Teresa Scott and I used to work for the same publishing house, and one thing that always struck me about her was that she seemed so cool, approachable and down-to-Earth. Her energy made a lot of sense to me after I learned about her passion for boxing because, in my mind, it’s hard to break someone’s spirit when they’re grounded in something that they truly enjoy. She has found a way to not only thrive on her passion but use it as a way to inspire other women.
For Scott, what started out as a hobby to lose weight and stay in shape has become a business. She left her career in publishing to move forward with Women’s World of Boxing and it’s going well. Looking at her physical condition now you’d think she was born boxing but she didn’t start until adulthood, and that is why I felt it was important to share her story. She graciously explains how she got involved in boxing and why she encourages women to give it a try.
How did you fall in love with boxing?
That is an interesting question! How does anyone fall in love with something or someone and at what point do you realize and accept that it is in fact love? My first recollections of love and boxing are of the way boxing made me feel. I was 215lbs, overweight, over my career and over not feeling passionate about anything.
When I started training ten years ago there were very few women in the gym. It was the typical old school, “man’s world” of a boxing gym and just walking in was a challenge on most days. Between the trainers unwillingness to train women and the male clientele uncomfortable training with women, it wasn’t the most welcoming environment. It made training even harder so there was no love there. It was getting through everything that made it hard, overcoming the hard combined with feelings of accomplishment and eagerness to go back and train harder the next day is when I realized I was in love with boxing.
At what point did boxing become less about weight loss and more about maintaining it as an everyday lifestyle?
Being overweight my entire life, everything was about my weight and size. I was always “healthy” until I wasn’t. I was 30 and my doctor informed me that I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure and was at risk for diabetes and heart disease. I had just started boxing so I figured I would train, weigh in, track my progress and check back in with my doctor in 6 months.
The funny part about that tracking process was after training for hours every night at the gym I was too exhausted to track or weigh anything! Boxing requires so much discipline and focus that for the first time my focus was not on my weight or my size. It was on training, what I was learning and discovering all the things that my body was capable of.
When it came to my diet, foods that I had previously considered comfort foods or reward foods were replaced with thoughts of all that hard work I had put in the gym. I no longer wanted to reward myself with things that weren’t good for me and I found comfort in feeling my mind, body and spirit grow stronger. So I would say the lifestyle shift would be when I stopped saying, “I can’t have that, I’m dieting” to “I no longer want that because it’s not good for me and I choose better because I want and deserve better for myself.”
What’s your diet like these days and why does it work for you?
I maintain a low-carb, high protein, gluten free as possible and meatless diet. It works for me because it fuels my body instead of leaving me with feelings of being weighed down.
What is Women’s World of Boxing and what lead you to want to share your passion with other women?
When I started boxing, a week would not go by that one of the guys at the gym would say to me, “this is a man’s world and you have no business here.” I told them I had no interest in being apart or disrupting their world, I simply planned on creating my own which is how I came up with Women’s World of Boxing. I wanted something that didn’t exist. A welcoming, safe environment where young girls and women can come to learn how to box and train hassle-free surrounded by a community of supportive and inspiring women.
What do you know now about women and boxing that you didn’t know then?
That women follow the sport and probably know more about boxing than the average guy.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned about yourself going from working a nine-five to a full time fitness entrepreneur?
I’ve learned the importance of time management, maintaining a balance, connecting and networking with other fitness entrepreneurs, and reaching new prospects. When you work for someone else, even if you hate your job or employer, there is comfort there knowing that as long as you show up and do your job, you will see a paycheck in two weeks. I’ve learned to find comfort in creativity and uncertainty. There is no nine-five when you work for yourself, there is just now and yes.
Give me three reasons women should consider boxing.
Reason #1: It releases stress.
Reason #2: You will apologize less.
Reason #3. They will discover strength they never imagined they had.
What are your goals and intentions for this year in terms of career and life in general?
I intend making history opening Women’s World of Boxing independently in 2014 by being the first woman-owned, women-only boxing gym in NYC. I intend on franchising WWB nationwide and manufacturing boxing apparel and gear for women of all sizes. I intend starting a WWB Girl’s Club and summer camp to focus on empowering girls through the sport of boxing, and host related health, fitness and mentoring events. So I guess in terms of both life and career goals, my intention is to share my life/boxing experiences with the hopes of making a difference.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I encourage women to try it. If it’s for you, you will know it and if it isn’t at least you will know that it isn’t.
Visit WomensWorldofBoxing.com for more information.