Olena Shabanova’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We recently had the chance to connect with Olena Shabanova and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Olena, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
Despite all my professional achievements, I am truly proud of what I build quietly, behind the scenes – what no one usually sees.
First and foremost, my family. My husband, who has supported me for many years, and my three children, whose successes give me wings. Our traditions, dinners, trips, conversations, video calls, jokes, our little joys and occasional challenges – this is the world that I have built with my own hands. A whole, warm, living world that inspires me every day and serves as the foundation on which my children grow.
The second is my ability to build relationships. Honest, loyal, lasting. I have been lucky to find people who feel like “my community” – those who share similar values, spirit and culture. True friendships do not happen by chance; they are created through trust, sincerity and mutual support. And this is one of my quiet superpowers.
These two invisible structures—my family and the relationships I nurture—are the strongest foundation for everything I do. And it’s something I’m truly proud of.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am an interior designer, the founder of ShaLena Design in Ukraine and the co-founder of Lena & Lily Interiors in the United States.
I am also the author of several academic and professional articles, including “Microarchitecture and Minimalism in the Interiors of Compact Urban Apartments” and “The Full Cycle of Interior Design: Managing Time and Quality at All Stages of a Project”.
In addition, I am a member of the jury for the prestigious American Business Expo Award 2025.
What sets me apart is my ability to create truly warm, bright, and thoughtfully designed spaces—interiors with a soul where people genuinely want to live, work, and feel inspired.
Creativity is second nature to me, but every well-designed interior is much more than just inspiration. It requires precise calculation, smart planning, thoughtful budgeting, and a deep understanding of ergonomics. These four pillars form the foundation of every project I undertake.
My calling is to feel my clients, to understand their needs before they even express them, to anticipate their desires and to add a touch of magic by bringing their unspoken dreams to life. This is what makes my work unique, personal and truly alive.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Who saw me clearly long before I could truly see myself?
My parents.

My mother is an architect and an artist. My father is a painter, sculptor, and creator in every sense of the word. They saw the real me when I was lost in nothing but color and line.

My first exhibitions of children’s drawings were held when I was only five years old. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember, ever since I learned to hold a pencil. And when my parents told me I had talent, I didn’t quite understand what they meant. How can something feel like “talent” when it’s as natural to you as breathing? Drawing was simply my language, my way of perceiving the world.

I explored different techniques, materials, and styles not because I wanted to be an artist, but because I simply couldn’t be anything else. Art school, college, professional projects, sketches “for the soul” and drawings “for the mood” — all of this felt like an organic extension of who I was.

And through all those years, they were with me.

They believed in my future long before I did. They were the ones who took me to art classes, submitted my work to exhibitions, bought me new materials, created still lifes at home with plaster figures, flowers, and fruit, took me to paint outside, and slipped art books into my hands, knowing they would ignite something in me.

They saw my talent long before I even understood the meaning of the word.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
What fear has held me back the most in my life?
The fear of being “not talented enough.” Not skilled enough, not knowledgeable enough. This is the essence of imposter syndrome—the silent companion of many people who are striving to grow. It forces you to lower your expectations, to settle for less, to turn down projects, jobs, and opportunities that could shape your future.

Imposter syndrome often appears at moments of transition: when I’m starting something new, entering a new environment, or finding myself surrounded by people I perceive as more capable or experienced. It whispers, “You’re not ready yet.”

But over time, I’ve noticed something important: people with fewer accomplishments and qualifications than me have confidently taken on the things I’ve been putting off because of fear—the fear of not being perfect, of not being fully prepared. That realization was a turning point for me. It inspired me to stop underestimating myself so profoundly.

Today I allow myself to be “enough.”
Enough to start.
Enough to grow.
Enough to take on big things.

Because ultimately, we grow not when we know everything, but when we dare to move forward, even shaking hands.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
Which belief did I once hold strongly, but now consider naive or mistaken?

I used to believe that people in other countries were completely different — that they were somehow mysterious, fundamentally unlike me and my culture. Even though I had traveled extensively, this belief persisted.

But when I immigrated to the United States and spent some time living here, I realized a simple truth: all people, regardless of culture, ultimately seek the same things. They want to be happy, loved, and successful. No matter the measures we use to define success or happiness, we all care deeply for our loved ones, feel pain in loss, and joy in achievement. We feel satisfaction when we overcome challenges, pride when we succeed, and disappointment when we fall short.

No matter the continent, the language, the color of one’s skin, or gender — everyone seeks happiness. We just take different paths to get there. This realization profoundly changed the way I see the world and the people around me.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Yes, absolutely. What we do with passion, we do not do for the praise, but in spite of everything, simply because we cannot do otherwise. Recognition comes later, when the work is done. But the real light within us, that ancient fire given to humanity by Prometheus, motivates us to act and create, regardless of external approval.

I give my all when a project excites me—and every project I take on excites me. I fall in love with each one and dedicate myself to it completely. My personal indicator of whether I am on the right track is simple: I ask myself, would I do this work for free if I were not paid? And the answer is always yes, because it is who I am, what I can do, and what I cannot live without.

So yes, I can give my all, even knowing that it may go unnoticed. True inspiration doesn’t seek reward—it simply exists.

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