Welcome back to the show my fellow extraordinary Americans, for today’s guests, we have Irina. 

Irina was among the most vibrant contestants on the renowned reality TV show Ex Factor. Her vibrant energy and exceptional talent captivated audiences as a standout contestant on Sharon Osbourne’s team, leaving a lasting impression on all The X Factor judges, including the famously hard-to-please Simon Cowell; as a creative producer, Irina has cultivated strong relationships with top cultural organizations, corporate brands, and record labels worldwide. Her expertise and connections led her to the prestigious position of Vice President of Global Music Development at Dialogue, the leading social network in the entertainment industry. 

Her passion for innovation and technology drives Irena to venture into entrepreneurship and establish her own business. Currently, she focuses on creating a community that empowers women from diverse backgrounds, helping them navigate the US market and amplifying their visibility. Her personal experience as an immigrant from Russia and a woman in a male-dominated industry Fuels her dedication to breaking down barriers and inspiring others to pursue their dreams fearlessly. In addition to her accomplishments, Irena has been invited to speak at world-leading innovation forums, including the Web 3 Expo, where she shares her expertise on the future of technology and its impact on the entertainment industry. 

She also takes the stage at empowering events such as Women Gone Wild. And she talks. Using her platform to inspire and motivate women to lead and empower themselves, Irina and her story have been featured in Voyage LA Magazine. She is what I would call an extraordinary American, and I’m honored to have her on the show. Irina. Are you there?

Yes, I’m so happy to be here with you, Cosmos. And thank you for inviting me. I appreciate it.

I am so honored to have you on the show, and there are so many questions I wanted to ask, but first, I wanted to know, like, I know that you’re a singer. You’re an artist. You are an entrepreneur, and you’ve been on the reality TV show X Factor. Can you tell me and the audience more about yourself, your background, your story, and how you got started?

Sure. So, I have been on a stage since the age of three, which has become my sacred place and the safest place on Earth. I stuttered a lot in my childhood, and I stopped only when I was on stage. And I felt like I was doing some, you know, magical things. And I have the superpower that stage brings to you. So, it was my core mission to help people realize that they have a superpower and can discover this true superpower insight. I especially assisted them in discovering it by using their voice to express themselves and convey meanings. Their ideas and business projects are all about coming from that artistic background, my creative background, and mixing it up with my business essence. It allows me to help people unleash their potential, which we do in the women’s community I created.

That’s amazing, especially that you went to sing on stage because I know many people who fear audiences and they’ll freeze. But Before I go deep into that, I wanted to ask. So I know you came from Russia to London, and then from London to America. Can you tell me and the audience more about how God went from one place to another and ended up in America?

Yeah. So, I was very goal-oriented all my life, and I have always wanted to work with top professionals in the industry, and it is really hard. There are many talented people in Russia, but that wasn’t enough for me. I have always dreamed about going global level. And going global, especially with the political situation in Russia, it’s really hard, and I decided that I needed to get the best education that was possible and to have the experience to have, you know, like vocal lessons and workshops and also some collaborations with the best musicians. It’s, like, hard to say it’s. It is even hard to imagine some top-quality business professionals coming to Russia. 

So, instead of waiting for them in my native country, I decided to earn money and go to London. And to study at the best music institutes there to gain education, have access to multiple connections, and learn from them. And I’m coming from a poor family, and I had to work from age 15 to get to where you know. What I want in life is to be able to actually buy tickets, buy the education, and pay for the education in London. 

So, I worked hard for about a year. I saved some money, and yeah, I got a UK visa, which was hard to get because I was in Russia, and then I went to London, where I applied to a university focused on the music business and the music industry. 

So I got into it. I start by meeting people. I started gathering new connections, and the music professionals’ culture and level blew me away. I also met some really good people in the business industry, and suddenly, I realized that all my money was gone. Because living in London is sort of expensive, and I was crazy about attending as many business and vocal workshops as possible. 

So, I spent all my money on that. OK, I need to find a job when you have no friends. No relatives. There are no connections at all. It’s hard. But I found an amazing job at a Soho club called Bago Nails, a famous club in London where Jimi Hendrix performed. It was his first performance in London. Paul McCartney met his wife, so it’s like a historical heritage place. 

I worked for a family office and started my business journey there. I was connecting people; I also worked in the client relations industry, organizing private events for top business professionals in London. 

And I was also studying at the institutes, getting my vocal music degree. And so, yeah, one day. Some scouts from The X Factor show came to the institute, and I wondered, why not? I want to try to, you know, get through this audition for The X Factor. I was like, this is not going to be possible for me. I’m an immigrant. There was never a Russian contestant like that in the history of X Factor.

And I was like, I want to just, you know, get this experience and have it. One and gain some valuable knowledge on how people do these auditions. Do this, do these castings, and maybe I will learn from it. This could be an amazing learning experience for me, so that was a really funny story because when I got to the first audition, the room was full of people, like talented musicians and students I studied with. 

But they were all sitting with the guitar or another musical instrument, and I was like, I’m so different from them. I’m that girl wearing heels in a red dress with long hair. And I was like, I won’t fit into this field. No, they’re so different from me. They’re all like males and girls playing guitar and singing, such as covers or whatever it is. But it turned out that I was the only one from the whole university who completed the second step. There, everyone was so shocked. They were like, who are you? 

You came to London two months ago and passed all these steps to go to The X Factor. This is something extraordinary. And I was shocked as well. But then I realized that my diversity is my power. So, the way that I look, I look different from others. This is also my uniqueness and something that I can tell you—value and something that differentiates me from the others.

Like what you did, your entire way of thinking is very interesting. Normally, when people think they are different, they’re like, oh, no, what can I do to fit in? You utilize that to your advantage, putting you through the finish line. 

It comes down to the way of thinking, and that’s sort of in extra America. Whenever I interview people, it’s all about their different mindsets and how they look at the world. It’s hard for most people to do because you like how you went about and went to X Factor and all these other places. And one of the things I wanted to ask you is that you have this really strong drive and a lot of high energy and strong drive, and you’re focused. 

So what was the motivating factor and drive that made you go through all of this, even though it’s hard for most people to do that?

I remember one valuable insight I got in Pensacola at the bellwether meeting when Dan spoke. He said the biggest motivation is when you have to do something, which was my case.

 So like. I didn’t want to return to Russia, so I needed to do everything in my power and beyond to be on that show because that would be a huge break and breakthrough for me. No one else did that, which drives me up the wall: when I was making history and was the first ever Russian-speaking contestant on The X Factor. I passed the audition of 200,000 people to secure the spot. I mean, this is so inspiring. This was so inspiring. Once I realized my uniqueness, this was my unfair advantage. This is my unique selling proposition. I was thinking about that in terms of marketing strategy. 

So, getting into a show as big as X Factor in London Is all about marketing yourself and thinking about that from a different perspective. I do have an amazing voice, so I have an amazing stage presence. But how do you present yourself, like in business? What is your unique selling proposition? And I realized, like you said, that I have this much drive and energy. And I have my uniqueness, so I picked a Song that fully described all my energy, and I was like, this is like 100%, I can express everything I have inside. 

So I was singing Tina Turner simply the best, and I was like, yeah, I need to come up with this image of a very vibrant Russian girl who knows what she wants and expressing this character in the show would be something they didn’t have before. So I was thinking about it business-wise, and this is how I do everything. I always think, OK, so I must make it as unique as possible.

So, you know, when I was, I liked looking at your story in your clip for The X Factor thing. I noticed that you went inside your inner identity and found something within you, and then you said that. This is something that everybody can do. Everybody has it, but like most people, they never go within themselves and find out what makes them unique or different and then express it outside. They clamp down in fear. 

So what advice would you have for somebody afraid to express their unique self to the world and utilize it to their full advantage?

Yeah, this is a Very good question, and I’m not just going to give you advice. I’m going to tell you that I’m already doing it. So, this is my mission. I aim to help people unleash their full potential and express it to this world using their voices. 

I’m the founder of a women’s community called Anima. Anima In Italian, it means soul; it is that part of your soul that it covers. Have every single uniqueness you have, and our core mission is to give women a platform for visibility and self-expression. Hence, they can first find their potential and express it to this world in a very inspiring and safe environment. 

So, my answer to your question is that you need to find a community where your voice is valued and no one will tell you. “Oh, you’re crazy” because you have this idea. “Oh, it’s not going to happen to you this way.” “It is not possible”. Now, people are judging other people because of their misconceptions and fears. And what is helpful is finding an environment where you can feel like everything is possible for you.

It wasn’t possible in Russia because I felt surrounded by people who are always negative. They’re always judging and telling. There is always tunnel vision and all with boundaries, and maybe for other people, it is OK, and maybe they found that this atmosphere is something else for them. But for me, it was very depressing. It was limiting my beliefs in what I could achieve, so once I got there, I got out of my country and went to London, and then I went to the United States and experienced that this is the land of opportunity. This is the land of many, many opportunities. And even if one day you feel like everything is so bad, and you cannot do anything, you know you’re in a bad mood. The other day, you brought so many. Is that you? You know that you can’t even imagine. 

Yes, the best advice, I think, is to find the environment, the people, and the society that will inspire you, help you grow, and give you that safety platform to do that.

Irena, one of the things that I noticed is that I know Russia is very conservative, like a patriarchal society. And then, like, you are yourself. Like a very strong woman, you found an environment in America where they give women a lot of opportunities and all of that. What would you advise a woman in a very conservative and male-dominated country who wants to succeed in business? How would you advise them to fight against the odds and succeed in a business, whether in their own country or by going abroad to a place like America?

This is also a great question. 

So I would say that it’s all about focusing and concentrating on what you want to get, not what others say to you, and just minding that this is such a huge world with so many countries and possibilities. In industries, you just need to focus on yourself and your needs first and then follow this slide. The breakthrough point was when I asked myself how to be valuable to this world. And I realize that, yes, I am a good performer. I can sing well and on stage, but this is not enough. This is not enough for me. I want to bring more value to this world. I want to help people express themselves. Maybe from my example or others’ examples, I learned that being visible isn’t fear. 

It’s amazing. It’s how you express yourself to this world and make yourself visible to many other opportunities, partnerships, and other amazing events. Projects and businesses, and just you know, it’s all about not stopping yourself from doing something just because someone says you should; just focus on your needs or what you want and keep chasing that light. 

That is, it is somewhere for you, and once you’re making yourself visible, people working on those projects will find you. But first of all, you need to express yourself in this world, which is the most important thing. And nowadays, we are so lucky to have social media and other opportunities just to post. We can do webinars, go live, and do online sessions, and it’s all working. It’s all about working towards your goals—your future goals.

So, Irena, I have been across different cultures in the world, and two of the cultures I’ve been to are the culture in India and the culture in the Middle East. And they’re both very conservative patriarchal cultures. And there’s a lot of women over there that would do anything to express themselves, but they are overcome by fear, like other people. Think, and what would society think? Because society is more conservative over there,

But if you had to advise them, let’s say they start with nothing, and then they have to go to a country that allows more opportunities. And I think I just want to. I know I asked you this in the previous question, but I want to go into more detail, let’s say a woman in a country like the Middle East or India, or in Russia or China, where it’s conserved, and you want to go about your way to go to a foreign country, which is more, which gives more opportunities to them. 

And they want to be visible. But they are overcome by the environment. Where, like, society is bringing them down. How would they? What? It would be like a step-by-step process. For them to go about.

Doing that, I would say that, first of all, it’s a long process. They don’t need to expect this to happen overnight. So, this is a big process and a big commitment. 

So, once you realize this, OK, this is what I truly want. I truly know that’s the price that I’m paying. It’s living in my own country. It’s living with my family and maybe some friends, but I’m going there because I want the best life for me, my future family, and my future kids. And that’s why I do it. 

And this is the big, deep choice inside. And once you have made this deep choice, you’re making this, like sometimes it’s small steps. Sometimes, these are big steps for you, and you just need to support yourself and give yourself the support first, saying, OK, I did a great job today.

For example, I applied for a working visa in the United States. I’m getting closer to my goal. And yes, this is challenging for me. I have to work on multiple jobs. I have to sleep just 3–4 hours a night. But this is the price I’m paying for my goal of being realistic about what I have and want to achieve. I think this is the best thing because it’s not about being under the illusion that someone will come and save you or someone will provide you with something. I mean, it happens, of course. But first of all, you need to make this deep choice inside. 

Everything you’re doing towards this huge goal, giving yourself much love and support and saying, yes, I’m doing it. I’m doing it every day. I’m committed to it. And I’m very loyal to my dream and goal because having a dream is one thing. Being loyal to your dream, not betraying it, and always being committed to it is the best thing you can do to achieve every single one—the dream of the lifestyle you want.

No, that’s awesome. How you went about going from Russia to America and fighting against the odds like this is something very few people can do. 

Oh yes.

Yeah. So, like I said, that’s why I’m picking your brain. Know, like, is there like a seat? Is there a process or something? Way of thinking to go about doing that, and it’s about knowing what you want. You know, like, you have to be sure because. You’re living this one. Life is something you have to achieve. What did you set out to do, you know?

Yeah, it’s all about, like I said, making this deep choice that I don’t want to live this life anymore. I don’t want to be in this country anymore. I’m bigger than my goals, and my dreams lie outside this like a closed space, and this closed. I want to achieve as many goals and dreams as possible. And then you’re making this deep choice, and you’re saying OK, so. I’m envisioning myself as a person who lives in a foreign country, participates in the biggest talent show, and does business on international projects with top-quality professionals. And there are no boundaries for me. But there is a huge price that I’m going to pay for that. 

And I will work hard because it’s so difficult to come to another country where you’re not just starting from scratch. You don’t have any paperwork. You don’t have Social Security; you can’t work, you know, nobody. You just need to grow your connections. You need to apply for a visa. It would be best if you waited for this visa to arrive. It would be best if you got some work done. You need to generate income, and you’re just like a young girl in a foreign country where English is not your native language. You’re coming through this new cultural code, and people behave differently, and yes, but this is if you take it not as torture for yourself but as a very. This is a unique and very interesting journey. Something you know has changed something in your head, and you’re like, OK, this is so exciting. This is phenomenal. 

I will apply for a green card for aliens with extraordinary abilities. I’m going to go for it, and I’m going to write this—all cases by myself, of course. I have never done it before but will spend a few nights reviewing the other cases and learning. But I will be super talented. After that, I would just stick another box in my head that I could make. I can also gain some, let’s say, lawyer skills, whatever they are. And it’s helpful. And I discovered that, like people who can go through that point. I am already applying for citizenship right now.

So, I have my interview this October, and I think people who can’t pass it have a good exam. For them, whether or not they can live in this country, it takes so many qualities and characteristics of your personality to go through that point where you just need to adapt to certain things and forget about your ego. You need to forget about it—everything, just like going towards your goals.

No, Irena, this is one thing that I understand about you. Like, with where? You’re going to this, where you’re not going to this foreign country as an immigrant, and then you adapt. And then sometimes you feel it isolating you, and in your own words, you pay the price. In my case, I had to go. My dad took me to college when I was 18 years old. And he said, OK, son, you’re on your own.

Now, make the best of it. And he just left. And I was just like myself in this new culture and with this new civilization. And English was like my second language, right? I had, like, my mother tongue. And then I learned English, and I knew English. But it was just the different culture and adapting to it. And then just, you know, going along, and then. It’s just different; It’s almost like a surreal experience in many ways. Absolutely yes. It’s a different accent. 

For example, coming from London, they do have British accents. First, talking with people over the phone was hard because it was difficult to see their facial expressions. It was so hard for me to understand what they were talking about because of the accent, and I was like, many, many times. I was like, please, can we just meet in person other than just calling each other? I was trying to make it as nice as I could and just not.

I understand.

The person who waits, I just don’t understand what you’re talking about over the phone. I need to see your face.

It’s challenging, like in my case, I was excited because, for me, it’s like, OK, there’s a barrier. I want to overcome it, and I want to understand everything it was. It was an exciting time. 

There are two ways to go about it, right? Either you find it super exciting, or you find it like you come from a fear-based approach. Immigrants that come to this nation can come with two things: they can be excited, absorb everything, and so on.

Or they can come with this victim’s mind. Yes, yes, yes, I agree with you. And I have so many friends. When they come to the United States and feel like someone is already something to them, I was like, Wait, nobody asked you to come to this country. It’s like it’s not about waiting for someone to give you the opportunity or make something for you. It’s like you. We are going and providing value to this world. This is all about it, and it’s not about taking. It’s about giving First.

If you don’t feel like you have something to give, I would say to think about it twice. Why do you want to go to this country? Yes, this is a land of opportunities, but these are opportunities for people. Who can do something for this country and this world as well?

So, aren’t you just continuing with what you’re saying? 

So, you know, they say America is the land of the free and the place where dreams are made as an immigrant who came from Russia. Like, do you agree or disagree with it?

Yes, I agree, but I think it’s hard work for anyone who came to this country to prove it. This person is valuable to this country, and I would concentrate on this point first. But knowing what you’re doing and knowing how you can help people—this is how you know—is something I always say to my community members. When they go on a network or post something in our private chat, I was like, please start with something. How can I help you?

But are they not asking for others, pushing them to buy event tickets, going to your coaching programs, or something else? It’s all about how I can help and be valuable to you. It’s all about making relationships, not just connections. And it’s all about integrating into the culture but loving this culture and not expecting it to give you opportunities. They will come, but these opportunities will come to those who know what they want and who can bring this value to this world so they can attract these opportunities. And this is not going any other way.

You are going to be given the opportunity, but ultimately, you have to work hard, you have to work smart, and you have to make the best of what you’re given. Nobody’s going to like handing it to you, necessarily. You have to like it. Please take advantage of it. 

But yeah, they say that whenever they talk about the American dream, they give it to many people whenever different people have different interpretations of it. 

So my question is: What is your what when you hear people talk about the American dream? What does it mean to you? And how do you perceive it?

I think the American Dream is a choice for everyone to find their true identity or discover another identity in themselves. Because when you live in this country, you see the examples that everything is possible. It is possible to start the company and get investors; it is possible, you know, to work with amazing industry professionals and form partnerships of your dreams. It is possible to be a woman and be a CEO or, you know, start a company or a big corporation. 

And it’s also possible here, and I think it’s all about gathering all the opportunities together and making it happen. This is all about the American dream. But it’s not about something. It’s coming to you from the sky, and you’re just waiting for it. And that’s it. It’s all about discovering and working toward these opportunities to improve this world. This is what it is for.

One of the things that I found interesting that you mentioned is about the American dream, your inner self, and your inner potential coming out. And I don’t. Many people don’t realize that when they talk about the American dream, they have the idea of the white picket fence, two cars, two kids, and all of that, or like being a celebrity. Or something else, but basically, it’s other People’s dreams. 

And they’re just told that, and they’re like, OK, now that’s my dream. But in reality, it’s about what? What is it? You want what? Do you want out of life? And that’s ultimately what I think. American dreams about it are knowing what you want and achieving that without fear. And that’s something that I think you went about doing in your own life. And it’s so inspirational. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to have you on. The show, because it’s pretty inspired. You know.

Thank you so much. Yes, I’m all about that. You know, in life, there are two ways of living it. Either live in someone else’s dream or create your own. So, I came from a business and entertainment background and didn’t want to be someone else’s. Dream Maker, or whatever it is, I wanted to create my own, and that’s why I think the United States is the best place for these creators. 

Because you have all the opportunities, you have people from different countries and cities. You see different examples, and I think it is very important to surround yourself with multicultural people with diverse backgrounds. With different backgrounds in business, you can see how many other options are possible, and it comes to your mind as well, and your level of thinking is going further and further.

No, totally. So, Irina, I have a question. I know that you’ve been in The X Factor and that you’ve been in the entertainment industry. Can you tell us and the audience a little bit more about the premise of how you got started, how you ended up, and what your perception was about the entire experience?

So, my entire perception is to have your vision and mission and to be valuable to this world. So, to enter the stage, you must have something to say to your audience. It’s not about being a beautiful girl with a voice and singing onstage. These are all instruments, and sometimes these instruments are not working. At all. 

So, it would be best to consider the meaning you’re conveying from the stage and what you’re expressing. This is the most important point and how you want to transform the audience from the stage.

So what kind of experience are you driving them to? And this is the first question everyone has. I think the entertainment industry needs to ask. The other thing is that I think everyone needs to work on building their audience and community because, right now, seeing the entertainment field is hard. There are no avenues like there were before. To promote your musicians, you are not listening to radio stations. They are not watching TV channels like MTV or something. 

So, it would be best if you had this main idea like a leader, like a visionary, to present it to people to gather people around this idea. So, it’s way bigger than just that. You are doing music, doing movies, or doing some modeling. It’s all about having this valuable idea to present to people and gather people around. So, it’s all about it.

No, that’s pretty interesting. How you present and mark it definitely makes all the difference, right? Because, ultimately, there’s like a saying that, you know, it’s all about, especially in the entertainment industry, like perception is. He plays a huge role and likes how the audience reacts to it. So, I see what you’re saying. So, are there any projects you’re doing right now or shortly that you’d want me and the audience to get a glimpse of?

So, my main focus right now is on building the community. I’m the founder of the Anima women’s community. This is a business community for women who want to express themselves, and we are given a platform for women to become visible. Visible and voice their ideas. Find new clients, new projects, and new partners. We are in Los Angeles right now. 

We want to open our chapters in multiple cities and worldwide and go hybrid, with both online and offline formats. So yes, we will have a grand opening in October. I will know the date. Pretty much this week, and of course, I want to invite as many bellwether members as they can because this can be a very valuable event for everyone. 

We have an amazing crowd and audience, and we are constantly growing with our community. Making it possible for women first to realize what they want in their lives and then help. 

No, that is amazing, or, you know, what you’re doing for like women and, like, helping them get to, like, get to this process is, like, amazing. And I hope that you’re successful in all of your endeavors. So, Arena, how would our audience connect with you and learn more about you? And what you’re

So, I do have Instagram. I do have LinkedIn, so that you can find me there. My account name is kind of hard to pronounce. You can always find me in my community. It’s Anima Women on Instagram. I look forward to connecting with anyone who supports this vision and mission or is curious to learn more about it. We have amazing networking events and educational workshops.

 So yeah, linked and Instagram. Facebook. These are the alleys where I’m always, and it’s easy to find me there.

It’s an awesome arena. I wanted to let you know that I am so honored that you took the time to do this interview with me and, be on the show because you are an inspiration to a lot of people worldwide, especially women, and about fighting against the odds, despite having to go to another country where it’s like an alien culture.

And you’re just like, figuring everything out and then succeeding. It’s inspirational. I do hope that you come back to the show at a later time because your story is exceptional, you know.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, customers. I appreciate all your kind words and support, and I thank you so much for having me. That was a big honor and pleasure for me as well.

Thank no, the honor is mine, and I would like to conclude this show by telling my fellow extraordinary Americans that, look, there’s something extraordinary within every one of us. We must awaken it and unleash it until next time. Bye for now.