Vassia Sarantopoulou is the founder of AntiLoneliness, a mental health company with the mission to support internationals through high-quality psychological services, culturally sensitive therapists, and a dime range of mental health resources. As a psychologist, perfectionism expert, and mental health ambassador, she is on a mission to promote inner peace and mental strength. We interviewed her to find out more.
What inspired you to start AntiLoneliness?
It came from a subconscious need to understand the human psyche. That was already present when I was young; I wanted to understand the whys behind people’s behaviours. Studying psychology is something that I’ve never regretted. Mental health is not just about being mentally strong or clear or having inner peace. When we have a strong foundation, we can connect better with other people, we can be kinder and more compassionate to each other, and our everyday actions have a compass, a direction and a meaning. And that’s why I love what I’m doing. I created AntiLoneliness to help people build that strong foundation, and help them connect to themselves. I realized that when somebody becomes more aware about themselves, their vulnerabilities, their own thoughts and feelings, they become kinder to themselves and to others. And eventually we create a world that we love living in.
“When somebody becomes more aware about themselves, their vulnerabilities, their own thoughts and feelings, they become kinder to themselves and to others. Eventually, we create a world that we love living in.”
Why did you choose to name your business “AntiLoneliness”?
It is something that we all have in common. What is something that we all go through at some point in our lives? Whether you’re having trouble with your relationship, or you are struggling with depression or you’re changing country – we all experience a period of loneliness. Loneliness is not only disconnection from other people, but also disconnection from ourselves. When we move to a new country, we might also experience a disconnection from ourselves because we need to reevaluate ourselves in this new environment: Who am I? How am I going to adjust? What do I bring from my culture? What do I keep from this culture? How am I going to create my new identity there? Any transition – moving to a new country, a new job, becoming a parent – can trigger an existential crisis or identity crisis, alongside a little loneliness. And we hardly ever talk about it. So I decided to name my business AntiLoneliness. We don’t need to hide the elephant in the room. We can talk about it, lessen the stigma, because we all feel lonely sometimes, it’s human.
What were some of your biggest challenges when setting up your business, and how did you overcome them?
I can speak about two that I consider the biggest challenges. The first challenge was that I didn’t, in the beginning, have a mentor – as a business owner who is building her private practice. I didn’t have somebody to keep me accountable, to guide me or tell me whether I was going in the right direction.
The second challenge was the lack of focus. Clients would ask me: “Can you create a divorce support group? Can you create another service? Can you create a training?” And I would say “Yes!” to all. This people-pleasing together with a lack of focus, it is the perfect pair for distraction and overwork.
I dealt with both of these challenges the same way: by allowing myself to start asking for help. I got a coach, and that was integral to my growth. That’s something that I will never get tired of saying: the sooner you get somebody to help you, even with brainstorming, the sooner your business will scale up.
“The sooner you get somebody to help you, even through a brainstorming session, the sooner your business will scale up.”
What role did female-led communities like Female Ventures play in the success of your business and your personal life?
Immense. There were periods when I was networking a lot, and periods when I was not. When I was networking, I noticed that I was feeling more motivated, I was more focused, I had more confidence, I achieved more of my goals.
“Groups like Female Ventures are our safe place: you don’t feel embarrassed to be yourself; there’s no shaming; there’s no judgement; everybody is really kind and supportive to each other.”
Networking helped me go through the moments when I was stuck with the idea that maybe I’m not a good therapist, maybe I’m not a good business owner, maybe I should give up. Networking played a big role – it’s the reason why I’m still here. I can attribute this to the connections I made, not because they helped me gain more clients, but because they believed in me. I heard others be vulnerable and share their own struggles, and immediately I would feel relief: I’m not doing something wrong, I’m just doing it exactly as I’m supposed to. We’re all in this together. That sense of belonging, that sense of community, feeling seen and heard, and understanding that it’s not me, that’s why networking was really helpful. The fact that you are talking with people who have a deep understanding of what you’re going through. If I talk to my partner, who’s not an entrepreneur, or to my friends, who are in 9 to 5 jobs, they have no clue why I am struggling. But the women in these networking groups have a deep understanding of the entrepreneurial experience. Groups like Female Ventures are a safe place: you don’t feel embarrassed to be yourself; there’s no shaming; there’s no judgement; everybody is really kind and supportive to each other. Plus, I made some incredible friends.
“That sense of belonging, that sense of community, feeling seen and heard, and understanding that it’s not just me, it’s a common experience: that’s why networking was really helpful.”
What would you consider to be your biggest achievement in your career so far?
I think my biggest achievement is… not my practice, nor the fact that I started solo and now I have a team of 20 people, nor the online course academy or all the different products I’ve created. My biggest achievement is that I didn’t give up.
We will all face the possibility of giving up a million times for different reasons. Maybe we will fail with a client, maybe we won’t do a good job, or maybe we’ll miss an opportunity. We will have plenty of reasons to believe that we have to give up, or that we’re not meant to do this. And we will start considering going back to a stable and secure 9 to 5 job. Or maybe start over with a new business idea. I’ve been through this rollercoaster. And yet, I’m still here. So, the fact that I didn’t give up, even though I had reasons to, is my biggest achievement.
What helped you to not give up? What helped you keep going?
Keeping myself motivated. For example: listening to podcasts or listening to Amy Porterfield, who is a very successful online course creator. She speaks about how she failed at the beginning of her journey. That would remind me that, yes, it’s exactly how it’s supposed to happen. Yes, failing is normal and it’s okay. That also helped me create a strong mindset. So when I would be disappointed with myself or when I would realize that I had made a mistake, I would say to myself: “Why not me? Why might someone else fail, but not me?” It’s normal that I’m also failing, together with all of you out there. Let’s roll with it. Let’s play with what we have.
How do you evaluate the impact of Anti-Loneliness?
We want to facilitate transformational change for our clients. We’re not doing 2-3 sessions and then we’re done. All my staff are therapists, they are all trauma-informed, they know about the challenges of being an international or an expat. Usually being an international comes with an existential crisis, with loneliness, with figuring out a new identity in a new country. We want our clients to go deep and realize who they really are and, if necessary, transform their lives. We measure our impact with intuitive ways, like if clients bring their friends or they talk about us, that’s a good sign. We also measure it with tangible tools: feedback forms where we ask about everything, from the first email that we send, the contact form, communication with the support team, the therapy journey, how safe they feel with their therapist.
How do you see the future of mental health services? How can technology be leveraged to improve care? We’re seeing an increase in shortages of mental health staff, and we’ve got a growing elderly population. What are your thoughts on that?
I see many EAPs (employee assistance programs) growing lately, which is new in the history of our planet and our humanity. Companies are not only talking about mental health, but also facilitating mental health. They give access to webinars, access to therapy, and coaching. I see this growing more and more in the future, and I like it. I think it’s a positive change. What we used to believe was: this is my personal stuff, and I leave it outside the workplace. But that doesn’t align anymore. You are your work. You bring your personality and your emotions to work. And of course these impact your work. So that’s one thing.
The second trend is about AI. Many therapists are afraid that maybe we’re going to be replaced by robots or by machines. I don’t know whether I’m naive or I know too little about AI, but I think that a robot or an AI tool will never replace human connection. But maybe it will help us help our clients. At the end of the day, we go back to talking to a human being. I saw that after the pandemic as well, where people spent two years behind a screen and after these two years, they stormed out looking for people, looking for connection, wanting to heal their traumas and loneliness. I think AI will help mental health professionals stay up to date. Maybe it will help them write their notes more easily and more quickly, instead of spending hours preparing for sessions. And that’s something we really need because there’s a shortage of health staff, so therapists need to be very efficient. Maybe we will use AI tools to improve our services, to stay up to date with trainings or with knowledge and the latest research, or maybe to create alternative services and products. Perhaps AI will be part of the therapeutic journey – for example it could help the client do the work in between sessions, instead of just waiting for the next therapy session.
And, last but not least, two years ago I was invited as a panelist at a conference about mental health, and they were talking about burnout for mental health professionals. And the perspective that I brought was that, in all university degrees that I’ve been participating in or that I’ve heard about from my interns, no course, no degree, no class teaches self-care for mental health professionals. They don’t teach us boundaries. They don’t teach us what a normal workload is for a therapist. I think this is an area we need to work on so that we don’t make mental health staff shortages even worse. We need to walk the talk and learn how to take care of ourselves before we truly provide care for others.
What strategies would you recommend for people to get back to themselves after burnout?
The first stage would be to recover physically. The impact that burnout has on the brain can be really severe. In order to recover from that, we need to give the brain and body a lot of rest. For example, when I talk to people who come to me to recover from burnout, I ask them whether they use their mobile phone before bed. And they’ll often say: “Yes, for two to four hours”. But that’s the brain overworking after having overworked. Did you know that your brain is still processing a ton of information when you’re just scrolling? Even if you’re watching kittens and puppies, it doesn’t matter. Your brain is working, processing. No wonder you’re tired in the morning – you haven’t rested. So the first thing is to recover physically.
And then we need emotional recovery. We need fun. We need connection. We need to practice self-compassion and really give ourselves time and space and go back to what gives meaning to our life. Another question I ask clients recovering from burnout is: “When was the last time that you had fun?” And usually there’s a long, long silence. Which means that emotionally, we have been really deprived for a long time, and that doesn’t help. The important hormones, like oxytocin and serotonin, are not even being produced. The happy hormones are really lacking. So we need to change that balance. That means going out, making friends, finding what makes you happy, whether it’s something small like sipping your favorite tea on the balcony, listening to the birds chirping, or something big like a job that gives you satisfaction. But of course, going slowly from the small things to the big ones.
“We need fun. We need connection. We need to practice self-compassion and really give ourselves time and space and go back to what gives meaning to our life.”
Could you share your tips for improving work-life balance?
The strongest tip is mindset. Because it’s easy to say to somebody: you need to go to the gym or you need to meet friends after work or you need to practice your hobbies. But when they haven’t cultivated a healthy mindset, the answer will be: “yes but I don’t have time for that, my schedule is too full”.
This is part of the problem. We are defined by our schedule. “If I have a full diary, it means I’m useful. If I’m useful, it means I’m doing something right. If I’m doing something right, it means I’m successful.” We are defined by how busy we are, by our work and our achievements. Some people work all the time and achieve their goals, but they are not happy. When they realize that, it’s the moment where they experience a huge identity crisis.
We have to start working on not identifying with achievements and instead identifying with what really gives meaning to our life, what makes us happy – that changes everything. For example, when I’m playing with my cat, it’s not an achievement – I’m not going to put it on my LinkedIn profile – but it makes me happy. Focusing on small, non-tangible moments like these is when we start to restore work-life balance. My tip would be: start changing your mindset because practical tips will never be implemented if the mindset is sustaining the hustling.
And this is also a bit of a rebellious act, this seeking joy. Because your parents may say, “Well, did you get the promotion? When are you going to get the promotion?” or “What do you mean you’re taking a sabbatical for four months? Who’s going to pay the bills?” Parents and society impose their own expectations, but many people are meeting those expectations only to find that it doesn’t feel fulfilling, they’re not happy. We need simple things: connection, good food, a safe environment and like-minded friends.
What makes you happy? What inspires you? Do you have any resources or people who inspire you particularly?
My number one source of happiness is my cat, Mikroula. She’s a rescue cat from Greece. I take photos of her all the time; happiness for me is also about allowing some silliness in our lives.
Swimming also makes me happy: I go swimming two or three times a week, and in those moments I’m just present. I’m not thinking about work, just counting laps, breathing. I also like painting, listening to music, singing along, and reading.
In terms of resources, I love listening to podcasts by other entrepreneurs, like The Diary of a CEO by Steve Bartlett, which really inspires and motivates me.
Reading and listening recommendations by Vassia |
Resources by Vassia
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Thank you, Vassia, for taking the time to speak with us!
Reach out to Vassia if you’re feeling inspired by her story: