Only 38% of Bay Area students are proficient in math — despite living among the world’s most brilliant minds.
I’m Ms. Daria, and I believe every child carries untapped potential waiting to be discovered. I’ve built a program that helps students not just improve their grades, but change how they see themselves as learners — and as future leaders.
Watch my story — why I do this work and what I believe is possible for your child.
Started volunteering at a tutoring center and discovered a deep passion for helping young minds unlock their potential
Recognized that one-size-fits-all approaches fail students with different learning styles and starting points
Saw remarkable transformations when students finally received the right kind of personalized attention
Founded Kinetic Minds Academy to serve students who need something genuinely different — built around who they are
Background & credentials
About Ms. Daria
- Originally from Russia — now based in the Bay Area
- BS in Quantitative Economics and Econometrics, graduated Summa Cum Laude
- University-level Reader — graded coursework for professors, requiring deep understanding of how instructors design assessments, what they expect from students, and how to evaluate work with fairness and rigor
- 1.5+ years of tutoring experience with 30+ students — Kinetic Minds Academy founded May 2025
- Experience working with CEOs and entrepreneurs — with firsthand insight into what it takes to develop capable, strategic thinkers
- Fluent in English and Russian — conversational French
I was always a curious child — but studying and getting good grades was a real struggle for fifteen years.
Until I found the right approach.
That experience is at the heart of everything I build for my students.
My journey
From struggle to something worth sharing.
I was raised with strong values and real advantages — private tutors, multiple languages, competitive swimming, music school. A busy, full life. And yet I found myself struggling academically for years, my confidence quietly shrinking. Here’s how that changed.
Early years
Every advantage — and still struggling
Despite private tutors, language lessons, competitive swimming, and music school, keeping up with schoolwork felt like a losing battle. I started to wonder if something was wrong with me — not with the approach.
9th grade
A shift in direction
I discovered the possibility of attending my dream university and began learning about personal development for the first time. Something clicked. The goal became real — and so did the motivation to find a better way to learn.
Community college
Climbing the walls
I ended up at community college after a difficult application process — no strategic support, a hard landing after finishing the IB program in Russia. I threw everything I had at it. There were stretches of sleeping two hours a night, four hours every third day. I rewrote my notes fifteen times until I could reproduce them perfectly from memory. Working harder than I ever had — and still getting B’s and C’s. Math in particular made little sense, and I couldn’t understand why. I’d already done calculus in IB. Something wasn’t connecting.
University
A+ in multivariable calculus
After transferring, something genuinely shifted. Fewer distractions, faculty I respected, courses I found myself thinking about outside of class. Math stopped being an obstacle and became a doorway to something I actually wanted to understand. I became passionate about the subject in a way I hadn’t expected — spending time with professors on challenging questions, going deeper not because I had to but because I wanted to. The pressure was still real and still nerve-wracking. But I was in it differently. I finished with an A+ in calculus with several variables — the same subject that had felt impenetrable just years before. I came in as a BA Economics student and left having quietly qualified for a BS in Quantitative Economics and Econometrics.
2021
Understanding the full picture
I discovered lifestyle and health research that helped me understand the learning challenges I’d struggled with for years. It opened my eyes to how deeply our physical and mental wellbeing shapes our ability to learn — and reinforced why personalized support matters so much more than we admit.
Today
Kinetic Minds Academy
Everything I learned — about how people actually learn, what gets in the way, and what unlocks real progress — is what I’ve built this program around. Not a template. Not a script. A genuinely personalized approach for each student.
The Bigger Vision
Every person carries within them the innate potential to be successful, productive, and excellent at something truly impactful in life.
Vision
A global leadership initiative — starting here.
Kinetic Minds Academy is the foundation of something larger. I envision a world where every young person recognizes their unique gifts and steps into adulthood with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Purpose
Too many young people don’t believe in what’s possible for them.
My purpose is to change that — equipping the next generation with academic excellence, strong character, and the competency to build a life that’s genuinely theirs.
Mission
Math is where we begin. Not where we stop.
I help students discover their potential, develop their strengths, and graduate into the world with excellence and integrity — whether they’re in traditional schools, homeschool programs, or independent academies.
Who said you can’t begin with math?
The discipline that most students dread is the one that can teach them to think, solve, and lead — for life.
Let’s partner in your child’s success.
A free 15-minute conversation is the best place to start.