When she moved to England, Kristina discovered storytelling performance, which became her passion. She performed with a Birmingham-based group called Flashlight Storytellers led by the nationally acclaimed Cat Weatherill. Kristina did her PhD research on True-Life Storytelling at the University of Loughborough and gained her doctorate in 2022, visiting True-Life Storytelling clubs around the UK, observing performances and interviewing storytellers.  

Kristina also continued performing her favourite stories: ‘Grandma’, ‘Polly Pocket’, ‘Story about storytelling’, ‘Hamster’, ‘Dancing Shoes’, ‘Making Birmingham my Home’, ‘Birth Story’, ‘Wonderwoman’, etc. Through her research and creative practice, Kristina concluded that personal stories have transformative power for individuals, promote social cohesion, increase people’s resilience, influence structural changes in society and connect communities.