Meet the Free to Run Coaches: Nadine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadine, our Free to Run trainer in Erbil, Iraq.

My name is Nadine, I was born in Baghdad, Iraq. In 2006, I moved with my family to Erbil where I graduated from the College of Dentistry. I have been practicing dentistry since 2017. In 2018, I decided to take training seriously and joined the gym. My biggest goal was to stay consistent for one year as I knew results take time. Two years later I realized that I had stayed consistent for longer than I intended to, through all the ups and downs. Training had become my escape after every long working day. 

In 2021 I decided to start powerlifting (a strength sport where your goal is to lift the heaviest weight you can). Throughout this journey, I realized that training is not just about how the body looks, it is about how strong you feel, physically and mentally. Although I never had self-esteem issues, training and being an athlete has made me a more confident person, the fact that I can move a lot of weight and have strong muscles makes me not worry about any situation I might get through because I can take care of myself and defend myself. 

I have competed twice so far and I have one bronze and one gold medal.  The journey has never been easy as I have been, and still am, criticized about what I do and the way my body looks. People keep telling me “training will make you look like a man”, and people always think training is just for men. But I am here to change this mindset - training is for everyone.

What made me want to work with Free to Run is first, all the obstacles I have faced - they taught me a lot and I wanted to help other girls. Second, it fills my heart that I'm able to help young girls who have great potential but cannot afford gym memberships or coaching. There is no better feeling than helping these girls and there is no better feeling than training alongside such strong girls.

My job as a coach involves introducing young girls to physical activity, helping them build healthy habits at a young age, providing them with a safe and healthy place to practice their hobby, and making sure they are training in a healthy and loving environment where they can feel comfortable and just be themselves - no fear, no shyness.

All these points will build their personalities and will help them get stronger and better at running. These are the steps we take to get stronger and that will lead us to cross the finish line in the marathon.

“What I love the most about my job is the amount of love and appreciation and the support we give each other, and I feel lucky to be able to run with such great training partners. In addition, this job is a part of my hobby and what I love doing the most. Every woman should be strong and Free to Run has given me the opportunity to build community leaders. That is something I am grateful for.”

One of the examples of leadership stories I have witnessed is the Community Development Leaders co-facilitating a hiking trip with a group of younger girls who were experiencing this kind of activity for the first time. They helped a lot that day and I could see the appreciation in the young girls’ eyes who kept hugging and talking to them.