‘It felt right’: Female fighter Zoe Gould floors virus gloom

Helping people become sound of body and mind has been Zoe Gould’s greatest fight. But the 25-year-old has admitted it was “scary” when she opened a business at Woolgoolga.

A business idea born in the hardship of the Covid lockdown years is blossoming for a young woman who now dreams of becoming a professional fighter.

Woolgoolga’s Zoe Gould is 25 years of age and only three months into a fresh commercial venture - but already making every round a winner.

A highly ranked amateur fighter, Ms Gould opened Woopi Boxing Club in her hometown in May, and hasn’t looked back.

“During the lockdowns there were a lot of people out of work and struggling with their mental health,” she said.

Ms Gould went on the front foot and offered to train residents one-on-one for free.

“I put a post on a local Facebook page and everyone hit me up. From there I started coaching again and the demand was so great. I thought. I need to turn this into something,” she said.

And so she did, opening a gym and hanging out a shingle.

“It was scary, don’t get me wrong, but not as scary as I thought it would be,” Ms Gould said.

Zoe Gould with her TAFE NSW mentor Edith Rogers.

TAFE NSW came to the party, as she signed up for the free Women in Business online program, which showed her everything she needed to know about running a venture.

As one might expect of a one-time NSW state boxing runner-up (51kg division), timing was everything.

Ms Gould noted boxing is trending on social media, with a number of top models like Gisele Bündchen and Gigi Hadid giving the sport a crack.

“Boxing can be for everyone, though fighting is not for everyone,” she said.

“The fitness classes we run are pretty intense. It’s a great way to channel emotions.

“You can literally punch the emotions out and it’s good for kids to have an outlet, with the boys especially.”

Ms Gould, who hails from the United Kingdom, said boxing was good for mental health as it’s a mix of fitness and thought.

“If you don’t like exercise then the worst thing you can do is join a commercial gym and stand on a treadmill for half-an-hour - miserable,” she said.

Preparing for the NSW champs in four weeks’ time - the first since Covid cruelled competition - Ms Gould is confident she’s found a nice in the local sports training market.

“This is what I genuinely love doing and it has felt really right,” she said.