Business Fit Magazine Eline Pedersen

Independent Women Summit:
Your Next Step To Financial Freedom
Antwerp, Belgium
4reasons
why you
should target
the Hispanic
Market ASAP!
Motivation
How to get
the best
out of your team
Eline
Pedersen
Doctor of Chiropractic

Today’s Inspired Latina is a book series of inspiration and hope, a poignant collection
of 27 personal stories that will activate your passion in each book. It’s a positive,
empowering read for anyone sitting on a dream and thinking it can’t come true.
Today’s Inspired Latina shows that it can! Learn more at www.todayslatina.com
acqueline Camacho-Ruiz is an award-winning entrepreneur,
international speaker, philanthropist and author of ten
books. She is founder of The Fig Factor Foundation and the creator of
the Today's Inspired Latina book series and international
movement.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:
www.todayslatina.com / www.facebook.com/todayslatina
Verónica Sosa
Publisher
www.businessfitmagazine.com

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For information on advertising or
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Contact us:
Email: hello@businessfitmagazine.com
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Phone: +32 468 218 887
Publisher & Founder
Verónica Sosa
Business Fit International
Advisory Board
Viola Edward
Dalal Akoury
Vikki Thomas
Special - p.12
It is time for the business world to
step up and stop slavery!
Katerina Stephanou
Spice it Up - p.48
Chana Bhaji: Ideal for after a
workout
Sarah Ali Choudhury
Pashion Fashion - p.54
Dressed for Success
Olga Anderson
Healing Stress
with Watsu
Michael de Glanville
p.10
Well Being and
Burnout
Nova Reid
p.26
FIT FEATURES
Eline Pedersen
Doctor of Chiropractic
p.14
Chelsey Baker
The Mentoring
Champion
p.38
Team Motivation
MaLish
p.24
LOANI
Viola Edward
p.30
iCAAD
Samantha Quinlan
p.52
Getting the Tables
Turned
Ismael Cala
p.58
4 reasons why you
should target the
Hispanic Market
ASAP!
Nydia Monárrez
p.6
Why It Pays
for Women to
be Financially
Independent
Olga Stepien
p.28
Breathwork
Rhythm Dissolves
Stress’ Tentacles
Viola Edward
p.44
What is Spirituality
Christopher Gladwell
p.34
Air is Our Teacher
Amit Kaur Puri
p.60
Are you
Environmentally
Fit?
Claire Morley
p.20
Collaborators
Sarah Ali Choudhury
Ismael Cala
Michael de Glanville
Viola Edward
Christopher Gladwell
Amit Kaur Puri
MaLish
Nydia Monárrez
Claire Morley
Samantha Quinlan
Nova Reid
Katerina Stephanou
Olga Stepien
General Editorial Coordinator
Claire Morley
Art and Design Director
Leo Collier Bett
Graphic Designer Adverts
Javier Sanchez
Business Fit Marketing Director
Luis Teràn (Ninweb)
Social Media Team
Ana Daniela Colmemares
Rub Diaz
Copyright © 2018 by
Verónica Sosa.
All rights reserved.
This Magazine or any portion
thereof may not be reproduced or
used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written
permission of the publisher.
M-20318-2017

Business
reasons why
you should target the
Hispanic Market ASAP!
The US Hispanic population is more than 56
million strong. And while the purchasing power
of the American Hispanic community in 2016
was approximately $1.5 trillion, many retailers,
including large ecommerce companies, failed
to take the most rudimentary steps to target this
burgeoning sector.
These include steps like localising their online
content and translating shopping sites. Here
are four reasons why adapting your content
for the Hispanic community makes plain
business sense:
1 It’s what the consumer wants.
According to a recent survey, the vast majority
of respondents Worldwide are more likely to
buy from a website in their native language.
The obvious conclusion is that people prefer
to shop in their own language and there’s no
reason America’s Spanish-speaking community
would be any exception.
2 It’s cost-efficient.
The cost of translation is very low in comparison
to the potential increase in sales, and in most
cases, the return on investment is nearly
immediate. Some of the largest US enterprises
allocate a percent of their overall budget on
professional localisation, while enjoying some
50% annual revenue from non-native Englishspeaking
consumers. Even if businesses
doubled their budgets to translate websites
and other marketing material, the cost-benefit
would still be a no-brainer.
3 Cultural adaption translates
into increased sales and brand
reputation.
By tailoring your content for the American-
Hispanic community, you’re conveying the
message that your business understands and
respects the community’s cultural diversity.
In other words, it’s not just translation that is
key here, but the cultural adaption of content
that is keenly sensitive to local nuances and
customs which will truly make your product
or service and your overall brand attractive to
consumers.
4. It works.
Even businesses that serve the “larger American
public” can still make localisation a priority. With
web content translated and audio spoken in
Spanish to the Hispanic community, it is clear
that success can be traced, at least partially, to
this strategy. I hope you’re convinced: When
it comes to the Hispanic community, there’s
plenty of money that’s being lost in translation
-- or, in this case, the lack thereof.
How to Reach The Hispanic Market: The New
Frontier for Direct Marketers!
I am personally part of a dynamic, growing
demographic in this country with incredible
potential for direct marketers. Hispanic
incomes over $150,000 grew 194% between
2005-2015 and those of us earning between
$40-100K account for 40 percent of our buying
power in the US.
Statistics also show that the population of young
Hispanic homeowners are also are on the rise.
The 2016 State of Hispanic Homeownership
Report revealed that Hispanic households
increased by 6.7 million, which comprises
42.5 percent of the household growth in
the US. In response to this demographic
trend, even retail giant Amazon rolled out a
Spanish language version of Amazon.com,
completely shattering the myth that their USborn,
Hispanic customers have no need for a
Spanish website. Yet many direct marketers
never consider this market, or just assume
we are too difficult to reach. The good news is
that reaching us is easier than you think, and
in most cases we are much more receptive to
your message than you would ever imagine. In
other words, if you offer a product, service or
program for a virtually universal audience, you
should be sharing it with Latinos!
When people first approach me about selling
to the Hispanic market, their hesitation
stems from the differences among us—our
many countries of origin and even our minor
differences in accent and word choice. They
believe marketing to Hispanics is complicated,
and that you have to be an expert to do it right.
The truth is, it doesn’t hurt to become an expert,
6 7

Business
but you don’t have to be one to succeed. We
are different, and it takes a different approach
to sell to us. But again, you don’t have to be an
expert; you just need to know one.
So what are the most important things to know
to start marketing to this community? To reach
us, it’s important to understand our behaviour.
For example, our media consumption and
buying behaviour vary significantly compared
to other minorities such as Asian Americans
and African Americans:
When it comes
to the Hispanic
community,
there’s plenty
of money that’s
being lost in
translation
• We prefer to shop in our native language
online.
• We are creating new businesses faster than
other demographics.
• We appreciate bilingual packaging.
• We are the most avid radio listeners.
• We love our smartphones and spend the
most time on them over other devices.
• We use our phones for scanning QR codes as
much as we do for social media.
If you spend time researching the Hispanic
market for your offering, chances are the
results may surprise and inspire you! You may
even find your ideal audience.
Sound good?
Here are some first steps:
• Designate a budget for Hispanic marketing
that’s in proportion to the size of your
enterprise, just like the big retailers do.
• Include a line item to hire an experienced,
knowledgeable Hispanic marketing consultant
who can help create and implement a strategy
for you.
• The top three most appreciated apps for us
are dating/personal ads, college courses and
music.
• We are adjusting our shopping behaviours
to large basket sizes, looking for familysize/
volume packaging in our shopping.
We also have distinct cultural values which
vary significantly from Anglos. I call these the
Hispanic “hot buttons.” They include:
• Monitor your sales and progress and adjust
your strategy as need be.
Experiment with what works best in different
geographic areas. Remember that knowing
how to market to Hispanics and doing it
well (and maybe even first!) can give you an
invaluable edge over your competitors. Speak
to us and we will speak back—in brand loyalty,
increased sales and new markets around the
world!
• Family. We are close and rely on the opinions
of our family members to assist with buying
decisions.
• Food. We have a sense of pride and joy in our
special recipes and flavours. Food is central to
our special events.
• Celebration. We get together regularly to
celebrate family accomplishments.
• Faith. We believe deeply in the divine and
divine intervention in life.
• Brand Loyalty. We tend to stick with the tried
and true.
The good
news is that
reaching us is
easier than
you think
8 9

Body
Healing Stress with
Watsu
Breathwork
Fusion Michael de Glanville
The first step towards healing the physical
and mental disruption caused by continuous
exposure to stress will always be the
individual's recognition of stress as the source
of the imbalance.
Listing some of those damages, we can include
disturbance of sleep patterns, lack of clarity
and vision in decision-making, weakening of
immune system defences, suffering of panic
attacks, diminishing of sexual vitality, disruption
of relationship harmony and recourse to
substance addictions.
A second step is accepting that stress and
relaxation cannot exist in the same place and
the same time in our bodies, so developing
the practice of a personal access process to
deep relaxation has long been recognised as
an effective counteraction to stress.
Once an individual begins to recognise
the symptoms of prolonged exposure to
stress, the necessary motivation can grow to
assemble the therapeutic resources effective
in diminishing that exposure, and follow up
with a habit of regular practice.
The introduction of Conscious Connected
Breathwork into the gentle dynamics of a Watsu
warm water flotation session brings together
two powerful physical practices, both of which
are renowned for their stress dissolving
capabilities. The following invitation may give
some form to the charmed environment
created by this fusion.
"Come, spoil yourself in fluid bliss, your
body beauty surrounded in liquid warmth,
surrendered, vulnerable, mind and spirit
abandoned to the gentle strokes of water’s
touch. The undulating motions, rippled by
the caress of the breeze, supple as seaweed
in a rolling ocean swell. The calm, contented
heartbeat of your being dancing with
movements tuned to the rhythm of the breath.
Stretch out in the heat of sun-kissed water,
floating, balanced, breathing and centred in the
circle of the pool. Water’s soft embracing flow
will do its work, soothing away body aches and
mind stress. Whilst you, buoyant, immersed,
trusting as an embryo in-utero, you simply
let go, releasing your faithful pulsing spirit to
drift and be hushed in the familiar embrace of
the love and silent emptiness of the bringer of
inner peace."
So let us take a look at why warm water
therapies are often so effective increating deep
relaxation. If we consider the experience of the
embryo in the latter months of pregnancy, the
main sensations registered, as the unborn
baby gradually evolves into consciousness,
are immersion in fluid of constant warmth and
the containing, comforting contact of the silky
touch of the inner walls of the womb as the
mother goes about her day, connecting with
the baby through caring thoughts of love.
To the baby in the womb, sounds are muffled,
as the ears are filled with fluid, but the
familiar tone of the mother's voice, the steady
reassuring 'thu-thump' of her heartbeat and
the sound of her continuous breathing cycle of
inhale and exhale are probably at the origins
of human love of rhythm and music. The
surrounding deeply relaxing energy of love,
comfort, movement and care, communicated
to the unborn baby in her womb, will be
strongly associated later on, in adult life, with
rhythms of breathing, tactile sensations and
immersion in warm water.
The healing energy of the Watsu session when
practiced in this way, together with conscious
breathing can be developed towards
accessing and helping to bring to the surface
of our consciousness this deeply embedded
connection between physical environment
and the associated generated feelings.
The visible wave motion of Watsu's "water
breath dance" is taken up by the receiver's
body as its flotation balance is swelled by the
breath inhale and deflated during the exhale.
This rhythmic dance, powered by the breath
muscles during the breathing, provides a
natural synchronising beat-base to the timing
of the pattern of movements initiated by the
practitioner. The energy of this feeling of
harmony of motion between the giver and
the receiver, deepens the presence of mutual
trust and encourages a gradual progressive
abandonment by the receiver into deep
relaxation, not only of their body but also in
the mind state.
My own experience, while receiving Watsu, has
led me to notice that when the temperature
of the water surrounding my body coincides
closely with own body temperature, the internal
sensations of just where my body boundaries
are located during the session become less
distinct, creating delicious feelings of immense
lightness and lack of dimensional awareness
of my body, feelings of one-ness and melting
incorporation with my surroundings.
Therapists and clients who are familiar with
the practice of Breathwork will be used
to the altered mind states often accessed
during breathing sessions, but it has been an
interesting experience for me to witness the
appearance of similar mind states in receivers
towards the end of Watsu sessions, when
gentle conscious connected breathing has
been present during the session. What has
surprised me is the ease of access to these
mind states by some of my Watsu clients
who have relatively little, if any, experience of
breathwork in the dry.
The Watsu session seeks to create a floating,
fluid surrounding, blended with supple
body movements in the weightlessness of
immersion. Together with the softness and the
trusted warmth of gentle caring containment,
these conditions can activate a release, into the
conscious memory, of the profound relaxation
experienced by the baby in utero. Allowing
the body and the mind to drift deep into this
profound physical relaxation state is certainly
a powerful stress healing process.
10 11

Special
It is time for the
business world to
step up and
stop slavery!
Katerina Stephanou
When we hear the word “slavery” we think of a
practice which was eradicated over a hundred
years ago, an abhorrent practice no longer
plaguing our world. Unfortunately, this is far from
the truth. Modern slavery exists in our word, in
plain sight. A darkness touching all our lives and
facilitated by our lack of awareness.
The number of people who are sold into
slavery, and the amount of money made by
their traffickers is shocking. Human slavery
has a global footprint and generates over 150
billion USD per year. This is second only to
drug trafficking. There are 40.3 million people
in the world today who are slaves. 25 million
people are victims of forced labour and 1 in 4
human slaves are children.
Human slavery is a global phenomenon which
impacts all of us. It is a huge violation of human
rights and as citizens we have a responsibility
to come together and take steps to bring an
end to it. The private sector has been active
in this area for a while and we are now seeing
the issue at the top of the global political
agenda. We are witnessing a global call to
action to eliminate the scourge of forced
labour human trafficking and human
slavery from our societies. Taking
on a crime of this magnitude
requires engagement of
all areas of society and
strategic partnerships
between the public
and the private
sector.
In September 2015 193 countries pledged to
take effective measures to end modern slavery
as part of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development. UN security council and G20
have called for public-private partnerships to
end modern slavery. On the 25 September
2018 the UN launched the Financial Sector
Commission on Modern Slavery and Human
Trafficking.
Human slavery is a crime of economic
opportunity. A truly global coherent strategy
must include a clear role for the financial
sector. The financial sector has a key role in
making slavery unprofitable for traffickers,
both in terms of blocking the flow of these
illicit proceeds through the banking system by
utilisation of existing anti-money laundering
legislation and in terms of exercising human
rights audits into ethical investing.
In the words of Jean Badershneider, founder
and CEO of the Global Fund to End Modern
Slavery: “Business engagement is key to
impacting modern slavery by impacting
both the supply and demand for slavery and
ultimately helping to make it economically
unprofitable. That’s the way we put traffickers
out of business.”
The vital elements of the financial sector to be
engaged are the banking system, corporations
and governments in terms of ethical
procurement.
1. Banking system
The banking system unwittingly handles funds
which are proceeds of slavery. Traffickers
utilise common channels to launder their
proceeds including cash intensive businesses
and front shell companies. In fact, as part
of their organised crime structures human
traffickers often work in collaboration with
drug traffickers. The banking sector has a
highly sophisticated anti-money laundering
framework which it can utilise to a greater
degree in order to follow the money straight
to the traffickers. Greater understanding of
the organised criminal networks and methods
of using the financial system to launder funds
generated from human slavery will also
increase the filing of suspicious activity reports
to local financial intelligence units as well as
enhanced cooperation of all global partners.
2. Corporations
Companies ought to exercise vigilance in
combating abuses of human rights in their
supply chains.
Corporate Investors can help fight human
slavery by the incorporation of environmental
and human rights factors into their governance
and pre-investment due diligence processes.
Managing risks to people should become one
of the factors considered as part of the risk
assessment of the business.
3. Governments
Governments should also take steps to
ensure that transparency in supply chains is
a requirement for confirmation of slave free
procurement in government engagement.
During 2016-2017 the Office of the OSCE
Special Representative and coordinator
for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
implemented the project “Prevention of
Trafficking in Human Beings in Supply Chains
through Government Practices and Measures”,
a project which is currently underway.
I believe that women have a key role to play in
society and in ending modern slavery. For this
reason, I am proud to be a leader at GIFEW.
GIFEW is a global multi-dimensional platform
for transformational education, connection
and synergistic collaboration of conscious
women leaders around the world. We believe
it is unleashing the power of women leaders
and working in collaboration with men which
will bring about the change we wish to see in
the world. Through my own transformational
journey, I set up Step Up Stop Slavery, in order
to bring together partners in the financial and
business sector, to further collaboration for
the purpose of efficient engagement in the
global effort to combat human slavery. It is
time for us as individuals and professionals to
Step Up and Stop Slavery.
We have a responsibility to shine light into the
darkness that is human slavery and take an
active role to effect change. Collectively we can
use our voices and professional expertise to
uphold justice, respect and integrity for every
human being.
We will be the generation that ends modern
slavery! Together we can!
12 13

Interview
ElinePedersen
Doctor of Chiropractic
What better
time to provide
release and
healing to a
human being
than in that
miraculous
moment of
birth?
Who are YOU?
I am a farm girl who grew up in Norway. We
lived in nature and with nature, it was a
very healthy and sustainable way to live. My
parents were wonderful, I grew up knowing
nothing but love and a friendly environment,
my parents protected me from difficult things,
until I reached an age where I was able to
understand and also learn how to help solve
problems in the world. I was very inspired by
my mother. In between running around her
herb garden mixing treatments for healing the
animals on the farm, she worked for Amnesty
International. I grew up believing in goodness
and in myself, because people believed in me.
So, this is what I'm now here to do: believe in
others and show them the way to believe in
themselves.
I became a Doctor of Chiropractic in 2004
because of my love for natural ways of healing
and I am the owner of Aberdeen Chiropractic
clinic in Scotland and First Breath Chiropractic
clinics in Larnaca and Nicosia, Cyprus.
My work is extremely fulfilling and I passionately
wish to share that knowledge. I have been
honoured to be given a number of awards, of
particular note, as the initiator and founder of
Birth Forward, a Cypriot non-profit organisation
and also an “Honoris Cause Doctorate of
Humanity” specialising in Leadership (AUGP).
What is the single best piece
of business advice that helped
shape who you are now?
Be honest!
What do you think is the single
most significant barrier to
female leadership?
I believe this is culturally dependent. I'm talking
about the culture in a country, or the culture in
a business, or the culture in a micro or macro
environment. In order for female leadership to
become more accepted we need to change the
culture, and that has to happen from within.
We need to foster and empower women
coming into the business world. Women
who are already empowered have a massive
responsibility in this process. By sharing our
own experiences and knowledge, our love
and our passion, our “feminine capital” – in
accordance with the message of our dear Viola
Edward of Feminine Capital (www.violaedward.
com) – we need to bring out the best female
strengths, without being abusive or aggressive
in our ways. I believe there's a beautiful way
to provide leadership as a woman without
competing with the male style of leadership;
there’s a balance between the two, a beautiful
dance, and I believe in the current business
environment we have lost this balance by
overusing one style only and the feminine
aspect becoming too masculinized.
How do you take care of your
body, mind and soul?
Well I'm a chiropractor and our philosophy is to
look after mind, body and soul. Getting regular
treatment from my fellow chiropractors makes
me adaptable and ready for everything in life. I
live an extremely busy life, travelling a lot, and
am involved in lots of projects but I still feel I
can manage. I always say that I'm “busy by
choice.” It might sound funny, but I love being
busy! I love engaging in my passion; I love my
clients, all the pregnant mums and new babies
that I see, and I have to make very conscious
choices to have a sustainable life. Several
things are a “must” to manage this and they
cannot be compromised. After I drop off my
kids at school I make time for stand up paddle
boarding, a swim or pilates. I breathe in the
beauty of the Mediterranean Sea.
My chiropractic adjustments, sleep, healthy
living, eating well and super foods, water and
exercise are a high priority.
If you were in the jungle what
animal would you be?
A lioness: protecting her cubs and future
generations with her life.
How do you manage your time
between Cyprus and Scotland?
This actually works out really well for us. I
spend three weeks in Cyprus, one week in
Scotland every month. Thankfully, my amazing
14 15

Interview
husband, Costas, is my rock and my soul mate
and a brilliant father to our two sons. The week
I am away is an intense working time. I focus,
plan, manage and create, as well as see clients
in Scotland. When I'm in Cyprus, my absolute
focus is the kids. We play and create together
as much as we can. Sometimes my husband
goes to Scotland instead, and this gives him the
opportunity to plan, go to seminars, connect
to our staff and associates in Aberdeen, and
have some time for himself. At times one of
us has to stay in Scotland and we might only
get a weekend together every month. Having
two small children it can be hard, but I think
we manage really well. It’s also good, as we
learn a lot about ourselves and each other!
We’ve been together 18 years and have gotten
so close, with two very different cultures and
two very different personalities. We’ve grown
together, both as business partners and in
our personal relationship. We’ve created
habits and adjusted our ways and cultures
to fit each other’s perspectives. I believe one
of the core values we share is a commitment
to support each other. We want this so much
there could be a danger to forget what we
want as individuals. By being apart we get
some distance and the chance to take care
of our individual self. So, we create a space
where we remember who we are at all times.
This is something we’ve developed from our
experiences and it is very healthy.
What made you specialise in
birth trauma, paediatric care
and pregnant women in the
field of chiropractic medicine?
I think it’s beautiful to see the changes a woman
goes through during her pregnancy and as she
becomes a mother. I love to be a part of that.
I'm very concerned when natural processes
during this time of development for mother
and baby cannot happen, for one reason or
another. The nature of birth can differ from
person to person, from one birth to another.
But the important thing is for mothers and
couples to have all the information available to
them to make empowered choices for the birth
– whatever the nature of that birth might be. It
is important that they are informed, listened
to, and part of the decision making during this
beautiful time. I'm concerned for babies born
with trauma, especially when they are unable
to breastfeed and connect with their mother
and father during the first moments of life.
When I see trauma and tension in a newborn
unfolding in my hands…when I see the child
release that trauma, it’s as if they are taking
their very first free breath, and then they relax…
it's amazing to watch, it’s like magic every single
time to see them take that breath.
What inspires you in your work?
I absolutely love my work. I am so passionate
about educating mothers and fathers during
the process of becoming a family. We know
from the Primal Health Research Database of
Dr. Michel Odent (www.primalhealthresearch.
com) that the moment of birth is a most
critical time for our future mental and physical
wellbeing. So what better time to provide
release and healing to a human being than
in that miraculous moment of birth? There
are so many great chiropractors around the
world providing care for mums and babies
and I am truly grateful for what I have learned
from my mentors, like Claudia Anrig (www.
drclaudiaanrig.com), the author of the greatest
paediatric chiropractic textbook written.
Another inspiring leader is Dr. Jeanne Ohm
(www.icpa4kids.com) founder of The Pathways
Magazine (www.pathwaystofamilywellness.
org) which is an amazing resource for parents
and parents-to-be. Jeanne is a mother of six as
well as running the International Chiropractic
Paediatric Association. I also really admire Heidi
Haavik (www.heidihaavik.com), a Norwegian
chiropractor and researcher who is doing
ground-breaking research on the profound
effects of chiropractic adjustment, showing
how we become more adaptable and capable
human beings with every adjustment received,
as we optimise the nervous system functions.
If you go to her website, you can see some
awesome videos on the positive benefits of
chiropractic care beyond pain. I could mention
so many more! I’m surrounded by leaders and
enthusiastic, committed and loving human
beings – how can I not be inspired to also
contribute and share this beautiful work?
Does your work translate into
benefits for your own personal
and family life?
Chiropractic is a lifestyle for us and filters
onto every aspect of our life. We always strive
to make educated and conscious choices
for ourselves and our children, our own
experiences likewise influence the direction of
work.
I gave birth to my first son, Savvas, in the
hospital. A beautiful midwife led the birth
which took many hours and a lot of patience,
breathing and deep connectedness with my
husband, we gave birth together. Savvas is
now 8 years-old and so patient with a beautiful
and sensitive soul.
My second son, Matheos, was born at home
and I delivered him myself, with my humble
midwives protecting and holding the space for
me to be free to do whatever I felt I needed.
It was the most spiritual moment in my life.
He and I gave birth together, he directed
the movements of the “dance” through
the contractions like the conductor of an
orchestra. He was in charge of every breath;
I listened and obeyed. No one interfered with
our symphony. Now, you may ask me, how is
he today, at the age of 5? He has not changed!
He is fearless! He owns his body and his own
soul with such confidence.
I believe my childrens’ births are connected to
how they are, as beings. It is my job to not break
down who they are with limiting beliefs. If you
think about it, isn’t it curious that mothers are
often told what to do, instead of being asked
what do you need during your birth? And I think
we need to challenge this even further, we
should be asking what does your baby need?
Think about how that changes our conversation
around birth! Dr. Michel Odent speaks about
how we need to change the language around
birth. His speaks of the need to protect rather
than “support” the birthing woman. The word
16 17

Interview
“support” implies that she needs somebody
else around to be able to manage. Whereas
if you use the word protect, it changes the
conversation completely because a woman
who is fully protected, can be aware, present
and engaged, and she knows what she and her
baby need during that birth.
What was the inspiration for
Birth Forward?
Birth Forward is a non-profit NGO in Cyprus
(www.birthforward.com). I was inspired to
start Birth Forward, through my work as a
chiropractor, and seeing the situation in Cyprus
through the experiences of my own children’s
births. In Cyprus we have very high rates of
intervention, low rates of breastfeeding, and
very high rates of Caesarian section. Almost
two thirds of babies are born through surgery
instead of naturally. Clearly, sometimes
medical intervention is needed but the aim
should be the best possible experience
for mothers and fathers even in these
circumstances, making sure their wishes and
needs are met, and that they are fully informed
and part of the decision-making. When I took
the initiative to create Birth Forward in 2013
I brought together professionals: midwives,
colleagues, obstetricians, general physicians,
psychologists, psychotherapists and – most
importantly – mothers who had had many
different birthing experiences. My aim was
to bridge the gap between professionals
and parents, and to bridge the scope of the
subject itself, by addressing the issue from
preconception through to childhood. At the
same time, I wanted to bridge the divide
between the two communities of the beautiful
island of Cyprus (divided politically since 1974),
by bringing together people from across the
whole island to focus on what we can do to
change the situation. The idea is to do this in a
compassionate way and in a multidisciplinary
way, bringing everybody together to make a
positive change.
Can you tell us more about the
work of Birth Forward?
It’s been an amazing journey! We work
together with other professional bodies,
with the Cypriot Ministry of Health, with the
department of Midwifery and Nursing at the
Cyprus University of Technology, and with
organisations in the UK, Germany and Greece.
At the moment our big focus is introducing a
web-based app which informs parents from
the first day of pregnancy until the baby is six
months old. This is a fantastic product called
Baby Buddy Forward, based on Baby Buddy
in the UK. The web app will be adjusted to
the Cypriot culture and translated into Greek,
Turkish, Arabic and Russian. It is an EU funded
project and is the biggest project we have had
so far. Meanwhile, we work for advocacy and
the Ministry of Health has promised a strategy
for improving birthing in Cyprus, so this is
already in motion based on our work. We
provide regular support groups for mothers to
revisit and discuss their birthing experiences,
IVF and loss of baby support groups. We
also provide educational materials, informing
the public of European evidence-based
guidelines through our Scientific Advisory
Board. I believe it is extremely important as
leader of any organisation to make sure that
all the information that's going out is fully in
line with the latest evidence and fully in line
with the human rights aspects of healthcare.
In just three years the organisation has been
recognized on a national level and is the
leading organisation in Cyprus on this subject,
representing both parents and professionals.
Birth Forward operates with up to six paid
staff depending on the project we work on
and about 60 volunteers. I'm extremely proud
to have been elected President of such an
amazing organisation.
What is next for you and for
Birth Forward?
In the immediate future what's on the agenda
for Birth Forward is to follow up with the
Ministry of Health’s strategy for birth in Cyprus.
We're also working on bringing together
mothers, fathers and children from the two
sides of this politically split island by having
a Birth Forward presence in the north of
Cyprus. We’ve arranged family gatherings and
breastfeeding events, in collaboration with
professionals from both sides, and already see
more collaboration happening across the two
communities. Our monthly meetings are always
held in the “Green” buffer zone at the Home
for Cooperation (www.home4cooperation.
info). This is a Norwegian funded project to
support collaborative initiatives, and I love the
fact that we can use this building to hold our
AGM, monthly meetings and other events.
Beyond this, I am working on implementing a
research project with specialists from around
Europe and the world, on a concept where we
want to investigate the potential benefits of
protecting the first breath of life. I see society
and the world suffering, we have more sickness
and more mental health issues as time goes
on, and in light of research supporting the idea
that the most critical time period for our mental
and physical wellbeing, may very well be the
moment of birth, my question is: if we protect
the first breath can we save our society? There
are so many things that have to fall into place
and it requires multidisciplinary collaboration,
which respects both mothers and babies,
physical bodies and feelings. What if we protect
our future generations’ first breath? If every
child could take its first breath fearless, relaxed
and open, would this child grow up healthier,
more confident and more resilient? It’s a bold
question and there has been a lot of interest. I
hope we might see not just a documentary but
also the seeds for many new collaborations,
research and guidelines to improve birthing
culture around the world. The first step is to
bring together a crowd of profoundly different
professionals to discuss the concept. Apart
from the obvious health professionals involved
with birth, chiropractors, and osteopaths, we
are inviting top researchers from a diversity
of fields. The first event will be arranged in
collaboration with the Laszlo Institute of the
New Paradigm http://www.laszloinstitute.com/
in Italy this year and I’m really excited see what
will come of this.
18 19

Environment
Are you
environmentally
fit?Claire Morley
The last few months have shown a flurry of activity
by governments and corporations, all keen to
prove they are environmentally responsible in a
world which is becoming increasingly overrun by
plastic.
David Attenborough and the final episode of the
Blue Planet II series proved to be a huge wakeup
call to many, suddenly realising how much
damage single-use plastic has been doing to
our planet. Calls for greater and better recycling
facilities have echoed around the globe, but is that
really the answer? The answer is a resounding NO!
It isn’t the solution that many believe it to be.
Much of the single-use plastic in our lives is not
recyclable and items like water bottles will be
around on our planet for hundreds of years,
breaking down into tiny particles, finding their
way into the sea, eaten by marine life and
before long consumed by us.
The amount of plastic produced in a year
is roughly the same as the entire weight of
humanity.
The number of bags used every year by
Americans tied together would reach around
the Earth’s equator 773 times
There is more microplastic in the ocean then
there are stars in the Milky Way
Over the last ten years, we have produced
more plastic than during the whole of the last
century
Plastic chemicals can be absorbed by the
body – 93% of Americans test positive for
BPA (a plastic chemical).
40% of plastic produced is packaging, used
once then discarded – 161 million tons a year
44% of seabirds are being documented with
plastic in or around their bodies.
Why not recycling?
Reducing the amount and types of plastic
we use, would be a better solution. Recycling
gives us a false sense of security. Believing in
the power of recycling can in fact increase the
consumption of plastic, through the conviction
that it will all be recycled. That’s not to say
recycling should be completely disregarded,
but ultimately, we need to investigate ways to
reduce relentless, unnecessary waste – plastic
or otherwise. We must alter how we live, to
consider how much we waste, rather than
what we waste.
How you can help as an
individual.
1. Stop using plastic bags – take your own
bags (or even make your own shopping bags
by recycling tee-shirts https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=Cin_wLIW9S8)
2. Change your Toothbrushes and razors –
buy bamboo toothbrushes and metal razors.
3. Try Shampoo soap – not only environmentally
friendly, but a great deal cheaper. What do you
think people used before shampoo came in
plastic bottles?
4. Buy loose fruit and vegetables – have a
supply of netting bags (or better still make
your own) and only purchase loose fruit
and vegetables. The bags are reusable and
washable.
5. Choose glass jars over plastic containers in
the supermarket.
6. Ditch tea-bags in favour of loose tea and
teapots. Tea bags contain plastic.
7. Carry a reusable straw for your iced coffee.
8. Take your own take-out cup to the coffee
shop and your own containers to the takeaway.
9. Spread the word - Encourage others to
ditch single use plastics.
20 21

Environment
Environmentally fit office
1. Conduct a waste audit, find out what
actually gets thrown away in your office.
2. Share results with staff and run a
competition to reduce plastic use.
ChriSOULa Sirigou
3. As well as encouraging staff to make plasticfree
choices, work with your suppliers too.
4. If a mains-water drinking fountain is not a
viable option, install a water cooler. The large
water bottles are refilled and reused. Provide
your work force with reusable water bottles
ditch the plastic cups, add your logo and you
have free advertising while helping to save our
planet. Use water glasses for visitors.
5. Stop buying plastic straws – the US alone
uses over 500 million plastic straws a day,
enough to go around the world two and a half
times. There are plenty of alternatives from
bamboo to steel to pasta to paper.
6. Do your staff order take-out lunch?
Encourage them to take their own containers
to collect their food and bring their own
non-plastic cutlery or provide your staff with
reusable containers and cutlery.
The BOOK of
SOULFUL
MUSINGS
To rid the planet of plastic usage completely
is not only overly ambitious but nigh on
impossible, almost everything we use from cars
to domestic appliances to building materials to
our clothes now contain plastic. However, if
we become more responsible with our usage,
step away from the throw-away society we
have become, be more mindful of what we use
and what we throw away, take responsibility,
we can have an enormous positive impact on
our environment. We need to act now before
the consequences of our plastic usage cannot
be reversed.
Inspiring Conversations to Live LIFE
with Love Intention Flow Ease
22
Claire Morley, an eco-warrior in her adopted country of Cyprus, set up
a No Straws initiative to encourage bars, restaurants, hotels and cafes to
take the Straw on Demand challenge. She is also the Editorial Coordinator
for Business Fit and HealthPreneur and runs a business helping authors
to self-publish and promote their books.
www.myepublishbook.com
BOSM EUROPEAN TOUR 2019
Book Signing Events. Workshops. Retreats.
www.TheBookofSoulfulMusings.com

Mindset & Emotion
Team Motivation –
It’$ all about
Mon€y ,
i$n’t it?
MaLish
Have you ever asked yourself why some teams
have an amazing team spirit and are motivated
and others, even within the same company and
department are not? As a team leader: What keeps
your employees going beyond the standard for
you? As a team member: what makes you walk the
so-called extra mile?
Motivation and satisfaction of
needs
We are human beings and all made up of
the same molecules. Why are we so different
in our motivation, aspiration, dreams and
wishes? One of the first people to think and
publish about this phenomenon was Abraham
Maslow. In his pyramid of the “hierarchy of
needs” he tells us about different levels of
needs. On the bottom of the pyramid are
the basic needs, these need to be satisfied
first. But once achieved they do not motivate
further. That means: after having enough food,
safe shelter, enough money to survive and a
job, people are looking for self-fulfilment and
self-actualisation. In our Western world we can
be thankful that we don’t have to fight for food
and clean water. Still we are all on different
“satisfaction levels” in Maslow’s term. Finding
out where each team member is standing is
one of the most challenging tasks of a team
leader. How can we find out what motivates
each team member?
To keep a team motivated they
should feel that:
• Their management trusts them
• The goals set are S.M.A.R.T.
• The internal communication is transparent
• They are empowered to lead themselves
Which leads to:
• Increased productivity
• Enhanced commitment in work performance
• Psychological job satisfaction
Balancing monetary and nonmonetary
aspects
Why are some employees motivated by more
money, higher bonuses, salary increase each
year and other tangible assets while others
are not? Can’t those who are searching for
fulfilment not simply take the extra money,
bonus and pay raise to invest it in what is
meaningful and fulfilling to them? The answer
is not so simple. Employees could pay for their
own membership at a gym, but the meaning
is different if the employer actively helps to
facilitate this for their work force.
What is in it for companies, how do they profit
if they balance both aspects (monetary and
non-monetary):
• A good example is the wish of an employee to
work in another country. Why not send them to
one of the subsidiaries? This will create a win/
win situation: your employee is helping to build
/increase know how and processes on the
one hand and the company will benefit from
intercultural interaction and understanding on
the other hand.
• People are motivated if they have an
employer who thinks outside the box – even
if they don’t make use of the gym membership
or the sabbatical – it’s still seen as a plus.
• Another bonus for the company is that nonmonetary
remuneration can also help to build
the brand and attract future employees.
How do you implement it?
It all sounds amazing doesn’t it? Now the
question is how to get there? First listen
to your employees. They are telling you all
the time what they are missing and what
their trigger points are. These days money
motivators are not working anymore. Society is
changing, work/life balance is more important
than driving a fancy car. We are dealing with
Lilli Rohde, Co-founder MaLish, Business strategist, international Speaker
and international Coach Lilli managed international sales teams, implemented
systems, tools and processes on a global scale and launched successful
products in her time within the Food and Beverage industry.
Maike Benner, Co-founder MaLish, Business strategist, Finance expert
and international Speaker Maike has supported, managed and led various
projects in her professional and volunteer life. Her analytical, communication
and project management skills have made her an expert in the field of system
implementation, workshops and trainings. www.malish.global
a different generation of employees and they
value different things. A one-size fits all strategy
does not work anymore.
Motivational factors must be seen as a
foundation. If your teams are motivated they
will be passionate and enjoy working for
the company which leads to loyalty, during
good times and bad. If a team is motivated,
they will be engaged and contribute to the
group’s performance. As leaders we need to
understand what motivates each individual in
our team and we should be able to manage
them accordingly.
In our opinion, It is more important that the
team members feel great about the work they
are doing, rather than them doing great work.
To quote Rob Boegheim, Managing Director
& Chief Explorer at Hema Maps: “The most
effective motivation occurs when the team
understands and accepts the mission and
goals of the organisation. Motivation begins
with hiring talented individuals who believe
in the company. It then continues when
those individuals are allowed to exercise their
talents and creativity freely with full support of
management”. Source www.Forbes.com/-The
BestWayToMotivateEmployeesAndGetResults
With our experience from being team
members and team leaders in the corporate
world and now having our own consulting and
coaching company, we specialise on teams
and all aspects of how to motivate them and
make them successful. If you are interested to
learn more www.malish.global/contact
24 25

Body
Wellbeing and Burnout
Without our health we have nothing
We live in a culture which celebrates being busy
and are finding it increasingly difficult to switch off.
We are overloaded with content, we have more
access to information and opportunities thanks to
the digital world, but it is also overwhelming us.
We often celebrate being busy like it is a badge
of honour, confusing being busy as a sign of
success, so the cycle continues year-on-year
and we frequently send ourselves into a state
of burnout.
Burnout is an extended period of time where
you experience exhaustion and a lack of
interest in things.
Researchers at the University of Chicago found
that the common belief that being busy is a sign
of success and hard work is so prevalent that
we actually fear inactivity, which is detrimental
to our physical and mental wellbeing. Being
in this constant state not only has a negative
impact on our wellbeing, but it stifles creativity,
productivity and prevents us from producing
our best standard of work.
Nova Reid
So if burnout does not serve us,
why do we continue to get into
this vicious cycle?
Researchers at The University of Chicago also
link an innate fear of inactivity, to a fear of
failure. So perhaps this might go some way to
explain why so many not only find it hard to
say no, but hard to switch off and regularly find
ourselves in a state of burnout.
It’s worth noting, a study commissioned by
Montreal University reveals that women are
more likely to experience burnout than men,
(of course some of this may be linked to the
default parental and gender roles that are
bestowed upon us, generally speaking, there
is an expectation that women who are parents
are also the main caregiver, so this must be
taken into consideration too, but it is not the
only factor and is not true for those who are not
partnered or parents). Research also shows
us that women and are more susceptible to
anxiety than men.
Perhaps it is time for all of us to take ownership
and stop normalising and enabling the culture
of burnout and instead to start prioritising our
wellbeing. After all, without our health we have
nothing.
Be truthful with yourself and ask - what kind
of service am I giving to my customers /
employers/ or employees, if I am in a constant
state of exhaustion? They deserve better and
so do you.
So what can you do to stop the
cycle of burnout?
Be self-aware - If you are noticing low level
anxiety, trouble sleeping, unexplained weight
loss, short temper, trouble concentrating,
cynicism about your job or industry, reduced
motivation, an increase in stress and a
decrease in self-care, take action to increase
your self-care, or ask for help and seek advice
from a medical practitioner.
Stop Multitasking
We think multitasking shows efficiency - it
doesn’t. We can achieve so much more and are
more productive when we focus on just one
thing at a time. Use your to-do list to encourage
you to focus and be more productive. Restrict
it to 5 things. This will encourage you to actively
complete a task before adding a new one. If
emails or social media notifications are a
distraction, take control and remove them
from your mobile phone and only access them
when you are on your desktop. Take control of
your usage and people’s access to you.
Prioritise wellness
Schedule regular self-care: You should ideally
try to implement self-care on a daily basis.
In the same way you schedule time to do
administration, schedule regular self-care in
your diary. Take that walk in nature, listen to
Nova Reid, is a diversity campaigner & wellbeing mentor passionate about
helping people discover their best selves. Nova is a certified NLP Life Coach,
an expert in her field and has appeared on Sky News and the BBC and
frequently writes for national publications. She runs bi-annual retreats to help
professional women who are tired of settling, to ditch burnout and prioritise
their wellbeing. www.novareid.com, nova@novareid.com
that mindfulness podcast, take a new class,
have that massage or long soak in the bath,
learn something new, finish that book. Switch
off your phone, block out that time for yourself
and prioritise it. Disconnect from any electronic
devices at least an hour before you go to bed,
so you can prepare your body to shut down
and sleep and not overload your brain with
stimuli.
Pay attention to your natural coping strategies.
The first thing we do when become pressured
at work, or start to feel stressed, is ditch our
natural coping strategies. When in-fact it’s
these strategies that keep us mentally well and
healthy, so at times of pressure, we should be
increasing them.
Are there things you enjoy doing that you have
stopped and don’t feel you don’t have time for?
Not only should you re-introduce them, but
increase the frequency of doing them! Your
mental and physical health will thank you for it.
Take time out without the guilt
Don’t be a martyr to your health or happiness.
Sometimes you need to hit the pause or
reset button and that is ok. It is not a sign of
weakness, or that you aren’t capable, but a
sign of caring about your own wellness, valuing
your worth and self-preservation.
Investing in yourself is investing in your wealth,
so take every opportunity to do things that
nurture, inspire and energise you. When you are
replenished instead of depleted your output
increases, your creativity and productivity
improves and you cultivate an environment
for innovation. That’s where you want to be
operating from, because that’s where the new
opportunities and magic happen.
26 27

Business
Why It Pays for Women to be
Financially
Independent
Olga Stepien
We live, as the ancient saying goes, in "interesting
times". In many ways, there's never been a better
era to be a woman. Glass ceilings are finally
starting to shatter, female entrepreneurship is at an
all-time high, and the #MeToo movement gathers
steam daily. According to a 2016 study by Bank
of America and USA Today, younger women are
actually more financially independent today than
their male counterparts. And yet, despite taking
their place at the boardroom table, many women
are still playing catch-up when it comes to financial
independence in middle age and retirement.
The question is: are we still investing ourselves so
completely in our families that we set ourselves up
to fail?
There's no doubt that women have been
socialised for generations to accept that
personal finance is a man's game. Not so
long ago, it was standard for a woman's role
in the family to be solely that of caregiver,
making sure dinner was on the table while
her partner returned with (and managed)
the paycheque. But while family roles have
shifted, many women continue to prioritise
their families, without taking care of their own
financial stability. The most direct way they do
this, of course, is through stalling their careers
to focus on raising children, ensuring that their
earnings (and savings) progress at a slower
rate in future. While studies show that women
are generally better at day-to-day financial
maintenance, they also tend to use their salary
for household and childcare expenses, while
their partners' earnings are funnelled into
investments that consequently do not bear
both their names.
The belief for women who do this, of course,
is that they are operating as part of a unit, and
their personal investment will be rewarded
in love, care, and financial security from their
Olga Stepien, is an Anti-Money Laundering Senior Reviewer, specialising in
emerging markets (with a primary focus on Russia), having gained experience
working for international organisations in Gdynia, Moscow, and London. She
is also a fully qualified personal trainer, and – the role she treasures most – a
mum.
partners and families. Unfortunately, with
around half of marriages ending in divorce,
and a large proportion of widows struggling
in poverty, the reality can be quite different.
Divorce is particularly costly for women,
who tend to absorb the risk, and struggle to
increase their pension funds in subsequent
years.
The fact is that the same women who are
seizing power in business need to take a
leadership role in their own financial lives,
in order to create economic security for
themselves and their children. Nobody enters
a romantic partnership hoping to divorce, but
taking a pragmatic approach can protect you
from disaster should the worst happen. Start
thinking about savings, property, financial
management and life cover sooner rather than
later. Make family finances a joint endeavour.
Ensure joint investment accounts are in both
spouses' names. Most importantly, never give
up your financial independence - as well as
having a stake in joint assets, be sure to keep
some of your own alongside.
It may sound unromantic, but this approach is
not about selfishness or cutting off the family
you love. It's rather about managing your
finances with the savvy you use to manage
people or funds in your business life. With the
right partner, you'll continue to increase the
value of your assets, while creating something
completely new together, and hopefully enjoy
the fruits of both your labours for many years
to come. If not, you'll be in a better position
to weather the storm. After all, the only
investment you'll never regret is the one you
make in yourself.
28 29

Mindset & Emotion
Caroline Makaka is the founder of Ladies of all
Nations International also known as LOANI. It is a
supportive non-profit global organisation, covering
over 85 countries, promoting inclusiveness and
bringing together like-minded individuals to
promote diversity inclusiveness among people
from all backgrounds and cultures
Dr Caroline is a determined and vigorous
individual, yet pleasantly calm. She reflects
a variety of personalities including ambition,
generosity and thoughtfulness. Her mission is
to connect cultures and help underprivileged
communities. She also created Beautiful
Survivors, an initiative dedicated to recognising
people who have been victims of circumstances
but still emerge as winners.
Beautiful Survivors is about people who have
faced challenges in their lives, who fought
cancer, domestic violence, victims of torture,
those who have lost their loved ones, parents
who have lost children and other extraordinary
circumstances. These remarkable people
are survivors, resilient, fighters, champions,
changemakers and community activists. These
are people who have distinguished themselves
from the challenges in their lives so that they
can contribute to different sectors and services
in their communities to do something to help
others and raise awareness.
LOANI
Ladies Of All Nations International
Viola Edward
Any little effort that
you make in your
community counts
When Caroline created LOANI her vision was
to create a world-changing event with the
purpose of uniting nations together, embracing
diversity, enlightenment and connecting
cultures through events. These have included
multi-cultural fashion shows, entertainment to
celebrate the beautiful survivors and to create
opportunities and a supportive platform to
connect people, to help them learn from other
cultures, to love, encourage, protect, celebrate
one another and fund initiatives to empower
the most vulnerable women and children
around the world.
Every year LOANI selects and appoints an
international ambassador to represent their
nationality or community and encourage
cultural understanding, empowerment,
30 31

Mindset & Emotion
enlightenment and celebrate communities
and women who have found success in their
work and life, uniting for a great cause. Each
ambassador will have the opportunity to host
and collaborate towards different projects to
improve the welfare of the underprivileged in
their own communities.
“Our mission is to create a platform which can
identify role models, turning them into leaders
then collectively create a world of peace to help
the underprivileged around the world. We also
aim to be connecting, supporting each other
and doing the work of generosity to support
and raise funds for the less privileged. In
essence fellow Ambassadors and LOANI Team
members can support one another to raise
funds for the great cause. We can easily and
collectively come together, pool our power and
change the world. The movement has made us
identify the needs in our communities to make
sure developments are made big or small as
well as share ideas, connecting and learn from
each other,” explains Dr Caroline.
Each international ambassador has made a
contribution, big or small, in their community.
The aim is to join forces, to host events,
network, improve health and wellness and
support one another, while helping the more
vulnerable in our societies.
In September this year, LOANI hosted a global
event in Morocco, celebrating Moroccan
cultures and supporting their community.
They are now working with some Embassies
to attempt to crystallise their vision of bringing
nations together to resolve the biggest
problems facing humanity around the globe.
LOANI is very much focused on inspiring pride,
bringing nations, professions and countries
causes together to celebrate and unite as one
under one roof for a great cause, to unite for
humanity and support widows and orphans.
“Our global networking inspires women to
step up to the next level in the world, in
their careers and in their lives, to discuss
diversity and inclusion initiatives and provide
an opportunity to learn about other cultures
and diversity, knowledge, skills and experience
and when we collectively put our hearts and
authentic leadership into motion, we can move
mountains,” said Dr Caroline.
LOANI hopes to increase the countries it
represents to 100 by the end of next year.
Their next global event will be in South Africa
from 8 – 12 August 2019.
They have also announced another project,
Galaxy of Stars Young Inspiration Awards.
This is a movement created to recognise,
acknowledge, honour, encourage and promote
young people, their talents, abilities and their
culture. By rewarding their efforts, they aim
to build confidence and a positive learning
environment, to help create future leaders and
motivate individuals. It will also honour young
beautiful survivors, young heroes and young
carers, as well as those overcoming personal
barriers and challenges in their lives to achieve
success; those standing up against bullying
and discrimination either socially, emotionally
or physically as well as young people with
disabilities and additional needs.
Dr Caroline is creating an opportunity to
recognise, honour and celebrate these young
people and transform their pain into stardust.
“For me it was about the impact, I believe l am
here on this planet as a change maker and any
little effort that you make in your community
counts,” she says. “It’s only two years since l
launched LOANI and already we represent 85
countries, it just goes to show how something
small can become big”.
32

Spirituality
What is
Spiritual
Practice?
Christopher Gladwell
To begin with, let’s define what on earth spiritual
actually means. A lot of people use the word and
often never understand the real definition of this
elusive term.
It is often used, even in modern spirituality
and yoga, to define the elusive stuff that joins
everything together, stuff that is somehow
different to all that is matter. This kind of
dualistic vision presents matter and its opposite
as spirit. Sometimes the word spiritual is used
to define the source of matter. There is matter
and there is that which makes it and holds it all
together and this is spirit.
Sometimes the word is used to define
whatever is unseen. So, I suggest we use this
medieval word simply to define our subjective
experience of connectivity if at all.
Why?
As humans we are hardwired in our neurobiology
to experience…
• comparison and difference
• separateness and then from this base -
connection
• solidity
• a sense of permanence
• definition
• self as a separate thing from the rest of the
universe
• relationship as a process of self as subject
and other as the object to our gaze
If we look through the lens of evolutionary
biology we find that this sense-of-self and its
self-construct is something that has evolved
to assist intra-species socialisation and
reproduction of our genetic material. This
process has taken around 500 million years
to evolve and is, to say the least, a robust
experience.
If we look through the lens of neuro-biology
we find parts of the brain such as the medial
pre-prefrontal cortex, the insula, the parietal
and cingulate, amongst others, that build this
subjective experience of being a separate selfthing
- in the face of a vast universe.
If we look through the lens of chemistry we
find that the majority of our structure is made
of water and gases, and that even this water
is made of two gases. We are mostly made of
hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. A lot of the
rest of us is made of carbon which in the form
of carbon bound with oxygen, carbon-dioxide,
is also a gas. The bits of us that aren’t these
gases are mostly made of earth minerals.
If we look through the lens of physics, we
find that every particle that makes up our
structure is made of spinning energy. When
we go deeper into this energy it is hard to
locate and also define. When we get down to
a quantum level it even appears that a lot of
what appears as solid is flickering into and out
of existence. There are many theories about
what this quantum level experience is, one by
David Bohm suggests that all appearances, all
vibrations and movements of energy (out of
which matter is constructed) are scintillating
into and out of existence as expressions of
one unified field.
So, everything that our nervous system
says about what is solid, real and defined is
inaccurate as there is nothing that is solid,
permanent or truly defined. These are the
appearances, what appears real to our
nervous system. The reality is that there is no
real solidity, no defined, inherent or separate
existence to anything. It is all a seamless flow
of energy that is most probably an underlying
unified field sparkling into and out of existence
as the appearances.
The interesting correlation with the majority
of the reported experience and arising yogic
philosophies from deep meditators is that
this formless base to all arising appearances
has qualities. The key quality is awareness.
The feeling side to this awareness is love or
compassion. We find this in our own body as
we go deep in the yogic practice of meditation.
We find the constituents of our body as gases
and appearances of solidity created by the
energetic binding between these gases and
earth minerals as an expression of space-time.
We find this whole experience to be replete
with awareness and love. In our own structure
we find spacious-awareness as aware space. In
yogic philosophy this formlessness is variously
called avyakta or shunyata.
Then comes the beauty, this formlessness is
none other than the form. The appearances
and the root of all the appearances, the unified
field are one and the same, always as what
some call brahman.
One of the ways we begin the subjective
deconstruction of this in the laboratory of our
own experience is to engage in practices which
retrain our brain to be able to step beyond the
dualizing mechanisms of comparative mind.
We do this by cultivating the observing self, the
34 35

Spirituality
It is often used to
define the elusive
stuff that joins
everything together
witness pole of uninvolved pure awareness. We
do this by paying attention to the key quality
of seamlessness in our living experience,
the life-breath. As we watch the breath,
bringing consciousness to the process, we
cultivate the observer position and we start to
kinaesthetically experience the seamlessness
of our body as an impermanent flow, gas as
air, air as gas, as breath, as tissues. We feel this
breath as the breath of all of life. We also pay
attention to our other living process and find
ourselves as water, as rivers and rain, warmth
that derives from sunlight through the process
of photosynthesis and above all the seamless
web of space-time.
Since we sense all of this we are also not it.
Not being the systemic flow alone, we find
ourselves as awareness in all of this systemic
process. As we go deeper we find our original
nature as awareness, inseparable from
that which weaves as appearances. We find
ourselves as no-self, as the totality, shunyatarupa,
avyakta-vyakta, or as David Bohm calls it
implicate-explicate.
So let’s, just for now, consider the word
spiritual to be an old school label to cover
the terrain of all this whole, the one as the
many and the many as the one, brahman. The
realms of formlessness and its movements, its
tremor into energy and its manifestation as
the appearances as form.
Imagine one word to cover this terrain of
totality. The word spiritual is an old-fashioned
word that can be repurposed to cover this
terrain. The Sanskrit word for this is Advaita.
Advaita simply means ‘never two’.
Why is it called practice?
It is not that advaita can be practiced, it just is,
as it is. It is the doer, doing, the done and the
done to all together and all at once. It is pure
and total beingness.
We can’t practice being this, we are it.
However, our evolutionary biology stops us
perceiving this, so the methods that suspend
the ‘hallucination’ of the five senses enable us
to perceive more fully how things really are.
Practices that do this are traditionally called
yogas, dogmas that promote this are religions
and spiritual can be used to define the nondogmatic
explorations of the unified field -
unicity. What we practice are methods that
help us to remember and know this unicity.
As a result of these practices we may
experience peak moments where the
dissolution of the robust experience of being
solid, real, defined and permanent as form,
dissolve. These moments then have to be
integrated into daily life. The real practice is
integrating the experience of vastness into
daily life.
How does this integration most
fully occur?
When we find the peak experience within
the weave of mundane, daily life. When we
understand ourselves as the unified field,
it manifests as kindness, as compassionate
behaviour in our lives. Of course you don’t
have to believe this, we don’t need more belief,
the aim is to directly experience this in your
life. Direct experience is what ‘spiritual’ practice
is about.
36 37

Interview
The
Mentoring
Champion
Mentoring has the power to change lives.
Chelsey Baker
National Mentoring Day was founded by award
winning mentor Chelsey Baker to celebrate
mentoring and recognise the invaluable
contribution that it makes to enterprise, education
and society. Taking place annually on 27th
October with Lord Young as the Patron, the official
National Awareness Day encourages mentoring
events and activities to take place across the world.
The campaign to make mentoring accessible to
everyone of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds
has received widespread support from leading
brands, corporate organisations, celebrities
and governments. Here in the UK the campaign
reached the House of Lords, generating huge press
coverage and attracting audiences worldwide.
Chelsey has successfully mentored hundreds
of businesses and individuals and is recognised
as one of the UK’s leading business mentors.
Her career spans over twenty years working in
media, publishing, PR and marketing. Chelsey
is an inspirational mentoring champion
and campaigner where she has won five
high profile awards for her mentoring work
including “Business Mentor of the Year"
awarded by Start Your Business magazine and
she received the British Bankers' Association’s
"Excellence in Enterprise Mentoring Award” at
BAFTA. Chelsey is passionate about helping
individuals achieve their full potential through
mentoring and was chosen as a lead mentor
for numerous governmental projects.
As an author Chelsey is quoted and featured
in hundreds of media outlets including Forbes,
Reuters, The FT, Independent, Telegraph,
Evening Standard, City AM, Daily Express, BBC,
ITV, SKY, BBC2, The Times, Guardian and listed
as one of the most influential women in the
world.
Why did you launch National
Mentoring Day?
I wanted to recognise the great work that
mentors do and thank them for their efforts
and appreciate the invaluable contribution
they make. We need more mentors to support
all areas of business and society, so I launched
the campaign to help encourage others to
mentor or seek mentoring.
Whilst there are hundreds of great mentoring
programmes out there, nothing connected
everyone together. National Mentoring Day
helps unite them and raise awareness on the
benefits and impact of mentoring. I created
a platform where all the different types of
mentoring communities can co-exist and
my aim is to connect all the initiatives and
programmes together. This includes enterprise,
educational, ex-forces, community and exoffender
mentoring to work collaboratively to
help advance mentoring.
We need more
mentors to
support all areas
of business and
society
38 39

Interview
Why are you passionate about
mentoring?
I love mentoring because as a result of my
guidance I get to see my clients succeed
and share their success with them. In these
continued times of unrest the world needs
mentoring! Mentoring has the power to
change lives.
I’m driven by my mission to make mentoring
accessible to everyone, this includes hard
to reach groups from unemployed, elderly,
veterans, homeless, families and those
with mental health, disabilities or long-term
illnesses, why shouldn’t they have access to
mentoring? Mentoring is a way to create a
more inclusive society and has the potential
to trigger significant benefits on a global scale.
Everyone has something to offer as a mentor
and everyone has something to learn as a
mentee. Mentoring should be accessible to
any business, adult, child or group that needs
it and National Mentoring Day will help make
this happen.
How can people get involved in
the annual day?
It takes place on 27th October each year to
encourage organisations and individuals to
create their own mentoring event, coffee
morning, talk, conference, networking or
mentoring workshop on the day to help raise
awareness on the benefits of mentoring and
thank mentors for the great work they do.
The day attracts huge amounts of press and
anyone can join in the conversations using the
official hashtag #NationalMentoringDay which
trends top on twitter every year.
Free resources include: ‘thank your mentor’
cards to recognise mentors who’ve made a
difference, social media graphics, posters and
banners to encourage mentoring and a free
downloadable 'Get Involved Guide' to create
your own event for National Mentoring Day. We
encourage everyone to share their mentoring
success stories, tips and case studies, and use
the day to highlight your internal or external
mentoring initiatives to encourage more
people to actively take up mentoring.
You’re launching the National
Mentoring Awards this month,
tell us more?
I’m beyond excited about the launch of the
National Mentoring Awards, they will be
the BAFTAs of mentoring to create (real)
inspirational role models across every sector
of business and society. The awards will give
public recognition for ‘mentoring excellence’ to
individuals and organisations and applications
are welcome from mentors, mentees,
organisations and employers. Entries are open
to those who mentor across all walks of life,
whether in their business, sport, community,
personal or professional lives.
What sectors are you covering?
The National Mentoring Awards have a
huge reach covering Business Start-Ups,
SME’s, Corporate, Education, Youth, Careers,
Sports, Disability, Rehabilitation, Diversity,
Music, Media, Health, Financial Services,
Women, Property and Fashion. The awards
are completely FREE to enter to attract wide
audiences and the campaign will encourage
millions of people to enter the awards and
nominate.
Who will be attending?
The awards will take place on 1st March 2019
at the Five-star Jumeirah Carlton London,
backed by the National Media and include a top
celebrity host. The event will be attended by
many business leaders, distinguished guests,
celebrities and top professional mentors from
every sector and industry.
We have many high-profile brands attending
and numerous Government partners. Our
official partners include Welsh Government,
NL International, Zypha, Lawbite, Careers
& Enterprise Company, Newable, PCS
Instruments and Aura Gold Water who are are
kindly supporting this great initiative.
kindly supporting this great initiative.
Why do you mentor?
I try to positively impact the lives of as many
people as I can. I’m not driven by money but
how I can make a difference. There are so
many business owners wandering around
feeling unsatisfied, this is because they are not
being true to themselves about who they really
are. You can’t go on a course or seminar and
expect to become rich, successful and happy.
This is why I get to the heart of people’s passion
and work with them to find out what they really
want so they are truly fulfilled. So many people
are just acting and playing a part in their life,
not doing what they really believe in.
Why is your mentoring so
successful?
With mentoring I show people how to reach
their true potential to become authentic and
have a real purpose in society and business.
Then I help take their message to the media. So
many people are approaching the media first
with the wrong message and this is why for me
mentoring is about protecting entrepreneurs
and helping them avoid costly mistakes. I
mentor from twenty-five years of working in
media, PR, marketing and sales, not from going
on a course and becoming a wannabe guru!
With over 300 published articles in business
magazines and millions of pounds worth of
national press under my belt, I mentor from
experience not theory and pass on the gift of
knowledge and contacts that can change the
course of a person’s life, that’s the power of
mentoring.
This is one of the reasons why I help so many
individuals and businesses, we all have the
opportunity to positively impact someone’s
life and mentoring is the gift that keeps on
giving. You cannot put a price on the value of
mentoring, it’s priceless. The right mentor can
redefine the way you view yourself and help
your business flourish in so many ways.
What is the biggest mistake you
have ever made in business and
what you did you learn from it?
Not taking equity in a company when I was
offered it which became highly successful as
a result of my mentoring. It’s always worth
looking at the possibilities of where a company
might be in 10 years’ time.
In these continued
times of unrest
the world needs
mentoring
40 41

Interview
How do you take care of your
body, mind and soul?
I always find time to meditate. This is where I
get to take a mini holiday for twenty minutes
twice a day to recharge every part of me. It’s the
only thing I’ve found that works to completely
replenish myself, calm my mind and it gives me
so much more energy. During transcendental
meditation all my questions seem to be
miraculously answered and I love the feeling of
enlightenment and peace it gives me where I
am truly connecting with my inner Self.
There are hundreds of scientific studies that
show Transcendental Meditation reduces
stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia and high
blood pressure. TM has amazing effects on the
brain from clearer thinking, brain coherence,
improved memory, greater creativity and
increased productivity. I love it because it’s
so easy to do and I can do it anywhere which
works with my hectic schedule.
I go on regular retreats at the Maharishi Peace
Palace in Suffolk which is built according to the
principles of Vedic Architecture to enhance
wellbeing. Every time I stay there even if it’s for
a few days, I leave feeling like I’ve had a month’s
holiday and so well rested. Taking time out to
really connect with yourself is so important to
survive the demands of daily life.
Which person inspires you and
why?
I have been inspired by the teachings of
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who was an incredible
spiritual leader who started a worldwide
movement. He introduced Transcendental
Meditation all over the world. I am in awe
of how one person can positively change
the lives of so many millions of people, he
is my inspiration for creating a worldwide
mentoring movement. Growing up I admired
Mother Theresa for her commitment and total
devotion and for being so selfless and giving
to others.
Branding or Bragging?
Definitely Branding, if you do branding
correctly it does the bragging for you! Bragging
can last for just seconds whereas branding is
for the long term. I created Broadcasting Your
Business Mentoring to get clients noticed for
the right reasons. So many people come to me
wanting national press or to be on television
but they don’t have the right message or
properly crafted story. With twenty-five years’
experience in media I know what it takes
to make a good brand story to stay the test
of time, it’s no good being a one hit wonder.
There’s so much psychology involved in
branding, it’s about having the whole package,
your reputation - online and offline, unique
values, beliefs and brand personality. Craft
your message wisely before sending it out to
the media because once it’s out there it’s hard
to change.
What is your favourite quote?
I have three quotes I love; “Peace begins with a
smile.”, “If you judge people, you have no time
to love them.” Mother Theresa
“Happiness radiates like the fragrance from a
flower and draws all good things towards you.”
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
What is your message for the
New Year?
Be the mentor you wish you had.
www.NationalMentoringDay.org
www.NationalMentoringAwards.org
www.BroadcastingYourBusiness.com
Twitter @ChelseyBaker
Twitter @mentoringrocks
Twitter @TheNMAwards
I try to positively
impact the lives of
as many people as I
can
Excellence in Mentoring
NOMINATIONS OPEN
London
1st March 2019
Limited Tickets Available
42
W W W . N A T I O N A L M E N T O R I N G A W A R D S . O R G

Business
Kayana
Breathwork,
Dissolving Stress’
Tentacles
Viola Edward
Stress is a state of inner personal anxiety and can
occur in all aspects of our lives. It triggers processes
of non-communication that hinder productivity,
creativity and intimacy. All of us, in some way
or another, can be affected by this ‘condition’.
Symptoms like bad moods, prolonged tiredness,
anxiety, lack of motivation and negative vision are
almost normal in today’s world, yet prolonged
exposure to them will create serious unbalance
in our systems. A major difficulty of healing this
‘illness’ lies in the fact that stress continuously feeds
back on itself. Once it is present in the organism,
its effect becomes a cause. It is important to
differentiate between what I call “Creative Tension”
and “Real Stress”. Creative Tension is a stressful
situation where we retain a certain control, such
as in sport or the organisation of a wedding. Real
Stress appears in a situation where we have no
control over the event, such as an accident, natural
disaster, economic crisis, etc.
Stress inhibits breathing
One of the most devastating effects of stress is
the inhibition of breathing. With the repetition
of stressful situations, the result becomes
chronic and generates serious hang-ups such
as lack of creativity, low productivity, chronic
fatigue and mood swings amongst others.
The symptoms experienced can be repressed
One of the most
devastating
effects of stress is
the inhibition of
breathing
emotions, frustration, lack of purpose, difficulty
in expressing love and gratitude, all of which
will affect our joy in life.
To liberate ourselves from the effects of stress,
the study and practice of breathing techniques
is an excellent place to begin.
Breathing
Breathing is a life-sustaining activity that we
begin to practice instinctively from the moment
we are born and continues uninterrupted
until the moment we die. The rhythm of our
respiration is such a familiar practice to us that
most of our lives we are even unaware of our
participation in this vital action. Remember,
however, that though we are able to survive
for many days without food and not quite so
long without water, if we are prevented from
breathing, most humans will be dead within
three or four minutes. This is how fundamental
the breathing process is to our well-being.
Breathing dynamics
Let us take a closer look at the dynamics
of the breathing process. Singers and wind
instrument players, amongst others, are
always conscious of breathing as their music
depends on being able to deliver a continuous
flow of breath across the vocal chords or
through their musical instruments. Athletes
depend on powerful breathing rhythms to
be able to deliver high levels of oxygen to
their performing muscles. The air that we
inhale into our lungs contains a percentage of
oxygen and when this oxygen content comes
into contact with the blood circulating in the
spongy tissues of our lungs, it is absorbed into
the blood stream. The steady pumping of our
heart supplies oxygen rich blood to our brain
and to the muscles and organs of our bodies
where the oxygen is consumed in an energysupplying
mission. When we are working hard
our hearts beat faster and we breathe more
strongly to supply the increase in energy
required by our bodies. In a healthy body,
this biological breathing dynamic manages
itself naturally and instinctively without the
requirement of any conscious intervention.
44 45

Business
Energy levels
We are however, capable of intervening in this
natural sequence by intentionally modifying
the character of our breathing rhythms.
For example, if we choose to breathe more
strongly than usual whilst remaining physically
inactive, we alter the natural supply and
demand equilibrium, creating a higher than
usual level of energy throughout our bodies.
Research and practical experimentation
with the effects of unusual body energy
levels has led to the development of many
physical and spiritual practices that we find
in disciplines such as martial arts, tai-chi, chikong
and yoga and meditation to name just
a few, and therapeutical disciplines such as
breathwork coaching – conscious connected
breathing known also as rebirthing,
holotropic breathwork, integrative breathing,
transformational breathwork amongst others.
Processes of transformation
The breathwork techniques in the practices
of martial arts are concerned with the
development of the chi so vital to success in
combat. Breathing is also used in massage
techniques such as shiatsu and touching
hearts massage. In meditation, yoga, tai-chi
and chi-kong, practices have focused more on
using the inner calm created by the breathing
to develop chi, awareness, presence and
mindfulness. Breathwork mentoring, also
known as conscious connected breathing
and Rebirthing, adds to all the above a
greater sense of self-awareness and, above
all, the improvement of mental, physical and
spiritual well-being, achieving a consciousness
of wholeness. Both ancestral and modern
practices acknowledge the importance of
breathing in processes of transformation.
Relaxation and stress cannot exist at the same
time in the same place, therefore the more we
breathe consciously, the more time we will be
relaxed and the less time we will be in stress.
Holistic therapy
There are several types of stress and the
reference here is to stress produced by
experiences that were neither accepted nor
integrated into our life, with a subsequent
development into traumas. These were
probably situations generated by fear, shame,
anger, loss, or other limiting emotions and were
experienced at an age when we were unable
to manage the event, or the perception of the
event. The situation could have occurred in a
moment of extreme vulnerability, creating a
wound that couldn’t heal completely. Searching
to survive to the pain, we learned how to
create a variety of defence mechanisms, but
the wound remained there, getting deeper,
becoming chronic and sometimes extremely
acute.
Following through the therapeutical journey of
understanding and healing the wounds of such
experiences is a must for a return to balanced
life. Holistic therapy is a choice that uses
energy work such as Breathwork mentoring
alongside with the psychotherapeutic process.
We are holistic beings and we need to heal
in all our dimensions (body, mind, emotion,
spirit/meaning).
Such healing processes can include learning to
express, to feel and to understand. releasing,
resolving and transforming, leading us to
accept and integrate, benefiting then from the
joy and the bliss of the intimacy with yourself
and your partner.
Each healed wound may leave a scar. Those
scars are the testimony of the journey of
healing and as such we can even be proud of
them.
When those wounds were still open and
unattended, an accumulation of difficult
situations or some new and acute stress
could lead us to a breakdown. However, once
Breathwork mentoring,
adds to all the above a
greater sense of selfawareness
and, the
improvement of mental,
physical and spiritual
well-being
the wounds have been attended to and have
healed, even though we are carrying the scars,
when similar situations appear, we will be
able to break through them and learn from
the experience. This is what I call “Emotional
Freedom”.
7 fundamental elements of Holistic Therapy and of life itself.
1- Breathe consciously, being aware of your thinking.
2- Inhale, recognizing who you are.
3- Exhale, letting go of what you no longer need.
4- Be present, asking clearly for what you want.
5- Accept and forgive, giving with love and generosity.
6- Keep on improving and expanding with gratitude.
7- Open your heart, letting love in and taking care of your surroundings
Viola Edward is a Psychotherapist and Breathwork pioneer with over
25 years of experience. A leader with individual and corporate clients, Viola
specialises in Professional Training in Breathwork Coaching, Breathwork for
Recovery, Stress Management, Feminine Energy and Relationships. She is the
co-founder of KAYANA International Breathwork and author of two books:
46 47
“Breathing the Rhythm of Success” and “Who Makes the Bed?”

Spice It Up
Chana
Bhaji:
Ideal for after
a workout
Sarah Ali Choudhury
As someone who is a real foodie and the line of
business I am in, and with my hectic lifestyle of
being a mum to four children I regularly find myself
overeating, putting on weight and finding it difficult
to shed. I have decided to put my food column to
great use and use this as an opportunity to work
alongside my readers to challenge myself to get to
my optimum weight. You can join in too!!
For my article in this issue I am going to
introduce you to a really healthy recipe, my
Chana Bhaji (Chick Peas and also known as
Garbanzo beans). A really quick and easy recipe
that can be eaten ideally after a workout.
Chick Peas have been used as part of certain
traditional diets for over 7500 years and is one
of the oldest consumed crops in the world. It is
now one of the most popular legumes across
every continent.
What’s so great about Chick
Peas?
They are high in fibre, they provide healthy
vitamins and minerals including zinc and folate,
they protect against cancer and heart disease,
they provide slow releasing carbohydrates,
they boost digestion and they help with weight
loss.
As a plant-based protein, they are low in
calories and because they also contain starch
they are known as a "good carb".
In my recipe I have used a can of chick peas,
but if you have dried chick peas these can be
soaked overnight prior to cooking because this
makes them more digestible. Although dried
chick peas hold more texture than recooked
varieties they tend to hold the same nutrition
value but make sure you purchase the BPAfree
varieties.
Avoid eating raw chick peas as they are difficult
to digest.
Chick peas are so versatile you can roast
them, add them to salads and soups, they
can be pureed to make delicious and smooth
humous.
Here is my very own Chana Bhaji recipe. This
recipe was used as part of BBC IPlayer Radio's
Vegetarian week and this particular dish is
also suitable for Vegans. If you want to hear it
being cooked you can search it up on Kitchen
Garden on BBC IPlayer Radio.
Just eating healthy food
isn't enough we also need
to encourage movement
Chana Bhaji
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
2 x echallion shallots,
2 x garlic gloves, crushed
½ tbsp. coriander powder
½ tbsp. cumin powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tin of chickpeas
and activity.
1 green chilli, cut with a single slit
Approx. half a cup of water
½ tsp salt (or to taste)
A small handful of fresh coriander,
washed and chopped
48 49

Spice It Up
Chick Peas have been
used as part of certain
traditional diets for over
7500 years
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the garlic and onions
3. Stir continuously until the onions are
soft. It is really important to take the time
at this stage and make sure the onions are
cooked, so that the spices will then be able
to infuse their flavour. Add approx. ½ tsp
salt (to taste).
4. Add the turmeric, coriander and cumin
and stir in. Add a splash of water and cover
for a few moments.
5. Add in the green chilli. Making a single
slit allows the flavours to infuse without
making the dish too hot.
6. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add
to the pan. Stir
7. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring
continuously. When you feel the chickpeas
start to stick at the bottom of the pan, add
approx.. ¼ cup of water.
8. The dish is cooked when the chickpeas
have absorbed most of the water. Garnish
with fresh coriander and serve.
Just eating healthy food isn't enough to get us
in the best of health or shape, we also need
to encourage movement and activity. This is
one area that I have particularly struggled with
over the years. More recently I came across a
product that really works for me. A tiny sachet
of Keto Energy.
Because we all lead hectic lives nowadays,
running our own businesses and bringing up
children, so often we need a little energy boost
maybe to avoid the mid-afternoon slump. It’s
quite normal at this time that we would typically
reach for the biscuits or a sweet treat that will
play havoc with our blood sugar levels or reach
for an energy drink full of nasty chemicals.
I have personally found the solution to this
problem and it’s a very low sugar, low carb
energy fix that helps specifically reduce
tiredness and maintain energy levels. The
solution comes in the form of Keto Energy
sticks, a lemon & lime flavoured caffeine fix
from encapsulated caffeine powder that
simply melts on the tongue
It’s also been formulated with Vitamin B6 to
help keep you alert and keep your nervous
system functioning normally. One of the other
powerhouse ingredients is Chromium which
helps balance your metabolism and keep your
blood glucose level in check.
Keto Energy was initially designed to support
a Keto lifestyle due to the low sugar content
but those who aren’t following that lifestyle are
feeling the amazing benefits from this product
too. As well as fighting fatigue, it is designed
also to enhance mood and suppress appetite
too.
Night shift workers, athletes, busy mums and
dads are all enjoying this product because
of its convenience. No water is required, you
simply just rip it open and pop on your tongue!
It even tastes like sherbet. It works for me and
since I started taking these energy boosts I
have been able to walk between 3-5 miles on
a daily basis.
If you are interested, please get in touch with
me at http://sarahalichoudhury.com/ where
more information can be sent out to you. For
more information about Keto Energy Sticks and
other beneficial products contact Charlotte
Lock on charlottelock.itworks@gmail.com
Sarah Ali Choudhury is an award-winning Indian food
expert, TV chef and food columnist. Sarah is passionate
about sharing the joys of Indian cuisine – whether through
TV, radio or print media, live cooking demonstrations, social
50 51
media or bespoke teaching

Mindset & Emotion
A Space for
Advanced
Thinkers
Influencers of
Well-Being
Samantha Quinlan
iCAAD (International Conferences on Addiction and
Associated Disorders) are a platform dedicated
to expanding knowledge, exchanging ideas,
advancing wellbeing and the prevention and
treatment of Behavioural, Mental, and Emotional
Health issues.
Through their communications network
and ongoing series of Global Conferences
they facilitate open dialogue, learning and
skills acquisition to influence best practice
worldwide in the expert treatment of
increasingly common conditions affecting
individuals in every country.
It is now more important than ever that not
only professionals in the field are able to
network and share their findings - but that
the breadth and variety of audience are able
to take the sum of their experiences back into
their own communities, businesses and areas
of influence.
The diversity of topics and expertise that iCAAD
gather across their conferences is breathtaking.
Among many interwoven themes, they explore
alternatives in chronic pain management,
discuss policy change with the most influential
action groups in the country and highlight
solutions and innovations to promote better
detection, intervention and treatment of
behavioural, mental and emotional health care
issues. They examine a plethora of issues from
substance misuse to behavioural compulsions
ranging from excessive screen watching,
gaming and social media, to boundaries and
labelling within sex and lifestyle choices as
well as how to work affirmatively with GSRD
individuals
iCAAD honours a pledge to include
humanitarian issues whenever possible at
their conferences; addressing modern slavery,
human trafficking, and possible resolution
from natural or manmade catastrophic trauma
amongst others.
They often promote initiatives such as recovery
film festivals and hold screenings of various
films around recovery at their conferences.
Each conference is distinct and has covered
so many different topics and issues, some of
which include: music therapy, sensory motor
psychotherapy, working with addicted artists
and musicians, somatic therapy, dealing with
compassion fatigue, using decisional analysis
in business, the principles of ethics and
economics, and understanding gender issues
in therapeutic settings, as well as the everimportant
role of recovery coaching in bridging
the gap between treatment and life.
This year iCAAD has added two new and
exciting European locations to the lineup
of countries they will be bringing their
conferences to: Amsterdam and Dublin. They
will also be revisiting many of the countries
they were in last year, including holding their
holistic wellbeing conference: Nourishing the
Whole Self, which takes place in Iceland and, of
course, their flagship conference which is held
every year at the Royal Garden Hotel, London
in May. Keynote speakers at this event include:
Dr Tian Dayton, MA, Ph.D., T.E.P - the director
of The New York Psychodrama Training
Institute; Dr Claudia Black, Ph.D. - a renowned
author and trainer internationally recognised
for her pioneering and contemporary work
with family systems and addictive disorders
and Dr Stefanie Carnes, Ph.D. the President
of the International Institute for Trauma and
Addiction Professionals, a training institute
and professional organisation for addiction
professionals.
Throughout their events, between the
enlightening, educational, harrowing, touching
and motivating presentations, panels and
workshops, iCAAD’s aim is to connect, reconnect
and form new bonds, furthering
advancement in the fields of behavioural,
emotional and mental health. As they continue
the international dialogue over the next year
and beyond, they strive to align all that they
know and work together towards achieving
common goals.
52 53

Pashion Fashion
Dressed for
Success:
Is Your Business
Wardrobe Holding
You Back?
Olga Anderson
'Clothes make the man', or so they say, and
many a male CEO has established credibility,
professionalism, and (let's be honest) a bit of
swagger with an expensive, well-cut suit. But when
it comes to women in the boardroom, it all gets a
little more complicated.
Professional women often find themselves
having to walk the line between dressing
'appropriately' for what was a traditionally
male dress code, and their own sense of style.
Most choose to eschew their femininity in
order to be taken seriously and regarded as an
equal, especially in past decades where sexual
harassment was rife. The result is the soulless
uniform of boxy trouser-suits and matronly
black dresses that you'll still find in the
workwear section of any department store. It
was exactly this lack of choice and imagination
that led me to found my couture label, ‘Olga
Anderson’, which aims to empower working
women with elegant, feminine, beautifully
crafted fashion. I'm passionate about helping
these women reclaim their femininity and
personality in what they wear, in part because
rather than elevating them, that dull office
uniform may actually be holding women back.
We all know that what we wear affects the way
we are perceived by others, and that a first
impression, once formed, is hard to overcome.
It may not be fair, but all of us judge other people
on the way they look, forming ideas about their
authority, trustworthiness, intelligence, and
financial success, among other qualities - all of
which can influence your career advancement.
However, others' perception of us based on
what we wear is only one half of the story.
Recent research now also shows that the
clothes you wear and the perception you have
of yourself in those clothes can actually affect
your own mental and physical performance.
In studies reported by Scientific American,
so-called 'enclothed cognition' can increase
abstract thinking, enhance focus, and make
us feel more powerful and creative. Informal
clothing even influenced negotiations in one
study, with subjects who were dressed up
securing more profitable deals and showing
higher testosterone levels than those who
were not.
Clothes can also have a profound effect on our
sense of wellbeing, particularly when it comes
to colour. Many of my clients have limited
themselves to a safe zone of dark colours,
effectively hiding themselves from both
notice and criticism. In contrast, think of how
The Queen wears a bright array of colours,
so that she is easy to pick out of a crowd. "If
I wore beige, nobody would know who I am,"
she is once reported to have said. Different
colours can be subconsciously associated
with psychological traits, allowing us to project
confidence (red), trustworthiness (white), calm
(blue), or approachability (pink), for example.
These colour associations also influence our
own moods and attitudes, and dark colours
can leave us feeling depressed, sad or even
aggressive.
Olga Anderson’ aims
to empower working
women with elegant,
feminine, beautifully
crafted fashion.
54 Photographer: Yuriy Romanyuk
55

feminine and empowering womenswear
luxury London-based couture fashion
There's another downside to 'dressing like
a man'. Menswear has long been governed
by a tighter framework, employing a limited
set of functional archetypal garments, while
womenswear is far more abstract and avant
garde. Femininity in fashion can be a strong
point rather than a weak one, a source of
creativity and playfulness, the sort of thinking
that brings about new ideas and imaginative
solutions in business. Women can reclaim their
fashion femininity at work, while still striving
to reach the top in their careers. And science
supports this too - studies show that those
who conform to general dress standards and
expectations but add a little flare are viewed
more positively by observers, because they are
powerful enough to take the risk of standing
out.
One only has to look at some of the world's
current most powerful women for examples
of how sisters are doing this for themselves.
Hillary Clinton became known as the ‘pantsuit
queen’ during her 2016 election bid, but wears
this classic silhouette in a rainbow of colours.
Similarly, Theresa May wears smart pieces with
pops of colour or unique points of interest,
like leopard print patterns or asymmetrical
cuts. IMF President Christine Lagarde perfectly
employs chic, feminine tailoring, accessorising
with beautiful, expressive silk scarves. On
television, the character of Jessica Pearson
on Suits is a master of sexy power dressing,
wearing sculptured suits and dresses with
a textural edge to set her apart from her
employees.
Aim to be fashionable without being trendy:
You can keep on top of current trends in
colour, fabric, and style without being a slave
to fashion. Invest in classic pieces that show
excellent craftsmanship, and supplement
them with bold accessories or focus pieces
with an edge.
Don't be afraid of colour: Like Clinton, Angela
Merkel wears a uniform of sorts, but dons her
signature three-button blazers in a wide range
of hues. This also allows her to use colour as
a subconscious weapon - for example, when
appearing with both Barack Obama and
Donald Trump on the same day in 2017, she
wore a cool green for the first encounter, but
suited up in a bright power red to meet with
Trump in Brussels. Force yourself to step out
of your comfort zone and infuse more pops of
colour into your wardrobe - you'll never look
back!
Don't show too much skin: 'Sexy' doesn't
have to mean vulgar. Beautifully tailored suits
that flatter your figure are appropriate and
feminine, but steer away from sheer fabrics
or too much cleavage, as this may undermine
your authority.
Be yourself: Ultimately, fashion should be
about expressing yourself through what you
wear, so be sure to let your personality shine
through. Michelle Obama is a powerful woman
who has mastered this, ensuring that she not
only always looks smart and sophisticated, but
has a style all her own.
So what are the best styling tips for today's
female leaders? These are some of the
principles I encourage my clients to follow as
they make-over their wardrobes:
Olga Anderson, is the owner and founder of her eponymous couture
www.olgaanderson.co.uk
@ olgaandersonofficial
fashion house which delivers bespoke office and evening wear to the modern
woman. Her designs exude elegance, quality and timelessness- perfect for
56
business women to reclaim their femininity. At ‘Olga Anderson’ we understand
@ olgaandersonofficial
57
that every woman is different and her clothes should reflects her uniqueness.

Mindset & Emotion
Getting The
Tables
Turned
Ismael Cala
The actual world seems like an unstoppable
thread of convulsed and voracious moments. The
American Army had the vision to describe this back
in the eighties as a “VUCA” world, the acronym for
Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity,
which are four characteristics that closely define
our times.
During the last weeks, we have been witnessing
controversies between Uber and Cabify apps,
and the traditional taxicab industry, this has
affected countries as distant as Spain and
Argentina. Why does a technological upgrade
trigger all these detractors against it? What are
the lessons to extract from this turmoil?
This time demands us to become exponential
beings, by manifesting as more creative and
productive individuals, so we don’t get left
behind and become obsolete. Despite this, we
cannot allow to be blown away by the storm.
Would you believe it If I tell you it is possible
to “turn the tables”? What if, contrary to what
might be expected, we start to use difficulties
to our own advantage? Would you be asking
yourself: if there is so much conflict, what
would the roadmap to fulfil our life’s purpose
be? The key to this is best described as mindful
exponential leadership.
Benjamin Harkin, a Psychology expert from
Sheffield University, in the UK, experimented
with 19,951 participants in 380 researches,
oriented to monitor individuals while they tried
to achieve health related goals. The results
show a three-step pattern: close and frequent
follow up on progress, focus on the objective
and public manifestation of these goals,
because “this way we will be more enticed to
accomplish” so he said.
As I explain to my students at “Cala Speaking
Academy”, instead of perceiving VUCA as
negative, we should see it as an advantage
which challenges us to expand out of our
comfort zone, allowing us to grow and progress
consciously.
If you are a taxi driver, journalist, automobile
assembler, or perform any other “vanishing”
career, you must understand that no one
wants to vanquish you from the market, only
to make you find ways to update your services
and abilities. Then you would be able to “turn
the tables” on VUCA into your own acronym:
Vision, Understanding, Clarity and Agility, all
key tools to achieve your life’s goals.
So how can a paradigm be changed? My
suggestion, which I have been developing for
a few years, is to apply the CALA life method:
Constant Advancement to Leadership in
Action, based on my “believe, create and grow”
philosophy. All of us harvest an inner leader
who is waiting for an opportunity to shine and
show its greatest potential.
The best solutions are often found behind the
toughest obstacles. Embrace uncertainty and
learn to manage your own reality!
www.IsmaelCala.com
Twitter: @cala
Instagram: ismaelcala
Facebook: Ismael Cala
The best solutions are
often found behind the
toughest obstacles
58 59

Spirituality
AIR
is our
Teacher
Dr. Amit Kaur Puri
“Pawan guru pani pita, Maata dharat mahat.
Divas raat dui dai daya, Khele sagal jagat” was
said 600 years ago by Guru Nanak Dev ji. It means
air is our teacher, water is our father, earth is our
mother, day is fire and night represents sky. In
order for us to seek blessings we need to respect
all these five elements of which the entire universe
is composed.
Two question arise:-
“What is this world all about?” - this question
depicts the outer world leading to the scientific
part of us and the other
“Who am I?” depicts the spiritual part of us.
understand the relationship between living
emotions and laws of motion, we need to
understand mind and matter, we also need to
differentiate between energy and intelligent
energy.
It is curious how the same carbon elements
which can form living beings can also form
non-living diamonds. So what needs to be
incorporated into solar energy to transform it
into soular energy?
I believe in order to understand the
fundamental basis of life; the inter
relationship of physical, chemical, life
sciences, consciousness and spiritualism
should be explored hand in hand. According
to spiritualism, technology exists in the body
whereas science believes in the technology
outside the body.
The environment is a natural situation around
living organisms consisting of both biotic and
abiotic factors. Environmental spirituality
is an experience of awareness of GOD’s
presence. There are hundreds of things in our
surroundings which help us to discover GOD,
like a gigantic river which runs by; a huge forest
with diverse flora and fauna; a vast green
meadow; birds that sing and fly with tiny wings;
flowers which bloom with a variety of colours;
a peaceful dawn dispelling the darkness;
light emerging gradually every morning as
the sun rises and descending again in the
evening spreading beauty along the horizon;
thousands of shining stars at night; thunder
which streaks across the sky; the plants of
the earth and the fishes of the sea; cold wind
in the winter and the pleasant sun in the
summer; the mountains, the springs, the trees,
the breeze. All these gifts of nature enable the
spiritually minded person to discover GOD in
the environment.
As an ethnobotanist and environmentalist,
I have experimented with yogic agriculture
along with javic farming (natural farming). In
one experiment, before sowing, seeds are
given positive spiritual vibrations for three
days; the land is prepared and ploughed along
with the chanting of spiritual hymns followed
by the sowing of seeds and introduction of
chemical free jeevamrit (biopesticide). This
results in three times the original harvest and it
is a living example of the connections between
spiritualism and the science of agriculture.
In a second experiment to show the close
connection between the two, we looked at the
concept of a Nakshatra garden. Every human
being born on this earth belongs to one of
the 27 Nakshatras (stars). Each Nakshaktra
corresponds to a particular plant. In order to
fulfil worldly or materialistic desire we can heal
our stars just by placing the set of 27 Nakshatra
plants in our homes or offices. My conclusion
is that the ultimate source of energy on this
earth is sun and no animal or human being
is capable of capturing this solar energy. Only
plants have the capability to absorb solar and
transform it into chemical energy which is then
transferred into various animals and human
beings via trophic levels hence plants are the
most evolved beings on this earth.
In India nature is also conserved through the
worship of flora and fauna in various forms
like the elephant headed God called Ganesha,
which is worshiped, before starting a new
venture. Lord Shiva is offered bel leaves and
dhatura flowers and Lord Krishna is adorned
with peacock feathers on his forehead and a
holy basil garland. Tulsi is worshiped in every
Indian house and placed in the courtyard as
it emits certain essential oils which sterilise
the environment. There are a huge number
of sacred grooves where touching even a twig
is taboo hence I recommend following the
rules of spiritualism to conserve the beauty of
nature.
Our connection with the environment is the
first level of experience. As an author who is
a scientist and a spiritually inclined person
I interconnect both forms. We need to
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