Tactical shorts, also known as tac shorts, are designed to offer maximum comfort and performance in high stress situations.
They have become increasingly popular among law enforcement and military personnel due to their versatility and practicality.
In this article, we will explore the benefits of tactical shorts and how they can help maximize performance for those who need it most.
4 Big Benefits of Tactical Shorts:
1. Improved Range of Motion.
Tactical shorts are typically made from lightweight, breathable materials that allow for a full range of motion.
This means that law enforcement and military personnel can move quickly and easily in any direction, whether they are chasing a suspect or navigating rough terrain.
The improved range of motion that tac shorts offer can be crucial in high pressure situations where split second decisions can make all the difference.
2. Increased Durability.
Tactical shorts are also designed to withstand the rigors of daily use in the field.
They are typically made from high quality materials that can resist tears, abrasions, and other forms of damage.
This means that tac shorts can last longer than traditional shorts and offer better protection against the elements.
3. Enhanced Functionality.
Tactical shorts often come with a variety of features that enhance their functionality.
These can include cargo pockets for extra storage, reinforced stitching for added durability, and adjustable waistbands for a custom fit.
Law enforcement and military personnel can use these features to carry essential equipment and stay organized while on duty.
4. The Galls Advantage.
When it comes to tactical shorts, few stores can match the quality and value offered by Galls.
Tactical shorts offered by online store Galls are made from high quality materials and come with a variety of features that enhance their functionality.
They are also available in a range of colors and styles, making them suitable for a variety of applications.
What you should remember?
In conclusion, tactical shorts are an excellent choice for law enforcement and military personnel who require maximum performance and comfort in the field.
They offer improved range of motion, increased durability, and enhanced functionality that can make a significant difference in high stress situations.
With the Galls advantage, you can trust that your tactical shorts will provide the quality and value that you need to get the job done.
Italians are a notoriously passionate people, dedicated to their food, drink, and making a mockery of anybody who dares to put a non traditional twist on it.
This carries down from the grandmother of the Italian family, also known as nonna.
Italian nonnas are known for their warm hospitality, fiery temperaments and unparalleled home cooking talents.
If you’re planning a trip or just looking to impress the special someone in your life, these are the locals and family members that you’ll want to win the affections of.
But where do you start?
We recommend that you get acquainted with the dos and don’ts of Italian cuisine, and there are a fair few of them.
Keep reading and we’ll take you on a whistle stop tour of the top four Italian food faux pas to avoid to keep nonna on your good side.
The 4 Italian Food Faux Pas:
1. Not knowing your wine.
If you know anything about Italian cuisine, you’ll be well aware that they like their wine.
Across many European cultures, alcohol is a standard part of the dining experience, viewed as a social activity.
With drinking so embedded into Italian culture, there’s a strong preference for wine or water to be consumed with any big meal.
You’d be remiss to go out and order the wrong beverage with your plate of Italian delicacies.
Before you get stuck into your dinner, get to know which wines pair nicely with what dishes.
2. Getting caught out with ketchup.
Italy is the home of the tomato.
Yes, you might think of opera, Roman architecture, and high fashion, too, but does anything sum up the wider world’s relationship with Italia more succinctly than the simple red fruit?
Whether decorating pizzas or sumptuously drizzled over freshly made penne, the humble tomato is practically a food group in itself in il bel paese.
However, there’s one popular tomato product that the rest of us adore and the Italians despise.
Whether you’re attending dinner in the rolling hills of Tuscany or lunching in a trendy Milan trattoria, ketchup is no ordinary condiment, in fact, it’s deadly contraband.
A recent poll on culinary offenses revealed that Italians find eating ketchup with pasta the most egregious of sins, trumping other divisive habits like adding cheese to seafood dishes and having garlic bread as a side.
As for the last one, we’re not quite sold, who doesn’t like garlic bread?
3. Adding cream to carbonara.
The ingredients that go into a carbonara have been long debated among factions of society, with conflicts boiling over and stirring lengthy arguments at the family dinner table.
According to Taste.com, traditional carbonara “contains no cream, just eggs and cheese.
The eggs and cheese are added to the hot pasta and tossed together until a silky sauce forms”.
But as times change and tastes develop, budding would be chefs have added cream, white wine, and even swapped out the classic pasta shapes of spaghetti and rigatoni for something else.
The truth is, there’s no absolute authority that can decide what you should be putting into your iterations of this classic Roman dish, but the closest we’ve got is the Italian people.
So what do they have to say on the matter?
Well, by all accounts, it’s a hard no to cream.
While egg whites add richness to a smooth carbonara sauce, cream makes it heavy.
Sure, Italian food is certainly known for being a bit of a carb fest, but this Americanized twist is frowned upon in the homeland of pasta.
4. Topping pizza with pineapple.
You already saw this one coming.
Hawaiian pizza lovers of the world, look away now, unsurprisingly, Italians aren’t crazy about adding tangy shards of pineapple to their pizzas.
Italians are famously conservative with their traditional dishes.
Roman blogger Valerio Angelici explains that his people are “strongly bonded to the traditional cuisine, so many of us refuse to accept innovation, variations and contaminations from other parts of the world.”
In fact, there is an unwritten rulebook in Italy that comes metaphorically served with your slices.
For example, did you know that waiting for your pizza to cool down is considered an insult to the pizza maker?
Or that you should only drop the knife and fork and pick up your slice once a small portion is left?
The more you know.
So there you have it.
Four Italian food faux pas that you’d be better off leaving at home, lest your rulebreaker behavior is spotted by one of Italy’s gastronomical grandmothers.
Still, we wouldn’t blame you if you did succumb to temptation every now and then.
Clinical depression, also known as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is a more severe and persistent form of depression that can have a significant impact on a person’s life.
It is a mental health condition that affects a person’s mood, thoughts, and behavior and is characterized by feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a loss of interest in activities.
To be diagnosed with clinical depression, a person must experience symptoms for at least two weeks, and the symptoms must be severe enough to interfere with daily life.
Everything You Need to Know About Clinical Depression:
What are The Main Symptoms of Clinical Depression?
The most common symptoms of clinical depression include…
Persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness:
This symptom refers to feeling consistently sad or down for an extended period of time. It may feel like a heavy weight that is difficult to shake off.
Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed:
This symptom refers to a decrease or complete lack of enjoyment in activities that were previously enjoyable. Hobbies, social activities, and even daily tasks may feel less interesting or worthwhile.
Fatigue or lack of energy:
This symptom can manifest as feelings of exhaustion or a lack of motivation. Tasks that were once easy or manageable may feel much more difficult to complete.
Changes in appetite or weight:
This symptom can include a significant increase or decrease in appetite and can lead to weight gain or weight loss.
Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much:
This symptom can include difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early in the morning. Alternatively, some people with depression may sleep excessively and still feel tired.
Restlessness or slowed movements:
This symptom can manifest as feeling agitated and restless or feeling slowed down and lethargic.
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions:
This symptom can make it difficult to focus on tasks or make decisions, leading to a decrease in productivity and performance.
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt:
This symptom can involve feeling like a burden to others or feeling responsible for things outside of one’s control. This can lead to a decrease in self esteem and confidence.
Recurring thoughts of death or suicide:
Recurring thoughts of death or suicide can be a symptom of various mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder.
These thoughts may be intrusive and persistent and can significantly impact an individual’s daily life and well being.
It is crucial to seek immediate help if you or someone you know is experiencing recurring thoughts of death or suicide.
This can include reaching out to a mental health professional, contacting a crisis hotline, or going to an emergency room.
What are The Main Causes and Treatments of Clinical Depression?
There are many possible causes of clinical depression, including genetics, brain chemistry, environmental factors, and life events such as trauma or loss.
Treatment for clinical depression typically includes a combination of medication and psychotherapy, with a focus on identifying and addressing the underlying causes of the depression.
It is important for anyone who is experiencing symptoms of depression, including clinical depression, to seek professional help from a mental health provider.
With proper treatment, many people with clinical depression are able to manage their symptoms and lead fulfilling lives.
Clinical depression is a serious mental health disorder that affects over 300 million people worldwide every year, however, it can be treated with proper medical care and support from family members and friends.
If you think someone you know might be struggling with this condition, then it’s important to pay attention to any changes in behavior or physical appearance so that they can get the help they need right away before the condition becomes worse over time.
With appropriate treatment and support networks in place, many individuals living with clinical depression are able to lead happy lives free from its debilitating symptoms!
Lesley Martín is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her wisdom and expertise.
She started her coaching career during the pandemic when she decided to no longer wait to pursue her dreams, but take action. In just 2 years she developed herself as an expert coach with countless happy clients.
She didn’t have a smooth path. In fact, she had a really rough childhood and countless difficult situations that made her the wise woman she is today.
Her approach is client focused, she is customizing each session depending on her client’s needs and desires, from learning about the mind to changing beliefs and processing emotions. Here is what she said.
Meet Life Coach Lesley Martín:
Name: Lesley Martín
Pillar: The Spirit, The Mind, The Heart
Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to go from good to GREAT and become the best version of themselves so they can live their greatest life.
How they can help: By using a customized approach to each individual, using different tactics from from education on the neurobiology of the brain to challenging subconscious thinking, processing emotions, creating boundaries and building new beliefs, just to name a few.
First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?
We are actually doing well!
Of course it was a challenge in the beginning, but we used that as an opportunity to re evaluate and make some different decisions that served us better for the way we want to be consciously living our lives.
How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?
I’m not sure there are many people living today that weren’t somehow impacted by the pandemic.
It was a global event unlike anything many of us had ever seen before, and therefore challenged us in ways that we hadn’t experienced before.
Once people were able to process through the initial shock and fear of the virus, one of the things I noticed was common amongst my clients was a deliberate slowing down and intentionality of living.
When things started to reopen and activities resumed, many of them did not want to resume pre pandemic levels of busyness and stress.
That may have looked like seeking a job where they can work remotely, or not enrolling their kids in every possible after school activity.
A big one I’ve heard over and over was a desire to have a flexible enough workday that they could take a walk outdoors in the fresh air and daylight.
For myself, I tend to look at challenges as opportunities.
By the end of 2020, I had decided to no longer wait to pursue the dreams I had, such as becoming a coach, because while I can’t control what happens in the world, I can choose how I want to respond to those events, and decide for myself what I make them mean.
I have sought to empower my clients to do the same for themselves.
I also started taking many more walks.
What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?
I really learned how precious time is, it’s our most valuable resource.
We all have the same number of hours in a day and we can choose to be intentional about how we spend them.
We can spend them recycling the outdated stories we have about ourselves that keep us stuck in place, or we can spend them learning, growing and writing new stories of resilience, triumph and transcendence.
The Origin:
Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?
I’m someone who experienced much adversity early in my life.
I then spent the next couple decades overcoming it and creating a stable life for myself, learning for the first time the meaning of safety and the comfort of security.
I completed my education in mental health counseling and began my career as a psychotherapist.
I married a wonderful man with whom I’ve shared the last 20 years of my life.
I spent the past 15 years building a holistic psychotherapy practice helping others overcome their past traumas and create safety and security for themselves.
So, I know a thing or two about craving stability and normalcy AND wanting more, and what it takes to create that.
The pandemic is actually what launched my coaching career.
Coaching was an avenue that I had been thinking about for a few years previously, but during the height of the pandemic I decided to become certified and offer coaching as an additional service for clients.
I saw such a need, not just in my own community, but in the larger landscape for people to have wider access to mental health support and personal growth services.
Additionally, so many people are re evaluating their lives, careers and relationships in light of the pandemic, and are looking for help navigating the changes they’ve experienced or want to make.
Coaching is an excellent support that can be truly life changing!
What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?
As I mentioned, I faced a lot of adversity earlier in my life.
Those experiences are what prompted me to become a trauma therapist, as well as a life coach.
They are what prepared me to handle challenges later in life, whether it be physical injuries and illness, career shifts, relationships, or losses.
My lived experience is why I am so passionate about empowering others who have overcome their own adversity to transcend any limiting beliefs they may have and actively create amazing lives for themselves on their own terms!
The Coaching Style:
How do you innovate with coaching your clients?
For one thing I bring all of my knowledge and considerable skills as a trauma therapist into the coaching sphere.
That means I teach my clients about how and why their brain works the way it does, the impact that has on their development and ability to form secure relationships.
And when desired, we work to change those underlying subconscious patterns that may no longer be serving them.
Additionally, I incorporate my studies in contemplative world religions, specifically Buddhism, in my work with clients.
That means I focus on cultivating mindfulness as a way to take perspective, reduce reactivity and expand possibility.
Finally, I am a believer in the value of lived experience.
So, any of the skills or techniques I may use with a client, I have also experienced and used myself.
I have a grounded understanding of the process of making change in one’s life in a very profound way.
What’s unique about your coaching approach?
My approach is unique in that I combine my knowledge and skills as a psychotherapist with the unique coaching tools I’ve gained, along with all of my training in health and wellness, so my clients experience a truly holistic approach to creating change, one that takes into account the physical, mental, emotional, relational and spiritual aspects of their being.
What benefits do your clients get after working with you?
My clients change their lives.
Truly.
After working with me, they are calmer, less overwhelmed and way less reactive.
They report being happier and enjoying their lives more, being able to be truly present with their families and loved ones.
They no longer define themselves by their past experiences. They are more fulfilled.
They are freer.
In their own words, this is what they say:
“I have so much more energy and joy which had been missing for a long time.”
“I’ve changed my mindset around what is possible for me.”
“I was just blown away by how much we were getting done. It changes your life.”
“My favorite part of this journey has been the physical and mental improvement that I have felt.”
“It really has been life changing.”
“It’s just a total 180.”
“100% do it.”
Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?
I use many specific tools depending on the needs and goals of the client I’m working with.
For each of my clients the program is tailored specifically to their desires; so the tools, skills and techniques I use are uniquely matched to best support the clients in creating their desired outcomes.
They range from education on the neurobiology of the brain, development and attachment, to challenging subconscious thinking, processing emotions, creating boundaries, building new beliefs, practicing mindfulness, increasing self love, and beyond.
The Impact:
If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?
I would want you to know that you are already enough worthy and lovable just as you are, right now, and you always have been.
And, I want you to know that if you want more for yourself, you are capable beyond your wildest dreams.
The world needs your perspective, your love, and your light, so please have the courage to shine! When one of us lights up, it gives the rest of us freedom to do the same!
What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?
The greatest lesson I’ve learned thus far has been that I am capable of far more than I think I am.
What I think is possible for me pales in comparison to what is actually possible for me.
I believe this to be true for most people as well.
I focus my coaching on helping others expand their definition of what is possible, and in the process, blow their own minds doing things they never would have imagined!
Your final thoughts?
The prospect of change can be daunting, scary and uncomfortable.
So, you may try to convince yourself you have a good enough life and that you shouldn’t want more.
Stepping out into the light feels risky because you might be judged, get hurt, or fail.
BUT… what if you fly?
As you nudge closer to the edge of your comfort zone, you face courageously crossing that threshold.
You have the potential to step into a passionate, empowered, and authentic life beyond anything you ever imagined.
And I can help you do that.
Where Can You Find Lesley Martín?
If you liked this interview and you would love to go from good to GREAT in your life, go to https://lesleymartincoaching.com and discover how Lesley can help you become the best version of yourself.
If you’d like to connect more personally with her, you can do that through LinkedIn or by following her Facebook and Instagram accounts. It was an honor having this interview with her.
Denice R. Hinden, Ph.D., MCC, is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her dedication and expertise.
She started her coaching career after discovering the power of a coach herself. She had a consulting firm and noticed that there was discontent among some of her clients. Someone suggested that she try working with a coach, and she did exactly that! After working with the coach, her life and business were transformed.
She realized that becoming a coach herself can have a positive impact on her clients, and after 15 months, she got her ACC. Today, she has over 13 years of coaching experience and MCC credentials.
Her coaching is focused on helping people become better leaders. She believes that everyone is a leader and everyone should learn how to master this innate potential within. Here is what she said.
Meet Life Coach Denice R. Hinden:
Name: Denice R. Hinden
Pillar: The Mind
Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to improve their leadership skills or equip themselves with strategies and tools to solve challenges with a more positive outlook.
How they can help: Through deep listening, asking the right questions, teaching new strategies and practices.
First of all, how are you and your family doing after these Pandemic times?
Thank you, we are resilient and thriving.
We successfully pivoted our businesses to be entirely virtual and are doing well!
How did the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?
The pandemic was quite impactful.
Many of our clients provide residential services and employment programs for people with disabilities.
We lost two significant coaching engagements because our clients needed to focus on keeping their clients and staff healthy and the resources flowing to keep their doors open.
So I turned to volunteer my coaching services to any nonprofit leader who would take me up on the offer to sustain their energy. And several did.
I also focused on developing my skills and supporting other coaches in developing there’s by taking WBECS courses and volunteering as an implementation mastery facilitator.
Our clients returned as the pandemic recovery progressed, and my skills kept evolving.
What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?
Pay attention to staying healthy.
As long as you are healthy, be generous with your time.
Use every opportunity to keep learning.
And work through your fears to resolve discord and explore new ideas.
Everything changes, so the best strategy is to learn to surf!
The Origin:
Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?
I spent the first 17 years of my career working on the staff of various nonprofit organizations in positions ranging from administrative assistant to program director to executive director at the local and national levels.
Then, the guy I was dating (my husband of 20 years) offered me a chance to open a consulting firm.
The firm was six years old when I noticed discontent and frustration among our clients.
I was unfamiliar with coaching, but someone suggested a coach might help and referred me to one.
At the end of a year of working together, my business and life were transformed, and I had the epiphany that becoming a coach would significantly enhance our client’s experiences, so I enrolled in Coach U.
About 15 months later, I graduated and earned my ACC from the International Coach Federation.
Another pivotal moment occurred a year later while attending The Capitol Coaches Conference in Washington, DC. A person at the iPEC exhibit handed me a copy of the book, “Energy Leadership, Changing Your Life and Work From The Core” by Bruce Schneider.
I read it in a few hours, enrolled in a module they offered to learn about the Energy Leadership Index tool, and had a positive mindset transforming experience that fuels my life and work to this day!
One of my most personally rewarding accomplishments after 13 years of coaching was earning my MCC credential in 2021.
What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?
Wow! I had to think a lot about this because there are many!
Somehow I got it in my mind early in my life that we can know everything we need to know and, with hard work, can achieve perfection and control what happens to us.
Thankfully, I’ve had an army of mentors and the Internet to remind me there is always another way continuously. Things happen all at the right time, everything happens for a reason, each day is a new opportunity, and the only thing we control is our behavior and choices.
Living my life through this wisdom makes each day a unique, wonderful experience, even if the experience is challenging.
And my life is filled with amazing people around the globe.
One of the first dents in the “control” armor came early in college when two of us were candidates for seemingly one internship slot.
We were competitive and not kind to each other.
The wise leader, Walter Lowery, who interviewed us, made room for us both.
The other student, Sherry Houston, is my friend to this day, more than 40 years later!
And honestly, those lessons about letting go of control have never stopped.
I just had another one this week.
A coaching colleague invited me to be on her LinkedIn Live.
I was trying to map the agenda with her and felt frustrated as she gently pushed back.
Since we were out of time, she agreed to send me some questions.
Her question later in the week was, what questions could we ask?
I was in a completely different space, and several more essential questions easily flowed for consideration.
The Coaching Style:
How do you innovate with coaching your clients?
First, I continuously experiment with new questions and tools.
I don’t worry about using them perfectly and ask clients for permission to try them to see what we’ll both learn.
Second, I come to every conversation with the trust that each client is whole, resourceful, and knows what they need.
Then, I only need to listen deeply enough for the openings where learning and growing can happen.
I’m listening for where the energy drops, where the inner critic is raging, where some belief is creating a gap, and where the view may be limited.
When I hear it, I shift into a discovery mode to begin the unpacking, where awareness grows.
I also read a lot, attend workshops and stay connected to developments in the fields where my clients work so that I can bring relevant ideas into my sessions.
What’s unique about your coaching approach?
I start with the premise that every leader has a unique identity comprised of their purpose, core values, and philosophy.
So we explore that as a foundation.
Then I draw on my passion for social justice through nonprofit organizations, belief in continuing education through professional associations, curiosity about how brain chemistry impacts leadership, and proven practices that the best, most inclusive leaders use to get results.
I also draw extensively from Energy Leadership (Schneider), Conversational Intelligence (Glaser), and Positive Intelligence (Chamine), three neuroscience based coaching frameworks that include assessments for awareness and creative tools that inspire positive forward action.
As with every coach, our uniqueness comes from connecting our distinct energy and experience with coaching competencies in partnership with our clients.
What benefits do your clients get after working with you?
Many clients come back and say what they got from me is my voice in their head, asking a question or encouraging them to consider things differently. LOL!
Seriously though, I aim for my clients to take away strategies and tools they can repeatedly apply to solve challenges with a more positive outlook and bring joy to their work and life.
Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?
I love the Positive Intelligence App as a tool for building and sustaining mental fitness, self coaching and continuous learning.
The Impact:
If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?
Positive change in the world happens when we are all more loving, more accepting of differences, and proactively work on improving our behavior.
There is always a way to be and do better, so always continue learning and asking for help.
And always be grateful for the people and experiences that push you to grow, no matter how painful it feels initially.
They are allowing you to become more than you thought possible.
What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?
From one of my most beloved mentors, Dr. Maxine-Thurston Fischer:
“You never know if your words or actions will be the grain of sand at the bottom, middle, or top of someone else’s life pile. The point is to always be a valuable grain in what you give.”
Your final thoughts?
Leading for me is not only about a title and a leadership position in an organization.
It is how people motivate themselves and others daily to take forward looking, positive action.
For example, parents are leaders in their families. Students are leaders in their schools. Teens are leaders with their friends. Volunteers are leaders on the committees they serve, and time they contribute in millions of ways.
And because leading well is hard, even for the most passionate and enterprising leaders, every leader who is open to it can exponentially benefit from working with a coach occasionally to continue becoming the best version of themselves.
Where Can You Find Denice R. Hinden?
If you liked this interview and you would like to equip yourself with powerful tools to become a better leader yourself, go to www.managance.com and see how Denice can help you.
If you want to peak a glimpse of her coaching you can watch this video:
If you would like to connect more personally with her, you can do that through LinkedIn or by sending her a message on her Email [email protected]. It was an honor having this interview with her.
Christoffel Sneijders is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with him. He impressed us with his innovativeness and dedication.
He joined Krauthammer International (one of the world’s leading behavioral leadership and sales training institutes in Europe) over 25 years ago. After working there for over 10 years as a change manager and sales director, he decided to start his own company.
Today, he is an innovative, multidisciplinary expert in human behavior and change who motivates, inspires, and challenges people to transform. He has worked with over 10,000 people from all around the world. His versatile knowledge in Hypnotherapy, NLP, Coaching, psychotherapy, burnout, PTSD, anxiety, trauma, and grief is vital to helping his clients create a life and outcomes they long for.
His coaching approach mainly uses a method that he personally founded based on the theory of The 3 Brains, and it is now ICF certified. Here is what he said.
Meet Life Coach Christoffel Sneijders:
Name: Christoffel Sneijders
Pillar: The Mind
Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to have a long lasting change and gain a deeper understanding of how to align their three brains to work together so they can more easily reach their goals.
How they can help: Through a coaching method he created called “The 3 Brains (Head, Heart, and Gut) Method,” as well as using various other tools, techniques, and methods like hypnotherapy and NLP, just to name a few.
First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?
Luckily we’re doing all good. Most of us have had some type of the coronavirus or lookalikes issues but not serious, but we all are in good and almost perfect health.
How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?
For me, personally, it was a massive change.
Before the pandemic I was living in Australia, having my own coaching and training business there.
I took the last plane from Australia to Europe to visit my family and girlfriend in Spain, and was not able to go back the next two years, meaning my training business in Australia, suffered a slow death.
I had to deal with change again, and this time a major one, which was to start from zero again, living in Spain, and not really able to speak Spanish.
I can tell you that having a business in Spain and not speaking the language was a real challenge.
For my clients, their main concern was the question “how to stay motivated in my kitchen what is now my home office and at the same time keep connected with my employees?”.
Then, they started to suffer the zoom fatigue, as they went from zoom meeting in zoom meeting and not having the relaxing time in between meetings they normally had in the office.
Stress increased, and their perception of quality of life was a question mark.
So the questions about “what do I really want to do with my life? Do I really like this job or should I quit?” immediately emerged.
What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?
Training, or to say better delivering training, can be done extremely well via zoom and it changes the market from local to global.
Secondly we are extremely adaptable to new ways of working.
The Origin:
Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?
A little bit more than 25 years ago I joined Krauthammer international, on that moment the number 1 in behavioral leadership and sales training in Europe.
After working there for 10 years and after doing a few interim job’s as change manager or sales director, I decided to start my own company.
Nowadays I am perceived as an innovative, multidisciplinary expert in human behavior and change who motivates, inspires and challenges people to transform.
I have worked with over 10,000 people all around the globe.
My passion, authenticity, empathy, and versatile knowledge in Hypnotherapy, NLP, Coaching, psychotherapy burnout, PTSD, anxiety, trauma, and grief are vital to helping my global clients create a life and outcomes they long for.
What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?
I’m not really sure, what the biggest obstacle was, as I had (like everyone) some.
I am doubting if it was being dyslexic and called stupid by my language teachers, being bullied at school, or my emigration to Australia where I hit rockbottom after my divorce and loosing my income.
Having said that, I would say that being bullied had the most impact as it affected the following 25 years in having truly trustful relationships.
At the other hand, the aftermath of my immigration to Australia sparked a huge personal development as I started to work as a hypnotherapist, founded a clinical hypnotherapy school which ultimately led to the development of the 3 Brains Theory, writing 2 books about it and developing an ICF approved coaching training.
The Coaching Style:
How do you innovate with coaching your clients?
I am the founder of the 3 Brains (Head Heart and Gut) Coaching Certification Training.
The concept of 3 Brains is the biggest innovation, in my opinion, of the last decades, that we can use in coaching, counselling, and even therapy, to make our clients thrive again.
So, when I or anyone that has followed my training program, work with clients, the 3 Brains approach allow us to work on the deeper patterns that are responsible for the topics the clients want to work on and the goals they want to achieve.
We can really coach someone with guarantee of a more sustainable change.
As we all know, we can coach our clients on how to deal with conflicts, providing feedback or difficult discussions.
For me, if the client is willing, I love to assist them in overcoming the deep, rooted reasons why they have an issue with, whatever the topic is: dealing with conflicts, providing feedback, difficult discussions or changes they want to make, that sometimes they even know how to do it but paradoxically they do not do it yet.
We have all learnt how to deal with these topics in our upbringing according to how our parents dealt with them.
But what we learned and was really useful for that period of time, it is now 20, 30, or 40 years later, absolutely outdated and it is hard to change them as we belief this is who we are.
The moment the clients can learn more about themselves and learn how to change those coping mechanisms they are able to deal with the difficult situations in many more ways.
The 3 Brains approach helps really the client to increase their awareness on what is blocking them to change and what they really want, what they need and the resources they have to overcome the obstacles.
It is a fantastic way to empower people to really lead themselves and lead their lives for the better.
What’s unique about your coaching approach?
Two things stand out:
One, as being a therapist and coach, whatever the client brings I can help them out.
Second, The 3 Brains (Head, Heart and Gut) Coaching Methodology.
This way of coaching truly creates long lasting development or change for the client.
It makes their action plans going from their logical head to an embedded body and mind experience.
Just like we never forget how to ride a bike, the moment the client has a 3 Brains, body and mind learning experience, they will never forget it, as it becomes an automatic body mind habit.
What benefits do your clients get after working with you?
Long lasting change. No doubt about it.
Many of my clients have shared with me that they worked on their topics already for some time with other coaches or even therapists, without getting lasting success.
It has been after working with me when they have had a development they only had dreamed of.
Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?
I don’t like to fall in repetitions but yes, besides the 3 Brains coaching techniques, I am using techniques from NLP, conversational Erickssonian clinical hypnotherapy, constellations and of course, as a coach, I highlight the power of questions.
The Impact:
If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?
Learn about the 3 Brains (Head, Heart and Gut Brains) theory!
In that way you are about to discover the missing link to human understanding and why people act and talk the way they do, and what is the key to health, happiness and success.
A little insight, why is it so important?
Reason 1: Our 3 Brains have a different view on the meaning of life, hence they will direct our live in different directions when only one of them is in charge.
Reason 2: Our 3 Brains pitifully do NOT speak the same language, meaning we, and our partner, family or colleagues could have the understanding they have to do something different but are unable to let the heat or gut understand that.
Reason 3: Decisions are mostly made by 1 or 2 Brains, not with the 3 of them aligned, meaning we, and our partner, family or colleagues could be barking up the wrong tree or be saying the wrong and maybe painful things whilst having the best intentions in mind.
Reason 4: When the 3 Brains do not communicate with each other, they stay reflexively loyal to the most dominant brain, and that could cause us pain, frustration, disappointment, and destructive or failed relationships.
What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?
Don’t trust what people say, trust in what you see people doing.
I have an attitude in life of trusting people when I meet them for the fist time, for me that is an extremely important value, having said that I always keep in mind that when I work with people, I trust their actions and not their words.
Your final thoughts?
When you read the newspapers, you would think that the current time, it’s not the best to live in, it is all about climate change, the big leave, AI that could take over many of our current jobs, and that the depression or burn out rates for the generation Z or Millennials is rather high.
But if you just think what we achieved the last 100 to 150 years, it is amazing and these are the best times ever.
Our average life span is increased with more than 30 years, literacy rate went up to more than 95% in most Western Countries, the average workweek was in 1900 on average 60 hours and holidays, antibiotics, telephone, television, airplanes did not exist.
So I truly belief life’s great and we have at our disposal all the solutions of the future if we as people and organizations, would only shift the way we are leading the world, moving from our egocentric gut brain to our compassionate heart brain or at least listen to both.
Where Can You Find Christoffel Sneijders?
If you liked this interview and if you would love to find what brain is your compass and how to bring more alignment between your 3 brains, go to www.3brainsacademy.com and see how Christoffel can help you.
If you like to capture a glimpse of his coaching, follow his Instagram, Twitter or Facebook accounts.
If you like to connect more personally with him, you can do that through LinkedIn or Facebook. It was an honor having this interview with him.
Eddy Smits is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with him. He impressed us with his dedication and client focused approach.
He started his career as a professional clown, and it lasted for 25 years. In that time, he helped hundreds of thousands of children to feel better about the things they were facing. Then he decided to become a coach. If you wonder how someone can go from being a professional clown to becoming a coach, you have no idea how closely related the two are.
He is using many tools and techniques he used in his clowning career to help his coaching clients. Being a professional clown is not an easy job, far from it. As Eddy says, you need to work in the moment, with each patient. You need to have a slightly different approach, focus on their unique problems, and find a way to help them change the perspective they have about those problems. Well, that’s EXACTLY what coaching is.
His coaching approach is focused on helping clients create new neural pathways so they can see their problems from a new, more empowering perspective, to find the positive within them that more often than not, is the solution to those exact problems. Here is what he said.
Meet Life Coach Eddy Smits:
Name: Eddy Smits
Pillar: The Mind, The Heart
Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to change their perspective and equip themselves with tools for life that will help them improve their wellbeing.
How they can help: By using techniques he learned from his clowning career to change the perspective of his clients, equipping them with helpful tools, and using an app that helps in creating new neurologic pathways.
First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?
My family and I are doing well, thank you, and I hope we can say the Pandemic is over now.
How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?
If anything good has come from the pandemic then it is that many people started to reflect on their life and realized life is short.
Most people have picked up their old habits in the meantime, but there is a group that has turned their life around.
A coach can help orientate this new direction or help those who don’t know how to do it or who need accountability.
The Coronavirus changed my way of working completely.
I started working 100% online and I have been doing it since. I won’t go back to coaching in person.
By working online, I created more time for myself and my family and reduced my stress level so I can serve my clients better. I also can serve more clients.
So, looking back at the pandemic, I did what I teach my clients and that is seeing the positive side of a negative thing.
How bad it may seem, you can always turn it into a positive thing.
What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?
We need human beings around us, we are social creatures, not made to be alone.
We bloom around people and perish in solitude.
I also saw a lack of leadership in how the pandemic was handled by most countries and governments and saw how people followed these leaders without thinking for themselves and accepting non logical measurements.
That’s why I am more than ever convinced that coaches can play a positive role in society.
I believe that coaches can bring a lot of well being into this world.
I also believe that the work of coaching should be a skill, teachers learn in their education.
As a society, we would benefit a lot from it.
Many problems we have today could have been avoided.
The pandemic forced me and a lot of other people to stand still and observe what’s going on with themselves and with the world.
The Origin:
Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?
I was a professional clown for 25 years. During my 10 years as a hospital clown, I visited more than 10.000 sick and palliative children.
To be able to do this work I needed to demonstrate great leadership.
You are not only dealing with a sick or dying child, but also with hospital staff, nurses, doctors, and overprotecting parents.
As a clown, you’ve got no authority at all, but still, you’ll have to find a way to deal with all this and still do your work with the children.
Being a hospital clown requires more than a red nose and big shoes.
Through hospital clowning, I learned so much about life and people.
I discovered there is something like a universal truth.
More than 2000 years ago, great philosophers talked about the same challenges as we have now in human relationships and the solutions are also the same.
Technology changes fast, but the human mind doesn’t follow.
In 2012, I used these insights to write the book, “Model C“, about how you can use these universal principles used by the hospital clown in your daily life and business.
Writing this book gave me a boost in my personal development and was the foundation to start coaching.
In 2015, I suffered burnout and stopped working for two years.
In 2018 I started coaching.
During the pandemic, I had to take my business online and educated myself in coaching by taking several online courses.
I soon found out that the principles I used as a clown came in handy to coach people.
There were a lot of similarities with the work I did in hospitals.
That motivated me and I decided to make coaching my full time job.
What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?
I wanted to be a clown late 80s.
There was no internet back then.
I lived in a small village in Belgium, and people thought I was crazy.
My parents didn’t understand me and were devastated I gave up a good job as a teacher.
It took a while too before my friends took me seriously.
How could I make a living, being a clown? That was what everyone was thinking.
So, I got little support.
Again, it was pre internet so I couldn’t find many peers.
But my passion drove me and slowly I started to find the information I needed and take the necessary action.
I had no experience in being a clown or having a business.
People often forget that being a clown is a like any business, especially when you want to make a living out of it.
The only thing I knew was that I wanted to work with children, but not in an educational way as a teacher.
As a teacher, I wasn’t fulfilled at all.
Finally, it took me 10 years to make a living out of it.
I encountered some rough times but looking back, I needed my failures to become a good clown and do the things I dreamt of.
I performed for 100 thousands of children, made 25 theater productions, directed a movie, developed several education projects, did a lot of voluntary work, and had a world class balloon act.
I traveled to 20 countries and if I could, I would do it all over again.
There is not a single regret.
In short, I made my dream come true.
The Coaching Style:
How do you innovate with coaching your clients?
My approach with clients is the same way as I worked as a hospital clown.
The most important thing is to focus fully on your client and to be in the now.
That’s also what a clown does.
Of course, I work a lot with humor.
Humor opens people up and takes away the heaviness.
No challenge or problem must be taken too seriously.
There is always a positive side to every problem that’s often the way to overcome your problems.
I learned it the hard way as a hospital clown.
When you visit a child that has only a few months, weeks, or even days to live, finding a positive side can be a challenge, however when you do find it, the child and its parents receive a priceless gift.
What’s unique about your coaching approach?
I coach with the same attitude and techniques as a hospital clown.
Curious, open, non judgmental, in the now, positive with a clear goal in mind but no fixed plan.
Sometimes it takes a while for people to understand because they don’t have a clue what a clown does, but once they understand, they get great results.
What benefits do your clients get after working with you?
My coaching allows them to be able to see things from another perspective.
People look at life and their problems through a very narrow window.
As a child, we looked at our teachers, adults, and our parents and how they resolve problems and accept this as truth or the only way to go.
But most teachers and parents, however well meant, fail to arm children with tools they can use when they become adults themselves, and again, you can’t blame them.
You can’t teach what you don’t know yourself.
The society we currently live in changes very fast and we need sustainable tools.
Tools that can be used throughout our life until we die.
Tools that are based on human connections and self knowledge because no matter how technology will change, interhuman connections will never change.
These are the tools I equip my clients with, so they can improve their overall well being.
Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?
I work with an app that allows me to create new neurologic pathways with my clients so that they will have faster results with my coaching afterward.
They do exercises and follow the app for six weeks.
I believe this is the future of coaching, using technology to speed up the process.
It’s a little bit like installing a new operating system that gives your clients a lot of self knowledge so they can start working on themselves.
It is also a way to speak the same language and not have to explain things over and over.
The Impact:
If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?
If tomorrow, you will die, did you have a fulfilling life?
If not, start changing the things you don’t like NOW.
Don’t wait until tomorrow.
What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?
Self development is the way to well being, performance, and relationships, in other words, all we need to be happy.
Your final thoughts?
Coaching is one of the easiest sectors to get into, but the hardest to succeed in.
The only thing you need is a computer and a WIFI connection but there is more to it than meets the eyes and making a descend income with it, is a challenge.
The statistics confirm this.
I encountered the same kind of challenges when I wanted to be a clown.
Anyone can say he or she is a clown but making your living with it is not as easy as it may seem.
I encourage however everyone that is aspired to become a coach to do so.
Getting into coaching is a great enrichment for your self development and well being.
To be able to coach others, you need to first become the person you want to be.
Even when you never will coach others, learning how to coach will give you so many insights into yourself that otherwise would have taken years or that you maybe never would have seen.
I believe coaching will change the world.
Where Can You Find Eddy Smits?
If you liked this interview and if you would love to change your perspective so you can better tackle your challenges, go to https://www.eddysmits.com/ and see how Eddy can help you do that.
If you want to learn more about him, please watch his TED talk:
If you’d like to see how Eddy went to become a coach and how he is using the clowning skills he learned along the way in his coaching, watch this video:
If you’d like to connect more personally with him, you can do that through LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram. It was an honor having this interview with him.
By Dr. Dolores Fazzino, Nurse Practitioner, Medical Intuitive, Energy Whisperer.
Did you know that we are unable to love another if we do not love ourselves first?
There is a reason that airlines say, “In case of a drop in cabin pressure, place your oxygen mask on your face first and then help and assist others with theirs.”
They realized that we tend to want to care for others first and put ourselves second or not even on the list of things to do.
Too often we tend to look outside ourselves to validate our existence, our value and even our self worth.
We have detached ourselves from who we are individually in the name of fitting in, being accepted, and worthy.
In fact, we have given our true innate personal power away to something outside of ourselves instead of coming within, connecting with, and embracing the very thing that will establish as a foundation for a great relationship with our self: our inner wisdom and knowledge.
Self Love is Not Selfishness!
I believe that Codependency is rampant because many of us were taught as a youngster to put others before ourselves or take care of others first and our needs were not important or necessary.
And if we thought of putting ourselves first, we were described as being “Selfish”.
Does this sound familiar?
I thought so.
Worry not… by loving yourself first, you are not being selfish!
It is mandatory for your overall wellbeing and spiritual wellness, and of course, Self Care!
You are learning one of the foundational keys to becoming your own best friend and to create a relationship with yourself.
When you take care of yourself first, you give to others from the overflow that you have created for yourself instead of running on empty and depleting yourself, then becoming resentful, angry, and crabby.
What are you doing to create more self love for yourself?
3 Ways How to Have More Self Love:
Here are some mini keys to having more selflove in your life:
1. Schedule some time with yourself to do whatever you would like to do.
Get off the grid… no cell phones, no email, no computer or anything electronic for an hour.
Read that book you have been meaning to read.
Take that one hour long bath.
Schedule yourself a spa day for the full “Monty”: mani, pedi, massage, and facial
Or even do nothing, stay in your pajamas all day and binge on Netflix, my personal favorite!
2. Learn to say “NO” without guilt, or feeling shamed, and absolutely mean it.
Do the things that you desire to do, instead of doing things from obligation
This is about boundaries and honoring them, in particular yours!
If guilt and shame come up when you set boundaries, lovingly explore why this is so. No beating self up.
A deeper dive into why this is so, may be a pivotal healing moment for yourself, allowing you to stand in your personal power.
Being in Nature, Working on a Hobby, or craft, walking your pet ,etc.
My favorite is to sit in silence and go with in.
It allows me to reintegrate into my body, to bring me into the present moment.
Surprisingly, I seem to get more done in a shorter amount of time after my mindful activity.
Remember you are an amazing person, worthy of having everything you choose to have and be.
It’s really about creating an extraordinary relationship with yourself.
“The longest relationship you will have in your life, is the one you have with yourself. Make it extraordinary!” — Dr. Dolores Fazzino, Nurse Practitioner, Medical Intuitive, Energy Whisper.
