655 Be Vulnerable and Fight to Win with MMA Fighter Michelle Waterson

“NEVER LET ANYBODY GET IN THE WAY OF YOUR DREAMS. NOT EVEN YOURSELF.” So many times in this world we let others dictate our lives. We listen to our parents, our friends, even our neighbors on what we “should do” with our lives. No one knows our true purpose -- that’s something we have to find on our own. Our passions and our love should be what guides us in life, not just logic. Life’s too short to spend precious moments chasing something we don’t care about, something that doesn’t make us feel fulfilled. Sure, you could be a doctor or a lawyer and make money fast: but what good is the cash if you’re miserable? When you follow your passion and master those skills, the money will follow, and it’ll be worth the delay. That’s why for today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I brought on a truly inspirational woman: Michelle Waterson. Michelle is a wife, a mother, and an amazing UFC fighter. She had a passion for martial arts even as a child but pushed her passion aside to listen to what her parents wanted. She went to college and studied things she didn’t really care about. One day she was hired to work as a ring girl at a UFC fight and watching the action up close made her decide she wanted to continue her childhood passion. As soon as the semester was over, she left school and started training to be a fighter - but there was only one problem. At that time there were no UFC women. In fact, the UFC was very clear they were never planning to let women into the UFC. She didn’t let that stop her. She continued to train and take small fights any chance should could. Finally, all the hard work paid off. The UFC started letting in women fighters, and she’s had an incredible career that didn’t exist not too long ago. If you’re wondering if you should actually pursue your passion, no matter how unconventional it may be, you need to hear Episode 655. Some Questions I Ask: What has being a fighter taught you about femininity and masculinity? (7:36) You were a ring girl and then thought it would be fun to be in the ring punching people? (11:27) What’s a smoker? (14:11) If there were no women in the UFC at the time, what was your vision? (16:02) What does it take to be a champion in the UFC? (19:44) What’s the challenging part for you mentally and physically from the moment you get the phone call to the moment you step in the ring? (22:36) What has your biggest loss taught you about yourself? (26:44) What was the most challenging emotional wave you had to experience leading into a fight? (30:52) How do you get back to keeping your mental strength after and injury or bad loss? (41:32) What’s the greatest thing your dad taught you about being a better woman? (44:58) What kind of example do you want to set for your daughter? (47:08) In This Episode You Will Learn: What it is about fighting that Michelle loves (9:02) Her next step after training in Thailand (13:46) How long she was an amateur fighter (14:56) Her biggest fear today (18:08) What she does to silence the conversations that try to hold her back (20:56) How she respects her opponents when she’s fighting them (25:02) How she manages emotional up and downs (28:52) How she was able to focus on her fights, despite all of her emotional ups and downs (38:32) The greatest lesson her mom taught her (43:09) Plus much, much more Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Lewis Howes?

  This is episode number 655 with UFC fighter Michelle Waterson.

• 0:07Lewis Howes?

  Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week, we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin.

• 0:32Lewis Howes?

  True champions aren't always the ones that win, but those with the most guts. Mia Hamm, welcome to the episode today. You matter. You're an important human being in this world. And I hope you know that today because we're all about spreading positivity and finding out what our true passion is. How we can continue to overcome life's greatest challenges and move closer towards our dreams. You have that potential to do that today. You have the potential to take one step closer to the life you want to live. And this is your daily reminder for that. Today, we've got Michelle Waterson in the house.

• 1:10Lewis Howes?

  She is an MMA competitor in the UFC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, former Invicta FC atom weight champion. And as of December of 2017, she's ranked number seven contender in the UFC women's strawweight division. And Fight Matrix ranks her as the number 23 women's strawweight fighter in the world. And between 2013 and 2014, she was ranked number one in women's atomweight in the world. And we had a good time connecting a few months back through a mutual friend, Aubrey Marcus, who's been on the podcast a couple of times, who's a New York Times bestselling author as well.

• 1:53Lewis Howes?

  And we just really connected and hit it off. And she was in LA. I said, why don't you come on the show because I want to learn more about the way you think. And this is fascinating because she was a former ring girl. She was literally walking around the ring with a number of the round that was, you know, the, the, the fight was happening and what round it was. She would walk around in a bikini and high heels and then decided, I want to do what they're doing in the ring. And now she's one of the top competitors in the world at this. So it's fascinating story of how she started doing something. That wasn't her path and then discovered what it was. Everyone made fun of her and laughed at her. They're like, there's no way you can go in the ring and do this when you're a ring

• 2:37Lewis Howes?

  girl walking around the ring. And the way she thinks, her mindset, and some of the challenges that she faces as well, she talks about, and I think it's extremely powerful and inspiring. So make sure you share this with your friends, LewisHowes.com/655 to share this out. Take a screenshot right now and post it on your Instagram story. Let people know to listen to this. What we cover in here are how she got started, when it was also very taboo for women to be fighting. This was before UFC had women fighting she got into it. Also, what it takes to be a champion and be vulnerable. How to build the mental confidence to win and be vulnerable and loving. How to respect your opponent. I thought this was a really

• 3:21Lewis Howes?

  powerful answer when she talked about respecting your opponent. And how to come back mentally after a loss, and how some people actually never come back. We're going to talk about those steps, and how this can apply to your life as well. Whether you're a fighter, or a mother, or someone just going after your dream job, it doesn't matter what it is, this all applies to your life. And I want to make sure that you get those lessons out of this. Before we dive in, big thank you to the fan of the week. This is from TM Kenyon, who said, "I've been listening and trying now to catch up on the latest for a year now. Each and every episode literally does something to change my mindset. This is a must-listen for any human being that breathes on this earth." Good job with the guests you have

• 4:06Lewis Howes?

  on the show. Keep going. School of Greatness alum to 10.0, Thomas Kenyon. So, Thomas Kenyon, you are the fan of the week, my friend. Thank you for being a part of this community for the School of Greatness Academy program that you went through. You got some great results. It was good to see you in there. For those that don't know about the School of Greatness Academy, something we launch a couple of times a year to bring the community together virtually, online, to help you guys go through a process of unlocking your greatest gifts, reaching your potential and your goals, your mindset, your habits, your routines, all that stuff. You can check it out. Go to LewisHowes.com, sign up for the newsletter, and we'll be announcing the next round of the School of Greatness Academy very soon.

• 4:52Lewis Howes?

  All right, welcome back everyone to the School of Greatness podcast. We've got Michelle Waterson in the house.

• 4:57Speaker 01

  Hello.

• 4:57Lewis Howes?

  Good to see you.

• 4:58Speaker 01

  Good to see you.

• 4:59Lewis Howes?

  I'm glad you're here. We met in Austin through Aubrey Marcus. And we met really quickly and got to know each other in a vulnerable way because you shared some things about your life through a poetry, actually, which we did a poetry workshop with NQ, who's been on the show. So it was cool to see that side of you. And you are a UFC fighter who beats women up for a living.

• 5:26Speaker 01

  I try to.

• 5:26Lewis Howes?

  You try to.

• 5:27Speaker 01

  I try to.

• 5:27Lewis Howes?

  Exactly. And my first question, I'm curious, as a fighter, what has it taught you about femininity and masculinity?

• 5:37Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 5:37Lewis Howes?

  Because you're a mother and a wife as well. So how do you navigate all that?

• 5:42Speaker 01

  I guess just I've never looked at myself like I'm super prideful for being a female in a predominantly male dominant sport, but I've never separated myself. I always just looked at myself as a fighter, you know? And I feel like the minute you do separate yourself is when you start to like create separation. So, you know, all my teammates, they don't look at me as a girl. They look at me as a fighter. And we train right along each other and we sweat and we bleed and we cry together and we become family. And that's just how I've always looked at it.

• 6:18Lewis Howes?

  Right. What is it about fighting that makes you love it?

• 6:23Speaker 01

  Well, I grew up doing martial arts. I have an older brother and.

• 6:26Lewis Howes?

  You're a karate black belt, right?

• 6:27Speaker 01

  Yeah, a black belt in American freestyle karate. And I've done Wushu and Kenpo. And my older brother, I wanted to be like him and we grew up watching Karate Kid and

• 6:38Lewis Howes?

  Oh, yeah.

• 6:39Speaker 01

  Ninja Turtles.

• 6:40Lewis Howes?

  Sweep the leg.

• 6:42Speaker 01

  I just showed my daughter like that, the, the original Karate Kid and they loved it.

• 6:47Lewis Howes?

  She, was she watching the new one?

• 6:48Speaker 01

  She was watching the new one first.

• 6:50Lewis Howes?

  No, the new one on YouTube? Have you seen this?

• 6:52Speaker 01

  No.

• 6:52Lewis Howes?

  The Kobe Kai, whatever it's called?

• 6:54Speaker 01

  No.

• 6:55Lewis Howes?

  The Karate Kid, what's his name? What's the actor, main actor's name? Karate Kid?

• 7:00Speaker 01

  The, uh, Jayden, the new guy or the old guy?

• 7:03Lewis Howes?

  The original Karate Kid, what's his name?

• 7:05Speaker 01

  Geez, I don't know.

• 7:06Lewis Howes?

  He's been a part of so many like memes and pop culture, I forget his name too. But anyways, they've come back and filmed the original Karate Kid versus the bad guy. Whatever the other kid who like swept the leg, Daniel, right?

• 7:18Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 7:19Lewis Howes?

  There's a YouTube series of them thirty years later competing against each other.

• 7:25Speaker 01

  No way!

• 7:26Lewis Howes?

  And they both have their own like studios, like, yeah, it's crazy, yeah.

• 7:29Speaker 01

  I have to look that up.

• 7:30Lewis Howes?

  I haven't seen it yet, but I've seen the trailers.

• 7:31Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 7:32Lewis Howes?

  Anyways, you show, you, uh, you used to watch Karate Kid, Ninja Turtles?

• 7:36Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 7:36Lewis Howes?

  And you wanted to be a Ninja Turtle?

• 7:37Speaker 01

  I wanted to be a Power Ranger, actually.

• 7:39Lewis Howes?

  Power Ranger?

• 7:40Speaker 01

  A Power Ranger, yeah.

• 7:40Lewis Howes?

  Oh.

• 7:42Speaker 01

  My career as a, as a martial artist kind of evolved and when I became an adult, it costs money to compete and I needed to, to make money. And, um, I was going to college and I, um, I was actually working at Hooters. I was a waitress at Hooters, paying my way through college. And I was also doing these side gigs and I was actually, I became a ring girl for, for like a local MMA fight, yeah. And I'd never seen MMA before, but I was so intrigued and I was watching these guys fight in, inside this cage and I was walking around the cage with the little number and I remember thinking to myself, man, I, that looks a lot more fun, like, inside there, yeah. And I was telling the promoter that I had martial arts background and I'd love to get into it

• 8:26Speaker 01

  and he kind of laughed it off. And one of the guys that was actually fighting in the small promotion overheard me and he's actually, he fights for the UFC now, is Donald Seroni. And so he overheard me and came to my work and just was like, if you're serious about training, get your ass in the gym and.

• 8:45Lewis Howes?

  So you were a ring girl in a bikini, walking around showing like what round it is.

• 8:50Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 8:51Lewis Howes?

  Said, I wanna be in there and punching people, not walking around in heels in a bikini.

• 8:56Speaker 01

  Well, it was just like, it kinda just like all fell together, right? Like I grew up doing martial arts. I was, I, I was kind of lost. Like in college, like I was really heavily involved in high school.

• 9:07Lewis Howes?

  In martial arts.

• 9:08Speaker 01

  In martial arts, but yeah, but just like academically. And, and then went to college and it just, nothing felt right. I just, I was really lost.

• 9:16Lewis Howes?

  You weren't sure like what major you wanted to do or what you wanted to do after? You didn't have like a vision for your life?

• 9:21Speaker 01

  Nothing. I, I felt lost and I, you know, I, I had good grades and everything, but I just.

• 9:26Lewis Howes?

  No direction.

• 9:27Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 9:28Lewis Howes?

  Where'd you go to school?

• 9:29Speaker 01

  I went to DU.

• 9:31Lewis Howes?

  DU?

• 9:31Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 9:32Lewis Howes?

  What's DU?

• 9:32Speaker 01

  University of Denver.

• 9:33Lewis Howes?

  Okay. University of Denver, got it.

• 9:35Speaker 01

  Or Denver University.

• 9:36Lewis Howes?

  Got it, got it. And so throughout school, did you graduate then?

• 9:41Speaker 01

  I didn't.

• 9:42Lewis Howes?

  You did not?

• 9:42Speaker 01

  I didn't. I stopped.

• 9:43Lewis Howes?

  You were a ring girl and a waitress in college?

• 9:47Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 9:48Lewis Howes?

  And then decided to stop and start training?

• 9:50Speaker 01

  Yeah. I, like I said, I was lost. I didn't know what I was doing with my life. Um, spending a lot of money, going to classes and just feeling like it was taking me nowhere. So my mom and I went to Thailand to visit family and when we were out there, we, I was like, hey, we're in the motherland of Muay Thai. I might as well get some work in. And they kicked my butt.

• 10:14Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 10:14Speaker 01

  They kicked my butt for two weeks and they laughed at me because we trained like outside on a concrete floor and my feet blistered up and they laughed at me and said that I was weak and.

• 10:25Lewis Howes?

  Too soft.

• 10:26Speaker 01

  Yeah, too soft and it fired me up and I, and, and I wanted to, it lit that fire back in me and it just reminded me of what my true path was, which is martial arts, you know, like, so it was like, I, I just had this vision in my head that I had to finish high, you know, I finished high school top 10 in my class and I had to go to college and then I had to find a fiance and get married and have this white picket fence with two kids and I thought that's what I had to do. And. Just wasn't.

• 10:59Lewis Howes?

  Wow. So after that two weeks in Thailand, had you been to Thailand before?

• 11:04Speaker 01

  Yeah, when I was younger.

• 11:05Lewis Howes?

  Right. After that two weeks of training, what was the next step? Did you go back and train more with them? Or did you start training in Colorado or what was the next thing?

• 11:14Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm. I went back and I um continued to go to school and then I just decided after the semester was over that it wasn't for me. So I dove completely into fighting and I started taking smokers and.

• 11:29Lewis Howes?

  What's a smoker?

• 11:29Speaker 01

  A smoker is like a kind of, it's amateur fight. But they call them smokers because back in the day, they probably still have them.

• 11:37Lewis Howes?

  They're like smoking before the fight or whatever?

• 11:39Speaker 01

  Well, they do them in like shady places, like bars and strip clubs and stuff like that. And there's like smoke all over.

• 11:45Lewis Howes?

  Take the beer off the table, put the ring up, let's go.

• 11:47Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, um I did a couple smokers and maybe like six months later.

• 11:52Lewis Howes?

  Did you win those?

• 11:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, mm-hmm. Yeah, I won, I won some, I lost some, but that's your amateur career. That's what you learn, you know? And way, way back then, there was really no amateur career. There was really no women fighting, you know?

• 12:06Lewis Howes?

  When was this? What year?

• 12:08Speaker 01

  I turned pro in two thousand seven.

• 12:12Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 12:12Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 12:13Lewis Howes?

  So when was the amateur then? How long was that from?

• 12:15Speaker 01

  I probably fought amateur for about a year and a half.

• 12:20Lewis Howes?

  Okay, two thousand five.

• 12:22Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:22Lewis Howes?

  Two thousand six, gotcha.

• 12:23Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 12:24Lewis Howes?

  So you were doing that, there really wasn't many women fighting at the time?

• 12:28Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 12:29Lewis Howes?

  Except for maybe some smokers in the backyard or something?

• 12:32Speaker 01

  Yeah, it just, it wasn't, it was very taboo.

• 12:35Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 12:35Speaker 01

  You know, it was very taboo for women to be fighting and.

• 12:38Lewis Howes?

  Was, did, were there women in the UFC at that time?

• 12:41Speaker 01

  No, no, no, no. At that time Dana White like was seriously against women being in the UFC. He would e- even say it publicly, women don't belong in the cage.

• 12:50Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 12:51Speaker 01

  And there'll never be a place for women in the UFC.

• 12:55Lewis Howes?

  He said that, never?

• 12:56Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:57Lewis Howes?

  When did that change?

• 12:58Speaker 01

  When he met Rhonda.

• 13:01Lewis Howes?

  So when did Ronda do her first fight in the UFC?

• 13:03Speaker 01

  I don't know. I mean, I don't know the date specifically. I remember the event because it was it was huge for women's MMA to be able to have that platform.

• 13:13Lewis Howes?

  What was the vision for you then? If there was no women in UFC at the time that you were doing amateur fighting, where could you go? What was the next step after the Smoker events was? What was the platform?

• 13:25Speaker 01

  So there were a couple of different avenues that I could have gone, you know, but I do remember moving out to Albuquerque and living in the dorms of Jackson Winklejohn. And when I say dorms, it really wasn't a dorm. It was just kind of like a hole in the wall upstairs. I slept on a bunk bed next to the fridge. But when I finally got my apartment, I remember putting up a vision board. And at that time, Dana White was in no way. But putting up a vision board and still like having Fighting for the UFC up on the vision board. Fighting for the UFC and there were a couple of different things. But yeah, that was one of them. And it was just kind of like, maybe not now, but eventually. Eventually it'll get there, you know?

• 14:10Speaker 01

  So that was one of my goals. But also, like I said, I grew up watching martial arts flicks and stuff like that. I was like, man, I could be a Power Ranger. I could be a street fighter. I could, you know, do this and that. But really, the reason why I fought is because it really forced me to face my fears. I'm not a confrontational person. But fighting forced me to deal with like my fears and the conflict. Like there's, once they close the cage behind you, you can't like turn around and be like, okay, now I'm done. I'm just gonna get out of here and, you know?

• 14:45Lewis Howes?

  You gotta go to the end.

• 14:46Speaker 01

  Yeah, being afraid, like, everybody's afraid to get hit. Everybody's afraid of losing. Everybody's afraid of getting embarrassed.

• 14:53Lewis Howes?

  Getting hurt.

• 14:53Speaker 01

  Getting hurt, you know, bruising their ego, just. So for me, it was a lot of, it was a lot of things that I was like overcoming personally in fighting.

• 15:04Lewis Howes?

  What was your biggest fears?

• 15:06Speaker 01

  That I wasn't good enough, that I didn't belong. That, those are probably the two. Those are probably the two biggest fears.

• 15:14Lewis Howes?

  That you weren't good enough and didn't belong in MMA or in general?

• 15:20Speaker 01

  Probably in general.

• 15:21Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 15:22Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:22Lewis Howes?

  And what's the biggest fear today?

• 15:25Speaker 01

  I'd have to say my biggest fear now is like getting in my own way, I guess. Is like, can I handle? Am I good enough to be successful?

• 15:38Speaker 01

  That's probably one of my biggest fears.

• 15:39Lewis Howes?

  What do you define as success?

• 15:42Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean, that's something I'm still trying to figure out now, you know, especially having my daughter. After having my daughter, I'm just very content with my life because she is my everything, you know, and I have a great husband. And so that's kind of like a struggle too, is like, well, if I'm content in life, then what am I pushing forward? Towards like, what, why do I need to? Why do I have this like hole that I feel the need to fill?

• 16:06Lewis Howes?

  Hmm, you still have that hole?

• 16:08Speaker 01

  Yeah, for sure. I think that there are still some things that I want in my career.

• 16:15Lewis Howes?

  What do you want?

• 16:16Speaker 01

  I wanna be, I wanna be a champion. I wanna be able to like when I think about the martial artists that I watched growing up. It was always like, wow, I wanna do that. That's a cool move. I wanna do that and I wanna be able to be that person for somebody else. I wanna leave a legacy to where people are to where people talk about me like, yeah, she's a beast, you know, like she's she's an amazing martial artist. I don't know, like to be able to do that. And one of the reasons why I got into martial arts is because of my instructor. He, he really was in my life at a pivotal moment and so he changed my life for the better.

• 16:56Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 16:57Speaker 01

  And it would be nice to know that I can do that for others.

• 17:02Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 17:02Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 17:03Lewis Howes?

  What does it take to be a champion in the UFC?

• 17:06Speaker 01

  Uh, I think you have to have a really strong.

• 17:12Speaker 01

  Genuine, deep confidence, like it has, it has to be like deep in your core. It has to be unshakable, you know.

• 17:21Lewis Howes?

  So you can't doubt yourself at all?

• 17:23Speaker 01

  You can't doubt yourself at all and you have to, you have to be two steps ahead of everybody else and um.

• 17:29Lewis Howes?

  What does that mean?

• 17:31Speaker 01

  Cause there's so many like different things that go into fighting, you know, it's not just physical. Of course it is, obviously, you have to be physically ready. But once you surpass that, once, once you're, you guys are all on the same level physically, then it becomes a mental game. Are you mentally sharp? Can you deal with the media? Can you deal with all the outside noise? Can you deal with all the inside noise in your head? Can you deal with all of the other circumstances surrounding you as you are training for this fight? There's just so many different elements that go into it and everything has to fall into place.

• 18:09Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 18:09Speaker 01

  For you to win that, that one night.

• 18:12Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, one moment.

• 18:13Speaker 01

  One moment.

• 18:14Lewis Howes?

  Change everything. What do you do to silence the conversation that holds you back?

• 18:21Speaker 01

  I.

• 18:22Lewis Howes?

  When it comes up?

• 18:24Speaker 01

  I take a deep breath and I tell myself confidence.

• 18:32Speaker 01

  And um, it just calms me. I feel like we all have that voice in our head, that like inner critic. That well, in, in my mind, it's my mom, like, what are you doing? You know? My mom is just like super like critical and like. Has always, but I think it's just culturally, like that's how they raise their kids. It's kind of like a, that negative motivation, put the chip on your shoulder, you know? But I've been working a lot with a sports psychologist and he explains it to me.

• 19:06Speaker 01

  In a way that like the same emotions you get when you're fearful are the same emotions you get when you're excited. We just perceive them differently. So anytime I do get nervous um or afraid or anxious, I just take a deep breath and I tell myself confidence. And it reminds me to use that energy, that nervous energy and transform it into good energy, energy that's going to feel me, energy that's going to build confidence within me and energy that's going to allow me to use it for towards my benefit.

• 19:45Lewis Howes?

  Hmm. From the moment you get the announcement for a new fight and they say, okay, you're fighting in six weeks or eight weeks, whenever it is, how long does it usually take?

• 19:54Speaker 01

  Depends. A fight camp is usually anywhere between six and 10 weeks.

• 19:58Lewis Howes?

  Six and 10 weeks, okay. Say eight weeks away, we've announced this, here's the date, two months. What's the challenging part for you physically and mentally from the moment you get the phone call to the moment you step into the ring?

• 20:14Speaker 01

  It's kind of like it goes in waves. I think at the very beginning, when the fight gets announced, it's like, ah, it's go time, you know? So then just trying to get your nerves in order, watching tape, trying to break down your your opponent. And then you kind of just get into a rhythm of fight camp and you you forget about all that stuff. And then the clock starts ticking down and you start losing days and um you start to think if you've trained enough, you start to second guess yourself, do I need to train harder? And then all the interviews roll in and they start asking you questions of things you never even thought about until they start asking you, well, you know, she's just really

• 20:56Speaker 01

  good, she's a power puncher, and these are things you don't even think about. And then they say that and it brings up that self doubt again. And I'd say at the beginning of fight camp, it's nervous and then it dries down and then it comes back up. And then come fight week, if you've prepped yourself both physically, for me, I feel like the more physically ready you are, the more.

• 21:23Speaker 01

  Mentally content you can be.

• 21:25Lewis Howes?

  Mm hmm.

• 21:25Speaker 01

  Because.

• 21:26Lewis Howes?

  You know you put in the work.

• 21:27Speaker 01

  Yes, exactly. And only you know that, right? If you, if you didn't put in the work, you can lie to the media, you can lie to everybody else. You could try to put on a show and smile and say that you're ready and you're the fittest you've ever been. But you, only you know yourself if you've put in that time.

• 21:41Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 21:42Speaker 01

  So, so for me, like, I'm most confident when I know I've put in the time. But it's not just like, it's not just putting in the time. It's actually being present in those moments when I do put in the time. Because you can, right, it's like quality versus quantity. Cause you can have good workout sessions, but you weren't there.

• 22:06Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, you weren't present.

• 22:06Speaker 01

  You weren't present.

• 22:07Lewis Howes?

  Intentional with every rep.

• 22:09Speaker 01

  Yeah, you can have workout sessions where you are present. Maybe not so many, but they mean more because, because you were there in the moment.

• 22:19Lewis Howes?

  In your opinion, what does it mean to respect your opponent? And how can you be respectful to your opponent when you're fighting them and pounding their face in the ground?

• 22:28Speaker 01

  That's a hard one. That is a hard one because, like I said, like I'm a people pleaser. I like to, I'm not trash talker. I'm not good at, it's a fine line. And I think it depends on the person, really. There have been fights where I have given my opponent too much respect. And maybe subconsciously felt like they deserved the win over me.

• 22:51Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 22:51Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 22:52Lewis Howes?

  Why?

• 22:54Speaker 01

  Because of their status, because of their rankings, because I knew them personally.

• 23:01Speaker 01

  And that's hard. You have to shelf that. You have to shelf that. You have to say, I respect you. But at the end of the day, you and I are both getting in here to take each other's heads off. And if I don't get into the cage to do that, then I'm doing you a disservice.

• 23:17Lewis Howes?

  You're doing her a disservice.

• 23:19Speaker 01

  Yeah, because I'm not giving her my hundred percent. You know, I'm not giving her my, my true warriors.

• 23:24Lewis Howes?

  I'll take it easy on you today.

• 23:25Speaker 01

  Yeah, like when you're like playing with your little sister, little brother, and they tell you no punching. So you, you know, you just, you kind of like scale it back.

• 23:32Lewis Howes?

  Mm-hmm.

• 23:33Speaker 01

  You're doing your opponent disservice when you, when you do that. And that's how I've had to look at it. I've had to look at, I've had to take my opponent out of the equation, like.

• 23:44Lewis Howes?

  Your feelings for them, your care for them, your.

• 23:46Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm. I had to go into the octagon and tell myself that I deserve to win. Because I've put in all the time, I've put in all the work. You know? And whatever happens after that happens.

• 24:01Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 24:01Speaker 01

  Kind of.

• 24:02Lewis Howes?

  What is your biggest losses taught you about yourself?

• 24:05Speaker 01

  I guess probably just the most obvious one is that there's always somebody bigger and better than you. Sometimes you can be a hundred percent ready for something and still fail.

• 24:16Lewis Howes?

  Really? Was there a time where you felt like you were so prepared? You had, you were gonna win?

• 24:21Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 24:21Lewis Howes?

  And then you didn't win?

• 24:22Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 24:22Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 24:23Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 24:23Lewis Howes?

  How's that feel?

• 24:25Speaker 01

  Like crap? Like crap. It's so, like, you know, like losing in front of millions of people. It's kind of like a nightmare that like haunts you. When you win, the high is so high.

• 24:41Speaker 01

  And when you lose, it's just incredibly low. And I think that's probably another reason why we do it is because of those like endorphin rushes. But it's funny, because when you win, you don't really take the time to break apart your performance and see what you did well and see what you didn't do well. But when you lose, it's like you go back and you, you relive the moment over and over and over and over again. And what if I did this differently? What if I did that differently? Was it because of the fight? Was it because of my weight cut? Was it because things that happened outside of my fights? And you start to like, like spiral out of control of all these what ifs.

• 25:23Speaker 01

  And I remember talking to my coach about one of my losses and. Trying to figure out why I lost, really, and I was talking to him and I was like, what if I did this differently and what if I did that? And he just stopped me and he said Peanut, like, that's what they call me at the gym Peanut. You just went left instead of right.

• 25:42Lewis Howes?

  Mm-hmm.

• 25:43Speaker 01

  Like, leave it at that.

• 25:45Lewis Howes?

  Kachu and, yeah.

• 25:46Speaker 01

  Yeah, like, leave it at that.

• 25:47Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 25:48Speaker 01

  Because if you keep trying to do this to yourself, like, you're going to take away the good that you did in the fight and you're gonna stop believing in yourself. It was just a split second of you being

• 26:03Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 26:04Speaker 01

  being in the wrong place at the wrong time, you know? So that was kind of like a hard pill to swallow.

• 26:09Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. How do you manage the emotions, up and down?

• 26:13Speaker 01

  I think you just kind of have to ride the wave.

• 26:14Lewis Howes?

  Mm-hmm.

• 26:15Speaker 01

  You ride the wave and you have to know that they're gonna come.

• 26:18Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 26:19Speaker 01

  Yeah?

• 26:19Lewis Howes?

  Is there any fighter, men or women, that manage the emotions really well, that you're aware of? Where they're not too high and they're not too low?

• 26:27Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm. The girl that I look up to the most when it comes to fighting and also just in life in general is probably Holly, Holly Holm.

• 26:36Lewis Howes?

  She's pretty good with managing emotions?

• 26:38Speaker 01

  She's very like even keel, she's like very, she never gets ahead of herself, she does, she's very humble, she doesn't. She dethroned Rhonda Rousey and still, after the fact, was very humble about her win, never talked smack about her, even even though all throughout the press conferences leading up to the fight, Rhonda was just putting her down left and right. Holly never, you know?

• 27:06Lewis Howes?

  Never put her down?

• 27:06Speaker 01

  Never put her down, even after the fact.

• 27:10Lewis Howes?

  That's pretty impressive.

• 27:11Speaker 01

  Never put her down. And I've also seen Holly get knocked out cold.

• 27:17Lewis Howes?

  You have?

• 27:17Speaker 01

  In a fight and.

• 27:21Speaker 01

  Muster up the humility to go to the press conference and congratulate her opponent.

• 27:28Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 27:29Speaker 01

  And then come into the gym on Monday and train.

• 27:34Lewis Howes?

  It's pretty impressive.

• 27:35Speaker 01

  Yeah, she's an amazing woman.

• 27:37Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 27:38Speaker 01

  She really is.

• 27:40Lewis Howes?

  What's the biggest lesson you've learned from her?

• 27:43Speaker 01

  To do. She just does.

• 27:46Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 27:47Speaker 01

  No questions. You know what I mean? She's just a doer.

• 27:51Lewis Howes?

  She's not analyzing it or being fearful. She's like, okay, I'm gonna do it anyways.

• 27:55Speaker 01

  She's a worker. Win or lose, she continues to trek forward and and has that belief in herself that she is great.

• 28:05Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, yeah. What was the most challenging emotional wave you had to experience leading up into a fight? That was personal. That wasn't about the fight.

• 28:17Speaker 01

  I'd have to say it was two fights ago when I was getting ready to fight Tisha Torres. So my fight got announced. There was a lot of great things happening. Tisha was a her and I are like neck and neck in the rankings. My husband and I just put money down for a brand new house. And then we get a phone call from my husband's mom telling us that his dad got in a really bad car accident. And, I mean, we, that's all we knew. You know, it was the beginning of our fight camp and usually we don't travel or do anything. Once fight camp hits, we're just

• 28:52Lewis Howes?

  Focused.

• 28:53Speaker 01

  Focused. But um, there was just something in her voice that that we knew something was wrong. So we just packed up our stuff and drove out. They live in our past, it's about three and a half hours out and we drove out and she's um just like very frantic and talking to her and you know how the doctors are. Sometimes when stuff like that happens, they they can't sugarcoat what has happened. They have to give you the facts factually so that you can deal with it moving forward. And the doctors told her that he would never walk again.

• 29:34Speaker 01

  We were just, there was just like a numb feeling, you know, it was just like incredible high to like we didn't even know what to do, really, like I think the saddest part about it all is that like Josh's parents are like you know, they've been, they had him when she was sixteen and they'd been together, like that's all they knew. They, that's all they know. They know each other and they're like madly in love with each other and and that's one of the reasons why I fell in love with him is meeting his family and, and seeing the love that they had for each other. It's just like always going out on the weekends and, and dancing and partying and, and to, to think that

• 30:16Speaker 01

  that um that he would never walk again, you know. But Josh is kinda like the rock of their family. I could tell that it was bothering him, but he had to stay strong because because of the circumstances. And so he has a little brother, twenty-one years, he's going into sixth grade and all this stuff happens. And so we don't know how long he's gonna be in the hospital for. We don't know anything, but we have to pick up the pieces. So Jaden comes back to Albuquerque with us and um and we enroll him in school and, but while all this stuff is happening, I'm getting ready for my fight coming, coming off a loss.

• 31:02Speaker 01

  And I feel selfish. I feel selfish when I wake up in the morning to get, to go run. And like when I tell them that like I need to focus

• 31:14Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 31:14Speaker 01

  because I'm getting ready for this fight when my father-in-law can't even scratch his nose if he wants to.

• 31:20Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 31:20Speaker 01

  You know, so that was like something that like really weighed heavy on me is like, how am I how can I be selfish in my training when my father-in-law is like fighting for his life? You know. Like I really struggled with that because I felt like it was

• 31:44Speaker 01

  like I shouldn't have been training for a fight. I should have been there for him. You know, we should have been there for our whole family, should have.

• 31:52Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 31:54Speaker 01

  And like my husband, he's just like taking the brunt of it. He's, he's the rock for everybody. He's a rock for them, he's a rock for me. So he broke. And that was like really hard for me to see because he's really the rock for me, you know?

• 32:10Speaker 01

  And um, he.

• 32:13Lewis Howes?

  He broke in what way?

• 32:15Speaker 01

  He's been in the military, he's been overseas. He's like did door to door convoys for, while he's in Iraq and worked in the prisons and stuff. And so, yeah, like he has PTSD and, but I've never seen him. I think he was just trying to hold it in for so long and I was trying to like tell him like, you gotta let it go, you know? He wanted, he doesn't want anybody to see that, you know? But, and he's probably upset that I'm saying this now, but like, it was just like in our brand new house that we're supposed to be like super excited of having. And he just, I remember him going outside and just looking up at the stars. And like I went out there to try to like comfort him and he just was like,

• 33:00Speaker 01

  you should just go to bed like, and, and he just stayed out there. And he like, and he broke down, you know? And then maybe like a couple of days later, he called me. He, like he, he didn't know what was wrong, but he said that his lips started going numb and that his fingers started tingling and his heart was pounding. He was having a panic attack.

• 33:22Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 33:23Speaker 01

  But he didn't know, like he'd never had one ever before in his life. And like it freaked him out and right now he's like a financial advisor. So he's like, put all this like extra like life insurance on. It's like he just like freaked out and.

• 33:39Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 33:39Speaker 01

  He just didn't know like how to deal with it all because he's usually the one that takes care of everything, but he couldn't fix what was, was happening. It just, it just, it is what it is. So I think that's what frustrated him the most and.

• 33:55Lewis Howes?

  How did you handle that? I mean, you're still training every day, your husband's going through this, your father in law. How were you able to handle it all and stay focused somewhat?

• 34:04Speaker 01

  Well, he was trying to hide it from me because he didn't want me to get distracted. You know, he's also in my corner and. We just stayed close in touch and and there were so many things going on that had to get taken care of.

• 34:18Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 34:19Speaker 01

  That that's how we handled it. We just took care of what needed to get taken care of and and we would talk to his parents and his dad's situation became motivation for us to push forward. You know, like all the small, small minor things that he he was accomplishing, whether it was moving his fingers or being able to get in an actual wheelchair, like that was a huge accomplishment for him. And so we kind of just rallied behind each other. They rallied behind me getting ready to fight. And we rallied behind him every day, like in his P T progress, you know?

• 35:04Speaker 01

  And so that's kind of how we dealt with it.

• 35:06Lewis Howes?

  How's he doing now?

• 35:08Speaker 01

  Um, so he's home now. They converted the house and and made it like accessible. He's home now and he's doing P T. The doctor that saw him originally, the one that said that he would never, the doctor said he'd be paralyzed from the neck down.

• 35:25Speaker 01

  And was really shocked.

• 35:27Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 35:28Speaker 01

  At his progression. So now he's in a wheelchair. He's able, he has movement in his hands. He's doing P T in the water and we're just, we're just hopeful.

• 35:39Lewis Howes?

  One day at a time?

• 35:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 35:40Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, that's good. So during that whole fight camp, eight, 10 weeks,

• 35:47Lewis Howes?

  how did it end up? Were you able to fight well? Were you able to, I mean, how did you focus on fight day without feeling like this selfishness or like this lack of care or all the things you're feeling?

• 36:01Speaker 01

  I felt great. Like I, I really did have a good camp despite everything that happened. My weight was good. I felt stronger than ever. But I did feel distracted and usually it's okay to distract yourself a bit, but.

• 36:18Speaker 01

  If you distract yourself too much, you don't allow yourself to deal with what's really in front of you, which was a fight.

• 36:26Lewis Howes?

  You get kicked in the face.

• 36:27Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 36:27Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 36:28Speaker 01

  And um, I didn't deal with that and it cost me the fight.

• 36:33Lewis Howes?

  It did.

• 36:34Speaker 01

  Yeah, I lost the fight. I mean, like I said, there are so many different things that go into it. Like I said, I felt great. I had a great camp. We had a great game plan. But there were also moments where I wasn't, I wasn't focused on the fight because I was, in my head, I pictured this movie ending.

• 36:54Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 36:54Speaker 01

  Where, you know, Grandpa Macho was gonna see me win the fight. I was gonna get on the mic and I was gonna say, you know, this is for you, Grandpa. And he was gonna get up out of the wheelchair, you know, in a miracle. And like I had these, I had these like

• 37:09Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 37:10Speaker 01

  dreams and like fantasies of like it being that okay. And it wasn't. It wasn't.

• 37:16Lewis Howes?

  You lost.

• 37:17Speaker 01

  I lost my fight. I was beat up.

• 37:19Lewis Howes?

  He was still struggling.

• 37:20Speaker 01

  He was still struggling. I was in the hospital until one o'clock in the morning.

• 37:23Lewis Howes?

  Your husband's having breakdowns.

• 37:25Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 37:25Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 37:26Speaker 01

  And that's life.

• 37:27Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 37:28Speaker 01

  And so, um.

• 37:29Lewis Howes?

  What was the next step you made after that fight?

• 37:33Speaker 01

  Just.

• 37:34Lewis Howes?

  Did you give yourself a break and relax? Did you get right back into training? Did you beat yourself up?

• 37:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 37:41Lewis Howes?

  Everything.

• 37:43Lewis Howes?

  You got manicure, beat yourself up, you were training.

• 37:48Speaker 01

  I probably ate like five tubs of ice cream in one sitting.

• 37:51Lewis Howes?

  Oh man, I've been there many times.

• 37:53Speaker 01

  I did beat myself up. There was a lot of introspective thinking, trying to break down, trying to figure out what went wrong. And then, like I said, when my coach was just like, kinda just like, you have to let it go. You have to move on.

• 38:09Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 38:09Speaker 01

  And when we decided to move on, we just, you know, really took the time to focus on family and

• 38:19Speaker 01

  and just uh.

• 38:23Speaker 01

  Look, I don't know how to explain it like I really was like I wasn't present. I was present somewhere else.

• 38:31Lewis Howes?

  Hmm.

• 38:32Speaker 01

  So I had to understand that, like I had to understand that.

• 38:36Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 38:36Speaker 01

  I needed to be present and that that's just the way the cards were dealt for me. And I can't be upset about it and I I have to move forward from it.

• 38:49Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. How do you get back to keeping your mental strength after an injury, a bad loss, or something like this happening? How do you get back to focus, mental strength, confidence, when it's seemingly gone?

• 39:03Speaker 01

  Yeah. It's like digging yourself out of a hole. Uh, you just have to do it like one step at a time and you have to consistently work at it. I think because it's easier to listen to the voices in your head and to the the media about all the negativity. I don't know why it's so much easier to let the negative stuff creep into your brain than it is to fight that and to be positive. But you really do have to fight it like it is, it really is a work in progress. Um, so every time I I, you know, I start to think negative thoughts, I I just take a deep breath and tell myself confidence.

• 39:44Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 39:44Speaker 01

  Mm hmm. And and I try to focus on the small picture. I don't look at the big picture. It's like trying to tell yourself to that you're gonna get up a mountain in one day. You're just not. So it's just like one step at a time. You go to practice and today I'm gonna work on my jab, you know? And if I get punched a million times, it's okay because I worked on my jab and I know that I landed ten good jabs. And when I focus on some, when I have like a small goal and I focus on that, then then I'm less likely to let those other things that went wrong cloud my brain.

• 40:25Lewis Howes?

  Mm hmm.

• 40:28Lewis Howes?

  What's the greatest lesson your mom taught you? That has supported you in getting where you're at?

• 40:35Speaker 01

  My mom has always been, like I was saying, she's like really hard on me, you know, she's... But it's all from love. And to be honest, I think that's probably the biggest thing I can take away from that is like, if I can take criticism from my mom, then I should be able to take it from anybody else. You know?

• 40:53Lewis Howes?

  How many people can take it from their mom?

• 40:54Speaker 01

  If my mom is sitting here telling me that I did a bad job, and I still love her and she still loves me, then I can take it from anybody else.

• 41:00Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, exactly.

• 41:02Speaker 01

  So the ability to take in the things that she's saying, even though they're super negative sometimes, and to know that it's coming from a place of love. Like, okay, like she'll tell me like, literally, my last fight, the week before my fight, she's like, Michelle, you need to put your light hand up, okay? You always get punched in the face on your light side, all the time. Punched in the face on a light side, you get beat up all the time. Like, a week before my fight, I'm like, really don't need to be hearing that.

• 41:33Lewis Howes?

  I know this too.

• 41:34Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 41:34Lewis Howes?

  My coach is telling me, I can watch a film, yeah.

• 41:37Speaker 01

  Yeah, or she'll tell, like, you know, she's really good. I'm, I'm, I'm kinda nervous, you know, did you see her muscle? Really big, really tall, I'm scared, like.

• 41:47Lewis Howes?

  Oh, wow.

• 41:48Speaker 01

  Those are the things that she tells me. I'm not sure if she thinks that it's gonna give me confidence, but

• 41:55Speaker 01

  I've been able to take the things that she tells me. And, like I said, knowing that it's coming from a place of love.

• 42:05Speaker 01

  Instead of getting angry and pent up about the things that she says, just taking a deep breath and kind of like, working it through my machine and transforming it into confidence.

• 42:16Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. What's the greatest lesson your dad taught you about being a better woman?

• 42:22Speaker 01

  My dad would always tell me to never let anybody get in my way of my dreams. Not even myself. And I think that's probably the biggest thing, because I do, like, I allow myself to...

• 42:36Speaker 01

  I sabotage myself a lot. Because I, I don't know, because I don't think I deserve it. Because I don't think I'm ready. Because I'm scared of success. But that's probably the biggest thing, that my best thing my dad taught.

• 42:50Lewis Howes?

  What would make you feel like you deserve it or that you're ready?

• 42:54Speaker 01

  I talked about this with my sports psychologist. And I finally came to a place of content with that answer. And it goes to the idea of being great. I would always tell him, and it might be because of my martial arts background and my upbringing, but it's like, well, first you have to get your white belt, yellow belt, orange belt. There are steps to this before you become a black belt. So in my mind, it's like, before I become a champ, before I become Holly Holm or Muhammad Ali, like, I have to go through these steps. And I was telling my sports psychologist, that, his name is Dr. Will Shandon.

• 43:35Speaker 01

  And he said, "Do you think that when Muhammad Ali was a champion, that he still had things to work on?" And of course he did. Everybody always has things to work on. And then he said, "But do you think that stopped him from being great in that moment?" And it didn't. So, so I've finally allowed myself to accept the greatness of myself in the present moment. While still knowing that there are things that I have to improve on. Or not have to, but want to. So that's been my biggest thing, is like, giving myself that opportunity to be great now while I'm still fixing my flaws.

• 44:18Lewis Howes?

  The permission to achieve it now, and not like, well, I have to wait until I hit these steps.

• 44:24Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 44:26Lewis Howes?

  What do you want your daughter to know about you? What type of example do you want to set for her?

• 44:33Lewis Howes?

  And if she was proud, if you wanted her to be proud of one thing about you, what would that be?

• 44:40Speaker 01

  I hope it's that throughout everything that I never let go of my dreams. And that a big one is actually having her, you know? I had her in the middle of my career. So there was a lot of unknowns. Can I go back into fighting? Will I want to go back into fighting? Will it be good enough to go back into fighting? And, and I did. And I was more successful after the fact.

• 45:04Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 45:05Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 45:05Lewis Howes?

  Why do you think that is?

• 45:08Speaker 01

  Because I had a reason. You know, before it was obviously a passion of mine, but after having her, it was like, I can't just fight because I enjoy it. Like, it has to be a career. I have to make an impact. I have to, I have to be able to make it something that can support my family financially. Yeah, I don't know. I just, my dad has also been like a big, has always told me like that your actions speak louder than your words. And so I think that by pursuing my dreams, it'll show her more than me telling her, "Go after your dreams, baby." You know, like, you can do it.

• 45:52Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, that's cool.

• 45:55Lewis Howes?

  This is called the three truths. And I ask everyone this question at the end. So imagine this is your last day many years from now. And it's your last day on Earth. You're as old as you want to be, and you've achieved every dream you want. You've got the family you want. You've traveled, you've done it all. But whatever you've done, you have to take it all with you. So all of your work.

• 46:15Speaker 01

  So am I going to a different planet?

• 46:17Lewis Howes?

  You're dying.

• 46:19Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 46:19Lewis Howes?

  It's your last day on Earth, right? Unless we've evolved somewhere and you go to some other planet, yeah. It's the last day on Earth, right? It's the last day people will see you. You've done it all. But for whatever reason, no one has access to your information anymore, or the things you've said, or this interview, or your work, your videos, they can't watch anymore. But you get to write down on a piece of paper the three things you know to be true about all of your experiences. From being a mother, a wife, a daughter, a fighter, everything you've done boils down to three truths that you would leave behind for people to be remembering you by. What would you say are those three lessons or three truths that you would share?

• 46:57Speaker 01

  Okay. I would say that it's important to be a person of action, to not just dream and keep your head in the clouds, but to actually do.

• 47:10Lewis Howes?

  Mm-hmm.

• 47:12Speaker 01

  I would say that another one would be to

• 47:18Speaker 01

  truly invest in the people that matter to you. And when I say invest, I mean your time and your blood and your sweat and your tears, in your heart. Because so many times we invest in the wrong things. We invest our time in the wrong things. And when it's all said and done, that's a lot of people's biggest regrets. You can't take time back. And I would say the last thing would be that we're all gonna, we're all gonna run into challenges and adversities. That's just the way the world works. And to let your circumstances, to let your adversities, to let your challenges be the wind

• 48:04Speaker 01

  that strengthens your character,

• 48:09Speaker 01

  that strengthens the roots of your soul. And to not let the wind break you, but to let it strengthen you.

• 48:15Lewis Howes?

  Mm-hmm. Those are powerful. Those are great. I want to acknowledge you for a moment because from the moment I met you until now, you've shown up strong and vulnerable. You've shown up loving and passionate. And I think you're an incredible example of someone who is doing it all. You've got an incredible daughter, incredible family. You're giving, you're compassionate. All these things you're doing and you're fighting for your dreams in a respectful way. And I think it's an incredible example of how to be a powerful woman in today. And so I want to really acknowledge you for all that you're doing and all the inspiration you have in the world.

• 48:59Lewis Howes?

  And thanks for sharing everything today.

• 49:01Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 49:02Lewis Howes?

  And of course, is there any final thing you would like to share or wish we talked about, that we haven't talked about?

• 49:08Speaker 01

  No, I'd just like to thank you because I think sometimes I try to shy away from the hard questions and it's nice to be forced.

• 49:21Speaker 01

  Gently forced to answer those questions.

• 49:22Lewis Howes?

  Encouraged.

• 49:23Speaker 01

  Yes, that's the word I was looking for. Encouraged.

• 49:27Lewis Howes?

  Where can we connect with you online?

• 49:29Speaker 01

  I'm at Karate Hottie MMA and I'm probably the most active on Instagram.

• 49:34Lewis Howes?

  Okay, cool. You have a website as well?

• 49:37Speaker 01

  I do have a website, but I'm not active on it. I've really been trying to put more effort into my YouTube channel. Putting up vlogs and tutorials and stuff like that.

• 49:47Lewis Howes?

  Karate Hottie MMA on YouTube as well?

• 49:49Speaker 01

  I think so, or it's Michelle Waterson, The Karate Hottie. Something with the Karate Hottie in it.

• 49:54Lewis Howes?

  We'll find it. Yeah, we'll link it up for you. Very cool. Final question then is what's your definition? Well, actually first, when's your next fight?

• 50:01Speaker 01

  No, I don't have any fights scheduled.

• 50:03Lewis Howes?

  No fights right now?

• 50:03Speaker 01

  I don't have any fights scheduled.

• 50:05Lewis Howes?

  So how can we be in tune to that if we want to watch a fight? Just watch you on Instagram, you'll announce it, all that stuff?

• 50:10Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'll keep everybody posted on Instagram.

• 50:12Lewis Howes?

  Okay.

• 50:13Speaker 01

  Summer's kind of busy. I'm out here in LA, gonna be behind the desk. So it's something I'm trying to pursue.

• 50:18Lewis Howes?

  For Fox, right?

• 50:19Speaker 01

  Yeah. And then, yeah, just continuing to get better as a martial artist. And hopefully, I'm guessing September timeframe is when I'll fight again.

• 50:27Lewis Howes?

  September timeframe. And where are you based? What city?

• 50:30Speaker 01

  I'm in Albuquerque.

• 50:31Lewis Howes?

  And do you do workshops there as well? If someone wanted to come to a workshop?

• 50:34Speaker 01

  I don't, but I will.

• 50:35Lewis Howes?

  You will? Got it, okay. So they can reach you on Instagram, they can message you there, or they can email you on your site?

• 50:42Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 50:42Lewis Howes?

  If they want to do something. Okay, cool. Final question then, what's your definition of greatness?

• 50:47Speaker 01

  I think we kind of touched on it earlier, but the ability to accept the greatness in who you are at this present moment with all your flaws, but to also have the hunger and desire to want to grow and evolve each day.

• 51:08Lewis Howes?

  Michelle, thank you. Appreciate it.

• 51:11Speaker 01

  Bam.

• 51:19Lewis Howes?

  Oh, I love this. I love when people open up. I love when they share and break down the things that hold them back, but also the things that have gotten them to where they are to help them be successful and achieve their goals, their dreams, so that we can lean in and learn from these inspiring individuals and apply that wisdom to our life. If you enjoyed this, make sure to share with your friend. Take a story, screenshot and post a story on your Instagram page, LewisHowes.com/655. You can tag Michelle as well and post it on Twitter, Facebook, all the places, and let me know what you thought of this one. Again, share it with a friend, LewisHowes.com/655. The full video interview is over on our show notes there, on our YouTube channel as well.

• 52:04Lewis Howes?

  Make sure to subscribe because every week we've got powerful video interviews over on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/LouisHowes as well. And I want you to remember one thing, that you are here for a reason and a mission and a purpose in this life. You were born with an amazing ability and it's your duty to figure out what the reason is that you're here for. It's your duty right now to discover that. I don't care if you're in transition. I don't care if you're depressed, if you're hurt, you're in pain, you're uncertain, you're scared. It doesn't matter. Your duty is to figure out what it is you're here for right now. And the best way to feel better, and the best way to grow, and the best way to achieve your dreams

• 52:48Lewis Howes?

  is to serve others, living a life of service. That can be just doing what you love, because doing what you love will inspire people around you through your energy, through your passion, through your heart. That's what this life is about, living in service by doing the thing that you love the most. The reason you were born is a one and only reason, and only you get to figure out what that is. You can get support from others, you can get feedback, but you've got to listen to the heart and soul inside of you and reach for what you want and start taking those steps today. I love you very much. I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did... Let me know on Instagram @lewishouse. And as always, you know what time it is.

• 53:30Lewis Howes?

  It's time to go out there and do something great.

• 53:36Lewis Howes?

  ...