The Hardest Transition of an Athlete

I open to help athletes and coaches because I am one

People think athletes finish their career at 20 or 30 and simply move on

But the reality is brutal

You start gymnastics at age four or five

You don’t choose gymnastics — it chooses you
Your parents drop you off because you’re too active
And little by little, gymnastics becomes your entire identity

Then, after 15 years of training every day, living in gyms, bleeding for this sport… you walk away

And suddenly you’re nobody in the normal world

No resume
No job skills
Only a unique experience that nobody knows how to value

I’ve seen 80% of athletes get lost

Some start drinking
Some fall into depression
Some feel useless, because everything they learned doesn’t fit into regular jobs

This breaks my heart

Because I know how much discipline, mental strength, courage, and resilience athletes have

Diamonds — buried inside chaos

That’s why I help them
That’s why I speak
That’s why I teach

My Second Life: Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil extended my athlete life for many years

I’m grateful for that chapter

The stage, the lights, the precision, the teamwork — this world felt like home

But even Cirque is not forever

Your body doesn’t stay twenty

And one day, again, you must transform

Only this time, I knew I wanted to build something bigger than myself

Not a show
Not a performance
But a system

A place where people could learn, grow, train, support each other, and feel seen

That became the seed of the KONONOV ecosystem

Digital Work Changed Everything

If you coach only in the physical world, you’re limited by geography

But online?

You can find 100,000 people around the world who need exactly your skill

Gymnastics
Mobility
Circus arts
Handstand
Painting
Specialized training

Everything can find its audience now — if you learn one thing

Marketing and sales

Not the dirty version

The version that simply means:

• speak clearly

• show value

• understand people

• solve real problems

• communicate loudly enough so your ideal people hear you

This was not natural for me

I didn’t grow up in a business family

Nobody taught me marketing mindset

I had to build it step by step, year after year

Five years later — I’m still learning

Every day

When Marketing Drains You — Go Back to Your Passion

There are days when I’m tired of funnels, tracking, pixels, strategies, and ads

On those days I go back to the gym

I train
I create exercises
I help clients

And this feels like rest for my mind

Because gymnastics is my passion — my oxygen

Balancing passion and business is not easy

But when you mix both, you create something powerful

The Magic of Community

I always say this:

Community is magic. And if the magic happens — protect it

Not every online group becomes a community

But when it does, you feel it instantly

People support each other
They share struggles
They celebrate wins
They stay after the class — even if it’s digital

I feel this inside KONONOV Community

And I dream to build offline events too — workshops, camps, gyms around the world where people feel like they belong

Like a family
Like a tribe

Why Coaches Need New Skills Now

To survive and grow online today, every coach needs two things:

• Marketing mindset

• Sales skills

And then — tools, content, communication

It gets more complicated every year

But without these two skills, even the best coach in the world will stay invisible

I learned this the hard way

The Most Important Lesson: Values Over Goals

This part surprised my English coach

He asked me how I balance work, training, family, and life

And here’s the truth:

Balance is impossible without values

Not goals

Values

Goals change every year — lose weight, learn handstand, double income, new program

Values stay

I learned to sit down with a simple paper and write my values

Then I ask myself:

What small action can I do today for each value?

If you value family —
give 30 minutes of pure focus
Play with your kids
Talk to your partner

If you value growth —
read something, learn something, act on your business

If you value yourself —
sit in a cafe with a coffee alone, no phone, just breathe

If you value health —
do a warm-up, drink water, avoid junk food

When your values guide your day, life is under your control

When you ignore them, something else controls your life

Most people set January goals, but they don’t build the values that support those goals

This is why gyms are empty in December, full in January, and empty again in February

Goals without values = temporary motivation

Values create consistency

Why I Keep Going (Even When Sales Are Low)

I had only two sales for my workshop this time

December is noisy

People are busy

Geopolitics doesn’t help

It’s easy to feel like a failure

It’s easy to lose motivation

But at the same time, I know something deeper:

I’m not doing this only for money —

I’m doing this for my mission

And missions don’t stop because of one slow week

I will continue
I will speak louder
I will find the right people
I will grow the ecosystem

And step by step, I will help more athletes and coaches transform their knowledge into a meaningful life

Your Takeaway — Not Mine

If you read this far, I want you to remember one thing:

Your experience is valuable
Your story is valuable
Your passion is valuable

But none of it matters without communication

Speak louder
Build your values
Move with intention
And don’t be afraid to change your approach when the world becomes noisy

I’m learning this every day — and so can you