Year: 2020

Dominic Kennedy of ‘Dominic Effect’: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each Other During These Anxious Times

“Don’t make assumptions,” has resonated with me over and over again. This agreement is one that I always keep in the back of my mind whether I am dealing with a personal relationship or something comes up at work. Not to make assumptions on what someone is feeling or going through and letting that person speak their truth is so important.

As a part of my series about the the things we can do to develop serenity and support each other during anxious times, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dominic Kennedy.

Dominic is a personal trainer in Hollywood/Beverly Hills and CEO of the Dominic Effect app launching in November (fitness & wellness.) Dominic holds the following certifications: National Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Training, NASM weight loss specialist, NASM corrective exercise specialist, NASM nutritionist, CPR/AED certified. He is also an advocate and member of the LQBTQ community!

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

From a very young age, I was extremely active, athletic and energetic. But I ended up going to college at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and majoring in Pharmaceutical, more to impress people than fulfill my own needs.

After a few years working in this industry, I knew it wasn’t for me. I needed more interaction with people, and I knew there was so much more inside me I could do.

Knowing all of this and being extremely involved in the gym on my own, combining that with yoga consistency and always eating healthy, I decided to pursue my personal training certification.

Upon moving to Los Angeles, I decided I wouldn’t work in the corporate world. I knew there was more, more where I could really help people. So, I started to work as a full time personal trainer. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

I worked at a major gym, and within a few months became one of their top trainers out of 23 in the entire facility. I was 8 months in when I decided to rent space from a private gym and took my clients with me to grow this business. It’s been over 12 years, and I am flourishing this into a very successful earning with personal training. I’ve trained hundreds of clients in person and online and transformed hundreds of bodies. It’s been an absolute blessing and pleasure meeting and helping so many different people.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

The most interesting part of my personal training career is the variety of personalities I encounter. Quickly into my career, I realized that I am highly empathetic and intuitive, which is a great gift to have. However, learning not to take on someone else’s sadness, pain or emotion is one I’ve had to work on.

When I started full time training I couldn’t figure out why I felt emotionally drained at the end of the day, until working with various healers and discovering my gift. With much practice and meditation, I now can be in the moment with that person but not carry their emotion with me the rest of the day. This has been key for me.

This career path has opened so many doors, meeting amazing people from all age groups and backgrounds. Everyone has their own story to tell, and I am there along the way to listen to it. I have been through marriages, births, divorces, deaths, you name it and there for all of my clients. My business is not just to come in and lift weights and leave. There is way more that goes along with it.

What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?

I cannot stress how important it is to be around good energy but to also emit this to others. Working with people one on one, it’s extremely important to show up positive and be a source of light for all. Weight loss, food addiction, or just simply not the drive to work out can be a huge struggle for many, so it’s my job to stay positive and be a source of good energy for all of my clients.

We are all human and no matter what we do, we will encounter bad days. If your body is telling you to take rest, then do it. If resting means you go sit on the beach for an hour or go on a hike to recharge I highly suggest this. Listen to what your body is telling you so that when you show up to your job, you are vibrating at a high level and motivated to be there. Otherwise, those around you will pick up on your energy and this can often create a trickle effect. So, if you need a second to yourself, think of that happy place you go relax and let go to recharge before entering your work space.

Open communication is also so vital in creating a healthy work space. If your team or clients are afraid to approach you, this will just create a barrier and eventually come out in different ways. I always urge all of my clients or whomever I am working with to please come to me with any issues or concerns so we can peacefully discuss them.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

One of my favorite books that I read over from time to time is “the Four Agreements,” by Don Miguel. He talks about 4 agreements that can help you amongst many situations.

1. Be impeccable with your word

2. Don’t take anything personally

3. Don’t make assumptions

4. Always do your best

Out of all 4 agreements, “Don’t make assumptions,” has resonated with me over and over again. This agreement is one that I always keep in the back of my mind whether I am dealing with a personal relationship or something comes up at work. Not to make assumptions on what someone is feeling or going through and letting that person speak their truth is so important.

I think this goes along with creating a great work environment. To not make assumptions on whatever is going on but keep the communication open and flowing. It sounds simple, but we are all human and this can often be challenging to remember in the moment.

I use this in both personal training and real estate. With both of my careers, I never want to make an assumption of what my personal training client is battling with or why they binge eat, etc. The same goes with real estate. I’m not there to make assumptions on my clients needs but have direct communication with them on exactly what they want.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. From your experience or research, how would you define and describe the state of being mindful?

Being mindful is such a great state of mind to be in. Being mindful of your own state of well being as well as others around you. With today’s current events, this is extremely important for yourself and others near you.

Being mindful of your thoughts, feelings and emotions will help keep you centered and balanced. Knowing when you need a break or moment to recenter yourself, is a huge sign of growth.

I find that so many don’t know what to do when overwhelmed, exhausted or anxious. Being mindful of this and knowing that your mental health is so vital to take care of (just as important as physical exercise) to truly stay grounded and calm yourself down.

For me, meditation or watching a beautiful sunset at the beach re centers me. I am extremely mindful of my thoughts and emotions, and I can tell when I need to pause and do this. I meditate every morning, but sometimes I need more and my body gives me signs and signals to take a break.

This might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to spell this out. Can you share with our readers a few of the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of becoming mindful?

We all have days when our body just feels completely exhausted. It may not just be our physical body but our mental well being too. Many times I listen to clients and friends talk about how they feel, and I always suggest when they are in this state to pause and do something that will be of a release to them.

I practice meditation daily. I know this, or being out in nature, will bring me back to a safe, fulfilling space. If your physical body is exhausted, be mindful of this and rest. We often feel that we need to go, go, go! In America, we are wired this way. But, if you are this physically, mentally and emotionally tired chances are you are not operating at your highest frequency or potential. You will be surprised what rest, meditation, affirmations or whatever it is that brings you peace will do.

The more aligned and centered you are, the more comes to you. The more you can manifest. I cannot stress the importance of taking care of your physical, mental and emotional well being.

Ok. Here is the main question of our discussion. The past 5 years have been filled with upheaval and political uncertainty. Many people have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the pandemic have only heightened a sense of uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and loneliness. From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to develop mindfulness during such uncertain times? Can you please share a story or example for each.

1. Meditation

2. Nature

3. Journal

4. Loved ones or people who ground you

5. Travel

The past few years (especially this past year), has caused an extreme amount of uncertainty, fear, depression and more. However, there are ways to protect yourself when the mind starts to control you and your feelings. Everything is mindset, if you can learn to control this and find ways that center you and make you feel calm, you will be surprised how beautiful your life can operate at such a high level.

There are 5 steps I take to be present, operating at my highest frequency and remaining calm:

Meditation, I practice this every morning with meditation music and sometimes throughout the day if I need more practice. My day is so much better and fulfilling and less “in my head and thoughts.”

Sometimes I need more and when my body tells me this, I go into nature. A hike with my dog or a friend to decompress and reconnect within nature, I always leave this calm, re centered and that positive respect for this thing we call, life

Journaling is another great technique I use. I journal for multiple purposes but this really helps me let go of things that are causing uncertainty and fear. It allows me to tap into those thoughts that I know I need to release and move on, so powerful.

There are certain people who I feel really grounded and at ease around, just good, pure energy. When you find those people who can have deep, good life conversations and you feel 100% yourself, keep them around. They feel the same around you and being around that high frequency exchange will help you feel so safe and loved.

It doesn’t have to be across the globe, but sometimes we need a break and new scenery. I urge you to travel whether it is local in your state or surrounding states or across the globe. I personally love traveling the globe to learn new cultures and ways of life. This is one of my favorite things that keeps me grounded and humble.

From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?

The same five above would be used, actually the question above mentions anxiety so this pertains to that. Same thing.

What are the best resources you would suggest for someone to learn how to be more mindful and serene in their everyday life?

My resources are my friends and peers I look up to who operate at a higher frequency. Anytime I am trying something new that will be of benefit to my mental health, I reach out to someone I know or a friend of a friend and ask their opinion or recommendation. This is always my first go to before I research anywhere else. This way, I can ask them their personal experience and really get a better gauge on if this is something for me!

However, there are so many amazing books, like the ones mentioned above that you can find, podcasts, healing centers, that offer all of this. I would say to ask yourself, what calls to you the most? What feels right in the moment to you in the direction you want to go.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

“You have one body to live in, take care of it.” I absolutely love this quote because it’s the truth. Not just the physical body itself, but taking care of your mental health needs as well. Remember, the inside work is just as important as the outside work.

I use this a lot with my clients, friends and peers as a reminder when they are falling off track. It’s simple and effective and really has changed the mindset of a lot of the people around me. If we don’t take care of the body, we aren’t going to live very long and who wants to live in pain, fear, anxiety? Not me! Think of this whenever you feel you are falling off track, I have mine printed near my desk as a constant reminder.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Eventually, I will lead public speaking seminars that promote positivity, health, mental health awareness and basically, how to live a great life. My childhood was not one to brag about, but the struggles and obstacles have made me into who I am today.

There was no silver spoon or much love, but I came out on top. I will one day hold seminars or retreats so that others can realize no matter what their story is (because we all have one), you can come out being the best version of yourself and still spread love.

I think it’s really important to stay vulnerable and authentic because you never know the amount of people you are helping. I hope everyone can radiate the amount of love and positivity I project, to me, that is the true meaning of my life!

Dominic Kennedy of ‘Dominic Effect’: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Focus: I hear this a lot and also say it a lot. Making one product or service successful is more sustainable than being distracted by several new products (or companies) at once. I struggle with this nearly everyday because I am creative and am always thinking about what to do next. I have to remind myself that spreading resources and time too thin is just a bad process — and the fastest way to fail.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer Adams.

Jennifer has more than 25 years of experience in product development and design, sourcing and manufacturing in Asia and the U.S. Beginning her career in the toy industry, she directed product development and design, sourcing and created private label products and concepts that were sold to nearly every retailer in the nation.

Jennifer launched Velocity Source Group in 2001, to meet the needs of domestic companies seeking professional, experienced guidance in product development, design, sourcing and manufacturing both in the United States and in Asia. In early 2017, she wound down that business to focus all of her energy on TruKid.

From what started as a frustration, TruKid was born and quickly became a household name with a sizable following among parents facing similar skin challenges.

She decided that kids needed a brand that was safe, gentle and natural. Using natural ingredients and essential oils to make scents that kids love and a product design that belongs in kids’ bathrooms, she created a truly healthy, kid-friendly product range. TruKid is now the expert in Kids steroid-free Eczema Care and has the largest offering of National Eczema Association Approved products for kids and babies.

TruKid brings clean, comfy fun back to bath time, that’s the promise Jennifer makes.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”?

In 2008, I was frustrated with the lack of good options while caring for my children’s skin, especially the frequent eczema flare ups. After years of trial and error, a lot of wasted time and money, I decided to create the skincare products I needed for my family. The products that are 100 percent steroid free, plant-based, simply made and highly effective, even on problematic or sensitive skin.

What led you to this particular career path?

I noticed a gap in the marketplace — there were very little products for kids, but a lot for babies. It seemed like a good idea to grow with customers’ families as they grow. This would create a repeat business for nearly 10 years (per family) vs. 18–24 months for babies.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

When we began, we were extremely innovative in that we created a natural product offering — which was unheard of. This was when natural products were new and just coming onto the market. There was not much available, and consumers were mostly unaware there was a choice to have healthy, natural products. Then we began to offer products that were natural and steroid free — focusing on the eczema struggles of parents everywhere. Steroids can offer relief, but the downside of steroids is an often misunderstood reality of skin steroid addiction. Once you stop using the steroid, the rash may come back redder and more aggressive than before, therefore forcing more steroid use on already angry skin. We offered a product that was steroid-free that served our customers’ needs, gently and safely.

Our exciting new disruption is our Bubble Podz — our eco-friendly no mess, no waste, single-serve solution that fills your child’s bath with a tubful of natural, safe and chemical-free bubble bath. It makes bath time simple, clean and fun for all sensitive skin types.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting?

It was not so much as funny as not understanding the customer. When my kids were little before bed, I would wash their feet with a washcloth and massage them with lotion. I created a foot cream for kids that was meant for parents and kids to have a moment of comfort and care. Who does not like their feet rubbed right? It totally flopped. Either we did not market it correctly or no-one wanted to rub their kids’ feet. HA!

Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

It was an early lesson in learning to really understand the customer’s needs. Just because I had the need was not necessarily what my customers wanted. I am still a little salty about it because I loved this product. ☺

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors?

I have been a member of the Entrepreneur Organization (EO) for about 15 years. It is a worldwide group of CEOs/Founders that allows for deep and transparent sharing of ideas, struggles, resources, etc. I am grateful that I can call up a local chapter member or any member from around the world and have a candid discussion about any problem I might be having. Currently, I belong to a group of nine CEOs (that are from the EO world) in which we virtually meet every Friday morning (5:30 a.m. PST); and have been for more than eight years. They are my personal mentors — board of directors.

Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

They make an impact really every week. One of our members recently was in a partnership challenge and as a collective group we helped them find a positive solution. If I was not able to reach out to other CEO’s, I would definitely make more mistakes.

I also have a coach, Jonathan Domsky of Untangled Coaching. We began working together earlier this year and working with a coach is something I totally recommend. It provides more insights into habits and goal achievement. For example: one week we discussed things that were inadvertently impacting my goals and he took me through a tool that highlighted some behaviors that might be getting in my way. Honest perspective is hard to find.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

I love the idea of disrupting, but it sounds like an aggressive word, when oftentimes the disruption is actually really helpful and makes people’s lives easier (like our Bubble Podz).

Right now, being able to Zoom with customers and vendors vs. travel (because of the pandemic) is not only making my life easier, but a whole lot more efficient. I also think Zoom is pretty disruptive in that meeting face to face is fast and easy. However, the downside is not physically visiting a factory and walking the factory floor, meeting the developers on site. I have gotten all of my learning from visiting factory’s, learning new technologies around making products along with meeting the teams in person. Although it is not Zoom’s fault I am not getting on planes right now.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

Focus: I hear this a lot and also say it a lot. Making one product or service successful is more sustainable than being distracted by several new products (or companies) at once. I struggle with this nearly everyday because I am creative and am always thinking about what to do next. I have to remind myself that spreading resources and time too thin is just a bad process — and the fastest way to fail.

Sometimes “me too” is ok: I had a toy company years ago and I created beautifully painted butterfly wings. I kept being asked to create Angel Wings and I said — someone else already does that. My customers said I would rather buy it all from you vs. two vendors. I decided to just do it and the Angel Wings became my #2 seller.

Create the company that works for you: I felt I needed to grow my business in a certain way — focus on selling to smaller wholesalers then scale into Mass Market retailers; as it seemed others were doing. I realized that after a while that I had made my business really complicated and did not like the complexity I created. 2.5 years ago, I pivoted to a model that made it easier to manage and scale while fitting my personality and skill set better. Not only am I growing a better business but I like how simple it is.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

HA! I am never done — my mind is always whirling. Ask my kids when I make them go trend shopping and ask them questions about what might be missing from a given category I am looking at, or are there things in their lives that could be much better. More importantly, I am working toward a no-plastic packaging consumer goods company. We are on our way to that with our Bubble Podz and its compostable packaging, but my goal is to be plastic free with innovative packaging by 2023 (or sooner).

Additionally, I am getting ready to shake things up in the Pet Category. I have designed a product range that will make washing your pet so much easier and better for the dogs (plastic free, of course). I am very excited about this launch in Q1 of 2021.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

I really don’t like to think in terms of male vs. female, but over the years I see that men seem to have an easier time getting funding that assists in their disruption. I think that is changing now, but I believe women are ready to lead disruption. Especially now with so many leaving the workforce to care for kids or family during the pandemic. I believe that women will be solving problems that will result in amazing new companies.

Do you have a book/podcast/talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking?

Story Branding, by Donald Miller. Getting our messaging right has been a challenge and this book has truly made an impact on telling our story. Being clear so our customers better understand how we can help them, has changed our business.

Can you share a story with us?

Getting the story right. In the beginning our origin story resonated at the time, but we also had another story along the way that was equally important to tell but did not tell it. I felt I could not change the original narrative (not sure why I got stuck on the original story). Getting comfortable telling a different story that better represents our path and for our customers has been really critical.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

One of my passions is helping young entrepreneurs get off the ground. I help mentor kids at my kids’ high school. I am available to the entrepreneur club to advise and brainstorm — work through business ideas, etc. The youth is our future and if I can help the next generation think big and about the future, who knows what they will think of. You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”?

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take. I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.

A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

Wayne Gretsky. The first sentence is the one I repeat the most. I am not so much a hockey fan as much as I am a fan of this quote. Look forward and be fearless. Failure grows new muscles.

Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

I have not made moves due to fear- have missed opportunities or not taken advantage of them because of being afraid to take the risk.

How can our readers follow you online?

@Trukidskin or www.trukid.com

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Female Disruptors: Jennifer Adams of TruKid On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Dr. Margaret Rogers Van Coops: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each Other During These Anxious Times

Keep a diary of your ideas and work on expanding them to make self feel secure.

Think before you speak! Listen and learn first to others who know more truths

Avoid panicking, Instead organize, and structure life in ways that feel safe.

Be creative with arts, music, sports that unite people in peaceful times.

Always see both sides of the coin and be gentle in how you apply your input.

As a part of my series about the things we can do to develop serenity and support each other during anxious times, I had the pleasure of interviewing Professor Margaret Rogers Van Coops, Ph.D. DCH(IM)

Prof. Margaret is renowned for her Mediumship, her research into the paranormal, psychology, psychiatry, hypnosis, and numerous healing modalities. She has written 15 educational and helpful books, novels and screenplays and has her own radio show: Journey Into An Unknown world on webtalkradio.net where her talks are educational and very informative.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

When I was in India teaching, I visited many ashrams, one being down in Pondicherry, where I was not wishing to attend the so-called Guru’s talk, who was in his ego, big time! So I asked my tour guide if I could go with him. After explaining he was going to a tea room mostly for men, I still insisted on going with him. When we arrived, a few men asked in Hindi if I was his woman. He interpreted for me, which led to people asking what I did and before long the room was packed with over forty men who came to hear what I had to say about life and, of course, I channeled a lesson for these men about life in general, and when all was finished, they kissed my feet, insisting that it was done by each one. For me that was the most humbling time in my life.

What advice would you suggest to your colleagues in your industry to thrive and avoid burnout?

Everyone living is in some way, a metaphysical teacher, healer or guide, who has an inbuilt urgency to teach as many people as possible. The problem is that not everyone is listening. Over the years, I pushed myself to share as much as I could, whenever any opportunity presented itself. Yes, I was stressed, and often overwhelmed with the negative states of humanity. It led to my death, when I felt I was scattered into a trillion pieces spread far and wide. I had lost me! So my advice is to not allow the ego self to believe you are the savior and must help everyone. Let those who need you, find their way to you, and when you know them, you truly know they are there for you to share and that they will take just what they need, no more or less, but it will be the seeds they need to grow long after you have said goodbye.

What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?

My experiences have come from a time with no technology to speak of other than heavy telephones and newspapers, to be drawn into a technical age where computers are controlling every form of communication. I was often drawn into people’s advice to rebuild my website over and over again or pitch my courses and so forth. In time, I got weary of trying to perform to draw people into my life this way. So I stopped and opened up to The Oneness and soon realized that when I asked for help or for a client, someone always showed up and work got done. My advice for those who are truly aware is to do things in their own style while knowing they are guided and taken care of by their Spirit Team in The Oneness which does include thousands of soul group angels ready to help.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Reading material in my early life did not provide metaphysical books. Black Beauty was the first book that brought a true awareness of cruelty to my mind when I was ten years old. I vowed I would never let any animal suffer. What followed was the wicked woman who insisted my dog be destroyed, since it had killed one of her kittens, it being liken to a rat! Well my parents complied, afraid of repercussions from legal authorities. I was devastated and mourned the loss for days. Within weeks, The other two kittens were killed by a car and a bus. We kids ran to tell her and watched as she shoveled the remains of the last animal into the trash can. She said aloud to us all, “Dam nuisance! Good riddance, I never wanted them in the first place!” I sobbed a lot that night, knowing my Nikki had been murdered by a woman who just wanted attention and control over me, my parents, and her husband, who lamely brought us a box of chocolates as compensation for his wife’s insistent behavior. The lesson of love for all creatures, animal or human, was a hard one. Part of me felt sorry for her and her mean nature.

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let us move to the main focus of our interview. Many people have become anxious just from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the coronavirus pandemic have only heightened a sense of uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to develop serenity during such uncertain times? Can you please share a story or example for each?

This virus has united us in a common goal for every country to isolate, protect, nurture and most importantly to destroy the old Piscean Age of control. Like every new toy, we play around with ideas until we find something we like. Then we put energy into manifesting something better! This whole world needs a new system of integration of our species, unity in work and play, a rebuilding of political, organizations, and various other business structures that will eventually grow out of need in the future. I will take many years for every country to amalgamate and unite in fair trade, supplies for health, and the values of property etc.

The five steps you ask about are not defined beyond each individual. Here are my suggestions: 1. Keep a diary of your ideas and work on expanding them to make self feel secure. 2. Think before you speak! Listen and learn first to others who know more truths 3. Avoid panicking, Instead organize, and structure life in ways that feel safe. 4. Be creative with arts, music, sports that unite people in peaceful times. 5. Always see both sides of the coin and be gentle in how you apply your input.

From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?

My research into the working of the conscious, subconscious, and deep-subconscious aspects of how the brain works, is fascinating. Our conscious mind believes everything we experience, categorizing events as negative or positive, then justified to establish a place in society. The subconscious is the dream world we live in, where we hope and imagine how things can improve. While the Deep-subconscious delivers our inner truths through meditation, psi development and spiritual encounters, often called “The Unknown,” typecast as scary or an amazing moment in one’s life that results in radical changes of conscious awareness. To help people, I suggest:

1. Therapists work with people ready for changes to come. Advise, giving ways and means that are alternative from prior ways.

2. Use hypnosis and meditation to settle the clients mind and assist them to transform thoughts into a positive mode.

3. Use various physical therapies, such as my Crystal Acupuncture & Teragram Therapy to realign the Five Bodies that make up the Aura and to rebuild the torn Chakras, which will result in healing of the entire body, mind and spirit, resulting in a new focus on life. What follows is the creative self that becomes inspired to change life’s focus.

4. Provide follow-up support. Do not assume the client is fine. Some slip back into old fears. 5. Teach in small groups where Q & A helps both the individuals, but also the group sharing helps one another.

What are the best resources you would suggest to a person who is feeling anxious?

So many choices: Best to search on-line or look locally for teachers and attend physical events, such as meetups! Read as many books as one can. Attend events that are attractive to the ear, where learning and new contacts can be found.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

For me quotes were just eye-openers at the time which were insightful, but soon forgotten as I moved on. I can honestly say that the only one that stuck with me was Jesus, “Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it will be opened unto you. Ask and ye shall receive.” As a result I have never stopped asking The Oneness to help me do what I came to teach in this world, whatever it might be.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would start a foundation/college of Metaphysical Studies that would embrace all aspects of healing modalities whether physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. Its standard would be set high with examinations and tests set over years to qualify, and it would be necessary for all medical people to study at least one year to embellish their medical training. This College would be a foundation model for all Health matters, including education and control in the general disbursement of standards by which we live and heal, to include medications and alternative natural foods that would be organized world-wide by a union of all countries who will contribute to the standards and rules to be made. This is a big project that takes investors, educators, politicians, medical professors and more. I originally worked on the American Metaphysical Society with others. But, it fell apart, being too soon, but now with the Coronavirus it may be the start of this. I hope so.

Dr. Margaret Rogers Van Coops: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each Other… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Female Disruptors: Radio & TV Host Angi Taylor On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your Industry

Find your elevator: If you have ideas and you just don’t know what the next step is, find the person who is in that place to elevate you and who shares your vision. Everyone needs an elevator.

As a part of our series about women who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Angi Taylor.

Angi Taylor is a 25-year radio and TV host, and a Chicago media staple. She’s had previous stops in Minneapolis and Philadelphia, and was most recently the fierce mainstay of mornings on Top 40 WKSC 103.5-FM’s “Fred And Angi” show since 2008. The Serbian-American radio mogul moved to host her solo morning host at iHeartMedia Chicago’s brand-new rock station, ROCK 95 FIVE in October 2020. Angi is a mental health advocate, and active with many local charities including PAWS Chicago, the Alzheimer’s Association, Girls on the Run, among others. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, running, traveling, and a big glass of red!

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

First off, thank you so much for this honor. I’m so thrilled to chat with you! The backstory is a very winding road, but the short version is that I always wanted a career in entertainment/music, but couldn’t see what shape that would take. I can’t sing, I’m not a musician, and I had no access to the industry while growing up in Minneapolis. As a bartender in college, I met a radio DJ who offered me an internship at the big top40 station (KDWB/Minneapolis). After the first day, I knew that radio was for me. I have a big mouth, lots of thoughts, and a crazy work ethic. I found my “talent” in that moment. I eventually hosted the morning show at that station, Q102 in Philly, KISS-FM in Chicago, and now my own show at Rock 95–5 Chicago.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

As a female morning radio host, I will say that “disruptor” has been my unofficial brand since the day I cracked a microphone. When I started over 20 years ago, you could count the women in my position on one hand. The women I did see were afraid to speak their mind, show their flaws and share their truth. That’s not to say I didn’t hear authenticity or talent. But we didn’t have the freedom or space to express “I’m gonna’ say this and IDGAF what you think.” Men had that freedom. I’ve always worked to DISRUPT in this way for myself and other women coming up in the industry.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

It wasn’t exactly funny at the time, but we laugh about it now. Playboy approached me to do a shoot for their “Women of Radio” edition when I was first on air in my early 20s. I considered it after thinking, “one day when I’m an old lady I’d like to look back on my 25-year-old body and be proud.” I thought it would make for good radio to call my mom LIVE on-air to ask her if she thought I should do it. She CRIED and begged me not to. I felt horrible for putting her on the spot like that. She went to work that day, and everyone was teasing her about it. I embarrassed someone I love. I learned that while I chose to be a public figure, my family and friends did not, and I had to be more respectful of their privacy. I never ambushed anyone like that again. I also never did the shoot. But a part of me still wishes I had!

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

My biggest mentor since day one is the master of morning shows, Dennis Clark. He’s shaped some of the biggest shows in radio including Ryan Seacrest, Rick Dees, Ellen K., Elvis Duran… he’s a God. When I was at my first show in Minneapolis, I was doing mornings in my hometown and felt like “ok I’ve made it, I’m gonna’ kick back and relax!” I was 26 and was so shocked at my luck that I never thought about WHAT’S NEXT. Dennis came into my life, took me out to dinner, and opened my eyes to how much MORE I was capable of. I never thought beyond Minneapolis, and maybe never would’ve, until someone came along and showed me that he had my back and wanted to champion for me. I wouldn’t have really believed in myself without Dennis.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

This is a great question because when I refer to myself as a “disruptor” I almost pause and wonder how it will be received. I think some might think of a disruptor as someone who makes noise for personal attention, rather than disrupting for attention in order to send a much-needed message. A perfect example on both sides of this coin is rapper Kanye West. Kanye started as the right kind of disruptor in that he wanted people to focus on his vulnerabilities as a man growing up in Chicago, real social issues, his innovation in music and production. He drove culture in an inspiring way. The disruption now feels almost for shock value. It’s twitter currency, it’s political, it’s pissing on a Grammy award. Why are you really disrupting? For likes and retweets? There’s no consistency or call to action and it muddies what could be a legitimate message.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

— Find your elevator: If you have ideas and you just don’t know what the next step is, find the person who is in that place to elevate you and who shares your vision. Everyone needs an elevator.

— Ask for it: I have wanted to anchor my own show for decades. I finally asked for it during a contract negotiation after thinking they would laugh me out the door. They said “ok!” like it was no big deal, and now I hate that I punked out for so long. Nobody knows what you want until you tell them.

— Stay humble: Always ask questions without fear of looking uneducated or unqualified. They’d rather you ask them for the answer than glide along doing it wrong because you’re trying to save face.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

I’m just starting! My first solo anchor show in Chicago on ROCK 95–5 debuted in October. The Angi Taylor Show will be rebel radio! Disruptor radio! It’s all Chicago, fun, topical, music heavy, real and RAWWWWK!

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by ‘women disruptors’ that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

Consideration or Validity. If a man is really taking a stand on something, people will stop and listen to what message he’s sending before forming an opinion or questioning his knowledge on the matter. When there’s passion or disruption coming from a woman, it’s not given the same fair shake from the jump. It’s taken through the filter of “Is she just being emotional? Why is she so angry? Who is she married to because I’ll judge her on her husband’s stance?” It’s harder for us to break through the skepticism and be taken seriously.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

Normalizing the conversation around mental health is most important to me. I’ve struggled with PTSD, anxiety, and depression since I was in grade school. Being from an immigrant family, it was something that was never discussed, and I’ve been working my whole life to reverse the damage done to my emotional growth. I know I can never really “beat” it, I’ve just learned to manage it. There’s so many people who need to know it’s ok to get help if they’re struggling with mental health, the same way they would if they broke their leg. It’s ok. It’s normal. You’re not alone.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Baba, my Serbian grandmother, reminded me very early on to never relay on a man for money because they will always control you. This didn’t really need to be said as I had many examples of the fallout from those choices with the relationships I grew up with, but it really stuck with me at a young age and created a “me against the world” mantra that I still carry with me. Baba is 86 years old now and still gives the best (and brutally honest) nuggets of wisdom and life lesson quotes I could ever ask for. She’s my SHEro!

How can our readers follow you online?

Connect with memon Twitter @AngiTaylorRadio, on Instagram @AngiTaylorRadio, on the iHeart app: search Angi Taylor, and on your radio on ROCK 95–5!

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Appreciate your time. It’s been an honor. Keep inspiring and DISRUPTING!

Female Disruptors: Radio & TV Host Angi Taylor On The Three Things You Need To Shake Up Your… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Emily Rivera: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each Other During These Anxious Times

Be mindful of your own emotions, thoughts, and behavior. We can be leaders of hope, if we more consciously bring hope, love, and compassion to the time spent with others with the words with use, the emotions we convey, and through our body language.

As a part of my series about the the things we can do to develop serenity and support each other during anxious times, I had the pleasure of interviewing Emily Rivera.

Emily Rivera, is described by clients and participants as an earth angel whose presence and messages powerfully shift them into tangibly feeling clarity and peace. She is an otherworldly speaker, guide, and intuitive that delivers individuals into experiencing higher consciousness and teaches them how to quickly and easily create a life of fulfillment, freedom, love, and direct connection. Her intuitive insights and gifts have been helping guide her and others since childhood. Since an early age, Emily has been taught and has direct communication to what she has come to call Ascended Lights (Angels, Archangels, Masters, Beings of Light)

She privately works and helps Celebrities, CEOs, Thought Leaders, Influencers, and individuals of varying ages and backgrounds awaken to their own mastery, life purpose, creative spark, and intuitive awareness so they can be of greater impact while also living a life of abundant flow and joyful fulfillment.

Emily has been highly sought after to speak on stage and in doing one-on-one sessions, for her accuracy and ability to deliver tangible and practical results.

https://theangelcoach.com

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

My career path, I feel is one that chose me. I have been offering services as a spiritual life coach, all my life, but started getting paid for it after my 30s. I have been highly intuitive since childhood. Early on in life I was offering guidance, answers, and support to others around me, including strangers and loved ones. Receiving visuals and audible answers and instructions into how to help people attain their goals, heal, feel hope, and much more. As I matured with life and with my gifts, I became more able to direct and deliver what I receive.

The first opportunity to step into the professional role as a spiritual life coach occurred while I was booking a birthday party for my daughter at the city we lived at. When the city attendant asked what I did, the angels took over and spoke for me, delivering to her that I taught individuals how to live their heart’s desired. The attendant and city hired me instantly to lead classes at the local center.

From there the rest unfolded masterfully and auspiciously, and it has continued to be this way throughout my whole career, including today.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

There are so many to choose from, depending on the flavor you’re after. There has been many filled with laughter, synchronicities, Divine Magic, miracles, and completely what I like to call twilight zone instances that seem to defy logic. But two of my favorite ones, involved working with two young ladies that

were drug addicts. When I met them they felt very disconnected, overwhelmed, out of control, and stuck. After our session, they both claimed to feel clearer, confident about their future, hopeful about the possibilities, and at peace. For both, the day after our session, the cravings for any drugs and hits were completely gone, and as of our last conversations years after, they still were completely drug free. Both experiences were complete miracles, and a reflection of the infinite possibilities to how life could change that quickly and powerfully in positive ways.

What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?

Honor your unique gifts and mastery. As leaders we each are being called and pulled to deliver our own unique wisdom that has been gained and perfected through our life experiences. As leaders, we have two unique and key ingredients that are not always applied by the rest of individuals, and these are the ability to be resourceful and creative. Leaders are unique designers of destiny that own and know they are meant to stand out, to rise, and deliver results, wisdom, and strategies outside the norm that lead to outcomes and success not just for themselves, but for others as well. I’d encourage them to remember this and to follow the call and pull of their purpose. It’s needed to change the world for the better. When you bring that type of self-confidence and contribution to the work culture, it becomes contagious and supportive to all involved.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

Yes, Angels in my Hair by Lorna Byrne. It was a book that crossed my path very auspiciously. It was the first book in which I got the opportunity to hear another person’s story with similar experiences. It helped me to feel more confident about sharing more of my own experiences and messages. It was as if the book gave me permission to speak more boldly about my own life journey and work.

After finishing the book, Lorna came into a local town nearby to deliver her talk about the book, and do a book signing. I took it as an auspicious opportunity to further connect with the author, her gifts, and the inspiration. When Lorna met me, she offered direct guidance and encouragement from the Angels. Once we finished our conversation, she told the store manager, that I too could see and speak to angels, and that they should hire me as a speaker. Within minutes, I was approached by the event coordinator and invited to meet with them, so I could begin offering events at their shop. This fully opened the path for my career and my success.

From your experience or research, how would you define and describe the state of being mindful?

Mindfulness is the ability to access the moment, free of time and/or expectations. Being receptive and available to be carried through each moment as it comes. To be entranced in a state of mindfulness is the opportunity to witness the experience of the senses, and one’s response to it free of judgment. It’s an experience of true freedom and un-attachment.

This might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to spell this out. Can you share with our readers a few of the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of becoming mindful?

Research has demonstrated and proven that mindfulness creates wellbeing within the mental, emotional, and the physical.

Mindfulness promotes a cycle of wellbeing that feeds each area simultaneously. As the mind enters the space of mindfulness, it organically promotes the type of biochemistry within the brain that supports the body to shift into productive restoration and optimization of cells and bodily functions. As this optimization occurs, it triggers feelings of joy, connection, elation, receptivity, positivity, and openness. All of this leads individuals into feeling whole, in balance, and complete.

From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to develop mindfulness during such uncertain times? Can you please share a story or example for each.

These are the steps I share and support my clients with. The shifts that occur are typically rapid, productive, and lasting when individuals can commit to these types of steps and progress.

1. Step outside “your norm,” changing the daily routines and how things are usually done can be very helpful in moving oneself out of feeling anxious, stressed, and/or overwhelmed with the times of uncertainty. In doing so, you create the changes in your environment that can promote a shift in emotions and mindset.

2. Seek individuals that are living their mastery and being an example of mindfulness. Let their stories and life be an example and an inspiration. Let them show you there is a way and it is possible. If they can do it, so can you.

3. Be in nature, let the harmony, flow, and the presence of nature inspire mindfulness through its example. Most individuals organically get pulled into mindfulness when immersed in an environment of beauty and serenity. Nature is the perfect composer of these two qualities.

4. Become an observer of your life, thoughts, emotions, and your drivers (that which guides your decisions). When we practice this intention more deliberately, we enter the state of mindfulness. We become the witness and observer of ourselves, so that we can be present to who we are, who we are being, and be inspired into deciding who we want to become. Ways to better promote this include journaling, meditating, breath work, being of service, and appreciation.

5. Lastly, bringing more of what has already been presented in #4, the more we take time to be present and explore things like journaling, meditating, breath work, being of service, and appreciation, we organically enter states of mindfulness without even having to try. It just unfolds naturally and with flow.

From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?

1. First and foremost, the best and fastest way to offer support to others who are feeling anxious is to be an example of the opposite. Living by example is the most rapid way into influencing and inspiring others. Be rooted.

2. If engaging in conversations with someone, be deliberate in leading the conversation into supportive possibilities, positive explorations, love, appreciation, and what is good in the world. Change what is being discussed if it’s heading in a direction that is instigating feelings of anxiety. Be the lead into something better.

3. Be mindful of your own emotions, thoughts, and behavior. We can be leaders of hope, if we more consciously bring hope, love, and compassion to the time spent with others with the words with use, the emotions we convey, and through our body language.

4. Be a giver of comfort in whichever way you are able to offer it. Let your words, touch, and/or presence be ones that deliver comfort to those in need. 5. Send them tools of inspiration. This can include uplifting music, quotes, articles, stories, movies, etc..

What are the best resources you would suggest for someone to learn how to be more mindful and serene in their everyday life?

1. Audio books that offer insights into mindfulness, wellbeing, peace, and alternative ways of living beyond the norm. By listening to books in audio, it can help more rapidly short mindset into more elevated states.

2. Join communities that expose you to the types of mindset, behaviors, conversations, and interactions that promote this way of living. It is easier to transition into a new way of being when you have others promoting and encouraging your success.

3. Practice, practice, practice. Like everything else, it’s about deliberately deciding to practice a new way of being. Mindfulness is not just about doing it sometimes, it is about committing to becoming available to the practices, mindsets, and behaviors that support and promote mindfulness in day to day living. That is when we can truly enjoy the benefits of mindfulness.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

Say “Yes.”

Become a candidate to express the ideas that are being broadcast from the mind of love-intelligence. Allow yourself to say, “I’m willing, ready, and available for more good than I have ever experienced, imagined, or manifested before. — Michael Beckwith

The reason this quote is so relevant, because I resonate with it in so many levels. Life, opportunities, and infinite wonderful possibilities are available to each of us when we are willing, ready, and able to say YES.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I feel I am currently doing it. The movement I am pulled to feed and be part in leading is, helping people re-awaken to their true soul nature. To help them see more into their limitless qualities and potentials when they choose to nurture their own knowing, mastery, and unique gifts. Helping them to embody and re-ignite the fire of purpose within them, so they can more deliberately create a fulfilling life that inspires others to do the same. I personally call this part of ourselves, our Superhuman. Which is why I teach and lead others into Awakening their Superhuman. Helping individuals to live and rise above the norm, so that can lead a life full of delicious fulfillment.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

http://awakenedsuperhuman.com/

https://theangelcoach.com/

Social media: @theangelcoach @awakendsuperhuman

Emily Rivera: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each Other During These… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Author Acharya Shunya: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each Other During These Anxious Times

Before you offer them advice on how to cope with the anxiety causing uncertainty or wax eloquent on “how much you know about the pandemic,” can you acknowledge their pain that they are feeling RIGHT NOW by being authentic about your pain? If any human says they are concern-free at this time on the planet, then they are being non-authentic. In threatening times such as these, our SHARED HUMANITY can become the best medicine.

As a part of my series about the the things we can do to develop serenity and support each other during anxious times, I had the pleasure of interviewing Acharya Shunya

Acharya Shunya is a spiritually awake internationally renowned and awarded spiritual teacher and scholar of nondual wisdom (Advaita) and a classically-trained master of Yoga and Ayurveda. The first female head of her 2000-year old Indian spiritual lineage, she has dedicated her life to empowering health and elevating consciousness worldwide. She is president of The Awakened Self Foundation with its headquarters in northern California, and bestselling author of Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom (Sounds True, 2017). Her latest book Sovereign Self , Claim Your Inner Joy and Freedom with the empowering wisdom of the Vedas, Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads (Sounds True, 2020) is being claimed by experts as a masterpiece on eastern psychology and spirituality, now available for preorder.

Acharya Shunya is a sought-after speaker, delivering keynote addresses to audiences that include the National Ayurveda Medical Association, University of California, Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Stanford University, Kriplau, Sedona Yoga Festival and 1440 Multiversity. She serves as an advisor to the Indian Government in matters pertaining to global integration and cultivation of Ayurveda and Yoga.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

The word ‘lineage” sounds mystical, but the idea is common enough in India, where I come from. For centuries, sacred wisdom is carefully passed on from master to disciple inside a lineage or a chain of teachers often connected by spiritual beliefs and even blood lines.

I had a stroke of karma! I was born inside a 2000-year-old highly respected family or lineage of spiritual teachers in India. My paternal ancestors are renowned spiritual teachers in India. And now I am the first female head of this lineage!

It is important to note that India is still a pretty patriarchal culture in pockets. Fortunately, the nondual tradition I come from and the family I was born into was packed with progressive minded mystics and healers, both men and women, who knew how to lead their lives with inner sovereignty.

So, from a young age, alongside regular schooling and climbing mango trees (my favorite pastime as a kid), I was groomed to become a healer, practitioner and teacher by my paternal grandfather in Yoga and Ayurveda. Ayurveda is the system of health and healing associated with Yoga. I learned these systems alongside non-dual teachings coming out of India.

Today, through my internationally bestselling books, the retreats I lead worldwide, and through The Awakened Self Foundation that I founded, I am told I am transforming the lives of thousands of seekers across the globe.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

My entire life is an interesting story because I am the lead player in my own life, not a bit player. People look for interesting things to happen to them through marriage or career paths. I make things happen in my life by making conscious choices and daring to place myself in interesting yet vulnerable spaces to inhabit emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

Yes, I feel I am actively living the life I was always meant to live. That is never boring, even for one instant. I do this by leading a deliberate life. Atmavaan is the Sanskrit word for mindfulness. It means do not be carried away by external circumstances and other people’s reactions and assumptions. It means to not lead a mechanical life and do things just because others are doing them. This can be mechanically going through education, getting employed, getting married, raising children. Instead, let your life be a deliberate one.

What is your life purpose? What are your gifts? What is your purpose as a soul? Such contemplation and inner sojourns make my life journey as a spiritual teacher, author, wife and mom. A super interesting story for sure!

What advice would you suggest to your colleagues in your industry to thrive and avoid burnout?

Believing we are made complete by what is “out there,” an author thinks that without writing daily and getting books published on a regular basis, to be read by more and more people, his life is meaningless. A painter obsessed with painting, which is her muse and inspiration (understandably so), thinks that without her art and its appreciators, life is meaningless. A family-oriented person thinks, without my happy family dream come true, my life is meaningless.

As for my spiritual colleagues this is what I can say. Nowadays, optics seem to matter a lot. But we should be careful in making that our internal frame of reference. Otherwise we may think, unless we have thousands of social media followers or are speaking at the most prestigious spiritual conference, I am a nobody. This inner self abandonment causes stress and burnout in spiritual folks. Instead of enjoying their spiritual blossoming, they may burn out chasing morsels of recognition.

And this is where I affirm that our inner life is meaningful. Period.

I write in my book Sovereign Self, “Nothing can make or give meaning to your life; you, who are pure existence, give life to everything else. It is you who lend meaning to everything through your thoughts. If you were to change your thoughts right now, you could also change that meaning.”

I want to remind spiritual colleagues (and all spiritual seekers) that their true Self is a momentous, blissful, and unimaginably powerful existence. Your life is meaningful, worthwhile, and supremely valuable unto itself.

You add meaning to your life. Nothing in your life “adds” meaning to your life because in your essence, you are pure existence. Let the whole world come to you; your life is meaningful. Let the whole world go away from you; your life is meaningful. Therefore, do not connect the purpose, meaning, or value of your life to anything else at all.

Our minds must be trained with these kinds of contemplation. We must know without an iota of doubt that “my life is meaningful because of who I am. Period.”

What advice would you give to other leaders about how to create a fantastic work culture?

I would advise identifying core spiritual values to create an optimal work culture. We call these values in Indian spirituality. “Dharma.” In my own life, I have founded and run successful spiritual organizations built around dharma values.

Dharma values make humans not only prosperous but kind and accommodative of each other’s humanity. Adopt dharma values like non-violence (Ahmisa) in communication, truth (Satyam) in straightforward conversation, compassion (Karuna) and doing our best (Vareniyam). These can make spiritually aware business communities thrive.

Another cardinal value I uphold is nonduality (Adwaita), which translates as ONENESS. Therefore, organizations I build are intentional spaces, where people of every gender, culture and religion feel safe, respected, included, and seen as souls not just “bodies with different colored skins.” An underlying unity supports the presence of diversity. Everyone feels like they belong to one soul-family.

To me, the community in any spiritual business is not simply a database of names corresponding with tasks and a salary. Each employee is a living, breathing, feeling human. I provide resources that help my employees better understand themselves, develop successful professional and personal relationships, and enhance personal management skills.

If we can assist our employees in integrating their spiritual and emotional growth with job performance, the organization benefits too.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I have shared this story in my new book Sovereign Self (page 325) in a chapter in which I discuss the difference between wielding soul- power versus egoic power. This topic is important to me because I cannot rely on my ego alone to be who I am today. My ego can get irrationally frightened or angry, just like everyone else’s. But once I recognized I do have access to another kind of power (one that belongs to who I am beyond my ego: a Soul), I feel almost invincible. I am going to share this story verbatim, so you can enjoy it too:

“In a village in ancient India lived a snake that was a bit bad-tempered. He would bite for no reason. Once, a saint was passing by and gave some discourses. The snake’s mind was highly moved, so he decided to change his nature and not bite people anymore. He decided to practice unconditional ahmisa, nonviolence.

The next time the saint went by the same village, he found the snake in a precarious physical condition; small children had thrown stones at him, and people and even other animals, like the monkeys, had trampled all over him.

“What happened to you?” the saint asked the snake.

“After your discourse, I decided to not bite anyone,” replied the snake.

“That’s nice that you’ve decided to stop biting people for no reason, but did I tell you to stop hissing and keeping others from biting you? Why did you choose to become so powerless that you could not even defend yourself?” the saint questioned.

This story beautifully illustrates how we must have our personal power in place, always. That is how we can assert healthy boundaries in relationships. We do not to have be offensive, but we can have boundaries in self-defense against the sleepwalkers whom we are bound to meet sooner or later.

To live in accordance with our unique nature, we need personal power. We must develop familiarity with our soul power, learn to live from our power, and ultimately act from this power. It is ours, and we must accept it and embrace it. That is why I call true power atmashakti, a word derived from two Sanskrit words: “atma” (“soul ”) and “shakti” (“power”).

The snake who forgot to hiss in self-defense forgot his soul power in trying to be overly “nice.” But soul power, unlike egoic power, is beyond good and bad. It is our unquestionable power of Self to lead our life with physical and emotional safety: to act as sovereign of our inner realm.

Every violation of our personal boundary is asking us to clarify our relationship with our own personal power. If you are aware of your soul’s power, then people around you will sense your power too and automatically come to respect your boundaries. They will stop seeing you as less important than themselves, and therefore stop disrespecting or threatening you.

Soul power is like that. It is invisible, but it can be sensed from miles away. When you see a lightning storm, do you dare go into it? No. You admire it from a distance. In the same way, when you are established in your soul power, people will sense that you have power. You don’t have to be angry or loud or hold up your fist. You could be relaxed and silent, and still be the most powerful person in the room.

Soul power makes you powerful whether you have a college degree or not, the right career or not, a lover, partner, or spouse or not! I ask you to act powerfully whether you are young and strong or dealing with wrinkles and disease by becoming familiar with soul power.

You can use your advanced mind to draw upon its great spiritual strength, knowledge, skills, and creativity. And you can wield this power in ethical ways, not biting others, but still able to hiss in self-defense.”

Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. Many people have become anxious just from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the coronavirus pandemic have only heightened a sense of uncertainty, fear, and loneliness. From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to develop serenity during such uncertain times? Can you please share a story or example for each.

Here are five interconnected suggestions I give my students regarding anxiety, especially when engendered from the pandemic:

• The next time you find yourself getting anxious, don’t fight that anxiety. Don’t wish it to go away by thinking it is a bad thing. Instead choose to actively embrace its presence. Anxiety is really your inner being trying to get your attention — your inner self is knocking at your door. Choose to observe it.
• Simply breathe and feel the sensation of anxiety in your chest and hollow of your stomach. What does that sensation feel like? When you allow yourself to feel what you are feeling (even if it is uncomfortable) you come back to authentic relationship with all parts of yourself. Afterall to feel some fear from uncertainty is not unnatural but totally natural. It’s when we push that fear away and wear masks of false bravado that anxiety becomes unbearable!
• Often underlying that anxiety is helplessness, anger and even sheer rage at people, destiny, god, karma (and even the virus). I recommend you take a few moments in private to viscerally feel that rage; even release some angry noises and sounds or tears. This does not have to be a rational process. It has to be truly emotional and experiential and raw.
• Once you have released the underlying rage or sorrow, or rather, not banished those uncomfortable feelings any longer from your conscious mind, you shall find that anxiety has faded away. It is like the heavy clouds have dissipated and the inner sun is shining, after all.

Nowadays, I don’t even allow the build-up of suppressed feelings. Every day, several times a day, I stop what I doing to check in. I put my hands on my heart and talk to myself in soothing tones. I take account of my feelings, all of them, even the rage and grief. Then, within moments I feel restored. Remember anxiety is your friend, and it is normal to feel sorrow and rage in these times.

Thus, I invite my readers and students to be WHOLE HUMANS and not part humans. Wholeness means the willingness to face our own darkness and console our feelings like an attentive caring mother would console a weeping raging, screaming child. She would hug the child and say softly, “I am here for you.” She would not lock the child in the (subconscious) basement where the screams can’t be heard (but the anxiety felt). So next time you feel anxious and terrified, go back to the basement, and allow your banished feelings of fear and rage some time to connect with you and thereby become organically resolved.

From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?

First, never dismiss another’s fears and anxiety just because you are cruising through your own life. Each person’s trajectory with what is going on is different.

Secondly, if the people around you who are anxious wish to talk to you, you can offer them a true gift by listening with all your heart. Can you make eye contact while listening? If you live with them, and social distancing is not a requirement, you could also touch them in a way that enhances their sense of safety and wellbeing. (No need to suffocate, just hold your hand out in genuine care.)

Thirdly, before you offer them advice on how to cope with the anxiety causing uncertainty or wax eloquent on “how much you know about the pandemic,” can you acknowledge their pain that they are feeling RIGHT NOW by being authentic about your pain? If any human says they are concern-free at this time on the planet, then they are being non-authentic. In threatening times such as these, our SHARED HUMANITY can become the best medicine.

Fourthly, if they are open to it, you can share with them ways you cope with your anxiety and fears. I suggest you not quote magazine articles and scientific evidence you have been gathering but share what has actually helped you in your life, even if in a small way, like deep breathing perhaps. That would be significantly more helpful than choking the person with information, data and lists.

Fifthly and most importantly, it is what you do not say but feel in your heart that will make the biggest impact. Our intention is more powerful than our communicated speech. If you hold the intention for that person to benefit from your presence, even if what you say is minimal, then that is what counts.

What are the best resources you would suggest to a person who is feeling anxious?

I suggest cultivating INNER RESOURCES: activated by meditating, journaling, yoga, exercise, walking in nature, gardening, and contemplating on the teachings of spiritual teachers like myself, who show us ways to our sovereign inner power. Also, selflessly serving those in need and in greater threat than ourselves is also a spiritual use of our time. It will leave us grateful and feeling blessed to be of service.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

I remember reading this: Never dim your light to meet another’s dimmed light. This confirmed everything I was already working on. Nowadays I remember to brighten my light and become radiant like my INNER SUN especially when I walk into a room full of critics and complainers.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would support a movement of spiritual self-awareness beyond the body and the mind. It means not leading that mechanical life. Let your life be a deliberate one. What is your life purpose? Why were you born? Do you know who you really are?

So, in short, I would like to start a movement on expanding our net quotient of spiritual awareness beyond participating in organized religion. Yes, we need courage to explore our own true potential and courage to express our core truth and this courage can come from Self-Awareness. We must remember that I am the Soul, not the role I am currently playing.

What is the best way our readers can follow you online?

My Website: www.AwakenedSelf.com or my social media, @AcharyaShunya on all platforms.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

Author Acharya Shunya: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each Other During… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Recognize What’s Real. When you feel like a fraud and are in imposter mentality, pause and look at how you are showing up. Are you thinking you accidentally got where you are? That you’re not smart enough? You’re not good enough? And that someone’s going to figure it out?

Focus on what you do know for sure! How are you sure of this? Why DO you deserve to be here? Watch for your desire to argue with reality and focus on what you are sure of!

As a part of our series about how very accomplished leaders were able to succeed despite experiencing Imposter Syndrome, I had the pleasure of interviewing Courtney Love Gavin.

Courtney Love Gavin is a professional certified coach and Public Relations expert, dedicated to helping people become their most powerful selves. Courtney Love shares insights weekly on Pretty Pretty Podcast, a top rated podcast available on all platforms. Find out more about CLG at www.courtneylovegavin.com

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?

Absolutely! I started my career in public relations in 2003 at Nordstrom and climbed up the corporate ladder. Leading communications for global franchises and admired brands like Juice Beauty, Adobe, MGA Entertainment and AwesomenessTV. I walked away from the corporate spotlight in 2019 to create my own coaching practice because in my 20 years of partnering with industry legends, I figured out there’s ONE factor that determines sustainable success: perspective. It’s not the problem that’s the problem, it’s the way we see it! Now I’m able to help more people solve ALL their “problems” through mindset and get them connected to new possibilities.

Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

Working directly with Fortune 50 leaders and inside big Hollywood studios as a public relations executive, the most interesting stories I can’t talk about publicly. But I can share the gems I’ve learned.

The moment you choose radical responsibility over complaining and blaming, you will experience your true personal power. Treat yourself like an asset instead of expense when it comes to investing in your own growth. Being fearless is a myth, courage is what conquers all, feel the fear and do it anyway. And people are everything. I mean everything, value your relationships and lead with your humanity. I love people and I understand people. Because you can’t make a difference in the world, if you don’t understand people.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

The fact that I’m a public relations expert and classically trained in communication at all levels. I see what most people can’t see and I dare to say what most people wouldn’t dare to say and I deliver it in a tactful way that resonates. I’m usually the only person in my client’s world that’s completely unattached, isn’t obliged to please them and only wants them to succeed.

I have worked with some of the most accomplished and powerful people on the planet, Gloria Steinem, LeBron James. Jeffrey Katzenberg, etc. and even at that level of success you still face challenges. They’re just not the kind you can share with everyone in your world, which is what makes my company stand out. Having a Coach that understands you, you can trust completely, someone willing to challenge your thinking, who always has your back, is a rarity these days, especially when you’re surrounded by people who think it’s their job to tell you what you want to hear, rather than what you need to hear.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

Yes, Veronica Dagger host of the Wall Street Journal’s Secrets of Wealthy Women podcast. Her interviews each week helped me believe that it was possible me to build a successful business and be a person of integrity while doing it. When you’re doing something that has never been done before and you don’t have any examples in your own life to look to, it’s crucial to have a trusted source you can turn to and tap into, especially when times get tough. Secrets of Wealthy Women was that for me.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the experience of Impostor Syndrome. How would you define Impostor Syndrome? What do people with Imposter Syndrome feel?

Imposter Syndrome is the fundamental conviction that you’re unworthy in some kind of unspecified way. It’s difficult to wrap your brain around because it truly does not make sense on the surface level.

With Imposter Syndrome there’s an underlying this fear that you’ll be found out to be undeserving, unqualified or revealed as a fraud. And these thought patterns create a perfect storm of insecurity, anxiety and stress.

Imposter Syndrome is a challenge we all go through, especially when we get to new levels of success or growth. Imposter syndrome is not a diagnosed condition that you can’t recover from. Imposter Syndrome boils down to beliefs and thoughts. And those can easily be changed!

What are the downsides of Impostor Syndrome? How can it limit people?

Imposter Syndrome impacts our confidence and when you have low self-esteem you’re not going to speak up, you’re not going to go for the promotion, you’re not engaging with colleagues or clients.

It can limit your ambition, sense of security and socialization. As a result people play small, quit and withdraw. This can ultimately cost people careers and relationships.

How can the experience of Impostor Syndrome impact how one treats others?

Imposter Syndrome impacts how you see the world and how you see yourself. This causes most people to treat others skeptically, catastrophize their intentions, look at what they say through a negative lens and sometimes be wildly defensive

We would love to hear your story about your experience with Impostor Syndrome. Would you be able to share that with us?

When I was giving my power to Imposter Syndrome, other people would look at my career and say, “You are so accomplished and successful!” I was aware of my accomplishments but I didn’t feel proud of them or truly believe in my own success.

I would look at my own career and think, I went to a top five national school for PR. I worked my way up the ladder at Edelman. I was relocated to Los Angeles to head up PR for big Hollywood studios. I lead PR for Fortune 50 companies. I’ve created Grammy and Emmy winning campaigns.

But I felt so much shame about the fact that I didn’t believe it. And that I couldn’t see myself the way that other people saw me, which is what would make me feel even worse about the accomplishments I did have. Because I thought with each achievement I would feel less like an imposter.

Did you ever shake the feeling off? If yes, what have you done to mitigate it or eliminate it?

Yes.. Imposter syndrome doesn’t go away on its own, we like to think if we just get the next goal, then we’ll be able to believe that we’re worthy. Recognizing and accepting there’s nothing I could change externally that would resolve the internal voices telling me I’m an imposter, was the biggest shift in eliminating my own Imposter Syndrome.

I stopped chasing my worthiness and built new beliefs about myself.

In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone who is experiencing Impostor Syndrome can take to move forward despite feeling like an “Impostor”? Please share a story or an example for each.

Step number one: Recognize What’s Real. When you feel like a fraud and are in imposter mentality, pause and look at how you are showing up. Are you thinking you accidentally got where you are? That you’re not smart enough? You’re not good enough? And that someone’s going to figure it out?

Focus on what you do know for sure! How are you sure of this? Why DO you deserve to be here? Watch for your desire to argue with reality and focus on what you are sure of!

Step Two: Speak The Truth To Yourself. When you see imposter thoughts pop up, challenge them by asking powerful questions back to yourself. AND ANSWER THEM. Writing it down you see how illogical this thinking is (remember don’t judge it).

Example of an imposter thought: I don’t have it together. They have it so much more together than I do.

Powerful questions to ask yourself:

• Is that really true?
• What if it’s not true that they have it more together?
• What is it’s possible I do have it together? What if I have just as much together as they do? What if I am the MOST together?

Step three. Celebrate Your Wins. Our brains tend to skim over success and love to stew in our failures. The more we celebrate our wins and successes, the more empowered we feel. There is no such thing as a small win or a small success. They are wins and all wins count. Success in one area brings you confidence in other areas! The more you let yourself fully celebrate every single win without holding back, the better you will feel and the more you will accomplish.

Step four- Evaluate For Confidence. Our confidence increases when we know what’s working. That’s why it’s important to self-evaluate so you can see exactly how you created the results in your life. Evaluating is where we start taking ownership for our success!

When you evaluate your brain is going to want to immediately focus on what didn’t work. You might even be avoiding evaluating for this reason, because you’re afraid it will make you feel worse, like more of an imposter.

Here’s my simple evaluation process.

• Start with what’s working. What went well? What thoughts were good thoughts? Look for all the positives.
• Then ask what didn’t go as you wanted? What do you not want to do again? Why do you think it didn’t work? If you had to guess, what would it be?
• End with what you’ll do differently. What did you learn? What do you want to change for next time? What actions will you take next time?

Step five- Self Validate. I like to think of self validation as a way of giving yourself a high five. With imposter syndrome we feed ourselves all kinds of vicious thoughts. When you decide to actively self-validate and take responsibility for your decisions, you feel a million times better!

It’s your job to accept you. It’s your job to understand you. It’s your job to validate you. This is your work and it’s not dependent on anyone else.

When I started to take ownership and take responsibility for my own validation. It changed absolutely everything for me and I know it will change everything for you too!

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I want to inspire people to be seekers of truth in the world. To investigate their own beliefs about themselves, their thoughts around what’s possible and live with unapologetic ambition.

We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂

Dr. Brené Brown. She changed my life, because of her I learned how to be vulnerable.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

Come hang with me on Instagram @courtneylovegavin for daily IG stories on becoming the person you want to be.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

Courtney Love Gavin: How To Thrive Despite Experiencing Impostor Syndrome was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

When you choose art for your space, don’t just look for color blotches to match your couch or rug. Think of ways you can bring in pleasant memories, to teleport yourself back to precious moments in time.

As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Diana Stelin.

Diana Stelin is an Award-Winning Professional Landscape Artist who managed a national art gallery, DTR Modern Galleries, for over seven years and helped establish collections of Kanye West & Jason Biggs among others. She specializes in invigorating homes through art, restructuring placements of pieces to optimize their power to become conversation pieces, oasis areas and ways for clients to battle stress and burnout.

In her commissioned landscape work Stelin focuses on important places in peoples’ lives, destinations that spark incredible memories and bring us all to center and gratitude for the opportunities we have had. She utilizes a unique approach of applying layers of professional grade oil pigments and wax to her pieces, building up to five layers of harmonious color in each of her works. Her signature element is the melting of certain sections of each piece with a heating lamp, simultaneously adding in gold leaf and paper elements to further highlight the textural elements of her “living and breathing” landscape work.

Stelin’s pieces are in dozens of private and corporate collections all over US. She exhibited in important art fairs in Miami and Santa Fe, and numerous gallery and museum shows. Stelin has authored a published novel. She has transformed some of her art to fabric design and a new fashion line. She still holds virtual and in person workshops for children and adults in her Best of Boston teaching studio.

Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I believed in the healing power of art ever since it aided me as a new émigré from the Soviet Union who was bullied in a New Jersey high school. Artmaking was my solace and a way to find a reprieve during a turbulent transition. Later on, traveling through Europe on my year abroad, I discovered that art viewing and art appreciation act similarly. There were times when artworks literally brought tears to my eyes and I realized that there’re very few things that can reach so deeply into our souls and visual art is definitely one of them.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

I love helping people find artwork that speaks to them but we rarely talk about the profound effects that it has on their psyche. Just a little over a month ago, in the midst of the pandemic, I got this message from a former client and it brought what I do to a true focus: “I feel so grounded when I look at this piece. All the while the wind is blowing in so many directions and there is such fervor in every day these days — but the center is there holding it all together! Art can give strength. This is proof.” Petra, Brookline, MA

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

My meeting Kanye was the funniest story of my career. It was during the Holiday season when lots of folks were walking around asking for donations for varied causes. When he walked in with his manager, I assumed they were one of those fundraising teams. He asked me to see a Jeff Koons sculpture I had in my window. I proceeded to ask him the regular qualifying questions before bothering with it.

“Are you involved in the arts?” I asked.

“Yes”, he said. “On the music side of things.”

“Did you go to school for art?”

“Yes, but I dropped out,” he proceeded.

I had no clue who he was. This was not a great start, but reluctantly I showed him the piece and told him a bit about it.
“I always loved Jeff Koons,” he said. “It would be great to collaborate one day. Can you send me more info on this piece?”

“Definitely a Pop Star to be collected,” I said and started writing down his private email information to send him sizing and other pertinent info. In the meantime, my assistants were all huddling in the back, giggling as I butchered the spelling of his name, still completely clueless as to who he was.

I was invited to his concerts later on, worked with him for many years, but I think it’s that initial conversation and my ignorance of his stardom that established our great relationship. The lesson I learned is to never judge a book by its cover. You never know what you can learn from the next person you meet, or someone you had in your life all along and taken for granted.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

In these tricky times when we cannot visit places that bring us joy and help us rejuvenate, I’ve been getting a lot of requests to create mementoes for people: their honeymoon destinations, a site of their most memorable family vacation, retirement and birthday gifts, Holiday and anniversary treats. We need to be able to teleport ourselves to our most memorable moments in a heartbeat, to have areas in our homes that can become an oasis of calm, peace and centering. I’m also working on collaborating with commercial architects on large wallpaper design and prints to have my work accessible in large corporate spaces, hospitals and hotels. Additionally, I’m researching manufacturers to create wallpaper and fabric designs, to bring some of my whimsy and color to more people.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Any idea that’s held in the mind, that’s emphasized, whether feared or revered, will begin at once to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate form available”, Andrew Carnegie

There were tons of adversities and challenges in my life and yet I held steady to my big dreams and things have manifested faster and faster. The more actions I took, the more bold I was in my expectation of what is to come, the easier it was to see things come to fruition.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

A few years ago, I met a woman at a conference. She was wearing the most gorgeous DVF dress and we started talking about it, about how she loves to treat herself to these beautiful gifts and experiences. I responded with tons of blocks about owing things to family first, about not having time to myself, etc. She caught my fears and doubts and family pacts straight away and it got me to working with her through her varied programs. Amira Alvarez is an incredible business and mindset coach and I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am without her hard love and nurturing teaching.

Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. Bring art into your space. It completes each room, creates comfort and brings back memories of special moments.
2. When you choose art for your space, don’t just look for color blotches to match your couch or rug. Think of ways you can bring in pleasant memories, to teleport yourself back to precious moments in time.
3. In installing art, be mindful of wall space. Don’t put a tiny piece on a large wall — it gets lost. Similarly, do not put a larger piece on a wall where less than a ¼ of its width remains on each side. It will not have enough breathing space otherwise.
4. Look for similar color palettes and try to stay away from battling prints in your décor. Opposite colors like red/green, blue/orange or purple/yellow create too much contrast. If your art is bold — go for subtler hues in your furniture and area rugs. Alternatively, if your furniture has lots of bright prints, aim for artwork that is more abstract and soft.
5. Intersperse family photos, artwork from friends and family, and more important art pieces in your home collection. This way, every time you go through your space, it will spark more memories and feelings of joy.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I think the healing power of art is not apparent to many people and it is my purpose in life to show how powerful it is to be living with art. It has been statistically proven that exposure to visual art even for a half hour a day decreases our cortisol level, and that is our ‘stress’ hormone, by 75%. Art is essential and crucial for our mental health and I intend on drawing this parallel with all of my endeavors.

I’ve already started thinking along those lines by organizing my first fundraising auction to bring funds to mental health charities. I partnered with Hollywood, called on all of my artist acquaintances and past clients, and had an amazing virtual evening full of music, culinary presentations, and a live and silent auction where artworks were purchased by collectors from all over the country. Full proceeds from this event were donated to OneMind, an organization that researches brain disorders, and the Brookline Center for Mental Health, which specializes in outpatient services in my local community.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them 🙂

I would love for my next event to be held in collaboration with Glenn Close. I love all the amazing work Gwyneth Paltrow is doing and I would love for her to be a presenter at my next fundraising auction. I miss my chats with Kanye and wish him all the best with his new school endeavor. I would love to have breakfast with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as they’re just the coolest Boston folks.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

https://www.instagram.com/diana_stelin/

https://www.instagram.com/landscapes.ds/

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!

Interior Designer Diana Stelin: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Kendra Kirane of Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research: Five Things We Can Do To Develop Serenity And Support Each Other During These Anxious Times

Keep it simple — when life feels especially uncertain it can be helpful to connect with the basics. Sit and feel yourself sitting. Breathe and experience each breath cycle. Make eye contact with others. Be present.

As a part of my series about the the things we can do to develop serenity and support each other during anxious times, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kendra Kirane.

Kendra Kirane is the Director of Creative Arts Therapy and Wellness at Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research. She emphasizes the universal language of art as an essential process in therapy — empowering individuals to be seen, heard, and understood on the path toward recovery. Recognizing wellness is a key feature of sustainability, Kendra prioritizes delivery of mindfulness, fitness, and psychotherapy and to promote restoration and healthy lifestyle choices.

Kendra entered the field in 2006 and gained a deep appreciation for the complex clinical needs of patients with substance use disorders (SUD) with a specific focus on the intersection between SUD and trauma. She provided trauma-informed dance/movement therapy for adult survivors of 9/11 at the World Trade Center Environmental Health Center and Bellevue Hospital inpatient units. In 2018 she transitioned to Union Settlement, launching their Early Childhood Mental Health Program while providing supervision for social workers and creative arts therapists. Kendra has taught throughout the New York metropolitan area — striving to highlight dance/movement therapy as a unique response to the opioid crisis.

Kendra is a New York State Licensed Creative Arts Therapist and Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist. She received a BA in Theatre Arts from UC Santa Cruz and MS in Dance/Movement Therapy from Pratt Institute. She completed a fellowship in psychoanalysis from The Psychoanalytic Association of New York affiliated with NYU School of Medicine, and certifications in Authentic Movement, as well as Arts and Trauma Treatment.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

While living and working abroad in Spain many years ago, I found myself mostly alone for long durations. With this solitude came opportunity for introspection. It was during this time that I began to frequent museums, ask contemplative questions, and journal my values in an attempt to clarify priorities and find my path. Gradually it became clear that language and how we connect fascinates me, not only the nature in which we communicate through words but through the lens of our cultural perspectives, the arts, and approaches to mindfulness. When I discovered the field of creative arts therapy I found the balance I’d long been seeking — a blend of psychology and the arts. I’m beyond grateful that this has led to a meaningful career path and today I serve as the Director of Creative Arts Therapy and Wellness at Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

A neat aspect of my work is that meaningful discoveries are made little by little, every day with patients. I’m genuinely moved by their stories and the ongoing opportunity to witness their transformation. Earlier in my career I worked at a non-profit organization in Manhattan that served an under-privileged population. A client, who I had the honor of supporting closely for two years, was invited to speak publicly about overcoming domestic violence, substance misuse, and depression. To witness her stand before a gala of 300 people and listen to her metaphor of “starting out like a toxic tree” and blossoming into a healthy, confident woman, wife, and mother, was a truly remarkable moment.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you?

Sophie’s World by Norwegian novelist Jostein Gaarder left an indelible mark on me.

Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

The story is a clever introduction to philosophy. Sophie and her mentor Alberto journey through history to understand how we solve problems, communicate, and see the world. These themes resonate with me deeply.

Now to the main focus of our interview, from your experience or research, how would you define and describe the state of being mindful?

Mindfulness is a practice that cultivates a conscious awareness of the present moment. Just as in the spirit of getting to know a new friend, mindfulness is a curvilinear journey of getting to know our own selves. With curiosity and openness, we have the potential to experience self-understanding; with understanding and self-compassion, we gain insight…and perhaps wisdom.

This might be intuitive to you, but it will be instructive to spell this out. Can you share with our readers a few of the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of becoming mindful?

Mindfulness can lead to a physical calm and relaxation, mental clarity, and emotional insight. For individuals struggling with addictive behaviors, mindfulness meditation can be profoundly beneficial. At Wellbridge we invite patients to consider the simple act of observing an urge to drink or use a substance, as if it were an ocean wave ebbing and flowing. Urges tend to be time-limited, and mindfulness reinforces that one can learn to ‘surf the urge’ without being taken over by it. By building mindfulness muscles, one gains a capacity to experience situations with self-compassion and control, while an innate resilience and strength is bolstered.

The past 5 years have been filled with upheaval and political uncertainty. Many people have become anxious from the dramatic jolts of the news cycle. The fears related to the pandemic have only heightened a sense of uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and loneliness. From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to develop mindfulness during such uncertain times? Can you please share a story or example for each.

While many of us want and need to stay informed, our health and wellbeing can take a toll if we aren’t mindful of a healthy balance. Here are a few steps to consider:

1. Awareness — this may seem like low hanging fruit, but notice how frequently you’re checking the phone, watching the news, or scrolling social media. Take note of the duration with which you’re engaging in these activities and how connected (or disconnected) to the body you feel; the answer might surprise you.
2. Reprieve — many of us are perpetually checking smartphones in search of information or ways to connect. This, in itself, becomes habitual and over time can derive less meaning. Try detoxing from your smartphone for an hour each evening (or if that’s too much, try once per week). Notice if you feel more present simply by separating briefly from technology.
3. Establish alternatives — practicing mindfulness does not have to mean sitting in stillness for 30 minutes to get rid of uncomfortable thoughts. Rather, it’s about connecting with oneself and noticing what’s coming up in the mind, body, and spirit. Identify a few activities that support your effort to be present, e.g. authentic movement, mandala drawing, or writing in a gratitude journal.
4. Reach out — let others know when you’re stressed, and also that you’re interested in mindfulness. This can become a way to receive support and to connect with like-minded individuals.
5. Keep it simple — when life feels especially uncertain it can be helpful to connect with the basics. Sit and feel yourself sitting. Breathe and experience each breath cycle. Make eye contact with others. Be present.

From your experience or research what are five steps that each of us can take to effectively offer support to those around us who are feeling anxious? Can you explain?

Anxiety is the most common psychiatric complaint among American adults. Often rooted in worries about the future, generalized anxiety can show up as restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, poor sleep, irritability, and difficulty controlling worrisome feelings. Recognizing these symptoms and reaching out to offer a helping hand can make all the difference.

Studies show that perceived social support is a protective factor for anxiety. Attune to how your friends and family are feeling, cultivating an ongoing dialogue of empathy and compassion. If casual talk seems like it’s not enough, consider connecting them to a virtual support group, psychotherapy, or medication management, all of which can be tremendously beneficial and can be calibrated to the needs of the individual.

What are the best resources you would suggest for someone to learn how to be more mindful and serene in their everyday life?

In recent years there has been a dramatic expansion of mindfulness content available online. One classic resource that I recommend is the 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD at University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life?

Trust the process: embrace what you can control and be in the moment. The rest will follow.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Right now I think what the world needs is more kindness and compassion for each other. Small conscious acts of tenderness at any moment can make all the difference.

Kendra Kirane of Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research: Five Things We Can Do To Develop… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Listening. We are all different sets of experiences, backgrounds and personalities. Hearing and listening are different. Listening is for understanding the motivation, passion and learning the audience.

As a part of our series about “How business leaders can create a fantastic work environment”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ignas Jurkonis, a U.S. based entrepreneur, businessman, consultant, and top executive. His primary focus is on company value turnarounds, combining traditional industries and modern management philosophies. Ignas is known for his support of young entrepreneurs, multiple social projects, and non-profit activity, with a guest lecture series in place with University of Southern California (UCS) — Marshall School of Business. Currently, under his formed NCS Group, Ignas is leading and developing a group of companies through a series of M&A acting as a priority freight forwarder and visionary supply chain solution for Fortune 500 companies, also inclusive of notable brands like Walgreens, Boots Alliance, 3M, GlaxoSmithKline across the U.S. market.

Ignas Jurkonis has always actively been involved in charity and non-profit events and organizations, both in the U.S. and overseas. In 2020 Ignas has actively supported the fight with COVID-19 providing U.S. hospitals with free freight services. In March of, 2020, Unlimited Carrier Inc., under the NCS Group umbrella, based in Bolingbrook, Illinois, dedicated more than 50 Trucks to Transport Medical Supplies to Hospitals Free of Charge under the direction of Jurkonis. Several new additional alignments to help both COVID-19 efforts and the widespread fires in need of relief are in development for aid support.

In 2015 he supported a non-profit project called Baltic Marathons for a series of sporting events in Latvia and the Baltic States. In 2016 Ignas established a personal charity fund in Ukraine and initiated a social project together with Kiev City Administration, led by Mayor Vitali Klitschko, and Embassies of multiple countries, including Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Israel, and others. During the project, Angels of Nations (Ангели націй) 25 angel statues were donated to the city of Kiev as a symbol of support from Ignas Jurkonis and multiple countries.

In 2018, after moving to the United States, Ignas joined Unlimited Carrier Inc., based in Chicago, Illinois. After the acquisition of National Consolidation Services LLC, he formed the NCS Group. He is currently developing the group of companies and is acting as it’s Executive Chairman and CEO. NCS Group is a priority freight forwarder and visionary supply chain solution provider for Walgreens, Boots Alliance, 3M, GlaxoSmithKline, and other Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. market.

In 2020 Ignas Jurkonis became a Patron for the Global Lithuanian Leaders organization and was honored to represent the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists and the Lithuanian Chamber of Tourism for the United States of America. He also became a guest lecturer for the University of Southern California — Marshall School of Business.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

During the last 16 years, I was a resident in 6 different countries, on 3 different continents. I was involved in dozens of investment and entrepreneurial projects. I acted as Board member and CEO in numerous organizations with thousands of employees in Global Oil markets. My area of expertise during that period of time ranged from high risk and alarming situations in revolutions and war zones to diplomatic and social non profit projects. My background was always very international and I love multicultural teams. Business for me was always tightly related with human relationships, creativity and passion. This is how I determined and formed the sense and understanding of success. All of that developed a unique skills and leadership style, orientated to people communication, psychology and high emotional intelligence.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

I honestly feel that I have never worked in my life. Not even a day. Business somehow became my lifestyle, source of excitement and life celebration. It provides me resources to do something next and to do something meaningful. Some projects are failed but most of them create the next chapter of this life long reality show. I meet a lot of people, travel a lot and I live an active life, so stories are a big collection I have.

I can share one story that I keep in my heart, a recent event during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have a company Unlimited Carrier with a fleet of 500 trucks which is servicing one of the largest US retailers Walgreens. During the pandemic all of this business was essential and we had a very busy period. However, at the same time our organization, supporting safety on the roads, has so called “no forced dispatch” policy, when a driver can refuse to start driving the truck if he feels unsafe for any reason. That created a challenge when our employees started to refuse to go to the epicenters of COVID-19, such as New York or L.A. Thay have families and loved ones at home and didn’t feel safe.

So we started delivering medical and hospital freight free of charge. We had 50 trucks with special markings and heroic drivers that were providing this essential service for our communities and society in most dangerous cities through pandemic. And as soon as we started doing that, I had this great surprise of many drivers, supported by their families, stepped up and asked me to assign them to this project because they wanted to help. I am really proud and grateful of them and their purpose and it was just this smallest step we did as an organization for this human effort to happen, just 50 trucks and free freight for our hospitals.

Are you working on any exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Currently I am developing several projects in the US. The main business is the NCS Group. NCS is a group of asset based companies in the supply chain providing deeply integrated, taylored and innovative solutions for Fortune 500 companies. Apart from providing the excellent custom service to our customers, our business culture is about serving our communities. We look at supply chain and servicing pharmacies as a purpose to make sure we deliver medications, products, food, commodities so smoothly that people and final consumers will never feel the lack of them. We shape the supply chain solutions with no shortage, overstock and waste of production, which is extremely important thinking about our optimal use of the world’s resources. At the same time we strongly support organic and human health orientated producers, solving their short product shelf life and logistical challenges. I am really happy about the shift towards sustainable, healthier and organic production during recent years.

Ok, lets jump to the main part of our interview. According to this study cited in Forbes, more than half of the US workforce is unhappy. Why do you think that number is so high?

I would start with one of my beliefs. Any organization, no matter if it is a private, public or government sector is simply millions of daily conversations. We communicate with each other to build mutual goals and purposes and to get everyone on the same page within the organization. Being aware of the importance of communication and it’s qualitative management creates tolerance, respect and finally a sense of happiness. However, not enough attention to the quality of conversations will lead to increased frustration, misunderstanding and confusion.

Based on your experience or research, how do you think an unhappy workforce will impact a) company productivity b) company profitability c) and employee health and wellbeing?

Productivity, profitability and employee well being are all related to company value. In fact, this is something I focus mostly on in business. I think value creation comes from a well aligned diversified team of talent that commit to the purpose they believe in on their free will. As a result they clearly understand their role, personal value and are willing to do more. In such a situation we can start to generate strategies on value determination and creation. And it is not rocket science, let’s think about ourselves. When we have a well balanced lifestyle and our jobs are tightly related to our life interests and hobbies and have just the right amount of stress, excitement and recognition. Our productivity will go up. The question for the leader is to understand people in those jobs, how much do they fit that well being.

Can you share 5 things that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture? Can you give a personal story or example for each?

Listening. We are all different sets of experiences, backgrounds and personalities. Hearing and listening are different. Listening is for understanding the motivation, passion and learning the audience.

Respect. Employees are people and everyone just takes their role in organizations. Respect has to create the comfort and support motivation as well as creativity.

Creativity. I think an environment supporting creativity is a fun environment. Such an environment encourages challenges, innovations, and focuses on beauty and quality in what we do.

Purpose. I always try to find a non material purpose of why we gather together as a team or organization. Why we spend time in the office and what we will leave after us. This is what we will remember.

Communication. All organizations are basically just conversations. Managing the quality of those with emotional intelligence skills, you directly manage the success.

It’s very nice to suggest ideas, but it seems like we have to “change the culture regarding work culture”. What can we do as a society to make a broader change in the US workforce’s work culture?

I think our world and work environment changed a lot with the millennial generation. I remember the times when my parents and grandparents looked to their jobs as some sort of safety. Organizations were pretty much guaranteeing a career from school to retirement, including all benefits, trainings. I believe that in today’s world, when the average company’s life is much shorter and people want to be active longer, it is almost impossible to stay within one organization for all career. In such a situation every individual becomes a brand, with benefits, value proposition, and character. Companies are not interested in developing talents so much, they want to invest in talents that are ready to start now. Society should focus on encouraging personal and skills development and helping to match that with careers. It would create a sense of personal purpose of oneself no matter which organization he or she joins. So an organization will be built not only for common purpose but also aligned with multiple individual purposes of their talent.

How would you describe your leadership or management style? Can you give us a few examples?

I love learning and developing. It happens that I always seek to gather very strong teams around me and I love to learn from them. It expands my mental model taking and accepting their point of view of things. Finally, we come to the point where we are all focused on the same goal even if we describe it differently, so my part as the leader remains supporting them and helping them, as well as seeing the full scope of interaction. My leadership style is listening and managing communication. Encouraging education, life balance, creativity and execution. And I always suggest meditation for finding calm hours with yourself to reset.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

One of my hobbies is Wine. Wine, same as art for me, is one of the most subjective areas where there is no right answer, just tolerance is respect to each other’s senses. I love spending autumn in the Champagne region of France and one of my dear friends that owns a vineyard, explained the philosophy of their business. He is enjoying the profits from the wine that he sells today which was produced by his grandparents and he is producing the wine today that will be a financial source for the families of his children and grandkids. I share this example as a philosophy of something bigger than just tomorrow’s profits or annual dividends. This is about the value of the business, purpose, commitment that is created, maintained and passed further from generation to generation. Someone explained to me that there are two types of games, finite with rules and a finish line where you win or lose; and infinite with no rules and no finish line, where we end the game weather when we are tired or we finish the resources. Business for me is an infinite game, same as wine. I always seek for business purposes matching my beliefs and values, so I can build it stronger and longer lasting, while being honestly proud of it.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I believe that leaders carry a lot of responsibility and are accountable not only for their employees. When we think about the impact we do, we are responsible for families, friends, communities of those employees. Their values, their dinner stories, their vacations, their health, quality of life, experiences, memories and so many other aspects. When we think of all consequences for what we say, do, how we act, inspire. We can change so much being great actors in our positions. I pay a lot of attention not only to what we do but also why and how we do it, and we talk about it until we understand.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

We have to be able to see directly into the eyes of everyone. Leadership is not only fun, creativity, passion and excitement. Real leadership starts when we come up to something tough and rough. We all have losses, mistakes, bad choices, hard decisions. That’s where we start the real inner honest dialogue with ourselves. Your name is the only thing that is left no matter what, so we need to take care of it.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

My most favorite movements are related to life quality as health, sustainability, mindfulness and life balance. My inspiration would probably be to create the change of our organizational purposes and goals from usual KPIs and financial metrics to life quality measurements of people involved. When I think of it, I probably need to start looking for a VP of Happiness in my organizations. )

Ignas Jurkonis of NCS Group: Five Things Business Leaders Can Do To Create A Fantastic Work Culture was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.