Helen was born and rise in Mexico City. She currently works as a director of social projects, therapist, psychodramatist, theater director, writer and conducts training courses for companies and educational institutes.
She directed a very big art/social project in the Mexican Jewish community to change the social value people give to women.
For 10 years she was the director of the Black Box Mexico; an improv theater group focused on exploring social and educational problems, moral dilemmas, and identity issues trough sketches, playback theater, and improvisation.
She is the author of Theater i: impact, interaction, improvisation, a book which she presented in different congress in America, Europe and Asia.
Helen also organized the first Latin-American Jewish seminar on social impact theater, bringing people from over seven countries to learn the techniques of Theatre i, and take it back with them to their countries.
She defines herself most deeply as an educator and believes education has the power to bring change in people.
She has taught music and theatre for more than 15 years. She is also passionate about social change and volunteers in a number of social organizations.
Learn more about Helen here:
Name of your business, website, social media handles
@helenmarcosoficial
www.helenmarcos.com
If you are an entrepreneur, what motivated you to start your own business?
I am a creator of social/artistic projects, and I enjoy using art as a tool for social transformation. What motivates me to carry out all these projects is knowing that there is something each of us can do to improve our contexts. However, when we come together and embark on a collective project, the networks of a group amplify the change.
What does success mean to you?
Success is finding a balance between family, social, community, and professional life, and feeling comfortable, fulfilled, and accomplished in all areas.
What is your mantra or favorite saying? (If it's a known quote, please let us know who said it first!)
“A meeting of two: eye-to-eye, face-to-face. And when you are near I will tear your eyes out and place them instead of mine, and you will tear my eyes out and will place them instead of yours, then I wiII look at you with your eyes and you wiII look at me with mine.” Jacob Levy Moreno
What failure taught you the most about life or business? What was the lesson?
My partner and I were trying to have children, but we were not successful. We went through several difficult and exhausting treatments. The doctors told us to stop trying because we wouldn’t be able to have children, and so we did. We moved near the beach, went diving, traveled, and enjoyed life. Eventually, contrary to what they had predicted, I became pregnant.
The lesson was: Things don’t always happen when we want them to, or in the way we had envisioned, but if we relax, go with the flow of life, and try to enjoy everyday moments, maybe, eventually, we will achieve our dreams.
What's your favorite book - fiction or non-fiction! - in the past year?
Improvising real life, jo salas
If you could teach the world one five-minute lesson, what would it be?
People are not finished works of art; we are gradually constructed through the experiences we go through. Therefore, it is important to divorce ourselves from the ideas we once had about ourselves in order to transform into what resonates with us most in the present moment. Change is the only constant
Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were first starting out?
I would have taken many more classes that allowed me to delve into other hobbies to develop different skills.
What does women's empowerment look like to you in action?
Women creating networks with other women, strengthening their communities and addressing the ideological and everyday problems they face. Women being able to choose their lifestyle without social or moral judgment. Women creating and finding safe spaces for personal, professional, and family development.
What would you tell 19-year-old YOU?
Happiness is not a goal; it is a journey.
What will 86-year-old you want you to know TODAY?
Never stop creating community, sharing, and trying to transform the things you don’t like about the world you live in. You will always find a tribe of people who want to join the projects because they share the same ideology.
