Mentorship, Design and Creative Engineers | Alyona Volkova | Beyond Coding Podcast #121

Self-Reflection

Alyona Volkova shares her approach to self-reflection, emphasizing the importance of writing and immediate reflection to retain insights. She describes how journaling helps her process experiences and improve her coaching skills, noting that self-reflection is crucial for personal growth. Patrick Akil agrees, highlighting the value of discussing past events to trigger self-reflection 1. Alyona explains that flexibility in communication is key, as understanding different personalities allows her to adapt her feedback style effectively 2.

I have a vision of who I want to be, and then this self-reflection helps me to go in that direction.

--- Alyona Volkova

This adaptability has influenced her career and personal life, fostering a more open and non-judgmental approach.

   

Positive Overthinking

Alyona discusses how she channels overthinking into a constructive tool for self-improvement, using it to analyze past actions and learn from them. She acknowledges her anxiety but uses it as a catalyst for positive change, focusing on the present to mitigate future worries 3. Patrick Akil notes her calm demeanor, which Alyona attributes to intentional self-calming techniques and exposure therapy to confront fears like public speaking 4.

Anxiety and overthinking go hand in hand, and I know that I overthink, but I'm trying not to overthink in a positive way.

--- Alyona Volkova

Through these methods, she builds resilience and confidence, transforming anxiety into a tool for growth.