The courage to be yourself: the story of Serhiy Kochubei
There are people who do not seek to be the center of attention - but when they appear, the space around them comes to life. This can be said about Serhiy Kochubey - a person who easily says serious things with a smile, and turns any matter into something interesting.
Serhiy Kochubey became one of the best speakers of the BBC for the first quarter of 2025 - and not by chance. His performance conquered not only the audience, but also colleagues, who noted Serhiy's charisma, sincerity and humor. But behind this achievement is not only talent, but also hard work, team support and a willingness to leave the comfort zone.
When Serhiy found out that he had made it to the Walk of Fame, his first reaction was sincere surprise.
“I did not really expect that I would become one of the best, because I do not often participate in such events, but this performance was an event for me.”
The new format of the performance required preparation, rehearsals and faith in myself. At first, everything seemed complicated — we had to write a text, think over the image, find intonations. But after the first rehearsals, it became clear that the BBC promises to be not just work, but a creative adventure.
“The process became interesting, and I didn’t want to go back — only forward.”
Serhiy calls the team one of the key factors of success.
“We had a very active group. Everyone offered ideas, everyone wanted to do something cool, no one sat around,” he shares.
Even the rehearsals were fun. Often — online, in a Telegram group, where discussions didn’t stop for hours after the meetings ended.
“We even wanted to meet everyone together in Kyiv, but we didn’t have time — it was the pre-New Year period, everyone was busy. But even in the online format it was a lot of fun,” Serhiy recalls.
The excitement, he admits, was only at the beginning. The new format in Zoom, several rewrites of the script — all this required concentration. But after high-quality training, the fear disappeared by itself.
“When you understand that everything has been worked out, that the team supports you, then it’s not scary anymore. You just enjoy the process,” he explains.
Serhiy formulates the secret of confidence simply: to be sure that you are doing something cool.
“It’s scary only when you doubt it. And when you see that everything has worked out, that the team is with you, the fears disappear.”
After the performance, Serhiy received a lot of positive feedback, written by colleagues, friends, acquaintances from different departments.
In addition to work, Serhiy has another passion — cars. But recently a new, unexpected hobby has appeared — vocals.
“I wanted to learn to sing, I go to courses once a week. At first I thought that “a bear stepped on my ear,” but then it turned out — no, I just need to train. It’s also muscles.”
Serhiy is not afraid to try new things, change, learn.
“When you see that there is progress, it motivates. Both in work and in life,” he says.
Today, Serhiy Kochubey is an example of a person who does not stop at what has been achieved. His story is a reminder that success is born not only from talent, but from constant movement forward, sincerity towards people and faith in one’s own strengths.
He is not afraid to go beyond the usual, tries himself in new roles and at the same time remains himself - open, positive and genuine.
“The main thing is not to be afraid to take steps into the unknown. Because that is where the best results are born,” says Serhiy.
And this is the formula thanks to which he became one of the best speakers of the BBC.