In this episode, Carl is with Greg Appleton, Professional Firefighter and Muay Thai Fighter.

They talk at length about Greg’s journey and finding his passion. Life is about valuing the time you have and doing something that makes you happy. It can be challenging to make the big changes but there are lots of things you can do making the small changes that ultimately make a huge difference.

Greg shares his experiences of both living and fighting in Thailand where Muay Thai is the national sport. This is a great listen with something for everyone, listen and enjoy.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• I strive to be the best but you have to understand you are not going to win every fight.
• It’s not the fights that you win that you learn from, losing is about learning.
• You can have lots of people, physios, and trainers but in the end its just down to you and the work you put in.
• If you f#ck up it’s just down to you.
• You have to value your life and get it all in perspective, it’s great to dream but you need to remember it’s all relative to what you need and are content with.
• The most important thing humans have is time and it’s important to make the most of it.
• There is what you think is important and what’s actually really important
• Materialistic stuff doesn’t bring true happiness.
• Always ask yourself are you happy? and if you don’t like what you are doing then change it.
• The change may be difficult and it’s what comes next that is the challenge but never be afraid to change.
• There are no quick fixes but every small change will make a difference
• Surround yourself with people who are on the same journey as you have the same mindset as you.

 

BEST MOMENTS

‘Muay Thai isn’t recognised as it should be’

‘I like to be the hardest working person in the gym’

‘Praise is something that has to be earned’

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Gregg Appleton IG page - https://www.instagram.com/greggappletonmuaythai

HKA Main landing page www.hastingskickboxing.co.uk/kickstartnow

YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/user/Hastingskickboxing

HKA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Hastingskickboxing

Adult community link  https://m.facebook.com/groups/274624209886110?ref=share 

 

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Hi, my name is Carl Denne.  

I was born in Hastings in 1980. Married, father of two beautiful daughters, Bethany and Leigha. 

My daughters, the wife, and gym ARE MY LIFE.

IF I’M HONEST, I pretty much failed at school. Heavily dyslexic, I was dismissed for being a “naughty kid” that didn’t want to learn. I was heavily bullied for having shit clothes and ginger afro hair. I didn’t have many friends. 

When I say bullied I don’t mean called a “poo-poo head” and being looked at in a nasty way. I mean thrown downstairs, and hit with chairs and tables. Clothes were stolen whilst in the shower. That kind of bullying…

Oh, how things have changed… 

Martial arts, and specifically Kickboxing, have changed my life, and now I am much happier and change other people’s lives for the better on a daily basis. 

I am a complete adrenaline freak, so In my spare time, track days, jumping out of planes, sitting on top of them, rage buggies in the desert… The higher, the faster the better for me. I’m always looking for the next thing to get my blood pumping, so if anyone has a challenge I’ve not found yet, please feel free to share. 

I do like a Saturday night movie night, Chinese, Netflix, lots of chocolate with my three little ladies. I love being around my friends and family. This is why I love the crazy HKA family so much, as this is my extended family.   

I left school with pretty much nothing! A few sad GCSE’s C - D grade, BUT I did have a shit-ton of energy and passion to achieve, and to prove all the teachers and people that looked down on me for all those years, wrong. So, after a few jobs here and there, I settled on working for Openreach (BT) as a cabler/jointer copper and fibre optic multi-skilled engineer with HGV.

I left this in 2015 to chase my dream of running my own Kickboxing Academy and working with the future of today, rather than a job that just paid the bills. 

I’ve trained pretty much my whole life: Karate, boxing, Judo, from the age of 9, and of course, I’ve now done over 29 years of Kickboxing. I’ve passed many Instructors and coaches courses, attended many training courses and seminars, grading up through the syllabus. I passed my 4-hour hell-on-earth 3rd Dan black belt in July 2018 with the ICO.

If I’m honest my real passion and skills have come from learning the hard way; through being in the trenches. I know how it feels to be on your arse. I know how it feels to have to pull yourself out of the pit. I’ve been through a divorce. I’ve lived through the pain and have worked with thousands of members, students, children, teachers and adults over the years, and the one thing I get told every time is how well I/we keep it very real, and that I have a complete understanding on most eventualities. 

Thank you for reading and listening. I hope you connect with myself and the team, take away some ideas, understand you’re not alone, and that it’s good to talk, listen and help others as and when you can.