Hi, I’m Dina

A passionate educator, I create and deliver fun, inspirational and transformational Education for Life programmes that foster personal growth, wellbeing and success.

First for the serious stuff…..my why

Have you had moments in your life when you’ve found yourself in a bottomless pit, sometimes so deep down beyond the depths that you felt you could never ever possibly make it back up? Where you could see the light in the distance, constantly striving to reach it. Despite the odds, you did until the next time you tripped and fell into another pit, a different pit it may have been, but the struggles to get out of it were just the same.

In fact, you started to build quite a reputation for yourself in the process. Look there goes (your name) – a true survivor! 

For most of my life this was very much my story too. 

Like you, I couldn’t understand why I kept on falling. Why was it I constantly felt I was being punished? In fact, why did I feel I had to prove myself time and time again in order to gain acceptance? Why was I constantly pushing myself to the limits? Why is it I felt I was never good enough? Why did I have self-limiting beliefs and, at times, feel so helpless and fearful? Why did I feel that success and reaching my true potential was so far out of reach? Why did I have such a low sense of Self (low self-esteem, -belief, -worth, -compassion and self-respect)?

Why did I simply not care for me? Why couldn’t I, Dina, look in the mirror and simply love unconditionally the person that was looking back at me? 

A cycle of fear that depilated me and at times the only way out was the way I’d come into this world…but I knew I had to persevere in order to learn the lessons I was here to learn.

Burning out physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually THREE times, I started my personal growth journey by learning to understand myself, my place in the world by learning and applying tools into my life so I could live with purpose and help others to become the person, they too, are destined to be.

And that is how Lessons-in-Self – Education for Life was born.

Life’s Snippets

• Founder of Lessons-in-Self, I’m a professional English Language Teacher, teacher educator and trainer with over 23 years’ experience. I ingeniously combine my passion for education, personal growth, positive psychology, wellbeing and success to create unique education programmes.
• I’m a Positive Psychology Practitioner holding a Diploma in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing from the renowned Langley Group Institute, having been personally trained by Sue Langley.
• Teacher Trainer and Educator of English Language Teaching Methodology for Secondary School Teachers at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW).
• Graduated with a BA (Hons) and a MEd in English Language Teaching from the University of Manchester, UK – a big deal for me having left school at 16 with only 3 GCSEs to my name and the belief that I wouldn’t amount to anything. I’m the first female member of my family to go to university.
• Following my burnout, I wanted to learn more about personal growth, wellbeing and success. I have personally trained with Jack Canfield. I am a Certified Trainer in The Success Principles and the Jack Canfield Methodology.
• Lead teacher training workshops, seminars and talks in schools in Switzerland, national and international conferences including HEP, HES, IATEFL, ETAS, and on behalf of Cambridge Assessment English and Pearson.
• Given talks and various workshops in corporate settings and for professional organisations e.g. PMI, DisruptHR, DrivenWoman, LeanIn
• Author of a number-one selling book called Success University for Women in Leadership.
• Won the audience’s vote, I ended up doing an ‘accidental’ 3-minute TEDX talk about burnout, called a Sofa day, on the mainstage in Basel.
• Through my own life experiences, and life’s lessons I show that no matter your educational background, culture and gender the life you rightly deserve is yours.

Oh, in case you’re wondering…

Born in London to Greek-Cypriot parents, I’m now based in Switzerland.  I left school at 16 with no real qualifications but dreams.

dreams + thirst and curiosity for learning = where I am today.

I love teaching and learning even more, I love books and the smell books have (truthfully I do!), my visual-spatial awareness is to pee on and as for distances (no idea!). That’s the reason I happily hiked 170km from Schwarzenburg to Geneva in 6 days in July 2017 all in aid of Girls Education raising over $2600 for the Malala Fund. Yay!

I’m  finally at a place where I’m so happily ecstatic to be Dina.  I love taking her out on dates (table for one please) and enjoy her company, love running, hiking and sharing her energy and spirit with those I love.  She rocks! (I talk about myself in the 3rd person for a very good reason…why? That’s something else I teach about in Lessons-in-Self)