Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat

Dimitris Mothonaios - How We Can End Abuse and Cultivate the Courage to Speak Up

February 19, 2022 Mo Gawdat and Dimitris Mothonaios Episode 181
Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat
Dimitris Mothonaios - How We Can End Abuse and Cultivate the Courage to Speak Up
Show Notes

I met this week's guest for the first time in this recording. He reached out and told me his story via Instagram. It touched my heart so deeply, as did his commitment to the world as a result, that I had to ask him on Slo Mo. This is a profoundly powerful discussion that we all need to hear in an era where victims of sexual - and all forms - of abuse are finally coming out of the shadows and fighting to make the world a safer place.

Dimitris Mothonaios is a Greek theatre, TV and screen actor. His television debut came at age 23 on the Greek TV series "Last Performance". He went on to star in the popular Ant1 series "Karma" and later took part in the comedy series of Alpha TV "Mi me skas". In 2019, he starred in the leading role of Antonis Kostoulas in the legendary Greek drama series Life in the Tomb, based on the bestselling novel of a portrait of a greek soldier in the barracks in WW1. Nominated twice for Best Leading Actor, his repertoire includes Shakespeare, Euripides and Ibsen. His latest movie is a Chinese production "A Day in the Life Of A Teddy Bear", releasing February 24 in Greece and this June at the official selection of the Shanghai Film Festival.

As you'd expect, this week's episode discusses sexual abuse. The goal of the interview is to inform and discuss how we can put an end to this heinously ugly side of humanity, once and for all.

Listen as we discuss:

  • What it's like to be a well known actor in a relatively small country.
  • The experience of Dimitris, a total sweetheart, playing a villain.
  • Dimitris' professional journey, and why it was easy compared to what he's been through.
  • A traumatic childhood, an alcohol fueled accident, sexual abuse, and delusion.
  • Dimitris' 7 year struggle to get anyone to acknowledge his abuses.
  • The moment he told his story to Greece, a first, and received 40,000 messages.
  • How do we cure the injustices that sexual abuse victims face?
  • Why Dimitris' core is still completely intact, despite his traumas.
  • How can you recognize something bad happened in your life if your brain blocks it?
  • Dimitris' efforts to create an anonymous phone line in Greece for abuse victims.
  • Would Dimitris change anything about his past? As we almost always hear, no.

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Website: mogawdat.com

Connect with Dimitris on Instagram @motho_naios and the non-profit working against abuse, ELIZA.

My latest book Scary Smart is now available and has been voted one of the top 12 business books of 2021 by The Times and Sund

YouTube: @mogawdatofficial
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
X: @mgawdat
Website: mogawdat.com

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