Many people know Romina Martinez as a trainer, a motivator, and the woman who always says: “And now, we go for more.” But behind the discipline, the routines, and the strong smile, there is a life story, one of falls, choices, and self-love that goes far beyond fitness. Romina (39) was born in Argentina but lived 13 years of her life in Aruba. Today, she describes herself clearly: sensitive, sometimes afraid, yet carrying a strength she didn’t always know she had.
ROMINA MARTINEZ
ROMINA MARTINEZ
Life in Argentina shaped Romina deeply. It’s a place where uncertainty is part of everyday life, but where family, effort, and perseverance are fundamental values. From a young age, she learned she had to be strong. That little girl always had big dreams. “That little girl is still alive in me,” she says. “Everything I am today was born from her.”
Among the two women who marked her life most, Romina mentions her mother, her foundation, her values, her essence and Cybel Zamora, a woman who became an important guide during the 13 years she lived in Aruba. Two different presences, but with the same love and impact.
“Aruba came into my life as a surprise, I wasn’t looking for it.” It felt like a beautiful and crazy impulse at the same time, but it became the place where Romina formed her adult identity. She arrived without knowing anyone, with little money, and without speaking the language. Step by step, she built a name, a purpose, and a community. She became a trainer for many people, men and women, worked with several well-known fitness brands in Aruba, and demonstrated her strength and knowledge. “I love Aruba because it’s not just a place in my story, it’s part of my life.”
ROMINA
ROMINA
Many women came to Romina wanting to change their bodies, but without realizing it, she says she ended up healing her soul alongside her clients. “They trusted me with their personal processes, and I learned that when a woman feels supported by herself, she can achieve incredible things. In that exchange, not only did they grow, I grew too. I became stronger and confirmed that my purpose is to walk alongside other women while they discover their own strength.”
Aruba taught her that she could stand on her own, create her own path, and that with work and consistency, dreams are built. “At that moment, I was looking for an opportunity… and without knowing it, I found the woman I am today.” Living on the island changed her relationship with her body and with discipline. She learned to listen to it, respect it, and move from enjoyment, not pressure. Discipline was born from consistency, and over time, it became confidence in herself and in her process. Now that she lives abroad, she keeps returning, because Aruba is part of her. The island connects her to people, memories, and to the version of herself who grew and learned to be strong.
Romina has always believed in love, and when she least expected it, without searching, she met someone who made her fall deeply in love. “I found a love that doesn’t compete with my dreams but walks beside them. I can be myself without needing to explain who I am.” Today, she says her husband, Derek Shanton, has given her, beyond love, support, respect, and a way of loving that she describes as calm, special, and rooted in growth.
At the beginning of their relationship, Romina traveled frequently between Aruba and the United States. Derek made the same trips to visit her in Aruba. Eventually, Romina realized it was her moment to support her partner and make the United States her permanent home. But as she says: “Aruba, my sweet island, is not something I can detach from. It lives in me and always goes with me.”
Life in a new country is certainly another beginning, but for Romina, it is simply the continuation of her dreams. From Argentina to Aruba and now the United States, the dreams of that little girl continue. That’s how the idea of creating her own fitness app was born. Her goal is simple: to reach women all over the world and support them in discovering their own strength, just as she did.
Today, as a married woman, SELF-LOVE for Romina is the daily decision to choose herself: to listen to her needs, respect her time, and honor her boundaries, without guilt. She doesn’t leave her dreams behind, nor her well-being, because loving someone else does not mean forgetting yourself. On the contrary, the more aligned she is with who she truly is, the more her life and relationships grow from a healthy and authentic place. For her, caring for her identity means keeping her space, her passions, and her dreams alive.
Since leaving Aruba, Romina feels she has grown, especially in confidence and personal power. Aruba taught her she could achieve anything she set her mind to. She arrived as a young woman full of dreams and became a powerful woman, strong, with character and deep self-confidence. From that transformation came her desire to go beyond physical training inside a gym. Through content, videos, and soon her own podcast, Romina wants to support women in what is not always visible: the internal process, the doubts, the consistency, and self-love. Her message today is simple but powerful: “A woman doesn’t have to abandon herself to achieve something. Real change begins when you choose yourself, listen to yourself, and treat yourself with love and perseverance.”
Romina feels she has transformed into the woman she is today, confident, peaceful, and free to choose without guilt. Every step required effort, consistency, and many new beginnings. But she earned her voice, her independence, and her own path with gratitude and pride, now alongside her greatest support: her husband.
“Remember, it was never just training. It was a process of learning to trust yourselves, not give up, and choose yourselves, even on the hardest days. I didn’t just see you training. I saw you transforming. The strength that awakened within you doesn’t depend on a place or a person; it depends on you. If you ever doubt, just remember the woman you can become. That strength lives inside you forever. You can always go for more.”
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