Emotional intelligence can come from unforeseen places. Often, the people who you least expect to be your teachers can end up teaching you the most. In...

The School of Life presents Emotional Intelligence From The Dark Side

Location:

2000 NSW
Australia

Featuring

Kyra Maya Phillips

Kyra Maya Phillips

Author, Reader & Storyteller

Kyra Maya Phillips is a reader and a storyteller. She is the co-author of The Misfit Economy (out now with Simon & Schuster), a book which chronicles stories of creativity from informal and dark markets around the globe. Research for this book has taken her to pirate prisons in Somalia, tunnels networks deep below the city of Paris, Amish camel farms, ganglands in Cape Town, and into the history books to study 18th century pirate ships.

Alongside The Misfit Economy, Kyra is a co-founder of The Point People, a collective of innovators, artists, and entrepreneurs committed to driving systemic change for a more equitable society. She has written for and appeared in publications around the world, including BBC, NPR, The Economist, The Financial Times, TIME, Newsweek, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Wired, Forbes, Dazed and Confused, The Irish Times, Le Monde, and The Guardian.

Access and Inclusion

  • Wheelchair Accessible - Access to the venue is suitable for wheelchairs (toilets, ramps/lifts etc.) and designated wheelchair spaces are available.

Event Details

Emotional intelligence can come from unforeseen places. Often, the people who you least expect to be your teachers can end up teaching you the most. In January of 2012, Kyra Maya Phillips embarked on a four year long exploration of the dark side of creativity and ingenuity, interviewing people from all walks of life including gangsters, hackers, drug smugglers, camel milk farmers, con artists, pirates, copycats, about how they live and work. The findings were published in her book, The Misfit Economy.

Initially and primarily interested in how these individuals built, grew and sustained their business ventures: how a Somali pirate hijacked a ship, how a drug dealer secured corners, how a con artist picked his target, how a gangster built a sustaining brand, as research progressed, Kyra realised that the insights gained extended far beyond lessons in business. Often Kyra found herself hearing meditations on the fundamental questions of life: how do you think about death? How do you handle failure? How do you navigate uncertainty? How do you build and maintain healthy relationships? Ultimately: how do you live?

From ex-prisoners, Kyra discovered the tremendous benefits of sitting still and carving out time to be alone. From 18th century pirates, she learned the power of infusing meaning, mission and narrative into our actions. Amish camel milk farmers, with their luddite life-styles, taught how to counter-act the unrelenting digital pace of our lives. And from an ex drug smuggler turned master computer programmer, she learned of the virtues of welcoming ambiguity and living in mystery.

An event presented by The School of Life, Kyra will share stories from the dark side which will illuminate valuable lessons in emotional intelligence, and which will serve as testament to the idea that all of us - no matter where we come from or what we do - are trying to make sense of the human experience and live an enriching, fulfilling life.

Presented by The School of Life.

 

 

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Access and Inclusion

  • Wheelchair Accessible - Access to the venue is suitable for wheelchairs (toilets, ramps/lifts etc.) and designated wheelchair spaces are available.