Hey, I’m IDÁN SAGIV RICHTER.
Ever since I can remember myself, I took interest in people’s lives, listening to their stories. Later in life I started studying these narratives and came to realise two things. First, people’s stories have power, because they create their realities and lead them to take decisions and actions. Second, our stories are connected.
Today I listen to people and help them to (re)write their stories - present, past and future - so that the next time they tell it, they are filled with a sense of pride, of the person they are, their achievements, their transformations, their path and where they are headed to. My mission is to help people take control over their narratives.
what’s your story?
my professional development
My counseling career started at the age of 17, after an intensive training as a counselor in a crisis intervention and suicide prevention hotline for queer youth. This experience taught me to navigate difficult conversations, create a safer and nonjudgemental space uniquely to each individual and offer guidance for those in desperate need of someone to understand and support them. This early experience inspired me to pursue a career as a counselor.
Working with marginalised communities made me a passionate advocate for human and civil rights. I realized that reaching large audiences was the best way to create social change. That led me to do my b.a. and m.a. in film, studying storytelling, social sciences and communication. Through my work in culture and media I got to make a difference in society. Later on, I started offering creativity empowerment trainings, helping participants heal and grow by exploring and expressing themselves.
Gaining work experience internationally and overcoming personal hardships encouraged me to become a life coach, focusing on resilience, self-love, self-worth, relationships and living authentically. During Covid I lead an international online festival for queer men to help battle loneliness. Owing to the expertise and skills set I acquired over years of work with NGOs and communities, i’ve been acknowledged as a social worker. The following years i’ve been working as a psychosocial counselor in social organisations. i received advanced training in trauma, intercultural counseling, mindfulness and body-oriented interventions.
My experience as a queer middle-eastern jewish migrant in Europe has informed my decision to co-found diversity factory, a startup that provides consulting services for companies and organizations seeking guidance in the domains of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). One pillar of our work is offering counseling and coaching sessions to diverse employees paid by their company. Parallel to my coaching and consulting work, I am training to be a systemic counselor on the path of becoming a systemic and family therapist.