A quarter-century retrospect
Kosta Trifunović
Join me look back down the memory lane!
As a child, I dreamed of being a school teacher, so much so that when I entered the fifth grade, I visited my previous teacher's new class every day. I wrote on the blackboard for her, made sure that the tests were being done fairly, and helped students who needed extra help. My greatest reward was the opportunity to write their grades in the diary with my own hand. A dream come true for a little nerd, haha!
I remember doing great in my chemistry class in early high school and my classmates often asked me to tutor them so they could achieve the results they wanted. This was the first time I became aware of the value of consistency and determination and that no matter how many years or skills I develop throughout my life - there will always be a balance between my inner relationship of student and teacher, receiver and giver, beginner and expert.
At the age of fifteen, I had my first official engagement - an unexpected opportunity to teach kids younger than me to dance. My coach simply said - "Just do the same workout you've been doing every day for the last five years and you'll be great." No training, no instructions, just share what you know with others. A lesson - super simple and true - what you have embodied you can confidently pass on to others!
I was only eighteen when I was entrusted to run one of the new studio locations over 100 kilometers from my hometown. It was here that I learned all the ins and outs of starting a business! From handing out hundreds of flyers, to hoping enough students would show up for the introductory class, to teaching them for the entire year. Every weekend during the school year looked like this - going out with friends on Saturday night, waking up at 7am the next day, a 2-hour bus ride, teaching classes from 10am to 5pm, and then coming home late to prepare for the new school week. Then at the end of the year, organizing a graduation party and being proud of the coach who made it all happen. Thinking about it now, I still can't believe I was running a thriving department of a successful business as a barely-adult!
With success came new opportunities – I started teaching adults and was offered some managerial tasks at the company’s headquarters. This went hand in hand with my university studies in organizational sciences at the time. Who can forget the experience of applying for French visas for over 30 participants in a play we did in Paris, or the responsibility of ensuring that a winter dance camp with over 40 children ran smoothly, or that a production of a performance for the country’s largest dance event ran smoothly?! At one point, I even got to teach the American ambassador to Serbia!
My crossing of the great pond surprised everyone, including me. Fatefully, I landed in New York and unknowingly entered the largest dance studio on the planet! With over 30 instructors on the team, it was both a privilege and the greatest challenge of my life to first survive in such a large city, and then to rise to the position of the best instructor in this iconic dance institution.
My skill level as a dancer and teacher exploded exponentially over those few years, raising my confidence to previously unimaginable levels. So much so that I couldn't pass up the opportunity that would change my life once again!
The invitation to join one of the most ambitious dance projects in the world was both flattering and terrifying. On the one hand, I had such a stable position, and on the other, life was calling me to experience more. It was one of those inner calls that you can't ignore. It overcame all my fears, and so I stepped into an organization that would hold my attention for the next twelve years.
To say this was the perfect next step for me is an understatement. I joined when they had 15 employees and left my corporate position at their peak of 120. Here I experienced and mastered how to guide
students and professionals to be the best versions of themselves.
Physical transformation, emotional and financial liberation, and success beyond all expectations manifested in my own life and in the lives of others. I led one of the top 10 dance studios in America and several students to become national champions, while personally experiencing the pinnacle of my own professional career - performing on iconic stages in New York, reaching the finals of a national championship as a professional dancer, and becoming a world-class judge and examiner at the tender age of 29.
Then came my favorite part of the experience – a huge opportunity for personal and professional growth in a business model that no one had ever attempted before. I was part of a team of executives who helped shape the corporate structure of this company. Combining my two greatest passions – dance and mentoring – I began to seize one opportunity after another and helped establish the human resources department, structure the curriculum, and install communication and efficiency systems.
It was so exciting to be a part of the rapid growth of a company from level one to four! This was the first time I felt that what I was doing had an impact on all levels of the organization. I was thrilled that the vision I had clearly and quickly took physical form, even though I was so far removed from the day-to-day delivery of services. It gave me the confidence that anything I set my mind to can be achieved through a process of surrender and faith.
Looking back, it's still amazing to me how I foresaw a major planetary shift. Back in 2019, I told myself that I was ready to step back from leadership and re-immerse myself in the specifics of 1-1 human interaction and transformation.
Then 2020 came and I had an awakening of epic proportions! My intuitive channel opened up and almost immediately I began sharing the insights that came. Far from the daily business routine, I dove into the depths of spirituality. The addition of yoga, mindful breathing, and meditation allowed me to dive in and explore the vastness of the infinite.
During the hundreds of shows, workshops, and gatherings that my husband and I have led, some of the most profoundly transformative experiences have occurred. I still fondly remember the 1:1 mentorships from that time period. Countless lightbulbs and revelations, life-changing twists and dreamlike outcomes. As a highlight of that segment of life - our first book was published by the greatest bestselling author in the Balkans - Ana Bučević!
Around this time, I felt my dominant excitement about exploring a broader perspective was ready to ground in. The energetic space of my heart was preparing for a most significant transformation, both personally and for the purposes of my work.
In late 2022, we welcomed the birth of our son, willing and ready to make a huge evolutionary leap. His presence brought so much light that I could no longer pretend, hide, or delude myself. Everything I had previously considered masterful in my life became visible overnight as what it had always been - a brilliantly orchestrated set of coping mechanisms. Because of the powerful presence he brought, I had no choice but to feel safe enough to sit with all my unconscious crap, which, one by one, first began to surface and then to transform into the highest frequency available to humans - authentic person.
As I became more grounded, my work became more focused, balanced, and impactful. I brought the information I received and the intellectual understanding into a practically embodied frequency that I now reside in dominantly both privately and while working. Last summer I felt like I finally allowed myself to fully come down to this planet. To put my feet on the ground. To let my roots in the earth be as important and cherished as my branches, leaves, and flowers in the wind. As if everything before had been just child's play for what was to come.
And so.. Here I am!
I am slowly gaining momentum with my harmoniously aligned engine to begin the realization of what I came into this world for. To allow myself to be online with my entire being. And in doing so, to radiate that authentic frequency with every interaction or intention I choose to experience.
I'm curious about what's coming in the next 25, now that I'm home!
I love that you're here,
Kosta
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