Leading Through Change: Alex Titov, VP of Engineering at WellnessLiving

Long before Alex Titov helped build the most robust business management platform in the wellness industry, he was a teenager trying to figure out what he was good at.

In name, he goes simply by “Titov.” But his career aspirations were anything but simple. He knew he wanted to be part of something much bigger than himself.

“I asked myself, ‘What do I do well?’ And it was not a big list,” Titov recalls humbly. “The only subject I liked in school was development.”

That clarity helped shape his career early on. Inspired in part by his older brother, who was already a developer, he threw himself into learning, taking extra classes. Though his brother left the field, Titov found his footing and never looked back.

Today, Titov is VP of Enginering at WellnessLiving, the platform that serves more than 25 million users worldwide. In work and in life, Titov’s path has taken turns as complex and unexpected as the challenges he helps solve.

From Student to Teammate

Titov was attending Donetsk National Technical University when he met a young professor named Yuri Popoff, now Chief Architect at WellnessLiving. What stood out wasn’t just Yuri’s youth but his teaching style—flexible, practical, and deeply focused on understanding.

“His goal was that we really learn,” Titov explains. Yuri didn’t ask his students to do mindless tasks or rote memorization. “If you could develop the project, if you could do the job, that’s what mattered.”

Rather than adhering to outdated computer languages, Yuri was eager to pursue the latest modern technologies. He encouraged exploration. “He wanted us to understand,” Titov recalls. “He wanted us to be able to explain in words, to ask unusual questions, to go deeper than our book showed it.”

It was an approach that appealed to Titov—and it led to more than a good grade. It opened a door. One day, over ICQ—yes, that ICQ—Yuri messaged Titov with an opportunity to join the development company he had started. At that point, the company was mainly building websites, but the goal was to pursue bigger, more complex projects.

Titov jumped at the opportunity to get his first professional development experience. He was only in his third year of university at the time. 

One Door, One Window—Then a Castle

Together with a small team, Yuri and Titov took on freelance web development projects. But it wasn’t long before a Canadian contact connected them with entrepreneurs Len Fridman and Sasha Davids. The ask? A basic booking system to help manage class promotions sold through Groupon.

People are often impressed when they learn that the original WellnessLiving platform was built in only four months. But that was only the start, according to Titov. He explains that development projects often begin with a smaller, well-defined request. “They come to you and say, ‘Okay, let’s make a very small building—one floor. Very simple. One door, one window.”

That first version was delivered on time. Four months. Done.

“And they liked it. They loved it,” Titov recalls. “And they told us, let’s keep going. Let’s do something else. Let’s do more. Let’s add, let’s build. One by one. Feature by feature. And here we are.”

Today, that initial system has grown into a platform that handles more than a billion database requests per day. But what keeps Titov motivated isn’t just the scale—it’s the constant evolution.

“We don’t get stuck doing the same thing over and over,” Titov says, instead, “we get new challenges, new projects, new ideas every year.”

Through Conflict and Change

Titov’s journey with WellnessLiving spans not only technical milestones, but a decade of personal and geopolitical upheaval. When the bombing started in Donetsk in 2014, he relocated to Kiev, helping to open and support new offices in both Kiev and Kharkiv. Even with the conflict, the company continued to grow and hire developers. Eventually, the company had three offices across Ukraine. But those too would close—at first, temporarily due to COVID-19. Then, in 2022, the war made returning to the office unthinkable.

“We closed the office in Kiev completely because it was impossible to go in. The war was right on the streets of the city,” Titov explains. “And it was the same story for Kharkiv. No one could go in because it was too dangerous.”

As the invasion escalated, WellnessLiving helped relocate Titov and Yuri to Tbilisi, Georgia. Titov has stayed in Tbilisi, while Yuri eventually came to Canada. Others on the team relocated to western Ukraine or received help to leave the country all together. The company offered relocation support, flexibility, and time off to help people move.

 “We said, okay, how much time do you need? Move, get set up in your new place, and continue working with us,” Titov recalls. “We will wait for you. The most important thing is to be safe.”

The disruption was immense. And while coding software under those circumstances may sound difficult, if not impossible, Titov says that he and his team actually welcomed the focus that work provided.

“Work gives you a distraction. It allows you to think about something else,” Titov explains, “because you can go crazy if you only think about the war.”

On the worst days, entire teams couldn’t work due to power outages. Many worked with limited power when they could—just three or four hours a day in some cases.

“Still, that’s three or four hours when you can focus on what you love to do. It’s so important,” he says. The combination of meaningful work and the company’s support has been crucial, in Titov’s view. “We haven’t overcome the war, yet. But the company’s help and our work has helped us live with it.”

Through it all, Titov has maintained contact with his family in Ukraine. His parents remain in Donetsk, and his grandmother and brother moved only about 40 kilometers from the frontlines, where the conflict is at its worst.

“I do worry,” Titov says. He helps as much as he can. But he understands their reluctance. “They’re older people. They don’t want to move. They don’t want to change their life after so many years in the same place.”

Still, despite the difficulties, he feels a deep sense of gratitude for what is most important. “My family, they are alive, they are more or less safe,” Titov says. He’s aware of how many people in Ukraine have lost a loved one or experienced a serious injury. “So, I’m the lucky one. I have nothing to complain about.”

Intangible Value and Significance

Though the backdrop has changed, Titov’s values haven’t. His ability to keep building in the face of uncertainty is grounded in a deep sense of responsibility—to his team, to users, and to the work itself.

The WellnessLiving platform is essential to the operations of thousands of businesses around the world. Titov knows that one small development mistake can create headaches for a multitude of business owners. He takes pride in his team and in the meticulous care they take in their work. While they’re constantly building new features, they’re vigilant when it comes to quality.

“I love working at WellnessLiving because what we build truly matters,” Titov says. “Thousands of people rely on our platform every day, and our work makes their lives easier and better. That sense of responsibility is what drives me.”

This perspective also guides his leadership style. He wants his whole team to remember that, “they’re building something that has intangible value and significance.”  His awareness of how deeply the platform impacts people’s daily lives informs every decision he makes.

In a world where disruption is constant and pressure can be high, Titov brings the kind of balanced optimism that inspires confidence. Whether building code, coaching teams, or simply living by example, Titov reminds us that strength isn’t always loud. For as long as he can remember, he wanted to be part of something that mattered, something bigger than himself—and through his calm, committed presence, he’s doing just that.