My Story: The Journey Behind I AM Movement Studios
(For a spoken summarized version of this story click here)
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Finding My Way Through Expectations
​From a young age, I always knew I wanted to make a real difference in people’s lives. As a kid, I envisioned myself as a pediatrician, and later, I pursued a degree in Nuclear Medicine. However, life led me down a different path. While I waited for an opportunity in my field, I found myself in the pharmaceutical industry. What was meant to be a temporary step turned into a twelve-year career. Over the years, I rose through the ranks, each promotion feeling like a milestone, but something was always missing. No matter how much success I achieved, I found myself unfulfilled, feeling like I was meant for something more.
Beginning to Dream
Though dance had always been a part of my life—from cultural dances in my home country since I was a child—I never thought of it as anything more than social. In my culture, pursuing dance professionally wasn’t the norm, and for a long time, I struggled with the idea that it might conflict with my spiritual values. But everything changed when I discovered ballroom dancing. It reignited a passion I didn’t realize was there. I began to see dance not just as a physical expression, but as a way to connect deeper with myself and others.
Finding Strength Through Movement
Ballroom dancing opened my eyes to the importance of strengthening and stretching my body for proper posture. As I worked on my own fitness, I started sharing my journey with friends, and soon they were asking for guidance on how to stretch and strengthen different parts of their bodies. Their trust in me pushed me to pursue my personal training certification. What began as helping friends evolved into a full-fledged passion, and that’s when I AM Movement Studios was born. Alongside personal training, my love for dance never faded, and I continued to explore both worlds in parallel.
A Called to Something Bigger
In March 2024, I made the decision to leave my job, though at the time, I had no clear idea of what I wanted to do next. I realized I wanted to create something bigger. What followed was a series of unexpected steps that led me deeper into the world of fitness, while still nurturing my love for dance. Initially, I had envisioned I AM Movement Studios as simply a fitness space, where people could work on their physical health. But I realized while fitness is a big part of it, I wanted to empower individuals to discover and express their artistic side, just as I had the chance to do through dance. It was through this journey that I AM Movement II (2) came to life, a non-profit dedicated to fostering community, collaboration and the celebration of individual artistic expression.
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Looking back, I truly believe that God guided me through each of these steps. In moments of uncertainty, it was the Spirit that directed me, leading me to create something meaningful: I AM Movement Studios, and I AM Movement II. Each decision, each shift, felt less like something I chose and more like a path I was led to follow.
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