00:00I couldn't remember a time when I looked in the mirror and actually liked what I saw.
00:06I was living in New York City and excelling as a signed working model, but inside, I was incredibly unhappy.
00:13After being asked to fast for 10 days for a shoot, I'd had enough and asked for a vacation.
00:19I went to Thailand and after passing a local Wi-Thai gym, I asked if I could give it a
00:24try.
00:25I immediately became obsessed.
00:26I stayed for nine months and learned not only physical, but mental strength.
00:31Before I started boxing, I had no respect for my body.
00:36I thought that it had to look a certain way because everybody told me that it had to look a
00:41certain way.
00:42Now that I've started boxing, I have the utmost respect for my body.
00:47I completely let go of any standards held above me by the modeling world and gave my body to this
00:54sport.
00:54I eventually came back to New York City with this newfound strength and demanded to my clients and agents that
01:01this new mindset and body was just as beautiful, if not more beautiful, because the woman that returned now had
01:08something to say.
01:11I'm not the typical fighter, and often, I'm not taken seriously.
01:16I first considered myself a professional athlete when I realized I was training on the same level as a professional
01:22athlete.
01:23For me, there is no typical training day.
01:26No two days of training are the same.
01:28I try to mix it up every day.
01:29The amount of time I have, I give, whether it be 20 minutes or four hours.
01:35Fighting and martial arts is a male-dominated sport.
01:39In order to be treated equally, I had to earn it.
01:42I had to show people that I could not only do what the men do, but I could do what
01:47they do and succeed at it.
01:49Being a body advocate is a responsibility and a duty that I have as being a part of this industry
01:57and representing women.
01:59Being a body advocate means that I fight for diversity and representation.
02:08My name is Mia Kang.
02:10I am a fighter and a model.
02:12I'm fearless every time I step into a fight, and I urge women to step outside of their comfort zones.
02:20That's where the best stuff lives.
