About Us

It’s in my genes.

Both of my parents were national-level canoe and kayak coaches in the former Soviet Union. Athletics wasn’t something I did — it was something I grew up in. Before kindergarten, I was already training, waking up at 4:00 a.m. to head to the pool with my mother’s athletes. Discipline, movement, and resilience were part of everyday life.

To this day, I wake up at 4:15 a.m. (I allow myself a 15-minute grace period) to run before work. Early mornings remain the most powerful time to train — quiet, focused, and intentional.

As a teenager, I trained as an Olympic-level kayaking prospect, competing and winning at high levels. Life took a different turn when my parents made the difficult decision to immigrate from Ukraine to the United States. Like many immigrant stories, ours was marked by sacrifice, uncertainty, and perseverance. I remain deeply grateful for the opportunity to build a better life — even when the path was hard.

Years later, while working as a nurse, I overheard a coworker casually mention that she runs. I remember thinking, “You run?” She didn’t fit the stereotypical image of a runner — and that moment challenged something deeply ingrained: the belief that only certain “types” of people are capable of endurance.

I asked if I could join her.

She agreed.

The next morning, I showed up at 7:00 a.m. in the parking lot. It was pouring rain. She didn’t show. When I called, she said, “Anna, don’t you see it’s pouring?”

I replied,
“So what? Let’s run.”

She came.

That day, we ran 10 miles — soaked, exhausted, and unprepared. Until then, my longest run had been maybe 2–3 miles.

That run changed everything.

Those ten miles in the rain were my breaking point that became a rebirth. Endurance has a way of transforming us. What we endure reshapes who we become.

That first run in the rain led me to complete all seven World Marathon Majors, earning membership in the Abbott World Marathon Majors community:

Boston. New York. Chicago. Berlin. London. Tokyo. Sydney.

Each race left its mark — and I left mine.

Your path does not have to look like mine. Triumph is personal. But it is always possible.

Today, my work as a NASM-certified personal trainer and registered nurse allows me to bridge medical knowledge, performance training, and real-world endurance experience.

I train clients across the Bay Area and globally, on-demand, with intelligence, intention, and care — focusing on strength, mobility, injury prevention, and sustainable progress.

My approach begins with the mind.

Mindset is everything.