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Ivana Kalogjera i Mario Petrović
Episode · #316

IZA OGLEDALA Ivana Kalogjera i Mario Petrović

Guest Ivana Kalogjera i Mario PetrovićMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

The conversation explores leadership not as an innate trait, but as a discipline forged through experience and sustained by a peculiar mix of persistence and passion. Ivana Kalogjera, whose career as a journalist and PR professional took a sharp turn after a cancer diagnosis, channeled her network and insight into founding the 'Nismo same' association, tackling overlooked systemic issues like patient transport. Mario Petrović, a communications entrepreneur and owner of a university college, describes his own path as less about a grand vision and more about a constant urge to 'undertake' new things. Together, they offer a view of leadership that is deeply personal, often messy, and always anchored in relentless action. Readers will leave contemplating how their own drives, both personal and professional, can translate into impactful, lasting work.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Mario Petrović rejects the idea that leaders are born, stating that 'leaders are not born, they are made.' True leadership is not an inherent gift, but a set of characteristics like persistence, trust, and quick decision-making, all developed through practice and experience.
02
Ivana Kalogjera launched the 'Nismo same' association and its free taxi service after her own cancer treatment, noticing a gap no one else addressed: how patients get to and from chemotherapy. Personal adversity, when combined with professional experience and a strong network, can reveal systemic oversights and drive the creation of practical, impactful solutions.
03
Despite moments when she wanted to quit, Ivana is sustained by letters from people like the gentleman from Samobor, whose mother used the taxi service and who wrote that 'we brought a small touch of Europe to Croatia.' Small, individual acts of gratitude and recognition, especially from unexpected places, provide the crucial validation that fuels long-term persistence in the face of daunting systemic challenges.
04
Ivana has personally managed the free taxi service for over 400 women for more than three years, alongside all other association duties and her own work, highlighting the 'terrible amount of administration' involved. Scaling an impactful social initiative often means personally executing the unglamorous, administrative tasks for years, demonstrating that dedication is measured in sustained, hands-on effort, not just high-level strategy.
05
Mario Petrović describes his entrepreneurial journey not as following a grand plan, but like a painter starting with a detail and ending up with something entirely different. He sees his core self as a 'poduzetnik' – someone who 'undertakes.' The most successful ventures often don't begin with a fully formed vision, but rather with a restless drive to act, experiment, and adapt, allowing the path to emerge through continuous undertaking.
06
Mario's wife jokes that she's happy when he doesn't come home with five new ideas for projects to start tomorrow. True entrepreneurial passion is a constant, almost involuntary wellspring of new ideas and initiatives, a force so powerful it requires a robust support system — like a capable team — to channel and manage without leading to burnout.
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