Conscious Combat Club

Nick Hoekstra is a doctoral student at the University of Kansas studying special education. He lost his sight at the age of eight and started wrestling in high school and practicing martial arts in college. Nick's career has focused on international development, especially around the promotion of special and inclusive education globally. He has lived and worked in five countries. Nick attributes his success and especially his ability to travel independently as a person with a disability to the confidence he gained through martial arts. Nick is currently a 2nd degree black belt in Judo, black belt in Aikido and purple belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu.

Nick and Georgia discuss:

• The benefit of martial arts specifically for people with disabilities.
• How martial arts have helped him, personally, with both skills and confidence in independent life and travel.
• How martial arts is often such a close-knit community and how we can make these communities more inclusive.
• Some of the struggles he's had within martial arts and why he doesn't stop practicing.

To contact Nick: [email protected]

Nick on instagram: @nikohoek

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, club and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga

Muay Thai was the outlet that saved Mint from a life of street violence and rage. In this episode you'll hear how her stepfather introduced her to Muay Thai to help her deal with racist bullying.

Mint and Georgia also discuss:

• Why Mint got breast implants and why she is having them removed
• Being a female fight photographer in Thailand
• Mint's future plans as she returns to fighting

To connect with Mint on Instagram:

@saoseua.x (muay thai page) @mintlicataphoto (photography page)

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, clubs and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga

Dr Annette Drews is a Professor for Social Medicine who currently does research on the contribution of Martial Arts in trauma therapy.

Due to an accident at 2 years of age, she continued to be accident prone throughout her life. She overcame the physical and psychological consequences of her traumas through awareness based movement practices such as yoga, aikido and Feldenkrais.

Georgia and Anna discuss:

• What mindfulness is and the role it plays in trauma healing
• Why entering into awareness based movement practices through mindfulness might not work for people with trauma history
• The difference between shock trauma, developmental trauma and abandonment trauma
• The difference between prey and predator identification
• Why being knowledgeable about these concepts can be helpful in the practice of Martial Arts
• Why being knowledgeable about these concepts can be helpful for integrating the experience of trauma into resourceful living.
• How Martial Arts brought Anna out of "Freeze" and taught her how to transform survival driven energies into creativity, power, joy and love.

Please contact Annette via her email: annette.drews@yahoo.

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, clubs and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga

Software developer by day, a vessel of life lessons and first-degree black belt jiu-jitsu instructor by night, Alex Ueda made his first foray into jiu-jitsu after attending UCLA, where he majored in physics. A self-declared "fragile perfect" in his schooling and career, through his training, he found uniquely life-affirming perspectives and powerful mindsets that eluded him through university and a lifetime's participation in team sports. These days he enjoys a deep sense of purpose being the catalyst in others' journeys toward their best selves.

Georgia and Alex discuss:

• The meaning behind "Grounded Grit"
• Trauma informed Jiu Jitsu
• How martial arts hijack your innate survival instinct and put you directly in contact with practices that lead to rooted, authentic, growth

This is a beautiful, deep conversation that I really enjoyed participating in and I know you'll love listening to!

To contact Alex:

Instagram: @groundedgrit

Website: www.groundedgrit.com

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, clubs and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga

Les is the founder of Karate for Mental Health, a disability karate coach and author of Anxious Black Belt and The Dark Side of Karate.

Les and Georgia discuss:

• How karate helped Les
• Inclusivity in karate
• Karate as a mindfulness practice
• Why karate can be great for mental health
• How to coach clients with hearing loss
• The importance of creating community
• The difference between karate for mental health and "regular" karate

To contact Les, please email [email protected]

On social media you can find Les on instagram: @lesbubka

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, clubs and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga

Alex and Laurien are two BJJ purple belts, active competitors and own a trauma informed martial arts and yoga school in Munich, Germany as well as Off The Zone, an online interactive platform where they help fellow martial artists to become trauma informed.

Georgia, Laurien and Alex discuss:

• Both their journeys from suffering sexual harrasment under a coach to founding a trauma informed school
• What trauma is
• What the difference is in their trauma informed school vs a regular bjj school
• The potential value of competitions
• Dealing with sexual harrassment at your school
• The pillars of the Off The Zone coaching program
• Why martial arts can be therapeutic
• And (of course) why people often say "Bjj saved them"

To connect with Alex and Laurien check out their website and their instagram. (@off_the_zone)

You can listen to the book Alex mentioned about play for free on Audible:

Title: Play it Away (A workaholic's cure for anxiety)

Author: Charlie Hoehn

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, clubs and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga

Erik Hein has made a career out of teaching. He has taught martial arts, martial arts coaches, elite police teams, emergency services workers and more. Erik is incredibly knowledgeable in the world of motor learning and has written multiple books on the topic (though all in Dutch) and is currently writing a book about martial arts as therapy.

Erik and Georgia discuss:

• How you can use the three Rs in class
• Performance under pressure
• Self determination theory
• The attributes of a great martial arts teacher
• How finding kyokushin karate saved Erik's life

For more information about Erik:

https://www.train-de-trainer.org/over-mij/

https://www.erikheinacademy.com/

To contact Erik:

[email protected]

https://www.instagram.com/erik.hein/

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, clubs and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga

Rew Mitchell is the owner of Awakening Fighters. He supports and promotes female fighters around the world with the online database of athletes he created and maintains.

Rew and Georgia discuss:

• The sexualization of women in combat sports
• How Rew, a male-identified person, came to create a data-base to empower female fighters
• Differences between male and female fighters
• The uses of the database
• Future plans for Awakening Fighters

To connect with Rew: You can search "Awakening Fighters" on facebook and instagram or email: [email protected]

If you identify as female, have fought/competed in any discipline and would like to be added to the database, please download the Awakening Profile Questionnaire, fill it in and return it to [email protected]

For Rew's book: Way of the 69 Fists

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Way-69-Fists-popular-martial/dp/B084DH59GG

To listen to the Taoism Book Rew mentions: Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVbNPQZwL6k

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, clubs and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga

Kristina Nikolaj is a retired debilitating anxiety sufferer turned breathwork facilitator focused on using the breath to take control of your life. Then she discovered more of her power through jiu jitsu.

Georgia and Kristina discuss:

• Kristina's experience with anxiety/self-esteem issues
• Kristina's discovery of martial arts after never playing sports her whole life
• Using breathwork on and off the mats
• Breathwork for trauma survivors or anyone with a fear of breathwork
• How bjj has played as a mirror for Kristina in even how she lives her life off the mats
• Breathwork for sporting performance
• Kristina's competition fears and how's she's working on them

To contact Kristina: Instagram: @kristinanikolaj

Website: kristinanikolaj.com

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, clubs and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga

Dr Amber Tucker is an assistant professor of sociology, researcher, mixed martial artist, athlete, and coach. Her research explores the trauma that results from the intersection of gender, race and class.

Amber was one of the researchers involved with the 'Justice in Movement' project. A program for women of color involving trauma informed jiu jitsu, weightlifting and rock climbing. You can watch the trailer for the doco about the project here.

Amber and Georgia discuss:

• Amber's research
• Racial microaggressions on the mat
• How coaches and martial artists can take action to reduce racism in their school
• Gender-based discrimination toward women in martial arts
• How martial arts have the capacity to heal trauma

Sign up to the Conscious Combat Club newsletter here to get the latest updates about mindful and trauma-informed martial arts practices, clubs and research.

Join the Conscious Combat Club on Facebook to meet fellow listeners of this podcast and help us transform martial arts into more inclusive sports for everybody.

If you'd like to join The Fight Back Project, you'll find the waitlists for Melbourne here and online here.

If this podcast has inspired you to create your own trauma-informed martial arts program, you can register for my 12 week online course here.

Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga