Episode 292 - Ms. Shelley Devine
Shelley Devine
Ms. Shelley Devine is a multi-disciplined martial arts practitioner and yoga teacher based in Massachusetts. She is also the host of the Evolve WMMA Podcast.
It meant so much to me to be treated as an equal and not looked at as, you know, "oh, you’re a girl you cant do that…"
Ms. Shelley Devine - Episode 292
Our guest today found martial arts later than some while accompanying her child to a martial arts class. Ms. Shelley Devine might have started later than others, but she's never stopped since. Ms. Devine’s journey shows her dedication because she has not only accompanied her child to the class but she herself has multiple disciplines under her belt. Not only that, she’s launched her own martial arts podcast that’s a welcome development to our ever growing martial arts community. Ms. Shelley Devine definitely embodies the spirit of martial arts. Listen to this episode to find out more!
Show Notes
On today's episode, we talked about:Ronda Rousey, Anderson Silva, Connor McGregor, Miesha Tate, Jackie Chan, Jet LiMs. Shelley Devine's Websites:Evolve WMMMAEvolve BootcampI Love WMMMA - Facebook[gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="5078,5079,5080,5081,5082"]
Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below or download here.
Hey there, thanks for coming by. Welcome, this is whistlekick martial arts radio. My name is Jeremy Lesniak and today I’m joined by Ms. Shelley Devine. You probably know whistlekick where the ones known for making great sparring gear, fun apparels some training accessories and honestly a ton of websites more than I can go into right now, so the best place to start is whistlekick.com, that's where you can get links to everything we've got going on. Of course, if you want to show notes featuring links, photos from our episode, sometimes videos, and a ton more, oh transcripts, we don’t talk about that too often, there are transcripts you can read right there while you're playing the episode or download as a pdf, we would make it accessible for you those are all over at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. Today's guest is fairly local, she is just a couple hours away from me Boston, Massachusetts area and we spent a lot of time talking about women in the martial arts, we talk about women in MMA some of the folks that she looks up to in mixed martial arts and her interesting journey that has left her starting over a couple times rediscovering the love of being a perpetual student and all the wonderful things that have led her to where she's at in life and as a martial artist. So, let's welcome her to the show. Ms. Devine welcome to whistlekick martial arts radio.
Shelley Devine:
Hi Jeremy. It's nice to meet you.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, it's nice to meet you too. Listeners that this is one of those where you know it's a referral like most of our episodes, it's a referral either a listener or past guest and so other than the let's see what does skype say the seven minutes or so that we've been on the phone we haven't spoken. So, I’m in the same boat as all the listeners I’m gonna take this ride with them and learn all about you your journey through the martial arts.
Shelley Devine:
Okay well it's funny that you know I’m in the middle of developing a podcast and how I came to you through a referral was I was interviewing one of your listeners who was a black belt who used to be one of my students many, many years ago when I was actually a yoga instructor. And then also training my slides but then teaching like a cardio kickboxing class and she went on to become a black belt so there you go. It's funny how things you know wind around and you end up in places like I’m in the hot seat right now being you know the interviewee and instead of the interviewer.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's weird isn't it?
Shelley Devine:
It's very interesting. I mean, I’ve been in this seat before but in a different context and not about so much about myself but it is funny doing it this way. I've been on video before and then I’ve also spoken, years ago when women's mixed martial arts was coming up when you know the women were just getting into the cage and speaking to, oh god what was his name, Goldman he does the no holds barred podcast I think do you recall that at all Jeremy?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I don't but keep talking and I’ll see if I can look it up real quick.
Shelley Devine:
Yeah, I mean it was some time ago he interviewed me after I been in New York watching, while actually photographing and writing an article about women's Muay Thai fight in New York, you now like they didn't they didn't have an MMA in the art but they would allow for the Muay Thai kickboxing so I was there watching that and photographing some of the women there and also you know, interviewing some of them writing a little article about you know women fighting. It was all that was just strictly women shout which was kind of unusual at that time.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Eddie Goldman does that name sound right?
Shelley Devine:
Yes. Eddie Goldman. Yes yeah. I can't think of his first and last name but yeah, he spent he was kind of like the first podcast that I can never really remember before like even joe Rogan’s out there. People would listen to him you know he was really pretty much the only show I thought was kind of around.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. You know it's fun to go back to some of those early days of podcasting because you had to work for it. You had to work to produce and you had to work to listen to it for the most part. There weren't the convenient options that you know you and I were talking a little bit before we went live here that you know, there is some work that goes into this but you really at the end of the day it's about consistency, it's about the relationships you build in getting the guests and the content the technical stuff which 10 years ago was the limiting factor is not the limitation now.
Shelley Devine:
Not at all it's become so much easier now to be able to do it. I mean last year when I started even, I had help from a friend of mine who was the videographer and he knew sound so he had all the microphones and he had all the, I don't know, all the gear and the contraptions know what he did but he put a microphone in my friend my mouth then and I would talk tonight, we had guest and he put mics in front of them you know in front of them and they would talk and then he would go back to shop and I didn't know what happened how he would put it all together. I was clueless and I’m learning that now and I was like oh wow it just got so much easier. You know, that they have all these like I mean, you can do this on skype now you just need a microphone and the microphones are really great now too so it's really definitely come a long way.
Jeremy Lesniak:
A very long way. Well of course this is not how to start a podcast, podcast. This is martial arts radio and obviously we have you want to talk about martial arts. Let's go back, you mentioned yoga we talked a little bit before we started about kickboxing, but let's go back all the way to the beginning when did you start martial arts?
Shelley Devine:
I started late in life. I started well actually my daughter when she was young probably in elementary school wanted to take a karate class so I think she was maybe you know first grade, 2nd grade and one of her friends parents was opening a school that was local to us so I was like well you know let's go over and try it out and I got the kids both kids involved and they loved it and then they said that they were going to have a cardio kickboxing class for the women and so I took that and you know it's kind of funny because I remember hitting, I still it's a visceral feeling, I remember hitting the heavy bag and I was just like oh my god, I have to like explore this more and as I got into just doing the cardio can boxing class it was a gateway for me to take the karate class, it was a gojiru karate and I did that learn some forms and stuff and then, there was an evening class that was more scary and there was no women in it and want to do that it was a traditional jujitsu class and it was with a ragtag kind of group of guys that didn't really have a gym and they would go around and they would, oh can we rent space here and use your gym in the evening and they happened to be friends with José Alfonzo who was my karate instructor and I ended up going into that class and I remember watching it being terrified because they actually used like real knives and real weapons and the guys were really kind of hard core and the more I learned about them the more I was like oh my gosh these guys are nuts. And you know it was safe but it actually really was and it was safe under you know while in that environment of the two main instructors José and bob Pasolini but if I went off with those guys to their own like you know what they were out in the street maybe training it was not a safe environment to train at all. These guys were a little nutty and by the time I started, I got to my yellow belt but that then the school shut down and I was lost, I didn't have a place to go my kids were kind of you know they did have a place in and they were kind of like I don't want to do this anymore and a couple of women who their kids ended up going in to Hyde park to, actually kind of a bit of a famous school it’s called one step beyond in Boston. I don’t know if you've heard of it?
Jeremy Lesniak:
That the name is of slightly familiar but I can't place why.
Shelley Devine:
Well Billy blanks used to teach there, he used to do cardio kickboxing out in Hollywood whatever he used to teach the stars well apparently, I didn't know this at the time but he used to work there I guess. And so, some of the women were saying oh you know we know this girl that could teach a cardio kickboxing class so I started teaching cardio kickboxing there. I think Paul [00:10:39.49] was the owner at the time and stayed there for a bit I wasn't like I was in this place, I was like I need to learn in and I kinda felt like I need something else I didn't know what it was and then my old instructor José called me cause he had moved to Florida and said Shelley what are you doing you now and I said I can’t find a place and he goes, I think you like this place up in [00:11:07.52] mass called small circle jujitsu with the guy there and [00:11:10.21] he's a great instructor I think you'll feel really like it you should go up and check that place out. I trained there for a bit, I think you'll really like it. So, I went there and I stayed there for a lot of years I got my brown belt, I think I was about third-degree brown belt and I was in there like little black belt club and at that time was opening up my yoga studio with my ex-husband which led into we open up a martial arts studio inside the yoga studio so that was kind of cool. We had both things going on but we you know with having a business together and all that we both ended up going our separate ways he took the studio and made his way with that made it into a great gym it’s a pretty good just now a lot of people go to it and I transitioned to [00:12:03.04] Muay Thai kickboxing. So, went back to kickboxing and I have been there ever since, it's been my home I have my blue monk called there, trained in Thailand for a little bit, I went there for a month got to train with [00:12:16.01] and also got to go to Singapore and train a little bit there too you know, just for about a month but was such a great experience but that's when I pretty much my travels in martial arts.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Here you are, you’re bouncing around your finding your way through the world martial arts and I want to go back one of the first things you said that you remembered hitting that heavy bag and needing to, I don’t remember the exact word you use explore that was kind of my take away, what is it about that experience that the light bulb switched on?
Shelley Devine:
It was a really visceral. It was something that like, it's almost like you recognize the part of yourself that was never really explored and as a young girl I can remember are you now watching say Muhammad Ali fight and you know that was kind of something I will watch with my dad and I used to kinda get in fights when I was a little girl and I was the one that people would come around you know if they were having enough they were being bullied or something and I would protect them or something and I’d have you know, first I talk to the person and then it would lead to okay fist are getting thrown and I would usually walk away. Okay and it was kind of even like boys that happen with girls in my teens and I just never really, I mean, the martial arts weren’t really an option it was only saw boys doing that you didn't see girls doing it. And so it never really I think you know all those years it really wasn't an option for me and then when I was taking the cardio kickboxing class, you now, I was in my late 30s and I just was like wow I loved it and I wanted to explore and I got to you know when I, I think there was an instructor there, gosh I wish I could remember his name, on it was a boxing coach and he's like you fought before and I’m like, not really he goes well you know how to stand and I was like well it's just innately natural, I’d [00:14:45.00] had no training but maybe just watching fights when I was a kid watching the boxers and stuff. And just one thing led to another and I was just so curious and I loved the, a little bit of that adrenaline rush of being fearful of you know the weapons attacks when I was doing the traditional jujitsu and learning all the technical aspects of things and how the body moved and then I could relate to a spiritual sense so it was just kind of something that was aha! It's all coming together. And you know how it affects your body that holistic kind of effect that martial arts has where you know, you you're working in a circular fashion a bit of, you have an opponent and then you have your yourself and the opponent is only a reflection of something that you are fearful of anyways to begin with and its just kind of contrast and that's what fighting has always been for me. Or are dealing with something in martial arts when you're training, it just helps to improve you and whole-body sense in that bag I think just when I hit it just brought it all to the forefront and I was like oh my god I love this. You know, kind of crazy but that's, I think that's the best description I can give to it. It just embodies everything that I felt like I could I wasn't you now, experiencing my life, how strange was that right?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, it is and it isn't. Because it's not that dissimilar to what we've heard from others on this show and you know without an attempt at sexism you did bring it up I think sometimes for women, this is a real thing. You know I think this is why typically when I look into cardio kickboxing fitness kickboxing whatever is the ranks and there tend to be women whereas when we look at traditional martial arts the dynamics overall 10 the flip it is a male-dominated pursuit unfortunately but here is kind of the more visceral the more physical aspect in an approachable way for women and I think that's great. I mean personally and I’d love to see it much more balanced on both sides but it is what is.
Shelley Devine:
Yeah, it's moving in that direction. You know, we have women now that are fighting on a male platform that you know you have in the UFC, you have women men fighting in the same cage and women are fighting the same cage, you know they were fighting for same-sex opponents which is the way I would want it, but it's something that's new, this is you know so new and you know when you look at the cardio kickboxing classes they're just gateways for women to take it to the next level to enter like say a karate class or traditional jujitsu or Brazilian jujitsu class or a kickboxing and Muay Thai kickboxing class and where they would be typically afraid to do that because there's a part of them that is just not exercise, it’s the part of their natural law, human, I was talking about this with another woman yesterday about like bringing in that aggressive side of being a human being and I think it suppressed in women and I think it has been for a very, very, very long time and it is just maybe in the last you know generation of women it's starting to really reveal itself you see it more because it's more accepted that women are playing sports. You know, when we can play soccer, they can play baseball, they're playing football, they're playing you know we see it in tennis but we have, now we have racecar drivers that women. So, you’re seeing women doing things that would typically male dominated by you know now it's worth seeing, young girls are saying that there are no limits. Not just, you don’t just have to be a hairdresser or not that that's a bad, you know, I’m not knocking hair dressing but those were the only options is the be a teacher or nurse or a hairdresser or something of that you know or a massage therapist and those were really the only work kind of opportunities that I saw in growing up and or be a mom and stay at home with the kids which is all fine. I mean I think that's a great, those are great professions and there's no job tougher than being a stay-at-home mom I think. You know, if your home with kids and stuff there’s no greater job that you could do on earth or even to be a father. But those were the only things that maybe a young girl saw or now they could be an architect or they could be a mixed martial artist and fight in the cage and that wasn't you know, that's only in my lifetime that I’ve seen that my generation, you know and it was later in life you know, I’m saying like didn't start until I was in late 30s and hitting 40s so...
Jeremy Lesniak:
Not only is, say like MMA, an option for women but we had a several year period with the biggest mixed martial arts draw in the world was a woman. And there is not another sport that we've had that I’m aware of or that you ever been able to say that. People tuning in to watch Ronda Rousey, this is not an MMA show and listeners don't worry we're not gonna, you know take a hard left here and really go down that path but it bears mentioning because at least in the early days, MMA folks were coming out of traditional martial arts and Ronda Rousey I mean maybe she's moved on the professional wrestling now but you know I still look at her is one of ours, because she came out of judo.
Shelley Devine:
Yes absolutely.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, I think we get we get to claim some ownership over her and what she has done for...
Shelley Devine:
Absolutely she truly a flashlight as I think you know, being a mixed martial artist is exploring all different types martial arts and that's the journey of being a martial artist, sticking with one system isn't necessarily going to you know, limit you but why not explore other you know judo is one thing, you learn how to toss somebody around and in learning leverage and learning your own body's balance but then if you decide to go online kickboxing that that's a whole other you know, that's a whole other way of using your body as a weapon you have eight limbs to use in a different way other than you know, say tossing somebody in judo.
Jeremy Lesniak:
There's a bit of a Muay Thai reference in there isn't there? Eight limbs. Not everyone may get that reference.
Shelley Devine:
Yeah so it's just you know martial arts is, offer's such full spectrum of how to exploit yourself as a human being more so than you know I we touched on that, I was a yoga instructor and the only downside of it's kind of I feel like in my own practice being a yoga instructor and then being martial artist, the two were like okay they seem like very at odds with one another but bringing them together I think yoga is a part of mixed martial arts too which I don't think god customarily mixed martial artist would say that but it is cause it's another art and it is another way to the body and to connect with source. And I think as much license were trying to do too, depending on you know through our bodies, to our minds, to our spirits and I don't know. I think you know, going down that road of you know women being in mixed martial arts you know Ronda Rousey doing what she did and she's on that platform and she created this this this opportunity but she started out as you know a judo player and she became an Olympic athlete but she couldn't do anything with that. That was her love and her passion she couldn't survive on being an Olympic athlete and I don't know too many martial artists unless they open a gym that can survive on just being a competitor.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I would say there are none.
Shelley Devine:
Yeah. And why is that? You know like it seems kind of when we're on this question, we love this kind of movement in our body and it's an interactive movement and it really expresses who we are as humans to one another. It's like oh what do you, how come we can't, I don't know what I’m trying to say here but it’s just going down a rabbit hole. It's just interesting to me and I don't know where to go with that I guess.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well you're not the first person to wonder about that why is it that the best of the best when it comes to martial arts do not have the opportunities that so many other disciplines pursuits do if you are the best biologist in the world you have grant money thrown at you, academic institutions will fight over you and say 'hey do your research, we just want to support you and maybe we you know, take somewhat some your patents' or whatever you know that there's a path there, but the best martial artist in the world are not exploring martial arts. They are not bettering martial arts and moving it forward as I think most of us if we at least considerate would wish they would. And it's because those opportunities aren't available and hopefully in the coming years it will be an option, and you know full disclosure that something that we are hoping to do here at whistlekick, we are hoping to be able to take you know these amazing people when they retire from competition or you know they maybe they aren't even competitors and say okay you know what you go spend the next three years and train and teach and explore and research and figure out what you want to figure out on this sort of sabbatical and then come back and share it with the rest of us. And where would traditional martial arts be now if we done that the last 20 years? It would be amazing.
Shelley Devine:
Yeah exactly I mean yeah there was never really a platform for it and I do think you know, now that there's say you know these promotions out there you know UFC, they have bellator, those sorts of things. It does give anybody an option to actually excel on a platform and earn a living but it's a short-term living compared to other sports or other you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well let's step out of this rabbit hole and jump into another one. Here we were, we told some stories. We heard about your origin story if you will and I’m sure you have others so I’d love for you to share with us your favorite martial arts story.
Shelley Devine:
My favorite. There's a couple but one of it and this has been... Well when I started sidyotong, I was, there was a few other women there I was teaching and you have an occasional woman come in to class and it was another gateway class where it was like cardio kickboxing but we did put Muay Thai into it and there was this one girl that came in, woman, and she wanted to be a mixed martial arts fighter and but you know, to get there is a lot of process that you have to go through to get there but she, we were having a smoker at the gym and the smoker is an in-house unsanctioned opportunity to go hundred percent against your teammates. You know, you have to go through all the process of you know, having a fighter competing so you know, you might have to cut weight, yeah. You have to prepare, you have to train for it, you have a coach that's coaching you, all that so she had begged me, begged me, begged me, begged me and I had no intention of really doing that but somehow my name came up and she basically beg me to do it and I was like okay you're twisting my arm but it turns out that it brought back when I can remember being in that in the ring and it brought back like this little girl in me that wanted to do what the boys were doing and so that was a real high for me and a weird really weird sort of way. And then shortly after that [00:29:26.27] had been here and I got chance to and he's the instructor, he's the son of the instructor over in Thailand for sidyutong, and he's been the lead instructor there for a lot of years and he was back here at the time too so I got to be in the in the ring and he held focus mitts for me and that was just sublime. I was like wow this this particular man is holding focus mitts for me or thigh pads for me and I’m getting to you know kick and punching and he's guiding me through you know typical Muay Thai strikes and I just was in awe and I was blissful I just because he just had such knowledge and i's like actually standing in the ring with him and then had an opportunity took over in Singapore while he was teaching a class that involved MMA, he was teaching and I got to open the class with some you know, some warm-up drills and he honored me they are in front of the whole male class and it just was, it was really hugely profound for me, really it meant so much to me to be treated as an equal and not looked at as you know, oh you're a girl you can't do that or I just I didn't even have that feeling it was beyond all that and he's really centered around I think on that was a huge, huge, huge time in my life I guess and it wasn't just the one it was the combination of all that and I didn't realize until now telling it that he was centered around that which is really was really kinda cool.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'm imagining you in front of that group of men and just having that honor. What was going through your head? I'm imagining you are nervous...
Shelley Devine:
I wasn't say just what I typically, you know it's funny because I would do this warm up for the class back at it here in Boston and I used to do it all the time and I know it was appreciated but for some reason being there because it was, there was some guys that were professional fighters and there were students it was all mixed and was a fight team class and for me to lead it and the opening drills of it, it was just really and in another country even, you know it was I was just really, it was a bit surreal and I was just like just so blissed out and having fun, it was so fun and just really happy, just real, real happy I just felt like I was in my own spirit and uncompromised by anything yeah, it was really, it was a really great, great time.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Now, you said that you had a couple story? If you want we certainly have time until another one.
Shelley Devine:
Well, it was pretty much that, you know, having the fight, that was like a cool time. I'm trying to think let me see, some right now I
Jeremy Lesniak:
There's something behind that laugh. I know what that laugh means.
Shelley Devine:
Well this one's kind of funny. I think I was getting my brown belt over a small circle jujitsu and what how they do it, you know you go through all the tests you do you like they have a checklist of things that you going to do but at the end of it, they give you want to attack after another. And typically, it's usually about maybe 10 attacks and you, you know people are lined up and they give you know, they'll come at you with either a weapon or whatever they got you know. So, I’m standing there and I know how many would be. How many attacks it would be but I knew this was the end of it and a whole lineup of guys and the first one out was pretty like you know I’m 5'5 and half and he's pretty tall guy pulling out close to 6 feet if not a little bit more, you know like a little taller. You know, big guy and I’m thinking there's this whole lineup of guys and some of them have clubs and some of them have this and that you know? And I’m like I’m exhausted now as it is and because it is like a full day and I was like 'ooh, I am going to set the pace for this right now and make this easy' because I had seen how they were attacking other students and they were going you know not a hundred percent but it's like, you know they're going kinda hard and I’m like I can't keep this up. So, I went low like the guy came at me I think he had a club or something, went I at me, I went in low grabbed him right by the family jewels, if you know what I mean and just held, and I looked around like a quick look but everybody knew this is what is going to come to him when I drop you guys fast and I’m telling you what I’m going for. Then everybody just like they came at me nice and easy after that. I went through, I mean it was still tough but I set the pace where if anybody was going to get wild with me or you know oh I’m gonna like you know especially sometimes white belts get a little oh I’m gonna have to go against somebody who's brown belt I gotta have to go hard against them. Everybody was like they all kind of like you know shifted their gis and held their junk in place and they came at me, kinda like a little you know, a little more with caution because they didn't know, I just set the total tone of the class and then later at the end of it when I was handed my belt or whatever the instructor said yeah we gave you like about you know 10 more attacks than we usually do because of that whole set up they just wanted to see what I could do and it was really funny. But I just remember looking around and then one of the guys was happen to be an MMA fighter and you know, I don't know if you ever notice that when you, you know when you're in your element and you connect with like a spirit, the spirit of the soul of somebody and I could just see that little glint in his eye when I did I was like damn girl you just totally set the tone of what's gonna happen you owned this room. And coming from him, the way he looked at me I was like yep, thank you and you know, just that it was recognized it was kinda cool it’s really a cool experience.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Nice. I'd like to talk about a time in your life when you know, maybe things were off, low, however you want to define it and how you were able to reflect on your martial arts or maybe it was a physical situation you used your martial arts to move past.
Shelley Devine:
Well I’ve a lot of loss in my life. I think martial arts has made me really a lot stronger in ways that I never would've imagined. You know I think, as human beings we come up against you know betrayal, we come up against being hurt in different ways whether or not we're betrayer or somebody else is, we were human and we do things that you know we don't feel good about and sometimes people do things to us that they don't feel that great about either and we don't feel that great about either. And I’ve had my share of that and I think who hasn't and coming out of it, I think you know you always kinda have to move forward in any part of martial art training that I’ve experienced what it was with jujitsu or traditional jujitsu or karate or the Muay Thai, you're always moving forward. But you gotta make sure that you keep yourself intact and how I mean that is you have to be accountable for or responsible for whatever actions you take so if you hit someone, I guess I’ll use this is an analogy, if you hit somebody you have to kind own it. Like you know, if you punched them you own it, if they punched you back you know you evade it or take the hit you're like okay, I’m gonna move forwards, that hurt and I’m gonna move forward. So, I think, in life when you know, crappy things happen like I mean, I’ve been through a divorce that was kind of crappy. My sister died around the same time that was kinda crappy. It’s you feel the pain of loss but you know you have to get up and you have to kind of move forward because your people around you that you're setting an example for. And I think martial arts has taught me to be a leader and you have to kind of yeah, I gotta get up and move. I got to keep going forward, journey hasn't ended yet, I still have time here, I’m gonna make the best of it, I’m gonna best possible version of myself and martial arts has help me give me the strength that inner fortitude to be able to do that because I know a side of myself that I didn't know before like from that day I hit the bag, I recognize something in me that wasn't being, that wasn't fully being expressed and martial arts help me express that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Of all the people that you've trained with and under you've named a few names, if you had to pick one who was the most influential, the person who without their guidance or training or whatever it was, you would be a completely different person, a completely different martial artist. Who would that be?
Shelley Devine:
People that I’ve trained with already? I would be some somehow different if I can train them?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah who would you know, if you were accepting an award you know, who's gonna to be that first person that you say, you know without so-and-so I wouldn't be here today. Or is there a person maybe there isn't?
Shelley Devine:
You know I don't think there really is. I think that's an interesting question and that the people that I attracted into my life and saying in martial arts that have been present there for me. They're not the only ones that have guided me, or... They've been a reflection I guess of something that was in me already and that might sound really egotistical but I don't mean it that way it's just about self-discovery and these people might have held up piece of me somewhere and I had to go collect it. So, it would be a combination of many, many, many people that I’ve interacted with over my lifetime which is a bit profound and I’m feeling like as I’m saying this in describing it's almost like oh wow I didn't know that about me until really this moment.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Cool. What I’m hearing from you doesn't sound egotistical at all it sounds like another way of expressing when the student is ready, the master will appear which exists in our world so much that it's become a cliché. It's something that we see in martial arts films dating back quite a ways and a lot of us have experienced it and you're just looking at the situation from a slightly different perspective so, it doesn't come across that way to me. Now if we flip the question who would you want to train?
Shelley Devine:
That's kind of a fun question because there's some really cool people out there that train in martial arts that are really neat. I used to think, which is kind of funny Anderson Silva just because of the way he moves and he interacts like when he would, when he would fight the ring or in the cage. I just thought his style and he was exploring so many different things, not necessarily train with him but I like to go see how he trains and like just be like him vicariously like watch him train. And I think Connor McGregor would be another one. He has recently been trained with Ido Portal and I’m not sure if you're familiar with him.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I am familiar with him. He is, he is a brilliant man and someone I look up to when it comes to movement.
Shelley Devine:
Yeah, I think you know seeing movement, you know he use movement and then Connor McGregor kinda going to that then it's not just they're martial arts aspect of it's just how they create their world and their life in and what's important to them and the people that are behind them I find that fascinating and into that there such purpose Wendy perfectionist isn't really the right term but they execute their craft well and they're really focused and I admire that. I find Ronda Rousey another one too I admire even though she's trained in different things but it's how she's living her life and she is a true martial artist. Another one that I Miesha Tate. I wasn't always a fan of hers, I you know, I and now I look at her far differently now that she's kind of a little more removed from being a fighter and then how she's interacting with other fighters and training other practitioners coming up. I think she would be kind of really cool to train with a little bit but I think you know Jackie Chan might be kinda fun.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Who wouldn't want to train with Jackie Chan I mean, come on.
Shelley Devine:
I think it would be hilarious like, just or Jet Li or something like that. Just they are and you know if Bruce lee was still alive, he's another one. Just sitting in the room with them you know and listening to them speak or watching them I think that would be really kinda cool thing to do.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Absolutely. Do you watch movies? You know you mentioned a couple martial arts actors there, is that is not a thing for you?
Shelley Devine:
Yeah. You know what I recently just watched and I’m like oh my god this was so good was atomic blonde. I was like oh my word. Her moves in that were so you know, just amazing to me and I don't know who choreographed all the moves that she performed in that movie. I was just like wow just a cool movie I really liked it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It was a fun movie I certainly enjoyed watching it and it's one that hasn't come up too much on the show of course, Charlize Theron is the star for anyone that hasn't seen it but I was actually just working on pulling up to did that and of course the imdb mobile website is not the easiest to use.
Shelley Devine:
I just thought about that at the top of my head because I had just watched it and I and I like I could watch it again just for I mean, of course I love style clothing and everything in that she is [00:47:03.03] but I just thought it was really well choreographed and I usually you know, I like all the funny stuff, I like Jackie Chan all his and I can't think of any of the names of his movies but I always enjoy watching him like when he does that you know the drunken kind of masters and just how he is able to do all these you know stunts and then I always like Jet Li. I always like the way he moved in his movies and the philosophical kind of you know, him being a master and always know that good and evil kind of thing I was going for the good. There were some other really good ones what is it crouching tiger and then there was that one this kind of a funny one, can't think of the name of it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Its ok. There's a bunch of them.
Shelley Devine:
Yeah there's so many.
Jeremy Lesniak:
There are.
Shelley Devine:
Those aren't usually like if there's gonna be something on like martial arts movie, I have to see it. [00:48:13.08] a lot of good striking and you like a little twisted.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I think I think we all are I think you have to be as I certainly do not coined did not coined this phrase but I don't know where it doesn’t came from, the idea that we get together, we choose to hit our friends. You know were kicking our friends in the head or punching them in the face, that takes a special kind of person. How about books?
Shelley Devine:
I actually just for this, I’m actually getting I just ordered a couple books that have been written by some fighters and some judo practitioners that one is Ronda Rousey’s my fight your fight and Kayla Harrison she's also
Jeremy Lesniak:
You like the judo women it seems?
Shelley Devine:
well you know what? They get some attention because maybe they're Olympic athletes and they’re' a little more known out there for that and they actually came from you know, they trained in this area with Jimmy Pedro and you now and they have books you now and I think they are a pathway for other women to come up. I think that's probably why I am a little fascinated with them.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And of course, I reached out to both of them no one from Ronda Rousey’s camp is written back but have had some emails exchanged with folks on Kayla’s end so fingers crossed that that will happen at some point whenever on the show. What are your goals? You're still talking about martial arts in the present tense, so I’m gonna imagine there are things you're looking to accomplish.
Shelley Devine:
Well I’d like to, I’ve been out of training for a few months just because I moved. I do need to get back to it but I am in the process of working on this podcast so I’ll be interviewing other women that are involved in martial arts and so that's kind of a goal and then creating some digital online products for you know that involved martial arts training I guess and then maybe helping MMA fighters to help them recover from injuries or keep them injury free, that's one of the things so I’m kinda looking at those things. As far as training goes, I was training in an MMA class like learning to do take downs again and then I just bounced back into doing the Muay Thai kickboxing because I just love it, it’s just so much fun just you know going into a class and maybe light sparring any of that or learning a new technique of learning a new combination, just those things. It's very simple, I don't have just staying consistent in it, over the long haul over the long term. You know, for years and years and not, not doing it. You know, I think that's pretty much the goal is just staying really consistent in going and doing a class and keep learning. Cause you never know who the instructor is going to be to like you know, what are they gonna teach you that day its gonna come up, you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And of course, any of the women that have been on the show the I might be able to make an introduction to, if you want by all means happy to.
Shelley Devine:
Sure, that will be great thank you.
Jeremy Lesniak:
You're welcome. Hey, were all in this together you know and you know there are people out there that and you know some time I get an email you know you're helping other martial arts podcast you know, one of my best friends in the martial arts is Jared Wilson who hosts martial thoughts which is probably the podcast most similar to this one out there and we've become good friends because of that. You know and I look at it as a parallel to martial arts. Were all doing similar things, but we're doing them in our own way, for our own reasons and why not lift everybody up? You know let's make each other better.
Shelley Devine:
Absolutely that's a great, great way to be you know unifying people and, yeah there shouldn't be this fear of oh you know they're gonna you know tap into your business or whatever it is you know, because it's like now you can have your you to develop your audience. People are gonna like you for you and they're gonna listen to you for you. For a very specific reasons because of your originality and don't realize that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
People are silly. Now if some of the non-silly people out there listening or even the silly ones, if they want to reach out to you and how can they find out about you and your podcast and the other stuff that you've got going on you know, let's call this commercial time and just let it rip.
Shelley Devine:
Okay so it would be for my podcasts it's evolve WMMA. I do have a blog there too, I’ll be writing about you know some of the current fights that are coming up to with say the UFC or bellator and invicta fc and I also do an outdoor fitness boot camp if you're in the Boston area. Yeah and that's evolve boot camp, so evolve is one of those names that just goes with everything that I do. Just look for that, you'll find me.
Jeremy Lesniak:
are you on social media?
Shelley Devine:
I am. I have a Facebook page for women's mix martial arts, it's I love WMMA and yeah, I would probably be at an evolve boot camp.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well of course we're gonna link all that stuff over on the show notes whistlekickmartialartsradio.com so those of you that might be new to the show that didn't know about that or those of you driving you know, let's not risk vehicular manslaughter as you try and jot down domain names. Alright, well thank you for being here and I’d love for you to send this off with just some parting words, wisdom or what have you for the folks listening today.
Shelley Devine:
Oh well just if you're on a martial arts journey are you having started one, you might want to get into the gym and try it out. It's a long road ahead but it's a wonderful journey you'll make great friends great acquaintances, there's just a great group of folks that train in martial arts and I love it and I think you will too.
Jeremy Lesniak:
One of my favorite things about this show is that, we get such different people from different backgrounds, different experiences to talk about their journeys through the martial arts and if you like that makes me not only a better martial artist and host of the show, but a better person and that was how I felt even from the beginning of today's episode that Ms. Devine has a different perspective, not just as a woman, but as someone who's trained in different arts who started at a different time in life and really has embraced that and made martial arts her life and her lifestyle. You know, I respect that so thank you Ms. Divine for coming on the show. If you want the show notes those are at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com we've got pictures and a bunch other great stuff, check that out if you want to follow us on social media we are @whistlekick Facebook, YouTube, twitter, Instagram bunch other places and if you want to get a hold of me directly, you can it's jeremy@whistlekick.com. Hopefully you'll head on over to whistlekick.com check of the stuff that were making and we've got new stuff adding all the time. Seriously. If you saw the pile of samples, products in development on my desk right now it's insane. We're growing so fast, so much fun, kinda scary though. That's a whole other episode maybe we will talk about that sometime. Enough of the sidetracking those tangents, got enough of that, today didn’t you? Until next time. Train hard, smile and have a great day.