Build Your Own Fairytale
If life feels like it's not the "happily ever after" you were expecting, you've come to the right place!
Around here, you'll hear from women who have paved their own way, outside traditional 9-5s. Together, we'll learn from their journeys and insights so that we can take steps toward building our own fairytales.
Build Your Own Fairytale
Marco Polo’s Vlada Bortnik on the Magic of Technology (for Good) & Human Connection
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the show
Vlada Bortnik, co-founder & CEO of Marco Polo, the video messaging app, shares what it really means to build technology that helps people feel close, not just connected.
Vlada’s journey—from growing up in Ukraine to working at Microsoft to creating one of the most intentional, human-centered apps in tech—reminds us that business can be both purposeful and profitable. She shares how she and her husband built Marco Polo while raising two young kids, how they’ve kept their company values at the center of every decision, and what it looks like to “work joyfully” for the long game.
If you’ve ever felt like technology is pulling you away from what matters most, this conversation is a beautiful reminder that it doesn’t have to be that way.
Connect with Vlada on LinkedIn and download the Marco Polo app at marcopolo.me.
(BTW if you join Marco Polo and want to try the paid version, use my affiliate link to try 2 months free!)
If you’ve ever wondered whether the systems running your business are actually helping—or quietly making things heavier—this might be a good place to start. I offer backend systems audits for both 17hats and Flodesk that review what’s working, what’s fragile, and what deserves your attention next. Learn more at kristenlettini.com/audits.
