Our Story
I was not your athlete growing up. In fact, you’d likely find me in the back of the gym smoking; as an adult I wanted to be healthy for my two young sons. So I began to run… Running changed my life.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those naturally lean people who seem to run effortlessly. Running is a challenge but the feeling of accomplishment after a hard run is intoxicating.​
Hi! I’m Cristina,
Founder of DashStrom
I thought... 

“if I could get their friends running, maybe my boys would run too.”
I went from 5Ks, to marathons, to Ironman triathlons. I realized the importance of exercise and fitness … not just for your body, but for your mind too. But even at 5 and 7 years old, my boys would rather play their instruments instead of doing an organized sport class.
I thought: “if I could get their friends running, maybe my boys would run too.” So I went to their elementary school Principal and offered to start a small run club after school. I told her I’d donate a percentage of the profits back to the school’s PTA
In September 2015, we began classes with 20 students at a small elementary school in Miami, Florida.
I took my small group to a local 5K race. Most of the children cried the entire time… they complained, they were tired, it was hot, it was hard. But when they saw the finish line, and when they heard the crowd cheering them … they all sprinted to the finish line and felt invincible.
What if I could create games that were challenging but fun? That way, children would struggle but ultimately succeed. They could get that same feeling but within our after-school program and without having to go to a race.
We started these games and teachers and parents began to comment how the “run club kids were different.” They were more confident, and they were bringing some of the empowerment lessons we taught on the field into the classroom.
The program began to grow, and soon we were in multiple schools around Miami with hundreds of children participating.
Our growth spurt...
I began teaching moms from across the country to do what I had done. To make a solid income, WITH their children while empowering their community. With this model, we scaled to over 200 locations, 41 states and coached well over 11,000 children.
The DashStrom Curriculum was just as impactful in the north where it snowed and in the south where it’s hot as heck. It also worked in rural communities and in urban centers. We were coast to coast and the results were always the same: Empowered Children.
Today...
Our vision is to empower generations to face tomorrow’s challenges. And it will take all of us, together, to get there.
One step is to help anyone start a profitable business to teach the DashStrom Curriculum. Educators, parents, youth coaches, personal trainers, fitness instructors, au pairs … anyone …. can now empower children.
To reach this goal, we’re growing our team and Dr. Ketaki Desai has joined DashStrom as Co-Founder and COO. We are bringing in advisors as well as investors to help make our vision a reality.