Episode Transcript
Hello, my name is Aziz, and I'm the son of a divorce mother. She is really my superhero. That's why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities, perspectives, and emotions about life. Too many women in this world feel alone. They worry about the judgment of others, and they struggle with their mental health. But when they listen to the Rare Girls podcast where empowered women share their voices and tell their stories, many women will feel inspired to live a life of freedom and to overcome all insecurities. They will feel it is a safe space to find their confidence, to remember their unique beauty, and to feel their self-worth. And they will connect with the sisterhood of Rare Girls who encourage their success and support their dreams. That's what this podcast is all about. My guest today is Larissa Schmid. Larissa is a Romanian girl currently. Flying around the world being a flight attendant for one of the biggest companies, she is 28 years old and also works as a makeup artist in Dubai. Larissa enjoys good company in her days off, spending time at the beach and trying to connect with nature. Larissa, how are you today? - Hello, I'm very good. How are you today? - I feel positive, blessed, full of joy for life, and really, really curious to know much more about you. So I'll begin with this nice first question, which is, Larissa, if your friends could describe your personality, what would they say about you? - Well, I just wanna thank you and for having me here. So I think the world will be bubbly because I'm a very straightforward person, and I always like to say what I think, even though someone will feel uncomfortable around me. I think I have a lot to gain from this because before I was a very quiet person, and I can say that people took advantage of this in so many occasions, and then I just promised myself that I'm not gonna be like that anymore. So I just started to be a very straightforward person, and all my friends, they know that already about me. Yeah, so I would say bubbly. - Thank you, that's very interesting, although to me, bubbly would have a different definition. So let's focus first on you being direct and straightforward with people. There are many girls who are people pleasers, who actually, even their life, they live it up to the expectations of other people because they worry that they will judge them, they worry what they will say about them, they worry to hurt other people's emotions, and they forget themselves. Well, when you decided to know more, be quiet and hide in your truth, in the beginning, it was difficult, in the beginning, the emotions are more intense. How did you persist and keep going rather than stop and return to being quiet because it's easier when it's something that became part of who you are? - Well, I think everything started when I became a flight attendant for a previous company, and we had some strict rules, and I think because of that, I just kept everything inside of me, all my thoughts, because I think it was most the fear of not losing an opportunity or the job or someone next to me. So because of that mentality, I just decided to just keep everything inside, but that started to just affect myself, my thinking, my mood. So I just decided that I'm not gonna be like that anymore. So at some point, I said, I don't care who I lose. I don't care what opportunity I lose. If I lose it, it's not meant to be, but at least I'm not pleasing someone just for the sake of a job or a friendship. So if it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be, but at least I'm in peace with myself. - 100%. And now I want to explore your bubbly side. Well, nowadays, especially with the world being crazy as it is, there are too many people who are a bit more negative, who are more depressed, who cannot find their joy and good vibes and good energy. Is it something that you're born with, this ability to be bubbly and have good vibes? Or do you do something in particular? Is it yoga? Is it going to the beach to recharge yourself? Is it something that you do? How do you make yourself or allow yourself to be bubbly in a time where not many people can be that way? - Well, to be honest, yoga is a new thing that I started and meditating. But for me, meditation near the water is very important because I'm a Libra. And for Libras, the water is very important, especially the ocean. Any sea, ocean or lake. So I found out that meditating next to a water makes me feel even more calm. But I think my bubbly side comes out when I'm trying to prove my point maybe, or if I'm with my friends, if they feel like they cannot say something for a special, like for example, we are out on a restaurant and they want to say something to the waiter or they want to ask for something, they don't like the food, or they know they will count on me because I'm straightforward. And I think my bubbly side comes out then, but in a very polite way. So I think meditation helps me, but also when I'm very straightforward person in bubbly, I will do it in a very polite way, in a professional way because of my job also. So sometimes even my colleagues, when they see me the first time, they will say, "Oh, she doesn't look very friendly." Because for the first time when I see someone, the first impression, I will give them the feeling that I'm a bubbly person. When I say bubbly, I mean like the champagne, I'm gonna pop. But I think meditation helps me also to calm my bubbly side. - Thank you for sharing that. And you mentioned that you're a Libra. Can you tell me a bit more about two things? How much do you believe in horoscope? How big is it part of your life? And for you, how does your personality match the descriptions of being a Libra? - Well, the Zodiac thing, I took it from my mom. When I was a kid, she was always reading the horoscope for the next day. So I kind of learned from her that I wanted to know more about my Zodiac signs. And if you know about your Zodiac sign, I think you will find out things about you also, because somehow it describes you. So every time I meet someone, they will just tell me, "Are you a Libra?" And they will just guess. So I just, yeah, I decided to be more interested about Zodiac signs. And actually I listen to my horoscope every day almost. For some people it's weird because they don't believe in this, but I do believe in Zodiac signs, stars, manifesting things, universe, all these things. Yeah, I believe in them. - Thank you. And I'm very curious about the story behind you choosing to become a flight attendant. Was it something you had from childhood? Did you watch a movie or read about something and it gave you this dream and this aspiration? Is it for you a way to travel the world and explore new things? Is it for you a different thing that you wanted something because you get bored easily that you will never bore you? Tell me a bit more about the story and the desire to become a cabin crew. - So you see, everything started. I used to work in UK. I was a nurse for disabled people. It's very different than the job that I have now. It's just that I didn't have the freedom to explore the world with that job. And it became a routine. And I just decided that I need to stop this and I'm young and I need to see the world. I need to explore. So I need to change something. I used to do my hair in a bun. It was like a low bun, like the flight attendants. So every time my mom would see me with that bun, she would say, "You look like a flight attendant." So she just gave me the idea of a flight attendant job. So I just decided to participate. It was like a flight attendant school and she just gave me the idea. So after that school, I just attended to one interview. I didn't get it from the first time, but to be honest, I was even more, it just made me angry. Like I wanted it even more. Just because I didn't get it, I said, "I will get it the second time." So the second time I got it. And yeah, I was in Qatar actually for two years and half, I guess. And I had to taste this traveling. So once you tasted, I think you don't get enough because after I stopped being a flight attendant for that company, I had a break again and I went back to UK and I realized how much I miss traveling and how much money I need to save to go in one holiday only. And I was taking this for granted before because for me it became a routine just going to places. I didn't see anything special anymore. But after I stopped it, I just realized how much I miss it. And I just realized that actually I liked this job and it's for me. So I said, I will just continue with another company. So yeah, here I am. Still enjoying. - I'm happy that you're enjoying it very much. And then I have to ask you because you have hectic schedule, a crazy number of hours where you don't have really any routine at all. So you went from some routine to total chaos. How do you take care of your mental health when you are either working hard or too exhausted to do anything? And therefore you're going from ups and downs like that and your body too gets exhausted from all the flying and all the changes in time zones, et cetera. How do you keep yourself positive and taking care of your mental health, although you're working a job that is very demanding? - Well, to be honest, I took the example of some of my colleagues that they were very affected because of this job because not everyone can do this job, to be honest. It's quite hard. And if you cannot get used with a lifestyle, maybe it's not for you. So a lot of them, they've been into depression. They were crying, their body shut down. So I just try to learn something from them, from their mistakes, because you can do mistakes in this lifestyle if you don't take care of your body, especially your mental health. This is why I started meditation and yoga. Recently I started to go to the gym when I have days off in Dubai. So I'm trying to have at least half an hour of just doing some type of sport if I cannot go to the gym. And yeah, I'm trying to take my vitamins to be honest, I have a full box of vitamins, every kind. And even sometimes I don't eat properly. I'm trying to stay hydrated. This is very important to be honest. People will not think about water in a very important way, but it saves my life. I'm not joking. Especially that near the water, I feel the best. And I drink a lot of water. I feel like me, like myself, I need to stay hydrated all the time. Even if I don't eat properly, as long as I had my two liters of water per day, I'm happy and my vitamins. - I understand and I'm curious. Since you are so affected by water, water even meditating near water is important to you. Drinking water, but you said you are more like champagne. How does that work? Like tell me, 'cause I imagine your brain has metaphors like this. So how can you be champagne, yet you need water so much? How does it work within the way you think? - Well, let's just say that I'm charging my batteries from water so I can be able to be champagne. Does it make sense? Yeah, so I need my dose of quiet and peace so I can be able to be in public the way I'm actually trying to behave, you know? And even though I'm more like a rose champagne, let's say that. So I'm straightforward person and bubbly, but in the most professional way you will see. But I need my quiet time before I interact with people. So this is why I need the water before, you know? - I understand 100%. Thank you for sharing that. And I'm curious, what is your interest in makeup? Why do you love it? Is it for other people? Because when you make other women look more beautiful, you feel that you're giving them good vibes, good energy, you're making a big change in the world, or was it for yourself at first? You wanted to become an artist in a way that you can make yourself look any way you desire, or to accentuate your feature and feel more beautiful. Or to you, what was the start of your fascination and interest with being a makeup artist? - So everything started with my grandfather because he was a painter and an artist in my town, a very known one. He was like an honor citizen in my country for being an artist. So I think the talent came from him. Actually, my sister used to paint before, and I took this talent, but I put it in another form, which is makeup. So by doing makeup, I feel like I'm taking this talent of his because he's not here anymore, unfortunately. So I feel like I kind of make him proud by doing this. And as you said, making other women feel beautiful, the smile on their face after I do their makeup is just priceless. And if I know that I have a talent to do someone else's they say beautiful, because depends what you understand by beautiful, but in these days, a big percentage of the women, they think that if you wear makeup, you're beautiful. So if I can give them that, why not? I will just use my challenge. - Thank you. And since you're speaking about female beauty, we live in a time where there are many women on social media who might be Photoshopped or now made by AI and they look perfect. And there are many girls and women who compare themselves to those images and they feel not beautiful, they feel depressed and they don't see their unique beauty. Did you struggle with this at some point by comparing yourself to some other women? And in any way, what's your advice to younger generation as well as other women who might feel limited in their ability to be happy because they don't think they look like someone else? - Well, I did struggle with this before, especially when I came to Dubai. I was one of the women that saw, like I need to compete with other women to be same. But after I started to spend more time with myself and like, you see, having friends that see your true words is very important because my best friend here in Dubai, even though I would say, oh, I don't feel pretty today, I don't look like this, she would be like, Larissa, you're crazy. Like you don't see how beautiful you are just because of your character. It doesn't matter, like you don't have the same body like this girl or the nose or lips. It doesn't matter, like everyone has a unique beauty inside and outside also. What, you know, what, it can look ugly for me, it can look beautiful for you. So every time I was trying to see from another perspective because even though you're perfect and you look like you're from a magazine, for someone else, you can be ugly. So even though you're trying to reach the perfection, you will never reach that. It's just inside of you. So if you are in peace with yourself, I think this is the most important. So my advice is just spend some time with you. Just use the beauty that you have in your own benefit. And as long as you're in peace with yourself, that's all that matters, to be honest. - That's very, very wise. Thank you for sharing that. And you said earlier that you believe in metaphysics, you believe in manifestation, you believe in everything related to that. So I'm curious, how do you see the world? Do you see yourself as a soul that is reincarnated in order to live a big destiny? Do you believe it's all energy and you are attracted to energy that matches your vibration and repulse by energy that doesn't match and you are trying to grow your energy? I don't know, but how do you perceive the world in a way that is more than the physical shallow reality? - Well, I was actually reading about this reincarnation and life before this life and life after life. So I was trying to open my horizons for this. I do believe that I was something else before this life. I want to believe that I was a warrior because I was reading a bit about my zodiac sign, the day I was born, the hour, and in another life, actually, this is what I read on internet. And because I like how it sounds and it gives you motivation, I want to believe it. So I read on the internet that I was a warrior and I was leading. So I kind of relate with this, the life that I have right now, because even though I'm in a group of people, every interview that I had, we had the group activities, they used to put me in the front to talk all the time because I feel like I see everything from another perspective. So before I am trying to lead something, I'm just saying my opinion. And if they believe in me, they will just put me in charge to say something. And about manifestation, this is something that I always thought about, but you have to read about this because you need to believe in it. You cannot just say, "Oh, I will receive a Lamborghini tomorrow." It's not like that. You need to start with small things. And the first thing is gratitude, I think, because you need to feel grateful first for everything that you have already in your life so you can ask for more. So every morning, I just say, "Thank you God for everything I have, and thank you for everything that I will receive. Thank you God and universe." I'm trying to put them together. So yeah, I do want to believe in manifesting good things. And yeah, I am a person that believes in Zodiac signs, even though some people will think I live in a dream. If that gives me peace and keeps me going, so be it. - I agree 100%. And to finish this, is there any advice that you can share with other women in the world or maybe a lesson you learned you try to remember so that they can live happier, live better, have a life with more peace and tranquility, and at the same time, they will live a life that they choose without following someone else's image and expectations? - Well, my advice would be, if you have a talent or a skill, just go for it. Even though it's not gonna happen today or tomorrow, one day will happen and what's meant for you, it's gonna be for you. And don't lose hope. Even for me, everything I accomplished, it took me time. Like it took me years to be in this position that I am right now, to be happy with myself, with my choices. And I still want bigger things for my life or better things. But for the moment, I need to be happy with what I have. So just be, have gratitude, be happy and find your own peace. This is my advice, find the peace. If you have the peace, you will be a happy person. Even though you don't have a lot of money or things in life, just have patience and you will get it. - Thank you so much, Larissa. It was my privilege and my honor to have you here, to share your voice, to hear your perspective. I wish you even more and more success. I wish you always connection with water and with good people. And thank you again for participating. - Thank you so much. It was my pleasure. Thank you.
