Meet Cristina
Cristina M. Ramirez is a serial entrepreneur and empowerment coach helping clients redefine what is possible for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Having started her career at Merrill Lynch Investment Banking in New York, followed by 3Com Corporation in Silicon Valley, Cristina left the corporate world in 2000 after safely making it through Y2K. At the time, she was living in Santiago de Chile and co-founded CDI Chile which is still in operation having helped tens of thousands of Chileans be part of the digital economy.
Returning to the United States in 2003, Cristina continued her social work at Camillus House, Miami’s largest homeless shelter but decided to dedicate herself to her boys and became a stay at home mom in 2005.
That didn’t last.
Having started her career at Merrill Lynch Investment Banking in New York, followed by 3Com Corporation in Silicon Valley, Cristina left the corporate world in 2000 after safely making it through Y2K. At the time, she was living in Santiago de Chile and co-founded CDI Chile which is still in operation having helped tens of thousands of Chileans be part of the digital economy.
Returning to the United States in 2003, Cristina continued her social work at Camillus House, Miami’s largest homeless shelter but decided to dedicate herself to her boys and became a stay at home mom in 2005.
That didn’t last.
Instead, Cristina became a preschool teacher in 2008 and that is where she cemented her passion for education. Cristina also began a fitness journey taking her from the couch, where she had spent most of her adult life, to racing three Ironman triathlons. After racing a triathlon with her quadriplegic friend Kerry Gruson, they founded ThumbsUp International to pair adaptive and able bodied athletes. Today, it is hard to find a race in Miami without at least one pair of ThumbsUp athletes.
In 2015, Cristina began a run club at her son’s elementary school, and created the EmpowerFit™ Curriculum for teaching growth mindset through running games. The program grew quickly and in 2018 Cristina began teaching other moms to do what she had done in their communities. As of December 2022, Cristina had empowered close to 200 women to start their own, independent children’s fitness business, teaching EmpowerFit™ to their communities. The curriculum has been taught to over ten thousand children nationwide.
In December 2021, Cristina became widowed when her husband of nineteen years passed away rather suddenly from Cancer. Her first year as a widow, and the tools she used to face the worst year of her life, were the inspiration for her first book Empowered by Discomfort.
In 2022, Cristina launched the EmpowerFit™ Certification program for anyone who would like to teach character development through running games and drills. She also adapted the curriculum as an innovative, fun and creative workshop for corporations and institutions interested in workforce development programs.
A graduate of Wellesley College, Cristina has won several awards for her work including the 3M Positive Impact Award and Miami Women Who Rock Award. Cristina lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When not feverishly empowering someone, you will find her snowboarding with her sons, hiking with her dogs, or cleaning the cat litter.
In 2022, Cristina launched the EmpowerFit™ Certification program for anyone who would like to teach character development through running games and drills. She also adapted the curriculum as an innovative, fun and creative workshop for corporations and institutions interested in workforce development programs.
A graduate of Wellesley College, Cristina has won several awards for her work including the 3M Positive Impact Award and Miami Women Who Rock Award. Cristina lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When not feverishly empowering someone, you will find her snowboarding with her sons, hiking with her dogs, or cleaning the cat litter.
Some "Fun Facts" About Me
I was born in Brazil to Cuban parents. And I spent my high school years in 3 continents (South America, Africa, North America) in 3 different languages (Portuguese, French, English). Pictured here is my family in Agadir, Morocco 1987. The hair though ….
I was lucky enough to attend BOTH a Summer Olympics (Atlanta, 1996) and a World Cup (Brazil v Holland, Dallas, 1994).
I have volunteered my whole life, including a stint with one of my idols, Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank. Being around him was the equivalent of a soccer fan volunteering for Messi.
My first experience with kids and running was a summer camp I put together in Miami where I paired my sons and some friends with children living at Camillus House temporary housing. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
I was selected by Stouffers for their What Are You Hungry For campaign. My family and I did a national television commercial in both English and Spanish. We felt like stars for a couple of days … and then we went back to reality.
After racing triathlons for years, and watching my boys compete in snowboarding for a few more, I decided to give it a try and became the Regional Champion in my age group. Don’t ask me how many other women were there.
