Career Strategist I Change advisor for Leaders | I help successful professionals build freedom, income & impact through portfolio careers | Speaker I Ex-Citi COO | Follow for modern leadership, career and change

Over the past 25 years, I have built a successful international banking career.
Most recently, I was the Regional COO for Citibank’s $2Bn business across 16 countries in Asia - leading large-scale transformations in digitisation and culture.

But in 2021, I walked away from my high-paying executive role.

Why?

Because I wanted more space.
More time with family.
More alignment between who I am and how I work.

But I didn’t want to start from scratch.
So I asked myself a question:
What if I could build a career around everything I already know - and love?

That’s how my portfolio career began.
And it changed everything.

Now, I help other professionals do the same.

What I’ve built since 2021:
→ A 6-figure portfolio business with 3 income streams
→ Founder of Change is Possible - a business community for professionals redesigning their next chapter
→ 100K+ LinkedIn followers (grew from 17K in under a year)
→ Coached 100+ professionals through successful career transitions
→ Host of a Top 20 global podcast on career change, Change is Possible
→ TEDx speaker, Forbes columnist, and Bloomberg TV guest

Want to build your own portfolio career?
🚀 THE PORTFOLIO CAREER ACCELERATOR (Launching January 2026) 
Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1thkmph_EwRxLGfuL9muCsRir1uKDdF2nXYeI7X_1oSA/edit

This is an 8-week program designed to help you:
→ Turn your expertise into income
→ Build a personal brand that opens doors
→ Create your first income stream - even before you leave your job

Only 20 spots. 12 already claimed.

Other ways we can work together:
✔️ Join my business community — Change is Possible https://changeispossible.co.uk/ - doors open for new members on Sept.10, 2025
✔️ Book me to speak — I deliver keynotes on leadership, change, career reinvention, and the future of work - send a DM.
✔️ Hire me as an advisor — I support companies navigating complex transformation - send a DM to meet and explore.
✔️ Book 1:1 coaching — For senior execs ready to design their next chapter - send a DM.
✔️ Book my LinkedIn Growth Bundle — A 2-session intensive where I teach you the exact system I used to grow to 100K+ followers. Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bLp7wmK8xhIpfFu8beImvD5JZQHYsbraTBx5Orjx0zs/edit

P.S. Still wondering if change is really possible?
🎧 Tune in to my podcast Change is Possible — where 100+ professionals share how they redesigned their careers and lives. Watch here - https://www.youtube.com/@ChangeIsPossiblePodcast

Ani Filipova

Scrolling LinkedIn, you will think everyone is operating at 100% every day.

5 am routine ✅
10 client calls ✅
Launched 3 products ✅
Ran a marathon ✅

Meanwhile, I'm over here thinking:

• My video production is weeks behind
• I have zero content prepped for this week - I'm creating as I go
• That Substack I promised myself I'd launch in January is still in drafts
• My follow-up list has a follow-up list

And you know what?

My business is still growing.
My Portfolio Career Accelerator starts in 10 days - with brilliant people already inside.
My community is thriving.
My podcast just passed 30,000 subscribers.

Nobody posts the hard days.
But those are the days that matter the most.

They teach you:
• Perfect doesn't exist
• Decisions get made with incomplete information
• Momentum matters more than intensity

That's why I didn't build my Portfolio Accelerator as a blueprint for perfection.

I built it as a framework for sustainable progress.

Because the move from corporate to a portfolio career isn't about doing everything right.
It's about continuing when nothing feels right.

Sustainable success isn't showing up at your best.
It's showing up anyway.

Some days you are on fire.
Some days, you are just keeping the fire from going out.

Both count.
Both compound.

If you are ready to build a portfolio career that works with your real life - not some imaginary perfect version of it - applications for the Portfolio Career Accelerator close soon.

A few final spots remain. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gpEqqqFs

We start in 10 days.

Build something that survives your ordinary days.

Follow me, https://lnkd.in/g6R7Yb8t, for daily doses of career, leadership and change truths

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Image credit: Jen Blandos

If you followed every piece of “good career advice” you were given, you would be less employable today - not more.

I was repeatedly warned that changing roles this often would destroy my career.

It turned out it didn’t.

They called it professional suicide.
Now I teach executives how to do it deliberately.

19 job changes.
5 countries.
25 years of “destroying my career.”

When I left my first job after 15 months, my mum was appalled.
Stability was everything to her generation.

Two years later, I left again.
Then again.

At Citi alone:
10 role changes.
5 countries.
21 years.

Every move came with the same warnings:

“You are ruining your CV.”
“No one will trust someone this unstable.”
“You’ll regret this later.”

And there were moments I wondered if they were right.

I watched peers climb neat ladders while my path looked… messy.
Hard to explain.
Easy to judge.

At 50, I walked away from a COO role and started again.
That’s when the concern turned into outrage.
People never understood the audacity to want something different.

Here’s the mental model most people miss:

• One skill = one solution
• Two skills = multiple options
• Ten skills = leverage from angles others can’t see

Experience doesn’t add up.
It multiplies.

Today’s market doesn’t reward narrow specialists who need the world to stay predictable.

It rewards people who can:
→ Connect dots across functions
→ Solve problems from multiple lenses
→ Rebuild themselves without panic

A “messy” career isn’t a liability anymore.
It’s optionality.

In a world that reinvents itself constantly,
your ability to change IS your stability.

That’s why I now help experienced professionals turn unconventional paths into:
income, 
impact, 
and freedom - without starting from scratch.

The Portfolio Career Accelerator starts January 26.

20 people.
8 weeks.
A clear system for turning what you already know into a career that compounds - a portfolio career!

10 places remain.
Apply here: https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN

Most people don’t need a new career.
They need a better way to frame - and monetise - the one they’ve already lived.

♻️ Repost this for someone still apologising for evolving.
→ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for daily career and change truths.

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No one can ruin your day.

Unless you let them.

Most people think their emotions are caused by other people or events.

“They made me angry.”
“That ruined my day.”
“I had no choice.”

But that’s not how it actually works.

Nobody makes you angry.
You choose anger as the response.

That choice happens fast, but it’s still a choice.
The most underrated skill in life and business?

⚠️ Emotional control.

Not suppressing emotions.
Not pretending you are calm.
But responding instead of reacting.

Here is a simple framework I use when I feel triggered:

1️⃣ Name the emotion
Say it out loud or in your head: "I'm feeling frustrated."
Naming the emotion reduces its intensity by up to 50%.
You can't control what you don't acknowledge.

2️⃣ Delay the response
Wait 90 seconds before responding. 
Emotions trigger a chemical reaction in your body for only 90 seconds.
Anything beyond that - it is you feeding the story!

3️⃣ Reframe the situation
“What response helps me win long-term?”

This approach applies everywhere:

Before replying to a passive-aggressive email
Before reacting in a meeting
Before saying something you’ll regret later

Calm people don’t have fewer problems.
They just solve them better.

Your reaction is your responsibility.
And emotional discipline compounds faster than motivation.

♻️ Repost this for someone who needs the reminder.
→ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for more on leadership, career, and change.

Image credit: A.G.E on Pinterest.

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Talks about #leadership, #careerpivot, #futureofwork, and #transformation

Skills don't predict performance. 

Character does.

I once hired the most qualified candidate on paper. 
Impressive CV. Perfect experience. 
They quit in 3 months.

The problem is that most interviews rely on rehearsed answers to predictable questions.

Here are 10 "non-predictable" questions that reveal who someone really is:

1. If money wasn't an issue, what would you choose to do for work?
→ Reveals intrinsic motivation vs. external rewards

2. When was the last time you felt proud at work—and why?
→ Shows what success truly means to them

3. What would you do if you knew you were going to miss a deadline?
→ Tests accountability and honesty under pressure

4. What do you think you owe an employer—and what do they owe you?
→ Exposes work ethic, expectations, and entitlement

5. What are your strongest strengths—and the weaknesses you're actively working on?
→ Reveals self-awareness and growth mindset

6. What's a belief you hold that most people disagree with?
→ Shows independent thinking and confidence in values

7. What do you do when you strongly disagree with your manager?
→ Reveals emotional intelligence and conflict maturity

8. If you could change one past decision, what would it be—and why?
→ Tests reflection, learning, and accountability

9. How do you handle working with someone you don't like?
→ Assesses professionalism when emotions are involved

10. Tell me about a decision you made that disappointed people.
→ Reveals leadership courage and ethical reasoning

Most bad hires don't fail because they lack skills.
They fail because their character was never tested.

📌 Save this for your next interview.
♻️ Repost this with someone building a team in 2026.
→ Follow me, Ani Filipova, for leadership, career and change insights.

Use these in your hiring process

I spent 20 years in banking, thinking I understood how the world worked.

Then I moved from Singapore to Hong Kong to become a COO, and as we began setting up our life again, I realised something uncomfortable:

I’d been living in a professional echo chamber.

My friends were bankers.
My network was bankers.
My entire view of “career” was shaped by one industry and one employer.

I didn’t even realise how limited my perspective was.

I was making decisions - about work and life -
based entirely on my own small bubble,
surrounded by people just like me.

And that’s when it hit me:

I was doing the exact same thing with my career.

I was looking at my future through a banking lens.
Surrounded by banking people.
Measuring success by banking standards.

I had no idea what else was out there.

Not because the opportunities didn’t exist.
But because I wasn’t in rooms where anyone talked about them.

The creator economy?
Never heard of it.

Portfolio careers?
Didn’t know that was a thing.

Multiple income streams?
Honestly, it sounded like a scam.

I genuinely believed my options were:
→ Stay in banking
→ Move to another bank
→ Or try consulting company

That was it.

The problem wasn’t fear.
It was visibility.

When everyone around you is on the same path..
That path feels like the only one.

So how do you break free?

1️⃣ Get outside your bubble 

Find one person doing work that fascinates you but seems "impossible." Talk to them. You'll be shocked how possible it actually is. 

2️⃣ Audit your inputs

Whom are you following? What are you reading? If it's all corporate content, you are trapped in an echo chamber. 

3️⃣ Take one small step into the unknown 

Attend an event outside your industry. Message someone in the creator economy. Learn about one business model you've never heard of.

The moment you step outside your professional bubble,
you realise the world is far bigger than what you’ve been shown.

That’s why I created the Portfolio Career Accelerator.

To show you the massive world of opportunities you can’t see yet,
and guide you if you decide to explore any of them.

We are starting Jan 26, 2026.
A few spots are still open. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gpEqqqFs

or

👉 DM me and let's talk

Most career advice about “staying relevant” is useless.

People tell you to “keep learning”, “stay curious”, or “embrace change.”

Great. 
Super helpful.
I’ll just add that to my list right after
“drink more water” and “get enough sleep.”

Here’s what actually works - and you can start building it today, at any stage of your career.

It’s called being "T-shaped."

And if you are not developing this right now, you are quietly making yourself obsolete.

After watching careers stall, pivot, and accelerate at every level, this pattern shows up every time.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧-𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀

Think of the letter T.

• The vertical bar = depth.
Deep expertise in one core area.
What you are known for. What people trust you with.

• The horizontal bar = breadth.
Adjacent skills. Not mastery - just enough to connect dots, make better decisions, and create leverage beyond your lane.

What this looks like in practice:

➡️ Software developer
Depth: AI
Breadth: UX, delivery, business context

➡️ Marketing professional
Depth: campaign strategy
Breadth: data, psychology, financial thinking

➡️ Senior leader
Depth: decision-making
Breadth: technology trends, data literacy, change

➡️ Portfolio careerist
Depth: executive coaching
Breadth: content, products, community, speaking

This is why T-shaped people win.

Specialists struggle when their niche dries up.
Generalists struggle to stand out.

T-shaped people adapt.
They go deep when required 
and zoom out when it matters.

And if their depth becomes redundant (which happens more often than people admit), they don’t panic.
They pivot from a position of strength.

How to Build Your T-Shape (Without Overthinking It)

➊ Know your T
Be honest about your depth and your gaps. Most people are either an “I” (all depth) or a “—” (all breadth). Both stall careers.

➋ Use the 80/20 rule
80% of your effort: deepen your core skill
20%: build adjacent skills that compound it

Depth gets you hired and gets you projects.
Breadth gets you promoted and paid differently.

➌ Don’t dilute your edge
Breadth only works if your depth stays sharp. 
If your core skill slips, rebalance and go deeper before going wider.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲

You don’t future-proof yourself by predicting the future.
You future-proof yourself by becoming someone who can adapt to any future.

And that’s exactly what a strong T-shape gives you.

If you are ready to build a portfolio career with both depth and breadth - combining personal branding, monetisation, speaking, board and fractional opportunities, wealth creation, and AI leverage - the Portfolio Career Accelerator starts January 26, 2026.

10 spots are already filled.
10 remain.

Apply here: https://lnkd.in/g8bpRmYN

------
In my newsletter today, I break this down in more detail. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/gzDCH9t9

In 8 days, we go live with The Portfolio Career Accelerator.

I’ve been planning this accelerator for the last 6 months - and it’s finally here.

Not as a course you “consume.”
But as a transition you actually make.

My goal is simple:

• Show corporate professionals the opportunities they are missing
• Build a bridge from corporate expertise to multiple income streams
• Be the translator people need - someone who speaks both corporate and creator

Because most professionals aren’t stuck. They are just operating inside a very small bubble and the accelerator will show them what is outside it.

This is an 8-week program, built around the 5 principles of a portfolio career, plus how to use AI to implement faster - not someday, but now.

Here’s how it breaks down:

Module 1: Build Your Brand & Audience
LinkedIn optimisation, content strategy, high-performing posts, lead magnets, newsletter creation

Module 2: Create Your Products
Turn expertise into courses, workshops, and programs. Pricing, sales process, launch strategy

Module 3: Become a Speaker
Craft keynotes, master delivery, build a speaker kit, and land paid gigs

Module 4: Advisor / Board Member / Fractional Exec
Shift from doer to advisor. Structure engagements. Find and land real opportunities

Module 5: Become an Investor
Investment fundamentals, portfolio building, diversification, and working with brokers

Module 6: Leverage AI
Prompt engineering, custom GPTs, AI agents

And you are not learning from me alone.

We’ve brought in incredible guest trainers - experts in their fields - speaking, investing, advisory, board and AI.

We start on January 26th.

And we already have amazing professionals signed up and ready to start. 

This cohort is capped at 20 people.
Why?

Because this isn’t passive learning.
It’s a transformation - with guidance, accountability, and a room full of people who get it.

If you are tired of living inside a professional bubble…

If you know there’s more available to you than one job title…

If you want someone who’s actually done this to show you how…

👉 Secure your spot here: https://lnkd.in/gpEqqqFs

8 days until we start building your portfolio career.

Let’s go.

♻️ Repost this to help another corporate professional see what’s possible
💾 Save this if portfolio careers are on your 2026 radar

Building ⭐ performance teams that deliver true digital transformation

I’m a technology and transformation leader passionate about turning strategy into meaningful outcomes - for people, teams, and organizations.

Over the past decade, I’ve led initiatives across pharma, healthcare, and digital ecosystems, helping global teams deliver innovation that matters. My focus is simple: connect human insight with technical excellence to create environments where people perform at their best.

I believe transformation isn’t just about systems or tools; it’s about trust, clarity, and purpose. As a coach and author of A Life in Motion, I apply that philosophy to help leaders align strategy with culture, and vision with execution.

I’m always exploring opportunities where I can combine leadership, technology, and coaching to drive organizational growth and help teams create extraordinary results - sustainably and together.

Eduardo dos Santos Silva

🎉 Breaking news:
It’s a new year.

Yes. I know.
Very exclusive announcement. 😄

But before we rush into goals, resolutions, and gym memberships that will expire by February… let’s pause for a second.

Because what we call “the new year” is actually a cultural agreement, not a universal truth.

In much of the Western world, we reset on January 1st, driven by the Gregorian calendar.

Clean slate. New chapter. Fresh start.

But elsewhere, time turns differently:
🪔 In India, calendars like Vikram Samvat and Shaka Samvat tie time to cycles, seasons, and meaning.

🐉 In Chinese culture, the Lunar New Year arrives later marked by renewal, luck, and energy shifts.

🌙 In Islamic tradition, the Hijri calendar moves with the moon, reminding us that time itself is fluid.

✡️ In the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah is a time for reflection, repair, and return.

🌍 In Ethiopia, renewal after the rains in September brings the new year.

Different calendars.
Same human need.

We use big, meaningful milestones to reset 
- because our minds are wired for it.

Psychologically, these moments act as mental bookmarks.
They give us permission to pause, reflect, and begin again.

And yes, even though I work mindfully on resets throughout the year… this one is still the most powerful.

So here’s my personal practice, every year:

🕊️ First, I sit quietly for a minute or two.
 I thank the year that passed; not just for the wins, but for everything.
 Flashes of moments. Lessons. People. Growth.

🔮 Then, I visualize what matters for the year ahead.
 Not a to-do list.
 But feelings, directions, relationships, impact.

I don’t force it.
I prime myself.

And more often than not… those things find their way into reality.

Maybe because clarity changes how we act.
Maybe because attention changes what we notice.
Maybe because commitment quietly reshapes our choices.

So if you’re resetting today, you’re not late, dramatic, or naïve.
You’re human.

Happy New Year!
However - and whenever - you choose to mark it. ✨

If you are choosing to pause today, here’s a question worth sitting with:
What do you want to thank before you move forward, and what do you want to invite in next?

Take a moment.
Intention doesn’t guarantee outcomes
- but it changes how we walk toward them.

🍃 A Life in Motion | Growth. Transformation. Results.

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I read it and immediately got the chills.
“This is what I’m doing to stay relevant…”

The second worst corporate, most prejudicial quote ever. 

(what is the first? 🧐)

But why does it make me feel like this?
It takes me back to an executive I’ve met.

That sentence became his mantra 
 -  repeated in meetings and in every communication.

I was younger then, but already curious, so I paid attention:
how did people in the team respond to it?

Take a guess before reading further…
maybe even note your answers down.

...

Now… this is what I saw…

Everything slowly became about: 

📢 shouting about successes
(even when they didn’t exist)

🥵 looking busy and important
 (often wasting company time and money)

🤔talking to people who could promote us
 (instead of clients and partners)

Later, I observed the same pattern with so-called leaders who were:
 👉 learning 
 👉 taking new roles
 👉 posting here
…
 to stay relevant.

Not because they were curious.
Not because they wanted to grow.
Not because they were interested in a challenge or in helping others.

And that's what makes all the difference. 

Staying relevant as a consequence
 = fulfilment as we grow and achieve results.

Staying relevant as a goal
 = surrendering to our fear of loss.

I once had the chance to coach one such leader. And you know what I found?

A wonderful - and scared - human being.

Someone who could lead change,
but decided instead to hang on to one job.

Then got the own identify lost in the process and spent the few next years regretting the things they sacrificed to stay relevant.

That’s what  such culture does to executives.

Who loses?
Themselves first.
Then their teams.
And finally the company - shareholders included.

Have you ever caught your organization 
- or  yourself  - 
 confusing growth with staying relevant?

Let's think about that before jumping into 2026 goals...

Back in Dubai, I have found this interesting machine: it would produce a unique perfume for you based on a personality test. I imagined that industry asking itself "how do we stay relevant?" - when that is probably a bad question to ask. What would be a better question?

To end the year well, I hurt my leg real bad…
That was on December 18th -
last football training before the break.

I couldn’t believe it 🥵

I couldn’t even walk for the first two days.
I still need to walk slowly now,
and I clearly won’t be running for a few more weeks.

That was a first for me -
especially because I was feeling healthy and strong.

Worse: I knew immediately that I’d failed my objective 🎯

My Objective and Key Result (OKR):
Staying healthy and active
→ A minimum of 10,000 steps each month

How was the year tracking?

Before 2025, I’d been beating the 10,000 yearly average for a while.
Even got to 11,000.
But winter months were a disaster.

In 2025?
I made it every single month.
December was even tracking close to 12,000. ❤️‍🔥

And then… gone.

That got me thinking about how I set goals -
and how individuals and companies set goals.

Some goals are designed to be achieved.
(“Easy” goals.)

The problem?
They don’t take us further.
Worse, they can be misleading.

We see them behind layoffs that don’t aim to save failing companies, but to artificially boost short-term profits.

On the other extreme: over-stretching.
What if I set a minimum of 10,000 steps every single day?
I’d almost certainly fail.

There’s weather.
 Sickness.
 Family.
 Work.

Too many variables -
unrealistic, misaligned with priorities.

Those goals don’t motivate.
They break people.

Companies that set them get employees faking results
or disengaging altogether.

So this is how I orient myself when defining goals 👇
Challenging enough that I might fail -
but never to the point of breaking.

(that’s also why vision matters but that’s for another post.)

Some asked me last week about “Word of the year”
or “New Year’s resolutions”.

The first can be helpful 👍 
after I set my OKRs.

The word surfaces from them.
For me, 2026 is INTEGRATION.

The second, I push back on 👎
It’s broad and aspirational,
emotionally loaded,
fragile and vague.

It often invites frustration.

One example here on how it works for me:
Using OKRs kept me active on LinkedIn for 2+ years now.

That’s why in 2026 I’ll increase focus and reduce activity:
Posting twice a week instead of three.
Commenting and engaging one extra day instead.

The number of people I effectively helped will be my key result -
as part of multiplying positive impact as my objective 🙏

That’s how I know I’ll keep contributing here without burning out.

Can I fail?
Yes.
I just did - with the steps.

But in failing, I also saw how close I got.
And inspired by that,
I’ll raise the stakes this year.

That’s how objectives help in life.

Not as a destination.
But as the track of our journey.

What kind of goals have helped you grow 
- and which ones quietly broke you?

Right leg hurt and supported by a compression sock

I wanted to say so much more…
and yet, I couldn’t. 😮

Aytuna, Emily, Vaclav  and I spoke for over an hour about resumes.

What works.
What doesn’t.
The experiences we’ve had along the way.

The thing is -
 I had just been hired. 🥳

Literally the day before.

Not enough time to process it all.
Even less to communicate it properly.

But if I could have said just one thing in that conversation,
it would have been this:

“You’re right. I’ve just been hired 
- and this is mostly what I’ve done.”

What about it, you ask?
🌟 where does a great resume starts
🌟 how to leverage AI, and how not to
🌟 using a blank page
🌟 what intentional networking is
(ok, we deviated from the theme there 🤣)

If you’re curious to go deeper,
jump into your podcast app of choice
and listen to the full episode.

Despite the technical challenges 😧,
we saved most of the good material for you 😁

💬 What’s the one resume tip that really worked for you?

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬?
I don’t think so. 😮
(Before you react, let me explain.)

This question has been on my mind and a recent post by Paulo Barriga helped me connect the final dots on the different forms of empathy and how easily we confuse them.

Let me be clear:
💡 Life is better surrounded by empathetic people
💡 Empathy amplifies individual and collective results
💡 Communities thrive when leaders show empathy
💡 I’d love for us all to be wholeheartedly empathetic

Yes - I’m still team empathy.

The problem is expecting it from others.
Or worse - demanding it.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞?
Empathy is not evenly distributed.

Some people feel it deeply.
Some feel it selectively.
Some understand it cognitively, but don’t experience it emotionally.
Some can perform it convincingly without feeling it at all.

And here’s the uncomfortable part:
When empathy becomes a moral requirement, it becomes a tool.

It can be used to:
❌ manipulate
❌ extract compliance
❌ silence disagreement
❌ blur accountability

Especially in environments where power, incentives, or pressure are involved.

That’s why Paulo’s distinction between cognitive empathy and affective empathy matters so much.

Cognitive empathy can drive progress and coordination.
But when detached from ethics or transparency, it can also enable manipulation.

𝐀 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭
If we truly embrace diversity, we must accept something uncomfortable:
Not everyone will lead - or decide - through empathy.

Some leaders operate through:
🌟 clarity 
🌟 duty
🌟 principles
🌟 responsibility under pressure

They may not feel with you -
but they may still act fairly, consistently, and predictably.

And sometimes, predictability protects people more than warmth ever could.

𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝?
For me, the answer is transparency.

Transparency is harder than empathy.
It doesn’t feel good.
It doesn’t comfort.
It doesn’t soothe.

But it does something empathy often can’t:
It tells you where you stand.

That’s why it sits at the core of good negotiation (Chris Voss knows this well):
Empathy may get a yes,
Transparency gives you a real no 
- and a place to start real conversations.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈’𝐦 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡
Instead of asking:
“Why aren’t they empathetic?”

I’m learning to ask:
What are they being transparent about?
What are they unwilling to hide?
What trade-offs are they naming?
Where might empathy cloud my judgment?

Because empathy, when freely offered, is a gift.

But when expected, demanded, or moralized…
… it makes us vulnerable to disappointment & manipulation.

𝐌𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
From my leaders, I’d rather have transparency than empathy.
And if empathy comes on top of that?
Thank you. ❤️‍🔥

Curious to hear your take -
Should empathy be expected from leaders, or appreciated when it appears?

Two characters, a man and a robot, discuss empathy. 

Starting 2026 with a difficult book. On purpose.
(apparently this is my hobby now 🤣)

Modern psychology is powerful.
But is it complete? 🤔

This first book review of the year explores why psychology without spirit feels incomplete - and what we may be missing when we over-optimize rationality.

A recommendation from a friend…
and yet I cannot remember from whom!

 (Shout in the comments if it was you 😊)

📘 Integral Psychology, Ken Wilber
📖 Full reflection below

Wait a minute now -
before you go…
I’m curious:

What challenged your thinking recently? 👇

View newsletter: Book Reviews & Recommendations

Intro This is a review of a book that came into my life because I was reading another book. How? I picked up Foundation, by Isaac Asimov, to re-read a

Open article: From Psychohistory to the Soul by Eduardo dos Santos Silva • 6 min read

We talk a lot about “empowering others.”

But there’s a question we rarely ask:
👉 When does empowerment actually work and when does it fail?

A nuclear submarine might seem like an odd place to explore that question🤔 and yet…

This article reflects on "Turn the Ship Around" by L. David Marquet, and on a tension I couldn’t ignore:

Leadership, competence, 
and the uncomfortable role 
excellence plays in trust.

📖 Full reflection below
I’d love to hear your take.

Intro It was on a LinkedIn-triggered intro coffee meeting in Zurich, a slightly cold morning in the middle of a random week last year, that I first ca

Open article: Leader-Leader Works… But Only If You Earn It First by Eduardo dos Santos Silva • 6 min read

Leader-Leader Works… But Only If You Earn It First

Why do I review books for you here?
Because I know how much they changed my life.
But there is a problem…

Three years of reading.
Three years of sharing.

There are too many of them! 🤣 

A summary can turn 200–700 pages into 2 or 3.
But now there are 50+ reviews available for you.

So where do you start?
(that’s a real question I’ve been asked here.)

Thinking about it, I decided to summarize even further.
50+ book reviews.
50+ sentences.

So you can choose what speaks to you,
save time, gain knowledge and 
- maybe - have fun.

If this is helpful, save it and download it.
It’s my gift for you.
Even if Christmas has already passed! 🎁

Can I ask for something in return?

📚 ONE book you recommend -
 with a sentence that goes with it 👇

Book Reviews up to Jan 2026 with Links

I am resharing this on a nice Friday afternoon because…

It made my week 🥰

Thank you!

AI Success Copilot Architect | Neuroscience-Driven Coach | Architecting Mental Wellness in the Age of AI

Book Review - They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but you should judge it by where it takes you. 🌍

From Greek Sunsets to Swiss Peaks: The Book That Changed My Gear 🏔️☀️

I started reading "A Life in Motion" https://amzn.eu/d/fhJa4bX by my mentor Eduardo dos Santos Silva while watching the sunset in Greece,  finished at the base of the mountains!  It hasn’t just been a book—it’s been the Promethean fire for my mindset, sparking a total transformation in how I see my own path.

Why this book stands out in a crowded self-development market:
Eduardo has a rare gift for cutting through the noise. Where most books offer "fluff," this one hands you a compass and a blueprint. Using the "Wheel of Life" framework, it takes you from "stuck" to "strategy" by bridging the gap between:
🧘‍♀️ Deep Mindfulness and internal clarity.
💸 Financial Strategy and practical habit-building.

It’s the only guide I’ve found that treats personal growth as a dynamic journey rather than a static goal.

If you’re looking for a reset, here is why I recommend it: 
✅ Action-Oriented: Every chapter ends with concrete tasks. 
✅ Holistic: It connects the "puzzle pieces" of life (health, wealth, and mind). ✅ Practical: It’s a manual for building a life, not just a collection of theories.

I read it to reset my summer; I’m using it to power my winter. ❄️

If you are looking for a sign to get moving, this is it.

#ALifeInMotion #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #Leadership #BookRecommendation #SwissAlps

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