Irina Scarlat

Hi, I am Irina

Builder, entrepreneur at heart, product marketer, passionate learner, avid reader, curious traveller, annoying wife & mom.

Irina Scarlat Articles.

Year in Review

My year in review. 5 lessons learnt & 3 goals for 2022

IrinaLifestyle, People

Every new year is commonly perceived as a new beginning. However, the only thing that changes is the calendar year. Not me or you. While it would be great to be able to reset every once in a while, truth is change is a process and it doesn’t happen overnight. So no, you’ll not be happier, healthier, thinner or richer starting Jan 1st. Or any other day for that matter. We’re pretty much the same as we’ve been the day before.

That being said, I think NYE is a good opportunity to take an introspective look, look back with a learning mindset and look forward with optimism and determination. And I don’t think resolutions are bad in themselves. Quite on the contrary, they are very similar with business goals & KPIs: only useful if they’re set in a SMART way, as your North Star, this time at a personal level.

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Bitpanda

Bitpanda: New Beginnings

IrinaMarketing, Tech

Over the past 4 months, I’ve been spending time with my family. I’ve travelled quite a lot, read plenty of good books and took better care of myself. Looking back now, the decision to take a break was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. It’s incredible how much clarity a break can give you. I’ve learnt so many things (that I’ll share with you in a subsequent post).

Back in March I was writing that I’ll consider my sabbatical a success if I manage to stay away from work for 3 months. 4 months later, I’m very grateful for having done it. However, this is the longest I’ve been off since the summer holidays back in school. It was about time to get back to business.

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Unsolicited advice

Unsolicited Advice: the Good, the Bad & the Ugly

IrinaLifestyle

Unsolicited advice has been with us since forever, but has become even more bothering with the rise of the Internet and social networks. Welcome to the internet, where everyone has an opinion about everything. Particularly about how you should live your life, raise your children, build your business, make life-altering choices. You name the topic, they have the solution because they know better than you, don’t they?

When I became a mother I unintentionally stepped into the world of unsolicited advice, where everyone knows how to raise your child better than you do. Truth is I’ve been living in this world before being a mom, but it didn’t affect me as much. In fact, it didn’t affect me at all in recent years. That’s because I’ve become indifferent to what other people say (or think, for that matter) and I’ve built the self-confidence I need to make informed decisions and live with their consequences, good or bad, afterwards.

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Revolut 1M Anniversary Dinner

Revolut: The End & New Beginnings

IrinaPeople, Tech

I’ve been silent for a while now. That’s because the past month has been a whirlwind, a rollercoaster of work & emotions. My Revolut journey is coming to its end after 3 intense years. Yes, yes, you’ve read that sentence right. While this might come as a surprise for some of you, I am confident this is the best way forward. While it’s been a hard decision to take, it’s not one that I’ve taken lightly. But let’s start with the beginning.

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stress management

Stress Management Tactics to Help You Build Emotional Resilience

IrinaLifestyle, People

Stress. Anxiety. Sleep issues. Burnout. Addiction. Most of us have experienced at least some of these over the past year, with varying degrees of intensity. The COVID-19 crisis has put a strain on mental health, making professionals wonder whether another pandemic will follow. A mental health one.

Still, some of us have managed these uncertain times better than others. And while we can argue that they have simply been luckier, we can all aim to be more self-aware and model our behaviour to build emotional resilience and manage stress more effectively.

I’ve decided to write this article following a conversation I’ve recently had with my friends, who were eager to understand how come I have so much peace of mind when faced with adverse circumstances, when the entire world seems to be turned upside down with no “back to normal” in sight.

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© Irina Scarlat

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