Monika Encheva
Hi, I'm Monika. My mission is to
help you leave excuses behind and
build a healthy, strong and beautiful body.
Monika Encheva
Trainer
MY FIRST OVERALL
CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
25 April 2026 – Plovdiv, Bulgaria
“The overall title was more than a victory. It showed how much a person can change when they keep improving.”
My story is proof that change is possible
My journey did not begin with a perfect physique or easy victories. I went through injuries, inactivity, personal difficulties and moments when I had to choose myself all over again.
Sport, discipline and consistency helped me build both my body and the confidence I now want to share with every woman who is ready for her own transformation.
FROM VARNA TO
A STRONGER VERSION OF MYSELF
Hi, I'm Monika. My mission is to help you leave excuses behind and build a healthy, strong and beautiful body.
I grew up in Varna, Bulgaria's third-largest city. My family was not especially sports-oriented, but everyone had their own talents. My mother was a dancer who spent 20 years in a folk dance ensemble, while my father was in the military. As a child, I was enrolled in all sorts of activities: acrobatics, martial arts, rhythmic gymnastics, basketball and football. But I never found my true calling. I changed sports frequently without finding where I belonged. After my son was born, I decided to take up folk dancing. Perhaps it was in my genes: I progressed very quickly and, after about two years, was already performing on stage. Unfortunately, I suffered an injury during one performance that forced me to stop dancing. It was a major blow. Inactivity led to weight gain and a loss of confidence. I knew I had to do something.
Every transformation begins with the decision to choose yourself.
Kangoo Jumps and my first major transformation
I have always wanted to look good; my appearance has always mattered to me. I entered beauty pageants while still at school. I have three awards from international competitions, including third place at Dream Girl World 2002. Then, with an ankle injury and mounting frustration, I discovered something completely new and unusual: Kangoo Jumps. The shoes looked fun, but also a little intimidating. None of my friends wanted to come with me, so I attended my first class alone. It was a nightmare. The shoes were heavy, and I felt as though I might fall at any moment. All I could think was: 'This woman is crazy! I'm never coming back!' And yet, the very next day, I ordered my own pair of boots. I started training almost every day. A little over a month later, I had lost all the weight I had gained through inactivity and poor eating over the preceding months. My body was becoming firmer and my energy was returning. The most wonderful thing, though, was that exactly one year after starting Kangoo Jumps, I managed to quit smoking. Without suffering or drama, I simply no longer wanted a cigarette. My body had a new lease of life, and I loved it. It is one of the best things I have ever done for myself.
I fell in love with the sport, and after two years I decided that I wanted to introduce as many people as possible to this wonderful activity. I completed an aerobics course and immediately travelled to Romania, where I earned my Kangoo Power certification. I founded Mon's Kangoo Club, expanded my team, and we began running classes in different towns. The club grew into a real community, full of energy, smiles and newfound female strength. My daughter was born around this time, too.
The journey to the bikini fitness stage
After graduating, I decided to put everything I knew into practice on myself. I began preparing for a bikini fitness competition, a category that demands balanced feminine proportions and a high degree of discipline. Preparation was tough, but I had already learned the most important lesson: never give up. Going through the process myself was the best way to understand it in depth, beyond theory alone.
My journey from the first Kangoo Jumps bounces to the bright lights of the bikini fitness stage was neither straightforward nor easy. It was long, unpredictable and, at times, almost overwhelming, physically and emotionally. But it made me the woman I am today.
After years of loving Kangoo Jumps, building my club and community, and transforming my body and habits, the moment came. In October 2024, I made one of the boldest decisions of my life: to begin preparing for my first bikini fitness competition.
Seven months of discipline and personal struggle
Back then, I still had no idea what lay ahead: hunger, pain, discipline that pushed human limits, endless workouts, personal storms and family turmoil, but also the greatest victories of my life. Preparation lasted seven months, until late April 2025, when I took the stage for the first time. During that period, my entire world was shaken. While my body faced the hunger of a calorie deficit, exceptionally intense training, trial and error, despair and burnout, my soul was fighting its own battle. I went through a difficult personal experience: separating from my husband. It was one of the most painful and emotionally devastating periods of my life. Just when my world seemed to be falling apart, sport became an island where I could breathe. Training gave my days a foundation and a rhythm, keeping me from falling apart. It was therapy, a lifeline, stability and a way to make sense of the chaos inside me.
Looking back, I think that was what pushed me forward: the desire to move through pain with movement, discipline and a new goal. During those months, it mattered enormously that my children, my mother and my coach stayed by my side. They understood. They supported me. They held my hand even when I could barely stand on my own. My body remembers that period as exhaustion. My mind remembers it as a fog. I remember it as a true ordeal. There are moments I cannot recall today. Perhaps it is better that way. But I know that was when a new version of me emerged. The day of my first competition arrived. I walked into the venue feeling that a dream was coming true, but also afraid I would fail. I had prepared for months, yet it still seemed unreal: me, from the Kangoo Jumps studio, on a bikini fitness stage! Despite all my fears, when I stood under the lights, I knew I was exactly where I belonged. That this version of me was the only one possible. After the competition, I knew just one thing: I wanted more. Even I did not expect that decision to come so quickly. Just days after the event, in early May 2025, my coach and I began preparing for one of the most prestigious amateur competitions: Olympia Amateur Eastern Europe.
Olympia Amateur Eastern Europe
That summer was intense in every sense: emotionally, physically and psychologically. I trained twice a day, every day:
● early-morning cardio
● a demanding strength session in the afternoon
● followed by work
A level of discipline that few people can sustain.
There was no free time, no social life, no distraction. There was one goal. My condition improved every week. My body began to respond: we knew what worked, what did not, how it reacted and what needed adjusting. But mentally, I was on the edge. I often asked myself: 'What am I doing here? Why am I doing this?' Then I would answer: 'Because I can.'
The competition came. I looked at the other competitors and saw years of hard work behind them, experience, self-confidence. I felt like an absolute rookie who had landed on a foreign planet.
But when I stepped on stage… everything changed. And then came the shock:
First place in Masters, Second place in Open Class
Second competition in my life. And two top positions in one of the most prestigious championships.
That was the moment that changed everything. I realized that I was not here by chance. I realized that I have a place in this sport. I realized that my struggles were not in vain.
The season in which I collected crowns, medals and confidence.
A season of medals and proof
After Olympia Amateur, we decided not to stop. The form was excellent. The psyche was starting to stabilize. The body was working like a well-tuned machine.
So three more competitions followed, one after the other, within two months.
And in each one… I was ranked. Literally in each one.
The season finale looked like a showcase of dreams:
Balkan Grand Prix 8 – 1st place – Masters; 3rd place – Open; 4th place – True Novice
Olympia Amateur Eastern Europe – 1st place – Masters; 2nd place – Open
Valahia Warriors – 3rd place – Masters; 3rd place – Open
Balkan Grand Prix 9 – 1st place – Masters; 3rd place – Open
Romanian Muscle Fest – 2nd place – Masters
Overall — a showcase full of crowns, medals and evidence that many athletes with years of experience can only dream of.
That season proved that:
● you can start from zero;
● you can overcome pain, fear, separation and loss;
● you can build a new version of yourself at 40+;
● you can be stronger than you thought;
● you can win even when life is pulling you down.
And most importantly, dreams have no expiry date!
Every step matters
This was my personal proof that miracles happen. That even at 41, after menopause, after an injury and after years of searching, you can achieve excellence. That age can be an advantage rather than a barrier.
Today, after having two children, with an injury behind me and a busy lifestyle, I can look in the mirror, smile and say: 'Girl, you look amazing.'
That feeling, that victory, is what I want to share with you. To know what it feels like to be comfortable in your own skin. To respect yourself. To love yourself. Above all, to know it is possible. Because I am no exception. I am simply a woman who chose herself.
My story is more than a story about sport, nutrition or discipline. It is proof that any woman can change her life, regardless of age, circumstances or the labels others place on her. My journey from inactivity and smoking, through injuries, the pandemic and early menopause, to the competitive stage taught me one thing: every step matters.
Hugs and kisses!
Monika 🙂
What people who chose change have to say
The programme helped me establish a routine and start taking care of myself without unnecessary stress. The workouts are clear, motivating and completely practical to do at home.
Monika does more than provide workouts: she builds confidence. You feel supported, guided and motivated to keep going.
I followed the programme step by step and began to see a change in both my body and the way I felt about myself.
I loved how structured and easy to follow everything was. You feel guided throughout the process rather than lost.