Entrepreneur, New York City
Madalina has made an inspirational journey from Romania, worked for start ups and currently working on her own initiative. Brave woman walking the streets of New York City.
1. Where is your hometown?
Hometown is Ploiesti, a small industrial city in Romania. It’s about 30 miles north of Bucharest.
2. What was the journey like to get where you are (career wise)?
Thinking about my experiences as my “career” is relatively new to me. There has always been one certainty when it came to what to do with my life and that was the desire to have “something” of my own. This was way before words like “entrepreneurship” or “start-up” entered my vocabulary. The journey itself has been non-traditional. I emigrated to the U.S. in 2001 when I was just 19, immediately joined the workforce and climbed the ladder. Early 2007 I had an idea for a business and decided to give it a go. My startup offered beach chair and umbrella rental services on one of the beaches in Long Island, New York. It lasted one summer and thought me a lot about bureaucracy, market research, starting small and cutting losses fast. When the 2008 recession hit, it provided a great opportunity for me to go back to school and get the degree I’ve always wanted. It was the only time in my life that I went to school voluntarily and enjoyed it. Post graduation, I joined a promising startup and shaped their operations, as well as expansion plans. Eight years after my initial entrepreneurship experience, I am excited and prepared to go at it again.
3. Biggest accomplishment since making a move?
Working on developing a fitness education and fitness recovery digital product. Its working name is Align Training.
We are very passionate about this product. We know how much it can help shape people’s overall awareness of what a strong, fit body should FEEL like and not only its aesthetics.
A fit, strong body should not be in constant pain. If you look amazingly fit but you constantly walk around in pain and furthermore think that this constant pain is the price you must pay for that hot bod, YOU my friend are in for a big surprise. Our motto is Health over Fitness. Our approach is different than other products out there because it is uncompromising in the way it approaches and prioritizes recovery.
In terms of tangibles, so far we have soft launched a blog that relates the lifestyle, training regimen and recovery that we live by. This blog introduces and supports the methodology that Align Training focuses on. Blog can be accessed at www.StayTrue.Training
4. What was the greatest disappointment and plan to overcome it?
I have hoped that my motivation will stay at peak levels now that I finally have a viable business concept that I want to pursue. That has not been the case. Turns out motivation is a continuous process that I have to work at, on a daily basis.
To keep motivated, everyday I put together a list of things I want to accomplish for that day . It generally evolves around working on my elevator pitch, drafting/editing blog content, SEO, designing presentation slides, developing pitches, networking. There is always something to do so it keeps my energy going on a daily basis.
5. Advice to other women?
Every so often, take time to understand WHAT matters to YOU and WHY it matters to YOU . Recognize that over time preferences change and that’s ok. It doesn’t make us inconsistent and we shouldn’t hold on to things or ideas that no longer define us. It is natural that as we grow as individuals, we value or view things differently. An easy example: I used to value my high heels A LOT and now I value my high-tops and flats immensely more. This happened because of a fundamental shift in both my vanity and the way I think about my body and my health. Next [cringe] step is to get rid of most of the the high heels in my closet (if you’re a 7.5-8 call me!). Now, you all know that I used this example because it’s relatable. You can apply the same concept to: jobs, relationships etc.
6. Where in the world do you feel “tallest”?
On a beach, on a dance-floor, in a Jiu Jitsu class! All these are places that decompress me in different ways. The beach allows me the clarity to pull apart different ideas/concepts, analyze them and gain perspective. On the dance-floor and/or in a Jiu Jitsu class, I stop caring about all the little stupid/inconsequential things in life and just let my body move or kick some serious ass.
7. What is the future goal/challenge (career goals in 5-10 years)?
I want to build a revenue stream that would allow me to work from any corner of the world. I hate to be trapped in an office for 9+ hours a day, when I can perform 80% of my tasks from anywhere! And I mean ANYWHERE in the world! Look for me on a beach on a remote island in 10 years. We’ll hang!
8. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?
I think professionally the fear of failure is something that I’ve struggled with all my life. It is a terrible affliction because it leads to inaction. Franklin D. Roosevelt said that “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” I’ve been standing still for way too long. It’s time to stop being afraid and do something even if that something means failing [insert Aaliyah-Try again chorus here].
9. What inspires you?
Ahh Inspiration! I have spent a chunk of my early life feeling uninspired and unmotivated because I was too closed off. Keeping an open mind towards new things and new experiences has always been my main source of inspiration. I am inspired by people’s passions, behaviors and ideas. Someone’s passion for dance inspired me to explore my dancing side, someone’s passion for their profession inspired me to learn more about what they did, someone’s non-conformity and deviance from the norm made me question what the norm is, why it is that way and what lies beyond it.
10. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc)
Check out ALiGN.training for some great content on nutrition, training and recovery (and no recovery does not mean sitting on the couch “resting” in between workouts).
You can also find us on instagram