Gergana Toleva
Global Strategic Development
Geri is 1-StopAsia’s very own earthly version of Shiva. Always energetic and full of ideas, she constantly manages a hundred tasks like the Hindu deity. Oh, she can also fly, by the way. We’re not joking, in her free time, she channels her energy into extreme sports such as paragliding, or crafting one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry.
She brings the marketing, IT, and sales teams together, and we’re happy to have her superpowers on our side! See what she shares about herself in the interview below and cheers to our auspicious one.
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Interview
How many languages do you speak? Please write them in a list. Which is your mother tongue?
Bulgarian is my mother tongue. I speak English as a second language.
What is your favorite sport or hobby in your free time? Why is it so? Any interesting stories on it?
I have various hobbies but my greatest love is paragliding and reading books. The feeling to ride the wind, being free as a bird and close to nature is the most wonderful thing that happened to me besides being a mom.
I do have quite a few stories about it: the most humbling experience is to fly with eagles and I did land in a tree once or twice. 🙂
Other hobbies I have are mountain biking and trail running.
Top 3 things we don’t know about you? Might be something funny, quirky or strange 🙂
- I am shy but you might know me for a very long time and not noticed.
- I believe black cats bring me luck. 🙂
- I ran a 51km marathon once and I am afraid of heights.
What was the most surprising thing you learned about Asia while working here?
I am still learning about Asia every single day but I am amazed by how different their mindset and cultures are. We are used to saying simply Asia but there is nothing simple about it. And I love it every single day.
Favorite book or a book that changed your mindset and why it did?
My favorite book ever is “Gone with the wind” – everyone has to read it at least once in their life. It doesn’t change your mindset in a very dramatic way but it quietly sneaks into your heart and stays there.
Your most extreme experience so far in your life/biggest challenge in your life?
I had a near-death experience right before I started work at 1-StopAsia due to a medical procedure gone wrong. That made me much stronger than before and confirmed my approach to life that we have to take what we can now, because “now” is the most permanent thing we can have.
Your top 3 goals in professional life for the next 10 years
- I want to improve my management skills for working with people and navigating teams.
- Lean more about growth development and process optimization.
- Become better at what I currently do. This means improving my methods of developing the teams I work with, being better at transmitting knowledge and inspiring people around me to work with their hearts.