Success Coaching
Masha Malka
Masha Malka is a former Soviet refugee who has gone from living life with little clarity and focus to becoming a successful entrepreneur, best-selling author, international speaker and a mentor to many. She is a resident coach for the national radio station Talk Radio Europe in Spain and has done over 200 radio interviews internationally, plus been featured in publications like Women's Day, Jewish Press, Essential, Dream Life, Iberian Times, Lifetime Magazine, Finest, 2010 Woman's Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar, Gibraltar Chronicles, Health Magazine and more.
Masha is also the international best-selling author of The One Minute Coach: Change Your Life One Minute at a Time; author of the e-book Discover Your Inborn Genius; and contributing author to the Chicken Soup for the Soul: Power Moms and Power of Persistence books. She has lived and worked in Russia, Ukraine, United States, Austria, England and Bulgaria and now Spain.
Expat Women's Interview with Masha |
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| Expat Women: Masha, please walk us briefly through your life from Soviet refugee to radio personality in Spain. |
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Masha: I became a refugee at the age of 17 from the Soviet Union (now the Ukraine). It was a very traumatic experience because suddenly I became an enemy to the country that I grew up in! I lost my citizenship, all material possessions (not that I had many), and most importantly, I had to say goodbye to all my friends and family forever (because at the time, I did not know that the Berlin Wall would come down and that there would one day be access to the Ukraine, my friends and my family again).
My parents, little brother, sick grandfather and I were given political asylum in the USA and we ended up in Florida. The culture shock was huge and I had to change many aspects of my belief system, not just to fit in, but to survive.
The hardest part was not knowing what I wanted and losing my sense of identity in the process of changing cultures from one extreme to another. Even though I did not speak any English, I had to start working right away to support myself (my parents were busy getting their own life in order).
I went to college and worked two jobs, eventually graduating from college with a scholarship in mathematics. I decided to major in education and graduated from Florida Atlantic University with Highest Honours. However, even though I had an education and was married by then, I still had no clear sense of purpose nor did I know what I wanted to do with my life.
Searching for answers, we moved to Europe. My husband got a job with Bank Austria in Vienna and for the first time in many years I found myself not working or studying: I found myself completely focused on myself, listening to self-improvement tapes and doing self-analysis – getting to know myself, deciding what I wanted, where I wanted to go and who I wanted to be.
That was thirteen years ago and that is when my life really started to change! I rebuilt my self-esteem and confidence. I learnt to like myself, respect and accept myself for who I was and learn to not feel unnecessary guilt for so many things. As my self-esteem improved, so did everything else in my life. I started to feel more in control and worked hard (especially on myself) to make my new vision come true... which it is, every day! |
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| Expat Women: What motivated you to pursue coaching as a profession? |
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| Masha: I learned about coaching when I was studying for my MBA degree with the focus on leadership. At first, I did not think coaching was something I needed and I did not understand the value of it, but since we had to take the class (giving and receiving coaching) as part of the program, I ended up experiencing it. That is when I realized how wonderful coaching can be in helping someone create more clarity and achieve their goals much faster. |
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| Expat Women: What made you believe that your business could be profitable and what steps did you take to ensure profitability? |
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Masha: I really was not thinking about my coaching business being profitable at first. I just wanted to help people and I knew my coaching program could help them create more happiness, fulfillment, and understanding about who they were and where they were going. I also knew that doing anything else would make me unhappy. Sometimes all you need is a passion, a belief in yourself and your product, and the faith that all will work out. |
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| Expat Women: How did you end up starting a business in Spain? |
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Masha: I arrived in Spain from Bulgaria almost six years ago, with my husband and two children but no money, because our business venture in Bulgaria had fallen through.
One of the best decisions I ever made was to spend my last 30 Euros attending a Women in Business lunch where I got my first client. I almost begged her to do the program because I needed to practice and I needed feedback. So I only asked her to pay me 10 Euros per session. The next client I got paid me 50 Euros per session and she was the president of the Women in Business club. Later, she asked me to make a speech at one of the meetings and I got two more clients for 600 Euros each (for six sessions). Within six months I was charging 1200 Euros for eight-session programs. |
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Expat Women: Share with us your secret to so much good press. |
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Masha: I was lucky that one of my first coaching clients happened to be a magazine editor who wrote a wonderful article about me and submitted it to her magazine. Her husband, a well-known photographer, took amazing photos of me for the article. After the article came out in a major local magazine, it gave me huge exposure which led to more private clients, a big corporate client, radio interviews and a few more magazine articles.
After the radio interview I was offered to do a weekly radio program and I have been with the station ever since. Recently I was named one of the top 100 Business Women of Marbella (the city I live in) and was featured in a book by the same title, which, once again created more exposure, credibility, and business. |
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Expat Women: What tips would you give to women starting businesses abroad? |
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Masha: |
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Do Not Rush In.Take the time and get to know the culture, the locals, the location and the customs and so on. What you think might be a perfect business because it worked somewhere else might not work in your new location. Also, how you go about setting up and promoting your business might be different. If you know someone you can trust who is part of the community and can give you guidance, that would be helpful; but I would still take my time before launching into a business or investing in anything in a business abroad.
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Meet People. It can be lonely and scary to move to a new place, especially a new country where people might speak a language that you do not speak yet. So, whilst meeting locals is important, start by meeting other expatriates who speak your language and can share with you what they have learnt from their experience as expat business people abroad. Join local expat associations, and then as your confidence grows, join local business and charity groups and meet as many people as you can (because it is not just hard work but 'who you know' that is important when it comes to succeeding in what you do). But remember, before you ask for anything, think of how you can help someone else first.
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Find the Right Balance.By this I mean the balance between integrating into a new culture and still being true to your own. You do not need to become a local to succeed in a new environment. You want to maintain your uniqueness and bring newness to the community, but at the same time, understand the needs of your local clientele and "speak their language" so that they can relate to you. |
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Recharge Yourself. I love living in Spain but I also find it essential to go to the United States at least three times a year to "get recharged". The energy in the US, especially New York, is so different to the energy in Spain and I need it in order to do my business at the standard that I am doing it. |
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Remember Why You Are Abroad. It is inevitable that there will be times when things become difficult, when you become nostalgic, and when you wish you never chose to move. When it happens, remind yourself why you chose to move abroad. What attracted you to that country in the first place? What is great about living there? What did you learn in the process and how did it help you grow?
At the end of the day, it is people who make our life enjoyable no matter where we live. So make sure to make plenty of friends – be giving, loving, open-minded and caring and, of course, have fun in all that you do! |
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Expat Women: Masha, congratulations on creating a purposeful life for yourself based on success, balance and giving. We wish you, your coaching practice and your clients all the very best. |
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