Our founder and partners

The Human Kind Institute was born out of founder Lola Tillyaeva (Till)’s commitment to empowering individuals, societies and humanity towards finding new pathways to positivity. A wellbeing activist, author, entrepreneur and passionate humanitarian, Ms Tillyaeva sees that globally we are facing unprecedented challenges which call for a new approach to mapping out our shared future.

Lola holds a doctorate degree in Psychology and has completed an apprenticeship at the Gaia School of Herbal Medicine and Earth Education. In 2020, she published an insightful self-care guide, “Be Your Own Harmonist: Awakening Your Inner Wisdom for Physical, Mental and Emotional Wellbeing” which was followed by the release of a French translation Vers la paix intérieure in 2022, with a foreword by the widely appraised film director Claude Lelouch.

From 2008-2018, Lola served as Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to UNESCO. During her time in office, she worked tirelessly to preserve and promote the beauty and values at the heart of Uzbekistan’s rich cultural heritage. As an acknowledgement to her ongoing passion and culture preservation initiatives, Lola was recently appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador by Fashion 4 Development.

Lola is also the creator and founder of The Harmonist, a maison de parfum inspired by the ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui. Nominated several times at the prestigious US Fragrance Foundation Awards and winner of Allure magazine's Best of Beauty Award 2022, the brand centres on balance and wellbeing.

An ardent philanthropist, Lola has founded two charities dedicated to improving the lives of orphaned and at-risk children in Uzbekistan. Established in 2002, You Are Not Alone has provided loving homes and education to hundreds of children, while the National Centre for the Social Adaptation of Children opened as a state-of-the-art centre offering unprecedented levels of care to children with special needs. Lola continues this work through her ongoing positive collaboration with French non-profit organisation La Chaîne de l’Espoir (Chain of Hope) to diagnose, advise and treat at-risk children with congenital heart conditions.

Deeply committed to furthering peace and understanding through cultural dialogue, after stepping down from her diplomatic post in 2018, Ms Tillyaeva established La Maison de l’Ouzbékistan, a gallery-boutique in the heart of Paris envisioned as a portal to Central Asia. As well as showcasing exquisite Silk Road crafts fashioned by leading Uzbek artisans, La Maison de l’Ouzbékistan also serves as a cultural oasis hosting exhibitions and other events.

Lola is an ardent supporter of sustainable lifestyle practices for a greener and healthier world, and is committed to making a lasting impact on society through her vision for the Human Kind Institute.

Be Your Own Harmonist: Awakening Your Inner Wisdom for Physical, Mental and Emotional Wellbeing by HKI founder Lola Tillyaeva (Till) is an insightful self-help guide for anyone seeking to tap into their inner energy and embark on a journey towards harmony and wellness.

Drawing on the author’s comprehensive academic background and apprenticeship at Gaia School of Herbal Medicine & Earth Education, here Lola combines her in-depth knowledge with personal experience to lucidly explain the theory behind the health and wellness topics she covers.

The result is a comprehensive and actionable guide full of practical advice on how to achieve physical, mental and emotional balance in today’s hectic world.

Science plus Spirituality 

Fascinated by the meaning of life since childhood, Lola has long reflected on fundamental questions such as: ‘Who am I?’ Her search for answers propelled her on a lifelong quest that prompted her to examine ancient philosophies alongside cutting-edge science. This fusion of science and spirituality, Lola believes, holds the key to wholeness, an approach that lies at the heart of Be Your Own Harmonist. 

Balancing Emotional and Physical Wellness

Based on Lola’s own awareness of the fine balance between our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing, the structure of the book follows the ancient philosophical concept of three energy centres, or Suns. 

Part One discusses the lower Sun of our abdominal energy centre and examines the many factors that affect our complex biology. Here, Lola highlights the importance of listening to our body and explains the science behind gut health as well as the detrimental effects of common conditions such as inflammation and IBS. 

This section also includes recipes for a high-frequency diet, tips for creating a more restorative sleep routine, and a discussion on the benefits of yoga.

Focussing on our mental energy centre, Part Two takes the reader on a fascinating tour of our brain waves and how they impact our mental state. In this section we learn why we should tune into the ‘gamma state of mind’ and how we can rewire our brain by switching from entrenched thought patterns to a positive new mindset. 

Here, Lola also introduces some basic meditation practices which can unlock the simple healing power of our own breath.

Part Three is devoted to the emotional energy centre, or heart intelligence. The experiences we have accumulated since birth often trigger habitual reactions, thoughts and behaviour patterns which makes change seem difficult. By drawing on recent research as well as her own insights to decode these patterns, Lola examines the life-changing impact of nurturing gratitude and the healing power of forgiveness. Positive change, she affirms, is possible.

Finding Harmony

Combining ground-breaking science with ancient spiritual wisdom, Lola has put together an all-embracing manual she hopes will inspire people to tap into their inner abundance and embark on a journey towards inner and outer harmony. Because she believes that each one of us has the potential to bring about a positive paradigm shift and become co-creators of a more harmonious world.

Published in Los Angeles in September 2020, Be Your Own Harmonist was launched two years later in French as Vers la paix intérieure with a Foreword by acclaimed film director Claude Lelouch.

A celebrity fashion designer for Celine Dion, Aerosmith, and Shakira in the 1990s, Evie Evangelou is a firm believer in ‘fashion for good.’ Committed to harnessing the power of fashion as a tool for diplomacy, in 1997 she became an advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for projects such as “Dialogues of Civilizations” and “Diversity is Beautiful.”

In 2008 Ms Evangelou hosted a specialist show on the UN TV channel (now called UN Web TV), going on to use her expertise in cultural diplomacy and international relations to launch Fashion4Development (F4D), in 2011.

With a mandate to harness the power of the fashion and beauty industries to implement creative strategies for sustainable economic growth, wellness and independence of communities worldwide, F4D's global awareness campaign was launched at the inaugural First Ladies Luncheon in 2011. Thanks to founder Evie Evangelou’s charismatic links with business, diplomacy, media, fashion and the creative industries, Fashion 4 Development is actively engaged in the fight against poverty, providing people in developing countries with tools to help themselves support their families with dignity.

Placing significant focus on responsible lifestyle practices for a healthier planet, in 2015 Fashion 4 Development committed to support the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, actively promoting them through a range of far-reaching global initiatives.

Since its launch over a decade ago in cooperation with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to support two important United Nations initiatives: UN Millenium Development Goals and Every Woman, Every Child, F4D has become a leading influencer in the fashion industry. Promoting equality, responsibility and sustainability at every stage, the organisation builds upon the core leadership principles of the 4E’s, Educate, Empower, Enhance and Enrich.

Since founding Fashion 4 Development, Evie has been working enthusiastically to mobilize the top names in the fashion world to expand the reach of the platform’s goals.

In 2022, the Human Kind Institute joined forces with Fashion4Development (F4D), and later that year, at the 10th First Ladies Luncheon in New York, Human Kind Institute’s founder Lola Tillyaeva was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Fashion 4 Development’s multi-faceted international initiative ‘Preserving Culture.’

Partnering with Human Kind Institute, Evie’s latest project is a far-reaching initiative that will bring over 100 countries together in a celebration of diversity for a runway show in the UN General Assembly Hall (2025). A third film series, produced in conjunction with F4D Goodwill Ambassador Lola Tillyaeva, founder of the Human Kind Institute, is scheduled to coincide with Global Runway. The project also envisions the release of a Global Runway coffee table book, co-authored by international artist and writer Stephanie Dillon. Featuring international designers, this sumptuous publication will showcase inclusivity by delving into diverse cultures and highlighting the role fashion can play in cultural education and exchange, creating opportunities, sustainability, and global unity.