Award winning,
empowering,
catalyst for change
I’m Anna Levesque, an award winning mental agility and white water kayak coach, passionate about helping you transform the conversation in your head from self-doubt to self-confidence on and off the water.
I’ve empowered thousands of paddlers worldwide to successfully navigate the currents of the river and life to realize their untapped potential through my mind, body, paddle coaching.
My personal journey began in the summer of 1994 when I discovered the rush and joy of whitewater kayaking, and the feeling of truly being alive.
That summer my life changed forever.
Ditching my plans to study law, I chose instead to realign my priorities and set off on a life-long pursuit of adventure and joy. That life-changing moment led me to paddling and competing in over twelve countries on five continents.
Even with my success, including earning a bronze medal at the Freestyle World Championships and competing for Canada for several years, I couldn’t shake off self-doubt and a lack of confidence, reinforced by paddling difficult Class V whitewater with too many unsupportive male colleagues in the 90s/early 2000s.
Frustrated by the absence of resources and positive stories for female paddlers, I produced the first whitewater kayak instructional DVD for women, Girls at Play. A video tour across the US and Canada followed, offering low-cost, community based kayak classes for women.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
I still vividly recall the terror and vulnerability I felt at the Girls at Play premiere, only to receive a standing ovation from respected peers.
During that tour I met, paddled with, and heard the stories of hundreds of brave women empowered by my own story and video.
It was another transformational moment. Teaching, inspiring and empowering women to unapologetically show up as they are, grow their confidence and their skill became my passion.
From Kayaking to Stand Up Paddleboarding
Unlike whitewater kayaking, my passion for Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) was a slow burn, but the challenge of balancing, the body-alignment awareness and the great workout it offers is an unbeatable combination. Not to mention the fact that it enabled me to take my yoga practice onto the water.
Yet again, I was hooked and started teaching SUP and leading SUP camps for women too!
The power of a holistic approach - yoga and Ayurveda
Living a healthy, confident life of adventure demands a holistic approach. As a whitewater athlete, yoga helped me level up my mental game and enhance my competitive focus.
Yoga has taught me how to take that vibrant feeling of being alive that I first experienced kayaking and embrace it in all aspects of my life by learning to breathe powerfully and live in the present moment.
Naturally, my next career move was to dive into yoga teacher training.
Combining yoga and paddling enables me to empower paddlers to level up their mental agility, reduce injury risks and continue to enjoy padding for decades. I even wrote a book about it: Yoga for Paddling, published by Falcon Guides.
During my 300 hour yoga teacher training, I felt a strong pull toward further study in Ayurveda, the sister-science to yoga. Following the principles of Ayurveda and changing my diet and lifestyle has changed my body shape, helped sustain my energy levels and transformed my performance both on and off the water.
It can do the same for you!
Over the last three decades I’ve learned self-leadership and mental agility strategies from the river, yoga, Ayurveda and studies in human potential that help me and others move from feeling disempowered to feeling empowered in all areas of life.
My goal for you is to experience the same freedom, joy and power in mind, body and paddling!
It’ll take you stepping outside of your comfort zone, and I’m here to guide you in practicing those hard moves in easy water for the big results you’re looking to achieve, whether it’s on a paddling trip in Costa Rica, Private Kayak Instruction in Asheville, Private Coaching online or any other Mind Body Paddle program.