When Marina Borukhovich had to deal with disease and loss in her own life, it taught her to look at the silver linings. That has proven an important lesson in entrepreneurship and for her startup, YourCoach.

Marina Borukhovich is the epitome of resilience. Her family immigrated to the United States from Belarus when she was twelve years old. As an adult, she moved to Amsterdam with her husband and two daughters; from there, she moved to Germany and then to Barcelona. She was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, went through chemotherapy, radiation treatment and multiple surgeries. Around four years ago, her father passed away from pancreatic cancer. Her mother was diagnosed with stomach cancer during the pandemic.

"Running a company involves ebbs and flows – things don‘t always go your way"

The experience of agony and grief taught her to appreciate the calm moments in the eye of the storm. Even if it is just a glimpse of sunshine, like the one when she left the hospital where her father was being treated on a summer day. “Life can be so hard, yet so beautiful at the same time,” says Marina. When running a company, you go through ebbs and flows in the same way. “Things don‘t always go your way, especially as a startup. That is why we always celebrate the wins, no matter how small they are.” Marina started out as a coach to help others weather rough patches and achieve their goals. She created a platform for coaches to manage their work, evolving into a solution for practice management that covers the process from onboarding clients to coaching through the app.

"No one knows your body like you. What makes health coaches so special is that they amplify your voice and help you hone your intuition, making sure your holistic health needs are met”

Coaching is more about listening than telling, and helping people realize their potential, according to Marina. She draws from her own experience, when she was battling cancer and struggled to find professionals who really focussed on her individual needs. “I started doing what I thought was right for me. Yes, health is about data, but it is also about intuition, and about listening to and trusting yourself. No one knows your body like you. What makes health coaches so special is that they amplify your voice and help you hone your intuition, making sure your holistic health needs are met,” explains Marina. Health coaching resonated so well with her because it allowed her to take back some control of her body and mind.

“We‘ve always stayed true to our mission and to the people who believe in us, never compromising our values”

The most important lesson that Marina learned as an entrepreneur is that you need to surround yourself with the right people. That is also why she picked Calm/Storm as one of the first investors in YourCoach.Health. Her co-founder Dan had been a friend for a long time, and Marina feels very fortunate to have the support of her family in everything she does. “We’ve had a clear mission for YourCoach since Day 1: to create a virtual home for all things health coaching, where health and wellness coaches can do their great work even better. We’ve always stayed true to our mission and to the people who believe in us, never compromising our values.”

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