Mindshifter | Business coach | Startup mentor

My story and philosophy

I’m Ukrainian who moved to Sweden for Master studies at the age of 21. Started working with project management at a global engineering company two years later.

I’m used to being the outsider. The only woman in the room. The youngest one in the decision-making discussion. The only immigrant leaning in at the conference table

1

In the first grade at school, boys called me Rambo in a skirt. Noone was allowed to pull girls’ hair in my presence because that was not OK, and I made it clear with fists.

My dad used to say that I’d have problems in life due to my straightforwardness. He was right, people don’t always like to hear the truth.

I’ve listened to the boys and my dad and learned to be softer. I still speak the truth, still fight. But I do it in respectful, sustainable, even though sometimes annoying and triggering ways

2

I have a background in computer science and international project management, work experience in the automotive, life science and pharma industries, and living experience in 5 countries.

That means I am good at seeing patterns, analysing what I see, taking decisions with insufficient information at hand, owning those decisions and adjusting them as more information becomes available.

3

My interest in psychology and human behaviour started already in teenage when I preferred talking to New Church pastors, Orthodox Church nuns, medical doctors, and atheists, instead of partying with classmates. Curiosity and a deep wish to understand what motivates people to behave as they do has been following ever since.

Yet it took 15 more years to connect the dots to understand who I want to be when I grow up.

I get it, it takes courage to speak up, to be different.
Our society doesn’t encourage that.
That is why I am here to help you.
Because that feeling of not living your true life, not being your true self is suffocating. And we need to breathe to survive and thrive.

The definition of vision, mission, and values is always done in business, but how about in our personal lives? With the noise, distractions, and full agendas we don’t own, it can be hard to tap into our true inner selves to understand what we actually want in our lives, instead of what others want from us. I always start my work by exploring your true “Why”.

So many leaders have gotten to where they are today thanks to their grit and passion. The further they go on their career journey and the more “success” they achieve, the further they get from their Zone of Genius. It's time to (re)claim that Zone, and in so doing, create healthier cultures - in the workplace, at home, and in our society in general.