Leaders Spotlight : Ioana Kraft
In our 10th year of sweating and connecting we are sharing stories from our dedicated and passionate volunteers.
Introducing Ioana Kraft: Ioana is a volunteer leader of FitFam Shanghai and also is the Director of Partnerships and Sponsorships of FitFam China. Off the field and outside of her trail running races, she channels her energy to enhancing events and enriching the FitFam experience.
Tell us about yourself
I grew up internationally, surrounded by sports communities. My father was a sports professor and later rowing coach for the German national team, and my mother a sports teacher and former volleyball player for the Romanian national team. From them, I learned early that movement, discipline, and teamwork are not just about performance, they’re about character.
Much of my childhood was spent on riverbanks, ski slopes, and training fields, where friendships forged through sweat ran deep and lasted a lifetime. I’m still in touch with some of my parents’ old sports friends and my dad’s former athletes, a living reminder of how strong those bonds can be.
I came to Shanghai in 2003 when my husband accepted a two-year assignment. I soon found my own professional path, and twenty-two years, two daughters, and two rescue dogs later, we’re still here.
Your first FitFam workout
A friend at a party talked me into joining “that noisy group” training at dawn on the other side of the wall in our neighboring compound, Green Valley Villas. I was exhausted from work and kids but curious. I convinced a very fit houseguest to come with me the next morning in 2017 - and that’s how it started. Ironically, the friend who recruited me never came!
My first impression: inclusive, energetic, and genuinely welcoming. It wasn’t about being perfect — it was about giving your best every time you showed up. This was before the mini-program era, so we would simply post a list in a WeChat group and gather to train together.
The FitFam Impact
It changed everything. I grew up in sports communities, but years of career pressure brought long hours, constant travel, and late-night networking — plus the demands of motherhood. Back pain and fatigue became “normal,” and coffee was my fuel.
That first FitFam morning reminded me what it feels like to move with purpose - to push, sweat, and connect with people outside my professional world through sport. Since then, I’ve rebuilt healthy habits, regained focus and energy, and rediscovered what a sports community truly means.
For many years, I served as General Manager of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, balancing mornings that began with FitFam workouts in the park and days filled with board meetings and high-level government discussions. Now, in my consulting work, that same grounding remains essential. Movement clears my head before complex negotiations and long strategy sessions. It keeps me centered — a daily reminder that precision, presence, and perseverance matter in every area of life.
The friendships built through shared effort and accountability are the ones that last — whether in Shanghai, Europe, or anywhere else life takes me.
Becoming a FitFam leader
One day, our location leader, Andrea, asked who could help lead Hongqiao workouts. I raised my hand quite nervously because this was before we had formal leader training or a movement library, and I thought it was something only for “super-athletes.” I studied other leaders’ programs (I still have copies of Andrea’s colorful ones on my phone!), asked experienced leaders like Andrea and Sandrine endless questions, and finally felt ready to start leading myself. When the formal leader training and assessment were introduced, I completed those too.
Leading made me both a better mover and a better listener. It taught me how to design scalable workouts, coach safely, and create an atmosphere where beginners and veterans alike feel seen. Later, I even qualified as an NASM personal trainer — not for commercial reasons, but to become a better athlete and leader myself.
Continuous learning is a value I live by in fitness, business, and life - and leading allows me to practice it every single session. I don’t like to recycle workouts; each time, I aim to build them from scratch and add something new.
It’s also a different level of commitment than simply showing up as a participant. You have to be there — whether you’ve had a good or bad night, whether it’s freezing or unbearably humid — ready to lead with all eyes on you. It trains both physical and mental discipline and, over time, builds deep confidence.
Why become a FitFam leader?
If you’ve shown up a few times, you’re closer to leading than you think. You don’t need to be the fastest or the loudest — just someone who cares about helping others move well and have fun.
That said, being a leader is a commitment. It’s not about showing up for your WeChat moments — it’s about accountability to your group and fellow leaders. You’re responsible for the team: checking air quality, temperature, and safety. If you’re leading a run, it’s not about setting your PB, it’s about making sure everyone gets from start to finish safely and with a smile. So ask yourself if you have that motivation, and if the answer is yes:
Start small: Co-lead a 5–10-minute warm-up next week, then take one block the following week. Reach out to your location manager — they’ll pair you with an experienced leader.
Use the Movement Library: It’s full of safe, tested programs — no need to start from scratch.
Keep it inclusive & safe: Offer progressions and regressions so everyone can follow.
Learn by doing: Shadow, lead, debrief, repeat.
Manageable commitment: Even one or two sessions a month can make a real difference.
If you’re motivated and ready to give the community your time and energy — raise your hand, pick a date, and co-lead your first block. We’ve got you — and you’ll get so much back.
Favorite Sweat and Connect moments
There are countless moments. Reaching the Bund at sunrise on empty streets. The night it rained so hard that the GVV Park turned into a shallow lake and we all splashed through it laughing. Training through typhoons. Sharing breakfast after workouts. Watching first-timers cross the finish line of their first 5K, or seeing someone who once doubted themselves now standing taller, stronger, and prouder because of how far they’ve come.
But some of my favorite moments are quieter — like those early mornings when everyone arrives half-asleep, and by the end of the session, you can feel the collective energy shift. Strangers become teammates. The effort binds people together.
There’s also something powerful about leading a session where, for an hour, everyone forgets about emails, stress, or to-do lists — and just moves. That connection through sweat, through shared effort, is what keeps me coming back.
Growing up around athletes, I saw how shared effort can create lasting connections — and FitFam has brought that feeling back into my life. It’s not only about records or results; it’s about showing up, giving what you have that day, and knowing that others are doing the same beside you. That’s what “We Sweat, We Connect” means to me — community through movement, trust built through effort, and joy in doing something hard together.
Anything else you would like to share?
Community only works when each of us takes a turn to move things forward. Whether in fitness, business, or family — if you’ve been thinking about showing up, do it. If you’ve been thinking about leading, raise your hand.
Celebrate small wins, support the person next to you, and never stop striving for better.