Jeremy Stegall has been fascinated by people and what motivates them since he was a child. His curiosity into why we do what we do lead him to Iowa State University in 2004, earning his B.A. degree in Psychology in 2008. Beginning his blog, Where the Change Happens, in 2018, Stegall’s writing provides readers in over 30 countries the tools to process questions we all have about making personal development growth a consistent habit. Jeremy is a life coach and business success coach with Where the Change Happens Coaching, LLC. As an author, coach, and speaker, Jeremy has used his education and professional experience to bring new creative energy to the workplace, encouraging entrepreneurs on their journey to improve client relationships in their businesses. In 2020, Jeremy self-published his first book, Where the Change Happens, which has found international success. Jeremy Stegall, Where the Change Happens Coaching Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better. I was born and raised in Joliet, IL, and my family is mostly still in Illinois. My curiosity about why we do what we do lead me to Iowa State University in 2004, where I earned my B.A. degree in Psychology, minoring in Sociology. I was also a member of the Iowa State Cyclone Hockey team. I still play adult league hockey and enjoy going to concerts and hockey games. I also have multiple guitars I enjoy playing and have a dog, Paisley, the dream dog I always wanted. What is your business name and how do you help your clients? My business name is Where the Change Happens Coaching. I'm a coach, best-selling author, and speaker in Seattle, Washington. With Where the Change Happens Coaching, I support clients in shifting how they engage with problems and create meaningful change to realize their vision for their lives and organizations. Coaching is a partnership practice to deepen learning or expand awareness around an area or to bring you access or insight into the meaning of your experience. For example, my Men After the Divorce Group Coaching and Mastermind is about supporting men after the end of complicated relationships and divorce in creating new steps to begin moving forward. It's a unique program to support men in taking accountability for what we brought into the relationship while finding completion in necessary areas we tend to hold on to while creating areas to develop ourselves to create a new experience. It's a community where we can see the new version of ourselves we wish to bring into the world from the other side of learning. I also have other group coaching opportunities. What kind of audience do you target your business towards? Where the Change Happens Coaching’s audience wants to develop, but they don’t know where to begin or what to try. Male or female, a business professional, or someone who works the late shift to provide for their family, this community is committed to showing up responsibly ‒ yet something is in the way, keeping them from taking or sustaining action. What are your current goals for your business? One of my goals is to book twenty live speaking engagements with events and organizations globally around creating actionable exercises and implementing principles that increase workplace productivity and deepen personal and professional relationships, creating a lasting and meaningful impact. Where the Change Happens Coaching supports facilitating new learning personally and professionally and developing a workplace culture. I'm also currently promoting the release of my second book, a fiction parable titled, After the Divorce: From Looking Back to Leaning In. This story provides the opportunity to witness the coaching experience in a heartfelt hero's journey, beginning the story at the end of a divorce and in struggle, and realizing the value of how working with a life coach can support creating the change to move forward and begin creating new meaningful progress. I feel there is little knowledge of what value can be realized working with a life coach and I wanted to write a story that reflected an honest and relatable experience many of us in the community experience, demonstrating the journey of transformation. There is also an opportunity for readers to find some clarity around questions regarding the coaching experience. My goal is to expand my group coaching programs and to coach globally, and part of that will be through my fiction and non-fiction writing. Lastly, I want Where the Change Happens Coaching to contribute as a part of the global conversation in recognizing the value of improving our mental health, developing our well being, and living a fulfilling life personally and professionally while contributing to our communities. Who inspires you to be the best that you can be? My brother, Jermaine, inspires me to be the best I can be. Watching him build his business over the last decade and balance being a husband and father is inspiring. He is rooted in his values, and how he shows up to his responsibilities and community is a positive example. I'm very proud of and inspired by him. What is your work inspired by? There's no one way to live a lifetime, yet many of us find that there are areas in our life we wish to improve or shift to some capacity. My work began inspired by my curiosity about human nature and motivation growing up in Illinois. I continue to find inspiration in my fascination with psychology and the possibility available in the range of how we can experience the human experience. I'm inspired to work with clients open to learning new resources and methodologies to support their experience and increase their impact on a culture they wish to see at home, in their communities, and in our organizations. Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today. It all began with my mother's passing in 2016, losing her to cancer. I was very close with my mother and would talk to her often. She was a role model for connecting with other people in the community and uplifting them, lending support and advice. During her funeral service, I met so many people I'd heard stories of from her perspective, and to see the impact she had on their lives was profound for me. I began to realize in processing my grief that I would never have "enough" time with my mother and that my time on earth would never be long enough. The only time I had to take action felt more like the present moment and that it would be up to me to create something meaningful for myself that I wanted. But I didn't know what I wanted to do or where I want it to experience this. I relocated from Iowa to South Florida a few months after her funeral and decided to commit to learning about my blind spots and begin to take accountability for the one constant in all of my relationships, myself. I began reading personal development books and writing about the podcasts I was listening to in support of developing the shift I wanted to see in my own life. Six years after that event, I've exceeded my expectations around what I thought I could create and have become mindful not to take any day for granted. Follow me on LinkedIn and visit my website for more info! Read more from Jeremy!

Written by: Dr. Christopher Ashton, 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. I wholeheartedly commend a close friend of mine who asked me for my opinion about whether he was an alcoholic or not. Daily consumption of over 6 ounces of hard liquor each evening without fail, concurrent with some impacts physically on such matters as sleep cycle, basal metabolic index and sex drive, the answer would seem simple: yes. His inner circle of loves and friends were certainly supporting that notion and their calls for him abstaining were steadily mounting. What I found absolutely remarkable was his courage to ask me to help sort out whether he had ‘alcoholism’ in a society that still has not been able to agree on what it is, or even if it truly exists as a disease, disorder or otherwise real. In a sense, ‘surrender’ to the knowledge one is an alcoholic or addict is akin to accepting one is afflicted with modern day leprosy. Social stigma, personal hardships experienced or witnessed and interests of public safety continue to marginalize those pronounced to have ‘the disease,’ with the assumption that relapse is always an imminent possibility and the person simply cannot be trusted. Considering that Narcotics Anonymous views the inevitable outcomes for those who do not follow their program as ‘jails, institutions or death,’ the comparison to ancient leprosy bears some consideration. The global expert institutions in mental health all refer, in one language or another to alcoholism or addiction as ‘chronic’ and ‘relapsing.’ Making so-called ‘surrender’ even more terrifying is, in the midst of the beauty of solutions that do occasionally work, there is no gold standard to definitively treating this mysterious phenomenon. It is little wonder that the need to ‘hit bottom’ prior to seeking help has become a mantra. By observation, that seems to be what real alcoholics and addicts need to do. Why forever give up the pleasures of a drink or the buzz of pills or powder and banish oneself to the land of the ‘abnormals’ and stigmatized. (AA and NA pride themselves on maintaining a unique fellowship, predicated on the shared understanding of its membership that they will never be normal societal members). Recent evidence of this being organic in nature with deleterious brain changes seems to only intensify the stigma; now the alcoholic in addition to the craziness of drinking also has a brain disorder. Could it get any worse? To say the prognosis for a happy life, once the diagnosis is rendered, is grim is an understatement. Seeking help from the ‘treatment’ (after 24 years, I still don’t understand why that word is chosen) industry is prohibitively expensive, full of mysteries unto itself, especially in regard to pricing and offers uncertain outcomes (see The Business of Recovery). More than anecdotal evidence exists to support the negative impact of ‘failed’ treatment center experiences (first presented by Breese, G. et al., 2005). In spite of this swirling societal drama regarding this mysterious phenomenon, my friend wanted to know. I also felt I could give him accurate answers based upon my personal life-saving research (everything else was failing as I desperately tried to stop drinking) and extraordinarily positive results and knowledge gained through helping others in an educational and supportive context. Additionally, the knowledge of the existence of this disorder, based on objective assessment, is powerful in the prevention of further development. This article is exactly in the right magazine: alcoholism and substance addiction (they are one and the same) exist in the brain as a series of characteristic adaptations, all leading to an eventual self-destructive dependency on chemicals as the ‘only’ relief and potential pleasure based on the sufferer’s misinterpretation of life as inevitably, painfully futile. I acknowledge that likely audience's first impressions on the fact that addiction is a primary brain disorder (‘primary’ meaning that the disorder runs the show) adds to the daunting prospect of recovery, given our rudimentary understanding of how the brain works. My findings, that there are nine discreet subregions (see 14. Limbic System - Bing video) with six potential neuroadaptations that all communicate with each other and the body through compromised electrical channels, which eventually results in the trap of addiction, further compromises utility of knowledge-based approaches. Furthermore, epigenetics play a crucial role in development of the neuroadaptations characteristic to all who suffer from this disorder. Without the genetic code, regardless of environmental stressors, one cannot possibly construct the myriad proteins and enzymes necessary for this disorder of near perfect destructiveness. Try as one might, if you’re not one of the estimated 8% of persons who carry the full genetic sequence, try as much as you like with excessive drinking, you can’t become an alcoholic. Photos such as the following (Source: Harvard Medical School, 2021) demonstrate that, yes, something terrible is going on in the brain, but what: In the course (Understanding Addiction - Course Overview (harvard.edu)), the life context for the individual whose scan is shown was not given. He/she could still be functioning in society; the ‘slice’ of the brain imaged pertains mainly to areas involved in emotion and primitive decision-making. Higher order segments are not shown. The bad news that I have imparted thus far is fortunately mitigated by the truth regarding addictions. At some point, most people do recover (The Broken Brain Podcast with Dr. John Kelly (dhrupurohit.com)). Superb approaches such as given in this magazine by Alicia Rios Wilkes (The Sobering Truth About Addiction ‒ It's Time We Stop Abusing The Abusers (brainzmagazine.com)), Tina Rane’ Ingram (Addiction (brainzmagazine.com)) and Emanuela Visone (Overcoming Addictions (brainzmagazine.com)) do work and happen to be fully aligned with this articles’ message. My formative education years were spent studying engineering physics: if a concept could not be rigorously proven mathematically, it wasn’t real. Since that time, unless I see concrete proof of something, I cannot fully embrace it (hence the ‘higher power’ thing at AA resulted in multiple crashes on very rocky shores for me). Incredible advances in neuroscience over the past decade have illuminated my initial notion that there was some true switch inside my brain, beyond conscious influence, that had taken control of my life. Merging thoughts, feelings, emotions and actions with emerging and robust scientific discoveries fully empowers self-awareness and enable conscious influence over what were previously involuntary dark aspects of personal sentience. The magnificence and impact of the voyage provide more than ample motivation to understand, precluding the need for a doctoral degree or anything close in nature. For some persons, such as myself, knowledge is the difference between life satisfaction and the ignominy of an alcoholic or addicted death. True hope is instilled by the fact that addiction is a disorder that has developed to varying degrees over a lifetime and that the better part of the brain wants and can fully recover. The potential inherent in neuroplasticity gives the brain the ability, for the vast majority of persons, to largely ‘undo’ maladaptations in circuitry and processes that began to occur from the instant one met the world. Given this understanding at last (to myself, the strangest aspect is that the knowledge has been beckoning for someone to connect all the dots and I seem to be first), supportive efforts can now be geared to what directly accelerates and sustains the brain ‘healing.’ There is little mystery in this. We’re proficient at giving advice regarding improving general health; the same applies to the limbic system. Stop promoting the myths which are holding people back: it’s a spiritual disease, the root cause needs to be dealt with, la, la, la and let the brain get better. ‘Neurotypical’ function occurs in the vast majority of persons, under the right conditions between 18 and 24 months. Clients and families often call it miraculous. I call it the application of sound science. What does all this mean? It means the addiction in the brain is over and affected circuitry has returned to healthy function. While a hellish ordeal, addiction can accurately be framed as a life experience and not a life sentence. Back to my friend with a predilection for whisky in the evenings. In my searches surrounding the science of recovery, I found a highly reliable neurocognitive assessment suite of tools through Online Cognitive Assessment Platform | Creyos (formerly Cambridge Brain Sciences). Having performed hundreds of these assessments with clients, friends and myself, I clearly see a results profile that is characteristic for persons with severe substance use disorder (Addiction), exclusive of intellect. He definitely did not have the characteristic brain changes. His Alcohol Use Disorders Inventory Test (AUDIT) indicated mild dependency on alcohol. My impression: if he quit alcohol he would miss it although might be to his benefit. He agreed. No need to get advance booking at the leper colony; that was highly unlikely given his age. Follow me on LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dr. Christopher! Dr. Christopher Ashton, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Christopher Ashton is a thought leader and truth seeker in all matters pertaining to improving health in individuals, organizations and populations. Educated in engineering physics, medicine and business finance, Christopher is able to connect the dots in multidisciplinary, complex scenarios in a manner few other persons can. Driven by the belief that answers always exist, he is currently making sense of previously incomprehensible human decisions from an organic, scientific basis. His personal goal, create something so creative and discover new truths worthy of consideration for a Nobel prize.

Written by: Vivien Roggero, 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. Finding your life purpose can be a daunting task or a dream. But having a clear direction and fulfillment in your life helps you buffer against setbacks, enables you to live longer, and is linked with well-being. Most of you have no clue what you're doing, what you want to do with your lives, where you're going, and what you're passionate about. These questions are bound to us, no matter how successful we become. We all are born for a higher purpose, and it's our mission to find it. The day you find out the purpose of your life is the most incredible day of your life. Trying to find your life purpose? Already found the purpose, but you're not really sure? No idea where to start to find your life purpose? If these questions fit your situation, you're in the perfect place! In this article, I've put together a series of questions to assist you in figuring out for yourself how you can add more meaning to life and what most matters to you. All these questions will help you uncover your personal blind spots and get crystal clear. Let's get straight into it! Questions about purpose in life To live a fulfilled and meaningful life, you must spend time deciding your life purpose. You have a purpose and meaning to share with this world. So, if you've no idea what your life purpose is and what you should do with your life, ask yourself these thought-provoking questions about purpose in life. If you're worried about how to get started, let me give you a strategy. Find a quiet space free from distractions and set aside an hour for this process. It might take much less time and take longer, but an hour is good to start. Make your mind free from unnecessary thoughts, take some deep breaths in and out, and start working through these questions. Write down the first thing that comes to your mind after each question. Jot down the answers to these questions, discover your life purpose and then make an effort to live that life passionately. Are you ready? Let's do this! 1. What are my values? It's the first question to know while trying to figure out life's purpose. Personal values are different from goals. If you feel lost, it is because you do not know what is important to you and what you value in your life. Your values are principles that guide you through life. Identifying your values is the first step to finding a life purpose. They can be anything from integrity, patience, loyalty, honesty, family, and freedom. Remember, your habits become your values, and values become your destiny. Also Read: 7 Morning Rituals For A Successful Day 2. What are my passions? Discovering your passions help you find out your purpose in life. Passion is connected to your life purpose. You do activities you enjoy most and love to do during your spare time. It might be hiking, swimming, volunteering at an animal shelter, spending quality time with your parents, practicing meditation, or learning skills. When you uncover your values, you find your passion, and then you can find your purpose. 3. Where do I find the most inspiration? Do you admire someone who is doing what you wish you to do? The person can be a teacher, activist, parent, doctor, or anyone who leads by example. Spend time with them to increase your knowledge and clarify things. Change your environment, connect with others in your field, and try journaling to help you find your inspiration. But everyone is unique, so you should ask yourself where you will find inspiration. Spend time there or doing that particular thing. Also Read: Why You Should Surround Yourself With Positive People 4. What have I accomplished that I'm most proud of? Maybe you graduated with distinction in mathematics or won a soccer championship. Bring those accomplishments to your memory that make you feel proud of your abilities. Such proud feelings will motivate you to live a life and achieve something great again that repeats those feelings. 5. What three things do I look forward to doing most? Everyone is passionate about some things. Maybe it's working with animals, cooking, traveling to your favorite city, completing puzzles, getting the desired degree, or anything. Write down three things to shift your focus to start doing them. When we do the things that fulfill us, that energy also positively impacts others. 6. What are my three strengths and weaknesses? It is crucial to know your strengths and weaknesses so that you can achieve your greatness. You can ask for feedback from your mother, friend, neighbor, spouse, and coworker, and it will force you to work on your weaknesses. When you work through your weaknesses, you realize your greatest strengths. Strengths include your skills, attributes, knowledge, and talents. Weaknesses can be poorly developed skills, blind spots, and problematic personal behaviors. 7. What unique abilities do I have that set me apart from others? Think about your exceptional abilities, talents, or skills that make you unique. Your life purpose may be hidden in these abilities. These special abilities will differentiate you from others, make you memorable, and help you achieve your career goals. Identify your uniqueness that will help you in the long run. 8. Given my passions and abilities, what career would be an ideal fit for me? When you identify your passion, abilities, and experiences, choosing your ideal career is not hard. You'll be aware of your strengths and weaknesses and know in which field you can spark and grow. Working on this question gives you a clear career path and goals. Then, it'll be easier for you to start your journey to achieve your career goals. Also Read: 11 Tips How To Leave A Job You Hate 9. What is my biggest fear? Knowing your biggest fear that is keeping you from reaching your dreams increases your self-awareness. When you identify your fear, you are better prepared for everything. Facing fear and challenging it is the bravest thing you can do. It'll make you fearless, and you'll be able to take chances, peel back the layers of things that are stopping you and face what you fear most. 10. What makes me forget to eat? We have all had that experience when we get so immersed in an activity that minutes turn into hours without realizing it. Look at these activities and the cognitive principles behind them that enthrall you. Then, you can easily apply them elsewhere. 11. What activities make me feel fully alive and happy? We know some activities get our full attention and make us come alive. Take a moment to reflect on things or moments that make you happiest. Spending more time doing those things can help you enjoy a more lively life and put you in the flow state. Also Read: 15 Tips How To Fall In Love With Yourself 12. How can I save the world? You may not fix all the world's problems by yourself. The world has a lot of problems, but you can contribute and make a difference with little effort. That feeling of difference is significant to your happiness and fulfillment. According to research, we should hold on to values more important than our pleasure and satisfaction to live a healthy and meaningful life. So, pick any problem you care about and start saving the world by solving it. 13. Can I work hard and prepare for the challenges to achieve my goal? Whatever you decide to do with your life, you'll face struggles and get stuck. Victories require hard work, and success begins at the end of your comfort zone. There is no such thing as an ideal career will fall into your lap. If you're prepared to stick around your goals despite hurdles and endure discomfort, you're on the perfect track. So, ask yourself how much you're ready to suffer to make your dreams come true. 14. What would I regret not doing in my life? Life is short, and regrets suck. Every day you have new opportunities to make the most of your life. The choices you make today will determine the number of regrets. Ask yourself what things will make you regret not doing. It can be not learning more, not taking risks, not prioritizing your health, not doing meaningful work, procrastinating, or anything else. It will help you make the right choices that will limit your regrets in the future. 15. What would I do if I knew I couldn't fail? Ask yourself this exciting question and see what surprising answer comes to mind. Most of us have a dream trapped within us that is stifled by fear of failure. Recall your dream to see if the fear of failure is holding you back from doing something you really love to do. Then, challenge the fear and do it anyway. After overcoming the fear, you'll feel a huge sense of contentment and happiness. 16. What would my ideal life look like? It is a strong question that can change your life. Start thinking about what the ideal life you dream of is. It is one of the reasons that will keep you motivated to keep going and working on finding your purpose. When you know the answer to this question, you plan your goals accordingly and start working consistently. The ideal life fulfills you and thrives you; you can only achieve that when you find your true life purpose. 17. What life experiences have shaped my personality? There are memorable life experiences that change us and teach us lessons. Some experiences are delightful to recall, while some are embarrassing. But they help you become a better version of yourself and seek the best life. Maybe you fell in love, had a pet, went on a solo trip, or experienced anything else that shaped your personality. Recall those experiences and see what you learned and how they changed you. 18. What would I focus on with a year to live to leave behind a lasting legacy? Death freaks us out and gives us perspective on what is actually essential in our lives and what is just distracting and frivolous. Contemplating these questions will help you focus on reevaluating how you spend your time or how much time you waste. It allows you to concentrate on whether you're doing something meaningful or not, and you'll come up with something. Consider this question seriously, and it'll give you a hint about what you could be doing with your life. 19. What is my obituary going to say? Every day what you do in your life, you write your own obituary. Think about it. Are you OK with it? Proud of it? Ashamed? Disappointed? Do your actions add up to something you want to be remembered for? If not, start working and adding more to your life story. If you want to be recognized as a rescuer of neglected animals, go out and save poor creatures. If you want to be remembered as the ideal spouse, then be the ideal spouse. 20. How will I know when I have found my life purpose? After answering all the questions, you will need clarification on how I will know I have figured out my life purpose. Remember, your life purpose is your personal part, so only you can know when you found your purpose. Pay attention to your feelings, thoughts, and actions. If you think you've found your life purpose, start exploring it and taking action. Clarity comes from actions. Read books, and articles, talk to people already doing it and discover more about that field. If learning and acting on your purpose energizes you, it means you've found your purpose in life! Final Thoughts Finding your life purpose is not complicated as many of us think. Discovering your true life purpose is your exercise. Only you can find answers to your deepest life questions. So, it's totally up to you to put in the effort to find your authentic self. So, it's time to take action now. Grab your journal and start working through these questions about purpose in life. The answers might surprise you. It is always interesting to explore things about ourselves we've forgotten about. These things inspire us, challenge us, and give us an opportunity to do things differently. It's worth it. If you're feeling directionless and want guidance from a professional about finding your life purpose, a life coach can help you. Feel free to reach out to me and let me help you discover your true life purpose so you can finally answer this question, "What do I want? "When you find it, you can chase success and happiness. Remember, it's never too late to take steps to change your life! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Vivien! Vivien Roggero, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Vivien Roggero is a certified Executive & Empowerment Coach and Entrepreneur. After 15 years of professional journey, expanding from Sales to IT Executive in some world-class startups’, losing his father to COVID, and going through a high-conflict divorce, he decided to dedicate his life to empowering people so they can live a fulfilling life. Those experiences also inspired him to create the One Freedom™ Framework, freedom and purpose-centric approach to life that helps his clients to accelerate their life design process and sculpt growth. His focus is to help clients who feel stuck in their professional or personal journeys or find struggles to re-navigate life after major life-changing events.

Written by: Brooke Summer Adams, Senior Level 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. One of the biggest obstacles you’ll face when it comes to actually taking the action that will make your dream your reality ‒ is fear. Fear can make taking action so uncomfortable, that you don’t take it. This could be fear showing up as worry about what others will think if you go are seen going after your goals, the fear of whether you’re good enough to achieve your goals, the fear of what could happen if you fail or even fearing what could happen if you succeed. Brooke Summer Adams ‒ an Internationally Accredited Transformation Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, International Speaker, Trainer and Writer and Yahoo Finances’ Top 10 Female Life Coach of 2021 works closely with first-time coaches to help them become the coach within them who has what it takes to create their vision. She is here with us today to share the top-tips she uses with her 1-2-1 clients to help them overcome fear and take the action they need to take to make their visions their realities. 1. Take ownership of the vision you hold and the person who is capable of creating it If you imagine the life of your dreams, most likely it will feel somewhat far or distant from yourself. However, it’s important to know that there is a version of yourself who lives that life as their normal every day. That version of yourself is most likely going to think, feel and act differently from how you do now. Things that feel scary to you now, won’t feel scary to them ‒ because they do them on the daily. You may not currently believe that you can (for example) be an incredible coach who changes lives, however ‒ the version of you who does this on the daily - will absolutely believe that they are the incredible coach who changes lives. You may not currently believe that (for example) you are capable of effortlessly bringing 5 figures into your bank each month, however ‒ the version of you who does this every month ‒ will absolutely believe that they are capable of making such an income. Here’s the thing. That version of you who believes those things ‒ makes them happen. It may seem at first logical to assume that the belief that it’s possible has come from the observation that it’s possible ‒ but the reality is ‒ the belief comes first. If you genuinely didn’t believe you had any chance no matter how hard you tried, you wouldn’t try ‒ and therefore, it won’t happen. But If you truly believed you were capable, you wouldn’t stop until you made it happen. If you adopt the identity of the person who lives the life of your dreams ‒ you will create it, because that is the life that is destined for them. If you adopt the identity of the person who lives the life of your dreams, making it happen won’t seem so scary ‒ because now all you’re doing is what’s natural and normal for you to do. As well as owning this identity ‒ own the VISION. Take it upon yourself to make this vision your reality. Don’t rely on anyone else, don’t wait for any opportunity, don’t hold off until better external circumstances. Take full responsibility that whether or not this vision becomes your reality ‒ that’s on you. It may not be a comfortable pill to swallow, but it’s a powerful one. As soon as you fully accept that the reason you’re not currently living the life of your dreams is YOU ‒ the discomfort of knowing this will make you do something about it. 2. Make room and stop the excuses Use some time management to free up space in your daily life to keep taking consistent action and building the momentum that will get you where you want to be. Don’t fall for the common trap of telling yourself you’ll “find the time” ‒ it never happens, you have to MAKE the time. If you carve out space to do what you need to do, you run out of excuses as to why you can’t do it. If you’re struggling to make this space, don’t tell yourself that you don’t have time. Tell yourself it’s not a priority. When “I don’t have time to create the life of my dreams” becomes “it’s not a priority to me to create the life of my dreams” ‒ the discomfort makes you do something about it. When you run out of excuses as to why you CAN'T take action, you are forced to face the real reason as to why you’re NOT taking action ‒ fear. Leaving you no choice but to face it head on and overcome it. 3. Feel the fear and do it anyway, consistently Stop waiting for things to feel less scary before you do them. Feel the fear, and do it anyway. Do it scared. Now. There’s a certain level of mindset work that will help you to reduce fear, but truly overcoming fear comes from exposure. Be brave, do it even though it scares you ‒ over and over again, until it doesn’t. 4. Get a coach Sometimes, no amount of motivation is enough to get us to keep ourselves accountable to consistently pushing through the fear and taking the action we need to take to get us where we want to be. Sometimes, there can be heavy inner work needed to get us fully believing we are capable of getting where we want to be and owning the identity of the person who can get us there. This is where a coach comes in. A coach will be able to help you transform your mindset, shift your identity, plan out your action steps and hold you accountable to them. People can connect with me via Email, Facebook, Instagram, or my Website. Wherever you go, you’ll find helpful training and info on all things transformation. Read more from Brooke! Brooke Summer Adams, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Brooke Summer Adams is internationally accredited in Transformational Coaching, certified to a master-level in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), a graduate of Psychology with a 1st Class Honors Degree (BS.c), a Yahoo Finance Top 10 Female Life-Coach of 2021, a Brainz 500 Global Award Winner of 2021, a Workshop Facilitator at the worlds 1 Coaching Academy and an international Speaker, Trainer, and Writer. After overcoming chronic stress, low self-esteem and body dysmorphia, Brooke was inspired to take to University to study Psychology, become an Internationally Accredited Transformation Coach and NLP Master Practitioner and set up her own online coaching business. After several successful years in business transforming over 100 women into the best versions of themselves, being recognised as a Yahoo Finance Top 10 Female Life Coach and becoming an International Speaker and Trainer, Brooke then moved into the field of transforming first time coaches ‒ so they feel ready to transform others. This experience, on top her qualifications, allows her to transform first time coaches into the version of them who has what it takes to create their vision, by helping them build unshakeable self belief and confidence, overcome fear and take aligned action.

Written by: Pia Antico, Senior Level 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. As women over 50, we often face unique challenges and pressures in life. Between balancing work, family, and personal responsibilities, it can be easy to lose sight of our own happiness and well-being. But it's never too late to start prioritizing joy and finding ways to cultivate it in our daily lives. Here are six tips to help you experience more joy in 2023: Practice self-care regularly Make time for activities that nourish your body, mind, and spirit. This might include things like exercising, meditating, reading, or taking a relaxing bath; anything that gets you out of your head and into the flow of the present moment. Whatever self-care looks like for you, make sure to carve out time for it on a regular basis. Surround yourself with positive people The people we spend time with can greatly impact our overall well-being. Seek out relationships with people who lift you up, support you, and make you feel good about yourself. Find meaning and purpose in your work Whether you're employed or retired, finding meaning and purpose in what you do is important. So often, we live our lives on autopilot following the rules of others, &/or our own outdated beliefs. What are your key principles to live by? Learn to say no It's easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and feel like we have to say yes to everything. But it's important to set boundaries and learn to say no when something doesn't align with our values or goals. This will help us feel more in control and allow us to focus on the things that truly matter to us. Shift your awareness from your head to your heart or gut, listen for that visceral misaligned "nope" or "yeah" and act accordingly. Take time to appreciate the present moment It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life and miss out on the beauty and joy that's all around us. Make a conscious effort to slow down and appreciate the present moment, whether it's through mindfulness practices like meditation or simply taking a few deep breaths and taking in your surroundings. Find ways to give back Giving back to others can bring a sense of fulfillment and purpose to our lives. Find ways to volunteer, donate, or support causes that are important to you. This can be a great source of joy and can also bring a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves. By incorporating these tips into your life, you can experience more joy and well-being in 2023 and beyond. Remember to be kind to yourself, prioritize self-care, and seek out positive relationships and activities that tap into your innate consciousness of joy and well-being. To further help you step into 2023 with confidence I am gifting you a transformational masterclass "Fearless After 50", aimed at inspiring you to put your joy first & let it guide your choices. During this masterclass, I will be giving you six simple steps to awaken the joy within™️ and thrive after 50. The exact steps I used to go from divorced, homeless, unemployed, scared & full of shame at 44 years old; to free, fun & fearless at 50. All without winning the lottery! Get your free access today here. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Pia! Pia Antico, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine In the middle of a storm, it is possible to find peace & strength when we tap into our innate Spirit-led wisdom and step heartfully into the present moment.” ‒ Pia Antico Pia Antico is the Founder of Essential Awakening Mentoring, a Crone Life Joy Reboot Mentor/Coach/Trainer, International Public Speaker & Best Selling Author. She intuitively helps single, empty nester, businesswomen over 40 ditch their regrets, live unapologetically, age disgracefully & quit being an unwilling bystander in their lives. Without getting stuck rehashing, analyzing & reframing trauma stories. Embodying her unique 6 steps AWAKEN the joy within©️ framework helps them to free themselves from limiting beliefs & create lives of fun through trusting the guidance of their carefree Higher Self Wisdom. Pia holds three degrees in Psychology, Counseling Training, and Certification in the 3 Principles Paradigm & she brings into coaching a wealth of insights gained from a litany of growth experiences. At 49, she is a 'three near deaths before 30, two abusive marriages, & major head injury life rebuilder' whose mission is to help single, empty nester businesswomen over 40 to effortlessly get past their darkest moments by tapping into their innate well-being. So that they can shine the light of their radiant, joyful wisdom & step into their dreamed-of future. Pia wants single empty nester women over 40 to know in their bones that their past doesn't predict their future & now is the time to dream big.

Written by: Dr. Kapil and Rupali Apshankar, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. What if your days and your life was filled with unlimited love, happiness and abundance? What if you could be, do and have anything your heart desired? This physical, mental, emotional and spiritual state of living your best life on your own terms is BLISS. Imagine it is 31st December 2023. For a moment, imagine this has been the best year ever of your life. Everything you had dreamed about this year on 1st January has come true. The year has unfolded exactly the way you wanted it to unfold. Where would you be on New Year's Eve in 365 days from now? With whom will be spending the evening? What will you be doing? What have you accomplished this year? What has made the last twelve months memorable and successful for you? What made you really, really happy this year? Take a couple of moments and write down your thoughts as you think about these questions. Really do it, don’t just wing it. Let’s snap back to the present moment. Today is the start of a fresh new year. But in a few short days, the new year will no longer remain new. Yet we firmly believe that this year can be the best year ever for you. No matter how the last thirty days have been for you, no matter where you are in your life, you get to make a fresh new start every day. You get to make a fresh beginning in every moment, in this very moment. We recommend two simple mindset shifts to create your best year ever: Stop counting time in yearly units. Sure, it’s New Year’s Day today. And yes, time will fly away very soon with days turning into weeks and months. Remember that with every sunrise, you get to create and live a brand-new day. Stop thinking about resolutions. They always fail, don’t they? Think about what would make today a great day. What would you do? What actions would you take? Are you ready, willing and committed to make today your best day ever? There you go, you have a purpose, an intention and a goal for today. To take the guesswork out of creating and living your best day every day, we created the Live Your Bliss Life Transformation framework. Having worked with hundreds of leaders, entrepreneurs, homemakers and high performers worldwide, we realized that deep inside, we all yearn for the same outcomes in life. Great health, abundance of wealth, amazing relationships and a successful career. Creating these results in life boils down to being able to transform our inner core – our thoughts, feeling, emotions and beliefs. When you work with your own inner self with love, compassion and empathy, you can transform your inner core. With this makeover, you can align your actions with your intentions and goals every single day. Here are some simple, effective and heart-centered massive action baby steps that you can embrace starting tomorrow morning to make this year your best year ever. Transform Your Inner Core: Accept yourself as you are in the present moment. Practice self-acceptance and self-love every day. Be willing to change and grow. Learn something new daily. Reprogram your mindset. Release the old patterns, beliefs and ideas that are no longer serving you. Embrace new ideas and new beliefs that support your success. Be your own best friend for life. Take some time out for yourself every day. Start a new hobby or nurture an old one. Actively practice gratitude and meditation every single day. Create Great Health: Embrace a healthy lifestyle. Get clear about what great health and a healthy lifestyle mean to you. Become aware of any inner resistances, inner blocks or self-limiting beliefs you encounter so that you can actively work on them. Eat natural, unprocessed and healthy food. Learn more about good nutrition that aligns with your spiritual beliefs. Get quality sleep every night. Start an evening and a bedtime ritual. Disconnect from all screens, gadgets and technology at least for some time every day. Adopt movement and exercise in your daily schedule. Even something as gentle as yoga can be very effective in creating great health. Know that your mind, body and spirit are all interconnected. Your thoughts end up creating your reality. Learn to become aware of your thoughts. Practice breathwork and pranayama. A healthy mind leads to positive thoughts. Create Abundance and Prosperity: Money is energy. Become aware of the energy of money and the good that it can create in the world. Examine your own beliefs around money and prosperity. Become aware of any blocks and resistances that are limiting your own abundance and prosperity. Take stock of your finances to become aware of any money leaks in your life. If money flowing out of your life is not making you happy, explore ways in which you can turn around the energy of these transactions. Create an action plan to earn more passive income. What can you do to earn more passive income this year? What can you do in the next 90 days? Get clear about how much income or profit you want to make this year. What can you do today to make it happen? Rinse and repeat every day. Invest strategically. Become a great investor, not a speculator. Think long term and you will create massive intra-generational and inter-generational wealth. Create Amazing Relationships: The most important relationship you will ever have is your relationship with yourself. Be willing to create an amazing relationship with your own self as a first step in creating amazing relationships with others. The past is over and done. You only have the present moment and the present day to work on and change. Be willing to embrace forgiveness. Be willing to forgive old hurts, past events and circumstances and people Take time to define what you want to create or change in specific relationships. Become aware if your thoughts, feelings, emotions, beliefs and actions are aligned with your desires. Be willing to change and to take baby steps every day to actively co-create the relationships you desire. Great relationships are nurtured like a delicate flowering plant. Become a better listener. Bring the energy of empathy, kindness and compassion into your conversations. Be willing to give and receive love in areas of your life: Self-care for yourself, intimate love for your romantic relationships, nurturing a love for your relationships as a parent, brotherhood love for family and friends, compassionate love for your professional and business colleagues. Create Career Success: Know what you want in your career. Be willing to take baby steps in the direction of your dream career every day. Do what you love. Discover your purpose and do the work you love to do. In what way can you do what you love today? Believe in yourself. What you believe about yourself, and your career is what you will show up at your doorstep. Examine your own beliefs around career success. Become aware of any blocks and resistances that are limiting your own good. Nothing succeeds like success. Confidence in yourself creates small wins. Small wins lead to big victories. In what way can you build self-confidence today? What small wins can you create today? What big victories can you create in the next 90 days? Learn a new skill. Start a side hustle. Take an online program. Build your resume and keep it current and updated. Become visible to people who can help you create career success on your own terms. Become an authority in your area of expertise. Publish a book, write a blog, start a podcast, record and album, launch a product, whatever it takes. Don't die with your music still inside you. Remember, you can make this year the blissfully best year ever of your life. Just start your day with these two questions every morning: What are your goals and intentions for today? What baby steps will you take today to live your dream life? It’s your life. It’s your only life. Make it blissful filled with unlimited love, happiness and abundance. We are here to cheer and support you all along. Using the principles of success and happiness outlined here, Live Your Bliss is a Transformational Lifestyle Design System that we created which empowers you to discover, create, and live your very best life. On your own terms, and nobody else’s. Join our global movement at Blissvana, take charge of your life and start living your bliss today. We’d love to help you become the Michelangelo of your own life and create a masterpiece of your life. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and visit our website for more info! Read more from Dr. Kapil and Rupali! Dr. Kapil and Rupali Apshankar, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Kapil and Rupali are Amazon's 1 bestselling authors and globally respected business and life strategists. They are founders of Blissvana, a boutique personal development, self-growth, and success studio. Their coaching methods have been proven at the highest levels of success in every dimension of human life. Kapil and Rupali's lives revolve around love, happiness, abundance, and bliss ‒ at home and work. Kapil and Rupali's purpose is to create the highest possible quality of life they can for themselves, and the people they love while helping others around them do the same.

Antonie Ziegler is an intuitive life alignment coach who helps mid-life driven women and high-functioning, burnt-out CEOs on a holistic healing journey to wake up to their truest selves and align with their desires, so that they can live a joyful, intentional and impactful life. It is Antonie’s mission to wake women up to the beauty and power they hold within, so that they can move beyond self-doubt, perfectionism, anxiety and confusion into a place of tranquility, connection and wonder. Antonie Ziegler, Intuitive Life Alignment Coach What prompted you to become an intuitive life alignment coach for female executives and midlife women? Was there a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today? “Life will be better when...” That’s the story I would tell myself almost my whole life –– that I will be happier WHEN I will just get this one last thing. Be it a new friend, a different job, marriage, kids, a better school for my children, etc. Now, from the outside, I got everything I asked for. But did it change how I felt on the inside? No. I still felt frustrated, angry, stressed, overwhelmed, unappreciated, excluded and alone. These emotions went away for a while when I managed to soothe myself with some kind of distraction, like getting together with friends or having a fun outing. But they kept coming back, over and over again. There was no escape. My emotional state was like riding a rollercoaster. I had times of great fun and happiness, only to find myself in a deep valley of depression a few weeks later. I could never understand why it happened to me. Why me? Everybody else seemed happy. Also, everybody around me thought I was happy. I knew that something needed to change. Otherwise, I would not only keep hurting myself but also everybody around me, especially my family. In 2016, an email showed up in my Gmail account inviting me to a free women-centered workshop, emphasizing the lessons of how to unleash your potential. That was it –– I’d found what I needed, a community of like-minded women who could relate to each other. For the first time in my life, I felt fully seen, heard, and, most importantly, I realized that I’m not the only one struggling with myself and life. And from that point on, my life took an unexpectedly awesome turn, as I decided to get certified as a transformational coach and facilitator. It was the only way for me to keep on this path of learning and discovering who I really was and what wants to emerge When did your spiritual journey begin and how did it look like? 20 years ago, when I started practicing yoga – that’s about the time I’d say when I got actively involved with spirituality. I had very inspiring yoga teachers, who not only taught me the postures (and supported me in getting comfortable in the uncomfortable postures), but also introduced me to the benefits of meditation. I started to inhale any kind of wisdom I could get hold of by reading books and attending workshops and seminars. That’s how I stumbled upon the simple and ancient healing method from the Q’ero Incan Shamans in Peru. I was fascinated. I realized that besides working on a physical, emotional, and soulful level to bring healing to my inner wounds, I needed another level of intervention. Getting certified as a shamanic energy medicine practitioner gave me the tools and expertise to engage more fully with the vital, emanating life force we are all part of. As a result, we can all live in a better relationship with everything around us. In hindsight, I’ve always been a spiritual person seeking answers from different sources. I always felt there’s more out there. I just didn’t know what it was. As a young child, I imagined Jesus showing up behind the clouds as the sunrays fell down onto the earth. There are many ways to be a spiritual person, and I believe you don’t have to go to church to do that. You can create your own routine of connecting with God, Buddha, Spirit, Universe, The Great Mystery – whatever you want to call it. My own upbringing in a Christian environment was very rigid and didn’t make any sense to me. Now I have a different understanding. For instance, I can see that praying the rosary is a beautiful way of meditation. The repetition of the prayers, calling on Mother Mary, it can be a very healing thing to do. What spiritual practice did you do this morning? Is this how you start each day? Every morning, before I even get up, I think of what I’m grateful for. That gets me in a really good vibration. I also connect with my goals, the vision I have for myself and my business –– and then I feel it in every cell of my body and soul, as if I’ve accomplished it already. As the last step in my ritual, I thank Spirit to have provided me with this opportunity. I’m a strong believer that life, the Universe, will respond to the energy that I put out there. The response will come at its own time. The Universe wants to co-create with me. So, you better watch out when it comes to what you’re asking for. If you believe that a miserable life is what’s out there for you, then that’s exactly what you’ll get. That’s why it’s so important to connect with what you truly yearn for and go about your day as if you have gotten it already. Why did you choose the name Cut Looze for your business? What’s the story there? In 2003, I discovered the amazing quilts of Gee’s Bend, created by African-American women living in a very remote area in Alabama. I was intrigued by the unconventional, creative design they made using only the fabric they had on hand. It was very unique. This fascination then drew me to an improv quilting workshop at the Detroit Institute of Art, where I learned how to create a heart-shaped piece with just strips of fabric and no pattern to follow. I was sold on this kind of handiwork, where I could create something beautiful but I wasn’t limited by rules and perfectionism. This work brought out my joy and playfulness with colors and fabric. Exploring ways in how to incorporate handiwork into spiritual and life coaching workshops for women, I remembered the quilting book with the title, “Cut-Loose Quilts,” which was very inspiring to me in the beginning of my quilting journey. And that’s how the name for my business came up. And to be completely candid, ‘z’ came in because Cut Loose as a domain name was already taken. I like it as Cut Looze with a ‘z,’ like my last name initial — it makes it different; it makes it uniquely me. In three words, how does what you do for midlife women make you feel? Fulfilled, proud, happy. A lot of what I am seeing right now is midlife women who feel lost, stuck and completely detached from their purpose. How can someone who is feeling this way start to realign with their purpose? Well, it’s much like what I do with my clients. The first thing I ask of my client is to connect with her deepest yearnings and desires. Next, I ask what her life would look like if she could create it with a swoosh of her magic wand. I would encourage you to do the same. Why? Because you begin to see and feel that nothing is impossible. In fact, the word “impossible” says “I’m possible.” So, by asking my clients to visualize this new reality, it allows them to start dreaming, stepping into the vision as if it happened already. To feel it with all your senses that is the first step in connecting with what’s possible. The next thing you’ll want to do is look at what is holding you back from where you want to be. When I do this with my clients, my intention is that they become the observer of their own life, and realize how they are co-creating their own experiences in these stories. This is a very helpful step as you see how we all can be stuck sometimes in the victim role, blaming everything and everybody for the pain we are experiencing. Through custom processes and practices, I help my clients to disengage from these patterns and stories. They realize that there is nothing that is actually holding them back from the life they want to live. They have everything they need. And they come to an understanding that through courage and trust, life will respond to their yearnings. So, how can you employ some of these steps for yourself to start walking the path toward healing and manifestation? Here is what I recommend you try when you have a few minutes to yourself: Think of something you don’t feel good about or wish you could have. Write it down. Now, think of the exact opposite of that. It’s there you will find your desire. Again, write it down. Now, write one or two things you can do that get you closer to what you are yearning for. It needs to be something that is possible for you to do – stretch yourself a little out of your comfort zone – and makes you feel better when you do it. For example, if you feel a disconnection in your friendships with someone, have the intention to reaching out to them in the next day or two and tell them how you enjoy their company. If you are not happy with your outer appearance, you don’t like your hair, go and try out a new hair stylist, get a consultation. And then you want to act on it. Once you do, no matter how scary it may be, you will realize how better it makes you feel when you take on responsibility for your own good. Stepping into the zone of discomfort and eventually getting comfortable with the uncomfortable is what will bring you further in your journey. You are also certified as a shamanic energy medicine practitioner. How do you use energy medicine in your work? What are the benefits of it? Do you work with any other healing and spiritual modalities? Let’s start with the basics. We are all surrounded by a luminous energy field (LEF), also called light body or aura. It is a matrix that envelops and informs the physical structure of all living beings. Our LEF contains imprints that originate from personal and ancestral memories, early-life trauma, and wounds from former lifetimes that inform our body of how we live, how we age, how we heal, and how we might die. These imprints are like invisible computer programs operating in the background that create a map of our life, an internal blueprint. This blueprint defines our neural pathways and how we function in day-to-day life. Shamans all over the world believe that if we wish to change the outer world, we must begin by changing our internal blueprint. This is done by healing and removing the imprints in your LEF. As a shamanic energy medicine practitioner, I track the energetics behind a client’s issue, find the imprint in the LEF, extract the heavy energy, and upgrade the LEF by infusing it with the primordial life force energy. It is amazing what happens for my clients during that purifying process. They can feel the heavy energy being lifted and sense a different vibration entering their body. It can show up as a sensation of warmth permeating over areas of their body, images or colors may appear, even sudden insights pop into their mind that they didn’t think of before. The experience is very individual. Reviewing the experience afterward, we come up with practical steps for the client to reinstall a new way of being, all while supporting the clearing of the heavy energy. And as is known in neuroscience, it requires at least 28 days of discipline and consistency to install new neuropathways in your brain to develop a new way of being. Being certified as a transformational coach, I’ve been introduced to various spiritual practices from different teachings. And I keep adding on to it. For example, in the last year, I’ve started doing ancestral work. A lot of issues we’re struggling with, they didn’t start with us. They are sort of handed down from our ancestors, and can be really, really old and tough on us to break free from. If we manage to solve these issues, though, we are not only helping our ancestors to heal old wounds, but also allowing the generations that are yet to come from our lineage to live a better life. What are three energy healing techniques or spiritual practices that helped you in your own healing journey and that one can use at home? Learning more about ancestral work, my mentor introduced me to working with an ancestral altar. It’s a beautiful way to honor our ancestors, dead and alive. You can talk to them, ask them questions, or ask for assistance in any matter. They are here for you. They want to help you live a better life, a life you love. It helped me tremendously to let go of resentment toward them, find forgiveness, and appreciate the gifts and skills that I received from them. There’s a beautiful energy-healing practice I like to use to bring healing energy to a dear friend who might be in distress. First, I find a quiet place for myself and connect with my breath until I feel relaxed. During this process, I like to put my right hand on my heart space, as it creates a soothing effect. Next, I think of what the person would need right now. Is it love? Is it tolerance? Is it understanding? Then I think of a time when I experienced that myself. I connect with the energy of it, and I imagine sending that energy to the person. I don’t have any expectations of what the person will do with it. Maybe they are open to receiving the support, maybe not. That’s up to the person to decide what to do with the healing energy. Yet, the intention to give my support freely has a tremendous effect on me, the knowledge that I am offering help to someone has a powerful effect on my soul. Bringing gratitude into my life is another powerful practice for me. You can’t be upset and grateful at the same time. It helps to get yourself out of your negative mindset and be more open to the gifts and opportunities that already surround you. All you have to do is open your heart, mind and eyes to them. First thing in the morning, before I even get up, I greet the tree outside my window in my mind. This is my way of giving thanks. I’m grateful for another day. Then, throughout the day, I savor unexpected moments and situations. I’m aware of gifts that come my way, not taking them or anything for granted. I try to find opportunities even in those ‘bad moments’ that we all experience, rather than being angry. And in the evening, I reflect on the day and express gratitude for all I’ve experienced and the lessons I learned. The practice of gratitude strengthens the ability to notice the good. It allows you to soften your awareness, be open to the little wonders around you, and bring in some joy and peace. And it raises your vibration, bringing you closer to making your manifestations become reality. I challenge you to make a list of 3 things daily that you’re grateful for and either journal about each one or repeat the following phrase like a mantra in the morning or evening: “I’m grateful for another day. I’m grateful for myself taking good care of myself. I’m grateful for the cup of coffee that I’ll get to enjoy this morning.” Allow your senses to experience what you are grateful for, and you’ll see that you will attract more of what you are grateful for. It really is that simple. And, finally, how are you planning to shake up the world next? At this point, I’m unstoppable. As I create more brand awareness around Cut Looze and myself, there’s lots to expect from me in the next few weeks. Besides my 6-month 1:1 YOU, UNFILTERED coaching program, I’ll be offering a day-long VIP program called INVENTING YOU, where I get my clients in touch with their true potential. And I’m also excited to offer an 8-week boot-camp, in which I get my clients into a magnetic mindset that will empower them to become their own changemaker, so they can create the life they want. I’m so looking forward to actively supporting myself and others to live their lives with pure intention. By connecting with our deepest, heartfelt desires, and letting go of beliefs, fears and thoughts that hold us prisoner, we increase our energetic vibrancy and attract all good things in life. Our world becomes a better place with shifts happening within us. Each of us can make a difference – one that impacts the next person, not just ourselves. All it takes is a shift of mindset, a little divine action and belief in yourself. And I can help you with that. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for more info! Read more from Antonie!

Written by: Rose Salkova , 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. If growing up was hard, what now? Do I have to carry the past with me? For how long? Childhood is a magical time. Everything is new, we grow, discover, learn from scratch, make friends… But for some of us it is different. Our challenges start already there. Some of us never knew what it is to be loved and nurtured by our parents and grandparents. Some of us lived through neglect, abandonment, physical or emotional abuse at home. Or at school. Or on the street. So instead of love and encouragement to be ourselves, to be the best we can be and doing what we love doing, we learn lack, self-pity, low self-confidence, violence, rejection, regret, revenge, resentment, guilt, shame… And then as we grow up, we find ourselves struggling with ourselves, with relationships, school, work and sometimes even with daily tasks. When the original distress happened, that was trauma. Whenever we relive those events, that is trauma all over again. When we recreate the original distress in a new setting, that is drama. And the vicious circle goes on. Family, home, the bedroom should all be a safe haven, a place to return to at the end of the day. Us: our bodies, our thoughts, should be loving and compassionate towards ourselves and others. So what if this is not the case? Deny it ever happened and burry it really deep? Cry when alone? Let the past turn into a 24/7 monkey chatter? Stop seeing them. Hate people? That’s what I did. I am sure there are many other coping strategies. But coping strategies – they do not help in the long term. In fact what they do is that they explode in our faces at the most inappropriate time. Dysfunctional families (I know that for some of you this is a really mild term) have many different faces or dynamics, if you wish. But they all have one thing in common: lack of love not received and lack of love not given. Love is what we all are looking for. Love is all there is. And love is energy. What happened cannot be undone. In my experience, what can be done is resolving the past: accept it happened, forgive and learn. At the same time, as an Energy Life Coach, I also look behind the scenes, at the flow of energy between family members: cut the hurtful ties with the past and replace them with new, beneficial ones. As a result, get relief and inner peace. And if you continue the journey, find compassion, love, joy, and be yourself. Feel that you wouldn’t want to be anyone else but you, and that with all that comes with you: the good, the bad and the ugly. Hi, my na me is Rose. I’m an Energy Life Coach. I support people that have been living through painful family relationships. I help them to take ownership of their lives: to take responsibility for their own energy, to stop being a victim of circumstances and to create a meaningful life for themselves. It is possible to come from hardship and shine again! Book a free consultation at familyhealingwithrose.com to find out more about my approach and if it is for you. Alternatively, you can join me and Dr. Pat Baccili , as we discuss every second Wednesday of a month at 14:00 EST why taking responsibility and ownership of your energy matters. Learn how to do it, but most importantly, learn how it can change your life. Listen live or replay Family Healing with Rose: Take responsibility and ownership of your energy . Visit my website for more info! Read more from Rose! Rose Salkova, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Rose Salkova is a Life Coach focusing on Intuitive Family Healing. Family relationships are in the heart of her practice because she believes that they are at the bottom of our suffering as well as the base of our well-being. She offers insight into the spiritual aspect of family relationships and actionable steps how to resolve them. Her mission is to help people that are dispirited by their family life to put a smile back on their faces. To help them to resolve their past, bring colour back into their lives, get relief, be free, feel whole, get a peace of mind and to rise again.

Written by: Andrea Hunt, 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. For many people, a new year is a time to make resolutions. But shockingly, one study reported that only 9% of people keep them. And what’s worse, 23% of people quit in the first week. So what’s going on? Learn why unfortunately most resolutions end up being sadly pointless by the end of the year and why you should set intentions instead. Read on to make 2023 your most successful year yet. Photo by: Engin Akyurt As the year draws to a close, many of us find ourselves reflecting on the past and looking ahead to the future. The start of a new year is the perfect time to start fresh and create meaningful change in our lives. Many of us approach the turning of the calendar with a sense of optimism and hope, and every year, we declare how ready we are for change and we’re hopeful that this time will be different. If you’re one of these people, you’re not alone. Every year people make resolutions for all kinds of things, from health and career to more money, or finding that special person. Let’s be honest, if your resolutions haven’t worked, why not try something new? Why most New Year’s resolutions don't work One of the main reasons why New Year’s resolutions don’t work is because they are often too vague and outcome-focused without intention or a plan. We might have a general idea of what we want or don’t want, but without a clear plan of action, it can be difficult to stay motivated and follow through. Additionally, many resolutions tend to focus either on what we’re going to stop doing rather than what we want to do, why we want to do it, how we will do it, or how we will measure our success, etc. For example, have you ever set a resolution that sounds like: “I’m going to lose weight," or "I’m going to make more money”? Those are great ideas. But how will you do it? Or maybe you’ve set so many resolutions and huge changes that it’s just not realistic and you get overwhelmed. When this happens, many people, unfortunately, sabotage themselves with procrastination, rebel against their own resolutions, and give up. By March, they look around and realize that they haven’t made any money or lost any weight. They just accept defeat and go back to what they were doing. The difference between intentions and resolution Intentions are focused on the motivation for the journey rather than the destination, and they allow us to be mindful of our actions and how we can improve our lives with the changes they will bring. Intentions are about self-reflection and personal growth, rather than relying on external factors that may be out of our control. They give us a sense of purpose and direction in life, without feeling like we have to achieve something specific in order to feel successful. Intentions also help us stay motivated and inspired throughout the year. Instead of measuring ourselves by 100% successes or 100% failures, we can focus on enriching our lives through experiences and progress. This is the guiding principle that helps us strive to become better versions of ourselves by setting goals that are achievable yet challenging enough to keep us engaged. They allow us to take ownership of our lives and make positive changes that will benefit us in the long run. If we miss a task, we can still be on the path without feeling guilty or sabotaging the whole rest of the journey. How to create intentions for 2023 Step 1: Set your positive intentions for the year in different areas. Create areas like personal growth (skills, learning, self-improvement), health (mental and physical) career, money and finances, and personal relationships (family, friends, significant other). In each area, write your intentions down. This could be something like: “I intend to focus on my health and well-being.” “I intend to prioritize relationships with family and friends.” “I intend to learn more about financial investing.” Step 2: Write down your motivation for these intentions. Why do you want to improve your health? Why do you want to prioritize your relationships? Why do you want to learn about investing? Who do you want to have better health for? What positive change will this bring you? How will this improve your life? In each area, write your motivations down for each intention. This could be something like: “I intend to focus on my health and well-being because I want to be fit enough to go biking with my kids in the summers without feeling tired. “I intend to learn more about financial investing because I want to pay off more debt and save more money so I can travel to Spain next year. Step 3: Break down your long-term goals into smaller, more manageable tasks. This will help you stay focused on what needs to be done in order to reach your ultimate goal. Additionally, it’s important to set realistic expectations for yourself and give yourself enough time to complete each task. Remember not to overdo it. If you try too much too soon you might create resistance and sabotage yourself! Try listing one change you would do and it helps to be specific. It’s also helpful to create a timeline with deadlines so that you can track your progress. This could be something like: To get fit, I will commit to 30 minutes of cardio activity 3 times a week in the mornings before work/lunchtime/after work. Step 4: Create an action plan that outlines how you will achieve each goal. This should include specific steps that need to be taken in order to reach the desired outcome. It’s also important to identify any potential obstacles or challenges that may arise along the way and come up with solutions for them ahead of time. Finally, don’t forget to reward yourself when you reach milestones or complete tasks – this will help keep you motivated throughout the process. This could be something like: I will buy a wall calendar and put a sticker on the days I do cardio. If I’m tired and I miss a day, I won’t guilt trip myself. I will just go the next day. At the end of the week, I will reward myself with X (something non-food related). At the end of every month, I will put X amount of money/time aside for X reward. Step 5: Stay focused and consistent with your intentions. This means setting aside time each day or week to work on your goals and staying committed to the process. It can be helpful to create a daily or weekly routine that includes activities related to your intention and remind yourself that it’s not all or nothing just because you missed a day or a deadline doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Additionally, it’s important to stay positive and remind yourself of why you set the intention in the first place. Raise your standards in 2023 By setting intentions instead of making New Year's resolutions, we can create positive change in our lives that is more progressive, achievable and sustainable. We can also adjust our tasks and goals as needed throughout the year if something isn't working. Being flexible will help ensure that you never fail and “jump ship”, you just “adjust your sail” and keep moving forward. For many people, having someone else to help them stay accountable to themselves is life-changing. This is why having a transformational coach is essential so that we stick to our intentions and help us reach our goals in the year. By setting clear intentions, periodically checking in, and working through our emotional blocks and resistance using EFT Tapping, it’s incredible what we can achieve when getting out of our own way. Remember, every year is a new chance to grow, a new chance to change ourselves. Furthermore, what we are not changing in our lives we are choosing whether we realize it or not. So, what are you refusing to settle for in 2023? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn visit my website for more info! Read more from Andrea! Andrea Hunt, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Andrea Hunt is an online transformational life coach & EFT Practitioner for expats and digital nomads. A US expat who's lived in 7 different countries, Andrea helps those who boldly took the road less traveled to thrive abroad with confidence. She understands the challenges of planning a move abroad, integrating into a new culture, finding new friends and social circles, rebuilding life after a job loss or breakup while living in another country. She helps you empower your mindset and erase your limiting beliefs to thrive.

Kapil and Rupali are Amazon's 1 bestselling authors and globally respected business and life strategists. They are founders of Blissvana, a boutique personal development, self-growth, and success studio. Their coaching methods have been proven at the highest levels of success in every dimension of human life. Kapil and Rupali's lives revolve around love, happiness, abundance, and bliss ‒ at home and work. Kapil and Rupali's purpose is to create the highest possible quality of life they can for themselves, and the people they love while helping others around them do the same. Dr. Kapil and Rupali Apshankar, Life, Business and Relationship Coaches Tell us about the establishment of Blissvana and its vision and mission. Blissvana was established in 2017. Since 2000, both of us had spent significant time in US, Europe, and India ‒ and had worked with entrepreneurs, business leaders and high-performance teams during that period. One common thread that started becoming very evident to us was the left-brained, dog-eat-dog, rat race to accomplish work goals and meet business milestones. These were the same individuals who had great careers but were often struggling in their personal and family lives. We realized that a heart-centered, right-brain focused approach to achieving personal and professional goals would help these individuals create an extraordinary life for themselves. We had already worked with self-love, mindfulness, empathy, and compassion in our own lives. We knew this approach was very gentle, yet highly effective ‒ and could be customized and adapted to individual needs, preferences, and traits. We had already created our own extraordinary life, had transformed all dimensions of our lives, and were living our dreams. We wanted to take this radically new approach rooted in age-old wisdom to these entrepreneurs, business leaders and high-performance teams. Out of this desire, Blissvana was born. Blissvana's mission is to empower entrepreneurs, business leaders and high-performance individuals discover, create, and live their dream life, a life full of bliss. Our vision is to transform the lives of a million families in the next 5 years by leading them on the path of discovering, creating, and living their bliss. How has your life experience made you the leaders you are today? Tell us about your career so far. Both of us have extensive technology and entrepreneurship experience. We grew up in India and were privileged to have early insights into ancient Vedic wisdom. Most of our professional work was done in the USA, with additional stints in Europe and India. Rupali: I am a lawyer turned product manager turned coach. I have formal training in Indian classical music and sound healing. I am a certified Heal Your Life workshop leader, teacher, and coach in the philosophy of Louise Hay with affiliation to Hay House. And in the next few months, I will also be a Board-Certified Coach, the highest professional credential in the coaching space. I am a certified Relationship Coach based on the Activation Method of coaching as taught by Mark and Magali Peysha. I also love to guide meditations for people and am a Certified Music Therapist. Kapil: I am a licensed and certified hypnotherapist with affiliation to National Guild of Hypnotists and American Council of Hypnotist Examiners. I am also a certified Heal Your Life workshop leader, teacher, and coach in the philosophy of Louise Hay. I also have formal training and experience in a variety of eastern and modern energy healing systems. As life coaches, what challenges do you face? How do you overcome those challenges? First and foremost, we need to practice what we teach our clients. Eighty percent of life transformation happens in the mind. Being able to inculcate a moment-by-moment awareness to work with thoughts, feelings and emotions is the first step to creating a life of bliss. This needs inner work, or Blisswork the way we call it. Simple and powerful affirmations, journaling, forgiveness, meditation, gratitude, and visualization practices are the building blocks of all transformation. Making time for these practices is essential, but not always easy in the humdrum of daily life. We have built effective and powerful personal routines, rituals, and habits to incorporate these practices into our daily schedules. Self-love is the key that helps us jump into this Blisswork without falling prey to the resistance of the body and conscious mind. And over a period of time, this ends up reprogramming the subconscious mind, which is the foundation of successful life transformation. At Blissvana, how would you determine the needs of your clients? Take us through the process of customizing programs for each client. At the core, every client is both similar and unique. All clients who work with us share the same big goals in their lives. They desire professional success and happy relationships. They are looking to create financial abundance and prosperity in their lives. They desire good health and a healthy body. Yet every client brings in their own life experience into our programs. They have unique sets of beliefs, challenges and constraints that need to be overcome in order to get them to their dream life. Our Live Your Bliss Life Transformational Framework (TM) starts with the premise that all power lies within our clients. The answers they need to live their bliss are theirs alone, our role as coaches is to hold a loving and non-judgmental space for them and allow them to get in touch with their higher, sacred selves. We work with a variety of psychological tools and frameworks to create differentiated coaching approaches that are deeply meaningful and relevant to each client. How do you structure the contents of a program? What methodologies do you employ as life coaches? We believe that every individual has unlimited potential to create and live the life of their dreams. As coaches, we are catalysts to help our clients discover what their purpose is and how they can fulfill it. Working with us, our clients learn what makes them unique. They learn to love and accept themselves just the way they are ‒ with an awareness that they will need to be willing to grow. We help our clients identify what is stopping them from achieving their goals and help them remove those limiting beliefs, blocks, and limitations. Through the coaching techniques and healing processes, our clients learn skills and strategies to deal with their energy and emotions. Our aim is to help our clients integrate everything into routines that really work for them. As a result, they establish sacred rituals creating new habits along the way. They embrace inspired action every single day towards achieving their goals. Our soon to be launched Live Your Bliss Retreat is an experiential program that offers transformational self-growth and accelerated personal development for anyone needing time to decompress, declutter, and detach from an über-busy lifestyle. In this program, our clients will experience a renewed sense of vitality, freedom, self-trust, confidence, inner peace, and a newfound love for themselves and their life. Our heart-centered coaching helps clients to slow down and awaken to what life can look like when they become present to people, places, and all things around them ‒ all while suspending disbelief and embracing all possibilities. There are four specific outcomes that we help our clients achieve through Live Your Bliss: Get Crystal-Clear About Your Life: Create an exciting vision for the 4 dimensions of a blissful life ‒ health, wealth, relationships, and career, along with the foundational inner core. Discover everyday bliss by embracing every dream, every desire, every goal, everything that they really want in their life. Shatter Old Blocks and Limiting Beliefs: Identify emotional blocks, beliefs, and barriers – and overcome them. Permanently rewire the brain for success: love happiness, abundance, and bliss – easily and effortlessly. Build Daily Momentum: Turn life vision into a reality. Set intentions based on life vision. Align habits with life vision. Build routines and rituals for happiness and success. Celebrate real progress every day. Master Emotions and Energy: Embrace Blisswork through meditation, visualization, and affirmations. Establish a strong spiritual connection. Practice energy work to for physical and emotional healing and becoming the best self. Describe your most successful training initiative. How do you know if your training was successful? Live Your Bliss is by far our most successful program. It is also our signature program, and one that is close to our hearts. Live Your Bliss coaching is unlike any other life coaching program in the world. We have distilled decades of personal experiments and experience into this program ‒ and have created and perfected a no-fail system that can help clients achieve their seemingly impossible goals using a set of life transforming principles, strategies, and tactics for creating an extraordinary life of dreams. We know that our program is successful because our clients have created a life of their dreams for themselves and know what it entails. At Blissvana, there’s no judgement. Only love, empathy and compassion in a sacred space that is yours to embrace and explore. Live Your Bliss helps participants create a life full of love, happiness, and abundance – and becomes the new foundation for every aspect of their life. When you live every moment in bliss, your entire life is filled with bliss. At the outset, participants often have self-doubts and question the real value of a program like Live Your Bliss. When they see the results, however, they are truly amazed at just how much is possible for them with the right coaching, guidance, and support. Tell us a little bit about your education and life as a student. What lessons have you learned in your childhood/college days that helped you become the leader you are today? Kapil has undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering and software engineering, plus a graduate degree in software engineering. Rupali has an undergraduate degree in social law, a professional degree in law and a graduate degree in business management. Both Kapil and Rupali are certified life coaches and have formal training in a number of eastern and modern complementary healing systems. We discovered early on in our lives that people only focus on improving the material aspects of their life ‒ and ignore the other dimensions. In reality, there are four dimensions to our lives plus an inner core that shape our success, happiness, and true fulfillment. We put into practice what we discovered and learned along the way into our own lives. And out of this experience, Blissvana was born. Our signature program, Live Your Bliss takes participants on an eye-opening deep dive into all the dimensions of their life, and empowers them to thrive in each of them: without sacrificing or compromising one area for another. What have been significant milestones during these years of your journey as a life coach? Why? We have celebrated many significant milestones in our journey together. Some of the memorable milestones that come to our mind are we navigate down memory lane are: The day we decided to work together and launch Blissvana. Not a lot of couples do coaching together. Tony and Sage Robbins, Jon and Missy Butcher and Mark and Magali Peysha work together and are not only our role models but also our mentors. Walking the path of Louise Hay's Heal Your Life philosophy and being internationally licensed and certified as Heal Your Life teachers, workshop leaders, teen trainers, life coaches and business coaches. The close professional associations and personal friendships that our work has allowed us to foster over the last decade with some of the most prominent thought leaders in the personal development, self-growth, and life transformation space: Marc Allen, Shakti Gawain, Louise Hay, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Vishen Lakhiani, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Michael A. Singer, Eckhart Tolle and Dr. IIhaleakala Hew Len. Describe a training initiative that didn't go well. What was your learning from it? In the early days of Blissvana, we had a lot of challenges getting our clients to commit to the entire coaching process. People wanted the results but were not willing to spend the energy or effort required to get to bliss. That really does not work. The law of the farm always and actively applies to our lives. We can not do the sowing and tilling and watering and protecting the crop and expect a bountiful harvest at the end of the process. This experience early on allowed us to tinker with our coaching framework, change the way to structure our programs and educate our clients on their personal accountability, commitment, and investment to both the process and the outcomes. As certified coaches, we have gone through intensive study and training in strategies to handle the whole range of human needs and life challenges. Most life coaching programs focus on one type of result such as goals, beliefs, or steps. We focus on the wide range of human potential and obstacles. Being trained in Heal Your Life philosophy as well as Activation Method Coaching, we are trained to identify every type of obstacle that may be holding a client back (such as their internal beliefs, their communication patterns, their relationship beliefs and practices, their life stages) and prescribe practical strategies to create results in each of these areas. We provide practical frameworks to our clients to understand their options, and then offer them strategies and actions for bringing about the changes they want. Our coaching encompasses goal setting, communication skill-building, relationship work, high performance, meaning/purpose discovery, and uses creative modalities to help clients put their dreams into action. They are able to expand their ability to think creatively, see potential in every part of life, expand and deepen all their relationships, and overcome the fears which have limited their joy and progress. What does your typical working day look like? How do you handle pressure and stay calm all day, and how do you unplug from work? Our typical working day is an even split between Blisswork, coaching, and working on new projects. We love to practice what we teach our clients. Blisswork is the foundation of our personal growth and professional success. It is the single element that has allowed us to discover, create and live our bliss. The Blisswork that we do includes affirmations, mirrorwork, journaling and a practice of active gratitude and forgiveness. We focus a lot on meditation and visualization. In addition to these Blisswork practices, we also bring in a lot of eastern and modern energy practices into our life and our workday like tapping, priming, pranayama-breathwork, yoga, chanting, mantras, sound healing and energy work. Our focus on Blisswork is what empowers us to stay calm all day, deal with everything that comes our way and live in the present moment now. We have a son and a daughter. We love spending time together as a family every evening, including our three cats. We also actively and intentionally disconnect multiple times through our workday ‒ including a window to disconnect in the afternoon and another big window late in the evening extending into the early night. Through Blissvana, what is the change you want to bring into people’s lives to help their families and communities? Live Your Bliss is a complete life design system for creating your very best you ‒ and your very best life. We will guide you, step-by-step, as you define your ideal future and create a detailed plan to accomplish it. Our vision is to help a million people take control of their own destiny using ‒ and help them Live Your Bliss. Blissvana began with the two of us. We refused to live an ordinary life. We are lovers, artists, entrepreneurs, and adventurers who have designed and are living a life most people might call impossible. We want to empower families and communities worldwide to break free from narrow mindsets and limiting beliefs that hold them back, to become their best selves and live their authentic, dream lives through Live Your Bliss. What projects or goals are you working on or leading currently? While both of us love coaching, there is another side to our talents and expertise. We are teachers, artists, and entrepreneurs at heart. Rupali loves singing and making music. Kapil loves to write and work on his books. Both of us share the big picture, the 5-year vision of Blissvana. We want to take Live Your Bliss to a million people worldwide and empower them to create more love, happiness, and abundance in their lives. We also have some exciting short-term projects going on, including publishing Live Your Bliss as a book, launching a Blissvana growth platform and leading research on the power of meditation, visualization, sound healing and mind-body connection. Apart from coaching, we are working on launching online programs on self-love and creating a happier life which are easily affordable and more accessible so that we can impact more people and take our vision beyond what we currently do. Using the principles of success and happiness outlined here, Live Your Bliss is a Transformational Lifestyle Design System that we created which empowers you to DISCOVER, CREATE, and LIVE your very best life. On your own terms, and nobody else’s. Join our global movement at Blissvana, take charge of your life and start living your bliss today. We’d love to help you become the Michelangelo of your own life and create a masterpiece of your life. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and visit our website for more info! Read more from Dr. Kapil and Rupali!

Written by: Paul Corke, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. In the morning I have a routine which works effectively in programming me for the day. It’s simple… Get up at a natural time in line with my body clock (Always focused on 90 mins sleep cycle), Get a shower to wake myself up, Set my mind to play from a 10 for the day, Then go outside and get some fresh air, While outside hearing the birds sing run through what I am grateful for in life, Then drink plenty of water, Get my coffee ready, Then make my lists for the day, Then take action… “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else”. – Judy Garland Some mornings I may start by stretching or exercising then focus on my two lists… Like most people I have a To Do List because it really does help me, and I focus on for the day on what needs doing. I take pleasure in ticking things off and will generally eat the frog (Do the hardest thing) at the start of the day and sometimes I will ‘drink the juice’ which is work on what energises me the most at the start of the day, and it depends on what I need from the day and where my energy needs to play. But I also have a very powerful additional list…called my ‘To Be’ List. This is who I am going to be each and every day. So, I wake up in the morning and automatically think about my ‘To Be’ List. Who I am going to be when I’m doing what I know. I can choose who I want to be at any given time. And you can write this list daily, weekly, monthly but write it down just like you have a to do list. When you wake up in the morning, in the shower or when you go outside you can think about your ‘To Be’ List. Warm up in the morning by reading your ‘To Be’ list. In fact, you can read it at any time during the day or when negative behaviours start to slip in or before an important meeting or even before you go to bed to program yourself for the next day. It will keep you focused and anchored. And the great thing is you can remind yourself who you are going to be at any point in time. I am positive, optimistic, friendly, kind, loving, helpful…it almost becomes an affirmation in itself, and you get to decide who you want ‘To Be’. These critical ‘To Be’ list behaviours used consistently over a prolonged time will make a massive difference in your life. Instead of your New Year’s resolutions make your ‘To Be’ list and you will be more likely to achieve your goals in 2023 by being the best version of you. They say put yourself at the top of your to do list every single day and the rest will take care of itself and to ensure this happens you now have a ‘To Be’ List to make this happen. “What I tell people is be the best version of yourself in anything that you do. You don't have to live anybody else's story.” — Stephen Curry. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Paul! Paul Corke, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Paul Corke is an author, a keynote speaker, and considered to be a leading expert on mindset, innovation, and leadership. He is currently recognized as the No. 1 Health and Wellness Thought Leader & Influencer with @Thinkers360 and is also the Managing Director of Leadership Innovators an innovative leadership consultancy. He previously spent 25 years in the corporate world with award-winning results specializing in organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, talent management, and leadership development with experience in the UK, Ireland, Europe, the US, and the Middle East. Paul is the author of Reframe Your Mindset: Redefine Your Success, has a podcast series to support the book and has created The Mindset Journal all based on what he calls ‘The Mindset Equation for Success.’ Paul uses his research into the mindset and positive psychology along with the thinking from his books to provide thought leadership, leadership model design, leadership assessment, and solutions to help organizations build their leadership capability. Paul has successfully built a leadership development strategy and provided solutions in the industries of Financial Services, Retail, Automobile, Charity, Information Technology, Education, and Local Government. His mission is to develop leaders the world now wants to see whilst also making a difference through B1G1working towards the UN Global Goals to help those in need across the world.

Written by: Aleksandr Iurev, 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. For the past 30 years, each year has brought us more and more astonishing technological and scientific breakthroughs. It’s hard to narrow down which ones are the most important, especially since the full impact of these breakthroughs are often not felt for years to come. Below is my list of the top 7 technological and scientific breakthroughs of 2022. I made my decision based on two main criteria — 1) the incredible technical obstacles that were overcome to make this development possible; and 2) The ability of this development to radically disrupt and change our lives in coming years and decades. 1. CO2 removal machine The effort at direct air capture (DAC) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) has grown tremendously in recent years. With the impact of climate change accelerating across the globe, the CO2 removal company Climeworks raised $650 million in April and has launched its first plant in Iceland, which will annually capture and store 36,000 metric tons of CO2. Climeworks also broke ground on a second such facility in Iceland. The company’s goals are ambitious: to remove millions of tons of CO2 annually by 2030, and nearly 1 billion annually by 2050. However, there’s much work to be done — humans emitted more than 36 billion tons of CO2 last year. 2. Nuclear fusion Thanks to advances in AI, nuclear fusion, which is the energy process that powers the Sun, is no longer a physics problem but primarily an engineering one. Currently, about 30 startups are working on developing nuclear fusion, but in early December scientists at the U.S. Energy Department’s National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California produced the world’s nuclear fusion reaction that resulted in a net energy gain. This is a major step in a half-century effort to create an infinite source of clean energy that could end dependence on fossil fuels. 3. Malaria vaccine This is one of the leading breakthroughs in medicine in decades. A malaria vaccine, the world’s first vaccine for a parasitic infection, has been approved by the World Health Organization, and it will save thousands of lives in tropical areas. The vaccine, known as “RTS, S/AS01” and marketed as “Mosquirix”, took 30 years to develop. At the moment, the shot’s efficacy is modest — about 50% in the first year. Research shows that if the vaccine will be rolled out in countries with the highest number of malaria cases, then it could annually prevent 5.3 million cases and 24,000 deaths in young children. 4. Artificial embryos This is by far the most significant reproductive services innovation since the pill was created for women. Researchers have made embryo-like structures from stem cells alone, without using egg or sperm cells. This will allow scientists to better understand how life comes into existence. But this will put the power for the creation of life in the hands of laboratory researchers, and it could make it possible to create life from a stem cell taken from another embryo; without sperm or eggs. However, it also raises vital ethical and even philosophical problems. Should labs and eventually private companies be able to sell these artificial embryos and create new humans? 5. Sensor-based cities In Canada, in the waterfront district of Toronto, the parent company of Google (Alphabet) is setting up a system of sensors and analytics that will allow us to rethink how cities are built and managed, and how humans live in them. The project’s goal is to integrate urban design with highly innovative technology in order to make “smart cities” more affordable, safer, more livable and more environmentally sustainable. Although it won’t be completed for a few years, this project is the start of full-fledged smart cities that will be cleaner and safer for all of us. 6. Real-time translation earbuds These earbuds use instant online translation technology and are a revolution in international communication. They allow humans to understand each other while speaking in different languages, in almost real-time. Pixel buds make translation easier by using a Pixel or Android 6.0+ phone. When you want to follow along and understand what’s being said, the transcribe mode lets you hear the spoken language translated in your ear, along with one on your phone. While these earbuds are still at an early stage, anyone can access the underlying technology through Google’s voice-activated translation services on computers and mobile devices. 7. Dueling Neural Networks The concept of Dueling Neural Networks is a breakthrough in artificial intelligence that allows AI to create images of things it has never seen before. In essence, this gives AI a sense of imagination. The work going on at Google Brain, Deep Mind and Nvidia is focused on enabling systems that create ultra-realistic, computer-generated images or sounds that are beyond what’s now possible. This breakthrough will empower AI systems, allowing them in effect to spar with each other. However, there are risks — it creates the possibility for AI to be used as an effective tool for generating digital fakes and committing fraud. In conclusion, from the above we can see that the year 2022 has provided the world with tremendous scientific and technological breakthroughs that will impact our lives in the near future, as well as in the coming years and decades. I can only wonder what new breakthroughs 2023 will bring us! I am full of excitement! Happy New Year! Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info! Read more from Aleksandr! Aleksandr Iurev, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Aleksandr Iurev is a serial entrepreneur, with many years of experience in launching startups. His most recent is Pocketfied, which will radically disrupt the mobile app development industry with its highly innovative technology and service. Overall, Mr. Iurev has 20 years of experience in the IT sector, as well as in DevOps, and Information Security. He cut his teeth in Tech working in IT security for the largest banks in Russia, as well as for top IT companies. That experience protecting clients from hacker attacks is one reason why he attaches top priority to building secure systems so that users can be certain they're protected.