Born in 1981 in East Germany, my family left for West Germany right after the Fall of the Berlin Wall. I came to America in 2005 and have called Colorado my home ever since. While I was introduced to physical exercise under Russian occupancy as a child, I always felt drawn to sports. Beyond track and field at school, I was a very active member of the local Acrobatics team for many years through my youth. We trained a minimum of 4 times a week, sometimes more. Me and my team earned several state and national titles. Things changed abruptly when I entered the workforce and moved to a new town. I didn’t know anybody and went from school activities and sports every day to a 40 hour work week sitting at a desk working as a constructional draftswomen. It didn’t take long before my pants felt tighter and I realized I gained 10 kilos. Unhappy and a little panicked, I started to look around for options. I found a small gym close to my office and signed up, having no clue what to do there. Cardio equipment was upstairs and mostly occupied by the female members of the gym. Naturally that’s where I started and got bored pretty quickly with the treadmill and elliptical trainer. Eventually, curiosity took me downstairs where all the machines and free weights where located. Sure, I’d seen squats and shoulder presses, but not much beyond that. The entire concept was new to me, but I was intrigued enough to stick around and learn. I also took my first yoga class there and was hooked. I could feel my body transform, made new friends, became interested in healthy eating and was loving life again. Coming to America allowed me to choose a new career and this time it was clear what I wanted to become. I started as a front desk person at World Gym, became certified as a Personal Trainer and opened up my own studio in 2008. I love being self-employed and I love my clients; it makes me so proud to have a positive impact on their lives.