The Hall of Fame Mindset: Ms. October Newton
Selflessness & Humility In her entire speech after being inducted into our hall of fame, Ms. October Newton used the word “I” only once. “I thank you,” she said. That selflessness, humility, and sense of giving is the sign of a true martial artist. The first time [...]Read more
Empowering Young Women Through Tae Kwon Do
“She’s In The Division” One of my favorite stories is about a student I have named Kelly. The women that come through my school are very confident and strong. Occasionally, female students will enter tournaments and compete in the men’s division, for the [...]Read more
The Great Equalizer: Matt, Mike, and Heidi’s Journey
The Great Equalizer Watching a tiny Korean boy hold his own against a 6’4” FBI agent, with an all-star collegiate athletic background is all you need to know about one fact that I have learned in my 38 years: Tae Kwon-Do is a great equalizer. Matt and Mike were the first [...]Read more
Raising My Voice: Tamara’s Story
Raising My Voice: Tamara’s Story 12 years ago, I sat in on my sorority sister’s Tae Kwon-Do class. Before that hour-long session was over, I signed myself up. When I came in, I was very soft-spoken. In many ways, I still am! I also wasn’t very assertive, and didn’t [...]Read more
Iron Sharpens Iron: The Genesis of the North American Open
Proverbs tells us: “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” One way we improve is by competing against those who are better than us. Being a new school, I knew early on that my first students needed some experience to help them prepare to compete in a national [...]Read more
A Culture of Belonging: Greg’s Story
Day One I was intimidated to walk through the doors and step out on the floor that first day. “I’m not a martial artist,” I thought. “How are they going to treat me?” But, I was welcomed from day one with smiles and encouragement. My wife and my two children [...]Read more