In 2008, during the war in Georgia, Tamar Lolishvili experienced a moment that would shape her entire life. Pregnant and frightened, she held her four-year-old daughter as sirens echoed through the night and bombs fell on her village. Amid the chaos, her daughter looked up with innocent eyes and asked a question that pierced Tamar’s heart.
“Why don’t you tell them to stop? Why don’t you advise them to give peace to their children?”
Those words marked a turning point. Tamar realized that children naturally understand peace, empathy, and dignity long before adults complicate them. That night, she made a promise to raise not just her own children but an entire generation with the tools to choose dialogue over destruction, curiosity over hatred, and courage over fear.
A Career Rooted in Values and Empathy
Tamar’s personal experience fueled her professional mission. She became an educator with a strong focus on guiding young people through personal and emotional growth. At AIA-GESS in Tbilisi Georgia, she teaches more than academics. She fosters emotional intelligence, empathy, and self-awareness. Her approach known as the thinking heart philosophy helps students understand themselves, manage their feelings, and recognize how their emotions influence their behavior and relationships.
By encouraging students to face challenges consciously, see opportunities behind obstacles, and actively listen, Tamar equips them to collaborate effectively and build trust. In her view, leadership begins with inner alignment. When students understand themselves, they can positively impact their communities and contribute to a more compassionate world.
Discovering Authenticity and Joy
Tamar considers her most important achievement to be discovering and honoring her inner self. In a society that often expects conformity and silence, she chose joy, authenticity, and emotional courage. She expresses love freely, hugs generously, and says “I love you” to those who matter without fear.
Her work allows her to merge passion with purpose. Through informal education, Tamar encourages creativity, freedom, and personal growth in her students. Traveling with them and witnessing their transformations is a privilege she cherishes deeply. For her, success is not measured by accolades but by living authentically, inspiring young people, and nurturing a culture where emotional intelligence and human values are prioritized.
Challenges That Shaped Resilience
Early in her career, Tamar faced skepticism about the value of informal education and emotional intelligence. Convincing colleagues and parents that these skills were as important as traditional academics required patience, resilience, and persistence.
She also had to navigate societal expectations that often discourage open expression, vulnerability, and emotional authenticity. By staying true to herself and embracing her emotions, Tamar modeled the courage she wished to instill in her students. These challenges ultimately strengthened her purpose and shaped the nurturing environment she now cultivates where students can grow wholeheartedly.
Building a Values Based Youth Ecosystem
Tamar’s vision extends beyond her classroom. She is currently developing a values based youth ecosystem that integrates critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and the thinking heart philosophy into school culture.
Central to this initiative is the creation of the Embassy of Happiness and Peace, a platform for training student ambassadors who promote empathy, collaboration, and peace. Tamar is also designing informal education modules and expanding international exchange programs that expose students to diverse cultures and perspectives. She is writing a critical thinking textbook to help young people understand themselves, their values, and their influence on others.
Through these initiatives, Tamar aims to create a sustainable system that nurtures conscious, empathetic leaders who think globally, act responsibly, and foster peaceful communities.
Lessons in Trust and Responsibility
One of Tamar’s most valuable career lessons came from her mentor Rusudan. She learned not to place heavy expectations on others and that the only person she can fully rely on is herself. Understanding the difference between general trust and self reliant trust helped her approach leadership with emotional responsibility.
Today, Tamar communicates clearly, asks permission before assigning responsibility, and encourages students to develop inner strength rather than dependency. Her leadership style is grounded in fairness, compassion, and conscious decision making, ensuring that trust is both meaningful and empowering.
Inspiring the Next Generation
Tamar’s impact is evident in the growth of her students. Through international exchanges, workshops, and immersive experiences, she exposes young people to different cultures, ideas, and perspectives. These experiences expand their thinking and deepen empathy, preparing them to engage with the world thoughtfully and responsibly.
Her mission is to cultivate a generation that understands themselves, expresses love boldly, collaborates with empathy, and leads with conscience. By combining academic knowledge with emotional intelligence, Tamar is helping her students become the kind of leaders who solve conflicts with dialogue and understanding, not violence.
A Vision for Lasting Peace
Tamar does not focus on personal legacy. Instead, she hopes her work will create an enduring culture of values based education where emotional intelligence, peace building, and empathy are as vital as academic success. Her goal is to raise students who will continue to carry forward the principles she champions long after she is gone.
For Tamar, the true measure of success is the lasting impact her students have on the world. By inspiring them to know themselves, express love courageously, and collaborate responsibly, she ensures that the seeds of peace and compassion will continue to grow for generations to come.
Words for Her Younger Self
Reflecting on her journey, Tamar would tell her younger self to keep pursuing what brings joy. She encourages embracing curiosity, expressing love openly, and walking the path of authenticity without apology. Her courage, vulnerability, and heart driven choices have shaped not only her own life but the lives of countless young people she mentors.
Tamar’s story reminds us that even in the darkest moments, a single question or act of empathy can ignite a lifetime of purpose. Her journey from war-torn childhood to global peace advocate illustrates the extraordinary power of compassion, education, and courage to change lives and ultimately the world.
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