Permission to Choose Yourself
Katerina Ali, Founder of Immersifi an AI Fashion Start-up reimagining in-store customer experience
The post-podcast Q&A following Episode 4 of Ticking Junction, “Stop Waiting For Permission.”
Jen: After having this conversation, did you realise anything about your own journey that you hadn’t connected before?
Katerina: Yes - strength. Removing myself from it and thinking of people who would go through this I would think were quite strong,
I have always felt determined but didn't realise the strength each occasion built.
Everything made me pull from within.
Also I didn't realise how much fashion was ingrained in me.
Jen:You said that the things you once thought disqualified you eventually worked in your favour. Is there anything you still catch yourself treating as a disadvantage today?
Katerina: I have learned to accept what I don’t know but now I know that I can learn about it. I am forever learning.
Jen: If the strokes had never happened, do you think you eventually would have made the same changes to your life, or did you need something to make “one day” feel finite?
Katerina: Not sure if they accelerated as I was scared after them, in fact I still wake during the night doing the simple test sometimes.
What it gave me was perspective and the permission to chase my dreams.
Jen: You talked a lot about learning to back yourself. Your son Jameel’s story in Episode 2 of Ticking Junction, Backing Yourself Before You’re Ready, also had an underlying theme of developing the self-confidence to back himself even when he didn’t have everything figured out. Is that something you consciously tried to in-still in your children, particularly because it took you longer to learn how to do it for yourself?
Katerina: I developed it much later due to growing up with my mother freaking out if I said I wanted to start my own business. So I never really thought I could.
It came later in life even after Jameel but I think he had it because I made sure he could do and try anything and we were there to support not discourage. Although he was so sure of himself from a very young age.
Jen: You said, “No is not no forever. No is not right now.” Has there been a ‘no’ since starting Immersifi that you’re now grateful you received?
Katerina: Yes - one of the first rounds of funding I went for said no and it was heavily skewed to blockchain which wouldn’t have worked now.
Jen: Immersifi began with wanting people to feel recognised, remembered and seen. Has building it changed what being “seen” means to you personally?
Katerina: Recognition is being acknowledged and I have realised that this matters deeply to me personally. It’s not because I need to be the centre of attention but because I really value genuine human connection.
Jen: You said your 15-year-old self would be proud because you finally stopped waiting for permission to live your life. What do you think you were waiting for permission to do for all those years?
Katerina: Permission to choose myself and give permission to fail. I was always too worried what people would think and then I just felt if I never try then I will never know and failing will teach me more than not doing anything.
Jen: At the end of our conversation, you said you always thought you were “born to serve” and not born to lead, until now. What does leadership mean to you now that you’re actually living it?
Katerina: Leadership isn’t about being the loudest person in the room or having all the answers. I think its now more about listening deeply without losing my own conviction. Its also helping other people feel valued.
I haven’t stopped wanting to serve people. I’ve realised that building Immersifi is how I can serve at a much greater scale. I’m no longer only helping the person in front of me; I’m trying to change the system around them.
Haven’t heard Katerina’s full story? Watch or listen to Episode 4 of Ticking Junction: Stop Waiting for Permission on Spotify or Youtube Now :)
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CONNECT WITH KATERINA & IMMERSIFI:
Website: https://immersifi.xyz/
Substack: https://substack.com/@immersifi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alikaterina
Instagram (Katerina): @katerinasstyle
Instagram (Immersifi): @immersifi_xyz
TikTok: @Katerina_immersifi
YouTube: @immersifi-xyz
