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How this boxing coach is upping her online marketing and networking

Grow London LocalMatching London small businesses to support

Posted: Thu 26th Feb 2026

Yu-Fei (Amy) Pu was an amateur boxer for years while working as a senior manager in the education sector.

As part of her day job, she had a number of training opportunities and learned about the transformative power of coaching.

That is, until the day she got her own qualifications and combined her life coaching expertise with her knowledge of boxing.

Today, she has programmes to help other women build their confidence – both physically and mentally – and to speak up and own their voices.

Find out more about this London entrepreneur's story and what's driving her this year.

Tell us about your business.

I provide life coaching through boxing to women who wish to have the confidence to hold their own and have their voices heard.

I use boxing as the metaphor for various aspects of life in my coaching conversations with clients, and I also use physical non-contact boxing training to help my clients.

Who inspired you to launch your business?

My mum is an entrepreneur herself, so I always say she inspired me to launch my own business.

As to the nature of my service, I guess it was a process and idea brewing for years. I was an amateur boxer for nearly seven years, with a day job in senior management in the education sector.

While I studied for my life coaching qualification, I realised that a lot of the mindset shifts in coaching happened to me when I was a boxer.

I started to put the two together, wrote programmes using this method and in 2022 I decided to launch my service.

Can you share some challenges you've faced along the way?

Being a bit naive at the time, I thought I'd have a pipeline of coaching clients when I started. Of course, it didn't work that way.

I worked with a mentor and got to learn the various facets of running a coaching business, such as the importance of networking, marketing and having an online presence.

I also signed up to various sources of local business support, such as Grow London Local.

How did you first hear about Grow London Local and how have we supported you?

I met Kate, a Grow London Local Business Support Manager, at a networking event. We arranged an online meeting afterwards and had a great conversation.

She understood my needs and was able to direct me to several organisations, such as Digital Boost, where I could get the support I required.

I received various skills training through these programmes, like digital marketing and business planning – all of which have helped me a lot in these foundational and developmental years.

Can you tell us more about the support you were referred to?

What I really liked about Digital Boost was that they hold lots of different masterclasses, and they also had a course for female entrepreneurs.

Whether you're starting a business or already on the way, they break it down into simple steps. I really enjoyed those classes.

It was also easy to book one-to-one sessions with mentors through their platform. For me, it wasn't about generating leads but more about education.

It helped me learn about digital marketing and different kinds of software I could use. That's been really useful.

As a business owner, how do you manage your work-life balance?

I don't really believe in work-life balance. For me, it's all life, and work is just part of it. I don't like to separate them.

Being self-employed gives me flexibility – every day and week look different, though I do have some routine with my workshops and sessions.

Right now, I'm really enjoying the flexibility and the unexpected things that come up.

In my coaching, I often use boxing metaphors – like rolling with the punches. Whatever comes, you can roll with it. That's how I approach life too.

What's surprised you most about entrepreneurship?

I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I underestimated the ups and downs.

Sometimes, you get a new client or opportunity and you're on a high. Then suddenly, there's silence and you hit a low.

I've learned not to get carried away either way, to come back to neutral. Even in the lows, I have to keep learning and not get discouraged. Perseverance is key.

When I launched my coaching business, I left my 9–5 job and went straight into it full-time.

Looking back, I might have eased into it instead – gone part-time first, built up my client base and systems, then transitioned fully.

That said, going all in also gave me motivation and a boost. So there are pros and cons to both.

Has running your business changed you personally?

Yes, 100%. Before, I had a stable senior management role in education. I couldn't imagine life without that security.

Running my own business has made me more flexible and broadened my perspective.

I think I've also developed more compassion for myself and others, understanding that people have different paths, choices and ways of working.

What's next for your business? Are there any exciting plans or developments on the horizon?

My next step for my business is to organise and deliver more workshops as well as going into corporate sectors to help and support new and young female managers so they can become strong and confident leaders in their own right.

What advice would you give other small business owners in London?

As my boxing coach used to say to me, which I still use it to remind myself throughout this process, "One step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time."

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