My name is NuUmai Ioane Lalau.

I was born in American Samoa and raised in the Potrero Hill housing projects in San Francisco. Growing up there shaped everything about me.

As kids we would walk up the hill to the Potrero Rec Center for free lunch, movies, and a place to feel safe. One summer they played Enter the Dragon and something shifted in me. After the movie a bunch of us ran out to the baseball field to play fight like Bruce Lee. Before long the other kids moved on and I stayed behind, practicing every move I remembered.

I did not just copy the moves. I visualized them.
The breathing.
The timing.
The patience.
Letting the other person move first.

That is where I learned the power of visualization.

My father boxed and he was a scary man. I did not fall in love with boxing because of him. In fact, whenever I saw him in a street fight (and there were many) I felt real fear that he might kill someone. That is how I know I never loved boxing for the violence. I loved it for the art, the movement, the spirit, and the discipline.

Years passed and I thought boxing was behind me until my son entered the sport. He competed at a high level and I watched many young fighters come and go. After years of watching kids quit it broke my heart. It was discouraging and I needed to understand why.

That is when it became clear.
We trained their bodies.
We sharpened their skills.
But we did not teach them how to build inner strength.

I AM BOXING I AM was created so no kid and no adult would ever walk away from boxing because no one taught them how to build belief, discipline, healthy thinking habits, and purpose.

This is not just about throwing punches.
It is about who you become when life punches you back.