‘Stop Waiting, Start Living!’ An Interview With Mental Wealth Coach Svetlana Saitsky.

The Destiny Awakening Interviews is a podcast with Andrew Wayfinder and his guests.

Every week (sometimes more) we have a short focused interview with an expert, author, speaker designed to bring you powerful insights, inspiration and ways to break free, live life by your vision and values, and make a difference in our changing and challenging world.

Listen to the podcast at: Destiny Awakening Interviews Episode 9

Andrew Hryniewicz
Hello everyone, and a very warm welcome to another edition of the “Destiny Awakening Interviews”. I’m Andrew Wayfinder Hryniewicz and I’m joined today by Svetlana Saitsky, executive leadership coach and facilitator.

And a very warm welcome to you Svetlana. And where are you hanging out today?

Svetlana Saitsky
Thank you so much for having me. Today I am at home in San Rafael, California. So just north of San Francisco.

Andrew Hryniewicz
Great. So, the reason I wanted to speak to you today is I’m just fascinated both by your background and your approach. So, officially, Svetlana is an executive coach, artist and mental health advocate.

And in the last decade, she’s coached hundreds of leaders across multiple industries, including leaders at Google, Apple, Invision App, AutoDesk, Netflix and Airbnb, to name just a few.

Her coaching approach is direct and intuitive, and combines her education in Leadership development with Jungian psychotherapy and psychology and Neuroscience. Her clients describe her using words like “enlightenment, a natural motivator, passion and compassion, inspiring and transformational.”

So thank you, Svetlana, for your time today. And our title today is “Stop Waiting, Start Living”. And Svetlana is going to unpack that idea for us by asking six questions. Well actually, I’m asking the questions. She’s answering them.

So the time starts now. Svetlana, the first question is: Who is your ideal client? And what’s the transformation you help them achieve?

Svetlana Saitsky
I think my ideal client is an individual who realizes there’s more. They’ve already achieved a certain level of success, meaning something that we typically in our society value.

It might be financial success. It might be maybe they have a successful relationship, a successful career. And yet, they still feel a bit unfulfilled.

The way I can describe it as I came to a point in my life, where I really realized, there’s more. I want to know me, my heart, my soul, mind, body spirit.

And I really want to leave a mark on this world and figure out what really fulfills me beyond those things that I used to call ‘successful’.

So I love working with people like that. I feel like we’re on similar paths.

Andrew Hryniewicz
Okay, great. So we’re a little bit over two minutes. Question number two is: What’s the biggest challenge they’re facing?

Svetlana Saitsky
I think the biggest challenge that they’re facing right now is an overload of information coming from so many sources.

I don’t know how you relate to this. But with this, I’m in the US, we just had an election. And, depending on who you talk to, you get completely different information as to what’s the truth…

What’s important? What’s healthy? We’re bombarded constantly. So I think, it’s a lot of noise, just constant content.

The other thing, I think, is isolation.

You know, it’s been a rough year, and a lot of us have been alone more with ourselves. Maybe for the introverts, it was awesome. But I’d say even then, for everyone, we’re social beings.

And so spending too much time in your own head, is usually not a great thing. So I’d say that that’s another.

And another one, I would say probably number three, is a lack of prioritization.

So you kind of have a sense of “I think this is important. I think I want to do this, but like, where do I get started? How do I build a system?”

You know, I’m a big fan of building systems. It’s like, once you have a system set up, then you just follow it along the way. And it can be a really nice container for whatever it is that you’re working on.

So I think those are the main three things.

Andrew Hryniewicz
Great. You know, I think that’s an important observation, the distinction between information and wisdom. The information might be how to do something. But wisdom is why to do it, or even why not do it?

Svetlana Saitsky
Right, right. It’s sort of like… we were just talking about this a little bit earlier. But we all have that kind of voice in our head, or many voices. I have a whole crew of voices in my head.

And there’s one I feel that’s like the higher self, the wisdom.

That all knowing part of us that observes and can help guide us, I think, towards the more aligned, joyful, better.

And I think tuning into that voice can be really challenging… and that is why I love doing that work with clients.

Andrew Hryniewicz
Well, that’s a perfect segue, at just over four minutes to question number three. So what’s the number one insight you would share with the audience to help them right now?

Svetlana Saitsky
The number one insight, doing the dishes is something that most people really don’t like. But I’ve learned to feel the warm water on my hands, and smell the really nice soap that I buy.

Every activity that you do, everything can be enjoyable.

If you tune in to the feeling of it like on your body, or the sensation, the smell. It could be anything. I had someone say to me, “How I can’t find a way to enjoy schoolwork?”

And I said, “Well, you can think about the fact that you get to go to school, and millions of people dream of doing that, right?”

So it’s all about perspective.

But it’s that really, with the right perspective, you can find joy in in almost anything.

Andrew Hryniewicz
That reminds me, my meditation teacher used to say that, when you’re in that sort of bliss state, dancing and cleaning the toilet are the same experience.

Svetlana Saitsky
I think about that when I’m cleaning, and that’s why I’ve also invested in very good smelling cleaning supplies. I do want to say that might seem to go a little bit against the point.

But a friend of mine who’s a monk, a former monk, says to me that when he would go away for his retreats, he would always take care of all the things he needed to take care of. So that when he was there, he had less on his mind.

He said, “Make it easier for yourself, life is tough enough.”

So if you have to make it a little more easy… if you want a nice smelling soap… if you want to take care of your taxes before you go off on that trip, so you don’t have to worry about it. Do that, make it easier for yourself.

Andrew Hryniewicz
A great insight. So, just over six minutes. Question number four. Is there a concept, book, program or talk that has been most impactful in your experience?

Svetlana Saitsky
“The Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer totally changed my life in more ways than one. Get the book, just read it, read it slowly. Read it twice. Give it to all your friends. I make no money for saying this. I wish I did.

And there’s another amazing author called Stuart Wilde. He wrote a book called “The Infinite Self”. It was gifted to me kind of randomly, and it was just, consciousness expanding, mind altering, heart opening. Amazing.

I’m also a huge fan of Liz Gilbert. I think her TED talk on, I think it’s “The Creative Genius” is amazing. And her book “Big Magic” is awesome for sparking creativity, and artistry.

So yes, I’d say those are a few good examples.

Andrew Hryniewicz
Okay, great. And question number five, not quite eight minutes: What free resource would you like to share with the audience that could help them?

Svetlana Saitsky
Absolutely. So obviously, as a coach, I believe very much in the power of coaching.

So what I’d love to share is a complimentary coaching session. Let’s go ahead and actually dive in to you, in to what’s important for you, what you want in your life.

Maybe it’s some blocks that you’re facing and actually go to the experience of doing it. Because, just like anything else, until you try it, coaching is not something you can just sort of theoretically understand.

Andrew Hryniewicz
Okay, great. So that will be at www.svetlanasaitsky.com. And that’ll also be in the show notes. So we’re at the last question. Svetlana: What should I have asked you that I didn’t?

Svetlana Saitsky
I love that question. That is a great question. I used to interview people and ask that question. So thank you. What should have you asked me, you should have asked me what I am most grateful for?

Andrew Hryniewicz
Okay, so what are you most grateful for?

Svetlana Saitsky
I, in this moment, am most grateful for technology.

Technology allows you and I to meet, to connect, having never met in real life. To create a podcast for people who we don’t even know or maybe some we do know… they might be able to get inspired and share it with their friends.

You know, I think this is incredible. I mean, 100 years ago, this would have sounded like magic.

Andrew Hryniewicz
15 years ago, even, it would have still been impossible to do this.

Svetlana Saitsky
I went back way further, but it’s just amazing.

And I I think technology comes with a lot of negative things as well. But I’m just so grateful. I’m grateful for my computer. I’m grateful for my phone. I’m grateful for my voice, and my ability to speak and connect.

And so just thank you to all the wonderful technology that we all have available to us these days that allows us to be as active and connected as we want to be.

Andrew Hryniewicz
Cool. Well, that’s been a lovely observation and experience. So thank you so much for your time, Svetlana.

Svetlana Saitsky
Thank you as well.