As a child, I dreamed of becoming a pilot in Formula 1

Introduce yourself in a few sentences..

My name is Desislava — a woman with the curiosity of a girl, intuition of a mature soul, professional composure of a person who knows human nature and a passion in boiling Balkan blood, a passion for life. Organizational psychologist, coach and consultant, as well as construction engineer J. I help and I am interested in  people who have the courage to rethink their lives — not as victims, but as conscious, responsible authors of their own story.

What did you dream of becoming in your childhood years?

A Formula 1 pilot. I believed that if there was a school for that in Yambol — I would be there. Dad, as much as he didn’t want to refuse me, couldn’t sign me up for something that didn’t exist.  Today I know that I have always been attracted to speed, precision, and craftsmanship, fine adjustments that I directed towards human behavior.

At what age did you earn your first money? Tell us an interesting story?

I think I was no more than 10-12  years old at my grandparents’,  during those summers I was curious and worked in a workshop for rubber products in exchange for treats and helped. But aside from profit with family ties and chocolate from childhood curiosity, I worked for the first time in a summer brigade in the USA. In the state of Maine, you could earn well for the year 2002. 8 $/h. I was at a hotel for breakfast, in housekeeping and watered flowers. In the afternoon, I was a bartender for my favorite ice creams Ben& Jerry’s. Behind the bar, we were a Bulgarian, an American, a Latvian, and a Colombian. It was very fun and we earned great tips.

What are the main factors and examples that shape us as individuals at an earlier age and form our interests? What is your recipe for curiosity, sources and wells of information and inspiration at this stage of our human development?

Our beliefs and values — the true and the implanted. If you don’t distinguish them, you live a foreign life, which condemns you to unhappiness. I believe in dialogue, not isolation. In inclusion, not escape. In arguments, that lead to truth, not division.

Know thyself or Opoznai sebe si. Only then will you be sure, that you have added value to the society of which you are inevitably a part.

A friend of mine recently told me that he is in another trial of a method for self-discovery. I asked him where the end is? How will he know that he knows enough and what will he do with this information? What comes next? He told me something interesting: I will live happily and the goal is not to interfere with anyone and for no one to interfere with me…

We, if we do not interact, even at the risk of interfering with someone, what will distinguish us from never having been born? Practically there will be no difference whether we are alive or not. I wish we remember the effect of the butterfly — that every action of ours reflects on others, whether we realize it or not.

Isolation can be so comfortable that we lose the sense of life.

The new diet is social.
We eat our feelings instead of sharing them.

Has there been any significant difference in your perceptions in a more mature age about what motivates you to do or not do something?

A lot. I was convinced that I would create beautiful spaces — and I did. A, now I build people. I am a psychologist focused on the main building block of society — the individual.

For years I have been dealing with something I personally call ‘the victim virus’ — that quiet apathy that turns life into something that just happens to you, in reaction, instead of in choice.

Will-less existence.

Avatar undercover.

Whose decision was it where to pursue higher education and what to study? Was this decision correct, looking at today?

Mine. In both cases.

Engineering gave me structure.

Psychology — meaning.

The combination — the profession.

Share more about your interests, knowledge, skills, and hobbies?

Piano, art, mathematics, sport, psychology. Surfing and sea, yoga and fitness. Swimming — love. I can say this too: I was in marketing, media, construction, hotels, the art world, the IT sector… All of this made me a new type of specialist — a person who understands the dynamics of different worlds and translates it into the language of psychology and human relationships, building a strategy for success.

Would you change your profession today and which fields of activity capture your interest?

No. I live in the exact combination of meaning and action.

They say that the personal brand is everything that people say about you when you are not with them in the same room. What would you like to hear today?

“She helped me see all perspectives, outside of my own. Now I am convinced of what I want, how I want it, when I want it, and I allow myself to make mistakes along the way. I do not lose focus on the beautiful, on the desired, on the lessons.

She taught me that the choice of actions is important and shows who you are actually, that’s why I take my responsibility…“

That I taught them to choose action instead of justification. Or, if they choose justification, to be aware of the possible consequences and boldly take the risk. Without illusion.

Emotional intelligence, adaptability, and flexibility, as well as our soft skills are key conditions for success in recent years. How do you cope with daily life challenges to stay in good shape and mood?

I learned to get up a little after 5:00 in the morning and start my day with sports. It literally took me 4 years to learn to get up before 7:00. But I didn’t give up. I completely transitioned from party life to early sleeping, sports and long walks with the dog. The truth is that for me, COVID was a wonderful period. I utilized it in the best possible way.

It’s a cliché, but it works – I start my day with gratitude and welcome the sunrise in the silence of different favorite aromas in physical exercises, followed by a walk in the park and long shower.  

Emotional competence is my daily routine: I allow myself to feel, to speak honestly, and to listen carefully.

What are the most important conclusions you have made so far for maintaining the right communication considering the different characters of the people you meet daily  – colleagues, friends, relatives?

Listen. Don’t speak to shine. Speak to understand. This changes everything — professionally, personally, emotionally.

What do you think about money? What is their influence on your life? What is your advice to people who often ask themselves questions related to money and how sufficient they are?

I learn on the go. Financial culture is a skill, but life is generous to people, who act.

What is the most valuable career advice you would give to people?

If half of your waking time is work — choose a life, that does not ruin you. Change the environment that does not develop you. Focus is the compass, that moves you forward. Follow it closely.