Julia makes reinvention look easy. And she credits it to staying curious, believing in people, listening to herself, and cultivating optimism.

Growing up in the Soviet Union around the Black Sea, Julia’s curiosity, intuition, creativity, and tenacity eventually led her to local fame in Moscow as a music journalist for MTV Russia and early pioneer of internet television. She then reinvented herself as a techno dj in Berlin. In 2013 she moved to New York with no local community and without a strong grasp of English. She navigated this challenge by throwing herself into music production and launching her own record label, Jujuka Music.

Today Julia is renowned internationally for her innovative sound; The New Yorker called her music beguiling. She’s a regular at Tresor in Berlin and holds a residency at Public Records in New York where she also does programming focusing on modern techno and obscure club music.

She’s also currently realizing a long-held dream of having a space where she can host friends, create events, and pour people drinks as the managing partner of the artist-run bar E-Flux Bar Laika in Clinton Hill in Brooklyn.

In this episode, we get into:

• How curiosity and tuning into yourself is the foundation for your evolution

• The power of optimism and seeing life as full of possibilities

• The opportunities created from seeing the good in people

• Managing multiple major life transitions at once with no safety net

• Julia’s philosophy on the duality required to be a strong artist

• How experience helps your course correct in a more aligned way

• Navigating an industry that will judge you first on your looks

• The magnetic power of having character

Julia is warm, funny, and honest about her journey and what it takes to build a life with character, one that takes you to places you would’ve never imagined.

If you’re considering a new transition, building a career based in creativity, or navigating a hard moment, this episode is for you!

Timestamps:

00:00 – Listening to Yourself & The Challenge of Transition

01:49 – Childhood in the Soviet Bloc & Identity Shifts

02:32 – Success vs Experience: Julia’s Reframe

03:15 – Intuition as a Superpower

06:00 – Reinvention Series: Journalist → MTV Host → Blogger → Producer → DJ → Cultural Curator

09:14 – Anger, Negativity & How to Avoid Getting Stuck

11:43 – From “Somebody” in Russia to “Nobody” in NYC

13:09 – A New Poem for a New Chapter

14:47 – Looking Back at the Years of Disguise

15:42 – Toxic Work Environments & Energy Absorption

18:56 – Style as Practicality, Comfort & Movement

20:31 – The Pressure on Women in Electronic Music

22:47 – Collaboration, Trust, and Creative Partnerships

23:38 – The Hard Work Behind a “Lucky” Career

24:56 – Community, Dance Floors & Cultural Responsibility

27:24 – What She’s Working On Now

28:15 – Advice for Anyone in a Transition

29:32 – What Character Means to Julia