#27 How to Become Who You Really Are w/ Raluca Elena Rogoz
When I left Bali back in 2017 with no return date in mind, it felt like I was regressing. The year and a half prior was the happiest of my life. Living internationally and working outside of the confines of a cube in corporate was a dream come true. I had a beautiful home in the middle of the rice fields. It was quiet and peaceful, and the only sounds I could hear were birds chirping and roosters crowing in the morning.
My Bali Home 2016-2017
Life was ideal. My partner at the time was a French surfer and CrossFitter, with long hair and a big beard who one of my girlfriends called a “mensch” because he was always cooking, baking and cleaning around the house. Our friends came over daily. We’d have deep conversations over “family dinner”, brainstorm about our businesses, and if it was just us girls, we’d have mani/pedi parties in the garden.
I was attached, and wanted to hold on to this life for as long as possible - even when business was slowing and the steady flow of clients weren’t coming in as they were before. The familiar feeling of stress started to seep in, a sensation from my past 9-5 life I thought would never return. My relationship with my partner took a hit, I got distracted and couldn’t be present with my friends anymore and I didn’t like how I was feeling everyday.
The undercurrent beneath all this was that I had other dreams besides working with 1:1 clients and living in Bali. I enjoyed what I was doing everyday but I also wanted to make more of an impact and become a group coaching facilitator and lead workshops and retreats. At the time though, I was afraid of public speaking. I couldn’t even record my face on video without acting super awkward. Improving this skill was inevitable, eventually I’d figure it out. "But not today", I thought, and I parked the idea until I really had to face it.
While my new life had begun to manifest, I was still busy clinging to my old one. This in-between space felt funky: I was stuck and didn’t belong in either place.
It was then when I realized I needed a big shift. And after seeking guidance from coaches, friends and family, I decided to head back home to pursue the next phase of my career and learn how to lead coaching programs and improve at public speaking.
It was time to leave Bali. I settled on a US-based leadership program to gain skills and knowledge that would level up my career. I knew I was making the right call but it was still bitter sweet: I was excited to learn but also heartbroken about leaving my “happy place” and all the people I met in Bali.
Shortly after this all went down, it started to come together and finally make sense. While enroute back to the states I got an email randomly from a company in Bali offering me a position. Even though I swore I’d never work for anyone other than myself again, something told me that I should at least learn more about the role.
Guess what the role ended up being? Training Director (aka group coaching facilitator, aka someone who leads workshops and retreats!). Basically everything I wanted. Dream life 2.0 was beginning to take shape.
Progress isn’t linear. And it can sometimes feel like you’re going backwards. But in order to move forward, you’ve got to make these hard decisions.
In my conversation with Raluca Elena Rogoz, she shares her story about how she went from being a freelancer, to growing a thriving business, to working for a corporate company for the first time in her mid-thirties. It was only after going through this journey that she was able to kickstart her branding and marketing business with a much better strategy and perspective.
She also talks about her personal transformation: how she shed all of the layers of perfectionism and overworking to expose her true self. And why personal growth is the best investment that anyone can make.
Listen to Episode #27 Now!