What does it mean to go beyond the belt with senior Master Lee?

Let's find out, sir.

I will live with perseverance in the spirit of taekwondo, courtesy for fellow students, integrity within myself, and become a black belt leader.

Welcome to the ATA Nation Podcast.

Welcome back.

ATA instructors, students, parents, and family members, we are thrilled to be back with you.

This is episode 128 of the ATA Nation podcast.

We have lots of exciting things coming up.

You might be listening to this while you're on your way to Pittsburgh for the 2024 fall Nationals.

Make sure you say hi if you see me there.

You might be listening to this in the future, and that's great as well.

I was super excited to be invited to ATA international headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas, to do some interviews and have some meetings, things.

We are excited to feature one of those interviews today.

This is going to be a part one of two with senior master Tyquan Lee, the ATA's CEO and son of eternal grandmaster H U Lee, the founder of the ATa.

This week, we're going to be talking to him about going beyond the belt and some cool things with his, you know, growing up and, you know, being out in California for a while, all those kind of cool things.

So let's get right to the episode special guest interview.

So we have, you know, I mean, the people watching, listening, you know, there's a ton of students out there that are like me when I started taekwondo, and, like, I wasn't the best athlete.

I wasn't the best tournament competitor.

But, man, I loved martial arts.

Like, I just.

The ATA was my family.

It was the people who got me through middle school, which, I mean, everybody needs somebody to get you through middle school, you know, high school, those kind of things.

What do you say to that student.

Who'S like, you know, being a school owner might be neat, but, man, I'm probably never.

I'm not the top.

I'm not the.

You know, we preach from the top a lot.

Like, today not possible, tomorrow possible.

You know, you can do this.

You can be a black belt.

You can be a master.

You can be a school owner.

You can be an instructor.

But I think hearing it from someone like you or somebody who you didn't, though you were eternal grandmaster's son, you didn't teach from the time you were little.

You didn't go right into owning a school right away.

There were some steps that were different from everybody else's.

How would you encourage that student out there that really they hear today not possible, tomorrow possible.

But they're like, yeah, but maybe not me.

That's not me.

Well, because there's always that kid, you know, there's always that one that you're like.

And that's the one usually that, like, if they get to it, like, they're the ones that are just awesome.

You know, they've had that struggle and they know what it's like.

Well, gosh, I mean, there's so many different stories that you can draw upon.

I look, as cliche as this may sound, I really do think about the challenges that I'm going through today.

And then I look back and think about what did eternal grandmaster go through?

Because remember, we knew him as the man that created Ata.

And by the time we were kind of in our memory, we saw these huge productions and testings and board breaks and demonstrations, and this Mandev was walking on water.

It was a success.

It was all there.

Yeah, but you have to, if you go back, that's why history is so important.

If you go back and you look at his history, when he came to America, he did not speak English.

It was 1962.

And for those of you, that's a year.

It's actually, 1962 is a year that existed, and they didn't have anything back then.

There was no Internet.

Cars were a big commodity.

Translate while I was talking with somebody.

It was a completely different world.

People didn't even know what Korea was in general.

And you have to remember, this man came to the United States with $100 or $10 in his pocket, and he was lucky to eat a hamburger a day.

Yet he overcame obstacles left and right, in addition to all the other challenges of discrimination, of his work visa, which he had to go back to Korea.

He miraculously came back to the United States.

I mean, this story is true.

You can actually learn about it here in the museum through video.

And for him to be able to go through that, and he didn't really have an education.

He just had willpower, he had perseverance, he had discipline.

And then to be able to accomplish where this building would not be here without his, we wouldn't be sitting here talking.

That's right.

And then we're at over 1100 schools worldwide based on the philosophy of Sonom Taekwondo.

That doesn't happen just because you're the one.

It happens because you keep working hard and you fall back on your discipline.

You learn from your failures.

And that's what he did and making.

And I think part of that, he.

Was the guy who did that and lived by example doing that.

But because of that, how many other people have stories just like that because of that example, you know, they keep that ripple, keeps going, and we can all do that.

It's not a, it's not a story that can't be repeated.

It's something we can all do living.

What did they say?

Beyond the belt in our own lives.

And doing that next step can be done by anybody.

You know what's funny is when you say beyond the belt, people ask, and they, oh, you're in taekwondo.

Wow.

Oh, you're a master.

Whoa.

Can you backflip?

No.

My first question they always ask is, can you kill someone?

And my response is, there's only one way to find out.

We'll see.

But, you know, they'll typically say, what?

How many belts do you have?

And I'll say, what do you mean, like degrees?

And they'll say, yeah, I say it's 7th degree black belt.

They're like, oh, my gosh, you know, and they have no idea what that means.

They just.

They think you're a ninja.

And really, I said, you know, they, how does that feel?

What does that mean?

And I said, man, you don't understand.

It's not the best belt.

It's so much more.

It's beyond.

It's beyond the belt.

It really is.

It's beyond the title.

It's the experiences that I've had as a person, my challenges, the inner, inner insecurities that I have had and that I've overcome because I was not.

I could not talk on camera, and I wanted to be an actor.

I'm telling you, martial arts helped me gain that through the leadership program.

I had anxiety.

Okay, this is just.

Was this like the unplugged version of ATA?

Yeah.

Anxiety, insecurity.

I grew up as a young boy here in Arkansas in the seventies and eighties where discrimination was.

It was high, you know, it's much better now.

But you don't.

You grow up with a lot of insecurities in that.

In that way.

And I.

The leadership program, instructor program, becoming a black belt, learning under grandmaster Tammy Harvey, learning under grandmaster MK Lee, and being on the floor and teaching, you're kind of forced to get over that real fast.

Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

But those people were there to help guide me through it.

They led by example.

Today, our legacy program is so much different.

It's so much better structured where it gives you step by step how to accomplish this and what to do.

That's where that structure comes into play.

That instructor program, the leadership and the legacy program helps you come out of your shell.

I've seen and I have personal friends, and I'm sure you do, who on just a one, on one level, their personality is maybe here, but you see them on the floor and they're like, they're like, that's Superman.

Sign me up.

You turn this podcast off, you see me off the floor, and I am a different person.

But that's amazing.

It really is.

Beyond the belt is really what we do, what the product is, what we want to do for people's lives, because kicking and punching is great.

We had a great workout the other morning.

I'm still a little sore from it now.

And I love to kick and punch, but what I love to do is teach things while I'm kicking and punching.

Like teach people to be better people.

You know what eternal grandmaster was always about teaching whole people, you know, making people complete, you know, and I think anybody in the world today will say that's what we need from, from individuals.

You know, that's what the world needs, right?

Human being success.

Yes, human being success.

And that's what it's all about.

It's not about what rank you are.

I mean, there are people in this building who have been fifth degree for probably 30 years, and they are still making other people's lives, making a big impact.

Huge, huge.

And it's not because he's a fifth degree.

Yes, sir.

It's because he continues to grow with the lessons of Ata martial arts and eternal grand master.

It's all about what's beyond.

It's beyond the rank.

It's beyond the belt.

Yeah, 100%.

Well, it's founders month for a lot of us, celebrating, thinking about eternal grandmaster.

We're here at Ha headquarters.

You've stepped into these shoes that are kind of big shoes.

What kind of weight does that bring for you?

And what's it been like this first year?

Just like getting used to everything.

Well, I would say that the weight that it comes with it is.

Yes, the shoes are huge.

And we've had a couple of CEO's prior to my time being here, and I am very grateful for the ones who've come before me.

I've learned from every single one of them.

I've worked with them with some capacity.

Yes, sir.

And even my predecessor, I'm thankful for what he's been able to bring to the organization and what I learned under his leadership.

So very big shoes.

Of course, eternal grandmaster was my father and also the first CEO of the ATA.

So the weight comes with the idea of I want to make my father proud.

And I, what I realize is that I know that if I do write by the viewers, by the people of the ATA, I know that I will make him proud.

Yes, sir.

He knew that we're all human and that we're all gonna make mistakes.

He made mistakes.

Everybody does.

Yeah.

And so the weight, knowing that he would want me to learn through my mistakes and fail forward is something that allows me to work towards the impossibilities, take chances, and to work hard towards growing the organization in the right direction.

So you've stepped into the job.

You went from getting the teach on the floor, make kids do push ups if they didn't do anything.

Not that that's what we all do anymore.

Sometimes.

Sometimes it's good to do that because.

Push ups are good for you.

And just when you think you can't do anymore, you need to do a little bit more.

A little bit more.

It's discipline training.

Not because you did something wrong, because you want to do something right to make you better.

That's right.

Well, and so that's for all the students out there.

If your structure makes you do push ups, it's because it's making you stronger physically and mentally.

Their parents want us to make them do push ups.

Absolutely.

We're just helping the parents out.

Absolutely.

So, uh, but now you're here at headquarters, um, what's the thing that, like, you really don't want to do?

Like, it's just part of the job that you're, like, I have to do, you know, insurance, um, you know, budgetary meetings.

Um, you know, I mean, every job has that, you know, but what's, what's that thing here at headquarters that you've come to and like, uh, well, I went for.

So when I went from headquarters to, as an office job to teaching on the floor, working from nine to five and then switching that from five to nine.

Yes, sir.

That was a culture shock because I had gone through an ATA.

Headquarters has a very structured budgetary system and planning purpose.

Everything is very structured in corporate format.

When I went to the, when I went to the school, it was more like, yeah, just make sure the classes are great.

And of course, we need to make sure that our, our books are good and everything, but the focus is more on the art, the art side of teaching and connecting with the people.

That was an interesting struggle at the very beginning.

But then I'm an artist.

I'm an artist.

So I quickly resonated with that.

When I came back, it was the reculture shock of going back into it.

But I do thrive, and I think everyone thrives in a world with structure.

That's part of our organization, too.

It's part of discipline.

And even with my children, they have to have that structure.

When to wake up, when to go to sleep, brush your teeth, you know, reading before you go to sleep, or having that wind down period.

Your humans must have that structure to gain that discipline.

So for me, dealing with the insurance stuff, not really my wheelhouse or where I thrive in, but I look at it as a learning environment.

How do I grow and learn from this?

And there are opportunities in places that you never thought was possible and how you can use this opportunity to grow the business.

So I look at it as maybe not fun, but where are the opportunities?

Well, that's a good way to think about it.

A growth mindset, looking at whenever can I grow in this?

So you spent time out in California, Hollywood, you know, doing some artistic things.

How, what have you brought from that?

That, like, you know, what kind of things have you learned that have made you go, oh, how can I?

In what lessons can I take from that and put into what we're doing here?

Oh, gosh, how to fail forward?

I, you know, as an actor, your.

Your primary, when you're first trying to break into the industry, your primary job is auditioning, is meeting people, meeting managers, agents, casting directors, acting coaches, other actors, getting your.

The people that you're associating with, making sure that they're the right group, but primarily getting rejected just all the time.

People say, nope, nope, nope, you're not the right guy.

And, you know, you walk into this casting room and you're like, okay, I have, you know, I have my good hair day.

I'm feeling really positive by myself.

I feel like, you know, I think I'm looking good today.

You walk in, and there's 20 other guys that look just like you and probably wore something even better than you that day.

You're like, okay, well, I still gotta, I still gotta sell this.

And there's humility involved in acting.

There's rejection, which I believe can either make or break you.

You either learn how to overcome those quote unquote failures and to get thick skinned, because it can really, you know, you walk out, you feel great, and then you never hear from them.

You always wonder, what was it?

Was it because my hair wasn't right?

Was it because I made the wrong choice?

Was it because I wore the wrong clothes?

And you just have to move on.

You have to try to learn from what that experience was, what was positive from it, and then move on.

And eventually, you will.

You will win.

You will have success.

That makes me think of, like, the right way to think about tournaments, though, too.

You know, like, it seems very similar to the tournament experience.

Wherever I think, a lot of times, you know, a student can go out and be like, oh, I didn't place the first time.

Right.

Well, how many people go to Hollywood and the first time they're like, I got a blockbuster that they're gonna get.

Me to maybe one or two.

Yeah.

It's just not the thing.

And the lessons that they learn, the lessons that you learn from, those are lessons that we do, you know, you need for life, I'm sure.

How did that help with teaching on the floor or, like, enrolling students?

You know, I'm sure that was like, hey, you want to say no to my classes?

I've been said no to by casting directors everywhere.

This is you.

Oh, that played a huge part in it.

So I'll tell you this.

Outside of being an actor and selling my own self as the right look or the right performer for a part, I never really sold anything when I went to go open my school.

That was one of the aspects that I was so.

I felt so lacking.

And what I learned really quick, one is if you have the system and you're prepared for it and you study, then check mark number one.

Two is when you're selling something that you wholeheartedly believe in, you know, is a great product, you're not selling anything really.

It sells itself.

It became, in my, my opinion, so easy that the program directing position, which I did for the very first year, I did all of it, and it was fun.

And for me, it was a challenge when I got to know was okay.

Not a problem is to walk away from it without any emotion and to move forward.

Or the other challenge was okay.

I can also try to convince them and talk them through it or overcome the objections.

It became a fun for me, a personal challenge of growth, and I learned a lot from it.

That was a great, great experience.

Here's what's going on in Ata Nation.

Make sure you tune in to next episode where we go into some more random and funny things with senior masterly.

Not quite so serious, but definitely still fun stuff that you will want to listen to, for sure.

We've got some other great interviews coming up.

What's going on with ATA Nation right now?

Well, that would be fall nationals.

At the time of the release of this episode, we are all heading out to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I hope to see you there.

Lots of amazing training, testings tournament competition, all kinds of great things.

In addition, we are dropping the interview sections of these podcast episodes on to YouTube.

Make sure you head over to the ATA's YouTube page and subscribe so that you are getting these interviews every time they come, as well as on Facebook where we will be releasing them.

Also, now, make sure you are subscribing to the audio podcast as well, because.

That'S where you're going to get the full show episodes.

You're not going to get all the extra fun stuff on those video platforms, just the audio.

So you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, you can subscribe on Spotify.

Wherever you find podcasts, you can find the ATA Nation podcast.

And I would like you to do me a favor.

In the show notes for this episode, we've put a survey out there.

I would love if you could take just a couple of minutes to fill out that survey to help us continue to improve the podcast and just bring you new and exciting things.

I think that's going to wrap it up for us today.

Make sure you are out there going beyond the belt.

Thanks for listening to another episode of the ATA Nation podcast.

Be sure to subscribe and share with your ATa family.

Well, man, I'm not.

This one almost didn't get done.

Just my computer's been crazy.

Just all kinds of things.

Getting things edited from the interviews we did at ATa headquarters and then getting ready for fall nationals and some other projects.

Oh, it's been crazy.

So, hey, I if you listen to this part, you should definitely fill out the survey in the show notes because I really appreciate you, because you wait to the very end of the episode.

Thanks, guys.