I recently had the pleasure of chatting with April and Amanda from the Her Step Forward podcast. We did a podcast episode on unconventional career choices (you can say that again), as well as how I ended up doing what I do! This is some stuff I’ve actually never shared publically before so I’m excited to put it out there.

Here’s the episode description:

In her youth, Irina Pravet was never a kid who knew what she wanted to be when she ‘grew up.’ As she explains to us, “I never had any idea. But this language thing was something that I could do and as is the case for most of us, the things that we’re really good at, we’re completely blind to.”

Skip forward to her adult years, when after reading a book by James Altucher, Irina was inspired to brainstorm 100 business ideas. It was somewhere around idea #32 when she realized that being a Finnish language coach was the right idea for her because she “was learning what everyone calls the hardest language, but I was doing it differently than everyone else.”

Irina goes on to explain that “One of the most difficult things was that I had to let go of all the things I learned in school for so long, and realize that this was ok, even if I spent 7 years studying it.”

Joining us to share her story, Irina discusses giving the TedX talk that pushed her so far beyond her comfort zone, why intent is critical when learning a new language, and why pain has been her greatest teacher.

>>>You can listen to the episode here<<< (35 mins), or on on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google, and about 7 other platforms.

Her Step Forward’s mission and vision: Our goal with Her Step Forward is to share stories that will inspire you to create and lead your best life. With these stories, we aim to enlighten and empower you as you take your next step forward! Learn more about April and Amanda here.