Check Out Polina Shchennikova’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Polina Shchennikova

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My dad immigrated from Moscow, Russia when I was just born with only a $100 in my his pocket and a small carry on bag. A year later, he had enough money to bring me and my mom over to the United States. Since then, we’ve all worked so hard to build the life we have now and very quickly built our name within the gymnastics community. I became a 2x National Team Member with the dream of competing in the 2016 Olympics. I received a full ride scholarship to the University of Michigan where I had to medically retire due to a spinal injury that almost left me paralyzed. My life looks night and day different from when I first started though. I had focused on sharing my story through social media and shedding light to mental health and the struggles of being an athlete and the biggest one “finding your identity after sports.” This has been my goal since retirement, but I’ve been doing this through the exploration of life, experiences, and different forms of creation that fulfills the same purpose and thrill that gymnastics gave me.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. There have been a lot of ups and downs and trying to stick to one niche is almost impossible when I have so many different interests, but that has been my biggest strength as well. I know I’ve had the most success with my gymnastics journey, but I’m no longer an athlete and finding a new purpose in life is a struggle. However, the best thing that I could do throughout this journey is to stay authentic to myself. Everything and every interaction happens for a reason and it’s in those moments I found my greatest success because it has allowed me to fully express my creativity in different forms. Whether it be through choreography, videography, or photography, I’ve been able to share my success through different forms of artistry.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am mainly known for my artistry in gymnastics, choreography, and digital creation. I’ve been doing choreography since I was 11 years old and have successfully built a thriving and exciting small business from it. This has also allowed me the capability to expand my creativity into other avenues to digital creation. I love art and I believe we are all expressive in more ways than one. The creativity that comes from dance and creation allows me to express my story through different forms of artistry. I love that my different forms of creation allows me to stay authentic to myself. Happiness, sadness, excitement, whatever emotion I’m feeling, I am able to express it through dance and digital creation. There is a certain drive for those who are passionate. That is what makes me similar to some and at the same time sets me apart from others. I think what sets me apart is that I continue to see myself as a student. There is always something more we can learn from others and having an eagerness to continue learning so that I can become the best version of myself is something I am proud of because it keeps me true to myself and my story.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice would be to not wait for others to catch up to your vision to start because odds are the vision will change from when you first start to where you are now. Many people will think you’re crazy until they see you are having success. Ultimately this is YOUR life, so embrace it! On the flip side, don’t push away people who are rooting for your success. Their positivity and motivation will help guide you when things feel like they’re going south. All in all, stay authentically true to yourself and what you are looking to achieve in this life. Be brave. Be bold. Inspiration is all around us!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polinashchennikova/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@polinashchennikova22?lang=en