May 04, 2021 // Franchising.com // Santa Monica, CA - As the prolonged stress, grief and isolation of the pandemic has worsened the U.S. mental health crisis, TITLE Boxing Club/BoxUnion is stepping into the ring during Mental Health Awareness Month in May to punch out the stigma surrounding mental illness.
On May 22, 2021, the fitness boxing brand will host both in-person and digital Knockout Stigma classes the entire day, coupled with other efforts throughout the month aimed to start a transparent dialogue around mental illness. Classes will kick off with trainers who volunteered to share their personal struggles with depression, PTSD or anxiety. The classes are open to all members of TITLE Boxing Club and BoxUnion, as well as to non-members, who can sign up and pay for a single class that day.
For each Knockout Stigma class member, TITLE Boxing Club and BoxUnion will donate funds to the nonprofit Bring Change to Mind, an organization founded by actress and activist Glenn Close that’s dedicated to raising awareness, understanding, and empathy through campaigns and youth programs that encourage conversations about mental health.
Mental Health awareness has long been a large focus for TITLE Boxing Club/BoxUnion. There are strong mental benefits surrounding boxing, including stress relief, increased focus and a cathartic outlet. “Members come to our clubs to box after breakups, job losses and other major life events,” said Felicia Alexander, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-founder of BoxUnion Holdings, the parent company of TITLE Boxing Club and BoxUnion. “It’s an empowering experience that builds confidence.”
The cause is personal to Alexander as well. As a young adult, Alexander was diagnosed with depression, but kept it hidden for years out of fear of what others would think. In 2019, tired of hiding behind the shame, she posted a photo of her prescription medicine over social media.
“One in every 4 people will be affected by mental illness at some point in their lives, yet there’s still so much discrimination around it,” Alexander said. “I am among those people. After years of keeping my depression a secret, I no longer wanted to feel this way. I wanted people who chose to follow me to know that I suffer from depression. I wanted to do my small part in helping to knockout the stigma around mental illness.”
Below is an overview of the Knockout Stigma campaign and all it will be doing to promote dialogue around mental illness:
Just like Bring Change to Mind, Alexander said the company shares the belief that opening a dialogue about mental illness will begin to inspire action and structural change creation of new norms.
“The idea of developing new norms begins with youth, which is why I’m thankful that Bring Change to Mind is using our proceeds to specifically go to PSAs and Clubs on high school and college campuses,” Alexander said. “I kept my own mental health issues a secret for so many years and want to prevent any young person from having to feel that way.”
SOURCE TITLE Boxing Club®
TBC International, LLC is a national fitness franchise offering explosive total body boxing and kickboxing fitness workouts that allow women and men to burn up to 1,000 calories an hour in a group class setting.