From Opera to NATO: Karolina's Journey Through Strategic Communications and Empowering Global Communities
Karolina's career showcases the value of embracing diverse talents and roles across continents. With a background in performing arts and a master’s in cognitive science, she has forged a unique path in strategic communications, notably at NATO.
Her journey highlights how blending personal values with professional goals can lead to impactful contributions in areas like international security and sustainable tourism. Now, as the co-founder of GoodCamp , Karolina is channeling her experience into building a platform for community and collaboration.
At the upcoming Best Stay event, she will share insights from her journey in a presentation titled "Career Progression - From Zero to Hero," exploring how professionals can align their aspirations with their careers for a more fulfilling and impactful life.
Karolina, your career spans multiple continents and diverse roles. Can you share some key experiences that have shaped your professional journey in strategic communications and the performing arts?
Well, it took me some time (and struggle) to embrace the multitude of my professions and vocations in a world that praises vertical growth. I am finally in a place where I celebrate all the skills, talents and curiosities that lead me to this point.
Theater and stage have been in my family for generations. Both of my parents are awarded opera singers, so were my grandparents, my uncles and cousins. This gave me an early insight in the power of transmitting information and emotion through sheer presence, energy and intention. This was vital to my career in communications later on. Another key catalyst was my master degree in cognitive science from the University of Milan. Exploring the human condition, consciousness, thoughts and behavior, was all crucial to understanding how to best convey information in order to obtain desired outcome. I keep learning and my fascination with human experience is endless.
As a strategic communications advisor at NATO, what are some of the unique challenges and rewards you encounter in this role?
NATO is definitely the most intriguing and rewarding "client" I could have wished for. In my 8 years with the NATO Communications and Information Agency, I have lead business change and communications on multiple high-stake IT projects. The greatest challenge has always been to bring military, diplomacy and business to speak the same language.
When you have such diverse groups of stakeholders with different interests and backgrounds on one project, it can be a real challenge to bring everyone on the same page. At the same time, it is incredibly rewarding to work in a field of such high impact on international security and peace.
How do you envision the future of hospitality and tourism, particularly in the context of sustainability and global connectivity?
Over the last years I have had the privilege and opportunity to witness some of the greatest hospitality leaders, most recently Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Limited Edition vacation rentals as well as other industry leaders in Morocco and across Europe. What is becoming clear is that hospitality has the key role in redefining luxury and old paradigms of five star experiences which are out of sync with the modern guidelines for sustainable and sensible use of resources.
Another area of focus is social responsibility. Involving and cherishing local communities in hospitality is becoming more relevant than ever in a world where globalization wipes out our differences. I like to summarize by saying tourism is not voyeurism.
I acknowledge that in some countries tourism holds a vital role in shaping social and economical landscapes. Yet, we must work towards bridging the gap between visitors and hosts. There is a massive potential in tourism becoming more educational, experiential, respectful and socially responsible towards the local environment and communities.
What inspired you to co-found GoodCamp, and how does this initiative align with your broader professional goals and values?
GoodCamp is a natural evolution of my professional and personal growth! In an era of individualism and competition, GoodCamp is a place that propagates community and collaboration as the only way to tackle worlds' greatest challenges with passion, purpose and personal fulfillment. We hold retreats, workshops and cultivate a community of like minded professionals. My partner Tena Pick and I were both at the right place and time in life to merge forces with the vision to provide others with the community and platform we wish we had at the time.
Our four key values are 1) global competency (think big), 2) authentic career (fused with your values and specificities), 3) social impact (we all have an impact by living in this world so we might as well make it a positive one), and 4) personal wellbeing (as a basis without which none of the above matters).
You emphasize the importance of transforming psychophysical states, beliefs, and skills. Can you elaborate on how these transformations can impact one's career and personal life?
It is absolutely vital to understand that the quality of our being defines the quality of our doing! The scene is flooded with life coaches and spiritual guides putting different spins on it, but essentially, it's easy to realize that better input (physical vitality, thoughts, levels of energy…), leads to better output (emotions, actions, materialisations).
The hard part is to fully own this responsibility and install personal habits and rituals that support our best life. I have always had strong determination and discipline, so habits may be easier to form and break for me, but there is a system for everything, and absolutely everyone has the same potential to steer the ship in the right direction.
Networking is a key component of professional growth. What strategies do you recommend for building a strong, supportive professional network, particularly in a global context?
Honestly, what works best for me is to stay curious and authentic. Being curious shifts focus from the anxiety of self-presentation and makes others feel interesting, while being in your most authentic self cuts through the social masks (we all have) and helps build relationships of trust. I'm not a fan of the word networking - because networking without connection is mostly meaningless.
It is relational intelligence that makes all the difference, helps you establish and nurture relationships based on trust and positive emotions, which then lead to all sorts of possibilities, both in the personal as well as professional realm. From what I have observed and experienced, these are inseparable from each other, and as long as you show genuine interest in people, you increase your chances of materializing professional interest.
In one of our previous conversations you've mentioned the importance of addressing taboo topics in the business world. What are some of these topics, and why is it crucial to bring them into the conversation?
We are lucky to have our taboo expert Petra Salarić on board of GoodCamp! To start with, if as a society we are unable to speak about uncomfortable and difficult topics, it is hard to solve any of them. Many of us think we are open-minded and judgment-free, still, we can feel extremely awkward and have internal conflicts when discussing topics like gender equality, abortions, breastfeeding, stay-at-home dads, sex workers by choice etc. Our goal is to provide the vocabulary, arguments and tools for approaching these topics with care and respect they deserve and upgrade them from taboo to everyday normal.
In your view, how can professionals better integrate their personal values and aspirations with their career goals to achieve a more fulfilling and balanced life?
Uff, this is one of my favorite topics. It all starts with the self.
Before anything, we must cultivate awareness of our own values and it is not a very straightforward exercise. But once we know what we hold sacred and in which priority, we can assess whether we are incorporating (any of) these in our professional life. Clearly it is not necessary for values to fully match your profession, but if you hold freedom (use of time and space) as highest value, then a career choice that ties you to an office can feel terribly restraining.
We must all realize we hold the key to unlocking our ideal balance and sometimes we must invent a career that suits us most. Being bold, creative and taking full responsibility for our lives is what it takes.
Join us in February 2025 at the Best Stay Event in Zagreb. Connect with experts, people passionate about tourism and hospitality, explore innovative ideas, and learn how to boost quality, profits & partnerships.