ILC International, Sofia (2025)

14/11/2025

| We experience resilience internally. Others judge it externally — and the gap is huge.

"Most people I know are resilient. They’ve faced adversity, failure, conflict, emotional turmoil, change — and made it to the other side not just alive, but stronger. Their effort and stamina have inspired me.

Yet, some of these same people have also disappointed me by lacking the very same resilience in other situations. I’m sure I’ve disappointed people, too.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗜𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝘆? 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆: 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮?

Scientists say resilience is “positive adaptation to adversity.” That can sometimes mean staying alive, and other times, staying positive. Sometimes it's about showing up daily during a long, difficult season of life.

Today, “resilience” is everywhere — in leadership textbooks, national plans, employer branding & strategies of handling crises.

We hear: “It’s a skill we must develop quickly as adults.” Because "only 30% of workers are resilient" (AON, 2020).

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲: 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲. It is tied to productivity, output, & performance.

🤔 You might cope well with a flood or a pandemic — but you’re asked if you could return to the office for morale.
🤔 You might survive a divorce or the loss of a loved one — but the question becomes how fast you can “bounce back” to work.

Looking back on my own life, I see how differently others judged my resilience compared to how I experienced it. The duality of expectations was always there.

➡️When I coped by letting go of people, others saw it as selfish.
➡️When I changed my mindset & learned new things, I was perceived as drifting in the wrong direction.
➡️When I left a country to heal after a relationship ended, I was seen as inconsistent.
➡️When I made drastic changes in work & education, I was viewed as someone who didn’t know what they were doing.
➡️During a significant burnout, which tested my resilience deeply, I gained lessons and a new world of experiences — yet was perceived as “not strong enough.”

❗ And the reverse happened too: when I believed I was resilient, I received tough feedback showing me I needed to be more, and in different ways.

So resilience is complex. Not just because of the many factors that shape it, but because of the lens through which we evaluate it. Sometimes our lens is accurate. Sometimes we need a reality check.

Sometimes “going with the motions” is resilience; other times it’s comfort.

Today, my approach is simple:
65% of the time, I rely on my judgement of my resilience.
35% of the time, I look for harsh feedback — and use it with intention that makes me more resilient."

How do you know if you are resilient?

07/11/2025

| Katerina Georgieva in the spotlight this Friday with: Focus, Attention, and that “What’s wrong with me?” feeling

⚡ Some days, between work, kids, friends, sports, and the endless messages across multiple platforms, I feel lost and catch myself thinking -

“Maybe I have ADHD or something else.”
One of many practical ideas and steps that Nir shared that made me curious to try was: one of those jokes that hides a real question underneath:

➡️ What’s wrong with me?
➡️ Why can’t I stay focused?
➡️ Why do I feel scattered or not enough?

Recently, I listened to a brilliant conversation between Steven Bartlett and Nir Eyal (author of Indistractable and Hooked), and it reframed how I think about attention and distraction

💡 One of the many insights I had from this conversation stuck with me: Distraction isn’t really about our phones or the noise around us, it’s about the internal triggers that make us reach for them - 90% of distractions come from within, not external sources.

🧠 We often seek escape from boredom, stress, or discomfort, and sometimes willpower is not enough…

🤔 This made me ask myself - First, what are my own personal filters that differentiate the focus and the background noise, traction from distraction? What are the messages of those internal distractions (such as worry, fear, doubts), and do I allow them some space in the busy schedule to listen if they have something useful to say?

✅ Schedulе worry time to compartmentalize anxious thoughts;
✅ Write down uncomfortable sensations when they arise to identify patterns.

What are your techniques to be indistractable?

These two photos, taken almost at the same moment of a sunny summer day, show the same window. The scene doesn’t change, but the focus does.

And that’s the real power we have: to choose what we bring into focus and what we let fade into the background. Taking personal responsibility, even in difficult circumstances, leads to better outcomes.

If this resonates, you’ll find the full podcast link in the comments.

04/11/2025

🌱 Are We Consuming Growth Instead of Living It?
Growth and personal development are essential to human evolution — to communicating better, reaching deeper goals, and connecting with the inner voice that, if not understood, can drive us on autopilot.

But in our coaching and therapy work at ILC International, we’re seeing a new paradox:
Many are no longer living their development — they’re consuming it.

Here’s what we mean 👇

1️⃣ Development as a trend.
People have started molding themselves into new frameworks of “what’s right” and “what’s wrong” — replacing genuine self-reflection with copy-paste self-improvement. What's more, unlike other teachings, the self-help and development mainstream narratives are very prescriptive. They often lack ambiguity and room for interpretation - it's either "you do this and you'll be successful" or not. This has multiple implications, one of which is the phenomenon of copy-pasting.

2️⃣ Addiction to self-work.
For many high performers, every day must feel “useful” or “enriching.” If not, it feels wasted. Growth has become another task to check off. It gives people anxiety if they have "wasted" time with a person who doesn't share their same drive or perspectives. It feels underutilised to go to the gym but not listen to a podcast while on the treadmill...

3️⃣ The experiential rush.
If a workshop isn’t “life-changing” in 30 minutes, something feels off. We’ve lost the ability to stay with the slow, ordinary rhythm of growth — the kind that unfolds quietly, over time. "Experiential" work, "experiential" study, "experiential" learning is not the only right way because it strikes more emotional cords than the good old "boring griding" of writing down your thoughts on a blank sheet of paper or reading a textbook.

4️⃣ Binary living.
We oscillate between “work mode” and “rest mode” with no in-between — no joy in the steady grind or in simply being.

💬 As professionals, we love that people are exploring themselves more deeply. There is less stigma to speaking openly about development, vulnerabilities, blockages, and even trauma...
But we also see the risk: development as consumption rather than transformation.

Perhaps there are no shortcuts to becoming our more authentic selves — especially in a world that prizes speed and results.

But here’s one reflection worth trying:
🧭 Ask yourself:
“Am I working on myself — or am I letting life work through me?”

Slow growth still counts.
Boring days still matter.
Depth takes time — and that’s okay.

At ILC International, we help high potentials and leaders find clarity, courage, and purpose — not by doing more, but by becoming more real.

03/11/2025

🌿 Monday Reflection | Building Resilience Together in November and beyond.

As this new week begins, here’s a thought we keep coming back to after 10+ years of working with people in leadership, coaching, and transformation:

People grow when they feel truly seen AND believed in!
No, not the superficial way through “excellent communication strategies applied”, but the genuine act of full interest in and focus on a person’s story, words, curcumstances, and bigger picture that make up their life.

When someone says, “I believe in you. You’ve got this.” a true positive shift always happens!

That simple act of genuine belief can unlock resilience — the kind that sustains performance, not just powers through it.

At ILC International, we call that being an immersive catalyst — combining psychology, leadership, and empathy to help people lead better, live better, and grow stronger.

💬 This month, our theme is Resilience — and we’re exploring how to achieve sustainable success without exhaustion.

Our latest newsletter is out today, including:
🔹 Our newest blog: The Future of Personal Development: Where Psychology Meets Spirituality
🔹 Practical resources for growth (books, podcasts, & tools)
🔹 5 reflection questions in our “Introspection Station”
And more…

If you haven’t subscribed yet — now’s a great time to join. Let’s start this week by choosing resilience with intention.

Link to website in bio.

31/10/2025

🎭 Facing the Leadership Masks We Wear
Today, as many step into costumes for Halloween, it’s worth pausing to ask:
👉 What masks do we wear in leadership every day?

According to the Gallup 2025 Workplace Report, only 23% of global employees feel they can bring their authentic selves to work — even at senior levels.
Yet research consistently shows that authentic leadership drives higher engagement (+21%), lower turnover (-17%), and greater innovation (+29%).

At ILC International, we see this paradox daily.
High performers and executives often wear the mask of confidence, control, or composure — while privately managing doubt, fatigue, or fear of being “found out.”

There may be no true shortcuts to becoming our more authentic selves — especially in a world that often rewards performance over presence — but here’s one quick practice we share with our clients:

🪞The 1% Authenticity Check-In
At the end of your day, ask yourself:

“Where did I hold back from being authentic — and where did I let my real self lead?”
Then commit to showing up just 1% more authentically tomorrow.
Consistency, not perfection, is the quiet catalyst for genuine leadership growth.

So this weekend, as the masks go on and off, consider:
💡 Which one has served you — and which is ready to be set down?

24/10/2025

| Friday reflections with Valentina Dolmova (written and shared with no AI, so allow us the raw sound).

“ILC dedicated this October to exploring the topic of creativity and innovation in personal development and beyond. That was a planned theme back in 2024 that mattered to us. But by the time it knocked on our door to be delivered, my personal zest for it had diminished.

In a world that consistently promotes and prioritises money, power, fake fame, and “on paper (or screen)” contribution that comes in a luxurious package, I had just as consistently developed an allergy towards buzzwords, unsubstantiated marketing, and yes – the overused “innovation” and “creativity”, along with “entrepreneurship”, “authenticity” and “self-care”.

And yet, we plunged into the topic with workshops, conversations among members of the ILC Club, articles, and exercises. What happened was frankly unexpected and beautiful.

With the help of my colleagues and clients, I not only reconnected and understood better the core of creativity and innovation, but also got even madder at the superficial, because it stifles the good in people.

--> I realised that creativity can be life and sanity-saving.
--> That it isn’t about the “bottom line” or the grandeur of end results.
--> I reconsidered my own expectations of creativity.
--> I saw the nuances and heard again the various tones creativity produces.

Above all, creativity emerged as the act of permitting oneself to share thoughts and ideas, however unconventional or unpopular they may be. To take up space with comfort and allow others to do the same.

In the past week alone, through coaching sessions, a Hackathon I was a presenter and evaluator at, and in research & lecturing, I saw time and again how we suffocate creativity.

“Pitch in 60 seconds so you can get funding, now!”
“Hop on that trend so you attract more attention.”
“Use this framework and you won’t make anyone feel awkward.”
“Apply the exact approach and you’ll be more successful.
“Work more on yourself and fix your ego – then you’ll know you lived life the right way.”

No room for critical thinking stops ideas from emerging. Too much shame and too many misguided social cues for success cloud our collective nature's ability to connect through creativity, improve the world through creativity, and explore our inner and outer worlds through creativity.

As I turn 37 today, I want to celebrate life differently from now on by choosing creativity as a way of being.

So, here’s my invitation to you:

Give yourself permission to share your unconventional ideas and “too-out-there” solutions for a better world.

What’s one idea you keep circling back to that feels a little too bold to say aloud?

Share it in the comments. Spread creativity as an empowerment movement."

20/10/2025

💡 Are people changing and if so how? Those are questions we ask ourselves often so we can truly sense the pulse of those we serve. The 🌍 world certainly keeps changing — and we, as people, keep adapting.

Technology evolves, expectations shift, the environments we work in transform faster than ever. As a result, people, though more slowly, do change — thoughtfully, sometimes profoundly — as they make sense of it all.

💙 To do what we do well, we can’t afford to stay inside the comfort of theory or our team expriences alone.
🎤 That’s why we regularly bring in external voices who challenge and expand our thinking.

We had the pleasure of hosting Petar Švarc, co-founder of Melon Tech (acquired by Kin + Carta in 2022), as part of one of our recent corporate workshops. He spoke about the art and difficulty of putting ourselves in other people’s shoes — stakeholders, colleagues, clients.

It may sounds simple, but it’s anything but that.

It requires awareness, humility, and the courage to face perspectives that might unsettle our own.

So here’s a gentle Monday provocation:
👉 When was the last time you paused long enough to truly see your work through someone else’s eyes?

Thank you Petar for your energy, time, input, and above all passion for people and paying it forward.

17/10/2025

| reflection WORTH reading by Veronika Stoyanova /you can meet her & the rest of the team at https://www.ilc.one/about-us /

"Almost a month ago, I joined a workshop on creativity led by Daria Khodakivska. Early on, she asked us: What do you associate with creativity?

Answers varied - some mentioned art, others innovation.
My instinctive response was change, chaos, and disruption.

At first, I wondered if that said something negative about how I view creativity. But as the discussion unfolded, I realized that all of our associations were valid.

Not everyone paints or invents something groundbreaking. Yet in most workplaces, we are all expected to “be creative” - to solve problems, find better ways of doing things, or drive improvement. Creativity has become a professional expectation - often even part of performance reviews or company values.

But that simple question stayed with me. It made me reflect on situations when creativity ISN'T met with applause:

🧠 When “thinking differently” causes tension or confusion among colleagues.
🧠 When leaders ask for change - until the reality of it feels too uncomfortable.
🧠 When good ideas, born from good intentions, spark frustration, fear, or resistance.

It reminded me that creativity isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it shakes things up before it makes them better.

Maybe that’s why I think of chaos and disruption first - because they’re part of the creative process, too.

💡 Real creativity doesn’t just produce new ideas. It challenges the familiar, invites discomfort, and - if we’re brave enough - leads to growth.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word creativity?

15/10/2025

🍂 It’s been a hell of a busy, beautiful, and deeply reflective season here at ILC — both as individuals and as professionals. Perhaps it’s the stars, or the winds of change (literally and figuratively), or simply the momentum of collective human evolution, but we all seem to be shedding old skin and stepping more fully into our truest selves.

Our clients are evolving, too.

The autumn of 2025 is different as we see more and more organisations and individual clients coming to us not just for quick fixes, but for depth: for real alignment, expanded self-awareness, and transformative growth. Because they begin to understand and integrate what we know: the health of culture, performance, and bottom-line results hinges on inner work.

So today, October 15, 2025, we want to treat ourselves to some of the pearls of wisdom we've gained throughout the past decade working with people, dressed in Jorge Bucay's words.

➡️ Swipe through (or scroll) to view the visuals + quotes.
➡️ Let one of them speak to you today.
➡️ If you’re curious how we use these ideas in coaching, therapy, HR strategy, or leadership development — send us a DM or drop a comment.

Let’s talk about how to bring that reflection into action.
Here’s to a season of inner harvest, breakthroughs, and new beginnings.

10/10/2025

The lovely Katerina Georgieva on ➡️ “Today I want to begin with deep gratitude and admiration for Valentina Dolmova, PhD and the ILC team (Daria Khodakivska , Galia Hubanova, PCC , Elena Khodakivska , Julia Russo , Veronika Stoyanova , Eulalie Charland , Natelie Ola-Adenekan…) – amazing humans and professionals who have built and sustained a space of growth, care, and impact.

🎉 Today we all celebrate the 11th anniversary of ILC!

❤️Anniversaries are not just about numbers, they create opportunities for us to stop and honor their achievements through reflection.

Yet, if we are honest, sometimes the celebration itself feels like another task on the to-do list:
☑️ another event to plan,
☑️another stretch of the daily schedule, ☑️something that feels more like a requirement than a true moment of praise.

🤗I dedicate this day to pausing and congratulating the team while celebrating our 11th year achievement because celebration can be simple and meaningful through quiet moments of appreciation.

⏸️The most important way to honor milestones emerges from taking time to stop and breathe while recognizing the path we have traveled.

🙏Working alongside such talented and passionate professionals, I’ve seen how much energy, care, and dedication goes into every coaching conversation, a tailored workshop, program, or even in a daily operational talk.

❤️Taking a step back today is both a celebration of the team’s 11-year journey and a reminder to all of us: do we give ourselves permission to celebrate and reflect on our own milestones, in a way that feels authentic?

Here’s to our team, to the clients who trust us, and to many more years of growth and positive impact. 🥂”

08/10/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝟏𝟏. One honest question we ask ourselves is: 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕? Do we help or boost our professional egos?

That’s not a ❓ for the faint-hearted in business, let alone in our industry. Our work often doesn’t show in dashboards & KPI reports; it lives in people’s clarity and confidence. Still, looking back, we can see tangible change.

𝐒𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓:
1️⃣ Over 70 women at 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 joined the “Unlocking Career Growth in Demanding Environments” workshop. They called it “𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑” 𝑎𝑛𝑑 “𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔.”

2️⃣ At 𝐄𝐏𝐀𝐌 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬, our flash session on how thoughts are created left HR leaders saying it was “𝑎 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑠ℎ 𝑎𝑖𝑟."

3️⃣ With 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧, we worked with engineers in 7 hours of deep workshops on mission, innovation, & stakeholder perspectives — engagement was high and dialogue real.

4️⃣ Together with , we not only developed meaningful surveys but also analysed data from hundreds of professionals across industries, turning insights into steps for healthier organizational cultures in Bulgaria.

5️⃣ Alongside , we continued our joint efforts, supporting professionals from Greenpeace, Balkan Services, and others in navigating change, building resilience, and regaining clarity.

5️⃣ Through 𝟖𝟗 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞, we saw people find focus and courage.
One shared, “𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝐼 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 — 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛.”
Another said, “𝐼 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑗𝑜𝑏."

With our full team contributing over the past 9 months, the combined impact has been even greater. These moments - quiet, specific, deeply human - are where impact becomes real.

As we approach 11, here is to continuous learning & commitment to the greater good.

30/09/2025

Last day of September. For many, it’s back to “full steam ahead.” Maybe this is the moment to pause and ask: What really matters?

In a world of UX, KPIs, and a constant stream of notifications, inner motivation and self-determination have become more critical than ever!

Being in control of your mission, vision, and priorities isn’t a luxury or a strategic leadership move—it’s survival in the purest sense.

What’s my mission?
What truly matters to me at work?
What do I want?

These were not abstract questions at our workshops with teams at CENTILLION.

They were points for deeper conversations—because people often have the answers, but rarely the space to strengthen them.

The takeaway?
We’re all in the driver’s seat—of innovation, of team dynamics, of the perspectives we choose to share. If we dare to voice what we want and align it with others’ visions, we unlock performance, collaboration, and well-being that lasts.

So, here’s the real-life challenge:
👉 When was the last time you asked yourself what you truly want—at work, in your team, in life? What's your work mission?

And more importantly, what would change if you said it out loud?

ILC International

14/11/2025

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