Ida Protuger - life & business coach

07/05/2026

Следната недела ќе бидам во Скопје на покaна на Марина Анчевска на втората коачинг конференција што таа ја организира.
Моето учество е со работилница на тема „Поврзување: со себе, со другите и со иднината“.
Поврзувањето е суштински дел на мојата работа со клиентите.
Поврзувањето секогаш почнува од една точка, поврзувањето со себе, како неопходен услов за квалитетни релации со другите.

Човек од самото раѓање е растргнат помеѓу две силни, фундаментални потреби, а тоа од една страна е потребата за автентичност и самореализација, и потребата за припадност од другата.
Уметноста на живеењето е како да ги доведеме овие, навидум конфликтни потреби, во хармонија. Да останеме верни на себе, а истовремено, да изградиме квалитетни релации со другите. Бидејќи нашиот идентитет се обликува низ релации со другите. Но во тие односи, често нашето делување е водено од обрасци што сме ги развиле низ искуствата, а кои не секогаш ни служат. Напротив, нè ограничуваат. Оттука, свесноста за себе ги открива и разобличува тие обрасци.

Ние често во исполнување на потребата за припадност се оддалечуваме од себе, бидејќи антените ни се свртени коон она што „го бара“ околината, а мислиме дека рефлекторите се свртени кон нас да испорачуваме. Тоа не оддалечува од суштински квалитетен однос со себе и сопствената автентичност. „Моделирањето“ според она што го бара околината или другите доведува нашето автентично јас да венее отфрлено. И она „јас“ што го градиме за околината да не прифати, дури и да добие потврда, не носи вистинско исполнување бидејќи тие емоции се насочени кон некого, кој не сме целосно ние.
Од јакнењето на односот кон себе почнуваат изборите и одлуките. Од таму почнува авторството. Да го живееме животот како автори, а не како актери во туѓи сценарија.

Потоа е работа на релација со другите, која главно вклучува развој на емоционалната интелигенција: да чувствуваме, да се регулираме, да сочувствуваме., и комуницираме кон меѓусебно разбирање.
Поврзувањето со иднината пак е моќ не само на стратешко планирање, туку и на јакнење на нашата отпорност во свет кој е динамичен, неизвесен и кој постојано се менува.

📍Повелете, настанот е на 21 мај во хотелот Александар Палас.

09/03/2026

“I don’t feel understood.”
This sentence appears in different forms in many of my conversations with clients. They deliver results, communicate expectation and work hard to prove credibility. And yet something feels missing.

⛓️‍💥Often, what looks like a communication issue is actually a connection issue.

Recently, in a workshop, a newly appointed executive shared an example. He sent an email with clear directions and decided to wait and see who would respond “properly.”
🤔On the surface, this looked like leadership authority. Underneath, it reflected frustration and insecurity. Instead of strengthening credibility, he unintentionally communicated vulnerability, distance and a need for validation.

👉This is where psychology meets leadership.

When we are disconnected from our own fears, expectations, and emotional patterns, our communication becomes reactive. Delegation replaces dialogue. Control replaces collaboration.

Communication skills matter because we are relational beings.
As Martin Buber wrote, our reality exists in relation, never in isolation.
Emotional intelligence deepens this. It allows us to recognize our own emotional drivers, and those of others. It creates understanding. And understanding builds trust.

🌐In a world of rapid change, where AI improves how we deliver information, it still cannot replace human connection, and the power that comes from it.

Wellbeing and sustainable performance emerge when communication skills and emotional intelligence come together.
✨That meeting point is connection.
And strengthening connection, with ourselves and with others, is where real leadership begins.

21/01/2026

14/01/2026

09/11/2025

Happy Birthday, little one

I see you smiling, happily sipping from your cup, not knowing that soon those bright eyes will be filled with sadness. That the ground beneath your feet will disappear, as you lose your mother’s embrace without understanding why.�The separation from your mother, the loss of her unconditional love, took away your sense of safety, the place where you felt most protected, the place you once called home.
She was alive, yet unreachable. At five years old, you couldn’t possibly understand the complexity and heaviness of life’s circumstances. And so, that separation and loneliness led you to the most painful conclusion: that you must have been left because you weren’t worthy of love.

To test this belief, you set out in search of the holy grail: the lost love, but even more, the lost sense of worth. You thought you’d find love and value if you gave yours away without limits. If you met everyone’s expectations, your antennas always turned outward, trying to see what more you had to do to win love and deserve it. The truth is that love and affirmation were always around you, from many people, from other mothers, from personal joys and successes. But it was never enough. It was never “that love.”

Until you met me, the one who told you: if you can give love, it means you already have it. That it came from somewhere. It arrived with your birth, from your mother, the same mother whom destiny took away you from her, even though she loved you endlessly. Then love came from many others you met along the way, people who warmed your heart and reminded you that the world isn’t such a cruel place.
But the most important person you met on this journey was me, the mother you missed, the friend full of understanding, and who will never turn her back on you. And since then we’ve been inseparable, me, grown-up Ida, and you, inner child Ida who is the same, unchanged like from the picture, with the same needs and emotions, but now with love found within us. And the heart that beats for both of us is called love, home, and peace.

What have I taught you?�That you must allow yourself to make mistakes, and also to learn from them. That your decisions shape your future, and you must stand behind them with full responsibility. That you don’t choose the cards you’re dealt but you can decide how to play them.�That injustice exists and will continue to exist. And no one is coming to fix it for you, nor will the world bend to your wishes. But with the resources made from your knowledge and experience, built into your choices, you will stop being a victim and become the creator of your own future.�That the meaning of life is life itself, like sunny mornings, red sunsets, full moon nights, and above all people. The people who make you feel alive.�That you must allow yourself to enjoy, to dream, and to nurture yourself.

And what is my birthday wish for you?�Be not just smart, but more wise.�Let your heart walk arm in arm with your mind.�Love yourself unconditionally, so the heart warmed by love can beat for others, too.�To forgive yourself for the time you missed and you could have spent differently.
For the wrong choices that seemed right back then.
For not seeing when someone you loved needed your help, because in that moment you were busy saving yourself. And I am here, to share joy with you, to cry with you, to fight beside you, and to walk the path and the time we’ve been given in this world, together.

30/07/2025

Summer is time for pause.
To breathe and ask yourself: what life I desire.
What truly matters to me?
We spend the year rushing.
✔️ Meeting deadlines
✔️ To-do lists
✔️ Taking care of others

But this summer you can choose YOU and your wellbeing.
Reconnect with yourself and your inner strength.

6 weeks Personal Wellbeing Training
Tools to feel better, think clearer, and live with intention
🗓️ One session per week
🌿 Daily self-reflection and practice kit
🎯 Bonus week: Future Planning & goal setting

I created the 6 Weeks Personal Wellbeing Training to help you:
🔹Reconnect with yourself and your inner strength
🔹Build confidence in your decisions and boundaries
🔹Learn to manage stress and cultivate daily wellbeing
🎯Set goals that align with your values and future vision

Special Summer Offer:
490 EUR (regular 690 EUR)

Book your free 30-min introductory call here 👇

https://calendly.com/idaprotuger/introductory-call?preview_source=et_card&month=2025-07&date=2025-07-31

Be the author, not an actor in your life. Your journey toward clarity, confidence, and emotional wellbeing can start today.
For registration, or any additional questions, send me a message through my contact form https://idaprotuger.com/contact/

19/05/2025

📍The day I had to lead without a manual

Years ago, I was the editor of the evening TV news in a country facing growing unrest. It was June 2001, armed conflict erupted in one of the largest villages. The emotional climate in the country was volatile. Fear, but also anger were spreading fast.

📺 I was a newly appointed editor and among the youngest.
A colleague shared news that the highest state officials and the NATO Secretary General were in a closed meeting near Skopje, and we decided to go live from the location. After our live coverage, we received a call from the top military commander. Furious, he accused us of exposing a sensitive site and endangering lives.
▪️Was it professional reporting? Yes, because we were guided by public interest.
▪️ Was it ethical? Yes, because martial law had not been imposed.
▪️ Did I feel okay? No because I was afraid we might have truly endangered lives.

🧯That evening, riots began in the capital. Cars were flipped in front of Parliament. I remained in the studio, leading the news, trying to stay calm with no formal training in crisis leadership. Only instinct, values, and a deep sense of responsibility.
I was measuring the weight of every word, knowing that language itself could spark a fire.
Around midnight, the situation calmed down.

🩵Being able to regulate emotions under pressure doesn’t mean ignoring or supress them. According to the pillars of emotional intelligence, it means recognizing, naming, regulating, and managing emotions so you can lead with clarity and integrity.

✨In leadership, we often seek the “right” decision. But in reality, it’s about making the best possible decision with what you know, feel, and sense in the moment.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about presence and doing.

15/05/2025

Emotional Intelligence and Decision-Making

💡Or, why your "gut feeling" might be smarter than you think

I often hear from clients that they "leave their emotions behind" when they sit at their desk in the morning.
But neuroscience says the opposite and emphasizes the crucial role emotions play in our professional lives, particularly in decision-making. Emotional awareness, the first component of EQ is the foundation.

📖In his groundbreaking book Descartes' Error, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio shows how emotions and decision-making are deeply intertwined.
He introduced the Somatic Marker Hypothesis, a theory that our body and emotions help us navigate complex choices.

To put it simply:
When you're facing a decision, your brain recalls past emotional experiences and generates a "gut feeling" to guide you.
These somatic (bodily) signals help you narrow down options and detect risks or benefits often faster than logic can.
For example, if you’re scheduling an important meeting and choosing between Monday or Wednesday, and your emotional memory remembers that Mondays are always overloaded with emails from the weekend, you might instinctively pick Wednesday without overthinking it.

🧠That’s your brain using emotional context to support a smarter decision.
This happens thanks to the hippocampus, a part of the brain that stores emotions connected to specific contexts especially episodic memory (the “what, where, and when” of past experiences). It helps us recall meaningful details and link emotions to decisions.
In Damasio’s research, people with damage in emotion-processing areas of the brain could still think logically, but they struggled with even the simplest life choices.

Sometimes, your body knows before your mind catches up.
🩵Emotional intelligence isn’t just a soft skill. It’s a decision-making superpower. A balance between emotional and rational brain systems.

In coaching, I often guide clients through a simple exercise when they’re facing a big decision:
🔸 To touch their head and hear what does the reason say
🔸To touch their heart and hear what emotions say
🔸To touch their stomach and hear what the gut say
Then to integrate all three perspectives and choose from that whole inner compass.

01/05/2025

The recent tragedy in the Kočani discotheque that took 62 lives has shaken us all. As we mourn, we are also left with painful questions about responsibility, systemic failure, and our collective future.
In the interview, I speak about learned helplessness, how political systems have conditioned citizens to believe they are powerless to influence change. Over time, this mindset erodes public accountability and normalizes inefficiency and corruption, regardless of which party is in power.
But awareness is the first step toward transformation. When people recognize their personal and collective resources, they can redirect their energy toward change, especially when the current reality offers no well-being or security.
We are losing lives not only in tragic events like this one but also in hospitals without medicine, in polluted air, in traffic accidents on unsafe roads. These are all symptoms of a system that is failing us.
The Chinese word for crisis contains two characters: danger and turning point.�The question we face is: will we remain in danger, or will we turn this into a moment of awakening?
Let us not only grieve but also channel our grief and anger into a strong public demand for transparency, accountability, and justice.

https://youtu.be/REUHcDlBTAE?si=MxJ0mGegZv6OWTyq

Psihologinja Ida Protuger radi s ljudima koji imaju problema s rješavanjem stresnih situacija i životnih promjena.Nakon 20-godišnje novinarske karijere u Sko...