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.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Preparing for Canada... Wednesday, July 15

On Wednesdays I eat ice cream, it has become my "traditional" cheat meal treat and today I enjoyed it while sitting ringside with 16 of my Mini Hulkies.  I figured what better way to jump back into the swing of things than enjoying my cheat meal with them.  It seemed rather fitting.

I've started to tell our members that I'm leaving and today I posted it on Facebook.  As soon as it went viral my phone started buzzing with text messages and my Facebook notifications went mental with comments and private messages.

Yes, I am leaving Korea. 

I started planning for this well before I even left Canada actually.  I started planning a few days before I left and it started with a business meeting regarding an upcoming boxing event that will be hosted in Toronto in October.  It was at that meeting that my interest sparked and I knew I wanted this was exactly what I wanted to get involved in -- boxing beyond just training and training others.  In Korea I feel I can do exactly only that -- train and train others -- but I want more.  I need more.  Canada is that platform I need to explore this.  

My main sponsor doesn't want me to leave Korea but I feel I need to at this point.

There are numerous boxing clubs in Toronto, now to contact them all and get some strings pulled so that I can land some extra work.  There's definitely a need to get a job while in Canada and I'd really like to keep this all about boxing, work and train at a club or clubs.

I've been in contact with numerous boxing clubs and so far, I have received very positive feedback from three of them -- Motor City Boxing Club, Durham Boxing Academy, and new club opening up in September.  A fourth, Bloor Street Fitness & Boxing, has offered to forward my info to management.  The first three are all in the Oshawa area and Bloor Street Fitness & Boxing is in Toronto.  My preference would be to stay in Toronto but I'm up for spending half my week in Durham Region if it means getting more work and training experience there.  

I'm holding out to hear from Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club; I'm very curious about this particular club.  They're a female-only boxing club I love how they're all about empowering women.  Moreover, they're located in Toronto.  I've sent them an email via Facebook but have yet to hear back from them so I am going email them directly and then call them next week.  

Another club I am eager to hear back from is MJKO (Mentoring Juniors Kids Organization).  It's actually a volunteer-run club so I wouldn't be getting paid but I think it'd be very cool to get involved in.  Of course I am needing a place to financially support my year in Canada but if I'm going to make this all about boxing than some extra volunteering at a boxing club would be a great addition to my schedule.  The club is all about training kids and God knows I love my Mini Hulkies. 

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