Latest Reflections
Certainty, doubt and inclusive journalism
Luba Kassova | June 30, 2023
We often oversimplify the world and introduce false binary oppositions to feel more certain, safer and thus more empowered in our lives. Feeling certain is one of our medicines against anxiety. By contrast, uncertainty is one of the hardest states of being...
The ruthless ageist in my head
Luba Kassova | June 14, 2023
Recently I had a zoom session with presenters and editors of a radio station in Bulgaria which kicked off with a round of introductions. “I feel conscious of being the oldest amongst us”, a very eloquent and warm woman presenter opened her...
The emerging divide around AI and what it tells us about human nature
Luba Kassova | June 06, 2023
As I am driven in the back of yet another seatbeltless taxi in Sofia, I ponder risk, uncertainty, the impermanence of existence and the latest emerging line of polarisation: whether AI could overwhelm and destroy humanity or whether hypothesising to that...
Dreamful in Seattle and the superpower of connecting with your younger self
Luba Kassova | May 16, 2023
Is there a city you have always wanted to visit but somehow felt was just a tad too far out of reach? For me this has always been Seattle. Rewinding back to the spring of my life. I am in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is 1991, the year after...
Why gender-focused reporters burn out at alarming rate and what to do about it
Luba Kassova | May 03, 2023
Last month at the International Journalism Festival, two editors – Megan Clement of Impact newsletter and Ankita Anand of Unbias the News – revealed the preliminary results of a survey among journalists and editors who cover gender news....
Have you ever been gaslighted. Here is how to recognise it and protect your reality
Luba Kassova | April 19, 2023
The first time I heard the term gaslighting (psychological manipulation to undermine someone’s perception of reality) was in June 2021, during the pandemic. I was interviewing Kalani*, a wellbeing consultant, a woman of colour, who had had cancer and...
The many facets of womanhood
Luba Kassova | March 08, 2023
On International Women’s Day I find myself pondering over what defines womanhood. What does being a woman mean for me? One image emerges before my eyes - assured, confident and powerful. The image of my mother. It is she who laid the foundation of my...
Drained at 16… The toll of a year of 60 exams
Luba Kassova | February 23, 2023
I watch my 16-year-old boy’s spark and his cracking sense of humour drain from him every time he approaches his exams. He is 16. This year alone he will take a total of some 60 mock or real exams. When a cycle of mock exams is over, he...
Should there really be a special place in hell for women who do not help other women?
Luba Kassova | February 07, 2023
“There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women”, noted Madeline Albright in her 2006 keynote speech at a Celebrating Inspiration luncheon with the WNBA’s All Decade team. Recently I have seen this statement...
New Year’s lessons from my first-ever retreat
Luba Kassova | January 25, 2023
Unshackle yourself from the inevitable disappointment of too many New Year’s resolutions. Just set one. On the last day of every year, I typically make a number of resolutions for the year ahead which I invariably fail to fulfil. Humbled by my...
