12: From Mundane to Magic: The Journey to Fulfilment & Freedom, Adventures & Awakening Through Travelling The World With Irina Povetkina
Episode notes
Welcome to the Anfisa Shimkevich Podcast.
Today, I'm excited to be joined by Irina Povetkina.
Creative Director, Projector Manager, Videomaker, Model, Editor, Content Creator, Social Media Marketing, Visual Storyteller, Digital Creator, Stories of nature, growth and meaning, inspiring deeper connections with life, bali based but the adventure is within
The camera has always been Irina’s personal affair, combined with her love of art, nature and storytelling. Irina draws on her inspiration from the world to create visuals that showcase the beauty of products, locations and experiences. She took a gap year to explore South East Asia solo, with just one backpack where she found endless inspiration and opportunities, proving that life is limitless.
In this episode:
- Irina shares how her dream of travel, sparked over six years, led her to Bali in search of freedom, adventure, and creativity, escaping the mundane routine of life.
- Despite having a seemingly perfect life with a cool job, stable income, and a relationship with a handsome Italian, she felt suffocated living at home and craved personal space and fulfilment.
- Irina reflects on being in love with the fantasy of her relationship and the excitement of potential, but realised the relationship and her life in Cyprus weren’t fully satisfying.
- How to uncover your true desires by reflecting on what you don’t like or want in your life and use this as motivation to escape the mundane and take bold action.
- How Irina began saving for travel by cutting out short-term fun like partying, festivals, and unnecessary spending, focusing instead on long-term goals and meaningful relationships that supported her vision.
- How to navigate losing friendships that no longer service you in order to make space for new friends on your journey.
- When you have an end goal, you have an unstoppable energy; why Irina juggled multiple jobs, including a casting agency, hotel work, bartending, modelling, and babysitting, to save 10K and pursue her vision.
- We discuss how the universe tests your resolve when you’re on the verge of achieving something you truly desire. Irina shares her experience of this ‘sphinx moment’ where news of her mothers breast cancer diagnosis almost derailed her travel dreams, but she persevered.
- Irina shares stories of travel through Bali, Thailand, and Cambodia, including her humbling experience teaching English at a rural school in Siem Reap. She reflects on how volunteering offers the opportunity to live multiple lives and recommends platforms like Worldpackers and Workaway.
- Irina shares her crazy, inspiring experiences as a solo female traveller and shares advice on how to dress appropriately for safety, reconnect with yourself, and overcome the "traveller blues" upon returning home.
- 3 actionable tips on how to feel alive and live a fulfilling, interesting life; Anfisa shares her inspiration that stemmed from a period of clarity following living a simplified life in nature.
Thank you for joining me on this journey to self-mastery!
Host: Anfisa Shimkevich
Guest: Irina Povetkina