The Only Failure Is Giving Up - with Magician, Cardist and YouTube Pioneer Ekaterina
Ekaterina is a magician, cardist, YouTube pioneer, marketing executive, content creator, poker player, and Mom – proving that resilience and curiosity can take you anywhere in life. In this conversation, we trace her journey from uploading YouTube videos as a teenager to building a massive global audience with her Let’s Learn series. She shares lessons on patience, pushing through frustration, creating content that lasts, handling negativity, and why she lives by the mantra “I can’t imagine not trying.”We dive into the side of Ekaterina few people see – the introvert who found therapy in cardistry, the Mom balancing family with an intense marketing career, and the woman who quit alcohol to stay sharp, only to find a surprising new passion: poker. From losing $10,000 to winning $24,000 in a single day, she reveals how poker has taught her resilience, emotional control, and the art of bluffing through life’s toughest tables.Ekaterina opens up about the highs and lows of being a woman in magic, the backlash over teaching tricks on social media, and how she built a bridge between magicians and the wider world. She explains why algorithms can be “trained,” how she hacked TikTok and YouTube for explosive growth, and why her cat Tiger became such a beloved part of her brand that even Google demanded he appear in her sponsored videos.This episode is funny, vulnerable, and packed with wisdom. From learning push-ups after painful setbacks to recovering from on-stage flops with a smile, Ekaterina shows us the real magic of persistence – and reminds us that the only true failure is giving up too soon.In this episode we cover:How an introverted kid found therapy in practicing cardistry aloneThe “Let’s Learn” series – and how it accidentally became a global hitBalancing life as a Mom, magician, marketer, and content creatorFacing backlash from magicians – and why she has a “block and delete” policy for negativityLessons on crediting, respecting creators, and evolving magic terminologyThe push-up challenge that turned pain and setbacks into progressWhy she quit alcohol, stayed sharper – and picked up poker insteadHow poker skills overlap with magic – reading people and bluffing with confidenceThe algorithm hacks that helped her reach 50 million people a monthWhy Tiger the cat became a fan favorite and even a brand-deal requirementHer strategy for turning on-stage failures into funny, graceful recoveriesWhy she believes real performers never lose work because of exposure – it’s always about youWhat keeps her up at night: AI, algorithms, and the future of creativityCONNECT WITH EKATERINA at her website, on YouTube, and on Instagram. Connect with VANISHSubscribe to VANISHVANISH on InstagramConnect with Jordana, Podcast DirectorEmail:
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