Coming from a country where it is normal to be 5,1 ft (157cm) tall I never imagined to feel as short as I did entering Moscow. I could have sworn I felt like Frodo at times.

Here I was, thinking I am special being able to walk in 5inch heals. 

WELL…

Welcome to a new world Princess - Welcome to Russia! 

To my own shock I planned a trip to Moscow. You might ask yourself: Why is that shocking? Well because IT IS!

I wanted to get the MachoTherapist moving again after he finally finished the social project he has been involved in for the past 6 years.  So I picked a country that is full of potential to rock it and also a country I am (was) scared off, just to make sure I am REALLY challenged and can grow enough. 

Since this was not a walk in the park for me; I was stressing for weeks to get everything done and was dealing with some "primal" fears:

1. I come from Finland and must have a gene, which makes me think: "Going to Russia could get you killed". So besides of being super excited I was worried about being kidnapped, tortured, having my kidneys stolen...what ever.

Then to my own relief and horror I MADE IT!

I managed to organize some really fascinating meetings and get my boss to go to Moscow and meet new people.

Amazing!

Okay, coming back to my Princess "Frodo" - topic.

To be able  to go to Moscow I had to work on a new role. This was not a Harley Davidson conference nor a fairytale Princess gathering but actual business and networking.

Which, I have to admit seemed to fit my soul really well.

Princess Cinderella finds her true calling! 

I had no idea what would happen, when I would get there.

How would our meetings go?

Would everyone show up?

Did I pick the right people to meet?

Will they want my kidneys?

Within the first hour of being in the city I got my first lesson as the Business-Cinderella in Moscow. I arrived to our boutique hotel to find out that there had been "a phone call from the government" and unfortunately our rooms had been given away.

"Aha, ooooookay..."

Interesting scenario - How does one handle this? I called our Spanish office and got clear instructions on getting things settled before my boss would get there. 

This was a real Princess test. Instead of having a pea hidden in my bed I found myself having no bed. It was clear that my normal methods of being nice and smiley would not work and I needed to be clear about my own value. 

(Which, by the way is one of my biggest fears - standing up for myself)

Moscow was the perfect place to train this, since I heard that my normal methods would lead me to be considered as the town idiot.

I learned that in Russia women know their value and they know how to behave to get what they want. So rule nr. 1. DO NOT go around smiling and making jokes, at least not as the first thing you do...

PERFECT!

After sparring with the hotel manager Victor, I got things done (with the help of our great team). The end result was not exactly high class but better than what we started with. I got a suite from a different hotel for my boss and a nice superior room for myself, with a good discount.

I was 5h into my trip. I had successfully finished my first struggle and didn't lose a kidney while doing it and actually I started to feel pretty good. What I had been fearing of  was not there and the people in the city seemed to be very nice.

"Moscow - you are okay!"

When my boss finally arrived, our first meeting told us to:

"Follow the white rabbit"

How is that for a sign - Neo?

Kidding aside, she asked us to meet her at the “White Rabbit” a new luxurious night-club / restaurant. 

We set off to look for the bunny and were decoding the streets of Moscow to find this place, which seemed to be hidden and if you can't read the language it's not really simple to find places.

It really felt like being in a movie.

When we finally found the place - beautiful people, a luxurious ambiance, funky drinks and an amazing view over the city surrounded us. There was a part in me that could not believe it, things were working out well and flowing. Our contact was a beautiful and delightful acquaintance – who was more than happy to share her knowledge about the city and it's people.

I felt like I had entered my "happily ever after".   FINALLY !!! What happens now?

Since I no longer believed someone would steal my kidneys, I had some space to relax.

Starting from this first meeting Moscow ROCKED.

We went from one great thing to the next. We met with very interesting and lovely people.

The son of a cosmonaut took us on a sightseeing tour where we bumped into “the Sputnik” the first satellite ever sent to space, we ordered little delightful coffee snacks and paid 200€ for them (not that delighted to receive the bill for a cookie).

On our last night we were invited to Soho Rooms Moscow to have the most amazing and creative  dinner and to watch a water ballet performance… I felt like I was in heaven. And I was bewildered by the beauty and quality that surrounded us.

The women in this club were successfully walking in heals that were easily 7-8 inches, they all looked like models and seemed to have legs longer than I. 

(Yes, now I felt REALLY short)

Can you imagine how this feeling got emphasized while having a conversation with my boss and one of these amazingly tall people Moscow seemed to be full of?  And can you imagine us taking pictures together – the camera needed to be put into the strangest angles to be able to fit also my face in the picture. 

But, for the first time in a long time I felt like I am in the right place to grow, while enjoying an amazing quality and beauty.

Although I probably did not gain more height after my trip to Moscow, I think I definitely gained new pride, which still makes me think I am taller.

This trip touched me deeply and challenged me to grow. 

“To make a profound change I need to believe that I can not continue like I have. If I keep on doing the same, most probably I will have the same results. "

- The MachoTherapist

Moscow was definitely something I never did before and since then I have an inner fire to do something beyond my limits. To sacrifice some of my safety nets to be able to grow into something even greater. Untill now it has been easy to say that I want to reach something different but now it feels like I finally stepped into the game.

Benjamin Franklin once said: "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

I was in action and I learend. Moscow was full of possibilities to grow out of my comfort zones.

I can imagine that this is what happens after fairytales end – the training begins.

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