CHERYL K. JOHNSON never expected to find her own more satisfying life in the boxing gym where she spends the majority of her free time. But when you get to know her, you’ll see why boxing is a good fit. Cheryl’s friends describe her as disciplined and not afraid of hard work. She had her first job at age nine and since then has experienced a wide range of workplace cultures: from restaurants to Montessori classrooms, and from furnace sales to literary agencies. She understands the joy of doing the right work, and the struggle work becomes when it’s wrong for you. Boxing training was at the heart of developing the courage to leave corporate life for something that feels more like “her.”

In part to be a good boxer, Cheryl’s done her homework on food and nutrition. Her knowledge is deep and wide, and she shows no favoritism for any one institution or school of thought. An admirer of Michael Pollan, she agrees that “real food should eventually rot.”

Cheryl’s guilty pleasure is visiting any kind of grocery store—small family-owned ones, national chains or community co-ops. She’s fascinated by this look at a community’s daily life through the lens of what food is available, and what people actually buy. This interest reinforces her disdain for weight loss programs and for companies that thrive by selling non-nutritious food.

When she’s not boxing, reading, or pushing a cart, Cheryl and her husband enjoy documentary films and Indian food. They live near St. Paul, MN, in a town Cheryl describes as a cross between Lake Wobegon and Twin Peaks.

To invite Cheryl to an upcoming event, click here.