Welcome to the sHeroe’s Journey Podcast©, a podcast for sHeroes and the people who love them. I’m Pamela Prather and for over twenty years, I have been empowering actors, executives, and curious humans with tools to unlock their voices and tell their stories.
Today’s episode is all about the second step in the journey – The Call to Adventure. I get to speak with the brilliant Emilia Lahti about the call she received to her journey, and how Sisu, or the Finnish concept that means accessing inner strength in times of adversity, has been central to that journey.
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.)
SHEROES JOURNEY
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