Balkan Sis

In this solo episode of Balkan Sis, Ivana opens up about something many of us are feeling right now but don’t always talk about openly — anxiety and the emotional weight of the world we are living in today.

From global news cycles and social media overload to motherhood, relationships and the pressure of running a business, many women are carrying more than ever before.

Ivana reflects on how our childhood experiences, family dynamics and cultural history shape the way we process stress, anxiety and disappointment as adults.

She also speaks about the reality of modern motherhood, the mental load many women carry and how the idea of “having a village” often looks very different in real life.

In this episode Ivana talks about:

• anxiety and the emotional impact of the current state of the world

• the mental load of motherhood and being self employed

• generational trauma and family history

• Balkan culture and the silence around mental health

• friendships, community and the “village” we hope for

• navigating disappointment and asking for help

• missing the simplicity and support of previous generations

• allowing ourselves to feel emotions in front of our children

Ivana also shares some of the small things that help her when life feels overwhelming, including:

• stepping away from information overload

• taking a moment to breathe and reset

• spending time outside

• connecting with people who genuinely care

• sharing openly with your partner

• allowing yourself rest without guilt

• therapy and professional support when needed

• humour, good shows and laughter

• good food and simple moments of peace

Sometimes the most powerful step forward is simply focusing on 1% better each day.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, please know you are not alone.

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@ivanastrbacalfonso

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/balkansispodcast

Listen to Balkan Sis

https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZSNzqbKrcyDepOmT7WmDH

Ivana has created a growing community of women across the Balkan diaspora who come together to share stories, support each other and have honest conversations about life, motherhood, culture and personal growth.

If you would like to join the conversation, follow along on social media or send Ivana a message.

In this episode of Balkan Sis, Ivana revisits one of the very first conversations recorded when the podcast originally began with her best friend Franka.

This episode remains just as powerful and relevant today.

Ivana sits down with Katerina Mitrevska, a Macedonian-born writer and advocate who shares her deeply personal story of growing up with a mother experiencing severe mental illness.

After the birth of Katerina and her brother, her mother’s mental health declined and she was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. As a child, Katerina lived through years of instability, confusion and emotional hardship while trying to understand what was happening inside her family.

In a community where mental illness was rarely spoken about and often surrounded by stigma and shame, Katerina carried a heavy burden. She became both a caregiver and protector for her family while her father worked long hours to support them.

Writing became her refuge.

Through pages of notebooks filled with her thoughts, fears and hopes, Katerina began to process the pain and loneliness of her childhood while holding onto the belief that one day life would get better.

Her story is one of resilience, survival and ultimately transformation.

In 2020, Katerina released her poetry book “Breakthrough – The Reason Mother Didn’t Love Me”, a deeply moving collection inspired by her lived experience growing up with a parent living with schizophrenia.

Her work aims to break the silence around mental health and encourage open conversations within families and communities.

In this episode we talk about:

• growing up with a parent living with schizophrenia

• the stigma of mental health in Balkan communities

• childhood resilience and survival

• becoming a caregiver at a young age

• healing through writing and storytelling

• raising awareness about maternal mental health

• the power of sharing our stories

Katerina’s story is a reminder that even in the most difficult circumstances, strength, compassion and hope can still grow.

By sharing her experience, she hopes to inspire others to believe in themselves and to start conversations that many families are still afraid to have.

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/katerina.mitrevska/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/KaterinaMitrevs/

SBS Interview

https://www.sbs.com.au/language/macedonian/en/podcast-episode/katerina-mitrevska-author-of-a-collection-of-poems-breakthrough-the-reason-mother-didnt-love-me-part-4/w0a767imt

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

Podcast Page

https://www.instagram.com/balkansispodcast

TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@ivanastrbacalfonso

Ivana has created a private WhatsApp community for Balkan women and diaspora sisters around the world where conversations around culture, motherhood, relationships, business, healing and identity continue beyond the podcast.

If you would like to join, send Ivana a DM on Instagram for an invite.

In this solo episode of Balkan Sis, Ivana records a spontaneous update from the car and shares her thoughts on the newly released Balkan movie SVADBA.

She talks about why the film caught her attention, the excitement around Balkan cinema and how powerful it is to see our stories, humour and culture represented on screen.

Ivana also shares a personal life update and reflects on something many of us struggle with: confidence and committing to the things we say we want to do.

This episode is a reminder that you do not need perfect timing, perfect conditions or perfect plans. Sometimes you just need the courage to start.

In this episode Ivana talks about:

• SVADBA movie review

• balancing motherhood, work and creativity

• building confidence and doing the thing you keep putting off

• investing in your female friendships

• going out, having coffee, laughing and enjoying life

• treating yourself and honouring your energy

• committing to yourself and your growth

Sometimes the smallest decisions create the biggest shifts.

If there is something you have been thinking about doing… this might be the sign to start.

Learn more about SVADBA and follow the film here:

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/svadbafilm/?hl=en

Official Website

https://svadbafilm.com

U ovoj solo epizodi Balkan Sis podcasta, Ivana spontano snima kratki životni update iz auta i dijeli svoje dojmove o novom balkanskom filmu SVADBA.

Priča o tome zašto joj je film privukao pažnju, o uzbuđenju oko balkanske kinematografije i koliko je snažno vidjeti naše priče, humor i kulturu na velikom platnu.

Ivana također dijeli mali osobni update i govori o nečemu s čime se mnogi od nas bore – samopouzdanje i odluka da napokon napravimo ono što stalno govorimo da ćemo napraviti.

Ova epizoda je podsjetnik da ne trebate savršen trenutak, savršene uvjete ili savršen plan. Ponekad je dovoljno samo skupiti hrabrost i krenuti.

U ovoj epizodi Ivana govori o:

• recenziji filma SVADBA

• balansiranju majčinstva, posla i kreativnosti

• izgradnji samopouzdanja i pokretanju stvari koje stalno odgađamo

• ulaganju u ženska prijateljstva

• izlascima, kavama, smijehu i uživanju u životu

• tome da ponekad trebamo počastiti same sebe

• odluci da se posvetimo sebi i svom rastu

Ponekad male odluke naprave najveće promjene.

Ako postoji nešto o čemu već dugo razmišljate… možda je ovo vaš znak da krenete.

Više o filmu SVADBA možete pronaći ovdje:

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/svadbafilm/?hl=en

Službena stranica

https://svadbafilm.com

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/balkansis

Podcast Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/balkansispodcast

Ivana je pokrenula privatnu WhatsApp zajednicu za Balkan žene i dijasporu gdje se dijele priče, iskustva, podrška i inspiracija.

Ako želiš biti dio zajednice, pošalji Ivani poruku na Instagramu za pozivnicu.

In this episode of Balkan Sis, I sit down with Karolina Drakovac psychologist, artist, mother, and former refugee for an honest and heartfelt conversation about identity, healing, motherhood, and navigating life between cultures.

Karolina and I connected through our shared Balkan roots, and this episode explores her journey from her upbringing and migration experience to building a life and career in the Netherlands. We talk about what shaped her path into psychology and art, and how lived experience continues to influence the work she does today.

Together we explore:

• Growing up Balkan and integrating into a new culture

• Identity, belonging, and cultural differences

• Relationships and raising children across cultures

• How childhood experiences and generational trauma influence parenting

• Motherhood, fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum realities

• The emotional load and guilt many mothers carry

• Balancing career, creativity, family, and personal wellbeing

• Insights from Karolina’s work as a psychologist

• Using art as expression, grounding, and healing

• Supporting mental health while maintaining boundaries

• Giving back through charity work supporting children in Bosnia

This conversation is reflective, vulnerable, and grounded in shared experience highlighting the resilience of women navigating multiple roles, identities, and responsibilities while staying connected to their roots.

Support Charity Bosnian Kids

https://charitybosniankids.org/

Karolina’s Art (Instagram)

https://www.instagram.com/karolina_draws_/

Karolina’s Psychology Practice

https://psychologiepraktijkdrakovac.nl/home-en

Podcast Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/balkansispodcast/

Ivana

https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso/

Thank you for listening, sharing, and supporting this growing global community.

Balkan Sis continues to bring stories of courage, resilience, identity, and connection from voices across the world.

In this week’s episode I share a heartfelt reflection on life lately. I talk about experiences with racism, belonging, and identity, and how these moments continue to shape me as a woman, mother, and storyteller.

I reflect on celebrating my 38th birthday, navigating farewells as my aunt returned home, and the reminder to seize the moment and stay present with the people we love. This episode is honest, grounding, and personal. It’s about growth, gratitude, and embracing each chapter as it unfolds.

A special thank you to this month’s sponsor Karolina Drakovac, whose support through Charity Bosnian Kids helps amplify stories that matter and supports children in need.

Learn more:

Karolina Drakovac

https://psychologiepraktijkdrakovac.nl/en/home-en/

Charity Bosnian Kids

https://charitybosniankids.org/

Listen to Balkan Sis

https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZSNzqbKrcyDepOmT7WmDH?si=t5vTiyLWRvqb3qOM6o-szg

Looking ahead, I’ll be creating more in-person and online events this year. My children’s book At Baba and Dido’s House is nearing completion and I’m so excited to share it with the world. There are many projects unfolding, and hopefully one day a Balkan Sis world tour connecting communities across the globe.

Thank you for listening and being part of this journey.

With love,

Ivana 🤍

In Part 2 of my conversation with Dunja, founder of Earth Magic Medicine, we move from story into embodiment.

This episode explores what healing actually looks like after survival. We talk about the body, the nervous system, ancestral roots, ritual, spirituality, and why so many women are being called back to their lineage and inner wisdom.

Dunja shares how Earth Magic Medicine came to life, how ancestral practices support modern women, and why grounding, breath, and ritual are essential tools in a world that constantly pulls us away from ourselves.

This conversation is about slowing down, remembering where we come from, and finding our way home to ourselves.

• What healing looks like beyond talk therapy

• How trauma lives in the body and nervous system

• Why grounding and breathwork are so powerful

• Ancestral wisdom passed down through women

• Rituals and practices that support daily life

• Spirituality, religion, and why healing work is often misunderstood

• How reconnecting with roots supports identity and belonging

• The importance of village, family, and collective support

• Why evolving our consciousness matters now more than ever

• How Dunja supports women through Earth Magic Medicine

Between Part 1 and Part 2, Dunja offers a bonus meditation titled:

Bonus Meditation: Ancestral Roots & Grounding

A gentle grounding practice shared as a gift to support integration, regulation, and reconnection with your ancestral roots.

Dunja is a healer, breathwork and meditation guide, and the founder of Earth Magic Medicine. Her work supports women through:

• One-on-one sessions online and in person

• Group healing spaces and women’s circles

• Breathwork and meditation journeys

• Retreats in Byron Bay and Bali

• Hosting The Magic of Your Lineage podcast

Her work is rooted in embodiment, ancestral wisdom, and creating safe spaces for deep healing.

🌿 Website

https://www.earthmagicmedicine.com.au

🌿 All offerings and links

https://linktr.ee/earth_magic_medicine

🌿 Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/earthmagicmedicine

🌿 Podcast

The Magic of Your Lineage

📍 Instagram — Balkan Sis Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/balkansis

📍 Instagram — Ivana Strbac Alfonso

https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

📍 TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@ivanastrbacalfonso

📍 Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

📍 YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@ivanastrbacalfonso

This bonus meditation is a gentle grounding journey guided by Dunja of Earth Magic Medicine, offered as a gift to the Balkan Sis community.

In this practice, you are invited to slow down, settle into your body, and reconnect with your ancestral roots. Through breath, presence, and stillness, this meditation supports your nervous system and reminds you that you are held, supported, and never alone.

You do not need to know your family history or have all the answers. Simply allow yourself to feel the strength, wisdom, and safety that live within you, passed down through generations.

This meditation is best listened to when you have a few quiet moments to yourself. You can return to it whenever you feel ungrounded, overwhelmed, or in need of connection.

A moment to come home to yourself.

A reminder of where you come from.

A space to simply be.

Website

https://www.earthmagicmedicine.com.au

All Links & Offerings (Linktree)

https://linktr.ee/earth_magic_medicine

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/earthmagicmedicine

Instagram — Balkan Sis Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/balkansis

Instagram — Ivana Strbac Alfonso

https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

TikTok — Ivana Strbac Alfonso

https://www.tiktok.com/@ivanastrbacalfonso

Facebook — Ivana Strbac Alfonso

https://www.facebook.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

YouTube — Ivana Strbac Alfonso

https://www.youtube.com/@ivanastrbacalfonso

Connect with Dunja

🌿 Website: https://www.earthmagicmedicine.com.au

🌿 All offerings: https://linktr.ee/earth_magic_medicine

🌿 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthmagicmedicine

Connect with Balkan Sis & Ivana

📍 Instagram – Balkan Sis Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/balkansis

📍 Instagram – Ivana: https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

📍 TikTok – Ivana: https://www.tiktok.com/@ivanastrbacalfonso

📍 Facebook – Ivana: https://www.facebook.com/ivanastrbacalfonso

📍 YouTube – Ivana: https://www.youtube.com/@ivanastrbacalfonso

In this deeply personal and grounding episode of Balkan Sis Podcast, I sit down with Dunja, founder of Earth Magic Medicine, to explore lineage, loss, identity, motherhood, and what it truly means to become ourselves after everything we’ve lived through.

Born in Sisak then moving to Vukovar and shaped by displacement, migration, and survival, Dunja shares her story from early childhood through life as a refugee, adapting to Australia, becoming a mother, navigating grief, and ultimately finding her calling in healing and ancestral work.

This conversation is honest, reflective, and deeply human. We talk about trauma held in the body, the wisdom passed down through women, reconnecting with roots, and why so many of us feel called back to lineage and ritual later in life.

This episode is also dedicated in loving memory of Emilia, Dunja’s daughter, whose life was cut short after only a few weeks. Her presence and spirit are gently honoured throughout this conversation.

• Dunja’s early life and childhood

• Growing up with displacement and migration

• Adapting to life in Australia and identity shifts

• Marriage, motherhood, and what resurfaces after birth

• Loss, grief, and transformation

• The birth of Earth Magic Medicine

• Ancestral wisdom passed through women

• Lineage, ritual, and cultural remembrance

• Healing the nervous system through breath and embodiment

• Why this work is often misunderstood

• The importance of village, family, and community

• What healing actually looks like in real life

This episode includes a bonus healing meditation for your soul, lovingly shared by Dunja as a gift to the Balkan Sis community.

A gentle space to ground, breathe, and reconnect with yourself.

Dunja is a healer, breathwork and meditation guide, and the founder of Earth Magic Medicine. Her work supports women through:

• One-on-one sessions (online worldwide and in person)

• Group healing spaces and women’s circles

• Breathwork and meditation journeys

• Retreats in Byron Bay and Bali

• Hosting The Magic of Your Lineage podcast

Her work is rooted in ancestral wisdom, embodiment, and creating safe spaces for deep healing.

🌿 Website

https://www.earthmagicmedicine.com.au

🌿 All links and offerings

https://linktr.ee/earth_magic_medicine

🌿 Podcast

The Magic of Your Lineage

📍 Instagram

@balkansispodcast

📍 TikTok

@ivanastrbacalfonso

📍 Facebook

Ivana Strbac Alfonso

📍 YouTube

Ivana Strbac Alfonso

Thank you, Dunja, for your openness, your story, and the way you hold space.

And thank you to our listeners for being here, listening with open hearts, and walking this journey with us.

Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.

In this final episode of 2025, I sit alone at the mic and reflect on a year that asked more of me than I ever imagined.

I talk openly about burnout and healing, motherhood, culture and tradition, and what the festive season looks like when life has reshaped you. I share how living alongside the effects of cancer within our family changed our priorities, tested our strength, and forced us to slow down, reassess, and choose what truly matters. I also reflect on surviving a cyclone this year another reminder of how quickly life can shift and how resilience is built in moments we don’t choose.

This episode is also about roots and community: why preserving culture, honouring tradition, and backing independent artists and creators is more important than ever. I speak about forging a community that didn’t exist yet, navigating judgment, staying persistent with dreams and aspirations, and continuing anyway quietly, bravely, imperfectly.

I reflect on powerful stories that stayed with me this year, including a recommended documentary about a two-time genocide survivor, and I share personal moments like preparing to welcome my aunt from Germany in 2026 for the very first time an arrival that feels symbolic of fresh energy, reconnection, and new beginnings.

As we close out 2025, I offer gratitude for the collaborations, conversations, and community that made this year meaningful, and I consciously welcome 2026 with hope, openness, and renewed intention.

<3 Ivana :)

Part 2 of my conversation with filmmaker and photographer Harun Mehmedinović, we move beyond survival and into responsibility. This episode focuses on memory, truth and what is asked of us once we know what has happened.

Harun and I speak about the ongoing impact of genocide denial, the erasure of historical sites in Bosnia, and why language matters when telling the truth about violence. We explore how denial becomes an extension of the crime itself and why remembering is not passive, but an active moral responsibility.

We also talk about Harun’s upcoming documentary The Acts of Reburial, why this project must be made now, and what it means to return to places that others are trying to erase. Harun shares what he sees happening inside Bosnia today, what he observes in the diaspora, and why silence and softened language are so dangerous.

This conversation also opens into questions of forgiveness, activism, creativity and the role of the artist as a witness. We discuss how people living far from Bosnia can still be meaningfully involved, how memory lives in the body and the culture, and what future generations deserve to inherit from us.

This episode is about truth, accountability and the cost of looking away.

What memory demands once survival is no longer the question

Genocide denial and the erasure of historical sites

Why language matters when naming violence

The responsibility of witnessing and documenting truth

Harun’s upcoming film The Acts of Reburial

How denial retraumatizes survivors and communities

The role of the artist as an activist

Forgiveness, justice and personal boundaries

What is happening inside Bosnia today

What Harun sees within the diaspora

How people outside the region can take meaningful action

What future generations deserve to inherit

Harun Mehmedinović is a Bosnian filmmaker, photographer and survivor of the Siege of Sarajevo. His work has appeared in National Geographic, TIME and BBC, and he has collaborated with artists including The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Paul Simon and John Mayer. He is the creator of the SKYGLOW project and the director of the upcoming documentary The Acts of Reburial. Harun is also the co-producer and cinematographer of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Ice on Fire.

Website and portfolio

https://www.bloodhoney.com

SKYGLOW project

https://www.bloodhoney.com/skyglow-project

The Acts of Reburial

https://theactsofreburial.com

IMDb

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1175698

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harun_Mehmedinović

I’m Ivana Alfonso, host of the Balkan Sis Podcast, where I hold space for conversations about identity, culture, memory, creativity and the lived experiences of the Balkan diaspora. Through this podcast, I explore what it means to honour where we come from while living fully and truthfully in the present.

Podcast

Balkan Sis Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/balkansispodcast

My Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso