Today we’d like to introduce you to Elena Soboleva.
Elena, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My name is Elena Soboleva. I was raised in a remote village in Siberia, I led a tough and simple life: worked on land with my family, tendered to the farm animals, walked miles to the local school.
With little to do and a few people to socialize with, I was a very shy girl. In my country “the standards of beauty” was to be very skinny. I always stand out because of my body. I never was skinny enough. It messed up my mind a lot. I was struggled with anorexia and suffered from bulimia for a year because of the “beauty standards”. I wanted to change my life but never knew how.
When I turned 21 I had a chance to move to the US. Starting a life in a foreign country was challenging. I grappled with the language barrier, did not know anyone, money ran out too fast. At some point, I was sleeping on beaches, eating off a dollar menu and showering in public bathrooms.But I wasn’t scared of tough anymore. I refused to give up and instead of running away from the difficulties, I decided to only run forward. I self-learned English, got a job in a mall, and literally started running, every night.
I started learning about healthy eating and nutrition; added new exercises to my routine at the cheapest gym. Few months of hard work, watching what I ate and putting my well-being first paid off: I gained confidence and learned to appreciate little things in life. After eyeballing fitness models, I decided to try myself in NPC Bikini Contest. The training, diet preparation, getting to know the world of bodybuilding was one of the most difficult yet rewarding journeys. I reached my goal with the 1stplace in Overall category. I competed in two more NPC shows and finished in Top.
I became a personal trainer and fitness influencer. I’ve been published in a few fitness magazines. My Instagram has over 44k loyal followers. I share my story, teach my followers how to be your best and never give up. Be strong, motivated and push yourself. I teach them about the workout, food, and mindset. It is amazing how you can impact and change someone’s life just by being an example for them! This year I started my fitness brand SobaFIT. I offer online one on one training, custom meal plans, workouts and challenges that will help you to create a new healthy lifestyle.
I have people reaching out to me every day and thank me for helping them and motivate them. That’s the most amazing feeling that can not compare to anything.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest struggle and challenge was to change my mind about things.
Change the way I look at my self and others.it was difficult to live without family and support in a different country, not knowing what do I want to do with my life, didn’t know anyone and didn’t even know the language.
Until today it’s not an easy road, but I enjoy and love everything about it.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I started my brand SobaFIT www.sobafit.com last year. It’s a fitness/life coaching. I help people not only in a physical and esthetic way, but I help them with mindset. I do online and personal coaching. Also modeling and publishing.
What were you like growing up?
I was a lazy kid who was strangled with self-confidence. Form 14-21 I was straggling with bulimia, anorexia. Growing up in Russia was rough. I was always on the “diet” trying to reach Beauty standards of the country. I didn’t play any sports, but I always was creating, I also was in music school.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sobafit.com
- Email: sobafit@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/npc_elenasoboleva
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