About you ⋆ ADRENALINE RUSSIAN

You’re stuck with Russian.

You’re a lone wolf, and you love a personal challenge. But Russian has been a hard nut to crack.

Your CDs only taught you some phrases but didn’t give you the confidence and flexibility of a real conversation.

Your addictive app gave you an introduction – a couple of random words, sentences out of context and some grammar rules – but it didn’t bring you closer to speaking.

Sometimes Russian seems like a huge overwhelming mountain and you don’t know where to start or how to climb it.

It’s harder if you’re doing it alone.

I can give you a hand and guide you through the beginner level.

Who I am

My name is Anastasia Yildirim, I’m a Russian teacher and speaking trainer.

7 facts about me:

1. I’m from Moscow.

2. I lived in Turkey for 5 years, learned the language, and traveled to many interesting spots including hidden gems. (No, it’s not all beaches and all-inclusive hotels.)

3. After a point, I stopped being an outsider. I learned what the locals value and how they see the world. The Turks considered me one of them. This would’ve been harder, had I not learned the language well.

4. I learn languages because they unlock new worlds.

5. I believe, trying to speak a language well means respect and leads to better communication. Also, it sounds so much more beautiful that way.

6. I like challenges.

7. I don’t spend a day without music. And coffee.

My story

I’ve been teaching Russian since 2008. I worked in a language school in Moscow and taught expats, diplomats, journalists, and so on. Then I taught independently online.

It was going well. But at some point, I started wondering why not all people are getting the same results.

While there’re many factors to success, I refused to believe it was about talent. I wanted to do everything in my power to improve my student’s results.

Some years passed until it struck me — I was obsessed with the “fun and easy” process. I was hiding the “boring grammar” behind “fun games” as if it was something shameful. I avoided the really impactful exercises in fear of scaring the students away.

As if learning wasn’t enjoyable. As if progress wasn’t a good enough reward. As if their goal was not speaking better but just having a good time.

I felt inauthentic. Deep inside I knew I was deceiving myself.

The results were “good enough“. Most of my students enjoyed the lessons. And maybe some of them didn’t have very ambitious goals. But I wanted to do more.

I didn’t want to be an entertainer. I wanted to help people grow.

So I started looking for smarter ways to learn, and that’s how Jumpstart Your Russian was born.

Have you got into the trap of “fun and easy”, too?

Memorizing sentences from a phrasebook, leveling up in a language app or the “speak speak speak” approach – that’s shallow. That’s not what’s gonna make you speak beautiful Russian.

You need to grow your speaking skills. Step by step. It’s not always effortless, but it’s definitely doable and enjoyable.

Being mindful. Making sense of the logic of Russian.

Learning from lots of authentic, natural examples.

Going from simple to complex.

Practicing the most common patterns and vocabulary until you can use them automatically, without having to think about the form.

And when you can – you’ll be free.

Flexible.

Confident.

You’ll focus on the conversation and not endings or words.

You’ll be not only intelligible. You’ll sound impressive. You’ll be in control.