My name is Elena, or just Lena. My life journey started in a very small town in the middle of nowhere. I was a curious and independent kid with a huge desire to learn. The more I grew, the more I understood, that I would not be able to live in this home town forever. Despite the close connection with my family, this town was just too small for me, it was almost a "suffocating" feeling. When I was 16 I made a big move to live alone in a new city. I wanted to be a journalist, a writer, a flight-attendant, a teacher and a million of other things. But my mom said that Finance is a very secure profession for the future. I knew she wanted the best for me and my sister. I did not want to disappoint her. So I started University and specialised in Finance. I fell in love with studying and learning new things. I graduated at 21, but soon realised that this once big city felt small to me again. I made a decision to move to the capital to continue with my PhD, seeking for new challenges. That year was a turning point, and a new chapter of my life emerged - "Corporate world and searching for my own voice". Life was good. I was 25, I had a very good job in Fortune 500 company, I travelled around the world, enjoyed art and culture. It became too comfortable. I was longing for a new challenge. That`s when the idea of moving abroad came to life. I quit my job and invested all my savings in a new adventure. I remember sitting in the hostel (for the first time in my life!), 2 weeks before starting my MBA program and thinking: "What have I done?" This transition from a very comfortable to a very uncomfortable life suddenly hit me hard. Looking back, it was exactly what I needed at that time. This was the end of previous chapter, and a blank state for a new one. London was probably one of the most multicultural cities, that I have ever experienced. This constant learning about others and myself just made me feel alive. I found that a cross-cultural environment is an element that is integral to my being, precisely because it never gets comfortable. My next turning point was moving to the Netherlands and starting a life in a country where I didn’t know the language or a single person. I fell in love with the Netherlands from the moment I arrived. It’s still a mutual feeling after almost 6 years. That period was one of huge professional growth. I undertook challenging projects in finance, worked in cross-cultural teams, while adapting to the local culture. In the background I’ve run a lot of activities on Inclusive Diversity, cross-cultural communications and a mentoring program for the BENELUX countries. I’ve always missed this human aspect from my office job though, and it took me a while to realise that my other activities gave me more energy and fulfilment than my 9 to 5 role. The question "am I on the right path?" was constantly in the back of my mind. But I was successful in Finance and changing it for uncertainty did not seem reasonable. My last big shift happened after I became a mother. My feelings, emotions and doubts were amplified thousands of times. All my expectations of perfect motherhood did not stand a chance when faced with the REALITY. For at least a year I was brought back to the basic needs level in the pyramid of human needs. Being on this level forced me to look inside as well, to face questions I`ve been avoiding for some time, to confront fears, to reconnect with my values and to be brutally honest with myself. More than anything I valued Authenticity, Impact and Transformation and it became clear I had been making compromises that did not align with those. So it felt like it is time to finally start writing a new chapter following my own heart. Stay tuned, from this chapter the book of my life is full of surprises.
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