ILC International

30/01/2026

| Who actually buys “leadership” and “soft skills” work? Let’s be honest.

When companies reach out for human-centric interventions, it’s usually:

❌ HR - almost never
✅ CEOs / Directors - most of the time
✅ Marketing leaders - often
❌ Other specialists - rarely

That alone tells you something uncomfortable.

Human-centric work is treated as a business lever, not a growth process.

And no - that’s not inherently wrong.

📈 As an end goal, business results make sense.
⚠️ As an approach, it’s often far too shallow.

Why?

Because we keep trying to change adult mindsets and behaviours in 1.5–2.5 hours.

A single workshop.
An “on-demand” intervention.
A checkbox exercise.

That’s not transformation. That’s theatre. (And we’ve frankly become powerful entertainers).

Real shifts in behaviour rarely happen in a group, on a clock, under performance pressure.
They happen through deep reflections, and sustained practice.

So what’s really being bought?

💰 Reduced friction
💬 Better optics
🤝 A bit of team morale
📊 Something that feels measurable

Not true individual or collective growth.

And decision-makers know this.

They just don’t have the luxury of time, space, or patience for anything that doesn’t show fast ROI.

So the real question they’re asking isn’t:
“Will this change people?”

It’s:
“Do we spend something for partial benefits - or nothing at all?”

That tension is where most leadership development lives today.

And until we’re willing to address that honestly, we’ll keep confusing activity with impact.

—
Curious: should leadership development be designed for results, or for real growth… even if it takes longer?

Val Dolmova

25/01/2026

Take out your 🖊️ and paper! The full ⏺️ recording is available and it’s time to experience meaningful learning.

We kicked off 2026 open-to-all workshops with none other than Galya Hubanova, PCC, and the ‘Fail Forward’ topic that dives way beyond the mainstream basics.

Worth watching the full ⏺️ 1 hr!
DM us with your email.

Two takeaways:

👉 No one naturally handles mistakes (perceived or real) with an immediate growth mindset and full openness. We all struggle and experience blame, shame, discomfort.

👉 There are different methods that help us reflect on particular mistake-situations and those methods lead to vastly different realisations, interpretations and outcomes.

👉 The workshop helps us experiment with them in real time.

… and there is so much more in it.

Learn more about Galia Hubanova and our team at ilc.one —> link in bio.

Check out our next events and join great professionals that are not afraid to push boundaries, ask tough questions and give you practical insights —> check out Highlights

23/01/2026

|
worth reading by Petar Švarc

🚦City traffic gets bad without a doubt.

Unwillingly silenced pleasantries exchanged through stained windows, extravagant tactics perfected to shave precious minutes off the ETA, taking sweet, sweet time to switch the phone from the right hand to the left and crawl forward as the light turns green, etc.

If you're out to get riled up – you will.

There are two recommended places for stomach acid build-up:
🔥 downtown at rush hour
🔥 online comment sections

The trick is that the perceived state of traffic correlates to the state of mind much more than to traffic itself.

Hence you can convert heartburn into a signal. A measure of the emotional state. Best place to start recapturing control.

The irritation agents are always there.
100% guaranteed.
What's not 100% is letting them affect you.

You have two choices (and it is a choice):
🔹 become aware what's going on
🔸 let the uncontrollables control you

The default is the monkey brain taking over, leading to reactive and even aggressive behavior and consequences.

Soon enough, you become the problem that got you going in the first place.
And it spreads.
Even worse, it turns into a habit.

There's the rub.

You've just fed the wrong wolf and brought it along to client meetings and sacrosanct family dinners.

What's the alternative?

Bringing the subconscious to the conscious and making that a habit.

Suddenly, traffic is no longer a source of frustration, but of self-reflection and curiosity.
You start noticing the calm drivers around you – the smiling ones, probably listening to their favorite tunes.

🍀Now you're inspired.

You realize you could potentially do this everywhere – family dinners included.

Wouldn't the world and even traffic jams be a bliss?

Well, no.

There's no state of perpetual enlightenment.
Willpower is a depletable resource, even for the best of us.

Sometimes you still miss the green light.
No more, no less.

People aren't bad, just inevitably troubled.
And so are you.
Which is fine.

Try your best to be aware and make it a habit.
Eight times out of ten is enough — especially if yesterday was seven.

23/01/2026

| worth reading by Petar Švarc

🚦City traffic gets bad without a doubt.

Unwillingly silenced, pleasantries exchanged through stained windows, extravagant tactics perfected to shave off precious minutes off the ETA, taking sweet, sweet time to switch the phone from the right hand to the left and crawl forward as the light turns green, etc.

If you're out to get riled up – you will.

There are two recommended places for stomach acid build-up:
🔥 downtown at rush hour
🔥 online comment sections

The trick is, though, that the perceived state of traffic correlates to the state of mind much more than that of traffic itself.

Hence you can make an effort to convert heartburn into a signal. A measure of the emotional state, as nature probably intended. Best place to start recapturing control.

The irritation agents are always there - 100% guaranteed.
What's not 100% is letting it affect you.

You have two choices (and it is a choice):
🔹 become aware what's going on
🔸 let the uncontrollables control you

But it's also an effort.
The default is the monkey brain taking over leading to disbalance, which leads to reactive and even aggressive behavior, which leads to corresponding consequences.
For yourself, but also for others.

The latter you will have a harder time forgiving yourself. And now you are the problem that got you going in the first place.
So it spreads.
Even worse, it starts turning into a habit.

There's the rub.
Because you've just fed the wrong wolf bringing it along to client meetings and sacrosanct family dinners.

What's the alternative?
Bringing the subconscious to the conscious and making it that a habit instead.

Suddenly, the traffic is not a source of frustration, but of self-reflection and curiosity. You start noticing the calm drivers around you.

The seeming naturals, the smiling ones probably listening to their favorite tunes and not worrying about getting cut off by yet another smart-ass.

🍀Now you're inspired.

And you realize you could potentially do this everywhere – family dinner's included.

Wouldn't the world and even traffic jams be a bliss? Well, no.

There's no state of perpetual enlightenment, there's no panacea to the constant tribulations.

Willpower is a depletable resource, a muscle that gets tired even for the best of us.
And this is what you see as your getting the finger slipping by you as you get cut off and miss the green light.

No more, no less.

People aren't bad, just inevitably troubled. And so are you.
Which is fine.
Just try your best to be aware and make it a habit.
Eight times of ten, especially if yesterday's average was seven out of ten.

And go easy on yourself when you don't make it.

22/01/2026

We are fed short-phrased “hooks” as if they are ideas to ponder on. Advice. “Wisdom”. Perspectives. The internet is full of them.

ILC specialises in working with people and organisations that need and demand deeper value. High potentials and high-performers who are clever, active, with varied life experiences, who push boundaries more often than not…

This is why we invite you to join our Q1 workshops (check out events). The first one is tomorrow.

Gain true value in the fields of personal and professional development.

Register quick and easy:

https://checkout.revolut.com/pay/e142d751-5109-414c-bc77-f79f6d750e8f

16/01/2026

| with Valentina Dolmova - "January is when many people go looking for flow. Not the Instagram version. The real one: that inner sense that things are moving, that you’re aligned, that your decisions make sense, that what you do matters (and you can feel it daily).

But in my experience (and after hundreds of coaching conversations), 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:
1. What you believe is true about you
2. What you believe is true about the world
3. What is actually happening - inside and around you

𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑢𝑝, 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠.
𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡, 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 “𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡” 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑦.

: Sometimes momentum is supported externally: a mentor, a coach, a colleague who sits beside you (literally) as you apply, decide, and rebuild.
: Sometimes it’s relational: love, belonging, being seen - and suddenly effort doesn’t feel like effort.
: And sometimes momentum comes from something unexpectedly sober: 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Not cynicism, but clarity. The moment you stop chasing the “high” and start living without self-deception.

That kind of realism can be deeply liberating (and hard to achieve and face).

Here’s the uncomfortable part: many of us lose momentum not because we lack discipline, knowledge, or willingness…
but because we’re loyal ...to a story that isn’t true.

𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
: “If I don’t suffer, it doesn’t count.”
: “If I slow down, I’ll fall behind.”
: “If I’m not certain, I’m not ready.”
: “If they don’t respond, I must be doing something wrong.”

Those beliefs don’t just shape our moods but the experience of life overall.

Petar Dunov says: „По-добре е човек да се обезсърчи, но да знае истината, отколкото да се насърчи, но да е в заблуждение.“
/𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻./

Not the most “motivational” line, I agree, but perhaps that’s the point, and that's what we need more of.

Because the most sustainable momentum I’ve seen doesn’t come from hype.

It comes from 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 + 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲:
Truth about what’s working and what isn’t.
Care for the human who has to live it every day.
So here’s a gentle, practical question for all of us:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄? 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲? And if it’s not true… what might change if we stopped defending it?

Wishing you a kind end to the week with the sort of clarity that creates real movement, rather than imagined flow."

15/01/2026

Next time you make a mistake, don’t fix the thought - shift the state.

Most debriefs try to “think better” after failure.
But in complex, high-pressure environments, learning doesn’t start in the mind.
It starts in the nervous system.

In our live online workshop, Fail Forward, Galia Hubanova, invites you to explore a different relationship with mistakes, one that prioritizes regulation, awareness, and adaptability over self-criticism.

We’ll explore:
🔹 Why mistakes so often trigger shame instead of learning
🔹 How state shapes mindset (not the other way around)
🔹 A simple somatic practice to turn errors into growth fast

No motivation talk.
No positive thinking.

Just practical tools to recover, adapt, and perform better after mistakes.

👉 Check out the event and register to join us: https://fb.me/e/9kQASV4YU

13/01/2026

When careers stop making sense and old answers no longer fit, what comes next? In this intimate interview, Katerina Georgieva shares her journey through HR, coaching, motherhood, and moments of deep recalibration, and how those experiences led to the creation of Career Reset.

A story about conscious pauses, inner clarity, and the courage to move forward without having everything figured out.

If you’ve ever felt:
* successful yet misaligned,
* driven yet exhausted…

this conversation might be the one you didn’t know you needed.

https://www.ilc.one/news/between-transitions-and-growth-katya-on-career-and-choices

When careers stop making sense and old answers no longer fit, what comes next? In this intimate interview, Katya Georgieva shares her journey through HR, coaching, motherhood, and moments of deep recalibration, and how those experiences led to the creation of Career Reset. A story about conscious pa...

02/01/2026

| with Katerina Georgieva

“What if growth isn’t about adding more but about interrupting cycles we’ve inherited without questioning?

As a new year begins, many of us naturally focus on goals and habits.

However, I’ve been sitting with a different question:
➡️ Which cycles and traditions am I ready to interrupt?

Recently, while navigating an academic structure, I noticed how familiar the experience felt, not because of the people involved, but because of the underlying logic:
– silence instead of guidance
– unspoken expectations
– lack of response treated as normal
– the quiet assumption: “You haven’t asked.”

What struck me wasn’t the difficulty itself, but the realization that these patterns are deeply embedded in how hierarchy often operates.

Historically, many systems (military, educational, professional, etc.) relied on initiation through endurance. You navigate ambiguity first, demonstrate commitment, and gradually gain access and respect. Overt humiliation is no longer acceptable, but the dynamics persist in subtler ways.

Today, they show up as withheld information, ambiguity framed as independence, or being tested without knowing there is a test.

Organizational research calls this role ambiguity, and it’s consistently linked to higher stress, slower integration, and lower job satisfaction. From a structural perspective, ambiguity also preserves hierarchy: those with knowledge hold power, while newcomers must adapt without a map.

Research on psychological safety helps explain why silence persists. In steep hierarchies, not asking questions is often an adaptive response - not a lack of curiosity or courage.

And when people progress through these systems, there’s often an unspoken belief:
“If I went through this, others should too.”
This is how cycles repeat.

As we step into 2026, perhaps the most meaningful work isn’t about doing more, but about choosing which inherited practices we’re ready to adjust or interrupt.

Some ways to begin:
– Make expectations explicit from the start
– Create regular check-ins during transitions
– Treat questions as signs of engagement, not weakness
– Document what used to be “just known”

✨ Which workplace tradition are you choosing to rethink this year?
What itger ways can you share that interrupt cycles meaningfully?

30/12/2025

“As this year ends, I find myself less interested in summarising and more interested in telling the , because frankly, another picture perfect reflection is not what we all need.

2025 was not an easy year for us.
It was full, intense, sometimes financially uncomfortable, and deeply formative.

We worked a lot. More than it might show from the outside.

I personally held 138 individual coaching sessions and led every major paid workshop we delivered.

We worked with leadership teams who genuinely care about how they lead and how their people experience work. A privilege that spanned across manufacturing, IT, and professional services, to name a few.

We also ran open workshops, soft launched the Career Reset programne in response to layoffs and career disruption, invested heavily in rebranding and a new website, wrote blogs, 12 newsletters, published a white paper, and kept showing up even when it would have been easier to simplify or soften the work.

Financially, it was tight. We genuinely thought we might end the year in the red.

Finding out, just two days before year-end, that we’ll actually close with a profit felt less like celebration and more like relief. And pride. Quiet pride.

What stands out most isn’t the numbers though.

Across all our work - coaching, therapy, leadership and organisational development - the themes were strikingly similar:

🩶 ALL people I worked with want to do meaningful work.
🩶ALL care deeply about how others feel.
🩶ALL want to lead well, communicate better, and take up authentic space without being misunderstood.
🩶 They’re ALL ambitious, but often uncomfortable admitting it.
🩶 They ALL feel responsible for teams, families, finances…
🩶 …and ALL feel lonely more often than they say out loud.

🖤 They’re learning a lot, sometimes so much that they lose their own voice in the process.
🖤 And most of them know they can do more… they just struggle to create the space to do it.

This year reminded me yet again that depth matters. That theory matters. That slowing down to understand WHY before jumping into how is not a luxury - it’s the work. Even when it’s intense. Even when it’s not the lightest option. Even when it’s so tempting to please through exercises only.

It also reminded me that INDEPENDANCE has value. We spent years focusing on quality over visibility, delivery over connections. Joining communities and partnerships now feels like a choice, not a necessity, and that matters to us.

We’re ending this year steadier than we started it. Clearer. More honest with ourselves. Grateful for our international team, our partners, and the clients who keep coming back, not because the work is easy, but because it’s real.

We didn’t grow in every way we hoped to.
But we grew in the ways that count.

And that feels like a good place to pause — and to continue from. Thank you to all partners, colleagues, clients and friends!”

- Valentina Dolmova

27/12/2025

#3 Nothing changes until we’re willing to look honestly at ourselves. Not to judge. Not to fix.

It may sound trivial but it ain’t easy, nor we can do it alone. Above all, this allows us to finally choose consciously what once chose us.

It is a sobering moment that doesn’t feel good when it happens but it can give us a perspective that’s most liberating and lasts a lifetime.

27/12/2025

#2 “Paradoxically, what we avoid drives most of our actions.” In our coaching and therapy spaces, in the air of our workshops, we see it all this time.

Avoiding discomfort becomes a full-time strategy.
We call it procrastination, control, people-pleasing, perfectionism. We call it even purpouse.

But underneath it’s the same wisdom: protection without permission.

♥️What are you avoiding and running away from?