What the Skin Remembers: Melissa Pizović on Sicanje, Identity and Finding Your Way Home

Break Her Down. Watch Her Rise. How to Get Back Up Every Single Time.

This one came straight from the heart with zero script and zero filter. After an article Ivana wrote for Croatia Weekly went unexpectedly viral (close to 400 comments and counting), she jumped straight into the mic to talk about what happens when you put yourself out there the good, the bad, and the absurd. In this episode Ivana covers the Croatia Weekly article and the title that set the internet on fire, why being called "lucky" as a refugee stings in a way most people don't understand, the real cost of building something unconventional where nobody's gone before, why you need to stop doing things for free when you have a mortgage, kids, and bills, and her upcoming masterclass (aiming for July) on dismantling the fear of judgment. If no one has told you today you are seen, you are enough, and you belong here. LINKS AND RESOURCES Support the podcast and keep it free: https://linktr.ee/balkansispodcast Balkan Sis on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/balkansispodcastBalkan Sis on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/balkansispodcast Follow Ivana: https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonsoFollow the pod: https://www.instagram.com/balkansispodcast Zaina Kay — ZK Finance (Melbourne): https://www.instagram.com/zk_finance/ Studio Petrija — multicultural flashcards, apparel and heritage products (Sydney): https://www.studiopetrija.com | https://www.instagram.com/studio_petrija/ Burek on Wheels — Balkan food truck and catering (Sydney): https://burekonwheels.com.au | https://www.instagram.com/burek_on_wheels/ Baba's Milk — Australia's first Balkan-inspired chocolate milk in a can: https://www.babasmilk.com | https://www.instagram.com/babasmilk/ Read the article here - https://www.facebook.com/croatia.week Thank you for listening!

What the Skin Remembers: Melissa Pizović on Sicanje, Identity and Finding Your Way Home

Melissa Pizovic grew up in the south of France as the only person in the room who did not speak the language. Her father, Bosnian-Croatian, never taught her. At family gatherings surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins all speaking Croatian and Bosnian, she needed a translator. In her own family. She found her way back through the skin. After seven years studying architecture and four years in Paris, Melissa picked up a needle during the first COVID lockdown and never looked back. What she found was sicanje, a 4,000-year-old Bosnian and Croatian tradition of women hand-pricking symbols of faith, identity and protection onto each other's bodies. Marks that said: I am from here. You cannot take that from me. This episode is also personal for Ivana. Her own great-grandmother Ana, known as Graovka, had crosses tattooed on both forearms. She grew up seeing those marks and never knowing what they meant. This conversation is, in part, for her. As Melissa says: the only way you know where you are going is when you know where you have been. IN THIS EPISODE * Her family roots in Gacko and Bileca in East Herzegovina * Growing up between two worlds without the language * Leaving architecture behind and what her parents really said * What sicanje is and why it nearly disappeared forever * The same symbols on Easter eggs, tablecloths and medieval tombstones * What happens in the room during a six-hour session * What diaspora women are really asking for * The baba moment * Lelek, Eurovision 2026 and what visibility does to something sacred * Why she stopped waiting for permission * Graovka and the crosses on her forearms FIND MELISSAinstagram.com/melpzvcinstagram.com/melrose.studio.tattoomelrose.studio.tattoo@gmail.comSicanje history video: youtu.be/yCfZ25pnTgEMelissa does not take bookings via DM. Email only. AS FEATURED INCroatia Week: croatiaweek.com/the-revival-of-traditional-croatian-tattoos-and-the-artist-leading-itSuper1.hr | Gloria.hr BALKAN SISinstagram.com/balkansispodcastinstagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonsoSpotify and Apple Podcasts: search Balkan Sis If this episode moved you, share it with a Balkan woman who needs to hear it. That is how traditions survive. Hand to hand. Woman to woman. #sicanje #balkansispodcast #balkandiaspora #croatianheritage #bosniancroatian #handpoketattoo #diaspora #croatiantattoo #bocanje #traditionaltattoo #balkanwomen

George Georgievski: Dads Can Cook Too - Breaking Stereotypes One Lunchbox at a Time | Mother's Day Special

Happy Mother's Day to every single woman who has ever stood at a kitchen bench, packed a lunchbox, cooked for her family and made it all look effortless. This one is for you. This Mother's Day I am sitting down with one of the most recognised food creators in Australia — George Georgievski, known across the world as the School Lunchbox Dad. George is Macedonian-Australian, a father of two daughters, a husband, a bestselling author of five cookbooks, a Jamie Oliver ambassador and a man with over 650,000 followers who built an empire from a single chaotic morning in the kitchen. We talk about growing up Macedonian in Australia, the gender roles baked into our culture, what it means to be a modern Balkan man who shows up differently, why Balkan food deserves so much more global recognition than it gets, creativity, cookbooks, content, fussy eaters, lunchbox hacks and so much more. This episode is for every mum who has done it all. For every dad who wants to show up more. And for every one of us who grew up between two worlds and felt it most at the dinner table. Sretan Majčin Dan. Puno ljubavi. 🤍 In this episode we cover: * Growing up Macedonian in Australia and the gender roles we inherited * Challenging the stereotype that the kitchen belongs to mum * How a single morning of chaos turned into a global movement * Creativity, content and what it takes to write five cookbooks * Why Melbourne is the food capital of Australia and what migrants built there * Why Balkan food has never gone global and what it would take * Leftovers, nothing wasted and the creativity of Balkan cooking * Fussy eaters, Queensland heat and lunchbox tips that actually work * Building a brand, making an income and staying present as a husband and father * What George wants his daughters to say about him one day Connect with George Georgievski:Instagram: @schoollunchbox [https://www.instagram.com/schoollunchbox/]TikTok: @schoollunchboxdad [https://www.tiktok.com/@schoollunchboxdad]Facebook: School Lunch Box [https://www.facebook.com/schoollunchboxau/]Website: georgegeorgievski.com.au [https://georgegeorgievski.com.au/]Books: Pan Macmillan Australia [https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/?authors=george-georgievski] Connect with Balkan Sis:Instagram — Podcast: @balkansispodcast [https://www.instagram.com/balkansispodcast/]Instagram — Ivana: @ivanastrbacalfonso [https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso/]Spotify: Search Balkan Sis on SpotifyApple Podcasts: Search Balkan Sis on Apple Podcasts If this episode resonated with you please leave a review, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and come and say hello on Instagram. This community means everything. Puno ljubavi. 🤍

Tamara Peklic: Cross-Cultural Coach on East Meets West, the Unwritten Rules Nobody Teaches You and Why Home Never Feels the Same Again

Cheers to being different. Cheers to not being mainstream. Sisters, this episode is one I have been sitting with since we recorded it and I genuinely cannot wait for you to hear it. My guest today is Tamara Peklic, a cross-cultural coach based in America who spent 15 years figuring out what happens when you take your culture somewhere that does not understand you, and then built a whole career helping others do the same. We talked for almost 4 hours. 2.5 on air. Across a 9 hour time difference. That is how you know. In this episode we cover: Growing up and carrying a whole city inside you when you leave. Landing in America with a masters degree and discovering none of it counts. Being told you are too direct, too loud, too much and what that does to you. How to assimilate without losing yourself. What living in the in-between actually feels like. Love across cultures and what is hard and what is surprisingly easy. Raising children between multiple worlds. Mothering without your village. Why diaspora people find each other no matter where they land. Directness versus rudeness and why passive-aggressive is more socially accepted. How Tamara built her coaching practice from 15 years of lived experience. And yes we played a culture game and Rafa got his shout out. If you have ever felt too much in the wrong place, this one is for you. Find Tamara:Instagram: @tamarapeklicYouTube: @tamarapeklicTikTok: @tamarapeklicLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tamarapeklicUS Crash Course: tamarapeklic.com/uscrashcoursePrivate Coaching: whop.com/@tamarapeklic Find Balkan Sis:Instagram: @ivanastrbacalfonso and @balkansispodcastYouTube: Ivana Strbac AlfonsoTikTok: @ivanastrbacalfonsoFacebook: Ivana Strbac AlfonsoSpotify: Balkan SisApple Podcasts: Balkan Sis If this episode resonated with you please share it with someone who gets it. Leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It really does help more sisters find this space. Zivjeli. Bok. Love, Ivana x

We Were Raised to Hustle, Not to Feel: Human Design with Petra Bezić

In this powerful and heartfelt episode of Balkan Sis, Ivana sits down with Croatian-born Human Design and Feng Shui practitioner Petra Bezić for a conversation that is equal parts emotional, healing and eye-opening. Together, they explore what it means to come back to yourself after years of conditioning, people pleasing, overthinking and living by everyone else’s rules. Petra breaks down Human Design in a practical, relatable way and explains how this system can help us better understand our energy, our decision-making, our relationships and the ways we may have drifted away from who we truly are. This episode speaks especially deeply to women navigating motherhood, migration, identity, culture, burnout and belonging, and to anyone who has ever felt like they’ve had to work hard to prove themselves or constantly stay in survival mode. Ivana and Petra also talk openly about the Balkan mindset, the pressure to always be doing, the challenge of slowing down, and how powerful it can be to understand not only your own design, but also the design of your partner and children. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, disconnected from yourself, or curious about why certain patterns keep repeating in your life, this episode is a beautiful place to begin. In this episode, we cover: * What Human Design actually is and how it works * How Petra found Human Design after moving from Croatia to Australia * Why so many Balkan women struggle with rest, softness and trusting themselves * The difference between living from conditioning and living authentically * How Human Design can support better decisions and more self-trust * Why understanding your child’s design can completely change your parenting * How relationship dynamics can make more sense through Human Design * Petra’s personal journey through burnout, self-discovery and learning to slow down * Why not everything you feel is necessarily yours to carry * How this work can help you reconnect to your body, your energy and your truth * A little teaser into Petra’s work in Feng Shui, with a part two to come This episode is for you if: * You feel disconnected from yourself * You are always in your head and struggle to slow down * You’re curious about self-discovery tools that go deeper than surface-level advice * You want to better understand your child, partner or family dynamics * You’re navigating motherhood, identity, migration or cultural pressure * You’re craving more ease, flow and self-acceptance in your life Connect with Petra Bezić: Instagram: @petrahumandesign Petra also shares a special offer for listeners of this episode. If you book a reading with her, she will include a child reading as well. If you do not have children, this can also be used for your partner. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone you love, subscribe to Balkan Sis, and leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It really helps more women in our community find these conversations.