Tanya MFK shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Tanya, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I’m being called to say the quiet part out loud- to tell the truth about what running a business actually looks like once the launch hype fades.
For years, the online business world has sold this idea that success is just one funnel, one strategy, or one mindset shift away. That if you pay someone enough, they’ll hand you the magic button that makes it all work.
And honestly, I used to stay quiet about it. It felt risky to challenge the noise- to say, “Hey, this isn’t easy, and it’s not supposed to be.” But the truth is, what most people need isn’t another shiny tactic- it’s an operating system. A way to run their business after the launch.
That’s the work I do now. I help Type-A solopreneurs- the capable, overachieving ones who are tired of white-knuckling everything- build systems, rhythms, and structure that make their business livable and profitable.
Because the goal isn’t to hustle harder or keep chasing the next dopamine hit. It’s to actually build a business that runs with your life, not over it.
I wasn’t necessarily afraid to say that before- it just wasn’t popular. Marketing “this is tough, it takes time” wasn’t the sexiest angle out there, you know? The “six-figure launch promise” lie was louder.
But I’m done letting that noise win. Somebody has to say the truth out loud, I’m not here to sell fairy tales. I’m here to build what actually lasts, and I’m not staying quiet while the lie gets the spotlight.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Tanya MFK- and while I wish that stood for something super mysterious, it’s just my initials: Tanya Marie Figueras Kraisingr. Since that’s way too long to spell, say, or fit on a business card, I went with Tanya MFK-and honestly, it worked out. I’m the only one, so my Google rank is fantastic. Ha!
I’ve lived a few different lives- I started in clinical research, moved into music management, built marketing strategies for big brands like Nestlé and Whole Foods, studied Kung Fu at the Shaolin temple in China and Ayurvedic medicine in India, and later ran my own agency before shifting into coaching and education.
Somewhere in there, I also became a widow at 25- and that moment changed everything about how I see work, time, and what really matters. That experience, more than any business milestone, taught me that life can’t wait until “someday.” It’s why I believe in building businesses that serve your life now, not the one you think you’ll finally enjoy after you’ve hustled yourself into the ground.
Each chapter taught me something about how people work, what motivates them, and how fragile “balance” becomes when your ambition runs faster than your systems.
Along the way I also noticed a pattern: capable, heart-driven people who had the skills to succeed were burning out- not because they didn’t know what to do, but because the way they were told to do business simply didn’t fit the life they wanted.
They were sold “freedom,” but what they got was exhaustion and anxiety disguised as success. That realization led me to create Modern Business Mastery- a space, a system, and a philosophy for solopreneurs who’ve already built something and are now learning how to run it.
It’s where structure meets soul; where strategy, systems, and self-mastery come together to make business actually livable.
We don’t do hype. We don’t chase trends.
We build sustainable businesses that make sense for real humans- ones that can grow without needing a huge team or sacrificing their sanity.
Because to me, success isn’t about scaling endlessly or checking boxes on someone else’s dream board.
It’s about building a business that supports your life-not replaces it. That’s what I teach, and that’s what I live.
These days, I split my time between the Czech Republic and Italy with my husband and our son, running my business, teaching other solopreneurs, and proving- every day- that freedom isn’t something you find at the end of the grind. It’s something you build into how you work and live right now.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I grew up in extreme poverty, and I learned early that if I wanted something, I’d have to figure out how to make it happen myself.
I was the kid making flyers in the laundry room of our apartment complex -offering to babysit, clean houses, walk dogs- anything to earn a few dollars. And it worked. It gave me this belief that I could always create something out of nothing, that my ideas had value, and that I could rely on myself.
That mindset saved me in a lot of ways. It got me out of hard situations and helped me build my own path when there wasn’t one. But the flip side of that belief- “no one’s coming to save you”- is that you stop letting anyone in. You stop asking for help. You wear independence like armor.
It took me a long time to see that success isn’t a solo sport. The whole “self-made” thing is kind of a myth. Every big leap I’ve made came with someone who believed in me, supported me, or held space when I couldn’t hold it myself.
That realization changed everything.
Now, I get to be the help I wish I had- the person who reminds others they’re capable, but they don’t have to do it alone.
When did you last change your mind about something important?
Losing my husband when I was 25 shattered the version of life I thought I was building. We’d just started our lives together, and suddenly I was a widow trying to make sense of everything I’d planned- and everything that no longer existed.
No “success” moment- no big win or milestone- has ever taught me as much as that loss did. It taught me that control is an illusion, time is a privilege, and the things we think we’ll get to “someday” can disappear in a breath.
What it gave me, though, was the deepest understanding of intention- that a good life isn’t something you earn; it’s something you design.
It’s not made of highlight reels or perfect timing, but of ordinary days lived on purpose.
That loss taught me to prioritize joy alongside responsibility- to create a life where the have-to’s, want-to’s, and wish-to’s all have space.
It reminded me that living well doesn’t mean quitting everything to chase freedom or waiting until everything’s perfect to enjoy it. It means choosing how you spend your hours- because that’s what your life actually is.
Suffering taught me that change will always come, but peace comes from how you meet it.
And for me, that meant building a life that’s intentional, flexible, and rooted in what matters- not in what might happen someday.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie my industry tells itself is that business can be boiled down to hacks, formulas, or one perfect strategy.
The second biggest lie is that if you’re not scaling fast or hitting six figures in six months, you’re somehow doing it wrong.
We’ve built an entire economy around selling shortcuts- where “success” is measured by screenshots, and depth is replaced by dopamine hits.
Entrepreneurship has been turned into a performance.
We teach people to chase visibility instead of vision- to build businesses that look successful, even if they’re quietly burning them out.
And the irony?
So many of the people teaching “freedom” don’t have any themselves. They’re running launch after launch just to keep the illusion alive.
The truth is, business isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be real. It’s supposed to evolve with you, to stretch you, to reflect who you are and the life you want to live. That’s the part nobody markets, because it’s not sexy- it’s sustainable.
I work with the people who are done pretending.
The ones who already know how to work hard- they just want their effort to actually mean something.
They’re not chasing ease; they’re chasing alignment. They’re ready to trade burnout for rhythm, noise for direction, and endless striving for real mastery.
Real freedom doesn’t come from escaping the work. It comes from understanding it- from building systems that protect your time, structure that fuels your creativity, and a pace that lets you breathe.
Most of the people I meet aren’t doing business wrong- they’re just trying to follow blueprints that were never designed for them.
The truth is, there’s no one right way. But there is a right way for YOU.
And when you find it, business finally becomes something you can live with- not just survive through.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I hope people say I helped them remember what really matters- and gave them the tools and courage to live like they meant it.
That I showed them how to build success without losing their soul in the process.
That I helped them pause long enough to ask better questions- the ones that actually change things.
Not “How can I do more?” but “What do I actually want to do?”
Not “How do I get ahead?” but “What am I rushing toward- and why?”
I hope they say I helped them stop chasing someone else’s version of success and start designing their own.
That they learned joy isn’t a finish line; it’s a daily practice.
That their happiness stopped being a side effect of achievement and started being a conscious choice.
That they planned their lives on real days- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday- because “someday” isn’t a real day.
If people remember me for anything, I hope it’s that I made them feel powerful in their presence- that I helped them see that a well-lived life isn’t about doing everything… it’s about doing what matters.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ModernBusinessMastery.com
- Instagram: @TanyaMFK
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyamfk/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TanyaMFK https://www.youtube.com/@ModernBusinessMasteryOfficial
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