21: Things That Bring You Back To Life

02/29/24 • 15 min

Solo episode time! This includes an update on what I've been up to, a topic that I'd like to unpack with you, and something I'm really excited about! And remember to hit me up on Instagram @spacetogrow.world.

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20: Make Your Pipe Dream A Reality // Sonya Matejko (Writer, Poet, Yoga Instructor)

In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Sonya Matejko, a writer and poet who moved from New York to Vienna to live her dream life abroad.

After a decade in advertising and tech, following rules and checking boxes at companies like Razorfish and Way Up, Sonya was craving more autonomy in her work and wanted to finally pursue her lifelong dream of living in Europe and publishing a book. With company layoffs in 2019, Sonya took it as a sign to launch her business, Nurtured Narratives, where she provides feel-good storytelling experiences for brands, entrepreneurs, and dreamers who value well-being and feeling seen. Some of her clients include Betterment, American Express, MetLife, and Eden Health.

In addition to growing Nurtured Narratives, she writes poetry on her Instagram and recently got a book deal. She is also a yoga teacher and loves to explore coffee shops in Vienna in her free time.

We talked about her journey from following rules to going against the grain, the first steps to building her business and its evolution, moving abroad, how she got her book deal and more!

This is Sonya Matejko for 5to9.

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This episode of 5to9 is sponsored by Groove. With Groove, you can finish the important things, have a life outside of your work, and feel inspired by people who care. Groove was built for business owners working from home who wish they had more time to tackle everything on their plate.

To get into the Groove, and use the code SPACETOGROW to redeem your FREE 30-day pass, no credit card is needed. Groove’s coworking sessions are on-demand, so simply hop into a Groove whenever you’re ready to get into work mode for an hour and 1-3 other humans will be there to cheer you on.

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22: Entrepreneurship as a Spiritual Journey // Lori Abichandani (Founder & Brand Steward at A Big Idea)

In this episode of 5to9, I had a chat with Lori Abichandani, a curious strategist, lover of deep conversations, a culinary enthusiast and according to her friends, “the embodiment of a big hug.”

With an interest in entertainment and human psychology, Lori started her career working at Nielson, a media insights company. After a few years working there, she felt immense apathy towards the direction her career was heading in and quit cold turkey.

This led her to a 7 year journey of self-discovery, creative career exploration and ultimately founding A Big Idea, a creative studio that launches brands and experiences to deepen our shared humanity. Since then, she’s worked with dozens of brands to create values-driven strategy and creative that prioritizes true, intentional growth.

We talked about listening to your intuition, the relationship between entrepreneurship and spirituality, how sticking with consistent small steps open up bigger opportunities, her short stint in the culinary world, trying new things by choosing joy and more!

This is Lori Abichandani for 5to9.