Dear friends,

Warm greetings from Generation Ukraine. Here we are again, with the second issue of “Common Ground,” this time to discuss how, sometimes, taking one step at a time is vital for our mental health.

This advice came from my friend, Julia Popyk. It helps her navigate life as she transitions to womanhood and grows professionally. She is currently at a job that she feels pleased with. But is this enough? Can you work hard while balancing family, friends, and social life? And war? One step at a time, she said. Give yourself a break.

Julia works as the Brand Manager of Petcube. Before the war escalated, she used to do much planning. Now, she cannot. Instead, she focuses on balancing life: working hard, being a good friend, being present to her family, and being calm with herself. Being able to perform in a job that pays well to do things she likes, like traveling and being active in her social life, requires that. And, indeed, the process works! Through this exploration, she came up with the idea to host the Kyiv Dinner Club: from a brand manager, she transforms into the cook and the host of a dinner where strangers break bread. One rule applies: you are not allowed to share your job title – you introduce yourself as who you are when you close your laptop and turn off your Slack notifications – as I hope you do. I cannot wait to visit Kyiv and attend one of her dinners!

Although I’ve spoiled it, an essential detail about Julia is that she is based in Kyiv. Leaving the country is not an option for her since, even in the time of war, Ukraine is the place she knows how to survive in, the place that takes pressure off of her. To quote her, “I’m in absolute awe of how good it is to live in your homeland,” while at the same time, even though she tries to be 100% optimistic, she cannot cope with the reality and the day-to-day life in Ukraine. Some days, she chooses not to read the news with the will to prioritize her mental health. One step at a time. She decides to keep her love for her country unaffected by the unfortunate internal affairs. One step at a time. It’s painful and beautiful simultaneously, similar to this song: full of bad words. Still, there is beauty in hearing 3000 Ukrainians singing together, “Home is the best,” as happened a few days ago at one of their concerts that Julia attended.

As a Ukrainian resident, she has a hope: the Ukrainian women who escaped the war to return home eventually. But even if they don’t, she wishes not to let politics divide them, always to remember their roots, and to support Ukraine in any way possible, even by teaching their children the Ukrainian language.

This mindset fits Julia’s needs, aspirations, and lifestyle. This is her way of finding pleasure in everyday life. Her resilience in the face of such challenges is truly inspiring. Hearing her story made me reflect on my
way of dealing with the reality. I used her example and started taking breathers after minor and significant events. Her ability to find joy in the simple things is a lesson we can all learn from.

You can follow Julia’s journey through her personal Instagram and LinkedIn and her initiative “Kyiv Dinner Club.”