Mapology Guides was co-founded in 2015 by Tina Bernstein, designer and creative entrepreneur. Her most recent title is 'cartographer of emotions'.

Tina has a BA Honours degree in Graphic Design from Central Saint Martins and in the past has worked as a designer and business consultant for the creative industries.

At 26, whilst in a high powered job that took her on regular flights around Europe, Tina had a full blown nervous breakdown. People often ask what is a nervous breakdown. The answer is different for everyone. In Tina's case, she developed agoraphobia, claustrophobia and depersonalization disorder (periods of feeling disconnected or detached from one's body and thoughts).

Whilst in long-term psychotherapy (both 1-1 and group therapy), Tina realised that what she was missing was some creative and visual stimulation when it came to the learning tools on offer. Apart from self-help books and black and white photocopies of workshops notes, there was no design element, no graphics or even just a bit of colour!

With her long-standing background in psychology and having suffered from addictions and mental illness herself, Mapology Guides arose from her desire to 'give back' and passion to find different ways to empower individuals to adopt their own approach to mindfulness, wellbeing and personal development. 

Her love for creativity, design, maps and illustration gave her the idea for format and execution. 

That's the why! As for the how, Mapology Guides' long-term vision is to become the LadyBird books of the 21st century. There are many titles and products planned. As we are self-funded, a big vision like this takes time. And that's part of the beauty of the journey. Tina is not a believer in quick fixes or an 'exit strategy', but rather advocates vocation and purpose in life. She also favours the business model of people, planet, profit in that order.

Tina champions holistic health and plant-based food. She likes inspiring people to find inner fulfillment, live life according to their own rules and is a proud female founder over 50.

You can learn more about Tina by listening to her episode (45) on Holly Tucker's podcast 'Conversations of Inspiration'.

At some stage it became a tradition for Tina to share the life lessons she has learned over the years. Now that we've been through a pandemic and are in midst of a war, it's probably a good idea to reflect and update this list.....
For now, enjoy the 56 lessons here.