Believe unreservedly in the power of communication

Introduce yourself in a few sentences!

Children and parents call me 'The Fairy of good manners', but in life, I am more of an entrepreneur – I am the founder of the only children's academy for good manners in Bulgaria, where children over 5 years old learn how to create friendships with ease, to carefully choose the words they use to send clear messages and to communicate successfully, to read body language, to learn polite manners and what appropriate behavior is in different life situations, as well as the pros and cons of their personal choice of what behavior to adhere to.

What did you dream of becoming in your childhood years?

A judge or a lawyer. And I fulfilled it. I graduated in law and worked as a successful lawyer for several years.

At what age did you earn your first money?

My first earned money was not from work, but something better – a scholarship for excellent success. I believe that learning is extremely important, and that’s why I invested a lot in it, and it is now paying off.

Tell us an interesting story?

I remember a funny and somewhat awkward situation for me. A few years ago, I had a child enrolled in the Academy. Her name was Kalina, and the mother was Karina. When signing the general terms, it turned out that the mother accidentally swapped the names of the child and the parent. And so, I had been addressing them with swapped names for almost 3 months without anyone correcting me. Only when I issued a certificate for completing a module on good manners and it had the mother’s name on it did I realize my mistake. I felt very awkward and really wondered why they hadn’t corrected me. I bought chocolate and flowers as an apology. They accepted them with a smile.

What are the main factors and examples that shape us as individuals at an early age and form our interests?

First of all, in my opinion, the main factor and example are the people from the family. They set the main priorities and shape the core values.

Secondly, there are shortages and surpluses - lack of funds for food or travel or, conversely, there is abundance, which sometimes sounds from the mouths of children like 'Are we traveling again?!' 'I don’t like this hotel,' or the child takes two bites of food, and the rest on the plate is thrown away.

What is your recipe for curiosity, sources, and wells of information and inspiration at this stage of our human development?

Personally, I am inspired by historical and successful personalities, by books on personal development, by people who started from scratch and reached heights, by new technologies. And I believe that the greatest inspiration is to dream of a better 'tomorrow' and to leave a clear and beautiful trace behind you.

Has there been any significant change in your perceptions in more mature age regarding what motivates you to do or not do something?

In more mature age, I feel calmer, more confident, and happier. I am aware that there will always be someone who thinks that I am doing something wrong or meaningless. For years, with each passing day, my ego melts away and gives way to altruism, empathy, and even greater love and dedication to what I do.

Whose decision was it where to pursue higher education and what to study? Was that decision correct, viewed from today’s perspective?

Mine, definitely mine. I am one of those people who listen carefully to advice and recommendations, analyze them and the situation, and do what is right for me. As a very young person, I often joked that I might 'break my head', but it is important to me that I bear the responsibility for that, and not others be to blame.

Finishing law was my childhood dream, and I confidently and happily realized it. Yes, it is true that after that I have two more diplomas - in international economic relations and in psychology and psychological counseling. But the law faculty taught me logic, patience, and discipline. There, I also realized that legality and justice are not always, unfortunately, identical.

Share more about your interests, knowledge, skills, and hobbies?

My passion is traveling. Traveling not as a vacation, gourmet food restaurants, and hotels with comfortable mattresses, but as a path to self-discovery, broad worldview, getting to know the lifestyle, culture, and daily life of different peoples and tribes. I love to sleep in deserts in tents, in jungles, in savannas, under an open sky 300 meters from an active volcano, from which lava flows, and my eyes tear from the sulfur in the air. In such moments, I feel more alive and learn to appreciate every happy moment of my life and to face every challenge with boldness.

Would you change your profession today and which areas of activity capture your interest?

I love what I do - meeting children who become even better, more confident, and calmer after my training. To see gratitude and satisfaction in their parents' eyes. To write books, to have loyal readers and admirers, what more could I want?!

For more than a year now, after persistent recommendations from satisfied clients, I have started to conduct master classes on etiquette for ladies and gentlemen, not just for children, as my activity began 10 years ago.

They say that the personal brand is everything that people say about you when you are not in the same room with them. What would you like to hear today?

What I actually hear :) That I have managed to make them feel more confident, calmer, more successful, and happier. And that at night before bed, instead of a bedtime story, they read my books on good manners to their children. Six years after the release of my first book and after six editions with thousands of copies, I still receive pictures of happily smiling children holding 'Children's Academy for Good Manners' in their hands, and that is my greatest reward and satisfaction. 

Emotional intelligence, adaptability, and flexibility, as well as our soft skills, are key conditions for success in recent years. How do you cope with the daily challenges of life to stay in good shape and mood?

I hope successfully, after all, I am also a certified coach in emotional intelligence. Otherwise, personally, I have no secret recipe - sports, walks in nature, music, a book, and as much time as possible with my children and my husband.

What are the most important conclusions you have made so far about maintaining proper communication considering the different characters of the people you meet daily - colleagues, friends, relatives?

Listening more is more important than speaking. To step into someone else's shoes to understand the perspective from the other side. There are people who always insist on being right; I prefer to smile instead of confronting and say: 'I understand that we cannot be of one mind. We just have different viewpoints. It is possible for both you and I to be right.'

And my most important conclusion, which I share with the youth in my teen groups: not everyone can like you, and there is no drama in that, and no, it does not mean that you are not good, even exceptional in what you do.

What do you think about money? What is their influence on your life? 

For me, they are a measure of value and a means, an important means, to achieve our goals - good education, good health care, healthy and quality food, a cozy home, etc. Money is freedom or rather provides us with freedom at least within the limits set by society, as we know that nothing is absolute.

What is your advice to people who often ask themselves questions related to money and how sufficient they are?

The desire for more and more (greed) is embedded in our entire modern market system – without it, the economy would be in stagnation and lack of development, and in this sense, it is a driver for development. On the other hand, greed and love of money must be distinguished from a human perspective, where sufficiency is filtered through the value system of each individual.

What is the most valuable career advice you would give to people?

The most important career advice I can give is to believe unreservedly in the power of communication. Only then can they be successful and enjoy their success.