Meet Marina Josiff

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marina Josiff . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Marina , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I cannot remember a time when I did not value hard work and dedication. From a very young age, I have always had an impressive work ethic. I am very proud of that because my work ethic, amongst other things, is what got me where I am today. My parents are immigrants and came to this country to provide my siblings and I with endless opportunities and a better life. I remember thinking to myself, “how can you not use every ounce of this blessing and opportunity to have the best life possible?” I knew doing it, whatever it was, came with hard work. My parents uprooted their entire lives and left their family to give us a chance. How can my parents give me the upper hand and I do nothing with it?! I saw my father work so hard to provide for us. I was able to see great work ethic first hand and I mimicked that. As I grew older, I got to see the many sacrifices that my parents had to make to give us all that we needed. But even trying their hardest, I also seen them struggle. They struggled in a way I did not want them to and in a way I did not want myself to either. I knew that I had to work hard to place myself in a better situation, but to also assist my family. I have to be honest, at times that came with pressure, obligation and guilt. Before I knew MY why, the hard work was because I had to help. It was almost like I did not have a choice. And let me tell you, working hard because you have no choice and working hard because you want to, are two very different feelings and experiences.

My parents valued education and having a career, they instilled that in me. During high school, I was the student who participated in many clubs, cheered and danced in every school production you can think of. My schedule was always busy and that carried on into my adulthood. I would like to emphasize that I made it a priority to stay busy, but not the kind of busy that just took my time and I gained nothing from it. It was the kind of busy that was productive. The kind of busy that challenged me and helped me grow mentally, physically, emotionally and/or financially. When I was pursuing a higher education, I worked 2 jobs while getting my Masters. What a time, but I knew it had to be done. The desire I had to set myself up for success was strong, it is what helped me remain hard working no matter how hard things got. Here’s the thing, becoming successful can be hard, but so is struggling. I made a decision to choose my hard. I decided to work as hard as I possibly could to get me closer to whatever goal I set for myself. Now before you think I am workaholic, I do set boundaries for myself. I know when to prioritize rest and self-care, including doing things that enhance my mental health. Having a strong work ethic also means to know when it is time to regroup and recharge. I had to learn that the hard way. Now, I am mastering the idea of balance.

When it is time to work and get things done, I am your girl! Having this kind of work ethic helped me gain many skills. My organizational and time management skills are impeccable if I do say so myself. Having these kinds of skills always played in my favor when it was time to get creative, meet deadlines for school/work and start my own business. I have a career and I am a small business owner. I also a wife, a daughter, a friend. There is so much to do and I get it all done, every time. NO. MATTER. WHAT! I have my work ethic to thank for these accomplishments. I would like to be transparent though, so here it goes. Do I want to wake up every morning and do everything on my to-do list? Well, my OCD would like to, but the answer is no. There are many days I rather stay in bed or binge watch TV. When I was not motivated, I implemented discipline. You cannot have a good work ethic without it. I want you to also know that being hard working and disciplined is much easier when you know why you are doing what you are doing. My why and purpose contributed to my drive. I may not want to wake up early or check off the 25 things on my list, but I do it because it gets me one step closer to my end goal. I do it because completing it and pushing through adversity and discomfort will get me closer to why I am even working hard in the first place.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a first-generation North African woman who turned her love and passion for belly dancing into a business, Move And Radiate, Inc. – an inclusive belly dancing company. I offer beginner friendly belly dancing classes online and in studio (Lomita, California). I offer private one-on-one and group online sessions and I facilitate private group in-person sessions as well (if you are within 40-50 miles). My classes are not only designed to teach you the fundamentals of belly dance, but to provide you with the space to challenge yourself physically, help you regain your confidence, connect with your body and meet your health and fitness goals. Besides being a belly dancing instructor, I am also the director and choreographer for my dance company. I hold auditions for the public, but many of the women who audition are women who have been taking my belly dancing class consistently and feel confident to perform. Those who make the dance company are trained and taught by me and become professional belly dancers who perform locally and nationally. Regardless of where you come from or your dance experience, you are encouraged to audition.

I grew up watching belly dancers, but none of which looked like me; none of which represented women of color. In order to be seen as a belly dancer or even welcomed to belly dance (in a non-professional manner) without being judged, you must look a certain way. I wanted to change that narrative. I wanted to create a company that was inclusive and welcoming. Furthermore, I come against my own cultural injustices by shattering the glass ceiling in the Egyptian community. Although, belly dance is a beautiful art form, in the MENA community, it is considered “haram” which expresses disdain. My work redefines what it means to be Egyptian, takes back cultural power, and lifts the burden of oppression placed on my communities. I am showing other MENA women that it is okay to embrace their culture, move their body freely and go against what has been built to keep us quiet and controlled. I am also creating a space for women of color to participate in this art form in an environment that comes with no shame and no judgment. My company cuts against societal grains by addressing oppression of women of color as well as racism. It is a movement. You may think we are just dancing, but we are also fighting racism and colorism on a daily as well. I am very aware that I am going against the grain and I have ever intention on continuing to shake things up.

I am proud of myself for not giving up on the hard days and pushing through the discomfort, the fear and the self-doubt. Running a business is not easy, but I know it is worth it. I am proud of my hard work and resilience because without that, I would not have showed up on the days that I did not think I was good enough or doing it right. I knew my purpose, my power and my mission and that is what kept me going. And you know, on the days when I just had 5 students (and felt so discouraged), those were the days when students shared their testimonies. They would thank me for a wonderful class, a safe space and for showing up for them. When I think about what my biggest accomplishment is, it’s the impact that I have made on the many lives that stepped into my class and the women of color who get to call themselves belly dancers. My students tell me their mental health has gotten better – they are healing – they are getting stronger physically – their mobility and flexibility has improved – they are gaining confidence and loving their bodies again – they are reaching their fitness goals – they have found a workout class that is fun – they are building bonds with the community, all because of Move And Radiate! It is bigger and deeper than belly dancing. It is about changing the lives of those who step into that door and adding value to their life. This is not your typical fitness/dance class. This is so much more. We are belly dancing, but also building a sisterhood. We are belly dancing, but also fighting against racism. We are belly dancing, but we are showing up for ourselves. I will continue to impact and empower my community because they deserve that plus MORE!

I am excited for the growth and the impact. I am thrilled to meet the many new students that will take a chance and try my class because of how welcoming and fun it is. I am also excited about the showcase opportunities lined up for my dancers. We get to show the world that belly dancers come in all shapes, sizes and skin complexions. If you are interested in taking my class or supporting Move And Radiate during one of our performances, follow me on Instagram for more information @Bellydance_mar or you can email me for more information [email protected] My website for booking is bookwhen.com/moveandradiate

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Say it with me, MINDSET AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENTAL! Work on your mindset daily. Work on yourself first before working on anything else. It starts with YOU! A few years ago, I became really big on personal development and self-work. Part of that was healing the parts of me that needed to be healed and addressing my trauma. Making sure that I really got to the underlying issues so it does not show up in other areas in my life or get in the way of me succeeding.

There are many things that can help take you the next level and that looks different for everyone. My advice to you is find out what works for you and do just that, every day. Somethings that have helped me personally are reading books, listening to podcasts, watching/listening to motivational speakers and sermons and being around people who are doing better than me. I started to watch one video a day and/or read 10 pages a day. Doing so put me in a better mood, helped me gain valuable information and enhanced the way I reacted/responded to conflicts and life. It also provided me with practical knowledge that I have been able to implement in my daily routines, my work environment and my business. Being around people who were doing better than me, challenged me. For one, I was learning the ropes from them and taking down “nuggets” that helped me become more successful. It applied pressure.

Where do you start? Well, start off by asking yourself what are your areas of improvement and be as honest as you possibly can be? When I asked myself that, I started to read books like “The 10X Rule” and “The Slight Edge.” I enjoyed reading self-help books like “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F***” and “You Are A Bad Ass.” I would listen to Jay Shetty’s podcast when I wanted to gain insight on how to improve the quality of my life, ways to handle stress/hardships, etc. Doing this daily can really put you in a different head space and/or different tax bracket. I will never forget being told this, “change your mindset, change your life.”

Furthermore, time management and organizational skills are my best friends. I have three calendars; my phone, my wall calendar and my planner. May be too much, but it works for me. Best believe I never double book and I am always sure to prioritize my time. I am constantly looking at my calendar and seeing how my time is disbursed. I am able to catch myself when I am doing too much of something and need more of balance or need more of something else. I am able to keep track of my deadlines and turn things in earlier. You be may be thinking “you do not need 3 calendars for that” and you are probably right, but it eases my mind and keeps me on track lol. The point is, utilize the tools that are accessible to you to help you be professional and efficient.

To do lists are a must. Get in the habit of writing down what you need to do. There is such a satisfying feeling to check off what you wrote on a paper and be done with it. I know to-do lists may be overwhelming at times because all you see is a million things that need to get down, but trust me it won’t always feel like that. You will start to learn how to prioritize your to-do list by when things need to be done. Doing this has always held me accountable to finish the things I said I will do. I actually get excited to do complete the items on my list because it makes me feel accomplished. Most importantly, I use this tool to make my life easier. You want to work smarter, not harder. My favorite part about doing this is that it helps prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed and falling behind.

Last, but not least, I do things afraid. I have allowed fear to get in my way too many times. It has gotten in the way of many opportunities that I should have taken. I do not dwell, I just learned from that mistake and now I do things with fear. Fear will be there, anxiety exists especially when you are following your dreams and doing new things. Instead of allowing it to stop me, I just bring it along with me and before I know it, it is gone and I am thanking myself for saying “yes.” Working through discomfort and adversity is one of my best qualities. No matter how scared you are, you must do it! I can promise you that there is never a time when you will regret going for it.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bookwhen.com/moveandradiate
• Instagram: Bellydance_mar
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRa_tYO1FDIpztN4PQoSFg
• Other: AMAZON STOREFRONT: https://www.amazon.com/shop/influencer-0928b938 TIKTOK: mar_bellydance