We recently connected with Julia Peters and have shared our conversation below.
Julia, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I would define my purpose in life as “helping others”. In my case, it’s a rather complex thing that includes supporting people in finding the right contacts, bringing individuals together on professional and personal levels, entertaining others, and keeping it all very sustainable with a long-lasting effect. It was only a year ago that I managed to fully realise this, though. I was born in Odessa, and even though I live in Switzerland now, the war in Ukraine has influenced me immensely. At first, I had no time to think straight, so I stopped my usual occupation (event-management) and literally threw myself into charity. This was a long marathon of helping those in need, and only when I managed to take a deep breath and reflect on everything did I realise that my new activities, in fact, resonated with old ones. Being the president of the NGO “Good Friends for Ukraine”, I was aiming to make refugees feel comfortable and ease the pain of those who lost everything. My previous event-management activities were, in fact, very much the same: I was helping expats in Zurich socialise and find their new path abroad, in their new home. The books and magazines I have published over the years were created to help people by telling them some important stories. It took me a long time to summarise everything, and maybe I wouldn’t be able to do it without a huge trauma in the form of the war that changed all perspectives on how I’ve seen things.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Over the last two years, I have spent all my time helping refugees and people in need. This experience has inspired me to write the book “Three Little Birds Burning in the Flames of War.” In 2024, it will be presented in the Ukrainian language. Other translations are underway. The war is still going on, but the refugees are more settled now. Hence, with more time on my hands, I am starting a new project, the charity foundation “Good Friends 4U,” that will run a daily friendship club in Zurich. I cannot give away all the details yet, but one thing is for sure: every lonely person will be able to come to us and find the right people to communicate and do things together.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think my strongest features are creativity, self-belief, and persistence. But it is not a recipe for everybody. For example, your occupation may not require that much creativity. Hence, train the main feature: persistence. If you have it, success is a matter of time. Just believe in yourself, and results will come. You have probably heard it before, but there is really no better way to succeed!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
There are days when everything works out, and there are days when nothing goes as planned. If that’s the case, just don’t try so hard. Let it be, and move all important things to another day. Even if it looks critical, even if you have deadlines, your mental health and balance are simply more important. Just go for a walk or sleep, and you will be amazed at how differently things may look tomorrow. However, don’t mix it up with procrastination. Laziness doesn’t equal a healthy pause. So it is important to learn good old self-discipline as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goodfriends-for-ukraine.ch
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_antimodel_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talk.to.juliapeters
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-peters-7901151b
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/JuliaPeters_antimodel_
- Other: https://a.co/d/bLFgiHB – Amazon Kindle
Image Credits
Image Credits Alyona Gorshkova – www.instagram.com/unterhaltend.fotograf.ch Mirco Caruso – www.instagram.com/mircocaruso_photography Vasile Burla – www.vasileburlaphotographer.com Donnell Asare – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090160880069 Alex Carlino – https://instagram.com/newalexc Claudio Villarino https://www.instagram.com/claudiomaurovillarino @michel.stdr, George Mota and www.facebook.com/NordMediaProduction
