We had the good fortune of connecting with Daria Mudrova and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Daria, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
My mom once told me, translated from her Russian, “Who doesn’t risk, doesn’t drink champagne.” I have lived with this mindset all of my life. Taking risks have been a big part of my life and career, and all of the best outcomes in my life have been the result of taking responsibility for my big, risky decisions. First of all, I took a risk at 17 years old when I moved from a little city in the middle of Russia to Moscow after I passed exams and got a government scholarship. My second big risk was to quit my stable corporate job and launch the start up “My Beauty Box” in Russia, even though the country was going through a crisis due to sanctions. It turned out that I successfully sold the company in the end. The third big risk was to quit my comfortable life in Moscow and move to New York City for new, bigger risks and opportunities. And I really love it here. I just think that it is better to try and fail than not to try and regret that you didn’t do it. I think that all entrepreneurs are very brave to take responsibility for all possible outcomes of their decisions. And the main point – you can train this like any other skill and make better bets each time you need to make a new decision. So I hope my next decisions will be worth the risks I decide to take.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a content creator and contributor. I’ve written articles that have been featured in magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Instyle, Glamour, Vogue and others. I am currently writing about beauty and fashion through the prism of current trends and the values that are important to me, such as women’s empowerment, feminism, wellness, sustainability, and mindfulness. I am creating content for my blog at dariamudrova.com and for my Instagram account @darimudrova. Previously living in Moscow, I was working around 4 years in pharmaceutical company, then founded start-up called My Beauty Box, in one year and half I successfully sold it and came to New York City, here I’ve set up art gallery “Orchard Galerie”. I love being independent digital creator and contributor, I enjoy testing new beauty products and, if I’m really impressed with something, I like to share my experience with my subscribers. I am also a brand-ambassador for such brands as Vassa & Co, Forms, and T-Dress. I am inspired by being able to create content for such brands as Sephora, L’Oreal, Caudalie, and Google. My blog is a tool that allows me to reach out to so many wonderful people and brands. I want it to inspire others to try new experiences and to be happier and more self-confident. I also love sharing my entrepreneurial insights, beauty hacks, fashion tips and wellness discoveries, and to help everyone to stay updated on the hottest art, beauty and fashion events in NYC.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would recommend on the first day of arrival in New York to visit the most touristic places: Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park, the Empire State Building, the Edge, taking a ride on the free ferry to Staten Island and back with amazing views of the Statue of Liberty. To truly understand New York, you have to walk a lot of the side streets in neighborhoods like SoHo, the Lower East Side, the West Village, the Upper West Side and to take a bike ride in Central Park. In the morning, take a cup of coffee to go and walk through the galleries in Chelsea, stop by the Whitney Museum of American Art, listen to jazz on the Lower East Side and eat something delicious like a famous ramen soup in some nearby Asian restaurant. Then maybe take advantage of the opportunity to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the MoMa, head to a rooftop somewhere Downtown to drink a fancy cocktail, go to a Broadway musical and taste New York cheesecake. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and see the views of Manhattan from Brooklyn. It’s worth taking a ride to Williamsburg, which is a very hipster neighborhood in Brooklyn. You can walk around all the locations in the city where Sex and the City, Friends, and the comedy Home Alone were filmed. If you’re in New York in winter, don’t miss out on ice skating in Central Park or in Bryant Park. New York is a place for exploration, and there are a lot of options for that fit every taste. While walking around Bushwick, you can see graffiti. If it’s a hot summer day, you could even head to the ocean at Rockaway Beach and try some surfing.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would dedicate my success to my mother, who has always been an example of a strong, independent woman for me. She has always supported me no matter what and gave me the ability to believe in myself. I am also grateful for my background in sports, which helped me to become more disciplined and allowed me to develop my endurance, understanding of teamwork, goal setting, and time management. I am grateful for the mentorship to my colleague, Antoine Poissonnier, the person with whom I founded a start-up company, My Beauty Box, in Moscow. Of course, to my boyfriend Michael, for encouragement and inspiration. A few books off the top of my head that influenced me during different periods of my life include: “The Subtle Art of not giving a f*ck” by Mark Manson, “You are a badass” by Jen Sicero, “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert, “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, and “Live: 7 commandments for energy and health” by Issac Pintosevich. Living in a 24/7 city with access to worldwide networks and megacity opportunities has allowed me to pursue meaningful opportunities in line with the values that really matter to me. I am always trying to cultivate a positive mindset and to grow my self-awareness and mindfulness.
Website: dariamudrova.com
Instagram: darimudrova
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daria-mudrova-3a6ba873/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dasha.mudrova/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYoo-nxgyxw89trEJvkmghA
Image Credits
Main photo “portrait” – photograther: Tony David, Jewelry: Blingtal New York Black & White picture “VassaandCo” – Dress: Vassa & Co, Photograther Nikolay Kazantsev