Interview with SoulKids® Mentor - Avanti Kundalia

Sally has been out and about interviewing the newly graduated SoulKids® Mentors. She recently met up with SoulKids® Mentor Avanti Kundalia.

www.soulkids.org

Sally: Avanti, what brought you to SoulCentre and SoulKids? 

Avanti Kundalia: Serendipity!!! An ever-increasing thirst for connection to my inner soul, and a deep love for life and children brought me to SoulCentre. 

S: How did you hear about SoulKids? 

AK: In the final lap of another training I was attending at another location, I heard the word SoulKids being uttered from across the room. The name just stuck in my head – I googled it a few days later and the next thing I knew I was at the SoulKids Mentor Training introduction talk with Vikas Malkani, the creator of SoulKids! 

S: What have been your experiences at SoulKids Mentor Training and the SoulKids Weekend program?

AK: I came in with zero "expectations" really - just an earnest desire to learn how I could bring my innate talents and passion together, to teach kids and truly make a difference in the world!

The SoulKids Mentor Training with Vikas itself surpassed every possible expectation I could have had! It was comprehensive, detailed, and easy to grasp and put into action, and of course a whole lot of fun too. It was also beautiful to connect with like-minded people from all varied walks of life and of different nationalities.

I loved every minute of it and literally had withdrawal symptoms when it was over!!! The SoulKids weekend program validated for me the effectiveness of the intensive training we had just gone through and was 2 days of a true funfest – the best I have ever spent in my life and career with children!!! 

S: How has SoulKids changed you as an individual? 

AK: SoulKids reintroduced me to the wonderful, playful, joyful child within myself. It reminded me of the promise I was born with (Vikas always teaches that we are born with a promise of potential inside us, that’s waiting to be fulfilled). A Promise buried deep within, which when nurtured had the potential of taking me to the peak of my life experience. SoulKids assured me it's never too late to become who I came here to be! It gave me Hope and it showed me a path to get there. 

S: What’s your most important lesson from SoulKids Training?

AK: ‘Always say YES' & 'Never give up!’

I realized how totally I was cloaked in fear of rejection/ failure/ not being "ready" enough and how much I was standing in my own way!

But since the SoulKids Mentor training, by taking little baby steps, I am becoming more of a positive Yes-Woman, and no matter how impossible a dream had seemed in the past I have consciously begun to grow it promising myself to never give up no matter how long it takes!

Go Bruce Lee!!!

S: What are your hopes, dreams and visions going forward? 

AK: First and foremost, to stop going backward. To stop doubting the potential within myself or the support that life and others give me.

To nurture and develop fully this deep connection with my inner Self that SoulCentre has so gently yet emphatically brought back into my attention.

I truly believe that an exceptional life story begins in the details of a script that gets scripted in one's early years, and that this life script can be edited, enhanced, improved and made beautiful for every child by the right kind of mentor/ coach. And that is the kind of example I wish to be in the world - breathing and living wisdom, touching and transforming lives, one beautiful child at a time.

Stay connected to wisdom with the SoulKids® Books

Children who attend SoulKids® programs have great fun learning life lessons, gaining wisdom and techniques to deal with life issues and listening to the many stories we share.

Each child leaves with a favorite story and many parents have commented that the child continues to tell the story over and over again.

www.soulkids.org

Parents asked us to put the stories into books and we are delighted to share the wisdom in 8 separate books and inspirational flash cards;

• 5 Books in the SoulKids® Book of Self Confidence series (Book 1 to Book 5).
• A limited edition “Box Set” containing all 5 books for your child to treasure.
• The 2 Dogs.
• Ben's Story.
• SoulKids® for Teenagers.
• SoulKids® Inspirational Cards.

We always encourage parent’s to keep their children connected to the wisdom and to encourage reading. There are so many benefits!

Allow us to remind you of 8 important ones:

1. Reading expands a child’s vocabulary and allows them to master language skills.
2. Reading encourages conversation and enhances communication skills.
3. Reading together improves relationships and allows time for parent-child bonding and quality time together.
4. The stories expose the children to life lessons they may encounter as they grow.
5. Shared memories result as both parent and child will benefit from the story and life lessons contained within it, and soon, SoulKids® wisdom will be part of the family vocabulary.
6. Regular reading encourages concentration, focus and discipline.
7. Reading together provides an excellent opportunity for parents to discuss the life lessons contained within the stories. The lessons of the stories are designed to support with real life issues and the parent can use them to support the child during stages of transition (moving school, exams etc.)
8. If reading is fun, children are more likely to pick up a book rather than all the other gadgets on offer.

Our complete range of books can be bought on line, or at our head office in Bencoolen Street.

Please connect with us (info@soulcentre.org) and we will guide you on which books are most suitable for your child.

Self-Belief - How to develop it in Children

SoulKids teaches parents and children a unique and powerful methodology to build strong self-belief in children.

We highly recommend all parents to attend our annual ‘SoulKids Mentor Training’ and learn SoulKids methods and secrets from Vikas Malkani himself.

However in the meantime, here are some tips to help parents strengthen self-belief in their children.

Tips to create positive Self-Belief in a Child:

1. Use positive self-talk to the child and around the child. Be careful of the nature of the conversation you have around your children, because they imbibe and imitate what they hear.
2. Support their efforts and not just their results. If your child is putting sincere effort into something, acknowledge the work done, regardless of what the result turns out to be.
3. Notice them doing things right, don’t just catch them doing things wrong. Acknowledge and reinforce their good behaviour and work.
4. Avoid comparisons, both within and outside the family. This devalues the child’s self-esteem.
5. Let your child know that they have your unconditional love, but not unconditional acceptance of incorrect behaviour. The love is always there, but their behaviours must be deserving of approval.
6. Motivate, don’t dictate. If you are dominating and dictatorial, it’s not good for your child’s self-esteem. Inspire and motivate them instead, it’s a much more effective strategy.
7. Value their dreams whatever they may be. Never ridicule, or criticize what your child dreams to be. With time, it will probably change anyway.
8. Encourage your children, don’t discourage them. If they wish to do something, encourage them to take actions in that direction, along with your support.
9. Avoid labeling your child in any way. Labels such as ‘you’re slow’, ‘you’re so dumb’ etc. are toxic to their self-belief.
10. Never ridicule or laugh at your children in front of others.
11. Support your child’s strengths and desires, and if they are naturally good at something, encourage them to do more of it.

Positive self-esteem in children helps them to become happy and successful.

SoulKids is an award-winning life skills program for children. Send your children to SoulKids and we will help them develop a strong and stable self-belief.

SoulKids was a huge success in May!!

SOULKIDS WAS A HUGE SUCCESS IN MAY!!

We had an amazing time with 23 children at SoulKids on 14/15th May at the Hollandse Club.

Children gave us some wonderful feedback about what they learnt in SoulKids …

•  I learnt to work in a team. 

•  I learnt to be patient.

•  I learnt how to be confident and open-minded.

•  I learnt to never give up on my dream.

•  I learnt that my value does not change even if someone makes fun of me.

•  I learn lots of new things - it's great fun.

•  I learnt to be happy with who I am.

•  I learnt that I should be positive because what comes around goes around.

•  It's fantastic and such fun and I learnt so much.

•  It's so lovely and I became creative and happy.

•  I felt so happy, amazing and so special.

•  I feel happy, great, positive, strong and awesome.

•  It was such a new experience. I am so happy and I made so many new friends.

•  I learnt to be positive and not negative.

•  It's SUPER fun and I left feeling amazed and cheerful.

•  I have learnt to be a leader.

•  I learnt to inspire others.

•  I want to come back every day.

Children love SoulKids and the lessons we share stay with the children as they mature in life.

"I LOVE SoulKids - it teaches things in such a FUN manner and it teaches me how to LIVE my life and how to ACT in life."

More information about SoulKids programs on www.soulkids.org

The Power of Positive Thoughts

"If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely"

- Roald Dahl 

What is the best gift we can give to a child?

It is simply to be the best example that we can be.

We can only give to a child what we have inside, so if we feel loved then we can give love, if we feel happy and content, then we can give happiness.

So reflect for a moment, How happy are you? How positive are your thoughts?

Children learn by watching as well as listening, and what they see on a day to day basis becomes their reality.

So exercise your happy muscles today.

Have positive thoughts. 

In ANY situation we can always look to see a positive aspect….

It's as simple as remembering we have enough food to eat, clean water to drink, that our bodies are healthy, that we live in a safe environment….

The list is endless….

So on a daily basis - look for the things that make you smile, develop your positive thoughts and radiate like a sunbeam.

Your children will love you for being a happy you - and change will result.

Try it and see.

INTERVIEW WITH SOULKIDS® MENTOR - NUTHIYA

Sally met up with Nuthiya, a beautiful lady, originally from Thailand and now one of our SoulKids®  Mentors.

Sally: Nuthiya what bought you to SoulKids®?

Nuthiya: I used to own a tuition school franchise.

I feel that nowadays children are very busy and they receive a lot of "input". After their school hours, they have to go for academic tuitions, sports, arts, music etc. I started to question why this is happening?

It's definitely because the parents want their children to be smart, to be the best and to be ready as much as possible. Everyone is doing it, so parents feel they must too.

But are the children happy?

Are the parents happy?

Are they confident of the outcome?

I used to discuss this with a lot of parents and children and always the answer was that they were not sure. So I was always searching for something else that can make people stronger without "just following the trend".

I think what is lacking is "life-skills training for children". It would be great for children to know that their life is in their hands, and that they have to take responsibility for that.

Life-skills, that guide children to have the right mindset, a good attitude and proper behavior.

In 2015 my husband Iskandar and I discussed this topic with my mother in law, Dato Prof. Dr. Nor and she introduced SoulKids® to us. She said the program really transforms children.

That made me think - WOW, really?

The next day we checked the SoulKids® Mentor Training schedule and signed up for the next class. Iskandar and I drove down from Thailand to attend the class in Singapore.

S: Oh my, that was so dedicated of you both to drive all the way from Thailand. So what are your experiences of the Mentor Training?

N: The mentor training program is a positive and simple way to understand your own life. It shows you what leads people to success and happiness.

S: How has SoulKids® changed you as an individual?

N: It has helped me have a better understanding about the basic concepts of life.

It taught me that children and adults all are the same; we all like things that are fun, simple, short and powerful.

It made me understand others and myself better.

S: What are your visions and dreams going forward?

N: I want to do my part to make the society better. We have to start with young children and certainly the parents must also be involved.

I would like to encourage the children to participate in SoulKids® programs and encourage the parents to participate in the SoulKids® Mentor training for adults.

I'll keep learning, be open-minded, be positive and focus on my passion ...  I'll say YES to life and I'll NEVER give up on chasing my dream. I will continue to improve myself constantly.

S: Anything else you want to share with our readers?

N: SoulKids® teaches that all children are special and unique. I hope everyone realizes this and lets them shine in their own way. All they need is guidance and support.

How beautiful the world will be when these children grow up to be successful and happy and know how to share with others.

Be positive, open-minded and come to join us @SoulKids®!!!

Thank you so much Nuthiya – you really are a shining example – attending and learning the program in a different country and in a second language as well. I know you will go on and inspire children the world over- we are blessed to have you on the team!
We wish you every success with your SoulKids in Malaysia.

For more information connect with us at:

info@soulcentre.org

SOULKIDS® IS DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE OUR AMBASSADORS

SOULKIDS® IS DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE OUR AMBASSADORS

  

SoulKids® inspires children to be their best and to bring out their strengths. It provides children with essential life-skills for happiness and success in all aspects of their life.

We do not focus on what children want to be when they grow up - we focus on what do children want to be NOW !

What can children contribute to the world TODAY !

For example Dillan says “My mission is to be happy every day and my I want to make the world a happy, fun, peaceful and relaxed place.”

SoulKids® provides children with so many exciting opportunities to say “Yes” to life and to try new things.

Children do art work for our best-selling SoulKids® books and they write blogs about their experiences in life.

We are now delighted and excited to announce that SoulKids® is moving one step further!

We have chosen children who will become “SoulKids® Ambassadors” and who will go on to inspire children the world over.

Already they have been professionally interviewed by a TV crew and each and every one of them passed with glowing success.

Let me introduce you to our first Ambassadors:

Dillan Patrick Bowe

Age: 9

Amelie Russell

Age: 9

Ikabella Heaps

Age: 11

Ece Tanisman

Age: 11

Sashwika Venkatraman

Age: 11

Their newly recorded videos will soon feature on YouTube as well as on our SoulKids® Website.

We are so excited to be working with them and to take SoulKids® to greater heights.

For more information connect with us at:

info@soulcentre.org 

or visit us at www.soulkids.org

SOULKIDS BOOK 5 IS LAUNCHED…

http://www.soulkids.org/index.php/shop.html

It was so exciting to meet some of the artists and their parents at the SoulKids Book 5 Launch Party. Sally explained the journey from the initial book idea to completion and demonstrated to the children that success is always about teamwork.

Together we all achieve more by working as a team.

The children were able to see how their original artwork eventually became part of the book design and their faces lit up with a feeling of pride and achievement.

SoulKids now has 5 best-selling books in its Self-Confidence Series and each book contains 10 inspiring stories with life lessons that remain with the children forever.

In celebration we are offering a special 20% discount if you order all 5 books. They make such a memorable and meaningful gift.

For more information connect with us at:

info@soulcentre.org

or

visit us at www.soulkids.org

Interview with SoulKids® Mentor - Simon

Hi everyone! My name is Simon (although I have been known as sausage and snail on the SoulKids® Programs!). Originally from the UK, I moved to Singapore with my wife and two sons in July 2014 after 11 years living and working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I love to travel and enjoy outdoor activities. 

In 2014, I completed a charity 7-day, 250km trek across the arctic circle with a team of Husky Dogs...awesome fun and one of the best experiences of my life. 

My SoulKids® journey started in November 2014 after attending a SoulKids® Mentor Training talk with Vikas. I immediately knew that the SK program fitted in with my values, contained inspirational life changing stories for young minds and.....sounded like lots of fun! Sign me up!

I was not disappointed! The SK Mentor training program was amazing...a real mix of activities, stories and games all focused on helping children cultivate a confident, positive, happy and open mind. As part of the training, the other Mentors and I got to be involved in a full weekend program where we all told stories, led activities and most importantly got to see how the children grew in confidence over the weekend. A special moment for me was sharing the experience with my son, who really enjoyed the whole SK experience and still loves reminding me of the lessons!

Since graduating as a Mentor, I have been involved in delivering both the full SK weekend and SoulKids® Quickstart Programs. It is so rewarding to observe how the children grow in confidence as they listen to the stories, take part in the activities and are able to share the lessons they have learnt. Very wise kids indeed!

SoulKids® is a transformational program and I am certainly looking forward to more stories, games and confident kids! 

Hope to see you soon for some SK fun!

- Simon

www soulkids.org

SoulKids awarded Best in Life Skills by Parents World

The SoulKids Journey with Sally & Vikas...

Fabulous Feedback

October has been a super busy time for SoulKids.
Lots of lovely children have attended and we decided to catch up with some of their feedback...

SoulKids teaches Essential Life-Skills to Children

• SoulKids is awesome
• I feel excited, great and confident
• It's fun and cool - I learnt to treat others the way I want to be treated
• It's the best place to learn stories!
• Really fun activities I recommend it to all children 
• I feel awesome and creative
• Feed your positive voice always
• It's fun and excellent
• I think SoulKids is the best place I have ever been to - It's awesome beyond words!

SoulKids teaches Essential Life-Skills to Children

When is the next program?

DATE:    Saturday, 7 November, 2015
TIME:     2 pm - 5 pm (with Zoe and Siok)
VENUE: SoulCentre/SoulKids Academy
               91 Bencoolen Street
               #12-04Sunshine Plaza
               Singapore 189652

For children from 6 - 10 years of age.

Only 99 SGD 

What exactly are Life-Skills?

As we go through school and college education, we are taught skills which help us "make a living."

English, Maths, Computing, Accounting, Law, Medicine ….

SoulKids teaches Essential Life-Skills to Children

Yet who actually teaches us "how to live a life?"

Who teaches us simple skills like :

• How to make friends with others 
• How to nurture lasting relationships
• How to work with others not like you
• How to speak with confidence and express our opinion 
• How to have the courage to speak our view 
• How to deal with negative situations (bullying, divorce, death) 
• How to deal with negative emotions (jealousy, anger, worry) 
• How to get up when life knocks us down 
• How to see that our inner thoughts can affect our actions
• How to focus on the positives in life and not get carried away with the negatives

SoulKids teaches Essential Life-Skills to Children

SoulKids teaches essential life-skills of happiness and success to children from 6 years upwards.

SoulKids is an award winning brand - voted 'Best Life-Skills Program' recently by Harpers Bazaar Magazine. Children learn through fun, games and stories. Children love it and they really get the lessons. The lessons stay with them for life.

We urge you to send your child to SoulKids, if you have not done so already.
The next program is on:

DATE:    Saturday, 7 November, 2015
TIME:     2 pm - 5 pm (with Zoe and Siok)
VENUE: SoulCentre/SoulKids Academy
               91 Bencoolen Street
               #12-04Sunshine Plaza
               Singapore 189652

For children from 6 - 10 years of age.

SoulKids® Mentors - Beautiful Inside and Out...

We managed to sneak in a short interview with the beautiful SoulKids® Mentors while they were teaching life-skills to 13 beautiful children.

Left to Right: SoulKids® Mentors - Siok, Zoe, Kheam and Amanda

Zoe

The SoulKids® program is fun and teaches the children important life-skills that will help them in all sorts of situations, through teamwork activities. They learn how to be a good friend, to never give up and believe in themselves, among other things. Just the fact that they leave being positive and learn one or more lessons, in itself, is a fulfilling experience.

Amanda

Being a SoulKids® Mentor is an amazing and thought provoking experience. The ability to invoke story-telling techniques into learning about various aspects of self-confidence is inspiring. They learn to be passionate and creative. It also teaches children to think differently – not like anyone else. It’s wonderful to see the transformation from who they are when they enter to who they become when they leave.

Siok

Being positive is a key lesson taught at SoulKids®, as is seeing the good in yourself, focusing on your actions, being a team leader and a team follower at various times and growing your self-esteem through various engaging activities. It gives children the tools to create, a bigger, better and brighter life for themselves as well as those around them.

Kheam

The SoulKids® program gives me a chance to teach essential life-skills through story and play, to a group of wonderful, children. The experience is at times full of light bulb moments!  It teaches you to expect the unexpected and that each child is special and unique.

What lessons do children learn from SoulKids®?

They learn:

Teamwork

To be creative

To think out of the box

To be caring

To be loving and warm

To be positive

To be confident and overcome their fears

That each child is different and unique

To deal with the unexpected

How to be patient

Not to fear new things

It’s a fun and engaging workshop and it is wonderful to see the transformation in only one hour!!

Interview with SoulKids® Mentor - Jackie Ashby

Sally has been out and about interviewing the newly graduated SoulKids® Mentors. She met up with Jackie Ashby, who last year, relocated from Anchorage (Alaska) to Singapore.

Q: So Jackie what bought you to SoulKids®?

Jackie: I was seeking the knowledge of transformation for myself and I also had the curiosity of learning new ways of working with children. 

Q: So how did you hear about SoulKids®?

J: From Santa Fe Relocation Company. I received an invite from Santa Fe to attend a seminar at SoulCentre®.

Q: What was your experiences of the SoulKids® Mentor training and the SoulKids® Weekend Program?

J:  It was amazing and thought provoking. 

• The ability to gain self-awareness about one's authentic self was astonishing. 
• The ability to invoke story-telling techniques into learning about various aspects of self-confidence was also inspiring.

Q: How has SoulKids® changed you as an individual?

J: I am more open-minded, I engage in self-reflection and am learning to apply an attitude of gratitude into my daily life. 

Q: What was your favorite lesson from SoulKids®?

J: My favorite lesson was Vikas’s "Human Trinity Concept". How our mindset, attitude and behavior are all connected and how this affects one's view of everyday life.

Also I love the Sunflower and Rose story. Do not compare yourself to others and what they have or may not have; rather focus on what your assets are and improve them. By doing this imagine how great we all could be, nothing would be impossible!!

Q: What are your visions and dreams going forward?

J: My vision moving forward is to always keep my eyes open and my brain fed with lots of nutrients that provides positive energy. Keeping an attitude of gratitude will take me far. 

Q: Wow that sounds amazing Jackie – a lovely Vision for sure. Anything else you want to share with our readers?

J: I just want to share that experiencing my first SoulKids® Mentor Training was unforgettable and rejuvenating  

Sally: Thanks Jackie – we really look forward to working more with you and taking SoulKids® global in the months to come.