Daily Life in the Face of Conflict: A Coaching Story from Ukraine

Anastasiia has been a Speexx Coach since May 2021, teaching German. She has additional proficiencies in Ukrainian, Russian and English. She comes from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Here’s her story and a timeline of recent events:

Our Training Management Team are first responders to Speexx coaches. They’re used to dealing with all sorts of queries, but on this day, one in particular was exceptional. Anastasiia reaches out to the Team, asking for help in reassigning sessions as her internet was being affected by the introduction of martial law in Ukraine. The Team responds with solutions, working across time zones to assist.

Anastasiia and her family leave their home in Kharkiv for safety in a small village in the Poltava region. Despite this upheaval, Anastasiia is such a committed coach that she again contacts the Team to express her desire to get back to teaching. Speexx offers help by reimbursing her missed sessions, and other Speexxies rally around to offer their assistance to Anastasiia.

Anastasiia is back to her passion – teaching! Although, as the situation escalates, she is considering leaving Ukraine for Germany. A Speexx employee offers Anastasiia an apartment in Vienna as a transitional solution. Unfortunately, due to severe weather conditions and traffic jams, Anastasiia’s family experience difficulties in reaching the border, so decide to stay put in Ukraine for the time being.

Anastasiia and her family find an apartment to rent in Poltava, a city that remains unaffected for now. They decide to remain in Ukraine.

Currently, Anastasiia continues to coach for Speexx from Poltava. In the first two weeks of March, she delivered thirty-nine 1:1 and twenty-five Virtual Classroom Open sessions, making a difference for nearly 200 Speexx users who study German!

We will continue to support Anastasiia in these highly difficult circumstances and wish her and her family much strength for the coming weeks and months.