Episode 582 - Coach Sepano Hassanzadeh

Coach Sepano Hassanzadeh is a martial arts practitioner, instructor, and fitness coach in the San Francisco Bay Area.

There was always this desire to escape my current condition, rise above it, and become the best version of me because I knew that existed and that it exists for everybody as well.

Coach Sepano Hassanzadeh is a martial arts practitioner, instructor, and fitness coach in the San Francisco Bay Area. There was always this desire to escape my current condition, rise above it, and become the best version of me because I knew that existed and that it exists for everybody as well.

Coach Sepano Hassanzadeh - Episode 570

Scrapping the dream of being a pro tennis player because of doubts about his mental toughness, was really hard for our guest today. However, after seeing Brazilian Jiujitsu in action, it blew Coach Sepano Hassanzadeh’s mind because of how one can manipulate another person’s body, and from that point forward, he is hooked. Coach Sepano Hassanzadeh developed his mental toughness in martial arts. Presently, he is a martial arts instructor, and fitness coach in the San Francisco Bay Area. Listen to learn more!

Show Notes

Know more about Coach Sepano Hassanzadeh’s book on Amazon

Follow Coach Hassanzadeh on Instagram and YouTube or visit his website at coachsepano.com

Show Transcript

You can read the transcript below.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Hello and welcome! You're tuning in to whistle kick martial arts radio Episode 582 with my guest today Coach Sepano Hassanzadeh. I am Jeremy Lesniak, I'm your host here for the show, founder of whistle kick, and a passionate longtime traditional martial artists. And that's why we do what we do here it was okay, we are in support of the traditional martial arts and if you want to see what that means, head on over to whistlekick.com check out what we've got going on there. And one of the things over there is our store it's one of the ways that we pay for all this stuff that we do. So check us out there and if you find something you like you can use the code podcast 15 to save 15% off, whether it's one of the training programs that we've developed, or maybe it's a shirt, or any other number of things that you might find there. This show gets its own website whistlekickmartialartsradio.com, head on over there to check out this in every other episode we've ever done and we've got an organized, and you can search and we've got transcripts and photos and all kinds of good stuff there to help you get the most out of each and every episode that we do, they're all available for free, why because, well, we think they should be. And if you also think they should be but maybe you've got a couple bucks kicking around in your pocket and you want to support us, we've also got a Patreon patreon.com/whistlekick. And if you're willing to throw us a few bucks we're willing to throw you some exclusive content additional content stuff that we do not put out elsewhere. So check that out and for those of you who support us, thank you. If you've been a longtime listener to the show you know that I tend to shift conversations to what some might call higher level, you know yeah we talked about martial arts we talk about physical stuff but we also talk about the mental and the emotional sometimes even the spiritual and to their credit most guests are more than happy to go there and I really appreciate because I think that stuff's fun to talk about. But today's guest, not only was he okay going there it's where he asked to go. In our preshow conversation, he said, definitively, I want to talk about this stuff, this is what's important to me and so as you might imagine I was happy to do so, quite ready to oblige. And in today's episode I think you will hear that. So, here we go with my conversation with Coach Sepano Hassanzadeh. Coach Hassanzadeh welcome to whistle kick martial arts radio.
Sepano Hassanzadeh:

Hey, good to be here. 

Jeremy Lesniak:

Hey, glad to have you here. You know, we, I think we're gonna talk about some. We want to call them higher level and not highbrow that sounds snooty but we're gonna making a prediction now that we might get into some more intellectual, emotional, psychological aspects of martial arts, is that a fair prediction for me to make?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yes, very fair.

Jeremy Lesniak:
All right, cool. Well, we got to start somewhere. And sometimes we start elsewhere but usually we start in what I like to call you know the boring expected way it's a martial arts podcast, you're on here to talk about martial arts and so what's the obvious thing to do is, rewind the tape and press play, you know where's that going to start, what's your first experience with martial arts?
Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, my first experience was, I was 17, I got into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And that really blew me away and at the time I was still. So as far as sports goes you know I started with playing soccer as a kid you know under the age of 10 and then I got tennis and I was really into that like from the age of 11 onward, I was playing competitively but like I said at the age of 17 my senior year of high school. My uncle got me into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and he did a couple of classes to starting out with me and it was really just something else and especially the way I was able to to use my leverage and technique` to manipulate someone else's body and that's kind of what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is, for me that was amazing because you know I was a scrawny kid, really skinny by like a tie like 130 pounds or something, really lanky and I hadn't done any weightlifting or anything like that. 

So the very first one of the first drills we were doing was just kind of a movement to work the hip throw, we didn't do the actual throw but just the hip hinge movement and when I did that, and my uncle was my partner and he's like got 100 pounds on me. And, you know, I was able to easily lift them so that just blew my mind and so you know started to get into it and we're doing the grappling and all that and yeah it was something that really stuck with me and then it was sad for me to have to go away from it because I finished high school and I was going to college, and I was still involved in tennis and then you know I did that for four years. 04:56 Yeah, and then I got back into kickboxing and the striking and then still also implementing the grappling. So it kind of stuck with me. Yeah, been doing ever since.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Nice. Alright so what about that moment, there must have been a 05:12. Doesn't sound like it was your idea to start BJJ with your uncle's. You know I can't imagine you just pulled up in the car and said hey we're going somewhere and you jumped in and you were suddenly at a martial arts class they would start conversation, was it something that he had been interested in or trained formerly you know what's the story there?
Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, he did some Taekwondo back in the day and then he was, he's a law enforcement and the person, teaching was also previously a law enforcement, he was teaching a bunch of other officers, and he just thought it'd be a cool idea for me to jump in, I'm pretty sure we had the conversation about it, about getting into some kind of art form together. And, yeah, we just we just sort of didn't happen so quickly but it seemed, you know, if we're talking like higher level stuff. It was something I think that found me. Because it just so naturally entered itself into my life and it just felt it felt right.

Jeremy Lesniak:

Was there a contrast between your early experiences with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the other sports that you were involved in?
Sepano Hassanzadeh:
You know, I think it was the element of the physical contact, because that was never there obviously in tennis, you know, your Boston net and all that and the other element of physical contact the grappling which you can go nearly 100% without ever injuring somebody obviously you're not trying to be all hyperactive in it but you know there's no strikes thrown yet you can get the feeling of being in that stressful situation, it's controlled stress, and yeah that physical contact element was something refreshing for me and something that was a nice challenge and just something that I felt that I needed just to test myself. And you know, building the confidence and all those sorts of things.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, sure. You mentioned that your uncle was there for a few classes so he didn't stick it out with you?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
No, no, he was pretty busy. And then I just started to fall in love with it. And it's kind of like I said one of the things where it found me, it was sort of like he he did the he made the introduction, and then, you know there was, I was on a path.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Did you give up tennis and soccer?
Sepano Hassanzadeh:

Well soccer I gave up, you know, around town, it was just kind of junior league but tennis, yeah. So something that I've mentioned before, to other people in my stories was that my mental game in tennis was always weak. I was very passionate about the sport. I thought I was going to be a professional tennis player, I would want it to be one, you know, but I was very good in practice, but then when it came to the tournament like competition. I would always fall short. I would choked, I would basically beat myself, and it was something that really frustrated me and then it wasn't until I got into martial arts where I felt like the mental game just started to enhance and I found something there. Yes. Yeah, so I did put away the tennis and I was fine made peace with that I found something else that I love.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Were you aware of the was called the deficiency in the mental side of your tennis game? Were you aware of that at the time or was it only in hindsight?
Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Well I was aware in the sense that I felt a disconnect between how I played when the pressure wasn't on and how I play when it was the actual match competition. But other than that I had no answer for it. I had no idea of how to better myself there, you know, I read stuff and listen to tapes. But it just felt like there was something missing, some element, some aspect of the self, that I wasn't in harmony with, which, which resulted in me not bringing out my true self in competition and that missing element was what I feel I found when I go into martial arts.

Jeremy Lesniak:
What was the first moment you realized you were in the process of discovering that you remember a moment?
Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yes, good question. I think when I actually started, or maybe two moments one was around 17 when I was first getting to Jiu Jitsu. And I was rolling spar grappling with guys are older and way bigger and stronger, you know, good guys and ever like beat me up or anything like that but it was just getting in that situation and to me, you know, being like the scrawny kid, knowing like hey I survived that, and you know, not again not that my life was on the line or anything but it was just kind of this, this confidence I had like I was able to just do that and also get the feedback from the older guys and the veteran guys they're like hey you're doing a great job. So there was that where the confidence started to build and then when I started sparring doing actual like kickboxing sparring. When I got out of college, I got back into all that around 20 to 22 2012 or so. So, that yeah the sparring and getting hit, you know, learning to just deal with the punches that started to ignite something within that call it called the inner warrior.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I would imagine that at least to a certain degree, the way you were showing up in your athletic pursuits, you know, the way you showed up in tennis was reflective of the way you showed up in other areas of your life, you know maybe at home, maybe it's school and as you start to experience these different things as part of your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training. It's probably having an impact on other aspects of your life. Did people say anything to you about this? Did your friends your teachers, your parents, other family did people say hey, there's something different about you.
Sepano Hassanzadeh:
That's a good question. I think overall it wasn't like it was directly given to me as feedback, but by what I noticed as feedback from, shall we say the universe, the environments, the way I would move and not in the physical sense, probably in the physical sense to but just my behavior, my actions. The way I would talk there was a little more conviction and assuredness in that and I would sense that reflected back to me from the environments, so it wasn't necessarily like people saying things. But it was really just how I felt about myself. 
Jeremy Lesniak:

Makes sense, conviction that's a good word. 

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah. 
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's a powerful word. I know exactly what you mean when you say that word so 17, obviously you're nearing high school graduation. What does that transition point look like and how does martial arts planned?
Sepano Hassanzadeh:
So, like I mentioned early on, it was kind of sad because I knew that I was like, what I was doing the Jiu Jitsu, my very first trainer, my first teacher, Stan Kendricks. He was talking to me and he just sort of made these comments like you know I see a champion in you and all that and I was very honored that he would say something, but it was sad because at the time I was still into tennis. And it was kind of like; I don't want to let him down. You know it's such a big honor to be told that and, and I feel like I can be good at this, yet. I'm still involved in something else. 
So, the transition at college is kind of like having to just leave that aside yet, knowing it was something I'd come back to. And yet going into college just still with even though it was just the year that I had done that training, there was already a little bit of a depression that had taken place, and things like we just talked about with the conviction, although that sort of came after college but there was just a little bit of a shift. 

So, going into college, I was a little more myself, a little more confident and outgoing because I was always on more on the introverted side more the shy side, growing up. So, yeah, I'd say that was awakened, a little bit through, through the experiences that I had in Jiu Jitsu practice.

Jeremy Lesniak:
College is such a transitional point I remember for me, you know, and we're describing yourself sounds very similar to me, you know, I was focused on certain things in school but I was quite introverted. You know, I was a nerd everybody knew who I was, it was a small school but I was still a nerd. And in college I had this opportunity to kind of reinvent myself. When you hear people talk about that often, that they when they go especially they go away to college, they can shed some of this, you know this stuff this baggage that they grew up with people's expectations of who they are. So with this year of training under your belt and the beginning of this transformation, were you aware of being a different person when you got to college?
Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah 100% and I totally resonate with what you just said about that reinvention because that was something that I made a conscious decision to do. I wasn't exactly, I guess the happiest with how my high school experience was, you know, I mean I wouldn't change anything. But I just wanted to be more of myself and I think. Along those same lines there was just the way that I felt this disconnect in my tennis, you know, competition or practice. It felt like the same thing, held true just for me as a person, so we can talk about the connections there a little bit but yeah going into college I told myself to like I want to change things up and and be be different but not something that I'm not just be more of myself. 

So, yeah there was the conscious effort in just being more outgoing changing. And there was a little something there as far as this energy to shift into that which like I said came from my early experiences with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Now what about training, did you find a school at college or, you know, just kind of train back home over breaks like what is what did that diamond damage look like?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, so there were schools and then there were even programs at in the college but I just never got into that I was very much in tennis. I may have maybe a couple times done some stuff. I can't remember but overall for the most part I consider those four years like me. Just having paused and taking a break from from martial arts and just sticking to the tennis.

Jeremy Lesniak:
And what about your tennis game, how might that have looked different or how was it different if it was?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
So it didn't start to change until I got out and I got back into the martial arts and doing the sparring and all that. And starting to just become more confident and be more comfortable in my skin, even like being myself and I can't emphasize that enough, a person being themselves or being true to themselves. It's so fundamental and so with the tennis is it just like more my potential was coming out and almost as if I was allowing it to come out. And why was I not allowing in the first place. I'm not sure maybe it has to do with, again the disconnect between who I was superficially and who I am truly deep down, so it just started to show and more confidence in my abilities on the courts, and, you know, when it came to match type situations, even though I didn't do too many tournaments after that, I did a couple and it was a noticeable difference. I was playing more to my ability but then at that point I was already shifting more towards the kickboxing, and then Muay Thai and just more into the martial arts world. 

Jeremy Lesniak:
And I think it's a fair guess, listeners might be here with me to say, okay, so a year of of training, and you put it down for four years and then you got to pick it back up again. It's not a typical pattern right somebody stops doing something, anything martial arts or otherwise, for much longer than they had been doing it doesn't usually come back into their lives. So the question is, were you kind of carrying a torch or training all that time in college? Or was there an event that brought it back to the forefront?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
That's a great question. I've never been asked to actually. 

Jeremy Lesniak:
I pride myself on that. I try not to ask the same question, you've answered the same questions over and over again I'm gonna give you some different stuff because I want to get you engaged.

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Now this is great because you know it's funny when I've talked to other people talk to friends and they said that I process through talking and answering questions and when you ask that question it's, you know, and all the questions you've been asking. It's sort of like, it gets me going back and reviewing the tapes and then like reflecting, so it's that's pretty cool.

So that question, yeah, I'd say so I say it was carrying something a carrying a torch like you said. And like I mentioned to again early on was. It found me and I know now definitely that it is a part of who I am, a part of my soul martial arts it's just ingrained in me.

And again, it did find me again, you know, it wasn't the same school that I trained at, but just through the people that I knew and who I was associating with and working with at the time. It just the path lit up again and the opportunity was there, and then it was just a no brainer for me just to get back into it and it was it's like if we're going to go metaphysical for a second and talk about say you know pass 20:36 either like I was  a warrior in many past lives, and it was just kind of like, alright well here it is again, let's get back to it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm not gonna let you just gloss over that, we got to unpack that a little bit in the non-judgmental way. Whether it and this is one of those times where, you know, different beliefs lead to different things so my focus when I point out something like that or I call attention to it. It's not to say, I believe you, let's compare notes or I don't believe you and I'm going to try and throw you under the bus, regardless of that, because we've had people on the show who've told stories that I'm quite confident we're complete fabrications. It tells us it's part of your story right that's why the show is about the story of the guest. 

So as we talk about this and I just I want you to be comfortable, it's comfortable as you're willing to be sharing, because it's not a judgmental place, it's a, to me it's an educational place and it helps us connect dots. So, open up on that a little bit. 
Sepano Hassanzadeh:
So about the warrior connection. 
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. 

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, it's, you know, I guess as best as I can articulate it because it's something like I said, it goes to the heart and soul, and almost to a place that's beyond any kind of quantification or articulation, but I'll do my best and I just always have been. Well, not always, it was, you know, as a kid I was into other things but I'd say from 17th, I got that taste of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it just stuck with me and that's probably tying back to your question of, you know, with the four year gap and why I came back to it, it was sort of like. It was a light switch was turned on and it was a remembrance of just aspects of me from other, shall we say incarnations you know I do believe in past lives and all of that. 

So I've just always been interested in combat arts and disciplines, and I always think of him as a kid, I was always into the martial arts films and stuff you know Bruce Lee's a huge role model. It's just something that I connect with the energy of martial arts. I think that it can be even seen as an entity really this energy, this force, which people derive so much power from wisdom discipline all these things. That's just what I connect with and I've gained so much confidence and I've derived so much personal power from identifying with that being a martial artist being this modern day warrior. 

And it's a part of my philosophy of practice you know as a coach and how I move and operate in this world as I've been on this journey uncovering myself, who I am and being able to share that with others. So it's kind of a long winded answer to your question, but 

Jeremy Lesniak:
Wasn't the best one?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, like I said, it's just for lack of better explanation, it's just part of who I am, and I feel like I'm here with a purpose to share that it this grounded warrior energy kind of a peaceful warrior. And I'd had to uncover that through the experiences that I that I've had through the challenges and the triumphs and all I mean that's what we're all here for right, we're discovering ourselves through our experiences for me that it just so happens to be that the fundamental pieces martial arts, and bringing that energy out to the forefront to the world, not necessarily saying everybody has to do martial arts I mean I definitely recommend it. It's so many benefits to it but it's again that energy I keep emphasizing that where the energy behind it, that can benefit us all and bring out our own inner warriors each and every one of us, whatever. In whatever walk of life we're from or in. It's something that that needs to come back.

Jeremy Lesniak:

I agree. Now you've mentioned, training as things other than BJJ. I'm guessing those started to come into life. I'm gonna guess fairly quickly it. You know, putting together some pieces the little bit that I know about you outside the show. Sounds like you were collecting training in the sense that is it fair to say?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, there was, you know, the yeah the BJJ was there, and then started getting into like boxing, kickboxing are rooted in Muay Thai. The guy that trained me, Todd Santo he was, you know, kind of an expert in a lot of those different arts he started in Taekwondo but, you know, then he trained in boxing and all that so he just had a whole wealth of knowledge and he started to teach that to me and his classes. 

So, yeah, and then and you know, I took a break from that and I had some other experiences and then I came back but just take your question yeah just all the arts. Not that I've trained all the arts, but it all fascinates me so you know I've done Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and training which I still do. I'm intrigued by boxing. I have done some combat Hapkido, Eskrima. Let's see, yeah, just to the variations of those arts it's just, again it's all just awesome and amazing to me.

Jeremy Lesniak:
At that point, you know, when people are bouncing around and they're doing a bunch of different training and they're really motivated, internally have a really strong reason their why is pretty powerful. So at that stage, what was your why?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
And that's, I'd say, ultimately, searching for my truth and my personal power because it's always been. It seems like it's always been that for me even from a very young age, you know from the age of 10, maybe even before that, you know, I had, you know I had like asthma and stuff as a kid I wasn't the most athletic. And then, at age of 10, I saw I had epilepsy. And that messed with me a little bit. 

And then you know I had to take medications and in high school and you know all that go into college and so I say that to basically say that there was always this desire to escape my current condition and rise above it and become the best version of me because I knew that that existed and that exists for everybody. 

And we're not we're not just tied down to a certain fate. Despite what some diagnosis may say so, for me, it was the pursuit of self enhancement. And it just so happened to me that happened to be that for me. I found that the most in my martial arts training because there was again going back to the term the energy that was there. It's something that's that's almost supernatural, and that you can bring to the natural, you can bring to your current state, and use to enhance all aspects of your life. 

So yeah again to answer your question, that why is really going to the heart of me and becoming the best version of myself.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Were you competing at this time? Were you collecting this training to test it or strictly for personal growth?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
You know, it's funny you say that because at first I didn't think I was going to compete and this was around 22 or so. I was just training just to get better. And then I had some health issues that came up so I had to take a break for about. I was away from it for about like 14 months. And then when I got healthy again. I told myself I get back to the training and all of that so and that's why I was at a different school first for a second and that was Academy of Self-defense here in Santa Clara. 

But yeah, I was training there and I was doing 29:47 and some Muay Thai as well. And again, I wasn't focused on competing; I wasn't really concerned with that. But then, when I started doing Muay Thai, the Muay Thai program with the Coach Giovanni, one of my coaches Giovanni Jordan, you know, he's a certain character you know and 30:11 a lot of respect and he only asks you if you're going to be fighting for him there. It's like it's a big deal, and you don't want to let him down right and I told myself this like, because there were other students there that would fight, and they would train they would do like smokers or even amateur fights. And I said, well, if he asks me if I want to fight, then I'll then I'll say yes and do it because I also knew what that would entail you to this, you know, long brutal fight camp and yeah, there's a lot that you have. It's almost like a part time job. 

So it wasn't like I was necessarily looking forward to but again if I was asked to fight. I told myself, I'd say yes and then sure enough there was one night after, after training you know we would always have a small circle we're just talking and stuff and then yeah he just looked at me and he was talking he was trying to get people to fight. And in my head I was like, I hope he doesn't turn to me and say it, and asked me and he turned to me said hey, do you want to fight and so then I took that as a sign and I said yes right away, and sure enough that path starts open up, the path that's competing. Yeah, so it was kind of again like a long winded answer is I'm reflecting on this, all of this as I say it, but yeah so I got into it then and, you know, started to train for smokers, I did a few fights. And, yeah, it was just, again, something it was a very natural flow and it found me.

Jeremy Lesniak:
There's something interesting in the way that you just described that the idea that you were only going to do it if you were asked, but it sounded like in the way that you talked about it maybe this wasn't the case at the time, but it sounded like you had already accepted it, you were past being open to it you were ready. But it was going to require someone else to give you a little bit of a nudge, a push to get you to commit. Is that fair?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, yeah, totally and also one of my friends at the time he still the friend of mine now he's a professional boxer, and he was. It was at the beginning of our friendship then, and even he was like, oh, what are you gonna start training or when are you gonna start fighting, because he just loves fighting himself he did Muay Thai in the past and the nights that now he does boxing. 

But, yeah, the idea was there and actually even another guy that train there at the time and work their academy of self-defense. He wants to ask me we're just sitting in a locker room he was like when are you going to get in the ring. So it was kind of yeah it was hovering around, and the idea, the seed was already planted, and it was just a matter of when it was going to grow and sure enough it was when I was asked,

Jeremy Lesniak:
Why was it that way? Right was it a lack of confidence? Was it reluctance? Was it a desire for the, I guess we'll call it the validation from an instructor to say you can do this?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
It was more the validation, more from the universe will say, you know, acting through the people and kind of just me following what is brought to me, and also you know I was in acting and modeling so I was doing that part time. And I was still doing that but I was dedicated to that. 

So, my mind was kind of like, well, I'm a coach. That does always gonna be part of my life. But then I also want to advance in the acting. So that's kind of what I'm looking at down the road. I don't see where fighting fits in just yet, if ever, but then it just came and took over and I was fine with that. And I'd say that again going back to martial arts as being a part of my soul and part of part of the character that I am.

Jeremy Lesniak:
I want to pick up that that thread a little bit. Are you okay with that or did you embrace it?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Oh I embraced it. 

Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay. So it's, and we're starting to hear a little bit of a pattern for you right, you know you're there, and an option comes up, and the universe as you're phrasing it says, here's a path that you should consider taking you're like, alright, let's do it. And it sounds like once you're in you're in with both feet.  Okay. And how does that philosophy show up today? You know, we'll go back but let's skip ahead, when we look at that pattern and we look at it with who you are in your life. At this moment, is that continuing to serve you?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:

100%. Yeah, it's embracing one's path and also forging it because you know they're everything's a choice. But, you know, we're all in. In this life and that's something I heard from I think maybe Jordan Peterson the psychologist, you know he was just saying that this is all we have you know this life until there's another life but why hold back to any degree. If there's something you want to do and you're feeling that that inclination towards it, the affinity towards it, then what's the hesitation. So, yeah, I totally apply that to my life. Now it's like if there's an opportunity in front of me. I'm just gonna go after it and whether I fall or I mess up. That's fine, you know because having been a Wayne Gretzky said you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. It's like that philosophy.

Jeremy Lesniak:
For sure

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
To go for it. 

Jeremy Lesniak:

Yeah. Now let's rewind time, a little bit. Let's go back, you talked about all these various things that you're doing, you talked about the training and the competing and the coaching and the modeling and the acting. That's a lot. That's a lot of things any one of those things for most people is all they can handle outside of day to day life and if somebody said you know I work a full time job and, you know, and I'm also an actor, like wow it's a lot. 

Oh and I'm also, you know, a coach or I compete in events where people try to hurt me. You know, these are things that for the average person even the average martial artists I'm gonna say it's a lot. It's a lot of my plate, and you had. I mean I don't know the degree yet for all of those things but you don't sound like someone who does things casually. So it strikes me as a tremendous amount on your plate. How the hell are you managing?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
That's a good question. You're on it with the questions. Let's see.

Jeremy Lesniak:
It's my job, I gotta do. I gotta show up right? I gotta do my job.

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
There we go. No you're nailing it well. And to be clear too It's not like I'm going full time with all of those there was a balance, but it was a lot too yeah because I was also at some point this was after competing. I was doing grad school and that was definitely a full time commitment and then a full time job so yeah there it was kind of. I mean, just the will, the will to follow through on this path and succeed and then seeing. For me this end game and I put that in quotes because it's there never really is an end. But this ultimate path and I'm going down. And what I want to accomplish the effect that I want to have on this world you know and the people I want to help, all those things, gave me the fuel gives me the fuel to go after these various pursuits and put a considerable amount of energy into them. 

So it's just something that you know. Put simply, you know if you want it, you're going to do it you're going to find a way to do it. And there's a lot of people in history and now that are doing that and more. So it's really just a matter of desire and what I think is the purpose. I always say like, the greater the grander your purpose is, the more limitless your potential is going to be, or the grander your potential is going to be. 

Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure, sure. So, grad school, what threw that in there. What's going on there? Oh, this isn't enough, I'm gonna keep getting educated.

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, so. Okay, so in college undergrad I studied psychology and then I got out and I thought I was doing. I was in personal training and all that. And to do martial arts and then, you know, fast forward a few years on me all the way till 2017, it was after my last fight that I had, I got injured I dislocated my shoulder. And I was out for a little while. And then I was deciding what do I want to do next or where do I want to take this with what I love to do and my skills so far. 

And another uncle of mine, who also is into martial arts and he competed back in the day. Again, you know, he planted the seed of of studying sports psychology, and it was something that sort of piqued my interest because I'm into the mind and into all of that and I was sort of thinking about doing grad school but I just didn't know what I wanted to do and then he brought it up and then I thought, well you know I can see myself doing that and using that  to further myself in the coaching field so yeah sports psychology was the program that I went into at JFK University, this is like fall of 2017, I graduated last year in August. So I got that and yeah so that was my grad school journey.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Did you put any of these things down while you were in grad school?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
I did have to, again, so I put the training, the martial arts training aside reluctantly This time, I was just I didn't have the time to to really get after it, I almost did I trained at a one one session in a Muay Thai school and this was in San Francisco. And I was going to do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at a school that was like actually just down the street from where I was living at the time, which was in the outer sunset. 

But again, the schedule, it just didn't fit in with what I have a full time job, personal trainer and then grad school so I had to take a break from it. And when I was away from it, it definitely felt like something was missing from my life.

Jeremy Lesniak:
And so how do all these pieces now fit together? You know like we were talking before the show, you've got a book coming out a bunch of different things. So if somebody, let's see how I want to ask this. Let's pretend someone's doing a profile on you, you know, not like a documentary length film, you know, but like more than a bio, like, I'm not saying spend this long, saying it but putting together, you know, a quick overview of who you are. What does that look like? Like what are these pieces that are in play now and how do they. I think what I'm most interested in is how they interrelate. How do they either support each other or balance each other? 

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, another great question. And this is one that I think about all the time. And I like to say that I'm, I've been zeroing in on what that is. Now more than ever, so it will coach, a teacher, for one, that's a that's a fundamental part of me I've always I've been teaching in some capacity since 2007, even though I've taught Xs than I thought it was a personal trainer and then teaching self-defense classes the all of that stuff so a coach, and now mental performance as well.

A coach and teacher, the acting is just another side of me where I get to express myself and express the emotions the thoughts and it's given me more of an ability to serve as a presence in front of people and then do public speaking, you know, I had to work at that but now it's something I enjoy. So being a better, a better orator and speaker. And then of course the martial arts. being that fundamental piece, which gives me gives me that fire, that flame to go after it and sort of conquer any territory that I'm going into it with confidence, and also the groundedness and the discipline that comes from that, you know, so I'm not sure if I'm really answering your question but it's really just like a tee you know okay I guess I'll say this, if anyone's ever done what I like to do or and when I plan to do it was Bruce Lee, you know, and you know, of course those are big shoes to fill. 

But, like, he did. I mean he did it all, he was an actor. He was a martial artist, a teacher philosopher you know he wrote many books and he impacted the world. Obviously, we're talking about him now so he did a lot, and those are all things that I enjoy as well. The acting, the teaching, the training, the martial arts, and just being able to perform. I guess what's like this mental outcome you bringing two ideas together and sharing it with the world with the intentions of positively impacting societies and making the world a better place, one person at a time.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Big shoes to fill. You’re not setting your sights low on anything it sounds like.

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah you know shoot for the stars land on the moon. Right. 

Jeremy Lesniak:

I can relate. Yeah, if you're gonna do it, do it right and do it big.

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Exactly. 

Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay. I brought up the book. Let's talk about the book. I've written some books. It's hard. It's a difficult process at best. At worst, it's a difficult process that makes you no money. I've written some of those. So, why did you want to write a book? What's it about and what are your goals for it?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, great yeah so the book I always wanted to synthesize these ideas that I've had and distill it down to some kind of product. And that was always challenged for me because it's, you know, I'm very much a mental person, not in a sense like crazy but mental just bury me in my head a lie, there's all these ideas, and it's hard to bring them down into physical substance, but it was always something I wanted to do.

And again, this theme of, it's kind of finding me or the right timing of it of wanting to do in the past but the timing just wasn't right. It didn't feel right. I didn't feel like I had enough experiences or whatever it was, it just wasn't the right time but then you know last year. Obviously with what's happened with COVID and how it kind of turned everything upside down. I found an opportunity in that in there that I was, I had some extra time and pluses of the nearing the end of grad school so I had more time on my plate to finally go after this and dive into it. 

So, and I wanted to focus on the on the martial arts community and combat athletes and bring together what I know with mental performance training mental skills training to that to that worlds to the forefront. So, the book is art of the fight, and it's interesting because it paradoxically, art of the fight is actually the art of peace, because it's about attaining balance, and you find that balance through gaining your personal power and learning to balance the forces, the you know the yin and yang forces I don't touch on that too much but it's I touch on, on the balance between being relaxed and being alert. 

The book itself is an art is an acronym for aiming resonating and tuning. And it's a system that, it's a system for what I call self-evolution in that you and the aiming phase each phase has three sub phases we are aiming we have attention, but starts with attention so paying attention, paying that mental currency towards what the problem is. What do you wish to fix or not even fix, what do you wish to do better, to enhance and then goes into awareness. What do you need? What are you doing right? What are you doing wrong? You know what's, where is the where must the energy be and then action. You finally take those two sides of the coin the attention and the awareness, which you can say is kind of its own Yin and Yang, you know, the Yin is the attention and the awareness is the Yang, and then action is the is the combination of those two and that takes you into the next phase resonating which starts with realization. 

When that's realizing your personal power and we find that through asking certain guiding questions, you know what are my values? What do I believe in? What do I love to do? Who matters in my life? All these things help to paint this picture of who you are at the deepest level. And once we attained that we go into the revelation, which again is that flip side now where we realize the personal power, now we want to reveal it. And how do we reveal it well, it's about walking the walk and talking the talk, and being that and acting that out. 

So you get that reflected back to from the universe from the world around you. And then, finally, you put together the realization, revelation and then you rise. That's the third phase there, within resonating you're rising up to that ideal self, the self that you need to be and want to be in order to achieve your dreams, your goals, your desires. So once we have that we're so we're, we're building ourselves up and setting ourselves up for the final phase, which is the triumph. And that's in the tuning phase, the tuning phase begins with technique. And that is just the knowledge of certain techniques, needed in order to get to where we want to be so this is the reps, this is the practice. And, you know, like I said, burning the mental calories. So whether it's imagery or a meditation or mindfulness practices, whatever that is we want to know what they are, what they entail and then we go into that second sub phase of the tuning, which is the training so now it's actually doing it and like I said, getting those reps in and getting congruent with that. Then the triumph is that final phase which is an outcome and a state, the triumph is that state of peace. 

This is the art of the fight is, we are, we try and how we deal with our situations and it's, you know, I say it's not that you won't have to go through this process you won't still encounter struggles and challenges. You will that's part of life but how you deal with it is the difference between tragedy and triumph especially; you can turn tragedy into triumph. It's so in that sense is the state of mind and then of course the outcome. If you're competing then in wins. That's a trial of two, but it's really not about the external not really the outcome it's the journey, and how you deal with the situation so yeah in a nutshell. That's the art of the fight, it's dealing with the mental oppressors that get it to get to us and ultimately it's turning the adversary, which is ourselves into our ally because we are our own greatest adversaries.

Jeremy Lesniak:
I liked that. So let's talk about the future. Books coming out soon right it's not quite out yet?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Actually it's out now, just went live, yeah so it's available,

Jeremy Lesniak:
Nice, nice and where can people get it?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
So it's on Amazon, Can you just search up Part of the Fight, and I can send you a link to it with that.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, please. We'll drop out the show notes.

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah. And so it's available in paperback, and I'll be getting into the Kindle format as well soon.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Nice. So let's talk about next steps. You know, what's next with, you know, this plethora of things that you've got going on, you know, I imagine that, you know, you're not planning on putting anything down. 

So the question is, how do you work with all this stuff, as you move forward as you grow your career. And, you know, maybe write another book, like a crazy person as someone who just wrote another book, like a crazy person. 

So tell us what you've got your eyes set on goals. You know, if we were to come back three, 5, 10 years whatever timeframe you choose, and have another conversation, you know, what would you, what would you hope you were saying as an answer to what's happened since we last talked?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah. So, definitely. The focus currently is promoting the book and getting in as many hands as possible, and the hopes again being to change lives and to influence people even if it's the smallest bit of wisdom to someone gains, because it's a very short and simple read simple wisdom there but if I don't say so myself it's very valuable so getting that out there promoting that continuing my journey as a martial artist getting better. I don't know if I'm going to compete, maybe we'll see it again. We'll see what's given to me, but it's more of just continuing my training and staying sharp physically, mentally, and continuing the coaching, putting content out there around this book, and yeah I do have some ideas for other books. Maybe it's even just a second edition to this one, but you know after I start to get some feedback, and because I already can think of things that I could add to it or expand upon.

So it's really more a matter of focusing on what's in front of me because like I kind of hinted at, it's easy for me to get spread thin and go down multiple avenues. So, now, at least, fortunately, and I'm grateful that I got this book out there that that was one phase. So, I'd really like to focus on that and yeah spread the word as much as possible and continue to train myself, build myself and become better because I'm a student as well.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Right on. I can relate to that. So this has been great if people want to find you if they want to connect social media, email any of that jazz. Where are they going to find you?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, so I have my website coachsopano.com and I put content there on video format working on getting more on there. I'm on Instagram that's also @coachsoprano, and Facebook, I'm there as well. But I'm mostly. I'm more on Instagram, and I'm getting, you know, more consistent with posts there. Also YouTube, I do have my YouTube channel where I've post the videos which then go on to my website.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, for the people who are listening, what are your final thoughts to them, you've gone pretty deep today you've unpacked a lot of things and here they are, they're still listening, they're hanging on for more so, how do you want to send them off?

Sepano Hassanzadeh:
Yeah, I'd say, if it's one thing. I can get across is this. It's get to the heart, get to the heart of the matter. And of course we can expand on that a lot but it really comes down to being becoming true to yourself and finding out who you are. That's why it's such a fundamental piece to my book and the art system, and that resonating phase is finding your personal power. So, yeah, really do your best to be heart centered versus head centered. And when we do that we're much more organic, we're out of the ego, and we're in that intention oriented mindset versus that outcome oriented mindset, so stick with the heart, the heart center.

Jeremy Lesniak:
Like I told you in the intro, good conversation, high level conversation the stuff that makes you tick, and our conversation about not only the who, but the why. So I hope you enjoy that conversation I did, got a lot out of it. And I hope that you will check out his book. If you want to find a link to that book, or any of the other things that we talked about for this or any episode, go to whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. 

And while after that, maybe go to whistlekick.com, see what we've got going on, sign up for the newsletter. Think of all the different ways that you could support us and here's what I'm going to ask of you. There are a lot of you out there who listen week after week and I appreciate that and that is the most important part, knowing that you value the show is truly the biggest gift that you can give. 

So thank you. But if you can do more, if you could help us offset our costs, if you're willing to tell somebody else about what we do all that stuff is not only welcome but valued and let's be honest necessary to show cost money. So you're helping offsetting those costs goes a long way. If you've got guests suggestions or other feedback, let me know at jeremy@whistlekick.com. 

And that's all for now until next time train hard smile, and have a great day.