As the summer sunshine fills the air, I hope this post finds you in high spirits and in excellent health. I have some exciting updates to share with you as we navigate the warm weather (if you're in the northern hemisphere. :) and look forward to the sunny adventures of summer!
The last few months have been a time of juggling between working full-time in NYC, growing my brand, Fabulous & FearLESS, speaking and/or teaching self-defense workshops, as well as training for the Kimura Shukokai International Karate World Tournament taking place in Cape Town, South Africa on July 11-15, 2023. Training for these tournaments involves a minimum of
15 hours per week for a few months.
Balancing all these has at times felt overwhelming and impossible, and yet because it’s activities that I love and am passionate about. I take them on with pride and enjoyment.
We officially began training for the world tournament at the end of March, upon our return from a week of training at the World Chief Instructors Course in Germany. World Tournament training involves starting with a minimum of 10 hours a week and beginning in May, ramping it up to about 15-20 hours per week. Training at such an intensity level helps me grow both as a karate practitioner as well as build my knowledge and skills as I continue to teach and speak about self-defense and the importance of awareness, confidence, and a strong mindset.
In less than 25 days, we leave for Cape Town, where we will compete against competitors from 18 different countries, with a total of about 550 competitors. The energy, excitement, and nervousness that takes place over the three days are inspiring and invigorating. Everyone’s fighting for the gold and giving it their best shot!
While there may not be much time for a lot of other entertainment, and a lot of time is spent with the Karate family, there is nothing about this journey I would change - it’s what I love and am passionate about. It makes me happy and drives me to strive higher in all aspects of my life.
Even with all this training, my family and I still managed to pull off a surprise 80th birthday party for my mom, with my sister and I doing most of the food preparation, because we’re Greek and we like to show off the cooking skills our mother taught us all these years. (My mom aka Master Chef, as I’ve nicknamed her, is an amazing cook!)
Over the next month, my plan is to continue working (obviously, because that’s what pays for these trips) and the remainder of my time, focus on my training for the tournament. My goal is to be as prepared as possible, as I get ready to compete in four different categories namely Individual Kata (form), Unison (synchronized) kata, and Individual and Team Kumite (fighting).
I will resume booking self-defense speaking engagements and workshops, in August. In the meantime, continue to follow me on my social media pages: Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, where I will also be providing updates from the tournament followed by my vacation in South Africa, the country where I was born and began karate at nine years old. I will also continue to provide valuable self-defense and safety tips, inspiration, and a sneak peek into what training for a karate world tournament looks like until I depart in early July.
Until then, I wish you all a wonderful and blessed summer. Remember, your safety and
well-being are paramount to me. If I can answer any questions or help you in any way let me know. Continue to stay safe, alert, and remember to always be aware.