You Are More Than Their Labels
Migration, Multitudes & Mental Health — with Tatiana Serikova
“Don’t let them frame you.”
— advice Tatiana Serikova received from a mentor at McKinsey, and a line she’s carried ever since.
Most of us—especially as immigrant women—have been framed.
Framed by someone else’s perception.
Framed by systems that want us to stay in our lane.
Framed by cultures that see only one version of us at a time.
But what if your power lives in being too complex to reduce? Too whole to fragment?
This week on the WanderWomen Podcast, I sit down with Tatiana Serikova—executive coach, facilitator, and founder of Beehane—for a conversation that is both thoughtful and fiercely liberating.
Tatiana’s story spans from a closed Soviet town to a Dutch citizenship ceremony that brought her to tears. She’s lived in six countries, navigated career shifts across finance, consulting, and coaching, and now supports high-performing professionals as they navigate mental health at work.
But this isn’t a “pivot” story.
This is a story of how we carry multitudes.
Of how identity is not a box—it’s a mosaic.
Of how mental health and self-worth can be quietly eroded in high-performance cultures—and how we reclaim them.
🎧 In this episode, we explore:
What it means to outgrow the labels others give you
How to “unmute” your voice in cultures that reward silence
Why being a third-culture woman is both disorienting and freeing
The loneliness that can come with ambition—and how to ground yourself
Why Tatiana believes self-trust is the most radical form of reinvention
One of my favorite moments is when she reflects on the power of rituals:
“Even the way I make tea can help me come home to myself.”
💭 This episode is for you if:
You’ve ever questioned where you belong—especially after moving countries
You’ve been praised for being adaptable, but feel like you’ve lost your center
You’re ready to reclaim the full version of yourself—not just the palatable one
You’re building something new but unsure how to anchor your identity in the process
🧭 Your Reflection Toolkit:
What labels (from family, colleagues, society) have you outgrown—but still carry?
When was the last time you felt wholly “yourself”—and what were you doing?
What grounding rituals, objects, or practices help you come home to yourself?
What version of you do people see at work? At home? What’s missing between them?
Watch the full episode
📚 Pre-order WanderWomen: How High-Skilled Immigrant Women Thrive
This isn’t just a podcast—it’s part of a movement.
The WanderWomen book is a love letter to every high-skilled immigrant woman who crossed borders, remade herself, and now dares to define success on her own terms.
🎉 Launching July 2025.
📦 Pre-order now: shivangiwalke.com/wanderwomen
You are more than their labels.
You are not too much. You are not too different.
You are a whole world.
With reverence,
Shivangi
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