We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Avra Lyraki. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Avra below.

Alright, Dr. Avra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

There was a time in my career when I threw everything into a project that seemed like the perfect opportunity. I invested countless hours, thinking this was my chance to make a big leap forward. But despite all the planning, energy, and excitement, things fell apart in a way I never saw coming. The project got cancelled, and I was left with nothing but a sense of defeat. The worst part? It wasn’t just a minor setback; it was a huge blow to my professional confidence.

In the aftermath, I was frustrated and questioning whether I had made the wrong choice to begin with. But what I didn’t realize at the time was that this setback would turn out to be a pivotal moment in my career, one that would eventually shape the direction of my professional life in ways I couldn’t yet grasp.

The most important lesson I took away was the power of resilience. A setback doesn’t define you; how you respond to it does. What matters is how you recover, learn, and pivot—and that takes persistence, hard work, and a strategic mindset.

Over the next few months, I focused on rebuilding, not just my career, but my mindset. It was a crucial period because I could have let that failure derail my future. Instead, I decided to approach the next steps with purpose. I took a step back and asked myself tougher questions: How could I improve my skills? What new opportunities could I pursue that would challenge me? How could I balance the risks I was taking with the effort needed to turn things around?

That’s when I started adopting a more calculated approach to risk. I remembered a line from James Bond: “Always have an escape plan.” I began to prioritize consistency and diversification, small, steady actions that would move me forward each day, even if the rewards weren’t immediate. I made sure to learn from every misstep and continuously refine my approach, including diversifying my clients and projects to reduce future risk.

Eventually, my perseverance paid off. A few months later, I landed an even bigger opportunity—one that not only aligned with my skill set but pushed me to grow in unexpected ways. It was an exciting, high-impact project, and it marked the turning point I needed. The risks I had taken, both in choosing the project and in how I recovered from my setback, paid off. But it wasn’t luck—it was a result of hard work, persistence, and consistency. It taught me that the greater the risk, the more methodical you must be in preparing and executing.

The key takeaway? Setbacks aren’t the end of the road; they’re a test of how committed you are to your long-term goals. If you’re willing to put in the work to recover, learn, and approach future challenges strategically, setbacks will prepare you for even bigger opportunities.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Dr. Avra Lyraki

Ranked among the Top 100 Global Thought Leaders in Coaching by Thinkers360|Global Executive Communication Coach (MCC, ICF) | Government & C-Suite Trusted Advisor |ICF Assessor, ACTC & Mentor Coach| TEDx Speaker| HBR Advisory Council Member

www.lifeselfcoaching.com
[email protected]

Dr. Avra Lyraki is Global Executive Communication Coach & Mentor (MCC, ICF) who works with C – Level Executives and high potential leaders to help them create positive permanent shifts in their leadership impact and the results they achieve. Her engagements consist of working one-to-one with senior executives worldwide and with senior teams to help them co-act better and increase their executive visibility and impact as a team. I also work with executive teams to help them communicate effectively with their internal and external stakeholders while taking decisive actions to expedite progress and capitalize on their character strengths.

By equipping leaders with practical tools and serving as a trusted thought partner, she assists them in navigating the complexities of change. This empowers them to optimize new behaviors through practice and troubleshooting before implementing them in real-world scenarios.

With over 25 years of experience in the international services industry—spanning Human Resources Management, Customer Intelligence and Experience, and Marketing Communications—she has developed deep expertise across multiple disciplines. In 2018, she founded Life Self Coaching P.C., a firm dedicated to providing executive coaching, mentoring, training, and consulting services to business leaders worldwide.

Additionally, she was selected by the Bureau of Global Talent Management (U.S. Department of State) to serve as a Regional Global Employment Advisor (Contractor). As part of a global team of 19 professionals, she supported U.S. Embassy communities across 18 Eastern European countries, offering tailored coaching and mentoring services.

Her academic background includes a Ph.D. thesis on Corporate Communication with a specialization in Organizational Communication during Mergers & Acquisitions. Furthermore, she holds a Master’s degree in International Management from the University of La Verne, California, and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Panteion University of Social & Political Sciences, Department of International & European Studies.

Additionally, she has honed her expertise as an executive workshop leader in numerous topics specializing in the areas of Executive Coaching, Interpersonal, and Corporate Communication, as well as, Executive Mentoring and ICF Mentor Coaching.

Having genuine interest for the coaching profession, she has created Life Self Coaching Methodology© and co-authored the innovative coaching methodology Face your Strengths©.

Since 1997 she has coached, trained and mentored more than 10,000 senior executives and have collaborated with multinationals and N.G.O.s across the globe.

Additionally, she is a well experienced executive workshop leader in numerous topics specializing in the areas of Executive Coaching, Interpersonal, and Corporate Communications, as well as Personal Mentoring.

CERTIFICATIONS
 Certified ICF Credentialing Assessor – International Coaching Federation (ICF)
 Certified ICF Team Coach (ACTC) – International Coaching Federation (ICF)
 Certified EMCC Global Quality Award Assessor-– European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC)
 Certified Senior Practitioner Coach – European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC)
 Certified Master Certified Coach (MCC) – International Coaching Federation (ICF)
 Certified Statement Analysis® – Advanced Interviewing Concepts Detecting Deception Using Statement Analysis®
 Certified Facilitator – Harvard Business Publishing
 Certified Instructor – Lift International
 Certified Life Coach – CoachCentrum CU AB Sweden (ACC/International Coach Federation)
 Certified Holistic Life, Career, Executive Coach – Goal Imagery Institute, US (ACTP Training Certificate)
 Certified Mentor – mENTERing Project – European Project MAITRE
 Certified Strengths Practitioner – VIA Institute on Character
 Certified Extended DISC® Consultant
 Certified Practitioner on Strategic Innovation on Customer Experience Design – International Customer Service Association (International Credit Validation No. ICSALAGR023021142014)
 Certified NLP Master Trainer – American University of Neuro Linguistic Programming (AUNLP)
 Certified Ericksonian Hypnotist – American Alliance of Hypnotist
 Certified John Mattone’s Intelligent Leadership Executive Coaching – Master Certified Intelligent Leadership Executive Coach
 Certified Federal Career Coach & Federal Job Search Trainer – Resume Place Inc
 Certified Hidden Job Market Coach – Career Thought Leaders Consortium

COLLABORATIONS
 Professional Speaker- YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), USA
 HBR Advisory Council Member – Harvard Business Review
 Coaching Adjunct – Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School, U.K.
 Communication Mentor – IPPA (International Positive Psychology Association), U.S.A.
 Communication Mentor – Global Thinkers Forum, UK
 Communication Mentor – Cherie Blair Foundation, UK
 Coach & Leadership Lab Facilitator – Unlocking Potential Institute by Carly Fiorina, U.S.A.
 Communication Mentor – Faster Capital, U.A.E.
 Mentor – 100mentors, Greece
 Ambassador – VIA Institute on Character
 Teaching Assistant for the MOOC “The Science of Happiness” – The Greater Good Science Center, University of Berkley, California
 Article Contributor at Thrive Global Greece
 Opinion Columnist at CEOWORLD Magazine

PUBLICATIONS
 Become Your Own LifeSelfCoach- Practical Tools and Tips- https://lifeselfcoaching.com/landing-page/
 Mentor Spotlight: Avra Lyraki – International Positive Psychology Association
 Career and Self -Esteem – Library of Professional Coaching
 Human Social Networking: Necessity or Choice? – Library of Professional Coaching
 Face your Strengths ® Methodology – Library of Professional Coaching
 Laws For Climbing The Ladder Of Success – IIDM (International Institute of Directors & Managers)
 Face your Strengths ® Methodology – CEOWORLD Magazine
 How can you select the right Executive Coach for your organization? – CEOWORLD Magazine
 Economic Crisis and Self Esteem – Association for Coaching Global Bulletin
 Face your Strengths ® Methodology – International Coaching News
more publications can be found here

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Building a reputation within any market really comes down to a few key things, and if I were to put myself in the shoes of someone working to build a strong professional reputation, I’d say the most important elements would be authenticity, expertise, consistency, and adding value.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

For me, building a reputation in any market would come down to a mix of a few fundamental strategies.
-Delivering Consistent, High-Quality Work: The most obvious but essential factor in building a reputation is ensuring that the quality of work you deliver is top-notch and reliable. Whether it’s in client projects, internal work, or even smaller tasks, consistently exceeding expectations would make me stand out. Reputation is earned when people know they can rely on you to get the job done right, every time.

-Building Relationships: Your reputation isn’t just about your skillset,it’s about how you interact with others. Networking, but more importantly, cultivating genuine relationships with clients, colleagues, mentors, and industry peers, would have been key. I’d focus on connecting with people in a way that goes beyond the transactional. It’s about building trust and demonstrating a level of care and commitment that encourages people to vouch for you. Word of mouth is powerful, and if you treat people well, they’ll be your best advocates.

Being Transparent and Accountable: Everyone makes mistakes, that’s a given. What can define a person’s reputation is how they handle those moments. I’d imagine that owning up to mistakes and being transparent about challenges would go a long way. Accountability shows integrity and builds trust. When people see you take responsibility and focus on finding solutions rather than shifting blame, it solidifies your reputation as someone trustworthy and dependable.

Offering Unique Value: In order to stand out in a competitive market, I’d focus on carving out a niche. It could be a unique skill set, a particular approach to problem-solving, or an innovative way of doing business that sets you apart from others in the field. By offering something of distinct value, people would start to associate you with that specialty or ability, helping to build a reputation as an expert in that area.

Being Consistent in Your Personal Brand: Whether it’s through social media, content creation, or your professional interactions, I’d ensure that my personal brand remains consistent across all platforms. Clear, professional communication—coupled with an authentic voice—would allow people to recognize me and know what to expect. Having a well-defined brand helps people associate certain qualities or skills with your name, building your reputation within the market over time.

Staying Committed to Learning and Evolving: The market is constantly changing, and staying ahead of trends is crucial. I’d dedicate time to continuously learning new skills, staying updated on industry changes, and even seeking feedback from others. A reputation for being adaptable, forward-thinking, and committed to growth would give me an edge in any market. Plus, it shows that I’m always striving to improve and offer better value.

Taking Smart Risks: In many cases, building a reputation requires stepping out of your comfort zone and taking calculated risks. Whether it’s accepting challenging projects, speaking at events, or experimenting with new business strategies, I’d believe that growth comes with risk. It’s about showing that you’re willing to put yourself on the line for something better, which in turn would reinforce your standing as someone capable of taking on bigger opportunities.

Being Patient and Persistent: Reputation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the culmination of consistent effort over time. So I’d remind myself that building a reputation is a marathon, not a sprint. Patience, persistence, and staying focused on long-term goals would eventually pay off.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lifeselfcoaching.com/
• Instagram: @lifeselfcoach
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifeselfcoach/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avra-lyraki/

Image Credits

@lifeselfcoaching.com