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.
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Sisu Lab
The Gifts of Masculine and Feminine Energy: Performance Coach Monique Borst on Leading from Within
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I’m joined for a conversation by Monique Borst, an entrepreneur, advisor and performance coach with 15 years in senior leadership positions. Monique has said, "Our businesses and personal lives are a mirror reflection of where we are on our own self-development journey, and can only be as successful as we are aware and in control of our thoughts and emotions."
Together, we’ll unpack what it means to lead with strength and empathy, to balance resilience with grace, and to embrace vulnerability as a force for healing.
When we do this work that can take a bit of sisu not just in the traditional way of doing something physically tough ... but the courage it takes to steal the gold from the night of subconscious to find the treasures we discover in our quiet, inner places can illuminate the everyday moments of business, leadership, and community.
For this episode you can reflect if you like:
💡 What does gentle power mean to you?
💡 How can we, as leaders and as humans, step forward with balance, authenticity, and wholeness?
The episode is dedicated to the memory of dear late friend Stéphane LeBlanc, a Canadian pioneer of conscious leadership.
You can find our guest Monique Borst on LinkedIn, where she shares her thoughtful content and her website at MoniqueBorst.com,
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.