Monika Tarkowska-Carter

was born in Warsaw, Poland. She learned English as a child in Poland and perfected it in London, England where she completed the Cambridge proficiency course in English. She lived in London and Oxford for almost two years.

She studied linguistics at the Institute of Applied Linguistics at the University of Warsaw.

Her involvement in sports started at a very early age. She did yoga together with her mom at age 9. Over the years, she was involved in many different sports: figure skating, skiing, horseback riding, swimming, and biking but it wasn’t until her mom introduced her to aerobics that she got completely hooked.

During her student years, she worked as an aerobics instructor and a trainer at various weight loss spas and created and implemented conditioning programs for airline personnel of Polish Airlines.

Upon moving to the United States in 1989, she decided to follow her true love and make a career change to become a personal trainer.

She has over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry. She studied at UCLA Extension and became certified by the most respected organizations in the industry.

The daughter of a world-renowned research scientist father (Andrzej Krzysztof Tarkowski) and a psychologist mother, from an early age Monika was exposed to both the rigors of good science and the importance of mind-body connection. Having this background, and seeing the restrictions that science sometimes puts on us, has awakened her passion to discover more about alternative, natural, and holistic ways of achieving and maintaining optimal health.

Her special interest has always been in the field of nutrition and she has acted in the capacity of a nutrition consultant for her clients. She has taken extensive continuing education courses to further her knowledge in this fascinating field. It became even more important when she was faced with her own health challenges due to serious mercury poisoning and fibromyalgia. Her health and nutritional knowledge allowed her not only to identify both conditions herself but also to seek the appropriate treatment in which nutrition played a significant role. During that time she made invaluable connections with doctors from the field of environmental, functional, integrative, and preventive medicine as well as various holistic practitioners.

Following the above experiences, Monika got certified as a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner, Holistic Lifestyle and Nutrition Coach, and health coach.

From 1993 to 1996, she worked as a training coordinator at one of the exclusive health clubs in Brentwood, CA. In 1995, she started her own business Fitness Science, Inc. and has been a full-time personal trainer ever since.

She has worked closely with the medical community in Los Angeles including general practitioners, cardiologists, plastic surgeons, holistic and integrative medicine doctors, physical therapists as well as other health industry professionals like nutritionists, massage therapists, yoga instructors, and the like. Most of her clients come as direct referrals from the above sources.

Monika is a professional member of many sports organizations including ACSM, NASM, NSCA, ACE, and IDEA – Health and Fitness Association. She is recognized as an IDEA Elite Level trainer.

She stays on top of the latest research by attending international conferences and fitness summits, personal training symposia, and various workshops.

In her spare time, Monika enjoys traveling, photography, gourmet cooking, yoga, hiking, swimming, and reading anything from professional literature and fiction to articles on travel, wine, food, and world affairs.