Sisu Lab
Sisu is an ancient Finnish concept associated with determination and courage in the face of adversity. But sisu is more than perseverance — it is a way of life and a practice of refining one’s character. The Sisu Lab Podcast explores this inner fortitude and its deeply human expression.
Hosted by Elisabet Lahti, the podcast weaves together research, personal experience, and practical insights into human capacity in everyday life. Elisabet has researched sisu since 2012 and completed multiple endurance challenges as part of her ongoing inquiry into the nature of inner strength.
Learn more at www.sisulab.com.
.
Sisu Lab
The Lore of Life Force: Words and Constructs Around the Breath of Being
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
By now researchers have made wonderful strides in mapping the mental and physiological side of human capacity. We understand how muscles grow and endure, how fatigue plays into our vitality, and we also have a plethora of concepts (such as resilience, perseverance, mental toughness, grit and so on) to help us describe the curious landscape of what makes humans endure. What we know less about is the life energy behind this enduring and persevering that becomes visible usually only when we are about to run out of it.... join me for an episode of sisu lab in which I share some words and concepts around the elusive topic of human spirit... elan vital, Wille zum Leben, qi, chi and so on...
Show notes
The Energies of Men William James, The Philosophical Review, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Jan., 1907), pp. 1-20 https://www.jstor.org/stable/2177575
The Energies of Men William James (1914)
https://ia802608.us.archive.org/18/items/energiesofmen00jameiala/energiesofmen00jameiala.pdf
Embodied fortitude: An introduction to the Finnish construct of sisu Authors E E Lahti (2019) https://internationaljournalofwellbeing.org/index.php/ijow/article/view/672
A Wife’s Letter Rabindranath Tagore (1914, Translated from Bengali by Prasenjit Gupta) https://parabaas.com/translation/database/translations/stories/gStreerPatra1.html
Twin Tracks: The Autobiography by Roger Banniste
https://www.amazon.com/Twin-Tracks-Autobiography-Roger-Bannister/dp/184954686X
Työstä ja elinvoima by Prof Eero Riikonen (2013)
http://www.psykologia.fi/arkisto/vanhat-numerot/vanhat-numerot-ghost/283-psykologia-2014-04/kirjat/339-tyosta-elinvoimaa
Sisu is a Finnish word for a reserve of inner strength, but it’s also a way to positively impact the world. Cultivating this inner fortitude starts with self-inquiry and getting our self-care in order, and from there, extends into courage and community. Its power ultimately reaches into the world through inspired acts of compassion and positive change.
Thanks for tuning in! Find out more about sisu, explore the research, and check out Gentle Power: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead, and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu (2023) & Sisun alkemia (2025) at www.sisulab.com.
Sisu is great, but sisu, together with love, is greatness.