Jessie Asya Kanzer is the award-winning author of Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky and Don’t Just Sit There, Do Nothing. She was born in the Soviet Union and left at age eight. Jessie shares that ‘what is so incredible about our man Volodymyr is that his belief in himself stems not from seeing himself as special, but from seeing himself as ordinary and from knowing there is great power in this ordinariness. His belief, in other words, is in the abilities of each ordinary individual.' Jessie Kanzer is a former reporter and actress. She once found herself on the set of a Zelensky film and has followed his story ever since. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, the Washington Post, and many other publications. She's been interviewed on podcasts and TV programs across the country. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and two cats in Dobbs Ferry, NY.
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The Movie
- I was in a movie with Zelensky. He was one of three main characters. The movie was either called “Love in the Big City” or “No Love in the City,” depending on the translation. I had a small part in the movie. At one time, I struggled and eventually gave up on acting, moved on with life, had kids, and started writing.
- I've had moments where people I worked with in movies or TV shows became successful, but nobody became a president before.
- Zelensky sent me the link to the movie in 2019, even though this movie was made back in 2009.
- It was a unique experience to see someone I knew from the entertainment world become a president.
My Zelensky
- The book I wrote about the Tao Te Ching that I talked to you about last year had a chapter about Zelensky in it. The chapter was called My Zelensky and it was the Taoist principle I was talking about.
- The chapter talked about the Taoist principle of using whatever life gives, regardless of what circumstances you're given. It says do not waste anything.
- And so I had Zelensky as an example then, and he had been born into the Soviet Union as I had. I left, but he had an immigration of sorts of his own where that tyrannical rule fell.
- The country was trying to break through and be free. He was a person who actually was able to really enact change.
What is Different About Zelensky?
- Zelensky has changed the history of his nation, his people, and millions of people. I think he changed the trajectory for Europe, maybe for the world. And so I started following him out of that intuition that something is different about this person.
- When he emerged on the world stages as he is now, I started to see why I was pulled towards studying him.
- He always said I'm just an ordinary person. He said. I'm not a politician. When he was first elected, he said, I'm just a simple person who has come to break down the system.
Lessons To Learn
- The subtitle of the book is, ‘Lessons We Can All Learn From An Unexpected Leader'.
- One of the lessons is about his PR skills. It was his job to really get other parts of the world to understand the importance and value of Ukraine. This includes Europe, neighbors of Europe, and especially North America.
- Ukraine is the producer of a lot of food, and specifically a lot of bread. I learned significant PR skills from Zelensky including public relations skills and the ability to communicate. I'm still learning. Thus the reason for the title, Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky.
Suggested Resources
- Book: Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky: Lessons We Can All Learn From An Unexpected Leader by Jessie Kanzer
- Book: Don't Just Sit There, DO NOTHING: Healing, Chilling, and Living with the Tao Te Ching by Jessie Kanzer
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