Initially invited to a gym by a friend, she built an affinity to it and eventually opened Mayweather Boxing + Fitness Tribeca in NYC and Nashville. Smith’s journey has not been without its challenges. As a woman of color in a white male-dominated industry, she has faced stereotypes and societal assumptions. She initially viewed herself as unworthy of being a leader in fitness, “stating,” “I was stereotyping myself.” However… she has since dedicated her platform and space to creating a welcoming environment for all people to come exercise.
Smith’s story is part of a larger narrative of Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals making a mark in the fitness industry. She credits her passion for fitness with shaping her into a leader and making her journey worthwhile.
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This story is part of AAPI in Fitness, a series of articles highlighting the challenges and triumphs of fitness trainers, athletes, and gym owners from the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Read the rest of the stories here .
XIAONING SMITH IMMIGRATED to the United States from China in her teens to pursue a career as a classical pianist. A few decades and a pandemic later, she now owns and operates Mayweather Boxing + Fitness Tribeca in NYC and Nashville—on top of teaching her own fitness classes.
Having never stepped into a gym until her arrival to the U.S., Smith was initially invited to one by a friend when she first moved, and immediately built an affinity to it. What started as a love affair with step classes built into a passion that ultimately shaped her into a fitness industry leader.
Succeeding in a white male-dominated industry hasn’t been easy for a first-generation Chinese-American woman like Smith. She allowed societal assumptions to trickle into her view of herself as a worthy leader in fitness. ⁘I was stereotyping myself. We’re known for being academically successful, not athletically,⁘ she says.
Now, she’s dedicated to using her platform and space to create a welcoming environment for all people to come exercise. The community she has created, and continues to create, ⁘has made it all worth it.⁘ MH spoke with Smith to discuss her journey.
My father was a big classical music fan, but didn’t get to pursue it himself. He decided he would like me to learn how to play the piano. I started, and practiced pretty intensely, because back then, this was never a hobby. This was your way out. For college, I came to America to pursue a music career.
My second year of school, my roommate [gave] me her gym membership to use because she thought I might like it. I’d never been to a gym—fitness was a not a thing back in China. They we didn’t even have them, and there weren’t really recreational sports. So I went… and at first, I thought to myself, ⁘this is what people pay to do in this country?⁘
