How do you realize that you have finally found your calling? Perhaps it is when you work with no days off, spend ten hours at shoots, create projects from scratch on your own, and yet wake up every day with the desire to do even more.
Today, Ksenia Shcherbach is known as the author and host of the interview project “Case,” the founder of the women’s community @femme_brunch_, a media personality, and an entrepreneur who is confidently building her own brand.
Her story is not about accidental success. It is a path through professional searches, bold decisions, periods of doubt, and a readiness to choose what truly resonates.
In an exclusive interview for Business Woman, Ksenia Shcherbach spoke about her return to journalism, the creation of “Case,” the development of the women’s community, the fight against stereotypes, and the principles that help her move forward.
— Where did your path as an interviewer and project author begin, and at what point did you realize that working on camera and creating meaning was no longer just a hobby, but your life’s work?
— My path started back in university. I have a higher education degree in journalism, and even during my studies, I was constantly going to auditions, screen tests, and participating in various media projects. I worked as a journalist for newspapers and news agencies, worked on camera, conducted interviews, and went out to cover events, sports fixtures, media parties, and various functions across the country.
Later, life took me away from this profession for a bit. But even when I was engaged in other projects, I always knew deep down that sooner or later I would return to journalism and on-camera work.
After participating in “The Bachelor” project, I began to think more about what I wanted to do next, and I realized that what brought me the greatest happiness was precisely communicating with people. The opportunity to ask questions, listen to stories, and reveal a person to the audience. That was when I decided to launch my own project.
At first, we created the show “Adam and Eve Would Turn in Their Graves.” Though, to be honest, even back then, I wanted to launch “Case” specifically. But the production team talked me out of it. They explained to me that there were already too many interviews right now, that this format was oversaturated, and that it was unlikely to quickly capture the audience’s attention. So, we did a more entertainment-oriented format instead.
The show turned out well; we had celebrity guests, interesting topics, and it found its viewer. But inside, I felt like I wasn’t quite in the right place. I always wanted more depth. I wanted not just to entertain, but to talk about people, their stories, experiences, and paths.
Last winter, I burned out badly. So much so that I was seriously thinking about closing the project. Then, my friends and I went to Bukovel for the New Year holidays and stayed there for more than a week. I rested so much, inspired by the mountains, skiing, the atmosphere, delicious food, infused liqueurs, and the very feeling of life, that I returned home a completely different person.
I remember that moment very well. I just told the production team: “We are launching ‘Case’ after all.” That was exactly what I wanted to call the project from the very beginning. And interviews were precisely the format I had always wanted to do. Today, the project is only four months old, and it’s just entering its fifth. But a lot of people are already talking about it. It quickly gained popularity, and most importantly, people started perceiving it as a truly professional interview project.
Right now, we are working at a very intense pace. There are days when we record three or four large interviews in a row. Recently, we had a day where we recorded six interviews in a single day. Mind you, those were two large documentary episodes, which I am sure will generate a very big response.
And it was in this rhythm that I realized this is my life’s work. When you work with no days off, write scripts yourself, look for guests, design episode concepts, review edits, create teasers, manage social networks, spend 10 hours at shoots, and remain happy through it all — that is a very telling sign.
“When you work with no days off, create projects from scratch on your own, and remain happy through it all — that is a very telling sign that you have found a venture you are ready to do every single day.”
Yes, I get tired. Sometimes very much so. But every day I wake up with the desire to keep doing it. That was exactly when I realized I had found the thing that makes me truly happy.
— You combine blogging, creating @femme_brunch_ events, and the YouTube project “Case.” How did these initiatives appear outside of your personal blog, and what is most important to you in them as an entrepreneur and organizer?
— Actually, @femme_brunch_ appeared first because I love creating beautiful events. I think this goes back to my childhood. Due to a lack of money, I didn’t have the opportunity to throw myself a beautiful birthday party or get into any special events. I always watched movies featuring beautiful parties, celebrations, and birthdays, and dreamed of creating such an atmosphere myself one day.
The idea for the brunches appeared after “The Bachelor.” By then, brunches were already a popular format, and I wanted to attend one myself. I signed up for a brunch focused on creating vision boards, but a few days later, they wrote to me saying that due to an insufficient number of tickets sold, the event was canceled. Instead, they offered another format — with candles. I replied that I didn’t want candles; I wanted the vision board specifically. And then I realized: if I can’t find the format I like, it means I will create it myself.
That is how @femme_brunch_ was born.
We organized the first big event together with participants from different seasons of “The Bachelor” — it was a floral brunch. It turned out very successful, and after that, I started creating large-scale events.
For me, it has never been just a gathering of people. We always work with partners, prepare gifts for guests, organize catering, and invite photographers and videographers. In other words, it is a full-fledged event with atmosphere, emotions, and attention to detail.
Over time, the brunches started bringing in a profit, especially when we launched a commercial format. Later, due to launching other projects, I stepped away from this direction a bit, but now we are actively updating the concept again, working on the page, the design, and the overall approach.
I plan to get involved in this project even more because people constantly write and ask about new events.
As for the YouTube project “Case,” I have already partially shared how it came about. But here I want to clarify one important thing: I have never considered myself a blogger.
It seems to me that I am not very good at blogging in the classic sense — showing my life every day, filming advertising integrations, or constantly sharing my daily routine.
For me, Instagram has always been more of a media support for my projects. It is a platform through which I can talk about “Case,” the brunches, and other initiatives.
Therefore, I see myself more as a person who builds their own personal brand through various areas of activity.
In my case, YouTube, Instagram, and @femme_brunch_ do not exist separately from one another. All of these platforms and projects work together and amplify each other.
In fact, I look at them as parts of one large ecosystem that works toward creating and developing the “Ksenia Shcherbach” brand.
Each of these directions fulfills its function: somewhere people get to know me through content, somewhere they come to events, and somewhere they see my approaches to business and life. But as a result, all of this forms a cohesive perception of me as an individual and an entrepreneur.
— What serves as your greatest source of inspiration today when choosing interview topics, guests for the “Case” project, and concepts for new events?
— I will be honest: in the beginning, we chose topics and guests mostly based on two criteria — the person’s popularity and the relevance of the topic. This worked, brought good views, and allowed us to develop the project quickly.
But over time, I realized that this was no longer enough for me. Right now, I am a bit tired of the format of just interviews for the sake of interviews. That is exactly why we started moving in the direction of documentary and social projects.
I want to create not just conversations, but content that will remain relevant years from now and make people think deeply.
We have already implemented one big project in this format, and two more very large-scale episodes are on the way. This is no longer just the story of one person, but an exploration of important social issues and topics that truly impact society.
I want people not to just close the video after watching, but to keep thinking about it for a long time.
Probably, the greatest inspiration right now comes from an internal feeling that I no longer want to be afraid.
I started listening to myself more and realized that previously, I often lacked the courage to implement certain ideas.
Now we are ready to risk much more. Not all decisions will be safe or obvious, but I believe that without risk, it is impossible to create something truly powerful and unique.
“I no longer want to be afraid. I started listening to myself more and realized that previously, I often lacked the courage to implement my ideas.”
When it comes to new events and functions, everything is much simpler there. My inspiration comes literally from life.
It can be any moment that catches my attention. I might see something on Pinterest, notice a specific color on Instagram, spot a beautiful detail or atmosphere — and a new concept already begins to form in my head.
For example, right now my favorite color is the color of butter. For two months in a row, I’ve been getting my nails done exactly in this shade. And at some point, looking at these references, the idea for a new brunch was born.
Not a brand, but a specific event.
I envisioned a masterclass with a professional chef, where each participant makes croissants with her own hands. Then we all have a beautiful tea party together while a professional photographer captures the process.
As a result, the girls get not only new impressions and skills but also beautiful photos for their social media.
That is how most of my ideas are born. Not through long strategic sessions or complex calculations, but through moments of inspiration that happen in everyday life.
— The interview genre and participation in reality shows, particularly “The Bachelor,” are often accompanied by prejudices. What stereotypes about media girls have you encountered most often, and how do you react to them?
— I cannot speak for all media girls because everyone has their own experience. I can only talk about myself.
For instance, I love “The Bachelor” project very much and am still grateful to fate that I got on it. Yes, there were difficult moments, a lot of emotions, and worries, but at the same time, those are some of the happiest memories of my life.
I grew to love the project’s team very much, the people who worked there. To put it in simple terms, for me, it was like a very cool summer camp, only with a much higher level of emotion.
As for stereotypes, during the project, many people perceived me as sharp, arrogant, or even bitchy.
But to be honest, this is solely due to the fact that I am very direct. I always say what I think and do not like playing roles.
There was also a lot of attention on my appearance. Because I like how I look and do not hide it, many people decided that I was overly self-confident.
But after the launch of “Case,” people started seeing me from a completely different side.
When people started writing under the episodes: “We didn’t get to see the real you on ‘The Bachelor’ at all,” “We didn’t even know you were a journalist,” “You are a very deep person” — for me, this was a very interesting transformation.
What people once perceived as a negative eventually became a positive.
— By organizing @femme_brunch_, you directly influence the women’s community. How do you understand women’s leadership, and what, in your opinion, helps modern women develop, support one another, and realize themselves in business?
— For me, women’s leadership is first and foremost about supporting each other.
Unfortunately, in my life, I have very often faced women’s jealousy, betrayal, and competition where it shouldn’t have existed. And that was partially one of the driving forces behind creating @femme_brunch_.
I wanted to create an environment where women can support each other instead of competing. Where they can network, trust, exchange experiences, and grow together.
Truth be told, even now, when I find myself in new companies, I sometimes hear conversations that do not resonate with me at all. When people spend hours discussing exes, friends, someone else’s life, or judging others. I feel very uncomfortable in such an environment.
I always want to talk about development, new opportunities, business, goals, travel, dreams, and plans for the future.
That is why I am very careful about my circle. It is constantly growing, but at the same time, it is being filtered. This applies to both my personal circle of communication and my Instagram audience.
Someone comes, someone goes, and that is absolutely normal.
I want to surround myself with women who talk about themselves, their development, their projects, and the scale of their ideas.
For me, @femme_brunch_ is much more than just beautiful gatherings. Yes, we host events, create an atmosphere, network, and socialize. But in parallel, we also have a community in Telegram.
There is a separate rubric for introductions there, where each participant can share about herself: someone is a photographer, someone owns a beauty salon, someone does marketing, design, or another business.
In this way, a very valuable circle of contacts is formed. It is a kind of word-of-mouth, but built on trust.
If I need a photographer, I know whom to contact. If I am looking for a specialist or a specific service, I can turn to the girls from our community. And they support each other in the same way.
It is very important to me that after meeting at the brunches, many girls start being friends, cooperating, launching joint projects, and finding their own strong environment.
Because the right environment heavily influences how fast a person grows and develops.
I even have two participants who travel from Rivne to practically every single brunch. One runs a business, and the other works as a photographer. Every time, they cover hundreds of kilometers just to attend our meetings.
And for me, this is one of the most valuable indicators that we are creating a truly needed community.
That is exactly how I see women’s leadership today — not through competition, but through support. Through women who inspire each other, share opportunities, knowledge, and experience. And become stronger together.
— The work of an interviewer and event organizer involves a colossal emotional output, constant communication, and concentration. Despite this, you always look flawless on camera and in life. How do you take care of yourself, restore your resourceful state, and maintain your appearance?
— To be honest, I used to have major issues with self-care.
I used to get sick very often, and now I realize that my body was simply trying to stop me and force me to rest. To the point where sometimes I just wanted to lie down and do nothing, not even pick up my phone.
I work practically all the time — seven days a week. My phone and laptop are turned on from morning till night. New ideas, new projects, and new concepts are constantly being born in my mind.
I am a very anxious person, and probably because of this, I work a lot. I can’t say that I believe in the story that you just need to sit down, meditate, and everything will be fine. I believe more in work. In the fact that you need to work, try, and move forward.
But, of course, this approach has another side — periodic burnout.
That is why over the last year, I introduced a rule for myself: to travel somewhere at least once a month.
It could be a trip abroad, a few days outside the city in the forest with no work, or even a trip to visit my parents in the countryside. For me, the main thing is to change the setting and switch off my brain at least a little bit.
Also, lately, I have been walking a lot on foot. It is warm now, and I catch myself choosing to walk a few kilometers instead of taking a taxi.
For example, I just walk to a cafe for breakfast, listen to music, and this helps a lot to clear my head.
Because in reality, the level of concentration and stress in my life is very high.
Aside from the YouTube project and @femme_brunch_, there is a large number of media events, presentations, and functions that I need to attend.
There are conferences where I am invited to speak, and interviews that are already being conducted with me. There are charitable initiatives that I always try to support. And, of course, there is my personal life. There is a loved one whom I also want to give attention to.
Sometimes you just want to cook dinner and spend a quiet evening together.
But you know, sometimes very simple things become a real meditation for me. For example, cleaning the kitchen, making pancakes, or cooking borscht.
When you work with your hands instead of your head, it is also very relaxing.
So, I don’t have any secrets to a perfect balance. I am still learning this.
But I know one thing for sure: I am saved by the love for what I do.
As for my appearance, it sometimes surprises me that with each passing year, I like myself more and more.
It seems to me that this is generally a characteristic of our generation of women — we are starting to better understand ourselves, our style, and what suits us.
If we talk about my personal rules, the very first one is sports.
I believe that you need to work on your body constantly. I also love skincare.
But at the same time, I am not one of those girls who put on a full face of makeup every day. Most often, this happens before shoots, events, or important occasions.
And if we talk about everyday life, my main beauty secret is very simple — sleep.
For me, 8–9 hours of sleep is a necessity. When I get enough sleep, I feel happy, fulfilled, easily generate new ideas, and have the energy to work.
That is probably the best beauty life hack in my life.
— What would you advise those girls who only dream of launching their own media project, YouTube channel, or business, but still doubt their own strength and are afraid to take the first step?
— I would advise them to just start doing something. Even with small steps, but do it.
Because my problem at one time was that I saw everything on too grand and perfect a scale.
It seemed to me that a project had to be flawless, big, and successful right from the start. But the truth is that it is impossible to reach this ideal if you don’t do anything.
Any big project starts with small actions. With the first meeting, the first video, the first client, the first mistake.
And it is precisely through these small steps that something truly big is gradually built.
I am probably not quite the person who likes to hand out motivational advice or speak beautiful phrases about inspiration.
Personally, no one has ever inspired me with words. I was inspired by the success of other people, by nature, by beautiful projects, and by certain things around me.
And most importantly — I have never envied successful people. On the contrary, when I saw someone’s success, I thought: “Cool, that means it can work out for me too.”
Therefore, I don’t really believe in motivation.
Motivation is an emotion, and emotions pass quickly.
Instead, I believe very much in discipline. I believe in systemic work. I believe in working toward your goal every single day.
Yes, sometimes you can have a cry, complain, or give yourself a day of rest. We are all living human beings.
But I truly do not believe that if a person wants something very much and is ready to work for it, they have no chance of achieving a result.
Most often, the problem is not in the circumstances, but in the fact that people think too much, doubt, or postpone actions until later.
So, my main advice is to fear less and try more.
Stop waiting for the perfect moment because it does not exist.
And one more piece of advice that is important even for myself right now: do not compare yourself with people who are already at the top.
Instead, compare yourself with who you were a year ago. Look at where you were, what you dreamed of, and what you were afraid of.
And very often, you will see what a huge path you have already traveled.
It seems to me that this is the most honest and healthiest form of motivation.
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Photo: from the heroine’s archieve