Dr. Marina Kostina CEO & Founder of Wired@Heart, Amazon Bestselling Author, Distance Learning Expert and Consultant

I am here to help you transcend the distance by creating powerful online programs and products that maintain personal connections while allowing you to substantially grow and leverage your business and develop cutting edge online courses. My services are designed to help you gain more financial freedom, flexibility and ultimately build the lifestyle of your dreams. I believe that we are all as human beings are wired to connect. Therefore, the very core of my business is building connections and engagements in the cyberspace.

I grew up in Moscow, a country with beautiful people who will always remember your birthday, answer your phone call at 2 am, will feel your pain as it was their own, and will put everything they have on the table when you are in their house. The Russians believe that it is better to have “a hundred friends than a hundred dollars” because connections between people are the most important assets in our lives. I think Russians are the masters of connections.

Being a part of the “giving” profession myself (I was a teacher, a trainer and a professor), I know how important it is to develop a bond with a client. I believe that teaching (like coaching and training) should be a relationship building activity and not pure knowledge transfer.

Therefore, I developed online training programs  and learning series featuring 7 important steps every small business owner needs to apply to go beyond the one-on-one model and exponentially increase their income.  I am here to give you practical hands-on strategies that you can implement in your business today and start enjoying this new context to generate more income and develop even deeper bonds with your client.

Enter your email address below and click “Subscribe” to get free weekly updates:

_________________________________________________________________________

I had the pleasure of working with Marina on implementing Moodle at IES Abroad. Marina is a dedicated, service oriented co-worker who helped many study centers globally to implement Moodle. Her patience with everyone was always highly appreciated.”

 Thomas Staub, Director of Academic Technology, IES Abroad

_________________________________________________________________________

Dr. Marina Kostina’s Professional BIO:

Dr. Marina Kostina is an author of Teach Online (2011) e-guide and a co-author of the Amazon Bestseller, The Golden Climate in Distance Learning (2012). She is an expert in distance learning and has held numerous leadership positions in the field of distance learning, inspiring thousands of teachers, coaches and trainers to build online training products in over 40 countries. She is a winner of STARTALK (2012) and Oppenheimer Family Foundation grants (2005, 2006) and a nominee for the Golden Apple Award (2006). She graduated with a PhD in Teaching & Learning/ Distance Learning from the University of Iowa and has presented her research at various national and international conferences that provided insights to thousands professionals on how to build online connection, presence, engagement and enjoyment.

16 Random Fun Facts:

1. I grew up in Moscow, Russia and spent 9 years in Iowa City, IA studying at the University of Iowa— so yes, I am also a Hawkeye!
2. I live in Chicago with my amazing husband in my cranky most precious cat Marushka in our gorgeous house near the lake.
3. I speak Russian and Spanish, can fake Italian when I am in Italy, and I study French.
4. I am an Aries. My birthday is in April.
5. Lilacs are my favorite flowers and lavender is my favorite color.
6. I practice yoga and meditation every day. I also work out daily and take kickboxing, zumba, pilates, and step classes.
7. When I came to the USA I worked in road construction building roads, scrap rooms cleaning dishes, and waited tables and bar tended in restaurants.
8. I adopted an alkaline way of being and my diet is very clean, consisting mostly of juices and veggies.
9. My biggest temptation is sweetened condensed milk which is not allowed in our household  because of # 8.
10. I am a Salsa and a belly dancer,  and used to be in a dance company in Chicago.
11. I talk to my mom several times a day.
12. I have 2 brothers: one – in Russia and another – in the USA.
13. My biggest pet peeves are indecisiveness, flakiness and dishonesty.
14. My friends call me “culturally confused” because I identify myself with 5-6 cultures.
15. I believe that I am a chooser and not a “chosee” in this life and that I have the power to attract anything I wish.
16. I am really lucky to have Julie Cottineau as my business mentor. Julie is a former VP of Branding of Virgin Airlines and is now the CEO of BrandTwist, a company that helps small businesses & corporations develop their unique brand (www.brandtwist.com). Here is me and Julie at her house in NY: