Ep. 54 - The Kung Fu Kendra Conversation with Kendra Mahon

Fear doesn’t disappear because we read the right quote. It fades when we train a new response. I’m joined by Kendra Mahon, aka Kung Fu Kendra, a Wing Chun Kung Fu master and founder of the Global Kung Fu Alliance, to talk about what real confidence looks like when life gets loud, stressful, and unpredictable.

Kendra explains Kung Fu in plain language: skill built through practice. We dig into why Wing Chun is designed for close-range self-defense and economy of motion, and how those same principles translate into everyday life. If you’re trying to be more disciplined, more productive, or more connected to your inner strength, you’ll hear concrete ways to protect your time, stop drifting into herd mentality, and build calm awareness in crowds, on the street, and at home.

If you’ve ever wanted self-defense training, a stronger mindset, or a better way to follow through on your goals, press play. Subscribe or follow, share this with a friend, and leave a five-star written review wherever you listen.

Kung Fu Kendra (Kendra Mahon) is a purple sash Kung fu Master with over 20 years of experience, she’s the Founder of the Global Kung Fu Alliance and author of Amazon book: ‘Push Your Way Through’, a book about using the ancient principles of Kung Fu to get what you want in life.  Kendra also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Wing Chun Magazine and works training high profile clients such as Billionaire Brett Wilson  from the TV Show “Dragons Den”. 

 "Your videos are very helpful for training without an opponent. I'm very
 happy to have found you online!"
 Joachim Igl, Paraguay
 
 "I appreciate the online courses you offer. It is a very good thing
 particularly for me with my schedule."
 Forrest Stockstad, Canada
 
 "I like your education method and videos, it's high quality and good
 teaching"
 Kim S., Denmark
 
 "Sifu Kendra will be a big help in my Wing Chun instruction and
 progression."
 Greg Evans, Australia
 
 "Thank you for your expert insights and recommendations."
 Antonio N. Sherman, USA

Kung Fu Kendra's Wing Chun Certification Online Course

Kung Fu Kendra HOME

Push Your Way Through by Kendra Mahon on Amazon

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Music Credit:  True Living by Patrick Moore

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Transcript

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Subscribe And Review Reminder

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Just a reminder, don't forget to hit subscribe or follow wherever you're listening to this podcast. And two things you can do to help the podcast grow. One, tell a friend about assorted conversations. And two, consider leaving a five-star written review wherever you download your podcasts. It'll help the podcast become more visible to other folks who may enjoy the content. Thanks, and here's this week's episode. Everyday people following their passions.

SPEAKER_04 0:44

That's probably like one of the highlights of my life so far. Just being able to be creative like that. Something I've always wanted. And then I decided to get another hive, and that turned into a lot of hives. As long as I can do that, I want to be a good citizen, help people out.

SPEAKER_03 1:04

Putting themselves out there, taking chances, and navigating challenges along the way.

SPEAKER_02 1:11

I I absolutely identified with having stage right because, you know, anytime I went on stage, I just felt like I was having a hot attack.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Very first lap, very first practice session, I crashed, turned the car upside down, made a spectacle of myself, and I got back on that horse and started riding again.

SPEAKER_03 1:27

As they pursue what makes them happy and brings them joy.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

As long as people are having a good time and I have the opportunity to put smiles on people's faces, I love what I do.

SPEAKER_05 1:39

I have done things that I never thought I could do.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

To have somebody tell me how real it looks and how, you know, from their actual memory. Because that's telling me I captured what I was trying to get.

Confidence Questions And Guest Intro

SPEAKER_03 1:55

Welcome to Assorted Conversations. I'm your host, Helen. I've got some questions for you to think about. How confident are you? How disciplined are you? How efficient and productive are you? And how connected to your inner strength are you? If any of your answers included, I could work on that, like-minded, this week's conversation is for you. I had the opportunity to have a conversation with a kung fu master and trailblazer who not only supports her kung fu community, but is also enriching the lives of anyone who is striving to be more confident, disciplined, efficient, productive, or connected to the strength and beauty they possess within. Take a listen to this week's episode, and I'll see you on the other side. She's a purple sash kung fu master with more than 20 years of experience and the founder of the Global Kung Fu Alliance. She serves as editor-in-chief of Wing Chun magazine, and through her writing and her work with clients, including high-profile leaders like billionaire Brett Wilson from the TV show Dragon's Den, she empowers people to build strength mentally, emotionally, and physically. She's breaking barriers and her mission is clear: helping others push through and step fully into their power. She's the author of Push Your Way Through, where she shares how ancient Kung Fu principles can help you get what you want in life. I am so happy to welcome Kendra Mahan, aka Kung Fu Kendra, to Assorted Conversations. Hi, Kendra. Hey Helen, how are you doing? I am well. How are you? I'm very good. Thank you for having me. Thanks for being here. I'm so excited to dive in.

Kung Fu Basics And Wing Chun

SPEAKER_03 4:15

So tell me a little bit about Kung Fu, the art in general.

SPEAKER_05 4:21

Well, kung fu dates back thousands of years, and it was designed for people to learn the skill of self-defense. Kung Fu literally means skill. So with martial arts, we're learning to use our body as an art to defend ourselves with our arms, our legs, you know, elbows, and and all these things. So kung fu has deep roots and it has been a foundational guideline for a lot of cultures to promote confidence, discipline, and ultimately self-defense.

SPEAKER_03 5:05

And how how is kung fu different from some of some of the others, like karate or jujitsu?

SPEAKER_05 5:14

That's a great question. And kung fu is a Chinese martial art. So in that sense, um, it's different than karate, which would be Japanese. Kung Fu is for the most part not a competitive sport like karate or taekwondo or jujitsu. It is an art built for actual street skills. Specifically, my style of kung fu, which is Wing Chun, is designed for close range combat. So somebody gets too close to you, you're learning how to maneuver the situation using things like the economy of motion, less moves the better, and getting yourself to safety versus you know going into a full-blown fight.

SPEAKER_03 6:09

Okay, okay, makes sense. Makes sense. So now you've been practicing your I don't want to say your brand, your flavor, I guess, or your type of kung fu for over 20 years. Think back. What was what first drove you to explore this and get involved with it?

From Attack To Healing Practice

SPEAKER_05 6:30

Well, what first got me interested in Wing Chun Kung Fu was being attacked at a young age. And through that experience, I did a lot of healing and obviously needed something to focus on, to build self-confidence, to build self-awareness, and to build martial skill so that I wouldn't be a target where I wouldn't not know what to do. I mean, a lot of people take for granted, you know, just kicking as an example. You think, well, I would just kick someone. And I've seen it firsthand with students who've never kicked before. It's not something that just comes naturally. You know, you might want to kick and scream, but to actually use your body as a mechanism for self-defense is an extremely powerful thing. We're already equipped with our arms and our legs. And to simply learn some moves that could potentially save your life is essentially what brought me into the world of learning martial arts.

SPEAKER_03 7:44

Wow. Well, I am so sorry that that happened to you, but it almost seems like it was kind of putting you on the right path.

SPEAKER_05 7:53

It it definitely was. And as scary and as traumatic as it was, Kung Fu helped me to heal and push through and persevere, feelings of fear, sadness, uh, depression, anxiety. And so that's what makes me such a strong believer in the art. Because not only did it help me through that time, and then it helped me for the next 22 years to really discover myself.

SPEAKER_03 8:27

Right, right. Oh, that's that's great. Can you think back to your very first class? You know, what was that like for you? Uh because now you're so accomplished now, but can you really think back to like that first class you walked into?

SPEAKER_05 8:42

I do remember. And at the time I had, you know, I was looking for a school, a Kung Fu school. I wasn't specifically looking for Wing Chun. And I was so blessed with what I got when I did my search. It only took one call and one visit. I dropped in and did a free class on my lunch break. And I was hooked. I thought, wow, I feel so good. You know, I I learned how to do a little bit of punching, and you know, I don't know, you know, what they do in their first trial class, but I was hooked and they said, you know, we've got classes tonight if you want to come back again.

SPEAKER_03 9:25

And I was addicted from that point on. You know, I'm sure it wasn't all easy, you know, as you've as you've worked your way, you're up to a purple sash. Is that the highest sash?

SPEAKER_05 9:36

Yeah, that's uh pretty much that's master level. That's you know, going through the entire curriculum and then teaching and studying. And now I run the Global Kung Fu Alliance and I've got a certification program where I teach people martial arts as well, Wing Chun. And it it has been a long journey. I I never set out to be a master, I never set out to, you know, teach or or be, you know, writing books and building programs. The whole journey, I it's almost like I was in a meditative state the whole time. Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:15

You were just focused on what the next step was.

SPEAKER_05 10:18

I was, and I was focused on healing myself and getting to know who I was and learning self-control, and all these things really amounted to these unbelievable skills now at this point in my life. And that's why I am such a strong believer in the power of martial arts. Not only is it a way to get outside of your head, you know, often we think too much, there's a lot going on in the world. We've got our devices, we've got constant noise around us. And when you can just silence all of that out and just practice your forms or, you know, do stretching or qi gong breathing, it's ultimately extremely healthy for you. And so I'm a huge advocate for anyone who wants to start martial arts.

SPEAKER_03 11:13

Yeah, I am I am a huge fan of anything that combines mind, body, and spirit. And I think the martial arts do that, do that very well, just in in completely different ways. I've started to get more into yoga as I'm getting a little older. Um, and I find that that helps calm me. It's it's helping me become more disciplined. And, you know, again, probably not along the same lines as any of the martial arts, but I do understand what you're saying. Just to practice stretches, just to practice your breathing really helps you reconnect with yourself and not get lost in the chaos of the world.

SPEAKER_05 11:58

Absolutely. Absolutely. Yoga is a perfect example of, you know, it's not even so much about the moves, but it's just showing up and being patient through the yoga class. You know, we don't necessarily want to, you know, stretching and be in all these painful positions, and but it's more of a symbol of showing up for yourself because you know how good you feel when you're done. Yeah. And that's that's the payoff ultimately. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:30

Was there a point through your whole journey that you discovered that this is going to be more than a hobby for me, and this is actually becoming sort of a calling for me?

Turning Point During COVID

SPEAKER_05 12:45

Definitely. That happened during COVID in 2019. I, you know, the whole world was shut down. We didn't know what the future of tomorrow was going to be. We didn't know if this virus is going to wipe us all out. All we knew was we can't be around each other. And that's a scary thing. So at that point, I I realized that not only is there a lack of Wing Chun schools in the world, it's, you know, kung fu was kind of a dying art, unfortunately, which is why I'm so devoted to preserving the tradition of it. But I wanted to bring it to people's homes. I wanted people people to be able to download videos and learn step by step things that they've seen on TV, things that they've always wanted to do. I'm I'm finding out a lot that you know it's been a lot of people's dreams to learn kung fu. And which is great because, you know, not only was I able to identify my demographic, but also to realize that, you know, there is a genuine need in the world and the lack of kung fu schools around, it just was a no-brainer for me to start building online programs.

SPEAKER_03 14:04

That's fantastic. You know, through through your your journey, did it ever get hard?

SPEAKER_05 14:15

Oh, definitely. I mean, life throws so many things at us. You know, a year and a half ago I lost my mother. Thank you. And it's just anyone who's lost someone they love knows the pain of that. And so that was a huge moment for me. That's you know, it it actually made me uh just push harder, you know. I don't know if I was just trying to keep myself busy and whatnot, but my mom's last words to me were that she was so proud of me, and so I knew that I needed to continue to honor her through not giving up and not, you know, just kind of folding up and being in the darkness over it. And of course it's sad, and everyone has their own way of grieving, and of course I do, but I I I'm trying to get into this because I want your listeners to know that uh the pain that you're going through now is is okay. And if you can find a way to turn it into something positive, you know, even if that means just taking some time to do some breathing, nurture yourself, anything that's positive is ultimately a good thing to do.

SPEAKER_03 15:43

Right. Yeah, absolutely. So your mom is what keeps you pushing through the tough times.

SPEAKER_05 15:52

Yes, absolutely. She's always in my in my mind and in my heart when times get tough and you know, she I am a part of her. I came from her. So, you know, we're just one energy, uh so to speak. And so then at least I know I'm doing something right, you know, in all the chaos and all the you know, the mess of the world, I use that as my jet fuel.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Throughout, you know, you your practice and and I mean it's you've been doing this for 20 years. How long have you been a master?

SPEAKER_05 16:32

I've been a master since 2019. And oh wow. I've you know, it it comes with teaching others. So the whole journey is, you know, you learn everything up until so far, and then the journey of the mastery begins, which is teaching others what you know, and you will learn from your students as well. The belts and the ranks and the titles, I mean, it's all you know, they're all just tangible things, and but ultimately it's what what do you have to offer? What do you have to share with the world from your spirit? You know, a lot of Kung Fu schools, especially Wing Chun, don't use a ranking system. There's two types of Wing Chun. There's mainstream Wing Chun, which doesn't use that, and then there's traditional Wing Chun, which is more of an honorary progression through the levels.

SPEAKER_03 17:37

What now there are different types of kung fu, correct? That is correct. So you are a master of Wing Chun. How is that different from the other types of kung fu?

SPEAKER_05 17:53

Well, they are all different. There's quite a few animal style kung fu, tiger, kung fu, crane, snake. Ultimately, it's it was all just made up by someone. You know what I mean? It's not the end-all be-all of martial arts. Wing chun is just one branch of the many different styles of kung fu, but essentially, Wing Chun is for realistic, you know, self-defense. You're attacked on the street, how can I maneuver it? Uh, Wing Chun also teaches deadly uh things like fingers through the eye sockets as an example. And so in that sense, it's not a competitive sport, it is basically a fight for your life. And I don't recommend any of these things I have mentioned. However, you know, if you felt like your life was in danger, then you should be trained

Wing Chun Origins And Street Reality

SPEAKER_05 18:55

to do what it takes to stay alive.

SPEAKER_03 18:58

Yeah, yeah. Where how did Wing Chun start? Where where's the origin story for Wing Wing Chun?

SPEAKER_05 19:08

Wing Chun started a few hundred years ago in China, and it was started by a female nun named Yeah, named Ung Mui. She was a part of the Shaolin masters. At that time, there was a revolution going on in China, and the Qing dynasty was trying to eliminate the Shaolin monks, excuse me, because they they had their own fighting style and you know they were warriors of their own rights. She was one of the monks that survived the burning of the temple. It's it's a you know a mythical story, and it does probably have some truth to it, but this is the story. And so Wing Chun was created by a woman, and so it was designed for someone who is a small person to be able to maneuver a larger person, whether male or female. And the beauty of that is again using the the economy of motion, using an opponent's energy against them. So I was really drawn to that. Once I found out the story, I thought, wow, this is this is so meant to be.

SPEAKER_03 20:24

How has kung fu shaped the way you and I may have already answered this, but how has kung fu shaped the way you've handled stress, fear, and setbacks in everyday life? I mean, I know you know it's helping you grieve the loss of your mom, but is that day-to-day stuff?

SPEAKER_05 20:42

Well, excuse me, day-to-day stuff, you know, that's what inspired me to write the book, Push Your Way Through. It's behind me. Because that book was written to basically break down the ancient principles of Kung Fu in the modern day world. Okay. So learning to use your time efficiently, you know, whether you're at the grocery store or driving, navigating crowds, learning to say no to obligations, and essentially just becoming extremely assertive with your own life. And your own time. And your own time because probably with yourself.

SPEAKER_03 21:24

Yeah. Yeah, because I know the martial arts are very big in self self-discipline. And that's probably what I need and the lessons I can get from your book, push your way through. Taking more agency over your time and your energy.

unknown 21:43

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 21:44

But also disciplining yourself to stick to the plan.

SPEAKER_05 21:49

Exactly. Learning how to, you know, make a plan and how to execute it properly. Ultimately, so we have more time. The book was basically written. To inspire us to use the time that we have to do the things we love because we're only here for a short time.

SPEAKER_03 22:08

I love that you're translating the philosophies of martial arts into something tangible for everyday folks to be able to use and incorporate those philosophies into their daily life. But I I want to go back a little bit to your journey. What is the difference between somebody who tries kung fu and somebody who masters it like yourself?

SPEAKER_05 22:37

Well, what the difference is commitment. You know, I trained, you know, the Kung Fu school I trained at the Canadian Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy. There was multiple classes throughout the day. And I was going every day and attending pretty much every class, you know, morning. There'd be a class at noon and then a class again at, you know, 5 30 in the evening. I don't think that that's actually required in reality. I just went a little bit too far with it, like I, which is a great thing. I completely immersed myself into it. But students can become masters of kung fu as long as they they learn the system of kung fu, they're able to teach it, and they're able to be the essence of kung fu, which is ultimately peace and love.

Building A Safer Kung Fu Community

SPEAKER_03 23:34

You founded the Global Kung Fu Alliance. What is it and what inspired you to do that?

SPEAKER_05 23:44

Well, after my mother passed away was what inspired me to do that. I wanted to give all people an opportunity to become a part of something greater. So you can become a member for free. You don't have to be of any specific type of kung fu. And with that, you get a certificate, a membership certificate, as well as a listing in our kung fu directory. And it's a very, it's become a very popular directory. We've got several countries and you know, hundreds and thousands of students. And it's just a way for people to feel connected as a part of a community that practices kung fu. That practices kung fu. Um, I mean, we welcome any style of martial art, but essentially it's kung fu. It's it's a place, you know, the kung fu world and the the online world with martial arts can be a very hostile environment. And me being a female and being very good at what I do, I've experienced a tremendous amount of adversity in the martial arts world, which was also a reason why I wanted to create the Global Kung Fu Alliance and be the global director and demonstrate leadership in a way that I thought it should be, not to be rude or mean or anything like that, which is what you see a lot by kung fu teachers and masters and and things like that. I wanted to be a place where positivity is drawn to it. So it's interesting because a lot of my students, all of them actually, and the members are extremely kind and gentle human beings. Doesn't mean they're not dangerous with their skills, it just means that I was able to divide the the kung fu world in a sense. There's polarization, there's kind of like the bullies, and then there are the people who don't want to be a part of that. So it's a safe place for the members to be.

SPEAKER_03 26:13

Well, and I, you know, I'm surprised to hear that because you know, with with something like martial arts, and again, I'm probably just generalizing and stereotyping, but I've always thought of those things as very high in mentorship. And and, you know, again, you you have a master, they teach students, the students support each other, the master supports the students. I'm I'm really surprised to hear that that that isn't necessarily the case.

SPEAKER_05 26:46

Yeah, well, you know, maybe in local schools, not so much, but when you have an online world where anyone can say what they want, and you know, a lot of people can feel insecure when they see someone better than them. Uh, there's just a lot of adversity and polarization in the martial arts world. And I was on a podcast this morning with a martial arts podcast, and I had mentioned how Wing Chun, you know, it can be a bit of a hostile environment. And he said it's all martial arts. And you know, I focus just kind of in the Wing Chun world, but right, you know, it's just there's a lot of criticism, and I wish it wasn't like that because I want people to feel encouraged to share their skills and post their videos and without the fear of you know being ridiculed and you know heckled.

SPEAKER_03 27:44

Um, you want them to be able to feel comfortable and create a safe space to get better.

SPEAKER_05 27:50

That's right. And so that's also inspired me to create Facebook groups in the Wing Chun world where you know, just people can join, you know, there's no bullying tolerated, any anything like that is monitored quite deeply. So, you know, we see a lot of people popping up with their videos and there's a lot of support.

SPEAKER_03 28:11

So that's important. That's great. So in the Wing Chung world, what does community mean to you and in you know, in creating all of these communities that you are?

SPEAKER_05 28:26

It is for me, it's creating a safe space for people to explore their uh martial arts, their skills, to demonstrate them and to have positive reactions. I mean, it's impossible to control what the entire world's going to do, and at some point you need to let that go. But for me, it's it's the community is to be a place of sharing and positivity. And that's not necessarily the case, but for me, that's important.

SPEAKER_03 29:03

Yeah, good, good. Well, and and I know you wanted to bring a sense of leadership to what it was you did and being able to be inclusive and creating a safe space and and trying to nurture and grow is all part of leadership. So hats off to you for doing what you're doing. And thank you amongst the adversity that you do it in.

SPEAKER_05 29:27

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 29:28

Now you wrote your book, Push Your Way Through, to bring martial art philosophy to everyday life to help all of us live more productive lives. What are some of the key messages in the book that folks can look forward

Life Lessons From Push Your Way Through

SPEAKER_03 29:46

to?

SPEAKER_05 29:46

One of the main focuses of the book is to not get into the herd mentality, to learn how to think for yourself and you know, not necessarily move with the crowd, so to speak. So, as an example, let's say you're standing at an intersection and you're you're maybe you're on your phone looking down and you kind of sense somebody walking forward and you you don't even look up, you'll just start walking, right? But let's say, sure enough, that's actually a green light, and there's cars, and you know, hopefully you didn't get hit. So it's becoming aware of your environment and becoming aware of the herd mentality. It's part of human nature to want to just kind of follow each other. Go with the flow. Yeah, but at that when you're doing that, you're missing out on opportunities that you might not necessarily have available to you. And you also could be putting yourself in a tremendous amount of danger. So the herd mentality is one part of the book that's touched on. There's many parts overcoming doubt and fear, learning to use your time wisely, and like I had mentioned before, learning how to say no. You know, a lot of us feel the pressure of having to do things that maybe we don't necessarily want to do. Maybe we've agreed to do something, but now we don't want to do it. So it it kind of sorts out how you can learn to be assertive without being rude and you know coming across as too aggressive. But a book is definitely a handbook. It's very simple to read. My sister likes to say it's like a salt and pepper book. You can just kind of open up a page and just get some words of advice. But um, I I tried to keep it extremely simple, but to the point.

SPEAKER_03 31:52

Who who did you write that book for? Was it a past version of you? Is it somebody in your life that you know? Is it an amalgam of experiences and people that you've run into?

SPEAKER_05 32:05

Well, the book is dedicated to my mom and my dad and my teachers, as well as my boyfriend, who has always been extremely supportive through all the things that I've taken on. But the book was written because actually I was in Las Vegas, which was what inspired the book, just the chaos of Las Vegas. And I just started noticing the way people were moving around and following each other, and there was just really no rhyme or reason. And, you know, I was doing things differently because I had learned throughout my life how to incorporate the Wing Chun into my life. And I thought, man, if if everyone kind of knew these, you know, tips and tricks on how to move with life and to get what they need and and remove what they don't need, that could be a great thing. So I took up my voice memo and I I would just start taking notes. I would kind of go on a rant to my boyfriend about, you know, this is you know unacceptable how this was. And uh, he goes, Well, you should get it down, get it down. And you know, it took about a year to complete the book, but I believe that there is a lot of information in there that can help people find more time to do what they love and to essentially push their way through all of the things that hold them back and uh the resistance that we, you know, face in day-to-day life.

SPEAKER_03 33:43

Right, right. Yeah, I find, especially, you know, at the at the stage of life I'm at where retirement is not that far off in the future anymore. A lot of the conversation I have with my friends and coworkers revolves around wasted years. Like I worked more than made the soccer game, or you know, I traveled more and I missed this. Um, and so as we're getting older, we're having these conversations about focusing on what's most important and to strive to have the most money, the most toys is not, it's not on the bingo card anymore.

SPEAKER_05 34:25

I agree. I agree completely. And we can see that see, when I travel, I I travel to places where people who are retired go because you can learn a lot by these people and from these people. You know, I I see people walking. Walking is such a beneficial activity. It's a great way to spend your time. It feeds your meditation purposes, your spiritual purposes. It's good physically, getting fresh air, getting a little bit of sunshine. It's got it all. It's got the sounds of the birds and and things like that. So and another thing is there's less distractions in these places. So these people have figured out throughout their entire life that they don't want to be in the city hub. You know, they don't want to be surrounded by noise and distractions and malls. They want to be in a peaceful place where they can take walks, you know, eat fresh food and enjoy the company of the people that they love.

SPEAKER_07 35:32

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 35:34

Yeah, very simple, very back to basics. Exactly. Yeah, no, no distractions. And I think that's probably when you've had a lifetime of distractions, I think that's why it's so hard because you're you're already conditioned to deal with the distractions. And you know, our attention spans are so much shorter. Social media has not helped that in the slightest. So yeah, it really does make a lot of sense to be peaceful, have that time to be reflective, meditative, and work on your mind, body, spirit. So I'm looking forward to picking up the book. I apologize, I have not picked it up yet, but it is on my Amazon list. So no worries. I I will be grabbing it because, like I said, at this stage of my life, I can use some help with staying disciplined, staying on task, and putting myself, I don't want to say putting myself first, but being fair to myself.

SPEAKER_05 36:36

Yeah, uh, I agree completely. And and that's what it's all about.

SPEAKER_03 36:41

Yeah, I I think a lot of parents have a hard time putting themselves first because it's you know, you want your kids to be happy. So my kids are grown and gone, and they are happy. So now it's time to do a little focus on me. So, like I said, I am looking forward to picking up your book. Well, thank you. Throughout throughout the whole writing journey, because to me, uh what you've accomplished just in kung fu alone, the physicality of it, the mastery of it, the sharing it with other folks, you know, being a teacher and a mentor to your students, that in itself is amazing. How in the world did you go from that to I want to take all of my lessons that I've learned, and I actually want to be an author.

Writing Habits And Amazon Publishing

SPEAKER_03 37:36

I want to write about it. Like that whole transformation to me is fascinating.

SPEAKER_05 37:42

Well, it was like I had mentioned, it was an extremely long journey. And at the time I didn't realize how difficult writing the book would be, just with all the, you know, it needs to be a certain amount of pages. And there's all these technical aspects to the book, right down to you know, the publication of it and the cover and and things like that. But I just set out time every day. I would wake up around 3:30 or 4 a.m. And I would get a big chunk of it done by 7 a.m. And that's how I fit it in, because then the rest of the day was filled with doing other things like teaching and and just day-to-day uh things. So it became kind of it was like a you know, before the sun came up journey for me, which is uh really interesting. But I think if anyone, you know, is going to write a book, I would say just go for it. And you don't have to write it all in one day. What I did was I just incrementally inched my way to the finish line. And you don't want it to consume your entire life, you just want to dedicate a little bit of time every day and then spend the rest of the day doing things that you enjoy or other parts of work, but to find that balance. Otherwise, the book suddenly is not fun and it's not something you're looking forward to, and you don't like it because you know it's it feels stressful. So I would just recommend start and fit it in a little bit every day, use that discipline, and you will inch your way to the finish line.

SPEAKER_03 39:30

What did you have to learn? I mean, again, being a student of Kung Fu, you you are definitely a lifelong learner as well as a sharer of the of that knowledge. But I'm assuming you had to learn an awful lot about the publishing side. It's one thing to be able to write your book, but then it is a completely another thing to actually bring it to life so that you can share it with other folks.

SPEAKER_05 39:55

Absolutely. So I published through Amazon. So you can do self-publishing through Amazon, and they guide you to a certain extent. So if you're planning on writing a book, look into that. I wouldn't recommend trying to publish it on your own or finding a publisher. Definitely use Amazon. And for the rest of it, the formatting, I mean, these are things that are beyond me. You outsource it. You look on websites like Fiverr or Upwork, and there's people that you can send them your messy Word documents, and they will know exactly how to format it as an example, because Amazon's not going to accept whatever you you submit, right? It's gonna take so these people are the ones that you give the book to and you pay a little bit of money, but it's actually not that much, and uh it's something that's probably required for the process.

SPEAKER_03 41:05

So again, you are finding ways to maximize uh your your energy output. That's right.

SPEAKER_05 41:13

Um and not spending a fortune on it either, right? Yeah, it's competitive, so you can use the like wing chun, the economy of motion, and get it done efficiently and afford of affordably, but the content definitely needs to come from you.

SPEAKER_03 41:33

Yeah, that's fantastic. That's fantastic.

Awareness Training And The Power Punch

SPEAKER_03 41:36

I just have some fun questions, you know. I was thinking about what can I ask this kung fu master? So I I just have a couple fun questions before we get into where where you're going next. But um, have you ever wanted to use your kung fu skills in real life when you've been in an aggravating situation?

SPEAKER_05 42:00

I yes, absolutely. Um, I've actually been you know blessed to not have been in a fight. And they say, you know, uh learning kung fu and being in kung fu is to learn to avoid the fight, so to speak. But there have been times where I've been tempted to use my uh awareness and my skills and just my sense of something's not right here to defend people I've been with as an example, not necessarily myself. But I'm I'm always feeling like I'm a couple steps ahead. And body language is a huge thing. There's if there's something off about someone's body language, don't let it go. You know, make sure you're you're aware of where they are in the room, where they are on the street. You know, I I was watching like a scary movie or or or something the other day, and you know, the girl's walking down the the dark street, and the van pulls up and she keeps walking towards the van, and you know, nothing good's gonna happen, but you're you're saying, Oh, go the other way, go the other way. But I mean it was a movie, so she went towards the van and things didn't turn out very well. Yeah, but um yes, so I have been tempted and I've been ready to execute my skills at the cost of my own life for the people that I care about.

SPEAKER_03 43:32

What's one move or skill you wish everybody could learn instantly from Wing Chun?

SPEAKER_05 43:41

One thing that I wish everyone could learn is a punch. We in Wing Chun we do centerline punches and rapid punches. So punching is an amazing thing because if you punch someone in the, and I don't recommend this, of course, but in the uh Solar plexus area, uh, you could wind somebody enough to run to safety. Yeah, you could punch someone in the face, you could run to safety. So just learning how to actually execute a powerful punch, not just a punch that meets a target, but goes through a target. So you always want to think punch, but punch through your target. Or, you know, if if anyone out there is listening and of course might need to use these skills, that's an important thing, is that a punch with intention to move through will pack a lot more power.

SPEAKER_03 44:39

Interesting. Yeah, I think I punched a stun. So there's something I can work on. Yeah, yeah. Punch through, don't just touch. Yeah. So you've you've got your you've got your school, you've got your online school, you've written a book to share principles with the public to help us live more productive lives.

What’s Next And Where To Find Kendra

SPEAKER_03 45:05

What's next for Kung Fu Kendra?

SPEAKER_05 45:09

Well, I've I've also started a magazine publication. So it's called Natural Chun Magazine. That's uh that's pretty new. Uh but what's next is I'm working on two programs right now. One is the Wing Chun Ring. It's a ring apparatus that teaches how to maintain proper structure with your moves. Um, and then I'm also teaching an instructor course for people to learn how to teach women self-defense. So it's a teach the teacher course. So I think that there should be more self-defense teachers for women and of course children and elderly as well. And that's also included in the course. So I'm working on that. And aside from the women's self-defense course, in the future, I would like to move into health and supplements, so protein powders and wing chun uh nutrition, so to speak.

SPEAKER_03 46:08

That's fantastic. That's fantastic. Well, we will definitely stay in touch so that I can share all of these great things coming down the pike, as well as all of the things you've already accomplished with folks that are listening. Speaking of folks that are listening, where can anybody find you online to take a look and possibly sign up for a course, buy your book?

SPEAKER_05 46:33

Absolutely. Well, the easiest thing is kungfukendra.com. There is a ton of free giveaways on there, free sample classes, a store full of everything from meditation audios to audiobooks to breathing exercises to workouts, pretty much everything for health and wellness that I've created at KungfuKendra.com. You can also just Google Kung Fu Kendra, and there's a lot of information that will come up.

SPEAKER_03 47:09

Fantastic. Kendra, I wish you the best of luck and success with everything that you've currently got going on and all of the things that you're working on. And I can't thank you for all your time today.

SPEAKER_05 47:24

Thank you, Helen. It's been an honor and a pleasure, and thank you for taking the time to speak with me.

Fearless Takeaways And Voicemail Invite

SPEAKER_03 47:33

Just listening to the conversation won't make us more confident, disciplined, efficient, productive, or even better connected to our inner strength. But Kendra provided a ton of tools and resources to begin those journeys for ourselves. I think the one thing that stood out to me about Kendra's story is the word fearless. She took an event being attacked, which brings about a lot of fear, and turned it into the exact opposite. Fearlessly finding a way to better defend herself and those she loves, fearlessly jumping into her newfound love of Wing Chun Kung Fu, fearlessly creating an inclusive kung fu community, and fearlessly jumping into the authoring and publishing arena. All in the name of enriching others' lives, which in turn adds to hers. I love the full circle effect being fearless has in her journey. Jump down to the show notes for links to Kendra's online community where you can find her book, links to her classes, even online classes, her magazine, and so much more. And while you're there, don't forget to connect with me. All my socials are included there as well. And I just want to point out a brand new feature. You can now leave me a voicemail and let me know what you're thinking about the content, a specific episode, suggestions for future guests, or even leave me a message regarding what you're passionate about. I would love to connect with you in that way. Use the tell me what you think about this week's episode link at the very top of the show notes. Thanks for listening, and I'll see you in two weeks.