Speaker 1: 0:31

So our business is Hard Work. Martial Arts we're a nonprofit martial arts studio in Sterling. We have technical programs and other martial arts programs for ages from about four, four years old all the way up through adults. And then we've been open about five years and our goal is to use martial arts as a way to help individuals kind of become the best version of those themselves, you know, learn how to control their impulses, their physicality as well, as you know, develop confidence and discipline as well, which can help children a lot. But you know, even for us adults it can help quite a bit. So that's the goal.

Speaker 2: 1:08

That's awesome. And then can you tell me about your history? I know you used to be in education like as a teacher. Is that correct?

Speaker 1: 1:15

No, my college degree is in. Teaching, ah, okay, early childhood education, but I've been a martial arts teacher about 16 years, so I started teaching in my 20s and we decided to open our own studio about five, six years ago. But yeah, I used the college degree to help me understand and take a more scientific approach to teaching martial arts, as opposed to the old school, you know, very aggressive way of doing it. I'd rather approach it from a more beneficial way for both the students and the you know instructors as well.

Speaker 2: 1:51

And then what about you? What's your background?

Speaker 3: 1:53

So I've been doing Taekwondo for 20 years. I started as a very little kid and I worked at my old studio in high school and then I went to college and during that time he was opening his own studio and I kind of just hopped on that train and yeah, and so here I am. Here. I have to admit, this is not my full-time profession. I'm a biologist, Wow, yeah, yeah. So when I'm not saving wild animals and stuff, I'm at the studio working with kids mostly.

Speaker 2: 2:26

But yeah, that's awesome, awesome. And how did you guys meet? Was it just by applying and then you guys met, or oh, no, we.

Speaker 3: 2:33

So we knew each other through Taekwondo already and yeah, he went off and did his own thing and yeah, Awesome.

Speaker 2: 2:44

And then I saw online that you guys have a lot of core values, which I think is really important for our listeners who don't know. Would you mind explaining what those mean to you and what you hope the kids and adults will learn?

Speaker 1: 2:59

So I don't remember the word for word off the top of my head, that's okay.

Speaker 1: 3:04

But we, our focus, is to try and build an honest and effective way to help students realize their potential.

Speaker 1: 3:17

We think that the best way to do that is through dedication to the student, through hard work, encouraging the student to be able to push their own boundaries.

Speaker 1: 3:27

Having open and honest communication is really important to us. So if there's corrections from a physical standpoint or a technical standpoint, we have that conversation with the students. So we're not like a daycare style martial arts studio. Our goal is to give honest feedback so that they can really develop. And that does mean running into failure sometimes and calls and helping them, be there and work with them and encourage them. The biggest goal is to kind of build a community where everyone trusts one another to be able to put forth their best effort and show each other how hard they're willing to work to develop their own skills and become the best version of themselves. That's not only on the student side but also on instructor side. So if we make a mistake, we admit it and we own it and we try to be honest with our students as well and say hey guys, I made a mistake, let's try to work through it, let's adjust and improve.

Speaker 1: 4:18

And that's really seen us through with the athletes that we train, as well as the parents of the athletes as well. Being able to have that honest, open dialogue and being able to know that we all work towards helping each other kind of build the best version of ourselves, that's really our biggest core value.

Speaker 3: 4:35

That's awesome Not to interrupt, but can I have you scoot a little bit closer to him, Just because the mic it's not asking his sound.

Speaker 2: 4:44

Sorry about that there we go. Thank you, dulce. All right, and then can you tell me the process of how to apply with you guys, like, are there any prerequisites before you sign up? How do you do that? And I know you have different levels, so go into.

Speaker 3: 4:57

I'll take that one, true, so we don't really have an application process. It's just you can sign up for a free trial class and usually that's a one-on-one with him and if we think you're fit for the studio and honestly, most of the time it's just like are you willing to learn? And if we're dealing with the little little kids, like, are they gonna be super disruptive to all the other little kids? So the criteria there's not too many criteria to meet during that and if you like the trial, we just go ahead and get you signed up. So it's pretty easy and we don't usually have to turn people away. It's very, very few over the years. So, and that's usually just. You know behavioral issues with children and sometimes they can come back a year later and they're totally fine. Wow. So it's not a one-and-done Like maybe right now it's not the time, let's get another year on you. You can try again when you're at four instead of three.

Speaker 2: 5:56

So All right, awesome, and then tell me about the levels. Like I'd like to know more about that and I'm sure our listeners are curious.

Speaker 1: 6:03

Absolutely. So the way we break our martial arts program down, we have a couple of different program groups. One we call our Hard Work Heroes Program. That's just for our four to six year olds, and they have their own individual ranking system that focuses on some simplified martial arts techniques character development, helping them learn good values, and then major motor skills too. We have like obstacle courses and things they can climb which help you know, the younger kids have a good time but also develop physical skills.

Speaker 1: 6:30

And then for our traditional type of note program, just like any martial arts student.

Speaker 1: 6:34

We have a belt system, a ranking system, and each rank encourages students to learn a certain set of skills, master those and then move on to a slightly more challenging version throughout the ranks.

Speaker 1: 6:43

But we break the program itself down into three different levels.

Speaker 1: 6:47

One we call our foundations level.

Speaker 1: 6:49

That's just the very first couple of ranks. So the first four to six months of training with us is very one-on-one, very small group, so that we can really focus on the individual techniques, learning our students' personalities, learning how they work, how they move, helping them with their basic physical skills so they can really master their basic techniques. This allows us to accept students of any athletic ability and help guide them into position where they're ready to jump into the regular program a bit more full-throttle than full-prepared. And then, after the first couple of ranks, we go to our beginner's ranks students. Those are it's probably gonna be the first year, year and a half of training and they'll spend their time there mastering the basic foundations of martial arts proper stance, proper body control, posture, technique, excellent physical fitness goals, helping them really learn the primary key physical and mental aspects of martial arts training After about the first year, year and a half of training. Then they'll kind of move into our intermediate and advanced training and that's where we really start pushing the limits of their ability.

Speaker 1: 7:53

It allows them to test their limits, whether it's focused on self-defense, whether they're working on speed and reflexes or we're working on we have a tournament training team as well. So if they wanna compete and go to competitions where we're really pushing their physicality and stuff like that, it allows them to really kind of find their limits and push who they are, to really focus on their individual development and skills.

Speaker 2: 8:13

That is awesome. Do you guys have any stories of kids who have come in and you've seen a change in either their demeanor or stability or mental health? Oh yeah, big time. We'd love to hear those stories. Let's see.

Speaker 3: 8:27

Excuse me, so I can think of a few students off the top of my head. We have one little girl who's in our heroes program so little little kids and she has some physical disabilities Like they don't hinder her too much, but definitely some physical disabilities. Maybe a speech speech is not her strong suit and she used to not talk at all. But whenever we start our class we bow three times and whoever is leading the class like the first student in line or first and second students they have a job to do. They have to say things out loud. And now she can do that Like she's loud enough, and she'll be like face the flags, couldn't you? And we all bow. It's super cute. And she used to sit down during class Like she wouldn't want to participate and yeah, now she's one of our star little kids. That's awesome, yeah, so that one's really cute. We've had.

Speaker 3: 9:31

I can think of two other students. One is like 13 or so and the other is like seven. Maybe Both of them have not severe physical disabilities, but definitely like coordination issues, like they've been in physical therapy, and sometimes it can be hard to work with kids in that aspect because it's like okay, like you have to do this. You have to do this exercise so you can get better at what we're trying to teach you. But kids don't necessarily have that foresight, so we have to be very mindful in the way that we work with them. But both of them work so hard and they've both come a really, really long way, like one of them is well on her way to black belt.

Speaker 3: 10:17

So, yeah, and super unfair. Her sister is like an athletic God. They don't seem like sisters at all. So yeah, there's like a stark contrast and obviously you have to be super mindful of people's feelings and physical abilities there. And then the last one I'm thinking of. I know we have one student, at least one student and their home life is not like the most idealistic. Let's say, it's not the worst. But you know, and when you're a young teenager going through that, it's obviously difficult, yeah, especially during those years. Yeah, and this student's very mature and just phenomenal and they've found like a home at the studio. And I know we have at least a handful of students who have actually told me like, hey, you guys are like my second family, like I'm just super happy to be here and they come in all the time. So, yeah, we can definitely see a lot of growth. Do you have any other ones you think of?

Speaker 2: 11:22

That's amazing just to hear that and their change and their demeanor. I guess it gives them that confidence and you guys allow them to be themselves and really put themselves out there, Cause I don't know I'd be shy to do like the moves, I'd be like I don't know what I'm doing.

Speaker 3: 11:35

Yeah, I tell everyone this, and especially our little kids. I'm like look, guys, I started when I was four. In my first day I sat behind the bags and cried until my mother picked me up, I would do that. So I'm like I've been there, like we've both been there before, so we can relate to that.

Speaker 1: 11:54

One of the things we try to do with our students not to highlight, like specific individual students, but she brought up a good point. We try to approach our martial arts facility as what we call a third space. Whether we are an adult or a kid, a lot of the time our life we spend at home with our families, where we have certain expectations and we have certain requirements. If you're a parent, you have to sit there and you have to take care of your kids. If you're a kid, you have to maintain the standards that your parents expected you, and the other space they go to is either school or work, where again there's somebody in charge and you have certain responsibilities and obligations.

Speaker 1: 12:33

And so, whether you're training in martial arts or sometimes we'll have students who just come in and they just need a space to hang out. The idea is to provide a safe space away from any of those other obligations, so students can really find out who they are on their own and have a space where they don't have those requirements and those obligations. The only thing we ask is, when they come in, they do their best to be the best version of themselves. Put that work in, and not for us, not for anybody else but for themselves, and sometimes we'll have students come in and they'll stay a little later they'll ask for extra one-on-one help, and sometimes it's because they wanna get better, and sometimes they just need a few minutes to rest and not be under the obligations of somebody else for a little bit, and that means a lot to us that they can trust us to have that space.

Speaker 2: 13:19

Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 13:19

And we've noticed over the years, giving those students that opportunity to have a space that is theirs, they can contribute to and help develop and make better through their own effort, it allows them to improve themselves much more dramatically because they trust us, because it's their space.

Speaker 2: 13:41

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:42

And that has helped significantly, whether it's a student like she would bring up, that has like a physical challenge. We've had students who were born prematurely, who are just very small for their size, and now they're out winning tournaments and competitions. That's awesome.

Speaker 1: 13:56

We have some students who have speech impediments and they're shy, but by learning to yell and project their voice they're learning to be more confident. Sometimes it's like when I started martial arts I was bullied a lot of as little nerd kids, so I was not a natural athlete by any stretch of the imagination. So it helped me become athletic and strong enough to keep myself safe, which in return helps develop confidence and discipline. So by seeing the way it's kind of adjusted and helped me, and then using that to whenever a student has frustrations or difficulties to say, hey, I've been there, we try to give them that space and be understanding, cause we all have our own challenges.

Speaker 2: 14:32

Yes.

Speaker 1: 14:33

And we want to give the students the place where they can explore that and challenge themselves without extra obligations.

Speaker 2: 14:39

Yeah, that's awesome. I love that you guys have not only provided a place where they can de-stress, but also a place where they can be open and honest with you guys and just feel like a second family. So thanks for sharing that. As far as marketing goes for your business, what do you guys like to do, like anything on social media in particular?

Speaker 3: 14:59

So actually it's been kind of it's been a learning process. So a lot of the advertisement campaigns that we've tried to do whether it be like hard copies or online a lot of them have not been super successful. We did hire a company at one point and like they got us a few leads but like very few of those people actually stuck around. We found that the most surefire way for us to get clients is word of mouth. Word of mouth or like, yeah, and people who see our location or something like luckily, like we're in a retail space which has its pros and cons, like as a business, but people walk by and they poke their head in. Or like little kids come by and they'll see our teenagers like swinging swords or something like doing something cool. They're like I want to do that and I'm like, well, you're in the little kids class, darn it Get there.

Speaker 2: 15:57

I'm sure that motivates them yeah.

Speaker 3: 15:59

I want the sword. Oh yeah, we've gotten multiple little kids being like I want to swing the sword and I'm like give it 12 years.

Speaker 1: 16:07

Who's a padded one? Yeah, padded one.

Speaker 3: 16:10

So yeah, but back to the question. Yeah, advertisement. It's been kind of a little bit of a roller coaster. Anything to add there?

Speaker 1: 16:19

Yeah, the best opportunity for us and, like you said, you hear it a lot is word of mouth helps we develop and provide a high quality service. We know martial arts is a hobby for most people it's not a requirement. So we really want, if they want to learn it, to provide them the best quality and that encourages people to say, hey, I love my martial arts studio, let's invite my friends, let's bring people in. We do offer community programs for advertisements. Well, we'll do self-defense seminars that are free or cheap and open to the public and then we'll donate those funds to like laws or other local area groups as well. But mostly it's been word of mouth. We do Sterling Fest every year, so we're at the events and talking to people. We just try to be a responsible and invested part of our community. If people have ideas for advertisements to help our studio we're the only nonprofit martial arts studio in the area oh, wow.

Speaker 1: 17:14

Most studios are for-profit endeavors and that's fine, but our goal is to try and make it as affordable to people as possible. Martial arts shouldn't be restricted by income. It's going to help people become better version themselves, no matter their age, no matter their income level. So we try to be a nonprofit to make that as affordable as possible.

Speaker 3: 17:35

But getting more people in the door helps obviously.

Speaker 1: 17:38

So people have suggestions, we're glad to take them.

Speaker 2: 17:40

OK, noted, and I'm sure people will be listening for anybody who's interested. What would you like for them to know about martial arts?

Speaker 1: 17:48

Oh good questions. Martial arts is for everybody. That's the first thing I want people to know. From my perspective, you don't have to be physically talented. A lot of people who start martial arts it's usually for one of a couple reasons they want to be in better shape physically, they want to have confidence, because they're scared, they want to learn how to defend themselves, because they're nervous. These are all good reasons, but usually those start because someone is not necessarily naturally athletic or naturally outgoing, and so these are skills that, just like anything, they're skills. They can be learned, they can be developed, but you have to be in a community and a place where they can do that and you have to be willing to take that step. You have to be willing to.

Speaker 1: 18:31

Our school is hard work. Martial arts. You know what you're signing up for when you come in the door. We're not asking for talent, we're not asking for ability. We can help you develop those. You have to be willing to step in the door, do your best, be willing to fail, pick yourself back up, try again, and we will be there to support them along the way. That's really what it's about. You don't have to be a savant, and just like any sport or group athletic attempt or endeavor.

Speaker 1: 19:02

you have to be willing to work with other people and it's going to help you develop those skills as well. But it's for everybody, whether it's a focus or coordination or you just want to do it for fun. We have people who come in with their families and do martial arts with their families. It's hey, we're not interested in doing martial arts. It's that martial arts is a great avenue for us as a family to help develop good character skills and bond. And when a parent is holding targets for their little kids, they're kicking the stuff in out of the targets. It's a great way to say, hey, you've gotten a lot stronger and we're proud of you for your development.

Speaker 1: 19:34

It can be for any reason. It can be for any skill level, any age. We've had people in their 60s, 70s doing martial arts and fitness. So you set your own goals and you work towards your own advantages. You just got to be willing to try. That's really what I suggest for anybody and there's no best martial art or endeavor for each individual person. You're going to get out of it what you put into it.

Speaker 1: 19:58

We're hopefully going to be there to help coach them along the way to find their best versions.

Speaker 2: 20:02

I love that. And what do you guys like to do outside of the world of martial arts, anything in particular?

Speaker 3: 20:09

Well, martial arts is his whole life.

Speaker 2: 20:11

I don't know what he lives and breathes it 365.

Speaker 3: 20:14

Otherwise.

Speaker 2: 20:15

I cycle too OK there we go.

Speaker 3: 20:17

I like to go cycling. He counts, he works out, he works out, and then he kicks stuff. Ouch.

Speaker 2: 20:23

I see a lot of educational podcasts.

Speaker 3: 20:25

OK, cool. Well, as I said, I'm a biologist, so I'm actually a wildlife rehabilitator and, yeah, so I work with animals. Otherwise, and when I'm not doing that, I'm usually going out and trying to see animals in the wild. So, yeah, that was that.

Speaker 2: 20:46

Do you document anything or take photos?

Speaker 3: 20:48

of it, oh yeah.

Speaker 2: 20:49

I had a hunch, Because people who liked the wild up there was like got to get that picture.

Speaker 3: 20:52

Oh, yeah, like the giant 600 millimeter telephoto lens.

Speaker 2: 20:56

OK, cool, and then, as far as your business goes, are there any hardships that you guys had to overcome in order Absolutely COVID.

Speaker 3: 21:08

Yes, tell me about. That Happened the year after we opened. Oh my gosh, that's wild. Yes, and so when we opened and we're not a franchise we didn't poach students from other places, like he was working somewhere else and it wasn't like hey guys, I'm moving over to this place, like come follow me.

Speaker 3: 21:32

We started from the bottom, scratch, like from scratch, and had to do that all ourselves, and it's mostly him, because I was in school for X many years and I have a different profession. Like I help and I do what I can and I do a fair amount, but at the end of the day, it's all. He's the head, honcho, he's the one who does the most. But, yeah, so from the beginning it's all from scratch. No help, no, nothing. And then there was a long period of sitting there when he should have been running classes and we just didn't have any students and slowly over time, we accumulated students. That was great and we actually what. It takes like five years to become lucrative in martial arts and we were on the way to doing that in like one or two years. Ok, the correct numbers.

Speaker 1: 22:21

Yeah, that's about right. Usually it takes between three and five years to make a martial arts studio profitable enough that it can fluid itself. We did it in just under a year.

Speaker 2: 22:29

What did you do in particular? Do you think that helps speed that number up?

Speaker 1: 22:34

Well, we made a couple mistakes. That's how you learned, that's how we learned. The first one was we just opened doors. We didn't have any grand advertisements, we just put a sign up and said martial arts, come on in. And we were really lucky that that worked. And then word of mouth and people were really supportive and I said, being community driven, you know one friend refers another friend and another friend refers another, and then you have three friends love training together and that encourages more. But then, yeah, when COVID happened it you know we're, we qualify as a gym and so gyms had to close.

Speaker 2: 23:08

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 23:09

I remember that and then after that was like 75% space, 50% space, 25% space.

Speaker 3: 23:16

And we were. We were kind of lucky in the COVID situation because, yeah, we had to close because we were a gym but also we're childcare, so we were able to open that portion, like you know, with restrictions and everything, so having that income was helpful. So, yeah, started from scratch. Covid happened, bounced back from COVID and then moving locations. We actually just moved locations in December to a much larger space From where to where, like what city? So we are in Sterling. We literally moved across the parking lot. Oh, not too far, yeah, yeah, it was fantastic. Unfortunately that was a bit of a process due to, like COVID, rent complications and the landlords and their lack of communication, so that made that process a lot more stressful and time consuming and everything than it needed to be. But luckily that's all smoothed out and we're in a nice big studio space now.

Speaker 1: 24:25

So yeah, we've, we've. We were at a 2000 square foot space and now we're at a 3,300 square foot space yeah. Yeah, nice new facility. During that time, what else do we do? We we're our studio has been since we opened but we're part of team USA, which is the US. You know, us Olympic pass. So we've, you know, become members and instructors with team USA and their safe sport training. I wouldn't necessarily say that parents or students necessarily care about a lot of those, because when you start martial arts, your certifications don't.

Speaker 1: 24:58

Parents don't know what to look for when it comes to the certifications but, being members of World Tech Window and Kukui One organization and team, usa, has definitely provided us the opportunity to bring a lot of higher level training. And then, you know, there's an Olympic path for those athletes who really, really, really want to push.

Speaker 2: 25:13

Wow, you know, have you? Have you had some of that pushed?

Speaker 1: 25:18

We've had. We've had at least one student in the past as a national champion. I myself was a US lim team qualifier 25 years ago a long time ago, so national champion and then qualified for the US team, but then I ruptured my Achilles tendon, which took me took me out of competitive training for a long time, but it allowed me to find a thing in which I love doing, which is teaching.

Speaker 2: 25:40

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:41

And when you spend a long time not being able to walk, you're like what things matter most to you.

Speaker 2: 25:45

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:47

And then people learn that that was it for me, yeah, so.

Speaker 2: 25:51

Okay, and then, just to wrap things up here, is there a message or anything you'd like for our listeners to know? It can be in regards to the world martial arts, anything, wildlife, anything.

Speaker 3: 26:04

Well, wildlife, that's a slippery slope. That's like a whole interview by itself. You got time, I got time.

Speaker 2: 26:14

I mean yeah, I mean a little if you want to share a little bit about that why not?

Speaker 3: 26:17

Yeah, can I just like plug my center?

Speaker 2: 26:20

Yeah, please do.

Speaker 3: 26:21

Because they're a fantastic resource. So I work at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center. It's out in Boyce, virginia, and if you find any wildlife, if it's a mammal, don't touch it with your bare hands. Flat, absolutely do not touch it with your bare hands. Noted, generally, don't touch things with your bare hands, but definitely mammals. And if the animal's in a safe location or you're like I don't know what to do, call Blue Ridge Wildlife Center. They will let you know everything you have to do. Then I don't have to tell you during our martial arts podcast.

Speaker 3: 26:54

But yeah, there is a lot, and a lot of people make a lot of incorrect assumptions and do worse by the animal than they intended. So that's that, that's my thing. But with martial arts, like he, as he was saying, it's for everybody and another way to phrase that is it's what you make of it. So, as he mentioned, like, oh, like. Sometimes we have people who are casual, like oh, I kind of just want to try this. And then we have people who are lifelong martial artists, like, hey, I've never done Taekwondo, I want to try it.

Speaker 3: 27:28

And, as he said, like our name is Hard Work, martial Arts. You get out of it what you put into it. So it's up to you and with that advice, like if you are looking for martial arts training, definitely choose a studio wisely and if you're not happy at your studio, leave and something else. That's probably my biggest piece of advice. Like don't feel stuck where you are, like there is a place for you and if something is rubbing you the wrong way about whatever place you found, whether it be a martial arts or somewhere else like know that you have options.

Speaker 1: 28:09

Yes. So I guess life lesson that we've learned that we kind of based our studio on. Our motto for our studio is earn it. Ranks aren't given their earned. One of my favorite quotes which is misattributed, but one of my favorite quotes is hard work overcomes talent when talent refuses to work hard.

Speaker 1: 28:30

The core principle I think that we found works well for life is, a lot of people will say, you know, if you work hard you will succeed. That can be true to some extent, but for people who are underprivileged they may not have the opportunity to use. So we believe, in the way we try to phrase it, is hard work and the dedication to your craft, whatever it is, will allow you the skills to help you succeed when that opportunity is presented for you. You know, we may not always have that opportunity, but if we are given that chance, given that opportunity and given that support, ultimately we can make of that whatever we want. But we have to be prepared for it.

Speaker 1: 29:17

Yeah, you know whether it's martial arts training, I was really lucky as a kid I happened to train under one of the first grandmasters of Taekwondo who came to the US, and so from a linear standpoint second generation, you know, I was the first non-Asian to get a black belt under him, back when I was like 12 years old. Wow, but I happened to just have that opportunity and then my hard work helped me make it the way I have. Yeah, you know, but if I didn't have that chance, that opportunity presented to me, you know, and then your support and your community and your family and whatever structure you have to be there. That's really important. Like she said, if that structure, your community, isn't there for you, don't be afraid to change it.

Speaker 1: 29:57

You know that takes hard work too. People move across the country to find a new community, find a new job, find a new culture that they can really invest and make part of who they are. So we shouldn't be afraid to, you know, take risks to expand and become the best version of ourselves, whether it's martial arts training or in life, or in school or in education, whatever. So that's I think that's how we try to base our studio and, you know, through our life is just prepare ourselves as best we can and when that chance is there you know, grab one and try not to lick them.

Speaker 2: 30:27

That's a good one. And then, last thing where can people find you?

Speaker 3: 30:32

Okay, so we are online at hardworkmacom and you can find us on Facebook, on Instagram, though I got to admit, social media if you're not, not our strong suit, not our strong suit. But yeah, you can find us on our website, email, call, text us. All the information is there. You can Google us, we come up and yeah, if you have any questions, feel free, let us know, swing by.

Speaker 1: 31:04

The studio itself is located in Sterling, so right off. Route 7, right near the Parkway entrance. We're right there.

Speaker 3: 31:09

By the Burlington's and the Santini's and Chicalé, oh. Another side note that's good to know is we are becoming increasingly Spanish, inclusive, oh wow, thank you, I'm just kidding, not really so.

Speaker 3: 31:27

Yeah, like I took a trip to Ecuador in 2021 and after that I started learning Spanish and I'm not the best, but I spent three months in Costa Rica. I've been doing my Duolingo and I'm actually at a point where I can talk to like fully Spanish speaking families. Like, there's a ton of Latino people in our area and a lot of the parents don't speak English, so that's a huge help. Yeah, so if anybody listening either doesn't speak English or knows someone who's Habla espanol, yeah, yeah, if you know anyone who needs that, I'm working on it and I've been kind of successful. So proud point.

Speaker 2: 32:07

Yeah, absolutely. That's something to be proud of. Well, thank you guys so much for coming in. It was a pleasure to talk to you and learn a little bit about martial arts and what you guys do. So, yeah, thank you, awesome, thank you.