Do You Need More Sisu? with Emilia Lahti - a podcast by Michelle McQuaid

Emilia Lahti is a researcher and social activist whose life mission is to be a catalyst for human connection, compassion, and nonviolence.  She has given talks at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Tedx, as well as at Singularity University at NASA Ames, where she studied futurism and exponential technology.  Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Business Insider, and Forbes, among others.

In this conversation, Emilia shares her research on sisu,an ancient Finnish construct that describes what enables you to endure the toughest of life’s situations and take extraordinary action against seemingly impossible odds.  Emilia explains how we might be able to cultivate more sisu and why it can help us to exceed our own expectations and discover what we're really capable of.

Connect with Emilia Lahti:

Website: http://emilialahti.com

http://sisunotsilence.com

You’ll Learn:

• [02:01] - Emilia explains that sisu is a latent inner-power and the difference between sisu, resilience and grit.
• [05:49] - Emilia addresses the question if sisu is something we are born with or is cultivated.
• [06:52] - Emila explains what an action mindset is and how it relates to sisu.  
• [08:33] - Emila talks about what she is learning about our latent power to exceed our own expectations.
• [13:51] - Emilia shares why sisu is not a solo endeavor.
• [17:29] - Emilia explains her “Sisu Not Silence” movement and how she hopes to run the length of New Zealand to end the silence on interpersonal violence.
• [21:39] - Emilia defines the dark sisu zone and what to do if you find yourself there.

Your Resources:

• Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success - Adam Grant
• The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession - Paulo Coelho

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.  

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.  And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Thank you Emilia.

Until next time, take care!

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