This woman is special. Ana does some really powerful and unique work. I had the pleasure of doing a session with her and it was one of the most powerful experiences I've ever had with a coach/healer. In this episode, she shares her unconventional story on how she came to this powerful work.

Topics Discussed:

Find her on instagram: @traumacoach_ana

If you're a young Albanian woman looking for some inspiration to do what's best for you (even if that means disappointing others) then this episode with Alisha Coku is the one for you. It's real. It's relatable. It's inspiring. She actually reached out to me to share her story, so I'm sure there will be many of you out there that it will speak to.

Topics Discussed:

I walked away feeling really inspired after this call, you guys, and I know you will too. Dita, the host of the podcast, Vajza and Gra, shares her journey with the podcast and her personal growth along with it. It's deep. It's real. It's vulnerable. And I know many of you listening will relate.

Topics discussed:

- Why she took a break from the Vajza & Gra
- What inspired her to start Vajza & Gra
- The positive and negative responses she received
- The struggle of growing up in “2 different realms” (Albanian and American)
- Healing resentment towards the culture
- Overcoming the fear of being vulnerable (publicly)
- Her experience with activism in the Albanian community

Find her on instagram here: @vajzaandgra
Find her on TikTok here: vajzaandgra

If you enjoy the episode, please take some time to show some love for the show with a like and subscribe. Your support means the world 💙

Find me on instagram: @kristinanikolaj

My website: www.kristinanikolaj.com

I really love this episode. I speak with Ariana Metalia, a first generation Albanian American therapist, on ways the Albanian community has evolved and ways it still has room for growth. This episode is really relatable and educational, so I know you'll love it as much as I do. 

Topics Discussed:

- Her journey to becoming a therapist
- Getting married young in Albanian community
- Grappling between Albanian and American identities
- The Gen Z (2nd generation) experience
- Forgiving/understanding our parents
- The importance of doing the work as a parent

Find Ariana on instagram: @therapywithariana

Find me on instagram: @kristinanikolaj

My website: www.kristinanikolaj.com

In this episode I chat with Nika Veseli, singer/songwriter/producer and overall go-getter. When she says she's going to do something, she does it, including moving out of her strict Albanian household to start living life on her own terms.

Topics discussed:

- Singing in Central Park
- Meeting the love of her life
- Having a strict Albanian father
- Rebelling and moving out of her house
- Learning to live life on her own terms
- How therapy changed her life
- Following her dreams in the music industry

Find her on instagram: @nikaveselimusic

Find me on instagram: @kristinanikolaj

My website: www.kristinanikolaj.com

In this episode I chat with my first and only Albanian therapist, Mediha Gega on some of the struggles of growing up as a first gen Albanian American woman. This is something I personally needed to hear, so if you're also a first generation Albanian American woman, I know it will be for you too.

Topics Discussed:

- Grappling with differences between American and Albanian identities
- Understanding your place in your family and how it's molded who you are
- Upholding the "good girl" image
- Competition amongst women in our culture
- Feeling responsible for our parent's emotions
- Enmeshment in Albanian families 


Find her on instagram: @medihagegatherapy

Find me on instagram: @kristinanikolaj

My website: www.kristinanikolaj.com

Trigger Warning: Sexual assault is mentioned in this episode.

This episode is really powerful. Especially for women who've felt disempowered in any way and are looking for ways to take their power back. Gonxhe shares her experience taking her power back after SA through fitness and martial arts.

Topics discussed:

- Getting the courage to share her story on tiktok
- Growing up with strict parents
- Low self-esteem and being overweight to self-improvement
- Finding a safe martial arts gym environments
- Falling in love with jiu jitsu
- The benefits of women learning self-defense

Find her on instagram: @91cookie_monster

Find her on tiktok: @sweetassassin26

Find me on instagram: @kristinanikolaj

My website: www.kristinanikolaj.com

I LOVE love. I especially love hearing women share their stories of how unhealthy relationships  taught them their  worth and led them to finding healthy love. That's what this episode with Danie is all about. How she went from 2 "failed" engagements, having to cancel a wedding 3 months beforehand to finding the love of her life, getting married and getting pregnant with their first child AKA living her dream life.

Topics discussed:
- Her experience  with unhealthy relationships
- The need to be the hero of fixer in relationships
- Realizing her worth because of those experiences
- Her experience canceling the wedding
- Meeting Matthew and never settling in love

Find her on instagram: @danie_alexa_

Find me on instagram: @kristinanikolaj

My website: www.kristinanikolaj.com

First episode of the new season is here! As a jiu jitsu practitioner, I'm excited to start sharing the benefits of martial arts for our mental health! This episode with Laura, the first Albanian female MMA fighter (that I know of), is heavily focused on how her journey with MMA has led her on a path of healing and growth mentally, emotionally and physically. You don't have to be a martial artist to gain insight and helpful takeaways from this episode. 

Topics discussed:

- How martial arts can make you less violent

- Gaining confidence from learning self defense

- Learning to rest and let ourselves heal

- Breathwork (duh)

- Learning from losses and mistakes

Find Laura on instagram: @trxhilm

Find me on instagram: @kristinanikolaj

My website: www.kristinanikolaj.com

Ahhh food. What a subject haha. This episode with Leonita, registered dietician and food balance advocate, is all about finding your own rhythm and balance with food. With so many contradicting messages about food in the world, Nita provides some relief in explaining her story creating a healthy relationship with food for herself and her clients.

Topics discussed:
- Finding your own truth
- Her struggles with body image
- Unhealthy messages in the food industry
- Understanding your relationship with food
- Her Hashimoto's diagnosis after pregnancy

Find Nita on instagram: @nitanutrition

Find me on instagram: @kristinanikolaj
Podcast instagram: @talkhealingtome
My website: www.kristinanikolaj.com

Find me on instagram: @kristinanikolaj

My website: www.kristinanikolaj.com