Imi Lo is a mental health consultant and founder at Eggshell Therapy. Eggshell Therapy provides mental health consultation for emotionally intense, highly sensitive, neurodivergent, and gifted adults, particularly those who have felt different throughout their lives. By helping them understand and embrace their unique traits, the goal is to empower them to navigate challenges more effectively and unlock their full potential.
Imi is also a writer dedicated to helping individuals and groups lead more meaningful and authentic lives. Her internationally recognized books, Emotional Sensitivity and Intensity and The Gift of Intensity, which have been translated into several languages, are cherished by readers around the world for their compassionate and insightful guidance.
Imi holds two Master’s degrees, one in Buddhist Studies and the other in Mental Health. Philosophical consulting, mindfulness-based approaches, global cultures and Jungian theories, are all training she has practised alongside her degrees. Her diverse experience spans various settings, enriched by her global perspective from living in the UK, Australia, and Hong Kong. The mental health charity Mind, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, , and the LGBTQ charity London Friend are all organizations she has worked with.
Imi has received several prestigious awards, including the HSBC Social Work Scholarship, the Australian Government Endeavour Award, she also received a Postgraduate Scholarship for Buddhist Studies. Her expertise has been highlighted in top publications like HuffPost, Business Insider, Psychologies magazine, the Daily Mail, Marie Claire and The Telegraph. She also contributes as a writer for Psychology Today.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My typical day would be filled with: Work, food, books, silence. Mostly solitude and sometimes friends. I love chatting with strangers too.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Ideas come alive when I am being real—letting what I feel in my heart to be true, flow out naturally. I also like weaving together wisdoms from those who have come before me, but they really only ‘come to life’ when bits and pieces of my authentic self is in it.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Still in the minority perhaps, but people are rediscovering the wisdom of owning less but cherishing them dearly and doing less but doing it deeply.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
I am productive by doing anything that energizes me— rewatching the same show over and over, revisiting my favourite bookshop again and again. I like repetitions. It frees my mind up for the new.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Your intensity and sensitivity brings you a lot of trouble, but whatever comes, say ‘yes’ to it all, for this is your unique path and one that you must love. Remember this so one day your older self won’t have to tattoo ‘Amor Fati’ on your wrist to remind yourself.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
If you find a film you love, watch it 10 times. If you find a dress that suits you perfectly, buy it in every colour— or the same colour. There’s no virtue in artificial variety when you know what brings you joy.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Hmm, haha perhaps making mistakes and then learning from them. This allows for bouncing back and moving past any shame you experience.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I journal, write to myself, and seek solace in my stack of go-to philosophy books.
However I like to let myself drop into it—no matter what mood it is. If I feel sad, I focus on feeling sad, and see if it exhausts itself. But it’s not a secret plot, it just needs to be there for however long it needs to be. But they do disperse— they always do. Impermanence is constant.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Learning to be myself and be human, rather than putting on a ‘professional mask’ that says ‘I am a professional, I am an expert.’ I am also curious, so I like to follow where my curiosity goes.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I invested a lot in trying to be a conventional ‘psychology doctor,’ and it was a real failed mission. Psychology tries too much to be ‘science’ in my opinion – too much categorizing, diagnosing, fixing, not enough yielding, and not focusing enough on the existential and spiritual.
What I really resonated with was something much more human, more humanistic, more philosophical. Looking back, this ‘failure’ was really just truth-telling – an enormous slap that nudged me toward the only thing I can do, which is to be myself, even without all those official accolades and titles.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
Oh, you’re asking about favourite books – where do I even start? I’m such a book obsessive!
Can’t possibly pick just one… For the longest time it was Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. And Nietzsche – especially ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’ and ‘The Gay Science,’ though they must be interpreted carefully. Then there’s Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen and Freezing Point (Hyouten) by Ayako Miura. I also read a lot of manga, from ‘Doraemon’ to ‘Shinya Shokudou’ (Midnight Diner – now a Netflix show that I’ve watched countless times).
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Call me Chihiro
Key learnings
- The best things often lie in undoing what looks like contradictory pairs. Stop seeing good or bad, right or wrong and being too fixated on them
- Stop torturing yourself for not being a perfect version of yourself that never existed.
- Don’t hide the raw energy that makes you real and powerful— as a human, a creator, a spirit or a role model.
- Don’t feel afraid to fail or make mistakes, as you will rise again.