What does it take to live a normal life when nothing is normal? From surviving harsh winters without electricity to finding moments of normalcy amid chaos, in each episode, journalist Julia Kalashnyk talks about how Ukrainians work, love, laugh, and survive while their country fights for freedom, and what we humans share during the worst of crises.
juliakalashnyk.substack.com (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
Podcast edition. Episode six. The sounds of Kharkiv
Kharkiv keeps living despite daily Russian bombing, and like any Ukrainian city, it has a sound of its own. In this episode, I’ve gathered what I heard there, from bombing to the rhythms of daily life, to show you what a city sounds like in wartime. But i’s not only about sounds. This episode collects accounts of how a city lives through war, from theaters and parks to drone lectures and sword battles for veterans for stress relief.
Content note: this episode contains the sounds of explosions.
Some of the sounds in the episode serve purely as illustration for the narrative. The podcast uses short audio fragments from the play “The Ship’s Master,” directed by Viktor Yermolenko. The FPV drone sound is by Dmytro Bondarenko (https://pixabay.com/ru/users/ya_dmutro-32905760/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=439286) from Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/sound-effects//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=439286). The background music is “Not a Game” by Michael Rothery, via Epidemic Sound.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit juliakalashnyk.substack.com (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
8 Mar 2026
The harshest winter ever
Episode 5. The harshest winter ever
Ukraine just lived through the coldest winter since all-out war began. With temperatures hitting -20 outside, Russia was hammering the power grid with hundreds of drones and missiles, leaving entire cities with no lights, no water, no heat. In this episode, Julia looks back on the harshest winter ever, and the people who defined it. Divers repairing pipes underwater in -15 degree water, a journalist who saved a four-year-old girl after a Russian Shahed strike, and others.
You can support this show on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/warlifebalancewithjulia/membership)or by donating via PayPal j.kalashnyk@gmail.com (mailto:j.kalashnyk@gmail.com)
To receive the War-Life Balance newsletter subscribe to Julia's Substack (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com/)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit juliakalashnyk.substack.com (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
24 Feb 2026
A teacher the war couldn't stop
Episode 4. A teacher the war couldn't stop
Nataliia, a teacher from Kharkiv, woke up to Russian missiles on February 24, 2022. She fled the city with her family and her little dog to her mother's house in the region, thinking she'd be back in days. Instead, she got trapped under Russian occupation for 42 days. When she finally flee and made it home, her physical classroom was empty. Her students were scattered across Ukraine and different countries. The classes existed just online. So she kept teaching anyway – through air raids, blackouts, and eventually from a different city entirely. At one point, it seemed that she'd given up. But had she?
You can support this show on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/warlifebalancewithjulia/membership)or by donating via PayPal j.kalashnyk@gmail.com
To receive the War-Life Balance newsletter subscribe to Julia's Substack (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit juliakalashnyk.substack.com (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
31 Dec 2025
I go to an aesthetician during the war
Episode 3. Rituals during the war
For Valya, her beauty routine makes her feel grounded. "I feel that I'm alive when I touch my face, no matter how hard it is." In this episode, the host reflects on the importance of rituals and routines during wartime.
You can support this show on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/warlifebalancewithjulia/membership) or by donating via PayPal j.kalashnyk@gmail.com
To receive the War-Life Balance newsletter subscribe to Julia's Substack (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit juliakalashnyk.substack.com (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
28 Nov 2025
How do Ukrainians get through constant blackouts?
Episode 2. How do Ukrainians get through constant blackouts?
Blackouts are Ukraine's new normal. Russia keeps hitting the country's power plants, and we keep adapting because that's what Ukrainians do. This episode explores how Ukrainians navigate constant blackouts and why we've gotten so good at adapting to the impossible.
You can support this show on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/warlifebalancewithjulia/membership)or by donating via PayPal j.kalashnyk@gmail.com (mailto:j.kalashnyk@gmail.com)
To receive the War-Life Balance newsletter subscribe to Julia's Substack (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com/)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit juliakalashnyk.substack.com (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
14 Nov 2025
Let's talk about hope
Episode 1. Let's talk about hope
We all understand hope – but do we understand its anatomy in war? In this episode, we explore how hope shifts from a personal feeling to a collective force, and whether war changes hope itself or does hope change us?
You can support this show on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/c/warlifebalancewithjulia/membership)or by donating via PayPal j.kalashnyk@gmail.com (mailto:j.kalashnyk@gmail.com)
To receive the War-Life Balance newsletter subscribe to Julia's Substack (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com/)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit juliakalashnyk.substack.com (https://juliakalashnyk.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
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