I grew up in a middle income family in a country of scarcity (food, money, material possessions) and a country of abundance (time, vacations, where everything is slow). This country was Bulgaria. When I was 6 years of age, my mom signed me up to be a ski racer. I want to win the races. I grow up with strong will. Determined. Unstoppable. I train hard, I hustle. When I got older, I had to make a choice: continue to ski race or commit full time to school. I’m 14 years old and I decide to go to school. I study hard to get good grades. I dream of a better life. I hustle. I start my first company at the age of 17, one of the first private companies in post communist Bulgaria. I buy my first car with the money.
I graduate from the American University in Bulgaria. I work for the largest advertising agency in Bulgaria. I hustle. At the age of 24, I decide to complete my masters in the US. I come to the US by myself with 2 bags of clothes, pursuing my dream for a better life. Committed. Unstoppable. I complete my MBA in marketing and begin a 20 years successful marketing career. I hustle.
I’m a marketing director for a ski resort and the entire town of Incline Village for 10 years. I buy a house, get married, make good money. I start my own award-winning marketing agency. I work with world renown brands like Dr. Weil, Madonna’s Hard Candy Fitness, 1-800-Flowers, Steve Nash, Crunch, UFC Gyms. I hustle. On the outside, everything looks good, I have the good life. But on the inside – my health, relationship, friends, sleep, diet are all suffering. I have no time to myself. I’m always on. I burnout. I’m not happy. I’m not healthy. It seems that I have achieved everything I wanted in life but I’m empty inside.
I go on a vacation to Baja to learn to kite, unplug and recharge. In that mindful moment, floating in the ocean I realize I have change my life. I have to claim back my time. I dream of a better life. I decide to Unhustle.
I downsize my company. I start to do freelance marketing. We change our life and commit to spending time between Lake Tahoe and Baja. Life is good for a few years, but something is still missing. I’m still searching for my bigger mission in life. I search for a bigger purpose, more meaning, my higher service to humanity. I dig deep.
I find the Human Potential Institute and get certified as a Human Potential Coach. I practice mindfulness for weeks. I change my mornings. I begin to spend time unplugged. I learn about happiness, biohacking, nutrition, stress, mindset. I spend time in nature. I start my mornings slow. In the midst of the program, I have a complete inner transformation.
When we unhustle, unplug, slow down, spend time in nature, move, connect with ourselves, we tap into the intelligence of our bodies. Only then, we are able to create bigger things. I decide to start a new venture, called Unhustle, together with my husband. Unhustle is a new way of living. We slow life down, become mindful, take time for ourselves, connect with nature, claim back our lives, dream, create and achieve bigger things.
My physical and mental health are the best they’ve ever been. My husband and I are in love. We travel, enjoy each other’s company, cook good meals, spend time with friends, connect with nature. Now, I coach people how to Unhustle. We conduct online and offline programs, workshops and retreats. We are building a digital community and people all over the world are exciting about it. We get people to unplug, experience freedom, real connection, space, joy, time, health and meaningful life.
We are building a tribe of likeminded people to get out of stress, burnout and hustle mode into a state of mind body and digital wellbeing, happiness, connection, being present, living life, and building better companies. Unhustle is gaining international attention and press. People love the concept and the movement. “There’s a huge need for this in the world”, they say to me. I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. Now, that’s a complete transformation. And I couldn’t be any happier.