Today Alex is chatting with Mariana Khomitska, the Head of Talent Development at the Acadamy DTEK, specializes in Management Development and Executive Education, Life-Long Learning, and EdTech.
Listen to the episode on all major platforms now!
Today Alex is chatting with Mariana Khomitska, the Head of Talent Development at the Acadamy DTEK, specializes in Management Development and Executive Education, Life-Long Learning, and EdTech.
Listen to the episode on all major platforms now!
Alex Romanovich: (00:18)
Hi, this is Alex Romanovich, and welcome to the Global Edge Talk. Today we're joined by Mariana Khomitska, the head of training, executive training, talent development, talent execution, corporate training, and all of the other wonderful things at DTEK. Probably one of the most important companies in the Ukrainian market and the global market for that matter. And today is June 3rd, Mariana. Welcome to our studio.
Mariana Khomitska: (00:46)
Thank you, Alex.
Alex Romanovich: (00:50)
We're talking to you from New York. I'm sitting in New York, and you are in Ukraine, correct?
Mariana Khomitska: (00:58)
Right.
Alex Romanovich: (01:00)
We're not going to mention the city necessarily, but only to say that in my previous recordings of individual entrepreneurs, and executives who are in Ukraine or out of Ukraine, sometimes we got interrupted because of the sirens, air bombs, threats, and so forth. So just to warn our audience, just in case we're going to get interrupted, not to get too scared. I think you've been scared enough and probably getting used to it by now, unfortunately.
Mariana Khomitska: (01:39)
Yes, yes.
Alex Romanovich: (01:40)
Which is not something that you want to get used to, but we'll talk about that as well. I want to talk to you about your background. You have an amazing global background. I met you easily five, six years ago when you were running the European business association programs. And I fell in love with your work and the programs you were actually putting in place for a lot of entrepreneurs, and corporations and connecting Ukrainian business and global business, European business, specifically. Tell us about your background before we get to the disruption part. This podcast is part of the whole series of Ukrainian entrepreneurs and executives who were disrupted, and their companies were disrupted. And obviously, we want to talk about that, but before that, let's talk about your background, how you arrived at DTEK, what led you to this particular position, and why you and why here?
Mariana Khomitska: (02:55)
Yeah. Nice. Nice. Thank you, Alex. Well, actually, I've been in education for my whole career, but with different aspects and different focuses actually, I started my career as a university teacher and university lecturer. Then I moved to Kyiv to get my Ph.D., and I fell in love with the city, and I stayed with Kyiv forever. That's why I'm now. I'm also in Ukraine, not leaving the country. In Kyiv, I was in charge of the language school. Then I was in charge of the test prep department and the academic director of the company, which helped people to get the application to international business schools for their MBA programs. And that was the point where I realized that I wanted to go from just education to business education and to help businesses to develop since that was my strong point and having good comment of the language, I could easily help them read those international resources, which they didn't have access to.
Mariana Khomitska: (03:58)
So that is why I moved to the European business association, and at the European business association, I was in charge of the education department. Then in half a year, we created their talent development center. And that was the place which helped the businesses to get in touch, not only for small talks but like having some background for discussion. So that was, on the one hand, the place which gave them some ideas for their business to develop and push. And on the other hand, that was a place for them to get in touch and negotiate, to establish tighter relations. So as far as you know, the European business association is one of the biggest associations in Ukraine, which incorporates more than a thousand companies. So that's why they organized different meetings for them like open lectures, where you were invited to training and long-term development program.
Mariana Khomitska: (04:55)
So I've spent with the European business association more than three years, and I would be glad to continue, but actually, there was not necessary at that time since the goal of the association is actually to lobby. And at that time, I got the offer from academy tech, a corporate open corporate university of a tech company, to come and build, and design the development programs for executives. So I just took this offer, and my task was to review the old development programs, create new ones, and establish a partnership with the international market that are business schools, that are associations that are as institutions companies because the role of the academy is not only like training and development, it's much more, it also has a big impact in the new, in innovative projects. These projects could develop renewable energy in Ukraine and many, many other things. So I've been with them for three years. So during this time, I've managed to build this talent development system. So we'll launch a new, a lot of ambitious projects and we could launch even more, but the war happened. So we will talk about it a bit later.
Alex Romanovich: (06:21)
You know, what's interesting is that having been involved with business management consulting for quite some time, you can help but look at how some of the leading business management consulting companies are describing the war and how they're even shaping the products and services, including training, education products, and services, for example, a lot of them are now talking about risk management. A lot of them are talking about disaster management because war is a disaster of huge proportions. A lot of them are talking about the impact on business and DTEK, which you're gonna tell us a little bit more about. DTEK being a global organization and training global executives in agribusiness in logistics, high tech, transportation, maritime distribution, and so forth. I'm sure it is going through the same thing, the training and education, I guess, it's gonna be impacted dramatically in terms of the curriculum and in terms of the readiness of the businesses to be, to phase those types of disasters. Tell us about how DTEK. First of all, tell us about DTEK a little bit more as an organization, and also tell us about how you think that entire training curriculum and education is going to change based on, based on what's happening now.
Mariana Khomitska: (07:59)
Nice. Nice. Thank you. Thank you, Alex. Actually, answering your first question. More information about DTEK. It is the biggest energy company in Ukraine. And I think one of the leaders in the world is the biggest taxpayer for the Ukrainian economy and its main assets in the east and the south of Ukraine. So now you may imagine how much it has lost. It has different kinds of businesses inside but is not very diversified. So that's still energy. So that's traditional energy mining, that's GREs, that's renewable energy, solar and wind, that's oil and gas, actually gas mainly, that's newly created businesses a few years ago trading inside Ukraine and outside Ukraine. That's also the business—the solution deals with which clients sell the energy-efficient solutions and energy to clients directly.
Mariana Khomitska: (09:08)
And that's kind of two servicing company which provides services for all the tech businesses and academy tech, which provides, I would say, training consulting and training or training and consulting, having the best minds and attracting the best minds. So we are proud to be the kind of innovative tech hub that incorporates the best solutions and shows the best decision. So definitely all the businesses, all the managers, they can hardly ever find time to look a bit forward. They are doing it in terms of strategy, but it's good. If there is somebody who is also looking a few steps forward and just showing the possibility of what could happen, what would be actual, what would be interested? So that's what DTEK is doing in general. DTEK also has subsidiaries abroad, in the Netherlands and London. Now about war and then about DTEK and war.
Mariana Khomitska: (10:10)
Well, definitely, nobody was completely ready for escalation in Ukraine. So yes, we have heard about the intention of the neighboring country to attack Ukraine. Yes. We have read a lot of articles. We have heard a lot of interviews, and probably we were ready for some conflict escalation, like the one which started in 2014, but I might tell you that at the level of the company, nobody was ready for such a huge disastrous conflict. Nobody was ready for the full-scale attack. So we were mainly ready. We were mainly ready that the war actions would be renewed more actively in the east of Ukraine than gradually they go to the south of Ukraine. And, and after that, they may go further. But just, that was a shock for everybody. That one day, the whole of Ukraine was attacked.
Mariana Khomitska: (11:08)
The capital of Ukraine was attacked, and millions of people were forced to leave their houses, to leave their homes. And for three generations, I guess, Ukraine hasn't seen such disastrous things, maybe since the time of World War II. Even if we speak about the war, which started in 2014, the people from Donetsk and Luhansk regions faced some disastrous things like a lot of people of such in a company. I may confidently say that disaster wasn't even a part of what we have today. And definitely, in the beginning, that was complete rejection. So all of us had the feeling that the next night we would wake up and everything would be okay. I must even tell you that I have a little kid, and I continue working for the company.
Mariana Khomitska: (12:03)
So I'm using the service of the nanny. But, well, anyway, I was woken up at the time when the war started, I was feeding a kid, and I heard these explosions. And I even haven't thought that that was the explosion. So the first thing that came to my mind I thought, "Hmm, that's probably somebody celebrating a birthday. And in the morning, they're making such noises." But then I heard the second, the third, and then I opened the blinds on the window, and I saw people massively leaving the houses with the suites. So that was a disastrous situation. I said, "What shall I do?". I have a 14-year-old kid. I have a two-month-old kid at that time. Yeah. And I was like, okay. And I have a lot of projects and a lot of meetings planned for the day.
Mariana Khomitska: (12:51)
What should I do? So my brain was rejecting the situation. I was thinking, how, where should I move kids for a safe place? And how should I cancel the meeting, and where should I warn people? Because I thought, "Hmm, nobody will believe me that the war started in Ukraine, like in such a way." So that was like complete rejection. And the first days of the war were awful because we've never heard these alarms in Kyiv, even in other cities. And we didn't know what to expect. There was something that the brain refused to do: go into shelters, the parking, and other things. Then when I decided to leave the capital of Ukraine, just because of kids, I couldn't stay with them. I didn't feel that safe for them.
Mariana Khomitska: (13:38)
And this trip was about 20 hours, which usually takes four or five. So that was disastrous with a huge line of people standing in a row with blocked roads, with the military machines going the other way to Kyiv, with a lot of military machines and soldiers in the forest with guns. So once I thought, if they start shooting, what shall we do? Just say, you know, I didn't know what shall we do. Just leave the car and run somewhere with the kids. So there were a lot of things to tell about that. So, in the beginning, that was just refusing. We refused to believe that. The rejection, I would even say, then it was a shock. How could it happen? What shall we do when we're at a loss? Then I must even say that I'm grateful to detect that it didn't stop its activity, and it didn't stop.
Mariana Khomitska: (14:34)
I mean, it gave the possibility to people to work in different. Is this in these difficult conditions, because on some point of view, I guess, that the job was something that helped us to stay in the flow. So just knowing that you have a job and have some things to do, some things to plan, you have to find the connection and that you are doing something meaningful that was helping people as well. Because I even couldn't imagine if I got to know on the second day of the war that I was fired, I do not have a job as well. I mean, I even do not speak about financial security. I even speak about psychological things. So that is why now moving to DTEK and the war. So I would say the DTEK is one of those companies which are continuing to work in Ukraine, regardless of the difficulties it has faced.
Mariana Khomitska: (15:27)
The company had massive losses. It lost a lot of assets in the east and in the south, but still, the company didn't fire even one person when the war started. So for about two months, we were working together, and we were trying to think what to do, how we have to handle all the situation, like saving the business, but having a lot of losses in the south, in the east and making this difficult managerial decision. So in two months, they were made, and they were not easy decisions. Again, we can talk about them a bit later and move to your next question about training and education, and talent development. Before the war started, we had very ambitious plans, and actually, DTEK is one of the few companies in Ukraine which invests a lot in personnel development because the company is planning to stay in Ukraine.
Mariana Khomitska: (16:22)
And the company realizes that the people are the biggest assets. So that is why all the development programs are directed on every individual to develop their executive to develop its managerial skills. And also, the company pays a lot of attention to the preparation of the next people who could take managerial positions. So there are 18% of the positions closed from inside. So that is why we really have a lot of programs. So before the war, I had six long-term development programs. And I was planning three, not even three, like five international industrial tours. Some of them were industrial, some just management development tours to different countries and definitely realizing one day that all these plants are ruined. You will not do it, but the company is still functioning.
Mariana Khomitska: (17:21)
And you have to think about what to suggest now because definitely, the majority of the things that were planned before the war are not relevant now. So even if we continued some projects, we had to look at them from the point of the current situation because we cannot talk to people about strategy. We cannot talk to people about change management. Regardless, the context of war and the context of war is completely different. One of my projects now deals with anti-crisis business consulting. So I'm trying to attract the best minds from all over the world and what I'm facing now. Even the people who are really brilliant, they are the best experts, are telling me, "Mariana, you know, we do not know exactly what to suggest in case of war because the crisis is one thing.
Mariana Khomitska: (18:11)
and war is the other thing we need to talk to you more about, just to find out what you are feeling now, what difficulties you are coming through because we know about that through books. Through some other stories." So that is why, I mean, the whole activity of the business has changed dramatically, and such huge companies, such as DTEK, usually used to have long-term strategic planning. Everything is done much in advance. Now we phase a situation. In the beginning, we couldn't even plan by the end of the month. We could plan from today to tomorrow. There was something out of the box for us. Then we learned a little bit to plan by the end of the week. So now the loan is on the horizon for us in a month. And the biggest challenge was for every manager at DTEK, including me, to realize that we have to forget about all projects.
Mariana Khomitska: (19:14)
So they were important to us. They were in love with us. We know that they are important, but for now, forget about them. Let's have a look critically at what is relevant now? And if this project is relevant, now let's look inside at how we can adjust it to the current context. How can it help the people? Now that's one story and the other story. So the business is definitely here doing everything, which in terms of business education that we call anti-crisis. So anti-crisis plan, anti strategic plan. So we are doing everything now, and we have frozen a little for some time on innovative and development projects. So currently, we are concentrated on those projects which are relevant and necessary, and crucial for now. And as for the things that we are helping people in terms of academy DTEK.
Mariana Khomitska: (20:11)
So that are the things which are dealing with anti-stress and anti-crisis. So, in the beginning, we started with anti-stress because a lot of top managers were telling us that they were conducting people. They were setting them the tasks. They demanded the result because they needed the result. And sometimes not just the projects, I mean not important projects that were crucial things connected with the electricity restoration, connected with the broken greeds and so on, so forth, but not all of the people were ready to work. So somebody was crying because he or she lost their house, their flat, or the brother, the father, or the husband because they were taken to help to fight the enemy. They were taken to the army, and not all the managers were ready to talk to people in such a condition.
Mariana Khomitska: (21:07)
And they were not ready to find the necessary words to help them. And sometimes even we were not ready, able to do it. And we were looking for the help of a psychologist who could do it. So that is why all our activity, which was earlier directed on the consulting business and in development projects and developing people, and managerial skills, now moved to help them to get ready with the stress, with their emotions and to build and foster resilience. So that's like one story. And the second story was very actual in March and the beginning of April. And then in April, people started asking us, like, what about anti-crisis management? So we know it from the books again. We knew it from the books. Yeah. And let's try to do it.
Mariana Khomitska: (22:03)
Let's try to discuss how shall we do it. I may not say that the situation was completely new for everybody because, as you know, the war, which started in Donetsk in 2014, unfortunately, affected DTEK; probably most of us are Ukrainian companies because, in 2014, DTEK had headquarters in Donetsk where the main assets were. But when they were started, the company declared definitely officially that DTEK was a Ukrainian company and not going to work in the occupied and separated territory, and it moved its head office to Kyiv. And also, it moved a lot of people to Kyiv. It helped with the evacuation. So that is why we had a kind of rehearsal of this war, which is now, but it wasn't like full scale, but you can also imagine that for some people that's already happening.
Mariana Khomitska: (23:02)
The second time they have lost their houses, they have lost their homes. And some of them cannot even visit their place, their flats or their relatives still. Now they moved to Kyiv. They started life from scratch. So it took them, let's say, five, six years to get the place to live to find, to get to know everything, to feel Kyiv as a native city. And now the thing happened again. So, and the people, some people were broke, and they were telling me, "I'm not ready to start from scratch for the third time. So I started once in Donetsk, then I moved to Kyiv for the second time. And now was the third time." And the difficulty, the challenge is doubled because, in 2014, you realize that coming to Kyiv, you are safe.
Mariana Khomitska: (23:52)
So Kyiv is a safe place. The war is in the east of Ukraine. Now, when you leave Kyiv, you do not know where to live. Well, on the one hand, yes. On the other hand, no, because they were also rockets coming. They were also shootings. You also do not know. I mean, the whole of Ukraine is under this threat. Now you do not know where the safe place is. Well, you can go abroad temporarily, or maybe you can go permanently if it is your decision. So every decision is the right decision. But a lot of people in Ukraine make this mature decision to stay here because this is our country. This is our city. And not everybody can go, somebody has to stay here. We have to rebuild the country. We have to rebuild the economy. Yes. That's difficult.
Mariana Khomitska: (24:41)
But probably if you ask me, what are my thoughts now? What shall we do? Yeah, we have to take all the courage. We have to be strong. We have to realize that the war is for a long time with us, that it'll not be over in a month in two, or even in three. It will last for some time. And we have to have this courage. We have to have this resilience stand the spirit and learn how to live and work in this position. Yes, that's difficult, but that's the way which we have to overcome.
Alex Romanovich: (25:23)
You know, as I'm listening to you, I realize that a lot of these business management consulting firms are preaching risk management and putting together the practices, the practice areas, the risk management, disaster management, and so forth. But the most qualified company of them all is actually you and DTEK because you're actually living it. Sure. You're not. You're not theorizing it. You're not. You're practicing it right now. And I think the future is gonna be very bright for you and the organization in actually advising and consulting global firms, global businesses. First COVID, now the war. We have no idea what's coming next, but yeah.
Alex Romanovich: (26:19)
Right. But certainly, you are the most prepared, and you're the most qualified of them all, whether it's McKinsey, Accenture, Boston consulting group, or anybody else for that matter, you are the most qualified to talk about those types of things, or even attempt to plan for those types of things. When you think about this, I'm afraid to ask you what you think is next. What do you think is next for you? What do you think is next for the company? Clearly, the company is going to stay, and the company is, as you mentioned, is if one of the largest, if not the largest holding company in Ukraine that is involved with a variety of different businesses, but what have you learned from this experience? What are your top three learnings, and what do you think is going to happen next? If I may ask you that question?
Mariana Khomitska: (27:19)
Well, that's a difficult question. What is going to happen next? I'm not a military expert, and I'm not inside of all these things. So what I can tell just will be based on the information which I read and those experts who I trust. So probably my first learning will be the one I've already mentioned at the end of the answer to the previous question that we had learned that, unfortunately, before we expected that the war would be over any week in two, in three. We just put the life, let's say, we made a pause in life. Like we were sitting, reading the news, and waiting when we would be told that it's safe to come back to Kyiv. So that was probably the first month. So then, now it seems to me that today is 100 days of war we understood.
Mariana Khomitska: (28:10)
And we realized that the war was for a long time with us, and we had to learn to live and work in these conditions. So that's my personal learning and the learning of the company as well. So that is why those companies who are planning to stay in Ukraine as DTEK didn't close even their training and development department, because they understand that in the crisis conditions, business demands from people, other skills, and some people may have the skills. Other people do not have the skills, and there should be somebody to help businesses structure everything and help people learn how to respond to the conditions. We even know that the type of leader who can help the business survive during the war is completely different. That one during a peaceful time, so leadership during the crisis is serving leadership.
Mariana Khomitska: (29:11)
It's not like some ambiguous leadership; it's authentic leadership. So that is why our company, like many other companies in such a situation, also made some changes in terms of company management, some CEOs of businesses and so on. Because the company's leaders have to be authentic, they have to be ready to serve. They have to be closer to people, and the people have to trust them. They do not obligatory have to be as charismatic, as bright as the leaders chosen in the peaceful time to conquer the markets and develop the company. So they have to be different. That's probably my second learning because before, I thought why the companies were changing that.
Mariana Khomitska: (30:00)
And we'll learn it in time. Of course. In the course of time, we'll learn that we must change. And we made the changes. Yes. That the second thing that leadership during a crisis it's serving leadership. And we have to make sure that those people who are in charge of the company are like that. If not, we have to change it. One more thing, which also serves that the company is going to work and live in this condition, that we are coming back to Kyiv. So starting from Monday, we are coming back to the office. If you ask me if we are frightened or not, yes, we are, we are afraid. But we have to somehow work in this condition. So we cannot stop. We cannot have this luxury of not working.
Mariana Khomitska: (30:46)
If we love our country, if we want it to be new and refreshed, if we want to restore the economy, we have to. So yes, we are afraid, but we will handle it. We will deal with it. So the company has prepared everything for people to be able to hide in, in case of some attacks or other things. The next thing that we have learned will probably be the third one that we cannot plan, learn term. We have to concentrate on short-term planning. That was difficult for us because we learned to plan everything in advance, and planning from today to tomorrow is quite difficult. And the instrument we knew but didn't use much scenario planning now is in use very actively. So just to understand people why this or that decision is made, scenario planning is perfect.
Mariana Khomitska: (31:44)
To show what could happen as a conclusion to this. We are living with the bright hope that our victory will come soon. We know that it will come, but now we do not expect that we'll come tomorrow or the day after, or in a month. We just know that it will be, and we are directing all our efforts and all our energy for this victory to come as soon as possible. So, as of now, it's acceptable to say in Ukraine, everybody has their own frontier. I mean, everybody is fighting where they can, somebody with a weapon, somebody donating money, somebody volunteering money, somebody helping with any, whatever they can do. And somebody working in the critical infrastructure in any other business and helping the economy to work because we need to restore the economy. So that is why with bright hope, but with healthy optimism, not with this, let's say pink eye optimism, but like very healthy optimism, understanding the three possible scenarios and being ready for the worst one, but expecting the best one.
Alex Romanovich: (32:56)
This is very insightful. I want to tell our audience that, by the way, this podcast is going to be transcribed, and we will turn that into a piece of textual content so that people can read it. They can listen to it, and they can look at it almost from the prescription standpoint for some of the questions that we're discussing. Let me ask you a different question. What advice would you give to entrepreneurs globally to women entrepreneurs globally? I mean, you're a mom, you're an executive, you're in the middle of a war. You're in the middle of a transition from one place to another. I mean, if somebody doesn't get inspired by this to do what they need to do to be successful, I don't know what else could inspire them. So that's the first question, your piece of advice to entrepreneurs globally and women entrepreneurs globally. And the second part is how your value system changed through all of this? I'm just curious to know that.
Mariana Khomitska: (34:04)
Okay. Thank you. Thank you for such interesting questions. Well, answering the first one, I would probably give a piece of advice, like to believe in themselves all the time. And to understand that our capacity is unlimited, really just believe me. It's unlimited. When I was just working for tech, I was so overwhelmed. I had a lot of projects. I was busy. My timetable was totally booked. I didn't have much time for friends and family. I thought that was the limit. That's the limit. So I cannot do more. But then, when I gave birth to a child, I realized, "Hmm, I can more, so that's possible to balance. So that is why do not postpone things for tomorrow." Anything. Starting new projects, starting a new business, starting a family, giving birth to a kid. So if you have this desire, if you have this ambition, do it today, since tomorrow may be different.
Mariana Khomitska: (35:05)
Tomorrow may be challenging, or for somebody, this tomorrow may not come. Unfortunately, I'm sorry. I'm saying that because I'm in Ukraine, so ever it could happen. So just try to think big and implement your emotion. As soon as you have this idea, do it and get pleasure from little things. Get pleasure from what you are doing because the war showed us that we do not need so much for happiness. I mean, the regular things that we were doing in peaceful time started unavailable for us when the war started. And then when they even become available for somebody, we couldn't allow ourselves to drink coffee in a peaceful and relaxed time, just knowing that some people are dying, knowing that there are a lot of dead people in Bucha, Irpin, knowing that people in Mariupol are sitting somewhere in a shelter, so we couldn't enjoy.
Mariana Khomitska: (35:54)
So that is why, like speaking about entrepreneurs, a part of just think big and realize, implement your ideas, just do not think that you have limitations. You can definitely do more. I would also suggest taking the little things and enjoying them. So you know that these little traditions and rituals give us resilience. So we have to develop that. Well, actually, again, I thought that only work was everything that I needed and everything that I could do. I cannot handle work and a kid. Then I realized that I could easily do it. So for young women entrepreneurs and all women and entrepreneurs, just know that if you are a good project manager, you can manage everything. So you can manage a business, you can manage a family. So that's possible. Yeah. Third, I thought that a kid was the biggest challenge for me at the end of the year, but then the war started, and I thought, okay, I can easily cope with the business and a kid, and here is the war.
Mariana Khomitska: (36:54)
So here, I have people who I'm responsible for and who are emotionally broken. I cannot allow myself to be emotionally broken for a long time because there is a family. And because there is a business. Yeah. So I have to be strong to manage all these things. So that is why, again, I just keep repeating, do not think that your possibilities are limited. You can do much more than you think, and our brain and our mind can handle more things than we really presume. So the capacity of our endurance, I would even call not resilience or endurance, is much bigger than we thought it was. So now I know it for sure. So that is why just invest your time in implementing your most ambitious ideas. As soon as you can balance family, friends, and work, just try to catch these happy moments and remember that you can do much more than you can.
Mariana Khomitska: (38:03)
The war taught us. It gave us some pieces of advice as businessmen that we would probably translate to the world as well that we have to think about risks thoroughly. All the risks we were thinking about them, COVID gave us the risk, but let's be frank with COVID. We were waiting until it was over. And we thought everything would be back. Everything like was before. And partially, it was just only, maybe we were distancing from people a bit more than we were earlier, but now in Ukraine, we realize that life will not be as it was before. So now we do realize that it was never as it was before so we will have to start everything from scratch, and we will have to build the new country, not restore the old country. Yeah. And Alex, could you remind me of the second question since I was so much...
Alex Romanovich: (39:02)
I mean, I'm just listening to you being so inspired by all of this, and I'm sure the audience will be very inspired by this. How did your value system change through all of this?
Mariana Khomitska: (39:12)
Mm, well, you know...
Alex Romanovich: (39:14)
Of, yeah, go ahead.
Mariana Khomitska: (39:15)
Yeah. I might say that my value system didn't change much, but it was impacted and influenced a little. I was often asked what are the sources of my inspiration and what makes me so much resourceful, so much energetic because I give a lot of energy, but where, where do I take this energy? And my answer was at that time, that's family, friends, and traveling. So I have a very close connection with my family and friends, and just talking to them, sharing my emotion, and meeting them gives me a lot of inspiration and support the same about travel. The war taught us to value this communication even more to value little things. And to be thankful for what you have today. You may not have it tomorrow. So that is why I would say that my values like family and friends were even strengthened.
Mariana Khomitska: (40:23)
Unfortunately, I was also much connected to the place. Unfortunately, I was very connected to the place as well. Kyiv became my native city, and I was much connected to the place where I lived in the things around me. And I thought if once I had to leave the city, I would have to move somewhere, even temporarily. I need two big cars to take all my things, but what taught me that I do not need them. I just need a little suit, but I was leaving Kyiv on February 25th, the second day of the war, in a rash with the two-month-old kid, completely crying with the alarms, with the shooting in the city. Definitely. I grabbed all the things from my kids, and I just took two pairs of jeans and two sweaters for myself.
Mariana Khomitska: (41:13)
And when I came to the west of Ukraine, I thought, oh my God, why was I so stupid? Not to take more things, but, you know, when there was a possibility to deliver more from Kyiv, I started thinking, what else do I need? Well, I have the most things closed there. All the rest I can acquire here. So that is why this situation also probably teaches us not to be so much connected to the place, not to be so much connected to the things, to be connected to the people and just everything can be acquired and can be got at the place where you are. And you even know Alex, because you are initially from Ukraine as well, that Ukraine has this mental connection to the place, the city, and the houses. So that is why now we are disconnected.
Mariana Khomitska: (42:05)
That's painful for us because taking the roots and throwing them away but that's probably made us more global and less connected to things and more connected to people. So that's the way how my value system changed. And, maybe one more thing that will also be not about me, but about the whole Ukraine, you know, that the official goal of the war in Ukraine is the nationalization demonetization. Yeah. Well, I guess this war made us more nationalized and live more in the country. So I always lived in the country, but as much as I do it now, as high as the patriotic spirit is now in many Ukrainians, it has never been before now that during the war in 2014, not during the revolutions, which we had the orange revolution and the other revolution.
Mariana Khomitska: (43:03)
So now that's really essential. Now we started feeling what the country is. Now. We started feeling what the city was. We started understanding what identity is. What is national identity? I've never known it. I mean, I've heard about it, but that was, for me, something abstract. So I just didn't know I might have completely different feelings. It could be an interesting conversation when I'm back in Kyiv because a few days ago, my husband was back in Kyiv, and he told me, "I was talking to the city and to the flat." I told him, "Are you crazy talking to the city and to the flat?" And he told me, "You know, I've heard he was responding. So I was touching the trees in the park. I was touching the things in the flat, and they were responding to me. They were giving me some positive emotions."
Alex Romanovich: (43:57)
Well, that's amazing. And not only that, you're absolutely right. I was born in Kyiv. I feel a lot of connection, especially now these days. I've been traveling to Kyiv very often based on business and based on just personal interest to the kind regain what I lost when I left when I was only 15 years of age. Now, Kyiv, as we all know, recently celebrated a birthday. And the city was at that time a couple of days ago became 1,540 years old, one of the oldest cities in Europe, if not the entire world. And not only, but it's also a beautiful city that's filled with amazing people. People like yourself who are very courageous, who are very inspiring, who are very determined and very, I would say by this time, fearless. It's incredible to hear all of this, to hear you managing all of this, managing your life, managing the lives of others and, you know, having a kid and having, you know, moving between the cities while the war is taking place.
Alex Romanovich: (45:18)
If this is not inspiring, I don't know what is, frankly. So I want to thank you for being with us. I want us to continue this conversation. I want us to come back and talk more about a variety of different things, maybe in a month or two. Obviously, you're going to be very busy moving back, and you will be busy with your child, your children, and living your life, as you said, because you have to, you must continue. You must continue to work. And that's very inspiring. And I'm hoping that our audience is going to take a lot of tips and lessons from these conversations as well. So I want to thank you for being with us. I want to invite you to come back and keep the conversation going. And it's been an incredible conversation. Thank you so much.
Mariana Khomitska: (46:19)
Thank you. Thank you, Alex. Hope to see you.