Anka’s Rise From the Ashes

When Anka looks back on 2020, she remembers it as the year her world collapsed. Her career in live events came to a sudden halt, personal losses weighed heavily, and she found herself emotionally, mentally, and physically depleted.

“I barely recognized the woman staring back at me in the mirror,” she recalls.

For someone who had always been athletic and hardworking, this breaking point felt like rock bottom. But, like the Phoenix tattooed on her back, Anka knew she had to rise from the ashes. This wasn’t just about getting fit again. It was about rebuilding her confidence, her strength, and her identity.

The Spark That Changed Everything

That spark came in an unexpected place—on social media. Anka watched a friend, fresh from having her last child, not only “get back in shape” but prepare for a bodybuilding competition.

“It wasn’t her body that struck me,” Anka says. “It was the fire in her eyes. The self-belief. The quiet confidence she carried.”

If her friend could rise from her starting point, Anka thought, then maybe she could too.Finding Strength in the Iron

Fitness had always been part of Anka’s life. She had tried CrossFit, Zumba, spin classes, even personal training. But nothing grounded her. Nothing demanded all of her.

Bodybuilding was different. It wasn’t about vanity: it was survival. The barbell quickly became her most honest mirror.

“It didn’t care how heavy my inbox was or how broken my heart felt. It just asked: will you show up for yourself today?”

Through training, Anka confronted emotions she had long buried: grief, rage, loneliness. Even hunger during prep triggered memories of growing up with food insecurity. But instead of breaking her, those moments helped her heal. With the support of therapy, she learned to reframe discipline: not as punishment, but as a partnership with her body.

Her true transformation wasn’t physical: it was the quiet strength of being able to say: I feel this… and I’m still here.

Transformation Beyond the Physical

Yes, Anka’s body transformed. She built muscle, shed fat, and competed on stage stronger than ever before. But her deeper transformation was how she learned to live.

She stopped chasing “balance” and embraced integration. In her words:

“I can deadlift in the morning, prep dinner with my kids in the afternoon, and lead a keynote call in the evening. None of those cancel the others out. They’re all me.”

Ambitious yet nurturing, disciplined yet tender, she finally accepted all parts of herself as one whole.

Lessons From the Journey

Anka’s story is full of wisdom for anyone chasing transformation:

• Motivation is only the spark. Commitment, consistency, and courage are what carry you.

• Structure matters. Real progress comes from intentional training: progressive overload, proper nutrition, recovery: not random effort.

• Progress is messy. Transformation is rarely linear. The key is showing up even when no one is clapping.

Always Growing, Always Evolving

Today, at 43, Anka is in the best shape of her life: physically, mentally, and emotionally. She has competed in two federations, built strength she once thought impossible, and proved to herself that this is only the beginning.

Her goals now? To keep building, to compete for her pro card, and most importantly, to remain strong for decades to come.

“I don’t train to look 25 again,” she says. “I train so that at 80, I can hike, carry my grandkids, and live fully.”

A Message to Anyone Still in the Ashes

To those who feel stuck in their own rubble, Anka offers this reminder:

“You are not behind, and you are not broken. You are simply in it. And ‘in it’ is exactly where the real transformation begins. One rep, one choice, one day at a time.”

Anka’s story reminds us all that transformation is not about perfection:it’s about persistence. Her journey is proof that no matter how heavy life feels, strength can be rebuilt, and new fire can rise from old ashes.

Story feature: #fit4events™ Fit Mindful Mavens on Instagram @fit.mindful.maven

Photography: Gerardo Guzman on Instagram @flawless_208