THE BIOLOGY OF SUCCESS
A Fitness
Foundation
Research shows an undeniable link between
healthy bodies and high achievement
By Courtney Mifsud
A
t an early age, daniella leifer learned
that in order to see positive results in her life, she
would have to show up every day and put in the
work. The 28-year-old master instructor runs the
United Martial Arts Centers (UMAC) in Newburgh, N.Y.—she
began teaching tae kwon do as a staff member when she was
just 14—and her first book is expected out this year. She also
trains in the gym five or six days a week, runs casually and prac-
tices yoga. Leifer considers her martial-arts training and fitness
regimen the backbone of her success in her business ventures
and personal life. “When I look back, if there was ever a time
where I felt disconnected or ‘off,’ or even a little lost, most of
the time it was because I wasn’t nourishing an important part
of me,” says Leifer. “A lot of the time it was because I wasn’t
being disciplined with my tae kwon do training, gym routine,
or my nutrition.”
Leifer has witnessed students of all ages grow outside the
classroom, thanks in large part to their training. “I taught a
woman who was having challenges within her relationship.
She is a mom; she recently came into being the caretaker of a
house that she did not plan for. And this all hit at a time when
she didn’t think she could field it all emotionally or financially,”
says Leifer. “I knew that tae kwon do and UMAC would pro-
vide certainty, consistency and community—not to mention
stress relief—in a time where a lot was changing for her. If noth-
