Mental Jiujitsu

Hello everyone and welcome to the Mental Jiujitsu Podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan (but you can call me Mirth), and I hope you enjoy your stay while you're here. In this episode, I am joined by one of my favorite musicians on the planet, Braxton Cook. Listening to Braxton share the context of the origins of his music-making process, makes it that much more rich and engaging. Music is an art, a craft that is embedded in every culture, and among many other things, is a healing force. Whether you're a musician or not, I hope that you'll enjoy this conversation as Braxton shares his thoughts on what it means to make music in troubling times, using challenge for growth, how his personal relationships have helped him and vice-versa, underrated artists, misconceptions about musicians, and among other things, food and why he dislikes condiments (especially mayo). To listen to Braxton's work or keep up with his latest projects, you can follow him on IG @braxton_cook, go to braxtoncook.com, or look up his music on Spotify and Youtube. I had a phenomenal time recording this episode, and I hope you feel that energy as you listen. Enjoy.

In this episode, I am joined by my friend and the psychonaut himself, Tom Mountjoy. Tom has a rich experience of life, and in this conversation, he shares his stories and experiences in the Solomon Islands, his reflections on a life exploring, seeking not external answers, but internal experiences, and at the very heart of it all, simply being open. Tom Mountjoy also runs the PrimalMovers & Emptiness Project, and to learn more about Tom and his work, you can follow him on Instagram @primalmovers. If this episode makes you pause, sit, go 'hm', and spark something, please share that with somebody. Who knows where that will take you? And if you enjoy this conversation or find any other episode of the Mental Jiujitsu Podcast meaningful or entertaining, please give this a share with someone who you think would too. Thank you once again, and enjoy the ride.

In this episode, I'm joined by my friend, Adam McArthur, who is a martial artist, actor, and entrepreneur. He's the voice of Marco Diaz on Star vs. the Forces of Evil on Disney, and has been in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Final Fantasy, Far Cry, and S.A.L.E.M, and he's even the announcer voice on Disney XD. What strikes me in this conversation is the sense of perserverance, grit, and deliberate simplicity with which Adam approaches the industry; how he was able to internalize lessons from the martial arts and reframe or recontextualize them in the entertainment industry, his touching student-teacher relationship with his martial arts teacher, Sifu John Yee, his many audition stories, counteracting the need for perfectionism, and the total and complete ownership he demands from himself in the never-ending pursuit that is...the journey. It was a pleasure to have Adam on, and I hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. To learn more about Adam or keep up with his work you can follow him on any social account @ninjamac.

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Locatelli Rao - more colloquially known and referred to as Dr. Loc - about the in's and out's of his practice as a physical therapist, horror stories in the clinic, his mindset now as compared to before, the matrix, and among other things, what specific issues in the human body that he sees are becoming more and more common. The first hour of our conversation covers the 'behind the scenes' of physical therapy like how and in what ways insurance companies love to take advantage of both clinicians and patients (and as a result why Dr. Loc transitioned out of the domineering matrix, as it were), and the second half around the 1h mark covers his insights into the human body including why inflammation isn't bad and his hypothesis behind why head-eye dissociation, meaning the ability to move your eyes independent of the head, is increasingly becoming more difficult for people. To learn more, you can reach out to Dr. Locatelli on Instagram @drlocrao. Now, this is a longer episode than usual, and if you find yourself enjoying the podcast, first and foremost: of all the other things you could listen to or watch in the same amount of time, I'm thankful you'd choose this podcast, and the biggest appreciation I could ever receive is for you to share it with somebody who you think would also enjoy it and start a conversation about something that made you pause and reflect (or if you find the entertainment value worth sharing). One of my chief goals with Mental Jiujitsu is to inspire those conversations, but as I reflect, I realize more and more that you, the listener (and subsequently, listeners), whether it's your first time or you've been around this block before, inspire me to continue to expand Mental Jiujitsu, so please keep a lookout for more projects and helpful/useful content in the coming months. I have some big things coming. Alright, I'm going to drop you right into this conversation with the best physical therapist west of the Mississippi now. Enjoy.

I first met this week's guest in person before a workshop in Costa Mesa. It was a cloudy morning that day - a bit hazy, a bit foggy, but not the least bit dreadful or gloomy. He'd flown in the night before from the east coast, and I thought to myself that a bit of hospitality is in order, so I offered to take him out to this place called Rooster's Cafe - a little cozy diner that always had a line out the door. He agreed, and before the sun could peak behind the clouds, we got two breakfast burritos, coffee, and some laughs to start the day. Now, I'd met him before, but virtually, digitally...and the sense you get from distally meeting someone on the net over a screen vs face-to-face, proximally human-to-human is always a pleasant one in favor of the latter. But the very first thing I noticed about him - he's got a big smile, radiant energy yes, but the first thing I picked up right away was that this man was a man of integrity. And his name is none other than Jeremy Fein. Not only is he the creator of the Striving Coaches Group, but he's also one of the Head Coaches at the Movement Guild, and a master juggler; he's got a big smile, an even bigger heart, and every time I speak with Jeremy, it's always a good and productive time. This conversation covers centering values in work, the myopia of Coaching, professional and personal life, the myth of work-life balance, leading vs. lagging metrics, attaching goals to processes, self-organization, self-judgment, and more. To connect with Jeremy, you can contact him at feinmovement.com (f-e-i-n) or on Instagram @jeremyfein. I'll have to note that there were some audio issues in the beginning, so the conversation starts with Jeremy's answer to the following question, "One myth that exists in business is that there's this perception that marketing or business endeavors have to be sleazy to work; mostly because there are so many examples of slimeballs that you can probably think of immediately off the top of your head. How do you address that with the people who come to you for coaching? And what are some other common patterns or myths that you see?" With that, I'll drop you right into the conversation. Thanks everyone - enjoy.

Space cowboys, cosmic girls, astral bodies, welcome to the Mental Jiujitsu Podcast, and thank you for listening. Today's episode is pulled from my archive vault from nearly 2 1/2 years ago in 2017. A lot has changed since then - as nature would have it - but one thing that I am glad hasn't changed for myself has been recording interviews and conversations with people who I genuinely enjoy getting to know and hearing their story from their perspective. Re-listening to this conversation reminded me of that and for many stated and unstated reasons, I'm glad I never stopped the podcast completely and kept going with the process. It's a funny reminder, because in this episode I speak with Sungwon Cho otherwise known as ProZD, who tells his story of how he got started with voice acting from scratch and the grind & grit for 4 years (and counting) to become who he is. For those who are unfamiliar with his work, ProZD has 2.34m subscribers on Youtube, has voice acted in numerous video games, shows, and media like Borderlands 3, Ace Attorney, Red vs. Blue, ACD, Granblue Fantasy, among many, many others like his original skits, sketches, and musings on Youtube. You can go down the rabbit hole and watch his features by typing ProZD into Youtube if you'd like or visiting youtube.com/prozd. In this conversation, we talk about creative discipline, career uncertainty, willpower, intuition, fame, voice acting of course, and his stories in-between. This episode has a particularly special place in my heart because, 2 1/2 years later, it serves as a great reminder to get in and do the work. Whatever you're into, I hope that you feel similarly after listening. Please enjoy this episode with the Professional himself, ProZD.

On this episode, I'm joined by my great friend and 4x International World Jiujitsu Champion, Margot Ciccarelli, more colloquially known as Mars. Beyond her achievements in the game, her way of thinking, living, and breathing the art have blended into a distinct approach that I hope you have a good time listening to. In this conversation, we cover the artist and the athlete, dance and the martial arts, linear and non-linear approaches to development, the abstract and the pragmatic, challenges and adaptations, physical languages, and a whole lot more in-between. You can learn more about Mars, her work, perspective, and coaching via her Instagram @thenomadicmars. Without further to say, please enjoy this conversation with the Nomadic herself, Margot Ciccarelli.

In this episode, I speak with the former FBI Lead Hostage and Kidnapping Negotiator and Head of the Black Swan Group (which, one an important note) is a badass group, Chris Voss. As the author of the negotiation bestseller, "Never Split the Difference" and with over 150 high-stakes negotiations under his belt ranging from bank robberies all the way to international terrorism, it's safe to say that he knows more than a thing or two about the nature of negotiation and more specifically, what is effective when you're dealing with the most dire of circumstance - when human lives are on the line. Now, the majority of us will hopefully never be placed into similar high-stakes situations like those that Professor Voss and others have been in, but the lessons still apply. They teach us something about human nature and predictibility, understanding others and ourselves, and - for the most pragmatic of listeners - securing better deals within the realm of business, having better relationships with our partners, friends, and family, and influencing others, for better or for worse. Now, this was actually recorded a long while back so some of the more topical things that we discuss may seem out of place chronologically, but nevertheless, the underlying themes that Sir Voss lays out are timeless and have aged quite well. Listening back, I was very nervous to have this conversation because I consider Mr. Voss to be one of the biggest inspirations for the concept of Mental Jiujitsu in the first place, so suffice to say that this was a huge honor for me and I hope that you enjoy listening to our conversation. Inside, we cover the misconceptions about empathy, the most brutally effective way to negotiate, his experience and stories in the field, understanding vs agreement, what he coins as 'wise recklessness', and a few good laughs here and there. I had a great time with The Black Swan himself and if you'd like to learn more about how to negotiate better to improve your communication or business skills, you can pick up his book, "Never Split the Difference" and sign up for The Black Swan weekly newsletter on blackswanltd.com. The last thing I'll say before we start - don't hold yourself back. Enjoy.

In this episode, I speak with the infamous David Weck, creator of the Bosu Ball and the Weck Method. No stranger to controversy, David's mission is to make every step stronger and does what he deems necessary to fulfill this task. We (or I should say, he, as I only speak about 5-10% of the time) cover why he does what he does, the basis of Weck Methodology, the WMQ Certification, his time as an actor, who he calls out in the industry, the mission & plan to undergirdle the entire world, and plenty more. To learn more about the Weck Method, the WMQ cerfication, and/or David Weck himself, you can follow him on Instagram @thedavidweck or at weckmethod.com. For those who have been listening and sharing the podcast, I am extremely grateful and encourage you to forward this episode or the podcast to someone you think would like to listen in. If you feel so inclined to give the podcast a rating on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, I appreciate the feedback and support. The podcast is growing at an extremely fast rate, so if you have any words or guest recommendations, send them my way via e-mail to jonathan@mental-jiujitsu.com or DM me on Instagram @majesticmirth. With that, please enjoy this episode of Mental Jiujitsu with who I call Uncle Weck, but who is also known as (in his own words), the Martial Scientist, the King of Locomotion, and - my personal favorite - the Glitch in the Matrix. As always, whether you're a first-time or long-time listener, thank you.

In this Mental Jiujitsu episode, I speak with my good friend, Bjarte Hiley. Bjarte has invested many years in training the martial arts and studying Taoism and has since gone on to develop Daomove (daomove.com)as a teacher and coach. What I endear about Bjarte is his commitment to living as honestly as he can. There is not one false bone in his body. In this episode, he shares his ordeal with despair and the darkness of the soul, his brief foray into pickup artistry (I was very surprised, as you'll hear in the conversation), what we tend to excise from our own story, and the desire to help others navigate existence, truthfully and relentlessly. To learn more about Bjarte and DaoMove, you can follow him on Instagram (one of my favorites) @daomove or go to daomove.com. Without further ado, please enjoy this episode with Bjarte Hiley, the Fledgling Old Master.

Hello everyone, and welcome to the MJJ Podcast. For longtime listeners, welcome back, and if this is your first time listening, I welcome you to Mental Jiujitsu. My name is Jonathan aka Mirth, and I've been really eager to take Mental Jiujitsu to the next level by starting with a new episode featuring a conversation with two people who I lovingly call my oathbrothers. Brothers not by the blood that flows through our veins, but through the oath that we carry in our hearts. What's fascinating to me is that the very first time I interacted with these men were when I invited them onto the podcast for the first time. When I re-listen to those episodes, I think of how much we've all grown since that time, personally, professionally, and as part of an entire squadron of human beings spread throughout the world. It amazes me without fail. And without being too sentimental, if I had to choose between being the most successful I could ever dream of or meeting these two, Daniel and Jon, my choice would be simple. I would choose the latter every single time. (I can't speak for them though.) At the end of the day, I always say to be intentional about what memories you get to create, and I'm glad that I can start this new season of Mental Jiujitsu with them by my side as one of those memories. Now, this conversation was a fun one. I don't want to spoil too much of it, but we discuss a hypothetical face-off between the Son of God and Siddhartha, living in a culture of convenience, senses of self, our individual work, building confidence/competence, and share stories about each other. If you'd like to learn more about DJ's work, you can visit his instagram at (instagram.com/strongcamps) to learn about the Emptiness Project, and if you'd like to get in on Jon's Spinal Waves course and Bottoms Up Squat Course, you can visit his instagram at (instagram.com/yuenjon). If you'd like to learn more about our shared project known as the Online Movement University, visit us at (onlinemovementuniversity.com). Otherwise, you can follow all three of us on Instagram (instagram.com/majesticmirth). As always, for the longtime listener and the first time listener thank you for listening.

Today's guest, or more precisely, guests, are a power couple known as The Mindful Mover. It's the first time I've talked with more than one person at a time on the podcast, and although I was initially worried about the software being able to record the two at the same time, it worked out handsomely. Some of you have asked me whether or not I have a team on this podcast and the answer is a resounding no. I edit everything on my own, so please forgive me for any errors or spikes during your listen. I'll continue to practice and improve to enhance your listening pleasure. Back to these wonderful guests, although they are some of the most effective bodyweight strength trainer teams that I've ever come across, it may surprise some of you to hear that they have a life beyond just training. In this conversation, we talk a little bit about training and movement, but we also cover many other important topics like: terrible relationship advice, the uncomfortable parts of business that people refuse to acknowledge, the romanticization of hard work, life outside of training, what gives them joy and pleasure, and much, much more. I had such an enjoyable time with these two, and I hope that you do as well. You can find and follow them online at mindfulmover.com or on Instagram @the_mindful_mover and I highly recommend that you do if you are not already doing so. When you're ready, please enjoy this listen with The Birds of Paradise, The Anaconda and The Falcon, Martina & Philip Chubb. Books Referenced In This Episode: Stephen Guise - Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results Shawn Achor - The Happiness Advantage Luke Leaman & Zoe Knight - Muscle Nerds Dale Carnegie - How To Stop Worrying & Start Living

Today's guest is someone who I've admired for a very long time. He is one of the most elegant and graceful movers on the planet, but what I admire him most for is his ability to reveal himself unapologetically to the world. He is a fascinating thinker, and I had the pleasure of picking his brain for a bit. He's studied countless movement arts and practices and is, at his core, a wonderful human being. For people who aren't invested into a movement practice of some sort - first, please train in one, there are many options - but secondly, we make the larger interrogation of the relationship between movement and the rest of our lives. I can't lie to you. This episode had me speechless. I originally was going to edit it, but per the inspiration of Jon himself, I decided to leave the entire conversation unedited, unfiltered with all of the pauses and messiness. I did try to make it a more audibly pleasing experience for you though, but you will catch some background noise of construction and...lawn mowers. Moving on, in all of my conversations on this podcast, I take the role of the student with my guest as the teacher and mentor. This episode is no exception. Right from the beginning, Jon and I discussed the nature of the mentor/apprentice teacher/student trainer/client relationship, the power of the individual in community, unpacking pop masculinity, movement (of course), and the refutation of bullshit. It is really an understatement when I say that this episode is fucking amazing. I will warn you though: at just around the 40 minute mark, Jon shares a personal story about suicide. Feel free to skip over this (or not) if this brings up something that you cannot deal with at the moment. Otherwise, please enjoy this conversation between Jon and I. You can follow Jon on Instagram @yuenjon to learn more or contact him directly. Recording this conversation was pure joy - please take notes and prepare yourself for The Northern Star himself, Jon Yuen. Enjoy.

Today's guest is none other than Daniel also known as DJ, Murakami. Most know him as one of the country's best 'personal trainers', but I had the pleasure of getting to understand the man known as one of the most organically strong people in the world. He's studied with some of the greats in the world of all things movement, and is extremely adept at 'knowledge transfer', or seeing the relationship between different domains through sets of principles. If you aren't a person with a movement practice of some sort, you'll appreciate this aspect of our conversation. In this episode, we interrogate many different topics and domains, including: work & play, organic strength, systems vs. non-systems, his personal journey and being Hapa, the pitfalls of the fitness industry, why play is undervalued, antifragility, psilocybin usage, and being uncomfortable. Right after this conversation was recorded, he introduced me to new games and tools that I could use to better understand my body and its relation to the environment and context around me. You can follow him @strongcamps on Instagram to see more of his incredible work. I had a fantastic time talking, playing, and exploring different domains with Daniel, and I hope that you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I had recording it. Please enjoy.

In this brilliant episode of Mental Jiujitsu, I sit down with George Masao Yamazawa in his home here in LA. George aka 'G' was born in Durham, North Carolina, and is an 8 time National Poetry Slam Champion, emcee & music artist, and connoisseur of carne asada fries. His most recent stint was in Indonesia, where he served as a Next Level 3.0 Cultural Ambassador. (You can find more on that by searching 'G Yamazawa Next Level'.) He's been featured on Team Backpack, NBC News, and is currently on tour around the United States. His poems and songs have been viewed over millions of times on Youtube (my personal favorite is '10 Things You Should Know About Being Asian From The South) and his new album, which I got to listen to, is just about to release. You can follow him on most social channels (FB, IG, YT, etc) @gyamazawa. If you have Spotify, I encourage you to go check him out for that album release. One important note before I let you go: his wonderful grandmother passed away a few days before recording this podcast with me, so I want to thank him and her for being gracious for spending some time with me. Res in power, obaa-chan. Your spirit lives on. In this episode, we go in-depth into many different topics, including: the power of poetry, living an unconventional life, cause and effect, mentors & teachers, his process for writing, family, death, and he answers some of your questions towards the end. I know this session will be a classic, so please enjoy this conversation with George, also known as, G Yamazawa.

In today's episode of Mental Jiujitsu, my guest is a Youtube pioneer and many will recognize him immediately. He started his channel back when Youtube videos first became popular - when his video "I have to deal with stereotypes" was featured on Youtube, he quickly rose in the rankings to become the #1 most subscribed Youtube channel within an extremely short time frame. He's been featured in tv, movies, and film such as Revenge of the Green Dragons, Funemployed, Man Up, Online Nation and Hang Loose with Dante Basco, Justin Chon, and others. Most notably, he started his own fund called the 'Jumbafund' to build 2 schools in Kenya and shortly thereafter, took a 4 year hiatus from Youtube and video production in 2013. What most people are probably interested in is, "What happened to him after he left? Did he in fact join a cult?" You're about to find out and a lot more. In this conversation, Kevin's first ever on any podcast, we talk about and discuss many issues that are important to him, including: spirituality, aapi empowerment, living a godly/godlike life, finding appreciation in suffering, the power of human connection and storytelling, why innocence is like a buffet, the insidiousness of fame and power, why you shouldn't text and poop, and his goals and aspirations in comedy. I actually first met Kevin back in 2011 at an asian-american conference, so it was great seeing how he and I have both grown and matured since that time. He also recently recovered from a debilitating car accident as well, so I'm appreciative that he took the time to speak with me on this episode of Mental Jiujitsu. If you haven't already, you can follow him on facebook at kevjumba or search youtube for him as well. His youtube channel is youtube.com/kevin. I had a fantastic, mirthful time talking with Kevin, and I hope that you enjoy listening to this conversation between me and Kevjumba aka Kevin Wu as much as I had speaking with him. Enjoy.

In this episode, I sit down and talk with one of my earliest inspirations within the dance and more specifically, breaking/hip-hop culture. (On an important side note, I also want to mention and say thank you to Daniel Choi, or Cho-one, for being my first mentor in this craft as well as introducing me to my guest early in my journey. I'm grateful for what you've taught me. Thank you.) He goes by the name of Zeshen Wu and is a current resident psychiatrist in training, a graffiti artist, and a b-boy. As a young child, he grew up in China, but later moved to San Juan in Puerto Rico for four years before he first moved to Houston in the United States. If that doesn't sound interesting enough, our conversation will, hopefully, tickle your fancy. We cover everything from the destigmatization of mental illness and psychiatry, his first encounter with racism, cultural differences on healing, how to bring out your most authentic self, anti-blackness, racism, and discrimination within aapi communities and hip-hop culture, among many other topics. Now, before you listen to this episode, I want to bring to awareness to something that I recently realized from this podcast - One of the things that I personally want to strive for is authentic expression of who I am. However, there are many lives that have been lost, apprehended, and taken away because they were trying to be authentic to themselves and their identity simply due to the fact that someone did not agree with them. Although I encourage everyone to understand their insecurities and vulnerabilities and own them, I also want to bring awareness to the fact that some people do not have that ability due to their circumstances. Just a quick note. Back to this episode, a lot of other thoughts were also generated from this conversation, and I hope that you will be as inspired as I was listening to this conversation with Dr. Zeshen Wu. It was a treat for me, and I hope that it will be the same for you. Enjoy.

The inaugural episode of Mental Jiujitsu features a good friend of mine, Indigo Ross, a budding comedian to be. Funny story: there was a lot of echo in the room, so we decided to go under a big comforter blanket to block out the ambient noise. It's an interview that I'll never forget. She's been featured in several clubs in Scottsdale and is making her way up. In this conversation, she shares her methodology and struggles in writing comedic material, her desire to bomb on stage, and the Red Wall series, of all things. We also cover many other issues, including empowerment and racism in k-pop music and culture. If you're into easy-to-listen yet extremely-thought-provoking, you definitely want to listen to this one. - Mental Jiujitsu is a podcast about AAPI folk (or Asian-American Pacific Islanders) and how they are shifting the paradigm and changing the current narrative in their work, life story, society, and culture. Topics include aapi/poc representation in the media, the fleeting nature of human emotion, racism/sexism, physics, health and wellness, minority discrimination with like-groups, etc., among a variety of different topics. The crux of these conversations is to create gentle shifts in people's commonly held perspectives and promote visibility among minority demographics.

Dr. Phat Vu is a physics professor among many other things at Soka University of America. As one of the most influential professors I've ever had, I sit down with him to talk about social reality, why our emotions are so strong, the meaning of sacrifice, and a whole slew of other topics. His research has been featured in many different publications and journals, including Cornell University, Wellesley College, and other institutions. He's an incredible thought provoker and has a great story about his path into professorship. If I could take a class with him again, I would. Thankfully, I have this episode that I can listen to over and over to refresh my mind on key topics - and I hope that you do the same. I had a great time with this conversation, and I hope you do as well. Enjoy. - Mental Jiujitsu is a podcast about AAPI folk (or Asian-American Pacific Islanders) and how they are shifting the paradigm and changing the current narrative in their work, life story, society, and culture. Topics include aapi/poc representation in the media, the fleeting nature of human emotion, racism/sexism, physics, health and wellness, minority discrimination with like-groups, etc., among a variety of different topics. The crux of these conversations is to create gentle shifts in people's commonly held perspectives and promote visibility among minority demographics.

Eddie Ng is a businessman who has a knack for giving good advice and letting himself be vulnerable. In this episode, Eddie opens up about his past insecurities, fights with his partner, and how to remain hopeful despite the odds. I first met Eddie when I was a university student (we went to the same uni.), and I knew that he would be a great addition to the podcast. You may disagree with him at some parts - I know I did - but that's all the more reason to listen. In essence, if you want to be self-aware, you need to accept your vulnerability. I had a great time with Eddie on this one, and I hope you have fun with it as much as I did. Enjoy. - Mental Jiujitsu is a podcast about AAPI folk (or Asian-American Pacific Islanders) and how they are shifting the paradigm and changing the current narrative in their work, life story, society, and culture. Topics include aapi/poc representation in the media, the fleeting nature of human emotion, racism/sexism, physics, health and wellness, minority discrimination with like-groups, etc., among a variety of different topics. The crux of these conversations is to create gentle shifts in people's commonly held perspectives and promote visibility among minority demographics.

In this episode, I talk with Nick St. Louis, a physiotherapist from Ottawa, who also heads The Foot Collective (@thefootcollective on Instagram). In a short 6 months, TFC has reached thousands of people on IG and contributed to a massive shift in the way people view or tend to one of the most important body parts - the foot. We cover a tremendous amount of material in this conversation, including: the pitfalls of the footwear industry, why you should go barefoot more often, and things we can do to treat our feet better. I loved having Nick on the show. If you feel the same, follow the facebook page here for more updates and/or comment on what you would ask Nick himself if you had the chance to talk with him: fb.me/mentaljiujitsu