eYs Magazine Spring 2020

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CONTENT

EDITOR’S NOTE

JASMINA SIDEROVSKI

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eYs Child Ambassador

LIFE COACH DEBBIE KEMP

14 HEALTH AND WELLBEING

ACY GRAVENMAKER

20 FOCUS ON BUSINESS

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24 WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT KAREN KORPONAI

18 LAW SOCIETY

BOJANA BOGOJEVIC

FEATURE

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OUR MISSION STATEMENT:

GLOBAL CIVILITY AMBASSADORS

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Empowering Your Soul are a group of determined individuals, who are inspired and empowered to share kindness, through our positive vibes and support.

We encourage, help and motivate others and support local communities and charities to prosper and grow.

KIBE EDWIN GITAU ASSEM MOUSA

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HUMANITARIAN

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TOP 50 eYs MAGAZINE 2020 GLOBAL KEY INFLUENCERS

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COVER STORY

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ENTREPRENEUR

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ART

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OUR COVER: Thank you to Frank Cuiuli for allowing eYs Magazine feature his story and publish the professional images of his journey.

Note: All images are copyright and credit to Frank Cuiuli.

ABOUT US: Find us on

PHOTOGRAPHY

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CREATE

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RACHELLE ROE STUDIO LOU LOU LIVING

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INSPIRE

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SPIRITUAL

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

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eYs TEAM

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Facebook: eYs_Magazine Instagram: @ eYs_Magazine Twitter: @ eYs_Magazine www.eysmagazine.com.au www.empoweringyoursoul.com CEO, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher:

Jasmina Siderovski Email: info@eysmagazine.com.au

DESIGN Minhazul Rony

Email: mnhaz.abedin@gmail.com WhatsApp: +8801622131189

Copyright Š eYs Magazine - Empowering Your Soul 2020 All Rights Reserved.

DISCLAIMER

eYs Magazine has made constant care to make sure that the content is accurate on the date of publication. The views expressed in the articles reflect the author(s) opinions and are not necessarily the views of the publisher and editor. The published material, advertisements, editorials and all other content is published in good faith. eYs Magazine cannot guarantee and accepts no liability for any loss or damage of any kind caused by this website, publication and errors or for the accuracy of claims made by the advertisers.

All content in eYs Magazine may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of eYs Magazine. It’s contributors cannot accept any liability for reader discontent arising from the editorial features. eYs Magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any article or material supplied for publication or to edit this material before publishing. eYs Magazine cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to provided materials. We accept no liability for misprints or mistakes and no responsibility can be taken for the contents of these pages. In this publication, you might find links to websites, third-party content and advertising. By using our website, you acknowledge that and agree that eYs Magazine cannot be held responsible and shall not be liable for the content of other websites, advertisements and other resources. By using this site, you agree to all terms and conditions listed above. If you have any questions about this policy, you may contact us. eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 3

EDITOR’S NOTE: WELCOME TO OUR 10TH MILESTONE EDITION OF eYs MAGAZINE 2020.

We blinked since our last winter edition, and here we are! September 2020!!

Nothing much has changed; the global pandemic is live, and well, and vaccines still in the grassroots’ stage, although there is some claim that we may have access sooner rather than later.

Life may never be where we were this time last year, and masks and sanitiser, social distancing and restrictions are definitely here to stay. I feel that our world is suffering in silence as fear and anxiety have become the norm for many of us. There is not a day we don’t hear the word COVID-19 and looking around I have noticed the pressures looming on people’s faces, and the signs of aging, as we are kept in the dark of any aspirations for a world we once knew.

Conspiracy theories are even more alive than ever, fuelled by uncertainty and a lack of explanations or support for hope by our world leaders. Quietly, we take a back seat as we watch the destruction of our world giants and the economy reach an all-time low. 2020–has created turmoil and distributed chaos beyond explanation. It has rocked the core for love and morals; it has bankrupt dreams and values, and it has socially distanced humanity into never-never-land.

My heart belongs to the people of Beirut. The recent explosion will be a reminder beyond COVID-19. It will take many, many years and manpower, financial support, funding and economic growth for the country to get back on its feet. The world stands in silence. Nothing is said, and no one is questioned. It’s as if we have been conditioned to a new era of observation. Every minute is now a blessing and a lesson. Corruption is prominent from the top down and survival. Greed and power, a thirst for the adrenalin power-holics who yearn to be the best and live without limits.

How did we all get here? Where did we go wrong? What could have we done to prevent this, and why are we fearing change?

These questions loom in my head and I wonder, is it too late?

Then I hear a voice…

“Never Give Up!” It’s time we stand up, get dressed, and turn up. It’s time for change and solidarity. It is now or never, an opportunity to re-build and redefine the life we once knew. It’s time to up-skill, educate, support and find the strength to live, laugh and love. Believe in growth, innovation, and hope. Be part of the change for a better world. It’s about opportunity, a new mindset and kindness. It’s about social awareness, networking, building and healing, it’s time to stop feeling sorry for yourself and use this period to build trust, a human wealth of empowerment and provide opportunity to all.

On a positive note I am grateful to have received the Greatness University, World Greatness Award 2020, held at the Luton Hoo Hotel, UK. It was an amazing ceremony and I extend a special sentiment of gratitude to Professor Patrick Businge, Founder of Greatness University and The World Book of Greatness.

Congratulations to all the Honourees who were inducted to the World Greatness 2020 Wall of Fame. eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 4

I am delighted to be a guest speaker for the Global Youth Mental Health Awareness – Stress Management Revolution Summit – Australia’s First ever anticipated event.

A special thank you to Aesthetics International who have included me in their A Coffee-Table Book—Iconic Influencers of 2020 in India, Singapore and London featuring renowned global influencers.

In this edition we celebrate the key influencers in our world who are change-makers, humanitarians, entrepreneurs, mentors, and leaders. Read about Frank Cuiuli, our front cover story. He is the world’s leading practitioner, neuro-physics therapist and martial arts expert. We meet with global entrepreneur Peter A Bheda from PB Global, Global Civility Ambassadors Assem Mousa, Kibe Edwin Gitau and Australia’s very own Ken Zulumovski.

We searched high and low to find out ‘eYs Magazine Editor’s Choice Top 50 Key Influencers.’

The eYs team has worked hard to bring out the everyday heroes.

We focus on business with Natalie O’Connor and, ‘Three Sisters Souvenir and Gift shop.’ UN Climate Change Teacher and team member Bojana Bogojevic talks about gender equality and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Hollywood Celebrity Journalist, Jules Lavallee showcases women’s empowerment with Karen Korponai from Konscious Konsulting. We have a full edition filled with articles that will inspire you to be part of change and a world of hope and kindness.

We are excited to inform our readers about the grand opening of our new office in Sydney, Barangaroo International Towers. It was a long time coming and a worthy achievement for our team and publication.

From all of us, we hope you continue to stay safe and create the change we all want to see!!

Jasmina Siderovski CEO and Editor-in-Chief eYs Magazine

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OPTIMISE YOUR INNER WELLNESS

In addition, the uncertainty about health choices for a better life is actually making life harder. Health professionals and experts also at times contradict each other.

These are some reasons that the world is increasingly experiencing failure in managing health conditions. Something big is missing in our health and wellness approach, which is indeed simple to access if only we are ready to transform.

Human, needs to be seen and treated as a WHOLE, not as the collection of the separate parts. The greatest source in within YOU! Your heart, gut, body and soul are talking loud to you but perhaps not in the language you use to listen to.

Join me to the inaugural 8-week online course and coaching Program “Optimising Inner Wellness” By the end of this program you will learn

“To change the world, tap into your heart-centred strengths.

It is not about discovering who you are but creating who you truly are!”

You want to reset your wellness…

Heal your heart Transform your wound to the wisdom And create a different road map for YOU and your wellbeing You really want to decide to be emotionally healthy...

Transform, empower, and create you healthier Life.

If that is YOU then this is the calling for you…

Evidence shows that human’s health and wellbeing need to be seen and managed with different approaches. Conventional medicine is not now a complete answer to the human’s needs.

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To acknowledge your body intelligences, focusing on heart intelligence Embrace your strengths and weaknesses.

Discover a mental clarity of your desired identity.

Turn your position from victim to empowered Transform your suffering to evolving Explore the wheel of inner wellness.

Connect to the present moment and reflect on your future self.

Commit to transcend to your better self and healthier life.

Optimise your Inner Wellness with: The AURA model of wellness The 8-steps HEARTFUL approach Connection to the heart intelligent Meaning making

Be a passionate traveller of wellness transformation journey

By Connecting to the your “Heart”!

Join me on this journey to learn mastering your health and wellness and create cultivating move in your life towards becoming your better ‘SELF’; through the process of heartcentred transformation.

ABOUT ME Dr. Nasrin (Nas) Parsian is a Holistic and Emotional health consultant and educator, with more than 20 years’ experience in health and wellness sector specialised in spirituality and health, and inner wellness focusing on chronic health condition and emotional health.

She has a strong background in higher education and research, Neuro-Linguistics Programming (NLP) practice, hypnotherapy and transformational coaching. Nas is specialised in Holistic Health, Spirituality, and self-transformation; while her most qualification is coming from her experience and what she does to put all the knowledge into action.

So, has gone through many stories in her both professional and personal life to prove that there is something beyond that what we can simply receive from one five senses. Nasrin’s blended mystical ancient and modern science-based background led her deeply experience massive challenging situations showing about the inner power of human being and enabled her to embody all the learnt packages into one and serve people in the world to unleash their shining crystal within.

Nas is a member of American Board of Hypnotherapists and a Board member of Non-For-Profit foundation of Global Youth Mental Health Awareness (GYMHA). Her purpose in to help humans find their vitality, inspire them to empower and choose their best life path and be their master of their lives and their wellness. Evolving and becoming ‘New You’ are the essential parts of her purpose.

Her passion is to motivate people to break state through empowerment and create their healthy lives by connecting to their inner intelligence. https://www.drnasinnerwellness.com https://anchor.fm/nasrin-parsian https://www.drnasinnerwellness.com/Wellnesscourse Email: info@drnasinnerwellness.com

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LIFE COACH

DEBBIE KEMP

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et’s talk about our health. 2020 has certainly been an interesting year from a health perspective. I’d personally prefer to stay away from any pandemic specific health advice, I think there’s plenty of that out there. However I would like to talk about a range of things we can do, all of the time, to keep ourselves as healthy as possible.

means that our immune system and our digestive system can’t both operate at full capacity all of the time. Overload your digestive system and you’ll suppress your immune system, and vice versa. This is exactly why we’re often not hungry when unwell, and we should be guided by such intuition rather than eat because we think that’s a good idea.

More than ever it seems, people are most concerned about their wellbeing! People are social distancing, wearing masks, and staying indoors. Perhaps missing much needed connection, fresh air and exercise.

Exercise regularly

So what other things can we do, and should we be doing, regularly and consistently, to ensure that we maintain good health?

Eat well This is the obvious one, isn’t it? I think sometimes we take its importance for granted. Eating well doesn’t just mean having an apple a day and veggies with your dinner. It means being really mindful and intentional and choosy about what you put into your body. It means eating organic where possible to avoid the chemicals that otherwise natural food can be laden with. It means eating whole foods as much as possible because they’re nutrient dense. It means making sure that ‘sometimes foods’ really are just that, because too much processed crap really does place an extra burden on your body.

Did you know that much of our immune system is ‘housed’ within our gut? This eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 10

This is the other obvious one that we might sometimes take for granted. Do you find yourself thinking “Soon I’ll create more time in my schedule for exercise”?

I know I’m guilty of that. But exercise isn’t just about staying agile, being fit, or maintaining body weight. Exercise does so much for our body! It keeps us healthier by increasing the flow of lymph around the body, which helps remove waste and toxins. It keeps our bones and muscles strong, and our energy levels high. It helps to improve the quality of our sleep, and it just makes us feel better in our bodies and minds.

Enjoy fresh air and sunshine Ahhh, fresh air and sunshine, they’re the best of Mother Nature. I wonder how often people think about making sure they breathe in fresh air? Some people spend so much time indoors these days, breathing in air-conditioned air that doesn’t have an optimal balance of the various gases. Taking deep breaths of fresh air really helps everything to work

better! It improves a range of health markers, provides energy and helps us focus. Try taking 10 slow deep breaths of fresh air, several times a day, and observe how you feel afterwards.

Sunshine is like an ultimate gift from Mother Nature. It provides us with daylight, warms our bodies, and supports vitamin D production which is great for our health. It also helps to regulate the normal functions of our body. It’s so important for our health that we get some sunlight on our skin daily, where possible of course.

Hydrate your body Water is one of those health strategies that is talked about often. “Make sure you get 8 glasses of water a day”. Do you?

Hydration really is important, and just how much water you need is impacted by how much exercise you do, how much you sweat, and how much water content is provided by your food intake. So, you need to work that out for yourself. Play with it and see if you feel better and experience better digestion with more water. See if it clears any brain fog or reduces any headaches. Our brain uses a lot of water to function well and sufficient water will also support our body to flush waste and toxins.

Sleep and rest Our bodies take care of so many functions during the day, and plenty at night too!

Sleep is important for effective functioning of our immune system, hormones and brain. The 2019 Philips Global Sleep Survey revealed that 62% of adults do not sleep well, and that on average, adults globally sleep only 6.8 hours per night instead of the recommended 8. I wonder how you’d feel if you consistently got a little more sleep? Or a lot more?

Alongside sleep, goes rest. If you are one to power through the day, busy from the moment you wake until the moment you head back to bed, you’ll likely benefit from finding some moments to go slow. Take in the view for 20 minutes, take some deep breaths, read a book, enjoy a catch up with a friend… those little moments of rest will also help to recharge and reenergise your body.

Connect with your own self Oh meditation! The calm of sitting quietly, focusing on breath, watching thoughts come and go, and the peace that comes with connecting with self. If you’re not enjoying meditation regularly, I so recommend that you give it a go. Not a fan of sitting on the mat? Meditation doesn’t have to look a certain way. It doesn’t have to take a certain amount of time. There are no rules. But there are all sorts of techniques to try and explore.

Once you’re practiced at ‘going inward’, all sorts of dilemmas and tough decisions become so much clearer and easier. The mind no longer has to work out all the pros and cons of something, because you come to know that the best way forward is to go to your heart space, and to trust the intuitive information that comes forth. Life is just more peaceful with this practice, and with more peace comes less stress, and certainly a more effective way to manage stress.

Happiness and a positive mindset Do you experience happiness and joy often? Oh I hope so. Not only is life more enjoyable when there are lots of happy moments, but there also physiological changes to your body when you are happy, that support your wellbeing. If, on reflection, your do not experience happiness often, I urge you to ask yourself… ‘What things do I love to do? Which people do I love to spend time with? What makes me smile or laugh?’ and then do more of those things!

A positive mindset can have such a wonderful influence on so much of your life, including your physical health. If you’re not a very positive person, I have good news… You can practice being positive! Start with a daily gratitude practice, and then try to notice any time you think negatively, and look for the good in the situation. Look for ways that you can be more positive. This can make such a difference to one’s life.

Connect with others This one is ever so important. We are loving, caring beings who generally crave interaction and connection with others. Human interaction helps us feel good, especially when we are leaning on a loved one to support us through something.

These times may be different in this way, but let’s not lose our human interaction and connection. Let’s call, exercise, or share a meal with our family and friends. Let’s smile at strangers in the street, instead of the awkwardness that is often present around these times. Let’s stay connected.

This article isn’t intended to preach to anyone or tell you what to do. It’s intended, in this unusual time, to serve as a friendly reminder. So many people are taking great measures to protect their health at this time, and it seems like a great time to check in on the basics and review what else we can do to support our own health. If there are some things listed above that you know you can do better with, why not renew your commitment to yourself today? eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 11

eYs CHILD AMBASSADOR

HAYDEN AUNTIE KWABIA Credit: Photography by Biney’s Art

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HEALTH AND WELLBEING

TRACY GRAVENMAKER Health And Weightloss Coach

Interview by Jasmina Siderovski

Could you please give us some insight into your childhood?

I was born in the summer of 1969, raised in Sydney’s western suburbs of NSW to Australian parents. Having a 13-month older brother, my mother also gave birth to my youngest brother in 1976 who passed away at only six weeks old from water on the brain. My father was a taxi driver around the district, and mum was a telephonist at the taxi base. My parents were huge on family and friends. We were always visiting relatives, going to parties and seeing friends. They both came from big families.

My Dad loved to play golf with his taxi friends, and he was an ‘A’- grade player, always winning trophies and prizes. He was hard-working, loved his family but also a very social man, loved having a laugh and telling jokes. Dad was kind and had a trusting nature. The downside was that he would drink alcohol, especially in the younger years, when I was three years old. He was drunk and wanted me to hug him, I wouldn’t go near him because I didn’t like him when he was like that, it scared me.

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Mum didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, loved playing tennis and squash, jogging and exercise. She always weighed herself on the scales, and it drove me crazy in my teenage years. On the flip side of that, she would bake custard tarts, apple pies, biscuits, and cheesecakes. Dad loved all of that, and the Coke and Fanta we all did. Back in those days, you didn’t know any better. I loved dancing though, I never got to do any classes, but I loved listening to music and singing, but dancing was it. I loved watching the dance movies; we would listen and dance to records with my mum.

When and why did you decide to be an advocate for health and lifestyle as a fitness mentor?

On my Dad’s side of the family, they were not healthy at all, a lot of sickness, diabetes, cancer, and as a teenager, I saw my Dad have a heart attack at home. This was another thing that scared me. You know where this is leading. Do you remember the movie ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral?’ A very popular 90s

movie. Our family was more like 12 Funerals and a Wedding. It seemed there was always a funeral and I only ever remember one wedding, which was my uncle’s (a home wedding). This was the first time I tried drinking beer; I don’t know why I developed a taste for it, though, as I think it’s rather disgusting today.

Can you walk us through your journey, mainly finding the motivation to inspire others to better their journey?

I was a troubled teenager. I started smoking in Year 7 with my best friend, and rebelled against my parents, ran away from home many times, didn’t like high school because I got picked on all the time. My favourite subject was Art; I loved that. I had great friends, though, and I am so grateful that throughout my life, I made friends quickly and still do. I was caught shoplifting, not very nice, getting taken away in a police van. It was a big wakeup call, and I didn’t do it again.

I was glad to leave school in Year 10 and was out of there!!

I didn’t do drugs, but I can honestly say, I became an alcoholic, went nightclubbing underage five nights a week and still went to work. Moving through life was in an abusive relationship, although it didn’t start that way, it ended that way. Self-esteem was in the toilet; I was a very quiet and shy person, scared of what people would say if I spoke, thinking that they may laugh at me or make fun of me. I was not good at making conversation; nor did I respect myself either. Alcohol helped me to not be like that.

My Mum and Dad divorced in 1990. Dad made a move to South Australia, where his cousin lived, and it was the happiest I had ever seen him. Fast forward to 2001; my Dad passed away from cancer. I was devastated as he was my rock, my support, my lifeline and he was gone. I gave up smoking once that happened, as I knew the cumulative effect of everything in which he had done in his life until that point resulted from that. My Dad was also a smoker, but it wasn’t because of that why he died, and I didn’t want that for me. Now, this may sound weird or not right to some people, but my Dad died for me. I know if that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have given it up. It could have been something far worse for me and my health.

My 4-year-old daughter and I moved back to Sydney from South Australia as we lived there for a few months whilst Dad was sick. Once I had given up smoking, I found a research program on Nicabate patches. It was for ten weeks. We had a diary, and they give us the first two weeks of patches for free, after that, we bought our own, plus they would call you to check on your progress. Well, after six weeks on the program, I was smokefree, and after four weeks, I didn’t even need the patches.

What’s amazing is when you have a big enough WHY to do something and you decide things come into play to make that happen and it did.

I had always been a skinny child, not a problem with my weight at all until I gave up smoking, then compensated for other habits like muffins and biscuits. I weened myself off them. When I gave birth to my daughter in 1997 and had two stepchildren, one and two-year-old, I was busy looking after the family and working.

I lost my identity in the relationship that I forgot about me. I didn’t even realise I was losing myself. Eventually, I turned to ‘Sureslim’ and lost some weight there. I was feeling good about myself, but because I went there every week, once a week, I lost motivation and didn’t reach my goal. So, I went back to my old habits. In 2010 at the ripe young age of 41, I had my son, who

is now ten years old and an Uncle as well I might add. Around 2013, I started doing PT sessions, and my doctor was helping me with an eating plan. I lost a little, and I got strong with the PT, but that was it.

2016 was the turning point for me. I was not in a happy place with myself, and my body was feeling it. I suffered sciatica, and my leg would ache continuously every night, visiting the chiropractor every week. There was a seminar a friend recommended to me that I attended, afterwards I met with the host with my then-partner and one thing that stuck in my mind that he told me was to lose weight. I took on board what he said.

I wasn’t offended; it was what I needed to hear to get me into gear. Remember, I said when you decide to do something, and if that WHY is powerful enough, then things come into play to make that happen. This is where it all began. My best friend and I always did things together, and she had helped her lose weight, so I went along with her to a talk she invited me to. From that night is where the journey started for me on the road to wellness, and I have not looked back.

I lost 16 kgs and reached my goal in four months; determined to reach my goal as I had a strong emotional reason WHY I was doing it, my son. Being an older mother, I wanted to be there

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am not that shy girl anymore. I am a big believer in affirmations, self-education with reading leadership and self-development books, listening to motivational audios and podcasts.

Who is your inspiration, and why?

Louise Hay is my inspiration, and a lady I genuinely admire. She had a tough upbringing. She healed herself from cancer. Life didn’t have meaning for her until her mid-40s when she started a small publishing company and teaching in her 50s. She wrote her first book at 55 and took classes to learn about computers at 60. At 70, she had her first garden and became an avid organic gardener who grew her own food. She took a children’s art class, changed her handwriting at 75, and graduated in an adult’s art class. Louise started selling her paintings and took up yoga, and at 76, did ballroom dancing. She passed away in 2017 of natural causes at 90. She is living proof that age is no barrier, and you are only as old as you feel.

for him growing up as someone who had the energy. That was healthy for my life and his. I lost another seven kgs after hitting my goal weight. I wanted to run; I had so much energy, and if anyone knows me, I don’t like to run, but that’s how I felt. My energy levels today are still up there like that. Yes, sometimes I have lacked motivation, but I always kept going as the habits we learn while on this journey keep you going. Whether I feel like it, I walk every morning and listen to motivational audios. I feel so good afterwards; it’s that feeling of doing it and achieving it that makes you feel good. This is only part of my routine, but it sets the day off right.

As part of this journey, we get the honour to encourage others on their travels, and that’s what opened up my eyes. Being a part of someone else’s journey, you build a rapport with them. I didn’t realise what a difference a bit of encouragement each day can do to help them, not only them, but it helps you. Hearing story after story, after story, even today touches your heart. It touched mine so much that I wanted to become a coach to help others. I didn’t know what it meant or what it involved, but I love helping people, and I couldn’t think of a better way in which to do that.

I wasn’t brought up in a household that encouraged. You weren’t told they loved you, and you weren’t shown it, either. At least not until your parents are grown up. That didn’t mean they didn’t love us and want the best for us; it’s just who they were.

I had some friends that had seen the change, and once they decided they would like to do it as well, the entire ball game changed. You are the example; people are watching you, and because of you they start. It all begins with them seeing your results; then they want the same. You want everyone to feel how you’re feeling because you’re feeling on top of the world. Once I saw their changes and heard them share their story, it was very emotional as these are people you care about.

It’s not just about the physical shift in weight that for sure is going to happen; it’s the mind shift more than anything. Managing the self-talk and what we say to ourselves is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. This is a journey of self-discovery, and I know I have learnt a lot about myself. I can honestly say that most of my self-development and changes have come since coaching. It has changed the way I talk; I know my worth, I now know I have something to give, I am valuable, and I eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 16

I am 51 years old, or young, I should say. I have a 23-year-old daughter with a 5-month-old granddaughter; two-step children aged 26 and 25, and a 10-year-old son. I want to be a great example of health (in mind, body and spirit) fit and strong with unbounded energy for my kids and grandkids who are happy and have a love for life for the rest of my life. I will not be a burden on my family or society. I am responsible for me and my health, no one else.

Is there a challenge in your journey that stands out that may inspire others?

One of the most significant challenges for me is continuously stepping outside of my comfort zone. I was a person who was not confident, quiet, hid behind others and not want to be in the spotlight. Self-image and self-worth were lacking as I didn’t think what I had to say was important, scared of what others would think if I said something. I felt like I was being judged.

WOW!!! What a list.

Part of my journey was sharing my story of why I started; I was a complete mess as speaking in front of a group of people frightened me. Still, to my credit, I did it. I did it again, and again until it was something I just did naturally. A lot of learning and growing, especially once becoming a coach that’s when it stepped up. I love being a coach, but there was a lot I had to grow within me, still learning and growing, that’s something that won’t stop for me. I am committed to learning, developing and growing myself for life. I am not the same person I was when I started my health journey. I want to become more involved with the community in the near future.

I was challenged with negativity in the home environment, I would switch off and keep making my journey, as the support that was being given begrudgingly, and it was great. Still, mostly it was like a dog always at someone’s heels. It doesn’t make for a happy place to be. When people are scared and resist change, they want to pull you back to where they are and how you were before, as that’s how they liked you then. They don’t want to get left behind and looking back on this fear can bring out the worst in people.

What or who motivates you to be a change-maker – especially during these challenging times?

My reason kept me going, my son, but I know for sure, if I didn’t have the support of the coaches and the team of people encouraging and supporting me every day, I’m not sure if I would have gotten through it. Connecting with people is so important

as it’s all about trust. You will lose weight, and find you again if you’re brave enough to take the journey. Not everyone will, as it requires commitment. It’s about you investing in you. What value do you place on you and your health? I know I didn’t want to end up like my Dad. I know you are worth it, but do you know you are worthy? You will learn to be patient, kind and loving to yourself as the relationship you have with you is the most important one you can have as you are with yourself 24 hours a day. What did I get out of it or still getting out of it? Me finding me.

Life has ups and downs, so does this journey; anything worthwhile is not smooth sailing. I didn’t expect a weight loss journey to be like this, but I am happy I stuck around. I associated with like-minded people on the same path in a positive environment that kept me going.

Is there any advice you would like to offer anyone else who may be interested in pursuing the same path?

My advice to anyone wanting to start on their health journey. There’ are a lot of things out there that you can do to lose weight and get healthy. Don’t fall for the

fad diets, shakes or a quick fix, go for something that will teach you the right foods to eat, educate you on nutrition and health and get walking. Be accountable to someone daily, preferably a coach or a health professional, as that’s what will keep you on track.

The question you need to ask yourself is why is losing weight and getting healthy is important to me? What does healthy mean to you? You need to define your reason; it needs to be big enough and emotional for you to reach your goal. You also need to be 100% ready a 10 out of 10 - ready to go.

What are the valuable lessons you have learned along the way in the industry?

There are three valuable lessons I’ve learned. First is the discipline of my daily habits. Every day they have kept me going, no matter what I’m going through. Every morning I walk, and I make sure that each night my clothes are ready for me to go in the morning, a simple discipline I have done since starting in November 2016. Second is my thinking has changed; our weight results from the thinking we

have and how we see ourselves. Through self-education, a personal and leadership development program to help address the reflection is something I listen to every day as part of my morning routine. It has changed the way I think of not only myself but others, my life and still is and I am forever grateful for that.

I can see the potential in people just like my coach saw for me, and what they can be, what they can do and who they can become. The hardest thing for any person to do is to lead themselves, which has been probably the biggest lesson of all.

Every day, you must lead yourself before anyone else will follow, and there are days when you don’t want to, but you do it anyway.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love spending time with my family and friends. I love my walking and dancing - now that is something I absolutely and truly have loved since I was a child: music, singing (not professional by any means), gardening, yoga and meditation. I do enjoy the beach, picnics and swimming (not a strong swimmer but have always loved the water), walking in nature. eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 17

LAW SOCIETY

BOJANA BOGOJEVIC Law and Corporate Governance Lawyer, Post-Grad Specialist for Corporate Governance, UN Climate Teacher, and Author

GENDER EQUALITY IN GOVERNANCE

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GENDER EQUALITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT, NOT A DECISION!”

O

n 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at a historic UN Summit officially came into force. One of the SDG’s included SDG no.5 - Gender Equality at the heart for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

Human rights must be guaranteed and secured to every member of society. Without equal opportunities, conditions and restrictions for the respect and enjoyment of human rights, a democratically organised state cannot be implemented. It is important to highlight that Gender Equality entails that both men and women have equal opportunities for exercising human rights.

If we look on life’s basics one must query: Do we really think women have the same opportunities, or are women still disadvantaged to male dominance in any field, lacking meritocracy into consideration. Are women equal?

The answer is still yes in 2020. Women and men are most times victims of various forms of discrimination. Unfortunately, social, political, labour law and many other inequalities are still very much represented.

Globally, 750 million women and girls marry before the age of 18 and at least 200 million women and girls in 30 countries have undergone female genital mutilation, FGM.

and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner within the last 12 months. Yet, 49 countries have no laws that specifically protect women from such violence.

While women have made important in-roads in a political office across the world, their representation in national parliaments at 23.7 percent is still far from parity.

In 46 countries, women now hold over 30 percent of seats in the national parliament in at least one chamber.

Only 52 percent of women have married or in a union, freely make their own decisions about sexual relations, contraceptive use and health care.

Globally women are just 13 percent of agricultural landholders.

Women in Northern Africa hold less than one in five paid jobs in the non-agricultural sector. The proportion of women in paid employment outside the agriculture sector has increased from 35 percent in 1990 to 41 percent in 2015.

Over 100 countries have taken action to track budget allocations for gender equality.

In Southern Asia, a girl’s risk of marrying in childhood has dropped by over 40% since 2000.

In 18 countries, husbands can legally prevent their wives from working; in 39 countries, daughters and sons do not have equal inheritance rights; and 49 countries lack the laws protecting women from domestic violence.

The goal for introducing gender equality into the mainstream is the transformation of inequitable social structures into structures fair for both women and men. In the corporate world, some observe that companies that have a high representation of women in leading positions have been actively working on it for decades. In order for a single corporate policy to strive for gender equality to succeed, not only individual attempts by directors or individuals in managerial positions are sufficient, it is necessary to include the entire management.

One in five women and girls, including 19 percent of women and girls aged 15 to 49, have experienced physical

In 2006, the European Union EU adopted the EU Roadmap for Gender Equality, which sets out 6 priority activities within

The rates of girls between 15-19 subjected to FGM in 30 countries where the practice live and real have dropped from 1 in 2 girls in 2000, to 1 in 3 girls by 2017.

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 18

which the EU will undertake activities to achieve gender equality.

The activities defined by the Map are: 1. Economic independence for women and men 2. Reconciliation of professional, private and family life 3. Equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes 4. Eradication of all forms of genderbased violence and trafficking in human beings 5. Elimination of gender stereotypes in society 6. Promoting gender equality outside the European Union Gender equality in the EU considers necessary preconditioning for achieving growth goals, employment and social cohesion. Successful companies are constantly working on gender equality with the human rights leadership in three very important areas: the development of talented women, the planning of successors and the measurement of results but the HR sector must be a team of well-educated people in corporate, law and psychology fields. It is essential that the company’s leaders be active and have a strong faith and a desire to implement gender equality.

It is important to note that economic empowerment of women and the benefits derived from it aren’t denied by anyone, not only from the perspective of women’s rights but also from the point of view of economic progress and productivity itself.

It is a simple case, if we really want to have a business world that will function, we have to fight for equal representation of the sex, not leaving half the population out of it.

Equal opportunities policy requires proactive access, especially from stateprovincial government bodies. It is necessary that an approach aims at achieving the set goals and assumptions that women and men have in reality and practice and enjoy the same rights and freedoms, without being deprived of any form of direct or indirect discrimination.

Despite the existing legal obligations, it is still necessary to further improve corporate knowledge and practices in women’s rights and gender equality, to contribute to building a strong interaction between actors from different sectors, including the state sector and civil society, who will actively work with the

joint forces in the promotion of gender work in their relations with the business community. Promoting gender equality in the business community is reflected in programs targeting women’s employment, the most significant of which is the one that focuses on continuous education and learning throughout life.

Women are still under-represented in top positions in many areas, although they make up almost half of the workforce and more than half of new university staff graduates in the European Union. All theories of good corporate governance and corporate practices agreed that boards are the key to making an efficient business decision and proper supervision of companies.

The corporate world recognises a good gender balance at all levels used for business is a process by which women integrated in multiple positions in companies are still very slow. Progress made in Europe in reducing gender disparities is very uneven and there are big differences between the countries from the north and west of the continent and those that are located to the south and east of the same. Despite everything, women still have to make more efforts to succeed in advance to the boards of directors of the companies in which they work. Women are paid an average of 8,000 Euros less than men, as the economic crisis due to the COVID 19 pandemic is continuing to deteriorate day by day.

Based on all the mentioned factors, we can conclude that there is no single and exhaustive definition or instruction of good governance,” nor that there is a provision that commands universal acceptance. The term good corporate governance is used with a great deal of flexibility which can be an advantage, but also a source of difficulties that occur at the operational level.Depending on the context and the goal that the management

wants to achieve, good corporate governance at all times is; full respect of human rights, rule of law, effective participation of all actors, political pluralism, transparent and responsible processes and institutions, access to knowledge and information, political empowerment of citizens, fairness, an efficient and effective public sector, the sustainability of the attitudes and values they nurture responsibility, solidarity and tolerance.

To ensure sustainable production and consumption, multinational companies are committed to apply codes of governance and sustainable development and to implement the instruments provided for The OECD Guide for Multinational Companies and the Reporting Initiative UN dealing with the areas of environment, social and corporate governance and they are binding for advocating for equal rights for women and men. It is important to point out that interconnection between good governance and human rights is important for good corporate governance, because it leads to sustainable development in one country. However, the present inequality is centuries old and we cannot expect it to disappear overnight but be aware that it is a long process that requires the participation of all of us, without exception.

We cannot expect men to cede their places in corporate structures to women or resign from the board of directors to contribute to gender equality policy. It is essential that women are prepared to promote others through various forms of women networking platforms. It is crucial to provide support, empowerment, and avoid behaviour known as ‘woman is wolf to woman.’

Leadership development is one of the key points of this process.

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 19

FOCUS ON BUSINESS Story and Interview by NATALIE O’CONNOR

Tourism The State of Play Right Now One Shop Keeper’s Story

T

ourism holds an important role in the economic development of Australia. According to Tourism Australia, domestic and international travel spend in Australia totalled AUS$122 billion in 2018-19. Tourism was growing year on year faster than the national gross domestic product (GDP). It also totalled 5% of the workforce.

However, Australia has experienced a horrendous start to 2020.

There were fires which engulfed much of the country, then floods and now COVID-19—a global pandemic, closing boarders, causing sickness and death.

In Australia there have been strict measures put in place to help stop the spread of the virus. This has helped “flatten the curve” of infected people, but it has meant that most of our boarders have remained closed and thus our tourism industry has taken a huge hit. To get a greater understanding of what this means, we talk with Richard Preen, Shop Manager of The Three Sisters Souvenirs and Gift Shop, to understand what businesses in the tourism industry are going through.

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 20

Welcome Richard, thank you very much for agreeing to be interviewed for our magazine. Could you tell us a about your background and how you came to become the Shop Manager at the Three Sisters Souvenir & Gift shop in Katoomba?

Thank you.

Originally, I’m from the UK. I left there and went to Hong Kong in ‘91. I started doing bars and restaurants, ended up managing a few. Then I had the opportunity to come to Australia in 2004, whereby again, I went back into bars and restaurants. In that time, when I was working for a bar and restaurant in Echo Point Plaza, they had a bottle shop, a lolly shop, souvenir shop, a cafe and a restaurant, and I ended up managing the whole lot.

Then in 2015, another company came in and took the lease over the whole building, so we had to vacate the premises, but they wanted to keep the souvenir shop going. So we found a location for the souvenir shop, which is this one now. Then a year later the owner asked me if I wanted to buy it, so I jumped at the chance and bought it.

What made you want to own the souvenir shop or get into business? By the sound of it, it sounded like it was just a great opportunity.

Well, it was, and it wasn’t. The person I bought the business off. Obviously, I worked with him before. I used to manage at the centre for him, but he told me it was making money and it actually wasn’t. But I bit the bullet and changed the signage.

As soon as I changed the signage, the business went up between 20 and 40%, which is amazing. It’s something simple of what I did, even though I couldn’t really afford it, but I’m really, really glad I did it.

And also, it’s better working for yourself because you don’t have to answer to anybody.

What do you find most rewarding about your business?

Meeting people from different walks of life and different countries. Generally, just talking to people and just finding out where they’ve been and what they’ve done.

You’d get a lot of people up there.

Well, before, yes. Not now.

How has COVID-19 impacted your business?

Massively. Massive, massive, massively!

My brother, he’s got a chocolate shop up here and he’s not as impacted as me. Everyone wants and is still going to eat chocolate. He’s not dependent on overseas trade, he’s an everybody trade.

Everybody loves chocolate.

I’m a souvenir shop. I’m reliant on overseas trade, overseas people. It’s very rare that anyone locally would buy souvenirs. Even if you do come up from Sydney, Melbourne or Queensland (pre borders closing) people just aren’t traveling.

So what I’m doing now is to look at my stock and make sure I stock more things that are: (1) made in Australia, (2) things about the Three Sisters. Like stubby holders, everyone will buy stubby holders.

I’ve also got mugs, stubby holders and magnets with pictures of the three sisters, with more items to come soon.

Has the market in Katoomba just quieted down? Or completely closed?

I closed my business on the 23rd of March.

They said, “Look, if your business is nonessential, we’re closing.” I’m a souvenir shop, I’m not essential. And in hindsight, I’m glad they did because they let all the people off on the cruise boats and they all had COVID-19. If I’d have been open, I’d have got COVID-19.

Here in Katoomba there is a doubledecker bus company, which I sell their tickets. They’ve been operation for 45 years. I think if it wasn’t for the JobKeeper payment, they would have gone under.

They’re not a small business. The manager of the business looks after the staff big time. Even when there’s nothing to do, he’s like, “Oh, can you come in and paint the shop. I’ll pay your normal rate,” and this, that and the other. He’s trying to keep his staff on. Normally, they’re open from 9am until 5pm, but they closed at 12 o’clock now because there aren’t people coming up anymore.

How do you see the tourist industry now? Do you find that a lot of businesses are adapting to this change or they’re just shutting?

I think they’re shutting. I think it’s a case of it’s too hard to change for many of them. Also, possibly it’s like, well, maybe I’ve had enough. Maybe I won’t change.

But what am I going to do? I may as well adapt and try and do something different.

For me, the next thing I need to do is go down the path to get as much things orientated around the Three Sisters and Katoomba. Someone from Sydney will come up, “Oh, do you have this?” This bag from you is from Katoomba, I can tell it because it’s of this place. I’m also looking at more and more things that are Australian made.

So I guess that’s what’s making your business more unique, isn’t it? That you are sourcing Australian made products.

Yeah.

I’d rather find a supplier that can give me Australian made things. They cost me more, but at the end of the day, people want something that’s Australian made.

They don’t mind paying the price. As long as I’m not overly priced.

You’ve got to get a happy medium. You get people coming in and not wanting to buy things from China, but then don’t want to spend the extra money to buy things that are Australian made. It’s a balance.

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 21

So the future of the tourist industry, I guess, is just so dependent, would you say, on COVID? Or do you think that you see a lot more interstate travelers coming?

I’m not sure, but I don’t think we’re going to see interstate travelers, no.

Do you have to go out now? Do you have to go out on holiday? You don’t.

A lot of people should just be at home and spending a lot more time with their family because they’re actually not spending the time with their family. But that’s my opinion.

What can we the readers do to help your business and tourism in Katoomba?

Well, you could come to the mountains, you can help the little guy. I mean, I’m obviously the souvenir shop, there are other souvenir places in town. We’ve got one at Echo Point, which is run by the council. I’m assuming that because it’s run by the council, the council won’t be paying any rent, or marginal rent.

Their overheads would be minute.

You’ve also got Scenic World. Now Scenic World, they’re also buying stuff which is from overseas. And they have no overheads, they own that business. But again, what I would say is help the little guy out. The big, they’ll be looked after.

They’re earning millions of dollars a day, whereas I’ll be lucky if I make a million dollars in 10 years and enough to keep my head above water. I mean, at the moment, the JobKeeper is keeping me afloat. If I didn’t get the stimulus package back in March, I would have gone under. Guaranteed! I would have closed. I wouldn’t have had the money to survive. But the JobKeeper is keeping me afloat, my landlord has come to the table, and he’s given me a reduction in rent. But again, without all these bits and pieces helping out, I wouldn’t have survived. But at least I stuck it out. I had money saved. I haven’t been out and blasted it on something. I’ve kept it just in case of a rainy day, and fortunately enough, I did.

We were affected by the bushfires, Christmas and the school holidays in January, we didn’t see many tourists. It’s unfortunate because Christmas and the summer school holidays, that makes you money for the rest of the year. That is the busiest time of year. Because it was a complete ride off and that’s why a lot of places closed up here because we couldn’t foresee getting past it. And then after that, we had the floods. The train tracks were washed away by the floods, so people couldn’t come up there. It took people about three or four hours to come up here. And then we have COVID-19.

Can people buy online from you?

Well, actually, they can. I’ve got a Facebook page. It’s under ‘Three Sisters Souvenirs & Gifts’. If they send me a message,

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 22

my wife, (I’m useless with technology) can send things out as long as it’s within Australia at the moment, as we are having some trouble getting things out overseas at the moment. It seems to be taking ages.

Where are you located? And what’s the best way for people to find you, then?

Located at the top end of Katoomba Street, near the roundabout, just across from the station. Or you can find me on Facebook.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Yeah, I want to add that I sell the bus ticket for the Blue Mountains bus company, just because it is busy, a lot of people just queue up for the Blue Mountains Explorer bus. They can come to me and buy it, and they don’t have to queue up. And you can help local businesses up here.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

To get in contact with Richard, please visit: Facebook: Three Sisters Souvenirs & Gifts Address: 7 Katoomba Street Katoomba, New South Wales 2780 Phone: 0450 565 724 Richard would like to offer all our readers a 10% discount on purchases until the end of October 2020. Just mention this article to receive it.

Also mentioned in this article is the Blue Mountains Explorer bus (https://www.explorerbus.com.au/) Tickets can be purchased directly from Richard.

THREE SISTERS

SOUVENIRS Large Range of Merchandise & Gifts

Open 7 Days

7 Katoomba Street, Katoomba (opposite the train station)

P: 0450 565 724 FB: Three Sisters Souvenirs & Gifts

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 23

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT

KAREN KORPONAI Founder and CEO of Konscious Konsulting LLC

Interview by Jules Lavallee

You have over 20-years of experience working with global brands including managing celebrity brands. What advice would you give for brands during this pandemic?

The coronavirus is affecting many businesses. Air travel, sports, and entertainment activities and events are being canceled worldwide. Restaurants and retail shops have to adjust to a “new norm”. In the midst of any crisis, it is challenging to stay optimistic and calm. The good news is that for the most part, business leaders and entrepreneurs know that staying calm under pressure is ultimately part of the job description.

And, as they say, in every crisis there is always an opportunity.

I would recommend businesses check in with their customers.

At the end of the day, a satisfied and happy customer means business revenue. You have to identify the new pain points and challenges your customers are facing given the coronavirus and then get creative and pivot your business to accommodate your customers.

For example, I was on full lockdown in Bolivia where you were only allowed out one morning a week. Only those with a special permit could drive. I had to walk 30 to 45 minutes to the grocery store with a backpack and suitcase on wheels. Grocery vendors adapted to their customers. “Mobile” fruit and vegetables stands soon appeared in every neighborhood. Vendors pulled up in their personal vehicles and displayed their goods for sale. In other markets, on-line commerce and delivery services became the norm. eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 24

How is Konscious Konsulting guiding conscious companies in their quest to turn visions into reality?

The first step to advising any company is establishing a clear vision. Once the vision is clear, it is about finding the right strategic partners and building a team to accelerate and evolve the vision into reality. Clarity is power.

For example, while overseeing the marketing and branding for the House of Marley company, I interviewed over 10 branding agencies to find the right fit. Together, we identified key messages in Bob Marley’s music and then translated them into brand values and products that would spread his message across multiple platforms. The mission was to spread Bob Marley’s vision through high-quality, earth-friendly audio products while maintaining a commitment to charitable causes.

You have to be able to tell the story before you can sell the story and in three years, we launched the House of Marley brand in over 20 countries.

Share recent client success stories.

Recently, Konscious Konsulting supported the World Identity Network (WIN), a Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) observing member. The objective was to match WIN with a celebrity to elevate awareness on the right of every individual to have an identity. Over 1.1 billion people in the world are unable

Konscious Konsulting is well-known for fostering strategic partnerships. Please give a few examples.

The ability of Konscious Konsulting to create strategic partnerships has directly led to Akon Lighting Africa and Sunna Design collaborating and building the first African-made solar street light assembly plant in Mali. The partnership with Sunna eventually led to expanding the Akon Lighting Africa initiative outside of Africa for the first time.

The ability of Konscious Konsulting to create strategic partnerships has directly led to Akon Lighting Africa and Sunna design collaborating and building the first African-made solar street light assembly plant in Mali. The partnership with Sunna eventually led to expanding the Akon Lighting Africa initiative outside of Africa for the first time.

to prove their identity and therefore lack access to vital services such as healthcare, education, finances, and social protection.

We began the journey by creating a list of celebrities that aligned with this cause and selected a venue, the United Nations General Assembly, to curate an event to elevate WIN and their mission.

Though my passion and ability to create strategic partnerships, I introduced WIN to the #Togetherband campaign, the Global Citizen Forum (also a GBBC observing member), and a few others which led to a connection with actress and humanitarian Amber Heard. As a result, WIN held a press conference during the United Nations General Assembly in New York bringing together these partners to announce Amber Heard and the CEO and Founder of WIN, Marianna Dahan, as official #Togetherband campaign Ambassadors for the Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

Through these trusted and long term relationships, I successfully convinced the founders of Akon Lighting Africa and of Sunna Design to donate solar street lights to the Emirates Red Crescent and the United Arab Emirates Royal family initiative to support Syrian refugees in the Mrajeeb Al Fhood Camp in Jordan.

Together the partners brought solar lights, books, and built a playground, providing hope and inspiration to the refugee children.

Building trust and long term relationships will always create an opening for collaboration in the future. Several years later, these relationships have led to the creation of Akon Global LLC, a company focused on identifying strategic partnerships for special technology projects and smart cities initiatives. The goal is to identify strategic partners and “game changer” technological solutions to accelerate the development of Akon’s Smart city

“Karen has an incredible ability to engage anyone in conversation and inspire them with the vision she is promoting. Karen genuinely cares about people and is highly effective in building support.” Cameron Saul, CEO, and founder of BottleTop and the #Togetherband Campaign What will people notice about working with you?

I believe the Konscious Konsultant clients and the people around me will notice my insatiable drive to guide people, companies, or foundations to reach their goals of changing the world efficiently and with maximum impact. I have a passion for promoting the business paradigm that focuses on people, planet, purpose, and prosperity.

I believe that everything we do should align with our values and vision while leaving positive footsteps with our clients and their end-users. My business colleagues joke that I challenge them to “konsult their own konscious” before making decisions.

Ultimately, it’s about people and relationships. I genuinely care about people and I make an effort to understand their needs and add value whenever possible. For this reason, I have developed many long term business relationships. I am a super-connector and it gives me much joy to connect the right strategic partners and then watch the magic unfold before my eyes.

From a village to a boardroom, whatever the scenario, I believe, the people around me will remember me for jumping in with passion, optimism, and creativity to find the best ways to impact communities and lives globally.

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 25

initiative in Africa. I was asked to be a managing partner in Akon Global LLC and to be the Director of Sustainability and Social Impact for the Skopje Technology Park in North Macedonia.

Through these strategic partnerships, I will be creating bridges and sister city partnerships across technology parks and smart regions globally.

Tell us about the House of Marley.

The House of Marley business has been my favorite Konscious Konsulting project. I am a huge fan of Bob Marley, his music and it was a true honor to carry on his legacy through the House of Marley. The House of Marley’s mission is to create a better world and spread Bob Marley’s vision through earth-friendly audio products. The company is built on the principles of superior quality, sustainability, and a commitment to charitable causes. Driven to enhance lives through great product experiences as well as using proceeds from product sales to support global reforestation.

As the first hire and proud founding member of the House of Marley leadership team, I strategically supported the global launch of the brand. As the right-hand person to the founder and investor in the business, I initially helped build the team and drove all aspects of the business. This included identifying strategic factories in China and vetting and hiring brand, eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 26

product design, communications, and event marketing agencies to support the rapid launch and growth across multiple countries. It was an incredible experience to take this business from a concept on paper to reality.

During this time, I had the unique privilege and pleasure of collaborating closely with Cedella and Rohan Marley.

“Karen was patient, optimistic, and was always spreading her positive vibes whether it was at 6:00 AM, preparing me for a live interview, or after a long day at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Karen became a trusted advisor and the team and I could always count on her.

We worked closely together during the creation and launch of the earth-friendly audio products.” [Rohan Marley, Son of Reggae Artist Bob Marley, Jamaican Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Marley Coffee, Spokesperson for The House of Marley and Former Gridiron Football Player.]

Share your work in the non-profit sector.

Through Konscious Konsulting, I have supported numerous non-profit organizations with strategic partnerships, business strategy, fundraising, and event planning. Given my passion for youth and sports, I was excited to create a strategic partnership with Sports and Education for

Economic Development (SEED), NBA Africa, and the Akon Lighting Africa solar energy solutions initiative.

SEED is an international NGO that uses education and sport to empower the next generation of African leaders. They have impacted thousands of youths by ensuring they have access to quality education, high-performance sports training and facilities, and the leadership tools to make big dreams come true.

As a result of this strategic partnership, several outdoor basketball courts were built with solar street lights at schools in West Africa. This allowed for increased safety and longer playtimes into the evening. I encourage everyone to get involved, wherever they are, to continue to empower youth worldwide. The youth are our future.

I have also donated my time and energy to the Tony Robbins Global Youth Leadership Summit. Through the Korponai KIDS foundation, which was created in honor of my twin brother, we have sent almost 100 teenagers from Africa, South America, and the U.S.A to the annual Global Youth Leadership Summit in San Diego. www.CorporateHeadshotsUSA.com and our make up artists name is Stephanie Ruiz instagram @ makeupbystephanie

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 27

FEATURE

KEN ZULUMOVSKI Founder Gamarada Universal Indigenous Resources GUIR

I

n 2019 Ken Zulumovski Hon DHSc (USyd) received the honorary award of ‘Doctor of Health Sciences’,

by The University of Sydney for his outstanding contribution to Australian society. He is the founder and managing director of the consultancy, Gamarada Universal Indigenous Resources (GUIR) Pty Ltd and the Not for Profit, Gamarada Indigenous Healing and Life Training Pty Ltd. GUIR provides specialised and tailored services to individuals and organisations across the private, government and community sectors. GUIR’s spheres of influence include health, education, justice, and employment. Community engagement across the social & emotional wellbeing and healing fields is GUIR’s forte. GUIR specialises in program co-design and delivery, coaching, mentoring, cultural supervision and organisational capacity building with the GUIR COURAGE Coaching Model.

The model combines Wisdom Traditions with Western behavioural science and elements of military leadership and is used extensively for staff training, program development and community

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 28

engagement. GUIR works to promote community cohesion with a focus on marginalised groups who may be at risk of radicalisation.

UNSW independently validated this work. Gamarada was recognised by the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet with an Excellence Award for Building Leadership in Indigenous Communities.

Ken is a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve and has experience as an Artillery Crew Commander. He will soon be elevated to the rank of Captain and take an advisory role with the Directorate of Recruitment and Retention assisting with the Army’s Reconciliation Action Plan Targets.

Tell us about your background.

I want to start by acknowledging Gadigal and Eora, upon whose ancestral lands I live on and where most of my career was built. The eYs Magazine Founder, CEO, Editor-in-Chief, and Publisher, Jasmina Siderovski. My community, friends and family and most importantly, all of you readers.

In 2019 I found myself the recipient of the honorary award ‘Doctor of Health Sciences’, by The University of Sydney for outstanding contribution to Australian society. I am a descendent of the KabiKabi & Gooreng Gooreng Nations of South East Queensland, Australia. I am also proud of my Macedonian lineage. I am a graduate of the Djurawang Health Sciences (Mental Health) program at Charles Sturt University and a former lecturer and researcher at Muru Marri, the Indigenous Health Unit of the University of New South Wales, School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

My career spans about 25 years in program development and delivery working with Australian first nations and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. But I think the seeds where planted around age 14, when mum Aunty Sandra Johnson, encouraged me to look into becoming a St John Ambulance Cadet. In doing so, I graduated as a Corporal and took on the task of training a lively group of younger cadets in; volunteering, administering first aid, drill to build discipline, fundraising, and protocol including; reciting the St John Ambulance Code of Chivalry.

Building on this, at age 17, I enlisted into the Australian Army Reserve and was posted to the combat unit, 113 Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery Corp. There I trained as an artillery gunner and crew commander. I served eight years, including three years with the Australian Defence Force Recruitment Unit implementing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Defence Career development strategy. As a tribute to my military career, I earned the prestigious Australian Defence Medal. I left the army at age 23 to take up formal education and begin my career in Aboriginal health.

In 2006, I led the establishment of Gamarada Indigenous Healing and Life Training Pty Ltd. This organisation responds to the therapeutic and educational need for culturally safe community mental health, healing and life skills programs targeting, family violence, addiction and suicide prevention and access to justice.

In 2010 Gamarada was recognised by the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet with an Excellence Award for Building Leadership in Indigenous Communities. In 2018 our First Nations-led mental health programs for youth and adults in Western Sydney earned us a Youth Action, Youth Work Award - Outstanding Work with Young Aboriginal People and in 2019 a Zest Award for Outstanding Voluntary Group, Gamarada Leadership Group, Western Sydney.

This month my team and I will deliver our 601st continuous week of the autonomous community led, Gamarada community healing and cultural leadership program. A train-the-trainer model that has demonstrated sustainability for 13 years, by not depending on funding of any kind and avoiding the program disruption caused by the high worker turnover in the not-forprofit sector. It is the longest continual program of its type in Australia and possibly the world.

My frustration with the constraints and pace of the not-for-profit sector led to the founding of Gamarada Universal Indigenous Resources (GUIR). One hundred per cent Indigenousowned private company. GUIR’s spheres of influence include Education, Justice, Health Care and Employment. I co-designed the Gamarada COURAGE Coaching Model. This model incorporates Third Wave Psychology with Indigenous wisdom traditions. It provides a therapeutic and culturally safe framework for cultural supervision and program co-design and delivery.

It is currently being used in restorative justice, education and training for teachers, students, allied health professionals as well as community engagement initiatives across the Social and Emotional Well Being and Healing spectrums.

I felt it important to ensure Indigenous ways of social and emotional wellbeing and healing were being recognised in

the mental health services, so we facilitated the first NSW Aboriginal Healing Forum at the State Parliament House. I was also advocating for systemic change as a member of the NSW Mental Health Commission’s Indigenous Leaders forum.

‘Ken has transformed healing practices for Indigenous peoples and has pioneered ground-breaking principles well before they were established examples of best practice.’

My team and I are committed to systemic advocacy by holding regular community forums and national and international conference presentations across the: Health and Justice spectrum. In June 2019, we presented at the Australian Society eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 29

for Psychological Medicine and Royal Australia College General Practitioners Biennial conference and at the Lowitja Institute, International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference. In 2020 my team and I will present at the Bangamalanha Conference Tertiary Education conference and hold webinars for the Australian Association of Social Workers and the Association of Contextual Behavioural Therapists.

When and why did you decide to advocate for the Indigenous community?

So, In the course of my life’s work, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with and learn from a very diverse range of masters in their fields. This has taken place in several different contexts including my work with: The Aboriginal medical service at Redfern, our program profiling in the 2008 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioners report, Chapter 4, Defining healing and the mental health legal services project at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. And further abroad, I’ve taken the opportunity to learn from Cultural Leaders through our presentations at global professional therapeutic communities and our training therein.

So, around 2005, I began to see gaps in our health system. Ideas started stirring in my mind. I began to feel quite frustrated at the slow pace of progress happening across the sectors. For the previous ten years to 2005, or what was essentially my

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 30

20’s, I had been working in the fields of HIV prevention and mental health, while holding a part-time career with the Army Reserve.

Working in these roles exposed me to many intense and confronting learning opportunities. I worked very closely with people who were incarcerated. I worked with the injecting drug-using communities, the GLBTI Intersex and Queer communities. I got to know and understand these communities very intimately. Though my studies and career in mental health I was exposed to another cluster of complicated and serious challenges and I gained experiences working with: suicide, addiction, family violence and substance abuse and I reluctantly got to know and understand these issues intimately as well, what struck me was I learned to understand how so much of this human suffering is so easily preventable and how so much of our health care, education and justice systems can be improved.

So, as you can see, my 20’s were an intense apprenticeship. In one of my jobs, I earned the nickname’ conference kid.’ It was given to me by my CEO who tagged me ‘conference kid’ for my relentless enthusiasm and willingness to register for every conference, represent on every committee, attend every seminar and workforce development workshop that my budget could afford. In my mind, this enthusiasm toward professional development seemed necessary to gain a broad view of the challenges we faced

and to enable me to approach them from different angles. Being the ‘conference kid’ also gave way for an opportunity to escape my hometown of Newcastle and to broaden my networks, increase my access to knowledge and innovation.

During this process, I developed an acute awareness of the many barriers to solving our most challenging human problems. I became aware that there were a lot of injured and unconscious people in our communities and in the mainstream communities too, some of those people where in high-level decision-making positions, who was steering the ship I thought?

I began looking for answers, immersing myself in the stories of the greatest cultural leaders who have ever lived, activists, artists, change-makers, people with purpose, those working for the greater good. I begin to notice certain patterns and common traits about these people: After years of experience and study in their field, the minds of these people had reached a superior level of intelligence.

They could see things about the ways of the world that were simply invisible to most other people. They had a sixth sense for trends and opportunities. They could see threats and recognise dangerous people, and they could make the most surprising connection between ideas. They could most certainly read between the lines of power plays by colonial authorities.

They learned to resist oppression and build incredible movements with little

conventional education or resources. In Robert Greens Book, the 48 laws of power he calls these people master’s because they had essentially mastered their field.

How do you motivate and inspire others to face any challenges?

Show them the consequences of doing nothing about it, that usually works. There is a sigh on the wall at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence, it reads, ‘Leaders do what needs to be done, even when they don’t want too’.

What are valuable lessons and biggest disappointments you have been presented in your progress as an Ambassador and advocate?

Who is your inspiration, and why?

My inspiration is the brave face that turns up at a program meeting for the first time and genuinely seeks change.

Tell us a feel-good success story?

I was told to celebrate the small victories.

What is your favourite pastime when you aren’t working?

I never stop working, just kidding! I am a fisherman and a mountain biker. I love nature. In the warmer months, you will find me with my Four-wheel drive on a remote beach someplace digging for pipes and fishing all night.

The most valuable lesson I have learned is, change takes time; humans prefer the comfort of familiarity. If the change is too sudden, even if it is for the greater good, it may be rejected.

The biggest disappointments I have experienced. Perpetuated failures of parts of our health system, the miss management of our tax paying dollars, the dismissal of libraries full of evidence on improving outcomes in health, education, employment. The lost opportunity to innovate that ultimately leads to much human suffering.

Is there anything we can do as a society to support your mission?

Yes, there is, write to your local MP and ask them the question, what are they doing to help Close the Gap? What motivates you to be a change-maker – especially during these challenging times?

If I can do something and I don’t, well that’s a conscience that I just can’t sit with.

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 31

GLOBAL CIVILITY AMBASSADORS

KIBE EDWIN GITAU Interview by Jasmina Siderovski

Could you tell us about your background?

I am a certified addiction psychologist/ professional. A consultant on alcohol, drugs and substance abuse prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration of persons with substance use disorders in the community. A consultant trainer on workplace policy formulations, capacity building and advocacy on matters pertaining to alcohol and drug abuse.

I hold an undergraduate degree in Bachelors of Commerce – Accounts from the University of Madras—India; M.A in Project Planning and Management from the University of Nairobi, I am founding director UHAI Centre in Thika, Kenya and a lecturer at Mt. Kenya University’s Department of Management.

I am a humanitarian and Country Director Global Goodwill Ambassadors (GGA Kenya), International Society of Substance use Professionals (ISSUP), Addiction Prevention Rehabilitation Association of Kenya (APRAK), World Federation against Drug (WFAD), and Kenya Certification for Addiction Counselors.

Am a peace ambassador under Institute eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 32

for Peace and Development (INSPAD), My Body is My Body Programme and East Africa Regional Advisor for Naifa Maruf Foundation. In community service, I am a Board of Management Member for Moyo Children’s Centre, Familia Moja Children’s Home, two reputable high school within Kiambu County, consultant St. Martins Rehab Centre Maragua among many other community assignments in the church and community.

I’ve authored two resource books “Surviving an Addiction’’ and ‘‘Parenting for Positive Futures”. I’m a mentor and a family man, married to one wife, a father of two boys and one girl.

I’m the first-born in a family of four.

Despite having been raised in a humble family, I’ve a sour past relationship with alcohol. During adolescence, a lot of physical development, biological and emotional transformational changes occur that causes turbulence in youth’s life. It was during this time of my life that I experimented with alcohol, unaware of the probable consequences. First came the fun with an intriguing feeling of elation, not knowing that drugs change the brain gradually leading to dependency.

I’m a recovering alcoholic, having abused alcohol for over 10 years, which changed me tremendously. Upon recovery in 2011, it dawned on me that many areas of my life had been neglected. I was also deeply disillusioned and stigmatized. This was a turning point in my life. I subsequently underwent rigorous professional training conducted by National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA Kenya) in collaboration with NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. In 2014, I graduated as a certified addiction professional. It’s based on this knowledge and skills that I’ve since volunteered in community projects and therapies.

What are your greatest achievements?

Being a sober and loving son, husband and father and a respected opinion leader in the community is quite an achievement.

My story has motivated, touched and transformed many lives; parents, loved ones, and persons with substance use disorders. It gives them hope and reassurance that all is not lost.

In 2002, I enrolled for and was invited to pursue a Master of Business

Administration (MBA) degree at the University of Nairobi, but due to alcoholism, I couldn’t join. During one of my drinking sprees, I misplaced my academic transcripts and certificates. It took me 12 years to complete a two-year master programme.

Graduating in December 2017 was my greatest achievement.

Publishing and presenting research papers on drug abuse at national, regional and international conferences after my own recovery has been a major highlight of life.

Today, being featured on eYs International Magazine is another milestone.

When and why did you become a humanitarian advocate mentoring as an addiction psychologist?

To defeat alcoholism in 2011, I had to undergo a 90-day residential treatment at U-Turn for Christ Rehabilitation Centre in Ngong, Kenya. It was during my time in rehab that the idea of helping vulnerable communities in prevention campaign against alcohol and drug abuse, treatment and rehabilitation was born.

Upon being discharged, I began a campaign in my local church (St. Patrick’s Catholic Church - Thika), where I volunteered in drug education, conducting seminars and workshops targeting vulnerable groups, most at-risk persons such as young and students. Ten years later, I’m running a successful volunteer drug education, mentorship, counseling and career guidance programme in all public and private education institutions, religious and corporate organizations under Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) sponsored by well-wishers and partly corporate social responsibility departments of these institutions.

Can you walk us through your journey mainly finding the motivation to dedicate your time to up-skill? And commit to an art that requires patience, understanding, direction and guidance?

I was an average student in school, born and brought up in a humble family. I was the 1st born and a star in my family, obedient and God-fearing, an ever-smiling boy that was loved by everyone. After scoring good marks, I was admitted to a reputable provincial school (Gaichanjiru High School).

College life In 1998, I joined Mohammed Sathak College of Science and Arts, an affiliate of the University of Madras in Chennai, India, where I pursued a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounts Major).

I completed B.Com programme within the stipulated time of 3 years. During the study period, I concurrently pursued a Diploma in Business Management with All India Institute for Management. I later pursued a Post-Graduate Diploma in Sales and Marketing.

During my study tenure, I would drink alcohol occasionally for fun on social functions with my college peers and fellow Kenyans in India. It was fun then..!

After college After five years in a foreign country – India, in 2002, I suffered from homesickness. I was 5 years in a foreign country. Having completed my first project, an undergraduate degree, I felt a needed a break.

Back Home in 2002 I landed back home in October 2002, to jubilation and celebrations. Travelling abroad, learning a new culture, a new language, a new lifestyle and making new friends and returning

home safely was a big achievement. I assumed I had all it takes to secure a well-paying job, earning no less than a six-figure salary on my first job. I imagined that in six months, I’d own a luxurious car and live in a high-end estate.

Upon arriving in Kenya, I first went looking for admission to join University of Nairobi to pursue MBA. Thankfully, I got an admission letter, and waited to join in the next intake. Thirsty for education, I went to KASNEB and registered for CPA exams.

But to realize my vision and accomplish my mission, I needed money.

Objective to be achieved, budget and time are main pillars in any project. My objective was to complete my MBA within the stipulated study period as per university timelines, so remaining was the budget. How do I finance my project? I didn’t want to go back to my parents because my siblings were still in school and in any case I was expected to support my parents considering I had an education. So I set out to look for a job, rubber hit the tarmac and this is when reality hit me. I was frustrated, got embarrassed, and my hopes started dwindling.

After moving from office to office looking for work for a year, I got a cleaning job with a monthly pay of KSh7, 500 (USD 75) on referral by my friend John Paul. Having hoped to earn at least KSh100, 000 (USD 1000) per month, this was a faraway cry. I was devastated, but took the offer. The devil is a liar; I turned to alcohol for consolation. I got drunk while at work. In 2004, there were no regulations to brewers and distillers, and wines and spirits outlets were found in every corner of Nairobi, some selling substandard spirits packaged in sachets retailing for a little as KSh10 (USD 0.1). It was a free market meant to kill intellectuals. eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 33

Life is ups and downs; I now have my life back on track. Today, I am the founder and director of a community-based initiative called United by Health and Agriculture Improvement (UHAI) Centre. UHAI means life in Swahili, a vernacular language in East and Central Africa. This centre offers capacity building trainings, counseling services around prevention, treatment and rehabilitation and correlated issues such as domestic and sexual violence, child abuse, HIV AIDS, Cancer. Besides these, we are involved with outreach education programmes, mentorship and career guidance. I’m also a part-time lecturer at Mt Kenya University’s department of management. I hope to be a fulltime lecturer soon. I use my interactions with youngsters to talk to them about the realities of life and what to expect upon graduation.

Addiction sets in I became a daily drinking officer, deteriorating by the day. I quit my job due to absenteeism, mismanagement of company assets and misappropriation of funds all channeled to alcohol. Slowly I slipped to illicit alcohol.

Following was a series of lost jobs all associated to alcoholism.

I avoided family members and friends Gradually and not realizing, life became difficult, and I was emaciated, poor health dented face image. Compromised health was arrested and sentenced to serve a jail term for 3 months with charges of drunk and disorderly. I became an outcast, black-sheep and disgrace in the family and community, Life is a journey!

Addiction is a disease treat it as such; my road to recovery I am very passionate about helping persons suffering from alcoholism or any form of addiction, because, if not for someone else’s prayers, love and care, I wouldn’t be giving this testimony.

I went for a treatment and rehabilitation; today I am a witness that addiction is a disease and recovery is a reality.

Recovery is a Reality – I have a testimony!!

Since my recovery, I can testify that all that was eaten by the locust have been repaid tenfold (Joel 2:25). I went back to the college and revived my CPA course, took up addiction counseling to understand my past life - 12 years later; I graduated with M.A. in Project Planning and Management; it is the greatest achievement that confirms our dreams are valid. In the year 2015, the same year I started my master’s degree programme, I published my first book “Surviving an Addiction”. It’s a resource book that takes you through what can be done to prevent, treat and rehabilitate “addicts”, besides a drug awareness section. The book addresses addiction as a family disease and a societal concern.

I am an avid advocate on the topic of alcohol, drug and substance abuse; I have presented three research papers on the subject during international and national conferences organized by National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA). I have featured several on National Television and local dailies sensitizing the public on prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of persons with substance use disorders.

During this dark moment in my life, my wife and family, parents and siblings never despised or abandoned me. Instead, they held my hand. I have special appreciation to Fr. Anthony through Vincentian Prayer House in Thika for his support, may God bless him abundantly. eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 34

I serve as the current Country Director (Kenya) of the Global Goodwill Ambassadors, a humanitarian organisation that seeks to unite humanitarians’ worldwide through preaching love, caring and sharing as a tool to spread humanity. I serve the community by being a member, Board of Management of two reputable public secondary schools in my home county Kiambu; I thank God for restoring my life and rebuilding trust in people who had lost hope in me.

What are valuable lessons you have learned along the way in the “not-for-profit industry?”

Realizing my purpose has really made life easy for me in “notfor-profit industry”, finding purpose in life involves exploring the things you love to do, identifying your strengths, weak areas, what you can do comfortably with or without pay.

Passion is the driver in this industry; loving, caring and sharing are the pillars to support your mission. Having vocational skills to build on your passion and employing professionalism is critical. Along the way dedication, efficiency, consistency and honesty are core values in this space.

However, funding is a challenge, especially for mental health awareness programmes in Kenya as it is a fairly new concept.

Alcoholism and drug abuse haven’t been embraced as diseases.

Instead, persons suffering from substance use disorders are commonly stigmatized.

Is there any advice you would like to offer anyone else who may be interested to pursue the same path?

I’d strongly urge and appeal for more to people to join us in volunteering to serve humanity, let us all remember that life is not all about money and acquiring wealth. There is a life and satisfaction in serving humanity.

Second, let us all endeavor to prevent alcoholism, drug abuse and all anti-social behaviors right in our families by simply strengthening family bonds and becoming role models. Family is the most basic unit in the society in which morals are founded.

It is important to mention that in humanitarian calling, patience is paramount, it pays and it’s a virtue. Last, I would advise interested persons to hang on to where your passion is, to keep doing well because it comes back to you.

What advice would you tell your younger self?

I have the potential to do more… I have to achieve my academic dream by attaining higher qualifications in the field of addiction psychology to help me serve my community in the best way possible to avert losses of lives and resources associated with alcoholism and drug abuse.

What motivates you to be a change maker, especially during these challenging times?

Covid-19 is a stressor among many other stressors that have dramatically destabilized our mental and psychological wellness in the recent few months. Persons who have their loved one’s in ICU, quarantine, isolation or held up due to lockdown and restricted movements are not at peace at all.

Schools and social life have been affected. The current economic slowdown has cost jobs and business opportunities.

Consequently, millions are hungry and unsettled. All this boils down to mental disorientation and, most likely, substance abuse or suicidal tendencies. This explains why we are experiencing a surge in domestic violence, physical and emotional abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse and other mental health challenges.

I would hate to imagine the relationship between COVID -19 and addiction, lungs of a marijuana or tobacco abuser and other inhalants too being exposed to the virus; the life of children and families spending on the streets, especially during COVID-19 pandemic; an addict who is experiencing alcohol or drugs withdrawal symptoms which imitate those of COVID and the stigma associated. This motivates me to be readily available to serve humanity and avert negative consequences.

Professionally, we manage alcoholism and drug abuse through 1demand reduction where we educate and empower people to abstain from these vices; 2supply suppression, I partner with the government(s), key stakeholders and social structures in curtailing supply of drugs and substances not to reach the end consumer who are our children and 3Harm reduction by taking care of afflicted persons by rehabilitating and reintegrating them into the society.

Who is your inspiration and why?

My goal is therefore to employ above strategies harmoniously to achieve my bigger end goal of ensuring we have sober and productive communities. Addressing and educating on the correlation between Sex, Alcohol, AIDS, Drugs and COVID-19, a SAAD-C combination.

My inspiration comes from my mum. She was ever by my side despite the shame, my dad and siblings did not despise me, my wife stood by my side and gave me love despite the alcoholism disease; you are the reason I glow today. Therefore, never underestimate family love… Today I am who I am and do all what I do because I was supported!

CEO, Editor-in-Chief at eYs magazine and humanitarian Jasmina Siderovski, Global Goodwill Ambassadors (GGA) Founder Richard Dipilla you are awesome people, you have broadened my perception on humanity.

Are there, or are there challenges throughout your journey that stands out that may inspire others?

Always stand up to defend your personality. Don’t allow it to be tainted. It’s difficult to rebuild or win back lost trust. Fighting stigma that is associated with substance use disorders was a tall order for me initially, but I have managed to overcome and outgrow the challenge.

Your dream or vision may be delayed but not denied; when you persist, it becomes a reality. My dream of a master’s degree was only a mirage but today I help others to pursue their postgraduate studies as a lecturer.

What are your end goals? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

My aim is to deliver quality programmes that will impact positively on the lives of most-at-risk persons (women, youth and children) and those affected by substance abuse. I acknowledge that fighting substance abuse promotes inclusive development and reduced HIV AIDS, cancer and other illnesses associated with substance abuse. I hope to rehabilitate those affected by substance abuse through sustainable interventions and reduce relapses.

It is my desire to expand and broaden drug awareness networks to reach out to more vulnerable populations including women in addition, street families. Continuing humanitarian work individually and or in partnership with institutions with similar objectives is close to my heart. Academic excellence is dear to me. I am also looking forward to earning a doctorate (Ph. D), to this effect I am actively looking for a scholarship and or sponsorship to pursue this dream that will empower me serve the community.

What is your favorite pastime when you aren’t working?

My family, I spend quality time with them. I teach my children alternative sustainable livelihood skills such as organic farming of fruits, vegetables and poultry farming. I love reading and researching on alcohol and drug abuse related materials, watching life changing, inspiring and transformative stories.

Other links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kibe-edwin-gitau-gga42820a61/ Face book: https://web.facebook.com/kibe.edwingitau Website: www.uhaicentre.org YouTube: Kibe Edwin Gitau https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=OUXXZ8uX9F8 Twitter: @Gitaukibe https://twitter.com/Gitaukibe?s=08 Daily Nation Newspaper https://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/ mynetwork/Gitau-Kibe/3141096-4716258-seibbr/index.html

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 35

GLOBAL CIVILITY AMBASSADORS

ASSEM MOUSA Ambassador for Universal Progress

Interview by Jasmina Siderovski

A

ssem Mousa takes pride through his hard work and growth as a professional. He is intelligent and sincere in his passion for creating change through positive impact in the world. His experience and expertise in the aviation industry are an asset to any airline. Assem Mousa is a person like no other. A genius in engineering, and a man of integrity, honesty and respect for humanity. His character is a refelction of all that he believes and stands for as a sophisticated professional.

Assem Mousa is the Chief Engineer served as the E-Commerce Tech Support Systems Manager for Egypt Air performing duties as necessary to ensure the continued soundness and stability of operations. He supervises activities and staff involved in maintaining Egypt Air’s operation impact at a high level.

Assem Mousa strives to benchmark systems operations against international standards. Possessing technical proficiency and strong leadership capabilities, Assem Mousa manages the frequent flyer systems for customers and ensures availability of systems servers.

Charged with developing Egypt Air’s strategic planning objectives relating to support systems, and also ensures that related hardware, software and other components are properly selected, developed and implemented. In addition, he monitors systems to detect problems/deficiencies and recommending changes and solutions as he is skilled at estimating resource requirements / implementation costs.

Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, Assem Mousa has frequent contact with all department managers. Working in a fast-paced work environment, he travels to different locations to ensure operating systems and sub-systems are functional and operational.

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 36

Furthering business objectives. Assem Hamied Moussa received: The appointment of Assem Moussa for the special BOOKS for PEACE 2020 prize on September 12, 2020 / Rome – Italy - booksforpeace.org Board member of international human rights advisory council, vice president Egypt. www.hrcin.org/board-ofihrac.html Bristol PhD, 2015; Author of Cloud of Things Books and Papers 2016; Global Goodwill Ambassador, 2018, Global Ambassador for Peace and Human Rights, India, President of Success Legacy, Middle East and Africa, President, Scientific Academy Research, SCR Africa and ASDF in Africa; Member of United Nations in High Level Meeting for SDG 2030; UN Headquarters, NY High A. Level Speaker in United Nations for World Summit Information Society, WSIS 2015, United Nations; ipoareview, Turkey 2016 Modern Africa Airports, 2017-2018.

Assem Mousa Is the Winner, for Best Industrial Researcher, 2014, receiving the title twice as E-Commerce Global Expert 20142015, and acquired Lifetime Achievement by Intercontinental

Who’s Who, and Member of International and Intercontinental Who’s Who. Also, a Member of IEEE and Member of Rotary Club 1200, President of Scientific Research Africa Section, SCR and President of Association of Scientist, Developer Faculties, ASDF, Africa.

Guest Honour and Keynote Speaker in Egypt, USA, Russia, Turkey, Switzerland, Kenya, Rwanda, Vietnam, INDIA, France, Japan, Thailand, Korea. Kashma Venture Advisor, India and Ambassador and Africa President USA, India TECH-WORK CoGlobal Summit Director, Italy. Mentor and Supporter for Deadly Guardians Australia. Goals: To empower children, through the support of their Deadly Guardian, and prevention suicide.

Nominated as Chief Editor at Acta scientific Journal and Chief Editor in The International Board of News and Broadcasting, GP and HR Assem Mousa Research Interests are clout (IOT, AI, 5G, CLOUT) hardware, software, and other, components development and implementation Published Papers and Books International Journals Author - New Technology Cloud of Things: IJIRD Journal, 2013, Cloud Computing IJIRD, 2013, Ubiquitous Computing IJIRD, 2015, Challenge of Cloud Computing to Enable the Future of IOT IJSRP, 2016, PhD Thesis, Challenge in Cloud Computing Quest to Enable the Future of IOT or Cost Effectiveness in Cloud Computing Quest to Enable the Future of IOT. Amazon, 2016, PhD Thesis - Cloud of Things Book Lambert, Germany, 2016. Articles about clout and COVID-19, Acta Scientific Journal.

Editor and International Conferences Program Chief Guest Honour, Publication Chair, Conference Chair Keynote Speakers and Reviewers.

Six Articles about clout on the 17 SDG’s , COVID-19, Smart City, Echo City, Aviation in the ACTA MAGAZINE Athletics Activities: Member in the Egyptian basketball team (Arab Champions in 1987).

Member of All-Stars University Basketball team (World University championship in Zagreb, former Yugoslavia, 1987).

Member of Egypt-Air Basketball team (Egyptian companies’ championship from 1987 to 1993).

Captain of EL-Gezira sporting Club Basketball Team (winner of four championships title from 1991 – 1994).

When and why did you become a humanitarian advocate mentoring as an addiction psychologist?

My previous experiences of work, sports and travel taught a lot with goodness and humanitarian help, and the passage of many crises and a sense of the feelings of others and with maturity and progress in age increases the tendency to do so it starting when I was young and it is increasing as time passes.

When and why did you become a humanitarian advocate mentoring on so many levels including the SDG’s, information science and affiliation with the United Nations?

At the Aviation Development Conference in Cairo in 2013, I had the honour to present two papers and discuss them about computers everywhere and the cloud, and I found that by activating this technology the gap will increase between Arab countries, Africa, and All European countries, Asia, America, and Australia, and my duty is to know and let everyone know about the benefits of this technology also activating it in all areas and in achieving sustainable development goals 2030, in fighting viruses such as corona, and in treating poverty, disease, violence, and Bad management, and starting from here.

What are valuable lessons you have learned along the way in the industry?

Flexibility in dealing and that emotional intelligence is more important than mental intelligence at work and with comparison; emotional intelligence is chosen after that, if he finds mental

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 37

Is there a challenge in your journey that stands out that may inspire others?

The challenge is to be yourself in the world that wants to be like anybody else and lies in completing the journey it begins and the conditions that the country and the world go through and its impact on individuals is a challenge in how to think about others and everyone and resisting the forces of evil and the internal struggle between the preference for giving time and money for humanitarian action and ignoring the soul.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

With health and age, after ten years from now, I wish to be involved in any activities and systems for the benefit of society, the state, Africa and the world. Activities and systems for spreading justice, equality, peace and against racism. Injustice, racism and ignorance are more dangerous than the current Corona virus.

What is your favourite pastime when you aren’t working?

Going out with friends and travel to different countries in the entire world. Playing basketball, and vacations.

Basketball, as I am an international player with multiple championships at the club, company, army, national team, college, and university levels.

Fishing as I was living in el RODA Place near the Nile Swimming in Gezira, Sport, Maadi and aviation as a member of all of them. intelligence, he helps a lot in the promotion of work.

Is there any advice you would like to offer anyone else who may be interested to pursue the same path?

The advice lies in Resilience, patience, perseverance, focus on the goal and self-confidence, not vanity and not being preoccupied with all that is without it and be the change you want to see in the world like to begin with yourself in the change procedure What motivates you to be a change-maker, especially during these challenging times?

Change is the permanent thing in life and it is the nature of life and the world is going through many crises from climate change and corona and the reason for our existence in life other than worship is to serve society, people and the world and it is a tax of living on the universe and in handing over and recognizing generations we hope to deliver our next generation the world better and this is not Only by ideas but also with right action, and everyone can contribute to that is a duty and an obligation, not a choice.

Playing chess as a thinking game.

My thanks and gratitude to God Almighty for his success to me and our Master Muhammad, peace be upon him, and to my parents, may God have mercy on them, for raising me and efforts with me and my dear wife for my support and encouragement to me along the way and for my beloved children Son and Daughter and my dear brother and sister and all my family and friends.’

And, all of my colleagues, my masters, my leaders at Cairo University, Faculty of Engineering, Sadat Academy, Bristol University in England, Egypt Air and my acquaintances with AlGezira, Maadi, Aviation and Egyptian clubs for rowing.

And, to all the organizations that have been nominated by the United Nations and the international conferences, IEEE, Mohmaed Bin Rahed Foundation, nominating me as an official speaker and guest of honour in all countries of the world and all the organizations that nominated me President, Ambassador, Adviser or Board of Directors.

Assem Mousa Links:

Who is your inspiration and why?

assemam@live.com

Inspiration starts at home from my father and mother, raising me, and teaching me about good, not evil, and giving, and from my older sisters, brother, my children, my wife, and my family then from the surrounding environment, from my colleagues and friends, from neighbours, to study, work, and the club, and then after that from my multiple travel, my studies, various sports and basketball and daily situations also from Heroes in all the world in all time. That constantly inspires us.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/assem-mousa-1207a322/

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 38

https://twitter.com/assem_moussa https://www.instagram.com/assemabdelhamedmousa/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCR4YEQgPj91b0vZcXyHWY5w https://www.facebook.com/assem.mousa

HUMANITARIAN

HUMA KIRMANI Author, TEDx speaker and Member of Amnesty International dormant till I were called by my elders. The world was a labyrinth for my imagination and I like Goldilocks never wandered in the reality of life but time taught me how to live mirthfully with the dwarfs like Snow-white and the dwarfs were rejection , unwelcomed and distortion in achieving my goals and few dreams never turned into realities.

My Story.

I am from Pakistan, an author, a TEDx speaker and member of Amnesty International. I am the Peace Ambassador of INSPAD, the international think tank. I have been awarded lifetime membership of Women Economic Forum. A Global Goodwill Ambassador and affiliated to Arado and Lyari Girls Cafe. I am an Honorary member of United Nations of Pakistan.

I advocate human rights and work for women empowerment. I participated in the awareness campaign of Alight Pakistan against Covid19. I was nominated as an author for Books for Peace 2020, Italy and She Awards, Dubai by Ladyz Fusion.

I was a quiet child who remained in her own imaginative world, drew creativity from my imaginative featured characters, remained

My fairyland remained alive till the time when my orb witnessed the great revolution in Iran then the former Soviet Union ‘s oppression in Afghanistan which initiated a war which seemed to have no end. Afghanistan is Pakistan’s neighbour, the amber of war flames burnt the borders of Pakistan, later the entire state was engulfed in the fire of terrorism. I was in school when Afghan war started, I behold influx of Afghan refugees and their misery.

I wrote my first novel on Afghan war and Afghan refugees’ crisis. The narrator of my book is a young Afghan girl who migrated from Kandahar to the refugee’s camp in Peshawar then to Karachi as in search of her younger brother.

in rural areas of Pakistan. I started a petition against this dilemma in the name of honour killings. I speak and write for women ‘s education and empowerment and their rights.

I trained teachers of underprivileged areas to make them aware the newest curriculum with defined aims and objectives. I am affiliated with two NGO of Lyari an underprivileged area of my city Karachi. I am the member of Amnesty international and honorary member of United Nations of Pakistan, Palestine foundation Pakistan.

I write about the misery of Palestinian and vociferate for their rights. The incessant conflagration of Kashmir and deafening silence of the world is outrageous. I started a petition against the offence which is going on in Jammu and Kashmir. I had written a book about the agony of Kashmir as. ‘ A Tale of Two Flags.’

Life moved on, then the agony of Syria, Iraq and Libya made me write another book which was named as, ‘By the Rivers of Babylon.’ My empathetic horizon widened more by the time when I raised my voice against the offence with the women eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 39

TOP

50

eYs Magazine 2020 GLOBAL KEY INFLUENCERS

SAFIULLAH AFZALI

PASCAL ALLY

TALAL AL MURAD

AFGHANISTAN

NIGERIA

UAE

Co-ordinator at Procurement & Contracts Eti Salat Afghanistan

CEO at Throne Recruitment Service

Executive Director at Al Murad Group / KGM Group

WILLIAM BARRY

PETER BHEDA

Prof. PATRICK BUSINGE

USA

USA

UK

Founder & CEO at Creative Society Media, LLC

Principal at PB Global Advisory

Founder of Greatness University

MUKASA CHRISTOPHER

ALLAN CONNOLLY

FRANK CUIULI

UGANDA

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA

Founder and Director, Tokens of Life Uganda

Founder and Managing Director Kommuniti HQ, Entrepreneur

CEO at 8Squad

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 40

TOP

50

eYs Magazine 2020 GLOBAL KEY INFLUENCERS

Dr NICOLE ARCHARD

Dr HARBEEN ARORA

DANELA ARSOVSKA

AUSTRALIA

INDIA

MACEDONIA

Principal, Loreto College, Marryatville

Founder & Global Chairperson at Women Economic Forum (WEF)

President at Macedonia Chambers of Commerce

JILLIAN BULLOCK

MARSHA CASPER COOK

MANNA DABHOLKAR

AUSTRALIA

USA

USA

LinkedIn Ninja Down Under

CEO at Michigan Avenue Media, Inc

CEO at GIFT Global Initiative

PAULA DUNN

TIMA ELHAJJ

SHELLY ELSLIGER

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA

CANADA

Founder & CEO, Limited Leadership Academy

Founder & CEO, Time Media Consulting

Senior Careers Education Specialist and Resident LinkedIn Trainer

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 41

TOP

50

eYs Magazine 2020 GLOBAL KEY INFLUENCERS

RICHARD DIPILLA

JUDE EDIAE

MICHAEL GRINDER

USA

AUSTRALIA

USA

Founder and CEO at Global Goodwill Ambassador’s, GGA

Founder & CEO at Global Youth Mental Health Awareness, GYMHA

National Director of NLP in Education

Dr John HARRISON

KEITH KIRKWOOD

HASSAN RENGOU MFOUAKIE

INDIA

UGANDA

TURKEY

K-12 Expert, Education Influencer, Polymath & Philosopher, Leadership Team – Indus International School, Hyderabad

Chairman at GIFT Global Initiative

Founder & CEO at World Youth Summit Organisation

DERICK MILDRED

DRAGAN MITKOVSKI

ARTHUR MATOVU

AUSTRALIA

MACEDONIA

UGANDA

LinkedIn Coach/Trainer, Results Formula – Get Better Results from LinkedIn

CEO at Mitkovski MM, President of the Chamber of Accountants at Macedonian Chambers of Commerce

Founder at Model for Peace Forum

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 42

TOP

50

eYs Magazine 2020 GLOBAL KEY INFLUENCERS

ASHABA FARIDAH

AMBIKA HIRANDANI

PIX JONASSON

UGANDA

INDIA

AUSTRALIA

CEO at Bambino Life Foundation

Legal & Government Affairs Advisor

Mindset Coach, Speaker, Best-Selling Author

LISA JONES

TANJA KARAKAMISHEVA

DR RUBY BAKSHI KHURDI

USA

MACEDONIA

SWITZERLAND

President & COO, Global Goodwill Ambassadors, GGA

Prof. Faculty of Law “Lustinianus Primus,” Skopje

Ray Academy Swiss

RACHEL MITCHELL

KANIKA MUNIYAR

USA

INDIA

VICTORIA NKEMDILIM OGBUEHI

Executive Producer Director of Programming Elevate Media

Book Author – Literatureslight Publishing

NIGERIA Security Operations Manager, Coca Cola

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 43

TOP

50

eYs Magazine 2020 GLOBAL KEY INFLUENCERS

BLAZE NAJDOVSKI

MOHSEN RASTY

AMIT SARAWAGI

AUSTRALIA

IRAN

INDIA

Executive Security Manager DIP Security Risk Management & Security Consultant

Management Consultant at V-R Associations

Co-Founder & CEO at Trueledger

ADIGUN TEMITAYO

SEYI TINUBU

NIGERIA

NIGERIA

Co-Founder & President at Wheels of Hope Rising Foudation, WHRF

Special Advsior Security & Intelligence to the President of the Senate

NOEL WHELAN

Ihsanullah ZIRAK

AUSTRALIA

AFGHANISTAN

International Counter-Terrorism Subject Matter Expert

Director at Procurement & Contracts Eti Salat Afghanistan

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 44

TOP

50

eYs Magazine 2020 GLOBAL KEY INFLUENCERS

RANIA ZERVALAKI PATRONA

FAJER RABIA

CHERYL RANDALL

GREECE

PAKISTAN

USA

Vice President & Co Founder SA Constructions

General Secretary at Hum Pakistan

Director of Operations

SHAHWAR SHOHRAT

MS SUCHI

INDIA

SINGAPORE

CEO at The Luxe Story

Speaker, Coach, Mentor, Laughter Queen

CHRISSY SYKES

MIREILLE TOULEKIMA

UK

AUSTRALIA

Creator of the My Body is My Body Program

Regional Manager & PR, Australia/NZ/Pacific

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 45

COVER STORY World’s Leading Practitioner NeuroPhysics Therapist and Martial Arts Expert

FRANK CUIULI Story and Interview by Jasmina Siderovski

F

ormer Martial Arts professional who has held global rankings, Frank Cuiuli dedicated his life to understanding what drives sustainable high performance. He practiced as a rehabilitation therapist dealing with conditions ranging from PTSD to Brain Injury.

Currently the Chief Executive Officer of 8Squad with a goal to create one of the leading boutique digital services companies in Australia. Defined by culture and differentiated through a new operating model which is designed for autonomy and supporting people’s vision.

Trained by extraordinaire and mentor, Ken Ware - Founder of NeuroPhysics Therapy and the Neurotricional Sciences Institute, Frank is a crucial player in the field of NeuroPhysics and dealing with the development and use of physical techniques to gain information about the nervous system on a molecular level.

This unique approach quantifies the

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secrets behind the nervous system and the conception of biological organisms through the treatment and therapy of a sophisticated exercise-based method.

There is a prevalent interest in this method of treatment worldwide. Experts continue to debate the place of the conscious observer—a popular field for research and questions the rules of PNeuroPhysics operating in biological structure.

Frank’s extensive experience has had broad applications across many aspects of rehabilitation and performance. His proven methods trigger the nervous system and stimulate the body to re-adjust for optimal function in impressive time scales. Frank focuses on a self-healing process allowing the body to upgrade itself into a comfortable and ideal state of function, by underpinning the presented restraints.

A professional of a high decree, Frank exemplifies the true meaning of tenacity.

Frank is always open to new ideas because he wants to keep growing and learning -

he has a growth mindset. For example, everyone should have opposition, and it is natural and to be encouraged. If you don’t have opposition, you are not trying hard enough, or you are deluded. Developing appropriate tenacity and displaying the right level of resolve may not win the day, but it will earn the respect of those you are attempting to influence. Rather than outright rejection of anything to the contrary, Frank’s tenacity, seeks opportunities to bring people towards his purpose, even if that means modifying his route or some of the detail along the way.

He has always held true to his purpose!

On the corporate platform, Frank is a dynamic influencer for social change and corporate responsibility. An esteemed leader who enhances innovation through digital transformation and setting the benchmark in the industry. An entrepreneur tried and tested and is the epitome of what it takes to succeed in the real world and the challenges we face daily.

Could you please tell our readers about your background and life growing up?

I am from a typical Italian Middle-Class family where both my parents worked, and my grandparents mostly raised me. I was a sporty kid, and my parents encouraged trying any sport I wanted.

Like most kids experienced in that era, bullying was the norm.

I had my share of it and responded by being drawn towards martial arts.

The martial arts was probably the one sport which took me many years of convincing my parents to let me take part. By the time I got to high school, my parents let me take on Tae Kwon Do classes at the school gym, which lasted about six months before coming across a Kung Fu system based in Chinatown. I don’t know how I convinced them to let me join Choy Lee Fut, but I did. I guess I was effective at annoying them until they caved.

Joining that school was like a duck taking to water. I was 13 yo when I joined and within one year of training; I was competing in a National Kung Fu Tournament—held by William Cheung In Melbourne, in the open form’s category competing against adults who had been training for over 15 years and running their own schools. None of my family took my training seriously or realised my talent. I ended up winning that tournament and quickly became a national champion in Kung Fu Forms. Less than 12 months later, I was on a plane with a group of adults to Tianjin China representing Australia in the All-China National Wu Shu championships. The Olympics of Kung Fu, recruiting most of the Chinese Kung Fu movie stars.

I was in year 11 at school when I travelled to China for the second time, touring most of the south. When I came back, I was

not sure where I was at in life, so I left school. I auditioned for roles in stage productions, and my first gig was in the German Opera, ‘Rake’s Progress.’ It then led to several other productions where I played acrobatic and dance roles. A fun distraction from life for that year, but then returned to school. After realising that I needed to get a real job after the opera work went quiet, I had to repeat year 11 to complete my HSC. The mark was not worth the paper I wrote it on. It summed up my entire high school experience.

Martial Arts was my identity through most of my teenage years.

Unfortunately, I got to know many of the wrong people and found myself in more trouble than I could cope. By my late teens, I was well in over my head and starting to lose sight of who I was. I had distanced myself from my family, and all the trouble came to a head at about 19 years old.

A gunshot wound gave me time to reflect on my direction in life and getting in trouble with the law serving 1000 hours in community service let me really think about the future I wanted to create.

I then began putting myself back together at about the age of 20. I started dating (now wife) Carmen and working in retail to keep me busy. I kept my link with Martial Arts but moved towards different circles to change my environment. I ran my Martial Arts school at night and worked Men’s Retail through the day. While working in retail, I met my first Mentor, Rudy Eckhardt, who I then embarked on an over ten-year journey of self-transformation. Almost, every challenge I faced in life the work I was doing with Rudy and years of practising self-mastery that enabled me to get up and persist through failures.

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While working in Men’s Fashion, I also met the man who would offer me my first job in computers. Joseph Hayek offered me a sales role for a small computer store selling PC’s and Laptops before the notion of a personal home office existed. That offer combined with the work I had already begun with Rudy is what changed the entire trajectory of my life.

Is there any moment or memory that stands out for you?

Winning the Australian Kung Fu Nationals at 13 Years Old was a real highlight for me. It was my first major stage experience.

Performing and getting such a strong response from the crowd lifted my self-belief, and raised my self-awareness of who I am.

Doing this on my own with no family to even watch me on the day was also what I think has set me up to be very much selfdriven and independent in life.

I understand you are a Martial Arts expert could you guide us through your journey.

My first real Martial Art was a Southern Kung Fu system, ‘Choy Lee Fut,’ which I started training at 13 years old. I trained with the direct descendant of the system; whose great-greatgrandfather was the founder. I was with this school for almost eight years, but the techniques are a staple in my training. I then spent my 20s training in more contemporary martial arts such as Kick Boxing, Karate, and a little of Ju-Jitsu. I competed in full contact with Karate, Point Karate, and Kickboxing tournaments throughout my 20s. I also began going deeper into my meditation practices during this time.

Then in my early 30s, I began training an internal Martial Arts system which originates in the Wudang province of China.

This system comes out of the Daoist methods of training and incorporated Daoist meditation. I stayed with this system for almost ten years before realising the common thread of what all systems aim to teach. I then turned my focus on understanding the body more deeply without the nuance and vague descriptions often given by masters on what is happening in the body with the training. In my 40s, I see movement as a 4D dimension.

Movement is an expression of the mind, and regardless of the movement you do, it is more about the approach. I have also gone back to Buddhist Meditation Lineage as my means of training the mind.

When and why did you become a Certified NeuroPhysics Therapy Practitioner?

After I sold my technology consulting business back in 2012, I went back to study the body more scientifically. I had also been studying the use of psychedelic compounds to alter perception and to understand consciousness. I booked a trip to the Amazon to experience one of the most potent Psychedelic experiences with a native Shaman. Those two weeks opened up the journey which would guide my life to this day.

After coming back from the Amazon, I connected with many practitioners around the world who specialised in peak performance and human development. I spoke with several Neuroscientists in executive development programs. Through several synchronistic events, I met Ken Ware, based in Queensland. I had experienced several therapies such as TRE, which uses the body’s natural Tremor response to release stress out of the system. When I met Ken, I wanted to understand what he was doing achieving the results with very high order conditions that were unheard of. Notably his work with spinal cord injury. eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 48

When I met Ken and experienced his protocols, he had gone far, far deeper than anyone else in how to leverage these dynamics to bring back balance to the body. I connected the dots around how these dynamics also support complex learning and development, as it all has to do with how the brain makes new connections and breaks old habits.

Hooked from the start, I began my studies as a NeuroPhysics Therapist immediately, which was sometime between late 2012, and early 2013.

What is PIVOTme? PIVOTme was the evolution of what started as a consultancy for Developing Culture and High Performance in Business and morphed into a rehabilitation centre for people who were dealing with complex issues. Unfortunately, because of the complex nature of our health system, we could not make the business model work. The high costs required to run this kind of centre needed a flow of patients to sustain the business. Not possible when you are working on the outside of the Approved Allied Health regulatory framework.

After investing many millions of dollars trying to solve this issue, we gave up. Our government is not there yet where they can help new therapies get through the regulatory hurdles required to bring this kind of practice to market. It meant that anyone who wanted to explore this kind of therapy did so out of their pocket. It also meant Doctors who observed first-hand what this therapy achieved for their patients, could not refer other patients to us. Their license would be on the line if they referred to nonapproved Allied Health Practitioners.

After deciding to close the Rehabilitation element of PIVOTme, which also came at considerable costs, I reverted it to my research vehicle. I continued to explore and test our methods in the corporate setting. Today, I use the Adaptive Human Framework to develop high-performance culture programs in business. We are applying this framework at 8Squad, where I am the current CEO.

As a life-changing rehabilitation practitioner for many patients around the world are there any cases in your mind that stand out that changed a person’s life for the better? What was their life like before you began working with them?

While all our patients’ results are equally impressive, there are a few cases which stand out for me. One, in particular, was a young Lebanese man, Chadi, who had a car accident in Lebanon, and was left in a coma for three months. The doctors did not expect him to come out of the coma, but he did. Unfortunately, he suffered right hemisphere brain damage which left him unable to speak and confined in a wheelchair.

Chadi is probably one of the most determined individuals I have ever met.

He taught himself to speak again and would never accept “Can’t” as an idea of setting his goals. Once he regained his speech, he set his sights on walking.

Despite the doctors and specialist were telling him this would be highly unlikely due to the brain damage he suffered.

He came out to Australia and lived with an Aunty for three months while embracing our therapy. The results were miraculous.

His tenacity and hard work paid off.

Today, he is back at University living mostly independently. He has ditched the wheelchair and can execute high order movement such as a burpee, something

I am sure he likes to demonstrate to his doctors. While he still has work to do, this is a turnaround which you could not have expected. I knew from the first time I spoke with him that it was going to be fun working with Chadi. It helped me understand how much we take for granted, such as the simple notion of independence.

For Chadi, a young good looking 22 yo, being able to regain his social life and challenge the conventional thinking what was possible due to his injury, was aweinspiring for me to be a part of. While NPT gave us the tools and framework to work within, we are a guide on the journey, and it is our clients who are the real magic makers. Being part of that journey is a blessing for a practitioner, and it is the main thing I miss about being able to practice as a therapist.

Plus, I made a friend for life. Now we speak about his options coming out of a Degree. He is a bona fide genius and wants to pursue Data Science and AI as a career option. Mentoring him through his career options is our next frontier!

What are the most valuable lessons you have learned in the profession of NeuroPhysics?

Learning about Complex Systems Theory.

Understanding that regardless of whether you are dealing with an individual human

being, or a collective of human beings, it is all part of a complex adaptive system.

This idea has changed how I look at my problems, societal problems, and is central to how I run my current business.

Science has traditionally been reductive in its nature. It means breaking everything down to cause and effect, to reduce it to one thing which causes something and is not how our body, nor our great lived experience, works. I believe this kind of thinking runs through how we teach at all scales. It influences our thoughts as victims of someone else’s action. The constant pursuit of the silver lining, which is going to fix all our pains and problems in life lead us to view things from the lens of complexity.

At the most basic level, means that when you feel pain, mental or physical, it is not one thing that you can fix to liberate you from that pain truly. Everything in your Psychophysical system creates a feedback loop to something else. The headache you have today could very well be about how your body responded to the difficulty you had at work yesterday. A massage and a Panadol may fix the problem short term. Learning how to deal with the root cause often means accepting something you need to change is the only way you can liberate yourself from those future headaches.

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Is there any useful advice you would like to offer anyone else who may be interested in pursuing the same path?

Stay curious and keep exploring.

Ultimately study was vital to opening up my paths of inquiry, and the NeuroPhysics course online would be an excellent place for many to start. Ken has broken down the courseware into small modules which makes it affordable but also makes it easy to consume in your own time. Even if your goal is not about becoming a practitioner, the knowledge will open up thinking and pathways you may want to deepen your exploration.

What are three aspects that you learned about yourself along the way??

I have always had the tools within myself.

It just took a long time to trust they were then when I needed them. My limitations were always a construct of my mind. I have often picked the big audacious goals out of a fear of being good enough in life. It was my way to prove I was good enough, smart enough, etc. For me now it is less about the outcome and I think I have finally (took 48 years) embracing the journey. While I still have the drive, it now comes from a different place.

How did the name ‘8squad’ come about, and why did you choose the path of salesforce?

The name came about organically based on the business model, based on a decentralised control framework. Our teams are organised in groups of between 5–8 people that self-organise based on specialisation and market focus. We have both a decentralised and distributed command, which makes us more adaptive to market forces. The traditional management models are top-down in their function where critical decisions and strategy is set from the top and cascades down into the business.

Essentially, we turned this model on its head. Strategy is still set from the leadership, but execution is distributed across the teams and managed through a strict but straightforward governance process. No one individual has too much say over the overall business. If we get something wrong, it will only affect a subset of the business as opposed to an entire division. If we have leadership issues, we also see these indicators early.

Your expertise as a rehabilitation practitioner is awe-inspiring. I can appreciate your experience as a eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 50

practitioner would be a massive bonus for your organisation, team and clients that make your company stand out from the others. Name three key areas where your company leads the way as an innovator in the race for effective leadership.

I would stand up and confidently say that very few companies globally would have gone as far as we have in implementing a human development model which covers Physical, Mental and Spiritual development as we have. Most companies pay lip service with their current implementation of wellbeing programs.

By taking on this holistic process, we can prove how our people - when compared to others with like skills, with similar experience - will outperform because they; Know how to put aside their own beliefs and biases when dealing with conflict; Learn how to maintain a physical state that gives them access to higher-order thinking processes when under stressful conditions; and Based on their training on Self Awareness, they will have an improved ability to manage the surrounding team (not just ours, but the teams of our clients) to usher better outcomes because of their ability to coach and guide people through their challenges.

This model is continuously evolving as new science and processes are made available and are not optional. Our people embark on a journey, much like a Martial Artist. They start with a white belt and work their way to a black belt. Each step they have to prove they have assimilated what they have learned through application.

It is not just enough to remember your Kata… you need to demonstrate you know how to use the skills you have learned. MANY leadership developments

programs don’t cut it. It is not because of the information being shared, but the expectation that they can acquire these skills over a week-long course. Then people will get it and implement what they have learned once complete. Change is hard, and development programs need to be a continuous learning journey. This takes commitment from the company and its employees.

How do you think your colleagues would describe you?

Dedicated, focused, and a little bit crazy.

Unfortunately, the world has changed drastically overnight because of the global pandemic COVID-19 and has played havoc in the world economy and mental health. What’s a goal you have for yourself that you want to accomplish in the next year or two?

Build a business which truly is about building people as holistic entities, rather than being commodities for economic benefit. 8Squad will allow me to prove the Adaptive Human model. Over the next two years, we will test it in an organisational context. Hopefully, provide real data for other organisations to adopt this or similar models as a tool to build more resilient and balanced employees. I am a true believer that this will have not just a positive economic impact on their companies but have a positive impact on the families for those employees as they take what they learn back into the household. We see early evidence of this in our current implementation of the model at 8S. As a professional in media, I am aware that this is the time for growth and change in the way we as individuals/ organisations think, operate and face challenges in a changing era. Up-

very proud of. Aside from this, I have had two very significant business failures which cost my wife, an extremely significant amount of money. Getting up and getting on with it after these failures are my greatest achievement.

What are three pet peeves?

People asking for help, but only to do the thing they wanted to do in the first place.

People not taking accountability for their shit The current world’s trend towards extreme political correctness.

Everything has a balancing point.

Do you have any other skills or talents that most people aren’t aware of?

I have just taken up Freediving! My next frontier of self-mastery.

If you could be anywhere other than here, right this minute, where would you be?

If I wanted to be somewhere else, I would go there.

If we went to happy hour, what would you order?

Espresso Martini or a nice glass of red.

How do you want people to remember you?

Someone who was never scared of a challenge and lived to the fullest.

What are some things on your bucket list? skilling is vital for survival—what are some other ways we can grow and learn to overthrow any future problems?

The simple answer is Self-Awareness and personal accountability.

Our environment has outpaced our ability to cope. As a human race, we need to upgrade our OS for the future evolution of our species. But we can’t forget the basics. Our DNA is essentially not optimised for our current way of life. The environment (technology and urban living) is frying our circuits, and society is moving away from anything which causes pain (emotional and physical) as an attempt to create equality and justice for all. But, like everything in a healthy system, there is a careful balancing point for the system to run in an optimum fashion. In every way, we have lost that balancing point and moved to the extreme ends of every scale.

Who is someone you admire, and why?

Joe Rogan—I kind of have a man-crush on Joe. He has similar interests to me, and how he has built the world’s largest podcast is admirable. He has done so without changing who he is, and in fact, embraces the rough edges as part of his persona. He openly speaks about Psychedelics and his own experiences with them.

He gets to speak to some most interesting people on the planet through the podcast vehicle. He is definitely someone I admire and would hang out with.

What do you consider being some of your greatest achievements?

Very simple. First, my kids who at least so far seem to be pretty well balanced and are growing to be the kids a father could be

Skydive, More Travel, Free dive to 40 meters.

What are some causes you care about, support or play a role?

I like to support programs which focus on mentoring the next generation of youth. The best way we can fix problems in this world is helping the next generation be better than us. I am involved in mentoring and developing underprivileged youth. I believe there is so much latent talent dormant in people, who have not been presented with an opportunity in life or have just made some bad choices as I did in my early years.

What do you do with your friends in your spare time?

Spare time? No such concept in my life. My life is about prioritising time. My friends’ circles are usually oriented around my passions. So, in this case, it would be training, diving, learning & building businesses.

What is your motto?

Passion – Truth – Tenacity (Tattooed on my arm) The meaning behind these words; If something is not worth your Passion, then it’s not worth your time Truth – Comes from a Stoic Principle – Self Mastery depends on Self Honesty Tenacity – Acknowledge that Suffering and Difficulty are inevitable

eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 51

ENTREPRENEUR

PETER BHEDA A Universal Success Magnate

Story and Interview by Jasmina Siderovski

H

ow often do you reap the rewards of success? Or define an inner strength that creates our passion to step into a sense of completion. Greatness is not about the materialistic possessions we value as keepsakes but the worldliness we create as others observe the impact that notion of achievement leaves in our shadow.

It’s rare we meet people who leave an aura well beyond the words, actions and their journey, and Global Entrepreneur Peter A. Bheda is no exception. He is the Chairman and CEO for Frontera Hotel Group and the Founder and Principal for PB Global Advisory, LLC, Dallas, Texas, USA—and no stranger to the world stage. A Global Goodwill Ambassador, GGA, and a philanthropist who has changed the lives of many around the world. Mr Bheda is a silent observer who strives to bring out the best in others. A mentor, businessman and wonderful husband, and father. Recently, celebrating his daughter’s wedding Mr Bheda exhumed pride and love for his family, appreciating the changing world our children are raised and the importance to succeed and be at peace with the choices they have made along the way.

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Mr Bheda believes that as a leader it’s important to motivate and ensure performance on all levels is met to deliver a sound and lasting impression with key driven results within a work and team environment. A long standing highly respected Hotelier, and CEO, Mr Bheda values the commitment level and what it takes for a leader to succeed and achieve best results through maximising the essential ingredients of experience. These include performance based and collaboration in a meaningful work environment.

The second oldest of eight children, Mr Bheda moved to America in 1972 to create an opportunity for himself and help toward the finances for his family. Working long hours, and multiple jobs taught him that to excel one must have a desire to learn, educate and self-development that all play active roles toward the end goals—in his case the hospitality industry. A strong advocate for education, Mr Bheda considers that learning is an important element of any educational and professional environment. The diverse backgrounds everyone brings with them are the foundation for building understanding of best practices and methodologies; as key influences for both individuals and collective groups.

His passion for a wealth of knowledge continues today after 40 years of senior level experience in hospitality, enriching his vast array of leadership qualities as he begins his Master’s Program at Boston University a role model for us all.

Mr Bheda is a humble and dedicated changemaker, a mentor who utilises his wisdom, experiences and lessons learned along the way. Known to women and children in vulnerable communities as a philanthropist providing essentials, food and clothing, education and guidance that create hope, opportunity and a sense of peace touching the hearts of many thankful people from around the globe.

An amazing humanitarian, and exemplary figure to emulate in more ways than one.

Driven, ambitious and results orientated, his virtue is contagious. An altruistic and leading example for empowering men, women and children, and entrepreneurs to pay it forward and give back to the communities that need a helping hand.

Appreciating cultural diversity at its best and sensitizes a global populace about the importance and benefits that come with education, opportunity and protecting our world to become a better place.

Could you tell our readers a little about your background?

I came to the United States in 1972. I am the second eldest of eight, and I always felt the need to set an example and impress upon my siblings the rewards of hard work and knowing I have done the job well. I felt it was my responsibility not

only to set this example, but to provide financial support for my family and often held down more than one job.

I was a very busy young man from an early age. My first hotel job was as a trash collector with the 1200 room Philadelphia Sheraton in Pennsylvania, USA. I was eager to be the best at my job. Our guests have always been important to me, and I knew they, along with my colleagues and coworkers, were counting on an excellent stay. It was up to me to do more than just my part to provide that service excellence, the acronym I frequently use today. I would also deliver linens to guestrooms and I would make sure bed covers were folded correctly in every guest room, even rooms that were not assigned to me.

My boss took notice of my work right away and promoted me to a highly coveted position in the front office. This was a dream come true for me. I felt as if I had won the lottery. It was an incredible feeling, knowing that I had been recognized and my work had been noticed by everyone. I made my way through a corporate management training program at what was then known as ITT Sheraton Corporation and became a General Manager. I received numerous awards and accolades like General Manger of the Year in Minneapolis, achieving Hotel

of the Year in Baltimore and managing renowned luxury hotels like the Parc 55 and Westin in San Francisco, the Park Central in New York City and the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino at 2,500 rooms in Las Vegas.

I still hold the belief that hard work, dedication and doing the job well, pays off. Recognition and promotion are wonderful to receive, but I have been driven by my desire to see and experience my own hard work lift me to incredible heights. I have always set the bar high for myself and strive to reach them. Doing so has been the best reward.

How did you end up in the hospitality industry?

I enjoy surrounding myself with good people. I enjoy meeting new people, finding new experiences and opportunities, and making new discoveries. Our industry offers so many learning experiences to see the world and experience culture. I consider myself a lifelong learner, and true-life experience is an incredible teacher. I found hospitality at a young age, and it taught me something I did not know about myself: the enjoyment of being with and serving people. I thrive on providing excellent service to guests from around the corner or around the world. I have eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 53

met people from many backgrounds going in many directions, and I have learned from so many of them what it takes to make an incredible hotel stay and experience. That is what we do: we provide excellence. I am passionate about that, and I am grateful that this industry found me rather than me discovering it.

When and why did you become a leader in such a high turnover industry demanding nothing less than leadership at its best?

I enjoyed the fast pace of hotels early on. There is never a dull moment and always something new every day; a new opportunity to make a lasting impression. Hospitality offers the ability to welcome people to our hotel, our home, and we take pride in offering the best service, the best accommodations, the best of everything. That spoke to me and I enveloped myself in that mindset: welcoming people to my hotel, my home. I wanted to work hard and achieve and excel. I found recognition motivated me and the more I enjoyed, the more I wanted. I needed a place in a leadership capacity. I wanted to instill my work ethic, my habits, and my best practices. I enjoy mentoring and motivating others, and I learned I enjoyed this very early in my career. I find joy in seeing others succeed, and I am happy when I know I have played a part in one’s growth and success. We have a high turnover in our profession, but that means there are so many people to teach, and learn from, and grow with. I surround myself with new people and new opportunities every day and that is motivation itself to be the best leader I can.

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What are some key lessons you have learned along the way that contributed to your success today?

Never give up. It is simple. It is an old adage, but it is one I have lived by and one I have taught my children, and all the leaders I have helped develop in my career. We have infinite possibilities before us in life, our profession, our calling, our passions. I have learned to always strive to be the best and find the resources and tools to help get there. My mountain is my profession, and I must climb it every day. I simply wanted to thrive and be the best I could. I started to climb the hospitality ladder, winning over recognition from my superiors, and that motivated me to continue to be my best. I quickly found myself sharing my success tools with others: hard work, preparation, a keen sense of being open and creative to try new things.

Can you walk us through your journey, mainly finding the motivation to commit to an art that requires patience, understanding, direction and guidance?

As I have said, my profession is my passion, my mountain. I have always felt the need to set the example and set the bar high for those in my life. Hard work has been integral in my success.

I believe success is earned; no matter how you measure it. I came to America with very little money, but so much enthusiasm for my new home and my life ahead of me. I often held two jobs while in school and felt the need to provide for my family. That need to strive and achieve was all-encompassing, and I still have it.

As the CEO of PB Global, can you tell us about your vision and how this successful company has climbed to a global leader in the industry?

Dynamism. I keep strong, capable, excited people on my team. I have taught leaders who have excelled in real estate, finance, human resources, revenue management, sales and marketing and operations. I have a knack for finding and retaining talent and as much as I enjoy learning; I enjoy giving to those in my professional care and thrive on seeing their successes and professional growth. I encourage my team to experience and find newness.

Additionally, I keep abreast of industry trends, keeping a vast professional network, sharing ideas and concepts, yet holding to my favorites: hard work and preparedness. Our industry is ever evolving and keeping a mix of fresh approaches combined with tried-and-true core beliefs has given me win after win.

Is there any advice you would like to offer anyone else who maybe interested to pursue the same path?

Be prepared and always expect the unexpected. I recently interviewed someone for a key position within my organization and during the discussion, he revealed that in the course of his work, he had “seen it all�. I was not impressed

with that statement as I do not subscribe to that point of view. There is no way any one of us has seen it all. Market conditions, consumer tastes, branding, and global activity shift everything we do.

My advice is to prepare yourself. There is so much out there that one choosing to follow a similar path will see and do, and it will shape one as an individual, as a professional. Be open to receive that, and then share it with those coming behind you.

What motivates you to be a changemaker—especially during these challenging times?

I know that nothing is forever, including adversity. Our need to strive and to know and predict is inherent. I am not one to sit by and take the punches as they come. I need to be the driving force of change and development. I am always there to support and encourage my team to do things right. That does not mean that I do not trust others, or I do not delegate; instead, I surround myself with excellent team members and associates. I have always felt the need to take on the heavy lifting so we can all enjoy when the day is done.

I enjoy being a driving force and seeing results: good and bad. With good news, we continue, and we reap the reward and celebrate as a team. With the bad, we try

again and try something different until we reach the desired result.

Today, we have COVID-19 and it has turned us upside down. I am responsible for the success of my company, my employees, their ability to pay bills and feed their families and pursue their own passions and interests. I want to be a catalyst for that. In 1994, I was selected as the General Manager for a 700-room hotel in Baltimore, MD. The first task before me was to corral our entire hotel team as it had become known that there was trouble among them, and the hotel was in severe financial decline. I dove headfirst into understanding the culture that had existed for many years within the hotel.

Through some due diligence I found out that the associates were unhappy, never appreciated, and lacking in communication. I spent the next three months rallying my department heads and held a face-to-face meeting with each of my 200 employees. I got to know them, their families, their needs and wants and developed a bond with them. They knew I appreciated their hard work, and they began to support me and our collective endeavor to turn around the hotel. We won the Hotel of the Year award. This was one of my proudest achievements.

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My journey has taught me that not all life experiences can be presented in a form of a framed degree that one can place in an office or home. The hard lessons I have learned throughout my career, and the amazing people I have met over the last four decades, became a reward in and of itself. Given the option, I would not change any of my experiences, both positive and negative, because they helped shape me into the person I am today. I feel I reflect how my father would want me to be.

I also feel a sense of gratitude knowing that his soul may be content, knowing that I have not wavered in my commitment to uphold his legacy.

As a silent humanitarian who advocates for women and children worldwide and a well-respected mentor on so many levels as a philanthropist are there any initiatives you have played a role in that our readers can learn and be inspired from?

Who is your inspiration and why?

My Dad has always been my inspiration and while he did not even complete his high school education, he was a man of immense moral character with the highest of integrity. Though he left this world a little over three years ago, the profound, heart piercing, gut punching impact Mr. Bheda had on my personal and professional life has been very powerful. It was the loss of a great man I had admired, looked up to, and revered every minute that I had spent with him.

His compassionate nature and his ability to win over anyone regardless of the age or gender was remarkable. He taught me to be humble, never to give up, never to lie, never to cheat or take advantage of people who are weak and cannot defend themselves. He instilled in me the positive energy to never let my age determine the will and determination to achieve greater things. He died at the age of 86 peacefully at home with his children, his grandchildren, and great grandchildren by his side all who had come to witness his graceful death, as he admonished every one of us to be kind and take good care of each other. He truly is my aspiration.

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I honestly don’t recall nor have I ever counted projects, and or initiatives that I have worked on, except that, the most gratification I ever sensed in my heart were from projects that brought smiles on the faces of orphan children in the developing countries. I also recall that almost 2 decades ago, I partnered with the city officials in Baltimore, Maryland, USA to take hundreds of families off of the welfare plan and provide technical training at my hotels so they could learn a skill that would provide sustenance for their extended families. I am also constantly seeking collaboration from leaders around the world. The purpose is to allow me to participate in initiatives, that would improve the lives of young girls and women, as I feel that is one area we need to pay attention to.

Gender discrimination and equality is a global issue and needs to be resolved by global public and private partnership.

Is there a challenge in your journey that stands out that may inspire others?

Yes, never stop learning, and be a student of solution rather than a master of problems. That is what my Harvard Business School Professor told me just 2 weeks ago, as I was completing my Leadership Certification. I thought I knew all the leadership imprints, but quickly realized that I still have much to learn, and that excited me to seek higher education as I prepare for my next step.

My next challenge is one that I hope inspires others. After forty years in my industry, I have decided to return to school and complete by studies in graduate school. I have always felt the value and power of education is second to none. It does not necessarily come in terms of classroom time, or a diploma. I have learned from the world, and the people around me, and in my daily experiences seeing one professional success after another. As I have said, I felt the financial responsibility for my family and my education.

I worked long hours between classes and often held second or third jobs to ensure I had enough money saved. I am ready now to complete my formal education and pursue a graduate degree.

It would be the culmination of all that I have worked for; all that I came to America for so many years ago and I cannot wait to accomplish this. I hope that one would see the work and the dedication I have put in and committed to my education and realize that dreams are achievable with preparedness and determination.

What are your end goals? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

I will always be learning. As I pursue my goals of higher education, it is important that I continue to explore the beauty surrounding our planet and manage to travel and learn. I wish to continue to mentor and teach our youngsters whom I consider to be the future. Last month I was asked to take an online class helping graduate students at the Hotel institute of Montreux in Switzerland to calm their fears about the hotel industry facing a major decline in occupancies around the world. The Dean of the hotel school asked me if I would consider conducting two zoom classes in August and provide guidance to the soon to be grad students and teach them how to make the adjustments in their job search. Not knowing what the future holds for any of us, I would like to share my knowledge and best practices I have acquired, including my most recent certification (completed July 25, 2020) from Harvard Business School in their executive leadership program.

You are stepping up as a role model to undertake your Masters—how do you feel about this decision and what made you take the plunge?

I felt that despite my successful endeavors in my profession, including many awards at the individual hotel, company, and on the national stage; I continued to feel a void that can only be explained from lack of achieving higher education, and not being able to teach, as I had always envisioned. In fact, while I have been a C level execute for over three decades, I was very hesitant in even applying for my Master’s Program. Afraid that most Universities I had wanted to apply to may reject me due to my age. I knew to go for it. Completing my education has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and I knew that the time had come to see that dream to come true.

What is your favorite pastime when you are not working?

I enjoy reading, teaching, leading, and mentoring. I enjoy flying as I have obtained my pilot’s license over 25 years ago and helped in the search and rescue mission of the Civil Air Patrol, which is an auxiliary branch of the United States Air Force. In fact, one of my claims to fame is that I have flown and logged in many flying hours with the late US astronaut Alan Shephard, who spearheaded the USA’s Apollo 13 Mission with NASA. My time in the cockpit with my friend Alan has been one of the most gratifying moment for me personally.

What are your greatest achievements?

I have raised a happy, healthy family. I am the father of three adult children, and I am very proud of each of them. They have all graduated from college and have gone on to lead successful, productive lives. I am proud of the professionals I have brought up as well. I am happy to say that I have contributed to the success of people I have worked with whom have gone on to become award winning hotel general managers, Vice Presidents and CEO’s.

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Model: Kristina Apostoloska

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ART

THE ART OF LIFE WITH MAYA MAYA APOSTOLOSKA Interior Art Deco

H

ow to add an artistic note in your home?

How do I choose the right artwork?

Always pick (wall) art that you love.

It may be a presentation of flowers to make your naked wall more dramatic and colourful, or maybe you admire the animals and you want a painting of an animal to hang on your wall? Maybe you want Budda to give you more peace and a spiritual feeling in the room? Perhaps landscapes or sea paintings as a lovely memory from your last family vacation?

Every space needs a touch of art. In this article, I will share some valuable tips on decorating with fine art.

Our home extends ourselves, transmitting our personality and individuality. Proper decorated surroundings can affect our mood and inspire our state of mind, simultaneously enjoying bringing inspiration to others with our distinct style and ideas. Artistic expression and individuality are beautiful, powerful things. We’re all unique and deserve to have inspiring spaces to live in that reflect who we are to our guests.

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How much importance do you put on wall art when decorating a room?

At what point in your design process do you usually select your art? Art in the interior design should never be an afterthought. By relegating art to the sidelines, you are missing out on an amazing design opportunity. (Wall) art matters the most in interior design.

When wall art has such a prominent role in your design plans and selected thoughtfully and accurately, art can provide for the entire room one harmonious interior. Art is that little extra touch that can make the space/ room appear finished and complete.

Incorporate art that you love and will make you happy seeing hang on your wall is the one properly selected for your interior. The art or décor piece has to fit in with the decorating style that you’ve already chosen for the room. Once you have found a painting or wall hanging art you absolutely

love, you can use that piece as the inspiration for your room’s eventual pallet. Art provides an instant colour palette and has to bring out the accent colours in the room. Choose the dominant colour, and a few additional shades that you’d like to pull out as an accent. It’s difficult to narrow down the possibilities into the colours that best fit your vision for the space, but always keep only one dominant colour.

A brilliant piece of wall art or a single design element creates a focal point in the space. It is the eye catcher for? your soul. The art piece has to be in the right size and to fit the measurements of the wall or the space available for it.

A huge size painting needs prominent space for it to be noticed from a distance. Smaller paintings are easily lost when hung on a big wall, and in that case combining next to each other more of them is a better solution.

Combination of art in a variety of

different mediums helps, bringing a varying sense of texture into the space. Considering pieces like sculptures, small mixed media installation and digital art beside two-dimensional prints or paintings in the space is emphasising the sense of the texture and brings an additional sense of depth to the room. The texture is adding a visual weight to the interior and is helping to determine the tone of the room or how it feels: rough makes space more grounded and intimate while smooth brings a sleeker aloof tone to the room.

Every wall art deserves the respect to be hung or installed properly in a specific location. Always try to place the painting centre on a height level of the eyes or somewhere 2/3 of the wall. Another huge element to consider is lighting. Ideally positioning is in no direct sunlight. Sun rays can drain a picture of its vibrant colour and the painting can fade. Paintings are easily cleaned with a feather duster (they require no cleaning products). Humidity in the space can damage any artwork made from natural materials.

Many people are being overwhelmed in decorating with cheaper mass-produced art like printed reproductions because they don’t have experience in visiting galleries. Buying original and unique pieces of art is simple and easier nowadays, because of the internet opportunities to visit online galleries, finding amazing original art works and easily making connections directly with the artists.

Some artists will take offense at limiting their creativity by the colour of a couch. Professionals, however, embrace constraints and know that art never lives in a vacuum. When I ask most of my client’s what art movement, they like best, I am getting a blank stare. I am continuing the conversation by choosing between simple or complex abstract: energetic pictures with lots of movement or more calming pieces vs. representational. If they lean towards representational than the subject matters: landscapes, seascapes, scenes from history. Then follows the style and the mood: more realistic or more of an interpretation of the subject.

A painting or art piece has to speak to you and suit a room in a way that will both let your personality shine and showcase the piece simultaneously. Being surrounded by art that speaks to you is incredibly inspiring and can improve your own creativity as productivity. Paintings express our personality and feeling, and they should represent who we are.

Every potential art lover has first to think about the styles they like and the emotions they want the art to portray or evoke. We have to understand how to apply artwork as interior decorations, otherwise, you can always arrange an interior designer to help you with

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PHOTOGRAPHY

DEFINE AND SHINE

by CLAUDINE BURGESS Credit: Photography by Claudine Burgess

PHOTOGRAPHY AND WELLBEING

My passion for photography has been there ever since I was a child.

It was my favourite thing to do, getting in my grandmother’s box old photos when visiting her or staying during the summer holidays.

My grandmother was a great storyteller and it went hand in hand when she would show me all her pictures that brought fond memories.

Given a camera for a Christmas present, it became my best friend, and together we explored, travelled the world through very different eyes over many years, as a hobby interest and later in life became part of my current business. Define and Shine Claudine Burgess Photography, “Creative Commercial Photography.”

I never thought that Photography would create a new business until being on a path of reinventing myself after time with Breast cancer and treatment in 2011.Only recently, as part of my research, creating a Mindful photography book.

I stumbled on a case study done in America by Dr. Andrew Cox of the University of Sheffield, and study co-authored by Dr. Liz Brewster of Lancaster University in 2018. Looking at how by taking eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 62

a photo each day would improve the participant’s wellbeing. They recorded what pictures they took, the use of text (content), and how they interacted with others on a daily site for over two months.

They found that taking a photo each day improved their wellbeing; through self-care, social engagement within their community, being more mindful, taking a moment looking for different things to take a picture off, and reminiscence.

My camera is my lifeline, and Photography has always offered me a place of refuge, a place to escape to when feeling lost, anxious, sad, and overwhelmed.

Photography, combined with nature, is where it becomes a powerful tool for me. It’s where my camera focuses my mind and helps me to notice the surroundings and sensations nature presents and time to forget about worries and give clarity, creating a new perspective.

I can so relate to this, and it was my why I took up my camera more frequently being told by my Doctor within my recovery time with breast cancer to take on meditation class. I wasn’t ready for a class at that time and mingle with people, although being a very social person.

I would say my camera took me out into nature, made me do exercise, and engaged with like-minded people who loved photography by sharing photos online.

Taking photos and looking through a lens, it enables your brain time of flow to create. It creates a time to be in silence, to feel the picture you are creating taking notice of little details, and it enhances the thinking of the reason you are taking the photo—what is the story behind the photo you take, how does it make you feel. That is the creation, the moment that will ground you and clear your mind from all the worries that are playing in your head, keeping you awake all night. It gives you clarity and helps you prioritize or make decisions about what is essential in your life.

I firmly believe taking pictures as part of my recovery and looking through the lens is getting into a zone like you would do in a meditation class.

“My Camera gave me time for self-getting back on my feet again in a very changed world” When we think of a photographer, our minds go to the ones with huge cameras and all the gear that goes with it and travels to exotic places. What if I tell you anyone can be a photographer, and the mobile phone gave the pathway we all can capture our beautiful moments at any time of day, sharing it with the world and loved ones.

Photography, taking photos, allows you to have some time for self and can be very much an alternative therapy towards wellbeing, to help with daily overwhelm, anxiety, and even depression. It creates a positive effect on boosting self-esteem, feeling more confident, memory, decision making, and helps you to focus and calm the mind from the everyday hustle and buzz!

They say, to exercise 30 minutes a day–it’s important in your daily life to take time for yourself each day to avoid the risk that if you don’t, you may end up burnt out and disconnected from your true self.

Implementing Photography is an easily accessible tool these days in the techno world we are living. Using your mobile phone as a camera will help to focus on the present, creating, capturing an image that will declutter, destress and calm your mind, and you will see, feel the positive effects on your health and happiness.

Looking back over the years, Photography is my passion, and now part of my business specializing in Creative Commercial Photography, which I love, defining and make businesses shine in the business world trough creating imagery and tell their story.

When I need a bit of distressing these days, the first thing I will do is grab my camera, go for a walk-in nature, or visit the zoo, go to the beach. There are plenty of beautiful things to photograph.

Consider Photography being part of your wellbeing, share your creation, express yourself through your photos. Photography isn’t only a creative outlet to destress your mind; it allows you to create, explore, and share who you are as an individual. Photography is a tool that genuinely connects oneself and the environment.

Whenever you feel that intense feeling of overwhelming and you need a moment to escape from the busyness of daily routines, crab your coat, grab your phone or the camera and go for a walk-in nature—Remember, you don’t have to be a photographer. There is no judgment and no right and wrong in the image that you create.

Photography is my passion, my work, but it’s also my escape from the world, and I firmly believe a camera; it can be an excellent tool for everyone towards wellbeing.

Claudine Facebook: ClaudineBurgessphotography Instagram: Claudineburgess www.defineandshine.com.au eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 63

CREATE

RACHELLE ROE STUDIO

by Anita Roe

W

BE ALWAYS BLOOMING elcome to the Spring edition of eYs Magazine.

I am sure you will all agree that life has been “interesting” since the last edition was published.

The world pandemic certainly puts a different perspective on life as we know it as we embark on what they are calling the “new normal”.

Living in Queensland, Australia, has been a blessing, as we just might have the upper hand on the current climate and many restrictions have been lifted to allow us some freedom. I absolutely love Spring in my hometown of Toowoomba, “The Garden City” and it inspires me to work with colour and floral media.

In the last few months, I have settled into my beautiful new studio, which overlooks the mountains and the city of Toowoomba. It truly is the best of both worlds. Some days it feels eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 64

like I could reach out and literally touch the clouds. I have taken the time to create my studio space and incorporate my soul and personality into my surroundings with the chosen palette predominantly pink, white and champagne. The most beautiful dreamer, which was personally designed by a like-minded creative and friend Bronnie, of BB’s Butterfly Blooms, takes pride of place in my workspace. Centred around Audrey Hepburn, whom I absolutely admire, the design represents pink champagne and the beauty of being who you truly are.

Another memorable and educational event was participating in the Samantha Wills Workshop for Entrepreneurs and Creatives. Samantha is an Australian jewellery designer, writer and speaker who began designing bohemian style jewellery from her dining table and selling her creations at a small market

stall in Byron Bay. Her life experience is not unlike my own and I sincerely admire her passion for life and desire to nurture and support other’s.

I learnt a lot about myself during

the workshop, which came at the perfect time. As I redesigned my studio and began delving into my inner soul and questioning my personal direction, my mindset changed for the better. Sometimes you need to step outside, take a deep breath and remind yourself of who you are and who you want to be. Moving to a new home, creating a fresh studio, pursuing education, direction and addressing my mindset has been just what I needed.

I plan to revisit my signature Meraki Earth Collection and focus on all the designs that have touched my heart and made my soul sing over the years.

I believe that a positive mindset truly attracts abundance and you get back what you give out. The very first week of participating in the workshop and changing my thought pattern brought about an abundance of custom requests, leads in the retail sector, and a very special request to design for a beautiful bride. Sometimes we just need a little nudge in the right direction and to remind ourselves of what makes us happy. My decision to proceed and pursue my dreams in these uncertain times is the healing I need for my negative thoughts and make me believe in myself and my creative mind all over again. I guess you could say that I am retaking my personal vows, to honour and take care of myself personally.

I hope that you too have been able to find some light during these uncertain times. Perhaps it was taking up a new hobby;

picking up a book to read or reaching into the unknown to learn something new without second guessing yourself or the reason why for that matter. I have seen businesses both fail and blossom during the last few months, and I have definitely seen a local community who has stepped up and supported those in need. To be honest, our regional city has truly blossomed, all due to the kindness and support of everyone in the community, which makes me feel proud.

Thank you for taking the time to be a part of my journey.

All going to plan, I will have some beautiful new designs and photographs to share with you from a planned collaboration soon. May you and your families remain well and abundant with love and support. I wish nothing but peace and love to each and every one of you.

Take care. eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 65

CREATE

LOU LOU LIVING

By Pamela Dalseno

H

THE SENSES OF DECORATING

ello everyone, let’s have some chat about how we feel within our space. It could be our home, our office/workplace but most of all we need to make sure it has feelings that we are going to love being within those areas.

What are the Senses of Decorating?

With decorating it is more than how a room, home or any building looks but especially where you live or work, it’s the feel of what awakens you and the love of simply being there. Of the senses, the first noticed would be sight and others are smell, touch, taste and hearing. Now how can we work these together? eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 66

I feel sight is really the most important as it sets the mood for what else is included. So, choosing the perfect paint colour can be so valuable.

Choose a colour that you really adore and know that you can be comfortable to live with and will easily set the base for your other additional styling. You may like to make a feature, even paint with a daring bold colour or perhaps be more subdued with the 60 – 30 – 10 ratio of colour choices. Keep in mind the furnishings that need to be added as they too will make a difference and give that complete style you are wishing.

To evoke emotion in your room is to add smell. This is achieved easily by

scented candles or oil burners, fresh flowers and even having a fragrant plant just outside your window can make all the difference. Just choose your favourite fragrance and incorporate it for your own delight.

There is so much choice available with choosing fragrance and seek some advice to enjoy. I do love Vanilla but there is every possible fragrance choice available. It really can make such a difference.

Touch is the added comfort items.

Here we can splurge on these additions and have as many as we wish but just not going overboard as to clutter. If it’s living space think of what you could have underfoot, the cool of

Taste may seem odd in thought but remember that you live within these spaces and you’ll certainly need somewhere to home all your bits and bobs and that means your coffee cups, champagne flutes etc. and all that you will be using.

These areas need to work for you and appeal so they must be thought of as important. The same rules apply.

Have you ever thought of how hearing noise can reflect on your mood? It’s not always as practical or ideal as we would like to hear the neighbours children playing when we just wish to chill out or that we can hear the street noise of traffic so our relaxing spaces perhaps like bedroom areas need to have thought within planning of how we can best overcome that to obtain our loved result.

Planning these senses can give you a more harmonious lifestyle in your own space as after all it’s our reenergising area.

tiles, polished concrete maybe and then the thought of natural timbers or the faux types offering so widely today.

Maybe soft carpet underfoot is your choice or rugs too are wonderful. Choose the extras of cushions and throws to be soft and snugly and you will find that feel also through feather inserts and to include textures in fabrics of these items will also be sensory. Can you picture your rooms building? What fun you can have with choosing artwork or creating your own.

We’ve all had time during this current pandemic to consider how very important our life is to each and every one of us. Maybe it’s time for change and thought of how very important the aspect of our life is of our homes and to our office/work areas. Ideally it is to feel safe, nurtured, relaxed, be energised, enjoy privacy and have comfort.

These are prime reasons to adapt some if not all of the senses of Decorating and to be our own Creative.

The season of spring ahead here in Australia is a time of beauty and renewal. Let’s make it overflow with love and happiness as we all enjoy those senses in our homes.

Keep well and safe till next time we are connected.

Pam xx eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 67

INSPIRE

A COSY CORNER

by Cosette Awad

LABYRINTH EXIT

D

o you remember when everything was falling apart at so many times in your life, and not just once?

We live in a world where nothing is constant, and how many times we thought this is it, we’re not getting up again, and we’re not going to survive what we’re going through. How many times we gave up too easily? We lost faith and hope, and we refused to hold the hands that reach for us to help us stand up. Daily, we fight our battles; we fight even when we sometimes think it’s a losing battle.

growing up, it all changed when we knew that we have more significant purposes in life.

Life has set many challenges, we live afraid of the unknown, and we walk paths we never thought we would. In so many phases of our lives, we lost people we care about, our dreams changed, what we wanted when we were kids, teenagers,

And no one told us that there are things bigger than getting over a first love or losing a best friend. Grief, for example, let me tell you something about death’s tragedies, the pain, and traumas that cause us to lose someone we love, in an

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No one told us when we were kids that life is more than a playground and failing tests.

accident, sickness, age, etc. We thought there was no life without them; after them. I know that we never recover from losing them, but we do get through the worst nightmares, pain, and grief, with the ones that stayed no matter what.

Life has a funny way of teaching us lessons that sometimes, we don’t want to learn.

They say that we need to standalone, but I say NO we don’t have to go through life without a hand showing us the path, or a

shoulder to cry on when the world is harsh when we feel like suffocating, and without someone who always tells us “I’m here; you don’t have to face all this by yourself.”

The people I love, I go to them to breathe.

All the little things in life that matter is there; we just need to open our eyes. Have our guards down a bit when we find people trying to go all the way to help us. Those are the right ones, the ones that love without boundaries even when they are going through the worst things. They care about you if you slept well; you ate and ask you how your day was. You never let go of those people; you never push away; you hold them dear to your heart.

You will be there for them until they no longer need you, or maybe, just maybe, they will want you to stay, and that’s the biggest reward. Those people that have the warmest spots in our hearts. Those people who made us soft, regardless of the violence we witnessed in our lives.

Being soft isn’t a weakness, it’s strength in the most intense meaning of the word. And how beautiful it is to know that we have something to fight for, someone to fight for. Life is meant to be shared. Focus always on those beautiful people that take care of your dreams like they’re their own.

They say that people always leave. Sometimes they stay, the ones who matter stay, stick with us through our storms and more determined to help us, save us, or stay with us while trying to save ourselves. I can tell from personal experience the ones I love got me through some dark days I didn’t even imagine I’ll get through. Knowing that also they have been going and are still going through worse, but miraculously lifted my spirit and make me smile more. And, whenever a bad thing happens, I say, “At least I have them, I’m not facing this world alone.”

Some people were a turning point in my life that I don’t remember life before them, and I don’t want a life after them. I

know sometimes we feel that we’re not getting out of this maze, that everything is complicated, and life is getting harder. I know that what I’m saying now may seem cliché “Everything will be ok,” but eventually it will, nothing is impossible. We are human in our nature, we’re fighters, warriors, we go through the hardest battles, and we get up countless of times.

Somehow, all the pieces will fall back together in the right place at the right moment.

Always remember that everything you did in life led you to where you are now.

Sometimes, someone will take us home, and sometimes we reach solid ground on our own.

And no matter the situation, always remember that “Nothing is permanent,” as a dear friend, a fighter, a warrior, told me, “and nothing lasts forever, not even pain.” And little I knew before him.

To my human angel, my everyday inspiration.

Photographer: Omar Instagram: @omar_adawiyeh Models: Toya Instagram: @notsotoya Tamara Instagram: @tamarahawi Roy Instagram: @roytivation eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 69

SPIRITUAL

BIG LOVE AND MAGIC

By Julie Michels

A

SACRED BLESSING OF NATURE

s I take a walk with Nature one fine morning a whisper is heard like a gentle rustle of leaves in the wind.

‘Unplug from mass consciousness’, it said.

Sometime has passed since I heard these whispers. It was a welcome delight amongst the chaos of the past months.

Another whisper, ‘Redirect your focus’.

With only the slightest movements and eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 70

the distance sound of birds I paused to breathe in the moment. I redirected my full focus to Nature that surrounded me. I felt the purity of the connection of all that inhabit her and allowed it to fill my heart with peace and stillness.

Allow the light to touch your Soul.

Breathe it in. Bathe in it.

The conversation continued.

Understand the sanctity of life itself and that you are a beautiful being filled with love, life, spirit, spark, and joy.

‘For every thought, feeling or paradigm that disintegrates so much more is blooming around it. Be kind to self during the chaos. Unplug and find the simplicity.

The Light always finds a way to shine through.

Align with the purity within.

Know your worth and maintain your boundaries. Journey deep within to understand thy self.

Seek the lesson in the moment and then grow from there.

Sometimes circumstances fall apart to reveal an opportunity to grow and learn. It is when we get stuck in the drama and fear that we get caught in stress.

There is only one constant in life and that is yourself. Do you connect in faith or fear?

Clarity will come. Thoughts are like clouds. Storms will always pass and by connecting within and calming the mind, clear skies will come.’ It never ceases to amaze me how a single moment during a seemingly simple act of going for a walk can literally feel like a switch has been flipped. It feels like a beautiful uplifting dance and tapping into a state of divine flow.

I knew I had been fighting an internal battle with my health, my relationship to food and sensitivities that have plagued me over the years for as long as I can remember, and I was exhausted from it. In recent times eczema had broken out on my face and neck and it was time to go within and stop glossing over the many elephants in the room with whatever story my mind could come up with. I had never had issues with eczema in the past as the symptoms had always been an internal response to sensitivity.

I had to surrender, and it was time to unlearn what I have learned in the past. What worked in the past was good for just that – the past. I now need to be fully in the present.

When I found the courage to stop the negative loop in my mind, I made the present time choice to redirect my focus to do the small things that create a movement of energy in alignment with what is essential to me. Stuck energy cannot transmute unless I do something about it. Momentum of

change can then begin, and I can open myself up to receiving information and insights that are for my highest good from various sources with my intuition as my navigator.

The journey within is deep yet so powerfully rewarding.

Learning never ceases and I will keep exploring with an open heart.

Big Love and Magic. x Julie eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 71

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

KEZ WICKHAM ST GEORGE Author, Poet, Artist

K

ez has been placed on many walls globally by using her skills in the arts and her authorship. However, very close to her heart is mentoring new authors and artists, promoting kindness, mindfulness and motivation, to encourage others be the best in life you can be, while taking pleasure in watching others blossoming as they become strong in their chosen field and spread their wings and soar.

Placing her empathy for other cultures from a magical multicultural childhood background in New Zealand and firmly believes it was the stories that abounded from her Irish /English parents and family who had married into the aboriginal tribe of Maori and Fijian Indian. When she was young, a Saturday night was nearly always at the local riverside, where a huge fire would be lit and the family or Whanau (family) would arrive to cook their dinner, tell stories, sing and play their guitars. Her young sleepy eyes closing to the sound of yet another tale of family folklore, wars won & lost or the songs of her ancestors.

Kez has learnt to embrace change while assisting others, she practises commitment and consistency with a firm belief that to share your gifts, is encouraging others to build up their own strengths. She also practises one principle earnestly, that is by leading yourself first by placing your own values and principles first, then you can lead others.

Today, Kez has been writing for the past twenty-plus years, including a career in Abstract art and Floral art. She is often requested to curate for art exhibitions as well as holding exhibitions of her own art. Within the past five years becoming involved in the ‘International Wearable arts Mandurah’ both as a competitor and in 2015-2018 their Creative Floral arts designer for the prize giving.

Her career in writing began in 2000 when she wrote and published a Motivational

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Work Training Manual for three New Zealand training schools. In 2007 Kez wrote and self-published a children’s book ‘The Stone Birds’ for a local community in Northern Queensland, Australia. It was then Kez realised she had a story to tell about her travels and the people and characters she meets

along the way, her career as a published author began.

Although Kez has never stopped writing in many genres, she always returns to the adventures and the wonderful folk she meets on the open road. Once that campfire is lit, it seems to be a beacon to others as they arrive from all walks of

& Duchess of Kent of Kensington Palace. The Royal family of Denmark, Amalienborg Palace and the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinta Arden.

One of the children’s books was read and admired by a Perth Playwright, offering to make it into a pantomime, resulting in Kez agreeing to mentor a group of young actors to act in the pantomime and to take it on a successful tour in and around Perth City.

Kez has worked with the public from many different genres always encouraging them to believe in themselves, among them four writers who are now published authors. She also offers workshops locally in Journaling encouraging the use of positive/kind quotes to uplift one another. Kez offers mentorship to emerging writers in and around Australia and internationally.

She gives weekly Facebook reviews of published authors to promote their work, practising her belief in spreading kindness and assisting others to reach their goals.

Kez has a passion for sharing her knowledge in the arts, whether it is writing, journaling or art she encourages others to expand their own horizons; not only in their professional lives, but also their personal lives. She promotes getting to know oneself first; and a belief that there is a knowing/wisdom in all of us, which once recognised, we have a responsibility to share that information with others. Encouragement is a consistent theme throughout her journey; always enhancing growth in self and spirit, to encourage a belief in oneself. Her favourite Mantra is ‘Share your gift as if it’s a river, not a reservoir, let it flow into others’ lives’

life, to simply chat and tell their story. Being good at listening can be added to her achievements. Kez uses her experiences of travelling to write the Adventure /romance she has become known for, she has also written in another genre, a trilogy of paranormal thrillers which she enjoyed writing, but the adventure/ romance stories lured her back, resulting in her last book ‘Metal Mermaid’ being published recently in honour of her very first caravan and road trip around Australia.

2018 Kez became part of a delegation to Ako Japan, the sister city to Rockingham Perth, Australia. Her Role within this delegation was as an Arts ambassador for her local art groups, to encourage artists in Ako Japan to reciprocate with art groups in Rockingham Perth, Western Australia. While visiting this beautiful country she met and invited a well-known local artist in Ako Japan, to illustrate one of her short stories in her recently published book of poetry, plus inviting a local artist from Rockingham Peth to be involved, resulting in a beautiful book of poetry and short stories illustrated by two different countries, her mission accomplished. And, in 2019, an invite was issued to participate in an adventure to Ireland, to stay at a writers’ retreat in Crom Castle both as an author and a public speaker. This adventure resulted in an invitation from two publishing houses to write two anthologies, one in a fairytale genre and one in fiction. These travel adventures have become the backbone to her books.

Within her writing Genre, she has also written three children’s books. Two of her children’s books have been acknowledged by letters of encouragement by HRH Royal family the Duke eYs Magazine, Spring 2020 | 73

eYs Team

MAYA APOSTOLOSKA

COSETTE AWAD

BOJANA BOGOJEVIC

THE NETHERLANDS

LEBANON

SERBIA

Graphic Artist - Conservation and Restoration, and Business Owner

Author

Law and Corporate Governance Lawyer, PostGrad Specialist for Corporate Governance, UN Climate Teacher, and Author

DEEPTI DIALANI

DEBBIE KEMP

DEME MCDONALD

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA

Dentist, Opera Australia Most Inspirational Woman 2019, Mrs India Global 2019, Internationally Published Editorial and Runway Model and Actor, and Philanthropist

Intuitive Life Coach, Speaker and Businesswoman

Scientist, Businesswoman and Motivational Speaker

MARCO PIEMONTE

ANITA ROE

ITALY

AUSTRALIA

CEO - Greenden

RACHELLE ROE STUDIO Jewellery Designer, Businesswoman, and Photographer

Spring 20202020 | 74 74 | eYs eYsMagazine, Magazine, Spring

eYs Team

LISA BELLA BOURGEOIS

CLAUDINE BURGESS

PAMELA DALSENO

USA

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA

Photographer and Global Artist for Planetary Peace

Define and Shine Life Coach and Photographer

Lou Lou Living Owner and Creator

JULIE MICHELS

JULES LAVALLEE

AUSTRALIA

USA

AUSTRALIA

Celebrity Writer & Women’s Empowerment

Photographer, Businesswoman, Author and Traveller

Bookkeeper, Reiki Practitioner, and Business Owner

MINHANZUL RONY

JASMINA SIDEROVSKI

BANGLADESH

AUSTRALIA

CREATIVE – eYs Magazine Creative Visualizer, Xenyl Technology

eYs Magazine CEO, EDITOR-in-CHIEF and Publisher, AwardWinning Author, UNAA, UN Women and UN Volunteer, Honouree World Greatness Award– Civility Humanitarian, and Philanthropist

NATALIE O’CONNOR

eYs Magazine, 2020 | 75 | 75 eYs Magazine,Spring Spring 2020