MEET ANNA
I am an international entrepreneur, intimacy and conflict consultant, and the author of Loving Conflict: Creating Collaboration Where Others See Division. I was born in Ukraine, shaped by life across China and the United States, and now live in France with my family. I speak five languages, including fluent Mandarin. My work exists at the intersection of connection, communication, and what happens to us when relationships get hard.
For more than twenty-five years, I have led companies, built multicultural teams, and worked with leaders, partners, and families who want to move beyond reactive conflict and toward deeper collaboration. My approach blends what I’ve learned with embodied practices inspired by tango, where every movement begins with listening. In this listening, relationships change.
What shaped my work
My life has been a series of crossings. Leaving Ukraine at seventeen. Building a manufacturing company in China. Creating a sustainable fashion brand in the United States. Raising three multilingual children in France. Moving through cultures taught me that connection is never automatic. We create it through practice.
In every country and every role, I noticed something that stayed with me. People long for collaboration but struggle in moments of tension. People want closeness but often pull away when it matters most. Over time, I came to understand something essential: conflict and intimacy are not opposites. They are two ways we learn to stay close.
This insight became the foundation of all my work
TEDx Talk
In this TEDxGraz 2025 talk, I explore why conflict is not something to avoid, but a place where deeper connection, trust, and collaboration can begin. Drawing from my life across cultures and decades of leading teams and relationships through tension, I share why intimacy is not a private luxury, but a skill we practice every day.
How I work
Everything I do centers on presence, curiosity, and the courage to stay in the conversation. I help people slow down, speak honestly, listen without assuming, and rebuild trust in the places where communication has collapsed. I use embodied exercises, honest questions, and practices that work equally well in a boardroom, a marriage, or a family.
Whether I am guiding a leadership retreat, helping founders realign after a breakdown, or supporting couples who want to reconnect, I bring the same intention: to create a space where truth becomes easier to speak and easier to receive.
What I believe
I believe conflict is not a sign something is wrong. It is a sign something wants attention.
Every conversation we don’t have is a connection we’ve already lost.
The goal is not to change people. The goal is to learn.
I believe in intimacy. By intimacy, I don’t mean romance. I mean the courage to share your truth despite your fear, to see and be seen, and to stay connected through difference.
When we embrace conflict, we may not create agreement. But we build a bond strong enough to survive what divides us. That’s when collaboration becomes possible.
Today
I speak at global forums, facilitate workshops and retreats, and work privately with executives, partners, and families navigating high-stakes conflict and meaningful transitions. My book, Loving Conflict, will be published in 2026.
My work continues to explore one essential question: How do we stay close when it would be easier to turn away?
I live with my Ukrainian parents, my French husband, and our three children. When we have dinner together, that’s where I practice most.
Because the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships. And intimacy is the key.
Love deeply. Fight kindly. Stay close.
Work with me
Connection is something we practice, and on stage, we practice it together. Anna delivers keynotes that help leaders and teams move through tension with grace. Her talks blend storytelling with the embodied wisdom of tango, showing that when we stay present and curious, conflict becomes the very thing that brings us closer.
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Interactive experiences that turn the theory of connection into a felt reality. Through real scenarios and movement-based exercises, participants learn to address tension as it happens. These workshops move past surface-level communication to create the kind of authentic presence that helps teams, forums, and partners truly see and celebrate one another.
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A space to slow down and rebuild the felt sense of trust. Our retreats offer a radical return to what matters most: our relationships. By combining movement, reflection, and guided dialogue, leadership teams and families find a way to navigate their complexities and strengthen the bonds that define their lives.
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Private space to practice the skill of staying close during high-stakes tension. For individuals, couples, and executives, these sessions blend practical tools with embodied awareness. We work to help you stay grounded under pressure and communicate with a clarity that rebuilds trust in your most important relationships.
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Explore Topics
A practical framework for creating collaboration where others see division. Loving Conflict teaches how to stay present in tension, question assumptions, and turn disagreement into clarity and trust so people can collaborate across division with more confidence and care.
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A relational framework for rebuilding closeness through presence, safety, and play. This work helps couples, leaders, and families reconnect with themselves and each other so they can collaborate across division with honesty, curiosity, and renewed emotional capacity.
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