An iterview with Beata Drzazga, founder of BetaMed SA, owner of international companies, philanthropist, and mentor, among other things, why she valuesd development and enjoys talking to young people, what feminine energy means to her, what success and the price it brings, and why it’s worth combining different roles. Recently, as a patron of culture and art, she supports theater and film. The Chairwoman has just been awarded with the title of The Best & More
You’ve been active in the business world for years. It’s a demanding, fast-paced, and often ruthless world. Is it possible to maintain a feminine face in it?
You can, but you have to be very conscious about it. Business teaches strength, resilience, and responsibility, as well as the ability to make decisions, which aren’t always easy. But I never wanted to run a business to rob me of my sensitivity. I don’t believe in success that requires you to give up your heart.
For me, a female face in business signifies mindfulness, intuition, empathy, but also consistency. This isn’t a weakness. It’s a tremendous strength. A woman doesn’t have to pretend to be a man to be effective. She can manage, build, negotiate, and develop companies, and at the same time remain herself – a woman who feels, sees, and understands more than just the financial results.
You often reinforce the role of people. Not strategy, not success, not image, but human being.
Because without people, nothing makes sense; a company is just a structure. Education without people is just a system. For me, the most important thing has always been what truly changes someone’s life.
Business can offer enormous opportunities, but they should lead to more than just the development of the organization itself. If a person has influence, experience, and agency, they should ask themselves: who can I help? Who can I support? Who can I encourage?
Is that why social and foundational work is so important to you?
Yes. Social work is a natural consequence of my path. I can’t imagine success confined solely to an office, documents, statistics, or private achievements. Success only becomes meaningful when it can be shared.
The Foundation, social activities, meetings with people, conversations with young people, supporting people in difficult situations – all of this reminds me that a person’s true value lies not in how much they have, but in how much good they can unleash around them.
Youth hold a special place in your world. Why?
Because young people possess truth. Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes unpolished, but very authentic. I love listening to young people, not just talking to them.
Young people give me so much inspiration because they see the world differently. Young people have a different pace, different sensitivities, different fears, different dreams. They ask questions that adults often don’t have the courage to ask. They can challenge patterns and show that the world is changing and that we, adults, can’t remain stuck in old answers.
So meetings with young people are also a lesson for you?
A huge one. Sometimes we think it’s our responsibility to teach, guide, and inspire young people. But I believe that if we truly want to have an impact on young people, we first need to learn to listen to them.
Children and young people today need not only knowledge but also presence. They need adults who don’t prejudge, moralize, or simply say, „In my day.” They need people who say, „I see you, I hear you, you’re important.” For me, such encounters are incredibly valuable because they demonstrate the enormous potential of the young generation.
You are also the Dean for Development at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Upper Silesia in Katowice. This position beautifully aligns with your life philosophy. What does development mean to you?
Development is one of the most important words in my life. But I understand it very broadly. It’s not just a promotion, another diploma, another company, or a new position. Development is maturing into responsibility, expanding awareness, learning about yourself, people, and the world. As Dean of Development, I view education not only through the prism of programs and structures, but above all through the lens of the individual. Education should inspire courage. It should teach agency. It should give people the sense that they can do more than they think. For me, development also means the ability to combine knowledge with values.
The Faculty of Medicine is a space of special responsibility. Medicine, care, health, and working with patients require not only knowledge but also ethics, empathy, communication, and maturity. Therefore, I understand the development of future specialists as a process that shapes not only competences but also attitudes toward others.
Different worlds converge in your life: business, medicine, education, philanthropy, mentoring, art. Isn’t that difficult to reconcile?
For me, they are not separate. They stem from the same need to create and influence reality. Business provides tools but Eeucation gives a future, and social activity gives meaning. Art gives soul. Youth gives inspiration. Each of these areas is different, but they all meet at one point: the person.
I don’t want to live a one-dimensional life. A person isn’t just a function, position, or profession. They are the sum of their experiences, passions, relationships, values, and dreams. That’s why I don’t want to choose between what is professional and what is beautiful. Between effectiveness and sensitivity. Between business and art. I believe that the fullness of life lies in combining these worlds.
You are also a patron of the Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw. What does supporting culture mean to you?
Culture is a space where people encounter themselves. Theatre has extraordinary power because it allows them to see emotions, conflicts, choices, and questions that we often avoid in everyday life. For me, supporting culture is not a gesture of image. It is a natural extension of my philosophy: if success creates opportunities, it’s worth directing them to where beauty, reflection, and dialogue arise.
You also love painting.
Yes, I’ve loved painting since I was a child. It’s always been my space of freedom. Color, light, texture, emotion – it’s a completely different language than the language of business. In business, you often have to make decisions quickly, logically, and concretely. Painting allows you to pause and delve deeper into yourself.
For me, art isn’t an addition to life. It’s a very important part of it. Painting teaches observation. And this skill is also incredibly important in business and working with people. You have to see beyond the surface. You have to be able to see emotion, potential, tension, beauty, sometimes pain. Art greatly develops this sensitivity.
You’re also interested in film.
Film can move people in a way that can’t be replaced by dry information. It’s the art of telling a story about a person. Recently, film has also been important to me for a very personal reason. My daughter has starred in two films, and her artistic journey is a huge source of pride for me. As a mother, I look at it with emotion. As a woman, with respect, because I know that art requires not only talent but also discipline, courage, and a willingness to show part of yourself to the world.
There’s another aspect to your biography: discipline, the gym, and bodywork.
Yes, I go to the gym because I believe that development can’t be limited to the intellect. Of course, developing your mind, knowledge, competence, and spirituality is very important, but the body is our foundation. If we want to be active, creative, inspire others, and take responsibility, we must have strength.
So I focus not only on intellectual development but also on physical strength. The gym teaches consistency. It shows that results don’t come immediately. You need repetition, discipline, and patience. It’s very similar to business and life. Nothing worthwhile comes without effort.
This sounds like a philosophy of harmonious living.
Because I believe in harmony. Not perfection, but harmony. A person should develop multidimensionally: intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, socially, and physically. If we focus on only one area, sooner or later, an imbalance appears.
Many successful women today talk about the price they paid for their journey. What was your price?
Every path has its price. Success often looks beautiful from the outside, but behind it are years of work, difficult decisions, responsibility, fatigue, and loneliness. People see awards, speeches, photos, companies. They don’t always see the moments when a person must be strong, even though they themselves would greatly need support.
The loneliness of decision-making can be the hardest. When you run a company, when you’re responsible for people, you can’t pass the responsibility on to someone else.
You have to make decisions and bear their consequences. But that’s when you get to know yourself best.
Does a woman in business still have to prove herself more?
I think very often they do. Women are judged on multiple dimensions. They assess their competence, but also their appearance, way of speaking, emotions, ambition, motherhood, and independence. A successful woman is often scrutinized much more than a man.
That’s why it’s so important for a woman to have an inner core. To know who she is. To not let every opinion define her worth. Not every criticism deserves attention. Not every assessment is the truth. Not every voice should have access to our energy.
Your story shows that success can have a human face.
Yes, because I’m not interested in any other kind of success. Success without relationships, without values, without goodness, without a person is empty. You can have many things, but if you lose your heart along the way, have you truly won life?
For me, success means the ability to create, help, inspire, and leave something valuable behind. It also means being able to look yourself in the eye at night and say: I acted in accordance with myself.
If you could pass on one thought to young women, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid of your multidimensionality. Don’t let the world close you.
You can be an entrepreneur and an artist. You can be a mother and a leader. You can love beauty and make difficult decisions. You can be ambitious and sensitive. You can care for others without forgetting about yourself. You don’t have to choose between heart and success. The most beautiful life begins when you have the courage to combine both.
And what do you wish for yourself today?
Above all, I wish for health, energy, wise people around you, and the continued ability to create things that make sense. I also want to continue to have an admiration for art, for people, and for the world.
And what are your plans?
I focus on individual and group counseling and mentoring, for both women and men – in business and in life. I will provide substantive support to those starting businesses, offering advice on how to run them or „get back up.” I eagerly encourage people to take action and encourage them to rebel and „take life in stride.”
Izabela Snopkowska
Beata Sekuła
