ENERGY MASTERY

THE POWER OF ENERGY MASTERY

for Workplace Wellness

How Kristen Brown spun a personal tragedy into a cutting-edge career helping organizations use holistic strategies to drive employee leadership, sales, engagement, and happiness.

BY KRISTEN BROWN (SHE/HER)

Who is Kristen Brown?

Well that’s me … and that’s a big question! I’m a hippie nerd who loves hardcore data and research and all things metaphysical. I’ve been able to take my diverse expertise and experience and turn it into a full-time career as a professional speaker. I speak on how to tap into your energy centers for success, even when you’re stressed or overloaded. I spent 15 years in traditional corporate leadership roles working with some of the biggest brands on the planet before a personal tragedy nudged me in a new direction, so I guess you could say I’m a resilient-as-heck riser who can spin any situation into an opportunity for growth.

What happened?

I was widowed 15 years ago when my 30-year-old husband died of a heart attack in his sleep. The picture of health, he had just been given a clean bill of health at his annual physical. With a 10-monthold daughter, a high-pressure job with a challenging boss, and an economic crash following months later, going through that phase of my life proved quite a journey. I didn’t know anything about self-help back then. It was a massive time of experimentation, learning, and opening my mind to trying new things to heal and move forward.

How did you get into speaking on energy?

I started on the side while still in corporate a few years after my husband died. A couple of organizations around Minnesota asked me to share my story at their wellness expos, and the first several events I cried the whole time! But as I saw regular people like me with actual jobs as speakers, I knew I found my path. I loved my career in corporate espionage (okay it was market research but corporate espionage sounds cooler), but I felt called to share my message in a different way. I did speech and drama all through high school and into college, and delivered high-stakes sales and marketing presentations to huge groups of high-level executives for most of my corporate career. Plus I love to talk even though I’m an introvert!

To amp up my knowledge, I got my Master’s in Integral Theory, which I describe as the art and science of multiple perspectives and human growth. I also did several certifications on holistic wellness including a 200-hour RYT yoga teacher certificate, Crystal Reiki Practitioner, Holistic Health Coach, Yoga Nidra, and several more to ensure I saw how work and life play together. I am in a 500-RYT and Yoga Therapy program right now too! Over the

course of five years I left my secure and well-paying corporate job and went back three times as I built my speaking business and wrote a couple books. I finally left for good (knock on wood) eight or nine years ago, but I’m still in it since most of my clients come from corporate and traditional workplaces. But it’s on my terms, and I absolutely love being able to use my background and stories to connect with the audiences I know so well, whether it’s at a convention or conference, company meeting, association event, or on TV!

What is energy mastery?

I describe energy as emotion in action. Any emotion you experience can show up as an energy you bring to your work and life. Often people think of energy as just some high-intensity, positive, active way of being, but you can have stressed or sad energy just like you can have happy or excited energy. Energy mastery is all about awareness of the flow of emotions throughout your day and ensuring you show up how you intend to for your colleagues, clients, and loved ones. It’s all about knowing how to interrupt a negative emotional state on the fly so you can bring your best self as a leader, performer, partner, parent, friend, and human, even when stressed, burnt out, or dealing with change. This can be done through body, mind, and spirit activities that change the way you function down to the cellular level and at a highly-metaphysical level too.

“It’s all about knowing how to interrupt a negative emotional state on the fly so you can bring your best self as a leader, performer, partner, parent, friend, and human, even when stressed, burnt out, or dealing with change.”

Why does energy matter?

When we feel sad or bad it shows up on our faces, in how our bodies feel, and in how we communicate and engage with others. When in a lower energetic state, it impacts how others perceive us and can hurt our careers and relationships in a big way. When you learn to master your energy centers you charge up all dimensions of you so you can lead and live with awareness, confidence, and impact.

How does someone get started?

Hire me to come speak for your organization! Seriously though — it begins with the willingness to acknowledge your growth opportunities, and then opening your mind to new ways of thinking. I tell my audiences with the cutting edge ideas I share with them, they will need to unclench their butts when they feel nervous, triggered, or think something sounds weird or a little (or a lot) too hippie for them. My audiences are VERY diverse in terms of levels of spiritual and emotional development, so I must be sensitive to all types of people. I explain how my early journey after being widowed was all about experimentation and filled with things that made my butt clench. But some of the scariest and “weirdest” things were also some of the most pivotal in my healing journey. Once you’ve opened up to the idea of energy mastery then it’s all about awareness. I use several frameworks to help organizations and individuals navigate their growth path. We pick the one that’s best based on worldwide and industry trends, corporate culture, employee work/ life dynamics, what their goals are, and the overall event theme.

Why does energy matter at work?

Energy is critical at work because when you use turn it on and turn it up it does several things: 1. You will be a more relatable and powerful leader. 2. You will get in-the-zone faster when selling and negotiating. 3. You can tap into creativity and innovation when you need it most. 4. You will make better decisions with greater clarity. 5. You will have less stress and burnout when you get stuck. 6. You will deal with change and challenge more effectively. 7. You will have more motivation to go after your goals and dreams. 8. Many more!

How do you make energy and the holistic theories you teach applicable and approachable for organizations?

I give audiences Powershots — instant, practical, researched, and actionable tools they can use right there in the room and when they get back to their work and home. Easy and fun but super powerful, these Powershots change your physical and mental well-being so you have the influence, impact, and fulfillment you want as a leader and human being, no matter what. Powershots are basically energy hacks interrupting the stress response

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that creates the negative energetic state. Whether you’re dealing with difficult or different people, you have too much on your to-do list, you’re struggling with nerves over an upcoming presentation, or any of the other thousands of workplace stressors, your body, mind, and spirit need to be hacked so you can quickly get back on track and into a positive state. These Powershots range from mindset tools and tricks like to-do list makeovers and reflective exercises, to physical things like yoga and movement, to spiritually-based activities like meditation and visualization. I ensure I share a variety of ideas during my sessions so anyone can resonate with at least one, no matter where they are on their self-help journey or what they need to elevate their performance and goals.

What makes your speaking programs on energy mastery so powerful?

1. They are fun and entertaining by design. When we laugh and smile we get flooded with endorphins and other feel-good chemicals opening our minds to new ideas. Everyone loves to laugh… EVERYONE. So I always make sure to fill my speaking programs with laughter. I even took standup comedy and improv classes over the years. 2. They are high-energy and actionable.

I don’t read bullet points off a powerpoint slide and drone on with boring data for an hour. I tell stories, weave in relevant industry research, and ensure the audience feels like

I’m talking just to them. They do activities right there in the room tied to their exact challenges so there is instant change and instant energy activation right away. 3. I make the audience the star of the show. I am just the guide, there to make them feel safe and comfortable so they feel excited to stretch their limits and drive the change they need to be the best version of themselves. “Whether you’re dealing with difficult or different people [ … ] or any of the other thousands of workplace stressors, your body, mind, and spirit need to be hacked so you can quickly get back on track and into a positive state.”

What can someone do at home to start shifting their energy?

There are thousands of ways to shift your energy centers, but I love the simplicity of my namaSync 7: seven yoga poses that activate and balance the seven key energy centers in the framework I use for workplaces. The seven energy centers I created for my programs include Motivation, Creativity, Confidence, Relationships, Communication, Strategy, and Vision. There are hundreds of ways to activate and align them. The seven yoga poses shown in the following sequence are a great place to start without having me there to give you more specific guidance. Thanks for being the model Marie!

This is such important work for individuals to dig into after the stress and burnout of the last couple of years. How can an organization bring this information to their employees?

I have several options depending on their goals, budget, time commitment, size of company, event type, and employee demographics. We can create a customized program ranging from one-time speaking sessions to ongoing trainings over time, or one-on-one mentoring, executive masterminds, drive culture and change, and so much more. Because I spent so many years in corporate leadership roles I always seek to understand the challenges and goals, then dig deeper to get to the heart of what’s truly driving the desire to change. Then we create the perfect program with the organization’s forward momentum in mind. Visit KristenBrownPresents.com to learn more or submit a speaker inquiry. +

BY KRISTEN BROWN (SHE/HER)

MASTER YOUR ENERGY FOR WORKPLACE SUCCESS:

Yoga Sequence

VISION ENERGY CENTER: Mountain (Tadasana)

Ground your feet and spread your toes as if gripping the earth. Extend your spine and neck tall as if growing up into the sky. Envision violet light shining down on you and flooding you with warmth. This activates your Vision Energy Center.

STRATEGY ENERGY CENTER: Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Allow your muscles to relax into the pose as your forehead connects with the ground or block. Envision indigo light entering your body through this area. This activates your Strategy Energy Center.

COMMUNICATION ENERGY CENTER:

Forward Fold with Half Lift (Ardha Uttanasana)

From a forward fold, keep your knees soft as you raise your chest up and press your spine long. Keep the back of the neck straight and shoulder blades firm. Envision blue light entering your throat area. This activates your Communication Energy Center.

RELATIONSHIP ENERGY CENTER:

Cobra/Low Cobra (Bhujangasana)

Feel your chest open and breathe deeply. Tune into your heartbeat as you pull elbows into your sides and your shoulder blades back. Envision green light entering your heart and circulating throughout your body. This activates your Relationship Energy Center.

CONFIDENCE ENERGY CENTER: Plank (Phalakasana)

Engage the muscles below your rib cage as you push off the floor either on your knees, toes, or against a wall. Envision yellow light radiating out through the core. This activates the Confidence Energy Center.

CREATIVITY ENERGY CENTER:

Cat/Cow (Marjaryasana Bitilasana)

Flow smoothly between your chest rising and falling as your head and hips push in the opposite direction. Envision orange light flooding into your body with every extension. This activates the Creativity Energy Center.

MOTIVATION ENERGY CENTER: Staff (Dandasana)

Extend the legs, feeling your thighs engage and your tailbone connect with the floor. Flex your toes as your hands push into the floor and shoulder blades draw toward each other. Envision red light flowing from the ground up through your tailbone. This activates your Motivation Energy Center. +