“We reject other people because we have rejected ourselves. We are separate from other people because we are separate from who we are. Through the conditioning, we learn to become someone else and we deny our truth so often and live out these limiting beliefs that we develop. The unhappiness that exists within us is projected out into the world.”Lena Papadopoulos

On this episode of the Edge of Comfort Podcast, Lena Papadopoulos and I talk about her work as an intercultural educator, the impact and expectations created from cultural conditioning, examining and breaking our limiting beliefs, how to catalyze self-discovery, understanding identity, and more.

Lena Papadopoulos (IG) is an award-winning interculturalist, facilitator, and coach. Lena believes the division between us is a projection of the pain within us. This means that healing the collective begins with healing ourselves.

Lena empowers individuals to break free from their conditioning so they can reconnect with themselves, embrace who they truly are, and embody their unique potential. Lena’s approach is a unique alchemy of her educational and professional background in sociology, psychology, cultural anthropology, intercultural education, and leadership development.

The daughter of two immigrant parents from Greece, Lena was born and raised in Georgetown, South Carolina. Growing up, she felt torn between Greek and American cultures and like she didn’t fully belong to either.

In the U.S. Lena was too passionate and expressive. In Greece she was too individualistic and independent. She grew up with two different sets of values and expectations from her family and cultures, neither of which really suited her true self.

On her website, Lena says:

“Deep down, I knew I wasn’t meant to fit into a box. A non-conformist at heart, I had an innate desire to resist the status quo. But I feared that if people really knew me, they wouldn’t like me…I also grew up in a volatile and abusive home environment. If I said or did anything ‘wrong,’ it provoked an explosive reaction or some form of humiliating punishment. I felt it wasn’t safe to be myself. I muted parts of my personality and amplified others. I silenced my truth and stifled my spirit in search of acceptance and protection from harm.”

We talk about the affect growing up like this had on her and how she dealt with the conflicting pressure from many sides, so I’ll let you listen to her explanation in our conversation.

Throughout the years, Lena took a path of her own in her education and work. She traveled, worked, or studied in New Zealand, Tanzania, China, Bangkok, and different cities in the United States.

In 2017, Lena left the U.S. to travel full-time while building her business.

In 2017, Lena left the U.S. to travel full-time while building her intercultural education business. Discover more at lenapapadopoulos.com

Today, Lena works as an intercultural educator, cultural consultant, and facilitator. She helps facilitate powerful personal growth and self-discovery, human connection,