We sat down with Eleni Vardaki, Therapeutic Coach and EFT Practitioner, to talk about her unique journey, from growing up across continents to finding her true home in Greece, and building a career helping adults, teenagers and kids manage stress and anxiety through innovative mind-body techniques. In this conversation, Eleni shares insights into her work, the challenges and opportunities she’s encountered as a woman entrepreneur in Greece, and her perspective on the evolving mental health landscape both in Athens and beyond.

I’m the daughter of an EU diplomat, so we moved frequently. I was born in Zimbabwe, though my family roots are in Pelion, Greece. Throughout my childhood, I lived in Zimbabwe, Sudan, Pakistan, Russia, and Belgium. Every two diplomatic postings —roughly every eight years—we returned to the administrative center of the EU, Belgium, due to my father’s career requirements as a foreign service representative.

I especially loved the natural landscapes in Sudan and Pakistan, although life there was often challenging, particularly for girls and women, and I witnessed many difficult realities. 

Later, I went to study in the UK, and I then worked in schools in England and in Sudan. And in 2012, I returned to Greece to settle down permanently.

Yeah, it was always the direction I was heading in. I always wanted to live in Greece. I wanted the stability of being in my own country after having lived in so many different places and traveled so much as a child. As a teenager, I’d be counting down the days and months before we’d come back to Greece for the summer holidays. I’ve always loved the culture and the nature here.

 

My parents did a great job helping me feel a sense of belonging in the place where my roots are. That was really important given how much we traveled. I needed to feel like I belonged somewhere, and Greece was that place.

The first job I had when I settled here was as a history teacher in a private British school. I already knew the language, though it wasn’t my first language since I went to English-speaking schools throughout my expat childhood. 

Whenever we came back to Pelion, I’d try to read all the Greek words I saw on signs and around me and listen to how the words were pronounced. Over the years, I learned to read Greek this way. When I was abroad, I represented Greece. It’s kind of funny, because back then I was labelled by fellow Greeks as a foreigner (a ‘xeni’), just because I spoke what in the 90s they called ‘broken Greek’ (‘spasta Ellinika’). I was othered.

And now, it’s the other way around: it’s now trendy to include English words into conversation. Many in the younger generations of Greeks who are more educated and curious are more open to diversity, in all it’s forms, than previous generations were. 

I feel fortunate to have returned to Greece in this historical period of greater tolerance and inclusion for the different shades of what it means to be Greek.

I love living and working in Athens. I love that you have access to so many beaches within a 40-minute to an hour drive. You can get to mountains, parks, beautiful cafes, museums, concerts, outdoor cinemas, and there’s such a variety of restaurants, cuisines, and tavernas where you can enjoy fresh food.

For me, it’s the most humane capital city I’ve lived in. I’ve lived in places like Moscow and Islamabad, and Athens feels very different. More relaxed, more accessible. It’s like a city that really breathes. 

I think being based in Athens has definitely opened up more opportunities than if I were in a more rural part of Greece. For example, I’ve been able to attend important conferences for my professional development - like one with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, the author of The Body Keeps the Score. Being in Athens gave me access to that, which was incredibly valuable.

As for challenges, it’s less about being a woman business owner and more about the nature of my work. It’s a niche and relatively new field, so I have to consistently show up and be visible, doing articles, interviews, and raising awareness. And as someone who was naturally a very shy child, that took a lot of my own tapping to overcome my resistance to being in the spotlight. I value my privacy, so this was definitely a challenge. It took me years to get comfortable with being visible enough to educate people about this modality.

It’s a branch of modern psychology that helps you connect your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques. It’s a robust method that combines elements of cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy, but its foundation is a somatic intervention: tapping on specific acupressure points that have been proven to reduce stress. By reducing stress, it helps decrease the intensity of negative thoughts and emotions.

Much of the work involves accessing the subconscious rather than the conscious mind. Within about 20 minutes of tapping, people often begin to access underlying thoughts and beliefs, which can then be addressed directly. EFT focuses on neutralizing negative associations—whether it’s the fear of taking an exam, attending an important job interview, or undergoing surgery after a traumatic medical experience—so that these situations no longer trigger past anxiety or stress responses.

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If you want to explore more about Eleni’s work and discover how EFT
can help you achieve balance and well-being, visit her page HERE.

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Q: What drew you to working specifically with stress, anxiety, and academic success?

It has been a long journey. I first realized the connection between stress management strategies and academic success when I was a teenager. This wasn’t by chance; it came from my lifestyle as an expat and the child of an EU diplomat, which meant changing countries every three to four years. Inevitably, this lifestyle impacted my nervous system as a child and teenager. I discovered mindfulness, visualizations, and breathwork during that time and began practicing them to manage the stress of constantly changing schools and environments. But I noticed an unintended benefit: my grades improved. That’s when I realized that stress management is connected to academic success.

Later, as an adult, I discovered EFT tapping as another method for stress reduction, and noticed how effective it could be, particularly in helping students psychologically prepare for exams. After successfully coaching a High School student through exam preparation using these techniques, I decided to get certified in EFT so I could expand my toolbox and be more effective in supporting others.

The younger the child, the less resistance there is to acknowledging and working on their stress response without judgment. There’s a tendency among adults to insist, “I can cope,” as if acknowledging stress is a sign of weakness. Also, adults—and even teenagers—often need to be given some time to address any skepticism they may have about whether stress-reduction techniques can help, to get out of their head and to reconnect with their body. Whereas kids are already mindful, they are already in their body. That means we can start working on the distressing emotion or psychosomatic ache or pain sooner.

As a result of the “I don’t need help - I can cope” mentality, adults may delay seeking help, even when they experience clear stress-related symptoms like migraines, autoimmune diseases, insomnia, back pain, rashes, or stomach pains. They might visit multiple doctors for these issues without addressing the underlying causes. In contrast, children are generally more vocal about their discomfort and more open to accepting help, rather than trying to soldier through it.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that boys and men, regardless of age, can have a harder time accessing, labeling, or even being aware of their emotions, often because of socialization. In these cases, I’ll work with the physical manifestations of stress instead, asking where in the body they feel pain or tension. We can then use tapping to address that sensation, such as “Even though I feel this pain in my stomach, I’m here to work on that so I can be OK”, without immediately naming the underlying emotion. This indirect approach can be an effective way to help them process stress when directly exploring emotions feels difficult.

Q: What role does the mind-body connection play in helping people perform better in all areas of their lives?

A: It allows for forward progress without as much struggle. When you’re using only your mind to achieve goals, but your nervous system is dysregulated, you may experience a range of stress-related or psychosomatic symptoms, which can even develop into actual physical health problems. This makes the journey toward your goals much harder.

By integrating the mind and body, you can regulate your nervous system, reduce these challenges, and approach your goals with greater ease. As a result, people often find they can go further, faster, and with less strain than they expected.

Q: Can you share a success story where your coaching made a big difference in someone’s life?

One that stands out is a teenager I worked with who had been seeing a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist for Trichotillomania, compulsive hair pulling caused by stress. The strategies she had tried weren’t working. But when she came to me, she didn’t present that issue. Instead, she and her mother booked four EFT sessions for help with Math exam anxiety at the end of the school year.

Interestingly, the Math exam anxiety cleared in just one session, leaving us with three remaining. So I asked what else she would like to work on, and she suggested trying EFT for her compulsion to pull her hair. Over the next three sessions, the behavior stopped almost completely. After the summer, we did a few additional sessions to address occasional triggers, but overall, within five sessions, the behavior had stopped.

Not only did this help with her academics, but it also brought immense relief. She had been worried about developing a permanent bald spot, and resolving this compulsion lifted a huge emotional burden.

Q: What are the most common stressors you’ve seen among Greek clients, and how do you help them face these challenges?

The top three are financial stress, relational stress, and health-related stress, whether it’s dealing with personal health issues, health anxiety, or caring for a family member with chronic health problems.

To address these, we use EFT tapping. We start by identifying the stressful situation, such as an upcoming invasive medical procedure, the emotions behind it, and where it’s felt in the body. Sometimes we focus on one of these aspects, other times we assign each of these aspects a number on a scale of 0 to 10 and use that as a baseline. During the session, we continuously monitor how the client’s numbers shift as we tap, which allows us to track progress in real time.

For example, with financial stress, we might work on fears about checking how much money is left in a bank account, the stress of a big unexpected expense, or getting hit by a huge tax bill. Just thinking about a large tax payment can trigger stress levels and frustration at the injustice of it an 8/10 in intensity, for example. By tapping while focusing on their negative emotions and stress sensations, we work on lowering both the emotional and physiological responses, making it easier to face these challenges with a clearer, calmer mindset so that they can think of how they can deal with it.

 

Q: What is one thing you would change about the way mental health and coaching are approached in Athens and Greece?

I think the coaching sector in Greece is strong. There are many skilled professionals, whether traditional life coaches who focus on top-down cognitive strategies and talk-based coaching interventions, or somatic coaching approaches like the one I offer. Psychotherapists, psychologists, and the entire mental health sector have a lot to contribute.

I’d like to see more collaboration between the medical and mental health sectors, especially in private healthcare. Many health issues are linked to lifestyle factors rather than genetics. Helping people change and improve their habits can make a huge difference in managing or even preventing stress-related health problems from becoming more serious. Coaching and therapy can also help patients manage stress and anxiety related to medical experiences. 

If doctors referred patients with such challenges to relevant specialists in the mental health sector, it could greatly improve their well-being and overall quality of life. Strengthening partnerships between the medical and mental health fields would allow for a more holistic and effective approach to patient care. I believe bridging this gap across the two sectors by working together would benefit many people.

Q: And what about your clients? Have you noticed any changes, since for many people mental health is still a taboo topic?

Yes, I have noticed a change in Athens. More people are developing the humility and courage to say it’s okay to get help. It doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human.

In Athens there are new ideas, workshops, and experiences that people can benefit from and become more informed about mental health. When ignorance in an area decreases, people stop thinking, “Oh, I’m not crazy, so I don’t need to see a Psychologist.” Or “I’m fine, I don’t need to hire a coach for my stress” - even when they have medically diagnosed stress-related health issues. So with knowledge more readily available, I’m seeing more people willing to invest in coaching, therapy, and stress reduction services over here. 

However, in more rural parts of Greece, there’s still more resistance. There’s a kind of competition around who is more tired or working harder, and less recognition that you can achieve your goals without sacrificing your health and well-being. That mindset seems to be less present in the countryside compared to Athens.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in Greece when you want to completely relax? 

Oh, definitely going to the beach, all year round—winter, summer, spring, autumn. For me, it’s the sea above all, even more than other nature spots. But any kind of nature is restorative.

Q: And one final question…To whom would you recommend EFT tapping?

I would invite anyone curious to explore Emotional Freedom Techniques, especially those who have already done some work with psychologists or psychotherapists and have a conscious understanding of their blocks but feel stuck. EFT works really well when there’s a somatic, or body-based, component to the challenge, something that keeps you stuck on a physical or emotional level.

For example, it can help with overcoming procrastination towards an important goal, releasing or healing chronic lower back pain, or improving sleep when insomnia is an issue.

So, if you’ve done all you can with your conscious mind and you feel there might be subconscious emotional blocks stored in your body, EFT sessions might be a helpful next step to try.

A Hopeful Note

Looking ahead, we’re optimistic about the future of mental health and coaching in Greece. As awareness grows and collaboration between medical and mental health professionals strengthens, more people will feel empowered to seek the support they need. With evolving attitudes and innovative approaches like EFT gaining traction, we envision a future where holistic well-being becomes a natural part of everyday life, helping individuals and communities thrive.

Thank you, Eleni, for sharing your insights and inspiring us with your journey!

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If you want to explore more about Eleni’s work and discover how EFT can help you achieve balance and well-being, visit her page HERE.

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Warehouse wholesale company Costco has switched the sourcing of the extra virgin olive oil that goes into its Kirkland Signature 2-liter bottle from Italian sources, to providers from Greece.

This is good news for providers in Greece who have felt the punch of the financial crisis and even better news for the recognition Greek olive oil deserves.

The move across the Ionian Sea comes amid an apocalyptic season for Italy’s olive groves. A hot spring, a rainy summer and a pesky olive-eating fly conspired to create what Italian daily La Repubblica called “the black year of Italian olive oil.”

Production in Italy is expected to drop 34 percent this year, according to the International Olive Oil Council.

Prices have gone up accordingly: Italian extra-virgin olive oil in March was sold by producers for about $2.97 a pound, 84 percent more than a year earlier, according to the council.

For Costco, the reasoning appears to be purely financial— and not because Greek olive oil is far superior to its Italian counterpart. That drastic price hike must have been tough to swallow for the company that’s always looking for a good deal.

Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti said the availability of the extra-virgin olive oil Costco usually purchases from Italy is down to one-tenth of the normal level.


To read more, please visit: PappasPost

The stories about Athens and its people are endless. Many of them have faded from memory over time. Others are remembered in fragments that come together at some point for the story to be told. The case of the Yussuroum family is one such Athenian tale. As charming as it is distant, the family name has retained its currency in everyday usage: Yussuroum (also rendered as giousouroum) in Greek has come to mean flea market.

The Athens Jewish community held an event in October in honor of Mois Yussuroum, aged 95, for his voluntary service over the decades. A garden in the community’s synagogue was named after the benefactor and the event, held on the initiative of the Jewish Museum in Athens and the Jewish community, was an occasion to bring back to light the history of the Yussuroum family.

While many Greeks use the term yussuroum when referring to a flea market, few know that it stems from this family and, in particular, from the antique market it created in the Jewish quarter of central Athens. Mois Yussuroum is the descendant of a long line of successful merchants with a presence in Athens. The Yussuroum home on Karaiskaki and Ermou streets was located in the middle of the city center’s commercial district and also housed the capital’s first synagogue. This was the heart of the Jewish quarter, which lay between Aghion Asomaton Square, Sarri and Ermou streets.

To read more, please visit: Ekathimerini

For those families who live in the Diaspora, trips back to Greece are often a favourite family tradition. Many families will have a particular time of the year (for example Greek summer or Greek Easter) when they like to go back to Greece to visit their ancestral village or town, usually staying with relatives. Sometimes the extended family will go elsewhere in Greece together, such as one of the beautiful Greek islands, so that everyone can have some relaxing time away from work and routine. The common ingredient, regardless of family, destination or time of year, is quality time spent as a family, enjoying one another’s company and building precious lifelong memories.

 

Many parents like to turn the family holiday into an exciting opportunity for their children to explore their cultural heritage. Living in the Diaspora, our kids will most certainly already have a “taste” of their heritage and language, often by participating in events within the Greek community, and socialising with other Greek families. However, when visiting Greece on holiday, kids will discover many differences, and even more similarities, between their own life, and that of their peers who live in Greece. Visiting the country of birth of their parents or grandparents offers them an appreciation and connection to their own heritage. They will begin to form a deeper understanding of many of your family traditions and celebrations they witness in the Diaspora, and these will take on a whole new meaning when they return home. It is certainly a new feeling to enjoy Greek Easter with the entire town and country, than it is with only a small group of others back home – when most of their classmates eat their chocolate eggs on a different weekend altogether!

There are lots of fun and age-appropriate ways to help your child make the most of his/her holiday back to Greece. Firstly, prepare in advance by showing children pictures and discussing your destination. Talk about the sites you will visit back home and why they are special, such as the house you were raised in, or a cultural landmark in your town. Show them photos of their relatives that you will visit, as well as any family friends, and explain the family connection. If Greek isn’t already spoken at home, your child will get a real buzz out of learning, and then trying out, a few key Greek phrases when they arrive. Start with the basic greetings, and depending on your child’s interest and ability, introduce him/her to more words and phrases as the holiday draws closer. You can also purchase colourful activity books aimed at kids to assist the process, such as ‘Trip to Greece’, which features an interesting narrative in English, and Greek keywords to practise and learn. Each page offers multiple fun opportunities for your child to hear, speak, read and write Greek.

When planning your travel itinerary, it’s always a good idea to include plenty of child-friendly activities, as most kids will find long days of visiting monuments and museums, as well as relentless visits to aging relatives, quite tiring. They will get more enjoyment out of the trip (and learn more too) if you spread out your cultural visits over the duration of the holiday. And of course, they will always have more fun during visits to relatives and family friends who happen to have kids around the same age. It is certainly important that kids do visit and spend time with their older relatives too – but, depending on your child’s age, consider bringing along some games or activities for when their attention span during the visit starts to wear out.

Make sure to include some unscheduled time too. An agenda that is too full unfortunately eliminates opportunities for those unplanned adventures that so often are the highlights of the entire holiday. Leave plenty of time to explore at leisure, or simply enjoying relaxing in your relatives’ home. Remember that children are fascinated by the small things – they will spend hours absorbed in exploring the kitsch souvenirs at Monastiraki or watching the Evzones guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier, chasing pigeons, tasting gioconda chocolates while visiting, or eating vanilla fondant by the spoonful!

As many of us have experienced, when travelling overseas, not everything always goes to plan. Museums or attractions you had planned to visit may be closed, or bad weather may force you to cancel some excursions you were hoping to make. Travelling with kids just adds to the unpredictability of the holiday. However, don’t see this as a deterrent. Leave some room in your holiday schedule for some spontaneity, and (depending on their age) let your kids decide on some of the activities you do together. Often, the things that you didn’t plan turn out to be the most memorable.

Enjoy your family holiday – these memories are the most precious and the building blocks of your family. Hopefully your trip back to Greece will awaken your child’s curiosity and interest in his/her cultural heritage, and the desire to learn Greek more fluently for the next visit!

For more information about the author and her children's books, please visit: Melina Mallos
 

Discover 10 things to do on a Sunday in Athens, restaurants that are ideal for perfect nights out with the kids, and outdoor cinemas in the city that offer movie-goers the chance to sit back, relax and enjoy a show under the stars.

Despite the recent lockdown, the travel restrictions, and the blow to the Greek economy, it's only a matter of time until our country comes back stronger and even more colorful. Soon we will be able to enjoy Greece's great beauty in real life, united with our loved ones.

Until things settle back to normal, let us virtually travel to Greece with this stunning 2-minute video that showcases some of its most beautiful locations!

 

 

Greek dances are very important in Greek culture and there is an amazing variety. The music, the pace, the steps can vary depending on the area in Greece. However, there are some dances that are danced all over Greece and almost every Greek knows to dance. This is, because they usually also learn some dances during their gymnastic lesson in primary school, and Kalamatianos is one of them.

The Kalamatianos is a popular dance, often referred to as ”sirtos”. Its roots are lost back in antiquity: on ancient vases, we can see dancers dancing like in the Kalamatianos, and there are ancient inscriptions referring to the “sirtos” dances.

The name “Kalamatianos” indicates its modern origin from the Peloponnese (Kalamata: city in south Peloponnese). Thanks to the cheerful music and its pleasant rhythm, the dance was introduced throughout Greece with several variations.

This dance is danced by both men and women. The dancers dance in a circle. The first person in the row can improvise and make figures. He/she often holds a white scarf in his/her right hand.

 

The dance has 12 steps. Depending on the area there are small variations, e.g. the way you cross your legs. The steps may seem to be a lot, but the most important thing is to keep up with the rhythm of the music. Even if you do not know the steps, do not hesitate to enter the circle and follow the rhythm of the other dances. Do not worry if it goes wrong, the goal is to have a good time!

The music that accompanies the Kalamatianos is usually cheerful and the pace varies depending on the area. So sometimes the rhythm of the music is very fast and therefore the circle moves quickly, and in other areas, the music has a much slower pace, and you will have more time to adjust your steps and learn it more easily! Click here for an example of foreigners dancing the Kalamatianos in Greece.

The most representative song is the ” Mantili Kalamatiano” (=scarf made in Kalamata), where the singer asks her beloved to bring her a silk scarf as a sign of his love on his way back from Kalamata (Kalamata was known for producing silk scarves of high quality). Listen to the song, here.

During summer, feasts with live music are organized in many villages, accompanied with food, drinks and many hours of dance. If you are lucky, and you are on the right place, the right moment, do not hesitate to join the circle, trying your dancing steps. If you prefer to

just “observe”, that is also a great experience. Click here to see one of my experiences on the island of Skiros, where I joined the circle together with our daughter.

If you also love Greek music and dance, then feel free to download my free eBook, on the masaresi.com webpage!


This content was originally posted on masaresi.com

Masaresi.com was founded by Maya Cornelissens-Andreadi, who shares her experience about how “to integrate in Greece and feel like a local”. Masaresi = μας αρέσει = we like it! Discover the “real Greece," while delving into all the aspects of Greek life – from modern lifestyle and culture to history, literature, traditions, and many more.

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