Podcasts about Judo

Jim and Matt open the show with lightweight finisher Jalin Turner, who joins ahead of his return against Edson Barboza at UFC 323. Turner explains how training with Ian Machado Garry and reconnecting with his faith pulled him out of a brief retirement, helping him rediscover balance, purpose, and confidence. He also discusses studying the sport differently, and what he expects when he steps in with a tricky veteran striker like Barboza.The guys then shift into their UFC 323 predictions, breaking down a stacked card — from Merab Dvalishvili's push for a historic fourth title defense of the year to Pantoja vs. Van, Moreno vs. Taira and more!Later, former light heavyweight champion Jan Błachowicz checks in to talk about making one more run at 205, how he views the danger posed by surging finisher Bogdan Guskov, and what “Legendary Polish Power” looks like in this stage of his career.Finally, Jim and Matt close out the episode with deeper analysis on some of the remaining UFC 323 matchups.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jim and Matt kick off the week with former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who checks in ahead of his trip to Las Vegas to support Merab Dvalishvili before the bantamweight champ's fourth title defense of 2025.Weidman shares what he expects from Merab's continued dominance, and also weighs in on how Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett match up in next year's interim lightweight title fight — the first numbered event of the new Paramount deal.Then, Syndicate MMA head coach John Wood joins the show to talk about life inside one of the busiest gyms in the sport. Wood breaks down Merab's one-of-a-kind approach to fight week and explains whether he foresees anything different in the champ's rematch with a resurgent Petr Yan in this Saturday's UFC 323 headliner.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we're joined by BJJ and Judo black belt, Dr. Chris Round! Chris is the Executive Director at Martial Arts for Social Transformation, Equity, and Rights (MASTERs). In this episode, Chris explains the helpful gripfighting scorecard from his Tactical Grip Fighting system.Follow Chris on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/chris__circleLearn about Martial Arts for Social Transformation, Equity, and Rights (MASTERs):https://www.martialartsforsocialgood.orgGet Chris' instructional, Tactical Grip Fighting:https://tacticalgripfighting.comMental models discussed in this episode:Grips Dictate Positionhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/grips-dictate-positionCore Mechanicshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/core-mechanicsGoodhart's Lawhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/goodharts-lawTheory of Alignmenthttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/theory-of-alignmentAsymmetric Warfarehttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/asymmetric-warfareDominant Angleshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/dominant-anglesKinetic Chainshttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/kinetic-chainsCountergrippinghttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/countergrippingInside Channel Controlhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/inside-channel-controlCrossing the Centerhttps://bjjmentalmodels.com/crossing-the-center⬆️ LEVEL UP with BJJ Mental Models Premium!The world's LARGEST library of Jiu-Jitsu audio lessons, our complete podcast network, online coaching, and much more! Your first week is free:https://bjjmentalmodels.comNeed more BJJ Mental Models?Get the legendary BJJMM newsletter:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/newsletterLearn more mental models in our online database:https://bjjmentalmodels.com/databaseFollow us on social:https://instagram.com/bjjmentalmodelshttps://threads.com/@bjjmentalmodelshttps://bjjmentalmodels.bsky.socialhttps://youtube.com/@bjjmentalmodelsMusic by Enterprize:https://enterprize.bandcamp.com

CBC's Kier Junos goes live from the Abbotsford Judo Club, which offers free judo classes for newcomers to Canada aged 5 to 15 years old. He speaks to head instructor Layton Keely about the program.

Sur le buzzer c'est le dernier débat des GG du Sport ! Pile à temps pour s'écharper une dernière fois lors de l'émission…

La Fédération internationale de judo (IJF) a annoncé jeudi 27 novembre dans un communiqué la pleine réintégration des judokas russes, qui pourront de nouveau participer aux compétitions internationales sous les couleurs de leur pays, avec leur "hymne" et leur "drapeau national". Une première qui appelle d'autres instances sportives à l'imiter ?Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Tonight on the Huddle: Sports Commentator Nicky Styris and NewstalkZB's own D'arcy Waldegrave join Heather duPlessis-Allan to discuss the latest sports news. NZ Cricket CEO Scott Weenink is in hot water over his stance on the proposed T20 league, will it cost him his job? The international Judo Federation has allowed Russian athletes to compete again, breaking away from many global sports organisations who banned Russia after their invasion of Ukraine. And when will we finally get confirmation about Liam Lawson's future in F1? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Int'l Judo Federation to Allow Russian Athletes to Compete under National Flag

Dans cette édition :Le président Emmanuel Macron officialise le retour du service militaire sur la base du volontariat pour les jeunes de 18 et 19 ans, avec un service de 10 mois incluant une formation initiale d'un mois.Deux nouvelles évasions de prison ont eu lieu, l'une à la maison d'arrêt de Dijon où les détenus ont scié les barreaux, et l'autre à Rennes où un détenu s'est évadé lors d'une sortie au planétarium.Vladimir Poutine fixe ses conditions pour mettre fin à la guerre en Ukraine, exigeant le retrait des troupes ukrainiennes des territoires occupés par la Russie.Une élue locale de Loire-Atlantique a été tuée chez elle par un homme qu'elle hébergeait.Des salariés d'ArcelorMittal manifestent pour empêcher la mise en œuvre d'un plan social prévoyant 600 suppressions de postes.La Fédération Internationale de Judo décide de réintégrer les judokas russes dans les compétitions internationales, malgré les protestations de l'Ukraine.Le musée du Louvre augmente le prix d'entrée pour les visiteurs extra-européens afin de régler ses problèmes structurels.Notre équipe a utilisé un outil d'Intelligence artificielle via les technologies d'Audiomeans© pour accompagner la création de ce contenu écrit.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Dans cette édition :Le président Emmanuel Macron officialise le retour du service militaire sur la base du volontariat pour les jeunes de 18 et 19 ans, avec un service de 10 mois incluant une formation initiale d'un mois.Deux nouvelles évasions de prison ont eu lieu, l'une à la maison d'arrêt de Dijon où les détenus ont scié les barreaux, et l'autre à Rennes où un détenu s'est évadé lors d'une sortie au planétarium.Vladimir Poutine fixe ses conditions pour mettre fin à la guerre en Ukraine, exigeant le retrait des troupes ukrainiennes des territoires occupés par la Russie.Une élue locale de Loire-Atlantique a été tuée chez elle par un homme qu'elle hébergeait.Des salariés d'ArcelorMittal manifestent pour empêcher la mise en œuvre d'un plan social prévoyant 600 suppressions de postes.La Fédération Internationale de Judo décide de réintégrer les judokas russes dans les compétitions internationales, malgré les protestations de l'Ukraine.Le musée du Louvre augmente le prix d'entrée pour les visiteurs extra-européens afin de régler ses problèmes structurels.Notre équipe a utilisé un outil d'Intelligence artificielle via les technologies d'Audiomeans© pour accompagner la création de ce contenu écrit.Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Al matí, durà a terme la competició de pas de grau i a la tarda, el campionat territorial infantil, aleví i benjamí.

Le judo, le dessin, la musique… Quelle activité auriez-vous aimé faire ?

Jim and Matt kick off the show with British bantamweight Davey Grant, who joins live from the UFC Performance Institute as a brand-new Las Vegas resident. Fresh off rehabbing a torn bicep and injured nose, Davey talks about settling into life stateside, training his kids at Syndicate MMA, and why moving to America has changed the way he studies the sport — including watching fights live with a pen and paper to stay sharp on evolving MMA trends.The guys then unpack all the biggest storylines from UFC Qatar, where Matt takes a well-earned victory lap after going 2–0 in his picks — correctly calling Arman Tsarukyan's arm-triangle finish and Volkan Oezdemir's stoppage win.Later, women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko joins the show to discuss balancing her pursuit of all-time greatness with her creative “side quests,” from acting roles to drawing on her degree in film direction. With several options in front of her, Valentina reveals she's keeping a close eye on a potential trilogy with Amanda Nunes — especially now that the Lioness has expressed interest in meeting her again, this time at 125 pounds.Finally, in the wake of Ian Machado Garry's statement decision win, which capped off two straight weeks of top-flight welterweight action, Jim and Matt close the show by debating which 170-pound contender has earned the next shot at Islam Makhachev's welterweight title.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trois judokas romands sont susceptibles de défendre les couleurs de la Suisse aux JO de Los Angeles en 2028. Il s'agit de Binta Ndiaye, d'April Fohouo et d'Aurélien Bonferroni. Fred Scola a choisi de les suivre depuis le début de cette année sur leur chemin olympique. Le premier épisode de sa série avait été diffusé en mars dernier. Le deuxième sera à découvrir dans le Mag de la rédaction du Sport Dimanche du 23 novembre 2025.

The Hyphenate Podcast with special guest (music producer) Judo Keys.

Jim and Matt kick off today's episode with rising featherweight Ethyn Ewing, who checks in after a memorable short-notice UFC debut win at Madison Square Garden vs. Malcolm Wellmaker. The soon-to-be father talks about his MMA journey, how camping, hiking, and spearfishing help keep him grounded, and how he balances training with his demanding day job as a safety professional.With Ethyn's call wrapped, Jim and Matt turn their attention to this weekend's UFC Qatar event — a Fight Night so stacked with ranked talent that they can't believe it isn't a pay-per-view. And with their head-to-head prediction battle coming down to the wire, the guys go fight-by-fight and make their picks for this absolutely loaded card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Powerleegirl hosts, the mother daughter team of Miko Lee, Jalena & Ayame Keane-Lee speak with artists about their craft and the works that you can catch in the Bay Area. Featured are filmmaker Yuriko Gamo Romer, playwright Jessica Huang and photographer Joyce Xi.   More info about their work here: Diamond Diplomacy Yuriko Gamo Romer Jessica Huang's Mother of Exiles at Berkeley Rep Joyce Xi's Our Language Our Story at Galeria de la Raza     Show Transcript Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.    Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:00:46] Thank you for joining us on Apex Express Tonight. Join the PowerLeeGirls as we talk with some powerful Asian American women artists. My mom and sister speak with filmmaker Yuriko Gamo Romer, playwright Jessica Huang, and photographer Joyce Xi. Each of these artists have works that you can enjoy right now in the Bay Area. First up, let's listen in to my mom Miko Lee chat with Yuriko Gamo Romer about her film Diamond Diplomacy.    Miko Lee: [00:01:19] Welcome, Yuriko Gamo Romer to Apex Express, amazing filmmaker, award-winning director and producer. Welcome to Apex Express.   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:01:29] Thank you for having me.    Miko Lee: [00:01:31] It's so great to see your work after this many years. We were just chatting that we knew each other maybe 30 years ago and have not reconnected. So it's lovely to see your work. I'm gonna start with asking you a question. I ask all of my Apex guests, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:01:49] Oh, who are my people? That's a hard one. I guess I'm Japanese American. I'm Asian American, but I'm also Japanese. I still have a lot of people in Japan. That's not everything. Creative people, artists, filmmakers, all the people that I work with, which I love. And I don't know, I can't pare it down to one narrow sentence or phrase. And I don't know what my legacy is. My legacy is that I was born in Japan, but I have grown up in the United States and so I carry with me all that is, technically I'm an immigrant, so I have little bits and pieces of that and, but I'm also very much grew up in the United States and from that perspective, I'm an American. So too many words.    Miko Lee: [00:02:44] Thank you so much for sharing. Your latest film was called Diamond Diplomacy. Can you tell us what inspired this film?   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:02:52] I have a friend named Dave Dempsey and his father, Con Dempsey, was a pitcher for the San Francisco Seals. And the Seals were the minor league team that was in the West Coast was called the Pacific Coast League They were here before the Major League teams came to the West Coast. So the seals were San Francisco's team, and Con Dempsey was their pitcher. And it so happened that he was part of the 1949 tour when General MacArthur sent the San Francisco Seals to Allied occupied Japan after World War II. And. It was a story that I had never heard. There was a museum exhibit south of Market in San Francisco, and I was completely wowed and awed because here's this lovely story about baseball playing a role in diplomacy and in reuniting a friendship between two countries. And I had never heard of it before and I'm pretty sure most people don't know the story. Con Dempsey had a movie camera with him when he went to Japan I saw the home movies playing on a little TV set in the corner at the museum, and I thought, oh, this has to be a film. I was in the middle of finishing Mrs. Judo, so I, it was something I had to tuck into the back of my mind Several years later, I dug it up again and I made Dave go into his mother's garage and dig out the actual films. And that was the beginning. But then I started opening history books and doing research, and suddenly it was a much bigger, much deeper, much longer story.   Miko Lee: [00:04:32] So you fell in, it was like synchronicity that you have this friend that had this footage, and then you just fell into the research. What stood out to you?    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:04:41] It was completely amazing to me that baseball had been in Japan since 1872. I had no idea. And most people,   Miko Lee: [00:04:49] Yeah, I learned that too, from your film. That was so fascinating.    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:04:53] So that was the first kind of. Wow. And then I started to pick up little bits and pieces like in 1934, there was an American All Star team that went to Japan. And Babe Ruth was the headliner on that team. And he was a big star. People just loved him in Japan. And then I started to read the history and understanding that. Not that a baseball team or even Babe Ruth can go to Japan and prevent the war from happening. But there was a warming moment when the people of Japan were so enamored of this baseball team coming and so excited about it that maybe there was a moment where it felt like. Things had thawed out a little bit. So there were other points in history where I started to see this trend where baseball had a moment or had an influence in something, and I just thought, wow, this is really a fascinating history that goes back a long way and is surprising. And then of course today we have all these Japanese faces in Major League baseball.   Miko Lee: [00:06:01] So have you always been a baseball fan?   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:06:04] I think I really became a fan of Major League Baseball when I was living in New York. Before that, I knew what it was. I played softball, I had a small connection to it, but I really became a fan when I was living in New York and then my son started to play baseball and he would come home from the games and he would start to give us the play by play and I started to learn more about it. And it is a fascinating game 'cause it's much more complex than I think some people don't like it 'cause it's complex.    Miko Lee: [00:06:33] I must confess, I have not been a big baseball fan. I'm also thinking, oh, a film about baseball. But I actually found it so fascinating with especially in the world that we live in right now, where there's so much strife that there was this way to speak a different language. And many times we do that through art or music and I thought it was so great how your film really showcased how baseball was used as a tool for political repair and change. I'm wondering how you think this film applies to the time that we live in now where there's such an incredible division, and not necessarily with Japan, but just with everything in the world.   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:07:13] I think when it comes down to it, if we actually get to know people. We learn that we're all human beings and that we probably have more in common than we give ourselves credit for. And if we can find a space that is common ground, whether it's a baseball field or the kitchen, or an art studio, or a music studio, I think it gives us a different place where we can exist and acknowledge That we're human beings and that we maybe have more in common than we're willing to give ourselves credit for. So I like to see things where people can have a moment where you step outside of yourself and go, oh wait, I do have something in common with that person over there. And maybe it doesn't solve the problem. But once you have that awakening, I think there's something. that happens, it opens you up. And I think sports is one of those things that has a little bit of that magical power. And every time I watch the Olympics, I'm just completely in awe.    Miko Lee: [00:08:18] Yeah, I absolutely agree with you. And speaking of that kind of repair and that aspect that sports can have, you ended up making a short film called Baseball Behind Barbed Wire, about the incarcerated Japanese Americans and baseball. And I wondered where in the filmmaking process did you decide, oh, I gotta pull this out of the bigger film and make it its own thing?    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:08:41] I had been working with Carrie Yonakegawa. From Fresno and he's really the keeper of the history of Japanese American baseball and especially of the story of the World War II Japanese American incarceration through the baseball stories. And he was one of my scholars and consultants on the longer film. And I have been working on diamond diplomacy for 11 years. So I got to know a lot of my experts quite well. I knew. All along that there was more to that part of the story that sort of deserved its own story, and I was very fortunate to get a grant from the National Parks Foundation, and I got that grant right when the pandemic started. It was a good thing. I had a chunk of money and I was able to do historical research, which can be done on a computer. Nobody was doing any production at that beginning of the COVID time. And then it's a short film, so it was a little more contained and I was able to release that one in 2023.   Miko Lee: [00:09:45] Oh, so you actually made the short before Diamond Diplomacy.   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:09:49] Yeah. The funny thing is that I finished it before diamond diplomacy, it's always been intrinsically part of the longer film and you'll see the longer film and you'll understand that part of baseball behind Barbed Wire becomes a part of telling that part of the story in Diamond Diplomacy.   Miko Lee: [00:10:08] Yeah, I appreciate it. So you almost use it like research, background research for the longer film, is that right?    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:10:15] I had been doing the research about the World War II, Japanese American incarceration because it was part of the story of the 150 years between Japan and the United States and Japanese people in the United States and American people that went to Japan. So it was always a part of that longer story, and I think it just evolved that there was a much bigger story that needed to be told separately and especially 'cause I had access to the interview footage of the two guys that had been there, and I knew Carrie so well. So that was part of it, was that I learned so much about that history from him.   Miko Lee: [00:10:58] Thanks. I appreciated actually watching both films to be able to see more in depth about what happened during the incarceration, so that was really powerful. I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about the style of actually both films, which combine vintage Japanese postcards, animation and archival footage, and how you decided to blend the films in this way.   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:11:19] Anytime you're making a film about history, there's that challenge of. How am I going to show this story? How am I gonna get the audience to understand and feel what was happening then? And of course you can't suddenly go out and go, okay, I'm gonna go film Babe Ruth over there. 'cause he's not around anymore. So you know, you start digging up photographs. If we're in the era of you have photographs, you have home movies, you have 16 millimeter, you have all kinds of film, then great. You can find that stuff if you can find it and use it. But if you go back further, when before people had cameras and before motion picture, then you have to do something else. I've always been very much enamored of Japanese woodblock prints. I think they're beautiful and they're very documentary in that they tell stories about the people and the times and what was going on, and so I was able to find some that sort of helped evoke the stories of that period of time. And then in doing that, I became interested in the style and maybe can I co-opt that style? Can we take some of the images that we have that are photographs? And I had a couple of young artists work on this stuff and it started to work and I was very excited. So then we were doing things like, okay, now we can create a transition between the print style illustration and the actual footage that we're moving into, or the photograph that we're dissolving into. And the same thing with baseball behind barbed wire. It became a challenge to show what was actually happening in the camps. In the beginning, people were not allowed to have cameras at all, and even later on it wasn't like it was common thing for people to have cameras, especially movie cameras. Latter part of the war, there was a little bit more in terms of photos and movies, but in terms of getting the more personal stories. I found an exhibit of illustrations and it really was drawings and paintings that were visual diaries. People kept these visual diaries, they drew and they painted, and I think part of it was. Something to do, but I think the other part of it was a way to show and express what was going on. So one of the most dramatic moments in there is a drawing of a little boy sitting on a toilet with his hands covering his face, and no one would ever have a photograph. Of a little boy sitting on a toilet being embarrassed because there are no partitions around the toilet. But this was a very dramatic and telling moment that was drawn. And there were some other things like that. There was one illustration in baseball behind barbed wire that shows a family huddled up and there's this incredible wind blowing, and it's not. Home movie footage, but you feel the wind and what they had to live through. I appreciate art in general, so it was very fun for me to be able to use various different kinds of art and find ways to make it work and make it edit together with the other, with the photographs and the footage.    Miko Lee: [00:14:56] It's really beautiful and it tells the story really well. I'm wondering about a response to the film from folks that were in it because you got many elders to share their stories about what it was like being either folks that were incarcerated or folks that were playing in such an unusual time. Have you screened the film for folks that were in it? And if so what has their response been?    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:15:20] Both the men that were in baseball behind barbed wire are not living anymore, so they have not seen it. With diamond diplomacy, some of the historians have been asked to review cuts of the film along the way. But the two baseball players that play the biggest role in the film, I've given them links to look at stuff, but I don't think they've seen it. So Moi's gonna see it for the first time, I'm pretty sure, on Friday night, and it'll be interesting to see what his reaction to it is. And of course. His main language is not English. So I think some of it's gonna be a little tough for him to understand. But I am very curious 'cause I've known him for a long time and I know his stories and I feel like when we were putting the film together, it was really important for me to be able to tell the stories in the way that I felt like. He lived them and he tells them, I feel like I've heard these stories over and over again. I've gotten to know him and I understand some of his feelings of joy and of regret and all these other things that happen, so I will be very interested to see what his reaction is to it.   Miko Lee: [00:16:40] Can you share for our audience who you're talking about.   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:16:43] Well, Sanhi is a nickname, his name is Masa Nouri. Murakami. He picked up that nickname because none of the ball players could pronounce his name.   Miko Lee: [00:16:53] I did think that was horrifically funny when they said they started calling him macaroni 'cause they could not pronounce his name. So many of us have had those experiences.   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:17:02] Yeah, especially if your name is Masanori Murakami. That's a long, complicated one. So he, Masanori Murakami is the first Japanese player that came and played for the major leagues. And it was an inadvertent playing because he was a kid, he was 19 years old. He was playing on a professional team in Japan and they had some, they had a time period where it made sense to send a couple of these kids over to the United States. They had a relationship with Kapi Harada, who was a Japanese American who had been in the Army and he was in Japan during. The occupation and somehow he had, he'd also been a big baseball person, so I think he developed all these relationships and he arranged for these three kids to come to the United States and to, as Mahi says, to study baseball. And they were sent to the lowest level minor league, the single A camps, and they played baseball. They learned the American ways to play baseball, and they got to play with low level professional baseball players. Marcy was a very talented left handed pitcher. And so when September 1st comes around and the postseason starts, they expand the roster and they add more players to the team. And the scouts had been watching him and the Giants needed a left-handed pitcher, so they decided to take a chance on him, and they brought him up and he was suddenly going to Shea Stadium when. The Giants were playing the Mets and he was suddenly pitching in a giant stadium of 40,000 people.    Miko Lee: [00:18:58] Can you share a little bit about his experience when he first came to America? I just think it shows such a difference in time to now.    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:19:07] Yeah, no kidding. Because today they're the players that come from Japan are coddled and they have interpreters wherever they go and they travel and chartered planes and special limousines and whatever else they get. So Marcie. He's, I think he was 20 by the time he was brought up so young. Mahi at 20 years old, the manager comes in and says, Hey, you're going to New York tomorrow and hands him plane tickets and he has to negotiate his way. Get on this plane, get on that plane, figure out how to. Get from the airport to the hotel, and he's barely speaking English at this point. He jokes that he used to carry around an English Japanese dictionary in one pocket and a Japanese English dictionary in the other pocket. So that's how he ended up getting to Shea Stadium was in this like very precarious, like they didn't even send an escort.   Miko Lee: [00:20:12] He had to ask the pilot how to get to the hotel. Yeah, I think that's wild. So I love this like history and what's happened and then I'm thinking now as I said at the beginning, I'm not a big baseball sports fan, but I love love watching Shohei Ohtani. I just think he's amazing. And I'm just wondering, when you look at that trajectory of where Mahi was back then and now, Shohei Ohtani now, how do you reflect on that historically? And I'm wondering if you've connected with any of the kind of modern Japanese players, if they've seen this film.   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:20:48] I have never met Shohei Ohtani. I have tried to get some interviews, but I haven't gotten any. I have met Ichi. I did meet Nori Aoki when he was playing for the Giants, and I met Kenta Maya when he was first pitching for the Dodgers. They're all, I think they're all really, they seem to be really excited to be here and play. I don't know what it's like to be Ohtani. I saw something the other day in social media that was comparing him to Taylor Swift because the two of them are this like other level of famous and it must just be crazy. Probably can't walk down the street anymore. But it is funny 'cause I've been editing all this footage of mahi when he was 19, 20 years old and they have a very similar face. And it just makes me laugh that, once upon a time this young Japanese kid was here and. He was worried about how to make ends meet at the end of the month, and then you got the other one who's like a multi multimillionaire.    Miko Lee: [00:21:56] But you're right, I thought that too. They look similar, like the tall, the face, they're like the vibe that they put out there. Have they met each other?    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:22:05] They have actually met, I don't think they know each other well, but they've definitely met.   Miko Lee: [00:22:09] Mm, It was really a delight. I am wondering what you would like audiences to walk away with after seeing your film.   Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:22:17] Hopefully they will have a little bit of appreciation for baseball and international baseball, but more than anything else. I wonder if they can pick up on that sense of when you find common ground, it's a very special space and it's an ability to have this people to people diplomacy. You get to experience people, you get to know them a little bit. Even if you've never met Ohtani, you now know a little bit about him and his life and. Probably what he eats and all that kind of stuff. So it gives you a chance to see into another culture. And I think that makes for a different kind of understanding. And certainly for the players. They sit on the bench together and they practice together and they sweat together and they, everything that they do together, these guys know each other. They learn about each other's languages and each other's food and each other's culture. And I think Mahi went back to Japan with almost as much Spanish as they did English. So I think there's some magical thing about people to people diplomacy, and I hope that people can get a sense of that.    Miko Lee: [00:23:42] Thank you so much for sharing. Can you tell our audience how they could find out more about your film Diamond diplomacy and also about you as an artist?    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:23:50] the website is diamonddiplomacy.com. We're on Instagram @diamonddiplomacy. We're also on Facebook Diamond Diplomacy. So those are all the places that you can find stuff, those places will give you a sense of who I am as a filmmaker and an artist too.    Miko Lee: [00:24:14] Thank you so much for joining us today, Yuriko. Gamo. Romo. So great to speak with you and I hope the film does really well.    Yuriko Gamo Romer: [00:24:22] Thank you, Miko. This was a lovely opportunity to chat with you.   Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:24:26] Next up, my sister Jalena Keane-Lee speaks with playwright Jessica Huang, whose new play Mother of Exiles just had its world premiere at Berkeley Rep is open until December 21st.    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:24:39] All right. Jessica Huang, thank you so much for being here with us on Apex Express and you are the writer of the new play Mother of Exiles, which is playing at Berkeley Rep from November 14th to December 21st. Thank you so much for being here.   Jessica Huang: [00:24:55] Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It's such a pleasure.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:24:59] I'm so curious about this project. The synopsis was so interesting. I was wondering if you could just tell us a little bit about it and how you came to this work.   Jessica Huang: [00:25:08] When people ask me what mother of Exiles is, I always say it's an American family story that spans 160 plus years, and is told in three acts. In 90 minutes. So just to get the sort of sense of the propulsion of the show and the form, the formal experiment of it. The first part takes place in 1898, when the sort of matriarch of the family is being deported from Angel Island. The second part takes place in 1999, so a hundred years later where her great grandson is. Now working for the Miami, marine interdiction unit. So he's a border cop. The third movement takes place in 2063 out on the ocean after Miami has sunk beneath the water. And their descendants are figuring out what they're gonna do to survive. It was a strange sort of conception for the show because I had been wanting to write a play. I'd been wanting to write a triptych about America and the way that interracial love has shaped. This country and it shaped my family in particular. I also wanted to tell a story that had to do with this, the land itself in some way. I had been sort of carrying an idea for the play around for a while, knowing that it had to do with cross-cultural border crossing immigration themes. This sort of epic love story that each, in each chapter there's a different love story. It wasn't until I went on a trip to Singapore and to China and got to meet some family members that I hadn't met before that the rest of it sort of fell into place. The rest of it being that there's a, the presence of, ancestors and the way that the living sort of interacts with those who have come before throughout the play.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:27:13] I noticed that ancestors, and ghosts and spirits are a theme throughout your work. I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about your own ancestry and how that informs your writing and creative practice.   Jessica Huang: [00:27:25] Yeah, I mean, I'm in a fourth generation interracial marriage. So, I come from a long line of people who have loved people who were different from them, who spoke different languages, who came from different countries. That's my story. My brother his partner is German. He lives in Berlin. We have a history in our family of traveling and of loving people who are different from us. To me that's like the story of this country and is also the stuff I like to write about. The thing that I feel like I have to share with the world are, is just stories from that experience.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:28:03] That's really awesome. I guess I haven't really thought about it that way, but I'm third generation of like interracial as well. 'cause I'm Chinese, Japanese, and Irish. And then at a certain point when you're mixed, it's like, okay, well. The odds of me being with someone that's my exact same ethnic breakdown feel pretty low. So it's probably gonna be an interracial relationship in one way or the other.   Jessica Huang: [00:28:26] Totally. Yeah. And, and, and I don't, you know, it sounds, and it sounds like in your family and in mine too, like we just. Kept sort of adding culture to our family. So my grandfather's from Shanghai, my grandmother, you know, is, it was a very, like upper crust white family on the east coast. Then they had my dad. My dad married my mom whose people are from the Ukraine. And then my husband's Puerto Rican. We just keep like broadening the definition of family and the definition of community and I think that's again, like I said, like the story of this country.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:29:00] That's so beautiful. I'm curious about the role of place in this project in particular, mother of exiles, angel Island, obviously being in the Bay Area, and then the rest of it taking place, in Miami or in the future. The last act is also like Miami or Miami adjacent. What was the inspiration behind the place and how did place and location and setting inform the writing.   Jessica Huang: [00:29:22] It's a good question. Angel Island is a place that has loomed large in my work. Just being sort of known as the Ellis Island of the West, but actually being a place with a much more difficult history. I've always been really inspired by the stories that come out of Angel Island, the poetry that's come out of Angel Island and, just the history of Asian immigration. It felt like it made sense to set the first part of the play here, in the Bay. Especially because Eddie, our protagonist, spent some time working on a farm. So there's also like this great history of agriculture and migrant workers here too. It just felt like a natural place to set it. And then why did we move to Miami? There are so many moments in American history where immigration has been a real, center point of the sort of conversation, the national conversation. And moving forward to the nineties, the wet foot, dry foot Cuban immigration story felt like really potent and a great place to tell the next piece of this tale. Then looking toward the future Miami is definitely, or you know, according to the science that I have read one of the cities that is really in danger of flooding as sea levels rise.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:30:50] Okay. The Cuban immigration. That totally makes sense. That leads perfectly into my next question, which was gonna be about how did you choose the time the moments in time? I think that one you said was in the nineties and curious about the choice to have it be in the nineties and not present day. And then how did you choose how far in the future you wanted to have the last part?   Jessica Huang: [00:31:09] Some of it was really just based on the needs of the characters. So the how far into the future I wanted us to be following a character that we met as a baby in the previous act. So it just, you know, made sense. I couldn't push it too far into the future. It made sense to set it in the 2060s. In terms of the nineties and, why not present day? Immigration in the nineties , was so different in it was still, like I said, it was still, it's always been a important national conversation, but it wasn't. There was a, it felt like a little bit more, I don't know if gentle is the word, but there just was more nuance to the conversation. And still there was a broad effort to prevent Cuban and refugees from coming ashore. I think I was fascinated by how complicated, I mean, what foot, dry foot, the idea of it is that , if a refugee is caught on water, they're sent back to Cuba. But if they're caught on land, then they can stay in the us And just the idea of that is so. The way that, people's lives are affected by just where they are caught , in their crossing. I just found that to be a bit ridiculous and in terms of a national policy. It made sense then to set the second part, which moves into a bit of a farce at a time when immigration also kind of felt like a farce.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:32:46] That totally makes sense. It feels very dire right now, obviously. But it's interesting to be able to kind of go back in time and see when things were handled so differently and also how I think throughout history and also touching many different racial groups. We've talked a lot on this show about the Chinese Exclusion Act and different immigration policies towards Chinese and other Asian Americans. But they've always been pretty arbitrary and kind of farcical as you put it. Yeah.   Jessica Huang: [00:33:17] Yeah. And that's not to make light of like the ways that people's lives were really impacted by all of this policy . But I think the arbitrariness of it, like you said, is just really something that bears examining. I also think it's really helpful to look at where we are now through the lens of the past or the future. Mm-hmm. Just gives just a little bit of distance and a little bit of perspective. Maybe just a little bit of context to how we got to where we got to.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:33:50] That totally makes sense. What has your experience been like of seeing the play be put up? It's my understanding, this is the first this is like the premier of the play at Berkeley Rep.   Jessica Huang: [00:34:00] Yes. Yeah. It's the world premier. It's it incredible. Jackie Bradley is our director and she's phenomenal. It's just sort of mesmerizing what is happening with this play? It's so beautiful and like I've alluded to, it shifts tone between the first movement being sort of a historical drama on Angel Island to, it moves into a bit of a farce in part two, and then it, by the third movement, we're living in sort of a dystopic, almost sci-fi future. The way that Jackie's just deftly moved an audience through each of those experiences while holding onto the important threads of this family and, the themes that we're unpacking and this like incredible design team, all of these beautiful visuals sounds, it's just really so magical to see it come to life in this way. And our cast is incredible. I believe there are 18 named roles in the play, and there are a few surprises and all of them are played by six actors. who are just. Unbelievable. Like all of them have the ability to play against type. They just transform and transform again and can navigate like, the deepest tragedies and the like, highest moments of comedy and just hold on to this beautiful humanity. Each and every one of them is just really spectacular. So I'm just, you know. I don't know. I just feel so lucky to be honest with you. This production is going to be so incredible. It's gonna be, it feels like what I imagine in my mind, but, you know, plus,    Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:35:45] well, I really can't wait to see it. What are you hoping that audiences walk away with after seeing the show?   Jessica Huang: [00:35:54] That's a great question. I want audiences to feel connected to their ancestors and feel part of this community of this country and, and grateful and acknowledge the sacrifices that somebody along the line made so that they could be here with, with each other watching the show. I hope, people feel like they enjoyed themselves and got to experience something that they haven't experienced before. I think that there are definitely, nuances to the political conversation that we're having right now, about who has the right to immigrate into this country and who has the right to be a refugee, who has the right to claim asylum. I hope to add something to that conversation with this play, however small.   Jalena Keane-Lee:[00:36:43]  Do you know where the play is going next?   Jessica Huang: [00:36:45] No. No. I dunno where it's going next. Um, exciting. Yeah, but we'll, time will   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:36:51] and previews start just in a few days, right?   Jessica Huang: [00:36:54] Yeah. Yeah. We have our first preview, we have our first audience on Friday. So yeah, very looking forward to seeing how all of this work that we've been doing lands on folks.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:37:03] Wow, that's so exciting. Do you have any other projects that you're working on? Or any upcoming projects that you'd like to share about?   Jessica Huang: [00:37:10] Yeah, yeah, I do. I'm part of the writing team for the 10 Things I Hate About You Musical, which is in development with an Eye Toward Broadway. I'm working with Lena Dunham and Carly Rae Jepsen and Ethan Ska to make that musical. I also have a fun project in Chicago that will soon be announced.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:37:31] And what is keeping you inspired and keeping your, you know, creative energies flowing in these times?   Jessica Huang: [00:37:37] Well first of all, I think, you know, my collaborators on this show are incredibly inspiring. The nice thing about theater is that you just get to go and be inspired by people all the time. 'cause it's this big collaboration, you don't have to do it all by yourself. So that would be the first thing I would say. I haven't seen a lot of theater since I've been out here in the bay, but right before I left New York, I saw MEUs . Which is by Brian Keda, Nigel Robinson. And it's this sort of two-hander musical, but they do live looping and they sort of create the music live. Wow. And it's another, it's another show about an untold history and about solidarity and about folks coming together from different backgrounds and about ancestors, so there's a lot of themes that really resonate. And also the show is just so great. It's just really incredible. So , that was the last thing I saw that I loved. I'm always so inspired by theater that I get to see.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:38:36] That sounds wonderful. Is there anything else that you'd like to share?   Jessica Huang: [00:38:40] No, I don't think so. I just thanks so much for having me and come check out the show. I think you'll enjoy it. There's something for everyone.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:38:48] Yeah. I'm so excited to see the show. Is there like a Chinese Cuban love story with the Miami portion? Oh, that's so awesome. This is an aside, but I'm a filmmaker and I've been working on a documentary about, Chinese people in Cuba and there's like this whole history of Chinese Cubans in Cuba too.   Jessica Huang: [00:39:07] Oh, that's wonderful. In this story, it's a person who's a descendant of, a love story between a Chinese person and a Mexican man, a Chinese woman and a Mexican man, and oh, their descendant. Then also, there's a love story between him and a Cuban woman.   Jalena Keane-Lee: [00:39:25] That's awesome. Wow. I'm very excited to see it in all the different intergenerational layers and tonal shifts. I can't wait to see how it all comes together.   Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:39:34] Next up we are back with Miko Lee, who is now speaking with photographer Joyce Xi about her latest exhibition entitled Our Language, our Story Running Through January in San Francisco at Galleria de Raza.    Miko Lee: [00:39:48] Welcome, Joyce Xi to Apex Express.    Joyce Xi: [00:39:52] Thanks for having me.    Miko Lee: [00:39:53] Yes. I'm, I wanna start by asking you a question I ask most of my guests, and this is based on the great poet Shaka Hodges. It's an adaptation of her question, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?   Joyce Xi: [00:40:09] My people are artists, free spirits, people who wanna see a more free and just, and beautiful world. I'm Chinese American. A lot of my work has been in the Asian American community with all kinds of different people who dreaming of something better and trying to make the world a better place and doing so with creativity and with positive and good energy.   Miko Lee: [00:40:39] I love it. And what legacy do you carry with you?   Joyce Xi: [00:40:43] I am a fighter. I feel like just people who have been fighting for a better world. Photography wise, like definitely thinking about Corky Lee who is an Asian American photographer and activist. There's been people who have done it before me. There will be people who do it after me, but I wanna do my version of it here.   Miko Lee: [00:41:03] Thank you so much and for lifting up the great Corky Lee who has been such a big influence on all of us. I'm wondering in that vein, can you talk a little bit about how you use photography as a tool for social change?   Joyce Xi: [00:41:17] Yeah. Photography I feel is a very powerful tool for social change. Photography is one of those mediums where it's emotional, it's raw, it's real. It's a way to see and show and feel like important moments, important stories, important emotions. I try to use it as a way to share. Truths and stories about issues that are important, things that people experience, whether it's, advocating for environmental justice or language justice or just like some of them, just to highlight some of the struggles and challenges people experience as well as the joys and the celebrations and just the nuance of people's lives. I feel like photography is a really powerful medium to show that. And I love photography in particular because it's really like a frozen moment. I think what's so great about photography is that. It's that moment, it's that one feeling, that one expression, and it's kind of like frozen in time. So you can really, sit there and ponder about what's in this person's eyes or what's this person trying to say? Or. What does this person's struggle like? You can just see it through their expressions and their emotions and also it's a great way to document. There's so many things that we all do as advocates, as activists, whether it's protesting or whether it's just supporting people who are dealing with something. You have that moment recorded. Can really help us remember those fights and those moments. You can show people what happened. Photography is endlessly powerful. I really believe in it as a tool and a medium for influencing the world in positive ways.   Miko Lee: [00:43:08] I'd love us to shift and talk about your latest work, Our language, Our story.” Can you tell us a little bit about where this came from?   Joyce Xi: [00:43:15] Sure. I was in conversation with Nikita Kumar, who was at the Asian Law Caucus at the time. We were just chatting about art and activism and how photography could be a powerful medium to use to advocate or tell stories about different things. Nikita was talking to me about how a lot of language access work that's being done by organizations that work in immigrant communities can often be a topic that is very jargon filled or very kind of like niche or wonky policy, legal and maybe at times isn't the thing that people really get in the streets about or get really emotionally energized around. It's one of those issues that's so important to everything. Especially since in many immigrant communities, people do not speak English and every single day, every single issue. All these issues that these organizations advocate around. Like housing rights, workers' rights, voting rights, immigration, et cetera, without language, those rights and resources are very hard to understand and even hard to access at all. So, Nik and I were talking about language is so important, it's one of those issues too remind people about the core importance of it. What does it feel like when you don't have access to your language? What does it feel like and look like when you do, when you can celebrate with your community and communicate freely and live your life just as who you are versus when you can't even figure out how to say what you wanna say because there's a language barrier.    Miko Lee: [00:44:55] Joyce can you just for our audience, break down what language access means? What does it mean to you and why is it important for everybody?   Joyce Xi: [00:45:05] Language access is about being able to navigate the world in your language, in the way that you understand and communicate in your life. In advocacy spaces, what it can look like is, we need to have resources and we need to have interpretation in different languages so that people can understand what's being talked about or understand what resources are available or understand what's on the ballot. So they can really experience their life to the fullest. Each of us has our languages that we're comfortable with and it's really our way of expressing everything that's important to us and understanding everything that's important to us. When that language is not available, it's very hard to navigate the world. On the policy front, there's so many ways just having resources in different languages, having interpretation in different spaces, making sure that everybody who is involved in this society can do what they need to do and can understand the decisions that are being made. That affects them and also that they can affect the decisions that affect them.   Miko Lee: [00:46:19] I think a lot of immigrant kids just grow up being like the de facto translator for their parents. Which can be things like medical terminology and legal terms, which they might not be familiar with. And so language asks about providing opportunities for everybody to have equal understanding of what's going on. And so can you talk a little bit about your gallery show? So you and Nikita dreamed up this vision for making language access more accessible and more story based, and then what happened?   Joyce Xi: [00:46:50] We decided to express this through a series of photo stories. Focusing on individual stories from a variety of different language backgrounds and immigration backgrounds and just different communities all across the Bay Area. And really just have people share from the heart, what does language mean to them? What does it affect in their lives? Both when one has access to the language, like for example, in their own community, when they can speak freely and understand and just share everything that's on their heart. And what does it look like when that's not available? When maybe you're out in the streets and you're trying to like talk to the bus driver and you can't even communicate with each other. How does that feel? What does that look like? So we collected all these stories from many different community members across different languages and asked them a series of questions and took photos of them in their day-to-day lives, in family gatherings, at community meetings, at rallies, at home, in the streets, all over the place, wherever people were like Halloween or Ramadan or graduations, or just day-to-day life. Through the quotes that we got from the interviews, as well as the photos that I took to illustrate their stories, we put them together as photo stories for each person. Those are now on display at Galleria Deza in San Francisco. We have over 20 different stories in over 10 different languages. The people in the project spoke like over 15 different languages. Some people used multiple languages and some spoke English, many did not. We had folks who had immigrated recently, folks who had immigrated a while ago. We had children of immigrants talking about their experiences being that bridge as you talked about, navigating translating for their parents and being in this tough spot of growing up really quickly, we just have this kind of tapestry of different stories and, definitely encourage folks to check out the photos but also to read through each person's stories. Everybody has a story that's very special and that is from the heart   Miko Lee: [00:49:00] sounds fun. I can't wait to see it in person. Can you share a little bit about how you selected the participants?    Joyce Xi: [00:49:07] Yeah, selecting the participants was an organic process. I'm a photographer who's trying to honor relationships and not like parachute in. We wanted to build relationships and work with people who felt comfortable sharing their stories, who really wanted to be a part of it, and who are connected in some kind of a way where it didn't feel like completely out of context. So what that meant was that myself and also the Asian Law Caucus we have connections in the community to different organizations who work in different immigrant communities. So we reached out to people that we knew who were doing good work and just say Hey, do you have any community members who would be interested in participating in this project who could share their stories. Then through following these threads we were able to connect with many different organizations who brought either members or community folks who they're connected with to the project. Some of them came through like friends. Another one was like, oh, I've worked with these people before, maybe you can talk to them. One of them I met through a World Refugee Day event. It came through a lot of different relationships and reaching out. We really wanted folks who wanted to share a piece of their life. A lot of folks who really felt like language access and language barriers were a big challenge in their life, and they wanted to talk about it. We were able to gather a really great group together.    Miko Lee: [00:50:33] Can you share how opening night went? How did you navigate showcasing and highlighting the diversity of the languages in one space?    Joyce Xi: [00:50:43] The opening of the exhibit was a really special event. We invited everybody who was part of the project as well as their communities, and we also invited like friends, community and different organizations to come. We really wanted to create a space where we could feel and see what language access and some of the challenges of language access can be all in one space. We had about 10 different languages at least going on at the same time. Some of them we had interpretation through headsets. Some of them we just, it was like fewer people. So people huddled together and just interpreted for the community members. A lot of these organizations that we partnered with, they brought their folks out. So their members, their community members, their friends and then. It was really special because a lot of the people whose photos are on the walls were there, so they invited their friends and family. It was really fun for them to see their photos on the wall. And also I think for all of our different communities, like we can end up really siloed or just like with who we're comfortable with most of the time, especially if we can't communicate very well with each other with language barriers. For everybody to be in the same space and to hear so many languages being used in the same space and for people to be around people maybe that they're not used to being around every day. And yet through everybody's stories, they share a lot of common experiences. Like so many of the stories were related to each other. People talked about being parents, people talked about going to the doctor or taking the bus, like having challenges at the workplace or just what it's like to celebrate your own culture and heritage and language and what the importance of preserving languages. There are so many common threads and. Maybe a lot of people are not used to seeing each other or communicating with each other on a daily basis. So just to have everyone in one space was so special. We had performances, we had food, we had elders, children. There was a huge different range of people and it was just like, it was just cool to see everyone in the same space. It was special.    Miko Lee: [00:52:51] And finally, for folks that get to go to Galleria de la Raza in San Francisco and see the exhibit, what do you want them to walk away with?   Joyce Xi: [00:53:00] I would love for people to walk away just like in a reflective state. You know how to really think about how. Language is so important to everything that we do and through all these stories to really see how so many different immigrant and refugee community members are making it work. And also deal with different barriers and how it affects them, how it affects just really simple human things in life that maybe some of us take for granted, on a daily basis. And just to have more compassion, more understanding. Ultimately, we wanna see our city, our bay area, our country really respecting people and their language and their dignity through language access and through just supporting and uplifting our immigrant communities in general. It's a such a tough time right now. There's so many attacks on our immigrant communities and people are scared and there's a lot of dehumanizing actions and narratives out there. This is, hopefully something completely different than that. Something that uplifts celebrates, honors and really sees our immigrant communities and hopefully people can just feel that feeling of like, oh, okay, we can do better. Everybody has a story. Everybody deserves to be treated with dignity and all the people in these stories are really amazing human beings. It was just an honor for me to even be a part of their story. I hope people can feel some piece of that.    Miko Lee: [00:54:50] Thank you so much, Joyce, for sharing your vision with us, and I hope everybody gets a chance to go out and see your work.    Joyce Xi: [00:54:57] Thank you.   Ayame Keane-Lee: [00:55:00] Thanks so much for tuning in to Apex Express. Please check out our website at kpfa.org/program/apexexpress to find out more about the guests tonight and find out how you can take direct action.   Apex Express is a proud member of Asian Americans for civil rights and equality. Find out more at aacre.org. That's AACRE.org.   We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world. Your voices are important.    Apex Express is produced by  Miko Lee, Jalena Keene-Lee, Ayame Keene-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar, Anuj Vaida, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Nina Phillips & Swati Rayasam. Thank you so much to the team at KPFA for their support and have a good night.       The post APEX Express – 11.20.25 – Artist to Artist appeared first on KPFA.

Japan's first judo podium came on Nov. 14, when Kazuma Gamo secured bronze in the men's 73-kilogram division. The remaining medals followed on Nov. 17, with Yuto Fukasawa taking bronze in the men's 81-kg class, Mizuki Mizutare in the men's 90-kg, and Tomoki Takahashi in the men's 100-kg. In the women's events, Akira Kinugawa added another bronze in the 70-kg category. Maki Yamada won the men's 400-meter race at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics on Wednesday, earning Japan its first gold medal at the ongoing event. Yamada finished the race in 47.61 seconds, rewriting his own deaf Japan record. "I've worked hard to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Games," he said. "My efforts have paid off." Episode notes: ‘Japan Picks Up Five Judo Bronzes at Tokyo Deaflympics': https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/11/19/japan-picks-up-five-judo-bronzes-at-tokyo-deaflympics/ ‘Sprinter Yamada Wins Japan's 1st Gold at Tokyo Deaflympics': https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/11/20/sprinter-yamada-wins-japans-1st-gold-at-tokyo-deaflympics/

With Islam Makhachev dethroning Jack Della Maddalena on a historic night stamped by show-stealing wins from rising welterweight contenders, Jim and Matt have plenty to unpack on today's UFC 322 recap show. The guys break down the championship shakeup at 170, Valentina Shevchenko's flawless title defense, and all the biggest moments from Saturday's card.They're then joined by Johnny Walker, who hops on the show to talk fatherhood, his recent knockout win in China, and where he fits in the suddenly chaotic light heavyweight picture.After Johnny's interview wraps, Jim and Matt take a deep dive into Makhachev's future at welterweight — debating where Ilia Topuria stands among contenders vying for the first crack at the newest double champion's 170-pound UFC crown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On episode 144 of Tatami Talk, we discuss the importance of distinguishing a learning environment and a performance environment.Read the post mentioned on this episode: https://www.tatamitalk.com/p/learning-environment-vs-performanceLearning vs Performance: An integrative Review: https://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/11/soderstorm_ra_learningvsperformance.pdf------------------------------------------- 0:00 Intro09:42 Baseball and Judo warmups20:46 Migrating from substack to beehiiv25:52 Learning Environment vs Performance Environment34:24 Mistakes are good40:58 Deliberate Practice45:42 Evaluating Progress-------------------------------------------Email us: tatamitalk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatamitalk Juan: https://www.instagram.com/thegr8_juan Anthony: https://www.instagram.com/anthonythrowsCheck out our newsletter: https://tatamitalk.com/Intro + Outro by Donald Rickert: https://www.instagram.com/donaldrickertCover Art by Mas: https://www.instagram.com/masproducePodcast Site: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/tatamitalk/Also listen on Apple iTunes, Google podcasts, Google Play Music and Spotify

With The Schmo filling in for Jim Norton, Matt Serra kicks off the show with undefeated bantamweight Malcolm Wellmaker ahead of his Madison Square Garden debut. “The Machine” talks managing expectations after two first-round UFC finishes, adjusting to a late opponent change, and how nine years as a welder shaped the discipline behind his undefeated rise.Matt and The Schmo then dive deep into UFC 322 — breaking down Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira and every fight thereafter on the PPV main card. The duo debate who's primed for their big “Schmo-ment” on Saturday and who may keep their “Schmo-mentum” rolling in the night's two championship bouts.Finally, Tracy Cortez joins the show to preview her high-stakes rematch with Erin Blanchfield. The #8 flyweight contender reflects on what she remembers from her razor-thin win over Blanchfield years ago before unpacking how a victory at Madison Square Garden could vault her into the title mix.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lando and zero talk about best scorers we've seen, what nba championship would be altering if the result was different and the best anime fight of all time

Jim Norton and Matt Serra kick off UFC 322 fight week with a pair of recent winners — UFC strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern and rising middleweight Zachary Reese.First, Mackenzie joins the show fresh off winning UFC gold to discuss the emotion of celebrating with her daughter cageside, her evolution under coach Jason Parillo, and her readiness for whoever comes next — whether that be Tatiana Suarez or Zhang Weili after Saturday's co-main vs. Valentina Shevchenko.Then, Zachary Reese calls in just days after his wild short-notice victory in Las Vegas. The Texas native breaks down how the fight came together, how sparring five rounds with Sean Strickland boosted his confidence, and what he plans to do with his $50K bonus.Plus, Jim and Matt react to this past weekend's APEX card headlined by Gabriel Bonfim and Randy Brown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Send us a text“Today we're talking about why Judo — created in 1882 — is still a powerhouse in 2025 for real-world self-defense, especially in close-range combat where most real fights actually happen.”Studies and law-enforcement data show:•80–90% of real altercations start at arm's length or closer•The average person closes distance immediately (adrenaline + tunnel vision)•Fights turn into grabs, pushes, clinches, tackles — not movie-style striking exchangesThis is the range where Judo lives.Alpha Gear:https://alphagear.us/?ref=dunhpdbqCoupon Code 15% off : Attack360Looking for a smartwatch that's built for a warrior's life?I've been rocking the Raptor Pro by ALPHA GEAR, and I can honestly say—it works awesome. It's not just another smartwatch. It's a durable tactical beast designed to handle everything from training to the grind of daily life.What I love most is that ALPHA GEAR doesn't cut corners—they've got multiple models, each with features built for real-world tactical need Support the show

Jim Norton and Matt Serra return for Wednesday's episode of UFC Unfiltered ahead of this weekend's UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs. Brown card at the APEX.Accompanied by the great Fabiano Buskei as a Portuguese translator, 14th-ranked welterweight Gabriel Bonfim joins the show to discuss his main event matchup against Randy Brown, the importance of fighting alongside his brother Ismael, and how he's balancing patience and hunger in pursuit of a Top 10 ranking.Then, Christian Leroy Duncan stops by to preview his main card bout against Marco Tulio. The British middleweight uses his Unfiltered debut to discuss how the end of his collegiate basketball career sparked his MMA journey. As Matt asks CLD about the influence of ex-UFC fighter Mark Weir on his life, Duncan shifts the camera towards his longtime coach to catch up with Matt.Don't miss as Jim and Matt make their picks for this weekend's card!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ninja Nurse Book: https://amzn.to/42n9Fqz TKF -KFP Blend 1.Leaders 2.Ando Mierzwa 3. Saturday Mental Meals Shurite Troy June 26-28 2026 https://shuritebujutsu.com/seminars%2Fevents Support A Kids Dream https://gofund.me/e745a0e7 Injuries, ailments and bruising are part of being a martial artist. Sore muscles, joint tweaks and broken bones can happen in martial activity with many variables dictating the outcome. We want to identify the most important variables or potential risks. The injury rate in martial arts is similar to other contact sports. In a study, # Comparison of Shotokan Karate Injuries against Injuries in other Martial Arts and Select NCAA Contact Sports By John-David Swanson, Ph.D. Department of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Salve Regina University, Newport, RI 02840 Martial arts has "myriad physical and mental benefits. Physical benefits include improved balance, meaningful exercise, and the ability to protect oneself against a physical threat [2]. It is also a physical art, with flowing movements that support one's connection to his/her movements." A review of research revealed there is a 1 in 5 chance of being injured in a shotokan tournament and 1 in 4 chance of being injured over the course of time training. The mean percentage of reported injuries thru 10 studies 1. Contusions 47% 2. Epistaxis (nosebleed) 20% 3. Laceration 14% 4. Sprains/strains 3% 5. Concussions 2% some as high as 7% the most injury-prone arts appear to be Jujitsu (97.5%), Aikido (51%), and Kung Fu (38%), followed by Judo, Karate, and Tae Kwon Do which all were at 20-21%. The least injury prone martial art of those studied is Tai Chi (14%). Which I define as the Wellness versions, but may include pushhands and some strengthening work. Over a 16 year NCAA research study, the only collegiate sport that had a higher injury rate than shotokan karate was football witha 36% injury rate. Soccer and ice hockey following respectively. The major risk factors for injury in the Martial Arts are the 1. time spent in training, 2. age of the participant, 3. the experience of the participant. 4. Specifically, it was found that overtraining, and older and inexperienced participants presented the highest risk of injury. As you might imagine, these factors compound, so an older, inexperienced person has a much higher percentage of getting injured. Professor Swanson states, "The single most important factor in preventing injury is the education and experience level of the instructor [14]. This indicates the requirement of having a strong organizational “apprenticeship” or instructor qualification that includes specific instruction in warm up and cool down procedures, injury prevention and the mechanisms of prevention, the ability to determine overtraining, the ability to give appropriate advice to students in the implication of techniques in both execution and results of delivery" Segways to why this is an important book, Ninja Nurse by Peter Jones. The Essential Guide to Injury Management in Martial Arts. It is available on amazon, goodreads and several other locations. Contributing to the validity of this 300 page book is that Peter is a nurse, has over 30 years of multi-martial experiences and deposits volumes of this information into one book. Ninja Nurse is an excellent guide to all aspects of injury prevention or reduction in martial arts. Chapters include health screening, risk assessment, and aspects of the training environment. Also, You Get a deepdive into children and to combat sports. It also includes true stories, useful links, and where to find important forms if you have a school. Peter takes you through a process, how to: 1. Reduce and prevent injury 2. Treat injury 3. Learn from the injury The book emphasizes content for the instructor. Peter walks through potential problem actions such as : 1. Breakfalling 2. Striking and padholding 3. Chokes and strangles As I read through the book, I noted that Peter provides you a good idea of what a legimate martial arts first aid kit might look like. Granted, any is better than none. However, This is particularly useful if you are not sure on how to build your martial arts first aid kit. Then please, make sure that you can use everything that is in it. https://www.nationalcprfoundation.com/courses/standard-first-aid-3/. $12.95 2 years Reality Moment: Indiana Personal Injury Lawsuit Involving Karate Kick Moves Forward. Kicking Held Bags, Johnny the jackass has already been warned twice about trying to crush people, and on third, gets a lady, jump kicks her when she wasn't ready. she injures her knee in the fall that required surgery. She has sued Johnny, and the court has stated, "an individual's actions during a particular exercise or drill in a practice session can be viewed as “within the range of ordinary behavior of participants in the sport” or whether it is dangerous is for a jury to decide." It continues, "Responsible trainers and athletes keep themselves aware of both the risk of injury and the steps to prevent them." My understanding is that the injured lady is only seeking damages from Johnny Jackass and not the martial arts school. My guess would be that they did things as close to right as possible, except for yanking johnny on his second warning. Ninja Nurse is an excellent clinical reference broken into areas, such as: 1. Spinal injury 2. Chest 3. Neck 4. Limbs 5. And smaller join injuries. Peter discusses Mental Health Awareness and there associations to problems in your training hall. Depression, anger, bi-polar students will bring unique concerns that you can reduce with awareness. Peter states, "consider an acute mental health episode like an acute injury." Iain Abernethy said, ""it focuses on how to ensure training partners don't get hurt and how to help them if they do." Jamie Clubb says, "this is as an exhaustive work on the subject as one could hope to find." I would tell you that this book addresses a critical area of any martial arts training center. Its value is well worth more than the cost. Thank you Peter. References [Shotokan and Other Martial Art Injury Rates](https://thesportjournal.org/article/comparison-of-shotokan-karate-injuries-against-injuries-in-other-martial-arts-and-select-ncaa-contact-sports/)

Exciting news: The Humphrey Group has been acquired by Humance! In this special episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart Egnal speaks with Bernard Letendre, Managing Partner, Ontario and Western Canada at Humance, about the story behind this decision and the journey that led him there. Bernard shares his remarkable career path from practicing law to leading major divisions in Canada's financial services industry, to joining Humance and becoming the architect behind its acquisition of The Humphrey Group. Along the way, he reflects on lessons learned about taking risks, creating opportunities rather than waiting for them, and pursuing growth with purpose. He also draws powerful parallels between leadership and his lifelong practice of judo, where discipline, humility, and mutual benefit are essential to success. Bart and Bernard close with an inside look at how the merger came to be after a year of conversation and a shared vision for growth, and how it will set both organizations up to continue serving their clients in existing and new ways. Whether you're navigating your own career transitions or leading through change, this conversation offers powerful insights on creating your own opportunities, embracing non-linear growth, and finding strength in partnership. Show Notes: 00:14 Show intro 00:48 Welcoming Bernard 01:14 Special announcement 02:05 "Humance" meaning 02:29 Judo and its importance 04:40 How Bernard began his career 05:01 Law and the law of electronic surveillance 05:34 Wife: "law made you less fun to be around" 06:47 Joined IG 07:06 Taking a 100% commission job 07:53 Making cold-calls to the bar phonebook 08:35 Finding opportunities in the new job 08:40 Officer training in the military 09:05 Good at management 10:19 Changing career paths regularly 10:36 Switching to Standard Life 11:21 Standard life 12:05 2009 Financial crisis - lost job 12:14 Landing at Manulife 12:36 Should you take a step down in your career? 13:01 Building a biz plan for private wealth at Manulife 13:44 Manulife tapped him to run his business plan 14:54 Advice for people who are ambitious with their careers 15:08 Don't wait for opportunity, come up with ways of creating value 15:36 Congrats, you have employment now figure out your job 16:50 How the Pandemic transformed his life 17:53 cert in organizational coaching 20:59 Why he made the leap to Humance 22:38 Long-term thinking 22:45 Doing is big "act" before it was too late 24:16 Advice: A career does not have to be linear 25:13 Not having a rigid mind 25:36 The final act: Humance 27:05 His Biz plan for expanding Humance outside the Quebec market 28:48 How Bernard reached out to Bart 31:17 Mutual benefit in Judo 33:41 Thank yous and wrap up 34:02 Outro

Jim Norton and Matt Serra are back to kick off fight week with two guests who've both made major statements inside the Octagon in recent weeks.On the heels of yet another heel hook submission, heavyweight submission specialist Valter Walker uses his UFC Unfiltered debut to talk through his UFC 321 victory in Abu Dhabi, reflect on his MMA journey, and break down what's next as he looks to heal up from a leg injury sustained in his fight.Then, lightweight Quillan Salkilld stays up late in his native Perth, Australia to talk about his scintillating head kick knockout that instantly went viral as a leading contender for KO of the year. The Australian prospect reflects on taking the fight vs. Nasrat Haqparast on short notice and how he went from playing the UFC video game to putting himself in one.Plus, Jim and Matt dish their thoughts on this past weekend's fights, with room for a chat on where Steve Garcia fits in among the featherweight division's best after a statement performance in the main event.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On episode 143 of Tatami Talk, We talk about counter Judo. Is being a counter Judo fighter a good thing or a bad thing? When is the best time to use counter Judo? And how you should and can use counter Judo in tournaments and practice?------------------------------------------- 0:00 Intro10:40 Counter Judo22:03 Balancing counter judo in your practice27:48 Kakari geiko29:56 Mindset -------------------------------------------Email us: tatamitalk@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatamitalk Juan: https://www.instagram.com/thegr8_juan Anthony: https://www.instagram.com/anthonythrowsCheck out our Substack: https://tatamitalk.substack.com/Intro + Outro by Donald Rickert: https://www.instagram.com/donaldrickertCover Art by Mas: https://www.instagram.com/masproducePodcast Site: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/tatamitalk/Also listen on Apple iTunes, Google podcasts, Google Play Music and Spotify

Two days removed from their chat with David Onama, Jim Norton and Matt Serra return for a Wednesday episode with his opponent in Saturday's main event — 12th-ranked featherweight Steve Garcia.The Albuquerque native joins the show to discuss his six-fight win streak, his ongoing callout, and why this matchup with Onama feels like the biggest moment of his career.Then, Jeremiah Wells stops by ahead of his first fight in nearly 20 months to talk about his comeback, training alongside Sean Brady at Marquez MMA, and how he approaches watching film before his matchup with Themba Gorimbo.Plus, Jim and Matt each make a few picks from this weekend's card as they look to create some separation in their hotly contested prediction battle.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Charles Allan Price, Tom Barry (CEO of Westside Barbell) & Alex Sterner (Strength & Conditioning Coach for ATOs World Champions) sit down and discuss everything strength and conditioning for Jiu Jitsu, MMA, Boxing, Judo & all contact sports. Where to find Tom: https://www.instagram.com/westsidebarbelljiujitsu/Where to find Alex: https://www.instagram.com/alex.sterner/ Less Impressed More Involved: https://outlierdb.com/ - use code RUNESCAPE for 50% off your first monthHow to work with us:Charles Strength Training Programs GET 7 DAY FREE MAT STRONG PROGRAM: https://mailchi.mp/charlesallanprice/mat-strong-landing-page BJJ Workouts Instructional: https://bjjfanatics.com/collections/new-releases/products/building-workouts-for-bjj-by-charles-allan-price 1:1 Coaching Inquiries: https://7kdbbkmkmsl.typeform.com/to/nSZHpCOL Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jim Norton and Matt Serra kick off the show reacting to the wild ending of UFC 321's main event — sharing their thoughts on Ciryl Gane's dominant first round against Tom Aspinall before the anticlimactic finish via accidental eye poke. Both hosts agree they want to see that fight run back — and while Jim pulled ahead of Matt in the week's win-loss standings, he still trails by 13.5 points overall.Then, fresh off a first-round submission win over Davey Grant in Vancouver, Charles Jourdain discusses his perfect 2-0 start since moving down to bantamweight, what it's been like finding success at 135 lbs., and the pride of watching his younger brother Louis earn a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series.Finally, David Onama joins the show to preview his first UFC main event against Steve Garcia. The Factory X featherweight opens up about his journey from Uganda to Kansas City, his growth under Marc Montoya, and his mindset heading into the biggest fight of his career.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this solo episode, Shintaro Higashi shares a passionate call to action for the Judo community: support USA Judo by simply becoming a member. Drawing from personal conversations with key figures like Mac (Team USA medical staff) and Alex Bates (High Performance Committee), Shintaro outlines why membership growth is vital for funding, development, and the future of American judo. This episode is both a reflection and a rallying cry to unify and uplift the sport in the U.S.00:00 How Can We Help USA Judo?01:00 Frustrations With Outreach and Communication01:45 The Membership Numbers Problem02:30 Temporary Memberships and Questionable Metrics03:00 Encouraging Trends and Junior Team Success03:30 Conversation with Mac: The Wake-Up Call04:15 Defending Your Role While Owning Your Responsibility05:00 What Do You Get With a Membership?05:30 ROI vs. Contribution: Why Give First06:00 The Power of 1,000 New Members06:30 Mac's $20K Personal Donation07:00 Promising Young Team and Grand Prix Results07:45 A Call for Collective Effort08:15 How Supporting USA Judo Could Build a Unified Front08:45 One Small Ask… Buy the Higashi Hoodie09:00 Final Plea: Sign Up for USA Judo Today

Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by reigning UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, who returns for his 15th appearance on Unfiltered — just weeks after a whirlwind stretch that saw him defend his title on a Saturday and celebrate Aljamain Sterling's wedding the very next day.Merab discusses staying hungry now that he's beaten nearly everyone in his division, eyeing a UFC-record fourth title defense of 2025 at UFC 323, and his thoughts on Petr Yan's resurgence, Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista, and whether a featherweight move is viable in the near future.Then, former light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira joins the show to reflect on Alex Pereira surprising him with a brand-new blue pickup truck, how proud he was seeing Pereira show class after his latest win, and what he thinks of his potential in the heavyweight division.Plus, Jim and Matt look ahead to UFC 321 fight week and share which upcoming matchups have them the most excited.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

He once wore a ninja mask on our show. Now, he's back, unmasked, unapologetic, and wielding ancient energies like a multidimensional Jedi. In this mind-expanding episode of The Skeptic Metaphysicians, we welcome back Benton Ryer, a shamanic energy healer, occult practitioner, and author of The Shores of Eternity. But this time, he's stepping out of the shadows to talk openly about his powerful healing work, and even leads us through a live on-air healing session you'll feel through your speakers. From purging unseen energies to confronting hidden trauma stored in the body, Benton explains the mysterious Japanese system of Ko Shinto, a long-forgotten spiritual tradition that clears energetic impurities at a depth most modalities can't touch. He opens up about how he helped Will during his cancer journey, how most people won't accept healing when it's offered, and why skepticism often masks deeper spiritual resistance. Whether you're curious, skeptical, or already a believer in the unseen realms, this is one episode you won't forget. Who Is Benton Ryer?Author of The Shores of Eternity: A Memoir of SorceryKo Shinto practitioner specializing in purification ritesFormer masked guest known for nightly energy healing sessions on InstagramMartial artist with a background in Judo and Japanese esotericismNow based in Japan, continuing his spiritual studiesWhat You'll Discover in This EpisodeWhy Benton hid his identity during his first interview, and why he's now ready to be seenHow he works with ancient Japanese spirits (the kabi) to clear dense, parasitic energiesWhat really happens in a Ko Shinto purification, and why it's not the same as ReikiThe dangers of spiritual arrogance and why most “healers” aren't doing the real workThe energetic parasites that attach to gifted people, and why Benton says even your spirit guides may not be what they seemHis thoughts on “occult” being misunderstood as “evil”, and why his work is anything butA deeply moving moment: Benton shares how he worked on Will during cancer, and how the results stunned his doctorsThe truth about why so many people reject healing, even when they're in painWhy This Episode Matters This isn't your typical energy healer story. Benton Ryer bridges mysticism and martial discipline with raw honesty, biting humor, and zero sugarcoating. He doesn't just talk about healing, he demonstrates it, live. If you've ever been curious about the real mechanics of energy clearing… If you've felt like you've done “all the things” but still feel stuck… If you're ready to explore spiritual truths that don't fit into neat boxes… Then this episode will shake your assumptions, and maybe even clear your field. Bonus Alert! The full healing session Benton performed live during this episode will be released as a BONUS standalone episode on Monday! Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it, and carve out time to fully receive the transmission. You will feel it.Connect with Benton Ryer BentonRyer.comYouTube: Live healings nightly at 8:30 PM PacificLove the Show? Help Us Grow! If this episode moved you, sparked your curiosity, or gave you chills (the good kind), please: ✅ Leave a 5-star review✅ Share the episode with a friend✅ Subscribe for more mind-blowing interviews every week Together, we're raising the vibration of the planet...one skeptic at a time.Subscribe, Rate & Review! If you found this episode enlightening, mind-expanding, or even just thought-provoking (see what we did there?), please take a moment to rate and review us. Your feedback helps us bring more transformative guests and topics your way! Subscribe to The Skeptic Metaphysicians on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for more deep dives into spiritual awakening, consciousness, spirituality, metaphysical science, and mind-body evolution.Connect with Us: 

Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by lightweight knockout artist Drew Dober fresh off his record-setting 10th UFC lightweight KO — a win that came the same weekend he turned 37 years old.Dober opens up about balancing the pressures of a three-fight skid with life as a father to a two-year-old daughter, celebrating the victory with Krispy Kreme, and why sharpening his ground game is his next focus as he continues to evolve as a martial artist.Then, Melissa Croden makes her first appearance on the show — joined by her friend's rabbit, Eddie, in the first official rabbit cameo in UFC Unfiltered history. After reflecting on the thrill of winning her UFC debut in front of home fans, the Canadian bantamweight shares how a spontaneous three-month break from her paramedic job to train in Thailand helped her realize she had what it takes to pursue MMA at the highest level — while still dabbling in the profession she loves in the way Stipe Miocic did as a firefighter.Plus, Jim and Matt break down what they got right (and wrong) from their UFC Vancouver picks.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Renowned BJJ blackbelt Roy Dean came onto The Strenuous Life Podcast to talk about his research into how BJJ got started in North America, martial arts culture in Japan, the power of Judo in self defense situations, the importance of role models in shaping one's conception of masculinitym and more. If you get a chance, please give this show a rating in Spotify or Apple Podcasts.  That really helps! Also, you can order Roy's new book "Groundswell" here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bjjpioneers/groundswell-the-rise-of-brazilian-jiu-jitsu-in-america And check out "The Kimura Roadmap" here: https://www.grapplearts.com/kimura Cheers, Stephan Kesting

Kev shares his memories (those he can still recall through cocktail-infused eyes) of the Judo boys-on-tour trip to Gibraltar, and Neale is wrestling with a washing machine that's doing its best to flood the house. Questions for the show include decisions on why to shoot wide open, whether a GFX will cause editing problems on an older iMac, if a GFX can be a decent travel companion, and electronic zoom or zooming in Lightroom - what's less destructive? We're still noodling over AI, we talk about Google Maps, cameras with patina, what art forms inspire your photography and why your pictures may be muddy in post-production. Email the show with your questions: click@fujicast.co.uk  For links go to the showpage. If you'd like to travel to far-off places with a camera: https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/

Jim Norton and Matt Serra are joined by both sides of UFC Vancouver's co-main event — Kevin Holland and Mike Malott — just days before the welterweights step into the Octagon.Mike Malott stops by first to talk about representing Canada once again on home soil. Well aware of the danger Holland presents, he breaks down their matchup and shares what a win would mean for a Malott family riding its own athletic high — with younger brother Jeff making noise in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings.Then, Kevin Holland calls in ahead of his fifth fight of 2025 to explain his approach to fighting Malott and reveal which highly-respected veteran he's chasing for fight number SIX of the year if all goes to plan in Vancouver on Saturday.Plus, Jim and Matt break down the UFC Vancouver card headlined by Reinier de Ridder vs. Brendan Allen with some picks of their own.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jim Norton and Matt Serra return for a stacked Monday edition of UFC Unfiltered with two guests and plenty to unpack after UFC Rio.First, Houston's own Michael Aswell Jr. joins the show fresh off his first UFC win — a first-round knockout in Rio — to talk about what it felt like silencing the Brazilian crowd, cutting down from 210 pounds in high school football to 145 today, and how his friendship with fellow featherweight teammate Joshua Van keeps him motivated as “The Texas Kid” builds his name in the UFC.Then, the one and only Bas Rutten stops by to reflect on his experience as an actor portraying himself in The Smashing Machine, whether Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones should happen next at heavyweight, and more!Plus, Jim and Matt unpack their UFC Rio picks from Wednesday's episode — including Charles Oliveira's submission win over Mateusz Gamrot in the main event!Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get 20% off + free shipping with promo code UNFILTERED at shopmando.com! #mandopodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Warriors Unmasked, Julio Angel Rivera, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo and Japanese Jiu Jitsu black belt, World Master Champion, author, and founder of Internal Jiu Jitsu, shares his incredible journey from witnessing trauma as a child to building a life of healing, mindfulness, and purpose. At eight years old, Julio witnessed a murder that changed his life forever. What followed were decades of suppressed pain, anger, and depression, until he found his path through therapy, writing, bodybuilding, and the discipline of martial arts. Through his philosophy of Internal Jiu Jitsu, Julio shows how we can channel resistance into growth and find peace in the midst of chaos. You'll hear about: How a childhood trauma shaped Julio's mental health journey The healing power of movement, writing, and community Why facing pain requires faith, and why asking for help is the first step to strength The connection between martial arts and mindfulness and how stillness can quiet a racing mind Julio's two books (Broke Down Sensei and Internal Jiu Jitsu) and his mission to empower others through mental health awareness Whether you're fighting battles on the mat or in your mind, Julio's story is a powerful reminder that healing takes courage, community, and the willingness to “just give it another day.” Chapters: 00:00 – Intro: From Trauma to Triumph 02:15 – Growing Up in the Bronx: The Early Years 05:45 – Addiction, Incarceration & Military Life 09:30 – Finding Recovery Through Peer Support 13:10 – The Power of Storytelling in Mental Health 16:20 – Building Mental Health First Aid USA 20:00 – National Advocacy and White House Influence 23:30 – Challenges of Behavioral Health Policy 27:15 – Leading with Lived Experience 30:00 – Faith, Leadership, and Family 34:15 – Julio's Advice to Aspiring Changemakers 37:20 – Chuck's Challenge: Reclaiming Your Power Through Service   Chuck's Challenge: When life feels too heavy, pause and breathe. Tell yourself to just give it one more day and take one step forward. Sometimes that's the bravest move you can make. Connect with Julio Rivera: Website: Internal Jiu Jitsu Instagram: @InternalJiuJitsu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/internaljiujitsu/ Medium: @‌julioangelrivera1 YouTube: Internal Jiu Jitsu   Connect with Chuck: Check out the website: https://www.thecompassionateconnection.com/ Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-thuss-a9aa044/ Follow on Instagram: @warriorsunmasked Join the Warriors Unmasked community by subscribing to the show. Together, we're breaking stigmas and shining a light on mental health, one story at a time.  

Jim Norton and Matt Serra return for a new Wednesday edition of UFC Unfiltered with bantamweight contender #15 Montel Jackson, who joins the show ahead of his co-main event bout against former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Rio.Reflecting on his journey from wrestling to the world of mixed martial arts, Montel discusses how watching Anderson Silva highlights in school first sparked his passion for MMA. He shares his mindset heading into a fight against a Brazilian legend in hostile territory and explains how patience and precision have become key parts of his evolution inside the Octagon.Plus, Matt geeks out with Montel over Marvel characters and Wolverine, before he and Jim close out the show with their official UFC Rio picks, including Charles Oliveira vs. Mateusz Gamrot and some of the other highly-anticipated fights on Saturday's card.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jim Norton and Matt Serra kick off the week with a pair of middleweights at very different points in their UFC journeys.First, Edmen Shahbazyan joins the show fresh off his third win of 2025 to break down his first-round knockout at UFC 320, share what's changed in his mindset since joining Xtreme Couture, and explain why he believes his best days are still ahead — now fueled by newfound dad strength and fatherly motivation.Then, longtime kickboxing standout Yousri Belgaroui stops by two weeks out from his long-awaited UFC debut in Vancouver to discuss training alongside Alex Pereira and Glover Teixeira, how a once-bitter trilogy rivalry with Pereira evolved into a brother-like bond that extends to Alex's own family, and what he hopes to prove when he finally makes his first walk to the Octagon.Plus, Jim and Matt recap all the action from UFC 320, including Alex Pereira's record-setting knockout of Magomed Ankalaev and Merab Dvalishvili's third title defense of the year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this solo episode, Shintaro Higashi breaks down three powerful ways to grow Judo in the United States. From unifying national organizations to creating viable pathways for judo in schools and drastically improving the customer experience at tournaments—this is a must-listen for anyone passionate about the future of Judo in America.

Jim and Matt are back with a midweek edition of UFC Unfiltered featuring two top contenders with massive fights on the horizon.First, bantamweight standout Cory Sandhagen stops by ahead of his second shot at the 135-pound title to preview his clash with Merab Dvalishvili. Cory breaks down Merab's relentless style, and reflects on his growth in the four years since his first crack at bantamweight gold.Then, featherweight veteran Josh Emmett joins the show ahead of his UFC 320 matchup with Youssef Zalal. Emmett explains how he plans to use his trademark knockout power against a surging opponent, why his experience gives him the edge, and how he remains confident and motivated in proving himself at 40 years old.Tune in as Jim and Matt each make three picks for this Saturday's UFC 320 card!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jim and Matt return with a stacked Monday episode of UFC Unfiltered. Middleweight contender Brendan Allen joins the show to preview his short-notice showdown with Reinier de Ridder in Vancouver, explain why he's confident he'll score a knockout by Round 3, and weigh in on the wide-open middleweight title picture.Then, flyweight contender Manel Kape stops by to discuss finally locking in a fight with Brandon Royval to close out 2025. Unfazed by the string of injuries that canceled their first two scheduled bouts, Kape breaks down how the two match up and what a victory over Royval could mean for his title chances.Plus, Jim and Matt recap all the action from UFC Perth, including Carlos Ulberg's impressive first-round knockout of Dominick Reyes in Saturday night's main event.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matt Serra and Jim Norton return for a midweek edition of UFC Unfiltered with a pair of No. 8–ranked contenders, bantamweight Mario Bautista and lightweight Mateusz Gamrot, as both men prepare to embrace the road-dog role against fan favorites.Bautista joins the show to reflect on his eight-fight winning streak and preview next month's bantamweight clash with Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. Then, Gamrot stops by to break down his short-notice matchup with Charles Oliveira in Rio and share how he's adjusting on just 2½ weeks' notice.Plus, Matt and Jim give their thoughts and picks for this Saturday's UFC Perth card, headlined by a pivotal light heavyweight showdown between Carlos Ulberg and Dominick Reyes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Din Thomas jumps in as guest co-host alongside Matt Serra for a jam-packed Monday edition of UFC Unfiltered!First up, 9th-ranked featherweight Youssef Zalal stops by ahead his UFC 320 showdown with Josh Emmett. Riding a four-fight UFC winning streak, Youssef shares stories from his long-awaited trip back to Morocco before shifting his focus to his matchup against the hard-hitting veteran.Then, newly signed welterweight Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani makes his first appearance after earning his UFC contract with a spectacular first-round knockout on DWCS. The Hermosa Beach native talks about growing up in a martial arts family, balancing ADD/ADHD with training, and what it means to be realizing his lifelong UFC dreams.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.