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.

Friday, March 29, 2019

Someone to Lean On... Friday, March 29

Having lived in Korea as a foreigner for 11.5yrs, I definitely know about dealing things like culture shock, homesickness and loneliness.  And while I wasn't alone in Korea, I had Snickers, there were times when I most definitely felt alone and the same is true here for the Philippines.  This country is packed with people and I'm not short on people I know or people who know me and yet there are times when I feel it's just me, myself and I.

I had a conversation with one of my fighters today about this, over coffee and surrounded by stuffed bears.  I won't go into the details of what she said because it's not my place to share, it was said in confidence, but I will say that I could totally relate to what she's feeling. 

I think that if more people openly shared what they're feeling we'd realize that we're not the only ones feeling this and that in fact a lot of people are experiencing the same stories.  In a day in age where there's freedom of speech and we're all about expressing ourselves, I feel we're more disconnected with each other than ever.  Maybe things still are taboo, maybe social media is making us lack in face-to-face social skills, maybe we're too shy to talk because we're afraid we might offend someone or show a side of ourself that we don't let others see.  Nowdays everyone is offended by something.  I remember back in university, I took a feminist course and the professor picked out my boyfriend in the crowd.  He asked who he was sitting beside.  It was me, his girlfriend, but when he said it was his girlfriend she picked him apart, accusing him of dating a minor, a child... a girl.

Anyways, I'm totally rambling on here, writing a string of thoughts, I appologize.  

Today my conversation with my fighter got me thinking about my own situation and whether or not I'm fully happy in the Philippines.  I am but not 100%.  I'm only at about 90% and the remaining 10% is because I lack the close friends I have in Canada and wish my father approved of me being here and was proud of me.

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