How boxing saved a corporate leader’s mental health and career

After shedding over 100 pounds through diet and exercise, Erin Renzas found her mental health deteriorating instead of improving. The former corporate executive spent nearly 20 years climbing the career ladder before realizing her unhappiness stemmed from societal pressures about her body. Now, she’s helping other women leaders through a unique boxing retreat designed to build resilience and clarity.

Renzas once worked at Prosus in Amsterdam, where she suffered severe dissociative episodes. At times, she even questioned her own existence. Despite professional success, she struggled with deep dissatisfaction tied to body image expectations.

Her turning point came when she discovered boxing. The sport helped her feel 'whole' and stopped the dissociative episodes. She later became an amateur boxer, winning four matches. Inspired by her transformation, Renzas launched Fight Co.Lab, a leadership retreat for women. The programme teaches participants to navigate chaos, find focus, and reclaim personal space. Held at Brooklyn’s legendary Gleason’s Gym, the first three-day session in November drew eleven women. A second retreat is planned for Los Angeles in early March. The retreat combines boxing training with leadership coaching. Renzas and her team of boxing instructors guide attendees through physical and mental challenges. She is also writing a memoir about her journey from corporate burnout to self-discovery.

The retreat’s first session took place in New York, with another scheduled for March in Los Angeles. Renzas’s approach blends boxing with leadership strategies, aiming to help women executives face challenges with confidence. Her story highlights how physical discipline can reshape mental and professional resilience.