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Osnaživanje, stil i inspiracija spajaju se u svakom izdanju našeg magazina.
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December 3, 2025
At once brave and gentle, rational and intuitive, willing to take enormous risks — and turn them into a new home, a new life, and a new identity. Ajka Matijević brings lessons we can, and should, learn from.
From Montenegro to Dubai, from the familiar into the completely unknown, she built her path without “paved roads,” but with a clear belief that she could reach higher. Ajka is an entrepreneur, a specialist in the super-yacht industry, and a woman who tirelessly reminds other women that they are powerful, capable, and enough — even when they forget it themselves.
This is a conversation about courage, about restarting your life, about lessons that hurt and lessons that lift — and about what it looks like when a woman decides to become her own greatest ally.
AM: Every major life decision is born out of a single feeling — deep despair. But despair isn’t weakness; it’s the soul calling out. It’s the moment when a truth you’ve ignored for years refuses to stay quiet. For me, despair was a blend of quiet guilt for not being grateful enough for everything I had built, and a strong feeling that my soul was suffocating because it found no meaning in my everyday life.
To jump into the unknown, you have to be unhappy enough where you are — and brave enough to believe in something larger than yourself: in your own potential, in God, in the Universe… and in the idea that on the other side of fear, a better version of yourself is waiting.
I’ve always believed that we create our own lives — and that only a fulfilled version of myself could lead my family to the next level. My dream was for my children to grow up in a place of prosperity, surrounded by people with big dreams and big achievements — the material ones that push them to reach higher, but also the social ones that teach them responsibility toward every layer of society.
Honestly, I never felt I belonged in the environment where I lived. My soul had been quietly, persistently searching for a way out long before I admitted it to myself. But people love comfort — and our comfort in Tivat was a dream for many: luxury restaurants, parties, constant travel to destinations for the wealthy, big names attached to yours…
And on the inside — stagnation. No growth, no new learning, the same conversations, the same patterns.
My husband and I often joked: “Big fish in a small pond.” They say we become the average of the five people we spend the most time with — their habits, their ambitions, their worldview. And I couldn’t find that anywhere around me. Not just in Tivat, but even in the entire super-yacht industry which, despite the success, never truly fulfilled me.
And so I had to move on. To step into the next level of my life — wherever my soul felt it truly belonged.
F: Women often underestimate their own strength. You are one of those who reminds other women how extraordinary they are. What does empowering others give back to you personally?
AM: For me, empowering others is a kind of return to myself. And it’s not limited to women—it’s a relationship I build with everyone around me. I have an innate ability to recognize people’s full potential, even when they can’t see it themselves. One of my friends jokes that I’m best at telling others how to live their lives.
That is genuinely one of my favorite personal traits, but it can also be a burden: when people don’t recognize in themselves what you see in them, they often withdraw, feeling as if they’ve disappointed both themselves and you—and that can strain relationships.
When I remind a woman how capable, brave, and remarkable she is, I’m actually hearing my own inner voice again—the one that carried me through my hardest moments. Perhaps because I myself underestimated my own strength more than once, I now feel a strong need to show others theirs.
When I see a woman stand a little taller, believe a little more, make a braver decision simply because I encouraged her, I receive a sense of purpose deeper than any business achievement. It reassures me that each of us carries an inexhaustible strength within—but that sometimes someone else needs to recognize it in us first.
It gives my experiences meaning, because I know nothing I went through was in vain: my experiences become a bridge others can cross more easily. And perhaps most importantly—it restores my belief that when one person takes a brave step, that step is never just theirs alone. It creates a wave. And I want to be part of that wave.
F: What does a support system mean to you? Who were the people who held you when you doubted yourself—and whom are you a pillar for today?
AM: To me, a support system is the foundation of every brave step. It’s a network of people who hold you when doubt threatens to break you, who believe in your strength even when you don’t believe in it yourself. They are the ones whose words become your silence, and whose silence becomes your courage.
In my life, the pillars of that support were my husband, my mother, and my aunt Dragica. My husband is my most important choice—the only family member you actually get to choose in life. And today, after 18 years, I can say with certainty: I chose well. It wasn’t always beautiful, it didn’t always sparkle, and we weren’t always easy versions of ourselves to love. But he always believed in me—in all my ideas, changes, dreams, and impulses that often came suddenly, straight from the heart.
His support was quiet, steady, and strong enough to push me forward even when I stood still. My mother is my eternal role model. The strength of her character shaped so much of who I am. She is a woman who never saw obstacles—only opportunities. In her dignified, courageous way, she taught me to always look through a problem, not at it, and to turn the search for solutions into a way of life.
My aunt was the one who constantly reminded me that I am worthy, special, and capable. Sometimes it’s enough for just one person to believe in you without reservation—so strongly that you begin to believe in the version of yourself they see.
Today, thanks to them, I have become a pillar for others. For my children, whom I teach that courage is greater than fear. For my friends, for whom I want to be the voice I once had. And for the women around me, whom I want to show that their strength is often far greater than they can imagine.
A support system isn’t about numbers. It’s three hearts that hold you when you fall, and three voices that whisper you can—even when you think you can’t anymore.
F: In the world of superyachts, luxury, and a highly demanding industry, shifts are fast and sometimes merciless. Which turning point in your career shaped you the most into the person you are today?
AM: Honestly, it’s hard for me to single out one turning point, because I believe my career didn’t shape me—I shaped my career. I built it according to my values, my standards, and my perception of the world. I never allowed external influences to define who I would be, how much I’m worth, or which path I should take.
Yes, any industry where you aim to be among the best can be harsh. But I never experienced it that way—or perhaps I simply chose not to see it through that lens. I deeply believe that everything meant for me will find its way to me. And everything that didn’t find me wasn’t a loss, but a redirection or protection.
That’s why I don’t force relationships, chase clients, or pursue what doesn’t belong to me. I don’t stay in spaces where I can’t contribute, nor in relationships where I feel drained or undervalued. The truth is simple: sometimes you can receive more than what truly belongs to you—but you can never keep what you don’t have the capacity for.
That’s why I work on myself every day—on expanding my capacity for growth, development, leadership, responsibility, and vision. Because I believe life always brings me exactly as much as I can carry, sustain, and give back to the world around me.
That realization is the turning point that shaped me: understanding that strength isn’t about conquering the world, but about building yourself so the world can come to you in the measure you’re able to hold.
F: Looking back on your journey, what would you say was your most important lesson about risk? Is courage learned or discovered?
AM: I have to admit that for years I believed courage was something you’re born with, and that a willingness to take risks was a privilege of a chosen few. That belief likely came from growing up surrounded by people who didn’t dare to push their boundaries, which made me—quite unconsciously—feel as though I possessed some special strength. Ego tends to shape it that way, at least at first.
But as I matured spiritually, I realized it had nothing to do with superiority. On the contrary—the more you grow internally, the clearer it becomes that you’re not greater than others, but simply fortunate that God, life, or circumstances pushed you in a direction that taught you to trust yourself. That’s only the first stage of self-awareness. The next one is gratitude.
But my growth didn’t stop there. From today’s perspective, I believe courage is far more learned than innate. We are all products of the environments we grew up in. Our parents didn’t have access to the knowledge, information, and tools we have today. Their instinct was to protect us—and the fastest way to protect a child is through fear. Fear has always been the strongest emotion shaping behavior.
If you look at statistics, the biggest risk-takers fall into two groups: those who have nothing to lose, and those who grew up so secure in themselves that they believe nothing bad can happen to them. Everyone else balances between desire and the brakes they inherited.
My first risks were driven by defiance—a need to prove that I could, that what I felt had value, that no one had the right to question my strength. That’s a very common story among people who grew up in emotionally or financially unstable environments, where support for taking things a step further didn’t exist. When your environment constantly tells you to stay in place, courage often emerges as rebellion.
But once basic needs are met—those at the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid—people no longer take risks out of defiance, anger, or the need to prove themselves. Risk then becomes an expression of our highest human aspirations: self-actualization, growth, expansion of personal boundaries, the desire to surpass yourself—not others.
That’s the phase we all strive for. The phase in which risk is no longer a battle, but a tool. And it’s rarely reached without passing through the earlier stages—unless you were born into the top 1% of the world’s most privileged families.
So, to answer clearly: courage isn’t inherited—it’s discovered, built, and trained. Risk isn’t destiny—it’s the result of the path you’ve walked.
F: Success abroad requires immense personal discipline, emotional strength, and constant growth. How do you work on your personal development today, and what helps you stay focused and grounded?
AM: For me, personal development rests on three core pillars: movement, sleep, and nutrition. Physical activity—in any form—is the foundation of my mental health. People often neglect this during survival phases, but the body is the first to carry the weight of change, ambition, fear, and challenge. When the body is strong and in motion, the mind gains space to remain stable and clear.
The second pillar is quality sleep, and the third is nutrition that supports energy, focus, and emotional balance. At the moment, my entire life revolves around these three elements—and interestingly, all my relationships, decisions, and additional inner work are actually a result of the quality of these basic habits.
But we have to be honest: there is one more foundation that’s often left out of conversations like this, yet it’s crucial—financial stability. Without it, it’s almost impossible to stay focused, creative, calm, or committed to personal growth. That threshold looks different for everyone, but knowing you can survive six months without income creates an inner peace no meditation can replace.
Only when physical stability and financial security are in place does a person gain the capacity to truly grow—not out of fear or pressure, but from the desire to expand, surpass themselves, and live in alignment with their values.
F: Through the communities you build and invest in, you help women reconnect with themselves and fight for their desires and needs. What advice do you most often give to women standing before major life changes but afraid to take the first step?
AM: I have to admit that I don’t really build communities in the traditional sense—I’m an introvert by nature, and my soul regenerates in silence and solitude. At the same time, I know I carry strength, warmth, and stability, and people who haven’t yet awakened those qualities within themselves naturally gravitate toward me.
I don’t know why, but I always find the time and space for anyone who approaches me in search of advice, meaning, or comfort. I often activate something hidden in others, challenge their deepest insecurities—as a reminder of the love they’re still learning to receive. But I never forget that I can’t heal them, nor force them to cross their own boundaries. Change is a personal journey. Some begin it, some never take the first step—and I don’t judge that. I don’t get angry. I don’t feel my time was wasted.
I’m there when I’m needed, I take nothing personally, and I’m grateful if I inspired them—even in the smallest way—to move toward themselves and begin loving who they are.
When a woman stands before a major life change and feels afraid to begin, my most honest advice is always the same: fear is not a sign you shouldn’t move forward. Fear is a sign you’re standing exactly at the edge of your next level. You don’t need to see the whole path—it’s enough to take the first step. You don’t need complete faith—it’s enough to believe just a little more than you did yesterday.
What is yours—spiritually and energetically—cannot be taken from you. You don’t need to force or chase anything. Your only task is to protect your light, to stay rooted within yourself—and everything meant for you will come, carrying the joy, laughter, and love you’ve been calling in.
F: What is the next chapter for you—as an entrepreneur, a mother, a woman who has already proven she can build a new world from scratch? What drives and inspires you today?
AM: Honestly, this may sound unexpected—but I don’t know what the next chapter is. For someone who has always deeply felt the world around her, who could always see at least five years ahead, it’s surprising to be in a phase of life where the horizon is completely empty. Not empty from fear, but from space. From possibility.
I know very clearly what I no longer want—and that’s always the beginning of a new cycle. But for the first time in my life, I’m not impatient to immediately define the next step. Looking at my past choices, I’ve actually fulfilled everything I once wanted: I’m already living the life I once only dreamed of. I’m free to choose where, with whom, and how I spend my time and energy.
But I don’t believe this is the end. It’s simply comfortable. Quiet. And perhaps that’s the lesson—to sometimes stay in the peace you’ve created, without immediately turning it into a new project. Maybe this is a period of incubation, that moment between two chapters when the soul rests before it takes flight again.
For the first time, I’ve decided to follow my own advice: to trust that what is meant for me—what awaits me—will find its way to me on its own. Not from need or force, but from alignment. Until then, I choose simplicity. I choose self-care, movement, nourishing food, and restful sleep. Because from such foundations, from such a space of clarity and balance, only an even more beautiful, authentic world can grow.
That is my inspiration for the future: not to chase it, but to be ready to welcome it.
In a time when women so often forget their worth, Ajka gently yet decisively guides us back to ourselves. And perhaps the most important message of this interview is exactly that—that each of us can choose a new path, a new strength, and a new version of herself. And that we are never alone on that journey.
