(AUG 21) One of the top European female boxers Cathy Brown, boxed from 1999 to September of 2006.   Since Brown retired from professional boxing, in 2007, due to neural damage in her neck, Cathy struggled with giving up something that she loved so much and had helped her build self-esteem, confidence and self worth hugely after being in an abusive relationship.

She became depressed and wasn’t able to go to any boxing shows or watch boxing for a while as she would get upset that it wasn’t her, especially that she didn’t finish her career how she wanted to. So, she studied and became a qualified Sports Psychologist and Cognitive Behaviour Therapist so she could understand more deeply the mental effects on what she was going through so she could help others who were struggling like she had been struggling.

Cathy also studied more thoroughly into Strength and Conditioning for sport as she felt she wasn’t given the best training advice when she was competing, so wanted to be able to give the best advice possible to all of her clients. She works strongly with clients who have issues with stress, anger, anxiety, depression and addictions combining exercise and therapy and has achieved amazing results. She currently works in a gym in central London teaching boxing, strength and conditioning, life coaching and has a small stable of white collar fighters.

She also works with The Mental Health Foundation, Refuge charity, LinkedIn and various other companies by doing public speaking for inspiration, motivation and helping people set SMART goals in their lives by using her experience and battle with sexism in the UK throughout her boxing career and her life encounters to encourage people to make positive changes. She also writes fitness and wellness articles for Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Women’s Fitness, Zest, Runners World and Esquire Magazines.

Cathy has recently started doing movement and psychological choreography in theatre on an opera production promoting the growing success of women’s boxing and women’s conductors working with the Arts Council of England but is looking to set up her own wellness retreat in the next few years to build a perfect mental and physical escape. www.cathybrown.co.uk

"You don't always get what you wish for, but you always get what you work hard for" – Cathy Brown