Running Toward Freedom

Written by Alecs Kakon

Photos by Jen Fellegi

I once came across a tweet that read: “Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom: The power to choose, to respond, to change.” I think that the mere fact that this intellectual witticism was shared says a lot about where we are as a society. In a time when we are all searching for a way to express our individuality, it is much needed to be reminded that the search is not outward as we once believed, rather it is a journey of self-discovery, a movement inward. There is a new breed of being coming up in society today; born in the age of social media—born with a consciousness that extends past their physical space—crossing borders and intersecting across cultures, Gen Z brings a global spirit that practices mindfulness, exercises personal boundaries and is a more engaged political animal than ever before. As citizens of this new world, we slowly move away from attributing value to professional roles as we inch toward appreciating the holistic person. In plain words, we ask children “who do you want to be?” more frequently than we ask “what do you want to do when you grow up?” The reason for this is, I think, is that as we become more engaged in our lives and keep active in becoming who we are, we realize, as a whole, that meaning is created more in connection and community than it is in jobs and material possessions. Sitting down to chat with Mariela, a lot of these concepts immediately came to mind. Equipped with self-awareness, moral conscience, independence and creative imagination, Mariela possesses each of the four endowments that freedom hinges upon. Listening to her, it is clear that every belief she holds is substantiated by the experiences she’s had; a testament to the person she has become, as growth and freedom have both been central in bringing her value system into focus.

Born in Russia, Mariela was about 3 years old when her parents decided that she and her mother would move back to her mother’s home country, Bulgaria, where they would ultimately stay until they moved together as a family to Montreal. Crossing the world into a whole new language, culture, and general way of being, Mariela noticed stark differences in the way she had been brought up. She immersed herself into her new reality, but “It was hard being a first-generation immigrant. You look around and everyone has stuff that you can’t have; we didn’t have the same opportunities, because our realities were different,” Mariela recalls. “It’s hard not to compare yourself, and at certain points it took a toll on me, but I always found my way out of those insecurities.” Coining the feeling with the term “reverse engineering,” Mariela never let herself get too down about things she couldn’t have, instead, she would change her state of mind, by reverse engineering her negative thoughts into positive ones. If there was something out there she wanted, she would simply have to go out and get it herself. “Reverse engineering is a skill that sees me through relationships to this day,” Mariela explains. Her capacity to manifest limitless possibilities, alongside her genuine self-awareness allow her to tap into her true self, assess her situation and hopes to find solutions that will give her the sense of freedom she is after.

When Mariela was about 18 years old her mother could no longer endure the distance between herself and her homeland, and so she returned. Barely 3 years later, Mariela’s father visited his native country for what was meant to be a short period of time, but as the months lapsed, Mariela knew that he would ultimately never return. “I’ve always been independent and always supported myself, so I didn’t feel alone when they were gone. If anything, I think I felt free, because no one was around to expect anything from me. I could do what I wanted.” Amassing diplomas, getting great jobs and becoming an entrepreneur were amongst a few of her expressions of freedom as a young adult living on her own. But, as a child, Mariela traces the needle to a different form of freedom: “I remember when I was younger in Bulgaria, maybe around 8 years old, my grandparents worked, my mom worked and my dad was in Russia. I had the house keys tied around my neck and I would drag a friend along with me as we would hop onto a bus and ride it all the way until the end of its route, then switch to another bus and ride it until the end of its route. We would do that until we were far enough, in a place we didn’t recognize, then we would have to find our way home. I loved playing this game, because it was an expression of freedom and it also showed me that I can always find my way back. I can do anything on my own. So when my parents both left Montreal and I stayed behind, I had no doubt in my mind I would be ok, and more than that, I felt back to myself – completely free.” Not contaminating her youth with negative memory, Mariela has coopted her child-like sense of freedom into a pillar of strength for the woman she has become: “I knew that with both my parents gone, I would have to take care of myself, but I also knew that I’ve always known how to do that. I could never imagine my having gone back with them to Europe. I’m so grateful they chose to emigrate to Canada; I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.” 

As a teen, Mariela started her YouTube journey, where she would talk about makeup, fashion and hair on her own channel. She later translated her media and communication skills into a few diplomas that would catapult her career in the direction of digital media management, marketing and public relations. “I was working at a big agency and noticed there was an underserved pocket in the industry—small businesses and start-ups couldn’t afford agency prices,” Mariela explains. “So I started freelancing, but eventually, I wanted more and I began FRENZR.” With a thriving business in a social-media playground as far as the eye can see, Mariela couldn’t put her finger on why she wasn’t feeling the fulfillment she had initially thought she’d derive from her work. With an active conscience beckoning her, Mariela saw the banality of being part of a digital world that didn’t find real-life conversion. By parlaying her skills into creating live networks, Mariela developed “Let’s Connect,” an extension of FRENZR that fosters connection, community and building relationships. Bringing Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and the likes of the virtual world into a physical space, Mariela strives to produce a positive impact on her professional community by empowering her clients and friends to align with their purpose. “Every day we make decisions that lead us down different paths. Every day we make choices that will alter our course and set us in a new direction. I am very conscious of that. If you exercise your independence and you know what you want, then you can make anything happen for yourself,” Mariela says. “I’ve always felt the need to constantly create, and maybe that’s because I seek external validation, but regardless of where that motivation comes from, it drives me to a good place. I’ll never stop creating, because I am always looking to grow.”

Feeling fully free in every sense of the word, Mariela has the power to choose, respond and change with self-awareness, is motivated by her moral conscience, possesses independent will and is a creative machine. Precocious in nature, these concepts were nurtured in her as a child and fomented by her upbringing. Working to produce the world we live in, contributing to the creation of culture, Mariela is at the forefront of our public realm. She is active in connecting her creations to a belief system that cultivates a culture she wants to live in: one where growth runs toward freedom.