Women are like water: one moment calm and flowing gently, the next a raging storm, ready to overcome any obstacle. On the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Day, we decided to introduce you to eight inspiring women. Women who do not wait for opportunities to knock on their door, but create them themselves. They prove that success is not a matter of luck, but the result of perseverance and dedication. Each of them has a different story – of choices, difficulties, and victories. What unites them is that they are all from Pleven.
A photo of Lucy Dyakovska could easily be placed next to the word ‘energy’ in the dictionary. If you were to communicate with her or watch her interviews, you cannot help but feel her energy. It is with this same unrelenting drive and dedication that she has been developing Park Hotel Kaylaka since 2021. Her mission to revive the legendary hotel in Pleven extends far beyond the walls of the building. Lucy Dyakovska is the co-founder of the ‘I am Kaylaka’ foundation, which is responsible for initiatives to improve the park of the same name.
Her path has always been closely linked to music. With a pianist mother, an opera singer father, and a folk composer grandfather, little Lucy’s destiny seemed to be predetermined even before she could speak. Her first appearance in the spotlight was at the age of six, when she took to the stage with her father. At 14, she sang her first solo song in front of an audience.
In 1995, immediately after graduating, Lucy takes a leap into the unknown – she leaves for Hamburg, Germany, with only 500 marks in her pocket and almost no knowledge of German. She goes on to study at a specialized school for dance and acting, and to finance her studies, she participates in a musical, where she gets hired immediately after graduation.
Her appearance at the Popstars casting in 2000 became a turning point not only in her life, but also in the history of European pop music. Lucy became part of the pop group No Angels, one of the most successful girl groups in continental Europe. Over the years, she has been a judge in multiple talent shows in Bulgaria, and in 2024, she won the title ‘Queen of the Jungle’ in a German reality show similar to Survivor.
‘We love you, love yourselves too’ – with these words Natalia Simeonova found a place in the homes and hearts of thousands of Bulgarians. The ‘fairy of love’, as many call her, moved to Sofia after high school with the dream of becoming an actress. In 1988, she applied to NATFA and made it to the final round. However, fate had other plans for her. She was eliminated in the last round and later graduated in journalism from Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski.’
Her television debut as a presenter was on the legendary youth program Formula 5. Later, she became the author and host of the music show Rococo. Her career has taken her through news broadcasts and political editorial offices, but her true strength lies in her ability to make people feel comfortable sharing their most intimate moments. For almost 10 years (from May 2002 to January 2012), she hosted the show ‘Sea of Love.’
Natalia continues to inspire optimism with the ‘Pass It On’ project, which focuses on helping people in difficult life situations. She is personally committed to UNICEF causes (as the face of ‘The Magnificent Six’) and numerous charitable initiatives, proving that television can be a powerful tool for good.
Jennings Brian says that destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice—it is not something you wait for, but something you achieve. Teresa Marinova proves this by making her choice as a child. Her father Moncho is an 800m track and field record holder, and her brother Tsvetomir is also among the elites on the track. Her path to gold begins with a small, noble lie.
Teresa Marinova’s parents separated when she was only 5 years old. Their father took care of her and her brother Tsvetomir. Initially, he was against his children playing sports, so little Teresa and her brother began training in secret. For years, she lied to her father that she was at an after-school club, when in fact she was spending her time at the stadium. When the truth came out, she struggled to convince him not to stop her training.
In 1995, she became European junior champion in Nederhaza. The following year, she joined the world elite, becoming world champion and world record holder for juniors in Sydney. Again in Sydney, but four years later, she achieved the greatest success in her sporting career. Tereza Marinova made her golden jump – 15.20 meters. The result was not only a national record, but also the fifth best achievement in world history at that time. For this achievement, she was deservedly named Bulgaria’s Athlete of the Year in 2000.
After winning a series of medals at world and European championships, Tereza ended her career in 2008, but not her connection with the sport. She worked as an athletics teacher at the National Sports Academy and later established a children’s athletics school. She also organizes the annual athletics tournament for children aged 6 to 12 named ’Teresa Marinova and Friends.”
A graduate of Bulgarian Philology at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, she transferred her love of words to the dynamic world of journalism, where she quickly established herself as one of the best television presenters.
Her career began at Channel 3, but she was discovered by a wider audience in 2000 as part of the bTV team. There, she rose from political reporter to host of the most-watched morning show, ‘This Morning.’ Partnering with Nikolay Barekov and later with Viktor Nikolayev, Anna became an integral part of Bulgarians’ morning coffee routine.
In 2013, amid heated protests, Anna Tsolova and Viktor Nikolayev made the bold decision to leave television, refusing to accept censorship on the questions they asked. This led them to NOVA, where they continue to be the leading duo in ‘Hello, Bulgaria.’
Despite her huge success, Anna suddenly disappeared from the screen in 2017. Years later, she openly shared about the pressure and her disagreement with the direction in which the media environment was developing. For her, journalism is a cause that requires you to stay true to yourself even when the price one pays is being taken off air.
After closing the door on big television studios, she decided to transfer her rich experience to a new project. ‘Speak to be seen’ is her own platform for training in public speaking. Since 2020, she has been teaching public speaking at New Bulgarian University, and she also narrates audiobooks. Her recognizable voice brings over 100 audiobooks to life on the Storytel platform.
Finesse, grace, and iron discipline – this is what our native gymnast demonstrates in her impressive sporting career. Neviana Vladinova took her first steps in the gym when she was only 6 years old. Her path has been marked by dozens of youth competitions and successes in the senior category. Year after year, she has improved her rankings, becoming one of the best gymnasts on the world stage. In 2013, Vladinova was part of the Bulgarian national team for the European Championships.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, she defended Bulgaria’s honor as our only individual competitor. She ranked sixth in the all-around competition, earning her a spot in the finals. In direct competition for the medals, she received high scores on all disciplines, and her performance earned her seventh place in the Olympic all-around.
Today, now off the competition floor, Nevyana continues to be a leader and role model. She is currently vice president of the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, where she works for the future of Bulgaria’s new ‘golden girls.’
Victoria Beshliyska graduated from the Mathematics High School in Pleven, but picked letters and the magic of words over the strict rules of mathematic equations. She then studied Bulgarian philology at Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’, after which she taught Bulgarian language and literature and worked as an editor for magazines and fiction. Before becoming one of the most widely read contemporary Bulgarian authors, she worked for many years in marketing as a copywriter and product manager.
Beshliyska’s creative journey began with a Facebook page called In the Footsteps of Words. There, she began collecting forgotten old Bulgarian expressions, memories, and personal stories. The author’s passion for the past and forgotten words of the Bulgarian language are reflected in her debut novel, ‘Clay’. It has already won her a number of awards. ‘Clay’ was named Book of the Year by viewers of Bulgarian National Television and Book of the Year by booksellers at Helikon bookstores for 2021.
This was followed by the novels ‘Heart’ and ‘Nishka’, which also earned her prestigious awards. Her valuable ‘Dictionary’ contains 90 poetic, archaic, and rare Bulgarian words, and in addition to these, Beshliyska is well known for her story ‘A Lesson in Japanese’, which was included in the seventh-grade final exam in 2025 for Bulgarian high school students.
The next lady we will tell you about is a personality whose life seems more like a Hollywood production than an ordinary biography. Nadia Nozharova, known to the global elite as Countess Nadia de Navarro-Farber, is a Bulgarian operetta singer and actress, American entrepreneur, Spanish countess, great patron of the arts, and philanthropist. After leaving Bulgaria in 1940, Nadia returned only once in 1962, but her story is more than interesting.
She began her career as an operetta singer at the age of 18 in Pleven at the local operetta theater. Later, she went to study singing in Germany. In 1942, she participated in the first Bulgarian film, ‘The Trial’, which was a joint production between Bulgaria and Hungary. She partnered with Ivan Dimov, Krustyo Sarafov, and Lily Popivanova. She married several times, including one of the founders of operetta in Bulgaria, a Spanish nobleman, and an American construction entrepreneur.
Throughout her life, she has participated in numerous charitable initiatives. She has donated millions to hospitals and schools, receiving numerous honors and awards for her work.
In addition to her extensive humanitarian work, the countess also went down in history as an art connoisseur. She created a remarkable collection of masterpieces from the Italian High Renaissance and Post-Impressionism. The collection includes works by Sandro Botticelli, Asen Peikov, and Pablo Picasso. For a short time in 1964, the collection was exhibited at the Royal Palace in Milan.
Katya Asenova Popova is a soprano opera singer. From an early age, she played the piano and participated in school operettas. In 1947, she graduated in singing from the State Music Academy in Sofia, and in the same year she made her debut at the Sofia Opera in a small role. Later, she gave her first solo concert, and in 1955/56 she specialized at the Bolshoi Theatre (Moscow), which ended with a tour throughout the country.
Her creative journey has taken her across Europe and Japan. She has participated in numerous concerts and opera productions in various European cities and in the Land of the Rising Sun. Katya Popova has also won a number of prestigious awards from music competitions.
In her role as vice-president of the Union of Musicians, she devoted all her energy to creating the Sofia Music Weeks festival. She also made an enormous contribution to the development of Pleven, actively supporting the founding of the Pleven Opera and Symphony Orchestra.
Katya Popova died on November 24, 1966, in a plane crash near Bratislava. In 1970, a documentary film was made tracing her life and work.
We admit that it was difficult for us to choose only eight women. The list of admirable women from Pleven is long, and each of them deserves applause for their achievements. These women are only a small part of the city’s history. And on this festive occasion, we wish you good health and may you shine bright. You are the bearers of life, wisdom, and compassion that change the world. Believe in your limitless possibilities and remember that you are unique and irreplaceable.
