As the story has it, one day I headed to the opposite side of the globe – the Flipside. I arrived in Korea February 16th, 2005 and thought I’d do a year, then leave. I was wrong. I stayed, launched my first company, Flipside Fitness, and then opened Korea's largest boxing club, Hulk's Boxing (now called Hulk's Club).

After 11.5yrs in Korea, I then picked up one day and returned to Toronto, Canada. But then I left again.

Now I live in the Philippines where I am the CEO and head coach of Empowered Clubhouse, the Philippines' first and only boxing clubhouse exclusively just for women. I also am the founder of the Lil' Sistas Project, CEO and designer of Slay Gear and Baa Baa Black Sheep .Ph.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Power of the Chop... Thursday, June 13

The bonus of having my husband as my business partner is that I see him so much.
The downfall of having my husband as my business partner is that I see him so much.
See the dilemma?  I’m sure you do.

It’s more good than bad, working alongside my husband, but there are times where our relationship is tested and things are taken a bit more on a sensitive note because of us being married.  He is my husband, best friend, business partner and this past week he officially become my new coach.  Wearing so many labels is bound to create a bit of dilemma and today was one of those days when sensitive buttons were pushed.

It all stemmed from a casual conversation we had the other day.  I was dozing off in bed when Snickers mentioned that he wanted to hire WOW Motors President’s son.  I agreed it was a good idea but noted that he should be hired to help us clean the club.  No sooner do I finish cleaning the club’s floor but then I instantly dread having to clean it again; it’s a brutally long and back-aching task.  And then of course there is the fact that we have an excessive amount of mirrors that get touched, splashed with sweat and leaned against.  Those are so much fun too to clean!!! Note the sarcasm there.

Anyways, so yesterday Snickers tells WOW’s son he’s been hired – a decision I thought was just a mere late night casual conversation piece.  No sooner did he hire him but I fired him, well not exactly.  It was more like me telling him to get out from around the juice bar, put the blender bowl down and that I’d talk to him tomorrow. 

Today is the tomorrow I said yesterday so I knew I’d have to deal with yesterday’s uncomfortable situation but I didn’t know what to say.  I mean, what could I say, “We want you but can’t afford you”?!  It’s true but there’s more to it.  We need a cleaner but he wants to work the juice bar during our busy times – what he wants and what we need are two distinctly different things.

Trying to discuss this before WOW's son showed up was one thing but then we had to continue the discussion once he arrived and Trainer Stark randomly showed up too.  Thankfully WOW's son didn’t recognize me without his glasses on because of my drastic hair cut so he never approached me about the verdict of the discussion I had promised I’d have with Snickers.

One comment lead to another and, mixed with us both being overly stubborn, sensitive buttons were pushed, neither wanted to back down, so I headed to the office to escape what should have been a simple discussion. 

Next thing I knew it, Trainer Stark spotted me curled up on the couch upset so he joined me in the office.  He didn’t know what to say – what to say in English or Korean – so he apologized and then he tried to cheer me up.  His small talk went somewhat like this: “Amy cry? No. Can't do that...hmmm...You new hair so pretty… ahhh… Amy hate pretty…. Hmmm…. Amy punch so strong, yes! Amy so strong punch.”  

Trainer Stark is such a good friend to both Snickers and I and I’m really looking forward to working with him.  He tried to cheer me up and then talk to Snickers but he knew to just give us space.  Snickers and I don’t really fight much, it’s more like random clashes of stubbornness – silly spats – and they’re very short lived.  Snickers beholds a super power over me – he’s just too darn cute to me so I can’t look at him with an angry face.  I end up smiling and, well,  that definitely shortens such silly spats. It’s hard to stay mad at someone you love so much… and are attracted to so much, it’s the truth. 


Today I chopped my hair and I learned that perhaps that upped my “super power” over Snickers.   Initially I thought Snickers wouldn’t like my short cut but he loves it!!! Boy could not keep his lips off mine at work today!  I’m talking about me talking to members and him swooping in for a kiss, me warming up for training and him stealing a little peck, and so on.  Snickers may have a gorgeous smile and sweet charm as his super hero power over me but now I’m rocking the chopped cut and it’s released a higher power.

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