She is a perfect example of professionalism, motherhood and ambition. She believes that hard work and faith can get you anywhere. Ivana Trump is the ultimate symbol of strength, glamour and worldliness. She has been in the spotlight for over twenty years and has always held her ground. From her athletic competitions as a child to her business ventures today, Ivana always comes out ahead.

Ivana Trump grew up in Gottwaldov, Czechoslvakia, a town just south of Prague. As a child, her father noticed her athletic talent and began training her, focusing on skiing. At the age of six, she joined the ski circuit and won the first downhill race she competed in. Her father felt that she needed more concentrated training and enrolled Ivana in a very strict Communist training camp for child athletes when she was 12. Ivana skied competitively through high school and continued competing after she graduated. Shortly thereafter she met another professional skier George Syrovatka, and fell in love. Like Ivana, he was also a student at Charles University in Prague and a member of the Czechoslovakian ski team. Ivana was a prized skier for the university and her country. She earned a Master’s Degree in physical education and languages. Ivana then immigrated to Canada where George was waiting for her. He owned a ski boutique and a sporting goods store. The couple traveled together and to earn extra money and enjoythe sport they both loved, they were ski coaches for teen ski racers and instructors on the weekends. But after a few years in Montreal, Ivana wanted a career.

She began modeling for Audrey Morris, the top modeling agency in Montreal at the time. In the summer of 1976, her agency sent several models to New York to promote the Olympic Games held in Montreal. A night on the town led the models to an overcrowded, trendy restaurant where they were immediately seated at a special table; compliments of a man named Donald Trump.

The couple spent a year together before they were married in 1977. After a year of marriage, the Trumps had their first son, Donald Jr. Over the next five years, Ivana gave birth to two more children: Ivanka and Eric.

While she was married to Donald, Ivana became the Vice President of Interior Design for the Trump Organization. She was responsible for all of the interior design of Trump’s real estate: the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Trump Tower, Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City which Ivana supervise construction and interior designed and eventually co-managed the project between Trump Organization. Ivana was the Chief Executive Officer and President of Trump’s Castle Hotel and Casino for five years and then Chief Executive Office and President of the Plaza Hotel, New York for four years. Under her leadership, The Plaza was recognized as “The Best Luxury Hotel in the USA.”

As their marriage and troubles were printed on the covers and front pages of publications everywhere, the Trumps were separated in 1990 and their marriage ended in divorce in 1992. Although people wondered what Ivana would be without Donald, she has proven she is better then ever.

Today, she has established two companies- Ivana, Inc. that manages her appearances and Ivana Haute Couture, which markets Ivana products with sales of Ivana’s line of cosmetics, accessories and fragrances sold over the Internet, Ivana’s company has matured into a multi-million dollar business. To expose her products, Ivana appears in other countries such as the Canadian Shopping Channel.

Ivana, Inc. manages her other activities including appearances in print and television advertisements such as Coors Light, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Cotton Inc. and the Milk Campaign and Canadian Lottery Campaign. She has also made a cameo appearance in the feature film “The First Wives Club” with famous quote “The Best Is Yet To Come.” Ivana has written two fiction books For Love Alone and Free to Love and one non-fiction The Best Is Yet To Come and currently writes a column “Ask Ivana” for Globe Magazine. Ivana has been portrayed by ABC Biography Channel and Portraits by Lifetime.

Under the same company, Ivana gives many speeches throughout the year. She speaks about being a mother, the role that holds absolute importance in her life. Her motivational speech “Women Who Dare” is about having confidence in yourself and being a woman who has to balance her life between being a mother, wife, executive and a woman who also needs to take care of herself. Ivana also gives presentations promoting female athletics, and being an entrepreneur. Ivana takes great pride in being a woman and strives to promote leadership and motivation through her work and image. She serves as a role model for women everywhere.

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