Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nikolett Pankovits. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Nikolett, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
Throughout the years I have realized how important it is to take care of my body and my mental health, so I do core workout 3 times a week and go running 2-3 times as well. I have started to listen to my body and how I feel after eating certain foods. I stopped drinking alcohol 2,5 years ago, I eat consciously and every few months I do intermittent fasting. I do meditation to slow down my mind – sometimes it works, sometimes it is very challenging, but it definitely helps with falling asleep easily.
I have been listening to several great podcasts like ‘Feel better, live more’ by Dr Rangan Chatterjee and I also read books by Gabor Maté.
One step at a time I make small adjustments and all of these things help me to be more balanced and centered in my everyday life.
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 have been living in New York City since 2010 with my husband, Juancho Herrera composer-producer-guitarist. I got my diploma in International Economics in Budapest, Hungary but I was doing music and theater related works since an early age. I studied jazz vocal performance and graduated at CUNY in 2015. Like many artists living in New York City, I had several side jobs: worked in a restaurant, a record label and a software developer company to pay for my school but I achieved the goal I set for myself and finished my studies. Thanks to the support of my husband, friends and the musicians who play with me, I have released 2 CDs and we have played at the best venues in New York City like Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, Blue Note, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall as well as toured in Spain, Romania – Transylvania and Hungary with my band.
My latest project, ‘Colors’ has original music and the lyrics are poems by international poets.
Each single I release from the album represents a color on the cover with a puzzle piece. The final album cover will have all the colors in it as the puzzle comes to life.
Every poem has a story which opens up an unknown universe for me.
My latest song, White Night, was inspired by 3 poems of legendary Russian poet, Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966): Moscow trefoil: Almost into the album, White Night and Song of the Last Meeting.
“To avoid persecution by Stalin, the poet Anna Akhmatova burnt her writings and instead taught a circle of friends the words of her poem Requiem off by heart. By going ‘pre-Gutenberg’ she ensured its survival….” – Martin Puchner (BBC)
Learning more about her life made me appreciate the small things in life and reminded me to keep going, learning, traveling, and to live to the fullest.
The music video for this song came out on May 7th where I collaborated with Aron Jaksa video director.
Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/zFoC8x-oskc?si=78J-FBAQ4b72eBcN
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I do my best to concise it so here are a few things that were important in my journey.
One of the most impactful qualities has been being fearless.
Even if I make a mistake, I will learn from it. If I never try it, I will never know how it feels to jump from a plane and free fall during skydiving, what sushi tastes like or how you can still talk to people without speaking the same language.
Keep exploring new things and be open!
Respect and don’t judge others. It is always much easier to give an advice to someone, but you are not in their shoes. Sometimes you just need to listen to someone, that’s all they need.
Love is the core of course. I’m learning to love myself, which is the hardest, and give love to others. Even a smile at your local grocery store could make someone’s day and yours, too.
Humor is the other secret ingredient for me. Laugh and find people you can laugh with.
Every year I sit down and think about myself and my goals.
We are changing all the time so I found it necessary to reassess what I would like to achieve periodically.
I wrote a SWOT analysis, looked at my strengths and weaknesses and based on that, I set goals that were more or less achievable. I keep pushing my limits, so I think about crazy challenging goals too. Like playing at Carnegie Hall. Never even dreamt of playing there but I invited 17 artists and with this incredible team – working on the program for almost a year – we made a magical evening of Hungarian folk music by bringing together ensembles from jazz and world music in May 2019.
Try to get out of your comfort zone and do something that you never thought about. I love traveling and I do my best to visit a place every year I haven’t been to. Even if it’s a lake, a mountain, a city, a country.
All those experiences will make you richer.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Gabor Mate: Scattered minds was an eye-opening book for me and his film, the Wisdom of Trauma.
I started to learn about transgenerational trauma, and it has made me reassess my relationships with family and friends.
We can’t take out one piece and magnify it. It is a system we are part of, and we have to understand it better to understand ourselves.
So keep learning and enjoy the journey!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nikolettpankovits.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/nikolettpankovits
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NikolettPankovits/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NikolettPankovits
Image Credits
Timea Jaksa Edit Racz Eszter Meszaros Aron Jaksa
