Watch the Episode How much of ourselves do we change in order to belong? For Anna Osherov, that question has followed a life lived across countries, languages and identities. Born in Kharkiv when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, Anna came to Australia as a child. She remembers pushing aside the things that made …
Watch the Episode
How much of ourselves do we change in order to belong?
For Anna Osherov, that question has followed a life lived across countries, languages and identities.
Born in Kharkiv when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, Anna came to Australia as a child. She remembers pushing aside the things that made her different as she tried to find her place in a new country. She refused to speak Russian until she was fourteen and remembers a Grade Five diary entry she called “Anna’s Road to Popularity.”
Years later, other parts of her identity would become difficult in very different ways. Anna is Ukrainian-born, Russian-speaking, Jewish and Australian. She has had people tell her they don’t believe parts of that story simply because they don’t match what they expected to see.
This is a conversation about belonging, assimilation and the many layers of identity we carry — including those other people may never see.
What’s Brewing in This Episode
Anna and I explore what happens when fitting in begins to shape which parts of ourselves we show.
We talk about leaving the Soviet Union as a child, the experience of arriving in Australia without English, and the small decisions Anna made as she learnt how to belong. We also explore what it means to carry several identities at once, particularly when events in the wider world change how those identities are perceived.
There are lighter memories too. Anna recalls encountering a supermarket in Austria after her family left the USSR and being overwhelmed by everything she could see. Her father remembers his daughter standing in front of the cakes, crying because she knew the family couldn’t afford to buy anything. Today, wandering through a supermarket still brings Anna joy.
Through all of these stories sits a larger question that isn’t Anna’s alone:
How much of ourselves do we change to belong — and what happens to the parts we put aside along the way?
Meet Anna Osherov
Anna Osherov is a speaker, community builder and advocate for human connection whose own story crosses countries, cultures and identities.
Born in Kharkiv in the former Soviet Union, Anna came to Australia as a child with her family. Her experiences of migration, assimilation and belonging have shaped the way she understands community and the importance of creating spaces where people can be known beyond assumptions and labels.
In our conversation, Anna brings those ideas back to lived experience: childhood memories, language, Jewish identity, her connection to Ukraine and Australia, and the complicated reality that a person’s story rarely fits neatly into a single description.
Brew the Change
This week, try asking someone a better version of:
“Where are you from?”
Ask:
“Where does your story begin?”
Or:
“What parts of home do you still carry with you?”
Then listen to the layers — the places, languages, people, traditions, memories and experiences that have shaped them.
Not every story has one beginning, and not every sense of belonging fits into one simple answer.
Sometimes changing the question gives another person more room to tell us who they actually are.
Watch on YouTube
Pour yourself a cuppa, grab your favourite chocolate and join my conversation with Anna Osherov.
Let Love Be the Loudest Voice.
Get in Touch with Us
We’d love to hear from you—share your thoughts or ask a question!
