International Women's Day: IG LIVE with BoxUnion and Title Boxing Club

Transcription

Felicia Alexander  0:00  

What does it mean to be a catalyst? And how did that come about?

Kwanza Jones  0:03  

One of our very first meetings, what did we do? We took a walk. We didn't sit down, it wasn't about sitting and getting to know each other. It was about action, action, action. That's what SUPERCHARGED® is. That's what being a catalyst is. That's what Title does. It's what BoxUnion does. It's that action and it’s that energy behind it. And really, at the end of the day, when I think about SUPERCHARGED, think about the definition of it. The definition of SUPERCHARGED is to supply with extra energy and extra power. And think about this, what is that? That's like the power behind the punch. And I could even do the kick if I got my leg up here. But I may fall backwards, so I’m gonna hold on for just a minute. 

 

But that energy and that power is really what... When I call myself a catalyst, when other people call me a catalyst, and when I say I'm SUPERCHARGED, I always end it  with “and you are too”. At the end of the day, being a catalyst helps people realize that they are too. But sometimes, sometimes you need a boost. And sometimes, you need something that is going to push you beyond what is comfortable for you. You need someone who is going to push you beyond what is comfortable for you. 

 

And that's what I love about everything that BoxUnion is doing, everything that Title Boxing Club is doing, both separately, and then now together. Oh my gosh! It's like, when you think about, Kwanza Jones and there are a couple, Felicia mentioned a couple of things that I do. One of them is SUPERCHARGED by Kwanza Jones. And so that's about giving people boost, and helping them power up and be better each and every day, holding each other accountable. So it's a community that is there to, whatever your goal is, whatever it is you want, we get together, we hold you accountable. You need five minutes to go be accountable? You come and you say “hey, Boost Friend, we need to be accountable”. So here's Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano initiative. 

 

There are four pillars, and why this is so critical for Women's History Month and for International Women's Day. So shout out to all you beautiful women or women plus too. Please, understand that our power, we know it. Others don't always understand it, we always know it and it's there. But the pillars of KJJF, the Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano initiative, it’s Equity. 

 

Let's talk about equity for a minute. How often are women often underestimated, underrepresented, not seen? Certainly not seen in positions of power. Certainly not seen as people who are able to then make a massive, huge difference. So, equity. Then we talk about entrepreneurship. Well, what does Title Boxing Club have? Title Boxing Club has lots of franchisees, lots of entrepreneurs. What does BoxUnion have? Well, BoxUnion has Felicia Alexander, ladies and gentlemen, right here, right now!

 

And so when you want to talk about someone who is an entrepreneur, someone who certainly fits the bill in terms of equity, as well as Empowerment, that's one of the other pillars. And then the final one is Education. When I think about boxing, when I think about everything that BoxUnion has done, when I think about everything that Title Boxing Club has done, you're educating people to be better every single day. You're educating them to let them know that, hey, you can take a punch at whatever life throws your way. And that you can keep moving forward. 

 

So that is why, me as a catalyst, and helping to boost others to be better, whether it is a money boost, because I'm an investor, and maybe you just need an influx of capital. Or maybe you need a partner, whether it is a motivation boost, because maybe you just need that word sometimes. Maybe you just need something to say, “hey, you're SUPERCHARGED, don't doubt it. Just believe it. You have what it takes, so turn it up”. And we want you to turn it up when you're behind that bag. And we also want you to turn it up even if it's not behind the bag, because BoxUnion digital and Title Boxing Club has the digital aspect. So that's what being a catalyst is. That's what being SUPERCHARGED is and that's what supplying with extra energy is. And that is just quite frankly, at the end of the day, it's about elevating everything.

 

Felicia Alexander  4:21

I love when you talk about, you know, accountability. Sometimes you just, you know, need that person or that push. One of the things that I always love is being inside the studio whether it's at one of the Title Boxing Clubs that I've been to or at BoxUnion. You know, the coaches so intimately know the people who come. And it's like that call out of like, you know, “hey, Felicia, I haven't seen you for a few days”, like “where have you been and what have you been doing?” I think we all can use, you know, people and things in our life to help push us and keep us on track. 

 

We at BoxUnion Holdings, which is the parent company, Title Boxing Club and BoxUnion are super lucky to call Kwanza and Jose partners of ours. We've been recipient of some, you know, economic boosts for them to be able to take the business and grow it to the next level. And you know, more than that, just to always have, you know, two tremendous people to have, you know, on our board advising us as we, you know, navigate and grow. So, thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

Kwanza Jones  5:24

Of course, of course.

 

Felicia Alexander  5:26

You have energy. I talked about that. Like, you have this unbelievable, you know, abundance of energy. You're one of the most positive motivational people that I know. Where does this come from? Is it a muscle that you've had to develop over time? And what advice would you give to people who may simply be like feeling a little bit down or stuck? We're approaching one year of, you know, this whole situation? 

 

Kwanza Jones 5:56

Yeah. I love it! This whole situation here, I guess doesn't even have a name right now. It's just a situation. So a couple things, I think it's a muscle that you build. And the way you build it, first place, is with gratitude. You build it always with gratitude because, I always say, I live and operate always from a place of gratitude. And when you do that, it means no matter what is going on, this situation that we have been in, almost a year, no matter what, there's still something you can be thankful for. And maybe that thankful thing is, “I'm thankful that I have to wear a mask, whether I want to wear it or not”. “I'm thankful that I'm still able to be here and to make it day after day”, I'm thankful that I can go to a class”. “I'm thankful that I can move my body” or, if I can't move my full body, maybe I can move just a little bit of it, maybe it's just a finger today, that's all I can do. 

 

So that's where, for me, that energy comes from, is gratitude. Always. And then the next place where it comes from is, how do you visualize yourself being better than yourself? Not just better than yourself throughout the lifetime, but better than you were the day before? Because that is exciting. Like, how can I be better than I was just yesterday? I don't have to be what I know I'm going to be, I don't have to worry about all of the obstacles that are going to come. But if I can focus on one thing that I want to be better at, from yesterday to today, that gets you excited, that gets your mind, right. And if your mind is right, you can get the rest of you to follow. 

 

And I’d say the final thing is to move! That gets me energetic, it gets me excited. So if you are seated, and I'm seated, but I’d get up so wooh! Oh! Alright! Oops! Didn't mean to give the whole way!

 

If you're standing, sit down, because what that does is it changes your perspective. And when you have a way to change your perspective, because sometimes energy is just a matter of seeing things a little bit differently. Sometimes when you're stuck in a rut, and you just don't know how you're going to move forward, you just need to see things differently. And how can you see it differently? The stand up, sit down. That's a practice you can follow. If you're looking this way, turn around and look to that way. That's a practice you can follow. 

 

The bonus one is literally, I always think I'm always energized because I treat each day, as if it's filled with wonder, and with awe. And I'm trying to see and understand, how can I approach this day as if it's completely something new? How do I go and approach this day, as if it's through the eyes of a child? Because, think about how children look at the world. Think about how children take on any new challenge. You learn to be afraid. You're not born afraid, you learn that. You learn to be you know, many ways you learn to be down. Not alway, now, for some we know of course, because mental health, mental well being is so important. But some of those things that you can just constantly build that muscle of gratitude, build that muscle of movement, build that muscle of perspective, build that muscle of excitement for lifelong learning. That's where the energy comes from.

 

Felicia Alexander 9:23

A couple of things that you said really resonated with me. And one is, I think, just like, looking at yesterday, and thinking, how can I be just a little bit better than I was yesterday? Because often, people we know by, you know, February, have fallen off of their new year's resolution. I think we often have, you know, big highs and big goals, but we don't really think about like, what are bite size approaches that we can take to make what it is that we're trying to do sustainable. So I love that framework of just taking yesterday, yesterday and marginally improving upon it.

 

Kwanza Jones 10:02

All your marginal nominal improvements lead up to big massive changes. So many people try to take a massive bite out of what it is that they want to do. And they forget that consistency over time is going to get you to where you want to be and what you want to do, as opposed to, let me just dive right in. Think about it. Think about the weekend warriors where you're like, okay, I'm gonna go do this workout. Okay, then I'm not gonna do anything again for another month or on a weekend. And then you expect results and it doesn't come. As opposed to, you're building the habit, you're building the routine, you're building the muscle and you're building, you being better on a daily basis, leads to you being better overall, throughout your entire lifetime.

 

Felicia Alexander 10:46

People often though, cite lack of time as reasons why they can't do certain things.

 

Kwanza Jones 10:53

Yeah.

 

Felicia Alexander 10:54

Yeah. You have all those titles that I rattled off in the beginning. So, I assume you cleared out a way to have more hours in the day or you know, there's something else that you've been able to do to be able to fit in all the things that are important to you and matter to you. Can you help share some of the tips that work for you?

 

Kwanza Jones 11:18  

I'll say two things. One is, I have been very, very blessed that I don't require that much sleep. And I look at some of my siblings. And I looked at my parents and one of my parents is like, “oh, I need my seven, eight hours consistently”. And my other parent says, okay, no, I may get three, four hours, and I'm good. So I think for different people, it's a different set point. And I always say, know your body, listen to it. When you need more downtime, take that time, when you're fine, it's okay, go with it. You don't want to be sleep deprived over a lifetime. That is a recipe for not good for you. However, you know you and I always say, know you best and know you, always. 

 

So some of the things that I do is, I also think about, how do I do little things that can gain me more time in a day? Now, for those who have seen my IG page, you will see there's a poster there where; I may have to do it again. Now everybody hold on to your horses, here we go. So here we go. Hey, alright, I don't think you're ready for this. But you might be, I was. What?! Guess what that was? Do I sleep? Yes, Chris a little bit I do. This is a time saver. That's how I do it, why? I find ways to batch things and make the most of the time. So if I know, if I'm having to do my hair and not just have the purple hair. So for those who like the purple, you too can have it, you can. Literally, if this takes me three minutes to do, as opposed to 30 minutes to go blow my hair out, or else wash it, and it's very curly when I wash and just go and put all the product in. That's 30 minutes. This is like 30 seconds. That means I get 29 minutes and 30 seconds back into my day. Now think about what you could do with that extra 29 minutes and 30 seconds. You could be doing something that's gonna push you forward. 

 

Apple, Steve Jobs. Everyone talked about the turtleneck that he wore and the jeans that he wore. Why? Because then he didn't have to expend the mental energy. I mean, you think about time, time is also not just literally the time to do things, it's the time to think about things too. So he didn't expend that mental energy. And they would always talk about Zuckerberg and his t-shirts. That's what this is, for me. It's a time saver. So for other people, maybe it's, I've got to prep what I'm going to eat. If I have to think every single day about what I'm going to eat, that's going to take a lot of time. If instead, I do it, not only from a meal prep perspective, because it makes you eat healthier and be more conscious about what you're eating, but from literally a time perspective. I'm going to spend one day a week and I'm going to set out exactly what I am going to eat, what I am going to wear, the things that I'm going to focus on. That's how I gain more time. It is really just trying to think of productivity hacks and tips and tricks and, and testing a lot of testing, a lot of trial and error. 

 

My dad always said this, write it down. Because then, when you write it down, and in this instance, you can write it down digitally, you can write it down. What I do, and I don't even have my phone on me because I'm on here with it, but you can write it down with a voice note or, you can write it down text message, you can do the transcribe. Because then you don't have to think about, it's like taking it back to that mental energy, that mental expenditure of time and time is a commodity. It's commodity that is very limited. It's very valuable. But time is that. Time and attention for that. So let's think about it. Write those things down. All you have to do is remember, where did I write it down? And then know, you can always go back to there. 

 

It's also about the foundation. Because in this instance, when I took off the hair, and I took off the head, underneath it all, it was a strong foundation. Underneath it all, I had my hair braided and the braids were there. And it's not only protecting my hair, but it's knowing who you are, whatever it is that may be, always accepting yourself for who you are, but then still knowing you can go and do and be anything however you want to be, however you want to be. But you’ve got to start it with that strong, strong foundation.

 

Felicia Alexander 15:35

And then it gets back to SUPERCHARGED. Then have you just share with us. Why did you start it?

 

Kwanza Jones 15:42

I had a song that is called, guess what? SUPERCHARGED! And really, with SUPERCHARGED and the lyrics of that go, “I'm a gladiator in a thong”. So, given that it is a Women's History Month, and International Women's Day, I'm not just a gladiator. I'm a gladiator in a thong. And what that means, is I am here to show up, to fight for me, to fight for others to do the things that need to be done. To push through. And I wrote something recently that said, you know, all I really want to do is just live a life of joy, a life of love, a life of peace, and help some people along the way while I'm doing it. And so the song, “I am Su Su SUPERCHARGED, let's get”; let's, meaning inviting people to join me on this SUPERCHARGED journey. And then “gettin’ you”, because here I'm helping and hoping that I will be supplying you with that extra energy and power, that boost when you need it. 

 

So it started with the song. And from the song, what I always knew was music is so critical, and it is so essential, and so foundational. Music people oftentimes, they'll listen to it. And yes, you're like, okay, I like this tune, I like what's going on, but they don't always hear it. And at times, what happens is, when you're not really intentional and conscious about what you are consuming, and what you are exposing yourself to, and that includes music, too. I know how supercharged started because I'm like, uh, I don't like this. I don't feel like that, and no, I'm not that. Now I'm hearing this lyric and this word and this. And that's supposed to be something that's gonna make me feel good about me, especially women, and especially some of the songs in the music that were out there. It's like, oh, if you listen to all of it, think about it, you would have some mental health issues, because at the end of the day is telling you that you are not worthy, that you are not deserving. It's telling you that hey, look, all right. Well, you are there to be something for somebody else, but nothing for you. And I'm just like, Oh, no, no, no, no, no. That doesn't work for me. I am SUPERCHARGED, and you are too. 

 

So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to make sure that the music is there. And that was foundational. But it was never the only thing. It was saying how can you create a soundtrack for your life and instructions, a soundtrack for situations that you may be in? I have a song that was called flawless. So if you know that you needed to go in and interview for something and you're like, I need to kill it. I want to go in and feel good. I'm going to be flawless. You play that flawless song and you go in and you kill it. It's just like, that's what you do. 

 

So that's how SUPERCHARGED started. It always started, as music first, as media first, and then it expanded into so much more, which is saying, here's the accountability, there's the community of Boost Friends, where you boost each other to be better. It's not just what you can take. It's what you can give. 

 

And then on the investment side of things, it's just carrying that over into other ways saying, how can you be a boost? How can you help people with their businesses, whether it's once again an influx of capital, whether it is recognizing funds, or fund managers or individual companies like for example, BoxUnion, or the acquisition, BoxUnion and Title Boxing coming together to create something even better? That's SUPERCHARGED. 

 

You can text me. Now I'll get this message, but my phone I'm using right now, so I can't answer you right now. But if you texted me, so just take a screenshot everybody, you got it, then you'll be able to get the code. And if you don't want to text me then here, we'll do it this way. You can just shop the SUPERCHARGED collection. So take a screencap! 

 

I usually wear what I call statement gear. Like what is the statement that I am going to make today? I have a shirt and it says goal setter. And then it has a line through it and then it says getter. Because it's not just about setting the goals, it's about getting the goals. How do you get those goals? You're telling yourself that, and you're telling the world that too, which then means “hey, somebody sees you”, and they are able to even have a conversation like, “oh, you're getting goals? What is it? Maybe I can help you along the way”, because you never know where that boost is gonna come from. Or there's another one that says, it's a mindset. Why? Because everything starts with your mind. I'm going to flip this really quick, Felicia, because I know you were talking to me and I'm talking to you, how and what did you have to put in place in your mind to do two things, one to start BoxUnion and two, to even say “wait a minute, BoxUnion Title Boxing? This Title Boxing Club and BoxUnion, we can be better and stronger together”. What did you tell yourself? What was the mindset?

 

Felicia Alexander 20:43  

When Todd and I decided to leave our corporate roles, he had a really successful, long career in investment banking. I came from the corporate sales and marketing world. And we told people that we were going to start a fitness boxing concept. People told us we were absolutely crazy. You know, what does a banker and a sales and marketing executive know about doing anything in the fitness industry? 

 

I think we told ourselves that we, beyond the shadow of a doubt, believed in what it was that we were going to do. And that there was an opportunity to introduce people to boxing, that would have never considered putting on a pair of gloves, previously. We knew that we could, you know, not only create better boxers, but we could create better people. We could provide this safe space that it didn't matter, your skill level, your age, your body type, that everybody would be welcome and that we could deliver. And I'm going to steal this from, you know, the Title family, you know, the best hour in your day. 

 

When it came to the opportunity to, you know, join forces with Title Boxing Club, we felt so passionate. Yes, somebody put a post on wow, you know, three studio in LA buying Title, you know, Boxing Club. We've wanted to scale for years. We started the brand with scale in mind and that we were starting in LA, but we were going to go across the world. And the timing happened to be right, the opportunity with Title Boxing presented itself. We were in a position where we had invested for our growth, and this was the best way to deploy that capital. So you know, we're super excited. But I think to your point, it's just all about, you know, that self-confidence, that belief in our opportunity to fundamentally change people's lives.

 

Kwanza Jones 22:41  

But that belief, that self-confidence, just as it is something that's possible to have, it's also easy to lose. Why? It’s because when life throws you those punches, sometimes you don't want to get back up. Sometimes if you do not have the support system, if you don't have your friends, if you don't have your family, if you don't have your colleagues, if you don't have what I call, it's a boost friend, it's like your close friend, and your trusted mentor rolled into one. If you don't have that, then you get that punch and you stay down, and you don't think you can get back up. So if you don't have the mindset to know that you can, if you don't have the belief, even when you don't know how to make the way forward, but you just know that you can make a way forward. That changes things so much. 

 

I've said it before, it’s partnerships. It is the power of partnerships. I always say no one succeeds alone. Sometimes you need a boost. And I could even say beyond sometimes all the time, you need to boost. There's no way you're getting through life alone. There's just absolutely, I mean, look at what we all have just endured over the past year. There is no way any of us could have made it alone. We couldn't have made it without our central workers, we couldn't have made it without our healthcare professionals, we could not have made it at all. And that's because we need each other. We couldn’t have made it and even in terms of some of our digital connections that we have. We were physically distant. We weren't socially distant, which is why although they use social distance, I'm like, but we're all still, and we're still going through this. But we're connected in this way. And that's what's so critical. Those power partnerships. 

 

So please, everybody always make sure. And even though it's Women's History Month, and it's International Women's Day, and I don't want to diminish that in any way, I still want to make sure that people know, it's not just always about partnering with people who look like you, who sound like you, who do the same things that you do. You're able to be better and stronger together when you go beyond just the things that you know, and you start looking at it. Felicia, you just said okay, what is a sales and marketing executive, and an investment banker going to do starting a fitness brand? Well look at that combination. Because when I look at it and in terms of investing and being an investor in BoxUnion and Title Boxing Club, it was that powerful partnership. That was the reason because of it. It was seeing, and I'll call it out here, Felicia and a roomful of men handling it, doing what she needs to do, even though she may have been one of the few there. It's knowing that okay, they bring strengths, I bring strength too and we are stronger together. So everybody doesn't know. 

 

Yes, all the women, Women's History Month, International Women's Day, we are strong, we are powerful. I have a shirt that says strong enough, smart enough, bold enough. And there is a statement I wrote, and I wrote it for myself. But I shared it with my fans when I first wrote the SUPERCHARGED song. And I first performed it and it was one of the songs that was a hit on the Billboard charts, on the music charts, and amongst a number of other ones that I've had. And it's a supercharged statement and it says: 

You are SUPERCHARGED. Don't doubt it. Just believe it. You have what it takes. So turn it up. Even if things seem tough, carry on, tell yourself it's time to go then get up, get out and go. You are more than fierce, you are vicious, you are strong enough, you are smart enough, you are bold enough. Don't wait for permission, create your own way, be your own teacher in life. And in love. Challenges may come and your heart may bleed, but it won't break. You are shatterproof. Now, if you think of giving up, oh wait! Actually #stophate, love yourself and love others. Do your part to make a difference. If you think of giving up or giving in, think again, and stay SUPERCHARGED. 

 

So that's a statement I wrote for me. And I just shared it because it has been just a way that I have been able to motivate myself to stay SUPERCHARGED, to push through, even when things are tough. When I have that shirt that says strong enough, smart enough, bold enough, even if there are instances where you're like, uh, there's a little bit of doubt creeping in, no! You're strong enough, you're smart enough, you're bold enough. And oftentimes, women especially need to hear that. So I will say that because in certain contexts in certain places, there are times where you may not doubt yourself, others start doubting you, and then you start letting that seep into you. And that's why it goes back to that mindset. You're SUPERCHARGED! 

 

I sing and I write anthems of empowerment. It's what I do. They're anthems of empowerment. They helped me get through the day. They’re soundtracks, like soundtracks for my life, situational soundtracks, and it makes a difference like that. That gives me energy, that gives me power. It lets me just, keeps me motivated. 

 

Felicia Alexander 28:05  

Since it is International Women's Day. I'm wondering, is there a woman in your life that has inspired you or inspires you? And if so, can you tell us a little bit about this person?

 

Kwanza Jones  28:16  

Oh, wow, of course, every woman, every single woman, and I'll tell you why. And of course, I can say my mom, I can say my grandmother, I can say my aunts, I can say my sisters, and all of that is true. But I can say truly, truly it is every single woman. And when we think about or when I think about why in particular, it does not take much to really think about the history of not just the United States, but of the world. Let's think about that. The history even in the language that we use, “hey guys”! You see it on YouTube, you see it on IG. “Hey guys!” Now it's become a gender neutral term. But guys versus gals. Why is it guys, because guys have been writing the story. 

 

And then when you're looking at once again, “his story”. His! And then, let's take it back, “we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equally”. So let's think about that. So, when I think historically, how time and time and time and time again, systematically, women have been written out of history. And I'm not even going to say intentionally. I'm not even going to say that there is malicious or mal intent in terms of how it has been done. But I think it's one of those things, when you know better you do better. 

 

So it's so critical and important for all of us as women, or as people who love women. I look at this and I'm like, every single person who may be listening to us today, every person who may watch this later, a woman was responsible for you being here. A woman was responsible for you being here. So for you to ignore that fundamental fact, and for you not to understand how powerful, how necessary women are, fundamentally, in terms of the cycle of life and growth and creation, and elevation of the world. Oh, my goodness! You're missing something quite a bit if you don't get that. So that's why I say each and every woman, because we are a wonder and we are a wonder that is to behold and that is oftentimes underestimated, overlooked. And despite that, we keep pushing, despite that, we still make sure we're better, we're stronger. We do more because we can. So, each and every woman.

 

Felicia Alexander 31:01  

Thank you so much Kwanza. It is always such a treat to be able to spend any time with you. Thank you for dropping your knowledge and sharing your energy with us. 

 

Kwanza Jones  31:09  

Felicia, thank you so much and to all the BoxUnion fam, to all of the Title Boxing Club fam, to all of the SUPERCHARGED fam, to all of the Kwanza Jones fam and friends and everyone. Remember, you are SUPERCHARGED. Don't doubt it. Just believe it. 

 

I always say there's two things, your time and your attention, that you could spend any way you want to spend. And the fact that you spent time and attention with Felicia and I here, today, tonight, I'm just so thankful and I'm so fortunate. I'm so blessed. And I just want to say thank you. I would say who loves you? I do. Bye for now and stay SUPERCHARGED. 

 

I'll talk to you soon, Felicia