In this episode of Beautiful Journey, host Alya Michelson welcomes Sylwia Wiesenberg, a beauty entrepreneur and the founder of BAWDY Beauty, DOPE Naturally, and TONIQUE Fitness.

Sylwia's story is one of resilience and determination. Born in Poland, she embarked on a global adventure to pursue her college education. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, she built a successful career in finance and advertising before leaving it all behind to create her beauty line.

In her conversation with Alya, Sylwia shares the business challenges she faced as an immigrant woman and how she overcame them to create new opportunities for herself. Drawing from her own experiences, Sylwia gives invaluable advice on starting a company, encouraging listeners to believe in themselves and that anything is possible when they set their minds to it.

In this inspiring episode of "Beautiful Journey," Host Alya Michelson joins Lola Adeyemo, CEO & founder of EQImindset, who embarked on a life-changing adventure from Nigeria to the United States to pursue a university degree. But her journey was about more than academics; it was a transformative experience that revealed unexpected lessons along the way.

Lola shares her inspiring story of resilience and self-discovery with Alya, recounting her challenges as an immigrant woman of color in a new country. From uncomfortable encounters at the grocery store to being among the few Black women in her workplace, Lola opens up about finding her voice and embracing the unique perspective she brings to her colleagues in the business world.

Today, Lola is the founder of a visionary business that fosters inclusive and welcoming workplaces for people from all backgrounds. In this episode, listeners will gain invaluable insights into Lola's self-empowerment journey and learn about the profound impact she's making in creating a more diverse and equitable professional environment.

Learn more about Alya Michelson and the podcast Beautiful Journey at our website: michelsonphilanthropies.org/beautiful-journey . You can follow Alya on Instagram here.

In this fascinating new episode of "Beautiful Journey," host Alya Michelson joins Ksenia Turkova, a Voice of America journalist who has worked in TV and radio for over 20 years.

Alya talks with Ksenia about their early days in Moscow, where both worked as journalists for different media companies. They discuss Ksenia's radio work in Kyiv just before the Revolution of Dignity, a series of protests in Ukraine from late 2013 to early 2014. Shortly afterward, Ksenia left Kyiv to become a journalist with Voice of America in the United States.

Alya and Ksenia also explore the contrasting media landscapes of Russia, post-Soviet nations, and the United States, shedding light on the challenges and biases that immigrant journalists face. Ksenia shares her unique perspective of observing the invasion of Ukraine from America and describes the heartbreaking decline she has witnessed in Russian journalism over the past few years.