Finding Your Passion | Zara from Armenia

The New to Canada Podcast

Please note:This interview was recorded on January 26, 2022 before the Russian invasion of Ukraine was announced to the world. This episode’s guest, Zara Bagramian, was born in Armenia but moved to Kyiv, Ukraine with her family when she was one year old. We discuss both countries at length.

Zara would like to take this opportunity to share an organization with us that she has been supporting since this interview was recorded. Toronto real estate agents Natalia Popovitch and Todor Yordanov dropped everything and, using their personal money and donations from friends, headed to Bulgaria to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. You can hear more about their story via CBC Listen as well donate to their humanitarian efforts via their Instagram or Facebook. ____

Episode summary:

If you have managed to combine your passions with your career, you are truly living the dream. This doesn’t come easy for a lot of us, including this week’s guest, Zara Bagramian. Zara was born in Armenia, grew up in Ukraine, and has now lived in Toronto for the past 8.5 years. In this episode, we chat about what to do when you find yourself unfulfilled by your career, stuck on autopilot, and feeling like something is missing. She shares with us the methods she used to discover her true purpose in life and redirect her career path to bring her more happiness. We also discuss homesickness and ways to overcome it, as well as the immigrant “blip” when trying to understand new cultural references.

You don’t want to miss:

• A Canadian wedding proposal picked up by the media: Her fiancé spelling out “MERRY ME” in the snow and quickly correcting it before she got home!
• All about life in Armenia and Ukraine.
• The kindness of Canadians.
• How long the ‘honeymoon’ phase typically lasts before homesickness can kick in…
• The immigrant “blip”: Feeling behind when not understanding cultural references.
• Some simple tools to help you combine your passions with your career.
• Ikigai: A Japanese concept for finding your sense of purpose and how you can shift your mindset to fill each area with multiple passions instead of striving for a “one fits all” career.

PLUS, find out what an Armenian *really* thinks about the Kardashians…

Links & Resources:

• Follow Zara on Instagram: @the.great.move
• Read more about Natalia & Todor’s humanitarian efforts at the Ukrainian border: CBC News | @uherelief | Facebook
• Download my 50 free tips from newcomers to Canada: What they wish they knew before they moved! thenewcomercollective.com/canada-tips/
• Follow me on Instagram: @TheNewcomerCollective
• For more about us and what we do, check out our website: TheNewcomerCollective.com