Kara Komarni is an acknowledged representative of Gen Z creativity in the metaverse.
After experiencing life changing trauma, Kara chose to use her extensive VR knowledge as well as first-hand mental health experience to create a personal growth space called Space of Mind: a multi level podcast as well as a future personalised follow-on app.
This uniquely positioned space includes mental health solutions to create clarity of purpose and real life goals, improve intuitive reactions and provide proactive solutions to the myriad mental health issues facing today’s digital generation.
Her podcast provides a series of guided self-reflections as well as real life stories with a selection of the most inspiring people who have gone through trauma and created a better reality for themselves. The combination of stories and practical guidance demystifies the pathway between where people are and where they want to be.
Her follow-on app will create a personal pathway to self-growth combining her expertise in the metaverse with psychological techniques to create digital solutions that resonate with the metaverse generation.
Kara is passionate about addressing the still present stigmas around mental health, grief and trauma. Drawing on her own personal experiences, she is currently working on digital solutions for new ways of helping those going through their own mental health struggles, putting emphasis on empowering people to help themselves by giving them the right tools. After losing her partner of 10 years to cancer, Karolina poured all her energies into self growth and dedicated her life to following her dreams as a singer and finding accessible solutions for mental health issues.
With a background in tech, virtual reality and marketing, Karolina is in the process of creating a mental health app called Space of Mind to provide high quality, easily accessible support. Via a complementary podcast, she interviews a variety of celebrities, academics and real people about their life experiences, mental health journeys and learning paths. It provokes moments of reflection which offer a collection of psychological tools and a space to foster personal growth.
Tell us a bit about yourself, background and your current role
I have a decade of experience in marketing, focusing on the metaverse. Following the life changing trauma of losing a partner of 10 years to cancer, I’ve decided to channel by experience across VR, crypto and first-hand mental health challenges to create a personal growth space called Space of Mind. Space of Mind is a place of reflection in a world full of distraction. It is a digital space that gives millennials and Gen Z clarity on how to become a better version of themselves by giving them the tools to manage their own thoughts and emotions better.
Starting with the podcast, where highly inspirational guests share their advice for growth, Space of Mind is a growing user manual of mental health lessons for the metaverse generation. I’m passionate about addressing the still present stigmas around mental health, grief and trauma and demystifying the path to fulfilment in this day and age.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
When choosing my undergraduate degree my instinct said to choose Psychology, but my head chose business management. Not tuning into my gut feeling at the time was probably the biggest mistake I could have done. I thought business degree would give me more credibility and open up more opportunities. I definitely had limited perspective on what’s possible. For the longest time I subdued my inner instinct more than I should have which curtailed my ability to create the impact I wanted to have on the world and constrained my ability to feel fulfilled from what I was doing.
Have you faced any career challenges along the way and how did you overcome these?
I would say it wasn’t so much a challenge as much as unawareness of what truly motivated me. I realised quite late that I like working with companies that have a true mission and passion for the solution – also one of the hardest things to distill for companies and instil in employees. It’s something you either have from the start or you don’t.
What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?
I believe in perseverance. I might not always have all the answers, but I’m dedicated to finding the best outcomes. I’ve always been resilient and it allowed me to overcome most stressful work situations as well as having the ability to reflect on what went wrong and how I can avoid it in the future.
What top tips would you give to an individual who is trying to excel in their career in technology?
My biggest advice would be to not look at what everyone else is doing and not stick to a set framework for “how things should be done”. Some of my biggest achievements resulted from me not following any set marketing rules, instead listening to the audience and understanding what will resonate – human to human.
Do you believe there are still barriers for success for women working in tech, if so, how can these barriers be overcome?
I think it depends on the context – certain companies might have their way of doing things which might limit opportunities for women to reach board level, while others might welcome the diversity female perspective brings to the proverbial boardroom table. One thing I would say is to look out for the signs to understand which company you’re working for and whether you’re ok with that.
What do you think companies can do to support to progress the careers of women working in technology?
I believe the only way to bring about change is to stop treating women and a larger topic of diversity as a challenge, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we all approach each other as equal, then that’s exactly what we are. Less talking of opportunities, more making them happen in a day to day life. I think it’s also important for companies to offer mentorship schemes to provide more exposure to the opportunities in tech early on in women’s careers.
There are currently only 21 per cent of women working in tech, if you could wave a magic wand, what is the one thing you would do to accelerate the pace of change for women in the industry?
I would use that wand to dissolve the preconceived opinions about women in the workplace and create a truly level playing field. I would give the wand a shake and help women understand what it is they truly want to do, what brings them more purpose, and then go and pursue that without hesitations.
What resources do you recommend for women working in tech?
I’m going to be cheeky and say my podcast Space of Mind. It’s a great destination for life lessons of people who’ve gone through some of the most difficult things in life and came out of it so much stronger on the other side, starting incredible ventures across tech, food, music and fashion, among others.
