Issue 03 | Face the Current

Issue 03

January 2017

fAce the current CULTURE

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MUSIC

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TRAVEL & LEISURE

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SPORTS & FITNESS

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HEALTH & WELLBEING

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BUSINESS

Discover a Paradise Made of Ice Sweden’s Ice Hotel 365

Ultrarunner Karl Meltzer Sets Appalachian Trail Record

Tom Swoon on Dance Culture Beyond Mirage

Filmmaker Carlos Lascano Breathing Character to Life

American College of Healthcare Sciences CEO on Holistic Health ...inspiring positive change in the world

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EDITORIAL

editorial

FtC

fAce the current issue 03 · January 2017

Let’s Get Social... facethecurrent @facethecurrent

In the Beginning Face the Current was created with the intention to inspire positive change in the world and enhance lives by encouraging one another to relentlessly discover, explore, question and learn from current and emerging information and perspectives. Driven by a deeprooted love of learning, creative minds and a great appreciation for connection with other individuals who are passionate about what they do, Face the Current has quickly developed into a growing team and global community of incredible people who believe in living life to the fullest and discovering their true potential.

“I find it inspiring to connect with others who are following their flow, pursuing and exploring their passions. Their energy is vibrant & contagious and there is often a lot of incredible things to learn from their life experience and the perspectives they have gained.”

Sasha Frate, Founder and Co-Editor in-Chief Sasha Frate editor in chief

sashafrate sasha@facethecurrent.com

@facethecurrent www.facethecurrent.com For advertisement and sponsor inquiries, or to request our media kit: info@facethecurrent.com For writer and collaborator inquiries please contact: Founder & Co-Editor in Chief: sasha@facethecurrent.com Co-Editor in Chief: naia@facethecurrent.com For marketing inquiries contact: Director of Marketing: alberto@facethecurrent.com All Rights Reserved DISCLAIMER The information provided on this magazine is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.

COVER IMAGE by Asaf Kliger. Art Suite Dancers in the Dark. ICE HOTEL (Sweden)

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FACE the CURRENT MAGAZINE

FTC OVERVIEW Face the Current Magazine is a life, thought, goal and experience - enhancing resource of stimulating inspiration and empowerment.

We provide access to expert advice, stories, experiences and knowledge from the world’s leading experts on Health & Wellbeing, Travel & Leisure, Sports & Fitness, Culture & the Arts and Business.

We are developing an enriching community for perspective seekers who desire a fit, healthy and positive lifestyle.

FtC is packed with inspiring & motivating features on outstanding people, places and products. It’s a springboard to attaining greater focus, fulfilment & potential – connecting people to what matters!

FtC Magazine links individuals and businesses alike with pro-active networks, associations, platforms, information, opportunities and ideas; to facilitate and encourage development and success from personal goals to business tactics. FtC makes multi-faceted learning and development accessible, engaging and beneficial.

We provide a valuable platform for the exponential interest and movement towards a healthier lifestyle. We provide truth, exploration, solutions and higher perspectives for positive change seekers who desire a fulfilling and optimized lifestyle. We champion those who are making positive change and seek sponsorship for upcoming athletes, life-changing projects etc.

FtC - Fuel for an inspired life. Discover your potential.

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issue 03 · January 2017

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FACE the CURRENT MAGAZINE

fAce the current Sasha Frate

Naia Reid

Founder and Co-Editor in Chief

Co-Editor in Chief & Creative Director

Founded by Sasha Frate, Face the Current was created as a platform for sharing knowledge, expertise, and inspiration from individuals around the globe who are pursuing and living their passions.

Sasha has studied a broad range of academic subjects, including Holistic Health, Exercise Science, Herbal Studies, Linguistics, Cross-cultural Perspectives, and Science & Society. She has traveled the globe competing and coaching professionally in a variety of sports, including soccer, boxing, and personal training, and is an avid outdoors adventurer who aims to balance her time connecting with nature. Sasha received her MA in Liberal Arts, BA in Linguistics, and fluently speaks English, Spanish, and Russian.

BGlife Magazine, Marbella; a popular, highend, glossy, monthly lifestyle publication.

She is a prolific creative writer, having spent many years working as a Copywriter for a Google-Affiliated website design company, before writing, reporting and photographing for Andalucia’s largest English newspaper conglomerate Euro Weekly News and she now brings her creative talent and passion to FtC Magazine. When not sleuthing around for inspiring international stories, networks and characters or adding to her own eclectic collection of published articles, she balances life with the tranquility of her home in the Mediterranean mountains, training Andalusian horses and creative projects in photography, graphic art and sculpture.

“I find it inspiring to connect with others who are following their flow, pursuing and exploring their passions. Their energy is vibrant & contagious and there is often a lot of incredible things to learn from their life experience and the perspectives they have gained.”

Alberto Montado

Director of Marketing is an award winning designer and business marketing specialist from Cadiz. He has worked with international giants such as Vodafone, Warner Bros and Mattel, headed many national and international advertising campaigns, built significant national brand identities and even excelled in clothes design and interior decoration.

Sema Garay

Executive Designer Sema is the graphic designer behind the development of the image and magazine of Face the Current. He has developed a multitude of projects, including his previous job leading the Creative Department of BG Life Magazine, where he worked alongside Naia Reid. Sema is passionate about all kinds of artistic expressions, especially music and architecture.

Jamie Young Web Design

Jamie is a Manchester based designer and musician with a passion for creative arts and social collaboration. Entirely self taught he has recently designed two award-winning websites.

letter from the editor

A very Happy 2017 to all our readers, contributors, advertisers, supporters and friends!

According to the Mayans, who are said to be the masters of time on the grandest of scales, we are actually in the middle of a cycle between a “Storm” year, which signifies purification and transformation and a “Seed” year, which signifies true desires and visions, planting intentions, breaking through expectations, becoming more creative, putting things in order… and growth. Whether the Mayans understood the mysteries of time or not, these make a great list of things to focus on as we step out into a new year, a new beginning…a new opportunity.

We feel it’s shaping up to be a year of exponential growth, going by the spirit of community, positivity and development taking shape behind the wings and we are excited about all the extra features we will be bringing you during the course of 2017…the spirit of open hearts and minds and good intention can have an amazing ripple effect!

To put in motion a positive and enriching flow to start of the year, a very helpful technique is to envisage and reach for the most positive outcomes possible, focusing your thoughts and actions to remain within the energetics of that alignment, and set a course for that outcome. Our thoughts become our words, which become our actions, which becomes our lifestyle. It’s important to try and master the chattering mind.

With a plan to facilitate the vision, even with the smallest steps in that direction, progress can be made! We wish you all a wonder-filled year of positivity, possibilities, inspiration, drive and soul-nourishment.

This month’s theme is RENEWAL: Fearlessly shaking off the old that no longer serves your greater purpose and stepping into a fresh frame of mind, open to new possibilities, developments and growth.

In our January edition, we feature the icy wonders of the new Ice Hotel 365 in Sweden, Ultrarunner Karl Meltzer’s mind-blowing achievement: setting a new record for the Appalachian Trail, and IGO extreme Adventure Challenges. We speak to award winning filmmaker Carlos Lascano, the unstoppable global DJ and Producer Tom Swoon, and the CEO of the American College of Healthcare Sciences. Our experts offer their top tips and insights in business, health, and fitness and we’ve got a selection of the best travel apps to take with you if you’re planning on taking yourself away on a trip. That’s just a taste. We hope you enjoy every page of January’s enlivening edition!

Naia Reid

Co-Editor in Chief & Creative Director

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JANUARY s

CREW We are a growing team of Up-standers

David Asarnow

Dr. James Bentz

is the founder of Business Oxygen, and How To Monetize business marketing and monetization agencies. He is an authority in monetizing your business.

David’s clients have added millions of dollars to their bottom line after implementing his business monetization strategies. David has trained thousands of business professionals worldwide, including those for clients like Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes Business Breakthroughs International. www.BusinessOxygen.net www.HowToMonetize.net

D.PSc. is a Chiropractor, Speaker, Health Coach & Educator, Trainer & Leading Practitioner in Neurological Integration System (NIS), which is a method of restoring communication between the brain and body based on the principle that the brain monitors every cell in the body. www.fidalgoislandhealthcenter.com

whose intention is to create positive change in the world, through networking, connecting, supporting and developing at an individual and global community level. We are passionate about building our

Dr. Vaughn Bowman is a board certified Naturopathic Physician licensed in the state of Connecticut. For nearly two decades he has treated patients of all ages with a myriad of different conditions from the common cold to debilitating autoimmune conditions. The goal is to always locate the underlying cause for any one illness rather than treat superficial symptoms and by doing so Dr. Bowman has led many patients back to health. drvbowman.com

Ingo Snorrason

is a professional Athletic Developer, Personal Trainer, Seminar Speaker, NLP Specialist and a Counselor for various professional athletes and teams. He travels Europe working with people in sports ranging from handball and football to horse riders, martial artists and golfers.

Email: ingo@ingo.is

network of experts and industry leaders to deliver cutting edge information to our global community.

This month’s Team and Crew are based in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.

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Tomek Wyczesany holds a PhD in Asymmetric Catalysis and Masters degree in Organic Chemistry. With over 12 years of experience from universities in the UK (QMUL), Australia (USYD, UTS), and Poland (UJ) he uses his scientific knowledge to empower people to re-engineer their lives from within. He facilitates a paradigm shift in thinking and transforms the innermost attitude of every person. www.Synergylabsydney.com Twitter: @synergylabsyd

David Ryan

David is a celebrity trainer in Los Angeles, California and creator of LIFTSTRONG Max Intensity Interval Training. You can get your own personalized HIIT program at www.

DavidRyanFitness.com Instagram: @DavidRyanFitness

Michael Malone

Christine Khuri

Oscar Pacussich

is an American Comedian, Actor, Director, & Podcaster. His popular comedy podcast “Punched Up” explores the stories behind the comedians you love. Michael writes on “Great Comedians. Great Stories.

Told Differently.” www.malonecomedy.com Social: @malonecomedy

is a fitness pioneer with an ageless fitness method that can give anyone—regardless of their age—long, lean muscles and true body happiness. Christine knows this, because she’s done it to herself—and thousands of others.

She has devoted the last 20 years of her life developing fitness regimens for clients from New York to Los Angeles and is certified in Yoga, Pilates, Spinning & Personal Training. http://www.christinekhuri.com Instagram: @christinekhurifitness

is a talented young photographer from Lima, Peru, with an eye for capturing the essence of the environments he shoots in a subtle and intimate way; often using water to create his unique perspectives. He captures authentic scenes of the everyday life and movement of the subject scene.

Facebook- Oscar.pacussich Flicker- oscarpacussich Twitter- @OscarPacussich

Sabrina Hutchinson

is CEO of Defiant Public Relations, an entertainment PR firm headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. With over 15 years of PR, marketing and advertising experience, Hutchinson has worked closely with celebrity talent, creatives and top corporate clients and has extensive experience in entertainment and digital marketing, delivering smart communication strategies, passion, creativity and integrity to the clients she serves. www.DefiantPR.com T: @DefiantPR

Clair Marie

who also goes by “BASEgirl” is a BASE jumper, Skydiver, Mountain bike racer, Rock climber, Motivational Speaker, Keynote, and Model. She is a passionate vegan and a world traveler. She has made it her life goal to inspire others and help them accomplish or find their dreams and passions. After defying the odds and becoming one of the worlds youngest BASE jumpers at 16 years old she realized how important it is to always follow your dreams! And now she helps others find theirs. https://basegirl.com

Joseph Montgomery

runs a wealth management and financial planning practice based out of Seattle and Los Angeles. His mission is to develop enduring relationships with clients by providing expert guidance for a lifetime of financial security.

Joe works with clients to identify and grow their financial trajectory and then focuses on solutions that can help make those financial goals a reality. He helps find the right solutions for personal, family or business needs. Joe is proud to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Intiman Theater as well as being an active member of Seattle Rotary 4 and the Washington Athletic Club. http://josephmontgomery.nm.com/ Email: Joseph.Montgomery@nm.com

Leandro Gidoni,

graphic designer and illustrator, works remotely from his small studio near the beach in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina.

He has spent the last eight years working in the graphic design field, as well as taking on a wide range of illustration projects. Find in the personal illustration a therapy, solving and generating questions of things that day by day traverse his reality.

Follow his work at www.instagram.com/gidoni.ilustracion

Laurie Walmsley

A strategic brand storyteller, Laurie empowers enchanting educators to scale the reach and resonance of their work.

He cherishes connecting to nature with fellow ‘wolves’ - alumni of the Call of the Wild environmental education leaders program. Laurie loves sharing songs and stories by firelight and has accepted he’ll smell smoky for the foreseeable future! uk.linkedin.com/in/laurieonlinkedin

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CONTENT issue 03 · january 2017

COVER stories

SWEDEN’S ICE HOTEL 365 50 Discover a Paradise Made of Ice

TOM SWOON ON DANCE CULTURE

Beyond Mirage 32

KARL MELTZER FILMMAKER ULTRARUNNER Sets Appalachian Trail Record 76 CARLOS LASCANO 12

Breathing Character to Life

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF HEALTHCARE SCIENCES CEO on Holistic Health

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JANUARY CONTENT re

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l ve e a tr isur e &l s rt s o sp nes it &f & th g l n a he lbei l we

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bu

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s ine

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Carlos Lascano Breathing Character to Life

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Light from Cusco

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Mr. Glass

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Leandro Gidoni

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Word Play

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Beyond Mirage: Tom Swoon On Dance Culture

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Doing it right: Damon Hess

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Singer-Songwriter Clara Mae: Removing the Masks

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The Rare Ocassions

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Discover a Paradise Made of Ice: Sweden’s Ice Hotel 365

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Tom Archer: Adventure Photographer

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IGO Adventures: The Euphoria of Achievement

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10 Helpful Apps To Take On Your Travels

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Ultrarunner Karl Meltzer Talks Breaking Appalachian Trail Record

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9 Tips to Banish Your Stubborn Belly Fat For Good

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Take Advantage of the Push & Pull System

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Yes, You Can Achieve more than 100%!

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What Can You Expect from Meditation?

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The Importance of Living Your Life One Day at a Time

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Back to Basics with Dorene Petersen

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Who Need Sleeps?

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Brain Catalyst

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Four Cornerstone Principles of a Successful Marketing Strategy That Monetizes

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Vision Planning and Creating Business Goals for the Year Ahead: 5 Things to Keep in Mind.

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Ebercombe: A Path to Purpose

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Carlos Lascano: Breathing Character to Life light from cusco Mr. Glass Leandro Gidoni Word play

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FtC culture

Carlos Lascano Breathing Character to Life

By Naia Reid

Author, Director, Illustrator, Film Producer and head of Dreamlife Filmworks, Carlos Lascano is internationally recognized for his poignant metaphorical storytelling and signature style of mixing technologies and artisan techniques.Viewed by over 16 million around the world, Carlos was sought after to create memorable characters and touching stories for Amnesty International, Coca Cola and RedBull. He was on David Lynch’s jury at Vimeo’s first Festival and Awards in 2010. His work was selected for the Clermont-Ferrand in 2015 and he has been nominated for the Goyas, two Oscars and hundreds of awards worldwide.

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I need to focus myself in doing what I do the best and what makes me feel happier, to create new stories and deep feelings for the audience.

Finding the balance between pure art concept and technique is part of the amazing challenge I face every day.

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You have been very creative from a young age.This freespirited creative flow can be seen particularly in your stop motion compositions, where you blend 2D drawings with 3D sets, overlaid with real footage, plus your trademark use of real eyes for your characters, giving everything a surreal sense of realism and an incredible depth of emotion. Where do you see your creativity taking animation in the future?

I always loved to tell stories despite of the technique I was using to do it. Animation came as a natural way to express mixing both my passions: Storytelling and Drawing. However, I always felt that to be

restricted to only one technique would be limiting me and that is why I decided to experiment a lot, mixing and creating new approaches to visually narrate my stories. By doing that, I found a particular and characteristic graphic style that is consequence of my personal taste, my references and my interest in mixing new technologies with old craft techniques.

I will surely continue in the future experimenting more deeply with the tools I have and the ones that will surface, but I also could see myself more focused in creation and concept and every day less and less on technical matters. I love technique but it is extremely time consuming and life-time is limited. I need to focus myself in doing what I do the

best and what makes me feel happier, to create new stories and deep feelings for the audience. Finding the balance between pure art concept and technique is part of the amazing challenge I face every day.

Your short for Amnesty International 50th anniversary, “Standing Up for Freedom” is powerful, poignant and deeply touching.Tell us a little about where your philosophical views and values come from and how you use them to infuse your work.

I come from a family with strong artistic and academic formations. My parents are both lawyers and artists at the same www.facethecurrent.com

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time, my father paints and my mother loves to write. I went to law school and finished my studies as a lawyer and even if I never worked as a lawyer those years in the university left some strong concepts about philosophy, sociology and other amazing humanistic thoughts and values.

Of course that all of that increased my interest in analysing and exploring a lot of situations and dilemmas as an artist.

Through paintings, short films, photos, drawings... I always try to express some strong concept in my art.

Take the case of LILA, I am talking about that thin line that divides fantasy and reality. You can take it just as poetry, or look more deeply and read into the social analysis that I tried to do with the little film.

In other works, it is more evident, as in my spot for Amnesty International. I use metaphors to communicate things. Why?... I don’t know… maybe because through metaphors you can pass the message in a universal way and make it more understandable for different audiences and also make the work time less.

Wikipedia page.The film shot to fame worldwide and became part of a trilogy. In your own words, what was the essential component that made Lila so successful around the world and how many awards has it won to date?

I didn’t expect the success that LILA had. It was a very little project that I did

Your latest TV spot Wildlights / Columbus Zoo was a gorgeous prelude to the festive season.

How does it feel to be responsible for breathing the spirit of Christmas into the characters and people’s hearts?

It was a nice and fun project to do. Usually doing TV ads is not a process that I enjoy a lot, but this time was different. We were in charge of the full production and the agency and client were both great and open-minded.

I did enjoy being able to contribute and keep alive those “Christmas” feelings that I keep in the deep memories from my childhood.

Explain how you decide on the physical appearance and personality of your animated characters and what’s involved in bringing them from a thought or concept to an animated being.

I don’t use to follow a process for that... it just comes. I can analyse it afterwards and say “Ah, ok! I did this because this or that”.

But to be honest it is something natural. I don’t think about it. It’s just in-the-moment inspiration.

You were inspired to make your stop motion short “A Short Love Story”, after listening to a song called Hoppipolia by the popular Icelandic band Sigur Ros.They liked it so much they added you to their

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changes her approach, for the first time, the character is actively doing something to change her reality. I think that this is the key of the success of the story. People wants to believe that things can change.

People want to believe that dreams can come true. The fact that the story shows you how changing a small detail can change your entire reality, shows people that the line that divides dreams and what we call “real life” is so thin that sometimes it can be broken just changing simple things. Apart from that, the merits are of course for the charming actress Alma Garcia and the fantastic music that Sandy Lavallart, the french composer, did for the film.

with no expectations, just to spend a nice time with the crew and the actors experimenting an original approach to mixing animation and live action. When the film was finished, I found the connections with the previous two shorts and I realized that in some ways it was the same character: A girl facing her dreams in three different moments of a poetical evolution.

In “A Short Love story in stop motion” the girl dreams about the future with the boy she likes. in “A Shadow of blue” the girl dreams with a butterfly that takes her out of his dark reality and in LILA, the girl

A little birdie told us there is a special lady in your life who gets really jealous if you give others too much attention...tell us about her and how you met.

Haha, that’s funny. It was in Mar del Plata, my hometown, during the Summer two years ago. I found a little dove alone and sick in the door of my home and I gave her care during a few months. It was full time work! She was very young and

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created a strong bond with me. That´s why she was very jealous about everyone! I managed to bring her back to being healthy and strong. One day she just flew through the window, to continue her life as a bird should do…free. It was a beautiful experience.

You are often too busy working on the next project, to attend the awards that your films win!

When you can escape your busy schedule, how do you chill out and where is your favourite place to do so?

I love to travel, always. It’s a sickness! I enjoy traveling and discovering new cultures and people. I love to live experiences that take me out of the comfort zone. In that way I can be more creative as an artist and more openminded as a person. I love the beach. When I have some free time I like to be next to the sea. I need it. Maybe because I was born in a city beside a beautiful ocean.

Having already won an incredible amount of international awards for your movies and animations, you are currently working on your own short called “The Puppeteer.” Tell us about the storyline, the work involved and what else you have in the pipeline.

“The puppeteer” is my latest project, a very ambitious one from the storytelling point of view. It is about a man who is stuck in the past and does not accept the present that he lives in. Every day at the marionettes theatre, he plays his “Love Story” with his marionettes; the one that he lived with his girlfriend a long time ago, the one that still remains in his dreams. But nothing is forever, neither the memories… and that is the conflict that he will have to face in the story.

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“

People wants to believe that things can change. People want to believe that dreams can come true. The fact that the story shows you how changing a small detail can change your entire reality, shows people that the line that divides dreams and what we call “real life” is so thin that sometimes it can be broken just changing simple things.

I have some other projects lined up, but so far I am full time with this one. You will be able to see it soon.

A Shadow of Blue- https://vimeo.com/29573040 A Short Love Story in Stop Motion- https://vimeo.com/877053 Lila- https://vimeo.com/79505580 The Can / RedBull- https://vimeo.com/1618300 Coca Cola/ The Spirit of the Euro- https://vimeo.com/38337245 Amnesty International 50th Anniversary (Music by Hans Zimmer) https://vimeo.com/24146622 Wildlights TV Spot- https://vimeo.com/

ymore info: vimeo.com/carloslascano www.carloslascano.com

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FtC culture

light from cusco

by Oscar Pacussich

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PERU

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In the heights of the Andes we find the region of Cusco; the ancient heart of the Inca Empire, which the Incas named “the belly button of the world.”

Today, after hundreds of years since the time of the Incas and after a syncretism process of the Andean and Spanish cultures, Cusco city is a tourism empire; an active and cosmopolitan city of medieval streets, surrounded by imposing ruins, plagued by characters and colors, all under a radiant sun that brings us a unique light.

Cusco holds an important tradition in photography and its most worthy representative is one of history’s most important photographers: Martin Chambi. However, many local and foreign photographers have captured and portrayed the region. Here we present the photos of Oscar Pacussich, a young Peruvian photographer who resides in Cusco who has been capturing and portraying the region.

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ymore info: Facebook: Oscar.pacussich Flickr: oscarpacussich Twitter: @OscarPacussich

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FtC culture

MR.GLASS

By Michael Malone To meet Ken Garr is to be immediately charmed. He has the cool demeanour of a Rat Pack member born to the wrong era. He’s a sturdy guy with a Midwestern ease and whip smart wit.

The dude is smooth.

So, it caught me off guard, initially, when he casually mentioned he earned a bronze medal in the 1988 Special Olympics. I don’t know what I expected a 1988 Special Olympian athlete to look like, but it certainly wasn’t Ken. “I did the math. I went back and looked at my medical records. I think I have broken around thirty five bones. So if you average six weeks for recovery… that’s around two hundred and ten weeks or roughly four consecutive years of my life just recuperating.”

This only adds to the mystery.

Ken, has spent most of his life being broken in one sense or another.

His first bone break came at six months and by age three, he’d broken his legs six times. Ken was a boy made of porcelain.

His bones endure a rare bone disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which basically means he breaks easily. The disease wrapped most of his youth in casts and braces and forced him into walkers.

Surrounded by a family of burly firefighters, Ken stuck out. He was different.

“In the eighties. if there was anything wrong with you, you couldn’t stay in regular school. They didn’t know 24

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any better back then. So they would throw a helmet on you and put you in special needs classes.”

Ken didn’t let his bones hold him back. In fact, he seemingly raced to the next injury with the gusto only a child can muster up. He played baseball, kickball, football. Each came with a new battle scar, but he welcomed the pain for the chance to feel normal.

Fast forward to The Special Olympics.

Ken finally discovered a sport that didn’t cost him a trip to the hospital during a Special Olympics qualifying

This is where the Chicago Bears—1986 Super Bowl Champions—played. There were parades and marching bands. This was church. This was heaven. This was go time.

He felt pretty good about his odds.

Neither of Ken’s opponents had full use of their arms. Hell, one of them didn’t have full control of any of his limbs. Which, obviously made Ken the favorite to win...or so he thought.

“I looked at my dad and said, ‘Bet the house on this. We’re bringing home the gold. We got this dad. Get the Special K Box ready.

I’m gonna be on it!’”

But Ken may have overestimated his chances. When a person loses ability in one area, they often gain strength in another. For example: event at his school: the competitive the kid with underdeveloped arms world of the Bean Bag Toss event. kicked off his shoes and flipped bean bag twenty feet in the air.

And he was good. He was very his Sinking the small bag into the hole good. in one effortless toss. Another child He blew through the qualifying had his mother throwing bags in the rounds and found himself standing at air and he would head-butt them the entrance to Soldier Field Arena into the goalie holes from across a few months later as an Olympic the room.

Athlete in the 1988 Special Olympic “I just remember seeing some really Games. messed up kids doing some really “It was a big deal. Because I felt amazing things. Never underestimate normal again. I felt like I was an kids with special needs. Trust me, athlete.” there is no one more motivated

“

Never underestimate kids with special needs.

Trust me, there is no one more motivated in this world than someone who’s been told they can’t do something ten thousand times

“

in this world than someone who’s been told they can’t do something ten thousand times.”

Ken went home with a bronze medal that day and he couldn’t have been happier about it. Although he didn’t have what most would call a normal childhood. The pain he endured over the years made him who he is today. When he was in a

cast or sling and couldn’t bond with friends on the playground so instead he built friendships with humour. He became the funny kid in the arm brace. Making people laugh became more regular than breaking bones for Ken. His broken bones as a child is what has lead Ken to a solid career as a comedian.

Find Michael Malone’s new podcast at www.punchedup.com. You can download his latest album “Thirty One” on iTunes and keep up to date on his tour schedule and upcoming films at his website www.malonecomedy.com. www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC

LEA ILL ND US RO TR GI AT DO O R NI

culture

WE CANNOT CHANGE OUR PAST WE CAN NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ACT IN A CERTAIN WAY. WE CAN NOT CHANGE THE INEVITABLE. THE ONLY THING WE CAN DO IS PLAY ON THE ONE STRING WE HAVE AND THAT IS OUR ATTITUDE CHARLES R. SWINDOLL 26

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Sometimes a change of perspective or priority is all it takes to change everything!

“All negativity is caused by an accumulation by a psychological time and denial of the present.

Unease, tension, anxiety, stress, worry – all forms of fear, are caused by too much future and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness and all forms of nonforgiveness, are caused by too much past and not enough presence.” Eckhart Tolle.

You may not be able to control every situation and its outcome… but you can control your attitude and thoughts and how you deal with them.

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FtC culture

Conversation

JANUARY

Enhancers

January’s Word Play

Words to Enhance Vocabulary & Enrich Life Pulchritudinous: physically beautiful; comely Quixotic: not sensible about practical matters Jejune: lacking interest or significance or impact e better, more Ameliorate: to make or becom tory bearable, or more satisfac

Fugacious: fleeting

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Let’s try it out!

If your exercise regime has been FUGACIOUS or somewhat JEJUNE, or you’ve felt a tad QUIXOTIC over the Holiday feasts, if all you wish for is to feel PULCHRITUDINOUS and to AMELIORATE yourself with a feeling of “I can do it!”…Then charge up on FtC’s great vibes, tips, and stories… and just do it! sunrise

How to play te word, Send your favoriph se to expression, or ra

t.com n e r r u c e h t e c fa info@ with

yur”entry to a l P d r o W “ yo r fo ce for a chan ion. Be sure to in the Subject line month’s edit be featured in nerxtname or @john/janedoe include you

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MUSIC 32

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Beyond Mirage: Tom Swoon On Dance Culture Doing it right: Damon Hess Singer-Songwriter Clara Mae: Removing the Masks The Rare Ocassions

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Photo by Seok-hyeon Jang www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC music

: e g a r i M d n o y e B e r u t l u C e c n a On D Interview By Naia Reid

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On top of his game and feeling on top of the world, Polish DJ and Producer Tom Swoon has gained respect from titans such as Tiësto, Martin Garrix, Nicky Romero, Hardwell, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, and Armin Van Buuren. Pumping up crowds in Asia, North America and all major European cities, he has played some of the world’s most loved music festivals including Tomorrowland, Sensation, Sunrise Festival, and Creamfields.Tom Swoon talks to FtC about the thrill of intercultural touring, being a “gaming freak,” his input into the development of the global Dance Culture, and riding the crest of “Mirage.”

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Naia Reid: In May of 2016 alone, you played in 11 different countries.

What’s your average mileage per month when you’re on tour? Who’s with you all the way and what are the priorities of your downtime?

Tom Swoon: In December of last year I flew around 40,000 miles. That’s a lot of movies! I have seen pretty much all of the on-board ones. I’m always traveling with my tour manager, but sometimes it happens that we have different flight routings. When I’m in between touring, I like to spend time with my family.

Since I don’t see them very often I try to maximize the time with them. And obviously I’m also consistently working in the studio. I prefer to be in studio to produce music, rather than on road.

Where was the best sound system you have played this last year, what was it and what was the track that lifted the roof on it?

Most definitely the best sound system was at Ministry Of Sound London. I believe

their sound system is built with Martin Audio components. Also the acoustic of MOS’ famous “Box” main room is superb.

I remember playing my upcoming release “Open My Eyes” and the crowd was really climbing on the stage. I always love playing there.

Explain how it felt to play with Avicii during his last concert in your home country, the native reaction and what that has inspired you to reach for as a result.

Avicii was an inspiration for me from the very beginning of my artist career. One of the first international shows I played, was at an Avicii concert in Malta. It was the first time I met Avicii and he was super nice and friendly. Warming-up for him in my own country for his last concert was something very special. I wish him all the best and he definitely motivates me to produce more music.

Who were your favourite vocalists, musicians and studios to

produce with in 2016? Why? What collaborations are you most excited about for 2017?

Last year I made another record with Jake Reese, the vocalist of one of my most famous singles “Ahead Of Us.” After my first single with him, he made two other successful tracks with Hardwell. In 2016 both me and Jake felt it was time to do a follow up and we released “Never Giving Up” together on Armada. He’s such a pro and great singer to work with. For 2017 I’m working on a lot of new material, which I can’t wait to play in my sets.

You did a remix for Matthew Koma RCA Records, “Kisses Back”. What was your approach to a track from one of the music industry’s most sought after songwriters and producers?

I was very flattered when Matthew asked me to remix his new single “Kisses Back.”

I really love the original version and it was my duty to produce a more “clubby” remix. Till now the remix received great www.facethecurrent.com

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support, so I’m very happy about this.

Your single “Phoenix” is being used in the Forza Motorsport new game trailer. As a bit of a game freak, have you been inspired by this amalgamation to make more soundtracks? What’s the vision for your ideas?

I actually did not produce Phoenix just to be a soundtrack for a game. It was Microsoft who contacted my label Ultra, because they were interested in using it for their new game trailer. It was a great extra marketing boost for the track. I’ve already been contacted by some gaming companies to produce soundtracks for their games, but I haven’t found the time yet to dedicate to do this. Perhaps after I finish my first album, I’ll find the time. I’m a real game freak so it would be nice to play a game that has my soundtrack!

Tell us about the highlights, funny moments and some of the behind the scene challenges you’ve had during your Mirage Tour.

The highlight of this tour was definitely the karaoke bar in Tokyo (laugh)! Tokyo is actually one of my favourite cities in the world and I made some great friends over there. So every time I play over there, I go and hang out with the locals at the karaoke bar!

Another highlight was part of this tour I played at Sunburn in India, which is the biggest festival of the country. It was an honour to close down the festival. Also I premiered over there “Mirage” which is a collaboration with Indian artist Shaan.

You played this year at Ultra Music Festival Miami – Japan. Describe the experience, the feelings and the energy you experienced, shared and gave.

Ultra Music Festivals are one of the biggest electronic festivals in the industry. Both the Miami and Japan editions were some of the highlights of the year for me. Whoever is thinking about going to Ultra Music Festival in Miami next year, please do – it’s worth it!

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What differences have you noticed between how Dance Culture is developing in Asia compared to Europe or elsewhere in the world?

Dance is still relatively new in Asia especially in China. They are not so familiar with the music and the artists yet. But they are very dedicated clubbers – and are literally dancing from the first moment of the set till the last track. In Europe and America, the scene is more scattered and people have more different tastes and preferences.

Word in the clubs is that many people are hoping for fresh, unique dance tracks in 2017 rather than a concentration of remixes. Have you got anything special in the bag to keep the old skool- fresh folks happy?

Yes, I have a couple of ongoing projects that are very “out of the box.” Can’t wait to show them to the world!

What you are personally listening to on your iPod right now and what music is driving your inspiration and creativity for 2017?

I still listen almost on a daily basis the debut album of Porter Robinson “Worlds.”

He’s one of my favourite producers in the game.

What exciting developments have you got up your sleeve for your radio show and podcast LIFTOFF in the coming year?

We will do a 200th episode celebration – we are still discussing in which city/country we will organize it.

What’s your top advice for up and coming DJs reaching and dreaming for where you are now?

Keep working hard and try to excel and produce tracks that aren’t too similar with the “hits of the moment”. You will not achieve anything by just copying the latest

Chainsmoker’s hit.

If you could make a difference in the world, beyond music…what would it be?

I sincerely hope I can offer the world some more “unity.” There’s so much racism in the world that I hope my music will bring people closer to each other.

ymore info: Website: www.tomswoon.com Twitter: @tomswoon Facebook: @tomswoon www.soundcloud.com/tomswoon Instagram: @tomswoon www.tomswoon.com/liftoffradio

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FtC music

Doing it Right

By Naia reid UK Music Producer and DJ, Damon Hess seems to always have something up his sleeve. Maybe it’s his latest tattoo, a new track, or his rapid approach to landing his fourth “Top 10” on the UK club charts. Perhaps most surprising of Damon however, is he’s much more than meets the eye.

Outside of producing, touring, and collaborating time on the scene, he is avid about living a fit lifestyle and making time for charity causes. This is a guy who’s doing it right.

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You are just a sniff away from your fourth top 10 in the UK club charts right now with “Ready & Waiting ft Rebecca Becca B Baker “…we hope you make it! Who are your muses for inspiration in the formation of new material that keeps you on the crest of the UK Clubbing scene?

Currently, working with the amazing Sonique has given me so much inspiration on my path with music. I love her old school style and it has helped me find a newer sound that I’m releasing in the coming year 2017.

On the 4th February, you will be playing in Sheffield with Emilie Cunliffe at “Breaking Silence” for ESCAPE: a foundation

that helps those who have suffered sexual abuse. What other causes do you support and why do you feel it’s important to be of service to others?

Being involved with charity events such as this and others is always a lovely and very rewarding part- supporting the causes that need help in the world right now.

It also helps promote my music in areas I feel it fits. I also loved supporting the James Bulger charity events which I have done in the past.

Who features on your “most notable memories list” from the Guest DJ sessions that you presented on Gaydio Radio during 2016 and why?

The most memorable guest mix artist I have had to date has to be Shaun Banger Scott, a very well-known House/Baseline DJ from the day, who is still currently massive and smashing the scene, mainly because his old school 90s mixes are untouchable.

What’s the percentage of time given to producing for all the other record labels that you work with in relation to your own, Reklas Records? Do you have a preference for making your own unique music or remixing for others?

Producing can take anything from a day to a week depending on if I am in the zone.

Remixing usually is quicker, as even though I make it special, I don’t put as

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much passion into it. As it’s someone else’s record, I base it on the guidelines from the label. If it’s my own, it’s so much more from the heart.

You just got a new tattoo. What does your body art mean & say about you? Will you be having more?

Yes, I just had a neck tattoo done. I absolutely love it and love tattoos in general. For me, it’s about standing out from the crowd. I will definitely be having some more!

Do you eat a particular diet, do particular exercises or have a particular mind-set that allows you to maintain such a fit physique while managing such a busy lifestyle?

Ha ha! Well I do love to eat well and train hard, but I also like to eat normally and have time off! At least twice a year I do follow a specific diet to keep myself in shape!

What were your Personal Highlight Moments of 2016 and what are the visions for 2017?

I particularly loved playing the main stage at Manchester Pride along with several gigs in Ibiza. For 2017 I’m hoping to up that with some festivals and hopefully a tour with Sonique.

There have been a lot of changes in Ibiza recently… what is your view on the evolution of the music, ambience and what’s on offer?

I think Ibiza has attracted a lot of the younger generation, and I find that some places have lost the real feel of Ibiza. I guess Ibiza will always be Ibiza, and if you know how to find the right places, which still do exist, then you can still experience the real Ibiza and hopefully that will never change.

Tell us about your collaboration with Sonique… and any other exciting plans you have for 2017.

Working with Sonique has been a dream come true. The tracks we have produced together to be released in 2017 are special. I also have some other special tracks coming up in 2017… one with the famous Marcella Woods and a couple more I can’t tell you about yet!

If you could give humanity one piece of important advice…what would it be?

Always pursue your dreams. If you believe in yourself enough, you can make it happen!

ymore info: Website: www.damonhess.co.uk facebook.com/djdamonhess soundcloud.com/damon-hess 38

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FtC music

Singer-Songwriter

Clara Mae Removing the Masks

By Naia Reid 30 million streams on Spotify says something… it says raw talent and the kind of emotion that grabs people’s attention. Clara Mae shot into the spotlight after recording with Kream, and now she has no intentions of going anywhere except onwards and forwards. With several big collaborations in the pipeline, this upcoming young vocalist and songwriter talks to FtC about her new song “Strip” and how she’s steering Indie in a new direction.

Photos by Danieñ Stigefelt

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Tell us about your experience recording with Kream in “Taped Up Heart” and where your sights now lie.

“Taped Up Heart” was a really special song for me from the moment me and Sara Hjellstrom and Nirob Islam wrote it. I could really relate to it and the song really felt like “me.” Kream did a great job in producing the song and I loved the uplifting feeling they put into it. I’m proud of that one.

Where do you focus your consciousness when you are singing?

When I’m singing I am totally focused on that and everything around me kind of disappears. It’s a weird feeling and I can’t really explain it.

What’s your top vocal warm up tip and favourite singing exercise?

To be honest I wish I was better about warming up before singing. I usually try to get really warm in my body, I jump around and stretch. I stretch my tongue; I try to do that every morning before I start to talk. Also yawning a lot is a good warmup.

Your new song “Strip” is about how broken hearts hurt each other and the masks we wear.

What’s your advice to people who know they are projecting a mask but are afraid to be authentic?

That’s something I myself have experienced and it can be really hurtful.

I think that’s normal when relationships break. I think a lot of people can relate to it. It’s hard to tell people how they should act when they’re hurt. My advice would be to show your feelings to one another.

If you’re hurt, then let the other one see that you’re hurting. Don’t try to look like you’re fine if you’re not fine. Strip away the mask.

What have been the biggest challenges and rewards of going solo?

The music industry has a lot of ups and downs, and it’s usually more downs than ups! But my love for the music and the writing made me want to try it anyway and fight. I’m happy I did. The biggest challenge for me has been to find myself www.facethecurrent.com

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and find the music style I want to be making. It took a long time for me to do that. But I’ve just finally started to find my way.

What’s your industry pet hate and what’s your key to dealing with stress?

Sometimes it can be too much business talk and it can be too much focus on that.

Hmm, don’t know how I deal with it really, because yes, it can be stressful sometimes.

I think I manage with a lot of help and support from family and friends.

What were the early influences in your life that shaped your music into what it is today?

The electronic side of me just started to surface a few years ago. I was really into

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more organic stuff when I was younger.

When I was young I listened a lot to Howie Day, One Republic, and The Script. I got inspired a lot by the love lyrics in those songs. Today I’m super hung up on The Weeknd, Bon Iver, James Bay. So yeah it’s a mix, haha. But they all have something I love and get inspired by.

It’s been said that you are bringing new life to the indie genre. What’s the vision?

The vision is to keep evolving and make more music. Hopefully release it soon and put my name out there in the Indie/Pop world. I want to write songs with relatable lyrics and powerful melodies.

If you weren’t a singer, what would you be doing?

Something creative for sure. A few years ago I wanted to be a veterinarian. But I soon realized that it would be a lot of years in school with my nose down a book. So I changed my mind about that one. I guess the options are slim if you want to do something fun, be creative, not go to school for years, and be rich at the same time. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the music!

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Wow, hard question… there are a lot of things I would change. World starvation, diseases, war… (to name a few). If I can only pick one, I would fix the climate. I think it’s terrible that the world is dying and we’re just letting it happen.

ymore info: www.iamclaramae.com soundcloud.com/iamclaramae Facebook: @iamclaramae www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC music

The R A RE Occasions

By Sabrina Manhas Hutchinson

The Rare Occasions are an indie-pop four-piece that has been said to make “music that both slaps you and kisses you”.Their songs are smart, bouncy, cheeky and dreamy.

After forming in 2012,The Rare Occasions developed a following in both Boston and Rhode Island. In 2014 they were invited to perform at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York and at the SXSW Music Festival.

After a somewhat staggered migration, the band relocated from Boston to Los Angeles in 2016. I sat down with singer Brian McLaughlin and drummer Luke Imbusch to talk about their recent relocation and what’s next for them in the year ahead.

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SMH:Thanks for meeting, guys.

Tell me about what prompted you to leave the East Coast for Los Angeles.

BM: Luke and I graduated in 2014 and Luke got a great gig in Los Angeles, working for film composer Ryan Shore.

The four of us collectively decided to move to LA, but Peter and Jeremy still had a year of school left. I stayed back with the guys and Luke would fly out for some of our bigger shows. But there was

always a plan to move west.

SMH: Before you came out to Los Angeles, you’d developed quite a following in the Northeast.Talk to me about what it was like building that momentum as a band.

BM: We played a lot of shows in college, and we began to be known in Providence and Boston. One of the college stations, WBRU, had a contest that we won, and they gave us quite a bit of promotion. We

started building a following in both cities at the same time. After Luke left for L.A., we started playing shows in Maine, New York and Philly. In 2014 we played SXSW and CMJ. SMH: Luke, you’ve been here two years now and Brian just two months. What’s the move been like for you?

LI: It’s been great. I always thought I’d move here, but didn’t realize how big the

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Berklee community was in Los Angeles.

It’s really been a comfort to be a part of the Berklee community as well as the Hollywood film scoring community.

SMH: What do you miss most about the East Coast?

LI: Family, old friends and seasonal weather.

BM: I thought it would be dramatically different in California, but it’s still a city – it’s really not that different. The car thing is weird, though. In Boston, you take the train to work, but here, you don’t really interact with people in the same way.

You’re in your car, alone. From a musical perspective, though, it’s really fulfilling to be here. Now that we’re all here, we feel like sophomores in college again.

SMH:You have a big show coming up next weekend, playing with

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Smash Mouth. How do you feel about that?

BM: We’re very excited. It’s our first big show here and the first time playing at The Rose. Smash Mouth was a big part of the soundtrack to my teenage years, so I’m really looking forward to seeing them live, too.

SMH: What’s your favorite venue – the best place you’ve played so far?

LI: Waterplace Park or Lupo’s in Providence (Rhode Island). They are both really fun places to play.

SMH: What venue would you most like to play?

BM: Royal Albert Hall.

LI: The Rose Bowl.

SMH: If you were going to put together a dream line-up, who would be performing on the bill with you?

BM: There’s a band in Boston that we really like playing with called Vundebar.

We’d love to play with them again. And Arctic Monkeys.

SMH: Where would you play?

LI: The Fonda Theatre here in LA. SMH: What’s next for The Rare Occasions?

BM: We’re planning to tour in April and in August. We’ll be releasing new material next year as well. And we’ll be playing a lot in the meantime. We’re focused on performing in Los Angeles and around California. We’re excited to establish a base here and put down roots.

ymore info: www.therareoccasions.com Instagram: @therareoccasions

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FtC fAce the current

TRAVEL

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50 Discover a Paradise Made of Ice:

Sweden’s Ice Hotel 365 58 Tom Archer:

Adventure Photographer 64 IGO Adventures:

The Euphoria of Achievement 70 10 Helpful Apps to take on

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FtC travel

Discover a Paradise Made of Ice

Sweden’s Ice Hotel 365

By Naia Reid Images by Asaf Kliger and Markus Alatalo

The realization that there could be a niche for sub-zero, icy sleeping quarters for holidaymakers, newlyweds, conference or team builders, dawned in 1989 when people asked to stay in an igloo structure that was erected to test a new snow building technique not terribly far from the Arctic Circle. The magical location, with its northern lights, midnight sun, range of memorable activities, and pristine river ice captivated imagination and inspired awe. The idea was transformed into reality by Founder Yngve Bergqvist and can now be enjoyed in the breath taking, uniquely hand sculpted ICE HOTEL and brand new ICE HOTEL 365 in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden.

Ice Chandelier: Main Hall

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Art Suite: Dancers in the Dark

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Each year, Ice Hotel, which has won the Signum Prize and World Travel Awards, sees the gathering of artists, designers and engineers from all over the world. They come to partake in an inspiring annual mission and ritual. Imagination, an interesting concept, team spirit, and willingness to make each selected submission a reality within 6 weeks, are the requirements. Each year an exceptional team gathers to let imagination, fantasy, philosophy and expression run loose on the 1000m2 of “snice” blocks (snow and ice) harvested earlier in the year from the impressive

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Deluxe Suite

Art Suite: Oh Deer

Art Suite: Dreamscape

t Deluxe Suite: The Victorian Apartmen

Ice Church

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54Ice Hotel FACE the CURRENT MAGAZINE Entrance: Northern Lights

Torne river and landscape.

The artists and designers of the permanent Ice Hotel 365 are mainly veteran contributors who have been hand selected for the task, and each of the rooms, which range in themes this year from the roaring 20’s to an enchanting crystal forest, also offer a warm room and private sauna, so enjoying a comfortable temperature is always possible. The chiselled Cold Rooms and suites come with all the winter gear you will need to stay toasty, including real reindeer pelt throws for authentic and effective insulation from the -5 C degrees interior temperature. Locally sourced delicacies presented by the Michelin trained chef can be enjoyed in the elegant Ice Hotel Restaurant, and lunches and cocktails are also served to the highest standards.

It may be located just 200km from the Arctic Circle, but there is an incredible choice of fascinating things to do and see. For those wishing to explore the local snowy landscape, sled dogs and snowmobiles take visitors out for an exhilarating rush against the crisp whiteness to where you can enjoy watching wild moose, deer, and reindeer…most often with a glimpse of the shimmering effervescence of the Aurora Borealis lighting up the vast open skyline. If you really want to get into the spirit of creation, you can take an Ice Sculpture class, which seemingly, is easier than you would think! Photography of the gorgeous surrounding flora and fauna can also be arranged, as well as skiing, and paddle boarding and rafting on the river.

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It’s easy to imagine that it would be difficult for the artists to put such creativity and beauty into every inch of every surface and wall of the hotel…only to watch it melt back into the river each Spring, leaving no trace except a pressing upon the ground. However, everyone involved in the process agrees that there is something truly powerful, deeply enriching, and even joyous in the process of becoming part of Nature’s cycle: birth, growth, transition, letting go, rebirth… and how particularly poignant and profound that feels upon such impactful, virgin wilderness. They also talk of the indelible camaraderie and bond that is created between them and how more than a few are now regulars every year as the urge to create something even more spectacular each time, draws the wizards of the ice back to unfold the new season’s story.

yBooking in advance for this once in a lifetime experience is highly recommended.

For more information on how to enjoy an exhilarating stay at the Ice Hotel, you can contact www.icehotel.com

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Deluxe Suite: Once Upon a Time

Spa

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FtC travel

Tom Archer Adventure Photographer

Interview by Sasha Frate Tom Archer is a self-taught, Nikon slinging, wanderluster who has traveled to some of the most spectacular natural sites and wonders of the world, chasing and capturing the perfect awe-inspiring shot. He also provides some very lucky newlyweds with the most magical memories of their special day. FtC wanted to find out more about his amazing adventures and spectacular moments.

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Where are you from originally, and where is “home” for you currently?

I grew up in a village called Tiptree on the East Coast of the UK. Our house was backed up by fruit farm fields and my brother and I would spend most of our days exploring, building dens and getting up to general mischief. After living abroad and travelling for a few years I have come full circle and now live in a town not far from where I was born; it’s close to London and suits me well as a base.

Name 3 of your favorite places you’ve visited and what’s to love about them: It’s always a tricky question to answer as I have travelled to around 80 countries and I like so many places for different reasons.

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Here’s three that particularly stand out to me.

1. Lofoten, Norway. To be honest the whole West Coast of Norway is spectacular, but Lofoten has a particular romance to it. Craggy peaks jut out of the sea like ancient dragons and it’s one of the top places to see the Aurora dancing through the sky in the winter. It’s a photographer’s dream.

2. Yosemite National Park, USA. I only visited Yosemite for the first time this year. There are plenty of stunning National Parks in the US but I don’t think any quite come together in the way Yosemite does.

I felt like I was walking around in a film set. We spent our days walking, exploring, laying in the lush meadows, relaxing in the sun and watching the majestic waterfalls

and rivers that snake through the valley, not to mention the view points, like Glacier Point, which is one of the best views I have ever seen.

3. Vanuatu. When I tell people about Vanuatu they usually answer with something like ‘Where!?’. It’s a small archipelago of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They were originally French and you can still see the signs of colonial times, with the nice little bakeries and cafes on the main island. Some of the islands are still primitive and tribal. Everyone is so friendly though and the country has everything from perfect tropical beaches to lush jungles and waterfalls. A highlight for me was standing on the rim of Mount Yasur, an active volcano on the island of Tanna, feeling the earth shake and the heat on

my face as red lava exploded in the sky overhead every few minutes.

Tell us about “The Door to Hell…” in Turkmenistan. How did you get there, what is it and what’s incredible about it?

The Door to Hell is not an easy place to get to. It’s a huge crater that is filled with fire. It was created when a gas pipeline exploded over 30 years ago and because of all the natural gas underground it hasn’t stopped burning since. It is out in the desert in Turkmenistan and is literally in the middle of nowhere. I was driving with a couple of friends, from London to Mongolia, on a rally a few years back and we did some research into how to find it.

We managed to get close and then paid

some locals to take us into the desert and find it in 4x4s. It was an experience I won’t forget!

What is the best place and time of year to experience the Aurora Borealis?

They are active all year round but it needs to be dark to be able to see them. You need to be up North near the Arctic circle and it only gets properly dark there through the winter months. You can see them in the Southern Hemisphere near the South Pole too, but it is definitely less accessible. They are visible between late September and early April. I would say the best time would be in October and March. This is because there are enough dark hours, but the weather is likely to be

better than the middle of the winter and so clear nights are more common. There are plenty of places to see them – Canada, the US, Iceland, Scandinavia, Russia. One of the best places, in my opinion, is Northern Norway; fly into Bergen and from there you can travel to places like Lofoten and Senja and see them with some incredible scenery in the foreground.

You highly recommend experiencing “wing-walking…”

What is this and does it require special training?

You are strapped standing up to the top wing of a bi-plane, while the pilot flies around doing dives and loop the loops.

I have done sky dives in the past, but nothing quite feels like wing walking. I

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imagine it’s the closest the average person could get to feeling like you can fly. It’s not the cheapest experience, but is well worth it. There’s no special training needed at all, just a short video and some instruction by the pilot.

What is your must have travel item/s… aside from your camera?

Music is important to me, so I never travel without my ipod (well nowadays just my phone). But also, as strange as it sounds, a toothbrush! I have spent days on boats or on rallies without being able to shower or bath, but as long as I can brush my teeth I always feel some semblance of normality and cleanliness.

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Describe your most awe-inspiring moment and place.

“The ground trembles beneath my feet and a deep gutteral roar shakes my bones.

I watch my feet, one in front of the other trying to stay on the dark volcanic ash and not slip. Suddenly an almighty explosion that sounds like ten mortars going off, makes me jump out of my skin. I look to my right and see thousands of huge mounds of red hot molten lava catapult into the air and all goes quiet. Every muscle in my body wants to run away as fast as I can, but I pause and admire the sight. The lava falls into the crater and slides back down towards the chasm in the bottom. I am on the brim of mount Yasur; an active volcano on the island of

Tanna, Vanuatu.” I stood there and watched the volcano erupt every few minutes, for several hours. It is one of those experiences that is so awe inspiring (and also quite terrifying) that it is stamped in my memory and I will never forgot.

What would your perfect adventure weekend look like?

I would be somewhere up in the mountains, maybe Norway, or the Dolomites in Italy. Staying in a cabin with friends. I get up early and hike to

photograph the sunrise. We spend the days walking, mountain biking, swimming in lakes, drinking coffee and exploring - of course with my camera in hand! A few drinks under the stars in the evenings and meeting some new faces in a local bar.

Explain your unique approach to wedding photography.

I am not sure that my approach is unique, but I certainly have developed a formula. The most important thing for me is capturing the natural moments in the day. That’s why I always have a second photographer with me and why I spend most of my day watching and waiting so I don’t miss those fleeting moments. But getting some epic shots is

important to me too. I usually scout the area out the day before, or on the morning of the wedding and start to paint an image in my mind of how I can make a great sunset image, or a night shot under the stars. There’s always a way to get one, it just sometimes requires some creative thinking.

Your top Photography Tip for how to capture an experience?

Always be ready. Have your camera in hand, try not to overthink it and just capture what feels right. The more time you spend photographing, the more of a sixth sense you get for what works and why. I learnt by studying famous photographers, looking through their best work and asking myself

what makes their photos great. I tried to emulate many different artists and develop something that I could call my own style and gradually it just became natural.

ymore info: Instagram: @tomarcherphoto facebook.com/tomarcherphotography

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FtC travel

IGO Adventures The Euphoria of Achievement

By Naia Reid After 48 days at sea, having rowed through incredible storms and beaten extreme fatigue, the euphoria of finishing the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge was almost overwhelming for adventurer Bobby Melville. So powerful, that it left an indelible impression on him… the need to share the opportunity to experience the same life changing adventure with others.

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We spent nights in traditional Lavuu canvas tents with wood burning fires and basic freeze dried expedition food. Camp life was very much communal living for the afternoons and evenings, which was quite intense when that included physio treatments, food prep and just general chilling, all in the same main tent! Evenings finished early and were consumed with the ritual of prepping kits, water, and food supplies for the day ahead. The beauty and isolation of the endless snow covered plains South of Hemsedal was spellbinding and the emptiness of the rolling distance was compelling.

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Nikky Bannister (participant)

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These this would be no ordinary challenges, having spoken to over 100 of the world’s most proficient and experienced leading adventurers and record holders, who together held 65 World Records, completed every endurance race, and climbed every mountain peak on the globe. Bobby distilled the experiences into 5 themes and founded IGO, which provides challenging multi-discipline events for adventurers seeking out ways to push their physical and mental boundaries to the extreme.

66 Bobby FACE theMelville CURRENT running MAGAZINE

PHILANTHROPY

CHALLENGE

IGO is committed to raising money for great causes. A percentage of each entry fee is donated to their chosen charity and there is a strong tradition between competitors to also raise funds for those in need

Based on the fact that struggle can be a potent vehicle for development and growth, and that the level of struggle faced and overcome directly correlates to the level of euphoria that can be felt, IGO events are and always will be demanding.

WILDERNESS

An adventure becomes a truly enlivening experience when it’s done in raw wilderness. IGO adventurers can expect to encounter stunning scenery, campfires, freeze dried provisions, early mornings, and no signs of civilization.

The

Essence of

DIVERSITY

Facing a variety of challenges develops participants in many ways on many levels and also means that no matter how many times they take the IGO challenges, there is always something new to experience and master.

IGO

WHAT TO EXPECT

The IGO Team provides participants with all the information, preparation structures, and support necessary to tackle the challenges in peak mental and physical form. Complete medical and physical assessments, plus professionally compiled bespoke 4-month personal fitness and dietary preparation plans, are available as part of the IGO support network during the preparation period for each challenge

CAMARADERIE

Experiencing extreme conditions and challenges as a team encourages and facilitates the giving and receiving of support, strength and inspiration and memorable stories to share into the future.

It creates a space for life-lasting bonds between teammates and solo participants.

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“

As frustration and fatigue set in and my consciousness narrowed, the bond I had developed with my teammate over the past weeks became so important – subconsciously accepting her support and encouragement.

“

Nikky Bannister (participant)

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The 2017 Challenges March - N60’ Norwegian Challenge 2017 A snow kissed paradise in the heart of central Norway. Disciplines will include Marathon, fat biking, dog sledding, X- Country, touring and downhill skiing

August - W114’ Montana Challenge 2017 swimming, running, mountain biking and kayaking across the gorgeous Glacier National Park in Montana

October - NW05’ Moroccan Challenge 2017 Beginning in the Agafay Desert and ending in the snow-capped Atlas

Mountains - desert biking, kayaking, mountain biking, and canyon hiking. yTo find out more about the up-coming adventures IGO is offering in 2017, contact: info@igoadventures.com www.igoadventures.com www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC travel

10 HELPFUL APPS TO TAKE

on Your Travels 2. Here WeGo 1.PackPoint If you are one of those people who always forgets something essential when packing, this app is a lifesaver. Simply type in your destination, duration of trip and what you are traveling for and this nifty app give you a list of exactly what you need to bring along.

(Android,iOS)

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those A super tool for t who tend to ge lost easily but don’t want to end up with exorbitant roaming charges.

The app provides detailed maps of over 1,200 cities in more than 100 countries for pedestrians, cars, buses and be trains; which can used d an downloaded iOS) , id ro offline. (And

4. Rome2rio

A super tool for those who tend to get lost easily but don’t want to end up with exorbitant roaming charges.

The app provides detailed maps of over 1,200 cities in more than 100 countries for pedestrians, cars, buses and trains; which can be downloaded and used offline. (Android, iOS)

us mewhere fabulo 3.Airbnb For so t of the ordinary ou and maybe even to lay your head, accommodation price oad spectr um of Airbnb offers a br s rt yu m of B&B, fro ranges and types n ru ily m stles and fa and tepees to ca s in over 34,000 citie in establishments free) SiO , id ies. (Andro near ly 200 countr

5. Uber

app that about Uber…the ow kn t n’ do ho es to hop is for those w t the available rid ou k ec Waiting for a taxi ch y pl m Si driver, use driver to you. fare, contact your d an te brings a personal ra cle hi . The app is u preferred ve using a credit card y pa d an in with, choose yo t ee m range where to the tracking to ar untries. available in 77 co

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6. Yelp Get your dinner and after drinks locations organised before you leave the house. Yelp provides user reviews, where the best places in your region are, opening hours, number to call and some will even give you a menu so you know exactly what’s on offer.

7. Whatsapp It’s great to feel connected in a foreign country. Free calls and video calls using only data connection or WIFI allow you to stay in touch and easily share your experiences. With over a billion users all around the world, Whatsapp has become one of the most common communication apps of the decade.

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8.Wi-Fi Finder Finding a decent WIFI hotspot can shave heaps off your mobile phone traveling bills. This app directs you to the nearest wireless connection point and they included an offline mode, so you can download directions first. (iPhone, iPad, Android (free) Available on iPhone + iPad (free) and Android (free)

9. Onavo Extend This genius app significantly cuts the amount of data required to transact your daily online actions, giving you ly more time for your money…or simp ey! saving you mon (iPhone, iPad and Android (free)

10. Stayful Simply set the app a budget and the kind of accommodation you are looking for and it supplies a choice of possibilities and computes the fair market value.

It will contact the accommodation for you and even negotiate a price.

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FtC fAce the current

sports & FITNESS 64

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Ultrarunner Karl Meltzer: Breaking Appalachian Trail Record 9 Tips to Banish Your Stubborn Belly Fat For Good Take Advantage of the Push & Pull System Yes, You CAN Achieve more than 100%!

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Photo by Nicolas Bates 75

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FtC sports

Credit: Josh Campbell. Red Bull Content Pool

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Ultrarunner KARL MELTZER Talks Breaking Appalachian Trail Record: Runs 2,190 Miles in 45 Days Interview by Sasha Frate

Ultrarunner Karl Meltzer has won 38 x 100-mile races; the world record for Most 100 Mile Wins. It has always been his dream to hold the speed record for The Appalachian Trail and put a stamp on his illustrious career. Karl runs for Red Bull and Hoka One One, Drymax, Ultraspire, and Ryders Eyewear and has his own signature line of “Speedgoat Branded Products,” including Speedgoat Karl’s 100 Mile Blend Coffee.

Credit: Brian Nevins. Red Bull Content Pool Sasha Frate:There aren’t many people who ever make it to hike the Appalachian Trail, let alone run it.

How does it feel to make your mark on this legendary trail, covering its 2,190 miles in a record time of 45 days, 22 hours and 38 minutes?

Karl Meltzer: I’ve been chasing this record for 8 years, and after making two other attempts in 2008 and 2014, I made one more try at it in 2016. Although it is mentioned that I “ran” the AT, it is 90% hiking, averaging 3.4 mph for about 14 hours per day. No doubt that it feels great.

Finally, I can say I’ve put a stamp on my

career.

How did you earn the name “Speedgoat”?

I was driving home from the Pikes Peak Marathon in 1993 and a friend saw a jackrabbit cross the highway. I said, “look, it’s a speedgoat.” It’s stuck ever since. My buddy and I fought over the name, but I was a lot faster.

Your father exposed you to the mountains and you created an outdoor career in ultrarunning. Do you think you would have ventured

this direction if you hadn’t had his influence as a kid?

For sure I would have done something in the outdoors. I generally did not like going to school and always felt that we live once and should pursue our passion, rather than take the standard course of action of going to college, focusing on making a good salary and saving it to take to my grave. I’ve always “worked to live, not lived to work” Your RedBull stats. show that you’ve run through 22 pairs of shoes, 465,000 feet of elevation gain/loss www.facethecurrent.com

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and 121 crashes on the Appalachian Trail race. How accurate were these stats? Are there more of your own stats. to tell?

The stats. are very close to accurate; the actual shoe count was 19 and crashes are in that ballpark. I went down a few times a day. The number of times I almost went down is probably 800.

690 hours of Grateful Dead? Only Grateful Dead for 690 hours?!

Not all GD, some John Denver, Johnny

Cash, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Neil Young, Phish, Kieth Urban, Strangefolk. A real mix, but GD is my favorite.

How do you occupy your mind and what do you do for fun while running for countless hours alone on the trails?

Listen to music, dance around the rocks and enjoy the scenery of the green tunnel.

I generally never run with others, so it was easy for me be alone in the woods. If I seem to get bored, I just ask myself, “who

gets to do this?” Me! Have you ever had any run-ins with dangerous wildlife or particularly challenging situations on your long runs?

Not really. I saw 6 bears, which ran away from me, jumped over a few Rattlers and Copperheads and had a few closeup conversations with deer, but nothing intimidating or scary. I only saw one moose in Maine from a distance.

“

Credit: Brian Nevins. Red Bull Content Pool

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“

Credit: Brian Nevins. Red Bull Content Pool

I generally did not like going to school and always felt that we live once and should pursue our passion, rather than take the standard course of action of going to college, focusing on making a good salary and saving it to take to my grave. I’ve always “worked to live, not lived to work”

Credit: Interpret Studios. Red Bull Content Pool

In your final push you ran 23 hours straight to complete 85 miles!

What helped you mentally and physically to power through this last stretch?

I was on autopilot and could easily have gone further. When the end is near, we smell the barn and having run 75 x 100 mile races, this distance was “child’s play.”

Accomplishing this Appalachian Trail record at 48 years old is like icing on the cake after all those 100-

mile races. Where do you go from here?

To age 49… which I’ve now reached. Age is just a number and if people think 48 is old, they have not lived a good life, nor a healthy one.

How can ultrarunning fit into a regular lifestyle with career and family; the average person finding it difficult to carve out an hour to do a run or hit the gym?

Don’t have kids! I won’t lie and say I have

Credit: Interpret Studios. Red Bull Content Pool

ymore info:

karlmeltzer.com Instagram: @meltzerkarl

Credit: Interpret Studios. Red Bull Content Pool

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focused on enjoying “my life” instead of taking care of others. I am married very happily and we both agree, it’s important to enjoy what we want to do, rather than fulfill expectations of others, because ‘when your dead, you’re dead.’

Age is just a number and if people think 48 is old, they have not lived a good life, nor a healthy one.

Credit: Josh Campbell. Red Bull Content Pool

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FtC fitness

9 Tips to Banish Your Stubborn Belly Fat For Good

By Christine Khuri

All roads lead to cortisol...well sort of. What is Cortisol? Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands otherwise known as the stress hormone. It is part of the fight or flight stress response.

When stress levels are high cortisol is released into the blood system. In highly stressed bodies, this release of cortisol never turns off.

What does Cortisol do & why do we care?

Cortisol governs hunger, cravings, digestion,

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blood pressure, sleep & wake patterns, physical activity & stress.

•High Cortisol raises blood sugar •High Cortisol increases blood pressure •High Cortisol modulates inflammation, the precursor to most diseases •High Cortisol is the alarm that never shuts off, thus the adrenals keep pumping it out and finally you end up in “Adrenal Burnout”. The feel good neurotransmitters such as Serotonin, Dopamine & Norepinephrine get depleted.

•High Cortisol stimulates your appetite

and makes you crave sugary, fatty foods.

The bottom line is nothing makes you happy, you are exhausted and Cortisol tends to accumulate in the belly so you end up with a fat stomach. Increased belly fat or just being over weight in general increases Cortisol and makes it harder for you to lose weight.

Ok, back to how to get rid of belly fat, you’ll see how most of it goes back to stress and Cortisol.

d

et How to G s 1.Sleep Those Ab

Lack of sleep leads to increased stress levels. Lack of sleep inhibits the release of Melatonin & Growth Hormone which both secrete at night. Thus Cortisol can become high at night. Lack of sleep also increases the hunger stimulator hormone Ghrelin and suppresses Leptin which tells you when your full. Try to be consistent and get seven to eight hours of sleep a night. Also try not to eat before bed. Leave a window of 3 hours. If your body is busy trying to digest food it cant release growth hormone and other repair hormones, thus you become stressed and depleted and fat. It also interferes with sleep in general.

do raise your blood sugar quickly, thus keeping blood sugar levels steady and not raising glucose and cortisol. Increase your fiber intake so things move through your body and don’t get stuck in your gut fermenting and causing bloat. 35% good lean proteins such as chicken, fish, tofu, eggs & grass fed meats. The rest is healthy fats such as flax, omega3’s, hemp, almond butter & avocado.

Some dairy products such as Greek yogurt have been shown to have a positive effect on belly fat. It’s due to calcium. 1200-1500 mg of calcium can decrease abdominal fat and reduce bloating especially during PMS. Try Greek yogurt, yogurt & low fat cheese (stick to goat or sheep if you can).

3. Diet

Duh! Low carb, high protein, moderate fat.

Notice I did not say no carb. Stay around 45% calories from good low glycemic carbs such as oatmeal, quinoa, whole grains, couscous, brown rice, beans and berries. Low glycemic foods are foods that

sugar levels which again effects cortisol.

6. Reduce your intake of alcohol

You don’t have to cut it out completely but stick to moderate drinking. A few glasses a week. Remember alcohol calories tend to land in the belly. Alcohol reduces your will power so you binge and too much alcohol can cause stress levels to go up the next day, resulting in cravings for fatty, sugary foods. Alcohol also interferes with sleep, which once again raises cortisol! You know how you wake up in the middle of the night after the alcohol wears off (Yeah I know you do!)

7. Get your hormones checked

2. Exercise

Move your body and sweat every day. Do not over train!! You body perceives very high intensity exercise as stress. The body perceives over training as stress...and guess what??

That triggers Cortisol.

Ever notice if you train too hard you are fatigued and exhausted and weak?

That’s stress to your physical body. If you have high Cortisol stay away from very high intensity training.

Core training can have a positive effect on belly weight, but not traditional crunches.

Things such as planks, forearm planks, reverse crunches, back extensions and twists work best. Resistance training (lifting weights) also reduces over all body fat thus decreasing belly fat. It also doesn’t raise Cortisol as much as high intensity cardio or over training cardio. 1 hour or more of cardio has no benefit...but that’s a whole new topic!

5. Avoid sugar which spikes your blood

Some hormonal imbalances such as Thyroid, can add to increased body fat. A test can easily be done with a blood check from your G.P.

8. Relax!

Meditation & yoga have been proven to reduce stress levels which lowers cortisol and over all stress of body & mind. Even 10 minutes a day can help.

9. Practice healthy relationships & do not become complacent!!!

4. Supplements

•CLA has been shown to help reduce body fat.

•Calcium 1000-1500 split doses •Probiotics reduces bloating and the bad bacteria in the gut that can lead to belly bloating.

•Fiber: if you are not having a bowel movement everyday where do you think everything goes? It accumulates in your gut, releases gases and causes bloating and water retention.

•Healthy fats such as Flax, Hemp, coconut, avocados & fatty fish high in omegas 3’s help burn fat.

Being in loving healthy supportive relationships reduces stress and increases the feel good hormones Dopamine & Serotonin. Get rid of relationships that no longer bring you joy. This includes friends and co-workers & as well as love partners. Be in happy, healthy, relationships. These motivate people to take care of themselves.

Do not let everything go just because you are either alone or in secure relationships.

It’s not an excuse to gain weight and get lazy.

Get on the road to a healthy life!

ymore info: www.christinekhuri.com Instagram: @christinekhurifitness www.facethecurrent.com

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FtC fitness

Take Advantage of the

Push & Pull System BY

David Ryan Fitness

Training wise, I’ve tried it all: Olympic style, bodybuilding, HIIT, functional, yoga, calisthenics... all of them are great, but the one that I keep coming back to, the one that never fails me, is one of the most basic. It’s the push-pull system.

3 SETS OF 5-10 REPS PER EXERCISE

BENCH PRESS

In short, it’s training those muscles involved in pushing in one session and training the ones involved in pulling in another. There are a couple of distinct advantages to this type of program.

1) Muscle Overload: Training only muscles required to “push” in a workout means the chest, triceps and shoulders will be worked over and over throughout every set. This will stimulate muscle growth and fat burning.

2) Increased Recovery: One of the most important factors in building a lean muscular body is recovery.

By separating your workouts into “push” and “pull” and alternating them, you never hit the same muscle groups back to back. This allows for full recovery, strength gains and maximum effort into each workout. Maximum effort = maximum results.

I recommend alternating PUSH & PULL with a rest day in between.

Example PUSH workout: Bench press Shoulder press Close grip bench press Push-ups 3 sets of 5-10 reps per exercise Warm up with lighter weight before each exercise.

yTraining programs & Resistance bands: www.DavidRyanFitness.com Instagram: DavidRyanFitness YouTube: LIFTSTRONG 82

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SHOULDER PRESS

CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESS

PUSH UPS

Need a Trainer?

Get in the best shape of your life this year with David Ryan Fitness.

FtC sports

Yes, You CAN Achieve more than 100%!

By Ingo Snorrason

Ingo Snorrason is a professional Athletic Developer, Personal Trainer, Seminar Speaker, NLP Specialist and a Counselor for various professional athletes and teams. He travels Europe working with people in sports ranging from Handball and Football to Horse Riders and Martial Artists.

How sweet it is to experience the increase of your own skills, become sharper, stronger and more complete as a performer.

Here is a summary of many people´s mindsets; People have a hard time identifying their development towards excellence! When asked, most athletes don´t know how they increase their skills towards a greater outcome, they can´t pin down specifically and precisely what steps to take. Most of them answer they are going to do their best! (even when not understanding what their best actually is) or, that they are going to listen to their trainer and work hard! That can leave them unaware of their own progress and therefore, incapable of creating their best outcome based on their full potentials.

Definition of hard work; Performing mindfully at the level of maximum output with the aim of learning and excelling through constant mental connection and full action.

Let´s keep it real, we all want to be able to perform at 100% and we also want to be able to size up the capability that our 100% represents. Yes, we can go beyond our 100%!!

How? Let´s say you are training for a sport, or even learning to play the piano. When you do the first repetition, set a benchmark right there! You need that benchmark foundation so that you always aim at increasing the quality of your next repetition from your previous one.

What we are aiming at here, is the connection of awareness to the

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performance in real time; connecting the feeling of movement, focusing on your physical state, keeping yourself in the mental momentum of the action.

Take the example of a golfer; the golfer takes 10 swings. During the first he does his best, focusing physically and mentally on the best movements he can make. After the first; he gives himself feedback and decides to do better in the second by relaxing the shoulders a little more.

After the second; feedback again and in the third, he decides to keep the shoulders more relaxed and turn the hips deeper into the movement and create a stronger swing. After the

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third; feedback and deciding to do the same again to further strengthening the nerve pathways towards the creation of the movement. After the fourth; doing the same and focusing on loosening the tight grip that he has on the club, relax it a little more. …and on and on towards aiming at the tenth and last repetition as being the far best of the set.

The golfer, therefore, aims, in the beginning at 100%, and finishes at 120% in the last repetition, in comparison to the first swing. It´s a great trick and it works.

The above description could as easily be applied to a karate kick,

a 100-meter sprint, a basketball fake move-anddunk, etc.

The fundamental message here; Focus! Emphasize on your ability now and in your work. Be mentally and physically connected to what you do, in order to make yourself more qualified. That amplifies your brain cell stimulus and creates clearer pathways that all your technical abilities are based on.

ymore info: email ingo@ingo.is

Let´s say you are training for a sport, or even learning to play the piano. When you do the first repetition, set a benchmark right there!

You need that benchmark foundation so that you always aim at increasing the quality of your next repetition from your previous one.

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FtC fAce the current

HEALTH & WELLBEING 88 92

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What Can You Expect from Meditation?

The Importance of Living Your Life One Day at a Time Back to Basics with Dorene Petersen Who needs sleep?

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FtC health

What Can You Expect from Meditation?

By Dr. Vaughn Bowman

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We have to continue to learn. We have to be open. And we have to be ready to release our knowledge in order to come to a higher understanding of reality 88

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Thich Nhat Hanh

First, let’s get a few misconceptions out of the way regarding what meditation actually is…and isn’t. The notion that meditation involves completely clearing the mind of all thought and levitating is pure folly. If this is your goal, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Not only is the idea of emptying the mind impossible, it’s a sign of life. Your brain’s polarity shifts in a sign-wave like pattern every 30 to 60 seconds, each peak of which is when thoughts predominantly arrive.

This means as long as you are alive, you will have distracting thoughts and that is a good thing! As for the levitation, well…

I’ve yet to see it myself but the sensation or feeling of lightness is another matter

entirely.

Meditation is work first and foremost.

In order to get the most out of your effort you must be diligent and really try to maintain a daily practice. The duration of the ‘sit’ or meditation does matter. However, don’t be too hard on yourself at first. It’s far more important to actually take some time to practice daily. Whether it’s 30 minutes or only 5, the critical factor is the consistency of your practice.

What you are really doing is re-training the brain and nervous system.

You’re changing the way your body responds to stimuli. By sitting back and observing the breath or any sensations in the body without reacting or trying to control or change them, you are slowly changing the patterned response we all learn over time.

This can be accomplished in any myriad of ways. There are certainly a huge variety of styles, thoughts, and ‘rules’ regarding meditation. The trick is to find one that works for you. As long as you are attempting to focus your attention on something with clarity and concentration, you will surely find the mind shortly begin to wander. Great! This is what

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you want. “Really” you ask? Yes, this is exactly the basis for the practice. As you gently (no additional negative thoughts or self-judgment please) and carefully return your attention to the original focus, you are re-training the mind. This might happen once every 10 minutes or 6 times in a single minute. Wonderful! The more distraction the better, as each gentle re-direction is another small lesson for the mind and gets you closer to your goal. The common excuse of ‘monkey mind’ or having recurrent, unorganized thoughts shouldn’t ever keep you from attempting to meditate. In fact, many would say those individuals stand to benefit the most from meditation.

So, what is the goal exactly? What can we really expect from a solid, daily practice? As a Vipassana practitioner (S. N. Goenka) and a student of Thich Nhat Hanh, I learned the basics and attempted to apply them to my busy life. However, I must admit I failed…often. Whenever work became insane, family problems, or any other schedule conflicts sprung up, I would more often than not neglect my practice. Of course this is exactly when I needed to practice the most!

The benefit of a daily practice that one first sees is the ability to handle stress and problematic events with better

ease, grace, and clarity. Now, I’m not for a moment suggesting meditation is a magic pill that will remove all stress and negativity from your life. However, it does make such matters much easier to deal with. Sort of like water running off a duck’s back. The rain is still there, but the duck doesn’t mind it as much due to the feathers shedding the water and therefore preventing it from penetrating.

No, you’re not likely to face extremely traumatic events with the stillness of a Zen Master; however you may be able to have a little compassion for that jerk that just cut you off in rush-hour traffic.

Indeed, the practice starts to bleed into your life in small, seemingly insignificant ways. Next, your family and friends are starting to take notice. “What are you doing?” or “What’s different about you?” will be asked of you frequently as others notice the subtle change in your energy and response to events and situations.

The overall results of meditation upon the physiology of the body are simply too numerous to list. Perhaps this is why PubMed alone lists 4,199 different studies on meditation and its effects upon the body. Suffice it to say,

meditation can improve the function of every cell in the body. It has been shown to positively impact those with everything from heart disease and high blood pressure, to depression and cancer remission rates. I personally am a big believer and subscribe meditation regularly to my patients. Again, the trick is to practice daily and stick with it long enough to begin to notice small changes.

Weather the storm of the mind. Calm the negative thoughts of “I just can’t do this right” or “I simply don’t have time.”

Any time spent meditating is time well spent; regardless of the outcome or your interpretation of what happened. Enjoy the time invested while getting to better know yourself.

ymore info:

drvbowman.com www.facebook.com/drvbowman www.facethecurrent.com

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health

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Giving up

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FtC

and accepting

change are two very different

things. The shift is natural, the best

thing you can do is go with it.

The Importance of Living Your Life One Day at a Time

By Clair Marie

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Most days, when I was growing up, I was looking forward to tomorrow, next week, next year. I was constantly fantasizing what my life would look like when I was older. Where I was going to live, what I was going to do. I think that planning for the future is a necessity for success because if we don’t know where we want to go then we will definitely never get there, but we also limit ourselves by not living in the now.

We have to live right now because this moment, today, is all we truly have for certain. I have learned over the years, through pain and loss, that everything can change in an instant. There is no right time for something to shift. It just does and in that moment your entire life can suddenly be different.

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We become so hyper focused on the future, on our goals and dreams and the things our parents and loved ones want us to become, that we begin to live in the Future. Neglecting completely this day, this moment.

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We are born and raised in a very structure-driven society. There are steps that we are told to take that will lead us in a direction for “success”. Our lives are all but planned out for us with school and activities.

Our parents have these ideas of the people whom they wish we will become. We are taught to plan for the future, which is obviously a good idea, but that is where the problem lies. We become so hyper focused on the future, on our goals and dreams and the things our parents and loved ones want us to become, that we begin to live in the Future. Neglecting completely this day, this moment. Our heads can become filled with thoughts of how life will be better “when x,y or z” happens.

Keep in mind that what you ultimately want can also change in an instant as well. Something which you have put massive energy and effort into can suddenly become less of a priority. Things you placed a high level of importance on can become unimportant over night.

Our interests can change, our desires change and our paths change. Being open enough and compassionate enough to look at our situation and respect the shifts that are taking place is key, whether they are positive and exciting or if they are painful, annoying or devastating.

Fighting and resisting only brings more pain. I am not saying that when things get tough or uncomfortable to just give up. Giving up and accepting change are two very different things. The shift is natural, the best thing you can do is go with it. When we embrace today for exactly what it is we are opening ourselves up to a renewed sense of self and a perspective that we didn’t have yesterday and we might not have tomorrow.

Live for today, appreciate what you have today, love as much as you can today and plan for the future, but do not become attached.

ymore info:

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Back to Basics with

DORENE PETERSEN BA, DP.NT, DIP.ACU, RH (AHG)

President & CEO of American College of Healthcare Sciences Dorene Petersen holds a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology, a Diploma in Natural Therapeutics, has completed specialized training in Chinese herbal medicine and moxibustion and has also completed part one of the Advanced International Training Program in essential oils at Purdue University. She is an eCollege certified online instructor and regularly lectures about medical herbalism, aromatherapy, iridology and natural body care. Dorene has appeared on various TV and radio shows and her articles about have appeared in publications worldwide.

Dorene founded ACHS in New Zealand in 1978. ACHS later launched in the United States in 1989 and became the first accredited, completely online college, offering holistic health education, with certificate, diploma, undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

The school covers Herbal Medicine, Holistic Nutrition, Aromatherapy, Phytotherapy, Iridology and Homeopathy to list a few.

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Sasha Frate: Can you give us some examples of highly medicinal foods and what to use them for?

Turmeric is the first that comes to mind. Turmeric is a spice with a very long history, and it also happens to be one of the most potent natural antiinflammatories we have at our disposal. It’s also good for your digestion. Try the powder in a smoothie with a dash of black pepper, which is said to enhance the bioavailability of the active constituent curcumin.

Dorene Petersen:

Another good one is garlic. Garlic is a pretty common seasoning in the kitchen, but it’s also a powerful antimicrobial and antifungal. Garlic is more powerful raw when its volatile oil and enzymes are intact.

So, I typically recommend people crush it or chop it really fine and add it raw into salads or tuna fish or to eat it on toast.

If you want to add it into something hot, like soup, wait until just before serving to retain as many of the health-promoting properties as possible.

more nutritious. There is no federal law yet that requires GMO foods to be labeled, so unless wheat, corn, and soy products are labeled certified organic, they could be

Another favorite is coriander. Coriander Coriandrum sativum (L.) has a long history of both culinary and medicinal use in many countries. In India, it is known as dhanya, meaning “rich one,” where it is a primary ingredient in daily cooking. The fresh leaves are called cilantro. It’s a parsley look-a-like, so you may also see it by other names such as Mexican parsley . It has traditionally been used for a variety of bodily discomforts, including everything from poor digestion to insomnia to painful joints. I add it to everything as research has shown it is helpful for preserving memory.

genetically modified.

The western diet is very heavy on wheat, corn and soy based products.

Nowadays, most of these have been genetically modified. What effect does this modification have on the body and its ability to digest them?

The goal of genetic modification is to introduce “favorable” characteristics by altering the DNA of a plant to increase crop yields, to increase resistance to pesticides and herbicides and to make it

We have been told that GMO foods increase yields and will help alleviate hunger in the world and that they pose no threat to human health or to the environment. However, a recent study has shown these outcomes are not supported in reality. The report found that yields have not actually increased in insectresistant crops and we now have resulting Roundup-resistant weeds and super bugs to deal with. When you’re eating genetically

modified foods, you are getting a side of pesticides with your meal. As of right now, scientific studies haven’t been able to conclusively show the negative effects of www.facethecurrent.com

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GMOs on human health. But, there is a compelling argument about the relationship between GMOs and the significant rise in gluten allergies and sensitivities. We know that pesticides are dangerous; they have been linked to cancer and adverse effects on the eyes, skin, nervous system and endocrine system. They’re also very serious for the environment and may be playing a role in honey bee colony collapse disorder, among other things. So, I would say better safe than sorry and avoid GMO crops and pesticides and purchase organic whenever possible, particularly products such as wheat, corn, and soy.

really high in vitamin C. So leave the peel on if at all possible.

What are people tossing out that could & should be eaten?

Sometimes the most healing or nourishing elements aren’t located where you might think. Edible weeds are a great example. Many people view dandelion as an invasive weed and use chemical pesticides to control it in their lawns, but dandelion leaves are high in calcium and other vital nutrients. Dandelion root can be roasted and ground and used as a healthy, caffeine-free coffee substitute.

Also, when you’re prepping your food, the more intact the vegetables, the better. Try to avoid cutting your veggies into very small pieces. This minimizes the amount of vitamins destroyed when they come into contact with air.

Lavender flowers are another great example. you can use them in cooking. Just make sure they’re organic, pesticide-free flowers before you throw them into your lemonade or iced tea or make a marinade. Lavender flowers impart a distinct floral flavor, can be rather soothing and are full of healthful constituents, including antioxidants like limonene, which stimulates digestion .

Another great one is potato peel. Many nutrients in fruits and vegetables are found right under the skin. When you peel your veggies, many of those nutrients are lost. If you save your potato peelings, you can boil them into a kind of broth that is very alkalizing for the body and a great source of potassium. Make sure your potatoes are organic if you decide to cook with the peel on.

Carrots and sweet potatoes also come to mind, too. The peel is

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What are some food prepping tips to ensure you’re getting the most nutrients out of your plant based foods?

For example, why should people avoid peeling fruits or boiling veggies and when is raw better than cooked or visa versa?

As in the carrot example, the peel is really rich in vitamin C. So you just want to wash the peel thoroughly.You don’t want to take it off.

The same with potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets and yams.

Steaming and baking are the best cooking methods to retain nutrients. Boiling and then discarding the water results in the loss of many nutrients. It is more nourishing to drink the water and throw away the vegetable! If you must boil your vegetables, use as little water as possible and have the water boiling before you put the vegetable in the pot. Cook the vegetable for as short a time as you can, to preserve more of the nutrients.

Raw foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, retain more enzymes; the body’s activators, which are so important for digestion. Aim for at least 60% raw or sprouted food and just make a note of how you feel.

A raw food diet is not for everybody, so ease into it slowly over a couple of weeks.

Many people are familiar with a few types of phytonutrients such as antioxidants but what are the

most essential nutrients for a healthy body? Does this change with age?

Phytonutrients are different than the vitamins and minerals plants provide as they are not essential to sustain life but certainly have an enormous impact on our health. They are usually in plants to protect the plants or grains from a variety of environmental threats. Antioxidants, such as carotenoids and flavonoids, are most wellknown, but phytoestrogens are important and others such as ellagic acid found in berries like raspberries and fruit such as pomegranates.

As we age, there are a lot of changes in the body. One of them is that our energy needs decline. So, older people need to eat very nutritious food while also overall consuming less food, so nutrient-dense foods are the best option. These do not have empty calories, which take energy to digest but don’t give anything back; for example, many snack foods, likes chips, cookies and sodas, are high in added sugar but provide little to no actual nutrition. It’s generally recommended that older people eat small, frequent meals, which allows the digestive enzymes and GI tract to more completely process meals; consume less salt; and consume more fiber for healthy digestion. A simple way to do this is to leave the skin on fruits and vegetables.

Sprouting has a lot to offer and is so versatile! They can be used on salads, sandwiches, in smoothies and yogurt.

What would you say is important to know when selecting foods to sprout? What are the differences in nutrition among different types of sprouts for example with alfalfa versus broccoli sprouts?

sprouts are an easy, inexpensive and nutritious way to get fresh, organic greens into your diet year all year. Sprouted seeds and beans also have more protein, mineral and vitamin content and are full of chlorophyll, which is a great natural detoxifier. The most Yes,

common sprouting vegetables are broccoli, alfalfa and beans. Broccoli sprouts are high in sulforaphane, which is an antioxidant known to help prevent cancer. Alfalfa sprouts contain vitamins D, E, K and C, minerals and are about 35% protein. The one word of caution with alfalfa, though, is that they contain an amino acid called canavanine, which is a natural toxin. So, broccoli sprouts are a bit safer in that regard.

You can also sprout with sunflower seeds, fenugreek, mung beans, lentils, buckwheat,

chickpeas and soybeans, among others. A lot of people don’t do well with legumes like chickpeas and soybeans, so they might want to give pumpkin kernels or barley a try. Always choose organic seeds, grains, legumes, or beans to sprout with.

Organic isn’t always affordable or available for everyone, but what are some foods that you would most recommend eating only organic? Strawberries may be one example because the berries absorb high amounts of herbicides and pesticides?

I follow the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list of foods to only eat organic. They do a really thorough analysis on an annual basis, so I know their assessment is timely for current trends in produce. Their Dirty Dozen 2016 list of

foods high in pesticides and to only eat organic includes: strawberries, apples, nectarines, peaches, celery, grapes, cherries, spinach, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, kale/collard greens.

Sometimes, a more affordable option is to buy the organic version of these fruits and vegetables frozen. Frozen vegetables tend to be healthier than canned vegetables www.facethecurrent.com

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because they are processed at their peak ripeness, when they’re most nutrient packed . Ideally, you want to buy in-season fruits and vegetables fresh, but if that isn’t an option, organic frozen is much better than consuming pesticides.

Can you share your top 10 favorite healthy and nutritious snacks?

I love to eat as raw, whole and organic as possible, so right now the snacks I have in my fridge are raspberries, blueberries, raw almonds, smoothie ingredients, celery sticks, hummus (made fresh from organic chickpeas), salsa, mini organic sweet peppers eaten seed and all, raw cauliflower and apples. I will change it up a bit with the seasons. For example, I will add citrus when they are in season.

Most people nowadays are familiar with probiotics, but can you explain pre-biotics and why they are equally important?

While probiotics are good bacteria that help maintain a healthy, happy gut, prebiotics are food for probiotics. Ideally, you need both. Prebiotics are a type of

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fiber that passes undigested since the body can’t adequately break them down. So, they pass through the stomach and intestines without being broken down and as they pass through, they feed or fuel the good bacteria in the gut. Intentionally consuming prebiotic foods—like raw garlic, raw dandelion greens, raw or cooked onions and raw asparagus—have been shown to improve gut health and digestion, boost the immune system, reduce inflammation and help regulate hormones. If you’re someone who likes and does well with fermented foods, like sauerkraut or kombucha, then you’d want to add a serving or two into your daily diet.

What are some of the most surprising medicinal uses for essential oils?

The literal definition of “aromatherapy” is the use of aromas for their healing properties. But, this is just one of many definitions in use today to describe the field of clinical aromatherapy and the therapeutic application of essential oils. Aromatherapy is also the controlled use of essential oils to promote overall health, well-being and vitality. So, it’s not just smelling aromas that

are pleasing to the senses, though this can be very beneficial and soothing, too. The inhalation of specifically selected essential oils, for example, can be a very quick way for the body to absorb and distribute the active constituents in the essential oil molecules through the blood stream. One interesting

potential application of essential oils currently being researched is for use with memory, aging populations, and even with Alzheimer’s disease.

Rosemary essential oil, for example, has stimulating properties and has been used for years to help improve clarity and focus. Research is now looking

at some lesser-known oil to see if/how they might also be effective for memory loss prevention, such as black pepper, coriander and Spanish sage. Medicinally, essential oils are also currently being researched for use to help manage post-operative pain, for their natural anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties, which has a lot of application for food preservation, to help control foodborne illnesses and as anti-aging agents,

applicable to the beauty industry, among others.

Let’s do Herb101 in 2 minutes:What a cool course! One of my favorites was discovering lavender essential oil healed blistering sunburn better than aloe! And lemon balm works a hundred times better than antacids on upset stomach with added benefit of calming nerves! Talk about incredibly practical, functional and inexpensive solutions to pretty common ailments! What are some highlights you love?

HERB 101 at the American College of Healthcare Sciences is a discovery course— it’s where you go when you’re fairly new to the herbal medicine modality and you want to learn more. It covers some history, as well as important safety information about the use of herbs, including an introduction to methods of administration and therapeutic actions. We cover all this in an introductory course because we want you to start using herbs ASAP. I love that HERB 101 gets students into using the course materials almost immediately. So, while you’re studying, you’re also making.. One of my favorite formulas in that course is for horehound candy. This is another one of those herbs often classified as a weed, but it has a ton of health properties, including use for maintaining healthy blood sugar, for soothing coughs and colds, for pain, and also as a protective agent in the stomach. And that’s what herbal medicine—and holistic health in general—is all about: prevention.

Horehound candies are a great example of how simple, portable, relevant and practical herbal medicine can be.

(1) Other common names include Arab parsley, Chinese parsley, dizzycorn, and Japanese parsley.

(2) GLOBinMED. (2011). Coriandrum sativum. Global Information Hub On Integrated Medicine. Retrieved from http://www.globinmed.com/index.php?option=com_con tent&view=article&id=79073:coriandrum-sativum-linnumbelliferae&catid=705:c#21 (3) Sciences, N.A., et al. (2016). Genetically engineered crops: experiences and prospects. The National Academies Press. Retrieved from https://www.nap. edu/catalog/23395/genetically-engineered-cropsexperiences-and-prospects. Accessed December 13, 2016.

(4) http://foodfacts.mercola.com/lavender.html (5) http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_ news_information/fresh_vs_frozen_vegetables_are_we_ giving_up_nutrition_fo

ymore info: www.achs.edu

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Who Needs Sleep?

By DR. JAMES BENTZ (D.PSc) Who needs sleep? well you’re never gonna get it Who needs sleep? tell me what’s that for Who needs sleep? be happy with what you’re getting There’s a guy who’s been awake since the Second World War -The Barenaked Ladies

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I was in the Atlanta airport a few weeks ago, and picked up the latest issue of Scientific American because of the cover: “The Power of Sleep.” I have a brother who says “you can sleep when you’re dead;” as if sleep was some sort of luxury, or in his case, an inconvenience.

Actually, a sufficient lack of sleep can kill you. Rats deprived of sleep all died within a month. There is even a condition called Fatal Familial Insomnia. It follows family lines and can express itself at any time during a person’s life and is always fatal within a few months.

Short of outright killing us, lack of sleep has all sorts of other negative impacts on our health, mood, memory and learning.

There are some studies suggesting that there is a relationship between insomnia and dementia. In 2013 researchers showed that the space between the cells in the brain increases during sleep, allowing for better flow of cerebrospinal fluid through the brain. These researchers injected beta amyloid (the precursor of the amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease), into mice, and found that it was cleared from the brain twice as fast during sleep compared to awake animals.

Our emotional state is impacted by sleep. One study showed that subjects’ memory of negative words doubled, while the ability to remember positive words decreased by 50% when subjects were forced to cut back on sleep. No wonder I’m so grumpy when I don’t get enough sleep! This correlates with others studies showing a link between insomnia and depression.

As little as one night’s disturbed sleep has been shown to lower our immune system response. Poor sleep also affects our ability to clear glucose from the bloodstream. Another study showed that the levels of the appetite stimulating hormone grehlin jumped 28% in sleep-deprived men, and the appetite suppressing hormone leptin dropped by 18%. These sleep-deprived men reported a 23% increase in hunger levels. There are several studies showing a relationship between poor sleep and obesity and the development of Type II Diabetes.

Sleep also strengthens memories that our brains deem valuable. This provides support for the arguments about memory put forth by Daniel Schacter at Harvard. His studies show that we evolved memory systems not to reminisce about the past, but rather to be able to use prior experience to enhance our future performance.

It is during sleep that the brain clears toxins via glial cell activity.

The CDC has added lack of sleep as a major health epidemic in America.

We sleep 30% less than our parents. In addition to the effects of poor sleep listed above, it also puts us at higher risk for stroke, and developing autoimmune disorders.

So what can we do to improve our quality of sleep?

Here are a few tips from Dr. Mercola: • Get your sleeping space as close to total darkness as possible. This includes moving digital clocks away from your bedside.

• Stay away from TV or computer screens for at least an hour before going to bed.

• Keep your bedroom temperature on the cool side. Optimal temperatures for sleeping are between 60-68 degrees • Get regular exercise • Plan your time so you can get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

• Don’t eat right before bedtime So who needs sleep? We all do. Sleep is crucial for our physical and emotional health, wellbeing, and performance. Make sure you are getting yours!

ymore info:

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BUSINESS 104 108

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118 102

BRAIN CATALYST Four Cornerstone principles of a Successful Marketing Strategy That Monetizes Vision Planning and Creating Business Goals for the Year Ahead: 5 Things to Keep in Mind EMbercombe: A Path to Purpose

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BRAIN CATALYST

by Tomek Wyczesany

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Functional training, get ripped, sixpack, buns of steel - obsession with physical fitness may have reached its peak. Quick search for “fit body” in Google returns over 400 million hits in less than a second. What about a fit brain? When was the last time you gave your brain a good workout?

Your brain plays a very important role in everyday life! Yet not many consider the brain as a part of body that needs to be exercised. Fortunately, cognitive fitness has become more popular since celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Hugh Jackman, Novak Djokovic, Tim Cook and Richard Branson admitted to meditating on a regular basis.

Growing demands to perform better and faster require radical improvement to our cognitive capacities. So, is there a way to make your brain work more

efficiently?

Many professional athletes recall instances when they entered a state of extraordinary clarity; when everything quiets down, time stops, the body and mind work in unison - the zone. Being in the zone may not happen so often, but it is an unforgettable experience.

The feeling of purpose and undivided attention to the task at hand. Perhaps you remember a similar experience from your own life? Depending on the context, this experience may be called: Aha moment, state of flow or Samadhi. Scientifically speaking, the flow characterizes the state in which physical, mental and emotional performance is optimal. Our body and mind work at peak efficiency. Is entering the zone due to sheer luck, or can we do somehow help it?

Before we jump to conclusions, let us perform a quick self-diagnostic; an assessment of your brain activity if you will. Are you ready? Look around you, find the closest wall and pick a spot, any point that draws your attention. Focus on it for as long as you can without thinking about anything else.

How did you do?

Results: 1-8 seconds - Attention span of an average person 15 - 60 seconds - WOW, you should feel pretty good about yourself!

More than 5 min - What is thy bidding master?

More than 20 min - Stop wasting your time staring at the wall, there are better things to do with your abilities!

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The ability to maintain attention during a given task is the key to entering “the zone”. In the times when we are surrounded by so many ceaseless distractions, it is not easy to keep focus.Yet intense concentration maintained over extended period of time is the quality that makes the difference between a good and an exceptional athlete, a decent lawyer and a one-of-akind barrister, an entrepreneur and Steve Jobs. Every skill needs practice, however there are ways to accelerate the process.

Every mental state, including the state of intense focus, has its fingerprint in a form of the electrical signal

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produced by brain. This signal can be measured as the function of time using electroencephalogram (EEG) and it is recorded as brain waves. When in ordinary state (i.e. most of the time during the day) you brain produces predominately beta brain waves (frequency 12 to 38 Hz, Hz means beats per second). When you are asleep you brain switches to theta waves (3 to 8 Hz). Other typical brain wave patterns are: alpha (8 to 12 Hz) representing states of calm focus (i.e. being in the moment) and gamma (38 to 42 Hz) associated with states of exhilaration, love, altruism, compassion etc. Theta patterns are present in state of expanded

consciousness. Ordinarily all brain patterns can be detected simultaneously, however their intensity differs depending on our state of mind.You may ask, what is the signature of the state of flow. Can we somehow integrate it onto the brain?

Scientists discovered that the desired zone lies on the border between alpha and theta region (around 8 Hz) and can be induced by introducing specifically tailored audio signals, different to each ear. The illusion that is created this way has the term “Binaural Beat”. For example: by playing pure tone of 100 Hz to one ear (what may sound to you like wooooooo) and 104 Hz to another ear, your will “hear” as the result an

oscillating sound of 4 Hz (that may sound like woo, woo, woo, woo...). To process both signals your brain must utilize left and right hemispheres simultaneously, which leads to, so called, hemispheric synchronization - a very desired state, in which both part of your brain work in unison. When we adjust the frequency of the signals that instead 4 Hz will deliver 8 Hz (e.g. 100 Hz to one ear and 108 to the other), we may push our brain to enter the desired state of flow.

The scientific discovery of this phenomenon can be tracked back to the 18th century, however strong evidence exists that the brain wave entrainment was known to ancient cultures and was used in various rituals. The methods used to achieve the altered states were typically rhythmical drumming or chanting.

In our modern era, binaural beats gained popularity mostly through the work of Robert Monroe and the Monroe Institute.

Since different states of mind produce different brain patterns. Using the principle of binaural beats, one may enter desired states of mind on demand; relaxation, alertness, the zone, dream state etc.

The sky’s the limit and certainly there are many who use this knowledge to promise miracles in exchange for money. However, one must remember: hemispheric synchronization and binaural beats is not a one-fit-all solution. On the contrary, like most technologies, it can only be used as an aid and a catalyst for self-exploration. The active ingredient and the most important element on this journey is always YOU and nothing will happen without your active participation, strong intention and perseverance. As with every training it takes time to get results, but it is time well spent, as it may help you to explore and further expand your consciousness.

ymore info: Synergylabsydney.com Twitter: @synergylabsyd

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Four Cornerstone Principles of a Successful Marketing Strategy That Monetizes

by David Asarnow, Founder of Business Oxygen

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While fully embracing the right mindset is the first step towards transforming your business into a sales and marketing machine, there are four key principles that you must understand in order to positively impact your business success.

These are so important to your business in this new economy that unless you build your marketing strategies upon this solid foundation, you will have a 99% chance of failing.

Therefore, it is critical that you take time to implement these four cornerstone principles into your business.

Cornerstone #1: Calculate the Lifetime Value of Your Client When business owners hire us to help increase their business monetization, one of the first things we do is calculate the lifetime value of their clients. The lifetime value (LTV) is the amount of sales and profit each client brings on average to your business over the course of their buying lifetime.

Most business owners do not truly know this number and take a guess and yet this is a really important number to know. It

is so important, you should probably ask your bookkeeper to calculate your LTV for you.

Why is this an important metric?

The reason why the lifetime value of a client is so important is because it gives you an idea of how much you should invest in marketing to get the client in the first place.

Now think about that for a minute. If you

know the LTV of a client, then the next time you run across a “great” marketing product/concept/service/idea, you will be able to determine how “great” this is for your business based on the facts of your specific client’s LTV. It removes a part of the guesswork and can keep you focused on the best tools for your company.

Let’s use the following simple way to calculate your LTV:

Total Amount of Clients for the year:

100

Average # of purchases per client:

2

Average Purchase Amount:

$125.00

(100 x 2 x $125) Total Revenue:

$25,000.00

Cost to produce each product or service (including parts & labor):

$35.00

Total cost to produce product for the 100 clients (100 x $35):

$3,500.00

Average marketing Costs for this scenario for the year

$5,000.00

Total Costs:

$8,500.00

Total Revenue - Costs = Gross Profit:

($25,000 - $8,500)

Gross Profit:

$16,500.00

Client One Year Value For The Year:

$165.00 ($16,500 /100 clients)

Number of Years A Client Stays:

5

Client Lifetime Value:

$165.00 x 5= $825.00

So in the example used above, each client in that business represents at least $825 in profits on average per year.

However, it doesn’t have to stop there.

In fact, your goal should actually be to increase the lifetime value of each client.

How do you do this? One simple way to increase your LTV is to increase your

transactional average, the amount they buy from you when they do or by increasing your transactional frequency, having them purchase from you more often.

Based on our example, this business owner knows that if he spends another $5,000 in marketing in the same ways he’s investing in the market currently, he can

reasonably expect to double his profits.

Without knowing that lifetime value of his clients, he doesn’t have the confidence to make that kind of investment in marketing.

Knowledge is power. Yes, specific knowledge of your client’s LTV will give you the power to increase the results you expect in your business. www.facethecurrent.com

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Cornerstone #2: Track the Source of Every Lead Coming Into Your Business The best way to spend your marketing dollars effectively is by knowing where your clients are based. You do this through what’s known as “tracking.” If there is only one piece of advice that we would want you to remember from my series, it would be this: Track the source of every lead that comes into your business.

There are simple ways to do this: • Ask clients how they found you.

• Use special tracking phone numbers for each form of marketing.

• Design special landing page websites with tracking codes or special URLs for a specific ads, sales, coupons, etc.

At the end of the day, you absolutely

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need to know where your leads are coming from so that you know exactly what’s working in your business. Once you know where your leads are coming from, then you can begin to invest marketing in those specific areas that are generating the best leads and clients.

Without tracking your leads, you’re just throwing stuff against the wall, hoping it will stick. You may be wasting thousands of dollars on ineffective marketing strategies.

Not tracking your results is using the MUSTA Marketing Method. The MUSTA method is thinking that when more clients are coming into your business, then the marketing MUSTA worked. We

cannot tell you how many businesses run using this method. We know many personally that have the capability to track and measure their results of what is working and what is not, and they refuse to because they think it will take too much time.

Many of these type businesses who refused to track their results are no longer in business today. While you should always look at every cent you invest in marketing, in tough times it is even more important to create leverage through your investment in marketing and advertising,

Cornerstone #3: Calculate Your Marketing ROI (Return On Investment) Building on the previous cornerstone, the only way to truly know your return on investment is to track the results of every marketing strategy. Once you know how much you are spending and how many clients you’re getting as a result of

that spending, then you will know exactly how much each marketing dollar is bringing back to your business.

For example, if you spend $500 on a mailing campaign, which generates two new clients, who then spend a total of

$4,500 in your business, the return on your investment is 900%! In terms of actual dollars, you receive $9 for every $1 spent. By most standards, that is a pretty good return, wouldn’t you agree?

Cornerstone #4: Create Marketing Designed To Convert Super Bowl ads may get a lot of attention, however, in my opinion, most are really a huge waste of money. The ads that run during the Super Bowl are designed to be funny and cute and win advertising awards. They make the creative departments of the ad company feel very good about how clever they can be. However, those ads rarely make their companies any real profit. The big brand building ad belief should be gone with the wind! Those days are in the past.

Every penny spent on advertising should be designed to convert into creating revenue and cash flow!

As a matter of fact, those commercials should be the laughing stock of the marketing industry because companies blindly line up and fork over millions of dollars for a thirty second “funny” ad believing that, by simply putting them in front of millions of eyeballs, the ad will pay off. The reality is that most companies will receive little to no results in relation to those marketing dollars spent.

Over 90% of the businesses pay for regular advertising, which does not have the same powerful impact that education based marketing does. Education based marketing is designed to engage your prospects, to hook them by providing value while positioning your business as the solution to their problems and challenges so they want to become your clients. If you go online and Google “education based marketing” you will

find over 100,000 entries with lots of examples to choose from. Business Week magazine said, in regards to educating your clients, “Don’t just pitch to your prospects—cast a wider net and offer useful information.You’ll out market your rivals and boost sales.”

When it comes to advertising, you either need to know how to write great education based marketing pieces or hire a great education based copywriter.

The focus has to be on understanding the pain of your prospects and communicating clearly how you can solve this pain for them. Study good education based copywriters, even if you won’t write the copy yourself, so that you understand what should be included and recognize great copy. This educationbased information is the cornerstone you will utilize in all of your marketing pieces, client interactions, sales presentations, etc.

Although not exhaustive, here are some basics that you should consider when creating any marketing piece: • Use a compelling headline that will attract, then hook and engage potential clients.

• Think of the market-based information that you can use to educate your prospective clients on why you, your product, service, concept, or idea will impact and/or bring value to them.

• Share existing client testimonials wherever possible.

• Where it makes sense, utilize a

compelling offer.

• Insert testimonials from past clients for social proof, wherever possible.

• Include a “no-brainer” guarantee to reduce resistance.

• Make it unique so it stands out from your competitors.

• Focus on client benefits, not company vanity.

• Have only one goal for each ad, which is to get clients to visit your business, pick up the phone, and call or request FREE special information.

• Get straight to the point and be easy to understand. A clever ad may be clever, but that doesn’t mean that the client is going to “get” the joke.

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At this point, you may be thinking that these cornerstone principles seem like a lot of hard work. So here’s a little bit of encouragement for you, most change is difficult in the beginning. Once you understand your clients’ wants, needs, desires, and challenges, then you can utilize your specialized or researched information to educate them on why you are the solution. You will transition your focus from ‘selling’ to ‘educating’ and it actually becomes fun! You start to build a relationship with your prospects and clients and they come to appreciate you

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for the value you add to their lives.

Just like so many other things in life, building that solid foundation upon which you will build your empire (or legacy) does take design, some planning, and a bit of work. Your willingness to actually implement these strategies on a consistent basis is one of the most important factors that will contribute to your success in business.

Build a solid foundation for your marketing and everything else will fall into place. Are you ready to build that solid foundation?

ymore info: For more info on how to monetize your business more effectively and accelerate your business results: www.businessnitrogen.com www.facebook.com/RealDavidAsarnow

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Vision Planning and Creating Business Goals for the Year Ahead 5 Things to Keep in Mind

By Joe Montgomery It’s that time of year again. It’s time to sit down and reflect on the year prior. What went well? What has room for improvement? It’s also time to start looking ahead and mapping out what your vision is for next year. If you’re like most people, you did this process in 2015 and likely looked up around June to realize that you were way behind where you needed to be in order to achieve your annual goals.You aren’t alone in this phenomenon and that begs the question: What should I do differently?

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Scrap the 12-Month Goals Let’s start by redoing the entire construct of 12 month goals all together. This is not a new concept by any means. Twelve months (hell even 12 minutes!) is too long of a time period to maintain focus on a single set of goals. While having clarity on your long term goals is important (I will touch on this next), those need to be broken down into quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily and if you’re like me, then even hourly goals. A great motivator and best-selling author Ben Newman talks about your daily disciplines. Your goal, regardless of what you’re trying to achieve, can likely be broken down into 3-5 progress generating activities. Once you identify those, start from your annual vision and derive what commitments your need to have on a daily basis to get you to your goals. Then, celebrate those successes!

Don’t wait until December to recognize your wins.

In my own business, I take a half or full day to reflect on the wins and contemplate the losses at least once a month and then take a day or two to recharge my batteries every quarter. I designed this system around something else I was working on, which was adhering to my energy cycles and not forcing my way through them.

Figure out when you start to feel fatigued and lose focus and schedule in time proactively to allow you to maintain focus all year.

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Make Waves, Not Ripples Ripples are temporary motion in an otherwise motionless environment, they aren’t sustainable unless you keep throwing pebbles into the water. Waves on the other hand are perpetual motion, they are created by something bigger and more powerful than just disturbing the water. When I was a brand new intern, all my goals were money motivated. At the time, that made sense to me. I was broke, and I wanted to ‘not be broke’. The problem with that mindset and having a goal of “not being broke” was that as soon as I stopped being broke my motivation went away -it was almost permission to be complacent. My goal was to not be broke, so as soon as I had enough to get by for a while, I didn’t have to work on my business until I was broke again. This mindset created huge cyclical patterns in my business and ultimately a lot of unneeded stress. What has helped me smooth those out is connecting my short term goals with something larger, something vastly more meaningful to me than money. When the most successful people I know read me their visions, they are moved almost to tears. Their vision pulls them from somewhere far deeper than a desire to have a cool car or a nice house. It took time to find what that purpose was for me, but once I gained clarity on my “why” my mind set shifted. I was able to design my short term annual goals into my “why”. That connection to a bigger purpose created more consistency in my actions and, not surprisingly, in the performance of my business.

When the most successful people I know read me their visions, they are moved almost to tears.

Their vision pulls them from somewhere far deeper than a desire to have a cool car or a nice house.

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find someone or a group of people whose opinions really truly matter to you and ask for help being held accountable to your commitments and goals.

3 months into my first year at Northwestern Mutual, I was asked “hey Joe, how are you tracking towards your 6 month goals?” I replied with unfaltering confidence “I’m going to crush it!” The truth was, I thought I had done the activity but the results were just not there. I knew if I didn’t turn up the intensity, I was going to fall very, very short.

However, my knowledge that everyone thought I was going to blow through the goals, lit a fire under me and I did whatever it took to hit it. In retrospect, this was my misinformed way of creating accountability. I told a lot of people that I respected my goals and limited myself to one of two choices, hit the goal or disappoint all of my new mentors and colleagues.

Accountability looks like a lot of different things to different people. No matter what it looks like, it has to be motivating.

I’ve been in study groups and accountability groups in the past that no one cared about and as a result the group wasn’t able to perform its sole job which was to hold one another accountable. So find someone or a group of people whose opinions really truly matter to you and ask for help being held accountable to your commitments and goals.

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Accountability

Review and Update I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review by Graham Kenny.

The title was “Strategic Plans Are Less Important that Strategic Planning” I took this to mean something Mike Tyson meant when he said “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Things change in business as much as they do in boxing, so assume your plan is a work

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in progress and revisit it with regularity.

The second piece to this is that humans tend to gravitate towards what we focus on. If you’re riding a bike and look left, chances are you’ll start to drift left. We also tend to have a fairly short attention span and need reminding often. By reading your annual vision every day, you force yourself to keep your eyes on the prize

and will be more likely to factor that into your decision making process. A client said this once and I thought it was the perfect example: “After going through this [financial planning] process we now ask ourselves the question: is this helping us get closer to retirement in Hawaii? Before making any purchases.”

Ask yourself the hard questions What has to change?

You may be trying to go from good to great or just trying to reach a level of stability but you’re not going to make a quantum leap doing the exact same things you were last year.

What would I give up?

It’s, in my opinion, the best gauge of how honest you are being with yourself about your goals. How important is it to you?

I’ll leave you with some statistics. A study came out that showed 3% of Harvard MBAs make 10X more than the other 97% combined. 84% of them had no goals, 13% had goals but were not committed to paper and only 3% had written goals with a plan to achieve them. So whether you take my advice or not, keep in mind that if you don’t have time to write down your goals, then when do you plan on achieving them?

ymore info: josephmontgomery.nm.com Email: Joseph.Montgomery@nm.com www.facethecurrent.com

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EMBERCOMBE A Path to Purpose

Discovering Your Gifts

By Laurie Walmsley

Mac Macartney was the CEO of a Leadership Consultancy firm, catering internationally for corporate executives.

After receiving years of life-changing mentorship and personal coaching from Native American teachers, he decided to bring the powerful truths and tools he had learned together and create a dedicated space for deep personal transformation and self-development to take place. He left his successful profession and founded Embercombe, near Dartmoor, England in 1999 - a centre for building inner strength, personal transformation and development; a literal garden “to grow people.”

Embercombe offers residential courses in personal development, leadership skills for young people, public speaking courses, journey into the wild, bee keeping courses, outreach teams visiting schools and support for home schoolers. Mac is now an international speaker and coach and has delivered his powerful message to corporate business like Harvard Business School Club of New York, the Institute for Family Business, many festivals, including Glastonbury and Shambala and he has also made 3 TEDx appearances to date.

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A Personal Experience: At school I excelled academically, submerging myself in my study. Yet I was also driven by curiosity and tenacity; the same traits that drew me to a fascinating and infuriating physics degree, and helped me to endure it.

Like many of my peers, I graduated without a clue as to my ‘calling’; I knew only that I yearned to solve meaningful problems and enjoy Oxford with friends, free from the pressure of a degree. I toiled relentlessly at work as exhausting as it was pointless. Yet the pressure to perform couldn’t overcome my morals and my need for meaning that were agitating below the surface.

I threw myself into the superficially satisfying world of environmental politics and policy. Immediately, I relished the intellectual challenge of the work, which I convinced myself would make some kind of impact. Trying in vain to influence the wrong people in the wrong way, the intensity of the work let me ignore gaping

holes in my ‘theory of change’. Yet if I’m honest, I can recall a little voice questioning “will this change anything?” as I researched yet another policy report destined to gather electronic dust in the forgotten recesses of some government IT server.

It would take me three more years to accept that I’d set off on the wrong path and some formidable force was doing its utmost to redirect me. Three more years finally to recognise that cautionary, guiding voice as my own.

I can’t tell you exactly when I learned to listen to the voice of my intuition, but three years ago almost to the day as I write, I let it guide me to Buddhafield Festival in Somerset. Among the many blessings bestowed by this bubble of love and aliveness lay a new friendship forged through cooking together in the joyful madness of Buddhafield Cafe; the wholesome heart of the festival. After sharing some of our life journeys, my new friend bid me: “You have to go to Embercombe and do ‘The Journey’!”

While not knowing what this entailed, on

hearing these words I felt the now familiar tug of the golden thread of my intuition.

Returning from the magic of the festival I resolved to explore this ‘Embercombe; a mysterious land-based self-leadership centre in a captivatingly beautiful valley on the edge of Dartmoor.

In the five days of profound transition, connection and healing that comprised my Journey, to me Embercombe felt like a chrysalis. A safe space for transformation and transition, held by a team of capable and caring mentors. The feelings of beauty, community and connection that arose from speaking our truths with courage and vulnerability forming a rich soil for personal growth and transformation. I felt empowered to dissolve old constraints and find freedom from fears that for so long had held me back from living life fully.

Central to the Journey is the exploration of three questions that Mac poses to participants: • what do you most deeply and profoundly love?

• what are your deepest and most www.facethecurrent.com

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...change is situational.

Transition…is psychological.

It is…the inner reorientation and self-re-definition that you have to go through…to incorporate…changes into your life…Unless transition happens, the change won’t work

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profound gifts?

• what are your deepest and most profound responsibilities?

we must also acknowledge that each of us is in some way responsible for the world.’

[2]

The answers that came gave me the confidence to spread my wings, fly out of my comfort zone and use my gifts with confidence. To help organisations that mentor leaders and change-makers to come alive in service of the world – to embody and to share authentic and compelling stories. Through this work, I’m exploring the power of the stories we tell ourselves to create our reality.

Beavan invites us to consider a particular ‘big question’: ‘Is the world your stories are creating the one you actually want to live in? [3] In combination with Mac’s three questions from the Journey, I’ve found this enquiry to be invaluable in reconciling the succession of abrupt changes and slower transitions that characterised my twenties.

Transitions expert William Bridges explains the distinction between the two: ‘….change is situational. Transition…is psychological. It is…the inner reorientation and self-re-definition that you have to go through…to incorporate…changes into your life…Unless transition happens, the change won’t work.’ [4]

Regarding the way that stories can govern the expression of our gifts, ‘lifequester’ and author Colin Beavan cautions: ‘Sometimes we cling to stories that divorce us from our abilities because we are scared of what we would become if we accepted those abilities.’ [1] He also warns us to be wary of the stories we associate with our responsibilities: ‘ We tell ourselves stories of personal powerlessness partly because if we acknowledge that we are powerful, then

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Bridges asserts that all transitions have three phrases: they begin with an ending, followed by an important period of emptiness or confusion and distress, after which a new beginning emerges [5].

Perhaps you find yourself in one of these phrases in a transition in your life?

Whatever changes and transitions you’re enduring, they’re inevitable and defining aspects of our lives that occur both internally and externally; a ‘twin trail’ of personal growth and action in the world.

As author, speaker and philosopher Charles Eisenstein asserts, ‘We live today at a moment of transition between worlds’ [6], a transition that ‘internally, is nothing less than a transformation in the experience of being alive. Externally, it is nothing less than a transformation of humanity’s role on planet Earth’ [7] ‘At a certain moment it will become necessary for you to go on a journey… to find yourself outside of whomever your conditioning trained you to be. You must put yourself in a situation where…who you were becomes inoperative; then, who you will be can emerge’ Charles Eisenstein [8]

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At a certain moment it will become necessary for you to go on a journey…to find yourself outside of whomever your conditioning trained you to be. You must put yourself in a situation where…who you were becomes inoperative; then, who you will be can emerge.

To embark on your Journey visit embercombe.org/the-journey or give the friendly team a call on 01647 252 983. www.embercombe.org facebook.com/Embercombe twitter.com/embercombe youtube.com/user/Embercombe

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S Y A S G N I H T NO ’ R A E Y W E ‘HAPPY N A E IK L Y IL M A F D N TO FRIENDS A !

N O I T A R I P S GIFT OF IN

Make 2017 the year your friends, family or loved ones remember as being full of goodness and positivity, by gifting them with a year’s subscription to Face the Current Magazine!

Inspiration, aspiration, and positivity are things that everyone loves and needs more of!

So why not drop the mind block and the old paradigm of new socks, perfume or chocolates... And give a gift that will provide a whole year’s worth of original, practical and useful inspiration...A gift you can be sure will be always be appreciated and enjoyed.

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