In this episode of Balkan Sis, Ivana revisits one of the very first conversations recorded when the podcast originally began with her best friend Franka.
This episode remains just as powerful and relevant today.
Ivana sits down with Katerina Mitrevska, a Macedonian-born writer and advocate who shares her deeply personal story of growing up with a mother experiencing severe mental illness.
After the birth of Katerina and her brother, her mother’s mental health declined and she was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. As a child, Katerina lived through years of instability, confusion and emotional hardship while trying to understand what was happening inside her family.
In a community where mental illness was rarely spoken about and often surrounded by stigma and shame, Katerina carried a heavy burden. She became both a caregiver and protector for her family while her father worked long hours to support them.
Writing became her refuge.
Through pages of notebooks filled with her thoughts, fears and hopes, Katerina began to process the pain and loneliness of her childhood while holding onto the belief that one day life would get better.
Her story is one of resilience, survival and ultimately transformation.
In 2020, Katerina released her poetry book “Breakthrough – The Reason Mother Didn’t Love Me”, a deeply moving collection inspired by her lived experience growing up with a parent living with schizophrenia.
Her work aims to break the silence around mental health and encourage open conversations within families and communities.
In this episode we talk about:
• growing up with a parent living with schizophrenia
• the stigma of mental health in Balkan communities
• childhood resilience and survival
• becoming a caregiver at a young age
• healing through writing and storytelling
• raising awareness about maternal mental health
• the power of sharing our stories
Katerina’s story is a reminder that even in the most difficult circumstances, strength, compassion and hope can still grow.
By sharing her experience, she hopes to inspire others to believe in themselves and to start conversations that many families are still afraid to have.
https://www.instagram.com/katerina.mitrevska/
https://www.facebook.com/KaterinaMitrevs/
SBS Interview
https://www.sbs.com.au/language/macedonian/en/podcast-episode/katerina-mitrevska-author-of-a-collection-of-poems-breakthrough-the-reason-mother-didnt-love-me-part-4/w0a767imt
https://www.instagram.com/ivanastrbacalfonso
Podcast Page
https://www.instagram.com/balkansispodcast
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@ivanastrbacalfonso
Ivana has created a private WhatsApp community for Balkan women and diaspora sisters around the world where conversations around culture, motherhood, relationships, business, healing and identity continue beyond the podcast.
If you would like to join, send Ivana a DM on Instagram for an invite.
