I Dream of a World Beyond Feminism
I Dream of a World Beyond Feminism

I believe violence and abuse, although statistically associated mostly with men in the world, are at their core genderless. I think they are, fundamentally, forces of destruction perpetrated by humans against one another, with gender or race as one of the overarching paradigms determining who abuses whom and how. I believe what we truly need as a society goes well beyond educating men and empowering women - although these are essential steps. I believe we need an education around being a conscious human being - with and for each other and for the other beings we share this finite planet with.

I do believe a rising tide lifts all boats. And I wonder how we can collectively create the rising tide of consciousness that lifts all of us towards a more humane world.

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Thoughts/IdeasAlis Anagnostakisfeminism, women, empowermentComment
What Are We Teaching Our Kids And Why?
What Are We Teaching Our Kids And Why?

What are the fundamental assumptions about the nature of humans, the nature of reality, the essence of a good life, that might be colouring your own thinking and decisions? How are your biggest assumptions serving you? How might they be limiting you?

If you’re a parent, how is your own world-view informing what you choose to instil in your kids? How might you ‘loosen up’ some of your existing beliefs and experiment with other ways of looking at things?

Who in your life is deeply triggering you because they’re so different, so ‘unlike you’? You might just want to reach out and listen to them, not to agree, but just to have your mind opened to other truths. I my own experience I’ve come to believe that with every mindset stretch comes another degree of freedom, as Viktor Frankl wisely said, “to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”.

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Thoughts/IdeasAlis Anagnostakiswisdom, parenting, vertical developmentComment
The Year of Radical Honesty
The Year of Radical Honesty

Here are the three lessons I have received this year, all of which have forced me into practicing radical honesty towards self and others. None are completely new. I’ve learnt them before. But this year has taught them to me in new ways. I don’t think they are unique to me either. So hopefully sharing them will get you thinking about your versions of them or about other pieces of wisdom you might pluck from these strange past twelve months and carry with you forward, as treasures from the dark cave, out into the light of a new day.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

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Alis AnagnostakisComment
Replanting Lives: What I Learnt in a Year Since Moving to the Other Side of the World
Replanting Lives: What I Learnt in a Year Since Moving to the Other Side of the World

In what has been both the hardest and most amazing year of my life, I have learnt a few precious things, some of which might be universal lessons every expat discovers and others of which might just be nuggets of wisdom the Universe had in store just for me. However they may be, here they are - we never know who might find a bit of inspiration or a bit of solace, if they are treading a similar lonely, unchartered path.

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Thoughts/Ideas, Self-developmentAlis Anagnostakispersonal development, vertical development, self-awareness, reflection, parentingComment
Radical Vulnerability and the Art of Being Real
Radical Vulnerability and the Art of Being Real

Allowing ourselves to grow up - to truly GROW-UP takes a leap of faith. It takes embracing radical vulnerability. Yes, loved ones might and will get sick or die. Yes, we might get sick or die. Yes, when we reach out we'll get rejected sometimes. Yes, we might need to accept that we're not as self-confident and accomplished as our professional circles might think we are. Yes, we will need to own up to being messy human beings, never "round and smooth", always a bit "rugged and sharp-edged". Accepting how inherently imperfect and, yes, vulnerable, we are is the ultimate act of courage and, paradoxically, it might lead us to becoming better, wiser, more patient, loving humans, more at peace with ourselves and all those around us - close and far. It might lead us to becoming real.

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Mindfulness, Thoughts/IdeasAlis Anagnostakisamanda palmer, introspection, radical vulnerability, wisdom Comments
When Butterflies Turn Back Into Caterpillars
When Butterflies Turn Back Into Caterpillars

It looks like we humans have to die multiple times throughout our lives. Our time as a butterfly might just be the preamble of becoming a caterpillar all over again. Maybe we are bound to live through several cocoons over the course of our lives, each time breaking apart again, only to emerge on the other side with different coloured wings and more consciousness. 

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Mindfulness, Thoughts/IdeasAlis Anagnostakisbutterfly and caterpillar, conscous, transformation Comments
How a Kitchen Table Helped Make Me a Better Human Being
How a Kitchen Table Helped Make Me a Better Human Being

In the end, I am deeply grateful for the wisdom that came, unexpectedly from one of the most mundane objects in the world. That kitchen table became the metaphorical bridge upon which we, as a family, stepped into our new life. It was our bootcamp. Our testing ground. It opened a door to more mindfulness and it reminded us that the work of growing wiser never ends.

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Mindfulness, Psychology, Thoughts/IdeasAlis Anagnostakisrelationships, wisdomComment
What is Adult Development and Why Should You Care?
What is Adult Development and Why Should You Care?

In a world that is continuously changing in ever faster, more disruptive ways, understanding that you, as an adult, still have a long way to go before really "growing up" might become paramount. Consciously taking time for introspection, looking for opportunities of personal development might soon become a necessity, as Artificial Intelligence is changing the landscape of work and our common humanity is subjected to challenges our species has likely never encountered before. This article is meant to bring the concept of "adult development" to the forefront of your mind, to invite you to be curious, to challenge your own assumptions and to ask yourselves, how can you become ever more conscious and aware as a leader, parent, partner, friend and, ultimately, human being?

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Leadership, Thoughts/IdeasAlis Anagnostakisadult development, consciousness, LeadershipComment
35 and a bit of wisdom
35 and a bit of wisdom

We live in a world that often seems absurd, chaotic, paradoxical. We feel appalled by the injustice that seems to unfold beyond our control, we judge, we polarise into "us" versus "them". It is my belief that the only relationship we can truly transform is the one we have with ourselves and only then can we take the next step of healing our relationship with others. I think everything starts with us. This world cannot go on if each of us stays in our own bubble, fighting ourselves and, at the same time, hating others who are different. 

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Thoughts/IdeasAlis AnagnostakiswisdomComment
Courage is Fear Walking
Courage is Fear Walking

To love your child and be there for her suffering while embracing your own, to love her completely and unconditionally and yet to allow her to live her own life, on her own terms (which may not be yours), to accept that you have no idea what is truly "right for her", to bear her moments of rage and yet love her just as much, to hold her tight and then be willing to let her go, to refrain from judgement and just hold space for her when she mourns her losses or nurses a broken heart, to play and laugh with her knowing that one day you'll also cry together and all of that is ok - that is conscious love. That is "fear walking".

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Mindfulness, Thoughts/IdeasAlis Anagnostakiscourage, fear, self-awareness Comment
Mindfulness - a Life Skill for a New World
Mindfulness - a Life Skill for a New World

Just as nobody argues that, in order to maintain a healthy body, one has to eat a balanced diet and practice sports, lately more and more people understand that in cultivating a healthy mind and balanced emotional life takes work. Meditation is one way to get there and it's result, Mindfulness, is one amazing way to step off the "hedonic treadmill" which makes so many people chase happiness as an ever elusive external goal and start looking inside for more sustainable personal wellbeing and actually building a joyful, fulfilled life, from the inside out. 

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Leadership, MindfulnessAlis Anagnostakismeditation, Mindfulness, NeuroscienceComment
"Must", "It's Impossible", "I'll try" and other Tyrants
"Must", "It's Impossible", "I'll try" and other Tyrants

This post is for all the beautiful youngsters who are just beginning to walk their own path in life. It's for all the people who have a dream and tell themselves every day that it's impossible. Finally, it's for all those who had the courage to take responsibility for their own lives and use the greatest right we have all been given upon birth - give their life a meaning.

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Featured, Mindfulness, Thoughts/IdeasAlis Anagnostakislife, limiting beliefs, meaning, vocationComment
Coaching, More Than a Fad
Coaching, More Than a Fad

Socrates, with his maieutics, was most likely the world's first coach. Coaching is not just another fad. You, I, any of us can be coaches for ourselves and our loved ones. We don't need sophisticated courses for that, we just need the honest openness to listen, refrain from judging and assuming we are the keepers of absolute truth and finally, we need the courage to ask those questions that really matter, not for ourselves, but for the other.

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Featured, Leadership, Mindfulness, TrainingAlis Anagnostakiscoaching, john whitmore, transformationComment