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The Calina Deacu Fellowship
The Calina Deacu Fellowship was created in loving memory of my paternal grandmother, Calina Deacu, whose quiet strength and wisdom shaped the values passed down through generations in my family. She taught my father—and through him, me—that raising a child is not an act of ownership but a duty of love:
“We brought you up because that’s our duty to our parents for bringing us up, but it’s up to you to search for your own happiness, whatever that means to you.”
Inspired by this spirit, the Fellowship supports individuals who find themselves at a crossroads, seeking to combine their diverse skills, experiences, and passions into a Personal Business Model that allows them to do what they love, be financially sustainable, and create meaningful impact in the world.
During this pilot phase, the Fellowship includes two parts.
Part 1 - The “Redesign Life Beyond One-Size-Fits-All” online mini-course available at the bottom of this page to anyone who is willing to put the time and effort to go through it (the mini-course is available for free as part of Tianmei World Academy overall mission to turn access to high quality educational opportunities into a right for each and every individual, beyond skin color, culture, geographical location etc, instead of a privilege)
Part 2 - 1:1 Mentorship. I am personally mentoring selected participants at no financial cost, offering time, tools, and reflective space to co-design their next steps toward purpose-driven livelihoods.
The Fellowship draws from my own 8-years experience as a social entrepreneur developing a business model that aims to solve social issues and create social value in a financially sustainable way, as well as my ongoing research at the Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (RIFS), where I work on making this new definition of “business” (“An entity that solves social issues and creates social value in a financially sustainable way.”) become mainstream.
The Fellowship also seeks to raise awareness that gender equity begins at home. By examining the “Invisible Backpacks” we each carry—our inherited beliefs, expectations, and emotional legacies—we can better understand how they shape our views on gender, work, and happiness, and begin to heal towards true equity.
Through honoring my grandmother’s legacy, this Fellowship celebrates the power of love as a form of intergenerational activism—reminding us that when we choose to live authentically and courageously, we also honor those who made that freedom possible.
How to become a Fellow?
If the meaning behind this Fellowship touched you and you would like to be a part of it, please follow the below steps:
Step 1 - Go through the Redesign Life Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Online Mini-Course on your own (watch each video, do the self-reflection exercises recommended in each video, take how ever much time you need to reflect on the content in the mini-course; it shouldn't take you more than 60 minutes to finish watching the videos and doing a basic self-reflection based on the provided exercises)
Step 2 - Fill in the application form at the bottom of this page. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and Fellowships will be awarded based on two three main factors: mentee motivation to join, depth of self-reflection and mentor time availability.
Step 3 - Even if you don't get selected to become a Fellow in your first application, you can reapply in the future once you've had the opportunity for a deeper self-reflection based on the provided exercises, but also follow Tianmei World Academy activities (by subscribing to the newsletter, following on LinkedIn, Youtube etc.) to become the beneficiary of many other learning programs we will make available as part of our mission to turn equal access to high quality educational opportunities into a right for each and every individual, beyond skin color, culture, geographical location etc, and not a privilege.
What Some Beneficiaries Say
Anna Korlath
(Austria)
is on a mission to put the goodest businesses on the map. She helps climate and impact founders stop hiding their world-changing work behind outdated, corporate-looking visuals.
As a visual storytelling expert and brand illustrator, Anna specializes in Illustrative Branding, a powerful mix of clear strategy and bespoke illustration, to translate complex impact into a visual identity that is trusted, magnetic, and completely you.
Anna's Thoughts
Adina's approach uses interesting exercises that are precise and force you to look at things differently. It's not just filling the space with abstract concepts; she brings real clarity to the process. Her questions are so thoughtful, they cut straight through the noise and get to the core of your direction.
Santi Rahayu
(Indonesia)
After over a decade working in creative and art direction for some of Bali’s leading businesses, Santi followed a deeper calling. In early 2023, she transitioned from the fashion sector to the
environmental sector, dedicating her work to conservation and ocean protection. Since then, she has been involved in community-centred conservation projects in Bali voluntarily and launched Pariveśa, an online magazine that blends art and environmental storytelling to inspire
reflection and change.
Today, she serves as the Bali City Lead for Women and Climate, bringing people together to address local environmental challenges. She’s also proud to be part of the Re.Generation International Community, under the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, a global network of young changemakers working for a more sustainable future.
Santi's Thoughts
As a creative with thousands of ideas and a non-stop mind marathon, narrowing my focus has been quite challenging. Being part of this fellowship program under Adina’s direction has been extremely helpful.
She has helped me think from an eagle-eye perspective, guided me with
some directions, and explored opportunities to leverage the potential of my media business, which I am currently developing
Kate's Thoughts
I connected with Adina through the Women and Climate community and took her up on her coaching offer. Adina coached me to think through how I might translate my skills into social entrepreneurship. She offered concrete tools – like building a personalized skills inventory and putting together a mind map of the problem you want to solve. What I love about Adina’s worldview is that she refuses to wear a single hat! She is a social entrepreneur, an environmental psychology researcher, a mentor and a systems thinker. Wearing multiple hats, she is able to see possibilities and opportunities where other people might not. I highly recommend working with Adina and benefitting from her ideas and energy!
Part 1
Redesign Life Beyond One-Size-Fits-All Online Mini-Course
Rooted in environmental psychology and systems thinking, this course helps you understand yourself, reclaim your agency, and begin designing a life and career that truly fit who you are. Through four interconnected tools (1️⃣ The Center of My Environment 2️⃣ Action–Reaction Model 3️⃣ The Invisible Backpack 4️⃣ The Puzzle Mindset) you’ll learn to see how your environment shapes your behavior, how to respond consciously instead of reacting automatically, how your past experiences influence your worldview, and how your unique “puzzle piece” contributes to the bigger picture.
🎯 Learning outcomes:
Deepen self-awareness and emotional resilience
Strengthen your sense of agency and belonging
Cultivate inclusion and compassion in daily life Lay the foundation for developing your Personal Business Model, a future program designed to help you align purpose, creativity, and financial sustainability.
🎯This mini-course includes:
4 videos each explaining one of the tools (between 8 - 9 minutes/each) (Click "Watch" on each Part below)
4 self-reflection exercises, 1 provided in each video (make sure to watch each video fully)
Transcripts of the mini-course content, downloadable upon Subscription.
Bonus: "You don't need permission to just be who you are" Meditation (just click on the underlined text to listen to it)
Part 2
1:1 Online Mentorship
Now that you've finalized Part 1, you are ready to go to Part 2 and apply for the 1:1 online mentorship sessions. In case you will get selected, there is no fixed number of 1:1 mentoring sessions you can benefit of. The exact number will be determined case by case depending on each participant's progress throughout the Fellowship. So you will receive support until you feel confident that you've reached an outcome you are happy with.