THE LOWDOWN

The Lowdown I Bet You Didn’t Know …

Nadia Bilchik

Atlanta is chock full of interesting movers and shakers, some bent on creativity, empire-building, activism; others on just having fun and living the good life. Lean in to hear some off the cuff remarks as to what makes Nadia Bilchik tick.

Bilchik is an internationally renowned speaker, author, television personality and communication skills/training expert.

She has anchored and hosted feature programs for M-Net TV (South Africa), CNN International, CNN Airport Network, and she reported for CNN Weekend Morning Passport. Her uniquely dynamic, entertaining and substantive approach to communication comes from her extensive experience in conducting training workshops and coaching business professionals for clients such as The Coca-Cola Co., The Home Depot, University of

Georgia Terry School of Business , Emory University and Porsche, and in delivering keynote addresses to a broad range of audiences both in the

USA and abroad.

Bilchik moved to Atlanta in 1997 from Johannesburg with husband Steve Kesler and daughters Alexa and Julia. Recently she had to pivot from in-person audiences to online. Bilchik refers to herself as a pandemic “baby zoomer,” having perfected the art of virtual keynotes and her shows on TV and podcast now available on YouTube.

Read on to find out how she’s learning to speak Turkish in spite of being an onscreen murder victim.

My biggest on-air goof? Calling actress Leah Michelle, “Michelle Leah.” Another time, I was explaining Easter traditions, and my huge bunny slid off the set. Then once I was on air for New Year’s Eve and prompted to eat 12 grapes at one time, a Spanish custom. Very awkward.

My most dangerous safari moment …. Being charged by a white rhino in Madikwa [South Africa].

Most unusual job? As an actress, in EVERY film, I died, … got shot or had my throat slashed. One of my killers was Gary Busey.

My guilty pleasure? I’m a tequila connoisseur. There’s Petrone, but the Costco brand works just fine.

I was starstuck meeting?

Anthony Hopkins: gracious; Nelson Mandela: awe inspiring; then there was J. Lo.

My last fashion disaster … I did a live on-air segment with my zipper open.

My daughters would say about me … “Mom is a wonderful motivational speaker, but her daily quotes are a bit much.”

What lesson have you learned from the lockdown? Agility, … being able to adopt quickly without fear. One day I was a keynote speaker, then the next I was a “virtual” keynote speaker working with a 17-year-old podcast expert. Move fast, hire the right people.

My guilty pleasure? Binge watching Netflix “Black Money Love.” [Filmed in Istanbul]. I now know 54 words in Turkish. ì Reported by Marcia Caller Jaffe