Kalina Zhuleva smiling in profile

KALINA ZHULEVA

Psychologist · Psychotherapist · Mindfulness Practitioner

What if life is not a problem to be fixed, but a mystery to be experienced?

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What if psychological and emotional suffering is pointing towards a deeper truth about the way we experience ourselves and the world?

This is where my work begins.

MY APPROACH

I am a dedicated listener who fosters deep conversations and responds to each person’s unique constitution and desired outcomes. My approach is integrative blending psychoanalysis, Eastern and Western philosophy and my personal practice of mindfulness and contemplative traditions. I create a non-judgmental space for people to express themselves fully while gently guiding them toward greater self-awareness and inner freedom.

Knowledge is power. By understanding our own psychological system — the patterns, beliefs and protective strategies that shape the way we experience ourselves and the world, we are able to move away from the fear driven mode of life and reconnect with our true nature - peace, love and joy!

Alongside understanding what holds us back, I pay attention to our inner resources - what is already healthy, alive and capable within us.

What I believe

We live inside a story we tell ourselves and that story is shaped by our conflicting wants and fears!

In finding a centre from which we can respond rather than react.

In equanimity as the capacity to move with life without being constantly thrown off balance.

In happiness that does not always need a reason.

In love as the fundamental energy that connects us — and as our capacity to say yes to life.

In radical acceptance as the first step to change and a pathway to becoming more fully who we truly are.

I believe that human beings have an innate capacity to adapt, grow, create, connect and recover, we just need to remove the blockages and our psychological immune system will do its job.

WORK WITH ME

Psychotherapy

Individual work with anxiety, inner tension, recurring patterns, relationship difficulties,

Mindfulness & Self-Exploration

Individual work with mindfulness, meditation and self-exploration practices, tailored to

Coaching & Mentoring

Individual work focused on personal and professional development, transitions, decision-making,

CONVERSATIONS ALONG THE WAY

A series of conversations

Conversations Along the Way is a space to explore the human experience and the possibility of living with greater freedom, awareness and happiness.

Once a month, we meet in person to explore questions that are close to our everyday lives — what gives rise to anxiety, where happiness comes from, how we relate to uncertainty, what love means, how we find inner balance, and what it means to live with greater awareness.

Not a lecture.

Not a workshop.

Not therapy.

A conversation.

Kalina Zhuleva speaking to a group

The intention is simple:

to pause for a moment, look a little deeper, and explore together how we might live with greater freedom and happiness.

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The conversations bring together psychological understanding and contemplative inquiry, drawing from psychology, psychotherapy, philosophy, mindfulness, Buddhist and Eastern wisdom, as well as the work of thinkers and teachers such as Carl Jung, Karen Horney, Rupert Spira, Michael Singer and Tara Brach. But the most important source is our own experience.

Each meeting begins with a short introduction, followed by conversation and questions, and ends with time for meditation or practice.

UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS

01 — What Is the Meaning of Life?

October

What makes life meaningful — and why do we sometimes lose our sense of direction?

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We will explore meaning through the lens of existential philosophy, psychology, and our understanding of how the brain creates a sense of purpose, motivation and identity.

02 — Why We Suffer?

November

Why do we suffer even when we understand what is happening to us?

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We will explore the psychological patterns we develop as forms of protection, how they influence the brain and nervous system, and how mindfulness can change our relationship with suffering.

03 — What Is the Nature of Happiness?

December

Why does getting what we want so often fail to make us happy for long?

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We will explore what psychology and neuroscience tell us about pleasure, desire and wellbeing, alongside the contemplative question of whether happiness depends on changing our circumstances — or on the way we relate to them.

Kalina Zhuleva smiling at the camera

MY STORY

My professional journey began in clinical psychology and psychotherapy. I hold a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Sofia University and postgraduate training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the American Institute for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the Karen Horney Clinic in New York. I spent eight years in private practice.

My path then took me into the world of creativity, strategy and business, where I spent almost fifteen years, including ten as a Managing Director of a major advertising agency . Working at the intersection of psychology, human behaviour and creativity led me to Design Thinking and Service Design for another few years.

Alongside my professional life, I have spent more than ten years exploring mindfulness, meditation, yoga, Buddhism and other non-dual wisdom traditions.

Looking back, these may seem like very different paths. To me, they have always been different ways of exploring the same question:

What shapes the way we experience life — and what becomes possible when we are no longer limited by the patterns that shape us?

EXPERIENCE & TRAINING

Clinical Psychology

MA, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

American Institute for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Karen Horney Clinic, New York

Service Design

Central Saint Martins, London

Psychotherapy

8 years in private practice

Strategy, Creativity & Business

15 years of professional experience · 10 years as Managing Director

Mindfulness & Contemplative Practice

10+ years of yoga, meditation, mindfulness, journaling and exploration of Buddhist, Eastern and non-dual traditions

I have also worked extensively with creativity, Design Thinking, Service Design and human-centred innovation, including through my own consultancy and creative projects.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HOW I SEE PEOPLE

I am particularly drawn to working with creative and curious people who want to understand themselves more deeply and are reaching for a fuller expression of who they are.

I don't see people as having problems to be fixed.

I see human beings as complex, adaptive and fundamentally good and creative — shaped by their history, their relationships, their minds and their attempts to make sense of life.

Our psychological patterns often began as intelligent ways of protecting ourselves.

Understanding them can create the possibility of something different:

Less control.

Less fear.

Less struggle with ourselves.

More space.

More choice.

More vitality.

More of life.

A NOTE ON THE JOURNEY

Mary Oliver asks:

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

I don't think there is one right answer.

But I do think it is worth asking the question.

And perhaps worth finding a little more freedom to live the answer fully.

Sources of Inspiration

These are some of the voices and ideas that have shaped the way I think about the human experience.

They come from different traditions and sometimes disagree with one another. What connects them for me is a shared curiosity about consciousness, psychological freedom, human potential and what it means to live well.

Some are rooted in psychology and psychotherapy, others in philosophy, neuroscience, mindfulness and contemplative traditions. Together, they reflect the kind of integrative perspective that informs my work today.

Books

Tara Brach

Radical Acceptance

Radical Compassion

Michael A. Singer

The Untethered Soul

Living Untethered

Rupert Spira

The Nature of Consciousness

Being Aware of Being Aware

Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now

A New Earth

Karen Horney

Our Inner Conflicts

Neurosis and Human Growth

Carl G. Jung

Man and His Symbols

Memories, Dreams, Reflections

Erich Fromm

The Art of Loving

To Have or To Be?

Viktor E. Frankl

Man's Search for Meaning

The Will to Meaning

Jill Bolte Taylor

Whole Brain Living

My Stroke of Insight

Robert Wright

Why Buddhism Is True

Podcasts & Conversations

Tara Brach Podcast

Mindfulness, compassion, psychology and the cultivation of a more awake relationship with life.

Michael Singer Podcast

Consciousness, inner freedom, resistance, surrender and our relationship with the flow of life.

Rupert Spira — Conversations

Non-duality, consciousness and the nature of experience.

Know Thyself — André Duqum

Conversations exploring psychology, spirituality, consciousness and the human experience.

What I'm reading & listening to now

This is a living list.

I will regularly add books, podcasts, conversations and other resources that I am currently exploring and find genuinely interesting or useful — things that have made me think differently, opened a question, or might be valuable to others on their own journey.

LET'S TALK

You don't need to know exactly what you are looking for before we begin.

If something in this work resonates with you, we can start with a conversation.

Get in touch