Yuliia Kushnir: “I Am Convinced That a New Life Begins Not When Circumstances Change, but When a Person Changes”
Yuliia Kushnir - owner of Kushnir Yuliia Hair Studio, founder of the “Vidrodzhennia” project, holder of the “Leader of the Country” Order from the Assembly of Business Circles, and ambassador of BOMOND VIP fashion magazine. A woman who inspires others to pursue their work with honesty, continue growing, remain close to the people they love, and stay true to themselves.
“For me, success has long ceased to be measured in numbers. A successful woman is someone who is not afraid to be herself and does not live according to other people’s expectations.”
Ms. Yuliia, quite a few months have passed since our first conversation. For the BOMOND VIP Fashion editorial team, you have long been more than just a magazine ambassador. You have also become a personality whose own example reminds us that even after unexpected turns in life, a person can preserve their inner light, continue creating, support others, and remain true to themselves. What has changed most within you during this time? How do you see Yuliia today?
I feel that what has changed most is not my life, but my attitude toward it.
There was a time when I felt that I had to control everything, save everyone, and manage to do everything. Today, I understand that strength is not about constant tension, but about inner calm.
I am 39 years old, and for the first time in a long while, I can honestly say that I enjoy life. I am learning to live in the present rather than constantly thinking about tomorrow.
I no longer try to prove anything to anyone. I simply want to do my work honestly, continue growing, be close to the people I love, and remain myself.
I am very drawn to the way you speak about business today. It is no longer simply a story about the development of a company or professional standards. It is a space where culture, shared values, and each person’s responsibility toward their work are shaped. What philosophy guides you in your own business today?
For me, business stopped being solely about money a long time ago. Business is people. It is the atmosphere you create every day. It is a set of rules that apply equally to everyone. It is responsibility for your decisions.
I always tell my team: professionalism does not begin with technique. It begins with respect for the client, for your colleague, and for your profession.
I want to build a place where people do not simply work, but grow. A place where they can learn, discover themselves, make mistakes, and become better.
That is why I devote so much attention to education, standards, and the development of my team.
In your recent publications, the image of a woman who refused to give up has become increasingly prominent. A woman who has gone through her own trials and managed to recreate herself. It seems that this inner rebirth has become one of the central themes of your worldview today. In your opinion, when does a person truly begin a new chapter of their life: when circumstances change, or when they change their own attitude toward them?
I am convinced that a new life begins not when circumstances change, but when a person changes.
You can spend years waiting for the perfect moment, or you can simply say to yourself one day: “I no longer want to live the way I lived yesterday.”
That decision changes everything.
Circumstances can be very different. But they do not determine our future. Our daily decisions do.
I am very close to the idea that life does not always allow us to rewrite the events that have already happened, but it always leaves a person the right to choose how to live from that point forward. What helps you personally not to lose that choice, even when circumstances seem stronger than you?
I allowed myself to stop being perfect. There was a time when every failure felt like a catastrophe. Today, I understand that it is simply part of the journey.
Gratitude helps me.
I am learning to notice the good even in ordinary days: morning coffee, my daughter’s smile, the team that is by my side, and clients who have been returning for years.
When you see these things, it becomes much easier to get through difficult moments.
And I always remind myself: everything passes. The good should be valued, and the difficult should be lived through, knowing that it will not last forever either.
Today, when the world is going through difficult times, the ability to preserve a sense of lightness becomes especially valuable. Your social media pages increasingly feature lively, ironic, and at times deeply warm moments from your team’s everyday life. It feels as though, even through humor, you give people back a sense of normality. How important is it for you to show this behind-the-scenes reality, not only the result, but also the atmosphere that emerges between people?
It is very important. People are tired of perfect pictures today. I want to show real life.
Sometimes we are funny, loud, and occasionally chaotic. We joke, support one another, and celebrate small victories. It is precisely in these moments that a team is created.
I want people to see not only beautiful hair after a treatment, but also the people who put their heart into their work. Because it is the atmosphere that makes any studio truly special.
The modern world constantly offers women new formulas for success. But if, for a moment, we put aside status, professional achievements, and social expectations, what, in your opinion, does it truly mean to be a successful woman today?
For me, success has long ceased to be measured in numbers. A successful woman is someone who is not afraid to be herself and does not live according to other people’s expectations.
Someone who can develop a business, love her family, make mistakes, laugh, start over, and never be ashamed of it.
I believe the greatest success is waking up in the morning and realizing that you are living your own life.
You combine several important roles at once: founder of Kushnir Julija Hair Studio, creator of the “Vidrodzhennia” project, and ambassador of BOMOND VIP Fashion magazine. Looking a little further beyond the horizon, how do you see the next chapter of your own story? What ideas, projects, or initiatives would you like to leave behind, not only for the beauty industry, but for Ukrainian women as a whole?
I do not want to leave behind simply beautiful work. I want to leave knowledge.
I want to create techniques that will remain relevant and work for many years to come. I want to pass my experience on to other beauty professionals.
I want to develop the “Vidrodzhennia” project so that even more women, after difficult periods in their lives, can once again see themselves as beautiful in the mirror.
And perhaps most importantly, I want to show by my own example that it is never too late to begin a new chapter.
At 39, I caught myself thinking that life is only just beginning. And if even one woman, after learning my story, believes in herself a little more, then all of this was not in vain.
