Episode 356 - Kyoshi Herbie Bagwell
Kyoshi Herbie Bagwell is a martial arts practitioner, instructor and founder at the Bagwell Academy of Martial Arts.
Listen, you tell me something negative, I won't get mad at you. I'm gonna use that negativity as fuel to add onto my already passionate fire and I'm just going to just prove people wrong with my success.
Kyoshi Herbie Bagwell - Episode 356
A boxer turned martial artist, Kyoshi Herbie Bagwell has been training since he was a skinny kid. Kyoshi Bagwell was one of those kids who was blown away by Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon which started his love story with the martial arts. In the course of his journey, Kyoshi Bagwell has trained with some of martial art's greats that would probably explain why he has a lot of medals and championships under his belt. Kyoshi Bagwell is the founder at the Bagwell Academy of Martial Arts in Connecticut. Kyoshi Herbie Bagwell shared an emotional time and a lot of fun and inspiring stories, listen to find out more!
Show Notes
On this episode, we mentioned a lot of martial arts greats such as Chuck Merriman, Bill Wallace, Ron Martin, Bruce Lee, and his movie Enter the Dragon.
Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below or download here.
Hello everyone. Welcome. This is whistlekick Martial Arts Radio episode 356. And today, I'm joined by Kyoshi Herbie Bagwell. My name is Jeremy Lesniak. I'm your host for the show. I'm the founder at whistlekick. And I'm the guy who gets to talk to other martial artists and call it work. It's the best job I can ever imagine and I thank you for your support in allowing me to do it. Now, part of the way that you support us is by shopping. Whether it's at Amazon or maybe your school has a wholesale account with us where you buy uniforms or gear or whatever else that we make or you shop directly at whistlekick.com. Now, if you go over there, you can use the code PODCAST15 to save 15% on everything. And what we have is changing almost every day. Usually, a couple of times a week. New designs, new inventory, lots of stuff happening there. So, make sure you check that out, whistlekick.com. If you want to check out the show notes, those are at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. We've photo, video, transcripts and all the other 355 episodes are available for free. So, check that out.Now, today's guest got emotional. He got real. He was open in a way that so few, maybe if any guess, have ever gotten on this show. I was honored at his trust for me and for this audience that he was willing to be that way. And the conversation we had, the lessons that came out... Man, this is great stuff. One of my favorite episodes of late. So, I hope that you enjoy this episode, this conversation that I was so fortunate enough to have, with Kyoshi Herbie Bagwell. Kyoshi Bagwell, welcome to whistlekick Martial Arts Radio.
Herbie Bagwell:
Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I appreciate you. I appreciate having you. You know, I got to say I haven't known you for very long. But every time I see you, it feels like I've known you a lot longer than I have. Do people say that about you? You just seem like a really genuine friendly guy.
Herbie Bagwell:
Well, you know, I'm just fully and truly uninhibited. And, there's no secret with me. There's no tricks to train with me. I'm wide open. Grew up in a church. So, the best way I can answer it is just the God in me. I want people to feel, you know, comfortable around me. And that's what people are looking at. They're looking at my life. So, that's very nice of you to say. Thank you.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh. Well, you're welcome and thank you. And I'm certainly not the only one who's made that observation. I've spoken about you to a couple of others and people have nothing but positive things to say. Which is why I asked you to come on the show.
Herbie Bagwell:
Thank you so much.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Because I have a feeling... Of course. Thank you. The honor is mine. Because... you know, I have the best job in the world. I get to talk to martial artists about martial arts and I get to call it work. I mean, what's better than that?
Herbie Bagwell:
Absolutely.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, let's go back. Let's roll back. Everybody's got a beginning, right? There's an origin story to your martial arts journey somewhere. So, let's go back and why don't you tell us about that? How did you find martial arts?
Herbie Bagwell:
Oh. How much time do we have?
Jeremy Lesniak:
As much as you want.
Herbie Bagwell:
Well, I was 1965 in New London, Connecticut. And I'm 53 years of age. So, I've been in martial arts now... Oh my gosh. 45 years. Oh my gosh.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow.
Herbie Bagwell:
45 years, yeah. A long time. And my first love is boxing, actually.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Herbie Bagwell:
My father knew the Brown Bomber, Joe Louis. He actually had a drink with him back in the '40s and the '60s. And it was boxing that my father first turned me onto. And I always has fast hands. And for a small as I was, I was small skinny kid, I also had power in my hand. So, I would say coming out of the womb, so-to-speak, I had cute little boxing gloves. There's a ton of pictures that my sister has saved over the years. And of course, the pictures are like black and white, all messed up looking pictures. But you can definitely see me in these pictures holding boxing gloves. My father, my mom around. That went through, I would say, late '60s into the early '70s. But the mistake my father made was he took me to a drive-in movie with a friend of mine, a bunch of kids that from the neighborhood. We went to go see a 1973 Bruce Lee, Enter the Dragon. And that was it. I lost my mind. And I said, daddy, I want to take Karate. And my father goes, kicking is for girls. I said, but dad, Bruce Lee's not a girl. My father goes, you made your point. So, we went to a Karate school in New London. It was a Goju. G-O-J-U, Goju. Karate was just Japanese. And the instructor was a man named Chuck Merriman who is known all over the world. Don't know if you've heard of him before but--
Jeremy Lesniak:
He's been on the show.
Herbie Bagwell:
Oh, wow.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Herbie Bagwell:
How fun is that?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, absolutely.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yup. So it's Chuck Merriman I had linked up on Facebook, so-to-speak. And he remembers me. And we were... It was just very... My eyes is watery that we connect with him after all these years. He has kept saying I'm so proud of you, I'm so proud of you. Look at you with a school and your students and tournaments. All of my awards, I'm in two Hall of Fames. Well, you know, children, kids, life... You know, life. And he was just so proud of me. But ultimately, we went down to Chuck Merriman's school. I'd say circa 1974-ish. "73 or '74. And when I got in to a Karate class, it was nothing like the movie. Nothing at all like the movies. It's a wake-up call. And when Chuck Merriman captured my interest, he piqued my interest. And he was just a phenomenal instructor. I met people like Domingo Llanos. I met people... We saw Chuck Norris come in there a few times. Bill "Superfoot" Wallace came in there a few times. What really freaked us out was seeing Chuck Norris. I mean, he's the guy who fought Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. Which we were just... We lost our mind. But they were all friends of Chuck Merriman, you know. So, that was my beginning in Karate, with Goju Karate in the early '70s. That was that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow. You know, I didn't know your history. And I don't know a lot about you. But there are only 3 people now who's been on the show who have been able to say that... maybe 2, maybe you're only the 2nd one, of course, we've had Hanshi Ron Martin on the show. He started with Merriman Sensei.
Herbie Bagwell:
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, yeah. He's a great guy. But wow. I didn't see that coming.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah, yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Because...
Herbie Bagwell:
You know... Sorry, go ahead.
Jeremy Lesniak:
No, no, no. Please, continue.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah. So, after I was with Chuck Merriman, oh my gosh. '74, '75, all through... Now, I was just doing football and martial arts. And then my speed came out of nowhere playing in a basketball game. And one of the cute little girls in the neighborhood said, you should run track. Now, I'm about 13 years of age. And now, I increased my activity, which just keep me out of the house even more, but the busier you are, the less the devil can have at playing around in your brain. So, I got into Track and Field and got my speed. I would get my wind up, my cardiovascular, getting better condition. And I wanted to explore other things now. And so, 1978, I got involved with Kempo martial arts, K-E-M-P-O. Because there's Kenpo which is more a Ed Parker system, and then there's Kempo, K-E-M-P-O, which is the original. That is Fred Villari. And Fred Villari and Ed Parker, all those guys used to train together. Professor Cerio, they all used to train together years ago.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Uh-hum.
Herbie Bagwell:
And then I got involved with Kempo which is Fred Villari system. I was under Kempo under Sifu Tim Reynor. I don't know if you know who he is.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I don't but I have heard the name.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah. And Tim Reynor, he and I again hooked up through Facebook, which is a wonderful social media. You just have to watch what you put on there. People don't like social media only because they put nonsense on there. You can't do that. Just take a 10:05 what it is. Be careful. But anyway, Sifu Tim Reynor... What really asked me to be with Kempo was the close quarter combat. It was just bad and it was just amazing. And that was the closest thing to Bruce Lee that I've ever seen. It was watching Sifu Tim Reynor's hands and his feet. And I've been with Kempo ever since. So, you see, I was 13 and now I'm 53. You're talking, yeah, 40 years in Kempo. And then I got involved with Taekwondo. I would say, oh my goodness, senior year in high school. It was, at the time, it was Sensei Leroy Jones.He's now Grandmaster Jones. Grandmaster Leroy Jones is about mid-80s. And all these men knew my father. And so therefore, they knew a whole lot about me. And that really has built my character. I was being strong and being who I am as the man I am today. So, that's my martial arts history. So, I was in Goju, went to Kempo. And after Kempo... I kept on with Kempo, kept studying that. And then I went into Taekwondo. So, I teach Taekwondo and Kempo today. 9th Degree black belt in Kempo, 5th Degree black belt in Taekwondo. I have my own style called Taekempo martial art. Obviously, it's a combination of the two. I made one Hall of Fame with Taekempo martial art and I'm in the 2nd Hall of Fame, I'm in the Don Rodrigues Hall of Fame as of April 2018. So, being in 2 Hall of Fames, I have 2 Karate schools, I have 2 TV shows. I have, as of yesterday, 195 Karate students.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow.
Herbie Bagwell:
Praise God. Doing well, doing well.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Man, that is a great intro. It gives us a lot of stuff to unpack. But let's start with the style stuff. Anybody who know much about Taekwondo and Kempo as individual arts, I've actually actively trained in both, know how different they are. The difference in not just technique but in philosophy. So can you--
Herbie Bagwell:
Everything, yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. So, can you talk about why you maintained active training in both and why you feel it's important to present both to your students.
Herbie Bagwell:
Right. Well, I'm also writing a book right now. And it's going to be called Taekempo Martial Arts. I'm on the fifth chapter right now. And I'm trying to go 30 chapters. It gets too much.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's a lot.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah. And I'm on the fifth chapter and I'm on, I would say, in the advance part now. And so, I'm trying to keep it hit it and quit it like James Brown's song. Because I have people who are already published. They're like, Herbie, keep your first book short and sweet. And if, praise God, this one does well, then people are going to come at you for the 2nd book. So, I got you. So, that book is coming out, I would say, in spring. But the two styles. I fought in a lot of tournaments. A lot of tournaments throughout the country, overseas. I've fought around the world. And what I find, for me, this is just for me and no disrespect to anyone else. I have a lot of self-respect. I find that for me, to take one style and go from there, it's almost going to put me to sleep. And it's not the instructor, it's not the style. It's just that I need a lot more stimuli. So, I've always been called "an overachiever". People who are millionaires and billionaires would say that doesn't even exist. We just want a whole lot out of life because God has put it on you to go get it. And I'm going to get it personally so no excuses here, only result. But the two styles, Taekwondo and Kempo, really intrigued me. First of all, when the person wants to expand to attack you, by using both styles, you can contract not only to defend but still to be able to strike. And then, when the person wants to contract, you can expand and still be able to defend and attack. And people look at me like, really? And I go, well, I've got 12 black belts underneath me now. I don't know how many overall Grand Champions, 15:12 Champions, NASKA Champions in weapons form and fighting. This may offend a couple of some instructors. But when I see 2 students from the same school and the same division and they're doing the same kata, that's laziness to me. It really is. Because you've got two different personalities doing the same kata. Especially in a competition. When you're training and you're in a dojo or you're testing, well, yeah. They're all doing the same kata. But at the end of the day, people... When it comes to teaching, the two styles mix lite peanut butter and jelly. Because it all depends on how you're going to teach it. You've got to teach them in their purest forms. You teach Taekwondo in its purest form. You teach Kempo in its purest form. The only time you're going to mix the two is when you fight. Now, others may want to debate with me and they can. That's fine. But my black belts can go anywhere in world and teach a Taekwondo class. Now, there's two types of Taekwondo. There's World Taekwondo and there's ITF, International Taekwondo Federation. And I'm an ITF guy. And ITF is International Taekwondo Federation. We don't do Taegeuk forms. We do ITF. That means Chon-Ji, Dan-Gun, Do-San, Won-Hyo. I don't know if you're familiar with those katas.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I am. That's... I was there last night.
Herbie Bagwell:
Fantastic. So, you know Taegeuk forms is just different like Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo. Basically, it's almost like they were two brothers living in the same household taking Taekwondo. Something happened, they had fallen out. And one brother calls it Tang Soo Do now. And the other brother still says it's Taekwondo. If you look at the two styles, they're so similar. Now, the way they dress is different. Because a lot of Taekwondo people wear a white gi with a black or red lapel piece. True International Taekwondo Federation, when you're an underbelt, that gi is white or it can be any other color. But when you see the color of on that lapel, some people look at that as the Grandmaster uniform. But a lot of the underbelts are wearing those as well. But once again, you can't tell an instructor on how he or she can govern their own dojo.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right.
Herbie Bagwell:
So, there's a lot of conflicting stuff, a lot of similarities. But as far as Bagwell Academy of Martial Arts is concerned, from white belt all the way to red-black, you must pick two uniforms - all-white or blue. And once you hit that black belt or the Junior black belt, I find that a lot of my students are to go back to an all-white uniform. How funny is that? They go back to the traditional. I might walk out on the dojo floor with a red top or with a white top or a blue or a black. But it's solid. The lapel is never going to be the opposite color of the gi. So, again. Every instructor can govern his or her dojo as they would like. I would never knock anyone how they run their house, how they raise their kid. That's completely up to them. It's none of my business. But as far as Bagwell Academy of Martial Arts is concerned, I was always raised with the notion that stay with tradition, don't break tradition. Stay with it. If you can improve it, then improve upon it. Which I have. But always stay with tradition. So, yes. I teach Taekwondo in its purest form. I teach Kempo in its purest form and the Pinans and the combinations in the ground game with Kempo. We have 6 weapons in Taekempo martial arts. We have the Bo. We have the Kama. We have the Eskrima sticks, some call them Filipino fighting sticks. We have the Tonfa, looks like a police nightstick. Of course, we have the sword and the knife. We have 6 weapons in our arsenal in Taekempo martial arts.
Jeremy Lesniak:
One of the, I think, most passionately debated subjects in martial arts, is that reconciliation between honoring tradition and advancing arts to adding things. And it sounds like you think about both sides of that. How do you decide... I mean, how do you handle that? How do you honor the past and still move forward?
Herbie Bagwell:
That's the age-old questions. And this is why a lot of Grandmasters respect me. Wherever I go around the country, wherever I go, I always 20:32 It's past, they've got to see it to the present. If there was no Henry Ford, if there was no Thomas Edison, if there was no Sojourner Truth, if there was no Martin Luther King, if there was no John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Westinghouse. What's some other man's name? Vanderbilt, you know? If there wasn't people like that, we wouldn't be here. So, you have to honor the past. But if you can build off of that that is your foundation. And if you can build off the foundation, like they say, training on the shoulder of geniuses, they want you to be creative. They want you to advance what they've done. They want that. That's why records were meant to be broken. They want you to be better and faster, bigger athletes today. They want that. The law of nature demands it. You just can't be the same way. There's some old antiquated people out here who don't want to grow. Some people are afraid of advancement. They are afraid of growth. They are afraid of success. I have a lot of adult friends. They're all afraid of success. I'm telling you the truth. It sounds like it's crazy but they are afraid of success. People told me, 2010 when I opened up my Karate school here in Millford, Connecticut, I won't be open up six months. That was eight and a half years ago. Hello? So, I mean... Listen. You tell me something negative, I won't get mad at you. I'm going to use that negativity as fuel to add on to my already passionate fire. And I'm just going to just prove people wrong with my success. I'm not going to disrespect you. I'm not going to debate with you. I'm not going to get into an argument. You're not going to steal my peace. I'm not going to give anyone that kind of power to steal my peace. But to further answer your question, someone discovered Kempo. Someone discovered Taekwondo. Someone discovered it. Someone discovered Aikido. Someone discovered 22:54 Someone discovered Judo. Someone discovered wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling. Listen, wrestling was around before Greco-Roman. It was. They just took it and did certain things with it. Think about it. And before that...
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, makes sense with it.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah. Henry Ford had to model 23:12 We've got cars that can do 200 mph. You can buy off 23:17 Henry Ford would be blown away if he could see what today, modern world, is. John D. Rockefeller, he's one of my favorite, favorite, favorite people in this world. I don't care about his personal life and what he did. I don' care about that. I look at that man as an innovator. That man came from nothing from Cleveland. And that man's family, they can't even spend the 23:47 of what he did for this country. Now, you can knock him but you have to also honor him. You got me?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Herbie Bagwell:
A lot of black belts in the South. They want to knock all white people but it was still a white man who freed us from slaves. Am I right or wrong? Listen. People can say what they want to say. But at the end of the day, innovation is what nature demands of us. You have to free your mind. You have to open your mind. You have to... I'm a spiritual man so I hope I don't offend you in anyone of your listeners. But I ask God every day to give me a new mind so I can be open to God's blessings, so I can be in God's blessings' way. So I can be creative, so I have a new mind. You can't go from year to year to year with an old mindset. The Bible says, God cannot put new wine in an old wineskin. So, you have to get a new and fresh mind. You have to be on the cutting edge of things. You have to read. You have to... A lot or Christians don't like this word called meditate. But you have to meditate. Get in your quiet space at least once a day. You have to. Cut all the noise out, turn your cell phone off. You've got to park your car by the beach and put your hands off the steering wheel and take a deep breath and hold it in and then exhale. And just be still and be quiet for five minutes. Then go back into your day. You have to be still. You have to be on the cutting edge. My father who was born 1920. He grew up in a time in this country where if you're walking down the street, and if a white person was walking towards you, he had to cross the street. Risk getting hit by a trolley. Risk getting hit by horse and carriage. That's how it was back then. So, my point of bringing that up is, look how far we've come. Innovation is something that nature demands. So, you have to be able to change. You have to be able to have a new mind; to be open and be creative, and not be afraid to fail. I didn't say be perfect. Do not be afraid to fail. That's how this country was built. Carnegie Steel. They're like, steel? Nobody needs steel. Steels are waste of time. Who needs steel? Wood s just everything. Wood is natural. Okay. You can't count the steel bridges today. You can't count the big strong structures today. You have to be innovative. You have to be creative. You have to be on the cutting edge of things. You have to be. We're all going to go through our ups and downs in life - spiritually, mentally, physically and financially. Okay. We're all going to have setbacks. But where I come from, a setback is a great time for God to give you a great comeback. You see, I'm just very positive. I'm very positive. My glass is always half full. It's not half empty. When all hell is breaking loose in my life, I know that God is getting ready to bring to the next level. And some folks can't handle chaos and turmoil. Oh, can’t take this. I don't want no more of this, I'm going to give up. Then God is saying, you're not ready to go through the next level. Because maybe that chaos and nonsense and all hell breaking loose in your life is training to get you to the next level. And if you complain about where you are, then that's going to cancel out God's blessings on you going to the next level. It's going to cancel it out because you're saying to yourself, I can't take this no more. I don't want this. I can't handle it. Then God is saying that you're not ready to go to the next level. Because if you can't handle what you're going through on this level, then you can't handle the next level that God has in-store for you. Do you understand? So, listen. Taekempo Martial Arts is built on that, to answer your question. It's built on being innovative. You have to teach the way I teach. I teach three steps. I don't care how many people is there but I'm going to tell you. I'm going to give it you for free.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Appreciate it.
Herbie Bagwell:
That's no doubt. Three steps: I'm going to tell you; I'm going to show you; and we're going to do it together. Once again, I'm going to tell you what we're going to do; I'm going to show you what we're going to do; and we're going to do it together. I'm a former school teacher. And there were three steps right there. I gained the respect of kids quickly. I was a substitute teacher. And after a month of substitute teacher, the superintendent of schools came to my class and offered me a full-time position. But I'm a retired law enforcement. Law enforcement was my life then for many, many, many, many, many years. So, I'm retired now. But at the end of the day, I was like, wow. Thank you so much. They wanted me to stay on. And when I was a substitute teacher, they gave me one of the worst classrooms. That was in New Haven, Connecticut. They gave me one of the worst classrooms. I won't say what school it was. But one of the worst classes in that school. And after three days, teachers were going by there. Going by my class and asking me, am I all right? I'm looking at them like, do I look like I'm all right? It's nice and quiet in here. Well, that's why we're coming by here, Mr. Bagwell. Because it's quiet. Because the former teacher, she couldn't handle these kids. She couldn't handle them. But then again, how many black male teachers do you see? How many black male teachers? I'll ask you a question. I already know what the answer is. How many black male school teachers did you have from, say, kindergarten to high school when you graduated? How many did you have?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Well, to be fair, I did grow up in Maine. But none.
Herbie Bagwell:
It doesn't matter where you grew up. I don't care if you grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Or you grew up in a hood Bridgeport, Connecticut. Even in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In New Haven, in New York City. New York City is the only state that I'm told that has more black male teachers anywhere else in the country. That's what I'm told. I don't know. I didn't check the statistics.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Herbie Bagwell:
Now you can go facts find it. But what's important to me is that, me being a black male in the schools system at that time, I did something different. I did something innovative. And I'm going to give this to you for free.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Love it.
Herbie Bagwell:
99.9999% of all school teachers have their desk where? In front of the classroom, right?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Right.
Herbie Bagwell:
My first day, I saw how rowdy these kids were. And I'm looking at them, and they're looking at me. And you can hear a pin drop when I walked in. Next thing I know, an hour and a half goes by, it was time for Phys Ed, gym class. I called the janitors in, four of them. And I said, first things first, I want this room swept. I want the trash taken out. I want new blinds in this room. You've got half an hour. And they did it. When the students came back in, surprised that I'm coming back in. And I said, after you sweep and after you... Oh, I'm sorry. I said clean the walls of all this negative graffiti. I want it clean. Because it's all water-based. You could take a big sponge, it comes right off. I want the walls clean, I want this room swept, and I want brand new blinds. And lastly, take my desk and put it in the back of the classroom. And that was the key, sir. And these students came in from Physical Education. I was sitting behind them. So, I've been keeping eye on them. You see the difference?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Absolutely.
Herbie Bagwell:
All I'm doing is making a point. I'm making point after point after point. I'm being innovative. You have to be innovative. You have to be creative. You have to be smart. You have to know the people who you're dealing with. You have to know what you're dealing with. You have to have a plan. You have to want to succeed. You have to want to be successful. My father died broke. I'm not dying broke. I'm just not going to do it. I'm not. I'm not going to die broke. I'm not going to die broke. My legacy is 2:14. God woke me up this morning and God put too much into me for me to die broke. I'm just not going to do it. I'm probably one of your most spiritual if not deep conversation or interviews you've had. And not to get long-winded, but at the end of the day, it's incumbent upon me, it's imperative that I leave behind a legacy of big feet. Who can fit these shoes that Kyoshi Herbie Bagwell has left? If you can't fit my shoes, then close down my Karate schools thorough and where the money falls? I hope it falls in my kid's pockets. If not, put it into a good home, put it to good use. Because at the end of the day, you have to be creative and it has to make sense. I have too many success stories on Taekempo Martial Arts. It's success. I don't care about the haters. There's not a hater or devil in the world that's going to stop a blessing that God has already preordained before the sands of time to give to me. And that's it. And that's why it's very creative. That's why Taekempo Martial Arts is amazing. And that's what I'm writing a book on, so people can read. And then let the critics fall where they may. I could care less about the critics anyway.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Good. Now there were a couple of things that you talked about that you put under the label innovative.
Herbie Bagwell:
Uh-hum.
Jeremy Lesniak:
They're innovative overall within the martial arts. But I think it's a testament not only to your success as a martial arts instructor. But I'm guessing that it's a pretty solid reflection of who you are as a person and probably who you've been for a very long time. When you talked about the three steps in teaching - tell them, show them, and do it with them. And it's that third part that I see so many martial arts instructors fall down with.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That they get a senior student to demonstrate everything. I've actually... There are martial artists I know, high ranking martial artists who I have trained under, who when they saw me watching them practicing a form, stopped and walked away.
Herbie Bagwell:
Wow. I believe...
Jeremy Lesniak:
And then when you moved your desk to the back of the room. You're not just observing them from a different angle. You're with them.
Herbie Bagwell:
Uh-hum.
Jeremy Lesniak:
The psychology of being up in front of the room, you've separated yourself. Your desk is facing the opposite direction. You're creating hierarchy. And kids don't resonate with that. And to me, those two acts - doing it with them, demonstrating it with them, and showing that you are a martial artists, you're in the mix them just as you are sitting in a desk facing the same way; you're in it with them
.Herbie Bagwell:
Yes, sir.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Is that something that you were taught explicitly or something you figured out on your own? Because I think it's a pretty fundamental and important thing.
Herbie Bagwell:
Uh-hum.
Jeremy Lesniak:
So, I'd like to talk about it.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah, I figured it out on my own. My father... We're getting emotional here. Give me a second.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sure.
Herbie Bagwell:
My father is sitting next to God. I know he is. I'm 53 years of age... Let me gather my thoughts here. I'm 53 years of age and I miss my daddy. I'm still the same. I still call him daddy. I miss my daddy every single day. Because we didn't spend what I was hoping to do with him. And I miss my father so very much. He was everything to me. The sun rose and set on that man. He taught me a lot. He also did a lot of things that I would never do. You know, he was a chain smoker. He was an alcoholic, my father. And because he was a chain smoker and because he was an alcoholic, that's why I am not a chain smoker. I am not an alcoholic. Here's a story that a friend of mine used to tell. He's deceased now. One of my dad's friends, I should say. Now, two people from the same household was watching their alcoholic and chain smoking parents. And one end up becoming a doctor. And so, how did he become a doctor? What was your defining moment or what propelled you? Because I didn't want to be a chain smoked and I didn't want to be an alcoholic. And they asked the other brother, what happened to you? What was your defining moment? Where was your downfall? You know what that brother said? I'm an alcoholic and a chain smoker because my parents were alcoholic and chain smokers. You see what I'm talking about?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Herbie Bagwell:
So, there's got to be a resolve deep down. There's got to be something. And that something is what my father instilled in me. And that's something was my baseline, was my foundation, was my rock. God is my rock. He is my foundation. I will not be with a woman because she is pleasing to me. I will not make a friend with anyone because he has friends with me. I will pray on everything before I do it. Because God is my rock, my foundation. He is the author and finisher of my faith. He is the Alpha and the Omega in my life. So, everything that I have done... I've made mistakes. Absolutely, I've made mistakes. But at the end of the day, I know I'm in alignment with the One who gives increase. So, with that being said, that's where my innovation comes from, my creativity comes from, my ingenuity - all that stuff comes from. I know I could live in any era - '20s, '30s, '40s - whatever era that God wanted me to live in, I know I could live in that era and be successful. I just know it. My first year in law enforcement, after my probation was up, after nine months of probation, six months after that, I became a Chief Supervisor. That was the fastest that anyone had ever seen before in law enforcement. Trust me. I walk in there, 80 people underneath me, and my mindset was still as an officer. But my title said Chief Supervisor. How fun is that? And sometimes, God would allow you to advance faster than your maturity. A lot of folks don't understand that. And your mind might be back where you came from but your title says other. And so therefore, there's a struggle. Because now, you've got to catch up to what your title says. You've got to catch up to where your money is. My money went from $70,000 to well over $100,000. Being at college as a kid and then going to Grad school. So, I had all the credentials on paper. But my mindset was still back to where I was in line or an ordinary officer. So, to answer your question again, it was just creativity. It was creativity. I like to do things that haven't been done before. And that also comes from my last name being Bagwell. I was always the first person called in Homeroom. I was always one of the first names called to do something. I was always the first person to do this. I grew up in Connecticut which is predominantly all-white back in the early '70s. And I was the only black kid doing this; the only black kid doing that; the only black kid doing this. And I was good at it. You follow me? And when you're good at something, the crowd tends to follow you. And then, of course, being able to speak in complete sentences, and talk and not stutter, I have nice teeth. That goes along with that. And that was the automatic... I automatically became a leader. There was a leader and the leader. Are you familiar with that term?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I haven't heard anyone express it. I think I know where you're going but I don't mind if you explained it.
Herbie Bagwell:
Sure. I'll expound on it. Able leader is just someone in a group that may be able to lead 2 or 3 people. But when a leader has a problem, they go to the leader - the head man or the head woman. And that's where the head woman or man has to make a decision. Now, you have 360°, and you have 180° thinker. And let me expound on that. When you are a part of a Karate school or a business or a household, the 180° is going to think about things that are going to benefit himself or herself. But the 360° thinker, he's going to talk about things that will benefit the entire family, the entire organization, the entire department. Do you understand?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I do.
Herbie Bagwell:
So, being a business owner, I own 2 Karate schools, praise God. So, I am the leader who pays the bills, who has to handle this, who has to handle that. So, I'm the pioneer in my family. Because no one in my family has ever even gone to high school and graduate. How fun is that? And I went to college and graduate. I went to Grad school with my wife. I've been divorced since '06 but I went to Grad school. So, I'm the pioneer. So, all the ups and the downs, and the lefts and the rights, and the pain... Is this what I'm supposed to feel at this stage? I couldn't go to Uncle John. I couldn't go to Aunt Sally to say hey, is this how it's supposed to be? I didn't have anybody. I had nobody who I can go to. You can have mentors. You can have job coaches. Well, ultimately, you'll have to go through all that by yourself. So, when you're an owner of something that no one in your family has ever done, you're a pioneer. You're going to experience some things that you've never experienced before. You don't know how to handle it. Because you're saying, okay, I got this Karate school. I know other Karate school owners but they did things their way. What am I supposed to do now? I've got to figure this out. I got on my knees and I prayed to the One who gives increase. I've been here eight and a half years. And now, my 2nd Karate school is being built. It's 5200 sq. ft., my 2nd Karate school. Gorgeous. Right in Groton, Connecticut.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Awesome.
Herbie Bagwell:
It's gorgeous. And so at the end of the day, I have to be able to handle all that. So, I have to be creative. So, to answer your question, there's a leader and the leader. Do you understand that part?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I do.
Herbie Bagwell:
Great. You understand the difference between 180° thinker and a 360° thinker.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I do.
Herbie Bagwell:
Now, I don't know if you're married or not, that's really none of my business. But if you have a girlfriend - or if you're in a relationship, whatever, you have kids and you're married - then you are, according to the Bible, to be the most household. Nowadays are funny. I won't go there right now. But traditionally, the men is the leader, okay? And so whenever there's a problem, we go to the leader. If you own a Karate school and something goes wrong in the bathroom or not enough, say, paper towels or cups or toilet tissue or whatever it is, they go through the leader. Now, if the leader has designated a leader to take of those "household situations", they're not going to come to you. Do you follow?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I do.
Herbie Bagwell:
So, for me being the leader, 24/7, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, I'm the leader. So everyday, I have to manage stress. I have to manage people. I have to manage ups and downs. And therefore, here comes my creativity. I've learned to give my secretary in charge of only a few thing. Because if she messes up on the few things that I gave her, then I don't have any trust to give her anything else. And you don't want to do everything you way. But at the end of the day, you want to give things to people where 45:43 is going to be. You know who you have. You've got to know who your team are. You've got to know who your team. You know, I have a parable for that, too. But again, I don't want to get too long winded on certain things. But you asked for some very, very good question. I have to admit. This is one of the best shows I've been on, I think, in the last year and half. So, thank you again for having me.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh. Thank you. Thank you. There's one more question that I want to ask you because I think it's going to start to tie us together. Because at the end of the day, this is your story but it's also a martial arts show.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yes.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And one of my favorite things is showing the audience, by bringing different people on from different backgrounds who've lived very different lives, that martial arts is something that is universally advantageous.
Herbie Bagwell:
Uh-hum.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Everyone who trains is better for it. Might be a little bit, might be a lot. But as you're talking, there's a consistent theme here. And that is that not only, at least if I'm kind of reading between the lines accurately, it sounds like you believe you might have been set up for an average life or a mediocre life. And you rejected that.
Herbie Bagwell:
Uh-hum.
Jeremy Lesniak:
And you rejected it very early.
Herbie Bagwell:
Uh-hum.
Jeremy Lesniak:
But you found a way to balance that rejection with loving that place that you came from, the people that you care from. Which is, again, a very difficult line to walk, just as difficult as how do we honor tradition of our arts and yet advance them. So, is this... are both of those coming from the same place? Was it your start in martial arts that gave you the foundation to say no, I love where I am but I want to do more; I deserve more, I am destined for more? Or was it from somewhere else?
Herbie Bagwell:
Man, I tell you. You're asking some deep questions that I can't handle. This is... You're awesome.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Thank you.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah. I should have you on my talk show one of these days.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I'd be happy to. Happy to come to your show.
Herbie Bagwell:
If you're coming from Vermont, trust me, I'll take care of your hotel. I'll take care of your food. Oh my gosh. I'm going to email you. Give me a Friday... No, sorry. I take my TV shows every other Wednesday in Groton. That's the closest one to you. I wouldn't have you come over at Millford.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Sir, the difference between be driving to Groton and me driving to Millford is not that big.
Herbie Bagwell:
Well, it's not like a 55-minute extra. But I will have you in Groton. This is a shorter drive for you. But I will definitely have you on my TV show. I think you're awesome, man.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Thank you.
Herbie Bagwell:
Let me take a deep breath. This is too full. Great question, once again. And let me control my emotions because you're taking me back to the absolute rawness of who Herbie Bagwell Jr. is. And this is going back to my absolute rawness. Okay. Oh gosh, I don't even know what year it was. It was 7th grade, and this is what makes me who I am. Well, one of the major reasons that makes me who I am. But again, great question but it's too vague. First, I was living with my mother in Groton. I can say this now because I'm 53 but then, I couldn't tell anybody because it was not allowed. So, I can it out in public now. I was living with my mother in Groton, Connecticut. And she had this beautiful condominium. My half-brother Michael, we have the same mom but different father, was on drugs and he hit me, and I called my father. And my father drove from New London to Groton. And he really laid in to my older half-brother verbally, not physically. And my father said to me, he was big, Herbie so I won't let him hurt you. My father goes, little Herbie, pack your bags. You're going to come live with me since your mother can't keep you safe over here. My mother just went upstairs to her bedroom and closed her door. I was like, wow. To me, that blew my mind. I was like wow, you're not even going to argue or fight for me. Wow. So, that was also the beginning of me having son-and-mommy issues, which I worked out later in my early 20's, thank God. So, no female issues here. That's important. So, my father and I moved together in his small one-bedroom apartment. And I want to be honest with you right now, I am fighting back the tears I'm open, I'm honest but I can handle it. So, my father was broke. He had absolutely nothing but he loves us and he loves me. He had to borrow a car to come pick me up. Now at this point, what's 7th grade like? Well, 13, right? Yes it is?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah. So, my dad was, at this point... Let's see. He died at '64. So my dad was 59 at this point, okay? And my father had cancer at that point. He had half of the lung removed because of cancer. He was very fragile, weak. He had nothing. Trust me, he had no money. Absolutely nothing. My father's rent and utilities are being paid by a program. And my dad was living off of $10 a week.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow. Take it out.
Herbie Bagwell:
So, when I moved out my mom's house or condo, rather, it was on a Friday. I remember. And my father and I were together all day Saturday. I was just lying next to him watching TV on this small little 20-inch, whatever it was, black and white TV with bunny ear.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I remember the year.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah. UATF, BATF, wherever the heck it was. And I remember, we were contemplating on was I going to go and stay in Groton public school or transfer to New London public school. And my dad said, no, stay in Groton. I will figure out a way of getting you to school every single day. Now, this was January. It's cold out there, my man. Okay? This is winter time. It's freezing. And this is where the start of my spring, my resolve, my determination, my motivating factor of not being broke and 54:19 There's a phrase in the black culture that says, don't be broke, busted and disgusted. And this is where all this came from. And I remember, now it's Sunday, we would walk to church. We'd come back home. There was something called scrapple which tastes like sausage. And my father would make scrapple, eggs and cheese, toast. I like my toast with little butter and little on it. And my dad would make his black coffee. I still can't drink black coffee. I just can't. I've got to add some creamer and sugar, bro. I can't do it. And we were together. It was just me and my father. But now it's Sunday afternoon. How can we get me to school for Monday morning? My father borrowed someone's car for Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. And all of the people who my father used to help out financially, that same person that was allowing my father to use his car, turned his back on my dad. How funny is that? My father was betrayed by his friends. Out of the blue, my father gets a check in the mail for about $300, saying that they underpaid him, whatever it was. And there was a bike at the local bike shop right out the street of my dad's apartment. And for some reason, this number stays in my brain. The bike costs $112.62. And my dad got the money up and write the check. We walked up there, he bought the bike for me. My dad goes, this is it, little Herbie. You're going to have to ride your bike to school every day and come home. And this is what you have to understand. From when my father lived in New London, you have to travel at least six minutes by car. But where my dad lived, to get to the bridge, you've got to travel maybe four or five minutes over the bridge by car. And another 10 minutes after the bridge to my school. Now we're talking about 11 or 12-year old kid, myself, riding a bike from where my father lived to the bridge, over the bridge, and I had to ride my bike on that bridge to school every day - in the rain, in the street, in the snow. This is January, my man. But here's the kicker. Never mind what I was going through. I can only imagine how my father felt, feeling inadequate and not be able to help his son to get to school. I can't even stand what he was feeling. Because my kids have iPhone, I don't know how to pronounce it, 8 plus? Is that how you pronounce it? My kids have iPhone 8+. My kids have digital this, digital that. Daddy can I have... They can walk into a beautiful Karate school and they don't have to ask anybody for a job. I can just give them a job. And they can make $300 or $400 a week if they want to. They can borrow daddy's brand new car, whatever. My father didn't have this at my age. He didn't have it. My father was broke. He didn't have a damn thing. He didn't have anything. So, when I look back on that, I'm like, wow. Look where I am today. So, I had to ride that bike over that bridge - January, February and the beginning of March. My father got a huge settlement for thousands of dollars. And my father, because of me, he moved from New London to Groton so I can be able to walk to school from then on in. So, you've got to understand something there. People don't understand... They don't understand my 59:47 because they don't understand my story. They don't understand why I have a love of God because they don't understand what I've been through. Or praise God, I don't look like with what I went through. Praise God of that. So...
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's a good story.
Herbie Bagwell:
This is two-fold but that's the first part.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Okay.
Herbie Bagwell:
So, that's where the integrity of self, the self-motivation, the determination, the "I will not quit". They wouldn't use that Q-U-I-T word around. Don't use "it's too hard" around me. I don't want to hear it. Don't tell me you can't do something. I'd jump out of airplane. I have a NASCAR background. You can just Google Herbie Bagwell. I won't get it to you or we'll be here all day. But you may have to edit this interview. I don't know how long you wanted it to be. But I have 6 resume. Six - modelling resume, acting resume. I have a NASCAR resume. I have a work resume, okay? I have a personal trainer resume. I write diet, I do supplementation. I help people out with their diet and how to lose weight. So, I have 6 resumes. So, there's no such thing as being and overachiever. It's about people valuing who you are to stay in your life. And if they don't value who you are, then hold the door open for them. Or you can tell them, don't let the door hit you in the backside on your way out. Because you cannot be around someone who don't know who you are. So let me prove that. Jesus had how many disciples? He had 12. You understand?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Uh-hum.
Herbie Bagwell:
And out of the 12 disciples, when stuff got really deep, when Jesus really had to go somewhere, he only took what? Three disciples - Peter, James and John. You understand?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Uh-hum.
Herbie Bagwell:
That tells people right there, that tells me, that you have to watch who's in your corner who just came and bite everybody on your team. You just can't. You can't. You cannot fly as high as God wants you to be with just anybody on your team. You've got to carefully choose the people around you. You have to think like an eagle and have an attitude of excellence. You have to. And not everyone's going to be around you. Not everyone's going to understand the decisions that you make. That's okay. See you later. Look, how come you don't go out as much? My question to you is, I don't see 1:02:34 You understand?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah.
Herbie Bagwell:
So at the end of the day, they say all these means on social media, you have to do what the 1% will do. And then you can look at the other 99% and just shake your head. Well, they're not willing to sacrifice and struggle and go through something to be like the 1%. I'm not going to die broke. I already knew that for a fact. I'm not. I can't guarantee tomorrow's Wednesday but I guarantee you one thing. I will not die broke. I'm not. I have goals. I have dreams, aspirations, and my prayers are being met as we speak. Because no matter what happens in my life, I pray to the one who gives increase. The One who moves mountain. The One who stopped the sun for Joshua. The One who part the Red Sea for Moses. The One who can move stars. The One who can move mountains. The One that closed the 1:03:37 the birds of the air. That's who I pray to. I pray to the One who woke me up this morning. I pray to my Jehovah Jireh, the Lord my provider. I know I'm protected and I'm safe. And God has kept me here for a reason. Because there are things that people need from me while I'm here. That's why God has kept me. People need things from me because I'm not... Because God values me. I don't care what men think. God values me that's why I'm still here. So now, just to prove that point with Peter, James and John. Now, I'm going to get even deeper. I've been betrayed at the highest level. I've been betrayed at the highest level by family. I've been betrayed, my man. Jesus was betrayed at the highest level. And what did Peter do? Jesus said, you're going to deny me three times before the cock crows. And Jesus was taken in custody and they will get Him ready to crucify Him, a Lady recognized Peter as being one of Jesus's disciples. And Peter denied Jesus three times. Isn't that something? Judas also betrayed Jesus. And Judas couldn't live with himself so do you what Judas did? He hung himself. And here's the funny part. When he was walking to Galilee, they all kept saying, is that the Messiah? Is he the son of God? Is he the Messiah? And when Jesus got around all of His disciples, He just asked the question to all of His disciples. Who say you who am I? In other words, who am I, disciples? Who am I to you? Who am I to the world? He asked the question to all of His disciples. Only one spoke up. It was Peter. And Peter said, You are the Messiah, the Son of God. You are the Lamb who lights the world. That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is, why didn't the other 11 speak up? You see what I'm talking about?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I do.
Herbie Bagwell:
You cannot have people around you, sir, who do not know you are. I don't care if it's the children. I don't care if it's your wife. I don't care if it's your co-workers. I don't care if you've been bestfriends since elementary school, 1st grade. If they don't know who you are, you can't grow with them. You can't because they don't value who you are. That's why success is lonely. Because a lot of folks are not going to be able to go with you where God is not going to bring you. And a lot of folks don't want nothing in life. They don't want to be successful. They don't want to go through any pain and struggles. They don't want to go through it. They want to wake up, 9 to 5, 8 to 4, 7 to 3, come home, eat, watch TV, kiss the kids, kiss the wife, go to sleep. Next day, guess what? They want to go to work - 7 to 3, 8 to 4, 9 to 5 - and do the same thing all over again. And they don't want nothing. It doesn't make them a bad person but they just don't want nothing. There's more to life than that. The last part of 1:06:52 is when it's time for you to go to heaven, when St. Peter 1:06:57 my room and he opens the door, I want all of my shelves empty. What that phrase means is that God has a lot of stored up gifts for you, for me, for everybody. And if we don't go after it, everything that we want down here on earth, I don't want to go in my room and see, wow what's that gift's for? Well, that's the book, Herb, that you didn't write that God wanted you to write. It was going to be a no. 1 seller but you didn't write the book. What's that gift over there? Well, that's the gift, Herbie that you didn't want to get. Because after you would have jumped out of an airplane, you'd have an attitude that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Wow. Well, what's that gift over there? Well that gift over there, Herb, is because you had an opportunity of opening up a 2nd Karate school that would have been phenomenal in your hometown and you didn't do it. See, I don't want that. I want every gift that I have right here on earth so I can be a blessing and share it to other people. Do you understand?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I do.
Herbie Bagwell:
Lastly. Here comes the part B. There's a phrase I'm going to say and I'm going to explain it. And a lot of people don't understand what I'm getting ready to say. And I'll break it down to you so you could understand it. And it goes like this: they came out from us and it might be made manifest that they were not of us. Or have they been of us, no doubt, they would have continued with us. One more time. It's from Apostle 4: they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not of us. For had they been of us, no doubt, they would have continued with us. And what that means is, you find out who is with you and who left you. You understand that part?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I do.
Herbie Bagwell:
If they're with you, no matter what you go through, if they're still in your life today, that means that they are of you. But because they came from you and they're not with you today, then they're not of you. They were never with you to begin with. And out of everything that I've said today, that's the one thing that you might want to replay and write it down and put it in your car, put it in your wallet, pin it some place 1:09:38 Because that right there tells you everything. If people are for you, they're going to be for you. And if they're going to be for you, they're going to show you in their actions. You know how it goes; it's not what you say, it's what you do that defines you. S again, I'm a very spiritual man. I'm humble, I'm always listening to people. I can learn from everybody, either what to do or what to not to do, or either what to say and what not to say, or how to be and how not to be. I'm not angry at anyone. I have forgiven everybody in my life who has betrayed me, who had tried to discredit me. I have forgiven anyone who was disloyal to me. I have forgave them all. Because I'm not going to allow anyone to have power over me while I'm still holding a grudge. I've forgiven all of them. And because I forgave all of them, that's why God has kept me for so long at this Karate school here in Millford. And he has allowed me to 1:10:45 The flooring had to be installed pretty soon, praise God. But all is well. But at the end of the day, God has kept me and that's why I'm still here. And I'm still here productively. I'm still here creatively. I'm still here to be a blessing to other people. So Taekempo martial arts is based upon all of that. So, when you see Taekempo, yeah, my man. There's a whole lot behind that.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I know. I understand why there's a book
.Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah. And now you see why there's a book. And the 1st book is not going to have all that we've discussed. As far as my first 1:11:24convictions and my resolve. But it will have a lot as far as what Taekempo martial arts is and my mission statement and what I hope to leave as my last legacy. Legacies are huge. I just found out today... I'm a fan of Urban Meyer. He is the Ohio State Football coach out there in Ohio. And he just announced that he's retiring after their Bowl Game. I think it's the Rose Bowl where the Ohio state was going. And he's retiring. And what they want to know is what his lasting legacy is going to be. But because of the past year and a half, it was tainted by a close coach of his with domestic issues, domestic violence issues. They don't know what kind of legacy he will leave. They always want to say 1:12:16but there's always more than that. There's always more than that. But again, this was very enlightening. I did not even remotely believed that I would be asked this wonderful deep, pertinent question. I'm going to tell you right now. You're the best interviewer I've ever witnessed. I was a part of it. So, you're the best, man.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What an honor.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah, you were awesome, man. I've got to have you on my TV show.
Jeremy Lesniak:
We'll do it.
Herbie Bagwell:
Please, I want you to email me.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, yeah.
Herbie Bagwell:
Okay, Wednesday... Of course, after the Holiday.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. We'll figure that...
Herbie Bagwell:
On a Wednesday...
Jeremy Lesniak:
We're not going to stop talking.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah, yeah.
Jeremy Lesniak:
We're not going to stop talking.
Herbie Bagwell:
Absolutely. There might be a huge announcement in sport Karate that I'm going to make possibly over the next couple of weeks. I'm going to cool my heels, like my father would say. I'm going to let this current situation play itself out. Because I've always learned that Jehovah Jireh is my provider. But anyone that comes that tries to harm me in any way, God will turn it around to my advantage. So, what it there that might harm, God will turn it around to my advantage. So, I'm going to let go and let God do it His way. Let God do the mending and I'm just going to stay in place and just know that I'm in alignment with Him. But again, wonderful interview questions.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Thanks.
Herbie Bagwell:
This is great. You're one of bests. You're the best interviewer I've ever had and I hope people who hear this are not offended. But you are awesome.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Thank you. And before I let you go, a couple of things, if people are listening and they want to learn more about you or Taekempo, how do they find you on the web or on social media? Throw out some accounts, some web names.
Herbie Bagwell:
I'm easy. They can go on to... Well, my website, I already emailed to you, but it's bagwelltaekempo.com. Just so people know, you don't have to write that www. anymore.
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's right.
Herbie Bagwell:
That is so...
Jeremy Lesniak:
That's right. It drives me crazy when I see it in advertising.
Herbie Bagwell:
Yeah. So '80s-something. Some of these emails and websites, you put it in there because you don't know how people have set up their email accounts. But you can just type in your phone on a computer, bagwelltaekempo.com, and boom. You get there. No big deal. Or just go on in any social media. I'm on Facebook, Herbie Bagwell. You'll see me and my kids, beautiful black and white photo. On Instagram, it's Taekempo. On Instagram, just plug in Herbie Bagwell. Once again, it pops up. LinkedIn, I don't view. Twitter, I'm not a big Twitter guy. If I was big as Kanye or some singer, I would... Shania Twain, whatever, I'd be on Twitter. I am on Twitter @HBagwell777 but the most one that I'm on mostly is Facebook, Herbie Bagwell. And of course, Instagram which is Taekempo. And my website, once again, is bagwelltaekempo.com.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Awesome. And one more thing.
Herbie Bagwell:
Anything.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Not that you haven't given us a ton today, but I always ask the guests to give us a closing bit. Give us some parting words of wisdom, however you want to term it, and send us out.
Herbie Bagwell:
First thing, I want to thank you for having me on your show. And to all the listeners, God bless you all and have a safe and wonderful and blessed and prosperous holiday season and new year. In closing, basically, treat people the way that you want to be treated. Always be kind to people because you don't know what people are going through on a day-to-day, especially in the Holiday Season. But if you can just be kind to people no matter what season it is - winter, spring, summer or fall - just be kind to people. Because you don't know what they're going through. And I've always learned, too, is, just because you hear X, Y and Z about someone, if you don't know that someone, get to know that someone. Just don't take what you heard for face value and run with it. That's so immature. It's so juvenile. But again, being a Taekempo practitioner or Taekwondo and Shaolin Kempo martial arts, it's a lifestyle for me. It's what I do. But who I am? I'm a man of God, I'm a warrior of God, I'm a good father, I'm a good brother, I'm a good friend, I'm a great listener. And yes, ladies, I'm single. But at the end of the day, I always keep God at first place. And once again, I hope you have 1:17:33 show. And again, just always be kind to people because you don't know what people are going through. That's it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
We all walk a different path and we all learned the lessons as we walk that path. But I think one of the keys to getting the most out of life is being willing to look behind you and in front of you, and draw connections and understand how your past influences your future but not in a way that you're beholding to it. We can always move on. We can always grow. We can always rise up. And that's something that Kyoshi taught us today. In fact, I would say it was the thing that he talked about the most - the ability to move forward and grow. And the person that you want to be requires at least a bit of a nod to the past and a willingness to charge forward. So, thank you, sir. I appreciate your time on the show and thanks for educating all of us.If you want to check out the show notes including links, photos, so much more, you can find those at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. While you're over there, be sure to sign up for the newsletter. We send out discounts, we'll let you know what's going on behind the scenes, new projects. Tons of good stuff going on at whistlekick, and that's really the best way to stay on top of what's happening. If you want to support us, you can do so by shopping at whistlekick.com using the code PODCAST15. If you have a martial arts school, you should probably sign up for the wholesale program because we can give you some discounts, work with you, help you sell whistlekick products. Everybody wins in that equation, don't they? And if you want to reach out to us, find us on social media. You can do so. We are @whistlekick on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. My direct email address, jeremy@whistlekick.com, and I reply to everything that I get. I want to thank you for tuning in. Thank you for your support, for your love. Until next time. Train hard, smile, and have a great day.