A psychotherapist from Loughborough has stepped into the boxing ring to raise money and awareness for the Mental Health Foundation – all while improving her own mental health after a traumatic incident
Agnieszka Stefaniak, 46, took part in an Ultra White Collar Boxing (UWCB) event at Club Republic in Leicester in March. She did so to raise funds for the Mental Health Foundation, which aims to prevent poor mental health and help people understand, protect, and sustain their well-being.
Agnieszka’s decision to step into the ring was driven by a desire to improve her own mental health, after her son, aged 15, attempted to take his own life during a severe mental health crisis.
Agnieszka recalled, “Two weeks before my 45th birthday, our lives were turned upside down by my son’s tragic incident. He is my absolute world and so full of life, but all of a sudden he was recovering from several major injuries including a fractured spine and broken hip. I struggled to cope with what had happened; it honestly felt like our lives had come crashing down.”
She continued, “I became really depressed and felt lots of anger towards the world because of what happened. Three days before my birthday he came back home from hospital, and at this point my own mental health had taken a turn for the worse. But after one particularly dark day, I knew that something needed to change or I would look back with regret. I went looking for something that would allow me to channel my pent up emotion into a positive force – which led me to discovering Ultra White Collar Boxing.”
Participants like Agnieszka are given the opportunity to take part in eight weeks of free professional boxing training at gyms, before a showcase event in front of hundreds or thousands of spectators. Agnieszka trained at John Skillen Martial Arts and Fitness Centre under the guidance of respected founder and coach John Skillen.
Talking about the preparation, Agnieszka said, “Yes, the training was hard at times, but it made me feel so much lighter. After just two weeks of training, all the anger I was feeling had completely disappeared. My body may have ached from the hard sessions, but the impact on my mental health completely outweighed anything physical.”
She added: “The trainers were amazing too. It can feel intimidating stepping into the gym for the first time, especially if you’re one of the only women – but they immediately put me at ease. The trainers allowed me to believe that women in their mid-40s are true fighters. We are strong, resilient and capable of squatting with the weight of another human on our shoulders!”
Agnieszka competed against her opponent Jade in a closely-contested contest which the judges declared a draw.
Talking of her experience on the night, she added, “I didn’t feel too nervous on the night, as in a way it felt like my victory lap. It was my birthday a few weeks before, which was a true testament to how far I had come. I was a completely different person to one I was a year ago, so when I finally walked out in front of the huge crowd I knew I was unstoppable. My walk out song reminded me of this too.”
Agnieszka chose ‘Unstoppable’ by Sia as her walk out music, a song she listened to during training. She noted: “The song came on at a point in training when I started to feel unstoppable. I felt the song was about me and that it had to become my anthem in life.” Competitors are also asked to choose a nickname – she fittingly chose ‘Agnieszka the Unstoppable’.
Agnieszka was watched on the night by a large group of friends. Participants like Agnieszka are asked to raise at least £50 for their chosen charity – a target she comfortably surpassed raising over £400 for the Mental Health Foundation.
Reflecting on the past few years, she said: “Thankfully, my son has now physically recovered from his injuries and is continuing to have regular psychotherapy sessions. He had to repeat a year at school, but has just finished his GCSEs – which is incredible. I could not be prouder of the positive steps he has made and I really hope he feels the same towards the change in me too. I have boxing to thank for that – it gave me my zest for life back!”
When asked what she would say to anyone thinking about signing up, Agnieszka said: “Go for it, you will never live to regret it. Everything is so well organised and the impact Ultra has on your life is like nothing I have ever experienced. You will learn to manage your emotions and come out a stronger person in all aspects of your life!”
So far, Ultra Events has raised a staggering £45 million for charity.
For anyone inspired by Agnieszka’s story to take part in Ultra White Collar Boxing, the next UWCB event in Loughborough takes place on Saturday 21st November with training beginning in September. More information can be found here: https://ultrawhitecollarboxing.co.uk/locations/loughborough/
