Although she was born in Beverly Hills, Jolie grew up in South Florida where fitness became an integral part of her life. At just 16 years old, she got certified to teach aerobics and spinning. After college, Jolie became an elementary school teacher while still continuing to teach fitness. As teacher of both academics and fitness, she came to the realization that she was best at working with at-risk youth and went on to teach in jails and lock-down facilities. There, she worked closely with teens and parents to transform their relationships through life coaching and bonding them through fitness.

In 1998, Jolie and her then-husband opened South Florida Boxing. After teaching during the day, Jolie worked there in the evenings, bringing students with her to participate in boxing and fitness programs. She began to recognize the impact it was having. The students got into shape, built self-confidence and better managed anger and stress. Jolie left teaching to focus on the gym full-time. In 2010 following a divorce, she took sole ownership and rebranded with the name South Beach Boxing.

Today, South Beach Boxing is the longest-running gym in Miami Beach. It’s a family style gym that caters to all levels, beginner to advanced, with a mix of over 40 weekly workouts, including boxing, kickboxing, cross training, sparring, technical classes, boot camps, MMA, etc. It’s a fully equipped gym with full weight training facilities and cardio machines. Jolie has taken the same exercises and training that professional boxers use to get lean and toned and made them available to anyone looking to burn fat and get into the best shape of their life. At South Beach Boxing, as their slogan says, “You Don’t Have to Be a Boxer to Train Like One.”

In a male-dominated sport, Jolie has defied the odds to become a boxing industry leader — and her gym has become a premier boxing club to A-list celebrities (Will Smith, Matt Damon, Nicki Minaj), professional athletes and some of the most revered boxers, including Lennon Lewis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar de la Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and the late Muhammad Ali.

Jolie’s passion to transform lives is unrivaled. She’s a coach, trainer, teacher, speaker and motivator. She often says, “You can’t teach a lion to be ferocious, they just are.” It epitomizes exactly who she is and how she has become so successful.

Taking a few minutes out of her day, Jolie gives us a glimpse into her journey to success along with her plans for this year and beyond.

What would you consider the factors that differentiate South Beach Boxing from your competition? 
We are family style. We're a place that people belong and come with their families, year after year. Gyms are scary places to go. Who’s looking around? Who’s going accept you? I know that feeling and I want everybody that walks in the door to feel extra welcome and know they’re not alone. We’re here for them every step of the way along their journey.

I know everybody’s name, I know when they start, I know what their goals are. How can I say I want to transform lives and then not know where they are in their journey? It would be inauthentic of me to say that’s what I want to do and then not be dotting my i’s and crossing my t’s. Service is everything. People can say it, but do they really do it? I know what they’re going through and I understand the compassion that I give helps them get that they’re not in a boat alone.

I began as a teacher, and now I’m a teacher for life. I am always spreading fitness and leading by example in my community and everywhere. I’ve hosted events and raised over $15,000 yearly for charities such as Big Brother Big Sister, Toys for Tots, Girl Power, Silent Victims of Crime, etc. After 19 years, I decided to create my own charity: Jolie’s Kids Inc. We’ve now completed two years and it’s grown immensely. Every quarter, I hold auditions for kids to come apply for scholarships to our boxing/fitness/anti-bully program after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I do social, age and economic integration. How I choose is I look for the most disadvantaged and doing poorly in school. Once they show an interest in boxing, I know I have leverage to get their grades up and behavior on point and humble them. Nike is our sponsor and sends us swag and volunteers. We deliver astonishing results.

On a weekly basis, I also volunteer at several public schools. I enjoy teaching the students and teachers about health, fitness, boxing and life, and how to manage their classrooms and best teaching practices. I’m on all PTAs for the local schools and I am a known resource for transformation/intervention with students and teachers.

For almost 30 years, I’ve been immersed in contributing to my community and transforming lives in health and fitness, and I will continue to do so as it’s my life’s mission. I am determined to prove that the unimaginable is possible and that the life you want is the life you can have. Gaining the respect and admiration of top boxers and other top professional athletes wasn’t easy; I studied the lifestyles and training techniques to see how I could make them better. I came to the conclusion, “You don’t have to be a boxer to train like one.”

Out of my passion to transform kids/families all over the world, I decided to franchise my gym. I will teach teams, that teach teams, that transform lives. They all must be owner-operated and have the charity program component as I teach how to serve and earn a living and have it all aligned. I will also create seminars and retreats in hopes to find my “minions in transformation” to own and operate South Beach Boxing (future franchisees)! My slogan was always “Often Copied – Never Duplicated.” Now I added, “….UNTIL NOW.”

I’m currently writing my autobiography called “Warrior Life Training – How I Went from Last to Badass – Wisdoms of Her-Owine Ages.” In 2020, I also plan to create seminars and retreats that will transform targeted groups of people from all over the world and will focus on the teachings in my book.