“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.”
Alma Botcharova, Author, Speaker, Expert in Addiction Prevention and Resilience | Mental Health Advocate. Her passion is to equip people with the knowledge, skills, and tools to live better lives. Formerly clinically depressed and addicted, Alma turned her life around and Today, she inspires her clients to take control of their mental health and start living more impactful, fulfilled lives.
Alma helps people in a variety of settings including college campuses and service-based organizations, individuals and groups (including empaths, survivors of trauma and addictions, women, first-gen Canadians). Teaching and forming safe spaces for self-discovery to emerge is what she does best. She loves listening to stories, hearing perspectives, understanding the many journeys and providing creative solutions.
Alma Botcharova holds a Ph.D. in German Studies and Culture from the University of Toronto, where she teaches. A native of Bulgaria and prior to immigrating to Canada in 1993, she has lived and worked in Bulgaria, Germany and Finland. Alma is proficient in six languages and works also as a Court Interpreter for the Ministry of the Attorney General thus sharing her extensive personal cross-cultural experience. Her biggest passions remain writing, photography, painting and swimming. She has an online coaching consultancy on recovery from addiction and depression entitled “Living on the Hyphen”. Alma lives in Toronto, a city she truly adores. She has at least 1 000 pics of the CN Tower.
From Alma’s heart: The guidance by my heart has always been a body resource I’ve felt into when making the difficult, profound, loving, and dynamic choices in order to be who I am today. My heart has steered me in the best direction for me at the time consistently. I also have a strong mindset (or “heart” set as I like to call it), that life is good, that people are good, and that on any day, my power lies in choosing the light over the darkness. I strive to choose the light every day while honoring the truth of my emotions and my authentic experience, particularly on those most difficult days. My passion for learning and growth also makes me who I am today as Immigrant woman, who is creative, passionate, and dedicated to making positive change across humanity.
“I remain in awe of Alma’s networking skills and her passion for the issues that directly impact all people. Alma possesses a range of skills that ultimately center upon helping people to improve their lives and the lives of others by identifying mutual needs, actively listening, and working through real or imagined barriers to embrace the perspectives of other people. Alma is someone I consider to be a true force for the greater good’ Shirin Ariff, Founder: Be Your Own North Star Movement