We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anna Yukevich a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Anna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?

Being Kind To Yourself Makes Everyone Else’s Life Easier

I worked for three years at the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation, a 100-year old nonprofit, where I administered aptitude tests and helped people understand their natural talents. The work was fascinating and hands-on – I’d time clients while they put blocks together, arranged words in diagrams, etc, and then I’d spend 90 minutes going over the results with them, helping them understand how their scores might translate to a satisfying career. All told, I spent about four hours one-on-one with each person. Even with our tests being very different from school exams (they’re more like puzzles and games), many people, especially high achievers, came in with intense anxiety. Testing naturally isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but… it was eye-opening to see JUST how cruelly people would talk to themselves. I’d see a 35-year old man whisper “god I’m so stupid,” while he solved a puzzle in the 99th percentile.

The irony! People came in to discover where they might best succeed in a career, but often, what they really needed to work on was self-compassion. I wish we could have measured “vibes” at the Foundation too, but, alas.

Reader, being gentle with yourself isn’t just a personal matter – it’s actually a Professional Skill.

When you’re constantly disparaging your own efforts, it affects not only you, but also the people around you. It costs them energy to hold space for that negativity. Witnessing others’ distress made me want to take action and comfort them, but I couldn’t. It wouldn’t have been appropriate in a neutral, standardized testing environment. So I just stewed in my own discomfort, trying to tune out the “ughhh I’m doing so badddd”s from the people across my desk.*

It is NOT selfish to be nice to yourself, to treat yourself with respect. It is RESPECTFUL to others to be kind to yourself.

Hating on yourself? Not a cute look!!!

After witnessing this over and over, I’m a little different in my creative networking or collaborations. I’m less self-deprecating, more earnest, and when I don’t know something, I simply ask for more information, as opposed to telling myself “you are the most stupid, most inexperienced girl in the world.”

<i>* I know it’s also, maybe equally, important to learn the skill of letting people feel their own discomfort. They gotta feel it to heal it, and we shouldn’t take away that process for them. (I think Hailey Magee does some good work on instagram re: people pleasing if you’re curious to learn more.) But this isn’t about that, it’s about BEING NICE TO YOURSELF!!</i>

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

~~~I’m a dreamer, but I don’t believe that dreams come true – reality does.~~~~

I’m a singer-songwriter (@HugsforScience) and creative coach based in Brooklyn, NY.

I find nothing more inspiring than witnessing my coaching clients’ transformations. I’m on a mission to showcase the transformative power of coaching, an often misunderstood practice. It’s not just for bros and girlbosses! Coaching is for thoughtful, hardworking, community-minded people who want to make progress faster than they might on their own.

Are you a creative soul:

– Questioning your path and purpose,

– Feeling stuck between your artistic dreams and financial stability,

– Struggling to navigate the competitive urban environment,

– Battling self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and

– Yearning for a deeper connection to your work and yourself?

Cool – because so was I! I am happy to say I have rewritten this story into one where I experience daily confidence, trust, and satisfaction.

I’ve spent nearly a decade immersed in NYC’s theater and music scenes and am lucky to be friends with beautifully talented artists, creators, musicians, producers, comedians – just the best people. I emerged out of my tormented twenties with invaluable insights, and can credit my friends for helping me through. I also hired a coach (in secret, because I was so embarrassed to be hiring a life coach – look at me now!), who changed my life and got me asking myself the right questions.

As you can read above, my experience working at Johnson O’Connor was a turning point for me. It opened my eyes to a crucial truth: everyone is different, and mindset is a HUGE part of success. I wanted to go beyond test results and career assessments to address the root of the problem – helping people see how beautiful and capable they truly are. This perspective, combined with my ongoing ICF coach certification training and a year of professional coaching experience, allows me to offer a holistic approach to creative career development that focuses on both skills and self-belief.

I think what sets me apart from other coaches is that I am really smart AND also full of wonder, and I love the <i>challenge/puzzle</i> of looking at one’s life. I’m a seeker! And, I’m deeply imaginative and creative, so we get fun in sessions. Having All The Answers is boring to me; I’m not a consultant. Instead, I’m here to listen for what lights my clients up, and encourage them to use THEIR OWN creative power to move forward. It’s a muscle that needs to be trained, and together, we work on strengthening it. It’s really meaningful for me to support people in this way.

And hey, if you’re ready for a transformative journey with a coach who offers deep, meaningful connection, isn’t afraid of a good laugh, and will challenge and encourage you to see your own beauty and potential – let’s connect.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the way I practiced music. I grew up playing the violin and would race through all of my exercises. (Needless to say, I was never very good at violin.) After college, I decided to take piano lessons from an incredible teacher, Adele Dreyer, who broke down the art and science of practicing music in such a clear and approachable way. Ten minutes of intentional practice going over one or two measures is so much more rewarding that 10 hours of playing the whole song over and over again. She taught me the practice of knowing and visualizing where your fingers will be next BEFORE you play your current note. Incredible philosophy for life in general, not just music learning. If I practice/train/plan/live with intention, spontaneity and play visit me more frequently.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Yeah, definitely. I think a lot of non-creative AND creative people incorrectly assume that creatives are driven solely by an uncontrollable passion or a ‘bug’ – that we have no choice but to pursue our art, regardless of the challenges. Art Above All (cue scary music) or you aren’t really an artist.

When I was in high school a friend of mine told me I was “too smart” to go into acting. It would be a waste of my brain. Like actors only have one thought going at all times – “I want to act.” Maybe it was because I knew he was so smart and would be so materially successful working at tech companies or designing weapons or whatever, that I internalized those words so deeply.

Around the same time, a professor on an audition panel of an acting conservatory singled me out to encourage me to apply. She told me, “But Anna, don’t do this if you can picture yourself doing anything else with your life.” I didn’t end up applying. I think there is probably some truth to her advice (actors, weigh in please), but after she said that I felt like I didn’t deserve to pursue it. Not applying to conservatory haunted me (what if I had been accepted? what if I hadn’t?) and throughout college I felt ashamed about accepting acting roles that someone else probably wanted more than me.

What I’ve come to realize, and what I wish more people understood, is that pursuing a creative career is actually a choice. Even if you’re certain about that choice, it doesn’t mean you’re possessed by a furious passion that makes you immune to others’ opinions or happily struggle through constant misunderstanding. It’s not a gift of delusion from the gods. There is so much mundane dignity in a creative career. So much intention and thought. So much earned.

Being an actor, or a painter or pianist or a dancer, isn’t an uncontrollable impulse. I’d love for people (including my teenage self, who can see herself doing so many different things) to understand that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.annayukevich.com
• Instagram: @annayukevich and @hugsforscience

Image Credits
Patrick Dodson