The sixth edition of Eforie Colorat kicks off on July 4, transforming Cinemascop Garden in Eforie Sud into a vibrant venue for film, music, contemporary art, and family-friendly activities through August 23. Admission to all events is free.

This summer’s program features film screenings, concerts, exhibitions, workshops, community gatherings, and activities for children. This year’s theme, Connections, highlights the relationships built around Cinemascop Garden between local residents, tourists, artists, and the town itself.

In addition to two new contemporary art exhibitions, visitors will be able to explore the Eforie Unframed and The City with Four Names installations, attend special film screenings, and take part in events organized in partnership with organizations such as One World Romania, Cărturești, and Short Film Breaks. Activities for children are scheduled every Thursday, and the venue now also features an accessibility ramp for visitors with reduced mobility.

The official opening takes place on July 4 at 7:00 PM and features exhibition openings, a participatory workshop, a community dinner, a live concert, and a prize raffle. The ninth edition of the Cinemascop Festival will also take place from August 14 to 20, marking one of the highlights of Eforie Sud’s cultural season.

With its latest edition, Eforie Colorat continues to bring together culture, community, and tourism, offering both locals and visitors a diverse program of free events throughout the summer.

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The BookLand Association continues to support educational excellence through the third edition of the BookLand Gala, during which educational scholarships totaling €105,000 were awarded to high-achieving students from rural communities. Held at the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum, the gala brought together students, teachers, partners, and supporters of education from across the country.

Three students from rural communities will each receive educational scholarships worth €35,000 as part of the third edition of the BookLand Scholarships program. Supported by PRO TV, the initiative aims to give outstanding young students the opportunity to continue their education without the financial burden associated with high school and university studies.

The scholarships cover all essential education-related expenses for seven years, including accommodation, meals, transportation, school supplies, and other necessary costs. This year’s recipients are Bianca Irimiea, Denisa Remeș, and Mario Stanciu, who will begin the ninth grade in the fall of 2026.

The announcement was made during the BookLand Gala 2026, held at the Dimitrie Gusti National Village Museum. The event brought together students, teachers, partners, and supporters of education, marking both the scholarship awards and the first anniversary of the BookLand Vocational Campus in Vulturești.

The scholarship competition attracted more than 150 applicants from rural communities, who were evaluated in two stages by a jury comprising education and psychology experts, alongside representatives of the National Student Council. In addition to the three scholarship recipients, four other finalists received special awards worth €2,000 each, including cash prizes, laptops, electric scooters, smartwatches, and complimentary participation in the BookLand Cultural Camp.

The gala also provided an opportunity to showcase the progress of the BookLand Campus, Romania’s first pre-university dual vocational education campus built in a rural area exclusively through private funding. The project is currently 35% complete, and students benefit from free transportation, meals, uniforms, school supplies, after-school programs, and extracurricular activities.

The event also marked the launch of the Trades Handbook, a guide designed to help students explore more than 40 practical and technical professions while gaining a clear understanding of the educational pathways required for each career. The publication will be distributed to schools across the country starting with the 2026–2027 academic year.

The gala’s atmosphere was enriched by artistic performances from students of the BookLand Campus and children from rural schools renovated by the association, as well as an exhibition featuring items created by the students themselves during the campus’s entrepreneurship education workshops.

Over the past 16 years, the BookLand Association has renovated 80 rural schools and developed a wide range of educational initiatives, from scholarships and educational camps to infrastructure investments. Through its projects, the organization aims to provide children in rural communities with access to modern learning environments and meaningful opportunities for a brighter future.

Through its educational scholarships and the ongoing development of the BookLand Campus, the BookLand Association continues to invest in the education of children from rural communities. These initiatives are designed to provide students with better learning conditions, access to vocational training, and meaningful opportunities to build a future founded on education and excellence.

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In Search of God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer That Changed the World by Stephen Mansfield, published by Corola, an imprint of ap! (ACT and Politon), is not merely a book about beer or the history of a brand. It is also a lesson in how profit should go hand in hand with care for employees, their well-being, and their development.

In the excerpt below, published exclusively by Careers&Business, Stephen Mansfield arrives at the Guinness brewery in Ireland, St. James’s Gate, to consult the company archives. He reconstructs in his mind the image of Ireland during an era when craftsmanship was passed down from one generation to the next, imagining the lives of the people who worked tirelessly at the brewery.

The author also highlights the many benefits enjoyed by workers as early as the 1900s. They received privileges that were virtually unheard of at the time and that, even today, would surpass those offered by major companies such as Google or Microsoft.

Exclusive Excerpt:

I should mention that it was not the Guinness brand of today that first captured my imagination, however brilliant, high-tech, and impressive it may be. No, my historical imagination took flight, and I could see this pure and cherished craft of brewing beer being passed down through generations. I saw barley, water, hops, and yeast transformed by skilled craftsmen into a drink that kept men away from the madness caused by alcohol while revitalizing them and making them whole. I saw well-cared-for and beloved horses pulling beer barrels, and I watched coopers teaching their trade to awkward young apprentices. I saw ships crossing the seas, their decks loaded with dark beer, and men on the docks eagerly unloading what they hoped they would soon have the chance to taste. I saw workers gathering after a day’s labor and raising a glass of their national beer. And I heard men in pubs laughing with relief that the day had finally ended, while entire families toasted with a Guinness to the blessings God had brought into their lives.

I knew I had found that earthly, human, and sacred story of a people perfecting their craft over time and of a family seeking to do good in the world for the glory of God. It was exactly what my weary soul needed: a story as rich as the scent of barley at the St. James’s Gate brewery and as full of bitterness and sweetness as any story passed down from generation to generation.

Thus, my weariness brought me to Guinness.

But so did hope.

During the months I spent researching and writing this book, the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression began to unfold. It started with the collapse of the U.S. housing market and spread to Wall Street, where aggressive lending practices, reckless borrowing, and secondary bets on those loans—known as “swaps”—worsened an already serious situation. Shortly afterward, some of America’s most important financial institutions collapsed, while most of those that survived did so only through federal assistance.

The situation grew worse, and greed seemed to be spreading everywhere.

Overwhelmed by the greed and suffering that played out daily on the television in my office, I turned gratefully to the Guinness story. In it, I found an antidote—a dose of the spirit of a bygone era—that revived me and gave me hope.

From the very beginning of the corporation’s and the family’s history, Guinness embraced a responsibility toward those in need. It all began at home, with its own employees. Edward Cecil Guinness, great-grandson of founder Arthur Guinness, expressed a fundamental company belief when he said: “You cannot make money from people unless you are willing for them to make money from you.” Accordingly, the Guinness brewery typically paid wages that were 10 to 20 percent above average, enjoyed a reputation as the best workplace in Ireland, and, just as importantly to many employees, provided them with two pints a day of its famous stout.

Moreover, the benefits offered by the company exceeded even those imagined by modern corporations such as Google and Microsoft. Consider the picture presented in a Guinness company report from 1928, a period not particularly enlightened regarding the treatment of workers. Guinness employees at the Dublin brewery had access to two fully qualified physicians working in an on-site clinic, where any employee, spouse, or child could receive treatment. These privileges extended to widows and retirees as well. The doctors were available day and night, made house calls, and consulted specialists on behalf of their patients whenever necessary.

Employees also had access to two dentists, two pharmacists, two nurses, a “visiting lady”—a social worker who ensured that workers’ homes met proper hygiene standards—and a masseuse. Hospital beds were available both at the Guinness brewery and at a countryside sanatorium for patients recovering from tuberculosis.

This was only the beginning. Retirees received pensions granted “at the discretion of the board,” without having been required to contribute from their own pockets. This benefit extended to widows as well. If an employee or a family member died, the company covered most funeral expenses.

To improve employees’ quality of life, the company established an on-site savings bank and contributed to a fund from which workers could borrow money to purchase homes. To ensure that life in those homes was as pleasant as possible, the company also sponsored competitions that encouraged domestic skills, offering cash prizes for sewing, cooking, decorating, gardening, and hat-making. Concerts and lectures were organized for workers’ wives, based on the belief that the moral and intellectual level of a household would rise no higher than that of the mother or wife who lived within it.

The same philosophy led the company to sponsor guilds and associations of all kinds. There was an association dedicated to the breeding and care of “dogs, poultry, pigeons, and cage birds,” another for growing vegetables and flowers, and one for “encouraging home industries.” A sports association was founded to sponsor competitions in Gaelic football, cricket, cycling, boxing, swimming, hurling, and tug-of-war. In addition, nearly every essential skill involved in brewing was represented by a guild or professional development association sponsored by the company.

Educational benefits were also more generous than those offered by most modern corporations. Guinness paid for all employees between the ages of 14 and 30 to attend technical schools in Dublin and even financed higher education for qualified individuals. The brewery maintained a library, a musical society, and “Workers’ Rooms”—lounges where employees could read, reflect, or focus on interests beyond their daily work. Courses were also available in woodcarving, cage making, weaving, drawing, photography, carpentry, calligraphy, music, singing, and dance.

The generosity of the Guinness family seemed limitless. Each year, every employee was paid to spend a day in the countryside with their family on “Excursion Day.” Train tickets, meals, and entertainment were all covered. Single men were permitted to bring a companion, and once again the company paid the bill. To mark Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, Guinness granted every employee an additional week’s wages.

Immersing myself in this culture of generosity provided a welcome respite from the times in which I lived, when greed and unjustified privilege were daily destroying so many lives. It was not difficult to see how the Guinness story could bring balance, calm, and a measure of grace to our harsh age. Once again, I found myself drawn to the Guinness legacy—for the lessons it might offer and for what it could mean to corporations seeking to rise from the ruins and build a different model from the one that had led us so far astray. The hope that Guinness might teach us something guided my work and lightened my spirit.

It was a hope that kept me firmly attached to the Guinness story.

And then there was the beer.

I must admit that I approached the subject of beer as something of an outsider. I had never been a beer drinker and did not feel deprived because of it. Yet the culture that had grown around beer and the sense of community it seemed to inspire fascinated me. Looking at the world of beer, I felt exactly like a little boy with his face pressed against the window of a candy shop.

The Guinness story demonstrates that long-term success is built not only through financial performance but also through continuous investment in people. The benefits offered to employees, support for education, and commitment to community well-being transformed the company into a model of responsible leadership. The excerpt presented by Stephen Mansfield offers valuable insight into how authentic values can contribute to building a sustainable and respected organization.

ap! (ACT and Politon) is one of the leading players in Romania’s book market. Specializing in high-quality nonfiction, the publishing house has introduced Romanian readers to internationally acclaimed authors such as Tim Ferriss, Robin Sharma, Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Steve Harvey, Gino Wickman, and many others. At the same time, ap! (ACT and Politon) is the Romanian publisher responsible for releasing the largest number of audiobooks on the local market. Since its launch in 2014, the publishing house has brought more than 300 audiobook titles to Romania, many of them international bestsellers that have inspired and transformed thousands of lives around the world.

ap! (ACT and Politon) believes in continuous development and offers Romanian readers titles covering a wide range of subjects, including personal and professional development, business, entrepreneurship, spirituality, and wellbeing. Its publications are available in multiple formats, including print, eBook, MP3, and audiobook, allowing readers to enjoy them anytime and anywhere.

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Carla Sonia Lukacs is 21 years old and active in the hospitality industry, where she combines the entrepreneurial and operational aspects of the business. She owns the Black Cock Coffee franchise in Bucharest and serves as an Assistant Manager within her family’s restaurant, experiences that have provided her with a broad perspective on business management, interpersonal relationships, and the responsibility behind every decision. This year, she graduated from the American Hotel Academy in Brașov, an institution that strengthened her theoretical knowledge and complemented her practical experience in the field. She is a persevering, dedicated, and growth-oriented individual who strives to create authentic experiences and meaningful human connections in everything she does, rather than simply offering products or services.

Beyond her professional achievements, Sonia places great importance on family values and acknowledges the essential role her family has played throughout her journey. The unconditional support, trust, and opportunities provided by her loved ones have contributed significantly to her personal and professional development. She is deeply grateful for everything she has received over the years and believes that much of who she is today is the result of their constant encouragement and support.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence that would capture the attention of someone who doesn’t know you?

Lukacs Sonia: I am a persevering and dedicated person who puts her heart into everything she does and never stops until she achieves the results she desires. I enjoy working with people, building relationships based on trust and respect, and always giving my very best. I am empathetic and approachable, yet at the same time fair and responsible, and whenever I commit to a goal, I dedicate myself fully to seeing it through.

C&B: Looking back, what is the “common thread” that has guided your professional journey?

Lukacs Sonia: Being at the beginning of my career, I cannot say that I have extensive professional experience, but my choices have always been influenced by my passion for this field. My parents work in the same industry, and from a young age I admired what they had built and wanted to follow their example. At the same time, I have always had the ambition to create my own path and build something of my own from the ground up. An important step was choosing to pursue a degree in this field, which helped me complement my practical experience with theoretical knowledge and develop both professionally and personally. Looking back, passion, the desire to learn, and the ambition to achieve something on my own have been the constants that guided my journey.

C&B: What was a difficult moment or a failure that truly changed you?

Lukacs Sonia: Being at the beginning of my journey, I cannot say that I have experienced a major failure that completely changed my path. However, a principle that has greatly influenced me comes from my mother, who taught me that you must always be prepared for unexpected situations and have the resources needed to overcome any difficulty. For this reason, I chose to start with a smaller business and a lower level of risk, allowing me to grow gradually, learn from experience, and build a solid foundation and a sense of security before taking bigger steps.

C&B: What is a bold (or counterintuitive) decision that significantly influenced your trajectory?

Lukacs Sonia: I believe that the boldest decision I have made so far was entering the hospitality industry, a field known for its challenges and for the fact that success largely depends on customers’ preferences and behavior, which can change very quickly. I was aware of the risks, but I chose to take on this challenge because I have confidence in the product I offer and in the value I can bring to the market.

C&B: How have you changed over time as a leader?

Lukacs Sonia: I used to think that being a “boss” was easy, but as I grew older and gained a better understanding of people, my perspective changed completely. I realized that it is very difficult to find and develop a trustworthy employee who works for your business as if it were their own, rather than simply out of necessity or without genuine interest. However, I believe these challenges can be improved over time through communication and involvement. I started having open conversations with people, understanding what both sides want, and working toward a mutual agreement so that the outcome is beneficial for both them and the business.

C&B: What do you think the people who work directly with you say about you—beyond your public image?

Lukacs Sonia: Based on my own observations and the feedback I have received from the people I work with, I am perceived as a warm-hearted person who is also fair and principled. This is something that is appreciated and helps me build strong relationships with my team. From this perspective, I believe they see me in a positive light. As for a more challenging aspect, I sometimes forget things, but this has become well known within the team, and my colleagues have learned to support me through clearer organization and task lists. In a way, this has also brought more structure and attention to the way we work together.

C&B: What truly sets you apart in the way you build or lead?

Lukacs Sonia: What sets me apart in the way I lead and build is the way I communicate and connect with the people on my team. I choose to give trust and receive it in return, creating relationships based on mutual respect. I strive to create an environment where people feel comfortable and involved, almost like a “home,” where they can work openly and with confidence. I am always willing to help and support my team, while at the same time maintaining clear boundaries, so that my kindness and commitment are not mistaken for weakness or taken advantage of.

C&B: How has the current context (technology, AI, economy) changed the way you work?

Lukacs Sonia: Technology and AI have a significant impact on the way we work, especially when it comes to growth and adapting to new developments. New equipment, solutions, ideas, and modern recipes are constantly emerging, helping us remain relevant and connected to market trends. In this context, I have become more attentive to innovation and to integrating these tools into the business, enabling me to consistently offer updated and competitive products.

C&B: What principles guide your most important decisions?

Lukacs Sonia: At this stage of my journey, where my business activity is primarily focused on events, one of the core principles that guides my decisions is profitability. I carefully analyze the balance between costs and potential returns before accepting a collaboration or participating in an event. For example, I was invited to a festival where the costs were extremely high: a substantial rental fee, a percentage of sales, and an additional POS commission. It was clear that the projected sales would not have covered these expenses, which is why I decided not to participate. Although such events are often said to provide visibility, I believe that promotion is not justified when the investment outweighs the actual benefit.

C&B: How do you see the evolution of your industry over the next 3–5 years?

Lukacs Sonia: Over the next 3–5 years, I aim to grow the business by expanding the number of units and reaching a point where I can operate them both at permanent locations and at events, increasing the brand’s visibility and overall business stability. I see significant growth opportunities in diversification and in maintaining a consistent presence across different types of locations. At the same time, one of the main challenges I foresee is the shortage of workforce, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to find people who are willing to work and, more importantly, to build a reliable and trustworthy team.

C&B: What role do you aim to play in this evolution?

Lukacs Sonia: I want to play an active role in this evolution by building a community around the brand, rather than simply operating a food truck where people make a purchase and move on. I want every interaction to be more than just a sale—to become an experience that brightens the day of those who meet us. My goal is for people to return not only for the product itself, but also for the atmosphere, the energy, and the way we make them feel in that moment.

C&B: What real advice would you give to someone who wants to build something meaningful today?

Lukacs Sonia: First and foremost, I believe it is essential to do something you genuinely enjoy, not just something that makes money, because when passion is missing, results come slowly and satisfaction is lacking. Secondly, I believe it is very important to work in the industry in which you want to build a business before starting on your own, so that you can understand from the inside how things work and what it is like to be in the role of an employee—an experience that helps you manage people more effectively later on. Lastly, patience is essential: nothing meaningful is built overnight, and results come over time through consistency and hard work.

C&B: What is an uncomfortable truth about your industry that few people talk about?

Lukacs Sonia: One truth that is rarely discussed about this industry is that customers come and go according to their preferences, and loyalty is difficult to build and even more difficult to maintain. Without customers, a business cannot exist, which is why consistently paying attention to them and avoiding disappointment is so important. Very often, the relationship with the customer matters more than the product itself, because a good coffee can be found almost anywhere, but the experience and the way you make people feel are not easily replaced.

Through ambition, perseverance, and an authentic approach to customer relationships, Carla Sonia Lukacs demonstrates that success in the hospitality industry is built step by step. Her story is an example of how passion, dedication, and genuine care for people can transform a simple business into a community and a brand with real impact.

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Octavian Moldovan is a hospitality professional and entrepreneur with nearly 30 years of experience in hotel management and premium HoReCa concept development. Throughout his career, he has coordinated major projects such as Sheraton Bucharest Hotel, Suter Palace Boutique Hotel, Green Village Resort, and Hotel Orizont Predeal, and is currently leading the development of Radisson Blu Hotel Sinaia Cota 1400. Known for his leadership style based on empathy, transparency, and people development, Octavian Moldovan promotes a modern vision of hospitality in which authentic experiences and human connections are at the core of success.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence, in a way that captures the attention of someone who doesn’t know you?

Octavian Moldovan: I am the traveler who enjoys the experiences of this life and the trains he chooses to board. I care about the people I meet and I try to leave kind words and good deeds along my path. For me, being a good person comes before being a good professional.

C&B: Looking back, what is the “common thread” that guided your professional journey?

Octavian Moldovan: The first defining moment came during university, when, although I was studying finance and banking, I chose the hospitality industry, following my father’s example, for whom I had also worked since childhood until graduating high school. I loved the fast-paced nature of HoReCa so much that I could not imagine myself behind a bank desk with a fixed schedule.

Then came the HoJo (Howard Johnson Grand Plaza) period, where, over the course of 11 years, I went through every operational management role within a 5-star hotel. Later, after a rebranding and renovation process, HoJo became Sheraton Bucharest Hotel, with me taking over the responsibilities of a General Manager. Two years later, I chose the entrepreneurial path alongside my own hospitality consulting and management company. It was the “from the canteen to GM” period, as I like to say with a smile.

Since 2017, I have been involved in various management and consulting projects, including Suter Palace Boutique Hotel 5*, the opening of Ramada by Wyndham Râmnicu Vâlcea, Hotel Riviera Mamaia, Olănești Hotel & Spa, Green Village Resort 4*, Valea Verde Retreat, and Hotel Orizont Predeal, the latter three operating under The Makers management company umbrella.

I can say that I have had a step-by-step professional journey focused on continuous learning, gaining experience, career advancement, and entrepreneurship, with determination, ambition, and the joy of working with wonderful people forming the foundation of all my decisions.

The most recent decision I made was joining the Premier Hospitality team at the beginning of this year, where, alongside Lucian Marinescu and Călin Ile, I will refine the concept of hospitality in Romania, starting with Radisson Blu Hotel Sinaia Cota 1400, which I will lead.

C&B: What was a difficult moment or a failure that truly changed you?

Octavian Moldovan: I have had a few lessons to learn from certain experiences, but I never became completely stuck because of them and I never viewed them as failures. Difficult moments were everywhere: pain, sadness, frustration, stress, even tears. However, I approached them with the mindset that I cannot change what depends on others, and I always found solutions to turn challenges into opportunities, sometimes working only on myself and with myself.

One example I encountered in several situations was the partial renovation of hotels while they were still operating. It is a difficult decision to make; if you completely close the hotel, you lose revenue, your team, and part of your clientele, while if you renovate partially and gradually, you find yourself caught between two worlds: the guest area with impeccable services and the construction area, dirty and under renovation. I moved forward and found solutions to satisfy both the clients and the investor, minimizing losses and making the best of the situation. And during such a project, you practically say goodbye to your personal life.

C&B: What is a courageous (or counterintuitive) decision that significantly influenced your trajectory?

Octavian Moldovan: During the pandemic, when nothing was happening in the market and HoReCa was collapsing, I received a partnership proposal from Dragoș Anastasiu within The Makers company. Our goal was to create a multi-property management company for independent non-branded units and to encourage passionate Romanians to promote our country as much as possible. As a result, I turned down an offer from abroad that would have brought me no satisfaction other than financial gain, something I do not place that much emphasis on, and I do not regret this decision.

Since 2020, I have been more active in the Danube Delta and Transylvania, focusing on the growth of leisure tourism, aimed at explorers and nature lovers, through a slower type of tourism where I somehow rediscovered the feeling of returning to my roots and to simple things done with soul. Unfortunately, the number of foreign tourists was practically nonexistent in 2020–2021 due to the pandemic, and later because of the war in Ukraine, which reduced the chances of sharing internationally what we had built there.

These were 5 years full of meaningful experiences, during which I also learned what it means to work in a village located where the land meets the sea, dealing with the people and mentality of the place, without the comfort of the city, without logistics, and facing all the challenges of nature.

C&B: How have you changed over time as a leader?

Octavian Moldovan: I have always been calm and understanding, offering support to the people in my teams and remaining loyal to employers and partners. People’s behaviors and customer preferences, both internal and external, have gradually changed alongside understanding, learning, experience, and technology. Ten to twenty years ago, in hospitality, truly important decisions were made once a year, usually during budgeting periods, so we had more time to analyze and wait. Today, we no longer have that luxury; I make decisions at the same pace as change itself, relying on the experience I have accumulated.

A common example: you send or receive an email involving actions that require multiple colleagues. If you are not specific, with a clear deadline and responsibility assigned, nobody takes ownership of collective tasks or initiates decisions. In general, people avoid responsibility and wait for others to act. And then, either you insist, try, search, and wait, delaying results, or you make the decision yourself and move forward. I have a saying: worse than making a bad decision is making no decision at all.

C&B: What do you think people who work directly with you say about you — beyond your public image?

Octavian Moldovan: After nearly 30 years in this industry, what makes me happy is the fact that I still have in my phone contacts the colleagues I worked with since my early years, that we still keep in touch, and that I receive messages of gratitude when they themselves reach leadership positions. I have examples where I congratulate a former waiter colleague, Marius, who is now a CEO managing several hotels abroad, and whom I encouraged at the right moment to make a certain decision. I am happy for him and proud of him.

In general, I have always been open to valuable, good people, without selfish interests, whom I encourage and guide throughout their journey. Many times, I have been “criticized” for being too kind, too permissive, and for “not banging my fist on the table” hard enough. I do not believe management should be done only through force, and I believe people can also be led in a more humane way, with civilized behavior, encouragement, and emotion, not through the rigidity and coldness typical of an authoritarian boss.

I cannot stand gossip, deceit, bribery, theft, laziness, or arrogance; perhaps it is from such people that I may have received negative feedback. Otherwise, I am satisfied knowing that I have left a positive mark on the souls of those I have worked with.

C&B: What truly differentiates you in the way you build or lead?

Octavian Moldovan: Humanity is, for me, the decisive differentiating factor in any type of relationship. Everything I do is connected to this aspect; this is also how I build my team, bringing together people with shared values. I believe in the principle of equal opportunities offered from the very beginning, in delegation and empowerment, while analyzing within a relatively short time who fits my model and who does not.

We work in hospitality and provide services that we ourselves would like to benefit from wherever we go. Following this principle, I teach and guide everyone who is open-minded; I do not keep everything to myself, I am completely transparent, and I communicate constantly with my team. I encourage ideas, new projects, and anything that can come from any player within the company, regardless of their role.

One of the common mistakes encountered in Romania’s HoReCa industry is when the manager or owner wants to keep everything under their own control and does not take the team’s opinions into account. And one of the fatal mistakes of an employee or colleague is behaving indifferently, with the mindset of “it’s not my job” or “it’ll do anyway.”

C&B: How has the current context (technology, AI, economy) changed the way you work?

Octavian Moldovan: First of all, it has changed the way we approach human relationships, both within the team and externally, with our guests. We constantly put ourselves in the customer’s shoes and perspective: how they think, what they want, how they would feel appreciated, and so on. We always try to respond with “yes, it’s possible” and smile even when, sometimes, we may not fully agree. This means acceptance, wisdom, and accountability, not hypocrisy, as I have sometimes heard people say.

Then, of course, every business also has a budget, and my responsibility is to ensure a positive result. The necessary measures are not always pleasant, but every time I try to compensate, to offer something else in return, and to satisfy as many participants in the process as possible.

I rely on people and on the added value they can bring in front of the client, on the strength of the team rather than individual qualities, on the power of willingness and determination, with money or financial results being merely a consequence of our actions. Nowadays, technology, and especially AI, plays a crucial role, but it becomes useless and sometimes dangerous when people do not know how to work with it. Humans use the machine, not the other way around.

C&B: Is there a habit or routine that has significantly influenced your performance?

Octavian Moldovan: I can say yes, there are several elements that help me maintain my balance. Planning is one of them, annual, monthly, weekly, and then daily planning. I always keep a calendar that I update every day, where I write down everything I have to do, “to do” lists in my agenda, actions with deadlines and assigned responsibilities, as well as other similar tracking and measurement tools.

Then there is time discipline, which has changed as I gained experience and as the priorities of different stages of life evolved. In the past, I did not even notice when 14–16 hours a day, 7 days a week, would pass; that is roughly how much time I spent in hotels and restaurants for 20 years. Now, however, I organize my time differently, moving from micromanagement to strategic planning, delegating and mentoring other colleagues to grow as I did.

I recharge my batteries in nature, in the sun, in peaceful and relaxing places whenever I can; it is my way of putting a stop to continuous activity. During my vacations, my phone becomes just a camera, I do not read emails or messages, I completely disconnect, which I recommend every healthy person should do, not just once, but several times a year.

Life has shown me that results improve after periods of rest, that new ideas emerge when your mind is rested rather than stressed, and that everything becomes clearer when you are relaxed, helping you make better decisions. And when you are sick or exhausted, not only can you no longer help yourself, but you cannot help others either.

C&B: What principles guide the important decisions you make?

Octavian Moldovan: Experience, knowledge, and intuition, not necessarily in this order. It is a mix between what I learned in schools, including at EHL (École Hôtelière de Lausanne), the practical applicability of that knowledge, my life experience, and that inner instinct that comes from within when you feel compelled to do good.

Each of these principles has been applied depending on the desired outcome of every decision. I have always tried to maintain a balance between customer feedback, colleagues’ satisfaction, and positive financial results.

C&B: How do you see the evolution of your field over the next 3–5 years?

Octavian Moldovan: Tourism is a continuously developing industry and it will clearly continue to grow in scale, as the population’s tendency is moving toward fewer working hours and more free time. Free time leads to more frequent travel and, consequently, to a larger number of potential hotel guests.

There are both risks and opportunities across different market segments. For example, with an aging population on the rise and a younger population decreasing, preferences and experiences will continue to evolve over time. Young couples and younger generations, in general, take more mini-vacations throughout the year, with an average duration of 2–4 nights, but they spend less per getaway, while another category is driving the growth of the all-inclusive segment, preferred by families with children and seniors for stays of 5–7 nights.

If you correctly identify the relationship between the product (what you offer), the services (how you offer them), the guests (who you offer them to), and the experiences (what creates the “wow” factor), then you will always be in demand.

C&B: What role do you aim to have in this evolution?

Octavian Moldovan: I will contribute to the development of tourism in our country, to show that we also have wonderful people and services “like abroad,” to build that equation “what + how + for whom = wow” as well as possible, so that it lasts as long as possible. I want Europe, and not only Europe, to speak about Romania as an example of hospitality, and the hotels I will lead, led by Radisson Blu Hotel Sinaia Cota 1400, to become examples of best practices.

The main objective I have as GM (General Manager) of the hotel at Cota 1400 is to build notoriety, to place it on the map of the great mountain resort hotels, where you can find the defining elements of a premium vacation like in the Alps, not only during the winter season. Today, all luxury resorts are located in Switzerland, Italy, France, and Austria, and I will bring a little from each to Romania, hoping that we too will soon reach this Top 5.

C&B: What real advice would you give to someone who wants to build something relevant today?

Octavian Moldovan: Throughout my career, I have learned not to rush into areas I do not know well, and I have always relied on the people with expertise around me. My message to investors is to present their vision, values, desired result, and implementation deadline to professionals or consultants in this field, to ask for several scenarios to fulfill that dream, and, most importantly, to listen.

And for someone at the beginning of their career in this wonderful field, or even on the verge of a professional conversion, my advice is to have the necessary patience to follow the steps required to gain sufficient experience. Many do not understand that working in tourism or HoReCa does not mean a job where you collect a salary and tips, but the opportunity to relate to other people, smiling genuinely, not falsely, and later gaining many other opportunities, not only immediate ones.

And for both categories, perhaps the most valuable advice is: take care of those around you.

C&B: What is an uncomfortable truth about your field that few people talk about?

Octavian Moldovan: Just like in other fields, there are too many ways through which people manage only in their own interest, and this is possible because they are allowed to do so. There is a comfortable, complacent majority, and there is also that minority that wants to change the bad habits of the past, that wants to leave something behind through honest means, to build for future generations or simply for the joy of their own soul.

Most people manage somehow. Regardless of morality, regardless of how difficult things are, they find a way to do it, whether respecting the laws of this country or not. Some are honest, others less so, and they are not to be judged; need, desire, possibilities, or the lack of them lead each person toward their own choices.

Looking at Romanian hospitality from the outside, it is easy to draw conclusions by generalizing and throwing mud. It bitterly amuses me that many Romanians complain about our services, while so many foreigners praise us all over the world, without any particular interest…

I wish the best for everyone: as many hotels and guests as possible, as much exposure as possible, and more goodwill in sitting at the same table, with common goals and ideals.

The interview with Octavian Moldovan highlights not only the experience of a hospitality leader, but also the perspective of a professional who places people, authenticity, and human values at the center of every decision. Through the balance between performance, empathy, and strategic vision, he outlines a new generation of leadership in the HoReCa industry, focused on sustainable development and memorable experiences. In a constantly evolving field, his perspective offers both a realistic and optimistic outlook on the future of tourism and hospitality in Romania.

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Excerpt from Money Habit: Financial Habits – A Worry-Free Path to Financial Independence

Money Habit: Financial Habits – A Worry-Free Path to Financial Independence by Mike Michalowicz, recently published by ap! (ACT and Politon), is a book that aims to change the way financial security is perceived, as well as the way readers think about luck when it comes to money. In the exclusive excerpt below, published for Careers&Business, the author explains that financial stability is the result of healthy decisions and habits, and that it can be achieved over time through disciplined choices.

Exclusive excerpt:

I dedicate this book to your wallet.

Applying the Money Habit system, my wife and I had set aside $50,000 for each of our three children’s weddings. And because Tyler and Cora spent only $14,000 on their big day, we gave them a check for the remaining balance from the wedding fund ($36,000) to use however they wished — as an emergency fund, a down payment on a house, or for any other dream they wanted to pursue.

A few weeks later, I had to encourage Cora to deposit the check into her account; she had kept it aside because she wasn’t sure her bank would even accept such a large amount. She had never seen that much money before, and I had never given away such a large sum. Ten years earlier, I would never have been able to write that check. We might have given them a nice wedding gift — perhaps a reasonably priced dinner set or a pasta maker. But paying for the wedding? A full $50,000? The thought that we could help our children in such a way would never even have crossed our minds, unless we had won the lottery.

After convincing Cora to deposit the money, something became clear to me: we really had won the lottery.

And so have you.

You just may not realize it yet.

People dream of checks filled with zeros. Some play the lottery hoping to hit the jackpot. Others keep an eye on the will of a wealthy, elderly uncle in poor health. Why? Because they want financial security and a life free of worries, and money falling from the sky seems like the fastest path to get there. And understandably so.

But the odds of winning the lottery are incredibly small. More precisely, incredibly, incredibly small. Even if luck happens to be on your side, typical jackpot prizes range from one to three million dollars, usually awarded through state lotteries or more common secondary prizes. The chances of winning more than a million dollars? Roughly one in 12.5 million. Those are terrible odds.

To put that into perspective: if you played the lottery every single day for 23,942 years — yes, that is not a typo — you would only have a 50% chance of winning. At two dollars per ticket, you would spend $730 a year. Over 24,000 years, you would have paid $17.5 million just for the chance to maybe win $2 million. In other words, the lottery empties your pockets and steals your time. Don’t play its game. And hoping that a rich uncle will leave you his fortune instead of giving it to the 25-year-old he recently “fell in love with,” while perhaps slightly more likely, is still entirely out of your control.

You don’t need to rely on impossible odds or place your hopes in someone else’s decisions, because you have already won. And I mean that seriously.

Let me explain. What would you do if you won $2 million in the lottery today? That would certainly be an amazing day. The lottery gives you two options: receive the money in monthly installments over 30 years or take the cash upfront — about $1 million immediately. Let’s say you choose the installment plan so you don’t blow through the money all at once.

Now, what if you realized that you have already won exactly that amount — perhaps even more? And that you wisely chose a structured payment plan that naturally puts healthy limits on your spending?

On average, an American or a European earns around $2 million (or euros) in salary throughout their lifetime. So your main concern should not be how to make more money right now, but how to manage more effectively the money already flowing into your life, starting today.

You have probably heard that most lottery winners lose everything within a few years and end up more miserable than before they became rich. A famous example is Jack Whittaker, who won more than $300 million in the Powerball lottery and whose story has been told endlessly. What began as “the happiest day of his life” spiraled into lawsuits, gambling addiction, the loss of family members to drugs, the destruction of his uninsured home in a fire, and total financial ruin. Still, he is the exception.

What you may not know is that the theory claiming lottery winnings make people unhappy has been disproven. Research has shown that lottery winners are generally quite happy — when they manage their winnings wisely. This perspective also explains Whittaker’s case. Although he was already a multimillionaire before the record-breaking win, it was not the money that destroyed him, but the way he handled it. Shortly after winning, he bought a Lamborghini and drove around his neighborhood throwing money out the window. Not long after, thieves stole over $500,000 in cash that he inexplicably kept in the car, inside a silver suitcase, while he was visiting a strip club. When asked why he made such reckless decisions, his answer was: “Because I can.”

Financial success has nothing to do with what you can do — it has everything to do with what you should do.

That brings me back to the moment we gave money to our son and his wife. You might assume that the $50,000 we saved for our children’s weddings was possible because of my income. That is only part of the story. The real reason we managed to save that money was because we created a system that helped me manage my income and automatically save for fifteen years for their weddings. The system assigned a purpose to every dollar, ensuring that every aspect of life — including Tyler and Cora’s wedding — was taken into account. The Money Habit system guided me toward what I needed to do and, most importantly, it handled the discipline for me.

The odds of winning the lottery are tiny, but the odds of a wedding happening in your family are quite high. If you have children, chances are they will eventually get married, so I choose to bet on those probabilities. And when it comes to managing money, if you bet on life’s likely events, you will gain far more in the long run.

“Money Habit” delivers an essential message: financial security does not happen overnight and does not depend on luck, but on the consistent choices we make every day. Through discipline, planning, and healthy financial habits, anyone can gradually build financial balance and the freedom to support the goals that matter most in life.

ap! (ACT and Politon) is one of the leading players in Romania’s publishing market. Specializing in high-quality nonfiction, the publishing house has introduced Romanian readers to internationally acclaimed authors such as Tim Ferriss, Robin Sharma, Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Steve Harvey, Gino Wickman, and many others. At the same time, ap! (ACT and Politon) is the Romanian publishing house under which the largest number of audiobooks has been released locally. Since its launch in 2014, the publisher has brought more than 300 audiobook titles to Romania, many of them international bestsellers that have transformed thousands of lives.

ap! (ACT and Politon) believes in continuous development and offers Romanian readers titles covering a wide range of subjects, including personal and professional development, business, entrepreneurship, spirituality, and wellbeing. The publisher’s titles are available in print, eBook, MP3, and audiobook formats, allowing readers to enjoy learning and reading at any moment in their lives.

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Gutuleanu Andreea founded the Rheea Roses brand in 2020, at just 19 years old, while she was still a student at SNSPA, successfully balancing the growth of her business with her studies in communication and public relations. The brand specializes in soap flower arrangements, appreciated for their quality and uniqueness, with each bouquet being customized by the client. Thanks to her ambition and dedication, Andreea opened her own physical store after five years, while also building a community of tens of thousands of followers on social media. She aims to take Rheea Roses as far as possible and inspire others through her entrepreneurial journey.

C&B: If we were to look at the narrative thread of your career, what were the key moments that defined you?

Gutuleanu Andreea: I could start from the very beginning, so to speak — the pandemic period in 2020, when it seemed like the whole world had come to a standstill. I remember I was still in university and online classes had just started. I am a very active person, so staying at home was a real struggle for me. On impulse, I decided to start a “business.” I began making phone calls, looking for a space where I could carry out my activity, opening a company, and doing everything “by the book,” because from the very beginning I set my mind on building something serious, not just a hobby you could practice from the comfort of your home.

Within 2–3 days, I found the space: a garage. I bought a few materials. Back in 2020, soap flowers were something completely new in Romania, so they were quite difficult to find. I can honestly say that I am a veteran in this field. Little by little, I started learning how to create floral arrangements. It was not easy at all, and especially not easy to decide which direction to take this idea in — whether to focus on classic, mass-produced models or allow customers to personalize the final product exactly the way they wanted. That was definitely a key moment.

I came up with all kinds of unique products that had never been seen in Romania before, and I gradually gained followers. People were fascinated by what they saw, especially since our country was used only to natural flowers, while artificial soap flowers were viewed rather negatively, commonly associated with funeral arrangements. I proved to them that this perception was wrong. Even today, I have stayed in touch with many clients from six years ago, and some of them even attended the opening of my store, which I think says a lot about the way I approached this passion.

The story would be very long, but in short, the key moment that brought me to where I am today was choosing originality. I gave life to artificial flowers and created an alternative way of giving gifts. I chose to build a community that loves the products I create and, I believe, even loves me, although I do not focus too much on my personal image within the brand.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey so far, and how did you overcome it?

Gutuleanu Andreea: The most difficult moment in my career was in 2023, when I was forced to find a new space in order to continue my business. It was extremely hard to move three years of “life” in just a few days. However, the biggest challenge was on a personal level: I was going through a severe depression and had started to lose my dedication to what I was doing. I simply could no longer see anything good in life, only negative things. The relocation intensified these feelings, making everything seem like a never-ending nightmare. Because I was no longer giving 100% of myself, sales also began to decline. Even so, I never let my followers see what I was going through, because I did not want to turn the page into a personal brand.

After months of coming to the workshop and creating bouquets and arrangements in a robotic way, without joy and without feeling connected to what I was doing anymore, I realized that I had to change something. I did not want to lose everything I had built, so I chose to take refuge in my work and focus on my brand. Gradually, this helped me overcome my depression. During that period, I came up with the idea of combining toys with flowers, and that is how the teddy bear bouquet and the Stitch character bouquet were born. They went viral and gathered hundreds of thousands of views in just a few days. That was the moment when I understood that this was my path and that I needed to continue dedicating myself to the Rheea Roses brand.

Through hard work, determination, perseverance, and many failed attempts, I managed to overcome one of the most difficult periods of my life.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of the obstacles?

Gutuleanu Andreea: My childhood dream was to be “the boss”, funny, I know. Maybe that is also one of the reasons why I chose to build something of my own, to create a brand that brings joy to people. Ambition has defined me ever since I was little; I always wanted everything I did to turn out as well as possible. I constantly took part in competitions and academic olympiads, and I always aimed for the highest grades, to prove to myself that I could do it, that I was “great,” as I liked to say.

That same ambition to be the best at what I do guides me every single day in my business, and during difficult moments, it is what motivates me to keep going. I feel like I already have an inner voice that constantly encourages me and helps me never give up.

C&B: If we were to meet your collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Gutuleanu Andreea: That’s a good question! I have built very beautiful relationships with my collaborators, and I have been working with many of them since the very beginning, which is why I can call them a second family. In urgent situations, no matter the time, they are always there to help me. In return, I also try to be there for them whenever they need me, even when they forget about a birthday and end up without flowers.

I think they would say that I am an energetic person, sometimes disorganized, although I am still working on that aspect, punctual, prompt, and always willing to help whenever someone needs support.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made, the one that changed your trajectory?

Gutuleanu Andreea: The most important decision I made was in 2022, when I completely changed the direction of my business. That was the moment I decided to shape my products in a “luxury” manner, placing a strong emphasis on branding, so that people would want an everlasting bouquet specifically from Rheea Roses. Ever since 2020, I knew I wanted to move in a premium direction focused on quality, but at the beginning I did not know how to sell or communicate this vision to people.

If I had not shifted the business toward the premium segment at that moment, I probably would not have reached where I am today. It is very important to choose, as early as possible, the audience you want to address. If you build your brand as something cheap and accessible and continue in that direction for years, it later becomes very difficult to change people’s perception, because you risk losing a large part of your customers, who are already used to a certain style. There are many examples of brands that attempted this transition and failed. The image you build in front of your customers is essential for the growth and evolution of a business.

C&B: How did you develop your leadership style and your way of making decisions? Was it a natural process or something you learned over time?

Gutuleanu Andreea: The way I make decisions is, most of the time, quite impulsive. That happens because I rely heavily on instinct, although not exclusively, since at the end of the day we are talking about business and finances. Still, many of my creations and products were developed based purely on the feeling that “this is definitely going to work.”

I believe my leadership style started forming in childhood. I am a Leo, and I feel that this side of me is simply instinctive. Whenever I played outside with other children, I was always the one suggesting the games, inventing the rules, and coordinating everything, and the other kids genuinely enjoyed that. Later on, in school, high school, and university, the same thing happened: whenever we had group projects, I naturally ended up coordinating them, because my colleagues also felt that I was suited for that role and capable of managing situations well.

So, I can say that my leadership style and the way I make decisions are as natural and authentic as they can be.

C&B: What does an ordinary day look like for you now, and which moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?

Gutuleanu Andreea: A typical day for me starts with receiving merchandise. We are constantly bringing in new products, which I organize in the storage area, and then I rush straight to the shop. There, we prepare orders, create arrangements, call customers for confirmations, and take on new orders. In addition, I constantly interact with the people who come into the store and help them choose the perfect gift.

Toward the evening, the courier arrives to pick up the packages, and after that comes the cleaning part. Since the shop is located on a main boulevard, it always has to look impeccable. Even after 15 hours of work, when you feel like you cannot go on anymore, you still have to find a little extra energy to make sure everything looks presentable.

My greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the joy of the people who receive the bouquets I create. Very often, I see young men leaving the store while their girlfriends are waiting in the car, and their reactions are priceless. I feel the same way when I see posts and stories on social media. In those moments, I completely forget about the exhaustion, stress, and worries.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them every day?

Gutuleanu Andreea: I strive to become the best version of myself so that I can offer quality through my creations, always have a kind word for my clients, and successfully get through any day, whether it is filled with hundreds of orders or just five. Perseverance and ambition clearly define me, and many of my clients tell me the same thing. They have seen how much I have evolved over these six years, and that brings me great joy.

I have always aimed for everything to turn out exactly as it should, exactly the way I wanted it to, otherwise I would never have reached this point. I did not have much support in the beginning. People often told me to keep it as just a hobby and not get so deeply involved. It hurt to hear that, especially because I truly believed in the Rheea Roses brand. But I clearly did not listen, I chose to do everything the way I believed it should be done, and that is how I got here. Today, I have my own store, my own warehouse, and tens of thousands of customers who have expressed their satisfaction, appreciated the quality, and who, without even realizing it, motivate me every single day to continue what I do and to do it better and better.

C&B: If you were to send a message to the people who follow your example, what would it be?

Gutuleanu Andreea: This is truly an interesting topic. I want to encourage everyone to keep working until they reach the place they aspire to be, and then continue evolving. It is very important not to stagnate and not to settle for too little, because otherwise you risk remaining stuck in the same place.

I also believe that entrepreneurship is not for everyone, just as working in a traditional system for an employer is not suited to everyone either. The important thing is to find the place where you can truly excel and become the best version of yourself. And if you do not succeed on the first try, you have to keep trying until you find the place where you can genuinely be yourself and where you are appreciated.

There is nothing wrong with falling, the real problem appears when you no longer want to get back up.

As for the handmade industry, I am incredibly happy that I managed to create a nationwide trend and that our bouquets inspire thousands of creative people. It is an amazing satisfaction to know that many people discovered their passion through what we do. I hope that every time someone sees a bouquet with teddy bears, toys, or lights, they immediately think of Rheea Roses.

The story of Rheea Roses is more than just an entrepreneurial journey, it is proof that ambition, authenticity, and perseverance can transform an idea born in a garage into a nationally appreciated brand. Through creativity and dedication, Gutuleanu Andreea managed to build not only a business, but also a community that connects with the emotion and originality behind every bouquet created.

The post Gutuleanu Andreea, Founder of Rheea Roses: The Story of the Brand That Turned Soap Flowers into a National Trend appeared first on careers-business.com.

As emotional wellbeing becomes an increasingly important priority, the Romanian platform Inner Maps introduces an innovative concept: the first pre-therapeutic digital space designed for emotional clarification through visual metaphors. Officially launched on May 14, 2026, the platform was created by therapists and behavioral science specialists for adults, parents, and children aged 3 to 10.

The concept of a “pre-therapeutic space” represents a digital antechamber to psychotherapy, offering users access to self-reflection and emotional understanding tools in a safe, anonymous, and permanently accessible environment.

How the Inner Maps platform works

Inner Maps transforms complex psychological theories into intuitive and easy-to-understand visual experiences. The platform uses metaphorical imagery and visual storytelling to help users move beyond rational barriers and better understand their emotions and behavioral patterns.

The project was developed over more than a year of research and development, bringing together expertise in psychotherapy, graphic design, visual storytelling, and AI technology. Artificial intelligence was used as an accelerated illustration tool to generate metaphorical images with deep psychological precision, supporting emotional connection and self-awareness.

According to Inner Maps founder and humanistic-experiential psychotherapist Dan Dițoiu, the method avoids excessive intellectualization of pain and instead focuses on emotionally engaging visual scenarios.

Programs designed for adults, parents, and children

The platform includes two main directions tailored for individual users.

“Hats Off” – a digital retreat for adults

The “Hats Off” program is designed as a 7-day autonomous digital retreat where users explore five thematic galleries featuring more than 70 metaphorical images. The experience is complemented by introspective exercises and audio guidance provided by therapists.

Within the symbolic universe of Inner Maps, the “hat” becomes a metaphor for the inner world, reflecting emotions, vulnerabilities, and personal resources.

“Step Together” – emotional support for parent-child relationships

For parents and children, the platform offers the “Step Together” program, which addresses the most common emotions and emotional challenges within family dynamics, such as separation anxiety, shame, or anger.

These themes are transformed into animated stories and complemented by psychological explanations, connection-building questions, and practical exercises designed to help parents manage difficult moments more effectively.

Benefits for companies and burnout prevention

Inner Maps also targets the corporate environment, offering digital solutions for burnout prevention and employee wellbeing.

The platform provides a fully confidential, asynchronous, and anonymous space, removing barriers such as fear of stigma or “Zoom fatigue.” By offering accessible emotional clarification tools, companies can help reduce “emotional absenteeism” and improve team agility, retention, and collaboration.

According to the developers, employees who are better equipped to manage stress and personal challenges become more balanced, focused, and receptive to feedback and teamwork.

A new perspective on emotional hygiene

Inner Maps aims to democratize access to emotional clarification and provide scientifically validated tools in an accessible and intuitive format. The platform is based on theories developed by specialists such as D. Siegel, D. Winnicott, and J. Bowlby, adapted into a modern digital experience.

By combining psychology, visual metaphors, and AI technology, the project opens a new direction in Romania’s digital emotional health landscape.

In a society where fast-paced lifestyles and constant pressure increasingly affect emotional balance, Inner Maps offers a modern and accessible alternative for self-understanding. The platform does not replace therapy, but rather creates a first space for authentic emotional connection, helping users build healthier relationships with themselves, their families, and their professional environment.

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The Child Helpline Association marks International Child Helpline Day through a public call regarding children’s online safety and the importance of rapid access to counseling and psychological support services.

On May 17, 2026, Child Helpline International, the global network of child helpline services, celebrates International Child Helpline Day, a moment dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of support services for children and adolescents around the world.

This year, the theme of the international campaign is “encouraging the reporting of online dangers and promoting online safety”, a highly relevant topic amid the alarming increase in cases of digital abuse among minors.

Romania is represented within the Child Helpline International alliance by the Child Helpline Association, an organization that provides free counseling services through the European child helpline 116111.

According to data centralized by the Child Helpline Association, throughout 2025 there was a 73% increase in online abuse cases compared to the previous year. One in four children reported experiencing forms of online abuse such as cyberbullying, grooming, or online blackmail.

The psychological impact on children and adolescents is profound. Those affected reported feelings of shame, anxiety, fear, sadness, and depression — issues that directly affect their emotional and social development. The most vulnerable age group remains children aged 13 to 15, particularly exposed to cyberbullying, while adolescents aged 16 to 17 are the most affected by online blackmail.

Statistics show that in over 90% of reported cases, the victims were girls, while half of the aggressors were other minors over the age of 14.

The situation becomes even more concerning in the context of children’s emotional health. In 16.6% of the psychological counseling cases recorded in 2025, children showed suicidal thoughts and ideation, with some situations requiring urgent interventions carried out in collaboration with the Romanian Police.

“It is essential for every child to know that they have the right to ask for help, that their voice matters, and that there are people ready to listen and provide the support they need,” stated Cătălina Surcel, Executive Director of the Child Helpline Association.

At a global level, Child Helpline International points out that mental health issues, violence, and digital dangers remain the main reasons why children and adolescents contact child helpline services.

In Romania, the European child helpline 116111 is available free of charge and provides children with a safe space where they can receive counseling, guidance, and specialized support. The service is managed by the Child Helpline Association and Orange Romania.

International Child Helpline Day represents an important signal regarding the need to protect children in the digital environment and to develop effective mechanisms for emotional support and rapid intervention. In an increasingly connected online society, digital education, open communication, and access to specialized services can make the difference between vulnerability and safety for thousands of children and adolescents.

Sursa: Comunicat de presă – Asociația Telefonul Copilului & Child Helpline International, 15 mai 2026.

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In this article, Mihaela Sandu-Scarlat, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, coach, and career counselor, shares insights about the difference between a career lived with purpose and one built solely around performance and external validation. Drawing from her 16+ years of experience in corporations and therapeutic practice, she explains how the Japanese concept of IKIGAI can influence career choices, emotional balance, and the risk of burnout.

„During my 16 years of working in organizations across various industries, I have met hundreds of people who came to and left the company smiling, but also hundreds of people who got bored quickly, who were constantly frustrated, demotivated, sad, and some of whom eventually broke down.

The difference between them was always represented by the meaning they gave to their work, whether their job was an endless routine or, on the contrary, no two days were alike. These people embraced both recurring activities and unexpected challenges with openness, celebrated both small achievements and major victories, and started and ended their workdays with a sense of gratitude.

The second category focused excessively on the half-empty side of the glass, frequently compared themselves to colleagues, and constantly aimed for higher positions, hoping for professional fulfillment that faded away relatively quickly.
Even salary increases satisfied them, on average, for only four months; their lifestyle would receive a new upgrade, and then dissatisfaction would return. This led to the endless pursuit of another objective that they believed could bring them satisfaction. They overlooked small victories, considering them natural and unworthy of praise, while major achievements were celebrated occasionally, quarterly, in a corporate setting, sometimes in a state of exhaustion, displaying a formal smile while thinking about the upcoming weekend, when they could simply lie on the couch.

Unfortunately, I listened to many colleagues who confessed that they were waiting for the weekend just to lie down and recover, even though they were under 40 years old. They had given up all their hobbies because they no longer had the energy, nor the desire to spend the money they had worked so hard for. Again and again.
Many of them were actually saving that money for difficult times, in case something happened to the company or they could no longer keep up with the overly demanding lifestyle.
The weekend was too short to help them recover from exhaustion, and then they would start all over again, waiting for the next weekend.

Burnout does not only settle into the lives of those who are not living their IKIGAI and who work exclusively for the organization’s goals and profit. It can also insidiously affect entrepreneurs who fully live their IKIGAI and immerse themselves completely in work. In their case, it becomes a fire that consumes them, one they cannot, or do not want to, extinguish.

We also often see cases of professionals in the medical system, people who do what they love, who are role models in their field, who contribute to the well-being of society, yet still fall into the abyss of burnout, even while fully living their IKIGAI.

Gallup studies from recent years report alarming figures: 76% of employees say they have experienced burnout “sometimes,” while 28% say they feel it “very often” or “always.”
Living your IKIGAI does not protect you from burnout if you do not slow down at the right moment, nor does it protect you from impostor syndrome if it is not understood, accepted, and managed.

Living your IKIGAI starts with a talent, but it also requires cultivating it, perseverance, and continuous training in order to achieve exceptional results in a field.

In their book The Ikigai Journey, Héctor García and Francesc Miralles mention four key questions that contribute to identifying one’s IKIGAI. These are: What do you love to do? What are you good at? What can you be paid for? What does the world need?

The order of these questions is very important because if you start with what you love to do and continuously improve your level of competence, you may eventually earn a great deal of money. Conversely, if your motivation is predominantly financial, we are talking about an attraction that may be temporary and can lead to a lack of meaning or to an exhausting Sisyphean labor, where work is not aligned with your values and goals.
These essential questions, together with the question “What makes you feel alive?”, are addressed in career counseling and coaching sessions.

Various saboteurs can interfere with discovering or living one’s IKIGAI, among the most evident being perfectionism, impostor syndrome, victimization, or people-pleasing behavior.
Here, I recommend a useful tool for identifying these saboteurs, which you can access for free here: https://positiveintelligence.com/saboteurs/

I further recommend working with a coach to help adjust the intensity of these inner saboteur voices and to gradually build a career that truly represents who you are.”

Mihaela Sandu-Scarlat is a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, coach, and career counselor with more than 16 years of experience in corporations across various industries, as well as relevant experience in private practice.
She has helped numerous employees and entrepreneurs find the right path for themselves, whether they were at the beginning of their careers, going through transitions, or pursuing professional reconversion.

A career built in alignment with your values, talents, and inner needs can become an authentic source of energy and fulfillment. However, even when we live our IKIGAI, balance remains essential. Becoming aware of personal limits, managing inner saboteurs, and cultivating gratitude are important steps toward a healthy and sustainable professional life.

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