Elena Hudan

For most of Coach and Massage Therapist Elena Hudan’s life, she’s been told that her healing hands were a gift.  But, it wasn’t until she came on board San Francisco CrossFit as a Coach and heeded mentor Kelly Starrett’s advice, “You have great hands.  Your hands were born to do bodywork,” that she decided to earn her Certified Massage Therapist designation.

She simply wants all of her clients to feel like she does: “Today I feel better than yesterday and tomorrow I know I will feel better than today.”

Movement-First is a way of bodywork developed by Elena which integrates Kelly Starrett’s Movement and Mobility model with various bodywork techniques such as Sports and Medical Massage, Structural Integration, Trigger Point Release, Reiki and Ortho-Bionomy®, a gentle and painless technique to help the body release pain, tightness and tension.

Growing up on the shores of the Black Sea in Yalta, Crimea, Elena was active in various sports, including running, rock climbing, and swimming — she eventually earned a spot in the Soviet swimming development program.

Once in the U.S., Elena received a political economics degree from U.C. Berkeley and became a financial analyst at a Fortune 500 company. She continued her active lifestyle by competing in mountain bike races, climbing mountains, hiking, skiing and backpacking throughout Colorado and California.

Her career flourished, but things didn’t add up. She got bored, restless, and became injured from prolonged sitting in front of a computer. She felt like she was dying slowly inside. She ultimately didn’t feel like what she did mattered.

Elena found San Francisco CrossFit while researching treatments for bursitis, a very painful condition, on her left hip. After exhausting traditional western medical treatments, she couldn’t sleep, sit, or think. Her search led her to Kelly Starrett’s mobilitywod.com, where she discovered the tools and techniques to relieve pain and improve her range of motion. In turn, Elena signed up for an Introduction to CrossFit Basics class and realized then that she had found her calling to coaching.  She spent countless hours learning Kelly’s Movement and Mobility system, fully healed from her ailment, and became a coach at San Francisco CrossFit.

Inspired to give back, Elena started volunteering her time with a quadriplegic neighbor. After about a year or so of working with Elena, he had drastically improved his mobility and range of motion. This profound experience along with encouragement from others inspired Elena to become a bodyworker.

Education:
B.A. Political Economies of Industrial Societies, U.C. Berkeley

Certifications:
Certified Massage Therapist, CA License #62397
Associate, Society of Ortho-Bionomy® International

National Academy of Sports Medicine – Corrective Exercise Specialist
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
CrossFit Mobility Trainer
CrossFit Endurance Trainer
CrossFit Olympic Lifting Trainer
CrossFit Kettlebell Trainer