MAGAZINE-Marzo-Abril

Content 

Awakening 

JT Foxx 

Be Your Own Media Inc. 

Sophie Taylor 

Excellence 

Emotional conflicts... 

Relationships 

Are you present with Your Body? 

Networking 

If you knew that you could 

Owners EBI 

02 

04 

06 

09 

12 

14 

18 

22 

26 

31 

34

Article 02 

Awakening 

Verónica Sosa 

I have always been a very Passionate Woman perhaps it is all down to my Latin roots, of 

course, of which I am very proud. 

18 years ago I emigrated from Venezuela to Europe, to be more exact to an Island that is part 

of Spain. It was there I learnt to grow. 

I went through different trials and misfortunes, but as always in life there were of course also 

beautiful moments. It was in that time where I started to evolve. 

It might be a little bit strange but a young age I have always felt the need to stand up for 

women and honor them, their significance and their strength. 

Once, someone who I love with all my soul and whose fighting spirit I admire a great deal, 

said something that made a huge impact on me: 

“Men are from the street”. When it dawned on me what it meant, it woke a rebellious fire 

in my belly that hasn’t dampened down yet. It was another time and I knew deep down my 

grandmother did not mean that, but she needed to calm me down,that free spirit of mine down 

… 

In 2010 after having lived in Spain for more than 11 years I emigrated to Belgium with Dave 

and Laura our daughter that only was two years old at that time. 

Living in Belgium, I remember having no choice but to stay at home, because to find a good 

job I had to speak at least French and Dutch. It was then I understood how hard it was to be 

an immigrant, in a land with a different culture, language, climate and all the things that made 

it necessary to be financially supported by my partner - I felt awful. 

BusinessFit Magazine

Article 03 

It is said that any kind of transformation is painful. This I can assure you I have 

absolutely no doubt of it being true. It was then that my personal development 

path and transformation began… to make me the woman that I am today… a 

woman who stops for nothing, not even mistakes can paralyze her and where 

each and every day I applaud my achievements. From that moment on I have 

worked for the recognition of women in the world, day and night I work for 

the equality, for the female power and her natural sensuality, for the female 

intelligence both in heels and without them! 

I have dedicated myself to motivating others, giving lectures around the 

world, certifying myself as an International Speaker with my coach JT Foxx. 

Additionally I am proud to say that I have been awarded the Radio World 

Works award and I have written two books about my life story with the aim to 

support and motivate women. I am the founder of S.H.E. (Seminar for Hispanic 

Entrepreneurs) along with two powerful, Venezuelan entrepreneurs; Viviana 

Sánchez and Joselyn Quintero. 

BusinessFit Magazine is a supportive platform creating an additional awareness 

of the exceptional achievements, services and products of females entrepreneurs. 

The core essence of this businesses is to help build a better world —one where 

our children can live in harmony. 

This is where united women can collaborate, learn and teach each other. 

Whenever we overcome an obstacle, we can do this by being true to ourselves 

and we can be feminine, sensual and intelligent, woman can be sensual and 

intelligent and everything we want to and feel like ... 

WAKE UP AND REMEMBER #TogetherisBetter 


Article 04 

JT Foxx 

JT Foxx is the ultimate Millionaire Underdog. He is a 

successful serial entrepreneur with companies, brands and 

business interests spanning the globe. He is one of the top 

platform speakers in the world and has been deemed the 

world’s #1 wealth coach as seen and heard on television, and 

in radio and print. JT is also a media and TV personality. What 

is most important to JT Foxx though are his philanthropic 

endeavors with youth entrepreneurs and kids with cancer. He 

is currently working on a new business reality show and his 

widely anticipated new book Millionaire Underdog, against 

all odds. 

JT Foxx is widely known for being the world’s #1 Wealth Coach either when introduced on 

stage or in the media. His coaching organization has been widely hailed as one the world´s 

top organizations. 

What makes this organization unique? 

One is the culture that has been built and based on a “Powered by your Success” philosophy, 

which means the more successful his clients are the more successful he becomes as an 

organization. The 2nd is his #FamilyFirst mantra. His organization treats all the clients as 

if they were his family and as a cliché as it may sound, it is exactly that which has really 

differentiated them from the rest of the competition. 

Every client is assigned to a personal relationship manager, who is a liaison between them and 

their assigned coach and is constantly in touch with the client. 

Start Unknown finish Unforgettable .. 

JT Foxx has more than 50 companies worldwide and he leads by example. 

If you want to know more about him please visit 

www.jtfoxx.com 


“Powered by your Success” 


Cristina Prado is a media authority, 

she has developed a deep knowledge 

of the environment and its power 

since she began her career as a 

newspaper reporter. She became 

a television presenter hosting her 

own shows and later moving on to 

the private sector, consulting large 

corporations. Today Cristina Prado 

is an international speaker who’s 

talks help entrepreneurs and their 

businesses to build their profile, 

reputation and credibility in today’s 

market. 

Be Your Own Media Inc. 

7 STEPS 

To Reach the Media 

With over 10 years of experience, 

Cristina is the architect of a 

pioneering solution for global players 

in the Financial Industry and works 

with high-profile clients leveraging 

the power of the media. 

Cristina Padro 

How to get noticed in today’s market 

Do you feel too small to swim with the big fish? Here is 

the real deal of the Public Relations’ trade, PR. It is no 

longer about how big or small your business profile is, 

how swollen your wallet is or who is in your contact list. 

The truth is your story and how you present it to the 

world is what matters. If you get a single thing out of this 

article this is it— be your own PR magnet! 

The best thing is women play with an advantage in the 

game of getting media attention in today’s news. 

The press is on the lookout for inspiring women. 

Role models, who strive to lead by example for future 

generations to come. Journalists are looking for the story 

behind these female entrepreneurs, businesswomen and 

mumpreneurs who break the old-fashioned stereotypes. 

They want to help share your voice and move you forward 

towards achieving a greater good. 


Article 07 

How to help journalists to find you? 

Press coverage can rocket your business or ground it, but the media won’t write about you 

unless you are easily Googlable. Developing your online presence will help the mainstream 

media find you. In addition, it will also be an opportunity to talk directly to your buyer/ 

market. The following steps will help to build your profile, visibility and get the attention of 

the media. 

1 

Your Website 

3 

Blogs and Vblogs 

The Internet is a pool of expertise and the 

initial step in the search for the next news 

story. In this digital age, journalists often 

struggle with deadlines. They turn to search 

engines to find targeted content and someone 

to comment on it, the expert. 

Having tailored content and a newsroom 

on your website drives attention, builds 

credibility and helps to promote your brand. 

Furthermore, it is a global shop open 24/7. 

2 

The Power of the 

personal brand 

Social media sites such as Facebook, Linked 

In, Twitter, Instagram, WeChat and YouTube 

make it easy to create a profile and build 

visibility quickly. It would be impossible in 

today’s market to ignore the vast impact of 

these networks on the press. However, it also 

polarizes people into an opinion one way or 

another. Developing a media personality is 

one of the most efficient and fastest ways to 

get the attention of journalists. 

These are valuable platforms to build a 

good reputation while showcasing applied 

intelligence and expertise in an area. 

Sometimes, bloggers are treated with as 

much credibility as a professional journalist 

in the eyes of the press and the general 

public. Some bloggers are influential 

personalities who lead the media agenda 

with their content or featured issues and they 

become reliable sources of information and 

in many occasions a trend-setter. Business 

blogs and video blogs (VBlogs) are great 

ways to establish and endorse your image as 

the authority in your industry. 

4 

Media Contacts 

Database 

Journalists are on a constant hunt for 

expertise. This is the main reason you can 

get onto their list of experts by uploading 

your profile, albeit usually for a fee. The 

interesting thing is that it also works the 

other around. You can obtain media lists of 

names to whom you can pitch your story. 

Be aware though, the media industry is fast 

paced and positions change often. 


Article 08 

5 

Direct approach 

7 

Surveys and sector 

reports 

Shortlist the media and sections you want to 

be in. This is the so-called “wish list” where 

you will focus on. Call the outlet and ask 

for the name and email address of the editor 

covering your target section. This is how 

you build your updated journalist database. 

Track the stories your list is reporting on and 

start writing tailored content that they would 

be interested on. 

Pitched surveys can reap huge media rewards. 

You can become an authority through 

interesting analyses with accompanying 

commentary on the issues at hand. All the 

while, you should promote key messages 

that drive interest back to you. 

6 

Focus groups, Forum 

discussion and Facebook 

groups 

The media often reaches out to these groups 

as a primary source of information when 

breaking news occurs. They are pools of 

experts united to a cause and frequently 

dictate trends. This is what makes them 

automatically newsworthy. 

If you want to get noticed in the media you need to become a reliable source of information. 

Building your visibility and profile is not longer an option but a must to survive in today’s 

market. Developing a PR strategy will increase your influence, provide unique brand 

recognition and ultimately create new business opportunities. 

Cristina Prado and Business Fit 

Under the section Be Your Own Media Inc., Cristina shares with our readers the PR secrets of 

Fortune 500 Companies. Communication strategies and tools used by business tycoons made 

easy for you to apply in your business now 


Interview 09 

Interview 

Sophie Taylor 

Hi! I’m Sophie Taylor, and I’m a 

Productivity Coach. If you’re feeling 

maxed out and exhausted running 

your business, I can help you 

create freedom and flexibility using 

productivity systems so you can 

grow your revenue without doing 

everything yourself. 

I’m originally from Hong Kong, 

and now based just outside London 

with my two cats and fiery Scottish 

husband. 

www.sanityhaven.com 

Who is your hero? 

(In business, life or both) 

People usually think I’m a 

little weird for saying this, 

but right now it’s Arnold 

Schwarzenegger. I’m 

definitely not talking about 

his personal life, but about his 

success in entrepreneurship, 

bodybuilding, and movies. I 

recently read his 

autobiography, and really 

respect how HARD he 

worked. He came up from 

nothing, and I really love 

how he had a really clear 

vision from the start, and 

never let go of that. Everyone 

at home in Austria thought 

he was crazy. It takes a lot 

of guts to chase your dream 

with such determination. 

What’s the single best piece of business 

advice that helped shape who you are now 

and Why? 

“There’s no such thing as failure, only feedback” – Ramit Sethi 

(entrepreneur). This is a great reminder. As entrepreneurs, 

our businesses are our ‘babies’ – and it’s so easy to become 

emotionally attached to every single outcome, and get 

discouraged when things don’t go the way we want. 

This quote reminds me to take a step back and ask myself, 

“Okay, things didn’t go as you’d hoped. What can you learn 

from this?” 

What the biggest mistake you have ever 

made in business and what you did you 

learn from it? 


Interview 10 

My first business was confidence coaching for introverts. It 

was going well – lots of prospects, lots of business – but 

then it all fell apart. My mother became very ill less than a 

year into that business, and I took charge of coordinating her 

healthcare. She was also living in France at the time, so I 

spent a huge amount of time travelling there and back (while 

also juggling my day job). It was a very tough time. 

The thing is, I hadn’t set up the systems I needed for my 

business to run without me on auto-pilot. I WAS my business, 

and when everything became too much, I had to close it down. 

I just didn’t have any more time or energy. I had basically 

been working all the time, exhausted, and wanted to grow 

my business more but unable to fit any more hours into my 

day. It was really disappointing not to be able to serve my 

clients – people were still reaching out to me for help weeks 

after I’d officially closed down. That’s why I re-trained as a 

Productivity Coach. I’ve been in the situation my clients are 

in, so I know how it feels, and how to help them. I know how 

it feels to be overwhelmed, and wondering how come, if my 

business is doing so well, I’m working more than ever and 

have zero free time to enjoy my success. I help entrepreneurs 

fix that. 

“Nothing is that 

difficult if you 

break it down 

into smaller 

pieces.” 

What’s your definition of success? 

Creating the freedom to live life completely on your own 

terms, while helping as many people as possible. 

How you will finally know that you have 

succeeded in your business? 

I feel a real sense of achievement every single time one of 

my clients transforms herself from too-busy to running her 

business with ease, and much more productively. There’s 

nothing more rewarding than seeing people flourish. 

What was your motivation to 

achieve what you have? 


Interview 11 

Simple: freedom and family. I started both 

of my businesses so that I could spend more 

time with family and travel. My nightmare 

is commuting to a 9-5 job, and having to ask 

permission for days off. That usually turns 

me into a raging ball of fury. There’s no 

better feeling than being your own boss. 

What are the 3 most important 

attributes a person must have if 

they want to become wealthy. 

Becoming wealthy is a side-effect of a few 

basic things: hard work, perseverance, and 

consistency. 

Does the “Balance” in life exist 

for you? If so, how do you 

achieve it? 

Nope! That’s the funny thing – I’m a 

Productivity Coach, but I think ‘balance’ is 

a myth. Life is not some kind of imaginary 

seesaw, especially if you’re an entrepreneur! 

We’re so passionate about what we do. Our 

businesses are usually the centre of our lives, 

and the main thing is just not to let it take 

over 100%. And stay sane! 

What’s your next milestone? 

Expanding my 1:1 coaching practice and 

launching a group program! 

Branding or bragging? 

Neither. RESULTS is where it’s at. Get your 

clients results, and the rest will take care of 

itself! 

What type of shoe you are? 

Definitely something practical with low 

heels. I’d like to say I’m a boot, but that 

sounds a little unkind. 

If you were in the jungle what 

kind of animal you will be? 

I’m pretty sure I’d be one of those blue cats 

in Avatar. Oh wait, those aren’t real.. 

Your favorite quote 

“Nothing is that difficult if you break it down 

into smaller pieces.” I was told this in my 

very first job, and it’s stuck with me ever 

since. I can’t tell you how many meltdowns 

it’s prevented! 

How do you take care of your 

body, mind and soul? 

Exercise and laughter. Because I’m all about 

getting the maximum impact in the shortest 

space of time, I jump rope in the gym. It’s 

such an intense cardio workout, and is faster 

than just jogging for hours. And my husband 

and I share the same sense of humor, so we 

spend a lot of time sharing stories over a beer 

or two. 


Article 12 

Excellence 

The Art of Being EXTRA-ordinary 

Mylene Fernström 

Excellence Specialist 

We all have big dreams and we want to 

do wonderful things. That desire can be 

materialized and will lead to a high level 

by using the main techniques to create 

companies of Excellence: being EXTRAordinary, 

running the extra mile, taking 

care of all the details and exceeding the 

expectations. 

My vision is that through Excellence all 

people can contribute to form a beautiful 

planet, full of high quality, full of personal 

and emotional satisfaction. A more beautiful 

planet because usually Excellence brings 

peace of mind, brings happiness. Things 

that are Excellent usually do not bring you 

headaches. 

My name is Mylene Fernström, winner of the 

Excellence Award at Volvo Cars in Sweden. 

I am a Colombian chemical engineer and 

E-Commerce Manager who arrived 26 years 

ago to Sweden for a year of university as 

exchange student. From an early age I had 

a great commitment to Excellence. Since I 

was a child I’ve had very very big dreams, 

I have been fascinated by large companies, 

great inventions and great personalities. I 

am convinced that this has been my engine 

to grow, to get where I am and to reach my 

achievements working in senior positions in 

multinational companies in Colombia and 

Sweden. My first job was at 3M, a leader 

and model of Excellence. As Oprah Winfrey 

says: “There are no coincidences”. 

“Excellence is not an act, 

Excellence is a habit” 

We are in an era of avoiding stress and 

improving quality of life. It would be easy 

to say that Excellence is stressful, but it is 

actually the opposite: lack of Excellence is 

stressful and also costly in the long term. 

The pursuit of Excellence helps you remove 

many negative things in your way or on the 

way of your services or products. They are 

actually negative aspects that are causing 

stress and unnecessary costs. Have a creative 

mind and an optimizing attitude! You 


Article 13 

can do everything better and better. Remember: “Even the 

most complex problems have simple and EXTRA-ordinary 

solutions” 

Strengths of Excellence 

What is what makes you proud of your company, your 

product or service? 

We are not perfect but we are unique. We all want to be 

unique. Excellence helps you to highlight it! Search your 

points of Excellence, do not copy anyone! There are still 

many new things out there to do in the world. Contribute to 

the world with your own Excellence. 

We are not 

perfect but 

we are unique. 

Excellence is achieved through analyzing what you can do to 

exceed the expectations of your client, your friends or society 

and even yourself. What is your WOW factor? This will 

make your customers become loyal to you and want to come 

back to buy your products or services. Now, do not think that 

this represents more costs for you. On the contrary, this is 

an investment that will make you memorable, unforgettable 

and in the long term the value of your brand will increase. 

Being Excellent 

As excellence is contagious, everybody around you will 

go to a higher level when you are excellent. Continue 

systematically to be excellent because someone you do not 

know already admires you and wants to be like you or have 

a great deal for you! Keep doing the best you can, paying 

attention to all details and remembering to do the best for the 

people around you. 

Enjoy the freedom of being wonderful. Look at yourself and 

say to yourself: Yes! I can! Yes! I am Big! We all have the 

potential to be the best version of ourselves. So do not be 

afraid to seek and show that you are Excellent. 

If you would like to know more or want help to take your 

company to the next level, go to: 

www.excellencemanagement.com 


Article 14 

Emotional conflicts and 

Learning from them 

Jaume Campos 

Before starting, I would like to thank everyone who has 

helped me along the way and especially to those who are still 

by my side. 

I want to highlight the help and support that Onerazan Bornia 

and Verónica Sosa have given to me in launching my work 

internationally. 

We are going to start with a series of articles which are 

dedicated exclusively to emotions, their conflicts and learning 

from them. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have 

enjoyed writing them. 

To me, speaking about emotions is like speaking about my 

life and my background. I have travelled along many roads to 

be able to place an emotion in its corresponding place.

Article 15 

I believe that an emotion is one of the most important 

interactions that a human being has in life. In the majority of 

cases, we have learnt to “understand” everything that happens 

to us on a mental level, even going to the extreme of trying 

to think of a feeling. Example: I think I love you, It isn´t so 

bad! I think we are doing pretty good…, I have doubts but I 

don´t know if they are down to me or you!, I can´t make up 

my mind, I don´t know if it is because I don´t like the job or 

if it is because I don´t know how to enjoy it… 

These articles 

will help 

you become 

aware of your 

emotions and 

teach you how 

to learn from 

them 

This, which seems like a simple argument and happens to 

us on a daily basis in any of our environments, has a very 

important background. 

What really happens is that we take the emotions that we 

feel and take them to thought, meaning that we have an 

emotion or feel something inside of us and as we haven´t 

learnt to manage it, what we do is want to understand what is 

happening to us or try to resolve why we have that emotion 

or feeling. 

I would like to let you know that although we have been using 

this ridiculous mechanism for years, we can never achieve 

the result that we want. It is infinite because the mind has an 

incredible amount of infinite possibilities and none of them 

will be the right one because you cannot think of a feeling. 

The attitude of automatically thinking takes you away from 

the possibility of feeling. 

That is why I stress the importance of good emotional 

education. It is the tool that will help you to become aware of 

your emotions and learn from them. 

If emotional education doesn´t exist then when we feel or 

experience emotions, we will have to ignore them or not give 

them any importance. The accumulation of these unmanaged 

emotions or feelings will make us feel more and more weighed 

down and will end up running our lives and controlling our 

behavior without us being able to do anything to stop it. 

These articles will help you become aware of your emotions 

and teach you how to learn from them 


Article 16 

Feeling is the energy that gives 

us an impulse in life. 

How many times do you think of a new idea 

but never fulfill it? Instead, it just stays as a 

dream or mental illusion. 

Do you know why this happens? In the 

majority of cases it is because there is 

something inside you that is stopping you 

from doing it. If we liberate it, meaning the 

feeling or emotional illusion, if it is in our 

interior and we allow it to rise out then it will 

help us to convert this dream into reality. 

I am sure that you have tried many times 

and put in a lot of effort into achieving what 

you want… but you don´t achieve the results 

you were hoping for and this leaves you 

feeling disappointed, whether it be with your 

family, work, your own worth or personal 

relationships… 

What do you think this is due to? Something 

is happening but it doesn´t have anything to 

do with you? Do you think that it is related to 

something that is happening at the moment? 

In my professional work, dealing with 

emotions for over 30 years and treating 

nearly nine thousand people, I can tell you 

that what stops us from acting are emotional 

conflicts that have had a large impact on 

us throughout our lives, especially from 

conception up until approximately 8 years of 

age. 

If you doubt this then do this short exercise: 

When you feel an emotion that disturbs 

you, observe it to see if it is the first time 

that you have felt it. In the majority of cases, 

the sensations are repetitive and then look 

to see if it is related to an experience from 

your childhood. Above all, if it repeats time 

and time again during your life and/or if it 

is in the same area of your body, whether it 

is the chest, the stomach, the throat or any 

other area. This is a good indication of you 

having an unresolved unconscious conflict. 

These conflicts affect us at all levels of our 

life and stop us from responding to face daily 

situations with our full capacity. 

What I am trying to tell you all is that at 

this stage of your life, the only thing that is 

stopping you doing what you want and what 

you have unsuccessfully tried many times 

to do before, depends more on unconscious 

conflicts than effort or sacrifice to achieve 

it. Those conflicts rise up from what you 

experienced from conception and during 

your first few years of life. It is the sum of 

what we have learned and inherited, even 

biologically, from our family environment, 

what we have acquired from the exterior, 

from school, from social media, friends, etc. 

And last but not least, what we have believed 

to be true, meaning what has happened 

within our environment and through our 

emotions which we have interpreted in a 

determined way and we have installed inside 

us as reality, meaning as a belief. 

From this moment onwards, we experience 

situations that are related to that belief as an 

unmovable reality and we will do whatever 

necessary to maintain it. But at the same 

time, that fight to maintain it will impede us 

from opening ourselves up to a new vision 

and therefore new learning. 

I am going to give you an example: 

When a person immigrates to another 

country, they usually think about whether 

they will find employment or if they will find 

a stable place to live. 

But really behind these two objectives: 

Economic and social stability underlay the 


Article 17 

adaptation capacity to the environment. 

A lot of the time, the country is nothing like the country they 

have come from, not the temperature, the climate, the social 

and cultural change, the food ingredients…. All of this makes 

enjoying the new environment depend on our adaptation 

capacity. 

Feeling is the 

energy that 

gives us an 

impulse in life. 

When we have to adapt ourselves to something different and 

new then the first thing that arises from us is the comparison 

between our past feelings, sensations and emotions to the 

new environment and the person tends to cling on to the 

theory that the past sensations are “the good ones” and fight 

to make amends for mistakes. 

For example: when we see people from the same countries 

getting together to eat the same meals and comply with the 

same traditions as they had in their countries. 

This doesn’t mean that we have to forget our roots; however, 

it is true that we must liberate the burdens from our past, our 

conflicts, what we leave behind, fear of abandonment and the 

fear of not fitting in to their new stage of life. This will allow 

us to adapt ourselves better to our new home, especially when 

we have children. It is strange how they teach us a lesson on 

how to adapt to a new environment. 

We will talk about which methods to use to quickly and 

effectively adapt to a situation in the next edition. 

Regards, 

Jaume Campos 


Article 18 

Beyond the Arrow 

of Eros 

We have many types of 

relationship in our lives and 

here we are choosing to look 

at what is perhaps the most 

challenging of them all, the 

long term, loving, sexual 

relationship. 

Love in the Conscious 

Relationships 

By Viola Edward & Michael de Glanville 

Building a successful 

loving relationship out of 

the chaos of the instinctive, 

hectic, passions of falling 

in love will never be a one 

night happening. Beyond 

the arrow strike of Eros, 

the evolution of the loving 

relationship is a steady 

task that will depend on 

commitment to love, 

effective communication 

and a healthy sexuality. The 

relationship will grow more 

easily if we hold a number 

of core values in common, 

share some interests and 

hobbies and be able to agree 

on a fair distribution of the 

duties of living together. 

The paradox is that some of 

the ways we choose to live 

our love can also produce 

quite painful experiences. 


Article 19 

Focus on the Journey. 

Wherever we are in our life story, whether we are looking 

for a new relationship or already involved in a good or not so 

good one, working to create that conscious loving relationship 

will be a voyage of discovery where the journey itself is the 

focus rather than arrival at the destination. Living a loving 

relationship through the day to day happenings and surprises 

that life produces can be likened to continuous participation 

in a workshop of personal development and the results we 

are hoping for will materialize as we develop our awareness 

and become conscious of what nourishes strong relationship. 

Inhale- Exhale – Be 

Present – Accept 

what is - Love from 

the heart. 

Loves springs eternal. 

True love flows effortlessly from a being who appreciates 

and is in peace with their inner self. Your capacity to love 

another is based upon your ability to love and cherish the 

person you are. The love comes from that home store. That 

capability will be the foundation of the structure of all your 

relationships. Loving yourself, appreciating who you are, will 

help develop the inner self confidence which is the core to 

being yourself. It takes courage to be true to yourself rather 

than hoping to deserve love by conforming to a stereotype of 

goodness, taken on from exterior conditioning. Appreciating 

and being true to yourself, without the need to play any 

camouflage personality, will attract those other beings who 

really appreciate the one you are deep down inside and that 

natural compatibility will provide the depth that nourishes 

lasting conscious relationship. Relationships have less 

surprises waiting in the wings when both partners have been 

confidently being themselves from the first meeting. 

Confidence building. 

To develop this self appreciation, we need to create, for 

ourselves, a truthful picture of our personal strengths and 

weaknesses. We can then grow into and develop those 

confidence building strengths and, by forgiving ourselves 

the weaknesses, break with the underlying, limiting, beliefs 

which have created them. This is a challenging journey which 

will be made easier with the help of a professional therapist 

or relationship coach.

Article 20 

Learn of love from experience. 

Stemming from our group based origins, 

we sometimes carry a fear to be alone. This 

can lead to hanging on to miserable, energy 

draining, relationships rather than setting 

off, solo, into the unknown. Experiment with 

being yourself, dare to learn the language 

of love from personal experience, discover 

your needs and abilities and develop the 

capability to give and take..and create the 

good relationship with yourself that makes it 

so much easier to relate to other. 

Choosing to make love. 

We love because we are attracted by what 

we perceive and here we are not only talking 

about love in terms of passion and physical 

desire. The caring actions of giving love fill 

us with pleasure and contentment. These 

are moments when we place our partner’s 

joy and contentment high on our list of 

priorities and this must not be at the cost of 

abandoning ourselves. We choose to love 

the other to help them to grow and to build 

the needed self confidence to be true to 

themselves. There is no underlying motive, 

the love is not given in exchange for some 

expected return, but simply because to do so 

creates in us an inner joy and happiness. The 

passion and desire that are the elements of 

sexual intercourse are the products of loving, 

giving spirits engaged in pleasuring the other. 

This is the “making” of love. Love grows 

strongly when we are focussed on its giving, 

as flowers will grow to great beauty when 

they receive water and appreciation every 

day. The converse is also true. The moment 

that we begin to focus on what we feel is 

wrong or disappointing about our partner is 

the moment that those characteristics will 

begin to grow disproportionally important in 

our minds. 

Assume responsibility. 

The will to change comes from within. 

You cannot hope to change your partner’s 

negative behavior patterns by complaining 

and scolding them, though in our humanity, 

sometimes that behavior is inevitable. 

Rather, be concerned with developing loving 

presence toward yourself and becoming aware 

of your needs and your negative patterns. 

Work to understand where they have come 

from and let them go. Assume responsibility 

for transforming your own behavior patterns. 

Modeling the behavior, walking the talk, can 

help your partner bring consciousness of their 

habits to the surface and help both of you 

to develop other, more positive, behavior. 

By assuming responsibility for their own 

behavior and its contribution to the conflicts 

and disagreements, each of the partners can 

contribute to the growth and the harmony of 

the conscious relationship. 

Ask for help. 

In a way, all of us are involved in this 

subject of Relationship. Some are working 

to improve their relationship, some are 

looking for a new love relationship, some 

are deciding if they stay or if they leave 

the relationship, some are trying to get out 

of their relationship and some others are 

working to get over the last relationship, to be 

open to the next one.. In all these cases, it is 

possible to include consciousness, hope and 

meaning. You can also consult a relationship 

coach or specialized psychotherapist to work 

the process together, helping you to be more 

centered, fair and efficient. Often this will 

create a less painful process. 


Article 21 

Inhale — Exhale – Be Present – Accept 

what is — Love from the heart. 

In a way, all of 

us are involved 

in this subject of 

Relationship. 

We will keep developing the details of these “Aspects” in 

our future articles and would love to hear from you with your 

comments, experiences and questions. 

info@violaedward.com 

Mobile +90 533 8673685 

FaceBook: ViolaEdward. 

www.violaedward.com 

You can buy Viola’s Book “Breathing the Rhythm of Success” 

on Amazon, also available in Spanish and Turkish. 

If you are interested in deepening your knowledge about 

“Falling in and out of Love” you can participate in individual, 

couples or family sessions with Viola in her Studio or online 

sessions. 

About Viola & Michael. 

Viola came to Cyprus from Venezuela in 2003 to join 

Michael who was born on the Island and had returned from 

France in 1999. Viola and Michael are both trained therapists 

in Breathwork. Together they founded Kayana Ltd, Holistic 

Development. Viola specializes in Holistic Psychotherapy, 

Relationship Coaching, Business Consulting and Colour 

and Image. Michael has an Engineering background and 

specializes in Massage and Watsu. www.watsucyprus.com 

Viola is the creator of Feminine Capital Rhythm and Author 

of Breathing the Rhythm of Success. 


Article 22 

Are you present 

with Your Body? 

Marizete Da Silva 

Most of the people are not present in 

their bodies, they are in their heads, 

they are in the future. They think they 

are creating their life, but how can you 

create your life without being present 

with your body? 

Another thing that can stop us from 

being present in our bodies is using 

force by ignoring its choice. Like when 

you start to do an exercise that your 

body hates to do just because other 

people are doing it. And you want 

to fit in the standards reality. What if 

your body is different and has its own 

consciousness and choice? What if you 

could start asking it - “hey body, what 

would you like to do, to eat, to wear? 

How much fun are you having with 

this person, body?” Sounds silly ? 

What if it is a way to start a Friendship 

with your body? 

We were born in this beautiful structure 

of bones, blood and glands. Firstly, we 

have no awareness about it. Then we 

start the adventure of embodiment. 

Do you remember the first time you 

knew you had a body? The first fall 

from a bike? The first time you felt 

the rain on your skin? How was it? 

What have you done with it ? Did you 

care for your body? Or did you take 

it for granted? How was your attitude 

towards this awareness? 

“hey body, what would 

you like to do, to eat, to 

wear? 

Let me tell you a story. Since I was 

in my mom’s uterus, I was fighting to 


Article 23 

embody. She tried to not let me come into this life, as she told 

me when I was thirteen. Oh mom, I adore you but you can’t go 

against life. Life is stronger and here I am. I recall a moment in 

the cradle, seems crazy I know, but I was there. The first moment 

I was totally aware of my body. And the other moment I was 

totally aware was the moment that my body almost left me. Had 

an accident twenty years ago. I crashed a glass door at home and 

I almost lost my hand. It was freaking intense. It was the biggest 

and first dramatic moment I had with my body. 

I would like 

to invite you 

to create a 

relationship 

with your body 

In the hospital. Laying there, waiting for the doctors. Bleeding, 

bleeding. I lost like two liters of blood. My body was like giving 

up and I had to deal with it. I had to be there and ask “hey body, 

don’t give up now.” I knew that if I failed that moment, I would 

not come back home to take care of my kids and keep on creating 

the wonderful life I came here to live. 

That moment. I had to have a big negotiation with my body. The 

deal was clear, no more distraction, no more abuse, cultivate total 

presence. Since then I am delivering loads of kindness, caring 

and gratitude to this gift I got twice. What about you? 

Are you grateful for having a body ? 

What was the first time you had a relationship of intimacy with 

your body? When I say intimacy I mean Honoring, caring, being 

totally present with your body. Would you be willing to start 

doing it now? 

I would like to invite you to create a relationship with your body 

You can start it by checking if you are present in your body by 

observing your breath. How is it? Is it short, is it deep ? Then 

check your feet, are they grounded on the floor? How is the 

temperature of your body now? Are you totally aware of all 

parts of your body? 

Now Imagine your body like a tree. A tree has roots, and it 

has leaves. But from the roots to the leaves, there are lots of 

connections with the earth. When we are not in our bodies, we 

can t feel our feet on the ground. I’d like to invite you to check 

your feet. Look them and perceive if the four corners of your 

foot are grounded on the floor ( ball of big toes, base of the small 

toe, internal and external part of the hills) of your feet touching 

the earth ? Are you here? How is the sensation? 

And now stretch your spine. I invite you to bring your tailbone 


Article 24 

toward your hills and be 

aware of the energy flowing 

through your spine up to 

your crown. Up and down 

into Earth and up to the sky. 

Now, start checking your 

hips. Can you go anywhere 

without your hips? How 

are your hips? Are they too 

tight? Do you have lower 

back pain? Are you tending 

to fix your hips in just one 

position? I’d like to invite 

you to move your hips. Just 

for the fun of it. Stand in 

front of a mirror and move 

your hips from side to side 

as if you could create a smile 

with your hips. Now we are 

here. Yeah! 

The next step is: How is 

your voice? What are you 

expressing to the world? 

When we are not present in 

our bodies we tend to talk 

a lot and say nothing. On 

the other hand, when we 

are present in our bodies 

sometimes we don’t need 

to say a word. The energy 

our body and being together 

creates is huge. Just by 

being present. 

Let’s get back to your throat. 

Your voice is a medium of 

expressing yourself and a 

space of creativity. The 

singers, the artists have this 

center, energetic center very 

developed. Try to catch 

your voice, try to put your 

voice in a bottle. Because 

it’s energetic, it’s intangible. 

The subtleness of your 

voice is the key of your 

communication with the 

world. Your inner voice. As 

much as you are present in 

your body- that much you 

radiate your message into 

the world.. Have you ever 

met someone who swallows 

their words or speak 

inaudibly or an adult who 

has the energetic voice of a 

four year old? Somebody 

who speaks like this, are they 

in their body? Would they 

inspire you? So when you 

awaken to connect with your 

body and be totally present 

you can have a dialogue that 

will open the possibilities 

your body offers. 

Now, let’s talk about your 

mind. When people are 

not in their bodies they 

are functioning from their 

minds. How much time are 

you spending in your head 

instead of in your body? Are 

you a head tripper? 

I would like to invite you 

to another possibility with 

your body, to create a true 

connection and communion 

with it. What if your body is 

the most beautiful gift you 

have ever received and still 

not yet opened ? 

What if you start creating a 

conscious relationship with 

your body by honoring and 

trusting it? 

Also, What about creating 

a body ritual? What about 

choosing a day of the week to 

just be with it? I like Friday 

and I do a bubble bath, I put 

rose petals- white or redsome 

drops of essential oil 

add a box of almond milk, 

yes like Cleopatra. I jump 

in this warm water and I 

spoil my body. I put music 

and lay down there. It’s 

Happy Friday body. Isn’t it 

amazing? To have a day for 

you and your body, to have 

pleasure, a day of kindness. 

A day of no judgment. And 

you can also ask your body, 

“body, what would you like 

to have after this tub bath? 

Don’t wait for an answer. 

Bodies language is energy. 

What about perceiving the 

lightness your body has 

with this honoring time and 

having joy with it? 

Happiness is a choice 

Having a body is a choice 

too. 

What if your could create a 

happy body from this space 

of intimacy and having lots 

of fun with it ? 


Who do you know..? 

NETWORKING 

By Edmée Schalkx 

As part of my work I had to implement quite a large number 

of training programmes, projects and coaching sessions for 

individuals as well as for organizations like UNDP, nabuur. 

com, Chambers of Commerce and training institutes. While 

travelling around the world, either for pleasure or work, I’ve 

met a lot of interesting people and have spent my fair share 

of time at diplomatic functions, rally meetings and many 

other networking parties and waiting rooms. For a long time 

I attended these meetings because they were part of my 

work, but actually I did not enjoy myself. In the hours, and 

sometime days, that preceded one of these events, I happened 

to wind myself up and lament about how much I disliked 

going to these functions. Luckily, I always survived the first 

10 minute freak (standing awkwardly in the middle of the 

room or “hanging” at the coffee table) and then I enjoyed 

myself tremendously. 

I have little to show, regarding my initial collection of 

business cards, only a great amount of photos with nameless 

faces and functions. What a shame! The cards and names I 


Article 27 

have kept are of people who came to me because they needed 

me, were my friends and/or colleagues. All the important 

people I had the chance to meet passed by me, and I frozen 

with anguish, did not dare to articulate a simple hello. Not 

because I did not have an opening line, but because I saw 

myself like I saw many others: contact seekers. For a long 

time I was appalled at people who just made fast contacts and 

got favors. I did not want to be like them, so I just stopped 

talking to people I felt could be good for my career. Worse 

of all, I refrained from doing what I loved the most: spending 

genuine time with people. 

Networking is 

not about elevator 

speeches neither a 

mere exchange of 

business cards. 

Looking back at those years I see that my perception of 

networking was the wrong one. Networking is not about 

“grabbing” opportunities or milking the cow to exhaustion. 

Its not about using people for your own benefit. Networking 

is not a one-way- relationship, where one always gives and 

the other always takes. 

Networking is of course about taking, but also about giving. 

Its about selling and buying, and about using the information 

you have for your benefit, but also for the benefit of others, 

because what you give around, comes around. 

What is networking? 

For a coach/entrepreneur the purpose of a good network is 

much more than a basis for getting new clients. For a student 

or a career seeker the purpose of networking is more than 

just finding a good job. Networking is built over time and 

is a source of many things such as building a career, your 

organization, finding useful information and friendships. 

Networking is not about elevator speeches neither a mere 

exchange of business cards. Networking is about learning, 

sharing, taking and giving back. Its about empathy and human 

exchange. Its about collecting information and staying in 

contact with each other. 

Networking is about maintaining and nurturing your network 

of contacts and making this your priority. Its not about 

getting something out of your network. If lately you have 

been lazy, forgetful towards your network, then you need to 

start to renew your network with an email, a call, a card, 


Article 28 

refer someone, or just send an article like I 

am sending you this one now! 

Networking is about sharing what you have. 

Networking is about asking for favors and 

returning them and most probably not to the 

same person who helped you. Networking is 

about bringing people together and seeing 

how they get along and profit from your 

introductory action. 

As a growing coach and the president of 

the ICF-NL, I want other coaches to share, 

learn and grow. I need my network and the 

one of others to find monthly speakers who 

want to share their wealth with us. I am using 

the network for my benefit but also for my 

environment. While one gets the chance 

to show what he/she knows, the others are 

learning and growing. 

As a project manager I like bringing people 

and organizations together even if it has 

little or direct gain for me. Over a year ago 

I introduced Charles Ruffolo, networking, 

to Siegfried Woldhek, CEO of nabuur.com. 

Nabuur was looking for ways to strengthen 

its initial steps to become an organization 

helping with community development. 

Charles could assist Siegfried in this task, 

by helping him contact former president 

Clinton. A year later nabuur.com has taken 

the steps to ask Clinton’s support on the 

quest of supporting local communities all 

over the world. 

Activating your 

network Game 

Take as many business cards as you have. 

Spread them out on a table and without much 

thought pick out 2 – 3 cards. Look at them 

and ask yourself the following questions: 

What does the business card tell me? 

What is the feeling I get from looking at the 

card? 

What can the person of the card do for me? 

and 

How can I be of service to the person on the 

business card? 

When you have the answers to these questions, 

contact them. Tell them about your experience 

with the Game and use the networking tips. 

Do the game at least once a week and enjoy 

winning at the networking game. 

Go out and network and above all enjoy the 

results and gains of your networking actions 


Article 29 

Networking Tips 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

Make contact with your network: 

By being YOU 

Be honestly interested 

Listen and be empathic 

Always honour your network and the 

contacts you make through it. 

Thank your contacts for the introduction of a new contact 

Let others know how you met your new contact 

Do not disclose private information nor gossip 

Contribute to other people. 

Networking is not only about promoting yourself 

Networking is also about contributing to the people you meet 

Trade your negative ideas about 

networking 

Networking is not about a hard sell of you nor your services 

Networking is about being genuinely interest and generous 

Good networking is about enjoying and enriching each other 

Have Fun 

Contribute, 

Be empathic 

And above all be Passionate about who you are and the 

people who surround you. 


Article 31 

If you knew 

that you could 

Viviana Sanchez 

Have you ever reached a point where you 

feel as if you don’t achieve any of the things 

that you propose yourself? 

Have you ever felt that no matter what you 

try, it never comes out the way you intended 

it to be? You are going to say probably yes 

just like many others will. Probably, just 

like you, they got to the point that they tell 

themselves that they can’t go on doing things 

the same way. Some people give up and allow 

that weariness and fears defeat and wipe out 

their most burning desires. Others, instead, 

decide that they must change the approach 

and go on connecting with their inner fire. 

The ability of transforming our life is 

unlimited with both determination and a big 

sense of personal responsibility. You will 

never know who you are and what you can 

do if you don’t decide to find it out. 

Life is continuously changing, you can see 

it around you. It’s nonstop changing even 

if you don’t notice it; moreover these inner 

changes are led by a quite long process, many 

times painful and at the same time liberating; 

you will feel then sad and not capable to get 

out of this vicious circle; telling yourself 

yet one more time: “I’m not enough, I don’t 

have the right to dream, who am I to believe 

this, I’m despicable”; a manipulative voice 

that makes you accept that it’s better not to 

make an effort, with plenty of excuses and 

guilt that will make you give up and live a 

life that doesn’t make you happy. 

Nature itself sets limits too, the point where 

you tell yourself that you can’t go on living 

full of anger or sadness, immediately you 

realize that you start thinking differently, 

you feel different; sometimes it sounds like 

an inner crake, like something is breaking 

inside yourself and frees you, opens your 

eyes and you find out that your burning 

desire resides there, untouched, giving you 

the strength to go on fighting. 

At this point we enter what I call the Circle 

of Determination, this is a state when you 

become aware of what you want, where to 

find yourself, who is this person with this 

powerful inner strength, you don’t accept 

or care what the others think about you and 

connect yourself instead with this strength 

to achieve wonderful things and without 

noticing it, you become who you want to be. 

The absence of determination is frustration, 

without it we feel empty, disillusioned if not 

bored, so “stop living other people’s life, give 

up excuses, convince yourself and believe in 

this strength”, this allows you to conquer the 


Article 32 

unconquerable, this strong decision makes 

you feel fulfilled with what you do no matter 

what. 

Determination is the strength that allows 

you to achieve what you want and overcome 

your own difficulties. 

Ask yourself:” What is it that you really 

want, apart from what others believe?” 

Think about it for a moment, it seems really 

easy to answer, I guarantee you that it’s not 

always like this, also because we mistake 

desire with definite rational arguments that 

don’t give us the push to act and you end 

up telling yourself: I need to do exercise, 

it’s an excellent idea, you know it, you 

enroll yourself at the gym, you go a couple 

of times, you buy the right clothing and 

what happens it’s that the card ends up at 

the bottom drawer. The point here it’s that 

emotions by themselves are not enough to 

support you in taking steps to make you 

go uphill, it means that if knowledge and 

emotions are not enough, who should you 

incur to in order to awake determination; it’s 

instinct where the direct connection between 

desire and wisdom resides, it’s just that we 

don’t attach too much importance to it. 

We live situations where we have to endure 

until we reach our limits, to identify what we 

want so I suggest you let go of your excuses 

and start listening to the signals your body is 

giving you, how you compensate or connect 

and let go of your inner manipulating tricky 

voice (your little voice). 

Pay attention to what your body is telling 

you, because it’s here that the true desire 

resides, fears are stories narrated by our 

mind that imprisons us in the world of the 

“I should”, in exchange the instinct goes 

through these mental conflicts, giving us the 

clear information, for example: I perceive 

this person as a good or not good one, this 

project is a good idea or not, the instinct is a 

very powerful asset and I ask you: 

What is your body asking you, what would 

you now be really doing in your life? The 

instinct makes its entrance with a “I like it” 

or with justifications of “why yes or no”, 

learn to identify it, there are no arguments 

when instinct plays its role. 

Important is that it is you the one who wants 

it, many times you can discharge your own 

desires, either because you didn’t have 

sufficient intellectual ground or because 

you don’t know how to explain it. Be honest 

with yourself, sincerity is a very important 

ingredient. 

That makes Determination (action) = Desire 

(connecting with yourself, instinct) + Belief 

(resource, expectation, head) 

You can’t be determined if you don’t open up 

to the true deep desire of becoming yourself 

and be convinced while achieving it, in this 

order. 

If you feel you are tired, you don’t make 

any sense in what you are doing, you have 

reached the limit and you want to change 

your life and feel well, I invite you to follow 

the same recipe that I follow. 

You can be happy, do what you like, fight for 

your dreams, without having the feeling of 

losing time; you only have to connect with 

the strength of determination, start to get to 

know yourself. 

Let me know if I can be valuable for your 

life. 

Your friend always, 

Viviana Sanchez 

Life Magnament 

www.vivianasanchez.com 


Photographer: 

Ann Charlotte Voie 

www.anncharlottevoie.com 

Interview 35 

Interview 

Owners EBI 

Vikki 

Thomas 

Founding Partner 

“Commercial Chartered Surveyor, UK Real Estate Investor, 

International Speaker, Multiple Business Owner and Business 

Coach” 

Vikki is an accomplished dynamic woman and is a true 

entrepreneur with an absolute passion for her husband, 

children and business at her core. She comes across 

authentically, with power and drive to help others achieve 

success and become the best that they can be. 

For this reason she has just added EBI Partners Ltd, a Tier 

1 Entrepreneurial Visa Company to her current business 

portfolios of Property, Catering /Hospitality, Business/ 

Networking Clubs, Cyber Security and she is proud to be 

part of BusinessFIt Magazine as well. 

One of Vikki’s core expertise, other than establishing 

relationships with entrepreneurs, is in Business Valuation after 

spending many years valuing businesses for Loan Security 

purposes for financial institutions for a global company. She 

is now excited to be driving EBI Partners forward. 

Websites: 

www.ebipartners.com 

www.vikkithomas.com 


Interview 36 

Rajeev 

Lehar 


”Former rocket scientist with background from corporate” 

After several years as an officer and Crew Chief on F-16 

fighter jets for the Royal Norwegian Airforce, Rajeev chose to 

take even higher education. Having Bachelors in Aerospace 

Engineering and Masters in Science as well as Industrial 

Economy and Technology Management, Rajeev worked for 

7 years in the corporate sector, within the oil and gas industry. 

With this broad knowledge and experience base, Rajeev adds 

to the operational knowledge for EBI Partners and the further 

development and sustainability of the company. 

Sergey 

Kazachenko 


”Former investment banker with focus on details” 

Sergey has a strong financial background working as an Equity 

Research analyst at several major investment banks for more 

than 10 years, lately as a senior partner at Pareto Securities. 

His core expertise is financial modeling, raising capital and 

strategic business developments. Thanks to his Russian origin 

he had the privilege to establish an international presence in 

Europe as well as in many Emerging markets. 


Who is your hero? (In business, 

life or both) 

Vikki: Oh my Gosh, I have many I look up 

to, and try to learn from many people in life 

& business. However, my husband Steve 

is my hero, he is so grounded and has such 

a good business head on his shoulders. He 

believes in me and pushes me, however, 

leaving me to make my own decisions and 

then in turn learning from my mistakes and 

failures. He is my Rock and my best friend. 

My father in law, Roy, who passed away in 

2008 used to always say to me; “Vikki, it will 

be what it will be!” Do not get upset with 

circumstances out of your control. Those 

words stay with me and they are so true. I try 

and live by these words each day. 

JT Foxx and Damien Elston my coaches 

from America have pushed me more and 

believed in me more than anyone else. 

Learning and being supported by the World’s 

No 1 Wealth Coach and the World’s No 

1 Sales Coach has been very challenging, 

but also very fulfilling. I do believe that 

you can’t reach ultimate success without a 

coach. If you research most of the successful 

entrepreneur’s/business people/athletes in 

the world, they achieve their goals by being 

coached. 

Rajeev: My grandfather. Because of his 

work ethics, determination, humanity and 

always walking the extra mile. 

Sergey: In business W. Buffet as he is the 

ultimate intelligent investor while in personal 

life the only person I would dream to be like 

is my father. 

What’s the single best piece 

of business advice that helped 

shape who you are now? 


Interview 38 

Vikki: The big thing that made a difference 

to me is who I surrounded myself with. I used 

to have a lot of the wrong people in my life, 

negative people, those who didn’t believe in 

me. Then I started surrounding myself with 

people that were determined to succeed in 

life, who were more accomplished, more 

positive and had the vision to help other 

people be successful. I found that my whole 

attitude towards life, myself and how I was 

as a person totally changed. It was hard to 

make this change to my circle of friends, but 

it was the best decision I’ve ever made. 

Rajeev: Surround yourself with winners, 

with people who are bigger and better than 

you so that you will have the opportunity to 

grow and become a better version of yourself. 

You want to be around people who will drag 

you up to their level instead of pushing 

you down. You need A players in your life 

to ensure that you as a team and that your 

partnerships lead to the best possible results. 

Sergey: Nothing is a problem. A problem 

only means that nobody has tried hard 

enough to find a solution. Once you believe, 

everything is possible. 

Why? 

Vikki: I made the change because my coach 

advised me to do so. 

Rajeev: Because as an entrepreneur it is 

easy to think you can solve everything by 

yourself, but having the right people there 

with you can create something so much more 

powerful. Also, look for someone who has 

the opposite qualities and personality than 

you. It might be easier to work with someone

Interview 39 

that is more like yourself, but working with 

someone with a different set of strengths and 

qualities will adding so much more value. 

Sergey: People put too many limits to their 

beliefs. People generally deserve a better life, 

more freedom and mainly more happiness. 

It’s in our power to create the life we want 

but we just need to believe we can do it. 

What the biggest mistake you 

have ever made in business and 

what you did you learn from it? 

Vikki: Not knowing my numbers properly, 

not diving down into the financial element 

of things. It is key to know your numbers. 

You can’t trust this to your business partners 

or others, because no one looks after your 

money as well as you do. 

Rajeev: Making assumptions. Assuming 

that someone else will do the job. Identify 

everything that is critical and have clarity, 

instead of making assumptions. This is 

important for financials, investments, people 

and systems. 

Sergey: Don’t choose easy partners or cheap 

solutions, it will only cost you more in the 

long term. 

What’s your definition of 

success? 

Vikki: Success isn’t just financial for me. 

It’s all about helping and inspiring other 

people and creating the life that I want for 

my family and I. Getting to spend time with 

my children, giving them the opportunities 

and support that I didn’t have. Having a 

balance between work and family. Being 

able to go on a hike in the mountains with 

Steve on a Thursday morning. Deciding on 

a Friday that the children and I will go on a 

holiday to Venice on Sunday. 

Rajeev: For me, its about how much I can 

contribute and give back. How much I can 

impact other people in a positive way. To me 

that is success. 

Sergey: Success is when a person enjoys 

the process/journey in whatever he is doing 

every day and not focus on the destination. 

If you enjoy the road to the goal, that is the 

ultimate satisfaction. 

How you will finally know that 

you have succeeded in your 

business? 

Vikki: When the business runs by itself 

without my input. You need to be able to 

work on your business, not in your business. 

Rajeev: When our business and our vision 

have made an impact outside our sphere and 

in turn these people start making an impact 

as a result of their growing success. 

Sergey: Only once you have left a legacy 

behind, that’s when you have succeeded. 

The legacy is not financial it is something 

people can look at and want t to repeat or be 

inspired about. 

What was your motivation to 

achieve what you have? 

Vikki: My children. My mum left me when 

I was 14 and I didn’t have that female role 

model to look up to like most girls have. 

That is a lot of the reason behind my drive 

and determination. I want to create as much 

success and wealth as possible, so that my 

children have a good role model in their life, 


Interview 40 

have someone to look up to. I wish to inspire 

them to be the best they can be. They are the 

main reason I do everything I do. 

I overheard my daughter on FaceTime with 

one of her friends, and they said: “Alisha, 

what does your mummy do?” and she said 

“She travels the world inspiring women to 

be the best that they can be”. Moments like 

that makes it worth all the hard work. 

Rajeev: Having goals and visions bigger 

than yourself. Wanting to be a role model. 

It is your responsibility to be that role model 

for others that you wish you had yourself. 

What we can achieve is so much bigger than 

ourselves. The more successful you are, the 

more you can give back. 

Sergey: When you start with nothing, you 

have nothing to lose and the only way is up. 

Your drive is to improve your life and the life 

of people around you. 

Branding or bragging? 

Vikki: When I started my journey just 

using the term entrepreneur was classed as 

bragging. From a women’s perspective, it 

was very difficult getting out there branding 

myself all over the internet and social media. 

People would look at you thinking who do 

you think you are? The people doing that 

were clearly the wrong people in my life. 

Those people I chose to leave behind. Putting 

yourself out there can be seen as bragging, 

but the truth is that the better branded you 

are the more people do business with you. 

You need to believe in yourself and then 

others will believe in you too. 

Rajeev: Culturally it is recognized as 

bragging, but from the business side it is 

considered as branding. It took me a long 

time to understand the difference. But I 

realized that however you do it you still have 

a brand and it is up to you to create the brand 

that will take you in the right direction. 

Your brand is your perceived value outside 

yourself, how other people see you. Take 

charge of this and create the brand you want. 

Sergey: Neither. Positioning. 

What do you think about 

relationship Capital? 

Vikki: Work with people you like, trust, 

people you believe in and that are authentic. 

This is important for any business to grow. 

Rajeev: It is key. It is how you expand your 

networks, knowledge and your experience. 

It is the ground work that creates new deals 

and partnerships. If you want to sprint you 

run alone, if you run a marathon you do it as 

a team. You get further as a team. If you have 

good relationship capital you always have 

somewhere to go for knowledge, experience, 

network and inspiration. 

Sergey: Success is harder or impossible to 

achieve alone. The only way to get the result 

is when you join strong partnerships that 

can boost your knowledge. This can only be 

done with relationship capital. 

How do you choose your 

business partners? 

Vikki: It is understanding what the end goal 

is. Understanding people’s personalities. Not 

everyone will be like you, some people are 

more direct, some people are thinkers, some 

are more social and some more analytical. 

Understand your partner’s personalities and 

build on your differences to get the most out 

of the partnership. 


Interview 41 

Sergey, Rajeev and I we bonded when we 

first met and were in a coaching mastermind. 

With this new partnership and business, 

we all have our different drive and reasons 

for doing it, and this is why it makes it so 

powerful and I know that we will have great 

success. 

Rajeev: With accountability integrity, trust 

and respect. I make sure to treat them how I 

want to be treated myself. 

Sergey: Be honest with you. Find the exact 

opposite to you in terms of knowledge but a 

copy of you when it comes to values. 

What is the most exciting 

project you are currently 

working on? 

Vikki: EBI Partners, the reason being 

that I feel like there is so many successful 

entrepreneurs, especially female 

entrepreneurs in the world that don’t have 

the opportunity to own and operate their own 

businesses and create the wealth and success 

for them and their families. 

Rajeev: I want to be able to impact people’s 

freedom. I want to be able to hold people’s 

hands while guiding them to a better and 

brighter future for them and their families. 

This is my personal intention with EBI 

Partners. I know how it is to come to a 

new country and not having that support. 

This is not just about the immigration and 

visa process, but we will be there following 

them along the way making sure that their 

businesses will be successful too. This is the 

part that will actually make a big difference 

in these people’s lives. 

Sergey: My passion is help people to achieve 

a better lifestyle. Therefore, EBI partners is 

clearly a dream come true. Support other 

people to achieve their dreams by doing 

something you love which is improving 

businesses, is unbeatable. 

Why EBI? 

Vikki: With EBI Partners we are giving both 

men and women the opportunity to come 

from emerging markets into the UK to create 

the life and wealth they need and deserve. 

This will not only benefit themselves but 

also the UK economy. 

Rajeev: There is nothing on the market 

similar to what we have created. Entering a 

new country can be extremely challenging 

because there is so many factors in this 

process. We want to create as many success 

stories as possible. This is why we are putting 

it all in to a system, so that we can help create 

these stories and make a better future for as 

many families as possible. 

Sergey: To allow Global Entrepreneurs the 

freedom and support of being successful in 

another country. 

Do you think we need more 

female entrepreneurs in the 

UK? 

Vikki: Yes, I truly believe that we need 

more female entrepreneurs. It is definitely 

getting better, and we now have a female 

prime minister in the UK and Scotland Yard 

has just appointed the 1st female Chief 

Commissioner in its 188 year history . For 

me personally I have always been involved in 

male dominated industries, but I can see that 

things are changing now. It has become more 

socially accepted for women to pursue their 

careers. One of my biggest personal goals is 


Interview 42 

to help as many female entrepreneurs be the 

best that they can be. 

Rajeev: Yes! Historically the numbers of 

female entrepreneurs have grown, but we 

still need many more to create the diversity 

we need. Women have so much to contribute 

with and so many qualities that are important 

in any business context. 

Sergey: I think the UK needs more 

entrepreneurs regardless their sex, ethnicity 

or country of origin. 

Your best advice to any 

aspiring female entrepreneur? 

Vikki: Don’t try and be a man and live up 

to how men do business. Be yourself and 

be authentic. Believe in yourself. Too many 

women try to prove themselves to men and 

try to be like men, but women are from Venus 

and men are from Mars. We are different and 

we do things differently. So just be who you 

are. Be yourself. 

Rajeev: Dare to be yourself. Dare to stand 

out from the crowd. 

Sergey: Focus on being the best you can be, 

don’t limit yourself to achieve the business 

success you deserve. 

Your best tip to stand out from 

the crowd? 

Vikki: Business and entrepreneurialism 

needs to be fun. If you don’t enjoy what you 

are doing it will come across that way and it 

is just not worth doing it. If you love what 

you do that will show through and people 

will enjoy working with you. Do more of 

what you love and good things will come 

from that. 

Rajeev: Find out what you are good at and 

make it your expertise. Focus on that so that 

you can start creating those results that you 

want. Don’t try to save the whole world 

doing everything. Instead have laser focus 

in that one area and create your success one 

step at the time. Dare to stand out and be the 

best in your field. The rest will follow. 

Sergey: The is no universal way to stand 

out. Every person is different and therefore 

can stand out in his/her own way. 

Your best tip on working 

closely with women? 

Vikki: I believe that great businesses and 

partnerships are when there is a mix of men 

and women. That way decisions, opinions, 

discussions etc. are assessed from different 

angles and perspectives. As we all know men 

and women think differently. So, I believe it 

can be very powerful to combine us together. 

However, the key in that is having a great 

partnership in the first place as I mentioned 

earlier. 

Rajeev: Listen and evaluate. 

Sergey: Push them to be as strong as they 

deserve to be. 

Best advice to any women out 

there who is working together 

with men? 

Vikki: Understanding the personalities of 

the men you are working with, be respectful 

of the kind of person they are and their 

circumstances, because they will be different 

to yours. If in a partnership everyone knows 

their role and have the same goal, I believe 

that working with men or women shouldn’t 


Interview 43 

be any different. Also, communication is key. 

Rajeev: Dare to stand out and to believe 

in your vision. Be strong but humble. Rely 

on your results and your own abilities. Be a 

leader, but also be respectful and supportive. 

Sergey: Don’t focus on sex. Look at people 

as business partners and don’t show there is 

a difference because of the sex and you will 

outshine any man or woman around you. 

What are your main goals for 

2017? 

Vikki: To make EBI Partners a big success 

and in that way, ensure that we get to create 

as many opportunities and success stories as 

possible for all the aspiring entrepreneurs 

and their families that exist out there. 

¨I believe that great businesses 

and partnerships are when 

there is a mix of men and 

women.¨ 

Rajeev: The main goal is to create successful 

stories trough EBI Partners. 

Sergey: Balance & helping as many 

entrepreneurs create the life they deserve 

through EBI Partners. 

Your favorite quote? 

Vikki: I have so many favorite quotes and 

I post them all on my Facebook page. My 

favorite is probably: “Be the best version 

of you, don’t try to be someone else”. As a 

woman, it is very easy to start comparing 

yourself to someone else and wish to be 

more like them. Don’t do that. Be yourself! 

No one is better at that than you. 

Rajeev: Being a rocket scientist and all, my 

favourite quote comes from NASA: “Failure 

is not an option”. 

Sergey: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation 

but it takes only 1 minute to destroy it” // W. 

Buffet. 



BYBERITHJELDE 

Having worked with investments within real estate in South America for nearly seven years, 

norwegian-born Berit Hjelde finally decided to move back home to Norway in 2011, to persue 

her dream of launching her own clothing line. Inspired and greatly influenced by the ultra 

feminine women of Brazil, Hjelde has set out to teach the women of northern Europe how to 

dress with confidence, by embracing their natural curves and femininity through fashion. 

Berit Hjelde grew up in Verdal, a small town in the middle of Norway. She started travelling 

at an early age – first in Europe, The United States and two years in Spain before settling in 

Brazil with her growing family. Having earned degrees in both economics and real estate 

while travelling, Berit started working with investments in real estate at once, but soon found 

herself seduced by the vibrant, glamourous styles of South American culture. Having absorbed 

the strong colors, playful constructions and feminin elegance of her new country, Berit started 

realizing how to mix the Scandinavian ”strict” with the Brazilian ”free” – a combination 

seldom seen or embraced in the cold countries of Northern Europe, where women tend to 

shield from snow and wind, as opposed to flaunt their beautiful shapes. 

When Berit moved back to Norway, she couldn´t quite identify or ajust to the selection at 

hand, and decided to start making her own clothes. With the motto ”When Life Gives You 

Curves – Embrace Them!”, she had two dresses made in a special, elastic fabric known as 

bandage elastics. The fabric nips and tucks in at all the right places, and has a brilliant holdin-effect, 

wich accentuate the female figure in the most flattering way you could ever imagine. 

With great support from Innovasjon Norge (Innovation Norway), Berit gained access to the 

best of the best within the Norwegian fashion community. 

The target demographic for Berit´s garments are basically women who love to dress feminine, 

and her first designs were a little bit shorter (and a little bit more daring) than it´s current 

descendants. Through a close collaboration with her clients and buyers, she concluded that the 

customers would prefer garments that could be worn on multipal occations – while travelling, 

at work or even in a more casual setting. Berit has ajusted brilliantly to the feedback, and her 

designs are now more versatile and inviting for a wide range of styling variations. 

Networking through social media has been an absolute necessity for Berit, and her playful, 

yet professional appearance on sites such as Facebook and Instagram has definately paid off. 

International superstar Rihanna pulled one of her dresses on her last visit to Norway, Helena 

Christensen has also been seen with one of Berits design – and the trendy socialites of upand-coming 

Oslo are lining up to see what´s next. Berit is currently expanding her line with 

skirts, blouses , pants and leather. 

When life gives you curves, embrace them !

Team 

Verónica Sosa: Founder 

Veronica@BusinessfitMagazine.com 

Partners: 

Onerazán Bornia 

One@Businessfitmagazine.com 

Vikki Thomas 

Vikki@BusinessFitMagazine.com 

Editor: 

Ruth Coetzee 

Sub-Editor: 

Ellen Pearce 

Collaborators: 

Jaume Campos 

Viola Edwards 

Marizete Da Silva 

Mylene Fërnstrom 

Cristina Prado 

Viviana Sánchez 

Edmeé Schalkx 

Art Design: 

Javier Sánchez 

México 

Business Fit Marketing

MAGAZINE-Marzo-Abril

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