I was utterly unprepared for the influence that London 2012 would have on me. The luck of the ticket lottery meant I was able to see six events live: I was in the stadium on day one of the heptathlon and joined in the roar as Jessica Ennis-Hill walked on to the field. I saw Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor both win boxing gold. I cheered Kate Richardson-Walsh and the GB hockey team as they secured a thrilling bronze. I watched the female weightlifters in my own weight category, and felt inspired to improve my own clean and jerk maximum lift.
Watching women's sport was a bit of a shock. I started learning the Korean martial art of hapkido aged 13, and for at least the first 15 years I trained predominantly with men. So seeing so many female elite athletes wasn't just unusual, it was an inspiring, life-changing event. The media showcased the strength and determination of our women athletes so well, and the spotlight they gave to women's sport whetted my appetite. It left me wanting more – and determined not to fall back into a sporting landscape almost entirely dominated by men.
After the Olympics and Paralympics a group of us came together, volunteered our time and formed a new charity called Women's Sport Trust. We decided to help increase the money available to women's sport through grant-giving in a way that no other women's sport charity does. We have just received some donations that made it possible to grant money to our first five applicants. They include 10-year-old Arsenal footballer Lexi Lloyd-Smith, GB boxer and policewoman Lisa Whiteside, girls' rugby coach Nick Woodland, Birmingham Blitz Dames roller derby team and GB Paratriathlete Liz McTernan.
Potential sponsors agree that what we are trying to achieve is "the right thing to do", but getting anyone to commit more than goodwill remains a challenge. If sport has taught us one thing, though, it is that determination, drive and commitment will win out in the end. We are working hard to be in a position to hold a major grant-giving in the spring or early summer.
One year on and everyone who is involved in Women's Sport Trust is a volunteer – we have no paid staff. We have won support from media professionals such as award-winning sports presenter Sue Mott, business leaders such as Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts, and Olympians and world champions including rower Anna Watkins, footballer Kelly Smith, hockey player Kate Richardson-Walsh, triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, triathlete Chrissie Wellington and skeleton bobsledder Shelley Rudman.
This means we are creating a movement for change that has the potential to affect four main areas: increasing the visibility of female role models, improving media coverage of women's sport, increasing spectatorship and encouraging participation in women's sport. It means questioning the status quo and deciding to value ourselves more.
It has not been easy, particularly as all involved have other full-time commitments and families. Getting the trust off the ground has taken an almost obsessive commitment and a willingness to work long hours. But we all believe that sport has huge potential to change how women are seen and how they see themselves. Research commissioned by Ernst & Young shows that sport has impact beyond the playing field, and that many female executives first found success in sport.
Aside from the enjoyment I get from being physically active, one thing that draws me to hapkido is the constant learning it provides. In my own training I've always been fairly single-minded and driven, and Hapkido not only challenges me physically, but also pushes me to grow and develop in every aspect of my life – as a teacher, an athlete, a partner and a woman running her own business. Within my hapkido school, I aim to create an environment that encourages my students to challenge themselves, support one another and achieve their potential.
We are determined. We want to open up the back pages of the newspaper – any newspaper – and find women's sport. We want it to be difficult to get tickets to a women's sporting match – not because you can't find out about it, but because it's sold out. We want to see girls and women of all ages having multiple routes to sports they enjoy. And most of all, we want women to think they can, not that they shouldn't. We want these things because role models do make a difference. They send a message out about what's possible and encourage us all to pursue our ambitions.
In my own sport I have achieved more than I thought possible by persevering, exercising determination and possessing a strong desire to keep growing and improving. I hope that through Women's Sport Trust we can all help women's sport gain the platform it truly deserves.
• Follow Women's Sport Trust on Twitter @womensporttrust.
