F*ck Fear with Christine Spratley: Living Like a Head Bitch In Charge | Fight Your Way to Business Success | Lessons from a Former Boxer

Join Christine Spratley in this episode of 'Fuck Fear' as she shares invaluable lessons from her time as a professional boxer at Richard Lord's Boxing Gym, Austin, Texas. Christine delves into how the discipline, strategies, and mantras from the boxing ring directly apply to the business world. Learn about protecting yourself, staying alert, and advancing strategically in your career. Perfect for anyone looking for motivation and practical advice on navigating challenges in business and life.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:52 From Boxing to Business
02:56 Lessons from the Ring
04:03 Protect Yourself at All Times
05:20 Keep Your Hands Up
10:40 Stick and Move
15:08 Punch Through the Bell
17:18 Outworking the Competition
20:47 Facing the Big Dogs
29:59 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Creators and Guests

Host

Christine (HBIC) Spratley

Dynamic Public Speaker | Change Catalyst | Career Navigation Coach

What is F*ck Fear with Christine Spratley: Living Like a Head Bitch In Charge ?

This podcast is for anyone who wants to live like an HBIC—or lives with, works with, marries, dates, or is raising one. Let’s be real: being a Head Bitch in Charge is messy, bold, and unapologetically badass. This is not a guidebook—it’s a pantry.

My guests and I will share the ingredients that we use—what’s worked and what’s failed—as we say “fuck fear” and take action to live a fulfilled life. We cover real-life hacks and deep philosophical pillars to navigate the chaos of everyday life—where some days, my only accomplishment is having a bra on and my teeth brushed.

We’re tackling the daily shit women navigate, from workplace politics to relationships, raising kids, and building careers, all with humor, audacity, and zero filters.

So, tune in—tell your friends, and even your enemies. This isn’t about aging with grace—it’s about aging with mischief, audacity, and a damn good story to tell.

23 Fuck Fear
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[00:00:00]

riverside_ffear_raw-synced-video-cfr_fuck_fear_0037: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, um, and everybody in between. Welcome to Fuck Fear with Christine Spratley, living like a head bitch in charge in HBIC. I hope you're having a wonderful morning, afternoon, or evening, and if not, we are gonna have one today. We have been talking a little bit more about business. And things we do in business as women and [00:01:00] some things for your pantry. Well, this kind of today is still on business, and what it is about is I am taking things from my pantry. Not just my pantry, but the section in my pantry that comes from the boxing gym.

Um, as I think some of you know or might not know, I was a boxer at Richard Lord's. I fought out of Richard Lord's boxing gym in Austin, Texas. Um, it was just a brief time in my life, but I did fight professionally. I was three and two and um, it was back before doing any of that was cool or popular.

Or any of it. Um, and I had, I fell into it by accident if you can kind of fall into boxing by accident. Um, but from that, I actually took a lot of things that were said to me in training, um, or invites and ended up applying them in business. Um, either said to [00:02:00] me or experiences that I had. And if, if there's one thing I can tell you about me is that I usually learn the lesson.

Way down the line, so I may not. Act like I'm listening or behave like I'm listening, but I tend to catch up to it later because typically I don't, if I don't listen and I don't learn it right away, I typically repeat it. And um, so, you know, it's one of those things where you, you know, do it until you learn it, you know?

And, um, so today is gonna be kind of fun because it is that, that's a special time for me in my life. I. Um, and I was really kind of reflecting on different mantras and things that have gotten me through. And one of the, the things that I think really, this is gonna sound, I don't know how it's gonna sound, so Joe, I'd like some feedback on this, but sure.

Before, when you're at the [00:03:00] meeting, your opponent at the center of the ring the ref, the last thing he says is, protect yourself at all times. And, um, that may sound who, well, you're in a boxing match, so you protect yourself at all times. And what that means is that until the bell stops and, and until the ref comes in and calls the other person off, you have your hands up and you are protecting yourself at all times.

You, you are not, no one's gonna stop this for you. Like, you cannot just go, uncle, there's no, you know, I mean, you have to literally, um. Throw in, you know, your, your corner as to throw in your towel or you have to go sit in your towel like Roberta Durand did, you know when he went to his corner or whatever.

Um, or take a knee. Other than that, you're fair game out there. And I, I think this is really good for me to learn in business and I, I didn't learn this for a long time in business and it. [00:04:00] Protect yourself at all times really meant to me. 'cause the first few times in my first few jobs or whatever it was, oh, this is family and oh, but protect yourself at all times.

Really what it means is that this, you're in a business, you're in a corporation, you're in a company, and while it may be a family owned company, and it may be, it has a function of its own. And its first and foremost priority is not to protect you, it's to pay you. After it's paid everything else and done everything else, but it isn't to protect you.

That is your responsibility, and I had to learn that. I had to learn that in all levels from how I interacted from, and it doesn't mean like protect is in, everything's ogre and you know, coming at me. But as women, there are a lot of things coming at us in business, but I literally had to protect myself at all times.

What am I doing to protect myself, to advance myself? Because [00:05:00] part of protecting myself is always advancing myself and always looking out. And the other thing is. Always look, you know, protecting yourself here means being ready for the next job or the next opportunity, whether it's with the company you're at now or not, and.

I didn't realize that for a long time. The other, the other thing that I, I recently watched, um, some sparring video of mine and I can hear Richard and multiple people in the gym going, keep your hands up, keep your hands up. Sully. My last name at the time was Sullivan, so everybody called me Sully from the time I was little and they called me Sully in the gym and it was, keep your, keep your hands up, keep your paws up.

Um, and that is again, goes into, you know, kid your paws up. Be aware, don't get tired. And typically that for me is when I'm tired. Your hands drop. And there's a couple things that go along with keep your hands up and it's stay low, [00:06:00] stay low, bend your knees. Because in boxing, when you, when you get tired and it's the, it is towards the end of the round, maybe it's round three or four.

And you typically drop your hands, put your chin out, and you stand straight up and you are just a target. So think about this. When you're tired, you're tired, you don't wanna do it, you're just done. Think about what, what you're exposing. Is there anything, you know, when you're getting ready to take a shortcut or when you're tired and you're not recuperating, you're not resting yourself, which we, we tend to do that.

Um, I know I was talking to a, a woman who I'm coaching and she was talking about, um, being, you know, burnout and, you know, exhausted and, and it's this rest. Don't quit, rest, don't quit. But again, it's like when we're tired. Where are our weaknesses at? Well, how do you prevent your weaknesses? [00:07:00] You know, you, you, you stay in, you get low, you put your hands up and you duck, you tuck your chin and you take this little breather.

And for me, because I was taller than a lot of my opponents, um, typically when I dropped weight, I was, um, I fought in one 12, and so I was, I was typically fighting people that were shorter and stockier than me, so they'd have to come in. So I could, I could, I could kind of cover up, you know, keep my, keep low, keep my gen, you know, and put my hands up and they'd hit me, but it, I'd be covered up.

And so I could take a little breather, but when I'm tired, I tend to get lazy. I. I don't say it lazy, that that's not the right word. I, I just let guards down. I'm not as alert. And so I had to learn in boxing, when you're tired, you know, first of all, get in shape, but second of all, be in it for the long haul.

And when you're finding yourself tired, you know, cover up, be strategic in how you approach. And that's one of the things [00:08:00] that I love that is, you know, I, I can just hear him and one time, this is how bad it was, we would be sparring. And Richard de gave me a lot, um, and or anybody else. And I'd be in training with him and, and he'd be like, he'd be like, Z put your hands up.

And he'd just, he'd just smack the crap out of me until I did, you know, because it was the, the bell hadn't rung yet. And, and I wasn't done and I couldn't throw in a towel. I mean, it wasn't, we were just, you know, he was working out with me, but literally he was like, no, you're gonna go through this. You, you stepped in this ring.

I have to remember, I stepped in the ring. There's another, um, the, the, the rounds are three minute rounds. Full three minute rounds. I always fight full three minute rounds. And, um, Richard would always tell me, you can do anything for three minutes now. I don't think that's true.

I don't think I can dead out Sprint for three minutes. Um, but maybe I can do it for three seconds. Maybe I can do it for two [00:09:00] minutes. Whatever it is, women that, that you're going through, give yourself, is it five minutes? Is it two minutes? Is it a minute? You know, is it 30 seconds? Whatever you have to do, you know, you can do this for this next 10 seconds and then check in.

Don't quit until the next link and then decide if you wanna re-up. Um, the other one, there was another one that I loved. Um, and Jesus used to, you know, Joe, when you look at my, my videos, you'll, you'll hear this, especially in this sparring video. Where you at Sully? Where you at? And what it was and, and how this translates for me in business was in and in the ring, or not in sparring or when I was in the ring, was, you know, where are you at?

Pay attention. Where's your environment? Pay attention. You're kind of zoning out here. Pay attention. Where are you at? And typically what that meant was my head was up and I wasn't leading with my job. And he would just be all the time, where you at? Sully? [00:10:00] Sully, where you at? And it was like, you know, this thing.

And now in business, sometimes I get so wrapped up in putting out a fire and responding, or sometimes I get emotional, you know? Um, or I get overwhelmed and I say sometimes, as in now, but back when I was in corporate especially, um, I would get in the moment of, of everybody else and I'd have to kind of shake myself out a little bit and go, okay, where you at?

You know, where are we? And, um, I would always look at my feet, not in the boxing ring, but in business, and be where my feet were, you know? Okay. Kind of snap out of it. Where am I? Um, then there's another one. Um, and, and you've probably heard this, maybe, I don't think it's, you know, Richard's, you know, saying in and of itself, but stick and move.

You know, stick and move. Um, you know, hit and go, go get your stuff done and then move on. Do it. Whether, and in business where I applied this a lot was, [00:11:00] say what I need to say. Get in there, get it done, and get out and be done with it. You know, don't, I don't need to be just hanging out there yapping. For app and sake, I need to have a reason.

I need to, I need to stick. And the other part about stick is it needs to be, you know, 'cause I was tall again and, and so I love with my job and my job was my, you know, that was my stick. It was stick, hit it, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. And so in business and incorporate, I had to really kind of sit there and go, okay.

Where do I wanna stick it? How do I want, you know, where do I want to go in and hit and then move on from here? And then also, a lot of times with my clients, where do I want to have them hit it? 'cause I was a consultant, so it was like, where do I want to, where is their stick? Where is their most potent thing?

And then how do we move it forward? And where is the next move? Because in boxing. You're always finding your next move, you're always pivoting. You [00:12:00] know, that's another thing is you would, you would always pivot because I couldn't, for me, my best was to be on the run, not on the run, but always moving, make them chase me.

Um, and I, and make them as, as they would tell me, make them eat my jab all the way to me, you know, and then stay low when they're inside, you know? Um, but I, I love that and. I think one of the other things was when you're on the rope, sometimes you gotta punch your way out, um, because they're so far in on you and you just punch your way out.

And that has been very much something where I've had to just in business punch my way out. Just go, okay, here we go. We're just gonna, and it's almost like you hold and you don't hold your breath in boxing, literally, Richard, I'd come back to the the corner and Richard would be like, Hey, so you're not [00:13:00] breathing, breathe.

And I'd be like, what are you talking about? He's like, you're not breathing, you're holding your breath. And I used to do that and. But again, it's like, okay, you get in this tunnel, your tunnel, and you don't always have to do this in business. But what I've learned is that what helps me is when I get stressed.

Or when I get, not even, even sometimes I do it now before I get stressed, actually, I have days where I'm on the ropes, where things have got to get done in order for me to move forward. You know, I gotta get my business development stuff out. I've gotta get my, I've got five things waiting for, for people today, literally five.

Um, and they all know 'cause they've been hitting my inbox. Where is this, where is this, where is this? And so this afternoon after we get done tape or after I get done taping here. I go and I put my head down and it's just, I've gotta punch my way. I've just gotta nail it out, and it's gonna take as long as it needs to take and I've gotta get it done.

And it's where you commit, [00:14:00] okay? Where you commit and you're in a situation, whether it be in a boardroom meeting, whether it be with a client or wherever, and you've got to commit to finishing it and getting through it. And I don't necessarily mean punch as in punch your opponent or punch your client or punch your, you know, person on the other end or your colleague.

I don't advise that, but it means, all right, deep breath, Annie up. Here we go. [00:15:00] the other one that we would always hear, um. And I would, you'll, you'll hear this all the time, um, is punch through the bell and there's, at the end of a round you hear the bell. And typically when people hear the bell, not typically, I shouldn't say typically good fighters, when they hear the bell, you'll see a flurry bababababa, B, B, B, B, blah, blah.

And when we were in the gym and we were working mitts, it was literally that bell would go off and you would have to punch through the bell. It as fast as you could, as hard as you could, because sometimes, not always, but sometimes your opponent doesn't punch through the bell. They don't have their hands up.

What happens? They hear the bell and they stop. And if you're a runner, you've heard Run through the finish line, run through it, run past it. It's the same thing, [00:16:00] only for me. It was, Ooh, wow. Not only am I able to. Go through it, but I'm able to, maybe they're not, you know, they're not. And so I could take 'em out.

I mean, it could be that little second and I pop somebody with a right or an, you know, or my jab or an upper cut, and that's what it is. And in business it's the same way. Um, so those are some sayings, but then there's some other things that I wanna give you. And, um, one of 'em was, um, you, you know, there was a big poster.

There were all these boxing posters in the gym. And, um, if you can, I don't know if he's still, I, I think he's still got pictures of his old gym and stuff, but it was, if you can imagine an old boxing gym up there. Um, it was Richard Lord's boxing gym, was just that. It was an old garage type warehouse [00:17:00] building.

Um, roll up the. The big door on it. It had big ring and then bags everywhere, speed bag and heavy bags and you know, different bags and um, and then, you know, just all sorts of other stuff of equipment. But they would have these posters. And one was, um, if I remember correctly, it was, um, you know, basically it was, this is where you outwork your opponent, you know, is your opponent training now?

And, and that's one of the things that I really had to understand in business is that again, it wasn't harder, it was smarter. But am I willing to do, um, what others are? And I can't complain if I'm not willing to do that. A couple [00:18:00] things here. That doesn't mean because there's been times in my life, especially now, where I'm not willing to do nearly as much for nearly as long and nearly as hard, but I also don't expect the same results in the same manner.

They may be similar results or similar numbers just in a different manner. 'cause I've found a different, you know, this is D very different. I'm not in a big four. I'm not working, you know, everybody's just coming off and Big four is coming off of a, um, busy season where they're working like 60, 70 hours a week, if not more.

Um, they're just going nuts. So again, I don't choose to do that anymore. But there were times in my career where I didn't wanna work, but so-and-so was willing to work. Now, couple things about that. There were other times in my career where I worked harder or [00:19:00] just as hard and had a better product. I.

And didn't get the props that I wanted or the results that I wanted because they were doled out to other people. And what that meant for me was, well then I need to look at that environment and if that environment is not rewarding my work and it's not equitable, then I need either need to change my environment, which has moved me, or I need to change it within the system.

And, um, a lot of times for me. I was able to get to a point to where I could either change it in the systems, but there have been times where I've moved, I've moved systems in authorizing environments because I was realizing that I did work as hard or harder than my competition and I wasn't getting the results that I wanted.

So again, how hard am I willing to work? And this is something where. I had to really be honest with myself too, because I don't want to work like [00:20:00] I worked when I was 30. I don't, so what does that mean for me, that means a different lifestyle. Um, it means different priorities both in my personal life, but it also means being smarter, not harder.

Um, but then there are times too when I do have to punch through the bell and punch my way out off the ropes. And because I do it in spurts now, um, I don't do it for, for months on end, although it feels like this has been months on end these last seven, eight months. Then there's one thing, and this is really important and I'll, I'll never forget this event.

I was, it was sparring day. Um, and not Saturdays were our sparring day. But then there would also be days where we would come up to the gym and sparring day was everybody, any, any clients could come in and spar, you [00:21:00] know? But that was on Saturdays. Other days we would go in and, um, there would be all of.

The, the stable would be in there. And when I mean stable, I mean all the professional fighters, and again, I didn't fight for like years and years and years, but when I did, I was part of that team. And um, or I'd go in and I would be, um, having a, a training and it would be with Richard and he'd, you know, gear up and, or with Jesus sometimes, or with Anisa or some of the other people in there.

And this one was with Jesus. Jesus, El Matador Chavez. Um, he, he was the, the main pro outta that gym at the time. He is an amazing boxer, funny as hell. Um, and just good, really good. And, um, one of the, the, you know, just, I, I don't know how to describe him except just fluid, fluid. [00:22:00] Way fluid. And I think you can look it up, Joe.

'cause I think that he, he moved up in weight class after I, I left, but I thought he fought, I'm gonna get this wrong. Um, he, he fought heavier than flies. So I'm, I'm trying to think of what, what weight he fought at. But anyway, he was great and he was lethal. I mean, the guy was lethal. Um, so we're sparring practicing, you know, but sparring training and, um.

I got him, I got one hit in and I, and it was a job and he doesn't like, like that was like, yeah. Um, and what it is is okay on the four corners, you can't see this if you're not, if you're just listening to me. But think about it, he took, so I got him at one corner, right. And what he did. The remainder of all three corners.

'cause that's what we did. We just went around the, the ring [00:23:00] each side, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And he either hit me, first of all, he started hitting me in the head. Looks fine. I mean, fair game. I mean, you know, like, like, get my chin down. But then he hit me in the gut and he hit me not in the gut. He hit me on the side and, and I took a body shot.

And I'll never forget this. I will never, ever, ever forget this. And it did teach me something about business. Um, I hit him, he hit me in the head. And so I kind of was like, okay, I got this. And then he hit me in the gut and it wasn't like we're gonna play with the girls hit. It was, what the fuck did you do?

You, you don't touch me. Hit and I'll never forget, it hurts so bad. Like, like it's one of those where your body literally just sees and it, and, and what happens is your, your body, you can't straighten up 'cause your body is literally crunching on the side. And so you lean down and it was on my [00:24:00] right side and, and I had my hand up because, you know, to protect my head.

And, and I just remember, and I, and I couldn't, I couldn't. Come back, I couldn't do anything like my body was in, and he proceeded to pound the crap outta me the whole way around the ring. And I just never, and all I could do was just keep moving, keep moving, keep moving. And, um, and, and he just, I'll never forget the look on his face ever.

And, um, and what happened was, I, you know. God, God made it through. The bell rang. I didn't punch through the bell. I just covered up. I didn't punch off the ropes. I stayed off the ropes. 'cause I, that's the only way. 'cause I knew if he, if I ever, and he didn't keep in mind as much as it was painful and as much as he came at me, he was not unleashing the fury of Jesus Chavez on me.

Okay. He was teaching me a lesson. [00:25:00] And so later I'm done. You know, um, I, the gloves were off and I was, you know, on the speed bag or something. 'cause that's usually what we'd do is afterwards we'd go to the speed bag 'cause your arms are real tired and I'd B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B. And um, and he's like, and, and that's when he came up and said, nice shot.

And I didn't even acknowledge it because I knew better. And so what does that all mean for business? For business, what I learned is if you are sitting with the big guys and you're in the room, I. You get a shot, be prepared for the onslaught, be prepared and because it's coming. So one, you better make sure you know your shot.

And that's what I didn't know. I didn't know that 'cause I just didn't think I'd be able to get it in. And there's been many times where I've sat in business and gotten one in and then didn't know what to do. And then [00:26:00] the onslaught came because I couldn't advance it. You know, it was that, you know, stick and move.

You know, I didn't move it, I just took it. I just gave it, and then I just absorbed the onslaught. But then there were times in business where I was like, okay, I'm gonna go out. I know, 'cause I've done my work, I've done my research. I'm, I'm getting ready to go in this negotiation or whatever. I know this like the back of my hand.

This is where I'm gonna take 'em down. This is how I'm gonna do it. And they're gonna come back and they're gonna come back. With a fury. So do I want to cover up? Do you know? Like how do I wanna prepare for that? Because if you get a shot in at the big dogs, you know, they're big dogs for a reason. You know, they didn't get there overnight.

And so it was just a really great lesson. And then the great ones later. When [00:27:00] it's all said and done, we'll come back and tell you nice shot. They will, they'll acknowledge that they may drag you around the ring, you know, but they'll acknowledge that because that's what, you know, that's what great ones do, is they acknowledge, Hey, I, I wasn't covered up.

I, I was exposed there for a second. So when you're wanting to go out there, and I didn't know any of this for a long time in business. I wanted to go, you know, I wanted to go. I didn't know I was young, I thought for a long time, and I thought. People that had money and drove nice cars and did things and, you know, that was success.

And I thought, um, because I was young and it was fun having those things and being around people that did. But what I didn't understand was, you know, I wanna, now it's like I wanna be around people that have had money through the, after the [00:28:00] recession, you know, that, that, that have life and that are happy.

Um, but those are the big dogs now for me. There's a different criteria, but for you women that are sitting there and whoever your, your big dog is, and I don't care. You can take this in life, you know, whatever you're sitting at the table with and you get a shot in. Okay? And I don't necessarily mean take down shot.

Ooh, I'm, you know, disrespecting you or whatever. But when you get something in, don't expect something back. Expect it back and expect it to be sustained. And I think that is one of the best things that I ever learned was once I get my shot in, don't stop. You know, don't, don't stop. Don't stop. And what is it?

There's a saying that, you know, don't look at your handiwork, you [00:29:00] know, and admire it, but especially in business. For me, I had to learn that, and I learned that the hard way because I got drug around outside the boxing rink quite a few times, you know? And I probably will, because I tend to like to just, you know, not, you know, I like to look at my handiwork.

Every once in a while I'll step back and say, woo, look at me. Um, but I do have to remember that. Go through it, keep going, keep moving forward. Then the great ones will come back around and they'll acknowledge your goodness. You know, so I'm, I'm hoping, I've been trying just a, a little lead up. I've been trying to, um, get Jesus, um, and have him be a guest on, because I'd love to have him.

I'd love to talk about, I don't know if they were good old days, they were younger, old days. Um, but I wouldn't change it for, for the world. But [00:30:00] hopefully ladies and gentlemen. You can take some of this in here and, um, and I'd love to love to hear your, your things that you've, you've heard and, and taken with you.

And, um, but again, just remember that there's, there's an opportunity out there for you, okay? But you have to protect yourself at all times. And that means thinking about and understanding your environment, keeping your hands up, you know? Not being exposed and landing, you know, sticking it again for me, learning my jab was my key point.

Ah, you know, if they're gonna come at you, make 'em, eat your, eat your jab all the way to you, you know, so until next time, enjoy. Have fun and remember, you are enough tubs, ladies.

[00:31:00]