Loredana Popasav: “It feels like the advertising chose me”
Loredana Popasav is the owner of The Simplified Mind, a coaching company, where alongside her colleagues, works with private clients, clients in business and sports arenas, women organisations and NGOs by bringing pioneering approaches to mindset transformation. She is the co-organizer of the Understanding Human Mind International conference, co-founder of The Human Potential Academy, an international NGO dedicated to promote mental health and the human potential, an entrepreneur, a farmer, a teacher and a humanist. She also has over 20 years of experience in the marcomm industry, working on projects of media development, account management and new business, one of the most important positions being New Business Director at Publicis Romania.
Loredana is an experienced Associate Coach with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry. Skilled in Digital Strategy, Negotiation, Budgeting, Mathematical Modeling, and Coaching. Strong community and social services professional with a Practitioner focused in 3 Principles from One Thought Institute.
Loredana is waiting for you June 12-13th at the conference Understanding Human Mind.
AdHugger: What made you choose the advertising path at the beginning of your career?
Pure chance. In retrospect, it feels like the advertising chose me. I enjoyed working with people in the media environment and had a good sense of how to communicate to people so I guess i fitted in well and enjoyed what i did.
AdH: How would you describe the marcomm industry at that time?
I started in the ’90s and back then marcomm was still in it’s infancy as an industry. We we trying to learn from the West so to speak and to figure out how we could develop a uniquely Romanian approach to consumers. So, as in any start it was a blend of Chaos, learning, frustration, fun. A lot of personalities emerged, sometimes good people, sometimes more determined than good! It was, and perhaps still is in some respects, a personality driven industry in Romania.
AdH: What attracted you most to that field and why?
I loved the creativity and the ever changing scene in terms of working with different brands and industries. You can never get bored in this industry, there is always something new being created or some new opportunity to present.
AdH: How hard was giving up working in advertising after so many years and reaching such a high position?
The actual giving up was actually really easy in the end. I think i had my time in that business and started to see a stagnation in terms of how the industry was moving (or not!) and was ready for a change. When i heard the work of the coaches i felt like i had not felt for a while – excited.
AdH: Have you ever regretted taking that decision?
Not for one second. However, I suppose in a way I never completely left, because in my new career a got to work with people who work in various advertising agencies. Its nice to still have this connection but honestly i am very happy on the other side of the fence looking in!
AdH: What would you say that are the main qualities someone interested in working in advertising would need to posses?
Adaptability, loads of energy and an openness to ideas and possibilities. As I said, this is an industry that prizes new things and seems in continuous movement, so rigidity and status quo won’t be found here. Resilience is also key, although i would say all major commercial roles need this today.
AdH: You made a major shift, towards coaching, some time after moving to Prague. What determined you do change your professional path?
Moving to Prague was in itself a big cultural change and it gave me the opportunity to calm down look at life with fresh eyes, but the decision to change career was when I heard something about the way mind works that completely change the way I looked at everything and I saw the potential this understanding has to change people’s lives.
AdH: How has your life changed since that moment?
As my view of life and mind changed, so did every aspect of my life change ever since. I reached a higher level of calmness, love and compassion, but also my performance levels increased since I stopped believing in my own limitations. I also learned not to trust my thoughts, especially the fast ones!
AdH: How did you advertising experience help you in your coach one?
In advertising you look for insights – about brands, consumers, trends, etc. In coaching you look for insights about people in the human mind, in psychology. I think this is what they have in common. Apart from this, my project management abilities from advertising and the diversity of projects, helped me not only being a good coach, but also creating and producing a conference, an NGO, creating different programs for different markets and the adaptability to navigate through these.
AdH: You are organizing a big event in Bucharest 12-13 June. What would you say to the marcomm people interested in attending it, what would be the main points for them?
Marcomm people, like anyone else, would have the opportunity to relax. they’ll have the opportunity to relax their minds and listen to something new and fresh. They’ll have the opportunity to look at the human mind, the human psychology, theirs and every one else in the world, and to get a glimpse of understanding of the mind, that will be with them all their lives. I tell them they’re in for “learning for life”, because once you’ get an insight, you can’t un-see it, it stays with you.