November 14, 2025 • 30 mins
This podcast episode features an engaging dialogue with a remarkable athlete of the week, Tiago Rangel Miguel, who hails from Portugal and has made significant contributions to the martial arts community. We delve into his journey in martial arts, which commenced at a tender age and evolved through various disciplines, ultimately leading him to embrace Songahm Taekwondo. Tiago shares his experiences, including the challenges he faced while transitioning between styles and the profound impact of competition on his growth as a martial artist. Additionally, we have the privilege of conversing with Master Tavani, an internet sensation known for her participation in the Netflix series "Squid Games: The Challenge," where she discusses her journey from martial arts to reality television. The episode encapsulates the spirit of perseverance and dedication that defines the ATA community, as we reflect on both the challenges and triumphs of our distinguished guests.
Takeaways:
- The ATA Nation podcast episode features an international athlete of the week from Portugal, highlighting the global reach of the martial arts community.
- Listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the ATA Nation YouTube channel to enhance their engagement with the content and community.
- The episode emphasizes the importance of training and perseverance in martial arts, especially when facing challenges and injuries during competition.
- The discussions reveal a commitment to excellence and personal growth within the ATA, showcasing the dedication of athletes and instructors alike.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Today we talk to a Netflixfamous ATA master and our athlete
of the week.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the Ata Nation podcast.
Masters, instructors,students, parents, family members
(00:22):
of Ata Nation, welcome back tothe Ata Nation podcast.
This is episode 176 and and Iam your host, Senior master Zach
Hayden.
It is a joy and a privilege tobe back with you.
Hopefully you are subscribed.
Speaking of those of you whoare subscribed, have you hit the
subscribe button on YouTube?
You might be watching this onYouTube, but I know a lot of people
(00:45):
watch or listen on theirfavorite podcast feed, which is the
way I like to do podcasts, butlots of people like video.
And let me tell you justbefore we get started, we've got
some great guests today, but Ijust thought this was interesting.
Obviously, the number onelisteners to the at Nation podcast
by region is the United States.
(01:07):
This is in the last 90 days.
But number two, can you guess?
The United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom coming insecond maybe because I mentioned
them so much because I want toto go there again.
Third place is Brazil.
Brazil is third place inlisteners to the ATA Nation podcast.
Then we have India, Ireland,shout out to Mango Martial Arts,
(01:30):
Germany, Canada and Singapore.
Ooh, you know what?
You know who's not on here?
It needs to be on here.
Portugal.
Portugal.
What are you doing?
Well, you got 11 downloads inthe last 90 days.
That's it.
Portugal.
And this week, the athlete ofthe week is from Portugal.
So come on now, Come on, yougot to do it.
But maybe they're watchingmore on the YouTube.
(01:51):
I am on a mission.
You've heard it before.
I want to get the ATAs YouTubechannel on Revan roaring I want a
hundred thousand subscribers.
That's the goal.
100,000.
We have 33 or something like that.
And that's crazy.
We got so many awesome ATM members.
All I need you to do is go outthere, hit the subscribe button on
(02:12):
the ATAs YouTube.
We're ramping some stuff up.
We've been putting a a fairamount of shorts out there on YouTube.
We're getting some more ofthose from the ATM brass ambassadors
that we're going to be sharingon there as well.
So make sure you head over toYouTube and check that out.
Now, at the end of the showtoday, we'll be going through some
upcoming events that you don'twant to miss out on, but we've got
two great interviews.
(02:34):
We're going to start todaywith our athlete of the week right
now.
ATA Nation.
I'm excited to have with usanother international athlete of
the week.
Hey, sir.
Can you introduce yourself to us?
Yes, sir, of course.
I'm Tiago Clangella.
I'm four years old.
I'm from Portugal.
(02:54):
Lisbon, Portugal.
From Lisbon, Portugal.
You guys just.
The European Championshipswere in Lisbon.
Is that right?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
In May.
In May?
Yeah, in May.
Excellent.
Okay, so what.
Who's your instructor outthere in Portugal?
Mrs. Russia.
Okay.
Excellent.
And okay, here's the real question.
(03:15):
How'd you get started inmartial arts?
I started martial arts when Iwas nine years old.
I started in judo, and then afew years later, because of an injury
I had, I started doing Olympic Taekwondo.
I was around 16, 15 years.
16 years old until I reachedmy first degree black belts.
Then I stopped.
And then I met SongamTaekwondo because my sister started
(03:38):
practicing in a smaller schoolat the time, and I got into it, and
so I started all over.
I started as a white belt andstarted all over, and it was really
fun.
Oh, so what was the.
How long was that breakbetween getting your.
Your taekwondo black belt?
The first three, and thenstarting back up again?
(03:59):
I think two, three years,probably max.
Yeah.
Cool.
I think.
Okay, so what was it like?
You know, you'd done martialarts for a long time.
Then what was it like to.
To start back at white belt again?
Were you a little like, I knowthis stuff.
I don't need to do this.
Start.
Yeah, at start.
Yeah, I started.
I'm already a black.
(04:20):
I did all the process.
It was really hard.
A lot of injuries, a lot of difficulties.
But then I started speakingwith my instructor at the time, and
he really wanted me to knowSongam Taekwondo from the beginning,
and I got the challenge.
I accepted.
(04:40):
And I think I got to love evenmore Songam Taekwondo now, because
I did all the process from thebeginning, and I'm real proud of
it.
And, yeah, it is what it is.
Yeah.
What.
So what is.
What is a difference in songon Taekwondo that.
That you have appreciated or.
Or.
Or maybe has been a challengefor you when you switch to song?
(05:02):
I'm Taekwondo kind of adifference or something that might
have been challenging.
There are some nuances in techniques.
Like when we do blocks, westarted inner, and in Olympic, we
started outside.
Um, that was some smallchanges that I need to.
It was already automatic, andso I. I needed to fix it.
(05:24):
Um, but the free.
The.
The main difference is the competition.
In.
In combat, in sparring.
Um, yeah, first.
The first sparring that I did,I was hitting the opponent, and I.
I thought I Was winningbecause they don't stop.
They.
They make the point and theydon't stop.
(05:44):
And when I, the, the, thematch ended, I, I was losing five,
three.
And so.
Yeah, and so I was hitting andspinning and do all the things that
we did in Olympics and then I lost.
Oh, need to learn.
Yeah.
But the thing I, I love themost about Songam that motivated
(06:06):
me was the weapons.
In Olympic Taekwondo, wedidn't have the weapons, and so it
was really fun.
Okay, so let's talk about that competition.
Your.
What is weapons?
Your favorite event?
What's your favorite event tocompete in when you're competing?
I love traditional forms andtraditional weapons and I started
(06:27):
competing in creative as welllast world and was.
It was really fun and I got to.
To love that competition.
But my favorite are thetraditionals, the forms and weapons.
Yeah.
What, what weapon is your goto weapon now?
The gumdo.
Gumdo.
Excellent.
Two years ago it was the.
(06:47):
I don't know how to say in Korean.
No.
Nunchuck.
Yeah, excellent.
Well, so that's interesting.
Do you think is, are thoseyour favorite?
I mean, just because you nevergot to do weapons before, you know,
I would have guessed fromcoming from Olympic style background
(07:10):
that sparring would have beenyour favorite.
Is part of that.
Because it's such a differencethat it.
No.
When I started in martialarts, it was because of my influences
at the time.
When I was a kid, I used towatch shows like the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, the PowerRangers, Dragon Ball Z and stuff
like that.
And most of it, I really lovedthe technique.
(07:34):
I always loved the technique.
Even when I was competing inOlympic Taekwondo, I was part of
a big club here, the sparringteam from a big club here in Portugal.
But I always preferred thepart of the traditional techniques
and so on.
And so now I do love sparring.
(07:55):
I do love combat.
Combat is really fun.
It's something different thatI really start to appreciate and
it's really fun.
But as time goes by and I'mgetting older and I need to focus
on one thing at a time, and Ithink traditional forms is better
for me to continue to competeat a higher level than sparring.
(08:15):
Injuries.
Injuries.
And.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The recovery, the recoveryfrom sparring is a little.
Takes a little longer than forms.
It does, it does.
Especially at 4 years old.
It does.
Yes.
I hear you.
I hear you.
Okay, so how fascinating.
So what for you has been you,you mentioned, I think you mentioned
(08:37):
world championships.
What's it been like for you tobe part of this international organization
that's kind of, you know, moreof it is in.
In the U.S. obviously.
Yeah.
And being part of thisinternational organization like the
ata, what's that been like for you?
At first, when I startedSongam Taekwondo, I didn't know the.
(09:00):
How huge the ATA was.
I think I only got it.
I think I'm doing Sangam nowfor about nine, 10 years, something
like that, because I did itand I stopped because I had.
My second son was born, andthen I stopped a little period, six
months, one year or somethinglike that, and then I restarted again.
(09:20):
But I only got to see how hugethe ATA was when I went to my first
world, which.
Which was two years ago, notthis July, the previous year before.
And when I got there, I got tosee the.
The master ceremony and howhuge it was.
And I love these kinds of things.
(09:43):
Yes.
I love the suits, I love the rings.
I love the ceremonies.
I love everything.
And so.
So I got.
I really got in love with it.
And it got me even more.
More motivated to.
To compete and to go again.
So I went this year, and I gotbetter results than the previous
years, and so I'm even moremotivated to go again.
(10:04):
And then when I arrived atPortugal, I didn't realize at the
time, but now seeing thedifference and how good we are now,
and I'm fortunate enough to bepart of a group the.
With master, senior master inductee.
(10:24):
I think that's how we say it.
Tanger, which who is thepresident of the.
The Portuguese Federation.
Yeah.
And he invited me to a groupcalled the Renegades.
And I got to see how thePortuguese team is really evolving
and really.
And I think they are doing awonderful job here in Portugal to
(10:45):
bring the song of Taekwondo ina higher level.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Portugal is, you know, like the.
The hub of song.
I'm Taekwondo in Europe these days.
Yeah.
You know, it's.
We're just.
I know Chief Master Shrivertrying to grow it out of just Portugal,
but Portugal is such a powerhouse.
Yeah.
In song, I'm Taekwondo, whichis fantastic.
(11:07):
I think we are the countrywith most schools here in.
Here in Europe.
A few years ago, five, sixyears ago, there were probably five,
six schools, and now we have10, 12.
I'm not sure how many, butyeah, the work here has been wonderful.
It's been fantastic to see thegrowth there.
What.
So thinking about competition,Maybe not competition, but maybe
(11:29):
just training or whatnot.
What kind of goals do you havethat you are looking at for the future?
I really wanted to be a world champion.
I think that's what everybodysays, but.
It'S a good goal.
Yeah.
It wasn't a goal that I had,but when I got there the first time
and I got to see.
(11:50):
I really want those redletters on the sea, you know, and
it's a motivation for me to be.
To be able to be there.
But if it won't happen, itwon't happen.
I'm just.
I have that goal, and I focuson training every day more and more
and more to be able to getthat achievement.
(12:11):
And then, like I said, I'mfortunate enough to have a lot of
people helping me.
My teacher, Mrs. Russia, therenegades, even Senior Master Barry,
who is a wonderful person andhelped me a lot before Worlds, and
I'm pretty fortunate.
And I'm really living my dreamas a martial artist now and focus
every day, training every day,and I'm really happy about it.
(12:34):
So that's awesome.
I'm guessing after having seenthe Master Ceremony, maybe a goal
to be a master.
Yeah, Yeah.
I really want that white suit first.
Yes.
Yeah.
You got to start with the white.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I was not a.
You know, when I. I.
Master ceremony was one of the.
The things that is my absolutefavorite when I go to World Championships,
(12:55):
I have to go to the Master Ceremony.
It's just so motivating.
And I was the same way withthat white suit.
And then I was like, man, Idon't love blue.
But then after I got the whiteone, I was like, okay, maybe that
blue one looks kind of cool.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Awesome.
Well, okay, final question here.
Before we wrap up, we like toask, what's it mean to you to be
a champion that goes beyondthe belt.
(13:18):
For me personally, from myexperience, the belt is just something
you have around your waist.
I started all over again, andI would do it again if I go to another
martial art.
And so for me, it's not.
It's not about the belt.
It's about how you train andhow you do stuff after practice.
The belt is something that youachieve, first degree, second, and
(13:42):
so on and so on.
If you continue to practice,you will eventually achieve higher
ranks.
But the way you choose to liveoutside the tatami, when you undress
the suit and the belt, for me,that's the most important part.
And I want to be an example for.
For my students.
(14:02):
I give a class at Mrs.
Rush's school, and I want tobe an example for them, and I practice
every day to.
For them to see me as it.
As an example.
So for me, that's excellent.
Yep.
Yeah, that's, you know, that is.
That's the way you, you know,get to go into that cool master ceremony
someday is be an example, youknow, you know, doing.
(14:23):
Doing what we talk aboutoutside of the school, not just in
the school, so.
Well, sir, congratulations onbeing one of the athletes of the
week.
And, you know, thank you somuch for your time today.
No, thank you.
I. I will.
I, I thank you.
And I would like to inviteeverybody to come at Euro.
It's a wonderful experience.
It's a wonderful country.
We are very, how we say, harm, Welcoming.
(14:48):
We are very welcoming people.
And so it would be wonderful.
Yeah.
What are you guys out.
Is the.
The European Championshipsgonna be in Portugal again this year?
I think it usually is.
It usually is.
It usually?
Yes.
Well, you guys got all the schools.
You gotta.
Yeah, they gotta.
Yeah.
And I. I made a few greatfriends from America thanks to the
(15:08):
Euro, and I would love to makeeven more, so please come.
I keep.
I keep talking to my wife, andI'm like, once my kids are just a
little bit older, we're gonnahit the European Championships.
We're gonna go to the Pan Am Games.
Will go everywhere.
And you'll be all theinternational guys.
You will love it.
So awesome.
Thanks so much.
Thank you.
(15:30):
Always great to have anotherinternational athlete of the week.
Super cool.
Can't wait to meet him atWorld Championships or maybe, you
know, heading out to theEuropean Games one of these days.
But one other interview for today.
This is exciting.
As soon as I saw this online,I was like, hey, we have to do an
interview.
So we have with us Master Tavani.
(15:52):
And she.
I don't know.
Have you guys seen this on thenew Netflix?
I almost said.
I almost said Hunger Games.
What am I thinking, guys?
That's.
That's insane.
Squid Games, the challenge season.
Super cool.
We're going to talk to herabout that right now.
(16:12):
ATA Nation, we have a returnguest with us, and might I say, Internet
famous Master Teavani.
How's it going?
It's going great.
Thank you for those kind words.
How are you?
I am wonderful.
I saw you post something about.
Actually, no, it was Mr. Skelner.
(16:33):
He posted like.
He was like, hey, I think Isee an ATA person in this picture.
Yes, he found me.
Yes.
And then I was like, holy moly.
I got to talk about this.
So for sure, before we getinto the whole Squid Games thing,
give us.
You've been on the showbefore, but just give us a quick
recap.
How'd you get into martial arts?
(16:54):
Yeah, absolutely.
Absolutely.
So I got into martial arts atage 5 because I wanted to be a ninja
Turtle.
And also I of course have ADHDlike many of us do in the martial
arts world.
And my mom was, you know,looking for a spot for me to gain
confidence and focus and allthat good stuff.
So we started with ata.
That's awesome.
(17:14):
And it's, it's been historysince you're a successful school
owner.
Two time school owner, if I'mnot mistaken.
Now.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, sir.
You know, and all over you'vegot, you decided us northern people,
it's a little too cold and hadto go south, is that right?
Well, I'm in Pittsburgh rightnow and the squid suits.
(17:37):
Squid suits keeping me warm.
And so, yeah, you know, I lovethe north, I love the south.
I think as a kid I alwayswanted to be a snowbird.
Like I used to tell mygrandparents, that was my goal.
So, yeah, so just being ableto live the lifestyle I want through
martial arts and through mypassion and through giving back.
And so it's pretty cool that Ican have this opportunity to live,
(17:59):
live the life I've alwayswanted to.
That's awesome.
It's great.
And it's, it's great to hearstories of people doing that through
their, their, their passion.
Martial arts.
Something to love now.
Passion and purpose.
You know it.
Yes, sir.
Martial arts isn't the onlything you're known for.
So you've been on AmericanNinjas Warrior, you've done some
modeling, some commercial stuff.
(18:21):
What other.
And then now squid games.
So before we get into thewhole squid games thing, did you
stumble into television andthose kind of things or did you like
purposely go out and like,this is what I, I want to do this
extra thing as well.
Right, right, funny.
So when I was a kid, my momalways, she had me in modeling and
(18:41):
I was like, I don't like this.
I don't want to, I don't wantto, you know, just like dress up
and act like someone I'm not,you know.
And so as the years when I wasin college, I was like, oh man, I
kind of need money, right?
Struggling college student,you know, working three jobs.
I was teaching martial artsfor Master Kaminsky, I was bartending,
I was doing all these extrathings just to get by and pay my
(19:04):
college tuition.
And so that's when I got backinto it and I started modeling and
acting here in Pittsburgh atthe talent group.
And so, yeah, I was like, oh,this is fun.
And then I realized, like, oh,this is helping me get by financially,
actually really great as acollege student.
And so after that, I justrealized, like, this is fun.
I love to do these things, andI have a passion for it.
(19:25):
So let's keep doing them.
So, yeah, that's how I kind ofgot into it.
And then after I did, I didthe ESPN3 special, the 360 challenge
in 2016, and I had alwayswanted to do that in Orlando, right.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
And so once I did it, I waslike, ooh, what's next now?
Like, I can't just end on this.
And so that's when I did Ninja Warrior.
(19:48):
I submitted to be on the show,and I got casted for that for the
first season in 2018.
Very cool.
And now Squid Games.
I mean, this is kind of a big deal.
I. I have not.
This is.
I'm such a.
Like an old man or something.
I don't know.
I haven't watched any Squid games.
I'm a reality show guy, butI'm like a. I'm like a survivor.
I'm a huge Survivor.
(20:08):
Traders on Peacock.
Like, those I'll watch, but Ihaven't watched this yet.
So tell us a little bit about,one, what it is, and two, how'd you
get on?
Yeah, for sure.
So if you've ever watched, andI know you said you didn't, but anyone
out there listening, if you'veever watched Squid Games, the Dr.
Series that is Netflix'snumber one of all time, biggest rated
(20:31):
show.
Okay.
And so that was.
That came out in 2020, and itreally became a phenomenon, and people
started loving it.
It's.
It's a little dark.
Right.
But it's also very captivating.
And so from that emerged the challenge.
Because that was such asuccess, they said, let's turn this
into a reality show.
And basically what you do, thewhole premises is based on people
(20:54):
that whether you're wealthy,whether you're, you know, po.
Like maybe you're just down onyour luck because you got into some
financial situation.
And then they.
You get selected to go intothe Squid Games and play Korean children's
games to have the opportunityto win $4.56 billion on the drama
(21:15):
series.
Holy moly.
Yes.
So that.
That's kind of the premise ofthe drama series that they did the
same thing with the realityshow, but instead of 4.6 billion,
they just cut it down to million.
So just no, baby, just for.
Why even play if it's just forthat, right?
I mean, just chump change.
(21:36):
Not really.
I'm sure.
That would change everyone'slife here.
Certainly mine.
It would change my life as well.
But yeah, so.
Yeah.
And then the reality seriesdoes essentially the same thing,
but, you know, no one getsactually shot or anything like that.
Everyone stays alive, but theyget the opportunity to play the games
(21:57):
and they are like Gongi.
All these amazing Koreanchildren's games that are pretty
cool for.
For the big price.
Well, I know people have been watching.
There was a vote justyesterday to see if you could get
on the.
The next season.
Yeah, I.
(22:17):
They.
They haven't announced oranything yet, have they?
No.
So literally, I just.
There was like the.
The.
On Tuesday, the second set ofthe new episodes just came out.
Right.
So they started that onTuesday, a fan vote.
And so I think it goes fromlike the.
The.
The 11th or, sorry, the 12thand through like the 17th.
(22:39):
So it's only five days.
So if anyone's out therewatching and you want to see me back,
I don't want to say too muchbecause if you watch the first episode,
you'll see me on it and you see.
See kind of what happens.
But if you want to see meback, we got these five days to vote
and vote me back on.
Okay.
ATN Nation.
You got to get out there.
You got to vote for Master Tevani.
She's got to be on again.
(23:00):
So we can see that.
That's.
That's super cool.
What was the.
Just the process of doing this?
You know, were you.
Where'd you film.
Did.
Were you there for a long time?
Was it a short, you know, inand out?
Yeah, so I was in London.
We filmed in London.
And so that was pretty cool.
They flew us over all thatgood stuff.
The first.
(23:20):
Basically it was three weeksthat they had sectioned off that
I was in London the firstthree to four days.
We were basically like segregin a hotel by ourselves.
No phones, no computers, no electronics.
We each had our own room.
But very much school games isa mental challenge as well.
(23:42):
And so they really wanted toput us in that same scenario as the
players from the drama series.
Right.
And so, yeah, we basicallywere in a room with nothing.
We were allowed to bring somebooks, you know, maybe some writing
utensils, and that's it.
Each day we only got 40, like,45 minutes to socialize.
(24:02):
They would knock on the door.
We didn't know what time it was.
All the clocks were taken awayfrom us.
Anything with.
Yeah, it was kind of crazy.
Anything with time.
And so you're just in thisroom for hours on end.
And then you hear a knock,like on the door.
And then it's like, okay, it'stime for dinner, time for breakfast.
And that was kind of the onlyway we even knew what time it was.
(24:23):
And that was our moment tosocialize with our cohort, which
we were divided by colors.
So you could only speak toyour color cohort for 30 minutes
a day, basically.
Wow.
That.
What, what do you think yourbackground in martial arts and things
was?
Did it give you any advantagein the competition?
(24:44):
What, you know, was thereanything that you were like, ah,
I'm so glad, you know, I'vekicked people in the head for this,
or I've had to deal with, youknow, fasting for mastership or whatever.
Right.
That helped.
I mean, honestly, I thinkprobably one of the things that really
prepared me that I've donethroughout my martial large career.
I went to Africa in 2022, Ilived there for a month, and I taught
(25:08):
self defense to women and children.
I created my own program.
And when I was in Africa, Ihad to really learn how to live a
different way.
You know, no ac.
I could barely drink water,you know, the food, everything was
different.
Like, it was a whole nother lifestyle.
And that really mentallypushed me through, like, taught me
(25:28):
a lot.
So I think that experienceparticularly prepared me for being
ready for this game and justtotally taken out of my daily culture,
my daily norms, and justthrown into, you know, being in a.
Locked in a hotel in Londonfor hours on end with any socialization.
But I think, I think honestly,just like breaking a board, right?
(25:51):
You know, overcoming thatchallenge of like leveling yourself
up with, you know, maybe aharder board break or, you know,
those daily things we teachevery day in class.
I mean, of course those allcontributed to the mental strength
I have now as a person thatcarries me into doing these new cool
experiences and challenges.
That's awesome.
(26:13):
What has been the reactionfrom your students and just ata people
who know you?
Yeah, so it's cool.
I feel like I've gottenreached out to, from students that
I had from when I startedteaching when I was like 16, back
in the early 2000s.
And a bunch of people havereached out to me from my past, past
(26:34):
students, past instructinstructors, all this good stuff.
So it's actually been prettycool catching up with the people
because I haven't talked tosome of these guys in years.
So that's been like, reallyamazing reconnecting.
And my students at the schoolare, you know, just.
It's kind of funny because mystudents at no Limits Pittsburgh,
They've seen me do AmericanNinja Warrior.
They've seen me do these showsand do these things.
(26:55):
So they're like, oh yeah,masters on another show, you know,
and so it's kind of likenormal to them.
But they definitely havegotten very excited about the squid
suits.
We're doing some custom, someholiday, no limits game suits and
they're definitely excited todo that.
Take some pictures and justkind of join the experience and get
the behind the scenes information.
(27:18):
That's cool.
I saw some of the swag thatyou're doing there at the school
online and it's pretty cool.
It's going to be sweet.
Yeah, yeah, no, definitely.
I mean, I figure the time todo it is now, you know, and it's
like, why not do a little playon it and enjoy the.
Enjoy the ride.
Right?
Well, do you think, is thisthe last reality competition that
(27:41):
we'll see you in?
Will we?
I mean, obviously we're goingto vote for you to be in the second,
you know, the second thing.
But yeah, you know, you gotyour sights on some other shows,
maybe.
Sights on some other shows.
You know, right now there isdefinitely some other agendas.
I have some other goals coming up.
I don't, I don't think it'd beTV particularly, but it's definitely
(28:04):
a different kind of genre thanI've ever done before.
So I definitely have some coolnew and exciting goals.
I would love.
I'll say this, maybe not rightnow, but maybe in the next, like
five years.
I would really love to get onlike an entrepreneurship show and
really tell like my story thus far.
And so I think that that wouldbe something that would be interesting.
(28:26):
So if anyone has some greatentrepreneurship shows you watch,
let me know because that'sdefinite something that's in my wheelhouse
that I love.
You know what have you ever watched?
It was on this year on Brand.
Jimmy Fallon did a new show onNBC where they were like a marketing
company.
He had people come in and thenthey'd pitch these companies.
(28:48):
It was kind of like the oldApprentice show, but it was just
marketing things.
You would on it.
You'd be amazing.
Oh, I. I've got.
Yes, I.
That's exactly what I'mlooking at.
Something like that would be amazing.
Yeah, I know there's this oneshow and I think it's maybe it's
called Legend, but.
But they basically like, youtell your story of how you started
your business and then whereyou want to grow too.
(29:11):
And so I think something like that.
Telling my story where I couldbe authentically me and.
And you know, really put outwhat our mission statement is at
no limits for everyone to seewould be awesome too.
Yeah, that's awesome.
Cool.
Well, we look forward toseeing what more you do, what more
is out there.
And then of course, you know,your awesome success in martial arts
(29:33):
as.
As you continue training,testing, and these no limit schools
are just kicking butt.
Yeah.
Thank you, sir.
I really appreciate it.
Yeah, definitely lookingforward to the future.
And just thank you so much forhaving me on today and just getting
to kind of give a little bitof behind the scenes of what Squid
Games is all about and youknow, how it incorporates with our
(29:53):
challenges that we do everyday in martial arts and overcome
all these obstacles.
Cool.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's super cool.
And guys, make sure you watchand get out there and vote before
the time is up so we can watchMaster Teavani on there again.
Go to netflix.com 003 is my number.
That's all you have to do isclick that link and put 003 and then
(30:13):
maybe you'll see me again.
Perfect.
Thank you so much, ma'.
Am.
Absolutely, sir.
Thank you.
Have a great day.
Oh, man, do we have some coolpeople in the ata.
How amazing.
What a cool story pod.
Be sure to subscribe and sharewith your ATA family.
Today we talk to a Netflixfamous ATA master and our athlete
of the week.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the Ata Nation podcast.
Masters, instructors,students, parents, family members
(00:22):
of Ata Nation, welcome back tothe Ata Nation podcast.
This is episode 176 and and Iam your host, Senior master Zach
Hayden.
It is a joy and a privilege tobe back with you.
Hopefully you are subscribed.
Speaking of those of you whoare subscribed, have you hit the
subscribe button on YouTube?
You might be watching this onYouTube, but I know a lot of people
(00:45):
watch or listen on theirfavorite podcast feed, which is the
way I like to do podcasts, butlots of people like video.
And let me tell you justbefore we get started, we've got
some great guests today, but Ijust thought this was interesting.
Obviously, the number onelisteners to the at Nation podcast
by region is the United States.
(01:07):
This is in the last 90 days.
But number two, can you guess?
The United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom coming insecond maybe because I mentioned
them so much because I want toto go there again.
Third place is Brazil.
Brazil is third place inlisteners to the ATA Nation podcast.
Then we have India, Ireland,shout out to Mango Martial Arts,
(01:30):
Germany, Canada and Singapore.
Ooh, you know what?
You know who's not on here?
It needs to be on here.
Portugal.
Portugal.
What are you doing?
Well, you got 11 downloads inthe last 90 days.
That's it.
Portugal.
And this week, the athlete ofthe week is from Portugal.
So come on now, Come on, yougot to do it.
But maybe they're watchingmore on the YouTube.
(01:51):
I am on a mission.
You've heard it before.
I want to get the ATAs YouTubechannel on Revan roaring I want a
hundred thousand subscribers.
That's the goal.
100,000.
We have 33 or something like that.
And that's crazy.
We got so many awesome ATM members.
All I need you to do is go outthere, hit the subscribe button on
(02:12):
the ATAs YouTube.
We're ramping some stuff up.
We've been putting a a fairamount of shorts out there on YouTube.
We're getting some more ofthose from the ATM brass ambassadors
that we're going to be sharingon there as well.
So make sure you head over toYouTube and check that out.
Now, at the end of the showtoday, we'll be going through some
upcoming events that you don'twant to miss out on, but we've got
two great interviews.
(02:34):
We're going to start todaywith our athlete of the week right
now.
ATA Nation.
I'm excited to have with usanother international athlete of
the week.
Hey, sir.
Can you introduce yourself to us?
Yes, sir, of course.
I'm Tiago Clangella.
I'm four years old.
I'm from Portugal.
(02:54):
Lisbon, Portugal.
From Lisbon, Portugal.
You guys just.
The European Championshipswere in Lisbon.
Is that right?
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
In May.
In May?
Yeah, in May.
Excellent.
Okay, so what.
Who's your instructor outthere in Portugal?
Mrs. Russia.
Okay.
Excellent.
And okay, here's the real question.
(03:15):
How'd you get started inmartial arts?
I started martial arts when Iwas nine years old.
I started in judo, and then afew years later, because of an injury
I had, I started doing Olympic Taekwondo.
I was around 16, 15 years.
16 years old until I reachedmy first degree black belts.
Then I stopped.
And then I met SongamTaekwondo because my sister started
(03:38):
practicing in a smaller schoolat the time, and I got into it, and
so I started all over.
I started as a white belt andstarted all over, and it was really
fun.
Oh, so what was the.
How long was that breakbetween getting your.
Your taekwondo black belt?
The first three, and thenstarting back up again?
(03:59):
I think two, three years,probably max.
Yeah.
Cool.
I think.
Okay, so what was it like?
You know, you'd done martialarts for a long time.
Then what was it like to.
To start back at white belt again?
Were you a little like, I knowthis stuff.
I don't need to do this.
Start.
Yeah, at start.
Yeah, I started.
I'm already a black.
(04:20):
I did all the process.
It was really hard.
A lot of injuries, a lot of difficulties.
But then I started speakingwith my instructor at the time, and
he really wanted me to knowSongam Taekwondo from the beginning,
and I got the challenge.
I accepted.
(04:40):
And I think I got to love evenmore Songam Taekwondo now, because
I did all the process from thebeginning, and I'm real proud of
it.
And, yeah, it is what it is.
Yeah.
What.
So what is.
What is a difference in songon Taekwondo that.
That you have appreciated or.
Or.
Or maybe has been a challengefor you when you switch to song?
(05:02):
I'm Taekwondo kind of adifference or something that might
have been challenging.
There are some nuances in techniques.
Like when we do blocks, westarted inner, and in Olympic, we
started outside.
Um, that was some smallchanges that I need to.
It was already automatic, andso I. I needed to fix it.
(05:24):
Um, but the free.
The.
The main difference is the competition.
In.
In combat, in sparring.
Um, yeah, first.
The first sparring that I did,I was hitting the opponent, and I.
I thought I Was winningbecause they don't stop.
They.
They make the point and theydon't stop.
(05:44):
And when I, the, the, thematch ended, I, I was losing five,
three.
And so.
Yeah, and so I was hitting andspinning and do all the things that
we did in Olympics and then I lost.
Oh, need to learn.
Yeah.
But the thing I, I love themost about Songam that motivated
(06:06):
me was the weapons.
In Olympic Taekwondo, wedidn't have the weapons, and so it
was really fun.
Okay, so let's talk about that competition.
Your.
What is weapons?
Your favorite event?
What's your favorite event tocompete in when you're competing?
I love traditional forms andtraditional weapons and I started
(06:27):
competing in creative as welllast world and was.
It was really fun and I got to.
To love that competition.
But my favorite are thetraditionals, the forms and weapons.
Yeah.
What, what weapon is your goto weapon now?
The gumdo.
Gumdo.
Excellent.
Two years ago it was the.
(06:47):
I don't know how to say in Korean.
No.
Nunchuck.
Yeah, excellent.
Well, so that's interesting.
Do you think is, are thoseyour favorite?
I mean, just because you nevergot to do weapons before, you know,
I would have guessed fromcoming from Olympic style background
(07:10):
that sparring would have beenyour favorite.
Is part of that.
Because it's such a differencethat it.
No.
When I started in martialarts, it was because of my influences
at the time.
When I was a kid, I used towatch shows like the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, the PowerRangers, Dragon Ball Z and stuff
like that.
And most of it, I really lovedthe technique.
(07:34):
I always loved the technique.
Even when I was competing inOlympic Taekwondo, I was part of
a big club here, the sparringteam from a big club here in Portugal.
But I always preferred thepart of the traditional techniques
and so on.
And so now I do love sparring.
(07:55):
I do love combat.
Combat is really fun.
It's something different thatI really start to appreciate and
it's really fun.
But as time goes by and I'mgetting older and I need to focus
on one thing at a time, and Ithink traditional forms is better
for me to continue to competeat a higher level than sparring.
(08:15):
Injuries.
Injuries.
And.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The recovery, the recoveryfrom sparring is a little.
Takes a little longer than forms.
It does, it does.
Especially at 4 years old.
It does.
Yes.
I hear you.
I hear you.
Okay, so how fascinating.
So what for you has been you,you mentioned, I think you mentioned
(08:37):
world championships.
What's it been like for you tobe part of this international organization
that's kind of, you know, moreof it is in.
In the U.S. obviously.
Yeah.
And being part of thisinternational organization like the
ata, what's that been like for you?
At first, when I startedSongam Taekwondo, I didn't know the.
(09:00):
How huge the ATA was.
I think I only got it.
I think I'm doing Sangam nowfor about nine, 10 years, something
like that, because I did itand I stopped because I had.
My second son was born, andthen I stopped a little period, six
months, one year or somethinglike that, and then I restarted again.
(09:20):
But I only got to see how hugethe ATA was when I went to my first
world, which.
Which was two years ago, notthis July, the previous year before.
And when I got there, I got tosee the.
The master ceremony and howhuge it was.
And I love these kinds of things.
(09:43):
Yes.
I love the suits, I love the rings.
I love the ceremonies.
I love everything.
And so.
So I got.
I really got in love with it.
And it got me even more.
More motivated to.
To compete and to go again.
So I went this year, and I gotbetter results than the previous
years, and so I'm even moremotivated to go again.
(10:04):
And then when I arrived atPortugal, I didn't realize at the
time, but now seeing thedifference and how good we are now,
and I'm fortunate enough to bepart of a group the.
With master, senior master inductee.
(10:24):
I think that's how we say it.
Tanger, which who is thepresident of the.
The Portuguese Federation.
Yeah.
And he invited me to a groupcalled the Renegades.
And I got to see how thePortuguese team is really evolving
and really.
And I think they are doing awonderful job here in Portugal to
(10:45):
bring the song of Taekwondo ina higher level.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Portugal is, you know, like the.
The hub of song.
I'm Taekwondo in Europe these days.
Yeah.
You know, it's.
We're just.
I know Chief Master Shrivertrying to grow it out of just Portugal,
but Portugal is such a powerhouse.
Yeah.
In song, I'm Taekwondo, whichis fantastic.
(11:07):
I think we are the countrywith most schools here in.
Here in Europe.
A few years ago, five, sixyears ago, there were probably five,
six schools, and now we have10, 12.
I'm not sure how many, butyeah, the work here has been wonderful.
It's been fantastic to see thegrowth there.
What.
So thinking about competition,Maybe not competition, but maybe
(11:29):
just training or whatnot.
What kind of goals do you havethat you are looking at for the future?
I really wanted to be a world champion.
I think that's what everybodysays, but.
It'S a good goal.
Yeah.
It wasn't a goal that I had,but when I got there the first time
and I got to see.
(11:50):
I really want those redletters on the sea, you know, and
it's a motivation for me to be.
To be able to be there.
But if it won't happen, itwon't happen.
I'm just.
I have that goal, and I focuson training every day more and more
and more to be able to getthat achievement.
(12:11):
And then, like I said, I'mfortunate enough to have a lot of
people helping me.
My teacher, Mrs. Russia, therenegades, even Senior Master Barry,
who is a wonderful person andhelped me a lot before Worlds, and
I'm pretty fortunate.
And I'm really living my dreamas a martial artist now and focus
every day, training every day,and I'm really happy about it.
(12:34):
So that's awesome.
I'm guessing after having seenthe Master Ceremony, maybe a goal
to be a master.
Yeah, Yeah.
I really want that white suit first.
Yes.
Yeah.
You got to start with the white.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I was not a.
You know, when I. I.
Master ceremony was one of the.
The things that is my absolutefavorite when I go to World Championships,
(12:55):
I have to go to the Master Ceremony.
It's just so motivating.
And I was the same way withthat white suit.
And then I was like, man, Idon't love blue.
But then after I got the whiteone, I was like, okay, maybe that
blue one looks kind of cool.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Awesome.
Well, okay, final question here.
Before we wrap up, we like toask, what's it mean to you to be
a champion that goes beyondthe belt.
(13:18):
For me personally, from myexperience, the belt is just something
you have around your waist.
I started all over again, andI would do it again if I go to another
martial art.
And so for me, it's not.
It's not about the belt.
It's about how you train andhow you do stuff after practice.
The belt is something that youachieve, first degree, second, and
(13:42):
so on and so on.
If you continue to practice,you will eventually achieve higher
ranks.
But the way you choose to liveoutside the tatami, when you undress
the suit and the belt, for me,that's the most important part.
And I want to be an example for.
For my students.
(14:02):
I give a class at Mrs.
Rush's school, and I want tobe an example for them, and I practice
every day to.
For them to see me as it.
As an example.
So for me, that's excellent.
Yep.
Yeah, that's, you know, that is.
That's the way you, you know,get to go into that cool master ceremony
someday is be an example, youknow, you know, doing.
(14:23):
Doing what we talk aboutoutside of the school, not just in
the school, so.
Well, sir, congratulations onbeing one of the athletes of the
week.
And, you know, thank you somuch for your time today.
No, thank you.
I. I will.
I, I thank you.
And I would like to inviteeverybody to come at Euro.
It's a wonderful experience.
It's a wonderful country.
We are very, how we say, harm, Welcoming.
(14:48):
We are very welcoming people.
And so it would be wonderful.
Yeah.
What are you guys out.
Is the.
The European Championshipsgonna be in Portugal again this year?
I think it usually is.
It usually is.
It usually?
Yes.
Well, you guys got all the schools.
You gotta.
Yeah, they gotta.
Yeah.
And I. I made a few greatfriends from America thanks to the
(15:08):
Euro, and I would love to makeeven more, so please come.
I keep.
I keep talking to my wife, andI'm like, once my kids are just a
little bit older, we're gonnahit the European Championships.
We're gonna go to the Pan Am Games.
Will go everywhere.
And you'll be all theinternational guys.
You will love it.
So awesome.
Thanks so much.
Thank you.
(15:30):
Always great to have anotherinternational athlete of the week.
Super cool.
Can't wait to meet him atWorld Championships or maybe, you
know, heading out to theEuropean Games one of these days.
But one other interview for today.
This is exciting.
As soon as I saw this online,I was like, hey, we have to do an
interview.
So we have with us Master Tavani.
(15:52):
And she.
I don't know.
Have you guys seen this on thenew Netflix?
I almost said.
I almost said Hunger Games.
What am I thinking, guys?
That's.
That's insane.
Squid Games, the challenge season.
Super cool.
We're going to talk to herabout that right now.
(16:12):
ATA Nation, we have a returnguest with us, and might I say, Internet
famous Master Teavani.
How's it going?
It's going great.
Thank you for those kind words.
How are you?
I am wonderful.
I saw you post something about.
Actually, no, it was Mr. Skelner.
(16:33):
He posted like.
He was like, hey, I think Isee an ATA person in this picture.
Yes, he found me.
Yes.
And then I was like, holy moly.
I got to talk about this.
So for sure, before we getinto the whole Squid Games thing,
give us.
You've been on the showbefore, but just give us a quick
recap.
How'd you get into martial arts?
(16:54):
Yeah, absolutely.
Absolutely.
So I got into martial arts atage 5 because I wanted to be a ninja
Turtle.
And also I of course have ADHDlike many of us do in the martial
arts world.
And my mom was, you know,looking for a spot for me to gain
confidence and focus and allthat good stuff.
So we started with ata.
That's awesome.
(17:14):
And it's, it's been historysince you're a successful school
owner.
Two time school owner, if I'mnot mistaken.
Now.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, sir.
You know, and all over you'vegot, you decided us northern people,
it's a little too cold and hadto go south, is that right?
Well, I'm in Pittsburgh rightnow and the squid suits.
(17:37):
Squid suits keeping me warm.
And so, yeah, you know, I lovethe north, I love the south.
I think as a kid I alwayswanted to be a snowbird.
Like I used to tell mygrandparents, that was my goal.
So, yeah, so just being ableto live the lifestyle I want through
martial arts and through mypassion and through giving back.
And so it's pretty cool that Ican have this opportunity to live,
(17:59):
live the life I've alwayswanted to.
That's awesome.
It's great.
And it's, it's great to hearstories of people doing that through
their, their, their passion.
Martial arts.
Something to love now.
Passion and purpose.
You know it.
Yes, sir.
Martial arts isn't the onlything you're known for.
So you've been on AmericanNinjas Warrior, you've done some
modeling, some commercial stuff.
(18:21):
What other.
And then now squid games.
So before we get into thewhole squid games thing, did you
stumble into television andthose kind of things or did you like
purposely go out and like,this is what I, I want to do this
extra thing as well.
Right, right, funny.
So when I was a kid, my momalways, she had me in modeling and
(18:41):
I was like, I don't like this.
I don't want to, I don't wantto, you know, just like dress up
and act like someone I'm not,you know.
And so as the years when I wasin college, I was like, oh man, I
kind of need money, right?
Struggling college student,you know, working three jobs.
I was teaching martial artsfor Master Kaminsky, I was bartending,
I was doing all these extrathings just to get by and pay my
(19:04):
college tuition.
And so that's when I got backinto it and I started modeling and
acting here in Pittsburgh atthe talent group.
And so, yeah, I was like, oh,this is fun.
And then I realized, like, oh,this is helping me get by financially,
actually really great as acollege student.
And so after that, I justrealized, like, this is fun.
I love to do these things, andI have a passion for it.
(19:25):
So let's keep doing them.
So, yeah, that's how I kind ofgot into it.
And then after I did, I didthe ESPN3 special, the 360 challenge
in 2016, and I had alwayswanted to do that in Orlando, right.
At the ESPN Wide World of Sports.
And so once I did it, I waslike, ooh, what's next now?
Like, I can't just end on this.
And so that's when I did Ninja Warrior.
(19:48):
I submitted to be on the show,and I got casted for that for the
first season in 2018.
Very cool.
And now Squid Games.
I mean, this is kind of a big deal.
I. I have not.
This is.
I'm such a.
Like an old man or something.
I don't know.
I haven't watched any Squid games.
I'm a reality show guy, butI'm like a. I'm like a survivor.
I'm a huge Survivor.
(20:08):
Traders on Peacock.
Like, those I'll watch, but Ihaven't watched this yet.
So tell us a little bit about,one, what it is, and two, how'd you
get on?
Yeah, for sure.
So if you've ever watched, andI know you said you didn't, but anyone
out there listening, if you'veever watched Squid Games, the Dr.
Series that is Netflix'snumber one of all time, biggest rated
(20:31):
show.
Okay.
And so that was.
That came out in 2020, and itreally became a phenomenon, and people
started loving it.
It's.
It's a little dark.
Right.
But it's also very captivating.
And so from that emerged the challenge.
Because that was such asuccess, they said, let's turn this
into a reality show.
And basically what you do, thewhole premises is based on people
(20:54):
that whether you're wealthy,whether you're, you know, po.
Like maybe you're just down onyour luck because you got into some
financial situation.
And then they.
You get selected to go intothe Squid Games and play Korean children's
games to have the opportunityto win $4.56 billion on the drama
(21:15):
series.
Holy moly.
Yes.
So that.
That's kind of the premise ofthe drama series that they did the
same thing with the realityshow, but instead of 4.6 billion,
they just cut it down to million.
So just no, baby, just for.
Why even play if it's just forthat, right?
I mean, just chump change.
(21:36):
Not really.
I'm sure.
That would change everyone'slife here.
Certainly mine.
It would change my life as well.
But yeah, so.
Yeah.
And then the reality seriesdoes essentially the same thing,
but, you know, no one getsactually shot or anything like that.
Everyone stays alive, but theyget the opportunity to play the games
(21:57):
and they are like Gongi.
All these amazing Koreanchildren's games that are pretty
cool for.
For the big price.
Well, I know people have been watching.
There was a vote justyesterday to see if you could get
on the.
The next season.
Yeah, I.
(22:17):
They.
They haven't announced oranything yet, have they?
No.
So literally, I just.
There was like the.
The.
On Tuesday, the second set ofthe new episodes just came out.
Right.
So they started that onTuesday, a fan vote.
And so I think it goes fromlike the.
The.
The 11th or, sorry, the 12thand through like the 17th.
(22:39):
So it's only five days.
So if anyone's out therewatching and you want to see me back,
I don't want to say too muchbecause if you watch the first episode,
you'll see me on it and you see.
See kind of what happens.
But if you want to see meback, we got these five days to vote
and vote me back on.
Okay.
ATN Nation.
You got to get out there.
You got to vote for Master Tevani.
She's got to be on again.
(23:00):
So we can see that.
That's.
That's super cool.
What was the.
Just the process of doing this?
You know, were you.
Where'd you film.
Did.
Were you there for a long time?
Was it a short, you know, inand out?
Yeah, so I was in London.
We filmed in London.
And so that was pretty cool.
They flew us over all thatgood stuff.
The first.
(23:20):
Basically it was three weeksthat they had sectioned off that
I was in London the firstthree to four days.
We were basically like segregin a hotel by ourselves.
No phones, no computers, no electronics.
We each had our own room.
But very much school games isa mental challenge as well.
(23:42):
And so they really wanted toput us in that same scenario as the
players from the drama series.
Right.
And so, yeah, we basicallywere in a room with nothing.
We were allowed to bring somebooks, you know, maybe some writing
utensils, and that's it.
Each day we only got 40, like,45 minutes to socialize.
(24:02):
They would knock on the door.
We didn't know what time it was.
All the clocks were taken awayfrom us.
Anything with.
Yeah, it was kind of crazy.
Anything with time.
And so you're just in thisroom for hours on end.
And then you hear a knock,like on the door.
And then it's like, okay, it'stime for dinner, time for breakfast.
And that was kind of the onlyway we even knew what time it was.
(24:23):
And that was our moment tosocialize with our cohort, which
we were divided by colors.
So you could only speak toyour color cohort for 30 minutes
a day, basically.
Wow.
That.
What, what do you think yourbackground in martial arts and things
was?
Did it give you any advantagein the competition?
(24:44):
What, you know, was thereanything that you were like, ah,
I'm so glad, you know, I'vekicked people in the head for this,
or I've had to deal with, youknow, fasting for mastership or whatever.
Right.
That helped.
I mean, honestly, I thinkprobably one of the things that really
prepared me that I've donethroughout my martial large career.
I went to Africa in 2022, Ilived there for a month, and I taught
(25:08):
self defense to women and children.
I created my own program.
And when I was in Africa, Ihad to really learn how to live a
different way.
You know, no ac.
I could barely drink water,you know, the food, everything was
different.
Like, it was a whole nother lifestyle.
And that really mentallypushed me through, like, taught me
(25:28):
a lot.
So I think that experienceparticularly prepared me for being
ready for this game and justtotally taken out of my daily culture,
my daily norms, and justthrown into, you know, being in a.
Locked in a hotel in Londonfor hours on end with any socialization.
But I think, I think honestly,just like breaking a board, right?
(25:51):
You know, overcoming thatchallenge of like leveling yourself
up with, you know, maybe aharder board break or, you know,
those daily things we teachevery day in class.
I mean, of course those allcontributed to the mental strength
I have now as a person thatcarries me into doing these new cool
experiences and challenges.
That's awesome.
(26:13):
What has been the reactionfrom your students and just ata people
who know you?
Yeah, so it's cool.
I feel like I've gottenreached out to, from students that
I had from when I startedteaching when I was like 16, back
in the early 2000s.
And a bunch of people havereached out to me from my past, past
(26:34):
students, past instructinstructors, all this good stuff.
So it's actually been prettycool catching up with the people
because I haven't talked tosome of these guys in years.
So that's been like, reallyamazing reconnecting.
And my students at the schoolare, you know, just.
It's kind of funny because mystudents at no Limits Pittsburgh,
They've seen me do AmericanNinja Warrior.
They've seen me do these showsand do these things.
(26:55):
So they're like, oh yeah,masters on another show, you know,
and so it's kind of likenormal to them.
But they definitely havegotten very excited about the squid
suits.
We're doing some custom, someholiday, no limits game suits and
they're definitely excited todo that.
Take some pictures and justkind of join the experience and get
the behind the scenes information.
(27:18):
That's cool.
I saw some of the swag thatyou're doing there at the school
online and it's pretty cool.
It's going to be sweet.
Yeah, yeah, no, definitely.
I mean, I figure the time todo it is now, you know, and it's
like, why not do a little playon it and enjoy the.
Enjoy the ride.
Right?
Well, do you think, is thisthe last reality competition that
(27:41):
we'll see you in?
Will we?
I mean, obviously we're goingto vote for you to be in the second,
you know, the second thing.
But yeah, you know, you gotyour sights on some other shows,
maybe.
Sights on some other shows.
You know, right now there isdefinitely some other agendas.
I have some other goals coming up.
I don't, I don't think it'd beTV particularly, but it's definitely
(28:04):
a different kind of genre thanI've ever done before.
So I definitely have some coolnew and exciting goals.
I would love.
I'll say this, maybe not rightnow, but maybe in the next, like
five years.
I would really love to get onlike an entrepreneurship show and
really tell like my story thus far.
And so I think that that wouldbe something that would be interesting.
(28:26):
So if anyone has some greatentrepreneurship shows you watch,
let me know because that'sdefinite something that's in my wheelhouse
that I love.
You know what have you ever watched?
It was on this year on Brand.
Jimmy Fallon did a new show onNBC where they were like a marketing
company.
He had people come in and thenthey'd pitch these companies.
(28:48):
It was kind of like the oldApprentice show, but it was just
marketing things.
You would on it.
You'd be amazing.
Oh, I. I've got.
Yes, I.
That's exactly what I'mlooking at.
Something like that would be amazing.
Yeah, I know there's this oneshow and I think it's maybe it's
called Legend, but.
But they basically like, youtell your story of how you started
your business and then whereyou want to grow too.
(29:11):
And so I think something like that.
Telling my story where I couldbe authentically me and.
And you know, really put outwhat our mission statement is at
no limits for everyone to seewould be awesome too.
Yeah, that's awesome.
Cool.
Well, we look forward toseeing what more you do, what more
is out there.
And then of course, you know,your awesome success in martial arts
(29:33):
as.
As you continue training,testing, and these no limit schools
are just kicking butt.
Yeah.
Thank you, sir.
I really appreciate it.
Yeah, definitely lookingforward to the future.
And just thank you so much forhaving me on today and just getting
to kind of give a little bitof behind the scenes of what Squid
Games is all about and youknow, how it incorporates with our
(29:53):
challenges that we do everyday in martial arts and overcome
all these obstacles.
Cool.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's super cool.
And guys, make sure you watchand get out there and vote before
the time is up so we can watchMaster Teavani on there again.
Go to netflix.com 003 is my number.
That's all you have to do isclick that link and put 003 and then
(30:13):
maybe you'll see me again.
Perfect.
Thank you so much, ma'.
Am.
Absolutely, sir.
Thank you.
Have a great day.
Oh, man, do we have some coolpeople in the ata.
How amazing.
What a cool story pod.
Be sure to subscribe and sharewith your ATA family.
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