Studies in Communication & Psychology (1995 – 2001)
Since I was a child, I dreamt of pursuing a career through which I would be given the opportunity to explore, create and contribute socially. When I graduated from the German School of Athens, I felt that the ideal profession for me was journalism. Therefore, I aimed at the Communication and Mass Media Department of the University of Athens. While studying, I worked as a journalist at the International News Department of a nationwide broadcasting Greek TV station. Having developed a special interest in psychology, I was thinking how many things I would change in the work environment I was. So, upon my graduation my dreams had changed. I headed for the UK, with a scholarship due to excellent academic performance, to study Social and Organizational Psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. For my dissertation I researched the use of emotions in professional roles (emotional labour).
Corporate career in Human Resources (2002-2006)
When I returned to Greece, I kept creative writing as a hobby and started working in Human Resources. Quickly I was assigned positions of responsibility at leading national and multinational companies, both in Greece and Germany (retail, automotive, banking and education). Throughout my career in in-house HR roles I have been actively involved in recruiting and selection -until today I have conducted more than 6.000 interviews-, training, performance appraisal, employee surveys and change management. As truly valuable experiences I consider leading the training and certification of a multinational company’s dealer network in Greece, setting up and reorganizing HR Departments, designing innovative systems for cross-cultural communication and carrying out Assessment and Development Centers.
Transition to freelancing (2006)
The year 2006 was a milestone in my path because I reconsidered my career and lifestyle. For 6 months I lived on the island of Santorini where I worked as a winery tour guide. In this wonderful natural environment my thoughts and feelings became clear. I started writing again, social and travel articles for Sunday and special magazines, and HR Passport was created in my mind: a holistic personal development service which would act as a teammate throughout the professional pursuits of a person, from school years until she/he continues to feel creative and restless.
Creation of HR Passport
Career & Executive Coaching, Training (2007 – 2015)
So back then, in March 2007, I ‘gave birth’ to HR Passppοrt, which launched into the Greek market pioneer services in career coaching and personal branding for individual clients (CV writing, interview preparation, career change). I am proud to say that I created 785 CVs throughout the years, and I am grateful to the people who entrusted me with describing in just two pages their career and life path! In 2010 I moved on to the design and implementation of open seminars, team building, organizational development and executive coaching projects for corporate clients in Greece and abroad.
Creation of Lifepassport – dream, plan, act! (2015 – to date)
Career, Executive & Life Coaching, Psychotherapy & Training
I was feeling very creative, but at the same time my need to help the people who trusted me also with personal challenges was growing stronger. This prompted me to attend further educational programmes, which combined coaching and psychology, in Greece and in Belgium, and I was certified by international organizations. Then in 2015 I ‘gave birth’ to Lifepassport – dream, plan, act! My approach as psychotherapist and coach, holistic and integrative, includes tools from different Schools like Gestalt, Cognitive Behavioral, Transactional Analysis and Humanistic Approach, as well as Nonviolent Communication and Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP). They all focus on how we can overcome blockages and create a happy and fruitful present and future! I feel great joy combining coaching and therapy, which allows me to genuinely be there for people, to be their ‘travel companion’ throughout their challenges and their joys.
In my free time I travel as much as I can, I write short stories and I am actively involved in animal welfare actions . Discovering and learning natural methods for relaxation, concentration and body-mind-soul balance is also an ongoing pursuit of mine.