WEBVTT
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Hello, my name is Becca Stackhoff Morgan, and I'm ready for you to tune in each episode of your ways to become you.
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Looking at ways you can be your authentic and intentional self, you'll finish each episode motivated to live life more authentically.
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I learned how to be truly me through relationships, chronic disease, finances, and taking each journey along the way.
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Talk about the real aspects of life, of course.
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Relationships, finance, nutrition, hardships, exercise are all topics that we will discuss.
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Pull up a seat, drive safely down the road, or get into that workout group.
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Be challenged, motivated, and encouraged to be.
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This is the Stacked and Tit podcast.
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So, welcome to Stacked and Tit, where we discuss and drop all kinds of things how you can intentionally stack your life.
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I am Becca, the owner of Stacked Tit.
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And so today we are going to be talking how does Digits Do help in self-defense with our guest, Donna.
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So let's get started.
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So, Donna, give us a little bit about who you are, what your background is, and what all you do.
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Sure, hi.
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So my name is Donna Gonzalez, and I am a 10th planet black belt under Eddie Bravo.
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I teach jujitsu.
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I like to think that I specialize in beginners.
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I know that that sounds silly because like everybody who teaches jujitsu does teaches beginners, I think, um, except for like Eddie, he doesn't.
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But uh I I think that that's my wheelhouse.
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I'm I'm really good with bringing people into the sport and um teaching beginners.
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I'm also a self-defense expert.
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So I teach a lot of women's self-defense seminars, I certify other coaches, I help my coaches in their businesses, and I'm really focused on women's empowerment and how that ties into jujitsu and how the two worlds complement each other.
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What got you started in jujitsu?
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It's an interesting story.
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I had no idea what jujitsu was at all.
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I was a boxing fan, and way back in the day, I'm very old.
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Way back in the day, I used to train at Freddie Roach's gym in Hollywood.
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I um met a professional boxer one night playing pool with a whole bunch of friends.
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We had mutual friends, and um I told him I was a huge boxing fan, and I was also a massage therapist.
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So I'll give you the like the long version.
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I was a massage therapist.
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So I met this boxer and he was like, Oh, you should come and work on me and my manager, and we'll take you to our boxing gym.
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And I was like, cool, because I was a huge boxing fan.
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So I went and I met him.
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His name was Lehman Brewster, he's a heavyweight boxer, and his manager happened to be Sam Simon, one of the creators of The Simpsons.
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So I massaged Sam for years, and he got me into boxing and he took me to my first boxing lesson and all this other stuff.
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So I trained at Freddie Roach's for years, and then um I couldn't do massage and boxing at the same time because those two, those two things just their uh my wrists were like, please choose one.
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So I had to give up boxing so I could continue to eat and pay my bills.
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And then a couple years later, my brother, who this was around the time that MMA was getting really popular, it was like circa 2007.
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My brother called me up and he was like, Hey, there's this really cool MMA gym in Hollywood.
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Randy Couture is one of the owners.
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You should go check it out and take a kickboxing class because I really loved kickboxing.
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I trained with him a couple of times.
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So I went to Legends in Hollywood and I signed up for the kickboxing classes.
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And they were like, they were really cool.
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And they were like, we'll give you an everything membership for this price, and blah, blah, blah, blah.
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And I was like, no, no, no, no.
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I just, I uh I just want to do the kickboxing in the workout classes.
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Like, no, thank you.
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Um, they were like, Well, you have an everything membership, so congratulations.
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So I was taking kickboxing, I was taking like the MMA workout classes, is what they were called, and it was like a really fun cardio MMA-based class.
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And um, there was a guy that taught class after the cardio kickboxing class, this tattooed, long-haired rock and roller guy.
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And one of the girls was like, you know, he's like a really famous jiu-jitsu coach.
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Like people travel from all over the world to train with him.
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And I was like, whatever.
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And then one of the other guys who I was friends with, like, showed me a couple.
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I remember he showed me like a shot or I can't remember what it was, but I just remember going, look, that is not information that I will ever need in my entire life, but thank you.
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And lo and behold, a couple months later, I'm standing outside of the jujitsu class.
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Well, I'm standing outside of the cage after kickboxing class.
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And all the guys are walking onto the mats.
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And I was young and single at the time.
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And, you know, I was like, Oh, that's where all the dudes are.
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That's interesting.
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And my girlfriend, who was I was standing there with, she was like, Hey, Eddie, can we take your class?
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And he was like, Yeah, let's go get on the mats.
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So we walked on the mats wearing tank tops and booty shorts, not at all appropriate attire for jujitsu.
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And that was my first class.
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I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't know anything.
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I like I didn't know what I was doing, and nobody taught fundamentals at that time.
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Like it was Eddie required people to be a blue belt to join that class.
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So it was really interesting, but I really enjoyed being there.
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I can't say I walked away with a huge amount of technique, but what I walked away with was this cool group of people that were completely welcoming, that were like, Yeah, you wanna come to jujitsu.
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Let's go, let's do jujitsu.
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Like it was, they were very welcoming.
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And in Hollywood, which is where I was living at the time, that was a very refreshing thing to have people just be like, Yeah, just like come and like and like hang out with us and do this thing without wanting anything from you.
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So without really knowing what I was getting myself into, I kept showing up every day because like I was like, Well, I'll just stay after kickboxing class.
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So I would spend like five hours a day in the gym and take jujitsu.
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And then 15 years later, I'm one of Eddie's black belts, and he's you know, one of my best friends in the world, and here we are.
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That's cool, that's cool.
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Yeah, okay.
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So then that takes us into a long story.
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I'm sorry.
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No, it act, but it kind of leads us into everything, and it really helps open up why jujitsu even exist in your world.
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So if you hadn't stepped on that mat 15 years ago, then you may not have it in your life the way you got it.
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So we're gonna kind of combine this one.
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So, why is self-defense?
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Why is it something that's important in your life?
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Does that kind of take from that what happened on stepping on that jujitsu mat to why you've kind of found self-defense important?
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Sure.
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Um, why is self-defense important in my life?
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Well, I think there's a couple different reasons.
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I think self-defense is important for women to know.
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It's like, why do you have health insurance?
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Why do you have car insurance?
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You you hope you never need to use it.
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But it's a really good idea to have it available to you.
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So there's that, right?
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So there's like the super practical reason.
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Like, man, if I ever need self-defense or if I need to defend anybody, I I better know how.
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Um secondly, I think the other thing is the personal empowerment that comes with it.
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When I stepped on those mats that day, I had no idea the life-changing experience that was going to come with it, the empowerment, the ability to solve problems in the way that self-defense and jujitsu gives uh how do I phrase this?
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Um, the tools, the problem-solving tools and the confidence that comes with it.
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So, why is jujitsu important?
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Excuse me, why is self-defense important to me?
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It's important that I feel those things, and it's also important that I reach other women and help them feel it too.
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It's literally become my mission in life.
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So, at what point did it become your mission?
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What point did it become my mission?
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Um not until after I taught my first six-week self-defense course.
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So I had my blue belt, excuse me, I had my I got my purple belt and I kept bugging Eddie to teach.
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I want to teach, I want to teach, I want to teach, I want to teach.
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Um, I've been teaching since I was a blue belt, anyways.
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Anytime a woman would come to HQ, and you know, we didn't have any high-ranking woman women at that time.
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Like when me and Lila got our purple belts, it was us.
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And no, excuse me, Kim Um Ferguson, but she was over at 10th Planet Burbank.
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So anytime anybody came and like they wanted a girl wanted a private lesson, or Eddie wanted um someone to work with a new girl, it was always me.
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Don, I'll do it, Don I'll do it, Don I'll do it.
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So I'd been teaching like one-on-one lessons.
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And then when I got my purple belt, I was like, I want to teach, I want to teach, I want to teach.
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And he was like, Why don't you do a women's self-defense class?
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And I was like, I don't want to do a women's self-defense class, I want to teach, I'll teach jujitsu.
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And he was like, just do a women's self-defense class.
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So Lila and I put together a six-week course, and we taught it.
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Nothing that we planned, we taught, but it was still amazing.
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Like it just turned into its own thing.
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And then watching the women who participated in that self-defense course, watching their reaction.
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And then a few of them actually stayed and joined the gym.
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Um, one of them is a purple belt now, she's amazing.
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We've got a couple blue belts, and I'm still in touch with a lot of those ladies.
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And it was such a an amazing experience to watch the like the spark happen that that's when I was like, oh, I want to keep doing this.
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This is this is cool.
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I'm I'm in.
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So then it it just became like, I want to bring as many women into the sport as possible.
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Yeah, that's I think that's important.
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And that is one thing that I've noticed across the board with jujitsu is you came in when there weren't very many high-ranking women.
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Whereas I've come in and there's still not tons if you compare it to the number of guys, but there's still a good bit.
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But if you are the only female in that gym, you do get the um, you do get that.
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Yeah, she'll help you, she'll help you.
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Or yeah, y'all can be partners, y'all can be partners, like you you do get that, you get the new women or the ones coming in, or the drill buddies.
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So yeah, that's it is something that's really cool.
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So is there any other aspects of why self-defense is important?
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Those are the two main the personal empowerment that comes with it and the practical reason.
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But I think if we're going to add another reason on there, like having a sisterhood, having a community is also pretty amazing.
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The fact that there's all these women that you can connect with in a way that like only they get it.
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If you if you have a friendship circle outside of jujitsu slash self-defense, and you're like, Yeah, so I got injured the other day, and if they don't do it, they're like, Why do you do that?
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Why do you continue to like injure your body?
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But if you go to your jujitsu girlfriends, or your the women who also do self-defense in jujitsu, and you're like, oh my god, you know, I hurt my knee, but whatever, like I got through the competition or whatever, they're like, Yeah, like they get it.
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So I think that that's an additional benefit is that you have this amazing community that comes with it.
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That's for sure true.
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That's for sure true.
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Okay.
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What about how do you see jujitsu connect to self-defense?
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What makes those two things?
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Because there's a difference in how jujitsu works and how self-defense works.
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So, how do those things connect?
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So the way I teach it, the way that I look at jujitsu, it is the same thing.
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The difference when I'm teaching a self-defense seminar or a self-defense class compared to when I'm teaching a jiu-jitsu class is basically what we do with the same move.
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So I'm gonna teach you the same things, and then in self-defense, I'm gonna say, and we're gonna use this to get away from our opponent.
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And in jujitsu, we're going to re-engage with our opponent and sometimes be the attacker because it's fun and in a sport way, and we're both agreeing to be there.
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But I'm going to use the same moves for both.
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I'm just going to frame them differently because you're going to use your body in the same way for the escapes, for the problem solving, for the keeping calm, for the getting out of bad situations.
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Those are all going to come up in both places.
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And then in self-defense, I think the the only difference is if you don't want to re-engage, then cool.
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Like you did your job, problem solved.
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Okay.
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That's awesome.
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Yeah.
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That totally makes it.
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That makes sense of there are, because there are ways that you can, well, you've gotten out of this and now just disengage.
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Correct.
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Or you've gotten out of that now.
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Yeah.
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That's what combat sports are.
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I mean, in self-defense, I'll also add in some striking in the sport of jujitsu.
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We don't have any striking unless you're talking specifically about combat jujitsu or MMA, which are very, you know, it's two different branches of the same tree.
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They all are.
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So it's it really all depends how you're using it and how you're looking at it.
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But at the end of the day, a mount escape is a mount escape.
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You know what I mean?
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Yeah, that's for sure.
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Okay.
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Now the big one would be why should everyone train jujitsu on a regular basis, whether that be multiple times a week, once a week, whatever works for them.
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Why should they train?
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Because it needs to be embedded in your in your cells.
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You if you have to take a moment to think about what you need to do in a situation where you are physically fighting another person, it's already too late.
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I have to be able to not only fight without thinking, my body just needs to do it automatically.
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I need to know if you're here, I need to go here.
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If you're doing this, my body's gonna do this.
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That only comes with repetitive movement, right?
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Doing it over and over and over again.
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So your body does it without thinking.
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Like when you walk in the bathroom and you flip on the light and it's in the same place every time, and you don't, you don't have to look at the light switch every time you walk in.
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You walk in and boom, there it is.
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The only way you do that is through the repetition of doing it over and over and over and over again until your body does it automatically.
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The second thing is I can't keep my calm.
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I can't think.
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I can't win this mental game unless I have those things in place.
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Because if I have to sit there and think, oh God, what should I do?
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I gotta put my hand here, I gotta put my hand here.
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Excuse me, Mr.
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Attacker, can you can you uh like readjust your body?
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Like that's not gonna work.
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So the reason why we train, the reason why people who you know have black belts are competitors who perform at the highest levels, there's a reason why everybody still shows up four to six times a week to get that repetition in, because it's gotta be embedded in your DNA.
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Yeah, that's very true.
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It's the embedded, and it's knowing for me, it's always been knowing that because I'm a lot of times the smallest person in the room, knowing what you can do with the guy that probably weighs 50 pounds more.
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Absolutely.
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You and I are not gonna roll the same way with each other that I we would have to roll with a guy who's twice our size.
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A guy who's twice our size, regardless of their skill level.
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Even if I have a bigger toolbox, which a lot of times I do, I'll roll with a guy who's much bigger than me, and I have a much bigger toolbox just because of how long I've been doing this, I'm still on defense 95% of the time.
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Like there's probably, you know what I mean?
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Like, depending on how big of that size difference is, you know, if I'm rolling with a 200-pound guy, I'm just trying not to get smashed and get my little body broken.
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I'm not worried about like trying to arm bar him.
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I probably can't anyway.
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Like, you know what I mean?
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Uh I I remember putting a guy in an arm bar, what's a 200 pound guy in an arm bar, and he literally just stood up and like was like holding me off of his arm.
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Like, you know what I mean?
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So it's and you and I would have a much more competitive role because we're so much closer in size, and we will be able to do things that we wouldn't be able like with the big guy.
00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:53.679
I'm just defending, I'm just trying not to die.
00:16:55.360 --> 00:17:03.360
But the cool thing that I found about that is then if you ever get put in a situation for self-defense, you really know what you're capable of.
00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:14.400
Because if they know what to do with that arm bar or wherever you end up, you may at least be able to do enough to do the escape side of it instead of the Well that's what you want, right?
00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:16.240
That is absolutely what you want.
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:23.680
I'm not gonna if if I ever knock on wood, if I am ever attacked, I'm not sticking around for a whole match.
00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.799
Like with it, we're not like putting a timer on and like you know what I mean.
00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:34.319
I am doing whatever it takes to create as much space between two of us, and if that means choking you and getting up and running, that's what I'm doing.
00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:37.680
Yes, that is for sure.
00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:42.079
Yeah, I'm not sticking around to find out what I want to do next.
00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:42.960
Nope.
00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:44.960
Good.
00:17:45.519 --> 00:18:00.720
So if someone didn't have a clue what jujitsu was, didn't have a clue why they should have self-defense, what are the ways that you typically encourage them to either come to a self-defense seminar or come try a class?
00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:01.359
Sure.
00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:09.279
So if I have to explain what jujitsu is from scratch, like if people have no idea what it is, like of course they're like, oh, it's like karate, haya.
00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:20.000
Um I explain that we have no punching, kicking, biting, pinching, like there's no striking in any way, no elbows, no knees.
00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:23.359
But we are experts in choking and breaking joints.
00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:34.160
So how that translates to self-defense and why it's good for people who don't know what they're doing is kind of like what we just said.
00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:45.680
Even though I'm gonna be like the smallest person or a very small person and get attacked by a 200-pound man, if I know how to leverage what he's doing, I'm not I'm not gonna sit there and strike with him.
00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:48.880
It's not like we're gonna stand up and like square off with each other.
00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:53.440
I'm gonna be able to defend myself from really bad positions, worst case scenario.
00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:54.960
That's what Eddie Bravo says, right?
00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:58.400
Jiu-Jitsu is working from worst-case scenario positions.
00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:01.839
So that's what I teach other people to do is get themselves out of that.
00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:07.359
Being deadly and being effective from the worst case scenario position that you could be in.
00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:08.480
Okay.
00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:19.359
So if somebody was on a fence about coming to a self-defense seminar, what would be your biggest thing to encourage them to come out?
00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:24.160
So I'm assuming it's a woman, because that's usually who is like, nah, not my thing.
00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:25.279
Don't like sweaty dudes.
00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:25.759
I'm good.
00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:26.480
I agree with you.
00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:27.680
I don't like sweaty dudes either.
00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:29.920
I but I still roll with them every day.
00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:33.119
Um, I've created that a buffer zone.
00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:47.279
That's what I think of my women's self-defense seminars and classes are is a nice, not smelly, reasonably sweaty buffer zone to show you why it's totally worth it to put up with the sweaty, smelly dudes, right?
00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:50.319
So if you come to this class, then it's gonna be a bunch of other women.
00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:57.920
It's going to be a really fun, empowering situation where you'll get to do things that you didn't think you were capable of.
00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:03.839
And then you might see why it's worth it to come and hang out with the smelly, smelly, sweaty dudes.
00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.400
Yeah, yeah, I get that.
00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:11.440
The smelly sweaty dudes aren't always fun to hang out with, but it's okay.
00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:15.440
The but I do that, the women's seminar.
00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:21.920
My mom joined my women's class because of the seminar that she came to last June.
00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:22.240
Yeah.
00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:30.160
I found things that I could do, and so she just wanted to challenge herself and see what she could actually do.
00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:36.000
Now, there are things she doesn't do, but she's also not gonna go compete on a mat.
00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:47.759
So there are things that she does, but the mobility and the things that she's finding with it definitely it's creates that buffer zone because she's like, I'm not coming to sit in the class with everybody else.
00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:48.319
Right.
00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:53.519
But she'll come do it and sit in there with the women that I have and do it with them.
00:20:53.599 --> 00:21:05.440
And even though she's not doing all the moves, what I found is really cool that's happened within that class is they she talks through the movement with the other girl I've got.
00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:10.400
And so she's learning the positions and they talk back and forth about it.
00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:19.440
So even though she's not doing rubber guard, she still talks to my other lady about what the next move is and what they do next.
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:21.279
Yeah, that's pretty amazing.
00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:31.359
And the fact that she's getting on the mats, like, think about our sport, and when you're like, oh, it's a you know, it's combat sport dominated by 20-year-old dudes.
00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:37.119
I there's not a lot of like women over 50 who are lined up to take that class.
00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:38.480
You know what I mean?
00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:58.319
But the fact that we can create this space where a woman who isn't going to compete doesn't have any other reason to be there other than the way it makes her feel, the fact that we can provide that for them and provide them with this cool thing that shows them what they are capable of if they ever needed it is such a magical thing.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.680
Like it's totally why I do it.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:00.720
They do.
00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:01.519
Oh yeah.
00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:02.960
I totally I get that.
00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:11.119
And it is the that women's class is a because I'm not necessarily one that wanted to attend a women's class when I first started.
00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:13.119
I was like, sure, sign me up.
00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:16.480
I was the one that spent five and a half hours there at night.
00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:22.400
But the being the one creating that women's class in that buffer zone has been really cool.
00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:26.559
Because the ladies that I have, she's been in the women's class.
00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:31.920
And then I guess about a month and a half, two months, she stayed for the next class.
00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:35.279
And last week she rolled live for the first time.
00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:39.359
And she was so excited because she got into some of the things we had been working on.
00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:46.240
So creating that buffer zone, I think is a really cool place to be in the jiu-jitsu world.
00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:47.279
It's amazing.
00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:51.200
It's it's really cool, and it really does prove that there is a place for everybody.
00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:59.599
One of the things that I talk to women about all the time, because you know, I'll have women come in and take my classes and they'll take the joint classes that I'm teaching when I'm teaching fundamentals and stuff like that.
00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:06.319
And they're like, oh, you know, I'm older and I'm small and I feel bad that I'm taking away from somebody else being here.
00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:11.680
And and my thing is always like, look, it is more, it's absolutely appropriate for you to be here.
00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:15.279
It is your right to take up just as much space as everybody else.
00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.799
And yes, there are people it's not appropriate for you to pair up with.
00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:27.200
If we have somebody preparing for an MMA fight or a jujitsu tournament, maybe that's not the person that you should be pairing up with in that moment because they need something different.
00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:40.160
But if you're talking about just a random purple belt that, you know, maybe they're pairing up with you, they're getting just as much out of teaching that new person and helping them understand what we're doing as the new person is learning from them.
00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:47.440
Everybody has a place in this sport, and it it everybody has the right to take up space as as much as everybody else.
00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:51.200
There's just more appropriate training partners for some people than others.
00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:52.160
That's all.
00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:54.640
That's very much true.
00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:56.160
Very much true.
00:23:57.039 --> 00:24:03.519
So, is there anything else that you would add to the why someone should train on a regular basis?
00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:08.480
I think that everybody finds a very personal why.
00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:17.279
It's a common saying and kind of a joke, but also very true in jujitsu that you'll you'll see t-shirts and people say jujitsu saved my life, right?
00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:24.000
And it's because you you get this thing that makes you the best version of yourself for very different reasons.
00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:26.960
Jiu Jitsu, in jujitsu, you can't lie.
00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:28.400
There's no lying on the mats.
00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:29.920
If you get tapped out, you get tapped out.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:31.519
If you get dominated, you get dominated.
00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.319
If you if you beat somebody, you beat somebody.
00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:49.920
So it's one of those things that jujitsu will show you the very best version of yourself because you will have to push yourself in a way that you've never had had to before, and you will have to humble yourself in a way that you've never had to before because everybody's got a neck.
00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:53.039
Everybody can get arm brought, everybody can get ankle locked, right?
00:24:53.279 --> 00:25:07.759
So I think the most beautiful part about this is my why and your why are gonna be two different things, and they're gonna be so personal and they're going to be so magical and life-changing in our lives that the only thing I can tell you is come find out your why.
00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:14.319
Because when that why hits, you're gonna be like, This is why I break my body every day.
00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:15.839
Sorry, I didn't mean to make that noise.
00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:16.880
I know we're on audio.
00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:28.960
Um, this is why I break my body every day for this amazing personal experience that is life-changing in a different way for everybody.
00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:31.279
I think that's very true.
00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:48.960
Because you can, I can say for me and my husband, our whys, we both started jujitsu about a year apart, but our whys of why we started and our whys of why we still show up today are totally different things than what they than them being the same.
00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:52.240
So that it is very much a very personal thing.
00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:52.559
Yeah.
00:25:57.599 --> 00:26:02.160
But I saw why his why was more important after I picked up jujitsu.
00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:07.759
After he'd been in it 10 years and I started, I saw why his why was a little bit more important.
00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:11.359
Can I tell you my theory of like the difference in men and women?
00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:14.559
Obviously, this is a blanket statement, it does not apply to everybody.
00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:18.720
But here is what I have observed a lot in my last 15 years.
00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:31.680
Jiu-Jitsu makes men more peaceful because our society requires men to fight their, like to behave.
00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:34.240
We have to like we all have to like live in the same space, right?
00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:47.440
So you can't have these animal instincts, you can't lash out at your um using your emotions at all times, and and you know, there is like that testosterone that flows through men that they need a healthy outlet for it.
00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:49.839
And a lot of times our society doesn't provide that.
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:55.119
So now we have this thing, any tra any combat sport, boxing, kickboxing, like all of it.
00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:59.279
But since jujitsu is obviously my biased favorite, so here it is.
00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:11.599
Um, it is this healthy outlet for these animal, this animal instinct that we ask men to cage because it's necessary to live in a polite society that we do that, right?
00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:19.119
So now they have this healthy, healthy outlet that helps them get in touch with that part of themselves, but also their emotions.
00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:26.799
So, what I have found is the people who are who train a lot become more peaceful because they have this outlet.
00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:29.359
It also goes for women, but in a different way.
00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:31.200
It does, it does two things for us.
00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:38.160
It offers us the ability to tap into that animal instinct that society also tells us that we're not supposed to tap into, right?
00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:41.279
But we have it just as much as the men do, right?
00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:46.400
So it offers us the opposite ability to tap into it.
00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:59.920
But it also the second layer of that is it offers us the ability to find this strength and this aggression that we are not all that like that all it's all tied in together, right?
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:01.200
We're not allowed to tap into it.
00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:04.720
So it gives us permission to do it, and then it gives us an outlet for it.
00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:07.279
I think that's a pretty good theory.
00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:08.960
I think it's pretty, yeah.
00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:14.319
It would make sense, especially based on what I've seen in the time that I've been on the map.
00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:16.000
I think it does very much make sense.
00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:16.400
Yeah.
00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:20.559
The guys that I know that are like think about the guys at the highest level, right?
00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:25.920
Um, I'll use PJ Barch as an example because I train with him every day and I I feel like I know him pretty well.
00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:31.680
Um, you're not like he's he has the ability to like beat up most men in the world.
00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:32.720
You know what I mean?
00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:35.440
And I don't think anything could ruffle that guy's feathers.
00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:45.119
I've seen him keep his cool, and I I just absolutely don't think that anybody could ever like push him into a fight, and it's because he knows what he's capable of.
00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:52.319
And I think that that's an amazing gift that he that he has and that most men in our sport have is like they have nothing to prove.
00:28:52.799 --> 00:29:07.279
So they have this outlet, and then they get to go and use it in a very controlled environment and get that all out of their system, and then they get to go out to the world and be, you know, polite, wonderful men that have this outlet.
00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:08.640
Same thing for us.
00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:10.480
I think that's very true.
00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:14.799
I think it does give that outlet, but really you don't.
00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:22.480
There's very few other places that you can get that same kind of outlet that it's into something peaceful on the other side.
00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:33.279
Yeah, I um I have a dream TED talk in my head that I I really believe that we could save the world and and like bring a more peaceful society if everybody trained jujitsu.
00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:36.319
It could be very possible.
00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:37.680
Very possible.
00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:46.880
So our recap for today is jujitsu is important, it's important in our lives, it's important to you, it's important to me.
00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:54.640
And if you listen to this conversation we just had, I'd say we find it important to anyone who tries to step on the mat.
00:29:55.440 --> 00:30:00.480
And then um there is a connection between that self-defense and jujitsu.
00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:07.279
It's just a matter of what your end purpose is, of whether you're gonna run away or whether you're re-engaging.
00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:13.759
And then stepping on that mat regularly, it helps embed it into you what the skills are.
00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:17.839
So the last part of this would be a call to action.
00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:23.759
So, what would a challenge be that you would have to anyone that picked this podcast up and listened?
00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:25.200
Oh, interesting.
00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:33.440
I would challenge anybody to go take a jujitsu class, find the closest uh gym closest to them in their area.
00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:40.160
Um, doesn't matter if it's gi, no gi, go in, see if they have a good vibe, go in and take a class and just see what it's like.
00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:46.640
If you can, if it's a if this is a woman listening to it, I would really encourage you to find a female coach to work with.
00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:58.000
If you go to my website, the Women's Self-Defense Network, you will be hopefully able to find a female coach somewhere close to you that you'll be able to reach out and find training.
00:30:58.240 --> 00:31:06.799
And I would really, really encourage women to give themselves the experience of just seeing what they're capable of.
00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:09.200
That's an awesome one.
00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:13.440
So, well, anything else you want to add as we wrap it up?
00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:22.960
No, if you want to follow me on any social media, I'm on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook at Donna Gonzalez10P.
00:31:23.119 --> 00:31:28.559
Donna with a W D-A-W-N-A Gonzalez with an S at the end, 10 P.
00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:30.400
Awesome.
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:36.240
Well, thank you, Donna, for sharing with us why jujitsu and self-defense are so important to you.
00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:38.240
Thank you for having me.
00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:44.720
That brings us to the end of this episode of Stacked Integ.
00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:52.480
If you love this episode as much as added, head on over and rate and subscribe so you'll never miss an episode.
00:31:52.720 --> 00:31:55.359
New episodes are going to be dropped on Thursdays.
00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:57.359
Until then, this is Becca.
00:31:57.599 --> 00:32:01.599
And don't forget, enrich your life by being an editor.
00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:08.880
This podcast was created, produced, and recorded and edited by Staff Dente.
00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:08.400
Hello, my name is Becca Stackhoff Morgan, and I'm ready for you to tune in each episode of your ways to become you.
00:00:09.279 --> 00:00:18.239
Looking at ways you can be your authentic and intentional self, you'll finish each episode motivated to live life more authentically.
00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:26.640
I learned how to be truly me through relationships, chronic disease, finances, and taking each journey along the way.
00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:30.480
Talk about the real aspects of life, of course.
00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:37.359
Relationships, finance, nutrition, hardships, exercise are all topics that we will discuss.
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Pull up a seat, drive safely down the road, or get into that workout group.
00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:46.000
Be challenged, motivated, and encouraged to be.
00:00:47.039 --> 00:00:50.479
This is the Stacked and Tit podcast.
00:00:54.880 --> 00:01:01.759
So, welcome to Stacked and Tit, where we discuss and drop all kinds of things how you can intentionally stack your life.
00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:04.560
I am Becca, the owner of Stacked Tit.
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:12.239
And so today we are going to be talking how does Digits Do help in self-defense with our guest, Donna.
00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:13.439
So let's get started.
00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:19.200
So, Donna, give us a little bit about who you are, what your background is, and what all you do.
00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:20.879
Sure, hi.
00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:26.560
So my name is Donna Gonzalez, and I am a 10th planet black belt under Eddie Bravo.
00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:29.519
I teach jujitsu.
00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:32.560
I like to think that I specialize in beginners.
00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:39.359
I know that that sounds silly because like everybody who teaches jujitsu does teaches beginners, I think, um, except for like Eddie, he doesn't.
00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:42.640
But uh I I think that that's my wheelhouse.
00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:48.239
I'm I'm really good with bringing people into the sport and um teaching beginners.
00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:51.359
I'm also a self-defense expert.
00:01:51.439 --> 00:02:07.920
So I teach a lot of women's self-defense seminars, I certify other coaches, I help my coaches in their businesses, and I'm really focused on women's empowerment and how that ties into jujitsu and how the two worlds complement each other.
00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:11.039
What got you started in jujitsu?
00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:14.960
It's an interesting story.
00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:17.840
I had no idea what jujitsu was at all.
00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:22.960
I was a boxing fan, and way back in the day, I'm very old.
00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:27.280
Way back in the day, I used to train at Freddie Roach's gym in Hollywood.
00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:32.879
I um met a professional boxer one night playing pool with a whole bunch of friends.
00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:39.840
We had mutual friends, and um I told him I was a huge boxing fan, and I was also a massage therapist.
00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:41.360
So I'll give you the like the long version.
00:02:41.439 --> 00:02:42.240
I was a massage therapist.
00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:47.599
So I met this boxer and he was like, Oh, you should come and work on me and my manager, and we'll take you to our boxing gym.
00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:49.759
And I was like, cool, because I was a huge boxing fan.
00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.400
So I went and I met him.
00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:59.360
His name was Lehman Brewster, he's a heavyweight boxer, and his manager happened to be Sam Simon, one of the creators of The Simpsons.
00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:06.000
So I massaged Sam for years, and he got me into boxing and he took me to my first boxing lesson and all this other stuff.
00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:17.680
So I trained at Freddie Roach's for years, and then um I couldn't do massage and boxing at the same time because those two, those two things just their uh my wrists were like, please choose one.
00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:21.599
So I had to give up boxing so I could continue to eat and pay my bills.
00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:29.840
And then a couple years later, my brother, who this was around the time that MMA was getting really popular, it was like circa 2007.
00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:34.319
My brother called me up and he was like, Hey, there's this really cool MMA gym in Hollywood.
00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:36.479
Randy Couture is one of the owners.
00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:40.080
You should go check it out and take a kickboxing class because I really loved kickboxing.
00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:41.520
I trained with him a couple of times.
00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:46.560
So I went to Legends in Hollywood and I signed up for the kickboxing classes.
00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:49.520
And they were like, they were really cool.
00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:53.360
And they were like, we'll give you an everything membership for this price, and blah, blah, blah, blah.
00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:54.719
And I was like, no, no, no, no.
00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:57.599
I just, I uh I just want to do the kickboxing in the workout classes.
00:03:57.759 --> 00:03:58.639
Like, no, thank you.
00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:02.080
Um, they were like, Well, you have an everything membership, so congratulations.
00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:10.400
So I was taking kickboxing, I was taking like the MMA workout classes, is what they were called, and it was like a really fun cardio MMA-based class.
00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:19.759
And um, there was a guy that taught class after the cardio kickboxing class, this tattooed, long-haired rock and roller guy.
00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:23.199
And one of the girls was like, you know, he's like a really famous jiu-jitsu coach.
00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:25.120
Like people travel from all over the world to train with him.
00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:27.600
And I was like, whatever.
00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:31.839
And then one of the other guys who I was friends with, like, showed me a couple.
00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:42.160
I remember he showed me like a shot or I can't remember what it was, but I just remember going, look, that is not information that I will ever need in my entire life, but thank you.
00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:48.879
And lo and behold, a couple months later, I'm standing outside of the jujitsu class.
00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:54.319
Well, I'm standing outside of the cage after kickboxing class.
00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:56.480
And all the guys are walking onto the mats.
00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:58.639
And I was young and single at the time.
00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:01.439
And, you know, I was like, Oh, that's where all the dudes are.
00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:02.319
That's interesting.
00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:06.959
And my girlfriend, who was I was standing there with, she was like, Hey, Eddie, can we take your class?
00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:08.720
And he was like, Yeah, let's go get on the mats.
00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:15.040
So we walked on the mats wearing tank tops and booty shorts, not at all appropriate attire for jujitsu.
00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:16.399
And that was my first class.
00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:20.560
I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't know anything.
00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:26.240
I like I didn't know what I was doing, and nobody taught fundamentals at that time.
00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:30.720
Like it was Eddie required people to be a blue belt to join that class.
00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:36.079
So it was really interesting, but I really enjoyed being there.
00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:49.600
I can't say I walked away with a huge amount of technique, but what I walked away with was this cool group of people that were completely welcoming, that were like, Yeah, you wanna come to jujitsu.
00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:50.879
Let's go, let's do jujitsu.
00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:53.279
Like it was, they were very welcoming.
00:05:53.360 --> 00:06:03.360
And in Hollywood, which is where I was living at the time, that was a very refreshing thing to have people just be like, Yeah, just like come and like and like hang out with us and do this thing without wanting anything from you.
00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:10.560
So without really knowing what I was getting myself into, I kept showing up every day because like I was like, Well, I'll just stay after kickboxing class.
00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:14.160
So I would spend like five hours a day in the gym and take jujitsu.
00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:21.040
And then 15 years later, I'm one of Eddie's black belts, and he's you know, one of my best friends in the world, and here we are.
00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:23.680
That's cool, that's cool.
00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:25.680
Yeah, okay.
00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:28.959
So then that takes us into a long story.
00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:29.519
I'm sorry.
00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:38.480
No, it act, but it kind of leads us into everything, and it really helps open up why jujitsu even exist in your world.
00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:45.680
So if you hadn't stepped on that mat 15 years ago, then you may not have it in your life the way you got it.
00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:48.560
So we're gonna kind of combine this one.
00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:50.800
So, why is self-defense?
00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:53.040
Why is it something that's important in your life?
00:06:53.279 --> 00:07:01.120
Does that kind of take from that what happened on stepping on that jujitsu mat to why you've kind of found self-defense important?
00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:02.079
Sure.
00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.519
Um, why is self-defense important in my life?
00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:08.079
Well, I think there's a couple different reasons.
00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:12.240
I think self-defense is important for women to know.
00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:14.480
It's like, why do you have health insurance?
00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:15.759
Why do you have car insurance?
00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:18.079
You you hope you never need to use it.
00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:22.879
But it's a really good idea to have it available to you.
00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:25.439
So there's that, right?
00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:27.839
So there's like the super practical reason.
00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:34.079
Like, man, if I ever need self-defense or if I need to defend anybody, I I better know how.
00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:41.839
Um secondly, I think the other thing is the personal empowerment that comes with it.
00:07:42.319 --> 00:08:00.399
When I stepped on those mats that day, I had no idea the life-changing experience that was going to come with it, the empowerment, the ability to solve problems in the way that self-defense and jujitsu gives uh how do I phrase this?
00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:07.360
Um, the tools, the problem-solving tools and the confidence that comes with it.
00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:09.279
So, why is jujitsu important?
00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:11.360
Excuse me, why is self-defense important to me?
00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:20.319
It's important that I feel those things, and it's also important that I reach other women and help them feel it too.
00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:22.560
It's literally become my mission in life.
00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:26.959
So, at what point did it become your mission?
00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:30.079
What point did it become my mission?
00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:40.000
Um not until after I taught my first six-week self-defense course.
00:08:40.320 --> 00:08:46.559
So I had my blue belt, excuse me, I had my I got my purple belt and I kept bugging Eddie to teach.
00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:48.879
I want to teach, I want to teach, I want to teach, I want to teach.
00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:51.279
Um, I've been teaching since I was a blue belt, anyways.
00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:56.960
Anytime a woman would come to HQ, and you know, we didn't have any high-ranking woman women at that time.
00:08:57.039 --> 00:08:59.200
Like when me and Lila got our purple belts, it was us.
00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:04.240
And no, excuse me, Kim Um Ferguson, but she was over at 10th Planet Burbank.
00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:14.000
So anytime anybody came and like they wanted a girl wanted a private lesson, or Eddie wanted um someone to work with a new girl, it was always me.
00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:15.759
Don, I'll do it, Don I'll do it, Don I'll do it.
00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:18.559
So I'd been teaching like one-on-one lessons.
00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:23.039
And then when I got my purple belt, I was like, I want to teach, I want to teach, I want to teach.
00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:24.960
And he was like, Why don't you do a women's self-defense class?
00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:27.919
And I was like, I don't want to do a women's self-defense class, I want to teach, I'll teach jujitsu.
00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:30.480
And he was like, just do a women's self-defense class.
00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:36.240
So Lila and I put together a six-week course, and we taught it.
00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:39.679
Nothing that we planned, we taught, but it was still amazing.
00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:41.440
Like it just turned into its own thing.
00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:49.200
And then watching the women who participated in that self-defense course, watching their reaction.
00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:52.480
And then a few of them actually stayed and joined the gym.
00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:55.200
Um, one of them is a purple belt now, she's amazing.
00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:59.360
We've got a couple blue belts, and I'm still in touch with a lot of those ladies.
00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:11.120
And it was such a an amazing experience to watch the like the spark happen that that's when I was like, oh, I want to keep doing this.
00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:12.159
This is this is cool.
00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:13.200
I'm I'm in.
00:10:13.600 --> 00:10:18.159
So then it it just became like, I want to bring as many women into the sport as possible.
00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:22.159
Yeah, that's I think that's important.
00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:30.000
And that is one thing that I've noticed across the board with jujitsu is you came in when there weren't very many high-ranking women.
00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:36.960
Whereas I've come in and there's still not tons if you compare it to the number of guys, but there's still a good bit.
00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:43.679
But if you are the only female in that gym, you do get the um, you do get that.
00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:46.240
Yeah, she'll help you, she'll help you.
00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:56.559
Or yeah, y'all can be partners, y'all can be partners, like you you do get that, you get the new women or the ones coming in, or the drill buddies.
00:10:56.639 --> 00:11:00.080
So yeah, that's it is something that's really cool.
00:11:00.559 --> 00:11:06.720
So is there any other aspects of why self-defense is important?
00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:14.080
Those are the two main the personal empowerment that comes with it and the practical reason.
00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:24.000
But I think if we're going to add another reason on there, like having a sisterhood, having a community is also pretty amazing.
00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:29.600
The fact that there's all these women that you can connect with in a way that like only they get it.
00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:39.840
If you if you have a friendship circle outside of jujitsu slash self-defense, and you're like, Yeah, so I got injured the other day, and if they don't do it, they're like, Why do you do that?
00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:42.240
Why do you continue to like injure your body?
00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:54.480
But if you go to your jujitsu girlfriends, or your the women who also do self-defense in jujitsu, and you're like, oh my god, you know, I hurt my knee, but whatever, like I got through the competition or whatever, they're like, Yeah, like they get it.
00:11:54.639 --> 00:12:00.159
So I think that that's an additional benefit is that you have this amazing community that comes with it.
00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:02.799
That's for sure true.
00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:04.159
That's for sure true.
00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:05.279
Okay.
00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:10.720
What about how do you see jujitsu connect to self-defense?
00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:12.320
What makes those two things?
00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:16.399
Because there's a difference in how jujitsu works and how self-defense works.
00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:18.240
So, how do those things connect?
00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:23.039
So the way I teach it, the way that I look at jujitsu, it is the same thing.
00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:32.240
The difference when I'm teaching a self-defense seminar or a self-defense class compared to when I'm teaching a jiu-jitsu class is basically what we do with the same move.
00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:40.000
So I'm gonna teach you the same things, and then in self-defense, I'm gonna say, and we're gonna use this to get away from our opponent.
00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:48.879
And in jujitsu, we're going to re-engage with our opponent and sometimes be the attacker because it's fun and in a sport way, and we're both agreeing to be there.
00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:51.039
But I'm going to use the same moves for both.
00:12:51.120 --> 00:13:03.600
I'm just going to frame them differently because you're going to use your body in the same way for the escapes, for the problem solving, for the keeping calm, for the getting out of bad situations.
00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:06.960
Those are all going to come up in both places.
00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:13.360
And then in self-defense, I think the the only difference is if you don't want to re-engage, then cool.
00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:16.080
Like you did your job, problem solved.
00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:18.559
Okay.
00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:19.440
That's awesome.
00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:19.840
Yeah.
00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:21.279
That totally makes it.
00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:28.080
That makes sense of there are, because there are ways that you can, well, you've gotten out of this and now just disengage.
00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:28.879
Correct.
00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:31.440
Or you've gotten out of that now.
00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:32.399
Yeah.
00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:34.159
That's what combat sports are.
00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:37.840
I mean, in self-defense, I'll also add in some striking in the sport of jujitsu.
00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:47.440
We don't have any striking unless you're talking specifically about combat jujitsu or MMA, which are very, you know, it's two different branches of the same tree.
00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:48.240
They all are.
00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:51.679
So it's it really all depends how you're using it and how you're looking at it.
00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:55.759
But at the end of the day, a mount escape is a mount escape.
00:13:56.559 --> 00:13:57.600
You know what I mean?
00:13:58.080 --> 00:13:59.600
Yeah, that's for sure.
00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:00.720
Okay.
00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:13.200
Now the big one would be why should everyone train jujitsu on a regular basis, whether that be multiple times a week, once a week, whatever works for them.
00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:14.639
Why should they train?
00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:18.480
Because it needs to be embedded in your in your cells.
00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:26.960
You if you have to take a moment to think about what you need to do in a situation where you are physically fighting another person, it's already too late.
00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:34.399
I have to be able to not only fight without thinking, my body just needs to do it automatically.
00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:36.960
I need to know if you're here, I need to go here.
00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:38.960
If you're doing this, my body's gonna do this.
00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:42.879
That only comes with repetitive movement, right?
00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:44.559
Doing it over and over and over again.
00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:46.240
So your body does it without thinking.
00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:52.799
Like when you walk in the bathroom and you flip on the light and it's in the same place every time, and you don't, you don't have to look at the light switch every time you walk in.
00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:54.559
You walk in and boom, there it is.
00:14:54.720 --> 00:15:01.360
The only way you do that is through the repetition of doing it over and over and over and over again until your body does it automatically.
00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:05.440
The second thing is I can't keep my calm.
00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:06.399
I can't think.
00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:11.519
I can't win this mental game unless I have those things in place.
00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:13.919
Because if I have to sit there and think, oh God, what should I do?
00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:15.360
I gotta put my hand here, I gotta put my hand here.
00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:15.919
Excuse me, Mr.
00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:18.480
Attacker, can you can you uh like readjust your body?
00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:19.759
Like that's not gonna work.
00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:37.919
So the reason why we train, the reason why people who you know have black belts are competitors who perform at the highest levels, there's a reason why everybody still shows up four to six times a week to get that repetition in, because it's gotta be embedded in your DNA.
00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:41.039
Yeah, that's very true.
00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:54.000
It's the embedded, and it's knowing for me, it's always been knowing that because I'm a lot of times the smallest person in the room, knowing what you can do with the guy that probably weighs 50 pounds more.
00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:54.639
Absolutely.
00:15:54.799 --> 00:16:00.720
You and I are not gonna roll the same way with each other that I we would have to roll with a guy who's twice our size.
00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:03.440
A guy who's twice our size, regardless of their skill level.
00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:16.960
Even if I have a bigger toolbox, which a lot of times I do, I'll roll with a guy who's much bigger than me, and I have a much bigger toolbox just because of how long I've been doing this, I'm still on defense 95% of the time.
00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:18.399
Like there's probably, you know what I mean?
00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:27.200
Like, depending on how big of that size difference is, you know, if I'm rolling with a 200-pound guy, I'm just trying not to get smashed and get my little body broken.
00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:29.120
I'm not worried about like trying to arm bar him.
00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:30.000
I probably can't anyway.
00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:31.120
Like, you know what I mean?
00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:37.679
Uh I I remember putting a guy in an arm bar, what's a 200 pound guy in an arm bar, and he literally just stood up and like was like holding me off of his arm.
00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:38.960
Like, you know what I mean?
00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:51.120
So it's and you and I would have a much more competitive role because we're so much closer in size, and we will be able to do things that we wouldn't be able like with the big guy.
00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:53.679
I'm just defending, I'm just trying not to die.
00:16:55.360 --> 00:17:03.360
But the cool thing that I found about that is then if you ever get put in a situation for self-defense, you really know what you're capable of.
00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:14.400
Because if they know what to do with that arm bar or wherever you end up, you may at least be able to do enough to do the escape side of it instead of the Well that's what you want, right?
00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:16.240
That is absolutely what you want.
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:23.680
I'm not gonna if if I ever knock on wood, if I am ever attacked, I'm not sticking around for a whole match.
00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.799
Like with it, we're not like putting a timer on and like you know what I mean.
00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:34.319
I am doing whatever it takes to create as much space between two of us, and if that means choking you and getting up and running, that's what I'm doing.
00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:37.680
Yes, that is for sure.
00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:42.079
Yeah, I'm not sticking around to find out what I want to do next.
00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:42.960
Nope.
00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:44.960
Good.
00:17:45.519 --> 00:18:00.720
So if someone didn't have a clue what jujitsu was, didn't have a clue why they should have self-defense, what are the ways that you typically encourage them to either come to a self-defense seminar or come try a class?
00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:01.359
Sure.
00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:09.279
So if I have to explain what jujitsu is from scratch, like if people have no idea what it is, like of course they're like, oh, it's like karate, haya.
00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:20.000
Um I explain that we have no punching, kicking, biting, pinching, like there's no striking in any way, no elbows, no knees.
00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:23.359
But we are experts in choking and breaking joints.
00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:34.160
So how that translates to self-defense and why it's good for people who don't know what they're doing is kind of like what we just said.
00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:45.680
Even though I'm gonna be like the smallest person or a very small person and get attacked by a 200-pound man, if I know how to leverage what he's doing, I'm not I'm not gonna sit there and strike with him.
00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:48.880
It's not like we're gonna stand up and like square off with each other.
00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:53.440
I'm gonna be able to defend myself from really bad positions, worst case scenario.
00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:54.960
That's what Eddie Bravo says, right?
00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:58.400
Jiu-Jitsu is working from worst-case scenario positions.
00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:01.839
So that's what I teach other people to do is get themselves out of that.
00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:07.359
Being deadly and being effective from the worst case scenario position that you could be in.
00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:08.480
Okay.
00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:19.359
So if somebody was on a fence about coming to a self-defense seminar, what would be your biggest thing to encourage them to come out?
00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:24.160
So I'm assuming it's a woman, because that's usually who is like, nah, not my thing.
00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:25.279
Don't like sweaty dudes.
00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:25.759
I'm good.
00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:26.480
I agree with you.
00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:27.680
I don't like sweaty dudes either.
00:19:27.759 --> 00:19:29.920
I but I still roll with them every day.
00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:33.119
Um, I've created that a buffer zone.
00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:47.279
That's what I think of my women's self-defense seminars and classes are is a nice, not smelly, reasonably sweaty buffer zone to show you why it's totally worth it to put up with the sweaty, smelly dudes, right?
00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:50.319
So if you come to this class, then it's gonna be a bunch of other women.
00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:57.920
It's going to be a really fun, empowering situation where you'll get to do things that you didn't think you were capable of.
00:19:58.319 --> 00:20:03.839
And then you might see why it's worth it to come and hang out with the smelly, smelly, sweaty dudes.
00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.400
Yeah, yeah, I get that.
00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:11.440
The smelly sweaty dudes aren't always fun to hang out with, but it's okay.
00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:15.440
The but I do that, the women's seminar.
00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:21.920
My mom joined my women's class because of the seminar that she came to last June.
00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:22.240
Yeah.
00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:30.160
I found things that I could do, and so she just wanted to challenge herself and see what she could actually do.
00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:36.000
Now, there are things she doesn't do, but she's also not gonna go compete on a mat.
00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:47.759
So there are things that she does, but the mobility and the things that she's finding with it definitely it's creates that buffer zone because she's like, I'm not coming to sit in the class with everybody else.
00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:48.319
Right.
00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:53.519
But she'll come do it and sit in there with the women that I have and do it with them.
00:20:53.599 --> 00:21:05.440
And even though she's not doing all the moves, what I found is really cool that's happened within that class is they she talks through the movement with the other girl I've got.
00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:10.400
And so she's learning the positions and they talk back and forth about it.
00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:19.440
So even though she's not doing rubber guard, she still talks to my other lady about what the next move is and what they do next.
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:21.279
Yeah, that's pretty amazing.
00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:31.359
And the fact that she's getting on the mats, like, think about our sport, and when you're like, oh, it's a you know, it's combat sport dominated by 20-year-old dudes.
00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:37.119
I there's not a lot of like women over 50 who are lined up to take that class.
00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:38.480
You know what I mean?
00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:58.319
But the fact that we can create this space where a woman who isn't going to compete doesn't have any other reason to be there other than the way it makes her feel, the fact that we can provide that for them and provide them with this cool thing that shows them what they are capable of if they ever needed it is such a magical thing.
00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.680
Like it's totally why I do it.
00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:00.720
They do.
00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:01.519
Oh yeah.
00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:02.960
I totally I get that.
00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:11.119
And it is the that women's class is a because I'm not necessarily one that wanted to attend a women's class when I first started.
00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:13.119
I was like, sure, sign me up.
00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:16.480
I was the one that spent five and a half hours there at night.
00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:22.400
But the being the one creating that women's class in that buffer zone has been really cool.
00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:26.559
Because the ladies that I have, she's been in the women's class.
00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:31.920
And then I guess about a month and a half, two months, she stayed for the next class.
00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:35.279
And last week she rolled live for the first time.
00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:39.359
And she was so excited because she got into some of the things we had been working on.
00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:46.240
So creating that buffer zone, I think is a really cool place to be in the jiu-jitsu world.
00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:47.279
It's amazing.
00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:51.200
It's it's really cool, and it really does prove that there is a place for everybody.
00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:59.599
One of the things that I talk to women about all the time, because you know, I'll have women come in and take my classes and they'll take the joint classes that I'm teaching when I'm teaching fundamentals and stuff like that.
00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:06.319
And they're like, oh, you know, I'm older and I'm small and I feel bad that I'm taking away from somebody else being here.
00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:11.680
And and my thing is always like, look, it is more, it's absolutely appropriate for you to be here.
00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:15.279
It is your right to take up just as much space as everybody else.
00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:18.799
And yes, there are people it's not appropriate for you to pair up with.
00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:27.200
If we have somebody preparing for an MMA fight or a jujitsu tournament, maybe that's not the person that you should be pairing up with in that moment because they need something different.
00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:40.160
But if you're talking about just a random purple belt that, you know, maybe they're pairing up with you, they're getting just as much out of teaching that new person and helping them understand what we're doing as the new person is learning from them.
00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:47.440
Everybody has a place in this sport, and it it everybody has the right to take up space as as much as everybody else.
00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:51.200
There's just more appropriate training partners for some people than others.
00:23:51.279 --> 00:23:52.160
That's all.
00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:54.640
That's very much true.
00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:56.160
Very much true.
00:23:57.039 --> 00:24:03.519
So, is there anything else that you would add to the why someone should train on a regular basis?
00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:08.480
I think that everybody finds a very personal why.
00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:17.279
It's a common saying and kind of a joke, but also very true in jujitsu that you'll you'll see t-shirts and people say jujitsu saved my life, right?
00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:24.000
And it's because you you get this thing that makes you the best version of yourself for very different reasons.
00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:26.960
Jiu Jitsu, in jujitsu, you can't lie.
00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:28.400
There's no lying on the mats.
00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:29.920
If you get tapped out, you get tapped out.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:31.519
If you get dominated, you get dominated.
00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.319
If you if you beat somebody, you beat somebody.
00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:49.920
So it's one of those things that jujitsu will show you the very best version of yourself because you will have to push yourself in a way that you've never had had to before, and you will have to humble yourself in a way that you've never had to before because everybody's got a neck.
00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:53.039
Everybody can get arm brought, everybody can get ankle locked, right?
00:24:53.279 --> 00:25:07.759
So I think the most beautiful part about this is my why and your why are gonna be two different things, and they're gonna be so personal and they're going to be so magical and life-changing in our lives that the only thing I can tell you is come find out your why.
00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:14.319
Because when that why hits, you're gonna be like, This is why I break my body every day.
00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:15.839
Sorry, I didn't mean to make that noise.
00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:16.880
I know we're on audio.
00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:28.960
Um, this is why I break my body every day for this amazing personal experience that is life-changing in a different way for everybody.
00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:31.279
I think that's very true.
00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:48.960
Because you can, I can say for me and my husband, our whys, we both started jujitsu about a year apart, but our whys of why we started and our whys of why we still show up today are totally different things than what they than them being the same.
00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:52.240
So that it is very much a very personal thing.
00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:52.559
Yeah.
00:25:57.599 --> 00:26:02.160
But I saw why his why was more important after I picked up jujitsu.
00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:07.759
After he'd been in it 10 years and I started, I saw why his why was a little bit more important.
00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:11.359
Can I tell you my theory of like the difference in men and women?
00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:14.559
Obviously, this is a blanket statement, it does not apply to everybody.
00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:18.720
But here is what I have observed a lot in my last 15 years.
00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:31.680
Jiu-Jitsu makes men more peaceful because our society requires men to fight their, like to behave.
00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:34.240
We have to like we all have to like live in the same space, right?
00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:47.440
So you can't have these animal instincts, you can't lash out at your um using your emotions at all times, and and you know, there is like that testosterone that flows through men that they need a healthy outlet for it.
00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:49.839
And a lot of times our society doesn't provide that.
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:55.119
So now we have this thing, any tra any combat sport, boxing, kickboxing, like all of it.
00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:59.279
But since jujitsu is obviously my biased favorite, so here it is.
00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:11.599
Um, it is this healthy outlet for these animal, this animal instinct that we ask men to cage because it's necessary to live in a polite society that we do that, right?
00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:19.119
So now they have this healthy, healthy outlet that helps them get in touch with that part of themselves, but also their emotions.
00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:26.799
So, what I have found is the people who are who train a lot become more peaceful because they have this outlet.
00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:29.359
It also goes for women, but in a different way.
00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:31.200
It does, it does two things for us.
00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:38.160
It offers us the ability to tap into that animal instinct that society also tells us that we're not supposed to tap into, right?
00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:41.279
But we have it just as much as the men do, right?
00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:46.400
So it offers us the opposite ability to tap into it.
00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:59.920
But it also the second layer of that is it offers us the ability to find this strength and this aggression that we are not all that like that all it's all tied in together, right?
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:01.200
We're not allowed to tap into it.
00:28:01.279 --> 00:28:04.720
So it gives us permission to do it, and then it gives us an outlet for it.
00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:07.279
I think that's a pretty good theory.
00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:08.960
I think it's pretty, yeah.
00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:14.319
It would make sense, especially based on what I've seen in the time that I've been on the map.
00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:16.000
I think it does very much make sense.
00:28:16.160 --> 00:28:16.400
Yeah.
00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:20.559
The guys that I know that are like think about the guys at the highest level, right?
00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:25.920
Um, I'll use PJ Barch as an example because I train with him every day and I I feel like I know him pretty well.
00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:31.680
Um, you're not like he's he has the ability to like beat up most men in the world.
00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:32.720
You know what I mean?
00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:35.440
And I don't think anything could ruffle that guy's feathers.
00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:45.119
I've seen him keep his cool, and I I just absolutely don't think that anybody could ever like push him into a fight, and it's because he knows what he's capable of.
00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:52.319
And I think that that's an amazing gift that he that he has and that most men in our sport have is like they have nothing to prove.
00:28:52.799 --> 00:29:07.279
So they have this outlet, and then they get to go and use it in a very controlled environment and get that all out of their system, and then they get to go out to the world and be, you know, polite, wonderful men that have this outlet.
00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:08.640
Same thing for us.
00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:10.480
I think that's very true.
00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:14.799
I think it does give that outlet, but really you don't.
00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:22.480
There's very few other places that you can get that same kind of outlet that it's into something peaceful on the other side.
00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:33.279
Yeah, I um I have a dream TED talk in my head that I I really believe that we could save the world and and like bring a more peaceful society if everybody trained jujitsu.
00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:36.319
It could be very possible.
00:29:36.559 --> 00:29:37.680
Very possible.
00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:46.880
So our recap for today is jujitsu is important, it's important in our lives, it's important to you, it's important to me.
00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:54.640
And if you listen to this conversation we just had, I'd say we find it important to anyone who tries to step on the mat.
00:29:55.440 --> 00:30:00.480
And then um there is a connection between that self-defense and jujitsu.
00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:07.279
It's just a matter of what your end purpose is, of whether you're gonna run away or whether you're re-engaging.
00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:13.759
And then stepping on that mat regularly, it helps embed it into you what the skills are.
00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:17.839
So the last part of this would be a call to action.
00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:23.759
So, what would a challenge be that you would have to anyone that picked this podcast up and listened?
00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:25.200
Oh, interesting.
00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:33.440
I would challenge anybody to go take a jujitsu class, find the closest uh gym closest to them in their area.
00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:40.160
Um, doesn't matter if it's gi, no gi, go in, see if they have a good vibe, go in and take a class and just see what it's like.
00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:46.640
If you can, if it's a if this is a woman listening to it, I would really encourage you to find a female coach to work with.
00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:58.000
If you go to my website, the Women's Self-Defense Network, you will be hopefully able to find a female coach somewhere close to you that you'll be able to reach out and find training.
00:30:58.240 --> 00:31:06.799
And I would really, really encourage women to give themselves the experience of just seeing what they're capable of.
00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:09.200
That's an awesome one.
00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:13.440
So, well, anything else you want to add as we wrap it up?
00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:22.960
No, if you want to follow me on any social media, I'm on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook at Donna Gonzalez10P.
00:31:23.119 --> 00:31:28.559
Donna with a W D-A-W-N-A Gonzalez with an S at the end, 10 P.
00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:30.400
Awesome.
00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:36.240
Well, thank you, Donna, for sharing with us why jujitsu and self-defense are so important to you.
00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:38.240
Thank you for having me.
00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:44.720
That brings us to the end of this episode of Stacked Integ.
00:31:44.960 --> 00:31:52.480
If you love this episode as much as added, head on over and rate and subscribe so you'll never miss an episode.
00:31:52.720 --> 00:31:55.359
New episodes are going to be dropped on Thursdays.
00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:57.359
Until then, this is Becca.
00:31:57.599 --> 00:32:01.599
And don't forget, enrich your life by being an editor.
00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:08.880
This podcast was created, produced, and recorded and edited by Staff Dente.
