I'm 35. If you're in your 20s, watch this — Silicon Valley Girl Podcast

Marina Mogilko: I am 35 today, happy birthday to me. And this video is for you if you're watching and you're in your 20s. I think about my daughters who are growing up—maybe they'll see this video one day. I just want to share some of the life lessons that I've learned, some mistakes that I've made. I want to share with you so that you can make the most out of your 20s and meet your 30s with happiness, with the feeling that you've tried a lot of things, that you know who you are.

These are the tips that are going to help you discover yourself, rediscover yourself, discover the world, and get rid of fears because fears, they surround us in our 20s. They prevent us from making moves. Lack of knowledge takes away a lot of opportunities, takes a lot of energy away, prevents us from living our life to the fullest. So here we go—my tips and my key takeaways from my 20s.

My advice number one: work like crazy. Believe me, in your 20s you have the energy. You have less responsibilities. It's time to make mistakes. It's time to try every crazy thing out there. Use this period to work hard and experiment because, believe me, by 35 you'll likely have a lot more responsibilities. I have two kids, I have a family, and we moved to the US away from my parents, away from my husband's parents. My grandparents are still in Russia. All my priorities have shifted and it's impossible to grind the same way I did back in my 20s.

And don't be afraid of failure. I remember I really wanted to sing more in my 20s. I was like, I don't know—some people tell me I'm a bad singer. Believe me, this desire to sing didn't go away. I still sing now. I sing more. More people tell me singing is not my thing, but you know, if I started doing exactly this 15 years ago, I could have been a professional singer now. But back then I was like, I don't know, they're hating on me, whatever. So the more you fail in your 20s, the more you learn. Don't try to play it safe—in terms of finance, in terms of what people think of you. Of course, don't go crazy, but if you can try working several jobs, do it. If you can try dancing and singing and finance and business, do it. If you want to travel the world, do it. This is the time you try something. It doesn't work? Well, okay, you learn from your mistakes, you move on. That's it.

Advice number two: prioritize good nutrition. That's coming from someone who kind of neglected it—my cholesterol levels are through the roof. Eating well is a lifelong habit and it's much easier to build it in your 20s. If you haven't been taught proper nutrition, now it is time to learn. I've talked to so many professionals and they say it takes a couple of days to rewire your taste buds. So if you're used to eating a lot of sugar, a lot of snacks, just tell yourself it's time to stop. Your body is going to be with you for maybe another 80 years. Yes, our lifespan is increasing—not in the US, though. In other countries of the world, the lifespan is increasing. And a healthy body fuels a productive mind. And again, it's going to be much harder to fix these problems when you're 35.

Advice number three—this is going to be funny: live in a challenging city. You know what I regret a little bit? Not having lived in New York. We lived in San Francisco, a city which is kind of cool, but I can't imagine living there with my kids. So pick a city that you love, the one that excites you, but might not be ideal for raising kids. It might be too expensive or not that safe. Because once you have children, your living costs are going to skyrocket. You might want to move closer to your family. Moving to New York right now for me is almost impossible because it has to be private school—I guess. I don't even know. I can't imagine. I feel like if you want to live in New York with kids, you need to make a lot of money. But if you want to live in New York as a 20-something, you can share an apartment, you can just walk everywhere, you can take the subway. Of course, we might live in New York after our kids grow up, but it's not going to be the same energy, you know what I mean? So try and live in exciting places before you're 30.

Another tip: chase your wildest dreams. Now, what I noticed about myself is that I tend to postpone a lot of things because I feel like I will not reach out to this person because I am not ready yet. And who defined readiness? I don't even know. I don't even know what readiness is. But maybe I need an MBA to start my—like, there are always so many thoughts in my head that have nothing to do with the reality. So do not postpone your dreams thinking that you need more experience, validation. The older you get, the harder it becomes to take big risks because, first of all, you have responsibility. Second, you have a lot more thoughts in your head, and sometimes you actually become less confident when you learn more things about something.

So, for example, I started my business when I was 21. I didn't think about any risks because I didn't know they existed. I was like, I just love this and I want to do this. And I'm glad I did. I wish I did the same about my singing career, about my acting career—something I am just taking up right now. Because it's just about being bold and being in love with what you do. You don't need permission or proof. You just need a start.

And speaking of taking action, my tip number five—and this is actually something I regret not doing earlier—is starting investing, even if you only have $20. Because what happened to me when I started making my money: I went straight to Louis Vuitton. I got this purse and that purse and this perfume and the scarf because this was a gateway to luxury for me. But real luxury is investing $20 today and being able to retire at 35. Unfortunately, I can't do that. I could retire, I could kind of retire if we move away from Silicon Valley, but I don't have the desire to do that. But also, having some passive income gave me peace of mind. And I have all the videos about my passive income.

What happens when you invest $20? You learn what apps you want to use. You learn about the stocks. You learn about S&P 500. You build a habit. And when you start making more money, the first thought that's going to come to your head is not to go to Louis Vuitton—well, which I love, still—but I'd rather invest in LVMH stock now because I know it's going to grow, I know it's going to perform. So just build this habit, build this muscle that tells you to invest when you get some extra cash, and strive for investing 10 to 20% from everything that you make.

Another tip: save on small comforts if you have to, but don't save on experiences. I remember my trip when I was, I think, 21. I went to Europe from Russia. We traveled on a bus, we traveled on budget airlines. I slept in airports, in a hostel. And I honestly remember this trip with a lot of warmth. And I will never do it again, honestly. I won't do it at this age because it will take me a lot more time to recover after that trip. But I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I was able to see so many countries.

I remember my mom took me on a trip around Europe where we slept on a bus for like 12 days. It was exhausting. I don't know how she managed to survive it. But that was the first time I saw Paris, that was the first time I took a cruise ship. I think part of it was on a cruise ship and we went from like Sweden to Finland, and I discovered Sweden as a country. You know, there are a lot of warm memories about that trip. So honestly, if you can travel on a low budget, do it. You won't be able to do it later, or you might not be willing to do it later.

Okay, guys, the next tip is so important: stop worrying about what people think of you. I know it's hard to imagine when you're 20. I know it sounds easier than it is. I remember when I was 20, even like 25, I thought a lot about other people and what they think of me. Now I realize—you know, I've been through some periods of my career where I got a lot of hate online and I kind of slowed down because of that. And now I realized it was such a dumb thing to do because these opinions—people don't really think about you. They just say something and they move on. But those opinions, they live in your head and they suck your energy. And you invest that energy in slowing down and thinking about those people, and you stop moving forward.

I know again it's really hard, but try to use the energy that you have—not on thinking about what other people think of you, but on achieving your goals. And don't let social pressure dictate your decisions. Focus on what you want, not what others expect from you.

Another tip: be selective about who you spend time with. Not everyone is worth your time, and it's okay. You know, I remember when I was growing up, everyone around me was networking, going to parties. It seemed like they were having all the fun in the world. And whenever I joined them, I felt like an outsider. And I just realized, you know, yeah, I don't feel what they feel. I don't feel this exciting. I don't feel like this bar trip is something I work for. I'd rather stay home, get enough sleep, and work on my goals.

So if everyone around you is partying, it doesn't mean that you have to do the same. If you don't feel like partying, don't party. It's coming from a person who partied for some time, but then I realized, like, why? I don't like waking up having some sort of headache, my cheeks flushing because of the alcohol. I was just like, okay, let them enjoy life in that way. For me, enjoyment is working on my passions. For me, enjoyment is making videos on YouTube. Yes, maybe it's not everybody's path. Yes, maybe people around me are not interested in that. But that doesn't mean that I am weird. It just means that I'm in the wrong environment.

And then when I was 25, I moved to Silicon Valley and I realized, huh, these are all the people that I want to hang out with because they are the same. They don't go to parties. They work, work, work all the time. This is me. This is my culture. So it's all about finding your culture. Later in life, you stop feeling weird. And again, now I feel like it's a lot easier with social media because you can connect with so many subcultures from around the world. It was definitely harder for me, but again, if you're in a social circle where people do things that you don't feel comfortable with, don't do them. It's not that you're weird. It's just you're surrounded by people who are not like you. That's it.

Instead, focus on building relationships with people who align with your goals and values. Time is your most valuable resource. Don't waste it on people who don't add value to your life.

Another tip: address mental health early. I know mental health is often underrated among young people, and I remember I had my first therapy session when I was 30 or 29—like, it was later in life—and I wish I had that earlier because one therapy session helped me with this huge issue I was having for maybe six months. I had anxiety and I was not feeling comfortable in my environment, et cetera. And then one therapy session just fixed it. And I was like, why didn't I do that before?

So now every time I experience something—and again, now I know a lot of things that they told me during those therapy sessions, so I can kind of talk to myself as a therapist sometimes. I use ChatGPT to talk to myself about problems, but when I'm stuck, I talk to professionals and it's such a lifesaver. I hope that everyone takes their mental health seriously.

And honestly, when I'm recording this video, I'm thinking, like, maybe my daughters will see it when they're 20. And girls, if you ever feel that you have a problem, first of all, talk to me—I'm here. But also talk to a professional. There are people who will help you, who've seen a lot of people with similar problems, and they will be able to help. When we're 20, we think we're very unique and our problems are very unique, but that's not true. A lot of people experience the same kind of problems: hate, not being successful, not fitting in. This is all very common.

Another thing that's really important that I wanted to share: I started thinking about having kids when I was 25, and it took us 4 years to have a baby because we realized I had some health issues and I had to go through two surgeries. I am so glad that we started thinking about the family when I was 25 because it took us 4 years. Right? Because we started thinking about the family early, we were able to treat these things early.

If you're not thinking about having kids right now, just see if everything is working properly. Because some issues—and I had some hormonal issues that led to a cyst growing huge in my womb. I have a whole video about it. This problem—the only way to fix this problem was to go through surgery. And I only discovered it because I was willing to have kids. So even if you're not thinking about having kids, just go to a doctor, see if something looks suspicious, because if you postpone and you're 30 and then you discover all of these things—like, doctors, it takes them so much time to identify what's the issue because there are so many issues these days when it comes to planning a family. It could be you, it could be a partner, and this leads to stress, high medical costs if you're in the US, limited options.

So it's always a good idea to have full health checks in your 20s to ensure everything works fertility-wise because if there are any issues, you'll have more time to address them. Your 20s is a time to grow, to risk, and to explore. Use them wisely. You'll thank yourself, and you'll thank me later.