MY STORY
FROM WORLD-RANKED BOXER TO ROCK BOTTOM AND BACK
As a kid I wanted to win everything. Every sport on offer. My all-time favourite was rollerblading, the one thing I could not win, and I loved every minute of it.
In the 90s I competed in kickboxing, then got serious about amateur boxing. Very serious. Fifty fights, three national titles, ranked sixth in the world, and on the cusp of qualifying for the London Olympics when an ongoing knee injury forced me to quit.
Fight night, one of fifty.
Rollerblading: the one I couldn't win, and still love.
50
BOXING FIGHTS
3×
NZ NATIONAL TITLES
#6
WORLD RANKING
I was devastated. My identity was "Eske the Boxer." If I wasn't boxing, who was I? Have you ever had something define you so completely that losing it felt like losing yourself?
I left New Zealand for the Netherlands, my birth country, determined to confront my fear of failure head on. Over the next ten years I competed in Olympic weightlifting, established two gyms, ran nutrition clinics and online programmes, and even published a book.
Then in 2023 everything fell apart at once. I returned to New Zealand. Divorced. Grieving my mum's death to cancer. My knee giving out. I believe everyone hits rock bottom at some stage in their lives.
The turning point came through grief. No amount of punches compared to losing Mum. I made myself do three things every day: sleep, eat, and move for 30 minutes. That was it. Sometimes it was just a shuffle around the block, head down, shoulders defeated. But I kept telling myself "I'm proud of you, Eske." And slowly, it worked.
FROM ATHLETE TO COACH
EVERYTHING I LEARNED, IN YOUR CORNER
✓
Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science
✓
Postgraduate Certificate in Sport Nutrition
✓
NZSCA Level 3 strength and conditioning certification
✓
Worked with High Performance Sport NZ, the Chiefs, Waikato Rugby and Rowing NZ
✓
Built and ran two gyms in the Netherlands and became a published author
Twenty-plus years of coaching, in gyms and online across time zones and hemispheres. I've coached elite athletes, but the work I love most is coaching people like you.
EXPERIENCE WITH
PRAGMA
WHY I DO THIS
ADDING QUALITY OF LIFE TO YOUR YEARS
Your health is your most valuable commodity. Think of it like compound interest: the earlier you start and the more consistent you are, the greater the return.
That's why I work with professionals over 35 who want their energy and capacity to match their ambitions. Online, across time zones, wherever you are in the world.
What lights me up is hearing clients tell me they feel stronger, more confident, more alive. I'm in a privileged position to add quality of life to your years, and I don't take that lightly.
