Episode 798 - Kyobumnim Becky Bartlett
Kyobumnim Becky Bartlett is a martial arts practitioner, mother of three, and an actress out of Arkansas.
I started martial arts and acting way later in life. As long as I breathing and living, I will just keep on engaging in these opportunities that come. I don’t know how far I’ll get but I’m along for the ride.
Kyobumnim Becky Bartlett - Episode 798
Training in Martial Arts later in life may be difficult for most people but there are some exceptions. Kyobumnim Becky Bartlett is one who developed a passion for martial arts at a later age, and that was after her third and final child. Growing up in a supportive family, Kyobumnim Bartlett tried a lot of sports and had no intention whatsoever of engaging in martial arts; not until one of her children wanted to try Tae Kwon Do along with her cousins.
After trying a few sessions, a fire was lit inside her upon discovering that a Taekwondo class is way more engaging than a regular workout. As a result, she ended up raising her kids on the mat and found herself training until today.
Presently, Kyobumnim Becky is an Actress and can be seen in National Commercials, Films, and can be heard as a Voice Actor on commercials and an upcoming animated series. Along with others, Kyobumnim advocates women's empowerment and the importance of self-defense for women.
In this episode, Kyobumnim Becky Bartlett talks about her journey into martial arts and her passion for fighting against human trafficking. Listen to learn more!
Show notes
You may check out more about about Kyobumnim Becky Artlett at www.beckybartlett.com, and Instagram @beckybartlettactress
To know more about Kyobumnim Bartlett’s work as an actress, check out IMDB: https://www.imdb.com
Show Transcript
Jeremy Lesniak:
What's going on? Welcome. You're tuned in to whistlekick Martial Arts Radio episode 798 with my guest today, Kyobumnim Becky Bartlett. We have wonderful conversations, it’s gonna go in places you never even imagined. I have no idea. I'm Jeremy Lesniak. I founded whistlekick and this show because I love traditional martial arts. I love training and I love traditional martial artists. Folks like you, people who frankly I believe are better versions of themselves and across the board, just generally better people. And that's why we do what we do here at whistlekick. Our mission is to connect, educate and entertain the traditional martial artists of the world. Because if we do that, it gets people training and it keeps people training. And if you're at all like me, you recognize that even six months of martial arts training makes someone better and has lifelong benefits. What better way to give back to the world than that mission? If you want to see all the things we're doing in pursuit of that mission, whistlekick.com is the place to go. You're gonna find all kinds of great stuff over there. And a lot of that stuff is in the store. Yeah, we do sell some things. But if you use the code podcast15, you can save 15% off what I believe to be already reasonable prices. Did you know we make the best sparring gear in the world? Yeah, you can buy that there too and you can save 15% off. The show gets its own website because there's just so much going on. We do two episodes a week, whistlekickmartialartsradio.com and you're gonna find every single episode we've ever done. You're going to find transcripts which makes it easy to search, you're gonna find photos and videos and links to guest social media websites, all kinds of cool stuff in there. So if you find an episode, you're like, man, I really felt like this episode made an impact. I know some of you listen to episodes multiple times. If you're finding that much value in one of these episodes, go check out what the guest has to offer. Check out their Instagram, their Facebook, their website. A lot of them have welcomed people to email them and stay in touch. Don't be afraid to do that. These are folks like you and I, they love martial arts. They love training. Now if you love all this stuff that we're doing for you, well, maybe you want to tell a friend about us. That's a thing that I’d really appreciate. Reach out right now, press pause. Tell somebody hey, have you checked out the latest episode of martial arts radio? You could also, I don’t know, submit a guest. I bet you know someone that we haven't had on the show that would be an awesome guest. Or you could contribute to our Patreon for as little as two bucks a month. Have you ever thought hey, you know, sometimes I hear these acknowledgments that there's a guest coming up, I kind of like to know who's coming? It would help me kind of plan because maybe you listen to a lot of podcasts and you're choosy about which ones you listen to and when. Well, guess what? $2 will get you all that information. Who's coming up on the show and often what topic episodes are we doing. $5 gets you a bonus audio episode. $10 gets you a bonus video. $25 a month gets you every book we ever make in digital form, of course, as well as quite a few training programs. And at the upper tiers, you get the choice of training with me or joining our school owners' mastermind which is awesome and tax deductible. So there you go. If you want all the things that you could do to help us out, if our mission resonates for you, whistlekick.com/family is the place to go. And we even post exclusive bonus content in there. whistlekick.com/family, if you’re family, you should be checking that out. We update it weekly. Now today's guest Becky, Kyobumnim Becky Bartlett. Our conversation starts in this kind of interesting way. Not a common story, but not an uncommon story. And then it changes and it continues to change. And yet it is a martial art story through and through. And this is one of my favorite things about martial arts radio in the format we have is that we get to dig into what it is that our guests do with their martial arts. This is an episode, I don't think we've had one like this. And I love that, I love that here we are knocking on the door of 800. And we still have new stories to tell. I don't think that's ever going to change. So, enjoy and I'll see you on the other side. Hello!
Becky Bartlett:
Hey there!
Jeremy Lesniak:
How are you?
Becky Bartlett:
Doing well, Jeremy. How are you doing today?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I’m great. I'm great!
Becky Bartlett:
Good.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You’re 2 of 4, it’s a great day.
Becky Bartlett:
Wow!
Jeremy Lesniak:
We’re just cranking along. Yeah!
Becky Bartlett:
How many do you usually have in a day? Is that about right?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, we aim for four every three weeks. And that way you know, inevitably something happens, somebody has to reschedule or something, so it keeps us pretty good.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And it means I get to focus and just do this for one day and keep my mind in this place. Works pretty well.
Becky Bartlett:
Well good! Good! Glad to hear that. Where are you now? Where are you located?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I’m in Vermont.
Becky Bartlett:
Okay. Very cool.
Jeremy Lesniak:
How about you?
Becky Bartlett:
I know no one in Vermont.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, now you do. Now you know me.
Becky Bartlett:
I do! You’re my one. I’m in Arkansas.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Becky Bartlett:
And I’ve moved around a bunch but that’s where I am now, so yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Alright. I think you might be the second person I know in Arkansas.
Becky Bartlett:
Oh, good.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Becky Bartlett:
I’m number two!
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah! Oh cool.
Becky Bartlett:
I don’t mind. It’s okay.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You know, just because you’re not first doesn’t mean you’re not number one.
Becky Bartlett:
Right, today I’m number one. That’s all that matter.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Without a doubt, especially right now. It’s all that matters.
Becky Bartlett:
Right.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So we have a decision, I’ll leave it to you. We can either just plow in and I just keep the recording rolling or if you want, we can kind of you know, sort of hit the pause button and chat about what’s gonna happen.
Becky Bartlett:
I’m great with plowing in. I actually don’t know what’s gonna happen but I’m fine.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Perfect! Perfect! Perfect. Honestly, I don’t know either. We just chat and see where it takes us.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, let's start here. And one thing I’ll prime you with the audience knows this, tangents are not only welcomed but encouraged.
Becky Bartlett:
Oh, yeah, I'm acquainted.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay, so perfect. Great. I might take a nap, turn off the screen, and just like we have to start somewhere. We have to start somewhere in this being a martial art show and I know it's going to spider off into some interesting subjects. But we've got to start at a martial arts context and what better way to start than the beginning, so, when did you start training?
Becky Bartlett:
Okay, yes, I started training right after I had my third and final child.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So a little bit older than the average person.
Becky Bartlett:
I am. So my story might be a little unique in that I wasn't raised with martial arts. In fact, I'll say this, I did have a wonderful loving family, but I had a very casual family in terms of anything disciplined. I tried every sport. I tried lots of instruments. And you know, as soon as my fingers started hurting on the violin or the guitar, then I'm like, I don't want to do this. Like, okay. You know, my parents are great, but that was just the mentality. It's like, okay, well, you can try it. And if something sticks, great. And so, because of that, I'm exposed to tons of things but I never really mastered any of them. And you know, I went on to college, I got into marketing, and then I became a stay-at-home mom and I have three beautiful daughters. And my sister, I'm going to jump to this now my sister lives several states away. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She and her boys started doing Taekwondo. When I hadn't had my third yet, it wasn’t, yeah, I wouldn't impregnate with her yet. Anyway, so my youngest heard that and said that I want to do that too. And we hadn't done anything like that before. And so I didn't have any intentions of pursuing martial arts at all, I just thought, oh, that's cute. I'll put my little four-year-old in his taekwondo class and that'll be something cute that she can have in common with, you know, my sister and her cousins who live so far away. And she really liked it. And she, it's funny, because she's very introverted. And that's something that surprised people about her is that she could get out there and do little eh, eh you know, the kicks and the punches and it was adorable. Again, I had no sights for myself, until after I had my third and final child. And Master So is the master at Golden Dragon Taekwondo in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is where I was living at the time. He started a lady's class. And he had already had an adult class, but specifically, he wanted to see if he could help get that demographic interested. And so he said, why don't you just come to a class for free and just check it out? And my doctor had just given me the green light to start doing, you know, any kind of exercise again, I mean, like, literally, I had just had my baby. And, so I checked it out on a Saturday and not expecting anything, but there was something about making that kick and impact and the yell that you're encouraged to do which is a little out of my comfort zone at the time. I was like, oh, my goodness, this is different. This is so different than just working out on a treadmill, or you know, it's this skill and some little fire was lit inside of me. So I started kind of coming back and before I signed up, he let me try it again for free. Anyway, so I started doing that. I literally raised my children on the mat.Like they would come to school, and then my little baby she just be in her little car seat, and then eventually I'd bring the pack-and-play. And thankfully, my Master was very sweet about that. And so and you could ask the other moms to I mean, she'd be like, chuck that her toys out us at the mat and, you know, standing up from the back. And I'm thankful that he was gracious in that area because I wouldn't have been able to do that otherwise. But I was able to train, take off my mom hat for a moment and step on the mat which I'm sure you're aware of. It's like the world goes away and you focus. And that was the first time in my life I ever experienced anything like that. And it's so healthy. It's so good to kind of compartmentalize different parts of your life and do something for yourself too. So that I could give back and be a good you know, mom and wife and all that good stuff. So yeah, that's kind of how it started. There's a lot more to that but that's my rambling beginning.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Alright. So that gives us a pretty good introduction to how you got started. I can absolutely see the image of your youngest in the pack-and-play in the back of the room. I mean, I've trained with dogs wandering through, babies crawling through, you know.
Becky Bartlett:
Right.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And just becomes another obstacle that we need to avoid and remain aware of while we're training, right?
Becky Bartlett:
Very true.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What I'm most interested in at this point though is if you were going to take what I know to be a, not from personal experience, but just observationally, you know, a mom with three kids, one being very young, and you said, you're married. But I know that having that really young kiddo, so young that you're taking them with you means that there's a lot going on there. And there must have been something pretty quickly that you saw probably even before you started training, something you saw in your then youngest, as you were watching from the sidelines made you say hmm, something that you explored and that really resonated quickly. Am I right? There was something there because you didn't have to do this.
Becky Bartlett:
Right. Right.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Which wasn't the easiest path for you as an again, new mom.
Becky Bartlett:
Very true. Yeah, it was not the easiest path. In fact, I kinda have an emo on that trying to do the most difficult things and then feeling uncomfortable in the situation, but on the other side of it, being much better for it. And that's definitely become a theme of my life, I'm constantly in that situation. But it's okay because it sets people apart who are willing to get a little uncomfortable, you know. Then you can achieve much more in this life. But yeah, I loved that I could see her confidence building. And like I said, she was introverted and she still is, that's her nature. And that's great. But I could see her confidence building and I could see when other kids would be interested in what she was doing and she could talk about the belt that she just tested for and the board that she just broke, and you know, that she sparred with other kids and that was all very shocking to people. But I do feel it's super important for everybody to learn a martial arts form, but it's also, specifically females, I think need to get more interested in self-defense and martial arts. I feel that a natural confidence comes with it when you explore that territory. You no longer have to, you know, worry about what in the world would I do in that situation. Now, there are some things that are out of your control. Sure. But do you have more confidence going into it? Are you more aware? Yes. And I think just the way you carry yourself as a female is going to show more confidence too. And I will touch on that as well. When I was a little girl, I was probably around 11 years old or so, I remember my mom watching me walk across the room and she said, you know what, honey? You walk like a victim. I was like, what? I just walk into the fridge, what are you talking about? And she said, honestly, you kinda have your head down and you don't really make eye contact with people very much and you're carrying yourself small. And you'd have a sheepish look about you and it sounds like a terrible insult, but honestly, it hit home and it was the hugest favor my mom could have given me. So she had me start practicing in front of her walking across the room. She goes, okay now, shoulders back, back up, you know, you straighten your posture. Now, look at someone in the eye, look at me in the eye and I want you to have some authority in the way that you look. And there's a difference between that and of course yourself being a bully and you know, belittling people, but just having that confidence because predators know what to look for. And predators know the kind of sheepish, they're gonna go for the easiest targets. And so they're gonna go for someone who might not have the authority to defend themselves or that drive to you know point them out for what they're doing. And in return, I've been able to pass that wisdom on, thanks to my mom, to my daughters. And so there have been some situations now, my daughter's are 20, 18, and now 15. So a little time has passed. But you know, there have been some situations where like my middle daughter was a waitress or a hostess rather at a restaurant and some guy was hitting on her. And I said, what did you do? And she goes, I don't know, it was a little awkward at the moment. I said okay, two things, you could either look him directly in the eye, put your finger in his face and say never touch me again or don't speak to me that way, whatever the situation is, or flee, you know. You don't have to stay around in that situation. And if he continues to catcall, or whatever it is to you, you ignore him, he doesn't exist, he does not deserve your communication back to him. So those are just little things. And of course, if it was a different scenario, then we could, you know, involve some kind of physical combat, but in a hosted situation, those are probably the best two that I could think of. So yeah, it's just that confidence that I think is super important to pass down.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I'm fascinated that this was something that your mother articulated to you. And so that's kind of my next question is, what was it about her and her understanding of the world? I mean, because you know, I'm doing some rough math, we're more or less the same age. So this would have been early 90s, right?
Becky Bartlett:
Thank you, maybe a little earlier than that but I really do appreciate that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay, maybe late 80s.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah, I’ll go with it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
The further back we go, the more surprising it is to me.
Becky Bartlett:
Right. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So the fact that she had that awareness at that time and was willing to explain it to you at an age that was early enough that was unlikely you had needed that information yet.
Becky Bartlett:
Right.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So your mom was clearly switched on. Where did that come from? Do you know?
Becky Bartlett:
Great question. Yeah. So she actually did experience something as a child and I think that that made her a stronger, more aware person than most people who've never experienced anything like that. And I was actually living in Japan at the time that she taught this to me. We were living there for a year, my dad was a professor at Baylor University, and they had an exchange program. And so we lived in Fukuoka, and he taught at Seinan Gakuin University, and he had an interpreter. He didn't ever learn Japanese. But anyway, Fukuoka is at least at the time, didn't have many tourists or people living there. Not like Tokyo. And so, my hair was almost platinum blonde at the time, and I was the only blonde in the whole family, my sister's brunette. Everybody else has dark hair. And so I would get lots of attention.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You got it. You stood out.
Becky Bartlett:
I've never forget like this sweet little ladies would come up behind me on the bus because I would have to take the bus to school and they pet my hair. Oh, kawaī, they tell me how cute and so I was just like, oh, okay, we're doing that. But I was very shy leading up through that year. And after that year, especially after my mom's coaching. Then, I started coming out of my shell and becoming more confident in who I am as a person. So, it was all a sudden necessity that year because while we felt safe in the city, we felt like there were no problems. She also wanted to look out for her youngest child who was getting all of this actual physical attention you know, and not just the little old ladies, you know, there were other situations too. But she wanted me to make sure that I would be safe even when I was not under her little wing. So yeah, you’re right. She was unique in that and that she taught me that at a young age. And she was aware of that at a young age by necessity, but I'm forever grateful for her for that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. And I imagine you pass that on to your children.
Becky Bartlett:
Yes, yeah. It passes too. Still doing that, you know, as they grow and evolve and new situations arrive, arise. And so yeah, it's a constant thing but I think that they all know the importance of being a female who can hold her ground and only a portion of that is actual, like physical self-defense. I would say a bigger portion is how you come across and do you have that confidence.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. And we've brought this up on the show a number of times, but I think it bears repeating because not everybody pays attention to every episode and sometimes we have new people come in. There have been experiments, psychological kind of social study experiments, where they will show videos of random people to criminals. And they will ask them to pick out the one that they would go after. And they will pick the same ones.
Becky Bartlett:
Wow. That solidifies what she was saying, huh?
Jeremy Lesniak:
And I think it is so critically important that we start to understand that, because the sad part is, you don't necessarily need to be, if we're thinking about in this context, the biggest or the toughest or the most confident. You just have to not be the smallest, the weakest, the least confident.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah. You can be the smallest. Napoleon complex, right?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right. For sure. For sure. So as you started to bring your children up, in and around martial arts, and you're starting to train yourself, I would imagine this became another piece that connected into those something that clearly that conversation, I bet you can imagine every detail of it. It's clear, it was something very significant for you at the time, and you've foreshadowed a little bit into the future as well. What was it like having that additional skill set, that physical component of self-defense that you could connect in?
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah, well, good. Good question. Well, okay, so my oldest who we actually tested for our first-degree black belt at the same time.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh cool.
Becky Bartlett:
And at the time, she was Master So’s youngest to get her black belt and so that was a neat little milestone.
Jeremy Lesniak:
How old was she? I'm curious.
Becky Bartlett:
I'm trying to remember now. I think she might have been 10.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah, it's pretty young.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But she started at four?
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah, yeah. So I didn't have her push through just super-fast you know. I wanted to make sure we digested everything. And then she decided to kind of pause right there, or you know, not really pursue it. And so I went on, and I continued on, but to answer that question, I was a Girl Scout leader also for my oldest daughter's troop. And there was an event that her school was having where they brought in all the girls, not just a Girl Scout event, but I knew those girls. But anyway, brought in all the girls in her class and asked me to come in and talk about self-defense. And it was so much fun because one of the fathers of those girls was this huge man and he had studied in like Krav Maga and all that, and he was probably 6’7. And if I had to guesstimate maybe 230 pounds, maybe more, I'm not really good at that. But anyway, he was such a good sport because this was a moment to show girls what girls could do, right? And so, he let me go through my maneuvers of what you would do to use someone else's momentum to flip them, you know, subdue them. And that blew their mind. Like, you don't have to be as big as your opponent or attacker. And so, that was a pretty fun crowd-pleaser. And then also just some basic things where, you know, he would do like a chokehold, and we'd you know, break apart with arms and all of that. So that was neat. And those are some physical things that Master So had taught me as a student of his but I was able to translate and relate to these girls of how you can, a smaller person can use someone else's momentum just by some basic moves. Then I was able to also teach them some common sense awareness things which I feel like women need to know as well in general. Like, don't sit in your car unlocked in a parking lot at night checking your phone. All you have to do is to you know, lock or don't even sit in your garage, you know, unlocked and checking your phone because that is super common you know. Actually, I do that. My phone will be ringing while I'm driving and I wait until I stop and then I check it. And you know, a few minutes goes by but then, but if you don't have your car locked, you are just bait and you're not aware. So, it's super important to make those tiny little changes. And even, you know, loading groceries in your grocery car, you know, look over your shoulder before you put your head in your car. Simple things that anyone can know you don't have to be a martial artist to know that too. So, yeah, just those simple things. But yeah, to go back to your question, just the confidence that I learned from just basic self-defense moves and then basic kicks and punches as well is what helped me to be able to maybe send a message of confidence to these girls.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So I want to think about that time in training, you know, you test with your daughter. She's 10. Again, you've got plenty going on and this is the point in most people's story where the parent says okay, you know, the kids out, I guess I'm out too. Maybe reluctantly, but logistically, it becomes cumbersome. But not you, you kept going.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
We talked about some of the kind of the symptoms of continued training, but I'm curious about your own growth. If you're going that long, you strike me as someone who's fairly self-aware, what was it about who you were becoming through training that you said I'm not ready to let this go?
Becky Bartlett:
I love that question because like I had said when I was a child growing up, I hadn't really pursued that one thing. And I tried many things, I hadn't really pursued it. So now I was at a point where it became my passion. Not just encouraging my daughter, okay, you know, let's try to do this test, let's get to this milestone, and those things were true and existed but now it became my passion and I had ownership in that. And I had worked out for many years, you know, at a gym and there's that, and that's definitely beneficial. It's actually what I do now. But with this, I had the milestones. I had goals that I could obtain, and I could physically see it and you could see your belt color changing because the little you know, marks on it tallies. And then I got into competing. And I love that. I did do a little bit of sparring competing, but I really got into poomsae forms in karate called kata, but in taekwondo it’s poomsae. And so I really started focusing on that. And I won several national qualifiers in different states and then I actually competed in two different national championships. One in Chicago and one in San Jose the next year, so that was exciting. And then I became a referee. And I still competed but I became a referee, a nationally qualified referee. I think Master So had hopes of me going to the Olympics one day to be a ref because you know, that would be, we were Olympic certified school. And by the way, he's from Seoul, Korea so you know, he got his levels from Kukkiwon. So that's pretty awesome, direct. And he's the real deal it just honest-to-goodness hardcore Korean training, and I loved it. But anyways, so he, where was it going with that little rabbit hole right there?
Jeremy Lesniak:
We're talking about why…
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
This is becoming significant for you.
Becky Bartlett:
So it became significant for me because of course, it was nice to have accolades, and then the, you know, the medals and the trophies and all of that, but there was a sense of confidence that could not be bought. And I was able to see for the first time in my life what it was like to have a goal and obtain that goal through incredible hard work and perseverance as I'm sure that you and all of your listeners know that tenacity of you know, self-control, and perseverance and indomitable spirit and all of those wonderful tenets. And there was nobody else that could help me get there except for me. And I really understood then later in life what it was like to really train hard and have that amazing sense of accomplishment that comes with it. It is an individual sport, that's for sure. It's what our own, but it's also a team. I wouldn't have gotten there without you know, Master So and Master Minchel and Master Parker, there's just a bunch of people who helped me along the way. And then I was able to come and help other people. I became an instructor. And I instructed children, and I thought it was a phenomenal experience. There's nothing like learning what you do. Like teaching what you do is what I'm trying to say, it wasn't very eloquent, but that's what I'm trying to say. It's like, we have to break it down and explain it. All the little angles of your foot and your hand and all of those little details, that's when you really learned yourself as well too. So I appreciated that process. And I willsay this too, taekwondo or martial arts, in general, can be for anyone. I personally trained private classes, a couple of different kids that had autism. In where they might have struggled with a typical team sport, this was an individual path. And it was like nothing else I had ever seen for them. And their parents are coming to me and they're like, this is amazing, my child is learning from you, and they feel confident. And there I see progression. And it's this, I feel that that should be something more spoken. Like children who might have struggle in other team sports really should consider martial arts as a very valid option and I think it helps them in many ways, too, so.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Completely agree, you know. And you know, we've been fortunate enough. We've had folks come on the show who talk about you know, whether it's autism spectrum, and my understanding is that terms starting to fall out of favor. The point being that special classes, you know, sometimes it's a class of folks of similar learning style, right? And sometimes it's one-on-one. And I don't think there's anything more adaptable because of the individual nature that we've been talking about than martial arts.
Becky Bartlett:
Right.
Jeremy Lesniak:
There's a piece here, and if you're not okay with this, you know, we'll edit it. But there's a piece to this equation that we haven't touched on and I'm curious, and that's your husband and what his thoughts were about all of this?
Becky Bartlett:
Okay, yeah, I'm totally great we're talking about this.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Alright.
Becky Bartlett:
Well, here's the funny thing, here's the punchline. I actually am divorced from that husband, and I'm remarried.
Jeremy Lesniak:
My gut told me that.
Becky Bartlett:
Right, okay. Here's the punchline though. No matter what you're going through in your personal life, it is important to have that one thing that you can focus on in a healthy way. Because a lot of people, everybody has a trial. Everybody has something that they're eventually gonna go through and it depends, you know, the question is, how are you dealing with it? Are you turning to substances? Are you curling up in bed and not getting out of bed? Or are you walking on the mat and kicking and punching and yelling and focusing on a new skill? That helped me and you know, my ex and I are fine. There's no problems. It's just that yeah, we did move on. And so we're both remarried. But that was such a healthy way for me to get through that time. I had started martial arts before I had gone through that path, but I cannot express how valuable that was. It was a gift that was given to me that I didn't know was coming, you know. I was already on that path and then life happened. And here I was, and I didn't veer from the course. I just probably dove in a little bit more. I mean, I was still with my kids, they were with me on the mat running around, and I would teach a class and they'd be running around. But it was just a healthy way. And there's something about physically kicking, punching, and yelling that really helps you get rid of stress, and angst and all of that. You know, we've always heard, you know, go find a pillow and scream or whatever.Well, no! Get on the mat, go do something healthy and get a skill while you're at it, and maybe get some confidence and you know feel like you can handle the world. So that helped me. I am remarried and I did move out of state because of that. And so, the only sad part is that I had to say goodbye to Master So and my dojong and all of my wonderful ladies that I trained with, and the students that I taught and all of the great masters there, so that was sad. It really was because you have such a devotion to your original master which I know everybody feels that way. And I'm sure there were great people here. I just never found it. So, it is a chapter in my life that sadly has come to a close but I maintain my fitness level with going to a gym. But I look back fondly on it and I will continue to endorse it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
My advice, if I may, don't try to do taekwondo again. Try to do something completely different. So you're less likely to compare, you know. When I have conversations with folks and they look for what they had, but you'll never find what you had. It's always going to be a little different. So instead of being frustrated at a little different, just lean into it and go completely different.
Becky Bartlett:
That's actually a great idea. Thank you.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You’re welcome.
Becky Bartlett:
Maybe I will. You have to interview me in a year and see what happens.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's right. Well, I might drop this down and I might send you some pokey email say what are you doing? You looking for a school?
Becky Bartlett:
Oh, no. That's funny.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So part of our conversation today is around a bit of a specific subject and I think that we've kind of laid the groundwork here, you know, that you might want to take it and kind of run with it. There's something, there's a piece in here that's really important to you and I want to make sure that we jump in with both feet.
Becky Bartlett:
Are you talking about, you're not talking about martial arts anymore? What are we talking about?
Jeremy Lesniak:
From the notes that I have here, maybe I’m misreading that.
Becky Bartlett:
Because I did start a new chapter of my life if that's what you’re talking about.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, that's…
Becky Bartlett:
Okay, so this is interesting because it's a completely different chapter that probably nobody would have guessed. I never pursued being any school plays or anything like that I had no lofty ideas of getting into the acting world. I will go ahead and throw Master So a bone on this one. I remember I was a white belt, and he was showing us how to do the different poomsae, the different forms, and the yells and all of that that was entailed in that and he said, you know, on testing day, were going to be doing these in front of people. Eventually, I got on the demo team. So that was kind of part of it. But anyway, it's like acting and I was like that's interesting. He said, yeah, I mean, you want your yell, your movements, and everything to show the audience what you can do. And that blew my mind, I was like, you wouldn't think of Taekwondo as acting, but especially when you got on the demo team, I mean, it is. It's showing them what you can do in an entertaining way. And it, I mean, the kids, at least the kids are like, whoa! It’s so cool. And so it kind of is acting. And I don't know if that might have placed a little something in my head, but as I was transitioning out of where I lived at the time in Oklahoma, and coming to Arkansas, and the divorce had already happened, I had a family member that was teaching an acting class. And I literally kind of like just me going on the mat on that one Saturday, trying out a class, it's kind of the same thought here, I was like, I'll just walk into this class and just see what it's about, you know. No lofty ideas at all. And I did, and I got bit by the bug as I typically do I guess. And I thought, you know, this is a skill set. This is an amazing, that wasn't, that's not a surprise, of course, it’s a skill set. But it really is. Like, you have no idea what goes on in the training to get the actor to that point. Obviously, they're good at what they do, but there's so much training that goes into that and so a part of my brain was very intrigued. And so I decided to pursue it. And I treated it like a serious subject. And I started researching everything I can, I started taking every class I possibly could. I was fortunate enough to have an agent sign me on and now and then a second agent too. And I have one in LA now, so that's nice. Right. And so this is something that I'm just letting God be in control of, you know. Because it's a completely competitive industry, obviously. And so I'm just letting him open the doors that he wants to be open, and I'm letting him close the doors that should be closed. I definitely have my boundaries. As you know, there's all kinds of things that can go on in this industry so I definitely have my boundaries. And I know that that is going to possibly limit me and certain people think that's crazy to kind of go into with that mindset, you should just take everything. No, I don't want to because I've given this career over to God. And so, I figured he's going to open the ones that need to be open, close the ones that need to be closed and take me where I need to go. In the meantime, I want to be competitive, I want to be trained up and ready. There's a lot of coincidence, there's a lot of similarities here with martial arts too. And so I'm taking it like a discipline that I need to focus on, I need to be 100% focused, and in the moment, and be prepared before I even step onto that set or step onto the mat earlier. You know, there's a lot of parallels that I have found. And I find it extremely exciting. I just was on a fun set this last weekend in Oklahoma.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Cool.
Becky Bartlett:
I actually go back every now and then and different states as well. And it was a very enjoyable experience. I really loved it. And I broke three nails trying to open up this 1970s pickup truck door which you have to get from the inside and the cameras are rolling and my character couldn't open it sometimes. So I went with it. It's like oh, this stupid door. You know what, I got the door open finally. I was like, okay, no hazards of the trade. But anyway, so it was just a lot of fun. And my point is, I did that late in life too. I've only been acting for about six years now and doors are starting to open, things are getting exciting. I don't know how far I'll get, but I'm along for the ride. And so I started martial arts later in life, I started acting way later in life. And as long as I have breath on this life, I will just keep on engaging in these opportunities and doing the best that I can and just see where I'm taken.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I love it. Now, I'm curious, compare for us the high if you will, of competition. And you know, finishing your form in front of the referees and what that feels, I know what that feels like. I know it's a high, it is incredible, versus maybe seeing yourself during playback of…
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Of film, right? Like seeing that scene knowing that you nailed it versus knowing you nailed that form.
Becky Bartlett:
Good question. Well, the high of martial arts performance and you know, competition, I would say that has to be a little higher because it involves like the endorphins and that, well, no, it's so such as acting. Goodness, that's a good question. You stumped me. Okay, I might have to say it's about equal but so different. With Taekwondo, you can always compare that more to theatre acting. I'm not a theatre actress, I was never trained in it. I have respect for those people because that's an instant, you hear an instant gratification, or you have an instant gratification from your performance. Maybe they're gasping, maybe they're laughing, maybe they're booing whatever it is, but you have that instant. And with Taekwondo and your competitions, obviously, you instantly have that. So you have that satisfaction, your endorphins are going and you know, that might be more equated to that. With film, it's quite different because you might not know, you know, how it was received for months down. What I can equate to is feedback from the director, the screenwriter, people who are on set watching you. In this last weekend, I had the director come to me, and it's just the smallest thing but in my little world, that just meant everything he just said, you're really nailing it. One little thing, like thanks. And that, you know, I don't know what that looks like, I still, I probably won't see what it looks like for months down the road. And then as I was leaving set, this screenwriter was there too. And he said, I gotta tell you, you and your co-star have taken these characters to new levels that I never even imagined as a writer. And that was a huge, huge compliment. So yeah, those little verbal confluence are awesome. When you're on the stage, I mean, not stage, when you're on set, you kind of know if you're doing a good job or not. But the beauty of film is that it can call cut and roll again, this theater or the you know, they don't have that luxury so that's why it's pretty impressive that those people can do that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And to continue that comparison, pardon me for stepping on you there. How do you know you're doing a good job? You can feel it right?
Becky Bartlett:
You can feel it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
In the same way. We've all, I mean, whether or not we because not all of us enjoy forms. I do, I absolutely love forms. I can feel it when it's going well. I can feel when it's that one out of 10, one out of 20, one out of 100 that just, I just got something right and you just run with it. And sometimes you're not even running with it, sometimes it's running with you, and you're just along for the ride.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah, you know, and that's a really good question because a lot of it has to do with your mental focus. So if, for example, if I'm auditioning, and a lot nowadays, because the pandemic and all of that a lot of its self-tape audition, so I will audition with my own camera and my own ring light and all my stuff and then send it off, and they get to see it, but I can tell when my head's not in it and I hit stop. Delete that one. Let's do it again and I can just tell. So your mind as an actor has to be in the moment. So for example, if the scene is you know, I'm sad about XYZ, well, I might have not ever experienced that particular situation, but I've been upset about something else before. And it's like a substitution moment. And if you really, really focus, your physical demeanor, your expressions, your body will express that message to your audience. In your head, you might be thinking about this other sad thing but your body has memory and your body is showing that emotion, and that's believable. And so yeah, with Taekwondo and doing forms, and I've been there, too, I'm like, oh, it's not so great. And then the next time you're like man, I nailed that. It all comes down to focus. And you know, are you only thinking about this right now? Or are you thinking about what you're going to make for dinner that night? Big difference in your performance, right? And so, yeah, there will be the similarity that it all comes down to focus, and being in the moment, being in that moment is super important.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Now, I'm curious, generally, I ask questions, when I have a gut feeling this one's coming out of nowhere. At some point, I'm sure you've worked with acting coaches.
Becky Bartlett:
Oh, yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And there are different schools of acting, theory, education, etc. Are there things that you've learned from your acting that were you to step back into a competition ring, you've thought, you know what, this would inform the way I practice for competition or show up to competition? Are there things from that that maybe the audience hasn't heard before you could share?
Becky Bartlett:
Right. Well, yeah, a lot of it would be like the focus. But I remember before getting, before testing day back in taekwondo, they say, today's just a formality, like your black belt testing. Today's a formality. Your real testing was all the time up to now, like your training, how you showed up, your, you know, tenants, and how you carried yourself and how you treated others and your discipline, and all of that. All of the training, all the ball of everything that it takes to get to that moment is the important part. The day of? Sure, it's important, but it's a formality. Same thing with acting, I can't just walk on set, you know, green, crashing the night, I mean, just cramming the night before my script. And like, I don't know, I have to make all my character choices ahead of time. I have to decide who, what, when, where, why, about this character, even if nobody else knows the backstory that I created for my character, I know it. And it makes me more believable when I expressed that on film. And so it's all of the training. You know, if you stop training, you stop progressing. So, even if one day you see me on the big screen, great, I'm still going to train, I'm still going to learn, I'm still going to add knowledge to my belt, to mix metaphors whatever. But yeah, I have to be ready before I step on that set. Because the set is great and super important. But I will have done everything ahead of that time. It’s gonna make all the difference. And you're no longer thinking about the words, you're no longer thinking about, that's how will you know it. You're no longer thinking about the script. Now, it's a matter of listening to your co-star and reacting, but not acting. You're having an actual conversation because you know the words so well, that I might not know that you're going to do something in a certain way and that's going to evoke another emotion from me. And now we're all of a sudden real people, quote, unquote, real people having a real conversation that's happens to be scripted and being filmed. But we're in the moment. And it's super fascinating to me, I actually am more interested in the psychology behind acting, you know, than anything. I'm interested in acting. But remember I said I started out in marketing? I realized when I became a stay-at-home mom and I had transitioned out of that full-time career that I was most interested in the psychology behind marketing. Because I love what makes people choose what they choose. I love knowing, you know, what makes people tick? Why do people do things, you know, and what can we do to further that behavior? I think that's fascinating. And so that's probably one reason why I became super interested in acting is I was like, oh my goodness, there's a whole study here on, you know, what makes a good actor and what has to go on psychology-wise, and it's fascinating. It's pretty fascinating.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Nice.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Now we've connected those two dots. I think there's a third dot, and it's the third dot that we really talked about and it's that conversation that your mom had with you at 11. Because she was teaching you to act. And I don't know if you've thought about it in that way, but I'm seeing this arc of you as an actor. Because you said, oh, sparring I sparred a few times, but I loved forms. It's acting, right? And so I'm seeing this arc through your life of you through acting, rolling. And it's fascinating to me, and I'm wondering if you've ever considered it that way?
Becky Bartlett:
Honestly, no. You just connected the third dot in my life so I can call it a day. It’s awesome.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'll send you the bill. Martial arts theory.
Becky Bartlett:
Thank you. I love that. That's pretty insightful of you actually. And it's surprising how much of life actually is acting. And it doesn't mean that it's not genuine. It doesn't mean that, it just means sometimes you have to force yourself out of your comfort zone to achieve a certain goal and that definition, right there might be acting. Doesn't mean it's fake. It means okay, well, I feel like curling up in bed. No, I need to push myself out of this comfort area and achieve something. And then when I was 11, it was okay, fine. I need to act like I'm confident. Fake it till you make it. And I need to act like I know what I'm talking about. I was the youngest too and there's something that comes with being the youngest that makes you like, oh, people around me can take care of it and, you know, there's give me what I need. And so I was kind of forced out of that. And, you know, I'm definitely a leader now. Thankfully, I didn't tell you this, but in Arkansas, I was voted as the president of women in film in Arkansas.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Cool.
Becky Bartlett:
So that’s a lot of fun. And it was funny, because I was voted at that position about a year and a half ago. And I thought, are you sure I mean, I've only been acting for like, at the time, four and a half years. I didn't say that out loud. I thought that in my brain. And but they knew that I hadn't been there forever. But really, if you force yourself in, you know, whatever situation it is, and embrace it and try really hard, then you can really accomplish most anything. And so I have thoroughly enjoyed this position. And I plan to keep going for a little while. And I have a wonderful board of people who helped me. And you know, our focus, we're a nonprofit organization, our focus is education. And so I'm just, you know, bringing in workshops, bringing in experts in different facets of the film industry. And educating not only our women but men too. I started to branch for men supporting women in film in Arkansas, which is really fun.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Cool.
Becky Bartlett:
And so it's for anybody, and I just want our state to be ready as we get more productions coming in. And as people get jobs in other states, you know, I want Arkansas to be ready. And so yeah, that's an example of something that was another example where I was like, Oh, I don't know if I'm equipped and then I did it and it's going extremely well. So I'm pleased with that. But yeah, you're right. I guess I acted it and now I'm it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I think it's all if you look at acting as you brought this up before, kind of referring back to past experiences. Maybe you haven't been in that exact circumstance, but you're still pulling information from what you've done, who you've been with, who you've known, et cetera. And if that is acting, then everything we're doing is acting I haven't been in this moment before. I've never talked to you before at this moment, at this time with this conversation, so I'm referring back to other episodes and other people and you're doing the exact same thing.
Becky Bartlett:
So true. That's a good point. It takes a little bit of faith that I know from the past that I can handle myself in situations. I should be able to handle myself in this one. Right? It takes a little bit of faith but there's a little ounce of scariness of the unknown, but it really separates those who do things in life and accomplish noteworthy things from those who don't, is the people who are willing to step into those tiny bit scary situations and the unknown, and just have faith and confidence in their own abilities from the past to be able to handle abilities in the future. So, I think that that's super important that's a great takeaway in life for anyone you know. It's okay, it's okay to be a little scared, it's okay to not know what this situation is going to be like exactly and somehow you're probably going to be okay and most times you are.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, every time I ask sort of a speculative question, and we've had three or four of them today, and most episodes that we record, I'm asking something that you're using the word faith. There's just a voice in the back of my head saying there's something here if you ask about this. And every time I ask that question, I'm nervous because once in a while I’m wrong. Once in a while, the guest looks at me and goes, I have no idea what you're talking about. And I have to just really quickly pivot and we just go on to something else right away. But usually, most of the time, my gut is right, and it opens the door.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And I think that that is something that is true for all of us. And I think it is so hardwired into martial arts. You know, from day one, it's completely foreign and you never quite get that back. It's all weird and strange.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And once you've been training for about maybe 20,30 years, yeah, you start to be comfortable with the foreign nature of it. But how comfortable are you? Go put on a white belt and go to a different school. You're probably going to have that same experience, which suggests we never quite get out of that. But in almost every other area of life, most of us shy away from that. But then again, as martial artists, if we can embrace it, if we can turn it into an acting career, or who knows what else, there's a lot of really cool stuff on the other side.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah, sky's the limit. I mean, I just happen to be an acting, but there's lots of different avenues. Yeah, I agree. Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I think you'll ever do martial arts on camera?
Becky Bartlett:
I actually originally thought that I would go down that path. It's just a little slower process to get into the acting world than you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure.
Becky Bartlett:
I mean, it's not on that timeline. But I wouldn't mind it. I wouldn't mind it. I think that that would be a lot of fun. Yeah. This week, I actually have a really cool thing coming up where I'm going to be making a new reel and it's going to be showing me in different demographics. And the director was willing to do me in like a martial arts scenario. Only problem is I'm nursing a little bit of an injury. I was like…
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh.
Becky Bartlett:
Can it wait till next time? But I'm definitely open to it. Yeah, I think that'd be fun. You know, my sister does, of course, Taekwando, except she's kind of the same situation I am, too. She's not training any longer. But the director found out that she did. He was like, Oh, I guess this is amazing. We're gonna have to get you guys together and…
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh that's great. That's great
Becky Bartlett:
Stimulate and market it. I haven’t told her yet though, I should probably tell her.
Jeremy Lesniak:
She needs to know when to report to set.
Becky Bartlett:
Right, exactly.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And, you know, it's great if we launch over the last few years, and I'm trying to remember the name of the film, but we're starting to see, you know, women, you know, because the line used to be like 30 for women. It wasn't that long ago. And that line is just getting dragged out so fast right now. There was a movie I watched on Netflix, and it really wasn't a martial arts film, but it was an action film. And the protagonist was a woman playing, I mean she is in her late 50s, early 60s? And the character she was playing was in her 60s. And it was, I mean, they were not pulling punches. This was a hardcore action film. It was awesome.
Becky Bartlett:
Wow.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And it just, to me, it was proof that we've finally figured some of this stuff out that it can work.
Becky Bartlett:
Right. I would love to know what that is. That's awesome.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Once we wrap here, I'll look it up.
Becky Bartlett:
You’ll look it up.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I'll put it in the show notes.
Becky Bartlett:
No, I agree. And it's no longer just a young person's field. And that is true for martial arts as well, especially if you're really focused on the forms. I mean, you can do that in your 80s and I remember Master So used to say it's really great for saving off dementia, you know, anything that you're doing that keeps, you know, a memorization, and you're tying that into your body physically, that's phenomenal for the brain.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yes.
Becky Bartlett:
And I also like to translate that to acting too, because I have to memorize large chunks of scripts in a short amount of time. And there's tricks you know, to help me do that too, but it's keeping me on my toes. It's keeping me you know, functioning. But yeah, back to the age thing, I mean, as long as Meryl Streep’s still alive, I think that age is gonna be pushed and pushed and pushed.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That’s right. That’s right.
Becky Bartlett:
90-year-old leading lady, I think that'd be awesome.
Jeremy Lesniak:
All the better for it.
Becky Bartlett:
Definitely. I agree.
Jeremy Lesniak:
All goes better for it for sure.
Becky Bartlett:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So if we, let's say we reconnect in 10 years, we bring you back on the show, we do a part two, what would you hope you would be telling me about what's transpired in the 10 years?
Becky Bartlett:
Okay. Well, right now, since my focus is more acting, I hope I'll have some fun things to tell you about, and maybe you'll already know about them, that'd be awesome. And even if I don't get back into martial arts per se, maybe I will, I want to have maintained physical fitness because I really do think, you know, mind, spirit, body is at the core of humanity and success in every way. And so I want to definitely be able to say that I'm still active, and I'm watching what I eat, and all of those good things. And so hopefully, in 10 years, I will have reached some fun acting milestones and just continuing to live life as healthily and fulfillingly as I can. There we go.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It works. It works.
Becky Bartlett:
Fulfilled? I don’t know
Jeremy Lesniak:
We know what you meant.
Becky Bartlett:
Yes.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What are your final words to the audience? How do you want to leave this today?
Becky Bartlett:
Well, first of all, it has been a pleasure. Thank you for having me, Jeremy, and your producer Andrew, I appreciate it. And I just want to say that age, gender shouldn’t prohibit you from starting something new. I specifically think that martial arts is wonderful and it doesn’t matter which form necessarily. Mine happens to be Taekwondo, which of course I love, but as long as you find the thing that you’re pleased with your master and a location and the practice, stick to it because it’s gonna get hard. And if you have children and they say this is hard, I don’t want to do it push them a little bit, push them a little bit to you know stick with it. And I think that those traits will help them in life. It will help them with perseverance with a hard job, a hard relationship, of course, school, hard relationship, any kind of thing that’s worthwhile is gonna lose its shininess, newness and it’s gonna get hard and so keep that in mind and teach that to your children. And then as an adult, it’s okay, it’s not too late, even if you have never pursued a specific path and even if you've had your children and you feel like you're out of shape and it's just you know you're just oh hum, there's nothing going on. No, it's not too late. Start slow and you can start seeing progress. The point is are you gonna stick with it? Are you going to be disciplined? Are you going to have that self-control and maybe you know have one less sweet treat and one more glass of water and go to bed a little earlier, wake up a little earlier too, and those little changes you can make even way later in life and start seeing drastic quick benefits. So, I would like to say to men women children of every age that it is never too late to find something and stick to it and really pursue it and then also try to give to others whether it’s indirect itself or not a little bit, you know, befriend them. Get out of your comfort zone and don't think about what others are thinking and you just might be the cool black belt kid that you know be friends the kid that nobody talks to. And that could mean the world to them. So yeah, it's a lot that you can do with that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
During the intro, I mentioned that this was an interesting story. One that we had not told and what I love about it is if we take a look at the way that Becky talks about her time as a martial artist, we could look in hindsight and say she was an actor. We can look it back at that pivotal moment as she talked about multiple times that I kept coming back to because I felt so compelled in the way she talked about it the first time. She was an actor and here she is now, an actor. I don't know about you but there have been moments where I've done forms and I know not all of you do forms but I've been doing forms and they feel really good. And it feels like I'm truly embodying that battle that I was supposed to be simulating. That's acting. And I can only imagine that moving from being someone who's passionate about forms and indecent at it to acting that there's a carry-over there. There's a benefit. Well, that's not suggesting that all of you go out and become actors, but if you want to, go for it. I am suggesting that here's yet another example of where our martial arts training comes back into life and not always in the way that we think about. So, Becky, Kyobumnim Bartlett, thank you. Thank you for coming on the show. Thank you for being so open. Thanks for letting me guess and run it into some of those corners with me as we had our conversation. I had a really good time. I wish you luck in your career and look forward to watching your IMDb profile grow. Audience, check out her profile. We've got a link to the shownotes. Check out everything that we've got going on. Check out all the things that we have at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. Maybe you’ll love this episode and you think, you know, have there been other actors on the show? Yeah, there have been.You could search the word actor and you're gonna come up with a bunch of people. Okay. If you love what we do, if you appreciate what we do, please consider supporting us in any of the multitude of ways that we mentioned over the course of this show. If you're a school owner, the number one thing I can suggest because it's in both of our best interests, hire me as your consultant. For less than you think, with a far greater impact than you think, I can help you grow your school with very principles that I have put into martial arts radio and whistlekick overall. Integrity, discipline, etc. are the things that I bring into consulting and it's why I am successful with businesses in and out of the martial arts. Just reach out, jeremy@whistlekick.com. If you're not a school owner, totally fine help us out in some other way or maybe talk about this with your instructor. You could also consider having us in, me, maybe some of my whistlekick friends, Andrew, etcetera for a seminar. We'd love to come visit you. We can make it work. Just reach out, jeremy@whistlekick.com. Our social media, whatever platform you're on find us @whistlekick. Until next time, train hard, smile, and have a great day.