Dr. Amina Aitsi-Selmi MD PhD

What actually happens when you’re afraid? Years ago, before I took a career leap in 2016, I came home to find a large spider just outside my room. I was meditating and engaged in a lot of inner-work and coaching at the time which enhanced perception. The 5 seconds that followed showed me as much about the workings of my mind-body as ten meditation retreats. In life, under pressure, we often move from one thing to the next and live in a continuous stream of thought. We never

Overwhelm is one of the psychological markers of our time. Not stress. Not busyness. Overwhelm — the feeling of being buried under demands. It comes from the Middle English “whelmen” meaning to turn upside down or submerge. Most people respond by trying harder. Working longer. Pushing through. Meanwhile, your family, relationships, and health pay the cost while you fall deeper into the fantasy of a better future that never comes. This is how we treat ourselves and our planet.

Recently, I’ve been struck by how much misunderstanding arises in leadership and communication because of a lack of clarity about empathy. Most self-aware leaders would consider empathy a positive attribute, albeit in moderation. Many work overtime from guilty feelings when others are disappointed. Yet excessive empathy raises fears of lacking objectivity and compromised decision-making - after all, leadership entails hard choices, and you can’t satisfy everyone all the time

I was in a relational leadership session and made a light comment about “snail energy” to describe how I was feeling. I thought we’d move on, but the whole group began to resonate. Something softened. People felt more alive. When we use animal metaphors for humans, we often refer to more powerful species: we feel ourself ‘soar like an eagle’ or be ‘strong like a lion’ to face the ‘wolf in the boardroom’ and so on. But this time, it was the snail - a distant relative of ours

Others will say this more eloquently. I’m saying it bluntly. Each year, the WEF offers smart views. Each year, many of us sense they won’t resolve the deeper problems we face — because they don’t reach the root of the issues (the true meaning of ‘radical’). Western capitalism isn’t just under strain; it’s structurally collapsing and taking the planet with it. Yet economic freedom is still framed as freedom to: trade without interference, accumulate capital, and profit which

Sometimes we do things for a clear reason. And sometimes it’s an intuition. Sitting across from me, the librarian commented on how lucky I was to be able to borrow the dusty leather-bound book she was processing. I said I liked old books and mentioned that the borrowing date above mine was from 1965. She looked up, wide-eyed, and said: that’s my year of birth. I smiled as I leafed through and pulled out a little leaflet from 1953 celebrating St. Gertrude. I gave it to her an

Many years ago, a mentor told me that I’d always have opportunities. He explained that if a boss wanted something done, they’d want an ‘exotic, hard working woman’ because we were seen to have the right work ethic… I had mixed feelings but I knew he meant it positively. Recently, I came across a concept related to this: the Model Minority Myth. It was coined to described the stereotype of the hard-working American Asian. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being perceived a

If you’re the most interesting person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. That’s what my coach would say back in the day. And it occurred to me that this could apply to any quality: If you’re the most caring person in the room… If you’re the most self-aware… You’re in the wrong room. Why? Because you also need care. And you also need to expand your awareness. Etc. It’s like why hairdressers don’t do their own hair: they can’t see the back of their head. In other words, you

Once upon a time at medical school, I was in a James Bond pantomime. The audience would shout “shaken, not stirred!” when Bond said...

There’s nothing to prove. Like the Wounded Healer, the Wounded Achiever experienced a fracture in their being. They didn’t feel safe or...

I didn’t understand the book at the time. Perhaps I was too young, as a teenager. But I’ve been thinking about The Unbearable Lightness...

Liberation is often confused with political activism or spiritual ecstasy. At The Sanctuary, we work with something simpler and more...

In a world where it’s easy to outsource thinking - via social media, news, politics - many meetings drift without depth. Why? Because...

Ever said to yourself: I’ll do X, when I have Y (e.g. I’ll do that thing that’s important to me when I have more...

I was starting to doubt my decision and think it might be wiser to give up. That morning, it seemed like a great idea to walk the 20km or...

When crisis hits, whether global, political, or personal, I’ve noticed a familiar urge in myself: to lie low and ride it out quietly....

Earlier this month, a member of The Sanctuary: Deep Roots, High Wings made a radical move in her leadership role that she had been...

This week: a simple but powerful 5-step framework (GRASO) to support trauma-sensitive conversations in the workplace. For leaders,...

Although I’m a doctor by background, I’ve never primarily relied on trauma-related frameworks. However, with the increasing levels of...

The only certainty is uncertainty. And even that is uncertain… So how do you make decisions? Option 1: Make predictions Option 2: Freeze...