How to Sell Yourself Without Losing Your Soul

At about 14 years old, I moved to Australia because I didn't speak a word of English up until 14. My house got robbed. I almost messed up my whole first relationship. I'm just not living. I'm really surviving. Oh, we can't call it Russian twist because of the war. I fell in love with Atlanta. It was a feeling that I would never forget. I had no clue what Atlanta was going to do for me. Oh, baby. I have applied to damn near 1,000 jobs. I don't think that the public transportation in the US is safe. Nobody wants to get married. Since I was 14 years old, I've traveled the world by myself. He would just drink for 24 to 48 hours. He was crazy. I, man, so I was like, I was like, you my little monkey, I love you so much. Oh my God. Like, explain to me why you think the way you think. I didn't even know that you have to sell yourself in order to get a job in sales. God, please. What do I do with my life? 'Cause I'm feeling stuck at this point. Going viral, I think a lot of people are questioning this whole thing about me. This is Talk Less. Talk less, do more. How I made it to Atlanta.

How you made it to Atlanta? Sales.

Sales.

And now you're on this podcast trying to sell yourself.

Trying to sell myself. I'm not— you know, the thing about selling yourself is everywhere you go, everything you do in life, you have to sell yourself. And I know it sounds crazy. It sounds crazy because I don't mean necessarily you have to sell your body or anything. You have to kind of explain why you. Even all the stuff that we see on social media, it's like women have to prove why they're valuable and then men have to prove why they're valuable. And what that is at the end of the day, it's them selling the idea of why them. And sometimes, you know, man, everything that a lot of the stuff that we do is kind of business and even like friendships, you sometimes it depends what kind of people you deal with. You know, sometimes it's just gonna exist and people are gonna love you for you, but sometimes you have to prove them why you or explain to them Why you? Everything has value. Everything has value. Whether you think of it or not, everything has value. And so that's why I think sales is such an— it's such a valuable skill to have. It's a beautiful thing. And I believe that a lot of kids who are graduating college, if you don't know what you want to do with your career, go try to do sales and 99% of people are going to hate it. It's not for everybody, but at least it's gonna put you in the position where you will learn a lot. Like you will learn a lot about how to move, what kind of questions to ask. And, and today we have so many resources and it's, it's also, it's psychology, you know, everything is psychology. It's, that's kind of, even with doing content, why people are watching you, how do you hook them? What questions do you ask? And unfortunately, Majority of people have to like sell why them, you know, whether it's, whether it's a topic or a conversation or a question, that's them selling themselves. Okay, do you agree?

Oh yeah, you gotta say yourself, you have to sell yourself.

Even when you try to get a job, you are selling yourself because they have to understand why they're buying you, and they are buying you because they're buying your time.

That's cool. So now you would you say how long you been in Atlanta?

4 years. I'm going on 4 years next month.

4 years.

Yeah, like in a couple of weeks, it's actually going to be 4 years.

Okay, for a couple weeks, 4 years. All right, cool. So you saying you, so you know how to get to Buckhead? If I said go to Buckhead right now without your GPS, you can get there?

Um, yes, because I've been coming here to this specific location so often now that I can get to Buckhead. But if you were to name streets, I would be so lost because I don't operate like that. I operate off the Google Maps, unfortunately, you guys. I am— even when I lived in the Bay, even though if I know where I'm going, I'm still going to have Google Maps on my phone just because it's— it feels safer. I don't know why I'm so dependent on Google Maps. I'm so dependent on my phone. So if I wouldn't have my phone near me, no. But it's funny though, when people have those conversations, they're like, oh yeah, you just take like Northside Drive, whatever, whatever. I'm like, man, I can't even envision where it's at. I might know the, like, the little, you know, areas. I just learned, you know, where's, um, Fayetteville. Fayetteville. Fayetteville. Like Fayetteville. I just, you know, I know where airport is. I know where Marietta is. Smyrna. Um, Lawrenceville. Roseville.

Roseville.

Roseville. Yeah. Sandy Springs. Roswell. I don't know how to say it. Um, I know like Midtown, I know downtown, I know places not to go.

Okay, what places not to go?

Uh, I don't like walking downtown at night area. It's not really the best.

Don't nobody do.

Yeah, it's not really. I heard— well, even you, y'all tell me don't be at East Point at night because it's not the safest area.

For sure.

I heard Union City is also kind of a little dangerous to be at. Yeah. And I don't know why a lot of people tell me, because of the way that you look, don't go into certain areas because people are going to try to, you know, they're going to try. I don't know what they're going to try, but they're going to try.

If you look lost, you're going to get found.

But here's the thing, I don't think— I don't know what it is with me though. I don't think people try me like that because at the end of the day, I'm still tall, you know. They don't know what they can expect from me.

That's what's up. So your height, you got a high average.

I feel like height is something that protects me in a lot of cases, and maybe it's God who protects me too, because since I was 14 years old, I've traveled the world by myself. Like, there's been numerous, numerous times when I've traveled with my mom or my family, but majority of time, like major life decisions, I've, I've gotten to places by myself. And I don't know what it is, angels or God, but I've been protected. I have never been in a very dangerous situation. So maybe just my gut like tells me not to go to dark alleys, you know, at night. But I try to stay on a safer route or path. Also, even like when I lived in San Francisco, I lived in Tenderloin area. If you know what Tenderloin is, shit, dangerous, very dangerous. Like they do a lot of things in Tenderloin. And I remember I remember I— that's when I was working at Google. I would bring them, the homeless people that are downstairs that are living around the block, I would bring those people food and I would literally tell them, hey guys, I will feed you as long as you watch my car. And so that's how I was able to stay protected the entire time so nobody would break into my car. I would literally feed those people and I'm like, okay, I think that worked. I think that worked. So I, and I stayed there for about 3 weeks and I was like, you know what, this is not for me. I'm not really a San Francisco City kind of girl. I need to get back to the Bay. I need to get back to San Jose and just live in, in a safer, quiet area. I like quiet areas. You would not believe that, but I love quiet areas, even though I do live in Buckhead. But my building has kind of like a mini forest in the back and it has a big dog run. And I love being there because I can, I feel like I'm in the middle of the city, but I'm also so far away from anything and anything. But I— if I want to take a walk, I can take a walk and I can be in places that I need to be, so I don't have to drive nowhere. Lately I've been thinking about just moving somewhere to the countryside. I just want to be around horses, mini cows, dogs, chickens, goats. Like, I just want to be out of the way. I don't know what it is, I'm getting old. I'm so sorry for taking the time from the episode, but we do have to give shout out to our sponsors, Honey Drip Network. And I know people are raving about trading online, so if you've been looking for a sign to start trading, this is your sign. Honey Drip Network is offering a free 7-day trial, and when I say 7-day trial, I mean it. There's no risk associated, that it's completely free. All you gotta do is show up and learn how to trade. They're gonna do all the heavy lifting. You don't have to do no guesswork. You don't have to search the YouTube University on to trade. You don't have to watch a lot of random videos. They got it all handled for you. So again, HoneyDrip Network is doing 7-day free trial, and I mean it. So if you want to be just like me and learn how to trade, because trust me, you're going to see me in there learning how to trade, and it's about time for me to learn how to do that. And I know nothing about that. It is suitable for beginners. It's suitable for all levels. So sign up. I'm going to leave the link in the description. And I hope to see you there. Now we're going to go right back to the episode.

So like, you think that's your Russian roots coming out or is it like, you know, you're Atlanta because technically you're in the South and you know, the South like considered like the country of the country.

This is why I keep telling people Atlanta feels like Russia. Atlanta feels like home to me. And we do have in Russia, we have the same thing. Like we have cities and then we have countryside. I call them village houses. So a lot of people have village houses. I used to spend all the summers in my village house with my grandparents. So, and obviously we would have horses walking around, cows walking around. So I, I'm very drawn to nature. I love being in the nature. My dog Luffy, who's sleeping here, he goes to the camp during, like he goes to the camp once a month where it's 40 acres. It's down in Griffin. And I go there every time and I just sit there and I'm like, man, I just love being here. I don't care if it's raining, storming, sunny. It's just such a peaceful environment. So maybe it is the Russian roots that are coming out, but also, I don't know, there's something special about the South. I don't know why people hate on Atlanta so much. I believe that Atlanta is— honestly, I'mma say it— I think Atlanta is one of the best cities in the world. It's truly one of the best cities that I've ever been to, and I Man, I don't see myself moving from Atlanta. As of right now, I don't see myself moving from Atlanta. I love everything that it has to offer.

That's dope. All right, cool. So I'm gonna ask you some random questions.

Okay.

You've been in Atlanta 4 years, and it's gonna tell us, you know, what you wanna experience.

Okay.

All right, so Waffle House or IHOP?

Okay, I've tried IHOP before. I've tried IHOP many, many times. In California, you know, on some random drunk night. I honestly feel like Waffle House tasted better cuz it tasted like real food. And I've been to Waffle House twice, but it was really good food.

What you get at Waffle House?

I got— so I don't eat meat, so I got eggs, I got toast, and I got hash browns, and I got a waffle.

Okay, so you got an all-star with no meat.

Yes. Okay, it was so good. That was such a dope— listen, because I love simple food, right? So I'm not— I'm just coming around the fried food. I'm not really a big fan of fried food. I like very simple food. Like, I just— I don't need nothing too major. I'm not really into all this like stews and curries and all of that. Sometimes I can eat it, but it's too heavy for me. I like simple stuff. And the way that they could— first of all, they cooked in front of you. I was like, okay, you know what, this tastes like real food. And I give a lot of star points for that because that was amazing. IHOP still was kind of like, even though I know everything is coming from the box, but it still felt like it's made out of the box. And I don't know if it was like frozen before, or it just didn't taste the same way as Waffle House. Like Waffle House, it felt like there's a personal touch to it.

All right, cool. So all right, that's, that's a good Atlanta answer. Uh-huh. All right, so you say you just been getting hip to fried foods. I'm going to ask you, fried chicken?

Don't eat chicken, so don't ask me that.

So you can't eat fried chicken. All right, have you tried grits yet?

Yes. Oh my God, I tried grits. Um, and you know what, in Russia we have similar kind of porridge, like grits. Okay, I don't know if we call it porridge, it's a direct translation. I don't know if it's the same thing as—

it's not.

It's maybe not, but like, that's how I describe it, right? And I love grits. Oh my God, I— shrimp and grits, ooh baby, I love that. I can eat that. I had grits. It was this like small place. It was kind of like a hole-in-the-wall place in my old studio downstairs. They had really good grits and they say that they pride themselves on grits. I think it was like Flying Biscuit Cafe or something.

Okay.

Oh my. Yeah, it was fire. You want to know a secret? I don't think I've ever had fried chicken in my life.

You ever had fried chicken? No, I still had the vegan one. You had that vegan one yet? You tried the vegan?

Wait, I've never done that. No, I haven't tried the vegan one. I never been to Slutty Vegan or none of that. I never done that.

It's not at Slutty Vegan, it's just some places have vegan fried chicken.

Oh really?

Where it's like, I think some people do mushrooms. I ain't had it either, but I'm just asking, have you had it? Cuz you said you ain't—

No, I have not had meat since I was 16 years old, and I'm about to be 32, so it's literally like half of my life I haven't had meat. I Honestly, honestly, it's not like I'm so against it. It's just if I were to have a craving for meat, I would try it. And the other day, literally yesterday, I was driving back home and I was stuck in traffic, and all of a sudden I'm sitting in traffic and I'm like, I just want some fried tilapia right now. I wanted fried fish. Mind you, never even— I don't even like fries. I don't even— I'm not a fry person unless it's real potatoes and done right. I will eat fries. I can, I can dibble and dabble there, but not much. But I'll eat them. I love potatoes. So anything potatoes, I can listen. We can, we can make an exception. But I literally drove to this restaurant in Cindy Springs and I got myself a fried tilapia and fries and coleslaw. Coleslaw, we have that in Russia too. So like we have the same salad. Um, it was the best dinner I've ever had in my life. I felt so complete and I was like, wow. This is actually really good. Or fried calamari, I can do that.

But so you eat fish?

I eat fish, yeah.

We still— we count fish as meat.

Well, okay, yeah, cuz now they're going to put a label on me. She's a pescatarian.

You a pescatarian?

I'm a pes— if that's what you want to call it, sure. The thing about me though, I'm very selective with the fish that I eat. I don't like when it smells fishy. I don't— I can eat seafood, but it's got to be the right seafood. Like, I can't always eat shrimp because shrimp sometimes tastes too fishy for me. So shrimp. I, I do not like lobster. I don't like crab. I'm very, like, I'm very picky and selective as far as the fish goes. I just recently started eating white fish.

Okay, you just start eating whiny.

I'm just, I'm just, I'm expanding my pan and my, my palate. I—

all right, all right.

Yeah, but you know what my dream food though, like, the, the meal that I can eat every day, any day, is Mashed potatoes, grilled salmon, and a salad. And a salad is gonna be like, kind of like a Mediterranean style, but it's a Russian style. It's tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, avocado, dill, parsley, and maybe some lettuce with olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe like some 21 Seasoning in there, and just mix it all together. Oh my God, that thing is so good. That's like, I can eat that every day.

Okay, so if we had asked you, so you just described a Cobb salad from Chick-fil-A a little bit. But I'm saying if we had asked you, you said you eat fish. Mm-hmm. Have you been to JJ's Fish yet?

I think that's where I went yesterday.

Okay, if you went to JJ's Fish, what was on the fish?

The one that I had was, it was just like fried. It was literally just like the What is that called? The thing, the fried thing on top.

Okay, so it's like, it's like a restaurant. It's certain when you go on JJ's Fish, they season the fish with something.

Is it cajun? I don't know what it was. I don't know what it— no, maybe it wasn't. I don't know where I went. I went to some restaurant that had fried— it was literally just fish that they were selling in there, and it was— I don't remember, but it didn't have too much seasoning on it. Okay, it was, it was good. Maybe it wasn't— it was, it was something, maybe BJ or something.

JJ's?

It wasn't in Sandy Springs.

Oh, okay. No, no, no, no.

Okay, then it's different, but it's— it had J in there. Okay, I'mma find what it is.

That's a different J.

Okay.

All right, so, all right, cool.

That's a different J.

That's a different J. All right, so you in the South?

Yes.

All right, have you tried sweet tea yet? Our sweet tea?

Not a fan of sweet tea.

I—

you guys, this is a confession that I'm going to make. I don't like sweet drinks. I'm— I have a very big sweet tooth. I do not like anything sweet as far as drinks go. I can sometimes do like Alani or Celsius, the energy drinks, but they gotta have the right flavor. I do not like anything that's sweet. Like, I don't even put sugar in my tea. So no, because it's too sweet for me and then my side starts hurting from sweet stuff. Like, You know, I don't even drink soda like that. One of my friends who's known me for a year and like we hang out a lot, my friend was like, I've seen you drink soda one time.

Oh wow.

Yeah, I don't really drink soda. And I think that's a Russian upbringing in me because my mom did not allow us to drink soda or eat any of the junk food as kids. So we had my grandpa on my dad's side, he would always sneak us to the store so we can go and buy some, you know, like I remember I was like, Mamba or even like Snickers or any of that chocolate stuff or chips. We were only getting it with him or Sprite. So we were not allowed to eat that in our house.

Okay.

Yeah. So I kind of grew up not even caring for that. All right.

So my mama had a job on the street and you two—

But my brother though, listen, my brother loves fast food. My brother is obsessed with soda. I'm the opposite. I just kind of stayed in a in a, I guess, like, so-called healthy route. Okay.

Yeah, you can mess with that. We can mess with that. All right, cool. So, all right, have you walked up Stone Mountain yet?

No, not yet.

What you waiting on?

You, come on, let's go. We gotta, we gotta do a Stone Mountain.

Really? Yeah, I'm from Stone Mountain.

I haven't been to Stone Mountain yet. I did do a hike the other day. We went down South. It was, I don't remember which area specifically, but it was a beautiful hike with the, with the, um, not fountains, what are they called? The, the, the waterfalls.

Oh, okay.

So we saw multiple waterfalls and I love going on hikes in the South and Luffy, my dog, is obsessed with it because it's just that the woods there, they remind me of the forest back home. So it's, again, it's very grounded and I just like to, you know, Maybe I need to go to Stone Mountain. I've been going down south mostly, then up north.

Okay. All right, so, all right, you've been walking around the city. All right, you said you walked somewhere when you first came to Atlanta. You was walking. You said you was— you walked somewhere from Buckhead. You was in Buckhead and you was walking. All right, cool. Have you got on MARTA yet?

No. So this is the thing about Les. All right, Les does not mess with public transportation. In the US. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna emphasize that in the US, because when I moved to California, I didn't have a car, obviously. And in California, you, if, if you are from the Bay, you would know that the buses there go like every hour or so, like every 45 minutes. They're not really, especially in the Bay, I'm not talking about San Francisco, I'm talking about San Jose. So in the Bay, it's very rare when you're gonna catch something as far as like the bus. And it was before the Uber era. So I remember I'd have to wait for the bus for about like 35 to 45 minutes every single time. Or like sometimes I'd look at the schedule and where the bus wouldn't come. And I remember every single time I would get on the bus, there would be some homeless people there or people who are just, it, it would, it was just not the safest thing to do. And so I remember I had to beg my parents to buy me a car because I could not move around freely or be on time because of the public transportation. And then when I took BART, which is kind of MARTA in San Francisco-Oakland area, the person was murdered and basically their throat got slashed the same day that I was on that BART. And that just traumatized me. So I just don't think that that's I don't think that the public transportation in the US is safe. I don't think, especially for me as a woman, I'm, you know, my safety matters to me. So now, you know, even if I don't have a car around, I will Uber and I will, or I'll ask for a ride. And that's why I have to work and make money and not be broke because I, safety matters more. So nope, I don't even get on the buses. I have to get on the bus in LA when, you know, you have to take, uh, the bus to the parking lot. Don't even do that at the airports. And so sometimes I would much rather call myself a black car so they'll pick me up right outside of the door. Do not, I just, I'm, I'm scarred and it's, it's not something that I'm willing to do. Just, I do not mess with public transportation. Even in New York when I got on the underground, I was like, yeah, no, I'd much rather walk. Like I remember I said, you know what, this is, I just, it's too many people. I don't like when it's too many people in one place and it's kind of like super crowded. And I think I'm coming from the era where it was a lot of like different attacks that are happening on the crowds and I just don't mess with it. I like, I like to be in my driver's seat and drive a car. Just something that I can't, I cannot, even though I know Marta is rebranding right now and they're doing a lot of stuff and it kind of looks like it's a safe place, but no, I can't. I can't. It's like, it's like a fear of mine. All right.

So So you be out— so do you be outside? Like, you've been outside?

Do I be outside?

In the past 4 years, have you been outside?

Would you say, baby, have I been outside?

Have you been outside?

Oh my God, my first year in Atlanta, all I was doing was going outside.

Okay.

All I did was literally being out and about. I was in, in the clubs, I was in the lounges, I was everywhere. Because the first people that I met in Atlanta were promoters, because they were reaching out to me on Instagram back in the day, and I didn't have a big platform at the time. So they would hit me up and be like, oh, pull up here. So I'll pull up there. They would be like, hey, like we got a section, just, you know, how they do it. Like sit on the couch in a section with like all this other girls. So funny story though, the girl who does my lashes now, she, I actually met her outside and I was just like, oh, you so pretty. And we kind of ended up following each other for a while and then she moved back to Atlanta and then she started doing lashes. So I was like, oh, I remember you from the outside. So I've actually met a lot of amazing people from being outside in Atlanta, but it was during 2022 to like 2024 I was going out. Um, I will go outside, but there has to be a very valid reason why I would go outside now, cuz I feel like I've done my time being outside.

Right, right, right.

I don't like to be in a place where I cannot speak to people. I don't like when the music is too loud. I enjoy lounges. I can enjoy dinners with good company. I enjoy going to steakhouses sometimes, but at the same time, in Atlanta, I don't see the point in being outside. And I also, I just like my own space now. I just like to be home with my dog and my cat, or just like hang out in the house with the people that I care for. And I don't really, think about me, like I don't really have too many people around me at the time. Most of the time, or most of the days, I wouldn't even speak out loud. I would just be quiet. Um, it came with time because I think I've done my time outside too much. Too much. And I was outside. I'm not just saying Atlanta. Like, when I was— before I moved to Atlanta, I was outside. Like, I was the known outside girl of San Jose, you know? Like, so many people in nightlife knew me. We just— it was all— we all knew each other. Santana Row, if you know anything about Santana Row, you knew it was me. Like, because also, you know, you can see me from afar. Go out in Miami, I already know a lot of people in Miami too. So back from the outside days, again, you just connect with promoters, promoters put you at the table, and that's just how easy it is for the girls. Vegas, same thing. In LA, it was just, we were always out and about. But now, now I remember my friend, when we were in LA, I was like, come on, let's go out, let's go out. I'm like, listen, baby, I've done it all. I've done it all. I just, I don't, I'm retired at this point. I'm retired from the streets. But I think everybody should do it. Do it and then, you know, once you're done— I also value my sleep these days, so my sleep matters. And then, you know, too, I love when people recognize me. I love that and I really appreciate that, but sometimes it gets a little bit like different. I don't really— it's like people meet me and then they're like, "Oh, I gotta come on the show, I gotta come on the show," and I feel bad saying no. So I'm like, damn, like, I just want to avoid those conversations. It's kind of like, I don't know what to do with it. But I love y'all and I love meeting people. It's just, I think I'm still not at the point where I can completely accept and receive it. So I choose to stay out of the way.

All right, that's cool, that's cool. We can respect that. So you retired from the streets, you did your 4 years. And you out in the streets.

Not 4 years. I think it was more than 4 years. You know, I started going out during COVID though. Like when we got shut down in California, we got shut down pretty bad. Like it was damn near prison. We could not get out anywhere. We couldn't do nothing. Like even if you go outside on the street for a walk, there would be a police car somewhere and they would be like, you need to get back inside. You need to get back inside. Even like going to the grocery store, there's only certain amount of people allowed in the line and there's only certain amount of people allowed to get in the grocery store. So I think I got scarred so much from just being inside for for so long and I, I felt like I was trapped. And then 2021 when the restrictions lifted, man, the moment we could be in a restaurant, cuz we couldn't even go to restaurants in the Bay.

Oh wow.

The moment we could be in a restaurant, that's when I was like, this is my chance. This is my opportunity. Every single time I get, I wanna be outside. So I took it serious as if it was my job to be outside.

For sure.

And I, I think like I overdid it to the extent where and I was having fun. Like, listen, I was having fun. I was having a lot of different experiences, meeting so many people. There's a lot of stories. So a lot of stories you hear on the podcast today, they come from those days of being outside and being on the streets.

We need to hear them stories. Them stories we want to hear.

You want to hear them stories?

Yeah, everybody want to hear them stories.

Man, the people that I met, like, and sometimes, huh, the people that I met anywhere, you know, one time I went to Vegas, I went there for a conference and I stayed there for 3 more days because we kept meeting people. And the people kept telling me, people kept telling me that I need to, I need to stay and I need to be in Vegas. And then they have a table, and once they have a table, then they have an after-hours party. We would go to the after-hours and we'll just drink for 24 to 48 hours. It was crazy. I, man, listen, I'm not— I would never name no names, but I was out and about with some pretty well-known people. And I was just like, how the hell did I end up here? I literally, I was just standing there like, how is this real life that you're just— and then you realize that everybody's outside. And especially if you in that like entertainment world, all the athletes, all the celebrities, they're all outside because they either get booked or just want to have fun. And it's Vegas and it's a whole— man, there were stories. Maybe one day I'll tell the stories. I just have to refresh my memory a little bit. A little bit.

A little bit. A little bit. All right. All right. So cool. So, all right, have you tried soul food yet?

Soul food, like what is it, like mac and cheese and all that?

I don't like how you said that. I don't like how you said that.

What you mean? Like, it's like yams, like all that, like the Thanksgiving kind of food, right?

Right, right, right, right.

Oh man, I love it. Because the only thing, I wish I ate meat so I could like enjoy the full experience of it. But I don't eat meat, so I only enjoy like the carb aspect of it. And I love it. Mac and cheese, man, what? I love mac and cheese. Sweet potatoes, like, or whatever you call them, yams. I love that. I can even do the collard greens.

The collard greens was it. That's what I was trying to get you to say.

I can even do collard greens and I can even do cornbread. It's a weird texture for me. It's a different, cuz I like the actual, I, I like the real bread. Okay. I'm, I'm sorry if I'm calling cornbread not real bread, but I like Like, it fits with the food, it fits with the vibe. Like, it's good.

Have you had it since you've been down here? Like, have you had soul food down here?

Yeah, yeah, of course. I, man—

Have you had some this year?

Yeah, like, are you talking about like mac and cheese and all that stuff? Yeah. Man, I eat mac and cheese like once a week.

You cook it or somebody else cook it?

I don't cook it, so I don't really cook as much anymore. I don't really I don't dabble in it because to me it's just, it's too much work. I do, but like, if I go somewhere, if I'm eating out, you know, or if I'm going to get food, I'll definitely think mac and cheese is gonna be a part of it. If I see mac and cheese, absolutely, I'm gonna get mac and cheese. So I don't discriminate. I like that kind of food. I like carbs. I, man, that's the food that I can eat. But I also understand that, you know, you can't really indulge in it too much.

Right.

And you know, I'm a little bit threatened by this whole like cooking thing. So I'm like, I do, you know what, this isn't my expertise. So I'm not even going to dabble in it unless, unless let's say I do get in a relationship, right? And my man loves soul food. And I'm going to probably go take lessons and learn how to cook it. I'll do that. Because I don't want to, you know, I don't.

But that's how you get the man, Liz. You need, you need to know how to cook. You don't need to take lessons when you get the man. You need to already know.

I gotta come prepared. You know, I was thinking about that. I actually was thinking about like taking some cooking lessons. Not that I can't cook. I can cook. I just don't like to cook for myself. I'm not a big foodie when it comes down to me. I enjoy food when, to me, it's more of a common experience. I don't really, on my own, I would eat once a day. And I only eat when I feel super hungry. And so I always get I get so much, not hate, but like the health providers that I work with or consult with, they always yell at me for that. They're always saying, you need to eat more than once a day because this is not okay. So I feel like I got to get inspired to do that because like once I get, man, once I know how to cook the soul food, man.

Liz, you got to start dropping the pictures of the soul food. You're going to get all the men you want.

Oh my God. I'm already getting a lot. So now I'm like, you know what? I don't know how to cook. So get off my DMs.

Yams.

I don't know how to cook. I don't cook mac and cheese. I don't cook collard greens. I don't cook yams. I don't do— and when I saw— did you see that Drewski show that he just dropped with Bambi? Uh, Could Have Been a Daddy. Oh my God, when— and I think he posted it as a reel. I was watching it the other day. Big fan of Drewski, by the way. Like, the things that he's doing, even from a production perspective, I was like, wow, this is amazing.

I—

she was— Bambi was cooking yams and she was putting like 5 different kinds of sugar on it. I'm like, is that how supposed to be. 5 different types of sugar and then something sweet on top of it. I'm like, honey, that's a lot of sugar. If I was cooking that, I don't think I'll be putting that much sugar on there. That's, you know, but I'll do my research. I'll do, you know, I, I, if I'm cooking soul food, you know, I'm committed for real, for real.

You committed. We going, we going to get you on some collard greens for the end of the year. We going to put, we going to show you how to cook collard greens on the show.

I think that should be like one of the episodes when we go and take the soul food lesson.

We going, we going to do Let's do it. I'm gonna teach you how to cook some soul food. You can't live in Atlanta and not know how to cook some soul food. It's a requirement.

Man, you know, so here's the question that I have for the people. Everybody's always coming, and I understand I live in Atlanta. I understand I came into y'all's culture, into y'all's country, okay? Let's just put it there. I came to this country, but I always question, why is it me that has to completely adjust to the culture or the country? And especially if it comes down to relationships, do they have to adjust to some of the Russian stuff that I do? Do they have to learn some of this stuff? Like, or is it just not even a question? Like, I have to do all of the learning and adjusting.

I feel like you, you new here, so we just trying to make sure you you, you know, don't nobody mess with you. So it's like Atlanta different. It's like you our new cousin, so it's like we don't let nobody mess with our cousin. So we just trying to make sure you get, you know, get everything acclimated. Like if you don't know how to, you know, what side of town to be on, we gonna tell you. You don't know how to cook collard greens, all right, we're gonna show you how to cook some collard greens. We're gonna tell you who, who and who to mess with, who not to mess with. We just, you know, we just taking care of you because we want you to have a good time. Here. And then if you decide to be like, "I don't even like Atlanta no more, I'm finna go back to Russia," you gonna know how to cook collard greens and you gonna know what side of town to stay on and you gonna be talking like us a little bit. And that's all it is. So we want to make sure when you leave the city, you can take a little bit of the city with you.

See, I'm learning how people show love and it's very different. It's very different. And I actually appreciate it because I'm learning so much about myself and about people. And I have to let go of a lot of my, you know, little understandings and kind of be open-minded to the experiences. So I love it. And I love the Southern hospitality because it's very different and it's very— I think it's similar in a way, but it's different. And sometimes it does mess with me where it's like, okay, I get it that I came here and I'm the one that's infiltrating the system, so to speak. But at the same time, like, I also come in as a person and as a personality. So it's always interesting to me to see if people are willing to learn about some of my cultural things or like preferences. And granted, you know, I haven't lived in Russia for almost half of my life. So there's only certain things that I remember or kind of like embed into my daily routine and daily life. But still, I always question that. I'm like, so what about them learning about me? Is that something that's even valuable, needed?

Yeah, teach us some stuff. I told you, you need to teach us some Russian words. We want to know all the curse words.

Okay.

In case we in a Russian spot and they cursing us out, we want to be able to curse them back out. And then like, you know, but teach us some stuff. Like, girl, you know, Atlanta love, we love to learn, but you got to be the one to like put it out there for us.

I got you.

It's just like, we ain't just out here saying, okay, everybody pop up at the High. But if the High be like, hey, y'all should come through, we gonna pull up.

Hey, I think— okay, do you guys want to learn? All right, let's do this. Every single podcast, I'm gonna teach you a phrase that you need to learn in Russian because it's important. And I think we can— it's called globalization, right? And I know a lot of people have some sort of feelings about Russia, but it is what it is. I can't take away from where I was born and what I was born into and the language that I was born speaking. So, you know, let's teach. What do you want to know? What's the phrase that you would want to know?

We can say, "Hi, how are you?" Say, "Hi, how are you?" Yeah, tell me that. How you say that?

Okay. The way you say, "Hi, how are you?" in Russian is, "Privet, kak dila?" Say that one more time for the people at home. Privet. Oh my God. I almost spoke with the English accent.

Privet kagdila. Privet kagdila.

Kagdila.

Kagdila.

Yeah, kagdila.

Kagdila. Privet kagdila.

Privet kagdila draga.

It's still more words. Privet kagdila draga. Privet kagdila draga. It's a lot of tongue rolling in that. Dagla.

Hey, that's the only lesson I have for you guys today. Privet kagdila draga. And that means like, how, hey, 'Hey, how are you, dear?' Because you know, you got to add a little bit more of a juice to the—

But what if I just want to keep my Atlanta? Like, how do I in Atlanta? All right, I'm gonna tell you how we say that in Atlanta. We just be like, 'Shorty.' So how do you say 'shorty' in Russian?

We don't have those kind of words. It's— we don't— so we don't really— because you know, like, Russian language is different. So Russian language is actually based on— so like like, um, dog is gonna be a, like, a female so-called, right? So it's gonna be dog because it's like, if you say it's called sabaka, right? So sabaka, and then you ask a question and it's like, anama ya sabaka, anama ya. So that means that the, the, the ending of the word is going to be like a female ending of the word. There's also male, like, um, for example, coffee. Coffee is going to be like a neutral, and then a male, like, so for a male it's going to be, uh, for example, house, dom, that's house. And if you ask a question, it's gonna be like, on moi. So it's, it's, uh, like, that's, uh, that's the way that we determine the words and the ending of the words. So we don't really have like shoddy, we don't have those kind of words that I can think of. But you can say, we can say like, oh man, you can like, for women you can say like Zaya, Yeah, yeah, but you can say the same word to a man too. So you like—

and what does that mean?

It means like— it's kind of like— well, Zaya— Zaya is a bunny. Okay, but so that's another thing about Russian language. Oh my God, do you want to know how I messed up my first— I almost messed up my whole first relationship because I'm so used to calling people you know, zai, uh, like it's like a bunny, or like, uh, we call like monkey, like martishka is like, or it's like, it's a normal word, right?

Right.

So when I came to the US, my first relationship was with a Black man, and I'm just translating the whole thing to monkey. I had no idea the whole history behind it.

Oh, wow.

So I was like, I was like, you my little monkey, I love you so much.

Mm-hmm.

Oh my God. I had no idea, like the way that he was upset. But granted, I'm so lucky that I got into a relationship with such a man who was like, he was aware of the fact that I am from Russia. Like, I'm literally straight from Russia. I don't know anything about the culture here. I don't know anything about the, you know, the racism here. I don't know anything about, like, I was so new to everything that's happening because I was just, you know, I was literally just coming into the world, like, of the US. I didn't know anything about politics or anything. And, um, he had to like sit me down and he had to explain You know, you can't be saying those things. And I was like, wait, but it's a direct translation. He's like, you cannot be doing those things. So I learned the hard way. And listen, I've had my hiccups and I've had my, you know, my, I've had a lot of conversations and they were tough conversations to have because in my mind, like, doesn't, you know, I'm not offending nothing because when my mom kept calling me like my little, little monkey, like martuska, that's like, that's my mom called me that my entire childhood. And so, you know, when you obviously you try to do it out of love and then it's like, Oh, fuck.

Yeah, see, that why, that why I said you like our cousin. We got to just take you under our wing, cuz we, we know, we know how the world is. The world will be on— put you up on a stake, girl.

Oh yeah, like, and then you go, man, it's, it's, you know, obviously we, we knew some other things because you hear about some other things, like, you know, the, the n-word and all of that. Like, we all— that's, that's like, that's not even a question. But, but, but still, you know, there's certain things that you had to learn, especially like, mind you, like I'm coming to California, like California's a very liberal state, right? So like there's a lot of things that are kind of, you can't really be speaking on just because of the way that it is. So it was an interesting experience, but I'm actually, I'm super grateful for that experience because that's how you learn the world, you know? And it's, it's just some cultures do this, some cultures do that. And I guess that's how we come together.

Forever. Yeah. All right, so, all right, so we gotta, we gotta talk about music. You in Atlanta, who's your favorite Atlanta music artist?

Does Future count as Atlanta?

For sure.

Oh my God, I've been in love with Future since 2016.

Since 2016? That's a good answer, that's a good answer.

I've been in, in love with Future since 2016, since his Hotline Bling tour with Drake. I remember he did— it was my first concert ever going to Drake, and then Future came out, and I remember I said, this guy has the coolest jeans I've ever seen, and then they're like, oh, that's Future, and I'm like, who is that? And then you just start listening to all his music. Oh my God, I listen. Thumb in her butt.

Who's your favorite R&B artist?

Oh my God.

From Atlanta though.

Does Usher count?

Yeah, Usher count. You can say Usher.

Usher, definitely Usher. Oh man, I just, I like, I just, that whole era was great. And so I am, sometimes I will know the songs, but I don't know the artists. And I just, forgive me because I've never been in music like that. But lately I've been listening to a lot of R&B music, you know, The Unthinkable by Alicia Keys.

Okay.

Or Alicia Keys, how do you say her name? Alicia Keys. Oh my God, that's like one of my favorite songs. Or like Matrimony by Usher. That's— those are, those are like my top 2 songs.

You need to go listen to, go listen to Monica.

Mm-hmm.

If you get a chance, go listen to Monica and let us know how you feel about Monica.

Okay. Yeah, because somebody else told me to do that. Yeah, I'm down. I probably, I probably already do know a lot of songs. I just don't really know, like, oh yeah, that's her. Because, you know, like when you come here, that's something that I really felt I was honestly like insecure about because I remember would have even during COVID right? We would have gatherings with like a bunch of people because we weren't allowed to go anywhere. So we would have a bunch of friends coming together to a house and we would just play some music on YouTube and seeing how people connect around music and they can cite lyrics word for word or talk about music, um, movies and then just cite movie quotes word for word. I felt so insecure because I'm like, damn, I didn't grow up on all of this. I don't know any of those lyrics. I don't know any of those quotes. I can— and I have this thing where I don't remember what happens in the movies. Like, I just don't. It's something that doesn't stay. But I can, you know, I can remember people's phone numbers. That's just— I have a weird memory. And I would always feel like, oh my God, I'm so left out. Like, I would always be like, oh my God, this is crazy. Even when Usher had the Super Bowl performance, I'm like, okay, I know a few songs, but I don't know all of them, you know. And it's, it's because I wasn't here during the time when the songs were popping. And I get it that his music is timeless, but oh my man, I feel some type of way. But then it kind of becomes like a challenge. Now I have to go and listen to that music, and I want to, I want to learn. Because it's the same thing, like, you know, if you were to come to me and my Russian friend having a little gathering and we're gonna start playing Russian songs, you're gonna be like, I feel left out because I don't understand shit about had. But that's something that we grew up on. And, you know, some— especially like New Year's music, for example, because that was such a big part of our culture. And like, it has its own like genre and stuff. And so it's— it always— I felt some type of way about that being an immigrant, where it's kind of like, man, like, ah, shit. Like, I, I don't get— that itch doesn't get scratched because I don't be around, you know, too many Russians anymore. And I just, cuz like, you know, if I left Russia, then I left Russia. It is what it is. Like, yeah, I have a few friends here and there, but I don't find myself needing to go to parties and all of that just because it don't do the same for me. But it's something that like, damn, I wish I had that for like a night, you know? It's, it's, it's, it's something that I've always felt some type of way about.

Okay, that's cool. All right, so what you finna— all right, we all in Atlanta, we all be trying to find out what people finna get into this weekend. So what you finna get into this weekend?

I'm actually going to, um, I'm going— well, this is whenever this is gonna air, it's gonna be a little bit past that, but I'm definitely— I'm going tonight. I'm going on Poor Minds live show. Love my girls, support them, and big fan of what they're doing. And then we are going to Neos and Akon's concert tomorrow with my friends and And honestly, I think Sunday I might hit the Beltline, just take my dog on a walk. I like doing that kind of stuff. I don't be outside anymore. So again, unless I get invited to certain places or things, I will go. But other than that, I like to spend my weekends either being on the Beltline or being at Chastain Park or just doing something that That's grounding. I like to be calm, still, and quiet. Listen, sometimes, don't get it wrong. Like, yeah, sometimes if I, my friend is doing something and she calls me and she's like, hey, pull up, I will go and I'll have a good time. But I don't seek those experiences, to be honest. Like, I don't be out there checking every single day, oh, what's happening this weekend? Even the FIFA stuff, like we just talked about it. I didn't do none of it.

Sorry.

Didn't do none of it. Yeah, that's just, that's just how I am.

That's cool. So like, so where can we see Lesya? Like, do you be outside like running errands like regular people?

Like, what do I look like? I'm a regular person. I be— listen, where you can find me is at the gym, on a tennis court, and I'd be at like different ones in all over Atlanta. You can find me— I only shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, just a habit from California, just because, I don't know, I just— that's, that's my preference as far as grocery shopping. You can find me— I go to Whole Foods at least once a week, and Beltline or Chastain Park, those are the places that you can find me. Maybe by the pool at the gym, that's a place that I'd be at. Other than that, catch me online. Catch me online. Catch me online. I be, I be in the house, y'all. I be in the house. I love, like, I love my space because my brain moves at a million miles an hour and I just have to sit down and compartmentalize everything that's happening. And game plan. And sometimes, you know, I, if I call somebody, then I call to brainstorm about something or just get their opinion on something. And I think like when you do content, it becomes a lot, like it really becomes a lot. So you do need time when you just chill out and take it easy. I'm not the person who likes to take it easy. I'm not the person who likes to slow down, But it's been needed because it's too much stimulation coming from all the sides.

Okay. That's a vibe.

That's a vibe.

That's a vibe. We gotta take you out. We gotta get you outside and explore some more. It sound like you missing a few things. 'Cause I feel like you ain't been to the— You been to Lenox yet?

What? Hell yeah, I've been to Lenox. I hate malls. I hate malls with a passion. I hate malls. Me and Justin, we talked about it, the comedian Justin, Justin Whitehead. I hate malls with a passion. The only reason why I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go to the mall is if I am in desperate, desperate need of a perfume, or I need to go to the Apple Store, which, you know, at this point I've been upgrading my phone once a year, so I go to the Apple Store once a year. And if I have to go to— well, last time I went to the mall was because I had to buy a very expensive present to my best friend. That's it. Like, I do not be at the malls for no reason. I don't go there to hang out. You gotta understand, I'm 6'2". Malls do not carry my size. Most of the time they don't. Malls are too much energy. Even Sephora, I would go to Sephora that's just standing by its own somewhere, or, you know, I, I don't like malls. And if I can order online, I'm going to order online, go on Amazon or go on anything else. And I will always choose to order online, try it on at home, see how it fits with everything else, and then return it or just give it away, then go to the mall.

Okay.

I, I don't know what— I don't know what's this whole thing about malls and why people are so into malls. And, and there's another thing that also might explain it is I grew up with— my mom has retail stores since she was— so she started her business 2001. I've been at the store since I was 6, 7 years old. I worked at the retail stores again when I was a kid. I understand the whole like like, you know, she had stores in the malls too. So I've been at the malls for sometimes days on end, and it's just— I feel like I had enough of it, and I'm not— it drains my energy. Like, there has to be— unless somebody wants to take me shopping, even then I'm like, just buy me the shit, and then if I don't like it, I'll return it. That's literally— that's how I am. I don't care if it's a strip, if it's a mall, Don't like it. I don't know what it is. I don't like it. Online all day long. I can shop online all day long. Yeah, catch me online. Amazon can be on Amazon. Even like Amazon, you know, I'm not really— I don't know, I'm about to say it, but I feel like shopping is a waste of time. I do have a lot of clothes though, but it's like if I see something, ads will get me. Ads got me with the Meta glasses. They've been— they've targeted me like like crazy. And I gave in and I bought the glasses and I love them and I appreciate them. But yeah, it was ads. Like ads will get me. Everything else, very hard. Unless I got to support somebody, yeah, sure, I'll do it.

Okay, so you inside?

I'm inside. I'm inside. I'm a homebody. Even to the point where when it comes down to dating, I don't want to go to a restaurant. Let's order food and let's just chill in the house. I value that way more than anything else.

Have you been invited to a cookout yet?

Yeah, I've been to a few.

You've been to a few? Yeah. Like this year?

Uh, this year, no.

Oh, I didn't go.

You didn't go? I didn't go.

You still got time.

I mean, yeah, like that's something that I can do.

I just don't really You gotta host a cookout, Lesya.

I gotta host a cookout?

You gotta host a cookout. You've been in Atlanta 4 years, you gotta host a cookout.

Maybe, maybe that's what we're gonna do. She— my birthday's coming up, so— by the way, we're doing a live show for my birthday, so if you want to come out, get your tickets in the bio, and we're gonna vibe out. We're gonna record a live podcast, and we're just gonna have fun. I don't care to celebrate. I don't really care You know what it is with me? I like very intimate spaces. I like very intimate, like when it's 5 to 6 people at most and we're having a conversation and nobody's yelling over each other, that we just get together and we talk. I prefer 3 to 4 people, 5 to 6, 6 is the most that I can do. 'Cause I, I like when people engage in conversations and I like a one-on-one conversation more than anything. So for me, it's, it's hard to, to, Again, like, even concerts I choose not to go to because first of all, I have crazy anxiety when I do. Second of all, it's too many people, too many energies, and I just get like, ah, this is too much. I've been fighting that my entire adulthood, honestly. Even going to the NBA games, I kind of had to be forced to go to courtside level because it's too much. Like, every time I would walk into the building and, and my friend was like, no, you joking, ain't no way that this is happening. I'm like, just watch. I walk into the building, I don't know what possesses people, but think it's okay to pull me to a side, to touch me, to stop me, to do something. And it's like, before even the platform or anything, just in general, because I'm so tall. And then there would be people who would be like, oh, can I take a picture with you? Oh my God, you're so tall, can I take a picture with you? Oh, I got to show this to my kids that I met this like giant looking lady. And it's cool, but it's also, it's like, damn, like I just want to, I just want to be in my own space. Like I just like I don't, I don't like that. And I don't know why. I just, I don't really, since I was, when I was 14, when I went to China for the first time and I went by myself, I got surrounded by like at least like 30 to maybe 50 people and they were taking pictures of me touching my hair and doing all of that. And so I think like that just bred that fear in me because I, I felt like I'm like getting trapped by people. Ooh, that was not, because they've never seen anything of a kind, like they're there's this, this blonde 6'2" woman walking in, and they just, you know, to them it was like, oh my God, what is this? And so when that happens, um, and I get it, people, you know, maybe people have never seen something of a kind, maybe it's, you know, they've never seen tall people. I don't know what it is, but to me it's like I'm normal, I'm just walking around, and it sometimes becomes like, damn, like, can I just keep walking?

So I get it.

Yeah, no, but again, I appreciate the love though. Like when people come up to me and just say— and you know, I actually trained my audience to do that. I did train my audience to do that because there's multiple times when I've said like, hey guys, like, you know, you can just say hey, you know, I know you, or just have a conversation with me. And, um, I appreciate that people do that. Like just the other day I was at the pool, um, I was having a conversation with my friend and somebody kind of like like inserted themselves in the conversation and 2 minutes into the conversation he goes, well, I, I watch your stuff. I know who you are. And named like a couple episodes. And I was like, oh. And I said, you know, I appreciate you doing it that way because to me now I'm, now we are having a conversation. That's a different way to connect with people. So man, I got the best audience, honestly. Like I don't, the moment that I said that people stop being weird or anything, cuz like you can talk to me, that's not the problem. But the problem becomes when somebody is just like approaching you. In 2024, I remember when my first video went viral, somebody was basically like running up on me and just like being like, yo, like, yo, Les, like, blah blah blah, and like running up on me at a park where I'm walking my dog. And thank God that there was a man walking near me, and it wasn't like somebody that I knew, it was just like a random person was walking near me, and he was like, hey, are you okay? Like, what's going on? Because the person was yelling and I'm like, I don't know what's happening. And he was like, hey, like, I'm here if anything, you know, I'm here. But it's kind of like, again, don't put me in a position where I don't feel safe because it's like, I know people are not trying to harm me, but like, shit, sometimes it comes off as if you are. So, and I don't, I don't play with that. It appears like people have questions for me and you have a question for me.

Okay. So out of all the places places you could end up, why did you come to Atlanta?

And why are you asking me that question? Because I think we need to give some context of why you're asking me that question.

I'm just saying, you just look like, you know, California, California breeze.

Well, I lived in California for 9 years. To those who don't know, born and raised in Russia, then after At about 14 years old, I moved to Australia to learn English because I didn't speak a word of English up until 14. Then in Australia, there's something that happened to me. My house got robbed the very last year that I was living there. And so it was kind of a choice. Where do I go? Do I stay in Australia as far as college, or do I go to college somewhere else? And I was a little bit too too hurt and scared to stay in Australia because of the trauma. So I decided to move to the UK and it was kind of like a shot in the dark. Didn't know anything about UK. And mind you, at the time it was like, it was like 2010 to 2011, 2012. That's when I graduated high school, 2012. And then at the time it was like a completely different world that we're living in. So my mom said, okay, choose where you wanna go to college. I to pay for college, and UK did not cost as much as the US. So I said, you know what, I'm just gonna go to school in the UK because it sounded so prestigious and it sounded so cool. Went there, hated it, absolutely hated it. I was studying economics and finance, and I was studying math, and I hated it. But my mom said, you have to study something that's legit, you know, kind of like when you come from that culture of lawyers and doctors and all— not that anybody in my family is a doctor, lawyer, or doctors. My whole family is a family of engineers, so hated it. Then I went to California, and California was never a dream. I was supposed to stay there for that for 3 months, and I was supposed to just leave and go to school in France because it was just kind of like, again, we're gonna go and try and see if we like it or not. And I know it's a long-winded answer, but, um, I lived in California for 9 years. I was in California in the Bay Area. I kind of got into tech by just by default, because after college, what are you supposed to do? Get a job. And get a job in the Bay Area, what kind of a job? It has to be a big valuable job in tech because it's a tech world. And so I was living in the Bay, just living the rat race, kind of like if you think about New York, same thing in the Bay Area. You just kind of going in circles, and you only valuable if you are some sort of a big tech person, and I got tired of it. I got invited to come to a birthday party in Atlanta, which was so random because it was my friend's friend who she met in Phoenix who said, hey girls, you just need to come out and just, just enjoy the birthday party. We'll, we'll fly you out, we'll get you the hotels, just, you know, just come. So we're kind of like, this is such a crazy offer.

Over.

And at the time, me and my friend had a fallout, so I flew to Atlanta by myself. And then I called another girl and I said, hey, just come out here because we have a hotel, they paid for the flight, so just come out, let's go. I've never been to Atlanta before. Came to Atlanta and I fell in love with Atlanta. It was a feeling that I don't— I would never forget because I was like, this just feels like we're in the city, but also there's so much nature outside. Side of the city and there's a lot that's going on. I was in my 20s still, so I felt like this would be such a cool place to explore potentially living. Mind you, up until coming to Atlanta, I never thought about moving. Like never in my mind, it even never even crossed my mind to move somewhere cuz I was just so stuck on living in the Bay Area. The only thing I knew was having a job in corporate and just working 9 to 5 and well, Well, I was in sales, so it was never 9 to 5. I was always like 8 to 9 or 10. I've, I've always worked a lot. So I kind of was like, what if I toy with this idea of moving to Atlanta? And at the time, the war just happened between Russia and Ukraine. And so I was kind of going through so much mentally because I was not understanding what's going on. I was so confused, like, how can we brothers and sisters sisters fight and then just shed blood over nothing. And it was, it was kind of like, it was a really hard time for me. I really had to— and then I was starting to get hate because I was Russian. So I would go to Barry's class. I remember I went to Barry's class and then we were doing Russian twist, and then the instructor goes, oh, we can't call it Russian twist because of the war. And I'm like, what in the world? Like, this is crazy. We're talking about Russian twist as exercise, now I can't. So it was just so much hate that was coming my way that, and you know, California, they go extreme. When something happens, they're gonna take a very extreme route. And so I, I was dealing with a lot mentally. I was going through a burnout, significant burnout at my job. At the time I was working for a company called Thomson Reuters. I was selling marketing to attorneys. I was working for a fine law specifically. And I, my boss was leaving. And my boss was my mentor and I am all of a sudden getting hits with quota. I, the quotas are going up, the salary's going down, then nobody's buying cuz it's 2021. Then we're going into 2022. I am not sure if I'm gonna have a job. There's no security. And I decide to quit that particular job. And I was like, I have to take a vacation and go to Hawaii for just a couple days. 'cause California to Hawaii at the time, the flights were $250 on Southwest. So I go to Hawaii, I go to Maui, and I was just like praying. I was like, God, please, what do I do with my life? 'Cause I'm feeling stuck at this point. I'm hopping from one company to another. I'm doing sales. I'm getting burnt out by the day. And I'm just understanding that I can't move like that anymore. I'm really not, I'm just not living. I'm really surviving. So I was in Maui and I remember I was sitting on the beach and then And something just told me, you've been going to Atlanta, you, you've, 'cause I had to come here for, for some work stuff and something was just like, just go there for a week and just see how you like the day-to-day life. So I go to Atlanta after I come back from Maui, I applied for another job. Um, and the job was remote, so I kind of decided, you know, like if anything, I can always move 'cause they don't care where I'm at. And my territory at the time was East Coast. So I talked to my boss and my boss was like, I don't care where you're located at. Like, man, shit, it's just, just taxes. If, if that's, that's, but that's on you, not on us, because as long as you do your job, you can be anywhere in the country. So I came to Atlanta for a week. I loved it. I remember I was staying at the, uh, in the Buckhead area and I was like, what if I just walk everywhere? And it was right next to the Buckhead Village. And I started walking everywhere. And I remember at the time, the only thing I knew was Starbucks. So I, I would go to Starbucks and I started meeting people at Starbucks. And then there's Barnes Noble. I'd go to Barnes Noble and there is just all this little restaurants. I would go there and always meet people, always talk to people. And I was like, man, this feels like home. This feels so green. And it feels so nice that I never felt like that before. I didn't even feel like that in California, even though California was my home. Like I had, I had everything there. I had all my friends there. I had people who were like my family there. So that kind of influenced my decision. And then the next thing you know, Atlanta was also one of the biggest tennis communities. So for me, it was important to get back into playing tennis. And I kind of was shifting away from it because I was so tired of playing it every single day. But then I wanted to do it on a recreational level. And when I start again, like I'm just walking around here and anywhere I go, there's a tennis court and there's just nobody's there. I'm like, man, this is, this is so dope. There's just so many tennis courts, there's so many opportunities, and there's golf courses here, and things are more available to you, and things are at lower cost. So I kind of decided that I'm gonna just break my lease and I'm gonna get in the car with two dogs that I had at the time and just, just move by myself. Literally, I sold everything that I had in California, every single piece of furniture. Whatever I couldn't sell, I, I just gave it away. I remember at the time um, there was a Facebook group where I just posted and I said, hey, and especially because I knew that there are a lot of refugees that were coming from Ukraine, so I literally posted, I said, hey, you guys, I have— I had like 20 pairs of shoes to give away, I had a lot of clothes to give away, so I literally, I just went into refugee camps and gave away a lot of stuff. So whatever I couldn't sell, and it was so meaningful to me because it was just kind of like, damn, we're still so united and we're still feel so together, which wasn't the feeling that I was getting before. But then I was like, this is a good thing to leave this California chapter with. And I remember me and my friend, we actually made up, and I told her, I said, hey, I'm moving. And she said, no way. I'm like, I'm moving. She's like, no, Lesya, you're not doing this because there's no way. You just, you just, you just, you just emotionally, you're joking. I'm like, no, no, I'm going. Like, I'm actually going. She's like, damn, for real? And I was like, yeah, it's time for me to go. Like, it's time for me to just go somewhere else. You know, I love being here, but at the end of the day, all I'm going to do is go from one job to another job, and there's no possibility of me owning a house. Cuz I don't know how much money you need to be making in the Bay Area to be owning a house, having a family. Nobody wants to get married, nobody wants to— you know, it's, it's, it's a very liberal state, so it's different. It's, you know, it's all 50/50 stuff. And I'm just like, I— it's just, it's not— it doesn't feel like me. I don't align with it anymore. So I left and I moved to Atlanta. I knew like 2 people in Atlanta when I'm like, people who I could call, you know. So I moved to Atlanta and I never looked back. I just started falling in love with the city more and more because it just felt so green. It felt so welcoming. And I felt like the opportunities are in Atlanta. I didn't even know how many opportunities were gonna be in Atlanta. Like when I tell you I had no clue what Atlanta was gonna do for me. Ooh, baby. It's just everything. I feel like everything started here. But with that being said, I think a lot of people are questioning this whole thing about me, I guess, like going viral. Is that the right word to say? Me doing, you know, me kind of like appearing out of the blue.. And I already spoke on this whole thing of like, am I an industry plant or not? And there is something that people don't really understand about me just in general as a person. Um, since I was in my early, early 20s, like when I was in, in, I was senior, senior, um, senior year in college, I kind of was like, okay, I need to get a job and I need to get a job, not just any job that that's, you know, again, in the Bay Area, you can't just graduate school and then go be a part of a job market. That's not how it works. You can't get a job. So you have to hustle in order to get into any company. And you gotta understand that you're gonna start with a very, very low salary in the Bay. And we all know the Bay Area is not an expensive— is a very expensive place to live. It's not cheap. So you gotta, you gotta be making at least, man, at this day and age, it's probably like at least $100,000 to just even be okay there.

Here.

At the time, it was probably like $60,000, $70,000. That was kind of like bare minimum to just be okay and survive. And so I remember I had a friend who was working as a contractor at Google and I asked her, I said, what are the chances of me getting a job there? And they were looking for international people because they needed somebody who can translate. Um, like it was like a QA assistant basically. So like quality assurance. So they were at the time releasing Google Voice products. So before, before this whole Alexa blew up or before we have all this stuff that we have on our phones now, they were still testing those products. And obviously when they do the testing, they have to test it out for a couple of years before they can release that to the masses. And at the time I got so lucky that during my senior year of college, they started looking for a Russian-speaking person who could do the QA translation. And the only requirement that was needed for the job, which was crazy. It was to speak Russian language and I think it was like speak Russian language and then that was basically it. Like I, and so I said, you know what?

I don't, I don't know.

I mean, I'm so young, I'm still in college. Let me see if this is even gonna work. So she, she referred me and I interviewed with 4 different people. So, and I said, hey guys, like I'm still in college. But I'm willing to work and I'm willing to adjust my hours. And so they were like, you know, we really need this Russian-speaking person right now. So we interviewed multiple candidates and the thing that was really setting me apart, they were like, we really like the background of you playing tennis, not because of the tennis itself, but because of the dedication that athletes have to the, to the work that they're doing because of the discipline. And so they said, you know, we kind of feel like it could be a good opportunity for you. Like they literally just believed in me. It was the craziest thing in the world. It,. And I, I'm pretty sure I just got lucky. So I got the job and I got the job with Google. So now imagine this, I'm a senior in college. This is like what, I'm 23, 24. I'm walking in like for the first day and I'm like, damn, I'm going to be on Google campus. Like that's gonna be my office. And I, at the time I felt like, man, I made it. I made it because if you call back home and tell people that you work at Google, even though I wasn't a full-time employee, I was a contractor. And contractors get paid way less than full-time employees. We don't get any benefits. We just get access to the buildings. That's it. Like we get access to the campus. So I was like, man, I don't care who am I, even if I'm a janitor in here, I made it. So now I can make connections, I can network, I can, you know, I can do so many things. So I was very much mesmerized by that idea. So I go into working for Google and I worked there and I kind of, I figured it out how to adjust my schedule because I had classes in the morning. So I just packed my classes early in the morning and I'd show up to work at noon noon, but I would stay there until 8, 9 PM. So twice a week I had classes until noon, and then Monday, Wednesday, Friday, I was able to just work full days. And then I would just ask them like, hey, is it okay if I come at noon? And then I work till 8. So I was working the full-time job there, going to school full-time. I didn't have time to party or do anything else. And I also had some of the tennis clients that I've had from my previous life, because I used to coach tennis. So I was hustling, man. I was, I was trying to make it because I didn't have nobody paying my bills. I wanted to make sure that I can make it somehow. And you know, if you understand what Google means on your resume, then you, you pretty much like you can go anywhere. So I thought you can go anywhere. And when I was working there, I kind of was not really into this idea of doing QA. I'm like, this is the most boring thing in the world. I would literally die from boredom. Because all you have to do is just test out the certain phrases and you just have to file the bugs and you have to just file reports. That's it. It was so boring. So I said, what is it that I can do in this life that's going to require me talking or just communicating with people? Because I'm graduating school with communication degree and I thought, man, sales, sales, this is going to be the best thing in the world. I didn't even know that you have to sell yourself in order to get a job in sales because It was the craziest thing in the world. When I tell you, I thought that like, you know, me getting a job at Google, it was going to be the same, uh, it's going to be the same experience and I'm just going to get lucky and I'm going to get a job. Hell no. I literally went through the applications at the time and I remember I saw that I have applied to damn near 1,000 jobs in order to secure 3 interviews. To get into sales because I'm brand new. I'm just graduating college. Now when you get into sales, it's a whole different beast. It's a whole different ballgame because you have to have either experience or you have to have the grit or you just, you know, you kind of have to come prepared. You have to learn what you're going to do before you even get the job. And I just got, um, I got interviewed by a company. It was a cybersecurity company. And I also asked at the time, I had a friend who was, um, whose dad was like like putting vending machines in the hotels and stuff. So I said, you know what, can I help you do that? Just because I want to know what it's like to sell. Because I thought that like, oh, you know, maybe it's an easy job. And when you have to go in the hotels and you have to talk to the managers and you have to convince them to put vending machines into their hotels, like you really have to be boots on the ground talking to people and just also asking like, what, what is it that they're looking for? What they need? And you know, how they need it? What's their objective for the business? What's their goal? You know, are they trying to appeal to their clients? Do they want their clients do they want them to come? I mean, the visitors who are visiting the hotels, do they want them to come back? So it was like a whole thing. So I learned how to do that. And that was my anchor when I was interviewing for that position, a cybersecurity firm. I literally said, listen, this is what I've been doing for the last 3 months apart from having a job at Google. And I just graduated. So I had kind of like more time to, you know, move around and do things. When I tell you I had no free time or time to date or do anything, I just, I was literally working all day, every day, just trying to hustle, making sure I got everything covered. So that was something that kind of put me apart with other people that were applying. And I got a job. I was the lowest tier as the, the SDR. If you in sales, you know what that is. BDR, SDR is the sales development representative. It's basically the person who is doing all the phone calls, doing all the outreach, being the first person that's getting in touch with somebody that you need to sell to. And it's a really hard job because those jobs are not easy to do. Like it's It's, it's, it's a high quantity over quality kind of job because you have to hit up at least 100 people a day in order to get at least one meeting, one to two meetings, depends what you're selling. And that's what I was doing. So now when you see me going crazy and posting is because I've kind of worked out this work ethic since I was out of college. Like I had to do that and it was something that I, I can't tell you I was passionate about, but the moment that you do get a meeting, The moment that you do speak with somebody and you try to learn about their business and you're trying to be valuable and help them, then the whole thing changes. Now you all of a sudden you're in love with the job and the moment that you sell and you get that commission check, baby, that's a different feeling. That's a different feeling. Like, you know, when you're super, super young, because at the time I was very, very young and I remember I said that, um, I already told that I think on one of the episodes that, um, the, I left the cybersecurity firm. I went to this other firm. It didn't really work out. It was, it was this, this startup and they didn't really have a role for me. They just wanted me to work there. And it was, you know, startups, they're very rocky and they're just very unstable. So I was there. I hated it because I needed more structure because if I'm going into this new career, I need to understand what I'm doing and I need to learn. I was very fortunate to, to listen to one of the conversations where the client was speaking to a payroll rep. I'm not going to name no companies, cuz I don't, I don't want nobody, you know, this is, this is not a free promotion, but it was one of the biggest payroll companies at the time. And at the time it wasn't to the level that it's now, but it was a big payroll company. And I was like, man, hold up, there's two of them. Let me apply to both of them cuz I know they're hiring mad amount of sales reps. I go on LinkedIn, they were hiring so many people that I've applied. So the first company that I've interviewed with, I went to third round, I didn't get a job. And the second company, I kept interviewing and interviewing. Man, I did 10, damn near 10 interviews with them. And I remember they called me and they hired me and they hired me. It was, so before they hired me, 2 weeks prior to that, I got fired from that startup because they, they basically didn't need me. There was no role for me and there was just no room for me and I was was, you know, it was kind of like a mutual decision, but they wanted to put it as if they fired me. So I was like, you know, whatever, Roxy Bow, fire me 'cause I don't wanna be here either. So yeah, I just got, I, I knew that this is, this is coming. I just didn't know how soon it was coming. So I get this job with this payroll company and that's what really put me on the map with like the whole sales experience and how to sell and what to do. Woo, baby. When I tell you I was traveling from a business to a business and when I say I I have spoken to damn near 10,000 small businesses in my lifetime. I'm not joking. 'Cause we were, again, like every business needs a payroll. Every business, majority of the businesses would need some sort of benefits like 401s or healthcare benefits or workers' comp. So workers' comp, like I was, or HR and, um, yeah, that's, that was my ticket to, to going into, you know, into sales and having so many conversations. And so that's kind of where I've learned how to, ask questions and how to dig out of people what I need to dig out. So that's where my background comes from. And a lot of people ask me, like, sometimes I would see comments that people are saying, why are you digging into, into this conversation? He already said no, he doesn't do that. Why do you need to go more? And it's just my background from sales. It's just literally something that I've been doing my entire life. And learning about businesses or about people is something that I'm truly passionate. I like to get down to the bottom of why you do things that you do or why you think the way you think. And, um, you know, if there's something that I can catch on, I'm gonna go in depth about that. I'm not gonna be messy about it, but I'm gonna understand, like, explain to me why you think the way you think. And if there's something that needs clarification, I'm going to ask that question. Because it's important. And I think that's what a lot of people are missing because we just don't ask the questions that we need answers to. And if we were to just start doing that, man, I feel like we would be on a different level at this point. And that's something that like sets up a good sales rep from a bad sales rep. The good sales rep is gonna do a lot of discovery and every single meeting that the sales rep is gonna have is gonna go into discovery and every single meeting is going to uncover more and more either pain points or things that are valuable to the business or to the person. And that's why, you know, it's never enough to have conversations. It's never enough for me to have conversations because there's every single day the conversation is going to unfold in a new way. Unless, unless people ask the same questions. I think we can wrap up. I think we've got enough answers.

Yeah, you got like an hour and 25 minutes.

Oh yeah, we got enough answers for you guys. And I think it's, uh, if you wanna know more stuff, we're gonna do more stuff where we get to know me and get to know who is Lesya B. 'Cause I feel like at this point I've given you guys a lot of, like, I think I've established myself where you can trust me and you like to watch me. And so now a lot of people are asking stuff about me personally, and I think it's important to to start giving it to you. And if you have some questions, hey, go ahead and ask me. Don't ask me the, you know, the who are you dating, are you in a relationship. Ask me things that will actually get to know me as a person, or like maybe the way that I think about certain things. I'm not here to teach nobody because I'm not a teacher, but if you need some advice, if you need my opinion on something, I'm down to talk about it.