About the Founder & Head Coach

“A martial art that demands acute awareness of space and unwavering focus, boxing has been essential in my process of rewilding. The disciplined training led me to meditation and helped me tap into innate power I didn’t realize I had. Like many women, I had been conditioned to tone down, to fixate on my external appearance, and to shrink. But in the ring, stripped of societal constraints, I dismantled stories that told me I was not enough and accessed primal instincts that reside within us all.” ~ Vanessa Chakour

HEX Boxing Club is founded by author, herbalist, former fighter, and coach Vanessa Chakour. Vanessa is certified through USA Boxing to train amateur fighters and licensed through the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission to train professional fighters. She trained as an amateur and professional boxer at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn and refined her craft at New York City gyms including Mendez and Church Street. Her foundation in the sport was shaped by her coach and mentor Bobby Miles, who trained multiple world champions. Vanessa spent more than a decade coaching in New York City, working with boxers of all levels and running programs with organizations such as GEMS, the Harlem Children’s Zone, and the Hip Hop Loves Foundation.

Vanessa’s path into boxing grew out of a long journey of healing. After early sexual trauma and physical challenges including chronic asthma and a serious car accident, she reclaimed her body and rebuilt her strength through creative expression, disciplined training, and reconnection to Earth. Her process revealed how physical limitations often mirror internal stories and how focused practice can dismantle them. This shaped her approach to boxing as both an internal and external martial art.

In addition to her work in the ring, Vanessa also spent years studying and teaching herbal medicine, running an herbalism school in Brooklyn that emphasized direct relationship with plants and place. In 2014 she founded Sacred Warrior, which she led for over a decade. Sacred Warrior became a space where students trained their bodies while rebuilding a felt sense of belonging within the natural world. Through Sacred Warrior she offered retreats and workshops that combined martial arts discipline with experiential learning with plants and wildlife, partnering with organizations such as the Wolf Conservation Center and The Jaguar Rescue Center.

Vanessa is the author of two memoirs: Awakening Artemis and Earthly Bodies that explore healing through earthly embodiment, and kinship with the more-than-human world. Her writing and work have been featured in publications such as Orion, Terrain, Psyche/Aeon, Yes! Magazine, Beyond with Jane Ratcliffe, and Psychology Today.

Based in Western Massachusetts, she now brings these disciplines together at HEX Boxing Club, drawing on decades of coaching, ecological work, and writing to shape an environment where embodied strength is rooted in relationship with Earth.

Testimonials-Archive

“In the years that I have known Vanessa Chakour, she has always impressed me. She fully understands the dedication, commitment and skills required to be successful in all aspects of boxing. Her heart & determination are unparalleled. She comes from a school of great trainers who know the game & have given her pure wisdom.”
~ Lennard Jackson, Boxing coach and Former World Ranked Middleweight

“Vanessa teaches boxing with no emphasis on aggression. We learn strong foundations like balanced movement, how to stay present and respond, and how to rely on gravity to sink into our bodies and use our momentum when we punch. It feels more like learning chess than learning to fight. Boxing training has strengthened my back, sharpened my focus, and helped me calm when I'm feeling anxious or out of control. Vanessa is the entire reason I even tried this sport and I thank her deeply for creating a space where the practice of boxing can have such a profound impact on life outside of the gym.”
~ Scout C., visual artist 

“Vanessa uses her own special technique of combining the fierceness of boxing with the focus and visualization of meditation and then makes it more of a beautiful bundle when she teaches you about healing with local medicinal plants. I can only fully express my gratitude for her teaching and guidance by sharing it because she has changed my world and made me feel like more of the Badass that was waiting to be released! *cue Eye of the Tiger please!”
~ Danise P.

“Boxing has introduced me to a new way of understanding how my mind and body communicate; it is fascinating, healing, energizing, and so much fun! Vanessa conjures a communal magic and vitality in the boxing room, creating a powerful space for everyone to train and thrive.”
~ Rachel L.

"Who knew that I would love boxing?!  It had never even occurred to me before I met  Vanessa. But her energy was contagious and before I knew it I was training twice a week, sweating it out and I couldn't be happier. Or in better shape— I feel stronger and more alive than I have in years." ~ Sue J. Johnson, Journalist 

“The boxing ring is a lonely place. You come face to face with your inner demons and all of your fears. Vanessa’s heart and courage in the ring, and convictions around environmental and social justice carry the same level of intensity.” ~ Shaun George, Former Cruiserweight World Champion, Coach, Olympic Team Trainer

“Vanessa’s extraordinary fitness training expertise and her exceptional listening and coaching skills have had a strong, positive and empowering effect on our daughter’s journey through her teen years. Her 360 degree and balanced approach have instilled in our girl a sense of self and strength that we admire. Introducing Vanessa into her life was one of our best decisions as parents.” ~ Frederick W.

“Vanessa is an amazing person, she knows how to teach people to get in touch with their animal instincts like no one else I know.”
~ Author and Herbalist, Matthew Wood

“While I’d been an athlete for much of my life I’ve never had someone hold the space for me to arrive deeply in my practice in a way that welcomed not only the practice itself but left room for the baggage, wisdom, flair and life experience I’d carried with me in that moment. In this way Vanessa makes boxing a sacred opportunity to learn about how to better one’s approach to life, self and others. I am deep in gratitude"
~ Phelicia M.

“Working with Vanessa has been a phenomenal experience. She is a great teacher and really analyzes your skills for peak performance. She is an advocate of using proper technique which many trainers don't emphasize. She also helps you gain confidence through understanding the science of the sport, and learning to generate power with technique and awareness through meditation practice."
~ Rene J. S., Founder of The Hip Hop Loves Foundation

“Boxing with Vanessa is not about punching people or being a hard ass, it's about being true and clear in your direction and concentration. To say I needed this would be an understatement. The support and inspiration I feel boxing, practicing the meditation techniques and connecting with the elements within me and around me, is the whole warrior of my true self."
~ Steph H.

“I never in a million years thought that I would look forward to boxing. As I box I feel as though I can take over the world. I’m glad that I have the opportunity to exercise certain skills that I never really knew I had until Vanessa helped me discover my strengths. Boxing also helps me relieve stress and keeps my mind off the unimportant things in my life. I hope to keep on practicing and become a much stronger fighter.” ~ Erika P./GEMS Boxing program