Polina Shabarova - Marketing Manager & Coach

Marketing Manager & Coach

Polina is a driven individual, passionate about marketing, psychology, and social impact.

Originally from Crimea, Ukraine, she and her family had to leave everything behind after the Russian occupation and move to Kyiv, as it stopped feeling like home.

In 2017, her family won green cards in the Diversity Visa Lottery and chose Austin, TX as their new location.

Polina is a mother of three, with over 20 years of experience in teaching and running education-related businesses.

In 2022, together with a group of friends, she co-founded AHEAD Ukraine, a nonprofit that supports children, students, teachers, and libraries — especially in regions where help is most needed.

Currently, Polina is focused on launching marketing coaching programs for women entrepreneurs, as well as providing PR and sales services for tech, social impact, and education businesses.

With a recent MA in Psychology, she also coaches female leaders using emotion processing and solution-focused coaching methods.

Things that bring her joy (beyond family and happy clients) include connecting with nature, traveling, reading good nonfiction, watercolor painting, and the thrilling hush of a blank page — a sign that some new project is about to be born.

Instagram Tips: 3 Main Pillars

1. Video Content – Reels, Interviews, Lives

My current client (a local landscaping business) recently had a random reel go a bit viral — 12k+ views (compared to their usual 150–300 views per reel).

2. Strategically creating content that’s ‘yummy’ for your potential clients (Ukrainian business owners):

Topics that work well:

• How to start a business in the U.S. (registration forms, paperwork, taxes, etc.)

• Financials in business: loans, invoicing, taxes, quotes, payment processing

• Marketing: free & low-cost tools, U.S. vs. Ukrainian approach, social media, job boards, PR, networking, using AI for text/design

• Success stories of Ukrainian businesses in the U.S. (reposts, interviews, personal posts)

Each sub-topic can be its own content thread — for example, you can talk about taxes endlessly, breaking it down into helpful mini-guides.

 This can be:

• Original content for your website and social pages

• Interview or podcast format with experts in each area — ideally with those who share your target audience (so they repost and amplify your content)

3. Constant interaction with new audiences where your ideal clients are

• Facebook groups, Telegram groups — share useful content there.

• Many admins will allow it for free, or for a small fee.

• Free content that’s framed as sincere informational help often works better than paid ads — especially for Ukrainian audiences.