“Self Portrait” by Katie McDowell (18), New Orleans Center for Creative Arts "An Old Man in Military Costume" by Simone Wuttke (18), Dartmouth College (recent Benjamin Franklin High School graduate) "This oil on canvas painting is inspired by Rembrandt's 'An Old...
I have sat with anger ingrained in my ribs night after night. I know the five stages of grief. Why am I so stuck on anger? Denial was the first one. It hit when I stood in front of my fridge all alone in my house with my knees wobbling, staring at the screen on my...
Partner Yoga Poses by Laurie Azzano of Lolo’s Youth StudioYaaaas, finally! Hello, summer! Inhale deadlines. Exhale freedom. If you’re like most, summer represents one big sigh of relief. No more early morning alarm clocks, homework, tests, school drama, or crazy,...
Makes 20-24 brownies (depending on how big you slice them) BAKE TIME: 30 minutesIngredients 6 eggs 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups brown sugar 1 cup white sugar 2 sticks butter 1/2 cup Crisco shortening 1 1/2 cups baking cocoa powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoons...
If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, or any form of mental distress, reach out to someone right away who can be there for you. Professional help is always an option when your psychological well-being is at risk. There is zero shame in...
Teen-Friendly NOLA ClinicsClinics that serve adolescents usually focus on the reproductive health needs of adolescents and young adults but may also provide primary care services. The ages served vary depending on the clinic, but they usually include preteens (11 or...
Have you ever wondered how you can apply astrology to your everyday life but don’t know where to start? Astrology can be very complex and sometimes overwhelming to interpret, so I have compiled a quick guide to help you consciously incorporate daily practices to...
Did you know clothing isn’t biodegradable?That means it doesn’t decompose once it’s dumped in the trash—it just sits in a landfill and creates nasty greenhouse gases in our environment. “We have to think longer and harder about the clothing we wear, where it came...
New Orleanians love their glitter, and, more than ever, we all deserve a little extra sparkle in our lives. Addie Ellis of the local biodegradable glitter company Glitter Nymph shared with us how to make shimmery oil that is good for your skin and nature. Since you...
I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea What it’s about: Laure will do anything to prove a Black girl can be a star in the cutthroat world of Parisian ballet, even make a deal with a primordial power she finds in a pulsating river of blood in the...
Are you looking for inspiring ways to volunteer in the local community while fulfilling your school’s service hour requirements? We’ve talked to some great organizations in the area that rely on volunteers to help their wonderful programs run. Learn more about each...
Imagine that you just found out you are pregnant. For some young people, this may be exciting news; for others, it is not. Questions swirl: How can I take care of a baby and finish school? How can I afford to be a parent if I don’t finish school? How will my parents...
Lucy Scholz is my “shero” because she ran 300 miles from Los Angeles, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of The Speed Project. That’s roughly like running to Houston, Texas, or Seaside, Florida, from New Orleans! Not only did she win the 2023 competition and...
Careers in Skilled Trades With the cost of college continuing to rise, skilled trade careers are a great alternative pathway to stable, well-paying work and upward social mobility. Many trade workers provide essential services and help build and maintain important...
University of California San Diego
Bachelor of Science in Political Science
I am from a small town in Northern California (Galt) and went to school in San Diego before moving to New Orleans in 2011. After moving here, I taught high school chemistry and math for nine years. Although I now work in boxing full time, I do miss teaching every day. Another fun fact about me: I am currently expecting my first child, a baby girl!
I began boxing as a sport when I was teaching high school here in New Orleans, and instantly fell in love. While I was training at New Orleans Boxing Club (NOBC), I began to work towards my own training certification so that I could become a trainer. At the time, NOBC was running a nonprofit that held an afterschool program for at-risk youth. They needed assistance running the program and asked me to help as I had extensive experience in both the nonprofit and education world. I ended up becoming the board chair of the nonprofit, New Orleans Boxing Institute. We partnered with both the juvenile court system and Success Prep Academy to bring in students to train and be mentored after school.
During this time, I also became certified as a boxing trainer and began training clients before and after my regular teaching hours. At the same time, the gym was also beginning to transition their amateur boxers to the professional realm. I soon became a partial owner of NOBC, left teaching, and started our professional boxing management company with my two business partners to help move local New Orleans fighters through the professional boxing scene.
Although boxing was not in my original life plan, it has become my passion. When people ask what I do for a living, it is often hard to explain. The best way to say it is: “I work in boxing!”
If I wasn’t working in boxing, I would probably still be working in public education as a math teacher or in math curriculum development. But looking back, I absolutely would not change anything about my career path.
I typically wake up early and get to the gym around 6:30 a.m. I have my first client at 7 and one every hour until noon. Sometimes I can fit in a workout, but way less often than I’d like (good thing my job itself is physically taxing)! Then I go home to eat lunch and complete operational tasks for the gym on my computer. I return to the gym at 3 p.m. to train my evening clients. I typically train clients until 7 or 8 p.m. before I go home to spend another two to three hours on my management duties—lots of phone calls, texting, trip planning, and organizing/preparing for upcoming fights.
To become a boxing coach or manager, you need to spend a lot of time around the sport. Boxing is much more “old school” and male-dominated than other sports, so it takes a bit longer to earn the respect of your peers. Having a good mentor is key, and I was lucky enough to have the best. My coach and business partner, Chase, has spent his whole life in boxing and was a great person to learn from. There are several certification paths you can take to become a coach, but I am certified for personal training through USA Boxing and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Patience is key, but the most important skill you need to have as a boxing coach is flexibility. Nothing goes as planned in boxing and adjustments often need to be made in a split second, so you cannot get too committed to one plan or outcome.
Sometimes it’s very stressful to have things change on a minute-by-minute basis, especially for someone who is a “planner” like me. But I’m getting used to it!
I love that I get to choose what I do every day. I’m my own boss. I get to work on whatever projects make me excited to get up in the morning. Working in boxing has also been very rewarding for me because I get to nurture and support fighters so they can travel around the country and the world and showcase their talents. It is my job to provide the financial and professional support to ensure they have the best opportunities in front of them. I am their advocate! As a result, we have fought all across the U.S., at Madison Square Garden, in Vegas, at the World Boxing Super Series, and for nationally televised fights. We have even fought in Mexico, Colombia, and Nicaragua.
It’s incredibly difficult, but I am lucky in that I get to work with all of my friends! We are truly like a family here at New Orleans Boxing Club.
That my job only involves personal training or physical skills. We do something new every day! Also, the sport is very male-dominated, but some of the best minds in boxing management are women!
When it comes to boxing, you have to know your worth and always be assertive; otherwise, it is easy to get taken advantage of. The best way to earn respect of the men working around you is to demand it.
Go for it! The best thing about this career is that YOU have ultimate control of what
you do, who you work with, and HOW MUCH YOU GET PAID! You are in control of
everything.
Louisiana Tech University
Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education
I’m from Pineland, Texas, and am the youngest of six children. Fun fact about myself: There is more to me than just the game of basketball. I enjoy allowing my life to be impactful through the lives of other people. It’s fun for me to share my experiences to help other people. I would love to travel across the world—from country to country, from school to school, from kid to kid—and try to be as motivating as I can be in young people’s lives.
Coming from a family of athletes, I started playing sports at a very, very young age. I played every sport and probably did everything that girls were not supposed to do. It all started for me with playing every sport with guys and having an incredible coach in Aretha Swindale when I was in high school. Then I got an opportunity to play for Louisiana Tech, my university, under coach Leon Barmore. After graduating, I played on Olympic women’s basketball teams and went overseas for many years. Then the WNBA came into existence in 1997. I got a chance to play in New York City for the New York Liberty with eight teams in the WNBA. From there, the journey started to really explode. I had been offered a great opportunity overseas, but once I was able to play in the WNBA, my life took place in New York City, playing the game and, once again, visiting many schools to try to be impactful in the lives of our young people.
I always thought I would be coaching basketball. Playing the position that I played (point guard), you have to be the extension of your head coach. So, you kind of know the direction you want to go. I knew that I wanted to continue to be a part of the game once I was done playing. The way to do that was to be on the coaching side, which is the side that I like the most because it’s about teaching. Teaching and giving back in this game is a lot of fun. The most exciting part is when you see the results of the people you’re teaching.
My mom used to ask me this a lot. She would say, “Alright, what would you be doing if you weren’t playing the game of basketball?” When I was younger, I enjoyed acting a lot. I had a few opportunities in acting, but I realized that I was acting all the time. To this day, I like to get into acting mode.
As a coach, when I’m “in season,” I’m all about my job. I’m all in. Preparing for the day, preparing for the details that must be put out for our young guys to understand. I’m always thinking and always trying to grow. I’m all about the game during the season, but when I do have a little bit of me time, it’s all about my family. They are me and I am them, so I want to spend the majority of my time with my family when I’m not engulfed in the game of basketball.
The biggest qualifications for being a basketball coach are loving the game and wanting to help other people. Having played the game at a professional level helps, but if you love basketball and have a desire to help others, you can be a great coach.
You need to be patient, creative, innovative, and motivated. Those things are very important, and then having the ability to take your players from where they are now to where you know they can be.
I don’t dwell on challenges. No one can stop me from what is destined for me, and that is my mentality and my approach. I wouldn’t take away the tough pieces that happened in my life—the bumps, the bruises, the struggles, not even the most difficult times I had. I wouldn’t take any of that away because those things helped me grow and understand who I am and where I wanted to go. Knowing the hits that I can take, I can now bounce off and find that journey no matter what happens. Even when I was knocked off my path, it was easy to find my way back because, in my mind, no one could stop me from getting to where I wanted to be. I would not change one thing about what has happened in my career.
Being a part of the players’ lives, preparing for the game, and then competing at a very high level is fun. Whether as a player or a coach, it’s an amazing thing to prepare and then go and compete. You have to get the players ready to compete, but as a coach, you’re competing as well—strategically.
You know what you’re doing, you know what you’re here for, you know what you signed up for, so you know how to balance those things.
A common misconception about being a coach in the NBA is that you have to have played professionally first. I’ve met many coaches who didn’t play basketball past elementary school but embraced the game from a different perspective. These different thoughts, backgrounds, and viewpoints lead to discussions that can really help a team and coaching staff.
In basketball, what you do is take your rightful place and just hold your position and know what you bring to the table every day. It’s a matter of remaining confident in who you are. It doesn’t matter who is surrounding you; you still have to do your job. Male or female, you have to walk in and do your job at a very high level.
You’ve got to know what you want. And whatever it is, you have to understand the work and the effort and the energy that you need to put in. You can’t just walk into it and think it’s going to be given to you. You have to earn what you want. Earn your keep by knowing exactly what you want and going out and giving everything—every bit of energy you have.
Photo credit: NBA Photos/Getty Images
Want to show other NOLA girls your talents and submit your writing or visual art?
Have questions or want to share content ideas with us?
Contact us to support your business or project (and Geaux Girl!) by advertising with us.
