Reid says it was when she visited her former primary school in Stenson Fields, Derbyshire, during the summer that her ambitions became clear.
As a junior, Reid won European gold and world medals before her career was put on hold for six years because of a back injury.
It was only in 2023, a year before the Paris Games, that she returned to the sport.
“My primary school teacher did an assembly for me and it was based off dreams, and I came to the realisation that I want gold – I want Olympic gold,” she said.
“I just need to follow my dreams, chase it and make it happen.
“I’m not too old to do another Olympic cycle, I can still do the professional thing after that.”
While Reid’s first attempt at Olympic glory ended after just one fight in Paris, she insists the experience was invaluable.
“I walked away from the Olympics knowing I put my heart and soul into that fight, into the training and preparation for the Games,” she said.
“It was close, but I felt I did enough to get the win. But it is what it is, and I just have to move forward really and look at how I can improve and really make that decision clearer next time I go to the Olympics.”