Meet Ilana Andrev

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ilana Andrev. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ilana below.

Hi Ilana, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?

I have always been a “giver.” I love to give people time, love, help, gifts, and more. The problem is that oftentimes, I would not really consider myself someone to give love to. I would end up helping everyone, but being unhappy and burned out with myself. Not to mention that once I started college, I had classes, my podcast, a startup, and two college clubs I help direct. And we cannot forget sleeping, working out, and a social life! There seems to be no time for self-care, but I know without it, I cannot be productive. When I neglect myself, I am unhappy, and when I am unhappy it is challenging to focus and get my work done.

So even during busy times, I make it a point to do self-care. Self-care that goes beyond just bubble baths and facemasks, but by giving myself what I need in that moment. Some days it looks like going for a run, other days it means having lunch with friends. Self care looks so different for everyone. I think if we take more pauses throughout the day, we can choose intentional decisions that help us be happier, and thus more productive. These “self-care pauses” can be one minute, or one hour. Self care does not need to take your entire day or evening to be considered self care.

I know that when I take time for myself, I am able to be more effective with my time. I am not searching for that “dopamine high” that social media, junk food, or impulse shopping gives me. I do not procrastinate as much, and am confident of my abilities to get work done but also take time for myself. Even though self-care looks different depending on the day, I usually include working out, journaling, eating (delicious) healthy foods, and giving myself a few moments to meditate and pray.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I feel like there are three versions of me: the girly podcast host, the tech startup co-founder, and the college student. Life is too short to only stick to one interest, so I am trying to do them all!

“Lovely With Lana” (https://linktr.ee/lovelywithlana) was a podcast I originally started as “Wellness With Lana.” I started the podcast in March of 2022 as I was recovering from an eating disorder. I was in a mentally dark place, and wanted to create a podcast that talked about wellness as a lifestyle and not a diet or a workout routine. Then in April of 2023, I decided to do a re-brand. At the time, I was tired of only talking about healthy eating, working out, and wellness. I grew past the old identity of “girl who had an eating disorder.” I had other valuable things to share like skincare, self-care, study and career tips, and more! I also wanted to express my girly side more. So, I rebranded to “Lovely With Lana” and started to expand what I talked about. I talk about self-improvement and wellness, but also school and career topics, mental health, fashion, faith, and more!

Sometimes I feel some imposter syndrome with the podcast. “Lovely With Lana” is not a huge podcast, I am not a social media influencer (though I did used to post a TON on social media, now I live more privately), and I am not an expert. More often than not, the things I talk about on the podcast are things that I struggle with in the moment. I feel like it is more helpful to the girls to hear someone struggling WITH them rather than being an alumni of the struggle bus. “Lovely With Lana” is my way to uplift and help other girls, and in a way, also help myself. I have built a small but amazing community and I am so grateful for every single girl that listens, shares, and comments on the episodes.

I mentioned that I have a lot of interests, and entrepreneurship is one of them. ThoughtX (https://linktr.ee/thoughtx) is a startup that I co-founded with my best friend. It launched in July and we are still improving and growing the app. ThoughtX helps you find people that read the same books, listen to the same podcasts, and are into the same stuff you are. I often joke that ThoughtX is the child of Spotify, Goodreads, and Bumble BFF. Surprisingly, the work I have done for “Lovely With Lana” has been critical for ThoughtX, since my understanding of the podcast and social media industry has helped us develop the app and build something that people want to use.

I do not have one focus for a career, since I am only a college student after all! I currently study Computer Science, statistics, and entrepreneurship. But a side hobby has been learning about the investing industry and venture capital (which has also helped ThoughtX). I want to have an interesting life, and so learning as much as I can now will help me get there!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The first quality is believing in yourself. So many people have limiting beliefs that often stem from childhood. “I am not good at math,” or “I cannot run.” or “I cannot build a successful business.” I have heard myself or others repeating these inner scripts. The problem is what we believe is what becomes our reality. You need to break the pattern of believing in lies about yourself. Your inner self-talk needs to be positive and uplifting. Any time you think something negative, immediately take that back and say something positive. You need to believe in yourself, and be your biggest cheerleader. Otherwise, when things are not going according to plan (which will ALWAYS happen because life is messy), you will be beating yourself up and not moving forward to accomplish your goals. Do not be your own biggest obstacle.

The second quality is self-discipline. Do you really think I wake up just wanting to workout, go to classes, edit a podcast episode, and work on the startup every single day? NO. It can be hard and exhausting! But it is a habit. Self-discipline can become your default mode, the mode you turn on when you do not want to do anything. And just a note, you cannot have good self-discipline if you do not have positive self-talk. Beating yourself up is not going to get you to the gym, cheerleading yourself will.

The third quality is asking for help. As a type-A, miss-independent “girl boss,” I do not like asking for help. However, asking for help helps you build connections, learn from others, and allocate tasks so you can be more productive! We were not meant to do life alone. Most people want to help you! Whether that is help you do your paperwork for a company (thanks to the lawyers that are helping ThoughtX for free!), understand a difficult computer science concept, or even help you clean your room or apartment…ask for help!

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

Overwhelm is an emotion I have gotten to get to know A LOT over these past few years. Balancing a lot can feel overwhelming! Overwhelm is often a sign you are doing too much, not being efficient with your time, or both,. My top tips include getting a to-do list and prioritizing tasks (I use the app Todoist), time-blocking, allocating work to others, and making sure you are taking breaks for self-care.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/lovelywithlana
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilanaandrev/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanaandrev/
• Other: ThoughtX: https://linktr.ee/thoughtx