Everything that a modern woman needs, in fact, consists of three basic concepts: family, career, peace of mind. Each woman can add n more concepts to this list, but these will already be details. Everyone chooses their own path to reach those core values. Sometimes this path is both thorny and risky, and if, in spite of everything, we follow this path, then we will certainly achieve success. One of these self-motivated and self-confident women is the heroine of our issue.
Lilia Oliynyk is the founder of the lounge cafe ilive and the Development and Leisure Center ilivecentre, the chairman of I live in Harmony, the vice chairman of the Club of Successful Women Ukraine 2021, director of the Club of Successful Women Kyiv 2019 and 2020. Lilia also founded her School of Excellence, publishes the Eco Ukraine newspaper, and is the initiator of the International Environmental Forum. Among other achievements, she is also a delegate to the 63 UN session from Ukrainian women to the UN 2019, author and host of the Success Stories radio program and the Happy Family TV program, speaker of women’s and business forums. At the same time, Lilia writes many articles and is the author of a large number of methods for raising children and a healthy lifestyle. Lilia is also the owner of numerous awards and titles; she has repeatedly been included in the lists of the most successful Ukrainians and is a laureate of the Person of the Year award. And this is not all the merits of Lilia. However, she succeeded not only professionally – she is also a mother of 4 children.
This woman has achieved success in all fields, and has become a role model. Lilia is ready to share the secret of her success with everyone who wants to become the best version of themselves and just achieve emotional well-being.
Lilia’s life position is very strong – she is a leader in thoughts and deeds. She is not afraid to take on a new and promising business, a business that is primarily interesting to her. Therefore, she always achieves success in everything!
Good afternoon, Lilia! Tell us a little about yourself. How do you manage to combine so many activities, be a successful businesswoman and a caring mother, while remaining so feminine and light?
I believe that these days the activity of every woman has long gone beyond being just a housewife, mother and wife. Many women now combine career and family and do it well. I am sure that every woman can do what she loves, raise children, develop creatively, be socially successful and at the same time remain light, stylish and happy.
As for me, my family, my children motivate me for further achievements. Children make us much more organized. I try to become better for them, show them by my example that hard work will help them achieve everything they dream of, and I also want to instill in them a love of the world. And, of course, you can’t do without planning in order to keep up with everything. I write a schedule several weeks ahead, sometimes for a whole year, prioritizing tasks. It helps me to organize myself and combine a lot of things.
What inspires you and gives you strength?
Undoubtedly, this is the time that I spend with my loved ones. I love to communicate with my children, sing and dance together. I also like to travel.
Traveling adds color and brightness to our lives. It is not necessary to go to distant lands to get new emotions, to be filled with new strength or just to chill. I enjoy walking through ancient castles or across the field in search of beautiful flowers. My inspiration is also architecture and amazing meeting new acquaintances.
Inspiration is in everything that surrounds us, it is enough just to learn to see it. It is present even in our weaknesses, because they serve as another source of our potential.
Speaking of travel, what is your favorite country?
I love Ukraine – the country where I live, where my children grow up. There are many beautiful cities in Ukraine: Kyiv is a city built on the slopes of the picturesque Dnipro River, which makes it possible to admire the unique panoramas of the metropolis; Odesa, visiting which everyone will understand that it is really a pearl by the sea; Lviv is a city with European charm, love for harmony and beauty.
And the main decoration of our country is our women, who find beauty in everything, create a resource in the most unpredictable situations, ascending up and leading others.
How do you see a woman in the 21st century? What role do women play in society?
We women are the most active part of all events taking place in society. It is us who can prompt, direct, and support not just a specific person, but the whole society, because we are not indifferent to the future of our children. And all our activities are aimed exclusively at creation. In ancient times, it was believed that a state in which a woman was respected and listened to was doomed to prosperity. I completely agree with this belief, since the motivation of every woman is to make everything that surrounds her better, more beautiful, more comfortable. Wherever she participates, her ideas are not only creative and unlimited, they are also environmentally friendly, both for her and for the whole world around her. She easily interacts with others in solving difficult situations or elements, readily unites to achieve great results. This is how I see a modern woman.
At the same time, first of all, she knows how to take care of her inner world, health and fullness, knows how to look confident, calm and well-groomed under different circumstances, leaving family and children, love and respect, acceptance and gratitude as her priorities. Another feature of a wise woman is to accept situations that she cannot easily influence, finding energy in them for further movement.
There is an opinion that clothing is a way of presenting oneself to the world, that style plays an important role in how society perceives us. What is fashion for you?
For me, fashion is the ability to create your own style that emphasizes individuality. Trends are created for those who cannot feel. Following fashion trends and blindly imitating celebrities, we lose our individuality.
For many, the quarantine was a heavy blow. Do you think personal growth is possible in such conditions?
Each crisis is a starting point for a new and higher level of development, and the best opportunity in quarantine is an unscheduled vacation and a complete reboot. This is an opportunity to do everything you dreamed of. I try to see new opportunities in every situation, not just the negative side.
You are a versatile and successful person. What do you consider to be your main achievement?
I consider my main personal achievements to be the opportunity to do exclusively my favorite work and to bring up the desired children.
How do you manage to maintain harmony in your family?
The main secret of family harmony is mutual respect and understanding in difficult situations. You must accept your partner, your children, as they are, even if you disagree with their outlook on life. Add more love, pleasure and joy to your life.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
There is no best advice, but there is advice that at a certain moment in life was the best, helped to understand yourself and make a decision, whether it was right or not.
However, I have been following one piece of advice for many years: if you really want something, you need to work hard to make your dream come true, you need to learn to accept your mistakes and consider them as an experience that you should have received, never give up and develop comprehensively.
If you have a goal, then you need to go towards it. Life is too short to do what you don’t like. You need to find yourself through the activities that you enjoy, while remaining a good person, giving good to people. In fact, I love Einstein’s words: «If you’ve never been wrong, you’ve never tried anything new…»
What is your greatest strength?
This is a tough question as strengths differ in different areas of life. However, choosing a universal strength that fits every area of life is sensitivity and empathy. As for me, it is very important to have the ability to penetrate into the inner world of another person and look at everything that happens through their eyes.
What is your formula for success?
Success is doing what you love and benefiting people, living consciously and being grateful to everything that surrounds us.
What are your goals for 2021?
It seems to me that now is an unfavorable time for building goals and forecasts. External circumstances can grossly interfere with our plans and change them. However, I have goals that I will try to achieve. I am going to continue to participate in many social and charitable projects that support children and are aimed at improving the environment.
