What would you do if a media giant stole your idea—and then went viral with it?In this deeply personal and surprisingly funny episode, Alice sits down with Marina Iakovleva, the creator of Dating Beyond Borders, a wildly popular YouTube channel with over 675,000 subscribers. Marina built her brand from a scrappy video experiment in Panama to a global platform exploring intercultural relationships—and she did it without a team, a big budget, or any media backing.But along the way, her ideas were copied by Buzzfeed and other production companies with massive teams and bigger marketing power. Instead of quitting, she pivoted—and found a new format that reignited her creativity and brought her closer to her audience than ever before.You’ll hear:How a three-day vacation romance inspired Marina’s entire businessWhat she did after Buzzfeed copied her video concept (and commenters said she was the copycat)Why she pivoted from studio shoots to street interviews—and never looked backHer honest take on the loneliness of digital nomad life and not having a place to call “home”Why you’re more attractive when you’re in a city you actually likeHow to make peace with fractured identity—and keep showing up anywayThis is an episode about content, connection, and carving your own lane when no one hands you a map.Chapters:00:50 Intro02:44 Being the anxious kid and earliest rejections05:53 Why teaching felt safe—but wrong08:13 Choosing regret minimization over predictability13:41 “Where do I belong?”—living between cultures24:49 The vacation romance that started it all27:40 How Sebastian the German became Marina’s origin story31:09 Building a business from rejection36:20 How she grew to 100K+ subscribers in under a year43:49 The Rebel Wilson problem—pivoting when your audience doesn’t want you to48:54 Buzzfeed, copycats, and being accused of stealing your own idea51:13 What to do when you’re the underdog in a production war56:25 Boundaries, burnout, and reactivity in business01:00:08 How Marina approaches content growth (and why obsession > perfection)01:05:16 Where to find Marina and hire her as a speakerMarina’s YouTube: Dating Beyond BordersMarina’s podcast: Dating Beyond Borders PodcastMarina’s book: Sex Before Coffee: A Guide to Dating in ScandinaviaSpeaking inquiries: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/marina-iakovleva-dbb

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