Peer Role Model #002

Meet this week’s peer role model — a doer who is neck-deep in chasing something. They’re probably obsessed and they shape their own processes and frameworks.

Masha Naidenko

Masha is a humble-badass - a rare blend of calm and focused drive.

I met Masha through Mai Nguyen. They’re besties AND business partners - a pair to be reckoned with.

Admittedly, I tend to forget all the projects and side missions Masha’s working on. There’s too many.

Like many of us, Masha’s projects span both professional and personal. A couple of examples:

• creating a beauty product business that’s focused on improving people’s self-image

• pushing her ability to fully express herself professionally and socially.

Masha is an elite thinking partner. She embodies the strong, silent type, mastering the art of active listening. Her inquisitive, no-fluff follow up questions get you thinking way deeper than you were before.

Being in the same weekly accountability group, I consider myself lucky to regularly pressure-test ideas with her.

Connect with Masha on Instagram.

Masha answers a few questions for us to understand what makes her tick.

What’s one habit you believe contributes most to your effectiveness?

Having non-negotiables. I don't make a lot of promises to myself, but if I say the words in my head "Okay, I promise I will do that, Masha" it becomes a non-negotiable. I only use it for important stuff or as a momentum gainer, i.e. get up super early and do some intense cardio first thing in the morning. This also applies to personal life.

Favorite piece of content that changed you or influenced how you operate?

I would say Reality Transurfing, but I would only recommend this one to the people who I feel like are "ready" for it.

Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Malts would be a more general recommendation since I believe that anyone could benefit from a more accurate self-image.

What’s one piece of advice you often hear in your field that you disagree with?

Discipline equals freedom. Discipline in itself could be rigid and doesn't always leave enough room to reflect and pivot. I have felt "free" in the past by doing a ton of shit, following routines, checking things off, but I also have felt stifled by doing all of the above. What I have learned is a proper mindset must go along with every discipline that I follow. This is true to me (for now) and doesn't need to make sense to others.

Why do you think you have not “made it” yet?

I still don't think I'm doing what I should be doing, like I'm cheating on my "the one". Maybe that feeling never goes away and a FOMO mindset is too loud here. But to me, the term "made it" means you found your thing through dozens of experiences and experimentation, and you no longer question why you're doing it.

Brag, Ask, Give

Brag: What’s your biggest, baddest, real brag? Lay it on thick. Flex on 'em.

Writing my first check to myself from my company.

February 2022 - $600.

Obviously, not a lot of money. For some context, it's been over two years of trial and error before that; putting money in, "losing" money, and frequently asking myself if I should be pursuing something else instead. I have always considered the money that was invested in the business to be my student loan for the skills I have built and real-world business experiences I got. Something about writing my first check made me feel less of an imposture of an entrepreneur. I've never stopped writing checks to myself since.

Ask: What or who are you on the hunt for right now?

Being around people who are quite uninhibited and slightly "out there". Self-expressed individuals who are unbothered by social standards.

Think Freddie Mercury.

Give: What can you offer to potential collaborators/mentees/clients?

Dry sense of humor.

Possibly some advice in a business of physical products.

If you want to connect with Masha, reach out on Instagram.

Also, if you know any peer role models, please send them my way!