Dr Alia Bojilova | Former Special Forces Psychologist on Curiosity, Crisis, and Combat-Tested Resilience

In this episode of Helping Organisations Thrive, Dr. Alia Bojilova, a former special forces psychologist, shares her unique insights on resilience through the lens of psychology and her military background. Alia highlights the critical role of curiosity in building resilience, helping individuals move beyond the fight, flight, or freeze response and engage more deeply with their environment.
Reflecting on her experience of being taken hostage in Syria, Alia explains how curiosity enabled her to understand her captors' intentions and communicate effectively. She also shares how small acts of positivity, like a glance or a smile, can serve as powerful survival mechanisms in the face of challenges.
We explore how leaders can cultivate curiosity within teams by fostering awareness, encouraging questions, and creating collaborative environments. Drawing further on Alia’s military background, we discuss the key traits that make special forces personnel elite and resilient: Self-awareness, a deep sense of belonging, curiosity, and the ability to maintain "subjective equilibrium." Alia also offers practical tools for leaders and team members to develop and enhance these traits within themselves.

 

Connect with Alia:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrina-alia-bojilova/

 

Alia has published a book called "The Resilience Toolkit", here is a link to buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Resilience-Toolkit-four-step-process-potential/dp/1035415461/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EXZMCOLEYEVU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Xmfqt3PK3AGKd8OGRHisQew4DzwsVBdO2VWCUx5gTRKCk5sMDyDdjaf1JiyChLnyqK4O_4WFcxeaCGw_E7Y5Kw.jQdgWgycJtcl08xiVg4fx4DwZ4tPS4SRc-WPoSTXVVQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+resilience+toolkit+alia&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1733578887&sprefix=the+resilience+toolkit+alia%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-1

 

 

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If you are looking for a Blueprint to help you and your business manage uncertainty, deal with failure and navigate change then reach out to Julian at: julian@julianrobertsconsulting.com

 

You can buy my book "Weathering the Storm: A Guide to Building Resilient Teams" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DFTYN2Y2

 

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