialist. He is a well-known surgeon and has worked for his patients with dedication and compassion for decades. He now works 26 hours per week and 8 weekends a year for the last 3 years due to health issues. With his current income and some investments, he still makes 300K per year. He is divorced once. He is now in a new relationship. His kids are grown up and rarely see him. He does have a net worth of $2.5M. He does love his weekend parties at the club. Generally speaking, life is good for him. But he really misses good old times and feels something is missing. He can’t put his finger on what it is but he can’t find his purpose and joy. He isn’t sure what he should do? Work harder? Try something new? Quit? Thirdly, AB is a 25-year-old account graduate looking at doing an MBA. They are working 40-50 hours per week and are extremely dedicated. They have always been a sstraight A+ and honors student. They had many hobbies including writing and sketching but now are barely trying to stay afloat. Also, the awareness of long work hours and years ahead is becoming a reality and worry if they can live in the city of her choice. Also, they are accruing student loans rapidly and are not well-versed in investing or business. They are already wondering what to do, where to go, where to start and if this is a good set up for success. As a consequence, stress and anxiety are at all time high and they are desperately seeking a solution. Is it gloomy for them? Is there no solution? Rapid technological and scientific advances have really enhanced our lives in the 21st century and provided many comforts and opportunities previously thought to be impossible. However, there is rampant evidence of job dissatisfaction, burnout, unhappiness and a constant state of background discontent and distress across the globe. There is constant pressure to achieve more. Life is extremely fast-paced, especially in cities, with unclear and changing standards for “success”. Most of us are led to believe that if we achieve xyz……, then we can feel successful. Traditional career paths are becoming rapidly obsolete. I know hundreds of physicians now choosing alternative career paths fairly early in their career. Moreover, I have noticed, several entrepreneurs, authors, musicians, influencers, choosing medicine as a second or even third career. However, many people still have lack of clarity and feel like they are going nowhere despite hard and smart work. Can we multitask? Moreover, life isn’t just about work. There are many areas of life such as personal life and lifestyle, family and friends, hobbies, growth, spiritual, health, contribution and meaning. A balance in all these areas is quintessential. In our quest to do it all we often resort of multitasking in series or in parallel for endless hours!! It will get better some day! It will all over some day looming on the horizon! But the day never arrives, and the goalpost keeps moving. The fundamental question is “can we really multitask?” The truth is that multitasking is a MYTH, many studies have confirmed this. We can truly invest our attention in one task at any given time. In reality, attempts to multitask, lead to less productivity, high level of cognitive load, fatigue. Sustained over long period of time, it can significantly contribute to anxiety, stress, lack of focus, reduced productivity and even burnout and exhaustion. There is a plethora of literature on time or task management, on optimizing performance, on getting more done, on being more productive on squeezing every second of our day. Yet this leaves a of people scarred and burnt out. Is there a solution? In our work and extensive experience, as discussed in our book ‘The Legendary Quest’, we propose an alternative way, of focusing on our real, and only currency, our attention! Our conscious attention. Awareness of where we invest our attention is the key. The challenge is that a lot of people do not have their authentic priorities and goals identified and in alignment! I have heard and noticed so many times people focusing on personal lives at work and vice a versa. 24/7 connectivity is seriously eroding our personal time. Studies are rampant that reconnecting with ourselves, our community, family, and nature is key. Relationships are the greatest predictor of happiness. But first we need to resolve our deep conflict in priorities. It’s usually not the amount of time spent doing a particular task that matters, it’s the quality of time. So, a 10 min walk in nature could be of paramount importance for someone who loves those. A comprehensive framework of success is urgently needed for each and every one of us! In the Legendary Quest, we have described what we often get wrong by pursuing a preconceived inauthentic notion of success and fulfillment. We have explained the “limited self” model that explains why most people experience some form of distress the majority of the time. In contrast, in “the awareness model”, we discuss the value and importance of self-awareness, as central to our very existence. Aligning oneself with inner excellence around our unique core values, personality, preferences, mission, vision, and goals will inevitably lead to outer excellence in the form of success and fulfillment. Our tasks and effort will need to align with these as well. The Blueprints Thus, applying the principles discussed in the Legendary Quest we have developed a method to map one’s success, leadership, and finance blueprints. Success Blueprint Life is a buffet with a myriad of choices, and everyone tries to put on their plate what they want. And often, as a professional with high-credentials and training from or living in a more stable and economically developed or developing nation your buffet has more options and choices. Now imagine what it would be like if you were hungry and thirsty at a grand buffet! Now others were telling you what to get and putting things on your plate including those items that you detest! That plate and the items on that plate might be great and awesome for someone else but not for you! Crafting your authentic success comes down to precisely knowing your why. We all want those why’s satisfied and expressed differently. That is, the way to identify your authentic success is to delineate and know your how’s - how you want your why’s satisfied and how do you order the priority of your needs? Successful people demonstrate extreme variability in setting goals in each aspect of their lives according to their personal values and desires. But in the end, they have a proportionate mix that is palatable to them. Your success is your choice, movement, fluidity, speed, experience, pattern, and a structure that brings your pieces to the whole! Finance blueprint Like authentic success, no 2 people have exactly identical lifestyle choices, earning and spending habits, and thoughts and emotions about money. The finance blueprint comes down to understanding what money means to you and your relationship with money. Most financial decisions are primarily driven by our emotions (and emotional needs) and then rationalized by us. It is essential to understand that money is a means goal rather than an end goal in itself. The purpose of financial blueprint is to truly map your desired life and lifestyle and then understand the need to supply the money for that lifestyle. Your financial blueprint unravels your money mindset and money philosophy! It may very well demonstrate a mindset and philosophy around money that you need to develop! Leadership blueprint Akin to success and finance blueprint, we value understanding one’s leadership blueprint, especially in the context of personal growth. In a recent leadership panel in Brainz magazine, we discussed the concepts of leadership. Leadership is the ability, simply speaking, to lead others and oneself. Let's say you are planning to build your dream cottage! However, you do need the right tools and skill set for the right job. You need the ability to manage, coordinate and supervise the tasks. You need to stick it out. You need to keep your eye on the end goal. You need to revise your plans when there are setbacks. You may need to acquire new skills and learn, sometimes rapidly. You need to be willing to share your vision, direct, give and take feedback. You need to build your team and ensure performance. This is exactly what we mean by your leadership blueprint! The goal is to develop a personal leadership philosophy that’s applicable to all aspects of life. Summary Success and fulfillment is within everyone’s reach. However, it is up to us to put in the required effort. Our mission is to assist all professionals globally to study and develop their success framework. All 3 individuals in the examples above underwent the blueprint exercises to understand their own blueprints that helped them catapult towards their desired life. Most certainly, blueprints need to be revisited periodically, be applied consistently! This often takes a tribe, your own tribe! One needs to keep chipping away at all pillars of success consistently to create and carve your own masterpiece. Importantly, we also need to enjoy the journey, not just the destination. It is important to emphasize that we really need to remember our blueprint framework during difficult times, that’s when we need it the most. So let's not get “marred in multitasking” and succumb to it. We can do much better! While we all need to do a multitude of tasks in our day-to-day lives, clarity of blueprint allows one to live by design and aspire for one’s best vision and version, optimize performance, increase the joy of living, optimize contribution and meaning and enhance workplace and personal satisfaction. We believe that knowing your blueprints can add infinite value to your life. For more information you can visit www.thelegendaryquest.pro. You can subscribe to receive a free life satisfaction questionnaire. About the author Ketan Kulkarni: https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/meet-dr-ketan-kulkarni-a-multiple-international-award-winning-physician-author-entrepreneur The Legendary Quest: https://www.amazon.com/Legendary-Quest-Professionals-Excellence-Fulfillment/dp/B09TWPHFFR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25K7XCWQWPD6I&keywords=the+legendary+quest&qid=1669732777&sprefix=legendary+quest%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-1

Daevion Markell Smith is an awarded mime artist, actor, writer, and mentor. Early in life, his mother quickly saw his accelerated growth and love for the arts. Daevion was born in Southern Virginia on September 28, 2001. At the age of four (4), this aspiration led him to mime ministry at his home church, City of Refuge Kingdom Church. Upon graduating high school, Daevion was accepted into the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York. He continues to mime for charities, non-profit organizations, conferences, workshops, and much more. Daevion has received an award for his mime presentation at the National Association for the Study and Performance of African American Music (NASPAAM). He has also appeared alongside the illustrious motivational speaker, Elijah Coles Brown, in the theatrical production of "Freedom Day", written and directed by Crystal Nolan; based on the Fredrick Douglas speech, "The Present and Future of the Colored People of America". In 2022, Daevion appeared in season 1 of the YouTube series, "The Bro Code'' – alongside, Lance Everett, Ryan Williams, Tyrell Morris, and Adam Lee Henderson. The Bro Code Series, is a series highlighting Black Christian men, engaging in relevant, relatable, and genuine conversations about real-life situations that men face everyday. Daevion has released the following official mime videos: "A Move of God is on the Way'', by Norman Hutchins and "Moving Forward", by Mali Music. These videos are available on his YouTube Channel. Soon after the mime videos were released, he was cast as Melvin Weathers on TV One's true crime series, "Payback", which aired August 08, 2022. Daevion Smith, Actor, Mime Artist, Creative Director Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better. (Feel free to share your hobbies, your passions, your family life, your pets and anything that makes you unique.) Everyone usually takes interest in what I do in my free time; but, after revealing my inner stillness they are always shocked. My name is Daevion Smith, and I am a mime artist, actor, writer, and studio president of DMS Studios. The ministry of mime has been my passion since I was in first grade, which gives me about a 14-year relationship with the craft. What is your business name and how do you help your clients? DMS Studios is a production company operating as a subsidiary division of For Your Creation Graphic Art Design LLC. Our mission is to transform the expectation of a production by providing quality work & ethic. We give our stories a clear voice that seamlessly integrates throughout the company. The platform includes shorts, feature films, tv, and documentaries. What kind of audience do you target your business towards? Our target audience are those of a minority background. At DMS Studios we view all stories as valuable and necessary, especially from disadvantaged communities. There has been a surplus of diversity in film and tv, with black women spearheading this renaissance. That’s why we decided to partner with a black female writer for our first scripted content. What are your current goals for your business? We are currently in pre-production of Yahweh’s Children. “YC” is a project co-executive produced by a writer and friend, Ashyna Robsinson. The pilot centers around an HBCU which is facing a scandal, financial crisis, and demonic oppression. Production is scheduled to begin in 2023 and we are currently casting. Due to current contract agreements, I can not currently speak about any distribution What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future? In the future, our business hopes to grow film and tv production in the 7 cities of Hampton Roads for minority communities. We hope to offer opportunities and networking services for creators and other innovators alike with special events, collaborations, and narrative projects. What is your work inspired by? I am inspired by the many artists and filmmakers who have embraced this craft passionately. There is power in passion, it produces the ability to withstand rejection and failure. From Spike Lee, Tony Singletary, Norman Lear, Tyler Perry, Eric Monte, Ava Duvernay, Phylicia Rashad, Ryan Coogler, Kenya Barris, Debbie Allen, Lena Waithe, Jordan Peele, Lee Daniels… I couldn’t stop if I tried. May God bless all my inspirations and what they’ve done for the arts. Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far. One of my greatest achievements in my mime ministry was opening for John P. Kee. John P Kee has been active for more than 20 years in the gospel industry. He is primarily known for mixing traditional gospel with modern contemporary gospel. Kee is also known as "The Prince of Gospel Music”. If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why? If I could change one thing about the film and tv industry it would be the perception of success. The success level is based on our own judgments, making it impossible to accurately measure what is a good project and bad one. These metrics are what culminates in the views of success which is unreliable. The industry’s priority for success should be the ability to produce content relatable to all communities and consumers, withstanding financial and viewership criteria. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today. The passing of my step father was a pivotal moment in my life that provided me ultimate confusion. He was a huge support system and pushed me to great opportunities and heights. He is truly missed. After his death, I felt pushed to go after the things he had believed I could do. There are moments when people can push you unknowingly, and give you the extra favor you need to reach your desires and destiny. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Daevion!

Written by: Jorge Contreras, 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. "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" is a common advice we'd get from our elders when it comes to managing our resources. And it's pretty solid advice that apparently the richest people in the world also follow. Now, becoming a millionaire may not be part of your bucket list so you’re not thinking about adding more income streams at the moment. However, there are tons of benefits that you can get from having multiple sources too. So today we’ve listed the 7 main income streams, where to find them, and how to get started with one of them. Let’s go! What are the 7 main income streams? According to the Internal Revenue Service or IRS, these 7 income streams are the main sources for most Americans. They are: 1. Earned Income Also known as salary, this type of income is what you get when you're employed. You could be working for a public or private company and get compensated for the time or service that you render. Most people start with this source because it's the easiest to implement. All you need for capital is your time, effort, and skills you can be trained for. But while some people branch out and add other income streams, most folks stay here until retirement. 2. Profit Income This is the kind of income you get when you provide services or products to gain profit. For example, selling computer parts you sourced from somewhere, making scented candles, or opening a bakery. What you get after selling your products or services, minus the capital you spent, is your profit. This can be a good side hustle to supplement other streams, like your salary. You can also have multiple of these for-profit businesses. 3. Interest Income This stream uses the power of compound interest to earn passive income. One great example of this is when you deposit money in a bank and it starts gaining interest over time. But where does this additional money come from? Well, it's from people who get loans from the bank. The bank temporarily uses your money, adds its own rate, and gives you a percentage of the interest from other people's payments. The drawback of this though is that you don't get all of the paid interest because the bank will get their percentage too. 4. Dividend Income When you buy stocks or shares from a company, you technically become a part owner of that business. This means that you will also be entitled to whatever profits they'll get. Dividend income works through this system. This income stream gives you the option to get your share of the profit through monthly, quarterly, or annual payments. 5. Capital Gains Income This comes from buying and selling assets. If you buy stocks and shares worth $100 and then sell them for $120, your capital gain is $20. This is a pretty good business if you like getting profit in lump sums rather than in staggering amounts. Other examples of assets you buy and sell are art, stocks, or real estate properties. 6. Royalty Income If you're a creative individual, you can also receive royalty income for the public usage of your crafts. You can write a novel, a song, or draw paintings and have it licensed to you. This way, you can create something unique and then receive commissions for your work to be exhibited or used in public domains. One good example? Mariah Carey's songs during the Christmas season. 7. Rental Income If you own a property that you’re willing to rent out to other people for long-term or short-term durations, you can get passive income from them too. Property investment is an excellent way of making money work for you because you can buy a certain property, and use it to get passive income from your renters. Why should you have different sources of income? While the average Joe has 1 or 2 of these income streams, millionaires have 6 to 7 of them. Sometimes they even combine passive streams with their main job. And this makes all the difference in their financial status. Most people spend their lives working as employees and earning monthly salaries. However, this income stream is minimal. Mainly because you can only earn as much as your company or employer allows. Granted, you can take overtime tasks and work for bigger commissions and incentives. But if you think about it, all of these are also in exchange for the energy, effort, and time you may not be able to get back. On the other hand, diversifying your income streams and including passive ones will give you more time freedom. You're still earning but with lesser work on your plate. Another good reason to add more income sources is the peace of mind it can give you. The economy has always been unstable which means that public and private companies don't have the security of staying afloat. Having other income streams will give you enough independence to work for companies without relying too much on them for the future of your finances. Which income stream is right for you? Now that you know the financial sources you can tap into and why you should try getting into them, you might be wondering where you should start. The answer to this question lies in your own financial goals. How much do you want to earn? Why do you want to earn more? And what’s your risk tolerance in case the capital you put up in some of these sources doesn’t come back to you? All of these are factors to consider when looking for a new income stream because each one of them has their own pros and cons. However, if you’re a beginner, I’d ideally recommend starting with the ones that are easy to understand. Buying and selling stocks and assets can be overwhelming for some people. You should also choose a business that you can put up even if you don’t have huge capital. With that said, I’d recommend starting off with Rental Properties. Here are some of the reasons why: Long-term rentals can give a stable income monthly, while short-term rentals, albeit unsteady, will allow you to earn bigger for the month. It’s also passive so you don’t have to constantly work on it every day, and you’ll still get income even when you’re on vacation. This gives you more time to start venturing on other income streams too. It’s scalable, meaning you can grow from one rental property and earn enough to set up more. You can start a rental property business even without buying or owning a single property. The last one is sort of a hack that not everyone knows about. Yes, you can start a short-term rental business even WITHOUT owning properties. And there are two ways to do this: One is through Subleasing, and the other is through Cohosting. Subleasing is when you legally use other people’s property for your short-term rental business. You can do this by finding properties for rent and asking for permission from the landlord if you can use them for your business. Once you get an okay, you can launch it on online platforms like Airbnb and set up rates for your guests. Another method is through Cohosting where instead of buying, owning, or renting other people’s property, you help their owners instead. You can offer managerial services for their listings and get a percentage of the income or help them find new properties to launch. Now, these are just some of the strategies to get you started with a rental income business and add it as one of your income sources. The good thing about both of these strategies is that they’ll let you learn more about the business while allowing you to earn on the side. And this is why it’s a great passive income source to try even if you’re just a beginner. If you want to know more about Subleasing and Cohosting on Airbnb, we have a free training guide to walk you through them. Download and check out our free training guide here. Follow me on Instagram, YouTube, Podcast, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jorge! Jorge Contreras, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine From poverty to a million-dollar business, Jorge Contreras is a real estate investor and coach. He started his real estate journey over 10 years ago, and he launched his Airbnb business 5 years ago. Before that, Jorge was overworked and underpaid. He barely had time to spend with his family, and his business wasn't exactly thriving. Once he got into real estate, he realized the potential, especially with Airbnb and short-term rentals. When he became a millionaire before the age of 30, he decided to share his knowledge with all the people who have the need to spend more time with their families and less time working. Jorge has already helped over 3000+ people reach their goals with Airbnb.

Written by: Salim Sheikh, Executive Contributor, in collaboration with Fatima Al Husseiny. Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. In this article Salim Sheikh, Executive Contributor, teams up with guest author Fatima Al Husseiny to advocate topics relating to "Tech for Social Good" and "AI for Society." Their joint goal is to help raise awareness about AI & Emerging Technologies for all people and cultures. In this article, we posit our thoughts on the following question: How can Artificial Intelligence be the game changer in the educational journey of the future generation? What are the significant advantages of integrating AI into education? Overview Artificial Intelligence (henceforth, AI) has already been used in education, especially in various tools and assessment platforms that aid skill development. The goal is that as AI educational solutions continue to develop, they will help close gaps in learning and teaching and help schools and teachers to accomplish more than before. Giving teachers the time and freedom to teach understanding and adaptability—uniquely human talents where computers would struggle—AI may encourage efficiency, personalization, and the streamlining of administrative operations. The ideal application of AI in education is where teachers and machines collaborate to achieve the best results for learners. The importance of exposing students to and utilizing technology in our educational institutions cannot be overstated. Today's students need to be ready for the future, where AI is a reality. In the sections below, we present the advantages and benefits of AI for learners, educators, and faculty members. AI for Learners The main objective of a student is to take in as much valuable information as possible in the shortest amount of time to obtain a degree and be competitive in the workforce. AI can assist students in making their educational process better by: Self-Paced Learning Opportunities Young learners enjoy utilizing their cell phones or tablets to do daily work because they spend so much time on the go. Applications powered by AI enable students to study in their spare time by focusing on a task for 10 or 15 minutes. Teachers can provide real-time feedback to students as well. Personalized Learning Opportunities AI-based solutions are adaptable to the learner's interests, knowledge level, and other characteristics. The system typically aids students in overcoming their limitations. For instance, a diagnostic test may be taken before using an app; the app then analyzes the results and suggests appropriate learning activities. AI-based systems can adjust to students' academic standing, rate of learning, and present educational objectives. Tutoring Many learners need additional assistance outside of the classroom. Finding teachers with enough spare time to help students with their schoolwork or prepare for exams can take time and effort. AI tutors and chatbots are effective at assisting students with a variety of outside-the-classroom learning challenges. Although they cannot replace teachers, AI tools can help learners strengthen their areas of weakness. Quick Responses The questions change as learners progress through their education. Many of these questions are typical and generic, but some are very specific and demand a professor's attention. Daily inquiries from students make it challenging for faculty to provide essential information to learners. Students can quickly obtain solutions to their investigations with the support of artificial intelligence. They can find what they need with a click of a button instead of wasting time contacting faculty members or feeling awkward about asking questions in front of their peers. 24/7 access Thanks to AI, students can now learn from any location at any time. 24/7 access makes it simpler to find the time to learn while mastering the key components of time management because each student learns at their own pace. Additionally, students from around the globe have access to top-notch education without having to pay for travel or living expenses. Source (Mckinsey & Company, 2020) AI for Educators Lesson planning, teaching, grading, mentoring, classroom management, staying current with technology and new pedagogical practices, tracking student progress, and other administrative tasks are just a few of educators' many responsibilities. Even though AI has significantly advanced since the 1950s, when the term and work concerning intelligent tutoring systems were first developed, a (human) educator will always be needed to facilitate all activities in a classroom. Importantly, a (human) educator is able to: Identify Gaps (in competency, cognition and so forth) During training sessions, instructors can pinpoint where learners' understanding is lacking. For instance, several digital tools or apps may alert the teacher if most students respond incorrectly to a question. The educator can then focus on remediating the students' recognized weak points and help elevate them. This often requires a degree of “soft skills” which requires a degree of finesse that currently only humans can provide. Additionally, this may extend to “mental health” considerations – something that is becoming increasingly topical in modern classroom settings especially where hybrid and remote learning methods are used. Boost Learners' Engagement The educational process is more engaging and enjoyable with the help of contemporary technology like virtual reality (VR) and gamification. Personalize Topics and Education Programs AI provides more specialized recommendations and training programs to students; various artificial intelligence-enabled algorithms can analyze their knowledge and interests and act accordingly. Automate Curriculum Development The advancement of AI is advantageous to educators. They no longer have to develop a curriculum from scratch. As a result, educators can spend less time looking for the right teaching resources. It is possible to accomplish it by utilizing various computer resources, virtual reality technology, gamification, and machine learning control. AI for Faculty Lack of time is the primary problem educators and faculty face – some desire to devote more time to research, while others prefer one-on-one interaction with students. In this case, AI can help through: Enhanced Personalization The student's learning styles and academic backgrounds can be analyzed by an AI-powered application to offer instructors a clear image of the areas that require improvement. Using such an analysis, teachers can design the ideal learning program for each student. In the meantime, teachers or professors might modify their courses to target the most common knowledge gaps in advance by gathering and evaluating data connected to students' weak points. Task Automation Administrative and planning responsibilities are too much for instructors and coordinators to handle. They must evaluate each student's learning styles, grade papers, and exams, respond to general questions, and much more. AI tools may save their lives! Grading Multiple-choice test grading can now be left to a computer program. Soon, apps powered by AI will also analyze written responses. Answering Questions Without consulting the faculty, AI-powered chatbots with access to the school's knowledge base can assist students in finding the answers to a range of general and repetitive questions. With the help of AI and ML apps, various tasks can be automated while learning from each teacher's experience, freeing up more time for crucial facets of teaching. Analysis While AI-powered apps help teachers automate tasks, they also collect data for further analysis. For instance, the program evaluates each test during grading to give teachers insightful feedback about students' academic development and knowledge. These programs can assist teachers in determining which areas of the entire class and each student require additional attention. Concluding Thoughts In a nutshell, education is impacted by the rapid development of technology like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and (increasingly) robotics – which are all critical components of an evolving EdTech (Educational Tech) ecosystem. If the education sector is to truly realize AI's full potential for everyone, the priority should be to continue exposing the next generation to AI early on; doing the utmost to leverage this capability in the classroom of the future. Author Bios Fatima Al Husseiny, Editor, Copywriter, and Tech for Social Good Advocate Fatima is a LinkedIn content creator and is part of LinkedIn for Journalists Premium Program 2022-2023. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Management from the Lebanese International University and BA in English Language and Literature from the Lebanese University. Her research interests are related to Education, Educational Technology, AI, and Social Media. Fatima’s professional goals are related to developing academic research in her fields of interest. She has been awarded two achievement awards for her contributions to Wikipedia and has various certifications from Google, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, and Udemy. Fatima enriches her social responsibility by contributing to educational blogs in reputable media outlets (e.g. Annahar Media Group Website) and content editing in an international context, such as The International Girls Academy, NJ, USA. Follow Fatima on LinkedIn for more info! Follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter and visit my website for more info! Read more from Salim! Salim Sheikh, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Over the past 25 years, Salim has built a career in consulting, working both client ‒ and supplier-side as an interim CIO/CTO and a Business Change / Transformation Consultant. facilitating digital and technology transformations programmes that have included rescue & recovery ("turnaround"), process optimisation & improvement and organisational change – across diverse industries in the UK, Europe, Nordics, Turkey, UAE, US, and Australia. Salim is an Oxford University alumni who also has strong academic roots in Artificial Intelligence (AI). He is a mentor in the “Responsible Tech Program” managed by “All Tech Is Human” where he advocates “AI for Social Good” and “AI for All”. He authored "Understanding the Role of Artificial Intelligence and Its Future Social Impact" which is available via IGI Global (https://bit.ly/34cfJVf) and Amazon (https://lnkd.in/gbk-zba).

Written by: Karen Cappello, 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 the very foundation of progress in our personal and professional lives. Now imagine you cracked the code to setting strong goals and exceeding them every single time – that would practically be a superpower! In our coaching businesses, we are inundated with advice. Advice from podcasts, blogs, thought leaders, and friends focused on goal setting. Some people prefer to set intentions rather than goals. Others prefer to aim high – audaciously high – to send their productivity into overdrive. And still, others will tell you to not dream too big, lest you demotivate yourself by becoming overwhelmed. Now I've tried all of the above (and more), and what I found is that there's a method to set goals that can practically guarantee stellar results. And today, I’m going to give you a three-step process to help you do just that. 1. Visionary Goals In order to be successful in your executive coaching business, you MUST have a ‘North Star’. This is a guiding light that lends a lot of flow and momentum to your business. Having a magnet for your energy gives you focus. And focus is a powerful place to start! You might remember a time when you had a dozen different goals all running in a dozen different directions. The result? You were probably burned-out working 100+ hours a week – with little reward to show for it. It’s time to break that cycle. Once your energy is focused like a laser beam on a goal, it's much easier to achieve. So, what would a visionary goal look like? Well, let’s say you set a certain profit goal for the year – “I want to make six figures in six months.” You now have your North Star. This is exciting, a little scary, and gives you something to aim for. This brings us to… 2. Strategic Goals Alright, now that you have your visionary goal, you need an impetus, namely, a strategy that drives you to your vision. Following along with the same example, to reach six figures in six months, your strategic goal could be to obtain ten $10,000 contracts in six months. That is your plan of action. You could also have a strategy to serve a hundred clients at the $1,000 level or obtain two $50,000 contracts or utilize any other way you can think of to accomplish that vision. 3. Tactical Goals Stopping at a strategic goal isn't enough though, you need one last goal that brings it all together. This is where the magic happens – with your tactical goals! A tactical goal consists of the weekly or daily actions that you're going to take to get to that visionary goal. It's the only goal you're in COMPLETE control of. In our example of achieving six figures in six months, with obtaining ten, $10,000 contracts, the tactical goal could be inviting 12 people per day who are your ideal clients into complimentary consultations for the next 10 weeks. According to one study, 30% of those invited to a complimentary coaching consultation will say yes. And according to another study, 25% to 60% of those partaking in the consultation will become paying clients. If you invited 12 people into consultations per week, the odds of 30% of them, which is four, actually showing up for the meeting would be high. And of those four, a conservative estimate of one would probably become a paying client. That makes the odds of achieving your strategic goal really high! Remember… Visionary, Strategic, and Tactical goals will create your blueprint for success. Follow this simple three-step process and your business is practically guaranteed to take off – in a BIG way! And with that, I wish you a very happy goal-setting (and goal-fulfilling) journey! Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Karen! Karen Cappello, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Karen Cappello, MCC, BCC, is a business and executive coach, communication specialist, motivational speaker and coach trainer. She collaborates with leaders and executive coaches to promote highly beneficial business outcomes. With over 30 years of experience and expertise in business management, financial planning, and higher education, Karen has brought a broad-based background to her coaching clientele.

Written by: Shaniece Benson, 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. Although not every day can be a good day, but you can do things to turn it into one. We often forget that our bodies and mind are impacted by the things that we do. When we do these things, the chances of us feeling better goes way up! Learning these tools can help you access your own inner happiness. To turn a day around it's important to think about accessing your mental, emotional and physical health. Our well-being and happiness are not based on one thing but rather on a constellation of factors. Thinking about ourselves in this holistic way can give us a map that can help us turn our day around to keep us in a good mood over time. It's important to remember that we can hold difficult experiences and emotions and still have a good day. To have a good day it does not mean there won't be any challenges or difficulties. It is more about how you respond to these things and how you support yourself through them. Life is full of ups and downs, but you can access the good in it each day. Here are three things you can do to turn your day around. 3 Ways to turn a Bad Day into a Good Day 1. Take A Moment to Be Grateful What we think about impacts how we feel. Taking a moment to pause and think about the things that are going well in your life and the things you are grateful for can shift your mood. The trick to this though is not just to think about it but to really feel it in our body. These can be simple things such as admiring the nature around you or maybe a moment you had with a friend or a family member. It could be the taste of your favorite coffee or sandwich. We are wired to notice the negative and need to take a conscious break to notice the positive, and gratitude is a great way to do this. If we can shift our focus to not just include what is going wrong but to focus on the good, change will happen. When we continue to be mindful of our thoughts, this will make it easier to shift our day. What are three things you are grateful for today? Take a moment and feel these things, not just in your mind but in your body as well. Your body is what tells us when we like things, and it feels good. 2. Move Your Body I know you probably hear this all the time, but that is because so much research shows that when you move your body and exercise, you will feel better. Maybe just do some jumping jacks or go for a 15-minute brisk walk. You can put on some music and dance around your house. You can get the benefits of exercise in many more ways than going for a run or hitting the gym. Find the movement that works best for you. If you only have 5 minutes that is better than nothing and in those 5 minutes, you can change your day. What can you do today that will get your heart racing and endorphins flowing? Noticing how you feel before and after this will be motivation for the next time. 3. Accomplish Something Positive psychology has shown one aspect of our well-being is accomplishments. If you are struggling, try to accomplish just one thing. This forward movement can begin to shift your mindset. Taking action can help boost our motivation and feeling of well-being. What is at least one thing you can get off your list today? Then take a moment to savor that feeling after! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Shaniece! Shaniece Benson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Shaniece is a High-Performance Fitness & Lifestyle Coach who empowers busy professionals to step into success through her 1:1 fitness training & lifestyle coaching. Featured in Southern New Hampshire University, SDVoyager, SHOUTOUT SOCAL, and Zovio for her unique and effective ways of tackling limiting beliefs and creating a new regime to feel good from the inside out. Inspired by a drive to change the narrative of familial history connected to a variety of health conditions, Shaniece began to change some habits and fall in love with fitness. In doing so, she noticed a dramatic shift not only in her physical but also in her mental health. With her energy levels soaring and confidence boosted, Shaniece wanted to shout from the rooftops how incredibly great this all felt; and how simple it could be for others to do the same. Thus, BloombyShaniece was born, a blog specifically designed to share content that would help women grow and embrace their true potential. She later began to work with professionals from an array of backgrounds in helping them not only to lose weight but also to encourage them to live an all-around healthier lifestyle. With training and coaching sessions specifically tailored to individual needs, Shaniece empowers her clients by informing, supporting, and celebrating them in making big changes as they embark on the journey of living their best lives. References: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier#:~:text=In%20positive%20psychology%20research%2C%20gratitude,adversity%2C%20and%20build%20strong%20relationships. https://positivepsychology.com/perma-model/

Written by: Dr. Sydney Ceruto , 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. Narcissists usually employ kindness and generosity when you first meet them. They trick you into gaining your trust. However, eventually, they reveal their true identity. Kind narcissists are hard to identify . That’s because you don’t see them coming. Furthermore, you might well take it for granted that the person you just met is the most caring, thoughtful, and considerate person in the world. However, little by little, they reveal their other face. That dark side, where the most devious selfishness and darkest personality dwell. In recent years the term “narcissist” has become extremely popular. However, we should be careful not to use this label in an arbitrary way. For example, a narcissist isn’t someone who simply takes a lot of selfies or permanently seeks attention. As a matter of fact, narcissistic personality disorder defines an emotionally abusive profile that guides the behavior of the individual towards manipulation. Lack of empathy, grandiosity, inability to establish deep social ties, and an obsessive search for validation of others are the traits that define them. Furthermore, each narcissist uses their own techniques to get what they want . For instance, some exhibit openly malicious behavior. On the other hand, others are more devious and use kindness to profit. Let’s take a look. Kind narcissists Kind narcissists are in disguise. They’ll appear to be, for example, a nice guy or a charming and attentive woman . In addition, they often seem to be extremely trustworthy and usually enjoy social success. However, behind this facade hides the classic narcissist. It’s only their manners and techniques that are different. This is what proves to be so contradictory when you first meet them. Because you simply don’t notice that they’re a narcissist, as they don’t raise any suspicions in you at all. Bearing this in mind, you probably think that the narcissistic typology is rather broad and that’s why it’s so difficult to recognize them. However, this isn’t entirely true. As a matter of fact, the University of Pittsburgh (USA) conducted research that suggested we shouldn’t think about types or subtypes of narcissists, but rather about a disorder that falls within a spectrum . Therefore, some personalities are problematic, while others manage to integrate well. In addition, each one uses their own strategies, and both kindness and altruistic behavior may be included in their repertoire. Defining characteristics Kind narcissists are the kinds of people who, at the beginning, of a relationship, will move heaven and earth to please their partners. They’re always attentive and considerate. However, over time, the situation takes a complete turn for the worse. In fact, eventually, they don’t move a muscle for their partner. Furthermore, it’s only their own immediate needs that matter. However, the most complex thing is that outsiders will continue to see the narcissist as an outstanding person who’s admired by everyone. This personality profile also arises in people who take care of relatives whenever there’s a clear benefit for them, like an inheritance. It’s also commonly seen in work environments. It defines the kinds of colleagues who are always willing to help, yet who, at any given time, can work against you in multiple ways. They do it to get noticed or achieve some particular benefit to their advantage. Kindness as a decoy Narcissists don’t only appear to be nice. They assume they really are. Furthermore, you won’t see the narcissistic personality as hostile or threatening when they first appear on the horizon. Indeed, it’s not easy to identify them at the beginning. That’s because they’re generally so charming. Narcissists are viewed in this way because they need to create a good internal narrative about themselves. In fact, if there’s one trait, they all share, it’s low self-esteem . This makes them build an artificial image of themselves with which to support and validate themselves. Likewise, the kind narcissist knows that by acting in a prosocial and altruistic manner, he earns everyone’s trust. Kind narcissists deceive with their discreet behavior. They don’t seek to be the center of attention. In fact, they earn the trust of others little by little, which they then later use to their advantage. The discreet and generous narcissist is just as dangerous as any other There are narcissists who are wolves in wolf’s clothing and narcissists who are wolves in sheep’s clothing . The former is loud, impressive, and attention-seeking. They’re also outgoing, charismatic, and attractive and they manage to be the center of attention in any circumstance. The second kind demonstrates other types of behavior. Kind narcissists fall into this category. They’re discreet and less conspicuous. As a matter of fact, this is their great asset. It allows them to skillfully make emotional conquests and climb the career ladder at work. Authentic kindness starts from a genuine sense of empathy and altruism. Nothing is sought in return. The mere fact of acting out of goodness already acts as a benefit. However, this is something that narcissists can neither understand nor feel. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Sydney! Dr. Sydney Ceruto, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Dr. Sydney Ceruto has completed her doctoral education in the field of Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience & is a leading specialist in using your brains natural ability to change neuroplasticity to ensure you reach your desired goals. Her specialty is in helping clients recognize their faulty thinking patterns, change undesirable behaviors, developmental & emotional resiliency, & gain mental clarity. When Dr. Ceruto was a teenager, she tragically lost both parents. As an only child, the loss of family completely broke her. She became profoundly depressed & began suffering from chronic anxiety. Sydney felt lost, & any form of happiness, confidence, or clarity seemed a long way off. Soon after, she began to pursue her education in medicine at Yale & obtained three masters in psychology & two Ph.D.’s in both cognitive & behavioral neuroscience at NYU. Studying the mind-brain connection was indeed the paradigm for her healing & growth. Dr. Sydney Ceruto created MindLAB Neuroscience over two decades ago. She pioneered an integrative approach based on hard science that has genuinely changed the way people make positive &, more importantly, permanent changes in all areas of their lives. Her program is highly venerated & has debunked all the myths regarding the efficacy of “traditional therapy” & the sad misnomer that you need to be on a counselor’s couch for years or even decades. Several publications have Dr. Sydney Ceruto on staff as a senior writer. She is a proud member of the Forbes Executive Council, Positive Performance Alliance, Wharton Executive Education Program, and Executive Writer for Alternatives Watch and Brainz Magazine. She has an avid intellect, a keen understanding of human nature, & an uncanny ability to connect deeply with clients. Dr. Ceruto is hands-on, accessible, highly intuitive, compassionate & is told … pretty funny! One of her passions is traveling, which she has done extensively. Dr. Ceruto is an avid sports enthusiast and watches everything from football to Formula 1 racing. She plays golf whenever she can and enjoys exploring other cultures. Dr. Ceruto has one son who graduated from Princeton University and is studying to become a corporate attorney. She also has an affinity for animals and is an adoring mom to her 1.5-pound Micro Cuban Chihuahua, Lolita.