The Life of Someone Extraordinary

Russian/US entrepreneur Luba Kaplanskaya joins The Life of Someone Extraordinary for an honest conversation about what building a marketing business and a personal brand at the same time actually looks like — in one of the most competitive cities in the world.Luba is the founder of LK Strategic Ventures, a boutique marketing agency based in Los Angeles. She's spent nearly a decade working across law firms, e-commerce brands, tech startups, and more - helping businesses grow their presence and convert attention into revenue. She's good at it. Now she's doing it for herself.In this conversation we get into the mindset behind building without a safety net, why she believes running your own business is less risky than relying on one employer, and the moment four days before we recorded where something quietly shifted for her.We also get into the non-linear path that brought her here - from a one-acre island in the Sea of Cortez to improv classes at The Groundlings, to a broken ankle that ended sixteen years of competitive soccer overnight.Luba is sharp, self-aware, and refreshingly honest about being right in the middle of her journey.

British-Ghanaian podcast producer Roslyn Kufuor joins The Life of Someone Extraordinary for a conversation about perseverance, the courage to start over, and what it actually takes to build a career on your own terms.Roslyn is a podcast producer at Corus Entertainment's Curiouscast network in Toronto, with over 20 years of experience across radio and audio production - including eight years at the BBC. After hitting a ceiling she couldn't break through, she left the UK on a two-year working holiday visa with no job lined up and a city she'd never visited waiting on the other side. Ten years later, she's still there - and firmly in her lane.In this episode, we explore what great audio storytelling actually requires, why most podcasts fail before they find their audience, and the quiet discipline behind rebuilding a professional life from scratch in a new country. Roz reflects on the moments where backing yourself can look irrational to everyone around you - and why the gap between where you start and where you're going rarely closes on anyone else's timeline.This is a conversation about craft, resilience, and the internal work that turns a dream into a decade of evidence.

Trinidadian/US entrepreneur Jen Manswell joins The Life of Someone Extraordinary for a conversation about faith, revenue architecture, and the long-term work behind building an abundant life.Jen is a revenue architect, entrepreneur, and storyteller with over 20 years of experience helping Fortune 500 companies translate vision into measurable growth. After contributing to more than $110 million in revenue pipeline, she stepped away from corporate life to build three purpose-driven businesses rooted in clarity, alignment, and sustainability.In this episode, we explore what revenue architecture really means, how identity and faith quietly shape business decisions, and the discipline required to lead multiple ventures without losing direction. Jen reflects on the moments where committing fully to a vision can look irrational before it makes sense - and why meaningful work often demands patience long before results appear.This is a conversation about structure, responsibility, and the internal work that supports long-term growth - in business and in life.

Bulgarian entrepreneur Teodora Botsa returns to The Life of Someone Extraordinary for a conversation on purpose, resilience, and the personal foundations that sustain long-term growth.In this second part of the conversation, the focus shifts from business to the woman behind the work. Tedi reflects on life as a single mother, the pressures of responsibility without a safety net, and the mindset required to keep moving forward through adversity.We explore her decision to return to university at 33 to study psychology, how discipline and boundaries shape her daily life, and the difference between reacting to circumstances and taking ownership of direction. Tedi shares hard-earned perspectives on motivation, emotional resilience, and why progress is often built quietly through consistent action rather than dramatic change.This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation and completes Tedi’s story by exploring the inner work behind her journey. The episode is presented bilingually in English and Bulgarian, with live translation by Adi Simpson.

Bulgarian entrepreneur Teodora Botsa joins The Life of Someone Extraordinary for a conversation on resilience, necessity, and the unexpected path into entrepreneurship.A Three-Star Director with AquaSource, Tedi’s journey into business began during a family health crisis that required her to remain at home and find a way to support her children. What started as a practical solution quickly evolved into a long-term business built around wellness, community, and consistency.In this episode, we explore how personal crisis can become a catalyst for professional change, the realities of building a network-based business without shortcuts, and the importance of trust, patience, and genuine relationships. Tedi reflects on growing a community from lived experience, balancing responsibility as a single mother, and redefining success beyond quick wins.This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation, focused on Tedi’s business journey and the foundations behind her growth. The episode is presented bilingually in English and Bulgarian, with live translation by Adi Simpson.

US/Bulgarian footballer Joshua Harris joins The Life of Someone Extraordinary for a grounded conversation on discipline, identity, and the realities of building a professional career from the ground up.At just 19, Joshua is a first-team defender for FC Maritsa Plovdiv, navigating the demands of professional football while balancing university studies and life in Bulgaria. Raised between the United States and Bulgaria, his journey has been shaped by two cultures, two sporting systems, and very different expectations around success.In this episode, we explore the decision to pursue professional football in Europe rather than the US college system, the cultural differences between American and Bulgarian sporting mentalities, and the discipline required to stay focused amid distraction. Joshua reflects on earning opportunities rather than expecting them, the importance of structure, and why progress often comes through consistency rather than hype.He also shares his perspective on modern distractions, the mental demands of defending at senior level, and the influence of role models and team culture on long-term development. This is a conversation about patience, commitment, and the slow, often unglamorous work of building something real - in football and in life.

Bulgarian psychologist and psychotherapist Pollina Tonova joins The Life of Someone Extraordinary for a reflective conversation on identity, psychological masks, and the quiet pressures shaping modern life.With over 12 years of experience working with people across all stages of life, Pollina shares what she sees beneath anxiety, burnout, and emotional fatigue. Her work focuses on helping individuals understand who they are beneath external expectations, habitual roles, and internalised pressure.In this episode, we explore why people adopt psychological “masks” to cope with stress, comparison, and the digital world, and how these coping strategies often deepen disconnection rather than resolve it. Pollina explains the difference between psychology and psychotherapy, the limits of surface-level advice, and why meaningful change requires patience, responsibility, and self-awareness.Pollina reflects on recurring patterns she sees in modern clients, the growing desire for quick fixes in mental health, and the importance of slowing down to do foundational inner work. This is a conversation about identity, emotional honesty, and the long-term process of reconnecting with oneself beneath performance and expectation.