Not Just His Plus One

Not Just His Plus One is the podcast for women who know they’re meant for more. If you’re ambitious, emotional, opinionated, curious and tired of apologizing for it this space is yours. I’m Luiza, a former “perfect girl” turned location-independent marketing strategist, here to talk real stories: messy pivots, quiet wins, identity shifts, and leaving the roles that no longer fit. Honest, unfiltered conversations to help you grow, glow, and create a life that’s actually yours.

Not Just His Plus One is a education podcast hosted by Luiza Samarova, with 44 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Luiza Samarova hosts Not Just His Plus One, a education show with 44 episodes published.

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  Not Just His Plus One

  I Quit Tech With No Plan And Started Walking Dogs. Now My Business Grows Without Me!

  Sep 25, 20261h 8m

  Amy Shwab left a six-figure tech career in Los Angeles with no plan, after having mental breakdowns every day. She started a dog walking business with a Canva logo, got 30 clients in 30 days, and now runs a 13-person pet care agency from Bali. In this episode of Not Just His Plus One, Amy talks about burnout, quitting her corporate job with nothing lined up, and the grit it took to build a business from nothing. She shares the parts people don't usually see: selling her car, getting evicted twice in one year, six months of couch-surfing, and booking a one-way ticket to Bali. She also explains why her business has grown every month since she stepped away from running it day to day. We also talk about choosing your hard, why embarrassment is the price of success, how to work out what you actually want when you feel stuck, and the AI software she's building to modernise the pet care industry. If you know you're meant for more but feel stuck in a career that doesn't fit, this episode is for you. In this episode you'll learn: ✔ How to leave the golden handcuffs, even without a plan ✔ The simple list exercise for finding work that lights you up ✔ How Amy got 30 clients in 30 days without a website or business plan ✔ Why you need your first client, not a logo ✔ How to build a business that runs without you ✔ Why stress and discomfort help you grow ✔ How to feel the fear and do it anyway Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:00 Leaving a six-figure tech career with no plan 03:45 Burnout: "I had mental breakdowns every day" 05:06 The sentence that was holding her back 06:25 The corgi that started a dog walking business 07:04 Ask for forgiveness, not permission 08:28 Tech to dog walker: the identity shift 10:57 How to get 30 clients in 30 days 13:24 How to find your passion: the list exercise 15:59 Landing a celebrity client by accident 17:16 Emergency surgery and her first hire 19:36 Building a business backwards: no LLC, no business plan 21:22 You don't need a logo, you need your first client 22:38 Embarrassment is the entry cost 24:22 Evicted twice in one year 26:56 A one-way ticket to Bali 29:39 Why her business grew after she left 32:20 Healing in Bali: breathwork and sound healing 36:41 Choose your hard 39:23 Why stress makes you stronger (neuroplasticity) 40:58 Learning to fail: wakeboarding and motorbikes 45:24 Courage is feeling the fear and doing it anyway 46:21 From dog walker to speaker 47:43 Building AI software for pet care businesses 52:26 Teaching herself to code with Claude Code 56:24 Goals for the rest of the year 57:13 "My biggest fear is waking up in 50 years" 01:04:32 Rapid-fire questions 01:08:54 Advice for women who feel stuck 01:10:23 The million-dollar promise Connect with Amy Shwab: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsamyschwab/Betches Walking Betches: https://www.betcheswalkingbetches.com/ Connect with me & Not Just His Plus One: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luiza-samarova/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samarova_/ & https://www.instagram.com/notjusthisplusone/ Not Just His Plus One is a podcast for women who know they're meant for more. Subscribe for honest conversations about career change, entrepreneurship, personal growth and building a life that fits you. #podcast #careerchange #burnout #entrepreneurship #quityourjob #womeninbusiness #balilife #personalgrowth

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  Not Just His Plus One

  От 100 килограма и депресия до Бали: Как да започнеш отново от 0

  Sep 8, 20261h 51m

  На 23 години е най-младият директор на магазин в Zara. На 31 напуска 11-годишна кариера в Холандия без план Б, с 2 куфара и еднопосочен билет за Азия. Днес казва: "Мисията все още не е успешна."Денислав тръгва от Сливен, влиза в Софийския университет по право без нито един частен урок и на 19 започва работа в Zara – компанията, в която ще остане 11 години. Става най-младият директор на магазин, заминава за Холандия, управлява екип от 150 души и 35 национадности, изкарва магазина си от шесто на второ място в страната по оборот.И точно там всичко спира.Обещаното повишение не идва. Следват депресия, 100 килограма, спрян фитнес, международен скандал в компанията заради интервю в друга държава и решението, което Денислав нарича "най-лесното нещо, което съм правил": напуска без план Б.В този епизод говорим за корпоративната стагнация отвътре, за цената на лоялността към компания, която не отвръща, за реалността на соло пътуването през Тайланд, Малайзия, Шри Ланка, Виетнам, Камбоджа и Индонезия и за най-неудобната истина в целия разговор: че докато се търсиш, е напълно възможно да се загубиш.Това не е епизод за това колко е яко да напуснеш всичко. Това е епизод за какво следва после.00:00 - "Възможно е да загубиш себе си"01:10 - Кой е Денислав04:14 - Сливен и семейството, което не му избира пътя07:52 - Червеният кръст на 11 години12:45 - Защо избира правото17:39 - Първата работа на 18 с нулев опит22:53 - Имейлът до Испания: как влиза в Zara28:01 - Директор на 23 години31:32 - Холандия: 150 служители, 35 националности40:10 - Повишението, което така и не идва40:20 - Депресията и 100 килограма44:58 - "Бях прекалено силен и неудобен"48:41 - Решението да напусне без план Б51:47 - "Резултатите са твои, парите — на някой друг"53:35 - Обаждането до родителите58:54 - Защо Азия: Тайланд, Шри Ланка, Виетнам1:14:22 - Пристигането в Бали1:31:36 - Намери ли каквото търсеше?1:45:22 - "Страх ме е да се върна в България"1:48:21 - Двата въпроса, които имат значение Свържи се с нас: ▶ Последвай ме в Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luiza.remotefreedom/ ▶ Последвай подкаста: https://www.instagram.com/notjusthisplusone/ ▶ Последвай Денислав: https://www.instagram.com/denislavdinev/ За хора търсещи:напускане на корпоративна работа · живот в Бали · българи в чужбина · номадски живот · соло пътуване Азия · еднопосочен билет · Zara кариера · корпоративно прегаряне · депресия на работното място · личностно развитие · дигитален номад България · живот в Холандия · Индонезия пътуване#българивчужбина #номад #истории

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  Not Just His Plus One

  How To Build A Personal Brand In 2026 — "Don't Share From The Wounds"

  Aug 31, 20261h 9m

  Everyone tells you to "be authentic." Almost nobody tells you what that actually means, where to post, or which story to lead with — so most people never start at all.In this episode of Not Just His Plus One, I sit down with personal brand strategist Mijgon Bakhti to break down exactly how to build a personal brand in 2026, from zero. We cover where to start when you have no audience and no offer, how to choose one platform instead of drowning in five and the origin story most people are sitting on and refuse to share — which is usually the only thing that would actually work.Mijgon grew up in Tajikistan, raised by a single mum who spent everything she'd earned abroad to put her into an English-speaking school. She now builds personal brands from Bali for founders, coaches and service businesses, and she's taken a client from an unknown cooking account to nearly 100,000 followers and a published cookbook. She also quit her own monetised YouTube channel at the exact moment it started working — and she explains why.If you're a founder who thinks you don't need a personal brand, a corporate employee wondering whether you're allowed to start without a business, or a creator convinced the algorithm is the problem, this one is for you.TIMESTAMPS00:00 — Highlights01:20 — How do you build a personal brand in 2026?04:18 — Why letting your work speak for itself stopped working07:02 — Don't share from the wounds, share from the scar11:00 — The origin story post I assign in week one14:12 — "I don't need a personal brand" — the founder's limiting belief18:16 — Personal brand vs influencer: where's the line20:26 — No business yet? Start anyway24:44 — Building in public with no plan: my own two experiments29:58 — Why she quit YouTube six months after monetising35:42 — Getting called "just another Bali influencer"36:39 — Which platform should you actually pick?42:49 — The golden key most people throw in the ocean46:26 — Owning your audience: newsletters and WhatsApp50:21 — "It's a game. Play the game"55:57 — Tajikistan, a single mum, and the school that changed everything01:00:30 — Why "wanting something unique" can be a curse01:03:07 — "When did you know you were meant for more?"01:06:25 — One piece of advice for anyone startingABOUT THIS EPISODENot Just His Plus One is a podcast for women who know they're meant for more. Every episode is a real conversation with a woman who built something of her own — no highlight reels, no pretending it was easy.THINGS WE TALK ABOUT• How to build a personal brand in 2026 with no audience and no offer• What "be authentic" actually means — and how to know a story is ready to share• Starting a personal brand while you're still employed• Why founders who say "I don't need a personal brand" are wrong• Personal brand vs influencer: where the line really is• Zero to 100K followers and a published cookbook — the full case study• How to pick one platform instead of spreading yourself across five• LinkedIn vs Instagram and TikTok: the simple B2B / B2C rule• Why the algorithm isn't the villain — and what to control instead• Why she quit her YouTube channel the moment it started working• From Tajikistan to Bali: the single mother who bet everything on EnglishCONNECT WITH MIJGONLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mijgonbakhti/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mijgon_b/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mijgon_bCONNECT WITH MELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luiza-samarova/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samarova_/Tags:#personalbranding #contentstrategy #linkedintips #womenenterpreneus #notjusthisplusone #buildinpublic #personalbrand #podcast #podcastforwomen

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  Not Just His Plus One

  Коя е Мария от Ергенът: от Гоце Делчев през Щатите до Париж

  Aug 26, 20261h 23m

  Мария напусна работата си, влезе в Ергенът, излезе рано — и не съжалява. Днес живее между Париж и Бали. Ето как се стигна дотук.Мария от Ергенът е родена в Благоевград, израснала е в Гоце Делчев, живяла е 9 години в Щатите и днес има свой апартамент в Париж. Не говореше френски, когато отиде, но мина 4 интервюта на френски и сбъдна своя мечта.В този епизод от серията „Българи в Бали" говорим за пътя ѝ през три държави, за живота и кариерата в чужбина, за наемите в Париж, за това защо жените в България не се подкрепят една друга, и защо се радва, че не остана до края на Ергенът. ЗА КОГО Е ТОЗИ ЕПИЗОД· Ако мислиш да напуснеш България или вече си го направил· Ако си в работа, която те изцежда, и не знаеш какъв е следващият ход· Ако искаш да преминеш от заплата към фрийланс или собствен бизнес· Ако се готвиш да тръгнеш някъде, но не говориш езика· Ако си отложил нещо голямо и се чудиш дали това е провал· Ако се чудиш какъв е животът в Бали отвъд снимките в ИнстаграмСвъжи се с нас:▶ Последвай ме в Instagram: / luiza.remotefreedom ▶ Последвай подкаста: / notjusthisplusone ▶ Последвай Мария: https://www.instagram.com/mariya_mhlv/Ако този епизод те докосна, остави коментар. Абонирай се за още истории от българи по света.

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  Not Just His Plus One

  It's Not ADHD. It's Your Nervous System. (And You Can Fix It)

  Aug 19, 20261h 47m

  Diagnosed with OCD at two. Told she'd be on medication for life. Twelve years in therapy with no transformation. Tiffany Taylor is a brain rewiring and peak performance coach, and her argument is that most of what we now call ADHD is a dysregulated nervous system wearing a different name. In this conversation she breaks down the difference, why trauma is the hidden engine behind most high performance, and why your trauma only surfaces once you finally feel safe. We also get into sleep quality vs sleep hours, why bloodwork every six months matters even when you feel fine, hormone disruptors in perfume and polyester, the real difference between therapy and coaching, and the three habits she'd give anyone starting today. Connect with us: Luiza: https://www.instagram.com/samarova_/Tiffany: https://www.instagram.com/coachtiffanytaylor/Follow the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/notjusthisplusone/Subscribe for new conversations every week.For people looking for: #adhd #add #nervoussystemregulation #brainrewiring #neuroplasticity #neuroscience #biohackinglife #subconsciousmind #traumahealing #survivalmode #burnoutrecovery #burnoutprevention #hormones #hormonehealth #sleepquality #womenshealth #womeninbusiness

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