My Story

Hi! I’m Anastasiya and this is my (condensed) story.

I’m a psychology graduate, HR professional, facilitator, writer, musician, and lifelong learner currently living in Vienna. My days are spent helping leaders build stronger teams and creating workplaces where people actually enjoy coming to work. My evenings are usually filled with writing, filming, reading, creating music, or dreaming up my next project.

If there’s one thing you’ll quickly notice about me, it’s that I don’t fit neatly into one box, and I’ve stopped trying.

This website is where all of those parts of me come together.

Where it all began

I was born in the beautiful city of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. If it had been up to me, I probably would have stayed there longer, but my parents had different plans (thank god!).

A few years after I was born, we packed twelve suitcases and moved across the world to Canada in search of new opportunities.

Like many immigrant families, those first years weren’t easy. We had very little money, relied on welfare for a period of time, and my mom worked three jobs so my sister and I could have the opportunities she never did.

Looking back, I don’t remember feeling like I had less than anyone else. What I remember is two parents who worked incredibly hard and believed that education and experiences would open doors.

They enrolled me in just about every extracurricular activity imaginable: dance, tennis, theatre, singing, piano, swimming, summer camps, Saturday school…

Sometimes I wonder what I didn’t try. Without realizing it, they taught me one of the biggest lessons I still carry today: You never know what you’ll love until you give it a chance.

Falling in love with people

That curiosity eventually led me to one of Canada’s strongest high school vocal programs at De La Salle.

Music took me across Europe before I had even graduated high school. We competed internationally, won competitions, and even sang at the Vatican.

Those experiences taught me discipline, teamwork, and what can happen when a group of people share a common goal.

But when university came around, I surprised a lot of people. Instead of studying music, I chose Psychology. I’ve always been fascinated by people.

Why do we think the way we do? Why do misunderstandings happen? Why do some teams thrive while others struggle, even when everyone has good intentions?

Graduating with Honours from the University of Ottawa only deepened those questions.

Following my intuition

After university, I bought a one-way ticket to Europe with nothing more than a backpack. For the first time in my life, I had absolutely no plan.

It was terrifying. It was exciting. And it turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I travelled through Bulgaria, Ukraine, and eventually Malta to visit a friend. My original plan was simple: stay for three weeks.

My intuition had other ideas.

I accepted a position at a school for autistic children and eventually grew into a Team Leader role. Living alone on an island, thousands of kilometres away from family and friends, taught me resilience, independence, and confidence in a way nothing else could.

It was also where my creative side truly came alive. I released my very first song, started writing more consistently, picked up a camera, and discovered how much I loved telling stories.

Building something from scratch

When I moved to Austria, another chapter began. Over the last few years, I’ve worked across three international companies in Vienna, gradually growing into People & Culture, HR, Learning & Development, and facilitation.

It was there that I noticed something fascinating. Almost every workplace had the same complaints.

“My manager doesn’t listen.”

“My colleague isn’t pulling their weight.”

“Communication is terrible.”

But the more I listened, the more I realized something. Most people weren’t dealing with bad intentions. They were dealing with unclear expectations.

That’s where I found my strength. I love bringing clarity to messy situations. Listening to every perspective. Asking questions others don’t think to ask. Helping people understand one another before misunderstandings turn into conflict.

Whether I’m improving onboarding, facilitating workshops, coaching leaders, or supporting employees through change, the goal is always the same: help people work better together.

The website that taught me almost everything

Around the same time, I started writing blogs about my experiences abroad. Originally, they were simply memories for myself. Then they became travel guides. Then reflections. Then psychology. Then videos. Then songs.

Eventually, this website became something much bigger than I ever imagined. Everything you see here, from the writing and design to the videos, photography, and WordPress development, I taught myself over the years.

Not because I wanted to become a web designer. Because I genuinely love learning. I love building things. And I love sharing what I’ve learned with others.