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

Hi Diana, what role has risk played in your life or career?
As a CPA, and being in the financial industry for over 20 years, my perspective on risk has shifted over time. Things like skydiving and bungee jumping used to be risky.

However, when you lose the people closest to you, the way you see the world and the way you connect to risk changes. When my second parent passed away in 2020, my world was forever changed. That loss gave me a new perspective.

Suddenly, it becomes riskier to play small, to stay locked up within myself, and not be who I want to be in this world. It’s less risky to do the things I always dreamed. It’s imperative to go big. Dream big. Play big. Make this life count.

Control is an illusion. We learn no one is getting out alive.

When the worst happens, when we sustain the worst loss there is, it’s a game changer.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I founded Fan Your Flame to realize my vision of a future where anyone can fulfill their dreams when they have access to the support and resources they need. Through Fan Your Flame, I provide trauma-informed financial literacy coaching to a wide variety of clients to help them achieve goals of financial independence, transformation, and abundance. If you want to change your relationship with money, you have to shift your relationship with yourself. The outer work doesn’t work unless you’re doing the inner work to make growth and change sustainable. Fan Your Flame will help you build your financial literacy so you can achieve your dreams and live your best life — for yourself and for generations to come.

I think like other entrepreneurs, I encounter challenges daily. We all do. It is inevitable that we will on every journey. I believe it is our attitude and mindset that sets us up for success when we are met with challenges. We can see them as opportunities for learning and data collection instead of failure. If I measure success by how many hours of the day I spend feeling the way I want to feel, then success is emotional and an inside job. So regardless of outcome, I’m a winner if I stay true to myself and find the levity and joy in the path through the obstacles.

My brand values lifelong learning, exploring, being innovative and curious, passion, gratitude, and fun. I want to democratize access to financial information and opportunities to the other 99%. Let’s have conversations that were formerly considered taboo, and bust the myth that we don’t talk about money.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would love to take a friend to see my LA. We’d start with some amazing breakfast burritos from Phanny’s in Redondo Beach – those little burrito babies are epic! I would have to visit the Golden Girls house and Modern Family TV show home sets, play a few rounds of Topgolf in El Segundo, have a sunset bonfire on the beach… and then take it to West Hollywood for some amazing rooftop bars and restaurants with gorgeous views of the city. I especially love getting out of the city to Joshua Tree for a little R&R when possible.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m very grateful for my parents who raised me. They did the best they could – they weren’t perfect people, nor did we have a perfect home. Their methods may have been questionable by today’s standards, but they were effective. I would not be the person I am or be doing the things in this world I want to do without the foundation they laid for me growing up. I learned structure and discipline, while cultivating a love of reading and lifelong learning. I am who I am because of their support early in my life, and through their passing, I have renewed my subscription to life to find purpose and legacy to share with others that they shared with me.

Website: Fan Your Flame Financial Literacy Coaching Website: www.fan-your-flame.com Freebie Website: www.disruptinginertia.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FanYourFlameLLC/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianagreshtchuk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanYourFlameLLC

Other: Important Links: https://fan-your-flame.com/links

Image Credits
Photographer: Bernadette Marciniak

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