Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Gschwind.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story is about our non-profit HeadStrong Girls’ Boxing! I had always wished to one day create a way for young girls to receive free boxing training in an environment that is emotionally and physically safe, supportive, conducive to personal growth, and that provides strong female role models.
While growing up in Germany, I had an overabundance of energy and found myself seemingly always getting into trouble. My parents did their best, but weren’t in tune with my need for an athletic outlet and were not in a position to afford it. So, I literally just ran and biked everywhere (really fast!!!).
These experiences from my childhood echoed into my adult mind for many decades. And while fighting as an amateur boxer, teaching martial arts, coaching boxing, and raising my own two children, my yet-to-be-realized dream of creating something even more meaningful for young girls – which had been a missing part of my youth – remained in my heart.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I found COVID to bring with it an opportunity for me to reevaluate what I was doing and where I was going. My all-women’s boxing gym had been a great success but still wasn’t able to reach the girls who would most benefit from boxing training – the location of the gym was in an area of town that was too affluent and had to charge higher prices in order to make the business work.
In the spring of 2020, our city required all gyms and health clubs to temporarily close due to the pandemic. With several trainers on staff but limited online classes for them to teach, this was a perfect opportunity to ask my employees to help me realize my vision of creating a place for young girls to box – a place where money would no longer be a barrier.
One of my trainers, Coach Alex Plichta, quickly became a major force behind ensuring this idea would become a reality. From filing all the required documents to creating our five-member board, she is now the President of our non-profit HeadStrong Girl’s Boxing.
Neither one of us had worked in a non-profit organization before, let alone formed one. Through a lot of trial and error, networking, researching and a lot of help from volunteers, we now have just completed our first round of pilot boxing programs in a local recreation center and inside an all-girls middle school with rave reviews. We have instructed over a dozen young boxers, trained six volunteer instructors, have a dedicated base of volunteers and a five-member board. What we’ve created is a small start of something that will grow multifold over time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Our mission is to provide free access to boxing that helps girls build confidence one punch at a time. We coach middle and high school girls ages 12-18 looking for a healthy outlet to blow off steam, manage their stress and be part of a supportive and powerful community. Our program provides a place for girls who might not normally participate in team sports or regular exercise as a way to get physically fit and be a part of a community in a safe, unique and fun environment.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from this process is the power of having a vision – it became a reality because of a community of women dedicated to helping the next generation of girls. Together, we change the world.
Pricing:
- Free
Contact Info:
- Website: www.headstronggirlsboxing.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hsgbaustin/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hsgbaustin
Image Credits
Britt Baysinger
