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.

Tuesday, February 06, 2018

A Slap to the Face... Tuesday, February 6

My Tuesdays are long because I leave my house around 3:30pm and don't come back till about 9:30-10pm.  I pack my bag with all the stuff I need for boxing and coaching, and end up having to carry that around with me.  I go from boxing at Elite Boxing to coaching at Hernandez Boxing and in between that I have to eat and shower so I have to bring stuff for that too.

Am pretty sure the universe slapped me tonight while at coaching.  I felt a bit of a slap during my boxing too, at Elite, and I shrugged it off but I definitely couldn't ignore the second slap.  I was setting up for my Empowered boxing class while one of the trainers at City Club continued on, training his client in the boxing club.  Now Hernandez Boxing is located within City Club, fifth floor, and it's adjacent to the fitness gym so it's no uncommon for those using the gym to wander into the boxing club or use it when it's empty.  I walked in tonight, early for my class, and one of the trainers was using it.  That's fine, I thought, he'll leave when my class starts.

Problem, he never left.

Bigger problem, he never left even after I told him there was a private class and he'd have to leave.

Instead, his client spoke up when I asked about how much longer they'd be.  His clients, two girls, seemed to be more responsive to me so when I approached them again to ask, he mumbled something, jumped out of the ring and went to go talk to who-knows-who, who-knows-where.  He returned, turned up his round bell and continued to train his two clients.

I was pissed. 

So there I was, unable to use the boxing ring and my round bell and voice competing with his round bell and equally loud voice.    

The girl I was training asked me why I don't go talk to someone else who worked at City Club, to get this dealt with, but who would I even talk to.  Half the time the workers are not at their stations and what could they really do?  He works here just like them.  They're a team, I'm the outsider as far as they're concerned.

I just had to laugh.

"This is the universe talking to me", I told my client.  "What's it telling you?", she asked.  "It's telling me to get my shit together and build Empowered already.  I wouldn't be dealing with this BS if this were my club."  And it's true.  So, on that note, I couldn't really get mad at that guy.  Sure he was a rude punk-and-a-half and we will all now refer to him as "Jerk-head" but if I just picked up the pace with making Empowered I wouldn't even be here coaching.  I'd be coaching my girls in my club and dealing with my workers.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to coach my Empowered class at Hernandez and City Club has been great to me but the universe has more for me and it's be really evident and obvious will letting me know.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

All girls boxing gym... are you lesbian? :)

권투선수 에이미 [Amy] said...

Hi Anonymous,
No, I'm not a lesbian but running an all girls company has nothing to do with sexual preference and everything to do with empowering women, hence the name -- Empowered Clubhouse. Plus, it's not a boxing club, it's a clubhouse. Totally different, not even close to being the same thing.

Smh said...

And you just let the trainer get away with it...so much for being empowered.

권투선수 에이미 [Amy] said...

Hi Smh,

I never said I let them get away with it, I just chose not to get into an argument and further the drama. I was being the "bigger man" by not making a scene and instead going to someone higher than them, after the class concluded. Do you honestly think that if I did make a big scene and perhaps get the other workers involved it would have been better? Seriously, I'm asking. Making a scene would have only made me look like a jerk, would have tarnished my name and position there, and I'm sure the management who sponsors me would not have been impressed. I did what I thought appropriate, I didn't stoop to their level, and instead went to management after.

Smh said...

Did i suggest making a scene? Read again.

Smh said...

Did i suggest making a scene? Read again.