In this episode, Cody has a conversation with UFC fighter Lauren Murphy. Lauren was introduced to combat sports in 2009 when she dropped her son off at jiu jitsu class. She ended up taking the class alongside him so that he wouldn't  be afraid. He wasn't afraid, but she did get hooked. The following year, Lauren competed in her first MMA fight in Wasilla, Alaska. She knocked her opponent out in 17 seconds. It was the first fight she had ever been in. Today, when she talks about why she got into fighting she says that she wanted to find out how brave she was, and that the only way to do that was to get right in the middle of all of it and to make it as scary as possible. 

Lauren phoned in from her house in Texas. After a few technical difficulties and dropped calls, the conversation officially started. There is an overall message in this conversation about the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. Because everything in life flows from that. Those people can either frustrate you or support you, they can either drag you down with them or encourage you to become a better person. Lauren knows about toxic people and bad habits better than most. She's been down that road. But with the help of her husband, her son, and all the other healthy relationships in her life, she's now fully recovered and thriving. 

Thanks to Aurora Ford for help with interview questions.

PHOTO / Mike Squire