Passion and flair combined with hard work can create something great
Asia Chabelska works as a Financial Analyst at Holbein Partners. She co-founded Hacking Happiness and in her spare time she is an enthusiastic climber and traveller.
My journey with Onpartu started...
I first heard about Onpartu when a friend of mine who founded the entire programme told me about it and asked me to join as a mentor during the first cohort. I have been involved from the very beginning.
Getting involved meant...
Getting involved meant meeting lots of women that aspire to change their lives and find the courage to do so and take first steps in the direction. I think that being a foreign-born professional like myself and having been on that journey means I could relate to some of the concerns and challenges that some of the women had to face. It is a very personal cause that I could find to volunteer for, it is much closer to my heart than other things I have done.
My Onpartu role is... Mentoring for Onpartu made me realise how personal experiences can differ, we all come from similar backgrounds, same regions and have come over here to try to make a living and try to create a new reality but these experiences really vary and where we have a lot in common and trying to relate to these other aspects in people’s lives that was quite challenging.
In my day job, I am responsible for ...
I work as a Financial Analyst, which means I manage people’s money. I work for an investment fund and we allocate money to different asset classes and make sure we preserve their wealth and earn them good interest.
Volunteering with Onpartu provides...
With Onpartu, you find empathy to relate to others is most important, it is more of developing a relationship and supporting people to find their self-esteem and their path. I find it a much more personal process and for that reason more challenging on so many levels but very fulfilling.
My biggest learning so far...
I have learnt how much work is to be done. This amazing project, which I believed in from the very beginning, is very needed and required and I am super grateful that Paulina came up with the idea and she managed to get so many amazing individuals on board to help put it together. The biggest learning is not only how important this work is but on a personal level, I learnt to be more empathetic to women I met on the programme, who are trying to turn their lives around. Empathy and emotional intelligence has been the biggest take away for me in the process.
My most memorable Onpartu moment...
When I did a motivational talk for the second cohort, I tried to find examples from my own experiences and how the ladies could use them in their own lives. It was a very deep talk, I covered very personal matters, not wanting to over-share but simply to convey that it is difficult for everyone and many people have gone through what they are going through now. It was definitely the most memorable moment and a rewarding as I received good feedback afterwards.
Talent is...
Talent is being able to do things with passion and being good at it. I believe talent is really a fleeting thing, I have seen many people who have so much talent and could do many great things and yet they never succeed in doing them. Being able to do something well is great and having this natural flair for it but much else is needed to be successful and hard work is one of those things, passion and flair combined with hard work can create something great.
Join Onpartu because... Join Onpartu because it is a great programme, it has been put together by a group of really committed, experienced and hardworking people who have come up with a great set of ideas of how to help you change how you think about your life and direction. Join Onpartu because you meet so many women on the same journey and that will be more valuable than you can ever imagine!
Our "Onpartu+I" series shares stories of people working behind the scenes.
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