She Wasn’t in My Corner, So I Became Her: Becoming the Female Coach I Never Had💓

Hey, welcome back to my blog!

Today I want to share the real reason I chose to become a boxing coach—what that journey has meant for me as a woman, an ex-boxer and someone who had to fight for her place in the ring long before I ever stepped inside one.

🥊 Why I Chose to Coach

When I first stepped into a boxing gym back in 2014, I was the only girl there for around 2 years. It was isolating, intimidating and honestly made me feel like I wasn’t supposed to be there.

The comments didn’t help. The sexist remarks, the looks, the constant reminder that I was “different.” I turned it into fuel, but it still left its mark.

That’s one of the biggest reasons I became a coach:

I wanted to be the proof that women belong in boxing just as much as men.

Most girls I met back then didn’t stay. Some switched to kickboxing, others quit altogether because being “the only one” gets exhausting. I didn’t want other girls to feel that same loneliness. I wanted to build the girls’ team I never had.

A lot of this drive came from my childhood, too. I’d lived through things I didn’t want to define me anymore. Losing six stone was the start of a new chapter and then boxing became the next one. The first time I put on a headguard and gloves, something clicked—I had found my calling.

I looked up to fighters like Heather Hardy, Katie Taylor, and Nicola Adams. Women who showed me it was possible to be strong, skilled, maternal, feminine and fierce—all at once. I didn’t have a woman in my corner, but seeing them made me feel like maybe I could be like them one day.

After years of highs like winning a national title and lows like injury, depression and losing my love for the sport, I still wanted to give something back. If I couldn’t fight anymore, I could at least help someone else reach their goals.

And truthfully?

I hoped coaching would help me find myself again, too.

🧠 Building Confidence—For Myself and Others

I’ve never been naturally confident around strangers. Losing weight didn’t magically fix that; if anything, it made me more self-conscious.

Not feeling welcome is enough to make anyone quit—especially in a sport this tough and male orientated.

So I decided to become the kind of coach girls could trust. A coach they could come to for technique, but also for girly chats, emotional support or someone who simply listens. A mother-figure presence I never had in the gym.

After a decade in boxing, I had learnt so much. Keeping all that to myself felt like a waste. Coaching became my way of keeping my spark alive and reconnecting with the sport that shaped me.

💥 Becoming a Coach: The Hardest Part Wasn’t Boxing

You might think the hardest part of becoming a coach would be the technical knowledge.

Nope.

It was my anxiety.

It took me six months to get through the coaching course—not because it was long, but because I kept doubting myself. The course itself was only two weekends, but mentally it felt like a marathon.

And yes… I was the only woman on the course, too. But that alone became motivation.

If I quit, that was one less woman leading in a sport that desperately needs more of us.

There’s nothing wrong with OnlyFans, ring-girl work, femininity—any of it.

But I want girls to know they can be the one in the gloves, too.

They can be the fighter, the coach, the one in command of the ring.

🥊 What I’ve Learned So Far

• Coaching teaches fast—you see mistakes and strengths differently from outside the ring.

• You learn to read people—their confidence, fears, limits and potential.

👊 My Coaching Philosophy

Tough love, but nurturing too.

Mindset is everything.

Boxing is 80% mental. If you believe you can, you’re halfway there.

Inclusivity is non-negotiable.

I want to work with girls, beginners, people with trauma and anyone who thinks they “don’t look like a boxer.”

Because neither did I.

❤️ The Emotional Core of It All

There were so many times I questioned if I was meant for this—injuries, depression, isolation, big life changes—but something always pulled me back.

Maybe it was stubbornness.

Maybe it was purpose.

Maybe it was that younger version of me who wanted so desperately to feel seen.

Coaching isn’t just about boxing for me.

It’s about belonging.

It’s about rewriting the story for the next generation of women who step into the gym feeling alone.

If I can be the woman in their corner—the one I wish I had—then everything I went through was worth it.

🥊 My First Time Coaching

My first experience coaching was with my family and friends. The best way to describe it?

It felt like being a kid playing “schools,” except this time I was actually the teacher.

They were patient with me, letting me take things slowly so I could work on my confidence.

People think amateur coaches just show up and tell people to hit bags—especially since amateur coaches don’t get paid. But it’s so much more than that.

I plan sessions.

I structure them around how advanced someone is.

I include strength and conditioning.

I research drills and exercises to get the best out of people.

It is absolutely not as easy as people think.

One of my close friends, who had been boxing for a few months, became my first “real” student. We worked on footwork and ring craft, seeing her progress was incredibly satisfying. It proved to me that I was capable, even when my mind told me I wasn’t.

I’ve always had an urge to help people—and coaching finally felt like the place where that urge fit perfectly.

👧 My Advice to Girls Starting Combat Sports

Don’t give up.

Girls and women still get sexist comments in 2025. Combat sports are still male-dominated, but more and more women are changing that story every day.

What kept me going was knowing that even though I’m just one person, I’m still contributing to that change.

Believe in yourself.

People will hate whether you train combat sports or not. You’ll never please everyone and life is too short to live for other people’s comfort.

Do what you love.

Stand by it.

And don’t let anyone make you feel like you don’t belong.

🛤 Learning to Love the Journey

For me, the hardest part has been learning to love the journey, not just the destination.

I hope to fight again someday, but I’ve had to stop rushing my way back. I had to remind myself that the journey is where the growth happens—not the belts or titles.

The achievement is in the days you don’t want to get up, when you’re exhausted but show up anyway.

If you can conquer your mind, you’ve won something far more valuable than any title:

Discipline.

I’m all about girl power, and I believe women are capable of anything men are.

I want to help girls believe in their power, too.

✨ Becoming the Woman in My Own Corner

In the end, this journey has been about more than boxing.

It’s been about reclaiming my story, rebuilding my confidence and becoming the woman I once needed.

I didn’t have a female coach when I was growing up in the sport.

So I became her.

For the girls stepping into the gym unsure of themselves…

For the women battling anxiety but showing up anyway…

For the younger me who needed someone to say, “You belong here.”

I’m in her corner now—stronger, wiser and ready to lift others up with me.

And this?

This is only the beginning.

Chloe x