Growing up, running was my safe space.

Home life was rocky, and running helped me feel connected to myself. It was something I was good at—something that made me feel whole.

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I started down a rough path for a while, caught up with the wrong people and the wrong choices. But at 17, I made the decision to shift gears. On my birthday, I made the dance team—and it changed everything. From there, I joined long-distance track, ran cross country, and eventually became a varsity athlete.

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I moved in with my incredible sister, who’s always been one of my biggest inspirations. She and her husband were very supportive and being surrounded by love made it easy to stay on a better path. I took a sports medicine class and instantly knew it was my entry point into preventative care. I still remember biking to school early one morning with a pile of textbooks just to talk to my sports med teacher. I told her all about my dreams, and we made a game plan. My coaches and teachers became like family.

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I didn’t even realize college was an option for me until senior year. Then came an opportunity to attend school in a beautiful town near the Canadian border—Bellingham, Washington—just three hours from where I grew up. My sister helped make that dream a reality with her constant encouragement and belief in me, even when my dreams sounded a little chaotic.

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For three years, I struggled to get into a program because of testing anxiety. It wasn’t until I received accommodations that I finally started to thrive. That’s when I discovered recreational therapy—a field that felt like home. Once I was accepted, everything started aligning. I eventually got into the Kinesiology program, too.

During the pandemic, I worked in psychiatric care leading mindfulness, nature therapy, art, and fitness groups. To this day, I still work with clients in the disability community, using recreational therapy to create meaningful impact.

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Later, I took a job at a stretching studio. I still have the screenshot from my first day saying, “I feel like this is the job I went to school for.”

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Here's a special shout out to my sister. She’s always been my hero.

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It's an honor and a blessing to be apart of your journey to wellness. I pour my heart & soul into this work. I'm so grateful that you're here!

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Let’s tap into your healing, together.

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Anastasia Sanchez