BOTA | World Views & Culture

intro

Emina is originally from Bosnia. Her parents moved to the USA a few years before she was born due to conflicts during the Yugoslavian war in the mid 90s. Her parents drove from Seattle, Washington to Atlanta, Georgia. She was born in '96 and grew up in the US. Her family kept many Bosnian traditions alive and Bosnian was her first language. She found a balance of expressing her Bosnian heritage and living that American lifestyle.

She graduated with a degree in Marketing from Kennasaw State University. Here she took an entrepreneurship class. Where she had a build a business and pitch it to angel investors. During this project she discovered that letters and stories have such a deep importance. She noticed that she could find any sweatshirts, tees that had her hometown city on it. She started making shirts with Bosnian city coordinates. She graduated university and started her business "Balkan Bred" at the young age of 21. She has been building her brand and business since then.

2.5  years later she was able to quit her 9-5 and fully commit to her thriving online business. Not only does she sell Balkan city coordinate shirts, mugs, products with Balkan sayings, she also shares a story.

She has a blog called "Meet the Diaspora" that showcases people who have accomplished so many great things who are from the Balkans. She also has a podcast and vlogs on youtube.

We get into what it means to be an entrepreneur, how to build a brand, social media, marketing, and ways to be your authentic self when being a boss.

Follow Emina:
Instagram: @balkanbred
Website: http://balkanbred.com/insta-links/


Time Stamps:
9:00 Majoring in Marketing and Graduating from University and how she got the idea for building her business
15:30 Building her online business "Balkan Bred"
23:00 Online business
29:00 Social media & branding
38:40: Day in the life of an entrepreneur
54:10: Future goals

Follow BOTA:

Instagram @botapodcast

#entrepreneur #balkans #bosnia #albania #culture #diaspora 

Today's episode I sit down with Arbër admin for an instagram page called "Balkanism__".

He is a history major and has a passion for the Balkan region. He is originally from Kosova, living in the United Kingdom. He expresses the complexity of this region and how he wanted to show that there can be a place for people to come together respectively to learn about each other, and show the positive sides of the region, but also the real issues that sometimes arises in such a vast and complex place.

He shares beautiful historical images of traditional clothing, foods, people, and also stories of people that have had traumatic experiences in war, or have been abused or experience with being a refugee or immigrant.

We get into our own perceptions and experiences and how culture and society can become so complex.

FOLLOW Balkanism on instagram @balkanism__

LEAVE a 5-star Review on Apple Podcast

BOTA instagram @botapodcast

Sania's Brow Bar opened in 2004 and took the beauty world by storm with the full, luscious, thick eyebrows.

Sania is a mom of four, a wife, and an entrepreneur who  built a loyal & loving clientele & landed celebrity clients. She is humble, a hard worker, and her motto is allowing your natural beauty to shine. She is a master at her craft and now she is teaching her two daughter and niece the tricks of the trade & building a legacy. She is an inspiration, and offers so much advice and insight during this episode. 

You can find her salon in Chelsea, Downtown Manhattan, NYC, and at the new location in Scarsdale New York.

Connect with Sania:
Instagram @saniasbrowbar
Website: https://www.saniasbrowbar.com/

I am obsessed with her eyebrow pencil! You can find it here https://www.saniasbrowbar.com/collections/all

LEAVE a 5-STAR REVIEW on APPLE PODCAST

Follow BOTA
@botapodcast

Klodjana was born in a small city of Kuçovë, Albania. When she was 12 years old her parents moved to Canada. From there they ended up moving to different cities in a short span of time, only staying in the city for a few  years at a time. This was a difficult time as she was in a stage of life where she was figuring things out as a teenager. Since she was the eldest of three, her parents looked to her for help with translating and she had many responsibilities. She feels this made her grow quicker and every time she would get to know a group of friends she had to move again.

Klodjana and her family now live in Toronto, Canada. She has a big family there, but was never really around a huge Albanian community since living in Canada until recently. Even so, she struggled and missed being back home many times. During her teenage years she was overcome by pressures from society and culture, and comments about how she looked. Which led to an eating disorder. When 2020 COVID hit, she realized she really needed to make a change in her life, and began healing.

At the young age of 22, she took a leap to start her own business during the pandemic of 2020. She set out to built a business with her business partner Caroll. They both had a passion to promote positive body image, and make women feel beautiful in their own skin.

This was the start of NKD SWIM! They developed the designs themselves, and made a pledge to source their product ethically. Their swimsuits are made in Brazil by an all women team who are paid fair wages, and the material is made on non-toxic sustainable material.

She models many of the swimwear, and her swimsuits are seen on so many beautiful women, all unique in their own way. It is so refreshing to see such a brand that is both body positive and ethical.

She is such a sweetheart, and has so much more in the works, and I cannot wait to see where life takes this strong, beautiful, and inspiration woman.

The NKD SWIM NEW Collection is dropping May 19th, 2021.

You can shop their original and new collection here: https://www.nkdswim.ca/

FOLLOW: @nkdswimco

Remember to Subscribe to the podcast, leave 5 stars on Apple itunes Podcast, and a review to get us on the top charts.

FOLLOW on Instagram @botapodast and @botanetwork 

Ledi Vokshi's family is originally from Kosova. Her family moved to Albania and her parents where born in Durres, Albania, where she was also born. She came to New York as a young kid with her family.

She became a trained opera singer and that was her passion. One day she got an opportunity to sing on a track of a famous Albanian hip hop artist. She took the chance and sang on this track. A year later, to her surprise visiting Albania she heard her song on  the radio and it was a huge hit. She left her opera career and began singing in Albanian and creating music in Albanian. She went on to performing and singing for Albanians in so many places around the world, all the way to Australia. Performing, creating music and music videos.

But the traveling back and forth was becoming more difficult, and she would take breaks from performing. She loved this passion but felt it was time to focus on being in New York. She went back to school for marketing and business, and built a business with her husband called Voltekit. She loves building business, working, creating, learning, finding solutions, and sharing her knowledge so others can learn and build.

She has two handsome boys, and being a mom is so important to her. But she also loves to work. So she found a way to have her career and still have time to see her kids grow. She found a way to balance mom life and work life, by working from home. Her balance skills are pretty impressive.

She became known as a momtrepreneur! Now she has made it her job to help other moms build their businesses. She launched her Business Coaching Program and is ready to help moms find solutions, and build their dream careers, "without missing playtime".

She also founded an organization called Big Open Hearts. A non-profit to help sexually abused children in Albania find healing, to help them get our their situations, to find solace, and build their lives again. Donate or connect with this organization to help! https://bigopenhearts.org/

Connect with Ledi Vokshi:
Instagram @ledivokshi
Website: https://ledivokshi.com/
Big Open Hearts: https://bigopenhearts.org/ instagram @bigopenhearts_

Connect with BOTA
@botapodcast

Time Stamps:
Intro: Get to know Ledi

6:00 minute: music career

19:00: Different work ethics

25:00: Mom life

30:00: Routines 

36:00: Launching her Business Coach Program

40:00: What to expect in Coaching Program

46:48: Tips for organization for home life and work life 

51.41: Big Open Hearts Organization

1:04:08: What is a super momma

Follow us on instagram

Leave a 5 star rating on Apple Podcast
Subscribe to the Podcast Channels 

Armando moved from Albania to Italy with his family as three year old. He grew up there and speaks fluent Italian, and learned to love many different languages. A passion for languages. He speaks Italian, French, Albanian, and English.

His other passion is Martial Arts. So instead of pursuing soccer like all the other kids in Italy, he practiced jujitsu in his early teens. After taking a break and coming back to it after 16, he realized he wanted to learn about all kinds of fighting techniques.

He went to learn various martial arts and became an amateur MMA fighter. He knew that he could not get far with this in Italy and decided to take the chance and moved to New York, USA. He lives in the Bronx, NY and trains at areantrainingcenterny.

We talk about his life in Italy, his nutrition and training regimen, his disciple, family and culture, and shows us the true strength it takes to be a fighter.

He steps out for the first time as a PRO Fighter with his fight on Saturday March 27th 2021 in Tampa Florida. He and 3 other Albanian fighters will be represented that day and it is very special.

The fight will be available on PPV https://shoptritonfights.com/products/triton-fights-18-ppv?variant=33485468041302

Follow Armando @_armandogjetja_

Time Stamps:
Intro and living in Italy
14:50: Getting into Martial Arts
18:41: All about discipline
19:30: Training and a day in the life of a MMA fighter
30:00: Injuries & Recovery
33.50: Building a strong mindset
42:22: Priorities in career and life
44:25: Personal story and understanding the process
46:29: Training Academy/Coaches/Mentors
51:16: Upcoming Fight
53:40: Advice
60:00: Family and pursuing your dreams

Alma has learned that through her life she dealt with trauma and found a way to heal, and to help others heal became a passion her her. She displays poise and insight on her life and how people and events (such as communism) effected the ones around her. Not only her own family but so many people and families all over Albania.

We discuss mindfulness, awareness, minimalism, struggles Albanians face with mental health, the progression of self, finding confidence, and ways to find healing.

Follow Alma @notethenow and https://www.instagram.com/montesorrineshtepi/

Todays episode I sit down with the co-founder of Balkan Bites, Ariana Malushi. She was born in the US and her dad is from Kosovo and her mom from Croatia. She always had a love for balkan food, and enjoyed traveling.

On one of her ventures she discovered that she wanted to learn how to cook some traditional family foods. She would meet with her grandma and Aunt Alida and talk about food, cook with them, and started writing down recipes. After her grandma passed, she spent even more time with her aunt Alida. One day making burek they had the idea to make burek for others. They started cooking out of their home kitchen for family and friends, and received such positive feedback. They took the plunge and created BalkanBites, homemade burek.

With the expertise of Alida, a trained pastry chef, they created a wholesome, homemade burek with great fillings for wholesale. The pandemic halted them for a while but they were innovative and decided they would sell their product freshly frozen to people all over the county. Now you can get your very own taste of the Balkans anytime. Order online to get yours today!

Listen to their full story and be inspired.

You can buy their burek online at https://balkanbites.co/ and visit their instagram page @balkanbitesnyc

Follow BOTA:
@botapodcast

Comedian Leonarda Jonie, also known by her instagram handle, @leonardaisfunny, or even better as the hilarious and totally familiar "Albanian Mom" is our leading act on our newest episode on Bota Podcast.

She's way more than what is portrayed on her social media and comedy shows. Through learning about her up-bringing, struggles with being raised with two cultures, and triumphs of overcoming childhood traumas, we realize she is just like us. 

We get in depth with Leonarda to learn what drives her, how she gathers material, how she got popular and how she landed a live TV  interview on @Topchannel Albania.

Tune in and listen. This episode will be great for the whole family to hear and reflect on.