We were lucky to catch up with Anna Bobikova recently and have shared our conversation below.

Anna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Hello everyone, my name is Anna Bobikova, and I am delighted to have the chance to share my story with you. I am driven by a profound passion to expand the reach of Psychodrama and Action Methods (AM) in the fields of mental health, education, and coaching, as well as introducing video format to the scholarly field. What Psychodrama and AM is? The core principle lies in the power of action. Through action, individuals can actively experience change, immerse themselves in the transformative process, and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their circumstances. Unlike conventional talking methods in mental health or education system, Psychodrama brings elements of fun, dynamism, and ease, making it a quicker and more engaging path to healing and transformation, personal and professional growth and learning.

My unique background, which combines experience in television project management, business training and coaching, and counseling in the mental health field, has been instrumental in the creation of my business project. I am proud to be recognized for my contributions and have been nominated for the Innovators Award by the American Society of Psychodrama and Group Psychotherapy (ASGPP). Additionally, I am currently pursuing a Human Development PhD program at Fielding University, where I am conducting research on the efficacy of video courses and will be defending my dissertation in the video format.

Before the pandemic, the exclusive format for training in Psychodrama and AM was limited to in-person workshops. Best trainers were located in the US and Europe primarily. However, this approach posed significant challenges for many individuals and countries due to its high costs for travel and accommodation, making it nearly impossible for some to attend. Furthermore, scheduling such training sessions required extensive planning years in advance. The main disadvantage was that participants often left the training without the ability to apply the learned techniques effectively, as they only had the opportunity to observe them once. This lack of repetition and absorption delayed their ability to utilize the methods for years, resulting in the need for repetitive training sessions.

During the pandemic, a new format emerged – Zoom webinars. While they provided easier access to distant trainers and were more financially affordable than in-person training, they still presented a limitation: students could only watch the techniques demonstrated once, hindering their ability to effectively apply the learned skills. Recognizing this issue, I sought to find an innovative solution.

I came to the realization that creating pre-recorded video courses would be the key to overcoming these challenges. By offering this format, students from all over the world could access the expertise of the best international trainers, study at their own pace, and gain the ability to learn and apply the techniques in their practice after completing the course. Not only does this approach address the issues of high prices and the inability to apply learned skills, but it also provides a solution to the difficulty of accessing renowned trainers located in Europe and the US.

My journey began by creating the Youtube video channel Action Explorations, where I conducted interviews with world-famous psychodramatists with practical demonstrations of the methods. Currently, there are 250 free, high-quality professional videos available, serving both professionals and the general public, that are accessed by people from all around the globe daily. These videos offer valuable knowledge and insights in the field of Psychodrama and AM, and the interview hours are recognized and applicable for professional psychodrama certification by the American Board of Examiners (ABE).

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As Action Explorations video channel grew, I enhanced my skills as a video course producer, and driven by my belief in the transformative power of Psychodrama and AM, established Action Explorations Education (AEE) business project, which specializes in the production and sale of pre-recorded online video courses tailored to the needs of mental health professionals, including counselors, social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists and educators and life/health/business coaches. Completing our short-term courses provide professionals with the practical action techniques applicable in work with their patients (clients) with the issues as: trauma and substance use, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, identity and genders issues, internal and external conflicts, challenging age groups as children, adolescents and seniors. Our courses provide outstanding skills training in working with the groups as well as individuals, in in person or group setting. For coaches and educator’s skills as: class management, conflict resolution, organizational development, group dynamics, team building and others.

Our courses solve three main problems for our customers: high cost, hard to access top trainers, impossible to utilize the learned technique after the training. How does AEE solve them?

The costs associated with 3 days in-person training are: travel ($ 400-$1000), accommodation ($ 400 -700), and training fees ($ 400 – 700$ for 3 days), total of $ 1200-2400. It can be overwhelming for professionals seeking to enhance their skills. Our video courses offer an accessible and cost-effective solution, eliminating the need for expensive travel and reducing the overall investment required. One module of our training cost about $50-100 and it is equal 3 days of in-person training. Moreover, accessing top trainers from Europe and the US has never been easier, as our platform brings renowned experts right to your screen. Also, while in-person workshops provide valuable firsthand experiences, they often lack the flexibility for immediate technique application. This is where our video courses truly shine. With carefully crafted content, our courses allow repeated viewing, enabling customers to deeply absorb the material and apply it in real-world scenarios. Whether a mental health professional, educator, or coach, our video courses empower our clients to quickly and effectively integrate learned techniques into practice.

Our customers are mental health professionals, educators and coaches from over 60 countries. As an example of AEE Social impact, our customers that took course on working with trauma, utilize their skills with the affected by Russian-Ukrainian War and Turkish earthquake aftermath clients.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Balancing high occupancy as a single parent of a 3-year-old child, being a student in the doctorate program, and managing a startup business with limited resources has been no easy feat. I have taken on multiple business roles in my project, including project manager, video director and producer, academic researcher, cast manager, marketer, and business developer. Combining and effectively performing these tasks has been challenging, especially as the creator and project controller. Additionally, AEE is an online-based business with the team members scattered around the world has its unique set of challenges. However, I have sought solutions to navigate these challenges. Currently, I am in the process of hiring an experienced and qualified project manager to assist with the controlling aspect of the business. Despite the obstacles, by bringing professionals together and advancing technologies, I remain determined to overcome any challenges that come my way.

Any advice for managing a team?

Managing a team and maintaining high morale can be challenging, especially in the context of our small international team: time zone difference, language barriers, task setting and controlling problems – these are the main challenges we have. We face limitations in terms of employee experience (the industry of online pre-recorded courses is young and there are not too many experienced people) and financial resources, resulting in shared responsibilities among a smaller group. Additionally, as we build our company from the ground up, the absence of established policies and procedures lead to uncertainty and misunderstanding the tasks and deadlines. To address these challenges, I am focusing on improving our marketing strategies, generating revenue, and seeking investments to support our development. Implementing an Agile task-setting system with the Trello software has been instrumental in setting clear tasks, managing deadlines across different time zones, and enhancing communication and visibility of task progress for our team. This approach helps to create a sense of structure and facilitates better collaboration and communication within our team. Also using my favorite Psychodrama techniques at the company meetings brings fun and enjoyment into the meetings, motivates and bonds the team members. Bring Action Methods into your company, try and share what you think.

Warmly,
Anna Bobikova

Contact Info:

• Website: www.actionexplorations.education
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/actionexplorations/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/anna.bobikova/ and www.facebook.com/ActionExplorationsEducation/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-bobikova/ and www.linkedin.com/company/action-explorations-education/
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/anna_bobikova
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ActionExplorations
• Other: Tiktok: http://www.tiktok.com/@actionexplorations