Written by: Stephanie Martin, 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. We have all at some point in our lives questioned what our purpose in life truly is. It is typical human nature to feel like you were meant for so much more. To seek out what our purpose in life is. Life is so much more meaningful when you have found and started to follow your purpose in life. There are a million different ways to find your purpose. Still, there is an ever-growing list of things that can block your path in life. When you seek your purpose in life, you must start at the beginning, where all foundations are started. 1. Your mindset is everything when you are finding your purpose. There is nothing that can stop you more than your old mindset. We pretend that it isn’t a real thing so often that we never move past our own mindset. We shut down before we every start figuring out what is actually stopping us from moving forward. When you start by changing your mindset that anything you want is possible. Your whole world will change in a matter of moments. New doors open, New people come into your life, and the shift causes your purpose to become more apparent than ever. When you change your mindset, you can truly change your world. 2. Life is ever-changing, and that can be a scary thing . Many people see change as an unnecessary and scary thing. They avoid it at all cost, pretending that to change is not a necessary action to have a life worth living. The truth is that you can not find your purpose unless you are willing to change every area of your life. Growth happens when you decide that change is not only an empowering thing, but also a very necessary fact of life. When you change even one thing in your life, it causes a change reaction for change in all areas of your life. Embracing change in life is the only way you will ever find your purpose in life. 3. You have an endless supply of knowledge right at your fingertips. There is nothing that you can’t do with a little determination and the internet. Finding your purpose has never been as easy as it is right now. Even though this year seems to have gone a little nuts with all the never-ending things going on, we can still find and follow our purpose in life even from the comfort of our homes. The best thing about living in a time where the internet can answer so many problems is that if you want to learn a new skill or change your path in life. You are just one google search away from figuring out your next step in life. To find a new book, a journal to change your life, or if you’re lucky, it can even get delivered to your inbox. Finding your purpose is so much more than just sitting around and wishing for someone to give you all the answers. You must embrace a new mindset, change the things that aren’t making you happy, and learn new skills. Even if they scare you, sometimes you just have to embrace the suck. Connect with me on Instagram and visit my website for more info! Stephanie Martin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Stephanie is a driven, empowering, powerhouse. She's a Purpose and Business Coach, owning The Path Is Yours Coaching. She's a Certified Life Coach and Neuro-Linguistics Programming Master Practitioner. Her passion for helping women find and follow their dreams in life is unmatched. Stephanie is a mother of four beautiful children and wife to an active-duty soldier. Running and growing her business where ever the Military lifestyle might take her family.

Written by: Lisa Kindle, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Each of us has a creator within us. Still, many of us shut this part of ourselves away as we “grow up” and become more practical about how we spend our time, even down to our career choices. It’s a common misconception that some people are simply born creative, and others are not. I am here to challenge this sort of thinking. Think about what you most enjoyed doing as a child. What was the “one thing” you could do for hours and lose complete track of time? That’s a clue to what fills your creative fuel tank! Ways to Fuel Your Creative Soul: Keep a journal of ideas that inspire creativity and write them down when you have them. Morning Pages, a daily writing practice from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Make a special place in your home where you can work on projects. Schedule your creative time into your calendar and treat it as a priority. Embrace creativity as part of your identity and truest self. Get out in nature, explore, meditate, take photos Actively pursuing creative outlets in your daily life will reap great benefits to your personal, mental, and physical health – not to mention, work-life success and satisfaction. It’s as important as regular body movement and eating right to your overall well-being. A way I work this into my life is by taking daily walks. I love walking around the lake and discovering new areas around the town where I live. Part of the walking experience that brings me the most joy is taking photos I share with others. Here are a few recent ones from around Minnesota where I live: Benefits of Creative Practises Feel more engaged in your work or career. Find more inspiration in daily life experiences. Bring more enthusiasm to your relationships. Reduce anxiety levels. Develop the mindset of a deep thinker. Overall physical health and well-being. As a Therapeutic Art Life Coach and Creative Lifestyle Guru, I highly recommend taking time out of your day to reconnect with that place within yourself where creativity lives. By recognizing and implementing daily creative practices into your life, a great journey will unfold that is limited only by your imagination and the courage to embrace it. I invite people of all ages and walks of life to join me in experiencing the transformative power of the creative process through art-making, mindful walking and other adventures around the globe to meet up with friends and see many wondrous sites. Want to super -charge your life? Take the first step today to reconnect with your inner-creator. Remember that thing you haven’t done since you were a kid? I double-dog dare you to go out and do it again this week. Or better yet – how about today. I’d love to hear what your “one thing” is and what you did in response to this article. Share it using one of my links below: Facebook - Instagram Lisa M. Kindle, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Lisa Kindle, a therapeutic art life coach and leader in building a creative community that inspires people worldwide, is dedicated to a creative lifestyle with a personable approach and an artsy twist! She now coaches one-on-one and in group settings, including retreats and workshops. With over 25 years of professional experience as a corporate designer, photographer, graphic designer, small business owner, and all-around visionary, Lisa's creative spirit shines through connecting people and ideas.

Written by: Bandana Jain, 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. From book clubs and competitions to creative writing, here are tips for leading family members on a voyage of discovery through books. These ideas are in tandem with promoting reading in line with supporting society members as they choose to stay home and abide by the physical distancing policies in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. A well-organized and indexed library A home library plays a vital role in bringing family and books together. Hence, it should be well-organized and indexed to provide all family members with easy access to knowledge. All members should be encouraged to enrich the library with new titles. An index, within a home library setting that classifies books by genre, will encourage family members to look for and pick up their favorite books easily. Book clubs and competitions The joy of reading does not end with turning the last page of a book. The love for the stories should be further enhanced through discussion. Creation of a ‘Family Book Club’ that encourages every member to read a chosen book and then discussing it together is a great idea. It is an inspiring way to encourage young kids to read independently, and to connect and bond over great books. Competitions amongst family members are also important tools to motivate the practice of reading, and to create a positive environment that enriches the reading experience. Encourage role-playing To further promote the reading habit, the inclusion of fun activities to go along with reading books. For instance, role-play of fictional characters is bound to increase the reader’s interaction with the content. An imaginative and creative interpretation of stories and novels through role-play has a key role in helping children understand the message of the story and nurtures their creativity at an early age. Use a notebook Get into the habit of taking notes and exchanging comments on the books you read. This is an effective way to expand knowledge, and share information and thoughts about that book with other readers, which may encourage them to want to read it. Read different topics Open your mind and expand your knowledge by reading up on different topics spanning culture, science, philosophy, history, and other disciplines. Reading is a journey of discovery that uncovers hidden treasures within the pages of books. Encourage children to write Children have tremendous inborn capabilities and potential, but how do you unleash this and nurture their talents? You can do so by encouraging them to write stories on their own. This will improve their creative writing skills and enable them to turn more ideas into stories. Rewarding them for their efforts is an effective way to inspire children and motivate them to work to the best of their abilities. Multi-volume book series Boost a love of reading from an early age with engaging, educational stories that can be accessed through a range of multi-volume book series. These books often carry adventurous, entertaining stories with colorful illustrations that holds the interest of the young ones. Some books also contain hidden mysteries and treasures on every page, waiting to be discovered. Setting up a reading reward chart for every member of the family is an added motivational tool to cultivate a life-long love of reading. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website Bandana Jain, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Bandana Jain is a Dubai based lifestyle and travel journalist for the past two decades. She’s also a passionate lifestyle blogger, photographer and loves pursuing modelling as a hobby. One of the aspects of her journalistic life that she thoroughly enjoys is rubbing shoulders with Bollywood celebrities. Having said this, her community journalist status ensures that she loves interacting with people from different strata of the society. She loves the limelight on stage sometimes as an anchor, whilst on other occasions as a public speaker. When she is not pursuing any of the above, you can find her shopping in Dubai’s famous malls or chilling by the beach with her favorite cup of tea. Travel is her passion, creativity her morale booster and enriching conversations are enough to give her the necessary thrust in life.

Written by: Michelle Greene Rhodes, 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 we navigate through these incredibly stressful and uncertain times, the idea of self-care may seem insignificant. However, entrepreneurs facing high degrees of psychological distress should prioritize self-care by investing in themselves. This will allow them to recharge and ensure that they are best equipped to handle the challenges of each day as their business adapts to the evolving economic conditions. Entrepreneurism can often be lonely. Hence, it is important to seek support from a community network that gives a sense of connectedness for mental well-being. Given the state of ambiguity, it is crucial to provide emotional support by responding to the crisis with empathy and compassion. Entrepreneurs must strive to use positive coping mechanisms to combat negative emotions. They need to remind themselves to take time out of their busy schedules and put their mental health first. Self-care takes many forms, and it’s different for everyone. It can entail practicing hobbies such as gardening, drawing, cooking, bicycling, or even just taking a walk around the neighborhood. "Incorporating physical activity in our schedule has multiple health benefits." Simultaneously, it is important to have a positive mindset as individuals adapt to a new normal. Making a conscious effort to practice self-care and mindfulness is key. Meditation can help reduce anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Additionally, exercise reduces stress by balancing cortisol levels in the body and is a great way to uplift one’s mood by healthily channeling one’s energy. Incorporating physical activity in our schedule has multiple health benefits. These include improvement in blood circulation, weight management and reduced risk of chronic illnesses. Additionally, exercising the brain by reading, playing puzzles and learning vocabulary increases blood flow to the areas of the brain associated with focusing on tasks. Read more about the benefits of meditation here Maintaining a healthy diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourish the brain and protect it from oxidative stress. This can help prevent depression and cognitive impairment. Eating dark leafy vegetables, fish, nuts, beans, fruits and vegetables, while avoiding sugars and flour can be beneficial. Meanwhile, healthy sleep of an adequate duration, sleeping pattern without fragmentation and deep sleep is essential to rejuvenate the body. Practicing a bedtime routine that removes anxiety-inducing objects from the bedroom and turning off digital devices a couple of hours before sleeping may significantly improve sleep quality. Furthermore, it can be challenging to separate professional life from personal life working remotely. Hence, dedicating an office space will help to leave work behind when it is time to sign off. Meanwhile, turning off notifications on mobile devices may help prevent burnout and resist the urge to work beyond official work hours. In the long-run, these techniques can benefit individual mental health and assist entrepreneurs in overcoming challenges at work. Visit our website for more info and connect with us on LinkedIn! Read more from Michelle! Michelle Greene Rhodes, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Michelle G. Rhodes is a Corporate Wellness Consultant and is Certified in Managed Care and Licensed as a Registered Nurse. By combining her love for Managed Care/Population Health background with her innate ability to create educational programs and cost savings solutions that are uniquely designed for each employer, Michelle is sought after for her multiple successes in cost saving and exceeding targets. She has helped corporations craft wellness programs that offer definite returns on investments and assists them in meeting and exceeding their annual performance measures and goals. Michelle creates various wellness initiatives for awareness campaigns all the way to the creation of wellness culture transformations. Michelle Rhodes Media LLC is also a continuing education provider for Nurses, by the California Board of Nurses, and provide workshops for Nurses to learn continuously.

Written by Brenda Johnston , High-Performance Mindset Coach After being chained to the same corporate job for close to 14 years and living with debt for most of her adult life, Brenda decided it was time to stop playing small. When I was younger, I wondered why some people seemed to be able to attract (and keep) abundance, specifically money in such an effortless way. I had always been able to manifest (aka make real) money when I needed it, but I never seemed to be able to keep it. The money would come in, and then an unexpected bill would show up, or something would need to be fixed and I was back thinking, “maybe I just wasn’t meant to keep the money?”. It wasn’t until I started transforming my own money stories and studying the subconscious mind that I realized, I had some massive money and success blocks. I had literally been sabotaging my own success without even realizing it. A money and success block is a negative subconscious belief that limits you from achieving your conscious desires. What makes them tricky is that they can be hard to spot because we don’t realize we have them. When it comes to money and success, women especially tend to have a lot of blocks around their ability to create and have money. I hear things like this from women all the time: "Oh, I'm just not meant to be wealthy." "There is no way I could make that much money." "My husband is the smart one with money. He makes all of the money." "I could never make as much money as my husband (or ex-husband)." Everyone has money blocks in some way shape or form, and having more money doesn’t get rid of them. The first step in clearing your blocks is to identify them. Here are three common money and success blocks and how you can start to work through them: 1. You’re an over-giver: You give, give, give and that means you are not actually open to receiving. This might show up as feeling uncomfortable or even guilty about charging people money so you undercharge or you give things away for free. Maybe it shows up as you never letting anyone else pay for things when you go out. “Oh don’t worry, I’ve got that”. Being an over-giving, non-receiver can show up in a much simpler way as well. Ask yourself this, when someone gives you a compliment, how do you react? Do you get all weird and awkward, or do you feel like you need to give one right back? If that sounds like you, you’re not open to receiving, and that’s going to be a challenge in all areas of life. Especially when it comes to money and success. Working through this block starts with learning to say yes to yourself; this can be as simple as blocking of “me time” once a week for yourself. On a deeper level, practice simply saying “thank you” when someone compliments you, offers to pay, or gives you a gift. 2. You’re surrounded by low-vibe, lack, and scarcity mindset people: Like attracts like so if you surround yourself with people who focus on lack and scarcity vs. abundance and wealth you will reflect that. This one can show up in a few different ways, you attract or keep clients that don’t value you, but you feel bad about letting them go. You hang around people who complain about how expensive things are or how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. You allow your success to get side-tracked by the negative opinions of family and friends. Working through this starts by removing yourself or limiting your exposure to situations where you are surrounded by people who would rather bitch and complain vs. taking action to improve their circumstances. Next, start spending time with people who have an abundance and wealth mindset. I recommend joining a business mastermind group with like-minded people that includes high-level coaching; these have been a game-changer for the growth of my business. 3. You say or think things like “It’s not all about the money”: Money is energy, it has no meaning except the meaning you give it. Not valuing and respecting the money you have (or don’t have) right now shuts your subconscious mind down to finding opportunities for you to attract and keep more money. Why would it waste time on that when it’s not important to you? Saying things like this can also be a great excuse for people who don’t want to take control of their finances. That was totally me. I had a horrible relationship with my money and didn’t want to look at what a disaster my finances were in. Working through this belief starts but changing your perspective on money; it’s a tool that can allow you to help others. The more you have, the more you can help others. Next, you need to build a relationship with your finances just like you would with a friend. It sounds weird, but it’s actually very liberating and allows you to acknowledge any worry you may have around money so you can take action and move forward. If you’re ready to start your journey from Worry-to-Wealth I have created a FREE program based on one of my three-step transformational processes. You can access it here Let’s get social, connect with me on Instagram , visit my website or check out The Limitless Life Podcast . Read more from Brenda Johnston ! Brenda Johnston, High-Performance Mindset Coach After being chained to the same corporate job for close to 14 years and living with debt for most of her adult life, Brenda decided it was time to stop playing small. She changed her relationship with money and success (and more importantly herself) to turn her passion into profit. Within 7 months of leaving her corporate job, she had built a successful 6-figure business. As a High-Performance Mindset Coach, and the host of The Limitless Life podcast Brenda helps other driven Women tap into the power of their subconscious minds so they can access their full manifesting potential. She does this by helping transform limiting beliefs and fears that are creating patterns of self-sabotage so they can create an abundance mindset and go from worry to wealth.

Aubry Alvarez, Ph.D. is a therapist and mindset coach with 15 years’ experience guiding women and teenage girls into the highest, most authentic version of themselves. Dirk Bakker, M.Sc. is a computer scientist. During the first ten years of his career, he built software tools to serve the needs of businesses, and now consults on bringing people and technology together. Read the full interview with the loving couple and business partners below! You guys have a pretty unique personal story. Tell us about it. Aubry: – Yes, people always tell us we should write a book! We’ve known each other for so long that our story has quite a few chapters. Our first chapter started back when we were kids. I grew up in Miami and he grew up in Belgium, and we met in the 1990s when he was visiting the States for the first time. We exchanged e-mails - luckily e-mails had just become a thing - and we remained penpals for over 20 years. Dirk: – I also remember all the prepaid phone cards we used to talk on the phone. I Remember how the automated voice would say, “you have one minute remaining?” We’re spoiled now with video chatting on mobile wherever we are in the world. In a way, our personal life helped train us for our current business setup, which is a global operation. That is because we are a blended family raising our three children across two continents. Aubry: – Our personal journey really fuels what we do. We had to dream big and be brave to make this life happen, and truly live a life by design, not default. Helping others do the same is the core mission of our business. What is a “day in the life” like for you? Aubry: – Well, the first thing to take into account is the time difference - when we’re not physically together, Dirk’s day starts six hours before mine. Over the years, we’ve found a way to beat the time difference by using voice messages! Every night before I go to sleep, while Dirk is still sleeping, I record a voice message for him sharing my evening, thoughts, plans, ideas, things like that. Then, while I’m sleeping, his morning starts with a voice message from me, keeping us super close. – He does the same, so I also have a voice message to start the morning. The rest of the day is pretty normal, because luckily we can eat our meals as a family at about the same time. It is one of my favorite times of the day because we all video chat while we eat. All of the kids interact exactly how you would expect them to in person. It’s the best. Then every night, our oldest children go to bed while our youngest child naps, we do the sleep routine together, and then Dirk and I get some alone time. It’s a system that works perfectly for us for now. We use Google calendar and note everything in it, so we always know who is where, whether it’s a work meeting or a swimming lesson. Dirk: – We try to keep business and personal life separate. It’s hard sometimes because when you are excited about an idea, you want to share that immediately. But when we are busy (or asleep), we use a different app to communicate about business. Otherwise, the two mix together too much. It’s important to have that balance. It’s also refreshing to note that our time difference is advantageous when it comes to productivity in our business. When I’m sleeping, she’s working, and when she’s sleeping, I’m working. That allows us to run our business 24/7 with zero burnout. So tell us more about your business. What is MOVMNT? Aubry: – MOVMNT itself is an acronym for make space, open up to inspiration, visualize, manifest, and note-take. It is a method for gaining clarity on what you want, making space for it in your life, and making it real. I developed it over the last 15 years while working in the therapy and coaching space. We wrote a workbook that dives deep into the science and spirituality behind the method. As a therapist and coach, I work one on one with ambitious women and teenage girls to bring their deepest goals to life. I use the MOVMNT Method in all of that. It helps with everything from self-love, to overcoming mindset blocks and fears, to crushing the hardest of goals. It’s super results-oriented. Dirk: – I’m a scientist by heart, and the science of what Aubry does really resonates with me. I love to figure stuff out and my biggest puzzle piece I want to finish is the universe. Every day I learn something new, making the puzzle clearer from the tiniest bits, the quantum realm, to the big picture being able to visualize the filaments of the universe, ‘The Cosmic Web.’ When you study these things, you learn that everything in the universe is connected. Because we live in the universe, it means we are connected with everything. That is a big piece of our method, and before you use it, you come to understand that on a foundational level. Besides my passion, I’ve been working as a computer scientist for more than ten years. – I started off building applications, then transitioned to configuring applications so they fit business needs, and in the last few years, I combined that with giving business advice to look at the bigger picture. Making sure the right applications are used but, more importantly, that they are working together by connecting them. This web of apps is also very powerful for our business to help it run on automation. And this is what I teach to some of our clients who want to start an online business. My role is to show our clients how to start an online business of their own, which works for them and their lifestyle. So many people have a passion and a skill set, but get shy around the tech stuff. I help them overcome that by teaching them ways to run an online business with zero to little coding so they can focus on their craft. That sounds like a powerful mix. What is the future of MOVMNT? Dirk: – It’s an exciting time to think about the future because the pandemic has been an incubation period for our business, allowing us to slow down and focus on our core mission, which is helping people to live a life by design. We’ve focused on virtual sessions, and love how it connects us with people across the globe, and we are positively surprised at how effective virtual sessions are. On top of that, we are excited to expand out into live spaces soon with workshops, and even retreats. Aubry: – Yes! One of our dreams is offering retreats, especially for families. I see us working across generations, offering soulful retreats for daughters, mothers, and grandmothers, for example, and of course, for blended families like ours. Eventually, we would love to set up a foundation for entrepreneurial single parents. That’s the dream! Follow Dirk and Aubry on their Instagram or visit their website to learn more, and stay tuned for their upcoming articles!

Georgie Maroudas, founder of www.georgiemaroudas.com is a certified ThetaHealer Practitioner and Instructor. Using the Theta Brainwave, Georgie helps men and women release any fears, limiting beliefs, self-sabotaging behaviors and/or trauma that are limiting and no longer serving them. She is a big believer that our inner world of thoughts, beliefs and emotions create every aspect of our outer world and is passionate about helping and empowering every human being. Her mission is to empower individuals by teaching them the skills and abilities they need to be able to release what is no longer serving them, so that they can create a life they love! Read the full interview with Georgie Below! Introduce yourself. Who is Georgie? – My name is Georgie Maroudas, and I’m a ThetaHealer, Educator and Mentor. I was born in Melbourne, Australia, and I always knew from a young age that I wanted to help people, but it took me a while to figure out how. Before I started my ThetaHealing business, I worked as a Tennis coach, a Makeup Artist, a Personal Trainer and a Binge Eating Coach. My passion in each one of these fields lead me to where I am today! For those who don't know, what is ThetaHealing? – ThetaHealing is a spiritual philosophy, meditation technique and a healing modality. It is a training method for the mind, body and spirit that allows you to clear limiting beliefs and live a positive lifestyle. Through ThetaHealing, intuitive abilities can be used to bring about instantaneous physical and emotional wellbeing. What can you help your clients with? – I can help my clients in two ways. Firstly I can be a messenger of divine guidance for them. By tapping into their energy, I can share with them what they are creating with their current energy and what they can do to change their reality and their future. – Secondly, I can help my clients release any blocks or limitations they may be experiencing in any area of their lives, so they can be free of those limitations. A question I get a lot is, “how do I know I have a block or limitation in my life?” My answer to this question is: “We are all instant manifestors, so if there is something you want to manifest into your reality, but you don’t see it manifest, there is an energetic block there stopping your manifestation from being brought into your life. – An example of this would be; You have your own business and you have wanted to manifest an extra $100,000 in revenue, but so far, nothing has changed and your revenue is the same! If you had no blocks or limitations, this extra $100,000 would easily come into your life. You could have fears about what might happen if you manifest the extra $100,000, or you could hold limiting beliefs about how long it takes to manifest $100,000. In a session, we would identify what the blocks are for you and release them so you can easily manifest all that you want.” At a younger age, you had body-issues. Tell us a little bit about that, and what you did that made you get out of that cycle? – When I was really young, I played a lot of tennis. It wasn’t until I stopped playing tennis that I began to gain a lot of weight, because I had gone from playing 15 hours a week to 0 hours of physical activity. Out of boredom, I also started eating unhealthy foods and my weight increased drastically and very quickly. With that weight gain, my insecurities increased, and my self-confidence disappeared. Around the same time, I manifested a very unhealthy relationship where my insecurities and body issues were highlighted every day. I was told I was too fat and that I needed to lose weight from certain parts of my body! When I finally got the courage to end that relationship, I was left broken and feeling unworthy. – I tried to fix these issues at the beginning of my journey by changing my external appearance. I became a personal trainer, started dieting, and even got into bodybuilding to change myself. I thought that if I changed my body, no one could ever tell me again how fat I was! The only problem with this approach was that even when I got to my ideal weight, I still thought I was fat in my mind. I realized I needed to change what was on the inside, not what was on the outside. That is when I began my self-development journey. I read books, attending seminars, completed online courses, and eventually, I came across ThetaHealing! – I was able to use this technique first on myself to discover and release a lot of the hurt, pain, suffering, abuse and limitations I was holding onto that created all of those past experiences. It was never my intention to become a ThetaHealer, but the techniques within ThetaHealing helped me get to the root cause of everything that created pain in my life. It helped free me and that’s why I decided to use ThetaHealing to help others. It took me eight years to get to where I am today. I wouldn’t change a thing though! Everything I have gone through allows me to have such a deep understanding of all of my clients and what they are going through in their lives. I am who I am today because of all my past experiences, but I’m finally at a point in my life where I can look back and have so much gratitude and appreciation for everything I’ve gone through! What is it that you like the most with empowering others? – I’m a big believer that every single person on this earth is worthy and deserving of freedom and love. Everyone deserves to be loved unconditionally, and everyone deserves to be free to create anything and everything they want in their lives. – I know what it feels like to feel unworthy of both of these things. I was able to find a teacher that showed me so much love and kindness. When I opened up and shared my experiences and the pain I was holding onto, there was no judgment in her eyes, and all she showed me was unconditional love, compassion and kindness. Her love made me feel safe enough to grow and change and let go of all that I was holding onto. I hope that I can be that person for someone else. I do what I do so that I can give others the same opportunity I was given. What is the biggest difference in your life having your own business, compared to being employed? – The biggest difference is freedom and passion. When you work for someone else, there are some constraints and restrictions you have to abide by because it’s their business and they make the rules. In my own business, as I am my own boss, I get to run my business the way I want. I get to make the final decisions as to how I help people. In this way, I help them, what information I put out into the universe, without any limitations. Also, my business is my passion and I love what I do. I really love helping people and it brings me a lot of joy! From your own experience, if I feel like my life is "Out of control". What would you advise me to do? – My biggest advice is to look within. Become your own inner detective. Have a look at your childhood between the ages of 2-7 years of age and begin to look at what you observed and what you learned at the period from the adults in your life. Also, have a look at your parent's childhood. What did they go through as children, what did they observe and learn through their parents? Taking time to reflect on this will give you such insight into your own life and why you do what you do. – Here are some questions you can ask yourself if you feel like your life is out of control: - When was the very first time I felt like my life was out on control? What was happening in my life at that time? - Who tried to control me when I was between the ages of 2-7 years of age? - What circumstances events occurred in my life when I was young that made me feel like I had no control over the outcome? - What did I learn from all of these experiences? Because everything we experience in life is teaching us something! – The answers to every single experience we have in our reality are within us, all we have to do is look and we shall find the answers we seek! Follow Georgie on Facebook, Instagram and visit her website for more info! Read more from Georgie!

Written by: Jenny Gattinger, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. “When and how should I start investing?”, “I want to buy a different car. How should I pay for it?”, “How much should I put down on a new house?” These seem like simple enough questions. With access to thousands of people in our Facebook groups at our fingertips, it is only a matter of minutes before our phone starts dinging with notifications of all the free advice coming in. Simple, free and easy, right?! Seeing some of the responses to these seemingly simple financial questions as I scroll through my social media feed makes me nervous for the original poster. While I’m willing to bet that the majority of people offering advice have good intentions, it’s important to take the advice you receive from social media strangers with caution. Let’s break it down. First of all, when you ask social media strangers for advice, they only see the face value of the question you are asking. They’re not looking at your entire financial picture. Hence, they, more often than not, will answer your question based on what they’d do in their situation. Surely their intentions are great. But you have to ask yourself a couple of questions. Are they in the same place financially as you? Do they have the same financial goals as you? Chances are, they do not. Simply put, what may be a good move for them, may not be the best move for you. Then, you have to wonder about the financial situation of the people giving the advice. Do the people offering advice have their finances in order themselves? According to this article, CNBC posted an unexpected expense of $1,000 or more would put 60% of Americans into debt. Are the people giving you advice amongst them? Statistically speaking, if you’re living in the United States, 6 out of 10 people indeed are. Also, keep in mind that just because peoples’ Facebook profiles make it look like they live a lavish life, it does not necessarily mean that they do, and furthermore, it does not necessarily mean that they are doing so debt-free. Look at it this way. Would you take free medical advice from your Uber driver? Your financial future is no less important. A bad financial decision or two could ultimately mean having to work more years, whereas making solid financial choices now could have you kicking your feet up in the sand several years sooner. What may be surprising to many (myself included as of a couple years ago) is important to note. This has to do with the free advice from the financial advisor. Now that sounds like it’d surely be solid advice, right? Not necessarily. You see, not all financial advisors are created equal. Some work in a fiduciary capacity, which means that they pledge to work in their clients’ best interests. Other, non-fiduciary advisors, however, are not held to these same standards. What does this mean? This means that they work on the premise of making “suitable” recommendations for their clients. Those “suitable” recommendations are not necessarily in their clients’ best interest. These advisors are ultimately salespeople trying to sell products to earn commissions. In doing so, many advisors will offer “free” financial consultations before reeling in clients to buy their products. Does this mean that all the advice that they give is bad? No. However, you should realize and take into consideration the fact that you may very well be receiving “suitable” advice. Free financial consultation offers like this appear all too often in Facebook groups today. The last thing you want to do is to end up buying a financial product that you don’t actually need. After all, the money you would spend in years of useless insurance premiums would be much better off invested. Needless to say, following this “free” advice and buying useless products will only take you further away from your financial goals and end up costing you in the long run. So, is it possible to get free, quality financial advice? The good news is that YES, IT IS! You can start off by heading to your local library and checking out Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” and “The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas Stanley and William Danko. Not only will these books teach you about personal finance principles, they will help you grow more confident in making your own financial decisions. Don’t like to read? You can also check out group and individual financial coaching options by clicking here. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and visit my website for more info! Jenny Gattinger, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jenny is a personal financial coach, with a passion for helping millennials reach their financial goals. Having completed a degree in Economics, along with Dave Ramsey’s Financial Coach Master Training, she teaches them how to organize their money and put it to work so that one day, sooner rather than later, they won’t have to. A millennial herself, Jenny’s financial savviness has allowed her to follow her dreams of travel and visit 50+ countries as well as compete internationally in two different sports, all while maintaining a sense of financial wellbeing.

Written by: Susan Van Staden, Executive Contributor Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise. Anyone can be an entrepreneur. It’s what you believe, whether it’s achievable that counts, your perception of business success. But business is not always straightforward, and over the years, the popularity of certain assumptions has become the norm in business, clouding the obvious natural way of doing. Assumption: You will be able to make an impact once you are known or are influential. You need to be popular in the business world and have thousands of followers on the internet to succeed. Truth: It may be helpful, but you become known or influential because you have already impacted. Anytime you interact with another person, no matter who, the first words in your head should be: How do I help this person? Imagine how a single life transformed starts a butterfly effect. If for the next year, you touch 52 lives by reaching out to help. Fifty-two individuals touched. That is one life a week, absolutely do-able. Those 52 people are going to talk about it… thus you are helping yourself by doing well to others. Assumption: You need to be a Genius at marketing yourself and do it constantly to be successful. There are no two ways about it; marketing is important for growth. But constantly talking to the masses won’t necessarily bring results. “Going viral is not an outcome. It’s only a happening”– Lori Taylor. Truth: Hundred bad products won’t sell with good marketing. Good products create their own marketing; you only need one. Speaking earnestly about it, believing in your product will sell it. In the late 1800s, a man named Samuel Fay was looking for a way to attach claim tickets to fabric. He didn’t want to use a pin because they’d pierce the fabric. In a moment of inspiration, he picked up a piece of wire nearby that bent it into an X shape and slid the ticket and the fabric together. He didn’t create the paperclip to become rich but to solve an immediate problem. His product proved to be ingenious, and today everybody uses it. Assumption: You need to be perfect, better than your competitor. It is called Social Comparison. “Social comparison theory states that individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others they perceive as somehow faring better or worse.” The danger of social comparison is the feeling of not doing enough, not being enough, of not being successful, which is not true. Truth: Marie Forleo, businesswoman and author, wrote: “You don’t have to get it perfect. You just have to get it going”. Every small victory is a success, your success, not someone else’s. Once you start comparing or “stacking” these successes, comparing YOU to your own successes, over time it builds your confidence, you will slowly but surely find enough evidence that you ARE good enough, smart enough, very successful! “Successful people are the ones who do obvious things once they decide what they want to do” In the book “Obvious Adams” published in 1916, Robert R. Updegraff - traces the life of Oliver B. Adams, who began his life in a grocery store and became known to the world as “Obvious Adams”, a successful businessman. At every step of his life, Adams, once he decided to work on something, did pretty much the obvious thing that people might not even think about and went about in a complex way. When Adams decides to work for a world-famous advertising agency James B Oswald, he does the obvious. He arranges a meeting to meet with Oswald directly, at first reluctant to talk to Adams, Oswald gives in when he realize Adams’s logic of doing the obvious. Once employed in the firm, Adams solves most of the problems through a simple, common-sense approach. The takeaway from the book – Picking out the obvious analysis of thinking for yourself. Hence taking obvious decisions that lead to success is not all that easy, but at the same time, it is one of the most crucial factors for a great business. The book concludes with: “There is no secret to success. Just do the obvious.” Your beliefs are tripping your success, turn your assumptions into truth. Success begins with the power of thinking for yourself. Connect with Susan on LinkedIn! Susan Van Staden, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Susan is a Reformer, People of this personality type are essentially looking to make things better. Susan started Efficio Business Consulting wanting to offer her over 25 years’ experience to reach and help Coach as many Start-up Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners with a with a program that concentrates not only on the business and growth, but helping the owner step into that roll—building a bridge between builder and business. She lives in the beautiful scenic George, Garden Route, South Africa and has two successful adult daughters, her inspiration, pride and joy.

Written by: Suzanne Ratti, 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 are you doing to support the sales goals of your organization, especially during the COVID crisis? Are your efforts collaborative, or is each virtual team now siloed? Now, more than ever, collaboration is a critical component of whether your sales and marketing initiatives are actually helping convert sales. In this article, we explore ways to create sales synergies during COVID for maximum collaboration and results to your bottom line! Recently, I talked with a company that was struggling. Their marketing department had created a campaign, and it was HOT! The phone started ringing, emails were pouring in, and this should have been a home run, right? The answer might surprise you! In this article, we’ll review the case study and explain why it’s so important for sales and marketing initiatives to be aligned for the highest closing rate. Marketing Initiatives Imagine your marketing team tasked with creating a new campaign to target prospects during the COVID crisis. The goal of the campaign is to boost sales. The marketing team creates concepts and messaging, the content is developed, and graphics, calls-to-action and social media sets are pushed out across a wide variety of platforms. Inbound leads are off the charts! The marketing department chalks up a big win, right? No. Here is why. Sales Initiatives If the phone is ringing and inbound leads are pouring in, most sales and marketing leaders would think this is a big victory. But, what happens when the leads are only buying “loss-leaders” or transactional products and services? What happens when your sales team is trained or incented to convert more relational or long-term sales strategies? What happens when you run out of the loss-leader product or service, and prospects are turned away? You end up wasting valuable time and resources on the wrong leads – that’s what! Alignment This one example is why it is more crucial than ever that your sales and marketing channels be aligned. Sales are critical to any organization’s success. But, if the marketing department is delivering the wrong message, or misaligned on the products or services that the sales team is positioned to sell, you could have total misalignment. Unfortunately, this scenario is common, especially when businesses are forced to pivot quickly (i.e. COVID-19). Pivoting Solutions When businesses are asked to pivot, it may feel like turning the Titanic. One silo (Marketing) has one mission in mind and is scurrying to allocate resources, while the other silo (Sales) is pressuring their team to convert. Aligning these two silos while fostering an environment of collaboration and communication is the best solution to creating a win/win scenario. I often suggest inviting the marketing team into the sales process. Include them on huddles, end of day/week recaps, and strategies for conversion. They need to understand what is going on in the sales world. What objections are the salespeople hearing? What challenges do customers have right now? Sales Training The ball doesn’t just fall in the lap of marketing. Pivoting your sales process may also involve re-training your sales team. Perhaps marketing is delivering a good message and driving quality leads. But, perhaps these leads are different than what the sales team is accustomed to. Perhaps your sales team needs coaching up on how to overcome new objections, how to recommend new solutions, or how to follow up in a virtual environment? It's a Group Effort In addition to pivoting and creating a collaborative environment for sales and marketing, there may be operational areas that need to be brought into the loop to support the new initiatives. How many times have you come up with a great new sales promotion only to have the operational side of the organization push back on the logistics? The operational team should be involved in decisions that impact how they carry the ball in the back office. So, as you can see, it all starts with Sales and Marketing alignment. In the new COVID world of business, an emphasis needs to be placed on enhancing virtual communication between teams. Coaching up your sales and marketing teams to create this alignment can be challenging, but the results will far outweigh the growing pains! Do you need more creative ideas for Sales & Marketing? Follow us on YouTube , Facebook , Linkedin and visit our website ! Read more from Suzanne ! Suzanne Ratti, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Suzanne Ratti is a Sales & Marketing Strategist, a proven performer and an entrepreneur with a passion for helping businesses revolutionize the way they deliver their products and services to their target audience.  Her background in Sales and Marketing for powerhouses like  Xerox  and  SmartCEO  allows her to translate real-world experience, critical skill sets and proven results for businesses in virtually every industry and setting.  Suzanne provides engaging coaching and presentations that can inspire, motivate and empower business owners, solopreneurs, and their sales teams to think differently.

Written by: Sonjali Di Guida, 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. Often in the height of our careers, a hidden monster lurks in the background of our subconscious. This proverbial “boogeyman” depletes our confidence, energy, and internal resources, so that growth is impossible. This villain superimposes itself into our being, our bodies, actions, our thoughts and controls our behaviors. He wears a dark cloak that masks us from reality and possibility. Who specifically is this elusive super villain? Well, dear ambitious one, it is YOU. If you have ever halted your own progress for fear of failure, procrastinated embarking on projects because you lacked confidence, or declined opportunities - feeling that it was out of scope with your capabilities, you have been assaulted by this villain. If you have held the stubborn belief that ‘I am just not made that way” or “I am not good at that sort of thing”. Then you, my friend, have been taken hostage by your self-doubt. Many times, innovation, creativity, learning and growth both personally and professionally comes in moments of clarity and neutrality. The concept of perceived fear, can in itself, be the bottleneck to our growth. I have seen many clients over time neglect the hero in this narrative. Their person, who can come into the situation, assess it, and take control back, wearing their hero cape. Equipped with your very own hero cape, I invite you to explore the world of someone you believe would master your uncomfortable situation... Throughout time in my practice as a hypnotist, I have witnessed the most driven, intellectual and seemingly fearless leaders experience moments of self-doubt in their capabilities. We are often exposed to different facets of our careers, which require us to hone into skill sets and behaviors we actually do not perceive we possess. Modeling for transformational change What if you were told that you do have the necessary attributes of the go-getter, the charming salesperson, the confident one, the leader? How would your approach to your career or job change? I invite you to conquer and master your fears, using your single and best tools: yourself and your model. Being confined to yourself, your behaviors, attributes, and skills would perhaps be insufficient in your new and seemingly ‘scary’ endeavor. But what if you were someone else? What if you could step into the colorful world of someone you know who would navigate your dilemma with ease, confidence and resilience? How would your approach and the outcome be different? I had a client a while back who can best illustrate this power of stepping out of ourselves. Sonia was an ambitious young promising Junior Analyst in the infant phase of her a role in a competitive corporate environment. Prior to this job, she had run her own business, which ultimately collapsed due to the loss of sales from the poor economic conditions. The loss of her business resulted in her being incredibly security-minded, lacking confidence, and chronically stressed. She would later take on this new promising job, feeling under qualified, insecure and lacking direction. When she came into my office, she looked defeated and spoke very softly as she slouched in her chair. Her body language alone depicted her reservations and shyness. Up comes the make or break day of her career; she would have to pitch her company’s services to a massive potential client. The day was soon approaching, where she would have to pitch her company and deliver a 40-minute presentation to a panel of seasoned and well-educated professionals. She felt intimated, under qualified, and overwhelmed. She felt there was no way that she could, as her introverted and petite self, impress this panel. This would be her make or break point in her career, the pitch that would put her back on the map, and advance her further up the corporate ladder. Sonia called me a few weeks later to recount how her presentation went. Not only did she successfully secure her account, the panel loved her energy and drive, and signed on for three other projects a few days later! She got promoted, and later I would find out, got promoted again to manage a team of 20 people in her department. So how did David conquer Goliath? Sonia was able to step out of herself during her presentation, and wear her hero cloak. By choosing a model, she was able to comfortably transform into a self-assured, competent and passionate presenter. In my sessions with Sonia to overcome her fears of public speaking and to build her self-confidence, we ran an exercise in which she chose someone she thought was an excellent speaker model. From there, Sonia was tasked with stepping into her model’s shoes. How does her model stand, use her hands, look people in the eyes? What is her breath rate, the volume of her voice? Once mentally calculating this, Sonia then stepped into this role, and started seeing the world through her model’s eyes. While Sonia has traditionally been hyper detail-oriented, introverted, organized, and meticulous, this task required someone to see the big picture. Someone who could link, in broad terms, her company's services, with the strategy of her client. Someone who can make her company look dynamic, fun and promising. Sonia believed in the value of her company. She just needed other people to see it. While she had the technical savvy and on-paper qualifications to represent her company, it was those soft skills and behaviors that needed refining. In comes Sonia Version 2.0 to save the day. Her selected model (in her case, an old colleague from University), is friendly, could strike up a conservation anywhere with anyone, has incredible charisma and charm. She was that person who danced as if nobody was watching, wore bright colors, and could laugh at herself. She could project her voice, make herself heard in a crowded room, and had this vivacious energy. Sonia went right ahead and wore her new shoes by modeling her old colleague. Immediately, her posture changed, her confidence shimmered, her movements became more fluid. Her voice unapologetically projected to twice its normal volume, and she was able to captivate and connect with her audience. She mirrored the spirit of her model in those moments. She was dynamic, extroverted, and confident! And Sonia version 2.0 won the affection and confidence of that very tough panel. Modeling to a better you Just as Sonia was able to conquer her fears, so can you. I invite you to try on this new confidence by stepping outside of yourself and notice how your perception changes. To get out of the business of your mind, start with some deep breaths, followed by a minute of large body movements. You have now created a blank canvas to work on, which is not painted with your experiences, biases, and belief systems. You are now ready to welcome a curious and observant state of mind, and paint your canvas with that. Next, select an ideal model for your situation. This can be someone you know, a character on a show you like, or someone you admire at a distance. Choose someone you believe to possess all those rich attributes, qualities, and behaviors to master the task or situation at hand. Once you have this selected model, mentally populate a list of attributes this person has, particularly those that would help you reach your desired outcome. Next, ramp up your visualization skills. Imagine all these attributes being absorbed in your body - from the crown of your head to your toes. Sounds silly, right? If Michal Jordan did not utilize his visualization techniques, he would not be able to master basketball to the magnitude that he did. Embrace the visual game. It is fundamental to the mental game. Now try your character on by imagining you are a method actor tasked with becoming another person. How does your model sit? What speed and volume do they use when speaking? How do they look at people in the eye? What is their body language? Are they excited by the challenge? What does excitement feel like in your body? What feelings do you have in your body as this new person? Conjure this feeling your model would have...See, speak, hear, listen and feel as they do. You are now superimposed with this model. Get comfortable with yourself in this new way of being until it feels natural and believable to yourself. Finally, with these new lenses on, approach your task. How have your feelings changed since embracing this new way of being? Notice changes to the way you now perceive events, people and situations. With your feet comfortably settled into your new shoes, you are now ready to approach your situation or task at hand. The good news is, you can wear these shoes for as long as you need them, wherever you need them. When you feel they have served their purpose and match your wardrobe for the day, you can safely put them back on your house slippers. Modeling is not just for the runway Learning through modeling is a powerful tool used in many aspects of self-growth and transformation. . When we limit ourselves to our own constricting beliefs, we halt progress and the world of possibilities. Modeling allows us to step into a new world, as a new being, with the proper prescription lenses. You will see that you have many of those attributes you sought in your model; you just had to use them. Once this portal is open, you will see a new realm of colorful and exciting opportunities. Allow yourself to pick and choose those qualities you need, and jump into the experience when you need them. Know that many great leaders were not just born the public images you have come to know and appreciate. They nurtured their confidence through trial and error, and at some point, felt they did not have the resources they needed. Be consciously or unconsciously, they tapped into a vast population with limitless attributes, and incorporated them into their personas. Some qualities were permanently imprinted on them, and others were replaced by more useful ones. Some of these are placed on the coat rack and are worn only during special events. These resources are used when and where they are needed, but are permanently in your wardrobe if you should need them again. I encourage you, with these newfound superpowers, to challenge your supervillain to a dual. You will find that your cape can be selected in a variety of colors. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook and visit my website for more info! Sonjali Di Guida, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Sonjali Di Guida, is a passionate and outcome driven hypnotist, dedicated to helping individuals master their growth mindset, from the very core of their beings – the subconscious. With her training from the Master Hypnotist Society as well as utilization in Neuro linguistic programming systems, her clinic, The West Island Hypnosis Center has helped her many clients make transformational changes – both personally and  professionally. Her executive background as well as her experience running her consulting firm and hypnosis clinic have allowed her to continuously master her craft in changemaking.

Eva Medilek is a Certified High-Performance Coach and a Relationship Success Coach. She has coached both men and women in the areas of personal development, leadership and mastering habits for success. She specializes in helping powerful, successful women have happier, healthier, more intimate connections in their relationships without giving up their power. Read the full interview below! – I'm Eva Medilek and I live in Berkeley, CA with my husband Peter and my rescue dog, Lexi. I have two grown daughters and I enjoy the experiences of traveling and learning about other cultures. My husband and I enjoy culinary and wine experiences, along with golfing and hiking together. – I have spent most of my life as a successful, practicing dental hygienist in New York and San Francisco. As I was approaching my 50th birthday, I was downsized and found myself looking for work. That experience sparked my entrepreneurial journey as a real estate investor. As fruitful as that decision turned out to be, my drive and ambition to be successful, contributing to the near destruction of my marriage. – Although I had begun my life coaching and real estate coaching business as a result of my investing success, my marriage breakdown was the catalyst for my coaching business today. You're a High-Performance Coach and a Relationship Success Coach. I'm a little curious. What exactly is a High-Performance Coach? – High-Performance Coaching is a process created to reach that next level of performance, practice, and potential in your life while maintaining your health, well-being and relationships. As your coach, I work with you in mastery of the five areas of High Performance, which are Clarity, Energy, Courage, Productivity and Influence. The Relationship Success Coach is easier to understand. You've made an interesting journey together with your husband. But first things first. When building your business, how come you were so focused on your business, because I understand it affected your marriage? – There were many reasons that I was so focused on my business. The main one being the dream and vision that we had for our life together. You see, my husband is from Germany and his entire family still lives there. We were also married in Berlin and love that city. Since we both love to travel, we wanted to establish a home base in Berlin to make it easier to see family and to travel throughout Europe. – My husband was always a freelancer. I was always an employee in the United States. How could I do this and have the income needed, when most employers only allow two weeks vacation? I couldn't live my dream and continue to be an employee and keep my job. I had to figure this out. And, since I had just turned 50, and we were only married for one year at that point, I had an urgency that I didn't want to be too old to live my dream and enjoy summers in Europe. – Between the impatience and the urgency to start living the dream, coupled with the fact that I did not enjoy being under the thumb of an employer, created the motivation and focus to succeed. My parents were also aging, and as an only child, I needed the freedom and the resources to be able to help them when they needed me. – I should also note that my husband was less than thrilled at the monetary investment I made in my education, coaches and mentors for real estate. I also had to prove that I could create a significant return on that investment. "I also realized that I shared responsibility for this self-sabotaging behavior." At one point, he cheated on you. Was it hard to forgive him, or could you see things from a new perspective? – Here's the thing about his infidelity, it was a symptom of something deeper. – The amount of stress, overwhelm, burnout and general exhaustion that I was feeling while working my day job, studying investing, cooking, shopping, laundry, business accounting and feeling like I was doing it all, was taking a toll on my health, well-being and most of all, our relationship. – When I finally discovered his cheating, it was after we tried months of therapy that didn't really help. I knew, at this core, that my husband was a good and decent human. I also realized that I shared responsibility for this self-sabotaging behavior. – There are many symptoms of pain and anxiety that can manifest. Drugs and alcohol abuse are the most commonly talked about and treated. I knew that I was not showing up as my best self in the marriage and neither was he. We had a choice to break-up or breakthrough this breakdown. We chose to do the work to create a breakthrough to a new relationship with each other. We were both hurting and had compassion and understanding for each other's pain. That was instrumental in helping us move past the past. What was it that you started doing differently, that makes your marriage work till this day? –The number one thing I do differently is that I have a both/and mindset, not an either/or approach to life. I practice the habits of high performance that keep me feeling and performing my best in every area of my life. – I make sure that I'm taking care of my mental energy and physical stamina so that I can show up in my relationship as my best self and he doesn't get the remnants of me that are leftover by the end of the day. We schedule a time to have fun more because, in my focus on success, I never created time for fun. – I've learned to acknowledge and appreciate before bringing up what's wrong or what didn't work. In short, we focus on showing up and better for ourselves by practicing better self-care. We are being better and doing better so that we can have a better relationship. Do you have a similar story from one of your clients who has gone through the same thing as you? Could you help him/her? – When I think of a client that I helped, I can't help but think of a gentleman I worked with who described himself as a serial cheater. In fact, his wife reached out to me to work with him because he was always having affairs. The reason why I want to use him as an example is because one thing I caution my clients about is to not be attached to results or how things should look. – When my husband and I did the work together and separately, we remained open to the fact that we may decide that we would be happier apart. That was the scariest part of it all, but we had to do the work before we could come to the best result for us. – When I started working with this client, it was clear that he was always doing what he thought was best for others, even though he was sacrificing his needs, wants and desires in the process. He was truly unhappy, and that was why, even though he loved his wife, he was not happy in the marriage. He felt the obligation and not the desire, because they were married for 40 years. She had continually tolerated his cheating as well, but never let him forget it either. – They were in crisis. After working with them separately and identifying their signature "Relationship Style", they were able to come to an honest resolution in their relationship that involved the dissolution of their marriage. – He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, and he could now live an honest and free life with everyone in his family for the first time in a long time. Although it wasn't a popular decision, he is very happy and living his best life. Even though they are not living happily ever after together, they gained the courage to live happily ever after apart. Who should hire/work with you? – I help driven, ambitious entrepreneurs, executives and leaders have happy, healthy, more intimate relationships while reaching that next level of success without sacrifice. If you find yourself feeling stressed out, burnt out, overwhelmed and stuck. It's affecting your relationships at home, at work and in your communities. Mastering the practices of high performance and relationship success will foster extraordinary results in every area of your life. As an expert within the subject. What are the top 3 biggest warning-signals that my job affects my relationship with my close ones? – Three warning signals of your job affecting your relationships are Overwhelm and Exhaustion Miscommunication/impatience Lack of joy and vibrancy For more details on how to be influential at home, at work and in your communities, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and visit my Website. Read more from Eva!