June 29, 2017

I AM MOGUL SUMMER BUSINESS SCHOOL: WEBOX

The countdown is on with only 43 days until our first I am Mogul Summer Business School for women on the 11th & 12th August in London! We have an action packed two day programme that will help women develop professionally and personally and become the Moguls that have been waiting to get fully unleashed.

We have a phenomenal line up of speakers and workshop facilitators for the two days to take your life and career to the next level. On the Saturday we have a special and fun Boxing and Yoga confidence and empowerment session with Coach Els and Lesley from Webox. We caught up with Coach Els to find out more about We-Box and what you can expect on the day.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your business partner and WeBox

My business partner Lesley Sackey competed for GB and England as a boxer until 2010. She fought along side Nicola Adams, Natasha Jonas and Savannah Marshall. In 2009 Lesley was a competitor on the BBC’s ‘Last Woman Standing’. She came second in the overall competition. Lesley set up a business; The Boxing Boutique (www.theboxingboutique.com). A female focused business designed to offer the authenticity of boxing training with a female friendly approach.

I (Els) spent 10 years in the corporate world of which 8 years were at Google. lived and operated for 25 years in several countries. I’ve lead projects, improved staff retention and business operations. My last job was as a senior marketing manager at an online advertising company. I got a burn out and I decided to take care of my health and start a new career as a BoxingYoga coach and a Boxing instructor.

Lesley and I met back in the summer of 2016 where we created a concept that empowers women at work and beyond by sharing our life story and providing the tools of boxing and yoga that helped us beyond the ‘boxing’ ring and yoga mat. WEBOX workshops is an interactive workshop that helps participants to start their journey to think, feel and perform like a champion. Our philosophy is BOX. BREATHE. BECOME and our ethos is I am I can I will.

What makes you passionate about supporting women in particular with their well-being and confidence? 

During the time Lesley was competing, it was still a very male dominated environment compared to the last few years where female boxing is being recognized and supported on a wider level. She had to train twice as hard and adapt herself to ‘fit’ and be accepted in the boxing world.

Why I am passionate about well-being and confidence is for 2 reasons

1) I want to help people to recognise the symptoms of burnout.

2) Confidence is simply a matter of self trust by understanding this you remove the fear and doubt that holds so many of us back.

The threat of burnout is real and immediate. A in-depth study from Talking Talent, confirmed that In the UK, three quarters (75%) of millennial professionals already feel worn out by the type of work and the environment in which they work in. As a millennial myself I experienced this and also felt I had to work twice as hard to be acknowledged than my male peers. The combination of the competitive environment and adapting my personality with the companies’ culture made me lose my self- confidence and led me into a burnout.

Through my journey of recovering and changing my career I believe that your authentic self and your presence is your power. When you feel powerful you are self-confident and you see opportunities instead of threats.

What are the benefits of practising yoga and boxing? 

Boxing and yoga have similarities in their benefits

-Being in the present moment. Boxers have to be in the present moment in order to react fast to their opponent. Yoga you have a lot of balancing sequences you need to be present to not fall over. By being present you create 100% focus on the task at hand.

-Resilience – In boxing you get hit you fall down you get up again. In yoga you keep pushing to your limits and you fall out of a pose you get back on again. It’s all about mental strength and overcoming challenges.

-Presence: Boxers work with their presence to scare their opponent and feel like a winner. For example by using a victory pose. Yoga we use powerful poses to create space in the body, to feel and look taller.

What makes a woman a MOGUL in your eyes? 

Moguls are champions for me. They use their personal power, learn from their defeat. They are resilient, they coach themselves and others on their journey and visualize their goals and achieve them even in the face of diversity.

What are some of the things that hold women back from being confident and empowered? 

Themselves: self doubt not thinking they are good enough. Comparing themselves to others By focusing on their weaknesses rather than on their strengths. You will lose the big picture of your goal. By using your strength you will ask yourself HOW can I do it instead of can I do it.

Empowerment: By motivating others you empower yourself. There is strength in numbers. For boxing and yoga you need to be your own coach and coach others to become stronger. That’s makes you powerful and feel empowered.

What would be your top 3 tips for women who want to make a change in their lifestyle but don’t know where to start.

–Going back to your foundation. What makes you feel powerful? Who are you?

-Focus on the present. Being in the present helps you to see more opportunities than threats

-It’s a journey not a destination, learn from your defeats don’t use them as tools to beat yourself with. Move on and try again.

What can we expect from your session at our summer business school this Aug? 

We believe that a moving body can change your mind, presence and outcome. So get ready learn the basics of boxing and BoxingYoga! Have fun and be inspired by our life story. Start your journey to be your inner champion with the tools we provide you at our session.

We have a limited amount of special pay now and pay later deals for our summer business school where you can pay half your ticket now and the rest at the end of July. To book your space and see the whole programme click here