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Intro: [00:00:07] Coming to you live from the Business RadioX Studio in Woodstock, Georgia. This is fearless formula with Sharon Cline.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:17] Thank you so much for joining us on Fearless Formula on Business RadioX, where we talk about the ups and downs of the business world and offer words of wisdom for business success. I’m your host, Sharon Cline. And today on the show, we have the owner and head instructor of Rise Up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is in Kennesaw, Georgia. They focus on creating a family, community and a safe environment, and I’m just so excited to welcome Joanie Chamberland to the show.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:00:44] Hey, hey, I’m excited to be here.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:47] This is your second business radio interview this week.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:00:49] Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:49] We’ve kind of, like, glommed onto you a little bit, like, don’t leave. Come into my studio.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:00:55] Exactly.

Sharon Cline: [00:00:56] How are you?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:00:57] I am, I’m doing good. Minus the yellow season upon us.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:00] But, you know, I’m feeling it too. And I can hear it as well. But like we were saying, it’s raining now. We’re hoping it clears out some.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:01:05] Oh, it’s supposed to rain for a little while.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:07] Yeah, light rain for a few hours.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:01:09] I’m like, yes, please.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:10] Let’s embrace. So I was looking a little bit about your history, and you were born in Quebec, and you came over here to the United States. When?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:01:20] In 2000. Okay.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:22] So actually not that long ago then.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:01:24] I mean, most of my life.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:25] But, you know, I guess. Yeah. You’re a young and you’re young. I mean, you look great, so. All right. So. But you still have family up in Quebec?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:01:32] Yes. Only my immediate family is here. So my dad, my mom, my brother here, um, we actually didn’t speak English when we moved here, so that was interesting.

Sharon Cline: [00:01:42] How did how did they just kind of like here school figure out.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:01:45] So they told me I don’t understand. And where’s the bathroom? And, um, and I went to the school ahead of time with my mom. I met my teacher, walked around, and then the first day of school, I got in there and I couldn’t remember how to get to the classroom. So I just, like, walked around aimlessly and then happened to see my teacher in the library and just followed it to the classroom. So, um.

Sharon Cline: [00:02:09] That must have been a very intimidating to try to learn English on the fly.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:02:14] It was. It was honestly just weird. It was weird. I would just hear little Johnny, blah blah blah blah blah, Quebec la la la la la la Joni. You know, nothing made sense. There was no cards on everything. So like, everything had, you know, a clock would say clock sync, sync, you know, doorknob. So everything door, everything had a sticky note or a note card on it for me to be able to learn English.

Sharon Cline: [00:02:37] How long did it take you until you felt comfortable?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:02:41] Um, probably just a couple months. I was eight, so it’s not super hard. And when you’re like forced you there’s. You have to. Yeah. So yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:02:50] But at eight it’s great. Like you were saying, when you’re young you’re sponge and you can learn things. So. But nice to be bilingual while you’re here in Georgia.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:02:57] Yeah. Except for French is not very useful here. But, you know, it does throw people off.

Sharon Cline: [00:03:02] Oh, I bet. Right. Well, but it’s kind of cool. Like I was saying, there’s a restaurant in canton called La Vie and they speak French. And so if you ever happen to go up there, you guys will be really cute.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:03:10] Well, you know, what’s actually kind of funny is my mom was helping at the front desk for a little bit at the gym. And sometimes if you speak another language, you think you’re speaking the right language and you’re not. And so I hear her talk to this new person that comes in, and then she starts talking in French. And I look at my mom and I was like, mom. And then he goes, oh no, I told her, I’m from Morocco, I speak French. And so I was just like, oh, okay, sounds good. I just thought my mom forgot she wasn’t speaking the right language, and she’s just telling this guy all this stuff in French. And I was like, um, mom, mom. Okay, no. We’re good.

Sharon Cline: [00:03:45] All right. Do you feel like you’ve lost any of your, um, fluency because you’re not using it all the time? Or is it get is it affected like that at all?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:03:53] Uh, well, so I speak French every day because I talk to both my parents and French because it’s a lot easier. Unless we’re arguing it’s way easier in English for me. Um, but it’s. I don’t have a French accent, and I do have an ugly English accent when I speak French. So interesting. And then you lose the I don’t know, the nuances and like the phrases and stuff, but I mean, I’m not up to the hip lingo in Georgia either. So, you know.

Sharon Cline: [00:04:19] I follow some, some people on TikTok that throw in these terms that I’m just like, what? I have to look up Urban Dictionary. So yeah, yeah, there are ways to try to be hip. But yeah, no, that’s okay, I can I almost embrace a little bit my non hipness because it’s like on purpose I’m not going to join like I am my age and I’m staying there.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:04:36] She’s like word.

Sharon Cline: [00:04:37] Yeah.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:04:39] Because like what does that mean.

Sharon Cline: [00:04:41] Never mind. Well, I’m so happy that you’ve come in the studio because you and I have talked about, um, self-defense classes that you offer at the studio. And, um, I’ve had a lot of intimidation about it because I’ve had some trauma in my background that I’ve taken a self-defense class in the past, and it’s been very traumatic for me because it’s brought up some emotions I don’t even know I have right underneath the surface. And you were very kind about making sure that any time I would come, I would be really comfortable. So thank you for being so generous that way. But also just the fact that I can imagine you’re giving everyone an not just self-defense, but in your classes a sense of I’ll meet you where you are. And so can you tell me a little bit about your philosophy behind your studio?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:05:25] Yeah. So I’ve actually been training martial arts since I was four. Um, and I do realize people aren’t like me, um, in which has been something that’s interesting for the business has been like, well, why did you sign up? And, you know, I did jujitsu because I liked jujitsu. Um, and honestly, I didn’t do it for self-defense. I didn’t do it for friends. I used to wrestle with my friend in the living room, and I was always really small, strong core. I did gymnastics and stuff my whole life, but I’m not good at gymnastics. Um, but she was a soccer player, and she was strong, and I was, I started jujitsu, I didn’t even weigh 100 pounds. So I was really tiny. And she kept pinning me down. And my brother’s friend saw it, and he was like, here, let me show you some stuff. And I was like, what is this? He’s like jiu jitsu. And I was like, okay, cool. So he showed me a little bit and I went to another school and found out, like started an actual jujitsu program. Long story short, you know, he showed me some stuff to get out of that. And through being in all those different studios. Right. Doing the taekwondo as a kid. Um, then I did taekwondo as a teenager, and then I came back and went to try krav.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:06:28] I’ve done jiu jitsu, but from being there and going to a bunch of different schools, I realized like. What is that thing that makes it intimidating for people, right? Because for me, it’s not. So we’ve been trying to get new clients in and I’m like, I don’t know, you don’t get people like me. Like, I just signed up. I walked in and I was like, let me do this class, right? I love jiu jitsu and I just want to be able to beat people up. So, um, but I want to be able to do it consistently, right? So I need to be safe. And we have this thing, you know, we say at the gym, that’s funny. It’s just like, if you break your toys, then you don’t have any toys to play with. So, you know, coming in, we already know it’s a really awkward, intimidating thing. I do remember being a white belt and we had a big window and we’d be doing these warm ups, and you look super weird. Like I was like, what if somebody just, like, looked at us right now? They’d be like, what are they doing? And it’s like some of the most fundamental movements you have to do shrimping and bridging. And so I was like, okay, I can see like how that would feel. So, you know, for me, being so small, being a female in this sport, starting jiu jitsu young, I was 16, started teaching at 19.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:07:28] A lot of people would come in and quit. Because or like not sign up because like, well, this little person doesn’t know what they’re doing. And so over time, I’ve realized kind of what is intimidating about it. Listening to my students and me being there is like a lot of gyms are just very macho. Or you walk in and nobody greets you. Um, there’s this been this whole thing where they think, you know, it’s so MMA because you see jiu jitsu in like UFC, right? And, but UFC and MMA is a mixture of martial arts. It’s mixed MMA. So you use some jiu jitsu but Croft taekwondo, you know, Muay Thai, boxing, all of that’s in there. So I want everybody to know, like jiu jitsu isn’t MMA, it’s in MMA because all martial arts are. So when you come to our gym, like, we want to make sure that you’re aware, like when you come in, right? We all know it’s a hard sport. It’s awkward. Nobody’s body just naturally does it. There’s very few. But every time you come in, you’re like, okay, I was 16. I trained with guys that were like, didn’t want to touch me. They were super awkward. And I’m like, now you made this awkward, like, just grab my guy and move on.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:08:33] So my whole thing is like, I know that we all come in at a different place and with different skills and different understanding of the body and of other people, and you know, their story. So when you come in, you’re going to be partnered with somebody who’s been training for a while that understands what that’s like, so they can help you because two people don’t know what they’re doing together is terrifying. So we get somebody who knows what they’re doing to help you and make you feel comfortable and understand, like, okay, this is an awkward move. We all know. So we’re going to show you why we do this move. And so I want to make sure that everybody who comes in like it’s a very physically demanding sport, but everybody’s body can get used to something physically demanding. The thing that’s hard about jiu jitsu is that it’s extremely mentally demanding and and it will bring up things, like you said to me that you don’t even know are inside of you sometimes. And so you need to be in a room where you’re comfortable because you’re going to have to make it through a lot of things. And I’ve done so myself, just being so small in the sport, constantly having people lay on me and I’m, I’m claustrophobic.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:09:30] So having to deal with just that on its own and and being okay and knowing like, oh, I have to do is tap. So at my gym, I focused on making sure that everybody knows, like when you’re coming in, like, we all understand how weird and awkward jiu jitsu can be. And I also know that that it’s, you know, few and far between like me that just come in because they want to do jiu jitsu. And so that’s been our whole goal is like, okay, you come in like we’re going to have a good time. Like it’s structured and I can be strict. But also like especially with adults, like I know you’re here as your hobby. You’re here to learn something like, I want you to come in and like, have a good time, enjoy yourself. Because and I want to enjoy the people around me. So I make sure, like no matter what, somebody’s going to be there helping you and making sure that you’re comfortable and you’re good, even if that means that today, like, you’re just going to sit out and watch, right, see how things are done. And then as you get going, we’ll give you some, you know, okay, come work with this person. Like they’ll help you with these few things. And then as you go on you’ll just get more comfortable.

Sharon Cline: [00:10:24] So it’s like a trust.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:10:26] When you get.

Sharon Cline: [00:10:26] There.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:10:27] Yeah, absolutely.

Sharon Cline: [00:10:28] So you had, uh, started, uh, rise up jiu jitsu in 2019. That’s when it opened. So what made you want to start your own gym here?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:10:37] So I actually started teaching in gosh, I was 19. So whenever I think that was, uh. 2014, maybe 20. No earlier than that, 2012. Um, I’m not trying to do the math right now. I’m thinking about, like, college. I was in college and I was offered the job because my professor actually moved back to Guam. So I started teaching then as as a purple belt. And I taught in, um, it was at at the time a lot of people do actually know him. Gregory Lamont, um, still really great, um, relationship with him and his wife April, that were my mentors forever. So I taught in his gym for a long time. It’s actually called integrated Martial Arts, and I have an event coming up there soon. So I was teaching for a while with him. And the way that it was, because it’s it was an ATA, there was only so much growth that was going to be able to be done. We kept trying to push jujitsu in the ATA system, and they just they didn’t mind it, but they never helped us. So just constantly being in there, I could never really do exactly what I wanted with my program. And honestly, the people that had bought us at the time, Karate Atlanta, they also viewed it like, well, you don’t learn life skills in jujitsu.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:11:50] And it’s like, well, I grew up in the ATA system, so I do make sure that it’s a structured class. We bow in and out, there’s respect. We talk about life skills, they’re learning something. And the reality with jiu jitsu is that it’s really a parallel to life, right? Because some days you come in and like, everything is amazing. You’re beating everyone, the next day you’re just getting beat up by everyone, right? So it’s it really helps you learn like how to deal with those situations in, in life too, because you’re constantly being put in uncomfortable situations and going, is this really something that’s going to like, hurt me? Like, am I going to pass out with this choke? Or is this just kind of uncomfortable? And I can turn my head right, which means like just in life, like, is this really something that’s so hard? Like, I might not make it through, or does it just feel really hard and like all I got to do is like, look at the corner and like, there it is, like the lights right there.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:12:35] So. Being in there, it was hard for me to really make the program bigger, and I had had an opportunity with somebody who was saying they wanted to open a gym, and they already knew from the beginning I wanted to do that. So eventually, since we couldn’t, we kept trying to get me to be able to move up. Um, it just didn’t work in the the way that the structure of the atom karate system. So I ended up opening my own gym, and that was. With the help of mass tourism. In the same shopping center. We partnered together and the kids took both classes for a while, and then I moved to my newest big location, which is over off Bells Ferry Road. And you know, we just keep growing that way. And like I said, I’m still great friends with them. It’s a wonderful place. It just wasn’t going to be able to give me the growth that I wanted and to be able to structure it how I want to make sure that I give that vibe. Right. Because it’s just a kind of a different vibe when you’re looking at the taekwondo side, then jiu jitsu.

Sharon Cline: [00:13:30] Right. So I think when when you’re talking about misunderstandings of what jiu jitsu even is, you know, it’s like you were saying, I can imagine mixed martial arts and people think it’s going to be so physically challenging and, and, and have a different philosophy than what it really is. But I also think it’s fascinating that the way you’re discussing it and explaining it has the mental side of it is so interesting because you think about the physical and the challenges that’s going to come this way, because if you’ve I’ve seen obviously I’ve seen, um, and you have seen jiu jitsu matches and it’s, it is so physical, but the, the mental side is, is kind of not something that I was thinking is like, wow, I have to actually get my mind in this space of making sure that I feel safe. And what am I going to do if I don’t? And I guess I just was thinking kind of brawn, you know, is what’s most important, I suppose. So can you talk a little bit about that?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:14:24] So, um, there’s and this is just the philosophy for jiu jitsu in general. And it’s we basically it’s we call it like it’s like chess, right? It’s mental chess because the whole time, like it’s physical and mental chess because the whole time, like you’re trying to stay a couple moves ahead of your opponent and just something as simple as, like if somebody were like, we start from standing, we go to the ground, right? If somebody were to take me down and I get underneath them, I can be in my head and be like, oh God, they took me down, right? And then I’m trying to use my power to to push them back over. Or I could think something like, all right, what’s next? Right. I got taken down. There’s no worries about why. Think about it. Right. Let’s move on to the next thing, which is the hardest thing to do in jiu jitsu. And that’s what I’m constantly trying to teach my students, is don’t focus on that bad thing that just happened to you. You got to focus on the next step. So what’s the next step? They’re going to take me down, but there is no way they’re also going to get mount on me, right? They’re not just going to take me down and just land all the way on top of me. So if they take me down, my my foot hooks going in, I’m sweeping them back over and I’m on top of them. Right. And so it’s thinking about, okay, what’s next. Right. Okay. I want this person to extend their arm straight. So I’m going to push and they’re going to try to push me away. Bam that arm is straight. So you’re constantly you’re you’re baiting them. The the better and better you get at jiu jitsu.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:15:37] You’re 4 or 5, six steps ahead of them or you already know. Well, if I grab here, they can only move this way or this way. And honestly, my challenge for this last year, because I used to compete a lot and I retired last year, I was very physically and time physically demanding, time consuming. So I changed my mindset to, okay, when I roll with my my buddies that are bigger and they’re high ranks, right? They’ve been training longer than me. So it’s not jiu jitsu is to help a small person beat a big person that doesn’t know what they’re doing. Okay, but when your best friend is been training just as long as you have has been a black belt, you know, twice as long as you have, and they’re 225 pounds. Your goal is okay. Like, how can I outsmart him? So he told me, well, when I grab here, you can do this or this. And I’m like, oh, well, actually I have a third option. So that’s been my whole goal is like, okay, I can’t I’m not beating him physically. Even if I use flexibility, I still can’t beat him. So now it’s okay, I’m going to set some things up. Or you know, we train together so long. He knows my moves. I’m like, I’m gonna do something he’s not expecting. So there is so much mental awareness that you have to have in jiu jitsu. And it’s very difficult when you first start off because, you know, people are laying on you, they’re choking you. It’s hard to think when people are all all over you sweating on you. Sometimes we avoid those people, you know, where they’re they’ve got their legs near your face. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:16:53] They’re touching you so much.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:16:54] Right the whole time. Yeah.

Sharon Cline: [00:16:56] So it’s such an odd thing, especially with a stranger to be like, so physically intimate like that, you know, in a battle.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:17:02] Yeah, exactly. And that’s why also, like, you don’t start off just doing that right away. Right. That’s why we partner you with somebody that’s going to help you and make you feel comfortable. Because if you already don’t feel comfortable with someone, how are you going to do the other part. Right. And so but that’s over time. And so that’s, that’s the thing about it is it’s just there’s so much thought involved and you’re never going to do the same roll again. You’re never going to have the same exact fight again because oh, well, even if we go together all the time we’re going to try new things. So it’s it’s really great because it’s so mentally engaging. That’s why I haven’t stopped. I’ve done many, many martial arts in my life, and jiu jitsu is the only one I’ve stuck with because it’s so mentally engaging and it’s never the same. And then you can have so many different partners that are all doing different stuff. If somebody is flexible, if they’re short, they’re tall, they’re long, they’re strong, they’re it’s really honestly a amazing the amount of things you can do with jiu jitsu.

Sharon Cline: [00:17:56] I had no idea. I mean, I knew the basics of it and I’ve seen matches and but I’ve never really thought about how, um, it’s like chess. Like, if I move this way, they’re going to move this way, which will let me do this, you know, which. So you really have to be 100% present.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:18:11] Yes.

Sharon Cline: [00:18:12] In that moment, which is what it’s like for me, motorcycle riding, because I have to be so present when I’m on my bike. And there’s a piece that I have about it when I’m in that space because I’m very like, I’m not thinking about all the other things that I have to do. So I’m imagining actually, it’s it’s kind of cathartic for me. To let go of everything else and just be in this moment. So I imagine that might feel the same, even though you’re fighting or not fighting. Is it fighting?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:18:40] We call it. We call it rolling.

Sharon Cline: [00:18:41] Okay. Rolling.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:18:42] But I mean, that is the the sparring or fighting portion of jiu jitsu. Right. Rolling is when you get to use all the moves that you know, and and honestly, it is it is something that requires your entire mind and, and it’s funny because when you say that, I think about this time I competed and, um, I tried to tell my students, it’s not you’re never both moving forward. Right? Sometimes you can move backwards while they’re moving forward. And I remember we were going and typically you have your first round, you know, you do your first division and then it’ll be a couple hours before the next one. But somehow we got them to like speed it up. And we ended up competing again like our second round within like 30 minutes. And I was hungry. So I was competing and all of a sudden she kind of, like, lands on me and like, you know, her body hits my stomach and I’m like, man, I’m hungry. And I’m like, oh God, I’m competing. I got to keep I got to focus on what I’m doing. And so, you know, just a thought like that, it wasn’t even negative. Like it wasn’t like, oh, she did this to me or whatever. It was just like, man, I’m I’m hungry. Oh. Oh, gosh. Oh, okay. All right. I’m fighting someone right now. Please.

Sharon Cline: [00:19:43] Intrusive thoughts. Right. Yeah. It’s like.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:19:45] So you do have to you really have to have your focus on jiu jitsu. And so it’s it’s nice because it does literally. And I think that’s why people love coming. And it does clear your mind because it just doesn’t allow you to think about anything else. Right.

Sharon Cline: [00:19:59] It doesn’t matter your emails. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing on the way home. When you get home, it’s this moment and it’s a challenge to be 100% present, I think all the time. Oh yeah, it’s that mindfulness. But I like that that something that reminds me that I need to do it because it’s easy for me to get very distracted with a million things. But to be right here, present right now, even in this interview, it’s like, appreciate what this is. And I feel like I’ve experienced life in a more meaningful way when I’m really thinking about what I’m doing and every moment. Right.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:20:29] And then and the thing too, that’s nice is the person that you’re doing with also knows that you’re giving them your full attention. Right? And so there’s never this thing of like, you know. Are we both present right now? Like, are we doing this thing together?

Sharon Cline: [00:20:42] Just phoning it in.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:20:42] Yeah. Like, no, you’re definitely doing. If not, as soon as that arm comes across your neck, you’re like, okay, I’m here, you know, and so it’s, it’s, you know, it’s it is that thing that clears your mind and really helps you out. And especially when you find that. Right, Jim. And that’s that is one of the other things I tell people like this is how I created my Jim. Right. But anytime you’re trying out some Jim’s because I had somebody ask me the other day actually at the wipe out, you know, how do you know if it’s a good Jim? Like, what if you’re not close to my Jim? Um, well, the thing is, you know, go in there and you can look up the instructors, see if they’ve competed, see if they have, you know, their reviews and all that. If you have a friend who trains, they probably know someone in the area. But also when you go in there, you just have to like when you go in, do you feel comfortable? Is this somewhere you want to be a long terme? Because jiu jitsu is. It takes about ten years to get a black belt.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:21:31] So if your goal when you come in is to earn your black belt, like you’re going to be there for a while. So make sure that you like the instruction, the class times, how they’re structured, the people that are with you. And that’s our goal. There is like, if you’re meant to be at my gym, you will be at my gym. Like you’ll walk in like, this is the place. Like I enjoy this. Like, this is what I’m here for. It’s a hobby, right? And so like, that’s the whole thing that we’re trying to create. Is that like mindfulness, like you want to be here, like, people don’t come onto my mat and bring their cell phones out there because that’s not that’s not what they’re there for. Shoot. Somebody’s phone was ringing one time. Nobody like that person didn’t even realize it because they were so zoned in. And then they’re like, oh my God, I’m so sorry. That’s my phone. Like, let me go turn it off. And it’s like, we hardly that hardly ever happens. But it’s one of those things that like when you’re there, you’re there.

Sharon Cline: [00:22:14] I saw on your website that you also, um, your classes start for children as young as four years old. Yeah. What’s that like?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:22:21] So we, um, I originally started seven and up, and the goal was always to have the 4 to 6 year old class. Um. And if y’all haven’t met me, I can do it. Okay? I’m a good instructor, so I can do it, but it takes a lot of energy, and that’s not me. So, um, I had somebody come in and start that program, and then he ended up moving out of state. And my best friend, who’s amazing took over, and, um, she actually owns her own gym in Douglasville. Um, but she just had a baby, so she’s gone now. But anyways, she came in and she took over that. And, you know, we actually do teach them jiu jitsu, and we are one of the few schools that actually has jiu jitsu for 4 to 6 year olds. Typically it’s the taekwondo schools that have it. Um, and it is a very it’s very rewarding and fun. They say really funny things. I mean, it’s great and I, I got a really good picture of one of the little ones that just moved to juniors yesterday. And so the 4 to 6 year olds is there. You know, we’re teaching them jiu jitsu and they’re very excited and they’re they’re always rolling and they’re adorable. But it is hard to wrangle kids that are fighting each other. So it’s it just takes a lot of energy. Um, and then we have the seven to. Adult size, you know, like.

Sharon Cline: [00:23:37] Teen almost.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:23:38] You know, 12, 13, 14 it just depends on their size and then adults and up, which is what I teach is the seven up to adults. Um, it’s it’s honestly been really good and I know they can do it. I’m just really hard on those expectations. Like, I know what you kids can do. So, you know, it’s it’s very rewarding. It’s very fun. We actually have a few competing this weekend that are in the 4 to 6 year old range. Um, and if you I’ve never seen it, it’s adorable. It’s adorable. It’s amazing. So that is definitely my favorite part of doing that. But teaching the classes is hard.

Sharon Cline: [00:24:12] The challenge.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:24:12] Is real. Yes, the challenge is real, but it’s. When you see it. It’s kind of incredible what it does with the kids.

Sharon Cline: [00:24:19] So I was thinking the discipline that it requires is probably just such a great life skill for children to start to develop as young as four.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:24:27] Yes, definitely. The main thing for us and for most places in general, but for us is that it has to be something that you, you’re doing at home, and then we’ll help you be that secondary place that they learn it at. Because if it’s just us like we it’s it’s way too hard. So we make sure that like, that’s what they’re getting there is that supplemental discipline. Like we talk with the parents, we make sure we’re all on the same page. Um, and we actually are opening up a third class because our classes are getting really full. So we actually opened up a Friday class. It’s going to be starting in April so that we can get a few more people in.

Sharon Cline: [00:25:02] That’s awesome. So you’re growing. Yeah.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:25:04] We’re growing definitely. And definitely the little Lamaze class.

Sharon Cline: [00:25:07] That’s what they’re called.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:25:08] Yeah. That’s what we call them the little Lamaze.

Sharon Cline: [00:25:13] So they can say they’re a lama. Yeah. Well, I saw also that you have summer camps that you provide as well, and you have, um, um, Parents Night Out that you’ve done in the past, I saw, which is so helpful. I imagine it’s like you are not just teaching your classes, but you’re really engaging the community in different ways.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:25:33] Right? So the the summer camp, we only have one this year. It’s in June. And and that’s because I knew I was going to be teaching a lot more classes this, this time around with my best friend having her baby. But so we have the summer camp in June. It is open to the public. Um, they will do jujitsu every day because I’m trying to get it out there because, like I said, most people just aren’t aware of what jujitsu really is. Some people are. And the other thing is, it’s like a lot of people don’t know what jujitsu is. And how do.

Sharon Cline: [00:25:59] You explain it? How do you explain what jujitsu is?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:26:02] I just tell people it’s it’s more or less looks like wrestling, but you’re learning how to defend yourself on the ground. And there are uses of judo techniques to take people down and wrestling to take them down. Right. And a lot of people are just worried that somebody is going to get hurt. I mean, it’s a full contact sport, but that’s we’re teaching them. Jujitsu is about control, like being able to control yourself and your opponent. So there is so much self control aspect to it that they that people don’t understand. And so that’s the thing is like once you bring them in and let them try it, they can see that as well as like I mean, honestly, I like to have fun with the kids. So we have like marshmallow wars at camp, you know. So and they have like they make forts and stuff and, and I really do enjoy seeing how creative the kids can be. Um, and I do have like I have them teach at my gym, um, and then so they get their belt. So they have to be able to teach something because I was like, you don’t actually know something if you can’t teach that thing. And I don’t believe I think all black belts should be able to teach, but just because you’re a black belt doesn’t mean that you can teach, which is to me.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:27:00] Like, why? Like there shouldn’t be real. So I have my kids start teaching from early on, right? And then with the parents night out, we just try to help them out and give them, you know, we understand like they’re they’re coming in and they’re bringing their kids to us and they’re, you know, constantly all day, every day with their kids. So we try to have some parents night outs so that our parents can go and like, have fun and, you know, just leave their kids with us. They already know they’re safe because they come here and train with us. They can bring their friends kids so y’all can have, you know, double dates and whatnot. Um, how fun. Yeah. But on the vice versa, we also do adult game nights. So like all the adult students, we all get together and we bring some food and we play board games and we puzzle and like we’ve talked about bringing like video games but have had this system set up. But none of us end up playing. We always end up playing board games together. But so we do like geek out together as, as adults as well. So, you know, fully inclusive. We’re like, all right, y’all drop your kids off somewhere else tonight and come hang out.

Sharon Cline: [00:27:57] But how nice. Because it’s not just developing like you were saying. It’s a family atmosphere. It’s not just developing your skills in jiu jitsu, but it’s developing relationships and friendships.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:28:06] Right. And and we also have a leadership program. And so in my leadership programs is kids and adults, and I teach them how to teach jiu jitsu. Right, how to coach, how to coach in competition because it’s very different. Um, how to help, you know, the new people that come in, like how to be a good training partner and how to make sure that everything runs how we want it to and get them ready for their belts as well as like I just teach them overall leadership stuff so they’ll learn how to public speak. They’ll learn like we worked on like time blocking. And one of them, I had somebody come out and talk about, like, being a good friend. Um, I’m trying to get somebody to come out and like, you know, help us work with the special needs community just so that we’re always giving back. They have to do community service projects so that, you know, we’re always giving back to our community as well, because what’s the point of only growing our little community? But then we go out there and we’re like, what is this place? So we’re trying to always give back and create that same environment around us as well.

Sharon Cline: [00:28:58] I love it. Um, and you also have an event, um, that’s coming up in May. It’s a charity event and it supports neurofibromatosis. Is that right? Yep.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:29:08] That’s right.

Sharon Cline: [00:29:09] Um, so can you tell me? I mean, it’s wonderful that you are considering outside of what, your little bubble. Studio is you’re considering what? What kind of contributions you can make to your community. But this is a specific event. Can you tell me about that?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:29:24] Yeah. So my best friend actually had neurofibromatosis, and I had decided I wanted to help out, like raise funds and awareness for it. And I had told her, I’m going to hold it, you know, hold this event in October. And unfortunately, that year she passed away in August.

Sharon Cline: [00:29:39] So. Sorry.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:29:40] Yeah. It was it was rough. And if anybody’s lost anyone, you know, sometimes it just hits you. But. I’m working through that and trying to help out the family. We did. We still continued that event in the first year in October, and we did like a big memorial for her, and we had a silent auction tent and just, you know, raising awareness because most people don’t know what NPH is. And it’s honestly pretty common. Um, and then every year after that, we stuck with May because it’s May is NF Awareness Month. And so we’ve stuck with May. And it’s a big endurance event and it’s ten ten minute rounds of jiujitsu, which is very daunting. And even people have been training for a long time. Like I can’t make it through. And the reality is it’s like we’re all there for the same reason. So it’s it’s a lot of fun, right? Like we play music and there are kids that are doing the ten minute rounds. We’re all trying to last ten, ten minute rounds. It’s not a competition. We’re all there laughing, having a good time. We stop and we do an intermission halfway to talk about NF and, you know, have people understand what it is. And this year we’re going to do our silent auction again. We’re going to have, um, the little sober bar out there. We’re going to have a food truck. We’re going to have some vendor tables. Um, we got a girl coming out. She does, like, body jewelry and shave stuff. And I’m so sorry I can’t remember her name right now. Um, so it’s going to be like a really nice big event. And this year we’re, we’re partnering with Pennies Flight, and that’s what we’re going to give all our money. So everything is going to that charity.

Sharon Cline: [00:31:01] So what must it feel like for you to see an event, um, year after year? You know, that, um, is inspired by your friend?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:31:12] Um, it’s honestly, I just really I love that everybody there is, like, having a good time, you know, it’s it’s always hard and and typically we’ll do, like, a moment of silence in between. And I hate crying. So, you know, it’s one of those things that’s it’s a little rough. But at the end of the day, like, we all know why we’re there. And it’s always a great reason. And I think that’s what makes it so nice is like we’re just like I said, we’re there having fun. Right? And and we want the public come out. Y’all can come watch us, you know, do our rounds. And if that’s something that, you know, you’re interested in seeing what jiu jitsu is like and you feel like, oh, I heard it’s always fighting. Like, come and watch this role. Like, we, we like rolling. We it doesn’t look like we’re murdering each other because we’re all smiling and like, having a good time while we’re doing it. So that’s kind of, you know, the whole gist with that event is like letting people know what it’s about and being able to last through it, because people who have NF have like, tumors on their face and their body and they’re hurting and it’s it’s a nerve disease. So it’s, you know, being able to show like listen, they can if they can walk around all day in pain with their tumors and and you know, sometimes they’re cancerous, sometimes they’re not. They’re in pain. Mariel was always in pain with migraines. Like we can do ten, ten minute rounds, like, that’s like the least we can do, right? So that’s kind of the whole thing, is to last through those ten minute rounds and just show her support that, like doing something hard and feeling good that you’re doing this and, you know, knowing that it’s not even anything compared to them.

Sharon Cline: [00:32:34] I like that you’re talking about almost reframing what your situation is like. I’m healthy enough to do this. Appreciate the fact that I am.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:32:43] Exactly.

Sharon Cline: [00:32:44] That’s that’s a big deal.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:32:45] Well, there’s, um, Cupid’s underwear run. And they got me with this because they they you’re supposed to do it in your underwear, right? And obviously I’m fit and all that, but there’s some weird to me about going around in my underwear in downtown, and they’re like one of the emails because I wasn’t going to do it in my underwear. Emails was like, you know, they have tumors all over their face that they’re uncomfortable with, and you can’t walk around in your underwear for, you know, 30 minutes. And I was like, okay, you got me. So that’s kind of the thing we’re going with. So, you know, you’re too scared to do ten, ten minute rounds, but they have to live with enough every day of their life. Like, the least you can do is 100 minutes of rolling.

Sharon Cline: [00:33:17] It’s an important reminder. I can complain about a million things, but it’s just because I’m in my own little world. But it doesn’t take much to look outside of yourself and see, you know, what other people suffer with, and then have an appreciation for where you are.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:33:30] Right? And it does make me feel grateful to know, you know, I’m here like I get to do this and she would want nothing else than that.

Sharon Cline: [00:33:39] So, well, you also teach a women’s self-defense class. Can you talk to me about that?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:33:44] I can, so we did. We tried this year doing a series. Um, they’re quarterly. And, you know, the reason being, like, you’re not going to learn how to defend yourself in one class. And I know some, like the moms, are very busy and they’re taking their kids everywhere and trying to make sure their kids are safe. But you got to take care of yourself, too. So the next one is actually April 26th. And the goal of that is to get all the women together to give them some tips on, like what to do to keep yourself safe, as well as learn about some of the martial arts and about jiu jitsu. They are going to build on each other, so we’re going to do different stuff at them. But I’ll do a quick recap every time to just kind of make sure everybody is aware of like what the goal of the class is, but it’s just a lot of people think they’re going to be safe just because they have a gun or they have a knife. But the reality is like usually if you’re going to be attacked, you don’t know that you’re going to be attacked. So you need to be able to defend yourself. And everyone thinks, well, it’s fight or, you know, flight or fight. And it’s like, no, there’s also freeze, which is probably the worst thing you could do.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:34:42] And and the reality is watching it day in and day out, you know, when somebody. Puts their arm around your neck to choke you. With a black belt. Somebody puts their arm around me like, I’m going to be talking to you like nothing’s happening. You’re going to be like, what is going on? This is super weird. Well, I’m constantly having people try to choke me. And so to me, I know, like, okay, what’s when is it actually a problem? Like when do I need to end this from happening. Whereas somebody brand new comes in, you put your arm around their neck and they’re immediately like, oh my gosh, get off me! And they’re in there. They’re fighting or fly or freezing or crying. And so the whole thing is to get you comfortable somewhere that’s not supposed to be comfortable. Right. And so that you know what to do when you’re in those situations. So my class is is informative as well as physically. You’re going to be doing this stuff so that you can learn like, okay, is this what I want to do? And I was asked a really good question last year when I did my first class. And one of the ladies was like, well, which martial art is the best and which.

Sharon Cline: [00:35:42] What a question. Which mine?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:35:44] Well, yes, jujitsu is because you’re learning how to defend yourself on the ground. But if you don’t like jiu jitsu and you don’t go to jiu jitsu, then it’s useless for you. So the biggest thing is, the one that you’ll actually attend is the one that’s best for you. And and you know, and it’s great. I think everyone that has a gun or whatever should do their gun safety class, and that’s wonderful. But that’s not going to stop if somebody’s hand-to-hand fighting you. So if you don’t have the time to reach for your gun, right. If you don’t have these things, you need to be able to also defend yourself with just your own body, right? Same with knife defense, same with all of those things. So I don’t discourage any of those classes. I think they’re wonderful and you should do that stuff too. But what if you didn’t have that right? So keeping yourself safe and just being aware that, like, what if one day you just what if your gun wasn’t there, then you’re comfortable and you know that you can at least do something long enough to defend yourself and get the cops out, or get your husband or whoever, or get away.

Sharon Cline: [00:36:37] Yeah, just one second.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:36:39] Get your dog something.

Sharon Cline: [00:36:41] It’s muscle memory we were talking about the other day. Right. So you’re you already have the experience of having to do it, like to defend yourself in that way. Right. So, um, knowing that you have that in the like, you have a plan. If something does happen, there’s a piece that comes with that too. Yeah.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:37:00] When it’s not even like it’s even more deep than that. It’s not really a plan. Like I don’t have a plan, but I’m very well aware if somebody touches me like it’s going to be bad for them. And so because I just like, I don’t have to think about a plan. I don’t have to think about doing this thing. It will just happen. And it’s the same thing. You start noticing it as an instructor is I’ll teach a move and then I’ll watch everybody do it. I’m like, why are they doing this all wrong? And then I look and I’m like, mhm. Everybody come back in. They’re like, what? I’m like, I forgot to tell you, I do a shrimp here because my body just does it naturally. Right. It don’t have to think okay I’m going to do this in shrimp. So I just do it naturally. And I don’t tell them, well when they go out there they don’t do a shrimp because I didn’t tell them to do a shrimp. And so like, that’s the stuff that I know, like my body is just going to take over and do it. And so over time when your body gets used to doing certain things, it just knows, right. When I when I frame my shrimp, a lot of people just try to frame and push and they’re laying flat on their back and it doesn’t work.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:37:55] So knowing that, like, I don’t even have to have a plan. So that’s kind of the whole thing is I’m very comfortable in knowing that I don’t need a plan, I don’t need my body will do it interesting. And my body will do it under stress because I’m constantly doing things under stress. Right? And especially because I competed a lot. And there’s not that many women that compete in with my time that I can go train. Typically, I train in the daytime for myself, and that’s when everybody’s working. So I’m fighting dudes all the time, and I have to look at them and be like, don’t be nice to me. Like when I go out there and compete, those girls don’t care. They don’t care. So I have to be able to push under that kind of pressure. So you’re constantly being put under that pressure to where okay, now I know, like things don’t feel so bad anymore when you’re like, man, like 10s ago I got this 200 pound guy that’s literally trying to choke me with every muscle that he has. And now I’m just sitting here walking in every day life like, okay, this is not so bad. Might be raining in the pollen stinks, but I can still breed better.

Sharon Cline: [00:38:56] So how interesting it is the mental part of it. Because like you’re talking about even just sparring, it’s like I just went through this big sparring with this 200 pound guy and that’s like was really difficult. But now I can just appreciate going about my day, whereas someone else who doesn’t have those moments where they’re like, have feel like they really accomplished something significant, you know, they’re going to complain about the rain like I do. You know what I mean? It’s it’s interesting that there’s like that side of it that actually puts a different focus and perspective on, on your on your daily experience. Yeah.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:39:34] Everything that you do for sure, it’s, it’s crazy because you never know when it’s going to come up. And the thing with the plan too, you were saying is I actually have a girl who’s been training for a while, she’s starting a little llama, she’s in a junior class, and we’re kind of talking about how like. She doesn’t. She’s gotten so much better, but her goal coming in for her mom was for her to come in and learn how to focus. And, um, she used to like, cry and want to run off the mat. I mean, it used to be really bad, and Lauren did an amazing job with her in the little Lamaze class, and now she’s in the juniors class with me. And, you know, we were making jokes because she always whines about everything, and she’s the strongest little girl. And I’m like, girl, you’re so strong. Just yeet this kid off you. But she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. So anyways, we used to joke at her and be like, the ambulance is here.

Sharon Cline: [00:40:21] Because she would.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:40:21] Always be like.

Sharon Cline: [00:40:22] My hair. It’s like, Jocelyn, you’re tough.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:40:24] Like, just knock him over and get your hair out. And so we were having a conversation about how, like, she’s getting there, right? She’s finally getting to a point where she’s going to be ready to test, like for her next stripe. She’s she’s been doing pretty well in class. And her mom said, you know, actually, the other day, a little boy went and grabbed her on the playground and she used jiu jitsu, and she had no idea she used it because it’s so ingrained in her. So she’s like, she was trying to tell me, like, she’s learning this stuff, even though it might feel like sometimes she’s not because she’s kind of all over the place. She’s like, she’s using it without knowing that she’s using it. She didn’t even know she did jiu jitsu, but I watched her just take this kid’s arms off of her and turn around and just face him. And she was like, oh, that’s what she does in jiu jitsu all the time.

Sharon Cline: [00:41:03] It feels like all women, just because we are naturally bi biologically, um, not don’t have as much muscle mass as men, right. So it feels like to be able to fight, I have a chance of fighting and getting away or however you need to get out of it. It feels like this is a skill that women should have. All women should have.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:41:25] Absolutely. And in the reality too, of it is that 90% of fights go to the ground. So anybody who could possibly get bullied or in a fight like you have a very high likelihood you end up being on the ground, which is where most of jiu jitsu is. But also just the majority of attacks that happen on women would be something that you need to learn how to get away from someone who’s trying to hold you down, trying to hug you, trying to keep and and the natural tendency for people, honestly, when you if you ever watch a new person do jiu jitsu, if somebody gets on top of them and they hug them and it’s like, no, no, like you don’t want to put more weight on yourself like you, you they already have gravity working for them. Like don’t pull them even tighter on top of you, but it feels like you just want to keep them there. You don’t. But the reality is you need to be extending them away, pushing them away, and creating space between the two of you. And everyone is physically so much stronger than they think they are.

Sharon Cline: [00:42:20] You just such an interesting statement. I feel I can get away if someone’s going to fight me. But you think you can do it and you think you have the strength. But no, you do.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:42:29] No you do. You’re so much stronger than you think you are. And that’s what jiu jitsu will show you is like, oh, all I had to do was like, put my arm here. And like, they can’t do that. And it’s like. But it feels so physically like, I’m not that strong man. I started jujitsu, I was 97 pounds, I was not and I was not strong. My I see pictures, I’m like, wow, my legs are the same size as my arms. Like, that’s bad. Um, but I was my core was very strong from gymnastics and, and I had a trampoline that I was always on as a kid, but. Doing jiu jitsu will make you strong in ways that aren’t what you’d get, like in a lifting gym. Right. So there are some people come in that are super strong, and I am not strong in that sense. I mean, I’ve lifted weights and I try to be strong, but you don’t need all that to defend yourself, right? And obviously, hopefully most of y’all know if you ever were in a situation where you had to fight and you’re going to fight, you have these crazy things that happen. Like if your kid is about to get hit by a car, you’re going to lift that car. Like, those are real adrenaline. Yeah. And all the chemicals that are going to rush through you. So as long as you know what to do with that, it’s going to work for you. But you won’t know what to do with that if you’re not trained.

Sharon Cline: [00:43:36] Who’s your ideal client?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:43:38] My ideal client is somebody who wants to learn jiu jitsu, honestly, like that’s coming in and they want to learn more about jiu jitsu, like self defense is great to. But as soon as that comes in, it’s just like, man, this is so cool. Like I’m learning all this stuff. Um, and just, like, enjoys having a good time, honestly, like, I like people like me. Um, yeah. That’s who. When you come in the gym, you’re going to see a bunch of people that are similar to me. Like, we have the same type of mannerisms and stuff, and we we just made a joke on on Wednesday. I said, you know, they say you attract people like you. And I was like, I didn’t realize I was going to attract all the evolutionarily weak people. I said, you know, I wear glasses, half my students wear glasses. You know, we’re all in there snorting the Flonase because we can’t breathe with the pollen. I got asthma, this guy’s got asthma. We got four inhalers in the gym. I’m allergic to things. I got, you know, if you eat peanuts and that’s like your number one thing, don’t come to my gym. You’re going to kill half the gym. You know, we got a guy who’s allergic to all the fruits. I mean, I was like, man, we are evolutionarily weak. But guess what? If we didn’t do jujitsu, we probably would be dead. Like, let’s be real. So, you know, lactose intolerant. I was like, guys.

Sharon Cline: [00:44:46] All the things.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:44:47] Yeah, if you’re evolutionarily weak, you’ll probably find your way to us anyways. But.

Sharon Cline: [00:44:51] But you can fight.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:44:52] Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. I mean, but really that’s my ideal client, really is somebody who’s interested in learning more jiu jitsu, doing doing a workout that doesn’t feel like a workout, you know, and and you don’t have to be in shape to do jujitsu. I hear that all the time, too. Like, well, I’m gonna get in shape first and I’ll show up. Like, you will get in shape for jiu jitsu by doing jiu jitsu. That’s the only thing when I went to law school and I couldn’t train as much, people like, well, just go running. And I was like, that’s adorable. But running does not give you jiu jitsu cardio at all. And, um, honestly would just kill my knees. So I’m, I’m I’m good. Um, triathletes come in and they’re they’re dying. They can’t breathe after two minutes of a jiu jitsu round because it’s a whole different cardio weightlifters. Yeah, they’re strong, but do their weights push back? Um, no, ours do, and they push back at weird angles. So it’s it’s just a whole different thing that it’s hard to just prepare for, like come in and do jiu jitsu and we will show you what you can do, where you’re at now and what you can do later on. And I think that’s one of the the big things that I’ve been trying to get my students to understand this year is, you know, listen, if you got short arms, you got short arms.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:46:00] You can’t change that, okay? You got short legs, you got short legs. And, you know, I got long, skinny legs so I can do certain moves. Triangles is a is a big one that some people struggle with to have short, thick legs because you can’t close your legs. And so I tell them like, don’t be upset that you can’t do what I do. You have other moves that are going to be so easy for you that are so hard for me because I don’t have. My legs are so long, there’s so much space they can escape and so be where you’re at now. If you’re flexible now, it doesn’t mean you’re going to be flexible in ten years from now. If you’re not flexible now, you could become flexible, right? If you’re if you’re fat and you’re trying to lose weight, well guess what. Right now your body is heavy. Use that. And then when you lose your weight, then we’ll teach you other stuff to do with your, you know, small, limber bodies. So you have to work with your body where it’s at now.

Sharon Cline: [00:46:49] I love that because it’s not like looking at something where I’m you can say I’m not fit enough. The negatives, the reasons why you can’t. It’s actually embracing the gifts of where you are right now and leveraging them.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:47:02] Exactly. Shoot, if I was 300 pounds, guess what? I would lay on everybody too. I would, right? Because you would be able to. For me to hold someone down takes a lot. It takes a lot. So and it takes a lot of skill and people forget. They look at well, you know, you might not struggle because you’re a black belt. And it’s like, guys, I was never I wasn’t always a black belt, you know, because my favorite thing is people like, well, I’m just too small to do this. And it’s like, you’re listen, you’re the world’s tiniest violin right here. Like, I.

Sharon Cline: [00:47:28] Called the ambulance.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:47:29] I’m like, yeah, exactly. I’ve been the smallest one for for a long time. Right? You just get used to that. Like, that’s the point of Jiu-Jitsu is to be able to to defend yourself being the smaller one. So it just takes technique. But they’re like, well, you’re a black belt. Yeah. Well, I was a white belt in small to like, I was a blue belt and small. I was a purple belt and small I was a brown belt and small like I was always small. So being small is not the excuse. I learned what my body can do, being small. And guess what? It’s a little easier to get out of things when you’re small.

Sharon Cline: [00:47:58] Right?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:47:59] So that’s a.

Sharon Cline: [00:47:59] Leverage too, right? Yeah, exactly.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:48:01] I’m like, I just got to make a little space to get out. You got to make a big space to get out. So it’s using what you have, right? I got lots of friends with different shaped bodies. And that’s the other thing is knowing, like, you know, there are certain set moves you have to know how to do and you have to be able to teach and have to be able to do. But then also it’s just being able to show other people how to do it and going, okay, my body can’t physically go, here, let me show you how you can do it right. And then if there’s certain techniques that you let’s say you got three like really flexible people, I’ll just show them that on the side and be like, if y’all want to try this one, like go for it. Like this works for y’all. So just being aware that like, okay, some things are permanent with your body. Like your arm length. My arms are very long for my body. Um, which can be great and can be terrible. Right. So I can’t change that. So the. Things that you can’t change. You just have to accept and be like, okay, we’re here. These are the moves I can do. Let’s get good at those. So it’s it’s, um, it’s an acceptance to. Yeah, it’s yeah it is.

Sharon Cline: [00:48:57] What’s it, what’s it like? Um, what’s something that’s really surprised you about having your own business?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:49:04] Um, I would say, like, honestly, that people are a lot more patient than you think they are.

Sharon Cline: [00:49:10] Nice.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:49:11] Um, because I when I started, it was just me. And so I’m trying to do I’ve done all of it because where I started, I did everything right. I did sign ups, I took classes, I taught classes, I, you know, contacted schools, everything. And so when I did it by myself and I had to do everything by myself, only myself, not sharing it with somebody else, I had to tell people, you know, like, hey, I really want to talk with you, but I’m about to sit down and talk with this person. Could you just give me a couple minutes, or can I schedule you for next time? And for the most part, everybody were always willing, like, yeah, yeah, we’ll give you a few minutes, no worries. Like no big deal. And so I always tell people like just ask like the worst case scenario, they’re going to say no. And guess what? If they say no, then they just weren’t meant to be here anyways. And so I’ve really enjoyed the. Meeting all these great people. And, you know, honestly, nowadays it feels like everybody sucks.

Sharon Cline: [00:50:08] Yeah. I didn’t expect you to say that. But it’s true, it’s true, it is true. And then the evidence of it everywhere. If you really. I mean, you don’t even have to really look. It’s kind of shown to you. Yeah.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:50:20] And it’s, you know, unfortunately through, you know, the, the Covid and everything that we went through. But the reality is there’s still so many great people out there. And if that’s what you’re looking for, that’s what you’re going to find. And so it’s been nice to see that. Um, but I would say on the flip side, the other thing that I, that I’ve seen is, is the ghosting, oh my God. Like, people on the flip side of the kindness and the, you know, people being patient and everything that I’ve seen, it’s it’s people are too scared to just let you know what their decisions are. So they’d rather just say nothing. And it’s like when you own a small business, like the text message you’re receiving is from the business owner, or they’re 1 or 2 employees, like it’s not automated. If it’s automated, it’s going to say opt out. Yeah. You know, we’ve had people just say stop. And it’s like I’m a human being texting you. And and I had an employee that was like kind of offended. And I said, you know what? Send him a picture of your face and say, hey, I’m actually a real human being. I’m sorry I’ve bothered you. If you ever need anything else, just please reach out to us. And and of course, they’re like, oh, my God, I had no idea. Yeah, yeah. So it’s just, you know, that thing has been.

Sharon Cline: [00:51:23] Interesting aspect of it that you weren’t expecting.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:51:25] Yeah. So many people assume everything’s automated because of all the AI and and automation that’s happening nowadays. And then just the ghosting.

Sharon Cline: [00:51:34] What’s the most satisfying part of owning your studio.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:51:38] That I get to do what I want to do. I don’t have to answer to anybody else on that end. Um, and honestly, the funny thing is, I don’t I only want to teach in most gym owners that I know, like they don’t want to teach, they want to do everything else. So I’m kind of on the the flip side of everyone else. Um, because for me, it’s just. Satisfying to help people do the things they didn’t think they could do. So doing a sign up, isn’t that right? Teaching is when I get to see all those things and like, learn the new things and the tips to show them and see those like aha moments and. I get to go out and coach them in competition because I think for me, the most rewarding thing is, um, my friends coming out thing, the, the most rewarding thing is like getting somebody else to their win and just seeing them feel like how great that thing is, but also knowing. Because for me, I was on a team for a long time that they only cared about me if I was winning. Um, but also knowing that like, your whole team is behind you, win or lose. Like, all we want to see is that you tried your best and like that, you’ve that you came out there and you go, okay, I did everything I could like. Yeah, listen, we all hate losing. It sucks. But the reality is that you can still go out there and perform well and lose. Watch me compete. You’ll know. So going out there performing and feeling good that like, even though you didn’t win, you still did everything that you could. You tried the moves from class, you were on your stuff, and then we’ll go on and work the stuff that weren’t.

Sharon Cline: [00:53:08] That’s a life skill too, though, is, is knowing that you don’t have to reach a specific, defined goal that you have to in order to feel like you’ve done a good job of something you’ve learned something you’ve shown up.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:53:20] Right. It’s it’s for us. It’s the excellence factor. We’re not looking for perfection. We want excellence. We want you to do everything in the best that you can, that you can do at the time.

Sharon Cline: [00:53:29] Do you think people miss that message? Like in general, I do. I was wondering if you you think the same. Yeah.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:53:34] I mean, I definitely am that person, right? That I’ll look at something be like, oh, I didn’t write that very well. I need to rewrite that. And I’m like, oh my gosh, I need it. There’s no such thing as perfection. Like I’ve been working on that, working towards excellence and getting people to understand, like, you can lose and be excellent. It’s okay, like and be.

Sharon Cline: [00:53:50] Proud of yourself.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:53:51] Exactly. I did everything that I could and unfortunately it didn’t work out for me this time. And the reality is like we can always get better. So every time you say, well, I’m going to reach this, then it’s going to be this thing and then that thing and then this thing. And so it’s just like, I want everyone to know that, like, I took my time and I did this thing, but I’m also human. So if I’m writing something and it’s in pen and I spell it wrong, well, I’m not going to start all over again. I’m probably going to just white it out or just cross it off and and keep going because it’s like, well, hey, listen, you got something handwritten by me, which is not something you receive a lot.

Sharon Cline: [00:54:24] So truth.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:54:25] So just always thinking about that and going, okay, did I perform to the best of my abilities? And at the end of the day, the only person that cares that they lost is the person who lost. Right? And and you can feel comfortable in knowing that your whole team goes, we know you tried your best. And if you if you don’t feel like you tried your best, well then that’s on you. Don’t tell us that you did right. So I just tell them, like, if you got a two out of ten in the tank, you give us your two out of ten.

Sharon Cline: [00:54:49] It’s, um, you’re talking about compassion for yourself, right? Like accepting where you are and that you did the best that you could. And even if it wasn’t what you wanted, you still did the best you could. And that’s enough. Exactly.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:55:02] Because you can’t give something you don’t have. That doesn’t make any sense. So if you have a two out of ten, you can’t give an eight out of ten. So then you but you know, and that’s the other thing is trusting people when they go, I gave everything, okay. That’s all I can ask. Next time we just make it to where you have more to give.

Sharon Cline: [00:55:17] So do you feel like you have a fearless formula for your life? What makes you brave to do what you do?

Joanie Chamberland: [00:55:26] Um, I think, you know, it’s funny. I struggle with this bravery word. Um, I was talking about with a friend about this, I, I think I just always try it. I mean, I just think to myself, the worst case scenario I’m going to get is a no. I mean, that’s the reality, right? In most things, I mean, most the worst case scenario, we’re going to get rejected. We can already reject ourselves and not ask or we can go get rejected. I mean, but at the end of the day, we got rejected either way. So I’d rather just go ask. And for the most part, typically the answer is yes. Like in most most things in life, like if you want a promotion, go ask for it. If you want to go on a radio show, go ask for it, right? If you want to make some friends, go talk to some people.

Sharon Cline: [00:56:09] But you know that’s what stops people so much is the is the fear is the fear of a no, the fear of rejection, the fear of shame, you know? So I just love that you are exemplifying the opposite.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:56:21] Yeah. And it’s it’s not easy. It’s not easy, right? I mean, there are.

Sharon Cline: [00:56:25] Definitely to note, though, you know, some people find it natural and some don’t. But you’re I like that you’re saying it’s not easy because some people will say that’s easy for you. It’s easy for you to say, it’s easy for you to do. Well.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:56:36] No, no, I wasn’t always this way. I mean, there are things for sure like, um. I’ve never really cared what people think about me. I’m just always me. And I’m hearing constantly lately that it’s hard to be yourself. And that doesn’t make sense to me. Like, I’m like, it’s hard for me to not be myself because then I’m like, what did I tell this person? What was this thing? Who am I like? I don’t have time for all that. I got too many other things to worry about. So this is me. And if I’m gonna have to apologize for anything, it’s like, I’m sorry. I didn’t think before I did this thing. Um, I promise I’ll work on it. But, um, you know, the main thing is, like, we’re all human. We all have flaws. And so that’s kind of the thing I embrace is like, this is this is who I am. I’m working to be better, always right to to show that excellence and constantly trying to be better. And, you know, when you get better things around, you get better. So that’s kind of my goal in life. And if there’s a setback, well guess what this is. This is life. This is what happens.

Sharon Cline: [00:57:32] I love it because it just gives me a feeling of of just accepting where I am today. Um, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be any different than whatever is authentic to me today. Right. And that’s good enough.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:57:46] It’s because that’s it. Like you, that’s all you have. That is it. You can’t be something you’re not. You can’t give something you don’t have. You have to just be yourself. And guess what? You’re the best version of you there is because there is only one of you.

Sharon Cline: [00:57:59] You’re talking about that radical acceptance of who you are, which is such a challenge for me sometimes. So I appreciate the energy of it. It’s like I can feel what you’re saying and that I can access it. I just tend to think, um, not, you know, someone doesn’t like what I said or this didn’t go as well. And so I need to do better. And it’s like always a lack as opposed to, um. So what? Yeah.

Joanie Chamberland: [00:58:25] So what? I mean, you are you and I’ve learned a long time. Listen, there’s there’s not a lot of in between with me. People pretty much either love me or hate me. And and to be honest with you, like, that’s fine with me. That’s completely fine with me. Because if you’re not for me and I’m not for you, then please find people that your people. Yeah. I mean, that’s okay. Like, shoot, if we were all the same, this would be a heck of a boring life. So, you know, and and sure, sometimes someone might not agree with my, my actions. Sometimes I might not agree with my actions. But at the end of the day, I’m constantly trying to make sure that I sleep at night because at the end of the day, like the only person that’s thinking about me is me, everyone else is thinking about themselves. It’s true. So, you know, I can sit here and be like, oh, what did Sharon think about my performance? What did this person. But like at the end of the day, Sharon’s going home and Sharon’s thinking like, I wonder what Johnny thought about my show. And it’s like we were thinking about ourselves the whole time. And so, you know, it’s one of those things of going, okay, it really doesn’t matter. And, and I don’t know if it’s because I moved here and didn’t speak the language if that made a difference. You know, because I did have to come into a place that’s like, you know, I had no friends, I had nobody, I didn’t speak the language. It was awkward. I’m not girly. All the girls wanted me to hang out with them. And I’m like, no, I don’t want to do this, you know? So I’ve kind of always been not the typical person anyways. But just being myself is just something that was never hard for me. So I will say that’s true for me. Being myself isn’t hard. Um, I was peer pressured once in my life and I’ll never do that again. And it was really stupid. Um, I burnt my backyard down. Oh, my magnifying glass.

Sharon Cline: [01:00:00] Well, that’s a big one. Have you had to do only one peer pressure moment?

Joanie Chamberland: [01:00:03] No, no, no, the peer pressure moment was that they told me to lie to my dad and say I was looking for an earring with a magnifying glass, and it caught the yard on fire. Like, we’re guys. We all know that’s not true. My dad showed me how to start the fire with a magnifying glass. He can’t be upset. Um, and so the whole thing happened. They all left, and my dad was like, why did you lie? And I was like, do you mean like, if you were just told me the truth, like, we wouldn’t be here right now? He’s like, but you clearly weren’t looking for an earring. No, I was burning a whole magnifying glass or a hole in a newspaper with a magnifying glass. And the shoe that we were using to hold it down. I picked one up and my friend was like, don’t want the other one to burn. She picked it up and then it flew in the air. Caught on fire. Dry season in Georgia. So, you know, it was a complete accident. We called 911. We got it taken care of. But yeah. So after that I was like, I told my friends, they’re not going to believe this. And they’re like, it doesn’t matter. You can’t tell them the truth. So, you know, that was my one peer pressure moment. And then after that I was like, okay, my dad’s kind of right like that. That was so dumb. Nobody was going to believe that. So I’m like, so you accept.

Sharon Cline: [01:01:00] Your you accept yourself, you accept your experiences, you embrace them as learning and you frame it as a positive.

Joanie Chamberland: [01:01:07] Pretty much for them. I try very hard and you know, and honestly, losing my best friend has made a difference on my life because it’s you think you’re going to see somebody tomorrow. And that’s not always true. And so I’d rather you just have the real me all the time and the things that, you know are just so dumb. Like you don’t want to tell somebody you love them. Why? Like we’re human beings. We’re meant to love each other. That’s kind of the whole purpose of being here. So, you know, that also has changed how I view things and how I talk to people and what I see in life and like what’s important. And to me, like being there for those people. And making sure that we’re all those kind of people that are paying it forward and being there for one another is really all that really matters at the end of the day. So, you know, I try to. Learn things about that and talk to people that are like that and connect with those kind of people. And like you were asking like, who do I want in my gym? Like, those are the kind of people I want on my gym like that just want to be better versions of themselves. They want to learn jiu jitsu. They want to be there. They want to help other people. Because even though people think jiu jitsu is not a team sport. It’s a team sport. We might not be throwing a ball back and forth together to finish as a team, but the only way we get better is by training with each other and going hard together. And then guess what? When I’m competing, my whole team is cheering behind me. When they’re competing, I’m cheering and the rest of the team is cheering. So it is a very big team sport in that sense. So I want a community.

Sharon Cline: [01:02:30] Yeah, and I like that you’re talking about helping. It’s it’s in an effort to help each other at the end. Because I think that’s why we’re we’re here is to help each other get through this life because it’s so tough. Right. And anytime you know, but to have people help you, it’s, um, I think it’s a sacred thing.

Joanie Chamberland: [01:02:48] Yes. And to be able to help others, I mean, honestly, nothing feels better if you look back, anything that you do figure out, the way that you help them like that feels great. And so with jiu jitsu, I can do that all the time. You can do that coming in and helping. And even if what you’re doing is making yourself stronger and making yourself be able to defend yourself because now you feel better, then you’ll be able to be a better mom, a better girlfriend, a better wife, a better person, because you don’t have to walk around in fear. And honestly, fear is just. It’s it’s an illusion anyways, right? We all put that on ourselves and it’s, you know, everyone knows like, oh, I feel doing this thing and all of sudden you’re doing you’re like, oh, wasn’t that bad. Like that’s like most of life. Like, oh man, why did I, why was I scared of that?

Sharon Cline: [01:03:27] Like it’s an important lesson. I think that’s why I like the show, you know. What’s your fearless formula? I mean, it is true that, um, when you face those things, they’re not as big as you or as bad as you think that they will be. Yeah. Most often our imaginations are so much worse than what reality, you know?

Joanie Chamberland: [01:03:44] And that’s actually what makes us human, too, like animals and and whatnot. They can’t. They don’t have that. Like, they can’t think about all these different scenarios. They just do these things. Well, humans. Oh yeah. We can. Well, why do they look that way? Why do they do this thing? How come they’re looking at me like that? What is this? And then you’re like, oh, wow. He’s blind.

Sharon Cline: [01:04:02] Oh, yeah. The whole time he’s been staring at me. Yeah. But not oh, gosh, we.

Joanie Chamberland: [01:04:08] Have a blind student, and, uh. And he’s he’s such a crap talker. He’s hilarious. He’s amazing. And he’s been training with me for years. So, you know, that is one of the things that we have around the gym. And today we were just saying that we’re like, well, he’s going to say he couldn’t see it.

Sharon Cline: [01:04:23] And he’s like.

Joanie Chamberland: [01:04:24] Well, I can’t see it, coach.

Sharon Cline: [01:04:27] Well, if someone wanted to get in touch with you about joining the gym or just getting to know more about you in particular, how could they do that?

Joanie Chamberland: [01:04:34] So it’s actually pretty simple. I named my gym Rise Up for a reason. Um, so it’s just rise up BJJ com for Brazilian jiu jitsu, which I know if you’re at home going, I don’t know how to say that. That’s, you know, 90%, 90% of people just I don’t know how to say that thing. Jujitsu, jiu jitsu, jujitsu. Um, so yeah, rise up, BJJ com okay. Um, and then we’re on.

Sharon Cline: [01:04:59] Facebook, I know, and.

Joanie Chamberland: [01:05:00] Facebook, Instagram and all of them are just rise up BJJ so just backslash rise up BJJ. Um, and then on there you’ll be able to text us, call us all of the above. The website just got redone. So it’s very easy to reach out to us.

Sharon Cline: [01:05:14] Beautiful. It looks great. I was like.

Joanie Chamberland: [01:05:16] And he’s to match. So so we’ve done that. And then if not you can just stop by. We are um in Kennesaw. So right off of exit four, Bells Ferry Road where the public shopping center. Apparently everyone knows there’s a harbor freight there. Okay, don’t. It’s the one behind the the. There’s a waffle House up front, and it brand new urgent care. So, um, we’re in that shopping center in the left corner. We’re trying to, you know, kick the competition out there. The the liquor store.

Sharon Cline: [01:05:42] Oh my gosh. That’s kind of the opposite of jiu jitsu, I guess. Yeah. Well, I can’t thank you enough for coming to the studio and sharing your story. And hopefully people who listen will be inspired to know that they don’t have to be in a perfect physical condition in order to use whatever they do have to defend themselves and to feel like they’re being successful.

Joanie Chamberland: [01:06:05] Yes, exactly. And, um, the other thing too, is like, we have a guy who’s got miss, we have, like I said, a blind guy. We’ve had people in that have, um, Asperger’s like their jiu jitsu is for anyone who can mentally make it through. In the way you mentally make it through is to be on the right team. So, you know, hopefully don’t let any of those physicality problems stop you either. Come on in and we’ll show you how to make things work. Um, and thank you so much for having me here. It’s been a blast.

Sharon Cline: [01:06:33] Joanna, you were so much fun to talk to you, and I really appreciate it. Thanks for all that you do.

Joanie Chamberland: [01:06:37] Absolutely. Thank you for having me on.

Sharon Cline: [01:06:38] Sure. And thank you all for listening to Fearless Formula on Business RadioX. And again, this is Sharon Cline reminding you with knowledge and understanding we can all have our own fearless formula. Have a great day.