Lyte presents “Womxn at Lyte,” a series of conversations highlighting the voices of our womxn.
Q: As a child what did you think you wanted to be? And how do you think you came to that decision?
Lera: I changed my mind when I was a child like 100 times probably. I started with a dream to be a ballet dancer. I was extremely impressed with their skirts, they looked so crazy, so unnatural. I was four years old. I realized later that I had no talent for dancing at all. I don't have a sense of rhythm, so I never dance or sing in public because I don't want others to suffer.
And I still have no idea in which area I am more talented. I'm interested in many areas, and probably this is why I work as a product manager now. I can develop different stuff for different business domains. I enjoy being involved in so many different activities, and different contexts each time.
Q: What would your younger self be most surprised about how you live your life today?
Lera: I wouldn’t be surprised at all - I imagined it pretty close to what I have now. I would have been surprised, probably only that I live in Belarus. And it doesn’t look like a big move, but I really liked to live here. However, in my childhood, I believed that I would go somewhere much farther away from Russia.
But it's coming up soon. I am going to relocate, despite the fact that I am in love with this country. But we all know what happened and keeps happening, so it looks like I don’t have much choice. I hope one day I will return.
Q: Did you have your eyes set on a place that you wanted to live as a child?
Lera: I always thought about mountains. I'm in love with the mountains. This is the main thing that brings me some power and resources. When something bad happens to me, mountains can heal everything. There is no tragedy that I cannot overcome by visiting mountains, skiing, or hiking, and being healed by them. So, I always dreamt about living somewhere nearby. This is why it's so weird that I have chosen Belarus because we don't have any mountains at all. It's absolutely flat as a plate. But I still like it!
Q: What do you think is the hardest part of what you do for a living?
Lera: I hate early wake-ups, and this is why I enjoy working for Lyte so much. Because I have to stay up late, and then this helps me to wake up later.
Talking in general. Sometimes it's difficult for me to speak English. And 4 years ago I wasn't able to speak at all, like zero. And right now sometimes I feel extremely nervous talking to others in English, especially when everyone is talking at the same time. It’s not like in textbooks at all - there are lots of jokes, lots of slang, and the grammar is different! But I enjoy it - like solving riddles all the time. English is like music to me. So it’s hard but interesting - like everything worth doing in life.
Q: What do you love about working at Lyte?
Lera: Lots of things actually, it's difficult to pick just one. I really enjoy the atmosphere of being honest, free, and kind of approved by default. Like to know all the time that people trust you, you can trust them. You can rely on them. You can ask for help. You feel supported. It's difficult to explain in one word, but it's more about feeling safe.
Q: What lesson took you the longest to unlearn?
Lera: This is the simplest one. To stop controlling everything, just sometimes you may trust the world, trust others. You don't need to struggle all the time. There are many people who may help, they are here for you.
But relying on others was extremely difficult for me.
Probably because I grew up in an absolutely different culture. Many Russian people are struggling each day because life can be tough in Russia. And you have to struggle, endure, fight, and always be ready to defend yourself. I keep unlearning to be like that. I choose to trust and rely on others, to trust the world in general.
Q: What have you accomplished recently that would have shocked you a year ago?
Lera: I can enjoy my professional area no matter what happens around me. Extreme pressure, huge violence behind my window, people running around, police fighting them, and other horrible things are happening and I can still find joy in my work. I believe that this is an accomplishment because this is the thing that helps me to endure. To overcome all of that stuff. There are other things that are filling my life, and I can still be a complete person no matter what happens and live my life to the fullest.
Q: What are you more afraid of, failure or success, and why?
Lera: I don’t like to admit it, but I'm afraid of failure. I am still learning how not to be afraid of failure - because I know that this is the way to gain experience and expertise. But, you know, from where I came, admitting that you were wrong - this was the worst thing that you could do.
I know that I shouldn’t be afraid of failure, but I still am. And I work hard to get rid of that, to force myself to experiment and take risks. And being a part of such a great and supportive team really helps me!
However, no one likes to fail - and there is a good part to it - I want to test everything 10 times before making the decision before it cannot be undone.
Q: What's non-negotiable in your life?
Lera: Some basic stuff is really important to me, it's like axioms to me. It’s about human rights, democratic values, a critical and fact-checking mindset, etc. I know that sometimes I can sound like a stubborn person insisting on those things, but considering my life experience, I believe that can be understood.
I use the same approach to my work in a team - to hear from all of the interested people and to value all opinions. To be open-minded and free. Challenge each idea, and start with my own.
Q: What can womxn create together?
Lera: I don’t see much difference between “what womxn can create” and “what men can create.” We’re all pretty capable.
But I saw one thing that struck me. I saw how womxn in Belarus stopped mass, public violence on the streets - just by standing against it. No one wants to fight beauty and kindness. I am not sure if we’re more kind or beautiful than men, but that idea blocked many bad guys from fighting us. Unfortunately, not all of them, but many did stop. So, I believe that this is our superpower - to stop violence.
Q: What's the most exciting improvement for womxn in the industry or in general?
Lera: Probably this is why I love the IT era, not only the industry, so much. We have much more liberty here.
It left state borders only on a map, we can access the information from all over the world. Womxn from tough places can get support and new opportunities thanks to the internet, remote education, and health care.
Within the industry we can develop our potential - we can be engineers, managers, designers - whatever. And we’ll be treated by our knowledge, efforts, and impact, not by gender.
However, to be honest, there is much space to improve, but we’re on the right path, so I believe that the future is promising.
Q: What title would you give this chapter in your life?
Love in, love out. We can make this world a better place, just by being curious, caring, and doing what we love. And Lyte is a great team to do that - a safe place to bring something good to the world.
This is difficult, but I feel how much stronger I become day by day, and how new skills are developed in me. It’s hard, but also fascinating.
Womxn at Lyte featuring Lera Shchukina, Product Manager at Lyte