The 40-year-old Fairfield resident lived through the communist regime in Romania and later suffered from depression and anxiety. A licensed psychotherapist, yoga teacher (and faithful practitioner) and personal trainer, she has taken an unusual journey to get where she is today. After earning her degree in psychology (with a minor in sports medicine) from Sacred Heart, she opened her own gym in Westport, but after a few years found that she needed more learning, healing and self-discovery. [...] she sold the gym, using the money to travel and study, first at the Gestalt Institute in Holland. Once the communist regime was destroyed, we were able to legally move to the states and reunite with him [he had relocated to Connecticut, where a relative was living] in 1990. First out of necessity because I was an athlete, so we had to be disciplined. [...] I studied experientially, by going through the therapy techniques and understanding what worked and what didn't. [...] it became very obvious to me having been just the athlete, or just the mind person, or the yogi, that it was very important to have all of these components working together to become a whole healthy human being. When you focus inside, on your breath or your physical sensation of the muscles you're working, it gets you out of your head and connecting to and listening to the body and trusting it again. Hair and makeup provided by the Christopher Noland Salon and Beauty Spa, 124 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, (203) 622-4247, christophernoland.com; Christopher Noland, stylist; Elena Hristu, makeup. Cover and inside model photographs taken at the Connecticut Audubon Society's Birdcraft Sanctuary in Fairfield, 314 Unquowa Road, (203) 259-0416, ctaudubon.org.