Society Nine's Podcast

Kayla is an amateur boxer from Reading, PA. Once lacking motivation and direction, Kayla stumbled into boxing and found her fight. In a little more than three years her dedication proved itself in 2015 when she became the 2015 Ringside National Champion at 119 pounds, the 2015 Golden Gloves State Champion at 119 pounds and the 2015 NYC Pure Breed tournament champion at 125 pounds. Passionate about pushing her skills even further, she was invited to train with one of the top MMA camps in the world, American Top Team, in Coconut Creek, Florida where she resides now.

Natalie Matushevsky is an amateur boxer out of Boston who competed in her first boxing match at the annual Belles of the Brawl charity boxing event, organized and hosted by non-profit Haymakers for Hope. She shares the trials and tribulations of what it takes to prepare for your first fight, the feeling and the adrenaline rush in the ring, and what's next for her. Want to know what it's like to prepare for your first ever boxing match? You don't want to miss this one.

Gemma Fleming is an amateur Muay Thai fighter currently living and working out of New York as a photographer and filmmaker. She recently completed a film project titled "SENSHI" showcasing the artistry and spirit of the female fighter and her various forms. We sat down to talk to her about the importance of translating fighting into art.

Our podcast welcomes Jill Morley, a Masters Golden Gloves champion, filmmaker, boxing instructor and mental health advocate. She wrote, directed and produced the documentary "Fight Like A Girl," about women overcoming their demons through boxing, while telling a larger story about abuse, trauma, mental illness and healing. In a gritty, first-person narrative that was shot over a period of five years, she delves inside the little-known world of female boxers to meet the women who are passionate about fighting hard.

We sat down with Amy DePaola, filmmaker and amateur boxer. A proud Haymakers for Hope Belles of the Brawl alum (2015), she is gearing up for the release of her new film, Amy Dee, loosely based on her own experiences as a fighter in life and sport, and illustrating what it means to go through a personal evolution as a fighter - in every sense of the word.

We chatted with Julie Kelly, the co-founder of Haymakers for Hope about her journey as a fighter, in life and sport, and how it led her to create Haymakers for Hope. She's a Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor, 2x NY Golden Gloves winner (132lbs), and an activist dedicated to finding a way to both literally and metaphorically knockout cancer.

We hung out with Society Nine Brand Ambassador Jennie Trower of Jarrett & Jennie Customized Self Defense. Jennie Trower is half of the dynamic duo that is Jarrett and Jennie Customized Self-Defense. Training in Martial Arts for over 15 years, it was Krav Maga that got her hooked and led her to pursue numerous teaching certifications and begin building a career around helping women develop effective self-defense training. Most recently Jennie has joined forces with Society nine Brand Ambassador Jarrett Arthur to offer free learning opportunities, online educational resources and live training experiences to increase their ability to reach thousands of women each year.

We chatted with LA Jennings, a writer and feminist thinker with a doctorate in Literary Studies and a passion for fighting sports. After ten years of training, competing, and coaching kickboxing, submission wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts, she is delighted to bring her dual passions of scholarly research and competitive martial arts into one comprehensive text. Her book, "She’s a Knockout: a History of Women in Fighting Sports," is the culmination of two seemingly divergent fields of academic and combative explored through the lens of feminism. She is also a co-owner, trainer and coach at Train. Fight. Win., a Mixed Martial Arts gym in downtown Denver that provides training for both male and female fighters.

We hung out with Society Nine Brand Ambassador Jarrett Arthur of Jarrett & Jennie Customized Self Defense to learn about her personal evolution as a college elite athlete, to one of the highest ranking female Krav Maga black belts in the country, to now one of the biggest leaders in women's self defense. She also talked about her new women's empowerment retreat called I AM POWER. She's been featured on The Ellen Show and Good Morning America for her extensive knowledge!

We had the honor of being invited to the United State of Women Summit, hosted by the White House! Lynn, Society Nine founder and CEO, recaps the sentiments, insights and passion learned and gained from the women in attendance, the Obamas and Joe Biden. And then there was that time she was in the bathroom with Gloria Steinem.

We spent some time talking with pro-boxer and mental health advocate Maureen "The Real Million Dollar Baby" Shea. At 25-2 (12 KO), she is the current IFBA Jr featherweight World Champion, current NABA Champion, former interim WBC Featherweight World Champion and former NABF Champion. While her boxing career is what elevated her personal brand, she is focused on utilizing her platform to speak out for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as individuals suffering and healing from mental health issues. We learned so much from this inspirational woman, and know you will, too.

We went on a 10 day gym tour in LA and Orange County training 2-3x a day at different gyms everyday, and also visited Boston's badass boxing community. Join us as we recount the calories we consumed, the powerful stories we heard from the fierce women of our community, and the incredible friends we made along the way.

In Episode 03, pro MMA fighter Glena "Heartless" Avila joins us to talk about what it means to have hunger, ambition and inspiring other women and young girls to get after their dreams.

In Episode 02, we host our special guest Emily Corso! Emily is a former professional MMA fighter (#11 flyweight in the world at one point, in fact!) turned self-defense coach and personal trainer at her own business, Bold and Badass Fitness. Come hangout with us!

This is our inaugural podcast episode, kicking off Society Nine's podcast series focused on conversations around female fighters in life, culture and sport! We reflect on the mainstream and sport media reactions to the Rousey/Holm fight and talk about why as women we shouldn't be shaming ourselves for throwing down that turkey. Join us!