Meet Luba Rodina | Singer/songwriter, director, artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Luba Rodina and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Luba, how do you think about risk?
Risk is a necessity for growth. In my experience biggest risks were greatest lessons. Some risks I took were not my best decisions but looking at it now I prefer to see it as powerful lessons that made me stronger. I risked a lot for a chance to pursue my dreams and taste some human rights: moved to United States from Belarus at 17 years old, leaving my family, friends and animals behind, knowing that there could be a possibility to get stuck in a immigration process for 10 years. 5 years passed, asylum case is pending and i’m still here, working hard to be able to reunite with family.

Growing up I saw the people around me and that gave me a clear idea of how I don’t want to live. There was no way for me to be myself in a homophobic country where a gay murderer serves only few months in prison. This fear drove me to start working at 15 years old in a factory, risking my health to save up money and move out. Working all summer wasn’t enough, I would only earn $200 per month so I had to learn how to re-sell my belongings. I came to the United States with 1 suitcase, $100 and optimism. It was all I had.

Life is so short and time flies without mercy. Why not take a risk to try and change your life? To finally do that thing you always wanted to do but were scared/indecisive. Would you have any regrets if you knew you had only 1 more day to live? If yes, you know what to work on. Change is possible. It takes courage, risk, and patience. We have more control over the present than we think.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel most proud of my song “3$* and the music video. I always wanted to sing and make music/music videos but the fear inside me always became the excuse. I am happy to finally break through that block of insecurities. I had $0 budget and was able to use my credit to make it happen, I was unstoppable. I connected a team of 12 people and we shot everything in 1 day. Big thanks to Dmitriy Usov, he wrote an amazing script and edited it higher than my best expectations. I am grateful for everyone who helped make it real.

Lessons I learned on the way: 1. Self-respect. If you don’t respect yourself people will treat you poorly, because you let them. I was in a humiliating relationship for 2 years. I let that happen because at that point I thought I couldn’t do better. It was a long way to heal and understanding my own worth and how I want to be treated. If you’re unhappy in a relationship – you LEAVE. There’s billions of people, like come on 🙂
2. Time is the most valuable asset. Each day is an opportunity to invest your time in the things/people that make you better.
3. Every person we meet is a chance to learn something new. About them & about ourselves. Understanding this made me interested in every human being. Anyone around you knows something that you don’t and i think it’s really beneficial to understand other people’s perspectives and views
4. Challenges are always going to be a part of life, it’s just something we should accept. Everything changes. I think it’s important to understand and enjoy the present as much as we can because each moment is special and non-repeatable. You won’t be younger than right now. Meditation helped me to overcome the way I see problems and made me see that it’s mostly result of my decisions and it’s okay, I’ll just try my best to make less mistakes next time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA is a heaven for vegans, my favorites are:

Italian: Pura Vita
Sushi: Gokoku
Thai: My Vegan (they have vegan shrimp available!)
Junk: Wolfie’s, Monty’s, NoMoo, Doomie’s Home Cookin’
Sweet: Laduree, Yoga-Urt, Donut Friend
Coffee: Coffee and Plants
Mexican: Sugar Taco
Taste of home: Grandma’s Deli because they are the only ones serving vegan borsch!

Best karaoke: Player 1 (they have free karaoke Thursday-Sunday and arcades in retro style)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am grateful for my mama, and her belief and love for me. Grateful for my ex-husband for unconditional love and care, lifting me up, never doubting my potential. I don’t know if i would be able to survive first couple of years in a new environment without him. My friend Nadia, her support and advice helps me push through when times are rough. Thankful for Darya Raskova, she coached me vocally when I was 12-17 years old. She only charged me $2 per hour. At one point she canceled with her other students to put all of her focus on my development. Her discipline policy and belief in me played a big role on who I am today.

Books that were impactful:
“The Code of the Extraordinary Mind” by Vishen Lakhiani
”The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. Explains how to break through creative barriers
”5 AM Club” by Robin Sharma. Helped me to prioritize my time for things that are actually important
”Burnout” by Emily Nagoski. Science-based plan to stop the stress cycle.

YouTube channels:
@TheDiaryOfACEO
@Mindvalley Talks
@toplesofficial

Website: https://saleylook.wixsite.com/lubarodina

Instagram: https://instagram.com/luba_rodina?igshid=1m9rtalhflj68

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=gd-4VkNHl7Z6fAhwcWRT9A&utm_source=ishare

Youtube: https://youtu.be/caXeWyl8FhU

Image Credits
1. Pink&Purple: Photographer: Ethan May Model 2: Nadezhda Lialina Hair: @servingalienchic MUA: Lisa Bubli 2. Blue&Yellow: Photo: Curtis Kuo MUA: Lisa Bubli 3. Rhinestine tears. Photo: @dalure MUA: Lisa Bubli Hair: @servingalienchic 4. High Fashion: Stylist: Oana Diaconu Photo. Teddy Cuartas MUA: @elithemakeupguy 5. Still from “3$’ by Will Bonnell