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The Power of Community: How Women Support Each Other in Leadership · Unstoppable Success Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Unstoppable Success Podcast, where we spotlight visionary leaders who have mastered the art of growth, purpose, and powerful connections.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Jacqueline Strappinger, connector, high performance coach, and creator of the Leap to Your Success Framework in Two Steps TS.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_01: Each week we dive into bold insights, real conversations, and powerful strategies to fuel your growth, deepen your relationships, and ignite transformational momentum.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: And why?
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because you were meant to be unstoppable.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: Now let's leap into the podcast.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, hello everybody, and welcome to another amazing episode of the Unstoppable Leadership Spotlight Podcast.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: I am your host, Jacqueline Strominger.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: And on this podcast, we hear from amazing leaders and their game-changing insights.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: Helping creep people create and be amazing leaders helps everybody else become amazing humans and to be unstoppable in their pursuit of their own greatness.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: So today I like to welcome Verena Morgan.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: She actually has an amazing background.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: She's been in this country for three years.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: She's moved here from Russia, which is, first of all, and her English is impeccable, so it's awesome.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: But she is the founder of the Morgan Impact and Organizational Psychology Agency based in Silicon Valley.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: And she has collaborated with UC Berkeley and Ecana on global research examining the influence of mental health on entrepreneurial success.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: She has 15 years of experience leading transformational initiatives across companies of all sizes.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: She is a speaker both online and offline, and she is doing amazing work also in the nonprofit world.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: So, Marina, welcome to Unstoppable Leadership Spotlight.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for having me today.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's really, you know, I waited, I waited our conversation and I'm happy to be here.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: And hello everyone.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: So Marina, okay, so there's lots of different questions I would love to ask you, but one of the things that, like in your bio, which I didn't necessarily read, but I wanted just to share, you spent years as a leader in Russia.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: And you're obviously a female.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so I'd love to hear a little bit about your story and your rise to leadership and in another country.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: One that also maybe doesn't have that pretty picture of women in leadership.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: So um it is a really great question because um Russian culture, um Russian cultural leadership for the women is pretty unusual because uh after the World War II, uh Soviet uh Soviet Union lost more than 20 million people, and of course it was you know uh male part of the society, and uh it was young, strong men.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and uh the period of recovering of the country after this awful war was on the women's shoulders.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it was pretty normal at that period and even before, if women making all types types of jobs that you can imagine.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mean uh hard work, working in manufacturing everywhere just because you don't have another hand to hand to do it.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: And that's one um from this side, it's I think it's for a longer time, it's more um normal to have some uh women in leaders position.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, the numbers uh of how many women we see in the board members, uh among the board members, uh they're really good.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: From another hand, uh Russia is their patriarchal country.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: And uh as I feel it, probably it was my experience, you know, I I uh I think I had a brilliant career in Russia.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um I didn't have any you know special network or something like that.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: And um after university for less than 10 years, I developed a career and uh I was in a top position in my trajectory in my industry.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I was um head of training and development department in the biggest technological companies in the country, and it's a pretty great result, uh I suppose for the person, for self-made person like I was.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but from another hand, uh, I think women in Russia living in a pretty strange situation when uh look like perfect is your responsibility, taking care about the kids is your responsibility, and uh you know regulation of um relationship and financial relationship after divorce is pretty awful in Russia, and the adapt for their child support is a billions uh of rubbles and millions of dollars, I suppose.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, to earn money and provide a family financially is your responsibility, and to be very feminine at the same time is also your responsibility.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: And from the one hand, yes, uh I can say that I faced with something um uh something bad during my career.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think, and there are a lot of different research that demonstrate us that uh men to the same position have more money, uh, and uh it is easier for them for them to develop career.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh also I think um Russian economy in this period it's a little bit more gentle for the uh period than you when you just born the baby, because you can have a vacation for two years after after this moment, uh, not with the full salary, but you have a chance to save your work, uh to save your workplace.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we even have uh such an official position like um pregnancy vacancy.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, then you're replacing somebody during during this period.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's it's better and it's easier.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but uh honestly I can say uh that this is only about the freedom.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um women in my country are responsible for everything, and and and this is pretty normal.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: So and the thing that I really love in United in the United States uh is incredibly supportive community.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh uh Amanda women uh institution that uh help women that develop this sisterhood.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I really I really love because in Russia we have some you know uh cultural agenda about that you should be competitive, you should be competitive for the man because there are not so many men after all this wars, revolution, etc.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you are not successful if you're not married, if you don't have a husband or family, even if you had a brilliant career or everything that you want.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: So why you're not married?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: And also after 27 years, you're officially getting the status uh in medical system that you are how can I say old mother?
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: I I I don't I don't know how to translate it directly.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Old maid?
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it's like like the yeah, you're set out to pasture.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's been but officially um you are becoming too old to be mother after 27 years.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I would have been, I would have, I would not have made it.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't have my first child until I was 36.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: I still don't have my first child, so I hope it will it will happen with me sometimes.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um but but honestly, I think that the fact that I made this career and um I really did a great project, and uh I have a lot of trust from the business leaders, from the business owners.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um the truth is that it's possible, and the culture and economical situation make the society more loyal to the uh women leadership because it was necessary for that uh after several you know awful periods um of the of the country economy.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: So so really in Russia, like you know, women in leadership is is it's somewhat more normal than so I have a so I have a question.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: Did as you're as you were rising up in the in the industry in Russia, were there was there a more like male female mentor?
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: Or who was like and or did you have a mentor or was it all your internal drive?
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's a really great question.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, as well as I developed my career, we speak in in this track about the corporative career in human resource department, mostly representative by the you know female part of professional community, and that's why uh I really had an amazing leaders who uh shaped me professionally as well.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: And uh they gave me these positions because they believe in me, they trusted me, and uh it's really it's really amazing.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, in my entrepreneurial part of the life, and I had a period, I started my career as entrepreneur when I was in university, and also I had a period when I quit or quit company, uh opened something by my own, or I have at the same time uh my job and also my different side businesses, just because this is my passion and drive and because I really love it.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and um most of my clients and partners uh were uh men.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's more because I worked with in a technological industry, and um it's not well balanced, uh, I mean, uh from the gender perspective.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so and it also was amazing people who were very supportive, they were interested, they're involved.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: The only one thing um I didn't have really, how can I say it correctly, really bad situation about it.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: But um if you're speaking about self-government system, women's rights are not protected.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, if for example somebody will have some sympathies to you or some interests to you, you're absolutely not protected uh because there is no institution and regulation uh that can that can support you and protect you.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and if something really happened, and uh I was in a human department and in it, for example, it wasn't in my company, okay.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: Let's just it's it's an example from nowhere.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh if some somebody uh come to us and share the story that, like, I don't know, C-level manager that's really very powerful, powerful in industry and powerful in the company, have some interests to you, and they ask protection and support.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: A typical solution was to fire with with Pearson, pay some monies and not, you know, announce this story uh publicly.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, I don't know what's going on there right now.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, just under hide it under under the carpet.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and uh but uh there is no law in Russia that protects women from home violence.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: There is no law.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: And if something happened with you, with your husband or with somebody from your family, there is no law that will protect you.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: And uh the same situation can is in the corporative sector.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there is no official systems of regulation where you can be protected protected, and this is still a bad thing, uh, in my opinion.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh again, I didn't um I didn't face this with an awful situation in my during my career.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh but you can be relaxed uh in professional connection uh with men because um at the end of the story, somebody can come to you and say, So I give you this opportunity and this is the bill.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: So and uh here, I mean it's it's possible, it's culturally possible.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: And uh here in the US, uh I feel much more relaxed and uh I feel absolutely free in collaboration with different partners.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: I can I work in with the mentors, I can text to any person and say, uh, it's very important for me to have your opinion.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: Can you explain me something?
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: Without this fear that at the end of the story somebody will say, Okay, okay, let's go, let's go to some coffee.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: Ah, okay, you don't want so.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um I also don't want to have any communication with you after that.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, and that's so so I I'm just kind of curious.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so you've been here for three years.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: What was your what was the drive for you to come to the United States?
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's an amazing question.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: So um honestly, I'm a pretty ambitious person.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I would never know that.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just kidding.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: And um during all my life, I created some big goals for myself, and it was my challenge, it was my drive, it was something that motivated me.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now, um, when I dive a little bit deeper into negrophysiology of entrepreneurship, I already understand that this is like my dopamine system is working, uh, because um all entrepreneurs are more sensitive to this dopamine rewarding because the dopamine system organized a little bit uh in another way.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so um, and um I'm typically uh create some new big goal for myself.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and when I was in a top position uh in uh technological company uh where I mentioned, it was something like 300,000 employers, and my responsibility was to develop um some educational program that will bring uh money to the tower organization.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so um is everything fine?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because it sounds in this connection.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, sorry.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I found that I don't know what will be my next ambitious goal, and I don't have it.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I've already know how it works, I know the markets.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I was in a pretty good situation when I can connect with any uh company and say, I'm interested in working with you.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh are you open to conversation?
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: And and at the end of the story, I will have a job there.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, for example, my last job uh I got in this uh in this way.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: I texted for in Facebook uh for the for my leader and say, I see that you're doing very interesting things.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: This is what I can, let's just meet and chat.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: And they created job positions specifically for me, and it was great.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I think what that most of the company were pretty available, um, pretty available for me.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and uh at that period, it was before war, before the political situation that we have right now.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the market of uh technological professionals were pretty open, and uh we tried to compete with in the companies where I worked, with Google, Netflix, with all these fun companies, because they hired our people uh from all the countries, including Russia, of course, and Russia, Russian IT professionals are really brilliant.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: We have a strong school of physics and mathematics, so uh they're really in a good position here.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and that's why I knew a lot about Silicon Valley, about uh we also have some, we always have some kind of connection, uh practices, some collaborating projects.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and one day I came here to Silicon Valley.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: It was my second time in the United States and the first time in Silicon Valley uh for some you know job purpose to meet with some partners here because I had an ambitious idea uh to develop our human resource brand in our market through their improvements in Silicon Valley.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because at that year we our company created an amazing framework like to like to manage projects inside the big companies to save this you know startup spirit.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and we got the Gartner Award at that period, and it was really a great moment how to collaborate globally and to um you know expand our human resource brand and attract interesting people from all over the world, not only inside the country.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I came here, we met these different people, and I really felt that I belonged to this place or something like that.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, um I just understood that it will be my next step, it will be my next challenge and goal.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have any plan yet.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: And um I felt that I need to come here and to try to do something by my own uh and see what I can.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see how it will go on.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I was impressed by a lot of different things, mostly about the people here uh in the United States and in Silicon Valley.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so it was in May.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: Uh at my flight back home, it was New York, Moscow, uh direct flight at that period.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: Now, of course, they not exist.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I've already decided that I'm quit.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh at that period I was in a relationship, that I quit from the relationship as well, and moved to the United States as fast as possible.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so I had a touristic visa that was open to the December, it was May, December.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I've already felt that something is going on when you're working close to the global technologies uh of the country, technological industry, and also I had a long experience working with digital media companies in the country.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: You're really already able to read between the lines and to connect some dots.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't expect that it will be those that happened later, but I felt that the relationship between our countries becoming you know more and more tough, and that probably I will have now and now a chance to uh open a new visa for myself.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I understood that I need to come inside the country before before uh it will be possible for this option.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't know anything about the United States at that period, I didn't have a plan for immigration, uh, and uh it really wasn't my goal.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: As I told you, I always create some projects or goals, and uh it it wasn't my dream just to move for nothing, just because I want to live here, for example.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I came back home, announced to my boyfriend that we are uh that this is the end.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: And uh we lived together more than three years, and uh, the reason why, if to be honest, a little bit uh I wasn't you know happy in this relationship because he proposed me two years ago and didn't do nothing after that.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: And what was the point?
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I tried to speak with him several times about it, and it was some very strange conversation.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I think what's going on?
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I didn't ask him about it.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: I I was married before.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: I really don't they're interested in the official relationship, it was his idea, and then something strange happened.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: So um I told him that I'm planning uh to move to the United States and uh that we quit, or probably you can come with me if you want and try something uh here.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: And he decided that that's why because he didn't propose me.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: The next day he came with a you know ring from the Tiffany coin and told, What's the what's that thing?
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I I this is you know, this is the story for the for the grandkids.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: Then your grandma, you know, Tiffany ring, but she told no, this is this is too late.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: It that was how it was this is how it how it happened.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, uh everything was good, but uh it was very polite, and I really um I really respect um my ex-boyfriend.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: We had a brilliant relationship, probably just uh you know how it's happened.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh in the in in the couple, the dynamic of development it can be different, and there is a period that somebody moved in faster, and uh the next one should move in in his, you know, his rhythm uh your rhythm, but you know, you you should meet um somewhere.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: There is a period in another um you sometimes you go like this it's this, this, this, this, yeah, yeah, some something like that.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that between us uh having the situation when I've just started moving very fast, and and he didn't, and uh that was the main reason, I I suppose.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: So um then I announced at my job that I'm quit.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: That was also pretty surprising because, as I told you, I was in a good position.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: I took several side projects at that period, then by then bought one-way ticket.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: Just came here.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: I lived in New York for the one month.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: Just I I love New York City, and I think that is this is the very amazing place there you can um um how can I say it?
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh make your identification with your national nationality not so strong.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: Because in New York City, look you're living among their people from all over the world.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: Not every one of them have uh cultural identity, cultural values, cultural tradition.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: And when you see that uh all this thing is pretty important, but yours cultural identity is not the most important in the world.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's just one of the type of the cultural identity, one of the type of the language, one of the type of the mindset.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: And uh that's how I regularly felt in New York that I can, you know, take over my Russian coat and just to be a person of the world.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I spent a month in New York City just just enjoy, just walk in, visit an amazing jazz bar, restaurants, whatever it is.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then I moved to the to the California because this that was my goal, and so that's how I started my story here.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: It is fascinating, you know, Marina, it it's it's amazing when somebody, when you know, like I'm hearing your story and I'm hearing the you know, your own personal drive, and so but also just from the experience of having, you know, whether you realize it or not, like having really great leaders to to help you in the even in the early stages of your career, when you're first out of university, like the people that can actually influence you almost like by the drip, like dripping on you, right?
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like they, you know, and when you can get into something that's good and you have good people, and they see not everybody probably at the company was they didn't see the same thing they in you that they saw in everybody else.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: They saw you and said, Oh, she's got this, you know, and it's and has drive.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really a Amazing, and this is why I do this because not everybody, you know, maybe there was somebody else at the company that you were you were in, and maybe a leader could have seen something in them and said, you know what?
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: You're awesome, but this isn't the right place for you.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: We think you could excel over here.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: And you, I mean, obviously you were able to excel.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I just love that people were able to um lean into you to get you to bring out your greatness so that you can then now lean into others to bring out their greatness.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I just think that's that's what that that's what helps make us better.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_00: You are 100% right.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to see you then uh living in Silicon Valley for me means that I never ever will be uh again the smartest person in the room.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what I love because because I I I love this phrase.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you are the smartest person in the room, that's mean that you are not in the right room.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and uh this is some kind of I think this is one of my value.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh uh because I think that people around us is our responsibility.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: And if you can find some inspiring leaders, some great coworkers, friends, some people that are on the same page with you, um who share your values, this is your responsibility to find your people and to be in those places there.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: You can feel the support, inspiration.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, uh, I thought about um you have some question typically in your podcasts, yeah.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_00: What make you the person that you are?
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: I thought about it, and I remember very interesting story that I would would love to share with you and with uh with our listeners.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you're absolutely right.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, um I had a pretty challenging childhood.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: Don't want to dive deeper into it, but I had my mom passed away very when she was very young, she was 33 years, and I was 14 years old.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: And uh my grandpa and grandma took care about me.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and of course, they were absolutely you can imagine uh how they felt after the thing that was happening, but whatever it is.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um it is in the past.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but uh during all my life, I always have some people who really believe in me and supported me.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but also I had one very interesting uh situation uh in school that influenced for me as well.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: So it was in a maths class, and uh it was some important tests, like you know, quarter test or something like that.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: And um we need to solve only one um um oh my god, equation.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: Equation, right?
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely right.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: And um our class was separated for two groups, um, and uh one half of the class got the equation number one, and another one equation number two.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it was very long for you know for several lines, and uh you can only uh have a two uh grades at the end.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: You are successful or you're not successful with this example because uh this equation engaged all the formulas that were studied during all during this quarter.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: So, and um it was very difficult.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: So it was for whole lesson, and uh as always after after the lesson, after the test, you're started to chatting with each other.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: What result did you get?
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: What result did you get, etc.?
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: So my group, it was equation number one, all of them got the results minus one, and I got the results, uh zero points and three numbers after the after the point.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I was totally sure that I was I made an awful mistake, and uh and my parents they were very serious about my my grandparents, they were serious about my about my education.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: You uh only a grade will be uh will be okay, all in other grades it's it is bad.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it's typical for Russian mindset.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I will see it for a lot of us, yeah.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's right.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I was very there upset because I was sure that I'm I I will have an awful grade in it, and um I I I I probably didn't sleep well for this couple days because on Monday we have this test, and on Wednesday it will be the next math class where it will announce.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: So our our teacher comes into the class and says, blah blah blah, there is as always, you know, last name and the grade what you have, and then she and she starts with uh um group number two, and then she came to our group and said, So uh we had a very interesting situation.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, all of you solved this equation uncorrectly, and only one person who solved it correctly is Marina.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: What's happened, guys?
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, I really remembered this situation for for all of my life because I was sure that I did a mistake, and also all people around me had another answer.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_00: And at that moment I remembered that it can be a situation in your life, and everyone around you will be absolutely sure in their answer, in that in their vision, if they're in their understanding of reality, and probably you will have absolutely opposite opinion, but there is a chance that you can be right.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_00: And uh and this is this is your responsibility.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that leadership is above responsibility for all the solution that you provide.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because honestly, you know, honestly, all of us making mistakes during our career, during our entrepreneurial journey, in our life, we're choosing not right, I don't suppose.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: We we make a lot of different we started awful relationship, we sometimes uh spending a lot of money for the business that at the end of the story are unsuccessful, we are losing our clients, all of us making a lot of different mistakes.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: But the thing that really specific for the leaders is that you are able to make this decision and to keep the responsibility, even if it was a global mistake.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, this is the main thing about the leadership, in my opinion.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so and uh this situation was really important for me.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I had several times in my life that everyone told me, What are you doing?
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: For example, when I decided to move to the United States, I didn't even discuss it with a lot of people.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: And for example, um uh even some of my family members knew about it when I already uh were here in New York City, just because I knew that it will be very stressful for them and it will be a long conversation.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: What are you doing?
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: You're too old for that.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh why did you broke with this amazing guy?
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have a chance to create a new family because you're already 35 and all this stuff.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but uh it's very important to have uh an inspiring, supportive community around you, and as I told, I think that this is your responsibility as well.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: And from another hand, uh, if you are the leader, you will definitely have some situation in your life when you don't have enough information, you probably don't have enough support, you need to make a decision, and you will keep the responsibility for this decision to the end, and this is okay.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, Marina, I love that story.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: I absolutely it there's so many parts about that, you know.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's first of all, it's it's that that pressure that we put on ourselves, right?
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: That um about right or wrong, right?
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like do we do the right thing, do we not do the right thing?
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: Am I did I get the answer right?
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: And we like lament and we think about it, right?
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: Because it matters to us.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_01: If it didn't matter, we wouldn't it wouldn't care, right?
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, but also really knowing that you know what you said is so pointed and true is that knowing that there could be a different answer, and knowing that, you know, knowing that in actuality, you know, so maybe they got the number wrong, maybe they did the steps right, but there was some mistake, and it's knowing that like and to own that and to know that and know that there are always ways, unless you've killed somebody in like medicine, obviously, but but most of the time there is a way to fix something or to go back and say, Oh, I can change this, I see the mistake too, and to own it, but also if you are if you have gotten it right, it's also believing in yourself, like you know, the the the um how could different would it be is if you walked away from that and thought to yourself, ha ha ha, they're all wrong.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_01: I know I'm right.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_00: Honestly, I I typically I'm not thinking about it because um I make I I think that I'm uh this is m speci some specifics of my personality or probably you know my childhood history his history.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh when I'm making the next step uh and I'm changing the reality, like I mean, uh um decided to open new business, move to another country, join to another company, um start new relationship.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'm thinking about it like about like about a new chapter of my life.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I and the previous chapters, they are pretty close to me.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm not missing, I don't feel some kind of nostalgia.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm thinking about it with gratitude.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: I have a lot of warm emotions from the past, but this is something like your childhood dress that's pretty cute, but it's absolutely unrelevant for for your reality.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_00: And uh yeah, yeah, I think you're you're absolutely right.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_00: This is this is your experience.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: Right, and the that experience, it's it's one of those things that I think is quintessential for leadership to let everybody know that we have we have it within ourselves to choose our path.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's a choice that we can make and we can decide to get up in the morning and decide how do we want to be, what is the path we want to go, what's the right thing for me?
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, there are always other people around you that may have to come or come into that, you know, in your decision, but at the end of the day, you know, as you're moving up in your career, it's not to forget about those people, but it's to help lead those people and help.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: If you've got a vision for yourself, who are the people that you can bring with you?
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: Who are the people that are gonna support you?
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: Who are the people that, as you shared, you don't tell them until you're already on the journey because you know who the naysayers are, they're gonna try to talk you out.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: And they're there are all these different groups of people in our lives, and we have to surround ourselves with the people who you know are gonna help rise us up, right?
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_01: That that tide, that rising tide is going to lift all the boats.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: But we have to decide, we have to decide which which which wave do we want to catch.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: You're 100% percent right.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: And uh again, this is my vision.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, probably uh other people can think in another way.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, I have um, for example, I have a best friend.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_00: We are the friends since we were a child, and it's more than 20 years of our friendship.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love it.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, and this is amazing.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: She's living in Europe right now, and uh, you know, um it's their important part of the life as well.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: But I think that um people who close to us um they they they need support us.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_00: And if and if in if some from some of your friends or relatives, okay, we're not speaking when you're making some really silly things like decided to invest all the family money for some crazy project.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: We're not speaking about this.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's more about the change the the choices that you that you you're that you are making your life.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think that close people who are close to you, they really need to support you.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_00: And again, this is this is that can you can regulate, for example.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: I had a close relationship with my aunt, they have some, you know, more classic mindset.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that means that all the people who love you will say all the critical critical things that they're thinking about you, like I don't like your higher, what did you wear?
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it it took me it took me several years to recreate our way of communication and say, uh, I I'm waiting for support of everything that I'm doing.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: And if I really need your opinion about my hire cut or about any of my choices, I will come and ask you.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, please, what do you think about my higher cut or something like that?
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, because it's they're they're important.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's pretty difficult right now to develop in career, to to run in business, because we have so many things outside that influence dramatically for everything that's going on in our life.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_00: AI, COVID, political situation, it's absolutely unpredictable.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: But the thing that you really can take under control is your condition and uh thanks, neurophysiology, and everything that I have right now.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it is also it is also some pivotal moment for me that I really understood that healthy brain and healthy nervous system see healthy and variable solutions.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are in a bad condition, if you have too much cortisol, you weren't under the stress for a long time, you see the dangerous reality.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: But reality is absolutely the same.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_00: Reality provides you billions of different options and scenarios, and the thing that you're focusing on really depends on your internal condition.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, even neurophysiological condition.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: We're not speaking about some, you know, more spirit things here.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's very simple.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: If your brain is healthy, you will make a healthy decision.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's very easy, and you will you will produce some healthy product, you will uh create some healthy organizational culture and environment in your business, uh, you will be able to develop a healthy relationship.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_00: The only one thing that you need is a healthy brain.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: So uh it was also pivotal for me.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, what I'm trying to say, we have a lot of different things around us, and but this is something that we can manage.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, everything that's very close to us, uh our condition, and people who are very, very close.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: And we can regulate it.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: And if you had a challenging period, period, you want to change something, uh, you are permitting your career, please take a little bit far away from the people who are criticize you or not support you.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: And if you can do it, like for example, this is your I don't know, family, parent, parents.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you can say, I need support right now.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_00: If you're unable to provide me the support, let's take a pause in our communication and I will come back to you later.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: Then I will have more resources to keep conversations like this.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: And in my opinion, it's pretty normal, but you know, it's it it's everyone's choice.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know, um, so Maria, I think that is that is absolutely one of the that's it's a quintessential game-changing insight, which is basically, you know, no matter where you are in your leadership journey, it's to find the people that support you and your mission and that are aligned with you in the in values.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_01: And if the people that if there are some people that don't do exactly what you said, this is my vision.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: I need to put this on pause unless we can, unless, you know, the relationship is not serving me in the best way right now.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: I love you, but, or you're a great friend, but because you need to surround yourself with the people that that not that lift you up and make you feel good.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Marina, I could talk to you for hours about this.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: You are so smart and and I love what you're doing with leadership and your and everything that you have accomplished is really amazing.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_01: What is the best way for people to reach out to you and connect with you?
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_01: Because I think everybody needs to.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I will be happy to connect with you uh in my LinkedIn, Marina Morgan San Francisco.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_00: And also I have a website, uh, themorganimpact.com.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_00: Please uh find this website.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: I have an option of uh free half an hour strategic clarity session uh where you can come and just share where are you right now, where you want uh to be, and uh we can develop several ideas how you can achieve your goal.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I'm very open to it.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_00: So uh let's stay in touch.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: That will be awesome.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, please follow this amazing podcast because we can meet not only me here, but also other amazing guests.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you can.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_01: So, listeners, please follow, connect with Marina.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, go to her website, get that free um strategy session, connect with her on LinkedIn, and please do me the favor of hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends and colleagues.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Jacqueline Strawminger.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: I am the host of the Unstoppable Leadership Spotlight podcast, and I appreciate you listeners for listening and tuning in, and for Marina for being an amazing guest.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for joining me on the Unstoppable Success Podcast, where we don't just talk about growth, we leap toward it.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: If something today lit a fire within you, sparked a new idea, or gave you the extra push forward, please don't keep it to yourself.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_01: Share this episode and podcast with a friend, colleague, or fellow high achiever.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_01: Be sure to subscribe, read and review, and most importantly, connect with me, Jacob Stoppinger, at leap toyoursuccess.com.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_01: For coaching, community, and your next old move.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_01: Keep leaving with intention, keep building your network with purpose, and most of all, keep leaping because you were meant to be unstoppable.