Former professional gymnast, international businesswoman, executive, visionary and speaker, Irina Popa-Erwin is founder & CEO of The NYC Life Coach, a New York City based professional coaching company.

At The NYC Life Coach, Irina Popa-Erwin helps her clients to realize their true potential through life, career, business, sports, motivation & leadership coaching services that taps into her unique background. She is an accomplished coach and motivational speaker, possessing an unique blend of skills, experience & approach.

In 1987, Irina started her journey in the Romanian professional gymnastics stage at just 6 years old. During her career of 12 years as a professional gymnast, Irina has won nine 1st place titles at the national and European levels under top coaching in Romania. Irina wasn't the most talented gymnast in her group, but she was so passionate about gymnastics and loved it so much, that she was always the last gymnast to leave the gym. After many years of hard work and sacrifices, Irina became one of the top three gymnasts in her group of 12, even though she was not talented. Irina understands what it takes to succeed, personally and professionally, but she also understands what means to 'retire' from what you love most. Retiring from gymnastics was the most painful and hardest thing she ever had to do...

Irina's family was also filled with successful business people, and she was "dragged" to the first business meeting when she was just 14 years old, by her uncle, who was a co-owner at the second biggest tourism company in Europe. After gymnastics, in 2003, Irina founded her first company, an International Recruiting and Consulting Company, looking for the same recognition and love she enjoyed while being a gymnast. She was hopping to get all that by helping others reach their professional goals. Irina grew up around executives, but founding her international recruiting company was when she started to apply everything that she have learned. At that time she was just 23 years old, and soon after, Irina brought into the company her younger sister as partner. Irina quickly learned how to be a great leader and built a powerful enterprise, leading almost 2,000 people to success, shaping greater leadership skills, and later to become an outstanding executive coach.

The company was bringing people from other countries into exchange programs in the USA and European counties. As the company become su