Meet Alena Kim

We recently connected with Alena Kim and have shared our conversation below.

Alena, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

Honestly, that’s probably one of the hardest questions for me. It’s a deeply philosophical one.
I think I’d describe it through hedonism — through the fact that I genuinely love life and the act of living. I find joy in seeing happy people at my projects, eating delicious food, and constantly discovering new things around me.

There was a very difficult period in my life when I had to move to the U.S. with my husband. He had a talent visa, while my spouse visa didn’t allow me to work or do anything professionally. And for me, work and projects are like air — it’s like stepping outside your home after the rain, taking a deep breath, and feeling that scent of freshness and clarity. That’s what work means to me.

For a year, I was literally deprived of the ability to breathe. I hit such an emotional low that it’s frightening to even remember. I started to give up. I felt terrible.
But the moment I decided that I couldn’t go on like that — that this was not my life, that I wanted to change it — something shifted. The realization that I can have what I love gave me strength. And if that meant leaving the country and going through the entire migration process again — I was ready to do it.

I left America, and my whole life turned upside down — or rather, 180 degrees in the best possible way.

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’m a lifestyle entrepreneur and event producer working at the intersection of gastronomy, culture, and wellbeing. I divide my life between Istanbul and world (even tho im originally from a small Siberian town Novokuznetsk), building projects that connect people through experiences — whether it’s food, community, or event.

Together with my husband, who is a chef, we are developing a restaurant concept that redefines modern Turkish cuisine through creativity, aesthetics, and emotional connection. At the same time, I run a wellness-oriented educational brand and a private community for people who want to live more consciously, discover, and grow together.

What excites me most about my work is creating meaning through experiences — when a dinner, an event, or even a short piece of content can inspire someone to think differently, to care, to feel more alive. I’m deeply inspired by human connection, aesthetics, and the philosophy of hedonism — the idea that pleasure and beauty can be tools for awareness and change.

Right now, I’m focused on expanding my creative projects internationally — launching new formats that blend gastronomy, art, and storytelling, and building bridges between cultures through authentic, sensory experiences.

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?

Looking back, I’d say four qualities shaped my journey the most:
Curiosity, resilience, aesthetics, and respect.

Curiosity keeps me constantly learning — from new cultures and flavors to new ways of thinking. It’s what keeps every project alive and evolving.

Resilience came through experience — from moving countries, rebuilding from zero, and facing uncertainty. It taught me to stay calm and focused, even when everything around feels unstable.

Aesthetics, for me, isn’t just visual — it’s emotional. It’s the ability to see beauty and meaning in details, to create harmony that people can feel, not just see.

And respect — for people, for time, for the process — is something I’ve learned to value more than anything. Respect creates trust, and trust builds everything else — teams, partnerships, creativity, even peace within yourself.

My advice for those early in their journey:
Stay endlessly curious. Be resilient, but gentle with yourself. Nurture your sense of beauty — it will guide you. And always lead with respect. It’s the quiet power that sustains everything great in the long run.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

For me, the only and absolute best way to relax, rest, and even find inspiration is walking. I can easily walk 25 kilometers a day — that’s just normal for me. And recently, I found out that walking is actually considered a form of meditation. After that, everything suddenly made perfect sense 🙂

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Image Credits

Mustafa Otyakmaz

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