Athlete and financial advisor Ruth Saunders is an enigma. She is warm, ferocious, vulnerable, fearless, funny and direct. A fighter in every sense of the word, Ruth is no stranger to lifeB次元官网网址檚 occasional inadequacies, but she transforms them into fuel and pushes herself to explore the limits of her strength.

B次元官网网址淭here have been some rocky moments in my life,B次元官网网址� Ruth says humbly. B次元官网网址淟ifting weights became a natural therapy for me and I think my sports are another huge outlet. You could have the worst day in the world and walk into the gym and you just give it everything you have; leave it in a pile of sweat on the mats and when you walk out, you donB次元官网网址檛 have the energy to be anything. ItB次元官网网址檚 the very best therapy.B次元官网网址�

RuthB次元官网网址檚 dedication translates into her day job. She is one of the most proficient financial advisors with (a division of First West Credit Union) and attributes her success to her drive and relentless commitment to everything she does.

And as a busy single mother of two boys, she has learned to tackle the throws of life head-on.

B次元官网网址淚 started wrestling in high school. I really liked the physical aspect of the sport,B次元官网网址� she says.

From wrestling with the boys in high school, Ruth began training in . For the last 12 years, sheB次元官网网址檚 worked with a tight-knit group of men in Victoria.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always wanted to be treated like one of the boys. I have always said, B次元官网网址楧onB次元官网网址檛 hold back, donB次元官网网址檛 treat me different. Give me 110 per cent like you would any other guy,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Ruth says with an impressive tenacity in her voice.

Ruth explains that her patience and defensive skills give her an advantage as a fighter.

B次元官网网址淚 train so much with bigger, stronger, faster guys, I donB次元官网网址檛 have a ton of opportunity for offence. IB次元官网网址檓 patient. I look for an opportunity to go for a submission. And I donB次元官网网址檛 give up. There is absolutely no quit in me.

The athlete divulges proof that hard work pays off with a number of wins in various bodybuilding and MMA competitions. Ruth first discovered her knack for competition in 2010 when she won a round-robin style MMA event.

B次元官网网址淭hat event gave me a thrill for competing, and qualified me for the Western Canadians in 2011, in Vancouver,B次元官网网址� she says.

The Western Canadians went extremely well for Ruth; she won all of her divisions in the 2011 competition. With two substantial competition wins under her belt, she set a goal to go to the World Martial Arts Games in Austria.

B次元官网网址淚 am very goal-oriented. I have always believed in setting a personal goal and going for it.B次元官网网址�

Unfortunately, while the tenacious athlete made Team Canada for the World Martial Arts Games, she would never have the opportunity to compete.

B次元官网网址淚 broke my leg three weeks outside of the competition. I didnB次元官网网址檛 want to pull out. My trainer modified my training so I could keep going. So I kept training and broke it again,B次元官网网址� says Ruth.

While Ruth didnB次元官网网址檛 make it to the World Martial Arts Games, she was offered a professional contract for an MMA super fight league out of Mumbai, India.

Ruth focussed on her training while waiting for her visa to be processed B次元官网网址� but the Indian Consulate misplaced RuthB次元官网网址檚, her coachB次元官网网址檚 and corner manB次元官网网址檚 passports for two months.

B次元官网网址淭raining for fight camps is no joke. I was so burnt out after waiting those two months that I needed to take a break and be nice to my body,B次元官网网址� explains Ruth.

Without skipping a beat, she turned her focus back to bodybuilding and discovered the therapeutic benefits of .

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always been drawn to very aggressive, adrenalin-based sports. I would sit and watch the kite surfers on Dallas Road after I had started surfing and I was like B次元官网网址業 have to do this,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� she says with a laugh.

Ruth learned the sport at Nitinat Lake on Vancouver Island, where kitesurfing schools are located.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 terrifying learning when you are so vulnerable and trusting something that can hurt you. And yet learning and realizing you are in control and letting go of your fear and anxiety and be under your own power B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 unbelievably liberating. When taught right, it is great, safe, fun and healing,B次元官网网址� she says.

Ruth will be running womenB次元官网网址檚 weekend kitesurf camps with her girlfriendB次元官网网址� who is a professional kitesurf athlete B次元官网网址� with the intention of helping other women.

B次元官网网址淪o many women are survivors of emotional, mental and physical abuse in some sense. The one thing that I have found that is so healing, is being out on the water and being under the power of something that is so incredibly strong and freeing, and being able to control that. It is incredible to shift that control.B次元官网网址�

She adds: B次元官网网址淢y passion is to work with women who are survivors.B次元官网网址�

With an ever-growing list of goals to pursue and lives to change, the evolution of Ruth Saunders continues. Ruth has yet to find the limit of her strength, and her journey to discover the depth of her power as a human being promises to be an even better story in the years to come.

-Story by Chelsea Forman/Boulevard Magazine

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on and follow them on