How Women Work (HWW) is an organization that conducts monthly seminars, conferences and supports the community. Recently the head of the organization changed and the HWW team is working hard towards innovative changes that are coming soon to help women develop and fulfill their dreams.

Evridiki Iliaki (Evry), HWW’s new head, welcomed change in her life in order to fulfill her dream, which was to be part of a prestigious community organization such as HWW.

Evry was born in Greece, a place with an ancient civilization and culture in which women have played an important role in society for more than 5,000 years. She comes from a family that has devoted all their lives to charity and community work.

As a child she had trouble adjusting to a structured school environment and few people believed she would not be able to go to university. She proved them wrong. She went to study in England when she was 17, and by the age of 23 she had finished her Masters and was offered a PhD scholarship.

Evry attended top UK universities where she pursued research in the area of counseling psychology for more than six years and has extensive experience with counseling groups.

Her business and life coaching/counseling is based on the Socratic method of Ancient Greece, which was also used to encourage athletes in the ancient Olympic Games.

Evry specialized in a “New Opportunities for Women” course sponsored by the European Union in the UK, which was recognized by the Queen’s Council for its success. She also gave seminars on women’s issues to the Red Cross.

Evry has been a guest speaker on a number of television programs dealing with issues of life coaching. She has also put on a series of seminars entitled “A New Holistic Way to Achieve Physical and Mental Balance in Your Life through the Use of Visualization and Abdominal Breathing”, and has written various articles on personal development techniques.

Evry came to this part of the world for the first time only a year ago. Since then she has worked as a business/life coach, has given a lot of workshops and formed the HWW support group. This support group is active on Facebook, meets every week and has held various successful events. She has accomplished one of her dreams to be part of the HWW community and contribute to the local community as well.

A message from Evridiki Iliaki

So today is the International Day of gratitude and we wanted to remind ourselves and all of you how important it is to be grateful every day for small things in our lives. We should all feel grateful, every single day that we wake up healthy. We take for granted that without our health we have nothing. I try to keep that in mind so I don’t complain… so, please let us all start our days thinking how grateful we are for waking up healthy for ourselves and for our families.

Gratitude is the safest way towards positive change. After more than 15 years of work experience, I have seen how many people have managed to change, evolve but also heal themselves from physical and emotional pain, by being grateful and remaining faithful.

I will not tell you how I entered my path now. This is the subject of my seminar on the 10^th of October, but I can tell you that I and other members of our group had to learn the hard way to be grateful, in order to bring positive change to our lives.

We would like to support you and help you to understand the value of gratitude in your lives, to embrace change positively and succeed in your dream goals.

So the International Day of gratitude started in 1977 by the United Nations and it is described as a holiday for all people, a day of meditation and prayer for all religions, a day of celebration for all humanity, united by shared emotion, a day when triumph of the spirit can make a world community. This is why we chose to start our HWW season on this special day!

We live in challenging times. Globally there is a sense of fear and uncertainty. Some will listen to me and ask: Why be grateful? But it is scientifically proven that the ability to focus your attention can help you change. Counting your blessings every day is like saying a little prayer and will help you change your focus from your negative circumstances to a life full of positive opportunities.

So let us all start today to express from our hearts thankfulness, first to ourselves as sometimes we are very judgmental and hard on ourselves and then be thankful to others and thankful to our creator, so we can start slowly to live life more meaningfully by realizing that life itself is a true blessing.

I feel the need first of all to thank the local community and to remind you that when in the rest of the world there is turmoil and violence, we should be grateful to be living in a safe country, rich in culture that is evolving. I’d like to thank all the local community for supporting HWW over the past seven years.

Also, I need to thank Carolin Zeitler the Founder of HWW who worked very hard for more than seven years. Without her efforts, I wouldn’t be standing before you today. In addition, I’d like to thank the big family of HWW. Thanks to all of them we had another successful annual event in March of this year. Please let’s all watch only a very small part of Carolin’s amazing work, the only organization of its kind in the GCC.

Therefore, I need from my heart, to thank our supporters, our partners and sponsors from the past and the present.

First of all, I would like to thank our patron, Sheikha Alanoud Al Thani. In addition to being a director of Silatech, Sheikha Alanoud is a member of the Global Shapers Community and in 2014 she was selected to join the Global Shapers Community’s Advisory Council on local and Global Collaboration.

Next I’d like to thank Khalifa Al Haroon, recognized as one of the 100 most powerful Arabs, the founder and CEO of Haroon United Group and ILoveQatar, the most popular media in Doha. Khalifa is a long-time supporter of HWW and a member of its advisory council.

I would also like to thank Dr. Amal Al Malki, the sweetest academic I have ever met. Executive Director at Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Now I really need to thank CCR, one of our major sponsors for 2016/17, especially Vikram Jamwal, the Manager of City Centre Rotana, and his assistance Sonem, as well as all of the staff here. We live in a City with so many hotels and I have seen them all, but the reason I chose City Rotana from the beginning, even before we partnered, was the good positive energy of the place and the staff. CCR is a 5 star hotel but also a cozy place.

Next there’s Ooredoo. Amazing local company-supporting us for years– thank you.

Then Tom and Livia from Siemens, 2 distinguished professionals. Both have been very helpful and supportive.

Now I have to come to the talented legal team at Bennett Jones. George, Ahmad and Bruce, without your support over the past year I wouldn’t be standing here today. These are the most efficient and professional lawyers I have ever met. You are my friends forever. Bless you.

Prime Time Media and Asia News. Find out more about them. They are into media, advertising, Video Production and so much more. Mr. Anwar, Arshak, Vishnu and the best Creative Designer JO! Thank you.

Our Founding Partners QPWN started with us in 2009. I am sending Rita, their new leader, my blessings and positive energy for her new start.

Global Career Qatar, our partner for HWFW conferences, sweet Elsbeth. An amazing professional and a woman with a vision.

Sindhu and all her colleagues from Qatar Today, thank you for all those years of support.

One of our Media Partners, What’s Up Doha, the beautiful Zunira – a truly wonderful person. What’s Up Doha also works as a media, advertising and marketing company.

Napoli Interior Decoration Centre – thank you.

Debaj Collection, the amazing abaya brand we are all wearing tonight, thanks to Glam Your Image, our elegant Elisabete and once more thank you to all of you, each one of you for being here. Without your support we would not be here.

Last, but not least, the best event manager I have ever met, Claudia Messina, and all our team Marwa, Arti, Zara, Rana, Sumitha – you all are HWW, thank you.

There will be innovative monthly seminars and conferences. Our HWW conferences will be here to support women find work. And you don’t want to miss our big annual event in March of next year - on Women’s Day! I promise it will be a very special day!

Our first monthly workshop will focus on a theme that will be emphasized throughout the year. We try to remind ourselves and all of you that if we want to be successful we should be healthy in mind and body. That is why we start today, by reminding ourselves that gratitude is the first step for health and balance that leads us to happiness and success. So on the 10^th of October here in CCR, I will introduce for the first time in Qatar, my Hippocrates Wellness program, based on my many years of work experience and studies.

Please keep an eye on the official HWW Facebook page and their Instagram page.

Have you ever been to a HWW event? What did you think? Comment below!

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AngelPolacco

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