Researcher Andrea Eboli explores why achievement and recognition do not always lead to fulfillment. Her study of 403 professionals found that 82.9% believe external power can coexist with dissatisfaction, while 62% frequently feel exhausted. Her Conscious Power Framework (ECP) connects identity, context, and action to help people recognize their worth beyond external validation and make more intentional choices.
MIAMI, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The ability to produce, deliver results, care for others, lead, and meet expectations has never been more highly valued. At work, within families, and in relationships, people learn to navigate life through the roles they hold. The difficulty begins when those roles stop being one part of life and start defining who we are, fueling a constant pursuit of recognition and external validation.
This tension, observed over more than 25 years of professional experience, led researcher and professor Andrea Eboli to investigate why so many people struggle to access their own conscious power.
Her study surveyed 403 professionals: 82.9% agreed that it is possible to have external power without feeling happy or fulfilled; 65.5% still wanted to achieve more; and 62% reported frequently feeling exhausted.
"There is nothing wrong with wanting to grow, achieve, or be recognized. The problem arises when those things become the sole measure of our worth," says Eboli.
This dependence extends well beyond the workplace. An artist may tie their worth to success; an entrepreneur, to their company; a professional, to their title; a mother, to being needed; and a partner, to being chosen. When those roles change, people can lose more than a position or a function. They can lose their sense of who they are.
As technological change accelerates, careers become less predictable, and emotional exhaustion grows, people risk losing their bearings when the position, achievement, or external recognition that anchored their identity disappears.Identity, Context, and Action
To address this issue, Eboli developed the Conscious Power Framework, known by its Portuguese acronym, ECP. It comprises three interdependent dimensions: identity, context, and action.
Identity means recognizing who you are beyond titles, achievements, and roles. Context means understanding the environment, relationships, constraints, and possibilities within a given situation. Action means translating that understanding into deliberate choices aligned with who you are, rather than simply reacting to external expectations or operating on autopilot.
The framework does not reject ambition or suggest that inner development and external achievement are incompatible. It examines what happens when positions, relationships, roles, and recognition stop being resources and become substitutes for identity.
"External power is conditional: someone grants you a position, a title, or recognition. Conscious power rests on more than that. It begins when you recognize who you are, understand what the situation calls for, and act accordingly," Eboli explains.
A Capacity That Can Be Developed
The Conscious Power Framework starts from the premise that this capacity exists in everyone, although experiences, habitual patterns, and external expectations can obscure it. ECP offers a practical path to recognizing those patterns, understanding the context, and making choices aligned with one's identity.
In the study, 81.6% of participants said they wanted to better understand what drives their choices but did not know how, while 71.7% expressed interest in a structured approach to putting awareness into practice.
"This capacity can be developed when identity, awareness of context, and action begin to work together. But that requires putting awareness into practice," says Eboli.
From Experience to Research
Andrea Eboli brings more than 25 years of experience across business, entrepreneurship, academia, and the nonprofit sector. She has held executive roles in marketing and sales, led teams, and founded a New York chapter of Grupo Mulheres do Brasil. She holds master's and doctoral degrees from Swiss Business School and teaches in MBA programs at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV). She is also a strategic consultant and researcher focused on conscious power and human behavior.
Her experience in Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland, and the United States revealed a recurring tension: people accumulate achievements yet continue to rely on external validation to recognize their own worth. Eboli chose Brazil as the starting point for this conversation, translating her research into a practical approach that speaks to the challenges people face today.
Media Contact
Andrea Eboli, EDR, 1 9178656595, [email protected], www.edroficinadesolucoes.com
SOURCE EDR
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