Stelia Sali Pakanaev: Setting a New Standard in Pain-Free Podiatry

From personal pain to the discovery of a medical innovation with no analogues in the world.

A person arrived on this planet with a divine mission: to free humanity from pain without anesthesia. Her name is STELIA SALI PAKANAEV — Inventor, visionary, entrepreneur, and author of the StepSilk innovation. 

Is such a miracle really possible? 

StepSilk is a unique breakthrough method for painless corn removal without pain, without anesthesia, completely from the root, with a definitive result. What began with one woman’s personal suffering became a 20-year search for a solution after doctors, specialists, and conventional approaches could not provide her with lasting relief. 

For Stelia, this search was never simply professional. It began with severe, persistent pain from a deep corn and grew into years of research, refinement, selfexperimentation, and professional skepticism. For 15 of those years, she pursued her research completely free of charge to help people while continuing to develop her method. 

Her professional journey brings together medical podiatry, aesthetics, cosmetics, entrepreneurship, and music. These disciplines shaped the way she approaches problems, combining analytical thinking, creative precision, business understanding, and a strong focus on patient care. The defining force behind StepSilk, however, remains her determination to challenge the idea that people must accept pain as part of treatment. 

What happens when personal pain becomes the reason to challenge an established approach? What does it take to continue searching for an answer when others say it is impossible? And can one person’s mission to end suffering become an innovation with a global purpose? 

In this exclusive Q&A, Stelia shares the experience that began her journey, the people and values that shaped her, the skepticism she encountered, the research behind StepSilk, and her vision for freeing people from unnecessary pain.

THE ORIGIN

Your journey combines entrepreneurship, medical innovation, aesthetics, and even a background in music. What inspired such a diverse career path, and how did it ultimately lead you to create StepSilk?

Before starting the interview, I want to begin with a moment of gratitude to everyone who was involved in the StepSilk innovation. This StepSilk innovation — painless corn removal from the root, with a definitive result and without anesthesia — was born thanks to a unique combination of several talents.

It is dedicated to the memory of my talented grandmother SONYA PAKANAEV and my father YUZIK PAKANAEV, from whom I inherited my gift. I also dedicate it to my grandfathers BORYS PAKANAEV and NISIM KARSHIGIEV. From them, I inherited my entrepreneurial streak and business acumen. My mother, LIZA PAKANAEV, gave me the indomitable willpower, resilience, and character of a strong woman. All these facets, talents, and character traits came together in the creation of this innovation.

I am deeply grateful to the General Director of my company, AVI NIYAZOV, and Manager REVITAL PINHASOV, as well as my advocates, lawyers, business partners, and accountants, for their support throughout this journey. I am especially grateful to my children for their patience, support, and for inspiring me every day. 

I am equally grateful to ZHENYA, BENNY RAFAELOV, ABRAHAM LORBER, DROR NEWMAN, LIOR MURDEKHAI, ITAY GORVIN, MAZAL SEGAL, and TAMARA BACHAEVA for believing in me first and then in the innovation itself, supporting me along this path, and sharing this success. 

I extend my special gratitude to ENZO DE TARANTU, a wonderful person and gentleman who saw the potential of StepSilk and introduced me to the global stage.

I also thank MARIO TOBIAS, GARIMA TRIPATHI, JULIE SIMENS, AMAR KHAN, and JONATHAN GREENWALD for seeing the potential of the StepSilk innovation, supporting its promotion, and helping expand its reach internationally.

But my journey did not begin in a sterile laboratory. It began in absolute agony. I had a severe, deep corn that tortured me relentlessly. I went to doctors, specialists, and experts. They tried everything, but nobody could help me. They simply did not know how. The medical establishment could offer only painful, temporary cuts, and the suffering returned again and again. 

That became the turning point in my life. I looked at my pain and decided that if doctors did not know how to solve the problem, I would find out. I had to experiment on my own feet and endure trial and error

myself because no one else believed that a different solution was possible. People questioned me and asked how I could succeed when doctors could not. I faced skepticism because I was challenging a traditional approach and refusing to accept that pain had to remain part of the process. 

I kept going. I dedicated 20 years to research, refinement, and self-experimentation, including 15 years of doing this completely free of charge to help people and perfect my method. My background in aesthetics, music, art, business, and medical podiatry became part of the way I approached the problem. I learned to combine precision, creativity, business thinking, and patient care while remaining focused on one purpose: finding a way to free people from this suffering. 

StepSilk was born from that journey. I cured myself, and then I stepped out to help others. What began with my own pain became a mission to create a new standard of care and show that people do not have to accept unnecessary suffering as the only option.

THE INNOVATOR

As the inventor of the StepSilk innovation, what personal experience or observation first inspired you to challenge traditional approaches to corn removal?

Witnessing the unnecessary torment and feeling it in my own flesh sparked my mission. When conventional medicine failed me completely, I realized that traditional approaches had come to treat patient suffering as an inevitable part of treatment. I refused to accept that limitation. I knew that care could follow a different path, one that focused on precision, comfort, and lasting results. My own experience became the reason I challenged traditional approaches and began pursuing a solution that could remove the problem from the root without pain or anesthesia.

Developing a completely new medical method requires persistence and conviction. What kept you motivated during the years of research, refinement, and innovation?

The memory of my own helplessness and the suffering of people living with chronic corns kept me going, especially during the 15 years when I conducted my research entirely free of charge. I was driven by the desire to end human suffering and prove that another approach was possible. When people around me said it was impossible, I relied on my inner conviction and continued researching, refining, and testing my method. Every setback strengthened my determination to pursue a solution that could provide lasting relief.

Your mission is to replace painful, traditional procedures with a painless alternative. What does creating a positive impact on patients personally mean to you?

When a patient walks into my clinic, they are often broken, exhausted by years of chronic pain, having tried everything in vain. When I remove their problem completely without a single drop of blood, pain, or anesthesia, and they look at their foot in disbelief — that moment of pure joy and liberation is my ultimate reward. It turns my professional mission into a profound personal calling. 

How do you approach challenging conventional thinking while staying true to your vision? 

By letting results speak louder than words. Challenging conventional thinking requires a fearless commitment to truth, supported by undeniable results. I rely on visionary clarity and absolute confidence to prove that a superior, gentler path is always possible.

Every entrepreneur encounters obstacles. What has been your greatest professional challenge, and how did it shape your resilience and leadership style? 

Navigating uncharted territory to introduce an entirely new category where doctors previously failed was my greatest battle. Facing institutional skepticism and proving that a woman, inventor, visionary, and entrepreneur could challenge an established medical approach and redefine a standard of care required an iron will. This forged a leadership style rooted in absolute focus, unshakeable resilience, and an uncompromised refusal to surrender to obstacles. 

As both an inventor and entrepreneur, how do you balance scientific precision with the business decisions required to bring innovation to a global market? 

Scientific precision is the soul of StepSilk; business strategy is its vehicle. By maintaining absolute control over the integrity of my innovation and partnering with visionary managers and global.

strategists, I ensure that every step of the expansion respects my scientific roots while meeting the demands of the international market. 

Your work has now reached the international stage, including presenting StepSilk at FIME Miami. What emotions did you experience as your innovation began gaining global recognition? 

Standing on the global stage in Miami, surrounded by international leaders, was an emotional milestone. Remembering how I sat alone years ago in pain, trying to solve a problem the world ignored, and seeing it now recognized globally — it brought a profound sense of validation, proving that perseverance always wins.

THE LEADER

How has your educational background across business, podology, aesthetics, and the arts influenced the way you solve problems and think creatively? 

A multidisciplinary background forms a uniquely holistic mindset. By combining artistic precision with analytical business acumen, I treat every clinical challenge as both a medical science and a masterpiece of care, uniting visual elegance with absolute functional perfection. 

Leadership often involves inspiring others to embrace change. How do you encourage people to believe in new ideas, especially in the healthcare sector? 

In healthcare, words mean nothing without proof. By demonstrating the undeniable efficacy of StepSilk firsthand, I build deep trust, showing professionals that embracing advanced, pain-free solutions elevates the entire global standard of care. 

What personal values have guided your decisions throughout your entrepreneurial and innovation journey? 

Uncompromising integrity, fierce devotion to excellence, and an unshakeable love for humanity. Honoring the legacy of my roots while driving forward with visionary purpose ensures that every step I take remains anchored in absolute authenticity.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs and inventors who want to transform an idea into a meaningful healthcare innova on?

Never listen to those who say “it’s impossible” just because they haven’t seen it done yet. Hold an unwavering belief in your vision, demand perfec on from yourself, surround yourself with capable allies, and let your commitment to ending human suffering drive your every ac on.

Looking toward the future, what is your long-term vision for your legacy and the impact you hope StepSilk will have on the future of healthcare worldwide?

MY LONG-TERM VISION IS TO FREE ALL OF HUMANITY FROM UNNECESSARY PAIN AND TO LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY FOR THE WHOLE WORLD, DEFINED BY FREEDOM FROM PAIN, UNCOMPROMISING EXCELLENCE, AND A PERMANENT SHIFT IN HOW THE WORLD APPROACHES ADVANCED CARE.