19/07/2026
Can I tell you a little bit about why I do what I do? 💜
If you'd met me a few years ago, I don't think you'd ever have imagined I'd end up teaching kickboxing.
The truth is, I never really felt like I belonged in sport. I certainly didn't think I'd belong in a combat sport.
When I first joined ELK, I'd just moved house, I didn't know many people, and if I'm honest, I was lonely. I wasn't looking for a new hobby nearly as much as I was looking for connection. I wanted to meet people, to find something that was mine, and to feel like I belonged somewhere.
Walking through the doors for that first class was daunting, for sure. I imagined I'd be the least fit person there and that I'd spend the whole hour feeling out of place. Instead, I was welcomed exactly as I was.
Two years later, I'm now lucky enough to be teaching classes myself. That still feels a little surreal sometimes.
But here's what hasn't changed.
I'm still me.
I'm still not the person you'd walk past in Tesco and immediately think, "She's definitely a kickboxer."
And do you know what?
None of that has ever mattered.
Nobody has ever expected me to look a certain way or be a certain type of person to belong here. I didn't have to become someone else before I was accepted. I just had to be willing to walk through the door.
I think that's why I care so much about creating a welcoming class. I know what it feels like to wonder if you'll fit in. I know what it's like to hope you'll find your people.
So if you've ever looked at one of my posts and thought, "That sounds lovely, but it's probably not for someone like me..."
I just wanted to tell you something.
I used to think exactly the same.
💜
