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Today I tried to count how many minutes of the last two decades I spent holding my breath being Comfortably Uncomfortable. Decade one of freediving competitively where I would train several five minute breath-holds a week with a maximum of just over six minutes every other days. Hundreds of dives down to 20 then 30 […]

Ways to Use Authenticity is so much more than “being yourself”, and how you can use it as your new career playbook. It was a teeny bit embarrassing. I had just kicked off one of the most important negotiations of my career. I was brand new in the COO role for my company, and one […]

We are all ordinary and can ACHIEVE THE EXTRAORDINARY. Every single one of us is an ordinary person who has a set of talents, opportunities, challenges and experiences to work with. Whether we turbocharge those into greatness or lie on the couch is usually entirely up to us. But to start with, we are all […]

I’ve been studying growth lately — human Growth Through Discomfort — and the most common models out there seem to be a bit misleading. Or, at the very least, incomplete. You’ve probably seen something that looks like this: It plays up the purely positive aspects of growth without at least an acknowledgment of the discomfort […]

With COVID-19 impacting so hugely on us globally and most of us practicing social distancing with A sanity toolkit, the main psychological challenge that many of us face is anxiety. This might include worries about what will happen next in our own worlds and in the world at large, worries about our health or the […]

Vincent Berends is the Top 35-under-35 and founder of the Optima business group – a group of companies that bring the disciplines of accounting, administration, finance, financial planning, insurance and legal practices together, as opposed to clients having to use various professional service providers. Name: Vincent Berends (33) Region: Northern Region Job Title: Managing Partner / […]

Do you remember what life was like right before you received the message of biggest trap in business that confirmed your appointment as executive? Or before you started your own business? Or before you took over the family business? Opportunities lay ahead like an orchard of fruit trees ripe for the picking and everything that […]

As a seasoned frontline journalist and broadcaster, Mandy Wiener has a unique perspective on current affairs and A Country Worth Fighting For on how history unfolds in South Africa.   Mandy has had a front row seat to the nine wasted years, the anatomy of the state capture project, the evisceration of state owned entities […]

Let’s be honest, when it comes to sex, sexual intimacy and relationships, there are multiple views as to what is acceptable, how many times a week we should be doing it, how many partners we have had in the past and whether we should disclose this or keep our skeletons in the closet.   Statistics […]

We have been waiting, hoping, praying, and looking forward to Managing the Flood Gates for over a year—people are ready to meet again.  Clients are sending RFPs (Request for Proposal), booking events, and are considering various cities to host their events. We are once again seeing increased interest in utilizing our DMC (Destination Management Company) services in Asheville. Clients want DMC planning time for Charlotte. They […]

Ten years ago, I was retrenched from a marketing and sales position. My story is the same as many other people. Sometimes losing a job can point towards a better life and opportunities you never thought possible and now Ten Years as an Entrepreneur. After my retrenchment, I didn’t have an epiphany about starting a […]

A former 9-figure corporate CEO gives you 10 powerful questions to help you seal the deal in your next interview. Just like dressing professionally, showing up on time, and wielding a firm handshake, asking the right questions can make or break the outcome of a long-awaited interview for a super-coveted position. Asking no questions at […]

My South Africa was not supposed to be a hit. Ingrid Jones contacted me late on a Sunday night to explain the concept and to urge me to do a ‘quick one’ for an inflight magazine. I did the piece in less than an hour and went to sleep. Next thing I heard was that […]

How Joey Evans Went From Paraplegic To Dakar and In October 2007, a devastating off-road bike accident left Joey Evans paralysed from the chest down. Ten years later, he achieved his dream of finishing the 2017 Dakar Rally on a motorbike. This is the story of the power of grit, determination, and following crazy, audacious […]

Think about a baby’s laughter. It is one of the most contagious sounds when heard; you are bound to start smiling and eventually, break out in laughter, too. So, How to influence the workplace by bringing the right energy? Imagine if you could be like the baby’s laughter in your place of work. The one […]

Do your Data-Driven Marketing efforts feel like a shot in the dark? It doesn’t have to be that way.    With the power of today’s abundance of data, brands can use a measured and data-driven approach to build an agile and compelling customer experience.   According to Tiffany Perkins-Munn, Head of Data and Analytics at J.P. Morgan Chase, […]

3 Ways to Tap into Emotion During a Pitch and The power of emotion is something that has a universal appeal and can breathe life into simple cold facts. Have you ever pitched something you knew was great, only to have it shot down? Of course you have. We all have. And though the rejection […]

The Status Quo of Crisis Preparedness Puts You at a Disadvantage—and It’s Time For That To Change. Over the last couple of years, I’ve found myself increasingly frustrated with my industry, the crisis management profession. To put my frustration simply, the status quo of crisis preparedness and crisis management no longer suffices and, as a […]

This is a great article on Bringing the mountains home which addresses employee happiness and developing a beneficial culture that contributes to a business’ success. *** Written by Travis Gale, CEO of Appletree Catalyst Agency, which discusses how to deal with end-of-year burnout and how to ‘Bringing the mountains home’. This past festive season, I […]

‘There is no remote work for A TECH-DRIVEN WORLD POST-PANDEMIC. There is only work, THE NEW RULES’ futurist Mike Walsh said during a session on the future of the industry at the Schwab Impact conference. The pandemic has forced the working world to evolve technologically much faster than at any time in recent history, effectively […]

One morning when I was on my way to school, my life changed for the better with The Power of a Vision. I was 14 years old and an eighth grader at the time, and my school was on the other side of Matlala River in Limpopo. It was quite a long walk through the […]

Drink more water! About 60-70% of the body is made of water, so drinking enough of it helps maintain the body’s fluid balance. This assists in transporting the relevant nutrients throughout the body, helps to regulate body temperature, and is a vital ingredient in good digestion. Besides flushing out toxins and maintaining regular bowel habits, […]

It is difficult to conceive that 11 months on from National Lock down on 26 March 2020, our tiny business survives and feels strongly that the tide is turning. What a significant time and mighty relief for us, acutely mindful that so many are struggling desperately just to survive. Despite it not being my natural […]

This year I am participating in the One Foot Forward Challenge to raise money for Black Dog Institute. They bring together the strength of a medical research institute and a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by poor mental health. Their mission is to enable mentally healthier lives through innovations in […]

In this article you will discover Emotional Management Practices. A person with poor emotional management in the workplace, or even in personal life, can have consequences such as being fired or failing to maintain a stable relationship. At work, those who do not have an awareness of their emotions are often someone who has difficulty appreciating and being appreciated […]

BEING MINDFUL OF MINDSETS and The Power of a Growth Mindset by Grant Driver In July 2019, I experienced one of the most significant and yet most daunting moments of my career as a professional speaker.  I had been invited by Discovery Healthcare to present a 3-hour workshop to thirty Neurosurgeons on my research into […]

Success always starts with failure or rather, often starts with failure. Sometimes when you do something, it becomes a success but happens very rarely. When you want to do something or start something new, try it out in a small scale so that the failure is survivable. You should make sure that adequate data are […]

Without exaggerating, there are literally hundreds of ways of becoming more self- aware, and hence be more Adaptable to embrace and think through opportunities and / or adversity. As a Preferred Partner in South Africa for the Six Seconds EQ Worldwide Network (in 174 countries), we talk about ‘emotions driving people, and people driving performance’. […]

The following are our Top 10 Keynote Guest Speakers for a global impact for any conference event. Guest Speakers are available to present as the opening or closing keynote speaker on Motivation, Innovation and as event hosts or Facilitators for your next event and conference. Discover YOUR SIGNATURE MOVE, with Jason Hewlett Having delivered thousands of […]

I want you to think about investing in yourself as you become more resilient. The work that feeds your mind, body and soul. Self-investment is the first step in your resilience journey   I want you to think about investing in yourself as your most important work. The work that feeds your mind, body and […]

Generosity is an interesting beast so WHY SO STINGY. As a charity CEO, I have seen it expressed in many different ways. The best kind of generosity comes with warmth and good old NSA – no strings attached. This kind of generosity is glorious to witness and is the backbone of charity work all over […]

Take charge of your digital habits and screen time and the added pressure of being available 24/7 can make you feel trapped and unsure of where to start. Do you reach for your phone without thinking about it? Do you interrupt a conversation to click on Instagram or WhatsApp the moment you see a notification […]

Some business gurus are telling people that they need to develop YOUR HIGHEST VALUE SKILL or most valuable skills.That part is right! You need to focus on the skill that will give you the highest return on your efforts.   What they got wrong is that they are teaching that it is sales. Sales is […]

Most people experience discomfort and they run. Hunting Discomfort may be the experience of pain (and that’s… unpleasant), but on the other side of that pain are breakthrough results. If you’re committed to breakthrough results, hunting discomfort will get you there, even to give a TED Talk. Everyone knows that giving a TED Talk is […]

I once saw a cartoon meme that really caught my attention. A Father was chatting to his son. He was explaining the difference between being interested in success at school versus being committed to success at school. So Are You a Chicken, or a Pig? “Take your breakfast as an example, my boy,” the Father […]

Is email is killing your company your primary method for communicating with your colleagues? Then you have picked up a dangerous habit that is killing your company. Here’s why. 1. Email exacerbates knowledge hoarding What is your companies most important asset? Knowledge! It might not be booked to the balance sheet but your value is […]

A lot has happened in the past few years since my book, We’re Really All In This Together: Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust, and Belonging, was first published in the spring of 2020. I completed the manuscript for this book (which was just released this week in paperback) at the end of 2019. I […]

4 Types of Keynote Speakers – How To Match Them For Your Function   The function of a Keynote Speaker is to create the stage for the remainder of that event and deliver folks collectively with the very same function.   What varieties of Motivational Speaker are there?   Generally, there are four principal methods […]

What’s Your New Year’s Addiction? Here are 6 Simple Steps To Avoid Changing Who You Are and Instead, Changing Your Addictions. It happened for years. Too often I would come home from work, open the refrigerator, then the freezer. I’d sigh and think, “F*ck, I have no idea what to make for dinner.” Sometimes I’d […]

“No doubt about it, the best speakers are good storytellers. The best writers are good storytellers, the best leaders are good storytellers, and the best teachers and trainers and coaches are good storytellers for Storytelling In Business. It might even be argued that the best parents are good storytellers.” Evidently, storytelling is not confined to […]

It’s hard to believe twenty years have passed since I was honoured and humbled to carry the 2020 Olympic Torch Hindsight to Rekindle Embers of Hope, on the day of the opening ceremonies of the Sydney 2000 Olympics; one of only 26 people before Cathy Freeman lit the cauldron in the stadium. I’d been privileged […]

A little while ago, I wrote an article titled “Critical thinking for the Adaptive Leader – nine key characteristics to What are your sacred cows”, which featured on the Conference Speakers International website. I briefly highlighted nine characteristics that Adaptive Leaders adopt to navigate a changing world. For this article, I am going to be […]

The Best Employees are the Ones Who Understand the Bigger Picture   We often talk about the best leadership qualities, but we should be talking about the best qualities of an employee. The best employees are the ones that know their efforts contribute to something bigger than themselves. They see how their work has an […]

One evening in December 1994 a life-threatening situation with a friend of mine was getting her washing off the passenger seat of her car when the door opened, a man put a knife to her throat and said, “Move over or I’ll kill you.” She moved over into the passenger seat, and even helped him […]

The key to unlock your personal POWER OF SELF-DISCOVERY lies in your identity, it all begins and end with you. Your Identity is your authority. Your life is the fruit of your identity. Success therefore begins with you! During my preparation of the 2nd installation of the #BIOConnect Vision Crafting and Strategic Planning Webinar that […]

The only way to succeed is to continuously improve and so, Success is simple The Japanese have a name for it: Kaizen. And Kaizen is all about consistency. If you’ll forgive/indulge me, let’s use me, and this photo, as the vehicle for this discussion here. It’s probably evident even from the above low res version […]

Value is the differentiator as Great businesses are not merely built on service but exceptional service and great customer experience; and an important element of their success is the VALUE IS THE DIFFERENTIATOR they deliver to their customers.  Great businesses understand that for them to thrive and survive, they need to be constantly focusing on […]

One top tip you need to maintaining a high level of engagement among all parties in any meeting is a challenge. But, doing it in a video-led environment makes the real-world challenge look like child’s play so Learn the one top tip. If you have spent any time on video calls up to now, you […]

As 2021 comes to an end, what did you rethink Keys to Build Resilience or unlearn over the past couple of years in order to personally and professionally survive and thrive? I’ll go first. Being well versed in the science of change didn’t stop me from initially doubting the success of virtual events. After all, […]

To Lead Yourself First when Elizabeth Hurley was in college in Chicago, she worked as a waitress at my favorite pizza place in the world, Giordano’s, slinging deep-dish pizzas — and also taking great care of customers and making lots of conversation. Her ease in connecting with customers prompted many people to suggest that Elizabeth […]

Building brands takes time. Be patient. Branding is an overused, misused and even abused management term. People think brand is a quick design fix for many management ills. It’s not. Building a brand takes time to root and enact change. The reason being, brands can influence our emotion and behaviour and that doesn’t happen overnight. […]

The Role of a Virtual Emcee, a guide is the one steering you on the right course – a firm hand halting you from treading where you shouldn’t, and it’s the instructions researched and tested to provide you with the best results too. Therefore, a guide is also intrinsically necessary for the optimization of an […]

Life has a such a unique way of giving us what we need (soul food) rather than what we want. Stop another dark night of the soul.   I have just come out of what can only be described as another dark soul of the night. Unable to see further than my fear and feeling […]

Think Yourself Thin reaches no.1 Best Seller rank on Amazon VANCOUVER, July 19, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ – Nathalie Plamondon-Thomas, inspirational speaker and Life Coach, tops Amazon.com bestseller lists with her new book Think Yourself Thin. In Think Yourself Thin, Nathalie combines her experience in life coaching, fitness, nutrition and Neuro-Linguistic Programming into a system that shows you how to reprogram […]