50 NIJANSI ZELENE Kaja Pavlinić

Guest Kaja PavlinovićHosted by Julije DomacMay 3, 2026

Kaja Pavlinović

About this episode

What you'll hear in this conversation

The newspaper headline called her "the student who wouldn't let bureaucracy stop her." Kaja Pavlinović embodies a mindset that stands in stark contrast to the prevailing skepticism she describes in her home country: while many hear "why it won't work," she operates from a place of "everything is possible." As a project manager, mentor, and entrepreneur, she channels this drive into empowering youth and accelerating the adoption of renewable energy in Croatia. This conversation explores how a single individual's refusal to accept limitations can build bridges between citizens and installers, and why the most impactful solutions often emerge from personal frustrations with the status quo. The conversation will leave you considering the subtle ways cultural mindsets shape entrepreneurial ambition, and how to find your own path through the "why not" to the "what if."

Insights from the conversation

What to take from this episode

Kaja Pavlinović observed a fundamental difference during her time at Purdue University: in America, "everyone believes everything is possible," while in Croatia, "when you have an idea, everyone will first tell you why it won't work." The culture you operate within profoundly shapes your initial approach to any new venture, often pre-determining whether an idea takes flight or is grounded before it begins.

The host introduces Kaja with a newspaper headline celebrating her refusal to be stopped by bureaucracy. While formalities are inevitable, she says, "people are often held back by them, and often people stop because of it." The true barrier to action is rarely the red tape itself, but the internal decision to let it define your limits.

Kaja's renewable energy platform, Tinja, began because she "didn't know whom to contact" or "whether it would pay off" if she wanted solar panels for her own home. The most compelling business ideas often arise from a founder's direct, personal frustration with a market gap or an opaque process.

The name Tinja, meaning "a small flicker that spreads," was chosen because Kaja believes the use of renewable energy in Croatia is "precisely that flicker that hasn't yet spread into a full fire, but it's slowly smoldering." A project's name can serve as a constant reminder of its aspirational future state and the incremental nature of its growth.

Kaja notes that in Croatian university lectures, "if someone asks something that others consider stupid, then there are sneers," leading that person to never ask again. In contrast, "in America, they really ask the most basic things and are not ashamed at all." A culture that stigmatizes questions sacrifices genuine learning and innovation for the illusion of collective knowledge.

Kaja argues that renewables offer a "balance that allows you to have some personal benefit, and at the same time help your environment." Promoting societal goods is most effective when the message clearly links environmental impact to immediate, tangible personal advantages, such as cost savings.

Kaja comments on the perceived passivity of young people, stating that "young people still don't know how their voice can be heard, how to act." What often appears as apathy in a demographic can actually be a knowledge gap regarding effective channels for engagement and influence.

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