When was the last time a toy changed your life? For Simona Stoytchkova, it was a Barbie doll that sparked her journey from East Berlin to a C-suite executive. Today, she wants to show you how blockchain and cryptocurrency can empower a billion women worldwide, breaking the chains of inequality and opening new doors of opportunity. Simona was raised with values such as solidarity, equality, and collective over individual needs. She learned from a young age to be creative and pragmatic with limited resources.As Germany reunited, Simona’s life changed and at the age of 13, she had to embrace capitalism. With many uncertainties came opportunities and her journey took her to executive board level at one of the largest financial institutions worldwide. Along the way she had to overcome many obstacles and became passionate about empowering women and advocating diversity. In 2021, she became a Jury Member of the Impact of Diversity Awards. In 2022 she was shortlisted as “Trailblazer” in the European Women in Finance Awards. In 2024, Simona embarked on writing her first book „Die aus dem Osten. Als Wendekind in Big Business“ to inspire and empower even more women and people like her to be confident about their East German origins and help eliminate the stigma. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx