Tania Luna – A Surprising Example

By Sophia Love, Published July 30, 2013

“Surprise stops us in our tracks. It plugs us into the moment. It intensifies the moment.” – Tania Luna

 

The first surprising thing about Tania Luna is her pedigree.  Tania is a Surprisologist.  If that title is unfamiliar to you, consider your reaction as the first step into her method to change the world; focus, attention, wonder and joy.  Tania knows all about it.

A Chernobyl survivor at the age of one, she was granted asylum to the USA at the age of six, and moved from the Ukraine to NYC, into a homeless shelter which she mistook for a hotel. None of her unfortunate history is evident in her work as the co-founder and CEO of Surprise Industries, a company that uses the science of surprise to help teams thrive in uncertainty, develop deeper connections, and spread delight. She is a researcher, psychology instructor, facilitator, speaker, and surprise-plotter.

Tania has worked with organizations of all shapes and sizes including Whole Foods, Google, City Year, Malaria No More, National Geographic, L’Oreal, and Etsy. She has spoken at TED and TEDx events, YPO, INK, Yahoo Ignite, and various corporate conferences.

Hear her story as featured recently on TED:

In her blog and during her talks, she speaks about the necessity of being “unreasonable” –

 If we let reasons stop us now, then there will always be a reason to stop.

If we are always reasonable, then it will always be unreasonable to do the things that make us come alive.

 

The mission statement for Surprise Industries, founded by Tania and her sister Kat, includes the following:

“One explorer at a time, we want to help people thrive in our new reality – one of constant uncertainty and surprise. This new reality looks scary, but it’s also a place where crazy ideas blossom into game-changing innovations, authenticity is the cornerstone of relationships, growing and playing are ageless, and following your dreams is normal.”

 The world Tania describes is surprising, exciting and always expanding to something new.  This is a world of perpetual wonder, and one she’d like all of us to enjoy

 

 

SOPHIA LOVE 

A long time advocate for unity and peace, Sophia believes that we get the world we believe.  She is a voice for agape; loving yourself unconditionally.  She’s opened an alternative school, home schools her children, is a writer, teacher and video producer.  Find her books and blogs at www.sophialove.org.