She holds a degree in Slavic philology from the Moscow State University and trained as a director at the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS).

She is the longtime host of a morning talk show called "The Observer" on Russia's main dedicated culture channel (TV Kultura).

[7] In 2008, she was a finalist in the Russian figure skating competition Stars on Ice [ru], where she performed alongside Olympic medal-winning skater Artur Dmitriev.

[12] Tolstaya also worked with Samsung to create a mobile app called "Live Pages" that presents classical literary texts in an interactive online format.

[17] The four-day event had more than 1,300 participants, including Polish film director Andrzej Wajda and a Russian cosmonaut who contributed a reading from the International Space Station.