A river runs through Anna Levesque's life. Of churning foam and placid stillness, it's one that courses through her very being, generating a certain Zen quality.

The 34-year-old Canadian was a bronze medalist at the 2001 Freestyle Kayaking World Championships, and was a member of the Canadian National Freestyle team for five straight years. As a professional whitewater kayaker and international guide she’s worked and paddled in Canada, the U.S., Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, France, Australia, Austria and Africa.

Building on her experience on the water, Anna developed Girls at Play LLC, a company dedicated to increasing the number of female enthusiasts in kayaking and to using paddling as a practice for developing confidence in women. Girls at Play instructional DVDs, workshops and adventure travel trips are very popular with women of all ages.

Anna combines her expertise in kayaking with her experience as a yoga instructor, a student of meditation and personal transformation to provide a holistic, empowering experience for her students.

Anna has been praised with providing the “best kayak instruction anywhere.” She has a passion for inspiring and teaching women. Her experience as an accomplished international competitor, instructor, guide and motivational speaker has placed her as the leading expert in her field. She’s been quoted in TIME Magazine, offering her expertise on kayaking to the mass media.

She now resides with her husband, accomplished paddler Andrew Holcombe, in Asheville, NC and teaches workshops at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, NC.