I’ve always found exercise classes intimidating, especially when they were a part of New York City’s boutique fitness scene. This is, until I attended Olivia Young’s Box + Flow class one Saturday morning last summer; it shifted my perspective on both the corporate fitness industry and myself. Young differentiates her fifty minute class not only by pairing an unlikely duo, boxing and yoga, but also in her commitment to truly knowing and understanding each of her clients (veterans and newbies alike).

The energy fostered by Young in the intimate space, with only eleven boxing bags and yoga mats facing each other, was unlike any other fitness experience I’d ever had. It left me feeling more balanced (and more sweaty) and I instantly craved more. Young’s Box + Flow class quickly became my Saturday morning routine, part sweat session and part therapy session.

At thirty-two, Olivia Young is embracing her most authentic self and encouraging those around her to do the same. With a background in hospitality, Young sees not only the value in building a loyal clientele, but also the importance in building an empowered community. She leads her classes and life with the mantra “flow through the fight + fight through the flow,” a mantra I believe we should all get behind.

Who were you at twenty?

I didn’t know who I was.

How have you evolved since?

At some point between the ages 27 and 32 I decided to jump into my life - less existing, more living. I have committed to understanding that it is hard work to get to know yourself and even more work to learn to love yourself, but it is my commitment. It is what I speak to and stand by. I built a business called box + flow to inspire others to lean into themselves, to let go of whatever resistance they are holding onto and find the ease - to recenter, refocus and come back to their core, so this is my journey. I ‘work hard to livyoung, to love myself’. I am ever evolving. We all are. The journey of life is a marathon, not a race. And I’m forever seeking balance along the way - finding my pace as i go.

What advice would you give yourself at twenty?

have fun. live more. stress less. feel more. think less. this is your journey, your party, your life. what you do is for you. what you don't, is not. do for you - feel for you. get to know you FIRST. the rest will figure itself out or it won't. don't stress the small stuff. one life. find celebration in even the smallest elements. it’s not always about the big wins. it’s about the everyday journey. that is where you learn.

learn more about Olivia and her work here