Masha Vynogradova: Eurovision Host, TV Presenter, and the Art of Shining Bright | Be Yourself Podcast

Masha Vynogradova

TV and radio host, Eurovision 2023 press conference host for BBC Radio — on public speaking, finding your passion, staying energetic, and why we are all designed to shine

Watch on YouTube @vynogradova
Eurovision · Public Speaking · Passion · Personal Growth · Ukrainian

Listen to this Episode

About the Guest

Masha Vynogradova — TV and Radio Host, Eurovision 2023

Masha Vynogradova is a Ukrainian TV and radio host with over 17 years of journalism experience. She built her career in front of microphones and cameras — as a presenter at M1 music channel and the host of a morning show on Radio Energy — developing a reputation for warmth, wit, and an energy that fills any room she enters.

Her career reached a defining international moment when she was chosen to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 press conference and backstage events organized by BBC Radio — one of the most high-profile media assignments any Ukrainian broadcaster has taken on in recent years.

Who She Is
Ukrainian TV and radio host with 17+ years in journalism. TV presenter at M1 music channel and morning show host at Radio Energy. Currently based in London.
Eurovision 2023
Masha hosted the Eurovision Song Contest press conference and backstage events in Liverpool, organized by BBC Radio — one of the most prestigious presenting assignments of her career.
Her Superpower
Infectious energy and the ability to make every guest and every audience feel seen. Serhii was smiling throughout the entire conversation — and it is impossible not to be.
Her Core Belief
Every one of us is designed to shine. Find what you love and truly cannot live without — and do that, without apology.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Introduction 1:00 Details of hosting Eurovision Contest press conference 2:21 Was it scary to perform? 3:22 The beginning of a career and the first broadcasts on the radio 6:54 When did you realize this was your passion? 8:20 How to stay positive and energetic? 12:40 How many friends do you have? 20:30 Doubts and insecurities 23:28 The label problem 27:16 We are creators of happiness 31:42 How to overcome the fear of public speaking 37:42 Are we designed to shine? 43:34 What are the components of a great question? 47:32 Can Masha predict answers? 49:38 Work-family balance 54:26 Talking about poems 56:15 Living in London 1:09:35 How to find your passion?

Key Quotes

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like like drugs you know you just started and you can't stop uh and then five years it was going on and uh I wasn't bored of it or tired of it of course like any job sometimes you are exhausted because you have a lot of things to do but you still love that things that is the main point I think
Masha Vynogradova
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I think we were created to shine because uh everybody is absolutely unique and uh everybody has something to show this world and people like everybody uh and then you just decide where you are doing that or you are hiding and you're not doing that things
Masha Vynogradova
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I realized that I can't spend another 15 or 17 years to be at the same point I was in Ukraine in 2022. like I don't have such many as such amounts of time anymore and that's why I decided to push situation
Masha Vynogradova

Full Transcript

BTW: This episode of the Be Yourself Podcast is produced by Beverly Media. Want a podcast that looks and sounds this good? Check out Beverly Production →
0:00 Introduction
Serhiy hey everybody this is Sergey and be yourself podcast where I talk to people who I admire for being unapologetically themselves today I'm joined by Marsha vynogradova who is a TV and radio host she hosts events but she was also a presenter on TV and the radio host in Ukraine and just recently just recently she got back from hosting a press conference for BBC Radio so Marcia thank you so much for taking the time
Masha hi there
Serhiy to begin I will just ask you straight away about the Eurovision uh tell tell us how it went you were a Ukrainian host hosting a BBC Radio Show which actually sounds a bit nuts and crazy can you share your emotions your experience how did how did it go
1:00 Details of hosting Eurovision Contest press conference
Masha uh that really was crazy you know first time working with BBC and that was amazing experience because uh I was working with the BBC Radio one we were making uh warm up to the Eurovision final uh on Saturday with the local presenters uh Molly King and Dean and that was great you know because uh like I used to work on radio in Ukraine for 17 years I think yeah a lot I know and the last year it was like a gap in my life you know with the radio me and radio and Gap and uh I can't say that it's like a great returning uh but uh because it's not like a contract or something like that but just to work with the BBC Radio One that was amazing it's a one-time gig what a gig yeah what a what a show that was really cool
Serhiy so where are you where are you kind of nervous to get go back and do what you've been doing for 17 years but you had such a such a pause in when and plus doing it in the differing language right
2:21 Was it scary to perform?
Masha yeah that is the main thing I want to tell you because uh I wasn't nervous about performing about what to say you know uh I just was uh thinking that if I could do the same thing in Ukrainian of course uh I feel more free in that way but nevertheless
Serhiy well I saw the coverage and you did just a remarkable job and I'm super super proud that uh a Ukrainian uh presenter and and the host was involved in such a such a massive thing uh so okay so let's back pedal a little bit I think my audience will be super interested to know now how did you wind up being a radio and the TV uh presenter maybe you can tell us a little bit about your background how did it all start for you and how did you find this job that you as I understand love a lot
3:22 The beginning of a career and the first broadcasts on the radio
Masha yeah I love you can do because uh presenting mean you can work on TV on radio host events absolutely different uh YouTube I don't know everything you can host everything and be presented everywhere uh that's cool because uh like working just in in one way always for example just radio of course in some time and can be boring if you have just trade or nothing else but if you have a piece of that a piece of this and you can combine all of that that's much much better um I'm a journalist radio journalist I'm in my education yeah uh and uh I was in university I think it was my second year of studying in University and I went to University uh okay Kiev yeah and uh I started to work on a national radio station called prominent um and that was a great experience uh that was experience for my Ukrainian language because I have uh russian-speaking family and um in life with family with friends I used to to speak Russian uh but uh I uh had Ukrainian school and then Ukrainian language and University and Ukrainian was rather okay that moment but radio helped me to improve my Ukrainian language as well
Serhiy I I had the same situation in my life but a lot of years ago getting accustomed to new languages that's what we need to do learn new languages all the time yeah it seems like yes
Masha uh so I started with the national radio station and then I moved to commercial radio station then to another commercial radio station and uh then finally I moved to radio energy but that time it was called Europa plus and we started our breakfast show let's go show and I hosted it for eight years yeah eight years of breakfast show let's try it so I really love radio and uh I don't love sleep as you can understand yeah because we're one show right yeah early early bird I'm not sure I I'm not for sure but but that was such a pleasure to host that show that I decided okay let's sleep but more emotions
6:54 When did you realize this was your passion?
Serhiy at what point did you know that that's what you want to do for the maybe the not the rest of your life but for the significant amount of time in in future at what point you knew that that's a fit for you
Masha you know I think uh just when I started uh first time on the radio like first weeks first months uh at that point I understood that it brings me so much joy and uh like like drugs you know you just started and you can't stop uh and then five years it was going on and uh I wasn't bored of it or tired of it of course like any job sometimes you are exhausted because you have a lot of things to do but you still love that things that is the main point I think
Serhiy and about energy being energetic and I can relate to this because I'm also becoming more of a media person right now people want to see you smiling and exerting positive energy all the time although we are all human beings and sometimes we do have bad days right so my question to you is where do you get the energy and how do you stay positive or do you or do you not always stay positive you stay you just act in accordance with your mood at the particular day I'm interested
8:20 How to stay positive and energetic?
Masha it depends um because uh listen I person that is the thing that really helps me I'm really positive person in life smiling and like that that's kind of bubbly personality you know one talking smiling and doing different weird things that is about me so it's maybe it is easier to me to do all that things because I'm a kind of that person but of course we are all human beings in time to time uh I have bad mood and talking about radio show for example there were one or three presenters like in different years there were different amounts of us so uh you have a person you are talking to and that makes things much easier because that is absolutely okay when you are on air and uh for example I'm talking about traffic jam that I had today's morning and like I have an opportunity to be myself uh because I totally understand that the same moment I'm talking about this a lot of people are in that traffic jams and they feel the same emotions about that and they're like yeah
Serhiy they can relate yeah and plus other folks can make jokes about this thing right this is what happens a lot between the radio host yeah
Masha but uh for example talking about events uh if you have to hurt to host um birthday party or wedding or something like that uh you totally understand that you should be positive and bright and happy and bring joy to people and uh nobody cares that moment about you and your feelings just shut up with all of that and do your job so different different situations and different things like sometimes you have that opportunity to be yourself but sometimes you have to be that person uh who they think you are
Serhiy that's a great way of putting it and I know you know I learned this lesson from one of my mentors to never pick up the phone in a bad mood you know but sometimes when that's your job that's a lot of people who work in the office I think face this issue when they just don't want to be there but they must be there and that's the luxury that uh probably we have right now having flexible types of work and plus what you mentioned is that you really enjoy the variability not not like so you have different different ways of of applying your talents which makes it pretty pretty fun you're not doing the same thing over and over again right
12:40 How many friends do you have?
Serhiy how many real friends like not real friends but how many people do you count as friends do you have you ever thought of this what is the numbers like the dozens of people or hundreds or people or thousands of people
Masha no talking about France you know talking about friendship like talking about friendship I always mean that it's just people who with whom I can spend some really nice time relax absolutely uh the moment when I don't think like uh how I look like uh do I uh talk about some weird things or like am I okay or not okay like the moment when I am myself 100 and of course there are just a few people who let me be myself like truly myself so not hundreds and not thousands of them
Serhiy so that's interesting that you just used the title of my show to truly be yourself so I I deduce from this I I kind of conclude that the more recognizable you are the more the more socially um like people like demanding you are there could be a problem that the less people the real people right that that you can that you have is this a fair statement to say because you have so many famous friends right among musicians and popular artists is that is that a fair statement to make that the the more the more famous you are the less real people uh real close people you have
Masha I don't think so like uh my friends uh who are my real friends I think so most of them are with me from University times you know like for a lot of years and uh that way that like I mean from 20 to 30 years I think we make all of us a huge step you know to become who we are and probably who we will be during all our life then something about that and I think that that people who are around you these 10 years maybe a bit longer a bit shorter but these 10 years uh if you are friends during this time you will be friends forever yeah there's a lot of things changes in this decade so you get married or maybe uh you become mothers and fathers and some of you have families some don't uh some of you move somewhere some stay there like a lot of things happen and if you are still friends so that is friendship
Serhiy yeah it's a good point so going through like all the bumps in the road up ups and downs if you're If you experience all that and um me and Masha we actually met uh for all of our listeners and viewers we met at the uh personal development um Camp yeah at the special event and uh actually one of the biggest takeaways I made from that camp is that you really made you really establish report and you made connections with people when you experience something pretty considerable pretty significant together uh that's why my advice to people who think that they cannot make friends after 30 or 40 years old my advice to them go experience something together right some challenges specifically where your emotions jumped like a kangaroo you know and initially I think that relates to what you said that um if people stay with you in in your Ops in your lows like and wherever and and plus I think people should grow want to grow right because some people just stay at the same level and those who grow with you they will be your friends uh yeah and the is that you grow in your own way they do it in their way you can have different professions you can like I don't know different books different music but if you grow up together and it's still interesting to talk to this person why not
Masha yeah talking about that camp and talking about the situation with friends guys yeah yeah yeah yeah I mean sometimes you need a lot of years with passing all of that when it is natural situation but it can be that artificial bubble when you have only one week but a lot of experience and everything else you're like oh my God
Serhiy yeah that was an amazing experience if you guys haven't uh ever heard about level up or upgrade go check them out they do marvelous job for not only ukrainians especially for ukrainians but for people all around the world yeah do you have your uh dream year book this year
Masha oh no I don't I'm not that big of a planner
Serhiy do you use it do you have yours
Masha yeah I have mine uh and uh sometimes you know like I I didn't order that book uh this year uh but um I was talking in December with a friend of mine who's here in London as well and uh we were talking about this dream gear books and she told me that she ordered one and I'm like ah I missed that opportunity okay we're so far from their books right now and that in a few weeks she gave me a call and told me that by mistake they uh delivered her two books and she thought yeah and she told them that she has two books not one and uh the administrator or somehow uh some I don't know who who it was told her back there okay if it happens so you can just present that book and she called me okay then it means it means I need it so
Serhiy okay yeah this is sometimes life surprises me in a way I I like I started to live in some Supernatural stuff some superficial stuff I believe that 100 yeah something that you need to do you will get signs that you're on the right path right yeah
20:30 Doubts and insecurities
Serhiy from what you've been telling me it seems like you've always had this understanding of where are you going
Masha uh I have no idea I have no idea where I'm going till right now I just do it
Serhiy did you have doubts or insecurities that maybe that's not the path that you should have taken maybe your parents told you to become a lawyer or something like that like were there ever a temptation to change the direction in your life
Masha uh listen when I was at school my parents told me to be a lawyer that's I don't know how you got it but absolutely yeah because uh when my mom asked me who do you want to be and I was like 13 14 years old I told her back like I don't know and she's like okay then I want you to be a lawyer I'm like I don't want to be a lawyer she's like okay who do you want to be and that was you know it has no ending these questions and then at some point uh I realized that I can be like rather good journalist because uh being at school uh I was an editor of school newspaper and uh all the shows we had at school I was hosting them so somehow I found that thing and I decided that um I will try to study journalism TV radio journalists things like that something entertainment not uh political or not not about that but about entertainment and uh when I realized that and told my parents they told me okay now you know go um and that I had no doubt never about my profession but uh if you are asking uh do I know where I'm going I don't know I just do things what I like to do that's it I don't know like uh my big goal I don't know you know I like I really like this phrase that um if you if you haven't found your calling or something that you're supposed to be doing in life just ask yourself what are you willing to do without money and sometimes without food and without sleep and I think if you are willing to do that without that you're on your path right
23:28 The label problem
Serhiy yeah right um yeah so I want to ask you about labels because this is this has been an interesting topic for me because you know in my life I've always wanted to have a fancy label or a title when I was in business I was a CEO chief operations manager a founder of a company and there's only like one line that I felt needed to be until I heard Tony Robbins quote he said that we have to ensure that our labels are not limitations but enhancements and in from this perspective I'm curious like the profession of journalists or a presenter or a host it's not only about talking on the stage or asking questions at press conferences right right so what how do you like have have it ever been a problem in your life that you've been associated with only one label or it's never been a problem and and how did you deal with that or have did it ever cross your mind that people think of you only like this well you can also write scripts you can create ideas for shows because I believe that you created the show on on already an energy right it was your idea you were not hired to to do that right so how about any stories or ideas about that
Masha uh yeah we were creating our show every day like of course we had like small scripts I mean not script timing yeah we had timing and then we created everything else uh but talking about titles yeah and labels um I think that I'm Entertainer because uh that is what I I'm doing for a lot of years everything I'm doing I uh like M1 music channel is about Showbiz entertaining music you know nothing serious the breakfast show was uh also of course nothing serious but about good moods and bring that a good mood to people who are listening to the audience and the most of events are about that but um we were talking with my girls I think one month ago about who we are and all the things that yeah we're talking about and for example um I have my profession and if you ask me who am I uh the first thing I can tell you I am TV and radio presenter yeah for example and that is really easy but when you are not working yeah that's more about women than men yeah but there are some women who are not working officially yeah of course they do a lot of things at home and uh take care of their kids and so on but it's not a job and we were talking about that things like if we're not talking about your job if if I can't for example answer this question that I am a presenter what can I say it's a good question and uh uh we decided
27:16 We are creators of happiness
Masha women who had decided a few glasses a few glasses of wine before that we had an amazing idea after that that we like you are everybody first of all we are creators every person is Creator creator of my own life creator of each day I leave yeah creator of everything creator of atmosphere creator of really of everything that's why I think like that is really amazing point of view to feel yourself a Creator every day when you wake up and you think what to do not to think about doing things but to think about creating things even not Material not not physical things I mean everything and that's there's like really cool feeling to understand that you create this day this life this event yeah it can be about profession as well but not only about profession so
Serhiy why is always a good idea I mean first of all absolutely especially in a gorgeous women's company um you see I can I can relate to this so much well they say that happiness is is like the state of creation you all everything like all the feelings you manufacture them and uh you have and this is also something that Tony Robbins preaches about is that you're not uh witness of your life you're not an observer you're not looking at your life from the side you are creating it so why don't you create something that you enjoy
Masha I'm just talking about sometimes I just want to tell you that uh being abroad for example how I am right now yeah uh and uh talking to local people for example BBC Radio one yeah uh with Molly King she asked me like you are so positive person after all of that moving with your daughter to another country renting here a property having all that phrases stuff with documents and blah blah blah blah blah your family is there you are not together like yeah everything looks really cruel and bad and like unfair yeah but I'm still a positive person because uh of course two three yeah that's my choice first month of the war I wasn't I wasn't I didn't know what to do how to live my life I like I didn't live my life that was I was just existing you know without plans without nothing but then I realized that yes all of that everything is happening yeah but I'm still alive and I am where I am and uh like that is my life I have only one if I just uh I if I'm waiting doing nothing uh waiting for the end of the war for coming back home and just sitting waiting so I just waste my life my time what's for
Serhiy absolutely a lot of times we project our own fears on other people and and I think here's the question a few more professional questions and after that we will shift gears to some other subjects because uh that's also interesting
31:42 How to overcome the fear of public speaking
Serhiy I want to ask you when because as part of what I do I help people prepare for public speaking in English and to do this online and offline but since I'm talking to a pro against this opportunity to ask you how do business people or people who need to perform right right now we're living in a world where it seems like everyone needs to perform maybe in front of a conference or in front of a room of employees Partners give a toast at the wedding how do people who are maybe not who don't have such an extensive experience as yourself right how do people get rid of the butterflies in their stomach right before they have to perform publicly any technical practical advice
Masha physician is uh well prepared improvisation so first of all if you are not a pro in this for sure you must be well prepared you make your own plan uh yes you uh stand uh next to the mirror and just talk to yourself not once but twice three times four times as much as you need to understand that everything is okay that you are okay your speech is okay uh that you know what to what to say yeah uh and uh if people can ask you questions then you should understand what kind of questions possibly yeah and what's the yeah what would you answer and when you are well prepared and you're really confident it's much easier
Serhiy okay so failing to plan is planning to fail
Masha yeah breathe in it it helps if you feel nervous just before going to Stage or I don't know to the audience just take a deep breath two three five as much as you need and then go because of course your heart and your pulse it should be normal when you start
Serhiy and I will add a few cents from myself on this point um Olympic Olympic athletes journalists have been asking Olympic athletes the same question I remember I watched and they always ask them are you nervous and they all Olympic athletes gave one similar response they say they said no I'm excited so I think this is a a a matter of perception if you can just tell yourself like because excitement is the same thing as nervousness you're you get sweating Palms you're hard yeah physically physically yes physically it is same thing as excitement so why don't you say to yourself Hmm this is exciting getting into cold feet what do you know
Masha I can tell you that uh every time it's uh it happens not so often talking about radio and TV because uh you don't have that audience uh right here there somewhere watching Somewhere listening somewhere and you're here only with your mic or a camera so it doesn't work so but when uh uh I I I'm waiting for my first step on the stage like first time on this stage to this audience every time I am nervous excited I I feel that feeling inside yeah and I think that this is the right point to have this feeling inside because if you're not excited anymore about people about emotions about everything that was going on here and now and you will be the part of that if you are not excited of this crowd so yeah that's not yours like you're done man that's it
Serhiy and and that's the energy your your nervousness your uh worry is actually energy you have to just I think that's What actors do I I think one actor once told me that a director can uh fire you if you're not nervous before the performance because it means that yeah you don't have this energy that you need to yeah transform that that means that you don't care like you don't care and are you professional or you are not a professional that's not about it that's about you care or you don't care if you care you always be excited and nervous and worried and all of that incites your stomach laughs
37:42 Are we designed to shine?
Serhiy I I can't help but I want to ask you this do you do you think that all the people should shine at least once in a lifetime or make themselves go out and break through their comfort zone you know like there are a lot of people who don't want to talk publicly don't want to show their faces and stuff of this nature what's your uh deep deep belief about that do you think that we're all designed to shine bright in our life or it's okay to hide or or just stay on the down low for the entire life
Masha I think we were created to shine because uh everybody is absolutely unique and uh everybody has something to show this world and people like everybody uh and then you just decide where you are doing that or you are hiding and you're not doing that things because uh do you have what to give this world yeah you have maybe you don't know what exactly but 100 you have that that uniqueness and just a few weeks ago I heard really cool thing about that zone of comfort really cool one that it doesn't exist we think that we are living in our comfortable Zone yeah but the main point is that like look at your life uh you told me that you decided to come back to Kiev just in one week because you have here uh everything that is convenience and comfortable and everything that you like but uh talking truly about that you have a lot of things in your life that are not too comfortable and uh maybe you want to change them but you are so okay with all of that for a lot of years that like if you ruin this thing then other thing will ruin after that and like puzzle you know like Domino and you don't want it to happen that's why you call it zone of comfort but it's not 100 comfortable that's why this Zone it doesn't exist you just decide like these uncomfortable things are okay for me and that uncomfortable things they miscarry me a little bit so I I don't want to go there I will stay here because I'm okay with this uncomfortable things they always are around us
Serhiy that's a good point so I think so it can it can boil down to pretty much people's laziness and uh just not just a habit we got we got used to certain things and certain inconveniences so much that we call it our uh zone of comfort or our environment yes
Masha so such a such a good good strong point yeah that's it so uh we every day break that zone but like in small things or we can break it in some huge and great things that will really change our lives uncomfortable things are everywhere but in order to make this breakthrough we should be tolerant uh we should I mean we should be uh courageous enough uh to fail because until you fail you fall and you get up again until you fall five times you won't find something that truly you truly like something that gonna be beneficial for you just show how many times did you oh did you fall
Serhiy hundreds hundreds come on show me one person who didn't fall who didn't fail like yeah I think we're not talking about one time or two times all of us it happened to everybody for a lot of times it happens all like in a row it's not like one success one failure no you can fall fall fall fall fall and then attempt number 100 will get you to your Promised Land
Masha too I mean fails are okay for us like when you uh go to the shop and it is closed for example yeah you're like okay I will go to another one so you you didn't take you don't take it so serious and uh that's okay and I mean even bigger fails you just shouldn't take them really close and so serious just move on
Serhiy it's not about you don't take it personally yeah understand that you have you are you have an identity you bear certain experience and value and when you realize when you come to this point of realization that you are valuable you are beautiful as Robin Williams I mean just go and fail and don't care what other people think it's okay
Masha absolutely
43:34 What are the components of a great question?
Serhiy um you had so many uh famous people around you uh during the Eurovision and I saw Hannah wedding him right she's uh yeah an actress I I adore her so much I adore the Ted lasso um the movie and when I saw her it was so cool well did you like two questions here uh who was the person who gave you the most unpredictable or interesting response out of all celebrities during the year revision and the second question is is again some technical advice what what is what are the components of a great question nice
Masha uh okay let's start with second one I think uh like two two things and they're different first of all uh when you go uh to the interview as interviewer you have to be well prepared like before before going read about that person or if you can watch something watch about that person if you can talk to somebody who knows this person do that and like find that trigger moments you know yes uh because when uh people are talking about that makes them nervous or excited both yeah we're talking about the same situation that's always sounds and looks really bright like I don't mean that you have to find some bad things just that you can find yeah some unconvenient things but at the same time you can find like that that person has a dog and she adores that dog and her dog is always wearing uh some boots on her post you know like like crazy things and uh and I think yeah if they will be participating next year which was a kind of yeah well not yeah not not next year but do they have plan to participate like next year in two years and five years yeah that's actually the example of this type of question yeah like it's not a bad question or there is nothing that can make Yulia for example feel bad about question or about me that's normal question uh and it is okay because they tried a few years ago they tried to uh participate in Eurovision but uh that year uh that was jamala and jamala won so everything no offense everybody was yeah yeah win-win uh but now Julia was hosting Eurovision and it's a bit different thing I think it's even it's cooler you know because you can participate but uh not win this uh contest uh so no one remembers you next day yeah if you are not a winner but when you are hosting this thing for a whole week so you're more like personality yeah that's that's why yeah talking about questions just uh know as much information about this person as as you can and find that way to ask uh interesting question
Serhiy and uh about about unpredictable answer unpredictable answers yeah I try to find one there were a lot of things happening during that week so that's right actually when I'm asking this I'm I'm implying that you actually predict is that the case
47:32 Can Masha predict answers?
Serhiy like do you predict some certain answers to your questions and sometimes someone gives you an answer that you've never expected them to give right
Masha yeah of course of course it can happen in different ways if I'm asking about something like I know a little bit but I wanted you to tell that story of course that I know what you will talk about but sometimes you can answer something that people like oh really that was unpredictable situation just right um I will I will remember that question and if the answer comes to me I'll answer you we'll write it in comments in on YouTube under the video
Serhiy and um yeah and I think this this law that I Ruled the communication law interested are interesting I think this is really cool I mean when you are interested in the person who you're talking to and you become interesting yourself just like yeah when you just learn data and information well of course we want to be well-rounded person people uh but yeah sometimes personalized experience is what matters pretty much everywhere yeah really um okay we we are covering a lot of my questions and it's only 48th minute how about a personal let's let's swing to more of a personal uh life if you don't mind uh you have a wonderful family and I know your husband and I follow you and see the days that you post with your uh daughter um can you tell me about the balance that you have between the work and the
49:38 Work-family balance
Serhiy family and I think especially for women listening to us seeing you as such a successful uh role model how do you balance the two roles maybe somebody uh told you and other things but
Masha I believe that absolute balance doesn't exist it doesn't exist uh and you can try to catch it but it doesn't exist because uh like every different periods of my life I always was working and for last almost eight years I'm a mom also but like when I'm more into my family of course I have some gaps in my work like I don't have as many work as I can have if I just points my attention there you know yeah like we we can't look 360 you know and all that around yeah the grace it's impossible because uh of course you can make the the best way of your life I mean almost balancing but yeah you always have to balance that that doesn't work like once you made everything super cool I mean all time management and because when everything is 100 in time management for me that's not life because when I can't change my plans when I can't do uh what I want to do right now but I have to leave according to this plan right I hate that that's impossible that's why okay of course everyone has some plans and some timings but the same moment when you have fun with your kids and uh you like you had a plan to start working at 12 o'clock but it's Saturday and you're having fun and everything is so excited like cool just okay don't work right now don't start it start it in half an hour because you can't have that absolute fun forever with kids because in half an hour she will tell me like I want to watch something or I want to draw something and I will be free but this half an hour will be really memorable you know saying that that is the point when you feel that real emotions keep keep doing that things because that doesn't happen really often in your life even not even every day just time to time that's why that's why balance doesn't exist and just enjoy enjoy things when they are happening
Serhiy yeah yeah just live in the moment and um you see this is the difference between the business and arts I think and that's where I have because I'm like you I had to make a drastic change in my career I was a business person a business uh entrepreneur I.T entrepreneur I don't know why I'm doing this but I except I had to uh discover for myself that um you know building an IT business is not what I want to do in life coming to the office being a manager setting kpis checking people's progress and writing reports to investors that's not something that I want to do you know and I think that um we are our most expression as human beings um lies within something unexpected really and if you want to go and have fun and create if you create correct me if I'm wrong but the creation the creativity actually takes place when you not ex didn't plan to do this right the best ideas come to your mind when you're like walking a dog or playing with your kid or something like that
Masha mm-hmm I absolutely I can tell you that usually time to time I write poems and
54:26 Talking about poems
Masha usually that comes to me when I'm lying in my bed and before falling asleep you know that moment when you're not really awake and not really sleeping something starting happening in my head some words and I'm like okay I will wake up and write it down because of course if I won't in the morning here will be nothing like absolutely nothing and it makes me to wake up to take my phone to open notes to write everything down and then now I can sleep
Serhiy yeah I I didn't expect this but I have the same thing absolutely the same thing and I also write poems when I think of one line that I really really like I it's it keeps it keeps me awake and I'm like yeah that's a great line to start a poem have do you have you posted any of your poems and online or you just do it private
Masha yeah a lot of them I even have a hashtag for my poems uh do you do that in the Ukrainian only
Serhiy before that in Russian mostly but last year in Ukrainian
Masha yes it's a bit not yet not yet
Serhiy yeah well that's amazing yeah I I actually covered all my questions maybe you can tell tell us how's life how do you find living in London
56:15 Living in London
Masha um and what's the biggest difference in the cultures um yeah that's interesting to know yeah I can tell you definitely uh I like London London is amazing City and uh I've never dreamed to move somewhere abroad I was that kind of person who was absolutely satisfied with the uh life and Kiev with everything that's going on with my family with my friends with my house with my work like with everything and um I've had such type of life you know like step by step like better and better and better and better and better and I've never moved to uh I never dreamed to move somewhere but uh when War started my cousin she lives in London uh she completed all the documents to bring me and my daughter here and we moved to her apartment first um in two months I think I realized that London is okay okay everything is okay here uh and uh and first of all of course uh English because I can't imagine how you can live when everybody around are talking language you don't understand like for me it's a crazy thing you know it's much better when you can understand people and then they can understand you but when I came to London I realized that I don't understand people like English in London is absolutely different from the English I used to study at school yeah absolutely different and uh and uh previous week I was in Liverpool and they have that accent they have an accent a type of accent when uh they say uh instead ah for example they will ask you how much does it cost or like not but but boot like they say yeah boot much and all that things and I I was listening really that's crazy so English is really different here uh and even uh when you think you know English at the moment you come to United Kingdom you describe something is wrong yeah that's a kids who are five years old they know English much better than you so that is the first thing but London London is amazing City to leave to work to have fun like it is so huge and so different and uh you can be anyone you want here and do anything you want here like that is uh the thing usually people tell about America you know that come here and your dreams will come true uh living in London you have the same feeling like that everything is possible here
Serhiy Mali and this other Mali the name of her co-host you said she said that you're so positive is there something in their cultural trade that don't make them so positive are they positive people uh even though we don't want to generalize but do you find it to be the the the thing in in UK uh about UK and people and their behavior
Masha it's really different from ukrainians one uh making business for example not even business just some projects you know when you're talking to people you want to work with or make some things together to create something in Ukraine when I have an idea and I come with this idea to you and I tell you my idea you will tell me this is for example if you don't like it you will you will tell me like I'm not interested like or maybe that's not bad but I'm not interested I don't really understand how we can do that yeah or or you tell me amazing let's do that like everything is clear you don't like it at all you like it but you don't see you inside this idea in realizing process or you like it and we will work together on this here they are really polite like British people they never say no like straight they don't say straight it to you uh they will tell you a lot of nice things about you that you are so amazing and we're so uh grateful to having you here you know like favorite things but when people things like that Ukraine I realize this is yes like if you are so excited about me about my idea this is yes but here in UK it means nothing like it doesn't mean yes they just say all of that things and maybe it's even means no more than yes when they tell you a lot of beautiful things but uh nothing practice you know no no practice points or something that help you moving on if if it's just about uh how great is your idea and you that means no and it took me some time to realize uh that moment because of course uh first months I was absolutely excited about uh that answers like oh that sounds amazing yes that sounds amazing and then and then nothing happened
Serhiy well yeah to pull up yeah yeah they're really really polite
Masha and uh the nice thing um that I think will come to Ukraine they are really opened and uh they can so easily come to you just in the street and tell you wow what a beautiful jacket I like it so much WoW amazing one where did you get it and that's cool who doesn't know you but you know Ukrainian people were still like on our own walking and just looking straight and even if we see something or somebody we usually make that position like oh no oh no I didn't say I didn't say that no no no but here people if they see you or they see something they like or they hear something they like music that you make them for example or something like that they will tell you that they like it 100 they will come to you and tell that this is great this is amazing and that will be true but they never will come to you to tell you some bad things only good things like only things that will make you feel much better this moment
Serhiy so on the up on one hand we have them not giving you the truth about your business idea but on the other hand when you're doing something well you will most definitely get the great feedback without asking anything they will just count on this
Masha yes they just don't say that straight no that is the problem for ukrainians being here like you won't hear no as you used to hear it for a lot of times before yeah that will be so in a really polite way but if something is good and they like it that's that sounds great yeah
Serhiy yeah I love how you how you how you um Envision ukrainians to to kind of get there to this point where we become less scared because that's fear that's people people the same fear that inhibits us or blocks us from going on the stage and shine because when you rushed well to other human beings that actually helps you even more than the person that you complementing right because you build your self-esteem right and you become more confident when you see the mo the beauty the beauty in other people right try to do that try to find this beauty even in someone who you don't like maybe in the beginning right
Masha yeah it's it's difficult but um I just remembered one interesting story my cousin who lives here she was starting here at high school at University and she told me really interesting story that uh I think our education needs that as well like uh when they were at school and they had lunch time they had big tables and a lot of people sitting together and every time they were mixed and uh at the each table they had one adult person teacher or somebody from admissions or somebody but adult and they had to talk to this person not only to their friends but to this adult person for example being 14 15 years old teenager uh you have 35 40 60 like different adults and you have to make interest in uh conversation and what they learned at school I mean students and pupils here to communicate with different types of people and that's absolutely amazing when you start from school because when you are 15 years old like what can you have to talk about with 60 years old if it's not your grandma you know like nothing but you have to find that and to make that communication be successful and they were learned all that things at school and of course becoming adults they're so easy going and really opened and all that things it is really easy for them to come to people's person they don't know and to start talking just to start talking
Serhiy that's that's that's that's something we wish wish to take place in in Ukraine discuss my like this diverse perspective on life the more you see the world which is why traveling is so useful right the more you see the world the more age a group ages group that you communicate with you have just much more wider perspective on life and that helps you so much to maybe even find yourself Masha that was just a marvelous conversation uh as we wrap up I want to ask you maybe to give your final call to action or some inspirational thought to my audience to our audience
1:09:35 How to find your passion?
Serhiy um about how do we find uh our passion how do we find ourselves and maybe something else that you just want to leave people with after this talk
Masha first of all uh think about what you really like yeah we were talking about that not about money not about how much time it takes to do what's you like to do what you wish you were doing in your life like just imagine that and uh even if it's absolutely different from the things you are doing right now just be brave and do that because one more thing I want to tell you that living in Ukraine I've never dreamed about working with BBC for example yeah like that was so far like and I I I even couldn't imagine that way uh connecting with them and working in some way for them but then my life changed like all our lives so unpredictable and so fast and all that things and I'm here in London and uh I was really Keen one you know because I was messaging them in mail them writing them make them through response and blah blah blah blah blah blah and uh for for a few months I think and then I got that coffee with producer that I wanted to get and after that I I got my small but contracts even three of them yeah it was BBC Radio one with Eurovision Village uh with the press conferences uh on uh I mean streaming on YouTube of official Eurovision and uh that happened because I really I was a king person that period of time and confidence and I understand that I'm experienced really good experience that's why I can do that and I can talk about myself in this way I'm confident I can do everything I'm talking about uh so yes zone of comfort doesn't exist make that stop uh even for me I I wasn't so Keen in working progress I mean in Ukraine because like I had a lot of time and everything was happening little by little but here when I came to London uh I realized that I can't spend another 15 or 17 years to be at the same point I was in Ukraine in 2022. like I don't have such many as such amounts of time anymore and that's why I decided to push situation and then I think why didn't I push all of that before when I was in Ukraine maybe everything forget much better so so yeah baking push everything you can push and be polite the same moment that's necessary really big dream yeah and dream and dream big because you never know what goes you can achieve like you know you never know
Serhiy okay on this note we will finish this show thank you so much Masha that was a bliss and see you guys next time
Masha thank you bye