Meet Anamarija Gulin

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anamarija Gulin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Anamarija, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from a combination of three factors: my birthplace, the identities I’ve built throughout my life, and the choices I made during my most difficult moments.

I grew up in Croatia during the 90s, a time of brutal war and uncertainty. My mom was raising two little kids alone, while my father was in a coma, on his deathbed. He managed to survive, by a medical miracle, and became a symbol of resilience – just like my mom. They are both the Superheroes of our family, and I believe I inherited that resilience genetically.

Thanks to my parents, I built my first major identity as a professional athlete from an early age. I trained as a competitive swimmer for 10 years, balancing training with elementary and high school. Unfortunately, just before I started college, I had a serious knee injury that led to surgery, forcing me to leave the sport. From that moment on, I invested my time and energy into studying, learning new skills, working, and travelling.

Later in life, I faced one of my biggest challenges and fears – being diagnosed with Cancer in my 30s, right before I decided to move to the U.S. and completely change my career from economics to digital design. Facing death, and living as a Cancer patient for 15 months, changed my life completely – for the better. I reached out for help, found the best and most supportive psychotherapist, became more resilient, adaptable, aware, and present. I learned to enjoy the little things in life and be grateful for being healthy and alive.

And of course, living in NYC is not for the weak. It’s a fast-paced, harsh, and expensive city that challenges you daily. And if you can’t find the balance between the worst and the best that this city has to offer, you risk losing the battle of survival and success.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a Graphic Designer & Illustrator passionate about visual storytelling.

My work is a reflection of my mindset and personality – it’s all about colors and illustrations that will engage, educate, and inspire. I love expressing my creativity through children’s books, cheerful packaging designs, daily illustrations that celebrate little things in life, and building brand identities for any health-related businesses.

I’m curious by nature, love diving into research, asking questions, and learning from anyone open to share their wisdom. I’m still a student in my 30s, and I will never stop being one.

If you’d like to get to know me, feel free to check out my portfolio: https://anamarijagulin.framer.ai/

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three most impactful qualities in my journey have been resilience, adaptability, and faith.

Whether in life or design, I’ve learned to look at challenges as opportunities for growth, to push forward, and to embrace the change, however uncomfortable it may be.

My Therapist taught me some of the most valuable life lessons – to trust the process and to let go, when necessary. And all of my life challenges taught me to dream big and have faith, even when things seem impossible. Everything was once impossible, until someone was crazy enough to show us it’s possible.

For those just starting, my advice is simple: Be adaptable, stay curious, and tell your story authentically. Life will challenge you, but every experience (good or bad) can shape you into a stronger, more insightful person. As long as you stay true to yourself, there will be people who will recognize it and respect it.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

In the past 12 months, my biggest area of growth has been trusting the process while embracing change with faith and adaptability.

Three and a half years ago, my life looked very different. Today, I’m building a career that excites me, challenges me, and allows me to express my creativity. I’ve deepened my understanding of storytelling in design, and I’m constantly expanding my ability to design meaningful, engaging, and inspiring work.

I’ve been fortunate to learn from some amazing teachers in design schools, all of whom shared the same key advice: Be bold, brave, and consistent in showing your authentic self.

I’ve been stepping outside of my comfort zone with many of the decisions I’ve made, and looking ahead, I’m excited to continue learning, growing, and creating – with even bigger faith.

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Anamarija Gulin

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