Marianna Antonakaki established The School of Mindset™ in response to the evolving needs of the market, her professional network, and her personal vision to challenge the prevailing model of seminar-based approaches. She sought to break away from the repetitive, low-quality methodologies, manipulative techniques, and interventionist models that often lead individuals into dead ends or reckless decisions. Additionally, she aimed to counteract the trend of overpriced training programs that offer grand promises with little tangible impact.

Her vision was to create a psycho-educational framework that is simple yet profound, grounded in social and human sciences, and tailored to individualized learning—rejecting the "one-size-fits-all" approach when it comes to human behavior. She embraced play as an art form, revealing both unconscious skills and limitations, while integrating emerging technologies with a critical, human-centered perspective, free from dogma or devaluation.

With this foundation, she designed transformative learning experiences for individuals and teams through mindset mapping, applied psychology, play-based methodologies, research, and synergies with other pioneering protocols, including the award-winning NowLetsPlay®™, The Nutriventionists™, MindsetMaps™ International Greece & Cyprus, MetaMind™ Academy, The Complete Guide to Efficiency™, Web3 Mathesis, and The Multilemma™ App.

She is a Psychology scholar at the University of Derby's Faculty of Applied Psychology and is currently undergoing training in Psychodynamic.

Marianna is the founder of NowLetsPlay®™, a multidisciplinary model designed for children, adolescents, and professionals working with infants and young children. This model extends to parenting and educational protocols and is recognized as an original research-based method in counseling, education, and therapy (Reg Certificate No 00003709405, Intellectual Property Office Registrar) in the United Kingdom, UAE, Europe, and Greece.

Her mission is to safeguard children's right to play as an essential prerequisite for their development and to establish play as a tool for fostering creativity and problem-solving in business and entrepreneurship.

She is an Affiliated Partner of the International Professional Certification for Business & Leadership Coaches & Consultants the SFM MINDSETMAPS™ program, serving as an Exclusive Trainer & Supervisor for the Greek language in Greece and Cyprus.

Marianna is a certified Design Thinking Consultant from Stanford University, a researcher on the correlation between Artificial Intelligence and self-efficacy, a researcher in Investor's Psychology, and a Metapreneurship Consultant. She is a certified Digital Finance Consultant from the Institute of Digital Finance and serves as Deputy CEO at HiveTech.

She initially pursued studies in French Philology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. However, her passion for communication, the arts, and the human sciences soon redirected her academic and professional trajectory. She later earned a B.A. in Interior Design from Middlesex University & AKTO, while simultaneously working in media, public relations, and corporate communications.

Her 20-year career in media included leadership roles in Cigar and Mensarena magazines, editorial and journalism contributions to major newspapers and magazines such as Vima, Kathimerini, Imerisia, Epsilon, L’Officiel, among others, as well as news reporting for STAR television and radio broadcasting across 35 regional stations in Greece and two in Cyprus. She also collaborated with advertising agencies.

Motherhood, combined with the global financial crisis, prompted a second career transformation, leading her to the fields of psychology and education.

Over the past decade, she has pursued postgraduate studies in Infant Psychotherapy (First Play in Therapy, FAIMH), Psychotherapy through Therapeutic Play (Play Therapy International), and Clinical Diagnosis of Infant & Early Childhood Disorders (DC 0-5, U.S.-Certified Consultant). She is also a Meta-Trauma & PTSD Prevention Counselor & Trainer (Meta International Inc.), an Eye Movement Trauma Therapy (IEMT) Practitioner and member of the International Association for Eye Movement Trauma Therapy, a Story Play® Ericksonian Non-Directive Play Model Practitioner, a Certified Practitioner of the Circle of Security Model, and a Mental Health Facilitator certified by NBCC (National Board for Certified Counselors).

She specializes in the Social Panorama Methodology for Family & Educational Settings and is a member of Mental Space Psychology. She holds a Diploma in Photo Art Therapy from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, applying phototherapy and neurolinguistics, and is a Level3 Expert for Points Of You. She has also been trained at the Foundation Level of the RETaC method for Emotional & Relationship Management by Wassili Zafiri.

Marianna is an active Soroptimist, a member of the global movement advocating for the elimination of violence against women and the protection of women’s and children's rights.

She is a key collaborator in Project Parenting and has published numerous scientific eBooks on child and infant psychology, as well as four therapeutic tales eBooks for children and adults.

Her two latest children’s books have also been released as audiobooks on JukeBooks, the ANT1 Group's platform.

She is fluent in English, French, and Italian and continues to actively contribute editorial content to various publications.