Voices of Leadership: Insights and Inspirations from Women Leaders

Fighting for More: Inspirational Stories of Life Inside and Outside the Ring with Mandy Bujold

• Bespoke Projects • Season 1 • Episode 5

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 In the latest episode of our podcast, we had the pleasure of interviewing Mandy Bujold, a Canadian boxer who has made a name for herself on the international stage. From her humble beginnings in Kitchener, Ontario, to her rise to fame as a two-time Pan American Games gold medalist, Mandy's story is one of perseverance and determination.

During the episode, Mandy shared her journey to becoming a professional boxer, which included overcoming numerous obstacles such as funding challenges and sexist attitudes within the sport. She also spoke about her experiences competing at the highest level and what it takes to be successful in such a demanding and physical sport.

Mandy is not only an accomplished athlete but also a dedicated mother and community advocate. She discussed how she balances her roles as a boxer and a mother and the importance of giving back to her community through her involvement with various charities and organizations.

Overall, our conversation with Mandy was inspiring and informative. She is a true role model for aspiring athletes and anyone who wants to achieve their dreams through hard work and determination. To learn more about Mandy and her journey, check out our latest episode.

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Champions for Charity
Mandy Bujold wins fight to compete in Tokyo Olympics
Grand Valley Construction Association

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Mandy:

And I'm not necessarily talking about like that big goal like the Olympics or anything like that. Like, for me it's, you know, you focus on the process and not the outcome. So you have kind of your big there's my outcome goal where I want to get to, but I can't focus on that day in and day out, right, because that's not going to do anything for me. Like, what are the small things that I can do today, what can I do tomorrow, what can I do the next day that are going to get me closer to that goal? And that's honestly where my focus always is.

Amy:

Welcome to Voices of Leadership, the podcast that shines a spotlight on the remarkable women of the International Women's Forum who are reshaping industries, defying norms and being instigators of change. I'm your host, amy, and I'm inviting you on a journey through the minds of Trailblazers. On today's episode, we welcome Mandy Buzhul. Mandy is a Canadian boxer who has gained worldwide recognition for her impressive accomplishments in the sport. She is an 11-time national champion, pan Am Games gold medalist and has represented Canada at the Olympic Games in Rio and Tokyo. Mandy shares her inspiring story and offers insights into what it takes to succeed in such a demanding sport. We also talk about the lifelong lessons she has learned through her sport and how they apply to her life today. Mandy has been named KW's citizen of the year for her outstanding contribution to the community and founded a black tie charity boxing event called Champions for Charity, which will take place this April.

Amy:

Hi, mandy, welcome. Thanks for having me. I am so excited for our conversation today. For me personally, to have a chance to talk with an Olympian is incredible. I love the Olympics and it's my favorite sport actually, and it's actually how I learn about sports like boxing that I don't know a lot about. So thank you so much for being here. Thanks for having me. So I'm going to start with an Olympic question, or an international question, I guess. What does it feel like to represent Canada at the international level, be it the Pan Am Games or the Olympics?

Mandy:

There's this huge sense of pride. I would say you know how hard you work in the lead up to those events and to get in those positions, so when you're there it is pretty amazing. And I know recently someone did ask me what does it feel like to walk into the stadium? And it's honestly, it's hard to put kind of words and thoughts around like that feeling because it is emotional. Right, it's a lot of hard work that goes into that and that's kind of the pinnacle of any athlete's career, so it's exciting.

Amy:

So I'd like to know more about who introduced you to boxing. But I'm also wondering, since you are the first woman to accomplish quite a bit in the sport, was it a male-dominated environment when you started?

Mandy:

It was for sure, when I first walked into the boxing gym, there were not a lot of women there, but there was one that I remember very clearly. Her name was Donna and she was in the gym. She was strong, she was actually like one of the pioneers in the sport for women and went to the very first World Championship. She did a lot of the very first of a lot of things, and so I remember seeing her and thinking like, oh my God, she's amazing. As a 16-year-old girl, I want to be that girl. Right, she's tough, she's strong, and she was honestly someone that I looked up to and was like, wow, can I do that one day?

Mandy:

But outside of that, there were many times where I was in the gym and I'd look around and I was the only girl, but I honestly was so focused on what I was doing and what I was learning that it didn't bother me. I felt like I was going to be able to help change that. I was going to be able to help bring more girls in, and I was able to see that pretty quickly in terms of going out to high schools and going places and everywhere I was going. I was talking about what I was doing. It was encouraging people to give boxing a shot, so I think it has definitely changed over the years. Now it's kind of more of a mainstream for fitness, for women, for a lot of women yes, that's true, and I think that's a great side of it too. It's like you don't have to ever step into the ring and compete or get punched. But the sport has so many amazing benefits that even if you're there for fitness, I think you'll love it.

Amy:

You can punch things but not get punched, which is kind of a benefit, exactly Stress relief, that's right. And then when you left the sport from an elite level, obviously it changed. But the transition from elite athlete to not elite athlete I don't even know if that's the right terminology, but you read a lot about it and you do hear about it, because you are, as you mentioned, laser focused on your goal. And then you get to the Olympics and you compete, and then you decide that you're going to retire. And then what happens? I guess what is that like when you make that decision? How do you feel when that happens?

Mandy:

I think it's different for a lot of people, I would say For me, I would say, after 2016, when I did my first Olympics, I was playing with the thought of am I done? And I had to really sit down with my husband, sit down with my family and say, if I were to keep going, do I have their support? Because that's a big piece, especially at that point, thinking about having a family. We got married in 2017, kate came in 2018. And then it's no longer just me as a single individual training for something. It's very different when you have a child in the mix there too.

Mandy:

So I really had to make sure that, one, I had the support, but then, two, the motivation was still there, and for me, the motivation came from knowing what I was able to accomplish, or what I thought I was able to accomplish, but then not actually having that opportunity in 2016. That's what pushed me to try to do another four years and then, when that was done, honestly, I can now step back and say I've done everything I need to do. I can walk away and be happy with that, whereas I think in 2016, if I would have walked away, I still would have had this feeling of I could have done more. So I think I was happy that I stuck it out. But now I think I can be happy in my decision that I've done everything that I can do in the sport and now it's time for something else.

Mandy:

But doesn't make it easy. It's something the last 16 years I spent thinking about day in, day out. So now it's about changing my perspective. How do I use some of those things that I learned in sport and carry that over to other aspects of my life? And then, what parts of that did I like and how can I mimic that? Or maybe that's just something I do in my past time now, versus an actual career. So it's really just about making those shifts.

Amy:

And for those that don't know, your 2016 experience, can you talk a little bit about how you got to Rio but then got sick, I believe, and then it was difficult to compete, if that's correct.

Mandy:

Yeah, I mean I feel like this story has been told a lot, but it's unfortunate because it's like you think of the Olympics, this is going to be your big moment, and then something like this kind of ends up defining you a little bit. But I think in the end, yeah, I did get sick. A lot of people are getting sick at that Olympic Games. I don't know what it was. They said it was kind of like a tourist virus that I had. So it wasn't something I'd ever really dealt with and never dealt with that in competition. So right before my quarterfinal match, I was actually hospitalized and I had lost so much fluids overnight that they basically had an IV in me and they were trying to replenish those fluids. Because the Olympics is one of those things where none of the doctors that were around are ever going to make that call that you can't step into the ring or compete because they know that you've spent for me that was 12 years of work to that moment. So they really want to give you all of the tools for you to try to make that decision on your own, because, again, it's just such a high stakes, big commitment. So you know what. I was really lucky. We had a great team around us.

Mandy:

But the interesting thing is, this thought kept going through my mind. I'm laying in the hospital bed about an hour before having to go over and compete, and I kept thinking about something that my sports psychologist used to tell me, and that was it's not about what happens to you that matters, it's about what happened or how you react to it that counts. So it's not about what happens, it's about how you react. And honestly, this kept going through my head and I'm thinking, like he used to say this all the time, but never really got it until that moment where I was just like, okay, I could be really pissed off right now, or I can focus my energy, try to stay as positive as I can and focus on being able to step into the ring. And that's the route I decided to go and I decided to just focus one moment at a time.

Mandy:

I didn't know what was going to happen. It is boxing, anything can happen. So, yeah, I just honestly like, moment by moment. Then I did step into the ring against a three time world champion and an Olympic silver medalist. Didn't come out with a win, but, honestly, like I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about like how strong I really am, and I know if I wouldn't have stepped in there that I would have regretted it. So not the ideal experience for my Olympic games, but it is what it is and you know I was able to kind of learn from that.

Amy:

It sounds like you worked a lot on the mental part of your game. How important is that at the elite level?

Mandy:

It's so important. There's some, like a lot of quotes out there about like it being 90% mental or 90% physical in the training, 10% mental, and then it kind of switches when you're in competition and I would say that's definitely accurate you have to do all the training to like have the confidence going into the competition, but then when it comes to competition time, it's all here, it's all here, and especially in combat sport, right, like you need to be able to stare down your opponent, you need to be able to get into like a different zone and if you're not mentally strong, like I know, I've been able to like beat somebody before even throwing a punch because I could just like mentally like see them breaking down, and it's just kind of part of the game, the part that I like actually.

Amy:

It is yeah it's such an interesting part of sport, though the mental side of it. It's so intangible. So I find it such an advantage if an athlete can harness that power. Oh for sure, yeah, Sort of on that. So back to my love of the Olympics. When we watch it on TV, we see the culmination of an athlete's work. So I'd like to talk a little bit about what it takes to compete at the elite level. So when did you know boxing was something you wanted to pursue at that elite level?

Mandy:

I would say honestly, for me it was a slow progression, and that was because when I was younger I was never really involved in sport. You know, I was that kid that basically I think it's grade 10, where you can like opt out of taking gym class, like that was me. So basically, like I was like so far from being an athlete, like I did not see myself as an athlete, and then, I don't know, my brother started boxing. I kind of like thought that was interesting. I tried it. You know, there was people telling me I was good, but I was like I don't know if that means I should compete or not.

Mandy:

So it did take me a little while, I would say, to like really take that step. And then after about a year a year and a half is when I stepped into the ring for the first time, for my first competition. And then that's when things started to change, because I realized really quickly that I was very good. And then that just kind of fueled the next one and the next one. And then you know, hey, now I should set a goal of going to a provincials and then maybe going to a nationals. And then I had my first international tournament, and then it's, then you're just in it and it just like kind of takes over your life because you're just like one event to the next.

Mandy:

So very exciting. Like I've had such amazing opportunities I've been to over like 45 countries representing Canada and, like you know, my life was definitely a whirlwind, but some pretty incredible things that you know sports been able to teach me and bring me to.

Amy:

So how old were you when you first stepped in the ring? I was 17. So then you're about 18, when you sort of decide that you're going to pursue it a little more seriously. How did you tailor your training towards that goal? So, whether that's nutrition training, but also socially and school wise, what did you have to give up and what did you have to change?

Mandy:

I would say that, like at the time I didn't really think of it as I'm sacrificing these things. It was like kind of obvious that, especially once high school was done, that my focus was completely different, that I honestly lost touch with a lot of my friends really quickly after high school. You think they're going to be around forever, and then it's like, oh, maybe not. I would say that like definitely on the social thing, social side of things my life was very like I had a close circle around me and people that were a lot of times were like in the gym or kind of understood the lifestyle, because for some people they just didn't understand why, hey, I can't just go out every night, or I can't go out on the weekends or like every once in a while that's okay, but I couldn't do that because the way I would feel the next day and my body is my engine to train. So there's definitely that side of it. I would say that, like throughout the years have likely been different than most people my age.

Mandy:

On the nutrition side of things, I was really lucky. I think throughout my career I just always had like really great people that would like introduce me. I met a nutritionist and she kind of followed me throughout most of my career and then I had a really great strength and conditioning coach and then he kind of taught me a really good foundation and then eventually I worked with someone else. But I think I was really lucky to have those people that were like experts at their sport or at their kind of element right, that were able to kind of like add into my bigger team. And I think that's what kind of helped me develop really quickly, is that I had the right people around me. I knew how to surround myself with great people and then that kind of helped me get to that next level I would say, quicker than most.

Amy:

I love how you say you didn't give anything up. I think that's probably the essence of an elite athlete's mindset that you don't feel that you're giving up on social or other paths in life. So I really liked how you phrased that.

Mandy:

Yeah, and I honestly I would think. Sometimes I would feel like people are missing out on what I'm experiencing.

Amy:

Yeah, exactly I feel like that.

Mandy:

I always wanted to be an Olympian.

Amy:

Always, I always did but, I, didn't have any of the skills required, so but yeah, it is a fun time. So you're a role model for young women and young athletes. If they have Olympic dreams, what advice would you give them?

Mandy:

There's many things I could say to that. I think some key things would be to. I know, and we just talked about like having a good team around you. Your support system is so important, right, Even at a young age, for parents, even like making sure that your child feels heard and feels like, you know, there's a good connection between the coach and the athlete. I think that's so important.

Mandy:

I've been in situations with coaching that it just didn't work and it wasn't an enjoyable experience, and sport is supposed to be fun at the end of the day. So I think, like really making sure that there's like a good synergy between the athlete and the coach is important. And then also making sure that there's kind of that third person you know whether it's a parent or you know a sports psychologist, a mental performance coach, someone like that that can just sometimes just be there to like stand up for that athlete and in a way that they might not, you know, feel comfortable doing, I think those are kind of like some key things that are important. And then, of course, it's like if your goal is, you know, an Olympic Games one day, or you know even a national title, it will require some sacrifice for sure, and you just have to be willing to kind of do what it takes if you want to get there. So you got to be able to put the work in if you want those results.

Amy:

So I'd like to take some time to talk about your journey to the Tokyo Games. I was personally saddened that you had to endure that, but I was also very thankful that you did so. For anybody that perhaps doesn't know, you were going to miss the chance to participate in the 2020 Games in Tokyo, which actually ended up taking place in 2021, because you decided to start a family in 2018, which was two years before the games were scheduled. The IOC is a very powerful entity. What went into the decision to take them on? Ooh, a lot. Yeah, I'm sure we could do a whole different podcast on that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mandy:

Honestly, like when this was first happening, I will say that, like, obviously, my initial shock of like really like their only reason I'm not going to be on this list after all of this time is because and like this extra year that was added, you know, the Olympic Games is because of the fact that I had my daughter, like it just did not sit well with me and I just thought, okay, this is, I'm taking this to personally. So I, you know, I tried having conversations with other people and one of the people that I contacted was, you know, a friend of mine who also just happens to be one of the number one litigators in Canada. I never asked her for, you know, legal advice, because I feel like everyone probably does, but I was like we need to talk to you. I have one question.

Amy:

Yeah, don't worry, it wasn't sitting right with any of you. Yeah, don't worry, it wasn't sitting right with any of us.

Mandy:

So I honestly, like we were just having a conversation and I, you know, I told you what was going on. She did like, honestly, I swear, like it was like two minute search of the Olympic Charter and right away she was like you know, this is a human rights case, this is a, you know, case of discrimination based on sex. And you know, at first, like all of these things, I'm like what does that even mean? What do I have to do with that? Like information? And then she's like well, here, let me kind of like help guide you. Like initially she, she was so busy, like there's no way she was going to take this case on, but she's like let me contact, you know, boxing Canada, let me contact, you know, the board, and like I can kind of guide them on what they should be saying and doing.

Mandy:

And then, honestly, that didn't last very long, because they didn't really understand it either, like how big this really ended up being. So she, I guess, went to her, you went to Tories, and basically said like can we take this on pro bono? And then they came back and said yes, and from there on she was like, she was like all in and you can kind of hear her side of the story too, and it's like this was one of the, I think, the most meaningful fights that she's ever fought in a courtroom, partly because she knew me personally. But the other side of just like the bigger meaning of you know this fight for women and you know, again, I was just so fortunate to have her and, honestly, having her in my corner, knowing that you know she was the best of the best at what she did, I was able to kind of focus on my training and the things that I needed to do, because I knew that she was going to handle all of the other things and she kept me like in the loop with everything.

Mandy:

So I knew it was going on the entire time. Having her there pushing, I knew that she was going to do whatever I would have done personally myself and it was nice to be able to have that feeling of like I trust her. She's the expert here If she says we need to keep pushing. There were many times where I was like I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore, this is too stressful, this is too much Like, is it even worth it? And you know she just kept pushing me and pushing me, and you know, obviously it paid off in the end.

Amy:

It did and I'm so glad you had that support because I think that it probably was extremely stressful, and if you didn't, it would have been more challenging to see it all the way through to the end.

Mandy:

Yeah, I definitely don't think I would have been able to if I didn't have her.

Amy:

Well, I was curious. You mentioned that she took on sort of kept you in the loop and stuff. So how did it affect your training then in that sense? Because it would take time away from the time you needed to train for the Olympics, I assume.

Mandy:

Yeah, well, for sure, like there was, that was kind of the busiest time of my life. I would say Like part of it was a learning curve too right, like I'd never been in a courtroom, I never had to like all this language and stuff like she's telling me or I'd get these emails with, like I was like okay, dumb this down for me, don't know what this is really saying, so she would kind of break down the you know the jargon for me. But then also, like I had to do like hours and hours of prep on like cross examinations oh my God, that was so stressful, like making sure you're saying the right thing at the right time and like what's being triggered. And you know those things were tough.

Mandy:

And you know there was many things where I think the IOC again being such a large organization, I think they just think that they can like push these type of things away and normally they can, I will say that but they didn't have a lawyer like Sylvie and you know I was very fortunate and like in the end I think we had seven female lawyers on this case and it was just, it was amazing like being there for the actual like you know, trial and like with all these women, like there was just like we were all in tears when it was done, like we literally all just cried Because you know there were so many highs and lows, but again, in the end it was just.

Mandy:

It was a lot to balance, but I was also lucky that I had, you know, I had a coach in the gym who was very supportive. You know I had my husband at home who was very supportive, and you know there'd be times when I would get to the gym and Sid would just have like a song or a quote or a you know some sort of story that he would share to try to like lift me up and like make me see you know why we were doing what we were doing and I think those those pieces they all added up right.

Amy:

They did and how did it feel when that decision came down.

Mandy:

the final result it was, it was nerve wracking, like I will say, like it was obviously like a lot of excitement, a lot of joy. But I will say that you know and we're working on a documentary on this, by the way- I heard that I was going to ask about that, so I want to know about that too.

Mandy:

So we will be talking about this in a documentary. But when we initially got the decision, it was, like you know, basically, yes, you're the winner of this. They have to make an accommodation for any female who was pregnant or postpartum during this period. And then they still try to like find a loophole to make a criteria that excluded me. Oh, and then basically the court like this is like, and again everyone was like celebrating and I'm still sitting there like, well, this doesn't make sense.

Mandy:

So then the court basically had to go back and say, no, I don't think you understood us, like, because we presented three or four different options on how it could work and how they could make an accommodation without affecting anyone else. And they basically, like, you need to go back and select them. Like they didn't want to tell them what to do, but they were telling them what to do. So it wasn't until, honestly, like a week before stepping on a plane, where I saw my name on the list and it was like kind of hidden, like it was like this small little article on their website. That was like yes, I won my case. Like it was like 10 point font, very tiny in the corner.

Mandy:

Yes, we've got under the rug. I pretend like it didn't have awful.

Amy:

So, yeah, good at the same time. Yeah, now is that precedent now going forward for all women in all sports, internationally?

Mandy:

then yeah, so basically what it does is you know, our court documents are open to the public. So basically, let's say, if someone ever had that type of situation come up, they could essentially use our case as a way to argue that. That being said, since then there's been a lot of changes and things happening in sports. So even in Canada I'm now sitting on a new committee, that's a pregnancy and parental rights committee, which essentially, like our mandate, is to try to create policies and things that are already in the athlete agreements to avoid, you know, this type of thing in the future.

Amy:

Oh well, that's great. I mean, it's good to hear that it extends and will help so many more women, and they might not even know it helps them because they won't ever have to come up against the wall that you came up against, so that's really good. Yeah, exactly. So all of a sudden you're all over the international media. That must have also been overwhelming. And one more thing to deal with how was that experience?

Mandy:

It was like, honestly, when the news first broke, like I literally sat in front of my computer like this for 12 hours straight doing it, oh wow. And then after that I was lucky I did bring on an agency that kind of helped us because I was like okay, we need to like do this a little bit better, like I don't, you know, I need to be focused on training. So they helped us when we made the announcement that we did more of a media press conference as opposed to saying the same thing over and over and over again. So it was great that they helped us spread the story, because it honestly helped, I think, put pressure on the IOC and, honestly, the court, who were the ones that eventually made that decision. So I think it helped.

Amy:

Well, and you had some pretty influential women publicly support you, which I thought was great, like Haley Wickenheiser and Billie Jean King. Did you ever get to talk to them personally about it, or was it just more of a public show of support?

Mandy:

I talked to Billie Jean King a little bit. We became buddies on Instagram and she's amazing. Yeah, she, honestly she's amazing.

Amy:

She is. I mean, I love everything about her, her story, her book. I mean, you know, she's the beginning of most of it for women.

Mandy:

So it's fantastic so it was amazing to see her add her voice to that. I was very, very happy about that, obviously.

Amy:

So then you go to Tokyo and you compete, and you mentioned earlier that you felt like you had done all the things that you wanted to do at the international level and you make the decision to retire, and you talked a little bit about finding your next step. So tell us a little bit about what you're doing now and why you've decided to do those things.

Mandy:

I would say I'm not like in my next career yet, but there are kind of some projects and things that I am working on. One of the things that is kind of again a passion project for me it's called Champions for Charity. So it's a corporate black tie, vega style fight night, but it's actually a complete experience for people. So this is for, like business, people in the community who have never stepped into a ring before. So we basically take them from you know zero, we train them like a professional athlete, we give them all the tools that they need and then they actually get to step into the ring and in the end we are fighting for McMaster Children's Hospital.

Mandy:

So we did this in 2018, 2019. Then, obviously, we all know what happened in 2020. You know there was a lot of things happening there with COVID and the Olympics. So this is my first time kind of bringing it back, which has been really exciting. There's been an incredible amount of interest in it and I guess for me it's like a really cool way to introduce my sport to this community, to, you know, the people in this community that supported me throughout the years, and just a great way for people to have this once in a lifetime experience to learn a lot about themselves and then to be able to actually step into a boxing ring. So we're kind of in the middle of that right now.

Amy:

Yeah, I just saw online. I love that you have tryouts. I'm sure people haven't tried out for it. People that are doing it haven't tried out for anything in a very long time, so that must be a fun thing to do.

Mandy:

It was honestly, the energy was awesome. It was yeah it was pretty incredible.

Amy:

So do you have all your participants sorted out and when will you start training?

Mandy:

So my goal this week is to make the selection. So we had 54 people show up to try out. I need to narrow it down to 18. So if you want this job, you can have it. So this is the hardest part, but it does come down to like the rules and regulations of boxing on Terra, because it is a real fight and we're very open with everybody. This is not like a pretend here for fun, like you're going to get punched in the face. You're going to learn a lot along the way.

Mandy:

So, honestly, right now I think I'm down to about 22 and need to maybe eliminate four more. And then I'm going to start reaching out to people, let them know that they've been accepted and then they start training in January. So I don't actually do the training side of it. I partner with Sid and the team at the gym there so they run the training aspect. I run more of kind of the events and the logistics around the event. You know supporting sponsorship, you know the fundraising, all of that kind of thing. So I just kind of guide the team along and help them prepare for fight night that way. And when is fight night? Fight night is April 12th at Tapestry Hall in Cambridge so beautiful venue for especially for a boxing event.

Mandy:

It's a really cool vantage point if you're upstairs.

Amy:

Yeah, we can all stand up top. Oh, yeah, absolutely.

Mandy:

Yeah, we will sell in some tickets go on sale January 15th, perfect I can't wait.

Amy:

So you're doing the charity, which I think is fantastic, and you mentioned you're not quite in your second career yet. What do you think, or what is your ambition? What's next? I guess?

Mandy:

Honestly, I've started kind of looking. I find, honestly, it's so hard looking at you know job boards and you kind of read, you know what that description is and sometimes you're like, okay, kind of get what that person does, but then other times you're just like I bet you it's like nothing that's, you know, actually written there. So I think, honestly, for me it's coming down to a little bit more of like networking. You know, I'm putting lots of you know feelers out there and talking to people seeing kind of what's, what's available. You know, obviously I would love to work in the sport industry but I don't have to Because there's not a lot of opportunity, you know, in the KW region. But I think project management is something that I really, really enjoy. I do enjoy the event side of things and then I also enjoy like partnerships. That's something that I do have quite a bit of experience in. So how do we kind of bring people together and rally around, you know, a common cause? I think that's something that I do, naturally, yeah.

Amy:

Would you ever coach or do you coach?

Mandy:

I do a little bit of coaching but honestly it would have to be more of a side gig for me. It's hard because a lot of coaching happens evenings and weekends and you know I have I'll have a young family right now, Right, no, it's not conducive. Maybe one day I'll open my own gym and that will be kind of the thing, but right now it just just doesn't really work with my schedule.

Amy:

So I know you do a couple of things I'd like to know about. You mentioned the documentary. I would love to hear how, how that works for you. I mean, I'm sure it's super fun, but do you have to travel to do it or do they come to you? Are you part of the creative process? How does all of that work?

Mandy:

Yeah, I am definitely part of the creative process. The interesting thing about this documentary is sometimes you have like a follow doc where they're basically like they're following you know the whole thing, whereas ours, unfortunately, it was too crazy during that time. So we we're doing it kind of a post doc. So we're now talking about the story, we're using some footage and things like that. So we've done our our first major film, I would say, and all of the major interviews that need to take place.

Mandy:

So what they're at now is basically like the first edit. So they're doing the first edit. Then they kind of go through and again we're looking at like hours and hours and hours and we're kind of like trying to trim it down. And then we try to figure out, okay, what else would kind of add to the story, like who else's voice do we need to hear saying certain things? So that's kind of where we're at right now. So I'm excited. I haven't seen the first cut yet because it's a very long process to try to get down, but our hopes is that in the spring, that's when we're going to be kind of like ready, because I know a lot of the big documentary festivals happen at that time and we're hoping that we can kind of get into some of those festivals and then obviously with the Olympics next year, you know, there'll be like some sport content and things out there. They're going to be looking for that, so I think it'll kind of line up well.

Amy:

And so, outside of festivals, where might we see it once it's out? Do you know?

Mandy:

So we don't have that and it honestly depends on rights and who ends up wanting it and buying it, and you know. So we're having some conversations with different people, so it just depends, like, if you know, if it goes on Netflix, then that'll be kind of easy for everybody to see. Yeah, so it might be like you know, it goes into some of the festivals and then you know we make it available online or something. But we don't have, we don't have all of those details just yet. Stay tuned.

Amy:

What a fascinating process. You must be learning so many things that you never would have had the opportunity to learn before.

Mandy:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's fun and I mean it's kind of an interesting something different too. Right, it's like I think it's an important story and how do we share it. How do we keep the conversation going Like? This is just a small piece and you know what's happening in women's sport right now and I think, just how do we keep amplifying. You know not only my story but other female stories.

Amy:

I think it's a great project. I can't wait. Did I hear correctly, there might be a book as well?

Mandy:

I would like to have an aspirational goal.

Mandy:

I would like to. I just like thinking of like finding the time to do that. I honestly like I would probably do a children's book first. My husband actually wrote a children's book and we're trying to get illustrated right now, but not on my story or anything like that. But I'm hoping he's going to help me because he's really good with words, especially when it comes to kids and rhyming and this and that Like he's pretty incredible. So, yeah, we've kind of had like little discussions there, but we want to get his initial book done and then we would kind of move on to the next one.

Amy:

Oh, that sounds exciting too. Yeah, I know you also do some keynote speaking, so where do you speak and what message do you like to tell people? And I mean in general, what is that experience like? I know you're comfortable speaking in front of people from the outside. That seems like a daunting task, yeah.

Mandy:

No, I love it honestly, like and maybe that's like my adrenaline now right, but like when you initially get onto the stage and on it there's a wide range of where I do the talk. So sometimes it's, you know, in small groups. Sometimes it's, you know, massive 700,000 people.

Mandy:

A lot of the events that I seem to get pulled into are either kind of professional women's event is a big one, you know, sometimes it's like a kickoff for the year, where it's like, hey, you know, the organization has set their goals and now we need our individual employees to set theirs, so we kind of talk a little bit about that. Or it could just be kind of a sales meeting or like you know something where we just want a motivational speaker to talk about something that's kind of outside of what they're normally talking about, just to kind of break up the day. And a lot of times I talk about, you know, overcoming obstacles, you know. I talk about you know how to keep pushing forward, how to set goals, how to surround yourself with a great team, like there's. There's so many things I think that I've learned from sport that I can transfer over and make it applicable to the business world, which is really nice.

Amy:

We all love to hear those stories. On that, outside of your sort of public obstacles the Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics what has been, what was an obstacle that you did overcome sort of in your sports career?

Mandy:

Oh my God, I feel like I overcame things in a daily. I feel like there's so many I don't even know where to start with that, I guess from a.

Amy:

You know there's so many athletes out there and they do. They get up every day and it is. It can be a struggle, whether it's this time of year or whether it's trying to get to the next level and whatnot. And you know we hear about your international struggles and how you so beautifully overcame those when you were training and trying to get reach the goals that you set. And you did come up against obstacles, be them smaller, big. How did you deal with them?

Mandy:

Yeah, I think for me, like, the biggest thing is just always having a goal, and I'm not necessarily talking about like that big goal like the Olympics or anything like that Like, yeah, like, for me it's you know, you focus on the process and not the outcome. So you have kind of your big there's my outcome goal where I want to get to, but I can't focus on that day in and day out, right, because that's not going to do anything for me. Like, what are the small things that I can do today, what can I do tomorrow, what can I do the next day, that are going to get me closer to that goal? And that's, honestly where my focus always is. It's just kind of like I'm a big planner, so I always had like a lot of notes and like this week, these are the things I'm working on.

Mandy:

If I'm going into a training, you know, here's three things that I want to be able to come out and be like was I able to execute on those things? Right? So I think I was always kind of holding myself accountable, always having something to work towards, and, you know, even if they were just tiny, tiny little things, like hey, I want to throw three left hands to the body in that sparring. That's, you know, something small, but hey, it's a checkmark, it's something that can help me build confidence and kind of move forward. You know, with those small steps and at the end of the day it's just about like, how do you become a better version of yourself? Right, it's not even who you're competing against, it's you're competing against yourself.

Amy:

That's always good advice, Because I think there's a lot of talk about that, especially in team sports too. It's it's you can't be competing against other people all the time. It's the way you get better is competing against yourself, and it sounds like that's a good method for athletes to use. Going forward.

Mandy:

Yeah, absolutely.

Amy:

So we've talked a lot about your career and now your post career, which involves women in sports, the board that you sit on and whatnot that you mentioned. In general, though, I'd love to know your thoughts on the state of gender equality in sports today.

Mandy:

Yeah, I mean I think I just saw an article that said that Paris, so the next Olympics, are going to be the first Olympics that are gender equal, which is pretty exciting and that is very exciting.

Mandy:

Yeah so it's like I think you know we've been kind of working towards that. It's been a progression, so that's pretty cool. The other things I think that stand out for me is that we're making so much progress in terms of, like, how marketable female athletes are. There was again, there was a list that came out recently and I want to say, like you know, the majority of them were female.

Amy:

I saw that it was like the top 50 marketable athletes or something. And yeah, I was. I don't know. I was encouraged to see that so many of them were women.

Mandy:

Yeah, it's amazing. And again, I know we're starting to have a lot of conversations in North America about having professional hockey leagues and professional soccer leagues and like all of these things are kind of starting and used to be the conversation of like well, who's going to watch it? And you know we don't have the support, but every time they've put one of these major games on TV it sells out. Or when they have a stadium, it sells out. So I think people are finally seeing that hey, like there is a big opportunity here and that they need to take advantage of it. So I think that's really exciting. You know, we see it in my sport as well unboxing.

Mandy:

On the professional side of things, there's a lot of girls that have turned pro in the last few years and they're making, you know, their headlining fights. Where I went down to New York last year, I think it was, and there was a fight where the both girls made a million dollars for the first time and it was the main event, madison Square Garden. It's like the epic, you know boxing venue and it honestly, like I was in tears when they came out, like it gave me chills, like it was just like that feeling of wow, like what they did and how they, you know, are finally accomplishing this. It was, it was pretty incredible. So it is. I think we're making a lot of progress is obviously always lots more that can be done, but it's nice to see us kind of moving in that direction.

Amy:

And you have two young daughters. What are your aspirations for them Athletically? Not to go to the Olympic and whatnot. But you mentioned how you weren't exposed to athletics and you got into it late. So what are your thoughts on young children in sport, especially girls, I guess?

Mandy:

Yeah, I think it's so important. You know learning basic skills, you know coordination, fundamentals of things. You know even swimming was a big one for us. We want to make sure again, survival for survival skill in my mind. You know my daughter, kate. She's in gymnastics, she's liked dance, she's definitely more artsy but she's still like sometimes I go for like runs and she wants to kind of finish off the run with me. She wants to do footwork drills and she's thrown punches Like I think it's really just about exposing her to as many different things as possible, because you never know what's going to stick right.

Mandy:

Who knows if I would have tried boxing at a young age or if I would have tried hockey. I've never put hockey like I put hockey skates on to just skate around or held a stick right. We never kind of even thought of that as an option where it's like, who knows right, you never know, maybe I would have been the next superstar in hockey, I don't know. But I think you don't know until you try it. And I think it's important and that's something that we're really striving for with our kids is just expose them to all the different things and see what it is they're drawn to, naturally.

Amy:

And thank you so much for being with us today. I obviously enjoyed all of your stories immensely. It's been a privilege for me to speak to you because it's you and we've gotten to know each other a little bit over the last year since you joined IWF, but it's been a privilege for me to speak with someone who's competed at a high level and really represented Canada. That's the thing for me. I think that's such an amazing experience. So thank you for being with us and it's been really nice chatting with you. Thank you so much. Thank you for listening today. If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and subscribe to our podcast. When you do this, it helps to raise our podcast profile so more leaders can find us and be inspired by the stories our voices of leadership have to share. If you would like to connect with us, please visit the Voices of Leadership website. The link can be found in our show notes, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Amy Schlueter

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