Breaking Stereotypes: Female Leadership at Geelong Boxing Club

Running Geelong Boxing Club has been the work of my life for almost a decade. I’ve built, operated, and shaped this business with my whole being yet, as a woman in this space, I still face outdated assumptions every day.

Emails signed off with both our names, mine listed first, get replied to with “Hi Steve.” I stand inside the four walls of the very business I created, and people casually ask, “So, do you work too?” As if I’m simply the admin. As if I’m “the wife helping out.”

But here’s the truth: I am not the help. I am the founder, the operator, the strategist, the mentor, and the woman who has fought to create a boxing gym that changes lives across Geelong.

Beyond the Gloves: Education and Evidence

I even went back to university to complete postgraduate studies in child and adolescent mental health so I could fortify the programs we offer here. Our work isn’t just about boxing drills, it’s about delivering evidence-based, trauma-informed support that builds resilience, confidence, and emotional regulation in young people.

That investment in education, in research, and in creating programs that genuinely serve Geelong’s youth often gets overlooked, but it’s the foundation of why our programs work.

Misogyny Still Exists in Sport and Business

This isn’t unique to me. Female leaders in male-dominated industries often have their expertise minimised or questioned. In sport,  and especially in boxing,  assumptions run deep: that the man is the authority, and the woman is the assistant.

But at Geelong Boxing Club, I refuse to play small. My leadership here is not an afterthought. It is the heartbeat of what we do.

Partnership, Not Competition

And let me be absolutely clear: this is no criticism of my husband. Steve is my business partner, my best friend, and my greatest ally. He advocates for my role constantly, and he is the first to set people straight when they diminish my place in this business.

Our partnership works because it is truly equal. We each bring unique strengths, and together we’ve built a boxing club that doesn’t just train fighters, it develops leaders.

Why Female Leadership Matters in Youth Programs

Geelong’s youth need strong role models. The boys we work with must see women leading boldly so they grow into men who respect women as equals. The girls who train here need to know their voice, strength, and leadership are just as necessary.

That’s why I lead loudly. Not quietly. Not humbly. But boldly, in full rebellion against any mindset that places me in the background.

Because this gym is not “Steve’s with Lena helping.” This is our gym. And my leadership here is essential for the community we serve, for the youth we empower, and for the example we set.