Hellena (The Karbdashian) shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Hellena, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
I’m currently traveling the world full-time, so no two days ever look the same — and I love it. Life feels beautifully unpredictable right now. I usually wake up in a new place, find a good café, and hunt down a uniquely flavored iced americano while I get some work done. Cafés are the one constant in my routine, whether I’m editing, planning the next part of my journey, or simply watching the world go by.
My days tend to revolve around food. Eating is a ritual for me — exploring local flavors, connecting with people through their cuisine, and learning about the stories and origins behind each dish. No two meals are ever the same.
Some days are spent wandering the streets of a new city, others hiking volcanoes, and others doing absolutely nothing on the beach. I don’t often stay in one place for long; there’s too much of the world to see. I try to make every day feel different from the one before it.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Hellena — a content creator and blogger traveling the world through taste. My mission is to explore as many places as possible and create trustworthy, delicious guides and recommendations no matter where you are, while sharing the stories I collect along the way.
I’m always chasing new flavors and new experiences, and I try to bring my audience with me through honest reviews, practical guides, and aesthetic, immersive content.
Visual aesthetics are a big part of my brand, but essence and authenticity come first. I’ll never paint a place as something it’s not, and I’ll never recommend a restaurant I wouldn’t happily eat at myself. I don’t put businesses down — I focus on championing the ones that truly stand out to me, whether I’m at home or halfway across the world.
Right now I’m working on guides across Asia — from Bali food itineraries to café recommendations in Vietnam — and continuing to build my “K-List,” a curated collection of the best places I’ve eaten and explored globally and at home.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
A moment that really shaped how I see the world happened gradually, but became clear to me while I was spending time in Ha Giang, Vietnam. Coming from the West, you’re taught to equate happiness with comfort, possessions, and achievement. When you visit communities with fewer material resources, you’re encouraged to feel sympathetic, to think in terms of what they “don’t have.”
Travel completely changed that for me. I still want everyone to have access to safety, opportunity, and the essentials they need to thrive — but I’ve realized that having “more” doesn’t automatically make people happier. If anything, I’ve grown to admire how deeply content people can be with less. In many Western cultures we overcomplicate life, we accumulate things we don’t need, and we still feel dissatisfied. We create problems that aren’t even real.
In Ha Giang, I met people who may never leave their mountain villages, who live simply and closely connected to their community — and they radiated a sense of peace that so many of us spend years chasing. It made me question what actually matters, and it shifted the way I move through the world. Happiness isn’t always tied to abundance; sometimes it’s tied to simplicity, connection, and presence.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
A fear that’s held me back the most is the fear of not doing things perfectly. I’ve always had this pressure—mostly from myself—to get everything “right,” whether it’s work, decisions, or even small creative projects. It made me overthink, delay things, and sometimes avoid starting altogether, because I felt like if it wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t worth doing.
Travel and content creation have forced me to let go of that. Nothing about my life now is perfect—things go wrong, plans change, lighting isn’t ideal, and I’m constantly figuring things out as I go. And ironically, that’s where the magic happens. I’ve learned that imperfect action gets you far further than waiting for the perfect moment ever will.
I’m still working on it, but letting go of perfectionism has opened up more freedom, creativity, and opportunity than holding onto it ever did.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that what really matters to me is connection — with people, with culture, and with the world around me. I care about experiences that feel real: sharing food, learning about someone’s life, finding meaning in the small everyday things.
They’d probably also say that honesty and intention matter a lot to me. I don’t do things just because I’m “supposed” to — I follow what feels right, what feels exciting, what feels true. That shows up in my travels, my work, and even how I make decisions.
At the end of the day, I just want to experience life fully, stay open, and connect with people in a genuine way. That’s what really matters to me.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace in the moments when I arrive somewhere new and it all just clicks — when a place feels like it has its own rhythm and I naturally fall into it. It doesn’t happen everywhere, but when it does, I instantly slow down. I notice the air, the light, the sounds. I let myself be really present.
Sometimes it’s hearing the waves at night, sometimes it’s looking up at the moon, sometimes it’s just walking around with no plan and feeling completely calm in my own company. Those are the moments where I’m not rushing, not thinking ahead, not trying to make anything happen. I’m simply there.
That’s when I feel the most peace — when a place softens me without me even trying, and I can just exist exactly as I am.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Thekarbdashian.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/the.karbdashian
- Other: https://TikTok.com/@thekarbdashian
