INTERVIEW NOTES

Segment 1 - Emilia talks about what started her own "Call to Adventure" and how the Finnsih tradition of "SISU" has informed and fueled her own adventures.

What started the journey?

• 10 years ago she had a traumatic experience.
• Recovery was a long process with support, strength, and growing
• "Look into the abyss" Campbell describes it as the serpent which symbolizes awakening
• With domestic violence a big narrative is that you are somehow the cause, and she fell into believing that for a while, until she reawakened the strong inner activist within herself.

What is "sisu" for Emilia?

• It is the thing that is our lifeforce, it is the thing that keeps us going
• Magical thing that everyone in Finland grows up with, integral to the culture. Character and identity that everyone identifies with, having courage in the face of extreme adversity, a "different kind of power supply" Everyone in Finland feels ownership with it.
• Intuition, the brain and the gut, it is all connected
• Emilia had a mentor in Angela Duckworth, who told her "you don't have to get everything right, you just have to be honest"

Segment 2 - Emilia talks more about how she came to hear and nurture her sisu, and offers perspective on how others can thrive and channel this as well on their own journeys.

What do you put in your "backpack" when you are embarking on a new journey?

• Literal - water, nutrition bars
• Spiritual - which translates to what sustains us and our soul. Reach back to our sisu again. Who are the people? Mentors can be positive and negative.

What happens at the "40 mile mark"?

• You need to be prepared, for both what you know and what you don't know. You need to thrive and survive and unleash your sisu.
• Getting past your fears, and learning how to embrace challenges and uncomfortable situations.

LINKS AND INFORMATION

Website: https://www.emilialahti.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sisunotsilence/ 

2014 TEDx with Emilia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTIizGyf5kU 

Angela Duckworth - Positive Psychology: https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/people/angela-duckworh 

Martin E.P. Seligman- Positive Psychology: https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/people/martin-ep-seligman 

Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 // https://www.thehotline.org 

What is "sisu"?: (Sisu is a unique Finnish concept. It is a Finnish term that can be roughly translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. Sisu is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain that courage. It is a word that cannot be fully translated.)

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