Katerina Grin: "Go into your authenticity, each of us is unique"

The main character of our DIGITAL cover is Katerina Grin. The lady, who in the rhythm of modern life, without exaggeration, reveals the voice of the soul. Health coach, nutritionist and guide to a new version of ourselves ... Mrs. Katerina opens the veil to authenticity and allows you to see your own uniqueness in the realities of the world, the path in which is built on frankness, love, sensitivity to yourself and true desires.

Mrs. Katerina, I want to start our interview with the words that became my first acquaintance with you: «I reveal your voice of the soul». Tell us, please, what was your personal history before the appointment of a health coach and nutritionist, what was the vocation of your soul?

Hello, everyone! Yes, indeed, the story with my voice goes back a long way. For as long as I can remember, I have always sung on stage. And I would probably still be singing today, if I had made it to the stage. But the thing is, my health has been quite poor since childhood. And after the birth of my eldest son at almost 19 years old, my health deteriorated significantly. At that time, I was in my third year of university, studying acting. It required a lot of strength and energy, because some classes lasted 4 and even 7 hours a day. I was living in a fog at the time because I was suffering from severe iron deficiency anemia, which I had been unable to overcome for two years. I had no idea then that this serious problem in my life would turn out to be a huge blessing for me.

I was looking for health solutions because the concerts I was conducting and the performances I was involved in at school were increasing, and I needed a lot of strength and energy for all of this. But one day, my search led me to a competent nutritionist who not only helped me in a few months, but soon became my mentor. After two months, my vision cleared up and I began to feel more confident, and the darkening of my eyes and dizziness disappeared. It became easier for me to cope with my child and my studies, and I got my first official job.

But I felt that I could do more than just sing and give concerts. For me, it was too simple and eventually ceased to be valuable. The voice of my soul led me to another calling. I began to study nutrition carefully and discovered a wonderful, majestic world of opportunities to restore health in various problematic situations. So, in 2012, I completed my first courses and began to consult on nutrition and nutritional support for the body.

Later, I began to give lectures and speak at conferences and healthy eating festivals. This was a new challenge for me because, although it seemed like a familiar scene, sharing my knowledge and personal experience turned out to be more exciting. In addition to overcoming anemia, I also achieved my own weight loss goal of 9 kg and successfully maintained it.

That's when I began to experience new sensations.

Today, nutrition for many is becoming not only a fashionable direction, but also an opportunity to get acquainted with a new version of yourself. In your presentation, it often sounds like philosophy. How do you feel about strict dietary restrictions? And where, in your opinion, is the line between discipline and self-love?

Oh, what a wonderful question!

Honestly, discipline is really important, and every day I treat myself with a certain degree of strictness. And although I can afford not to go for a morning run every day or eat whatever I want for breakfast, I still choose to do what is important for my body. The philosophy here is simple: if you want to be healthy, young, and attractive for a long time, show yourself love through your actions. There is no indulgence, only faith in your own strength, that “I can and will be able to do even more,” or indulging in your weakness, “it's hard for me, it's not for me, I don't want to force myself.”

You know from experience that every day, just like everyone else, I negotiate with myself at certain moments. But when you have already formed a habit, at a certain point it becomes stronger than you, and begins to be the driving force that guides you, and you already have to make a minimum of effort. To form a habit, you really need to make a little effort for 21 days, focusing your attention on it. But after that, it gets easier.

Scientists have long discovered that a habit takes 21 days to form, and after 90 days it becomes “second nature,” that is, it changes your biochemistry, builds new neural connections, and then you can no longer do otherwise. Only then do habits become a part of us.

As for strict restrictions, I have a more loyal position here. My strategy is that together with the person, we choose the weakest points, so to speak, in their diet or lifestyle. Based on this, we form 1-2 new habits that take the person to a new level of health, energy, and lightness in the body. The person begins not only to realize that they can do more, but also actually gains the resources for their plans and ideas. The person begins to open up in a new way for themselves and for the world, and a desire to realize more of their potential appears.

When we take care of our body — our “soul's vessel” — our life truly becomes different, brighter, more manifest, and new opportunities, people, and resources come to our energy. We have every opportunity to reach a new level.

What is the image of a modern woman in your vision?

Wow! What profound questions, thank you, Olena!

I don't have a definite answer, although I have a lot to say. But somehow I don't feel like I want to generalize about all women, because in my opinion, each one is a unique diamond. The only thing I know for sure is that now is an era of change and opportunity. And for women, this is a wonderful time to find their calling in life, if they haven't already. I am often approached by women who, due to their health, are unable to pursue their dreams, unable to do what they love, and some have completely lost their way and lost their inner strength. And I want to say that now is the time to take responsibility for your life, health, and fulfillment, because we women are more adaptable to change, and this gives us tremendous opportunities.

I would also like to add that a woman can choose any image she feels comfortable with. The main thing is to have this sensitivity: “What is mine?” Because no one taught us this, and 90% of women live according to the stereotypes imposed by society.

I believe that a woman's greatest strength lies in her authenticity, so returning to it is, in my opinion, the most important goal. And perhaps this is through the development of sensitivity to oneself, to one's body, to one's true desires.

You are not only a health coach and nutritionist, but also a professional presenter and singer. How do these different roles interact with each other? Do you feel that the stage and working with people in the field of health have a common energy?

I combined these roles for a very long time, working as a soloist and presenter at the Lviv National Philharmonic until 2022. But then I felt that it was time to focus more on what was more important to me. After all, my calling is to help people discover new facets of themselves and greater potential through working with health and energy. Interacting with people in any format has a common energy, and it doesn't matter whether it's on the stage of a philharmonic or opera theater with an audience of 1,000-2,000 people, at a conference for 200-300 people, or at a brunch for 10, 5, or sometimes 2 people.

Every person who comes is important because they have come in search of answers to improve and sometimes change their lives. Therefore, today, the roles of artist and expert in the field of health, beauty, and energy interact only through the prism of my performances as a speaker at conferences, festivals, and brunches. But I continue to professionally engage in vocals in the studio, and this year I recorded several covers of well-known songs in my own performance and even shot my first music video, a cover of the Scorpions song “Follow Your Heart.”

For me, the lyrics of this song resonate deeply with my life right now — “follow your heart.” This song has become a symbol of the rebirth of my feminine strength and sensitivity after a complete reset in all areas of my life a year ago. Everything that my external support system was built on — my business, partners, home, relationships — began to crumble one by one. I completely lost my bearings and sense of purpose. But thanks to the fact that I began to follow my heart, that voice of the Soul, which is sometimes very quiet but genuine, I was able to preserve everything that was truly mine, create new projects, and significantly expand my fulfillment.

In times of stress and turbulence, we often forget about the constant tandem of our internal state and health. What advice would you give women to maintain nutrition, body and inner balance?

Well, it's simple. The important things are exercise, a balanced diet, and sleep. But it's not just having them that's important, it's having a clear routine and quality. If you sleep for 8 hours but constantly toss and turn and wake up at night, then figure out the reason for such poor sleep. Perhaps your thyroid gland is malfunctioning or you have a deficiency of magnesium, iron, or B vitamins in your body.

I used to recommend using calming herbs and vitamins to support the body, and I still do, but only after you have had your tests done. Many people want a simple solution, like a magic pill, and sabotage laboratory tests.

But the truth is that there is no magic pill, no matter what it is. You need to take a comprehensive approach, and tests are a proven way to get a complete picture of the state of your body. Because you can guess a lot of things intuitively, but it's worth confirming or refuting your guesses with tests.

I also use herbs, understand them, and recommend them to my clients and students, but I am in favor of people being conscious in their approach to their health and balance and undergoing preventive check-ups.

Physical activity is also simple—choose a comfortable routine and stick to it. Don't jump into sports six times a week if you've never exercised before and don't have the habit, because in a month at most, you'll want to quit because you'll feel exhausted.

Choose a comfortable pace and type of exercise for yourself. When it comes to nutrition, remember to focus on protein and fat products, which are the main building blocks for our body's cells, and products rich in fiber, which help remove excess waste in a timely manner. When the body is under stress, it needs to get resources from somewhere, and it takes them from the body. If the body is well-nourished, stress will not have strong negative consequences, but if the body is deficient, over time, more and more health issues will arise.

Being on stage is always about the courage of manifestation. You are not afraid to be visible, to speak, to sing, to share. How do you think we can learn not to live in the shadows?

That's a good question, and a relevant one. Nowadays, everyone is talking about how this is an era when every expert seems to have to make a name for themselves and attract attention. But here I would give one piece of advice. Never go against yourself. If you categorically do not want to do something that does not bring you pleasure, then do not do it because “you have to” or “everyone else is doing it.” Everything needs balance, in my opinion.

I see many professionals who go on stage overcoming their fears, and this has a therapeutic effect, but in cases where a person wanted to do it, didn't dare for many years, and then felt the impulse that it was time, went and freed themselves from their fear of exposure through action (speaking at a brunch, conference, etc.). And here you always need to compare yourself with yourself, not with others.

I have seen experts who went through terrible violence, they were covered with herpes, had a high fever, that is, the body identified this event on a psychological level as something terrible and dangerous. But they did it, only because of powerful violence against themselves, and that's not about self-love. There must be a clear line in everything. If the thought of performing makes everything inside you freeze, then I would advise you to go through therapy with a specialist, heal the trauma that is there, and only then go on stage and enjoy yourself.

I believe that only when we are in a state of enjoyment can we convey any value. Because no matter how much we hide our true selves behind clothes and makeup, this is the era of feelings, and we can easily read each other's states.

As for me, the stage is my home. I've been on it my whole life. But even so, I still get nervous every time before going on stage, but it's a pleasant kind of nervousness. It's like anticipating something important in your life. Of course, over the years I've learned to control this feeling. But as soon as I pick up the microphone and go on stage, magic usually happens from the very first words, and my body relaxes and I start to enjoy the process.

I wish we could imagine that every woman would hear your speech. What words would you say?

This question gives me goose bumps.

I would say this: Be true to yourself, each of us is unique. And our strength lies precisely in this authenticity, precisely in what we consider to be so familiar. But perhaps it is precisely this talent of yours that the world is waiting for. Uncover all your talents, because they are gifts from God.

Do not devalue anything in yourself and do not compare yourself to others, there is no truth in that. The truth is within us, in our perception of the voice of our Soul. It always speaks to us, it guides us. Just don't let the outside noise drown out this gentle, delicate, beautiful voice. Stop regularly for a day to hear it in all its beauty and synchronize with yourself, asking yourself: “Where am I going? Am I going where I want to go right now?”

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