The Path of Self-Mastery: Rick's Martial Arts Odyssey, Overcoming Adversity, and the Quest for Resilience and Purpose

https://www.youtube.com/@StrengthSertified

What can a lifetime of martial arts teach you about self-discipline and personal growth? Join us for an inspiring conversation with Rick, a seasoned martial artist and personal trainer whose journey from a troubled child to a master of self-discipline is nothing short of remarkable. From traditional Korean karate to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Rick shares his evolution through various martial arts forms, his intense commitment to every endeavor, and the profound impact of staying true to one's path.

Rick’s story is not just about martial arts but also about navigating life's tougher moments. We take a raw look into the emotional and psychological toll of prison and solitary confinement, illustrating how these experiences have shaped his resilient mindset. Additionally, Rick opens up about the devastating disappearance of his friend Dave, the painful search for answers, and the relentless hope that drives those left behind. These stories aren't just about overcoming adversity—they are about finding strength and purpose in the most challenging situations.

Finally, we touch on lighter, yet equally meaningful subjects, such as the unique challenges of parenting and the importance of maintaining traditional values in modern times. Hear about the resilience of a woman producing content from the ICU, the comprehensive self-mastery program that Rick advocates, and the fun banter about regional accents that keeps the conversation lively. With a blend of intensity, heartfelt moments, and humor, this episode promises to leave you with valuable lessons on self-mastery and personal growth.


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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

are.

Speaker 2: 0:02

Good evening and welcome to another episode of a contagious smile unstoppable. So we are unfiltered, so you're good to go when every story has a smile to it. You just have to dig in to find it. I have Rick with us. I am so excited. I've been waiting to talk with him. He is amazing. He has such a story that I don't even know how to give a decent biography about him. I'm going to let him just give a little bit, but the way I'm going to talk with him, I'm sure it'll all come out during our conversation. Rick, I can't thank you enough for being here today.

Speaker 1: 0:31

Victoria, it's my honor. Thank you so much for having me Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 0:35

So tell us your story like in a nutshell, so people know who you are before we really get into it.

Speaker 1: 0:42

Yeah, first and foremost, guys, what I would like to tell everybody is I have a self-mastery system. I am a self-mastery monster. So if you want to be your 10X, the best version of yourself, go online. I'm internet-based. For those that live in the Missouri area, I have a gym 10,000 square feet of nothing but pure energy, and I train people to be the best version of themselves physically, mentally and emotionally. So all depending on what they're looking to get out of life. I can definitely excel their process because I've done it for 56 years. I have decades.

Speaker 2: 1:16

I've been a martial artist for 51 years, a personal trainer for 37 years and again, I just got a lot of knowledge to share he does not look 56 and before we even said anything, I was like I love all your art because his canvas is covered and I love it like it's amazing and it's beautiful.

Speaker 1: 1:35

So well, I'm committed. When I, when I start something, I mean it's all go, it's it's full speed or nothing. And, uh, I knew it, my mom knew it because, um, she calls me Ricky she goes your whole body's going to be covered in decades. Later I am blasted and again, like I said, head to toe, even my toes and working on the face now, which I'm getting a lot of different opinions on. But, like we were talking about Victoria, this is my journey, this is my life, and I just like to eliminate job options. I love it. I love it keeps me on the path of what I'm doing. Man, I gotta stay self-employed there you go.

Speaker 2: 2:15

Yeah, I tell people all the time I don't leave fingerprints, so they kind of look at me puzzled. Yeah that's awesome you obviously grew up in new jersey and you started studying martial arts when you were four. I was almost six, so you started very young. What made you decide to get into it? You even remember because you were so young yeah, no, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 2:36

And you, you look, you look young. I thought you were definitely in your like 20s or 30s. Oh god bless you. Absolutely. No, I, I don't lie. Love doesn't lie, you know, and that's far I mean. I, I don't lie to anybody.

Speaker 1: 2:49

But, um, what got me involved was my parents. They said I had very bad anger issues as a kid and I think it started probably getting picked, picked on by my older sibling. You know she was jealous the whole nine yards and you know, as a kid you don't really remember much or anything of that nature. But at any rate, at the age of four, june 27th 1972, my parents enrolled me into my very first traditional Korean karate taekwondo class and my very first class. I was such a smart aleck that my instructor broke my nose. Ok, and, I believe it or not, I fell in love with it. That's when I knew this was, this was my path, and he thought I was crazy and he wasn't too far off because of now, you know, fast forward now, all these decades, I'm definitely a little crazy, but you know, I think we all got to stay a little crazy to stay sane in this world, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 3:47

One thousand, you know you have to.

Speaker 1: 3:49

And again, I don't. I don't really jive or mess with people that aren't a little mentally challenged or have a checkered past. So again, you have to have one of those two for me to actually jive with you, even though I can conversate with anybody. But yeah, it was. It was at the age of four and you know, my journey started from there. I mean, there was my real, my real fond memories of, of, of being a kid was at the age of four and I grew up doing martial arts. Now you had to be seven and back in the seventies to play football, baseball or basketball. So my folks were just looking for something as quick as possible to give me discipline. And it did. It really did, and I can't imagine my life without it.

Speaker 1: 4:31

And then, obviously, as I got older, I played recreational sports such as football, baseball and basketball. But anytime there was an energy leak, my parents had me right into martial arts. So it was like you know where I left off, I start off and just kept on progressing from there. So martial arts has always been a part of my life. Even though I've taken numerous hiatuses from it, I just always seem to navigate back to it. So, yeah, got into martial arts, which then sent me into boxing, and then Muay Thai, muay Thai into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, into Muay Thai, muay Thai, into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is really where I focused majority of my years on my decades with, because at that point in time it was your age, your rank and your weight, so they basically narrowed the playing field. So it was fair and that's how I looked at it, because the last time I fought in the cage at the time I was 39, and the kid that I fought was 24. And he had me by a good 50 pounds because there was no weight classes.

Speaker 2: 5:42

Oh, you froze on us he came in there and, like I said I I retired with an l but my whole life has been wins. That's amazing, yeah, so do you believe that growing up with a martial art background as a child made you different than any of the other kids you went to school with?

Speaker 1: 6:03

no doubt it gave me the edge upon them. It did it, did I mean? Uh, I and I'm I'm going to be truthful here. You know, I, I grew up in a pretty violent neighborhood.

Speaker 1: 6:13

Um you know, and it was one of those deals, that you had to decipher the pecking order right away, and, and it was, you fought every day, every single day, and it was a big neighborhood and you know I, I had, I had one up on them. You know I was, I was, I was, you know, taking on kids that were three to four years older than me and when you're, you know, 10, 11 or 12, those three to four years mean a lot of puts to when you're older you know I mean they're going through, I mean they got the testosterone.

Speaker 1: 6:40

They're men, they're growing mustaches. I don't even have, you know, a hair on my ass and you know, and I'm I'm breaking their face. So it definitely did. And you know, I created a name for myself fairly early. So you know, when people came around, they knew win or lose, they were going to bruise when they fought me and that's, that was it and I enjoyed it. That was it and I enjoyed it. I really did. And I saw a saying one time saying what is it Like? Violence doesn't solve everything, but it's definitely helpful or something. And I know I screwed that up, but honestly, I grew up in a violent area, in a neighborhood, in an atmosphere.

Speaker 2: 7:23

And.

Speaker 1: 7:24

I felt totally comfortable with it. I really did. You know you look back at it now as being older, um, and again I instruct. Certain ways I might be like that guy from the karate kid, the other instructor you know I forget his name, right, that would probably be me. More is that, because I mean that said, gold counted to me, obviously. You know gold counts and, um, when my guys competed, if they went in there and they didn't give me the best version of themselves that day or didn't show up, I was pissed and I hated to be that way.

Speaker 1: 8:00

But I wear my emotions on my sleeve, and not that I don't love them and give them a hug, but when they get on there and I know they beat themselves and they didn't give it a hundred percent, that's when I get pissed. You go out there and you bleed for me and you go a hundred and you show me that you're giving me your best. I'm going to give you nothing but love. Man, you went into battle, hey, you didn't come out with the gold, but you came out alive, no injuries. We're good. But when you go in there and you don't perform to your best, you're going to know it. And I lost students, every I did, and you know I'm not for everybody. I'm intense. My intensity draws people away, but that makes me just move forward. You know it keeps me alive.

Speaker 2: 8:43

I love that. I think intensity is so important because I trained so strongly and it was like it became. It became my air, in a way, where you know, everything was about discipline and respect and de-escalation and you know the training and like I would always instead go out and work on my katas and so I wasn't working on like let's go play barbies or you know, anything like that. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to impress my sensei, I wanted to make sure that my gi was always crisp and my belt was always right. You know, I mean, that's, that's where it was. It wasn't necessarily the. You know, I want the intensity because I'm going to give it. So I want it back. So I know that and, being a girl, I got a lot of crap about it because, you know, not a lot of girls are that way.

Speaker 1: 9:25

No. And how long, victoria, were you in martial arts, or still am, and how many years are we working on?

Speaker 2: 9:32

25.

Speaker 1: 9:35

God bless you. You're a beast, but you know you watch the era change as well, because of again, one of my best friends took over the studio, the academy that we used to go to Gordon Pritchard in South Jersey, mount Laurel, and when the whole MMA craze started coming around in the late 80s, early 90s, I told him. I said, gordon man, we're going to have to revamp this man, get mats instead of hardwood floors. And he says I don't have to do shit, but do what I'm doing. And he goes I don't have to do shit, but do what I'm doing. And he goes. And I'll prevail. And he did. But he went through a rough stage for about five years where people were just navigating to whatever gym had the octagon or you know who was teaching the newest phase and things of that nature. But he stuck with it and he's doing phenomenal as well. And are you also in Korean karate, taekwondo or Okay, yeah, it's tough.

Speaker 2: 10:29

It is.

Speaker 1: 10:30

It was one of my favorite arts. It really was. A lot of it out there is watered down as well, just like anything. I'm watching it happen to Brazilian jiu-jitsu right now, where you know people are losing the code of honor and they're disrespecting and they're not going through the proper protocol of calling your sensei or your instructor or your coach or your professor. They're calling you dude or man and I mean I bowed off the mat probably about a year ago, just for, just honestly, injuries and a lack of passion and I told everybody. You know, every time I come onto this mat I have to earn my black belt. I don't take it for granted.

Speaker 1: 11:08

And when I started seeing myself looking at my clock opposed to doing a technique, I know it was time, even though I delivered and I was giving them outstanding material, deeply inside you know I was still. I was. I was in the weight pile. You know I was training people on weights. That's where my passion was and weight training has always been my passion and it's always been my anchor, regardless of doing martial arts for 51 years. That's just an individual connection I have with the weights. Even in jiu-jitsu, even though it's an individual sport, you still got a team and you're still going against somebody else. You're're working your techniques with somebody else. There's no katas. I mean there's some drills you can do solo, but the majority of the drills you're doing on each other and you might have some uncooperative uki. I don't know if you call the same thing. I know you know different schools called the dummies ukis and I, and I think that's horrible, but it is what it is. You need them. The weights was individual. It's just me and the iron, that's it and that connection.

Speaker 1: 12:14

And being in solitude for so many years too, I wasn't allowed to. You know, being in prison I wasn't allowed to put my hands on other inmates or things of that nature, even though, believe it or not, I was training the CEOs and CEOs and other inmates as well. They figured out a way of making it happen, because I had something they wanted and it was to know how to defend their life, and that's what really got me accepted out here in Branson, missouri. I mean, I moved out here from Jersey Philadelphia area at the age of 42 and I'm totally blasted'm from the northeast, I'm a Yankee and you know, if it wasn't for martial arts and them wanting something I had, I probably wouldn't have been as accepted right. And I created life here, victoria, which I love.

Speaker 1: 13:00

You know, even with the, with the trials and tribulations of my son I'm sure you'll probably want to touch on that which, again, I'm an open book. When I talk about my son, I talk with him with a smile on my face because he's weird with me. I'm getting goosebumps even saying it, because he is. He's here watching this podcast man. He's saying dad, you're doing good, you know what I mean, like what we were talking about earlier him shooting off his finger. I mean, it's nothing comparison. But you know, somewhat is yes and he's celebrating.

Speaker 2: 13:27

You celebrate the life that you did have with your son. You celebrate the days you had with your son. That's, that's how you keep him alive. That's how you keep him alive within you as you celebrate every day the, the memories, and that's how you keep him going, because he's there with you absolutely smile.

Speaker 1: 13:43

He gives me signs, I believe that I believe that wholeheartedly, absolutely so let's I know I know what's that?

Speaker 2: 13:52

let's talk about how you became incarcerated. So you and your dad end up going into I killed 50 people and they get no.

Speaker 1: 14:00

I'm only kidding, I shouldn't even joke like that.

Speaker 2: 14:02

Like wait, I didn't see, I didn't think about that part In my mind I did.

Speaker 1: 14:07

You know what I mean? I had a meme out there. I'm looking at you and I'm figuring out 10. Is that what you're saying, victoria, about my incarceration? Yes, yes, okay. What do you want to know?

Speaker 2: 14:27

so how did it happen you and your dad end up going to jail? You went to prison we were in prison.

Speaker 1: 14:32

We were maximum security, state prison, no fed time. You know we were in. You know maximum security at level five, four, three yards and we were maximum security. So, bottom line, my father had pizzerias for over 47 years, close to 48. Okay, and I always say I had connections in the mob, but I was not connected. All right, my father owned a pizzeria back in the 60s, 70s.

Speaker 1: 15:01

You know you dealt with the family, that's who you dealt with, or you got dealt with, and you know they were putting out good product and things of that nature. So I mean you know this is where you went for your flour, you went there for your, you know, your sauces, everything, basically everything. And I had a lot of uncles growing up, a lot of uncles that weren't really my biological uncle. But my father, even though I'm German, he's German. He was raised in an orphanage in Flatbush, new York, by Italian nuns. So he learned how to speak fluid and never taught it to me, but at any rate that had really nothing to do with my incarceration.

Speaker 1: 15:40

We, we got, we got hooked up into um, cocaine, okay, large amounts of it and and um. You know I'm not condoning it, it's a regret I have because of the simple fact that that's one thing I stand on to this day is drugs, because I lost my stud to drugs and I'm a huge advocate to get off the streets by all means necessary and and, like I said, um, I pin made that to society and to myself and my family, and I feel as though you know, um, um, god forgave me. He did, I paid my karma debt off, but at the same point in time, we just got involved in something that we shouldn't and we got caught. And we got caught. So they, they got us um with possession, with the intent to sell a dangerous substance so why did they put you in solitary?

Speaker 1: 16:31

why was I in solitary? I wasn't in solitary at first. I I mean I that. That's that happened inside right. Solitary confinement for fighting. Yeah, yeah, when I got in again, it's no different than being in the street. You gotta decipher the pecking order and I wasn't the one that was going out and looking for the biggest, baddest guy out there. They came to me. So I mean you know they started something, I finished it. Right, plain and simple. I had to do that multiple times. I mean I in five years I probably did it about 50 times and each time man all depending on if the CEO wants to do the paperwork or how bad you beat the person up that's going to dictate your punishment.

Speaker 2: 17:16

How did you deal with that?

Speaker 1: 17:18

I did in solitary itself how did I feel what?

Speaker 2: 17:27

I think there's a little gap between us when we're talking. There's like a little space when we're talking. So what? How did you manage to deal with being in solitaire?

Speaker 1: 17:36

you have no choice, right? You run your head through a wall and kill yourself. I mean that's what you want to do. I mean, literally the only light I had was from the door where they bring in your tray, and all you have is a toilet and a sink. Okay, you can't even see yourself. I mean your eyes get adjusted of being in there for so long. And like I said it was, I mean I, I think it was little little. It was close to five months, it't quite six. I was supposed to do six, I did less than five. And um, you know, I mean they give you a horse blanket which is probably about three foot by three foot, so it doesn't even cover your body. It's cold. You're in there with your boxers on and your your pillows, your toilet paper, that's it. No phone calls, no books, no, nothing, just darkness in yourself how did you manage that?

Speaker 2: 18:25

what would you do while you're in there for six?

Speaker 1: 18:27

months. They actually now they, they, they, they outlawed it. Basically I don't know if they outlawed or not, but they got rid of it because they just said how it really screws with people's heads and, um, yeah, man, like you know, when they crack that door first you can, can't see. You know, you got minimal light, I mean, but it's a shock and you're like and you literally you don't even want to step out. You know, I mean, I, I was, I was a little, I was, I want to say, scared man, I was just, it felt weird walking out. Man, like you know, that's that's where it really hit me the most. And I had my moments, I did.

Speaker 1: 19:04

But you talk about, you know, getting to know yourself. You replace so many things that you have and you know just altercations and fun times and girlfriends, and you know homies, and you replay, replay, replay, because you can't write anything down Again. You don't have no reading material, it's just you, your blanketing in a roll of toilet paper. Wow, maybe stronger. It made me. It made me learn how to appreciate things. Like when covid hit, I said you guys are a bunch of pussies. Man, like you got the luxury of your own home, you can leave it like they think that's lockdown. Yeah, okay.

Speaker 2: 19:41

Take 24 hours in solitary and see how you like it.

Speaker 1: 19:45

But you know I also tell this to people like you and I have been through a lot, victoria and we had tragedies, but our tragedy is going to be different than somebody else's tragedy as well. You know, that person that just you know, broke up with their boyfriend or girlfriend for the first time and that's all they have in their life. That's a tragedy to them. So we got to realize, you know and I learned this a long time ago because I was very uncompassionate when it came down to things of that nature hope they never find out. Let's hope they never go through things that you and I've been through. You know what I mean. Let's just pray it doesn't happen because of you know, it's nothing I wish, even on my worst enemy. Maybe my worst enemy, maybe I don't have any, so, uh, I didn't. I try not to, but, um, you know it's, it's one of those deals.

Speaker 1: 20:39

Again, getting back to the whole, um, I realized I didn't want to go back in there. Yeah, like prison, you know, when I got out I towed the line, man, you know what I mean. I had a few different hiccups, speed bumps down the road, but nothing to put me in that type of position, and rightfully so, man. I earned every one of those months in years that I was in there for what I did now your dad remained once you were released.

Speaker 2: 21:03

He remained incarcerated.

Speaker 1: 21:04

He did. He stayed two more years. He stayed seven years. My old man was happy, he wanted to stay. He did. He was already my father was probably in his mid-60s at the time and he goes, kid, he goes. It's a complete circle. I started out in the institution. What was the orphanage? He went into the military, came out, started out with a hot dog cart to restaurants, then the pizzerias, and then, you know, he's getting older, now he's back in an institution and he was happy. You know he got his TV, his fan tv, his fan, his own room. You know he had his cigarettes and he was. He was the um, he was the cook for the odr, which is the officer's dining room. So he made it up to an honor camp where basically there's no fence around the jail at all. Um, I mean, obviously, if you try to leave, you're gonna, you're gonna get the consequences, but he was the cook and he was doing the books. It was like that movie show. What is?

Speaker 2: 22:05

it Shawshank Redemption there you go.

Speaker 1: 22:07

That was my old man. He did the books for the CEOs and everything like that and they were a lot cooler than that guy was and you know he was, he was kicking back. He was kicking back so he didn't want to come out man, even though he wanted to be out for his grandkid and everything like that and um, but yeah, like I said, good man, and you know I felt bad for him, I really did. I wish I was able to get him out of the time he did, and I tried. They were going to let me off. They were going to let me off with with minimal consequences whatsoever because they didn't have enough evidence on me, but they knew I was a part of it, right, so part of the plea agreement was you know they, they wanted, they wanted, they're going to say reduce your time for certain things. Obviously they want you to snitch, and there was no snitching involved. You snitch, you're dead. So you, unless you want to die, you keep your mouth shut. You know what I mean. But then again, they wanted the pizzeria, they wanted the money that was there, which then they had to prove that we were involved in organized crime for for over 25 years. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 23:12

And then again they had such a hard-on for me that they said if junior because he's senior, I'm junior, a junior, um basically takes the same charges as his father, will reduce the father's time. And my father was like, absolutely no, no kid, you got a kid, you got your own son. You gotta say I said, listen, no, I was part of it and if I can reduce your sentence and you're able to get out of here before you're dead, I'm doing it. You know what I mean. So I, I did. Man, I was the only thing I cooperated with and, uh, it was to get my father. It was to get my father out earlier. He didn't talk to me for nine months wow, rick, how did your mom?

Speaker 1: 23:53

like I said, I I had people, man, wanting to take care of me when I got out, man, I just was like nah, man, like you know, I did the crime, I did the time. I't going to fucking snitch on nobody.

Speaker 2: 24:03

Right, Rick. How did your mom handle it?

Speaker 1: 24:08

My mother and father got divorced when I was 16. So they were already separated. She's mom. Mom's still alive. My mom is fuck man, 87, 88. Now she's older. Look at her. Yeah, she's up there. She's up there and, um, you know she was heartbroken. She was, and I gotta say about the tattoos. Now, anymore it's not only to eliminate jobs options, it's to disappoint my mother more you know what are you doing to your beautiful skin and I'm like I'm covering it up?

Speaker 1: 24:38

mom, you know she don't like them what about getting one for her?

Speaker 2: 24:41

get a tattoo for your mom.

Speaker 1: 24:43

I got to find a spot somewhere for it. I'm literally covered from head to toe. I mean. There's only one spot that I'm very hesitant. You know what I mean. So it's like I mean butt, cheeks and all man. They're covered. I probably hurt me one of the most, believe it or not? Really, yeah, you know that in my fingertips. It's wherever there's not like a bone in place, that's where it hurts the most, like your stomach and like I said, my, my, my gluteus minimus the feet.

Speaker 2: 25:13

When I got my feet done, they're like, oh, we're doing a foot tattoo. Turn up the music and I was like, oh, this is awesome, like I was enjoying it. When they got done, I was like can y'all just had water? Why do we have to stop? Like what are you doing?

Speaker 2: 25:24

stop, no, I you are you are covered, then I my one tattoo, um it's it's covering a stabbing, um scar, and it took 16 and a half hours, yeah, and so it took 16 and a half hours and I was just laying there and I was just in heaven and I was like this is so therapeutic. Who needs anything right now Beside this, like I'm, I'm great, I'm good, let's bump the brakes.

Speaker 1: 25:48

Rewind for me for a second.

Speaker 2: 25:50

It's covering what I was stabbed a dozen times, Like it's a whole different story. But you're my guest, Rick.

Speaker 1: 25:58

We got to talk afterwards, I got to go visit or what you know. I'm a part of the biker club.

Speaker 2: 26:03

You know what I mean, I know.

Speaker 1: 26:06

I know We'll come pulling up on them quick.

Speaker 2: 26:09

Where were you a few years ago? Well, I went a few years ago.

Speaker 1: 26:13

I was there. God bless you All right.

Speaker 2: 26:22

Well, that's on you if you want to talk or not. About it talking out about, we'll talk later. If not, oh, thank you, it's so. Oh, it was. So I have to tell you I am not a very tearful person. I I show my emotion on my sleeve, but normally I I'd be able to do it. But I got so emotional when I read about Dave because he just see, and I watched some videos of him fighting- and his technique is flawless.

Speaker 2: 26:37

It was beautiful, and so I was watching him in the ring and it was just, or in the cage and it was just flawless. Like I could just play more and more videos watching him. But February 8th 2020 was the last day this beautiful human was seen. And what a life. His eyes were full of life. His eyes were full of love. Every time I watch any video that he was in, even fighting, you could see the dedication in his face, constantly, absolute dedication and love for what he was doing. And you just find, like, do you get a call that says Dave is missing? How did that happen? How did that happen?

Speaker 1: 27:18

No, and you know what. And also remind that Victoria man, he, you know, he, he was my boy and nothing against his mother. He wasn't a mommy's boy, he was, he was a daddy's boy. You know what I mean. And and we had that connection, you know, from the time I got out of prison and he was at the time, I guess, a little over five, you know he actually took his very first steps in Trenton State Prison. I used to give him little capfuls of soda. His mother never gave him sugar. He got all wound up and took off and I'm like, oh shit, first steps in prison and he went away for some time. But he was always looking to please me. He wanted me to be proud of him and I was I, he I mean even all the different shenanigans shenanigans he did I. I never told him once I was ever disappointed because I wasn't you know, I mean, I just love that kid.

Speaker 1: 28:13

You trained him right I trained him from he was a baby on up. But see, now, here's the deal. That's why I I tell people with my self mastery system kids will always fail to do what you tell them to do, but they will always emulate what you do.

Speaker 1: 28:27

And they do and they do. And you know he saw me running around with his uncles again and running the city and hearing our stories. And you know we're egotistical assholes. And he says he's hanging on every frigging word. I'm not even thinking about it. You know what I mean? Just conversations, just loud mouth, fucking Italians Just saying our shit, forget about it, he's just hanging on every word.

Speaker 1: 28:57

Like I said, he was always involved in martial arts. When we moved out here to Branson he was 15, just at that vulnerable age, and he said Daddy, it used to take me five minutes to hang out with five friends. Now it takes me two hours to hang out with two friends. You know, and just, we've moved and people think this is the city out here, but we have a population of 10,586 people and to me that was my graduating class. You know what I mean. And I mean as a tourist town if you don't know anything about Branson. We get anywhere from five to 10 million tourists here a year, maybe a little more. So when the season hits we do get busy, but when it comes down to the locals, you just got to select few.

Speaker 1: 29:44

And my son was always, like me, hanging out with the older kids. I mean he was when he passed 6'6", 257 pounds, solid muscle from his calves to his ears. There wasn't a weak body part on him, good looking, knew how to fight, you know he just people wanted to be a part of it, be a part of it. So he just chose the wrong people to hang out with with the wrong habits, right, and, and you know he would go on his his little I should say sabbaticals, where I wouldn't see him for a week, two weeks, maybe three weeks. I wouldn't see him for a week, two weeks, maybe three weeks, and then he would come back and sleep it off for a week and then get up and heal, and all depending if he got his head out of his ass. He was going back or he was coming to train and at that time you know he had years sober as well, but when he fell off, he fell off, he would go on a sick one. So him going missing, the last thing I wanted to do is attract any attention to him. God knows what he did. I mean, you know, he, he, he was involved with some, some, some, you know bad shit. So we didn't do that. We didn't, you know, blow the whistle. But then COVID hit too. This is all when COVID happened.

Speaker 1: 30:58

And good buddies next to mine, it happen. And, um, good buddies next to mine, um, he's a state trooper, his wife's a da agent, I was. We started hearing rumors and one thing about branson there's a lot of meth and a lot of people that like to spread rumors and it's whisper down the lane. You know, it's just one of those deals and rumors were going out so I started to get a little worried because I I'm not hearing from him, he's not answering his phone and we're trying to track it and I was like now I think it's time to call the the cops in on this, and that's I mean. I just have a rule don't call the cops you know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 31:32

So for my son I broke my rule but, um, you know, it was something I felt as though that I needed help with and he was missing for close to two years. And, victoria, I heard every horrific story there is and some of your listeners will probably be shocked that I can even say it, I'm just numb to it all. I mean I heard he got hurt to death, you know what I mean To ashes caught up and fed to the pigs. I heard you know he was buried in in in sewage systems, you know, locked up. This I mean, you heard every horror story but I had to listen to every one of these stories because there could have been a missing piece from that puzzle that they uncovered that I needed.

Speaker 1: 32:17

So, after close to two years, there was a gentleman walking in the woods and he was in an isolated part of the woods, um, which was kind of hard to get to, but he knew it, and he was looking for antlers they collect deer antlers around here an older gentleman and he was walking his dog. Well, his dog went to this really remote area and was sniffing on my boy's bones and the dog wouldn't, wouldn't listen to him to come back. You know what I mean. So he got pissed that he had to kind of go through the brushes and get his dog, and that's when he came across my son's body and he literally thought it was the cow's remains because how big his bones were. And when he realized it was closing in and he was kind of buried into the earth because he was out there for two years and, um, he realized he goes, this is probably the boy that they've been looking for. So he got involved with um, you know, um the cops and everything which then, um, I got the phone call and a good buddy of mine, he was a detective if he goes, we think we found your boy's body. I said, well, I ain't going to mention his name, but he said, I said, well, you would know, and I'll just say it's Shane, ok, and he goes. Well, you know, we got to see what his last dental and we provided it. And then, you know, within 24 hours they confirmed it. And so I just wanted to debunk all the, all the stories I heard and basically they said no foul play was entered.

Speaker 1: 33:45

Even to this day, I got a bunch of conspiracy theorists out there. They don't come to me, but they come to other individuals. And my whole response to that is unless you're 110% sure on what you're about to say and there's somebody that can be prosecuted or I can find that individual, keep your mouth shut, because I know for a fact now he cannot. His physical being will not be on on this earth, okay, even though his spirit and soul is lingering. Okay, and I got my closure and I did, and I was pretty sure that he passed, you know, because I was his best friend. He would have reached out to me and said hey, pops, I got into trouble. I'm just I'm on the run or I'm in trouble. I mean none of that at all.

Speaker 1: 34:31

And he was somebody when he would do drugs he would get very paranoid and he would go through sleep deprivation and, you know, get spun out of a skull. And he loved the woods, he loved to hide in the woods, he felt safe and he found a safe spot. So, like I said, he was a big kid 257. But real tough for people to carry him where he was at and I literally believe that he probably just did a shot of something and he probably had that fentanyl in him and you know, they even have it to where he was probably resting on the tree where they had found the remains and, you know, trying to reenact the incident and said he probably fell asleep, and I'm sure there's anything to try to, you know, make me feel better. They're very.

Speaker 1: 35:19

I tell you one thing about branch you got a lot of sick individuals around here, sick-minded, and it's because of the drugs, you know they. It's not them I hate, it's the drugs that they take that I hate, because it makes them into, you know not who they are, evil people, evil people. But I learned, being in a small town there was a lot of people that pulled in and really, really helped out as a community, really loving, caring individuals that you know, without them, who knows? I mean they definitely, you know, showed us a lot of love and we had a celebration of life for them. A lot of people showed up and you know we honored my son and people to this day do I mean, you know we we do bike runs for him every year. You know, good buddy of mine started it off. Now we're in the same club together and, like I said, it's you know, his life is his life. His memory lives on and it will. His legacy will live on.

Speaker 2: 36:16

Yeah, I have to tell you that, and I wondered when I was watching these videos of Dave if you were the gentleman that trained him, because when you really not only love your art and you love the discipline you're training on, you want to make your sensei proud, or I always did and so when I'm watching him, he was just flawless and it was. He was so proud of what he was doing and you could see that and you saw the dedication in his eyes and I think that was all for you. I really do like you could see it and it was, it was, it was the kid.

Speaker 1: 36:48

I remember one of our last conversations. I went to the house and, uh, I have two other children as well. Daniel. Daniel's my middle. He's like six, eight, six nine. He's tall. He's not as muscular as his brother but he's a very smart, caring, loving kid. I love him to death. And my and my baby girl Madison she just turned 21 and she's my, she's my problem child man like she's me, she's me in a female body. You know what I mean, like spitting image, anger issues. I'm like, thanks, god, you know, you get, you're giving me my and you and you. You made it. As a woman I could act differently to my son date right.

Speaker 2: 37:26

How do you? How do you act to her dates? What's that? How do you act to her dates when she brought her first boy home?

Speaker 1: 37:34

how? How did I?

Speaker 2: 37:35

I'm sorry, victoria, I didn't hear you how did you act the first time she brought a boy home for you to meet?

Speaker 1: 37:40

uh, we, we had, we, he was, he was, he was at the kitchen table writing out an essay. That was it really. Oh yeah, yeah, I had a. I have a forum where they have to answer the questions, man, and yeah, he never came back. And then, from that time on, she, she was very she wouldn't bring boys back to the house unless she knew I was going to totally approve she funny story.

Speaker 1: 38:07

We're looking at the fireworks at the landing. It's kind of like the boardwalk, you know from where I'm at. But it's um again, they have the fireworks there and sure enough, she's sitting there and she's talking to a boy. So so I send my two boys to go over. So they yank the kids up man, they wound up leaving and she walks over to me and she has tears in her eyes and she's like dad, she goes. They were nice boys, they didn't do anything wrong and Dave and Daniel really gave it to them and I'm pretty sad. I said, well, I said I understand honey. I said, but there's a really good way of that never happening again and she goes. Well, what is that that? I said never bring another boy or talk to one again.

Speaker 1: 38:47

Don't ever bring a, bring a boy over to the house and never talk to one again, and we'll be fine.

Speaker 2: 38:50

Right. Oh, it reminds me of my daughter, my. My daughter is my mini me. I'm an enemy, fiery red hair, very smart, out like he and my husband said something to her and she looked at, looked at him and goes if you have a problem, you need to deal with the manufacturer. And she, she was young and so he just kind of looked, you know, basically right, right right.

Speaker 2: 39:12

And so she just, you know, just kind of gave him this look and then he's like you're daddy's girl. She's like no, I'm mama's girl number one, and I'm more afraid to bring a boy home around mom than I am around you. And he was a detective and a canine officer and everything. And she's like, nope, not worried about you, I'm worried about mom. And he he's like no, but you're my girl. And she's like no, let me explain this when I'm good, when I'm bad, I'm yours, because I get my smarts from my mom and I get being an ass from you and I'm like, there you go now is she your only one yes, she is.

Speaker 2: 39:45

I have two other children from him that he has. Okay, yeah so she's spoiled yes, she is, she is of course it's your baby man, that's it.

Speaker 1: 39:55

I mean, you know, listen, if you got it, why not? But you and I don't tell anybody how to parent, you know? I mean obviously you know. I mean you try the best as you can and shit happens. But at the same point in time, you know, getting older and getting back to my soft mastery system, there's a way of raising children too, you know, because your weakness is their way out, so them. There's a way of raising children too, Because your weakness is their way out. You're leading by example. You're doing martial arts. Your husband's in law enforcement. She has two great examples. Regardless if you're a good example or a bad example, you're always going to be their Wonder Woman or Superman in their eyes. By leading by example. Again, don't just do as I tell you and not as I do, but do as I do and do as I tell you.

Speaker 2: 40:49

You're like my brother. That's a reflection of you. You're like the older brother I always wanted.

Speaker 1: 40:54

Absolutely, no doubt you know. But again, it's your trials and tribulations and errors in life that get to where you are, and I never had anybody that I was able to talk to like this, you know. That's why I kind of navigated to older people because of, you know, I was the baby, my two sisters, jackie was 10 years older than me, kathy was 13 years older than me, so I really, you know they would bring boys home and party at the house, and these were my friends At least I thought they were. So people need that, they need somebody, and with YouTube right now and the Internet, they don't realize how good they have it. I mean, they have it at their fingertips where all they have to do is look up.

Speaker 1: 41:42

I mean, go on to YouTube, my name, rick Koenig, and you'll see at least a half a dozen, and then if you go on String Certified, you'll find at least I have over 100 videos and you've probably seen some of them and I might not be your cup of tea, but I guarantee you everybody can find somebody that they can resonate with. Whatever you want to be in life, find that person that's doing it and doing it the way you would like to do it and just watch them, see if you can talk to them. You know, I mean that's the easiest way. One thing about the internet that I didn't like it did take me out of doing seminars.

Speaker 1: 42:19

I mean, I remember and you remember you used to have to travel for seminars absolutely, you know we put hundreds of miles on the vehicle and that went away when YouTube came out, because all they have to do is type in their favorite you know martial artist, their name and a technique, and guess what?

Speaker 2: 42:35

you got it right there you don't need to go, uh, you know, a couple of countries away, or different states, or wherever you got it right at your fingertips right and you know, I I think that there's so much violence in schools these days and it's rising more in elementary schools, and that is just horrible and it you know it, I do shows all the time about how these kids, they need an advocate, they need a voice. So Faith has her own podcast and it is Teen Talk, where kids have an unconditionally acceptable place where they can talk and be heard and changes are made and so, like, if she doesn't do her schoolwork, I'll say to her you know what? I love you, I think you're amazing, but I don't like the fact that you chose not to do your schoolwork. So you chose to give me your phone because you chose not to do your schoolwork.

Speaker 2: 43:21

I'm not taking it from you. You're choosing to give it to me until it is finished and my daughter will tell you. I've never screamed in her face, I've never nothing. And every day she tries to make somebody smile. This kid, I have to tell you since, um, you know how old she Victoria she is almost 18.

Speaker 2: 43:40

Uh, but we're cognitively uh, delayed a little bit. She just came out of the hospital. If you go and look anywhere, you'll see. Uh, she just came out of the hospital. She just finished her 53rd surgery and when we were in the hospital she, uh, was in the ICU and I almost lost her twice, she was in the ICU and I almost lost her twice, and so she was supposed.

Speaker 2: 44:01

She has people everywhere asking to interview her or asking her to interview them, and so she was supposed to interview Abigail Hawk from Blue Bloods, who is an amazing woman. She's incredibly sweet lady. And I said, sweetheart, let's reschedule. She's like no, and so I apologized to Abigail. I was like I'm so sorry, we don't have our background. We're in the ICU, she's hooked up to everything, and then some she wants to do the interview.

Speaker 2: 44:28

And she's like what? We're in the ICU. And she's like, no, my mom, my mom doesn't stop. She comes home and she works and works, and works. And I'm going to do it too. He works and works, and works, and I'm going to do it too.

Speaker 1: 44:38

I love it. Non-negotiable task. You're doing it even when you don't want to do it. And guess what? I wonder who she got the whole podcast idea from. Lead them by example, and you know from what you just said right there. Briefly, you know it's saying a lot. It's saying a lot. So you's been, she's been through it and she's persevering and she's positive and she's doing a podcast in the icu. I mean, you talk about a champion.

Speaker 2: 45:09

She's a true champion right there yeah, she's overcome every single obstacle it's ever been in her way. And for valentine's day she got a video from Dermot Maroney. Do you know who he is? He was on my Best Friend's Wedding and he was in a point of no return and he had heard about what she was going through and he sent her a video asking to be her Valentine's and I was like looking at my husband. I was like you are not going to top this Like.

Speaker 1: 45:37

I don't want her to.

Speaker 2: 45:39

How is she? She's like I don't want to be famous, I just want to help people, and that's what she does, and it's amazing.

Speaker 1: 45:47

She is my inspiration. That is so that that is incredible. I love to hear that. Yeah, you definitely have to give me our handle when we, when we exit this podcast. I want to support her. Every like helps. It does absolutely. I want to watch some of her content. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 46:06

Amazing and she's got some books. Yeah, she's amazing. I'll have her stop in when we get done recording, but she's amazing. Tell us about your program, what you do. I need to talk to you about it off air actually, but what is it?

Speaker 1: 46:20

Tell me all about your program. You know it's funny. I've been doing this strength certified and again it's certified with an S. I'm going on my eighth year of that brand and what I started it at really in focusing in was online training. When COVID hit and I kind of fell behind the curve. I was having problems with my financial guy and it kind of fell apart and then at that point in time, you know, we were really structuring the brand but then my son going missing. You know I was getting separated from my wife and there was all kinds of just chaos going on where I just said I'm going to put it on the back burner and that's what I did and I would say about a year and a half ago.

Speaker 1: 47:07

I've been watching my mentor man, right when he got out of prison until now and within not even six years, he's making close to $3 million a month. Wow, I mean I had to invest $7,500 into his program because he's not going to give you any information for free. Sure, I made that money back tenfold, Wow. And you know he has a saying and I adopted it. You know you got to pay to pay attention, Right, it's just like with martial arts. If I would let kids come in here for free, they would abuse that privilege. Now, if I'm taking money out of their pocket, they want to make sure they get their money's worth out of you and they're going to come. What's the same thing with anything in life you have to pay. You have to pay if you want somebody else's knowledge, and it costs me thousands of dollars over the decades of everything that I've learned. So again, it's a self mastery system. If they want just weight training with their lifting with weights, I have an online program, trainer eyes, that I use. So I individually will design their own workouts for them all, depending on what they have to use. Tell everybody they should get into the mindset and macros first, because if your mind's not right, nothing is right, and again, we are what we ingest. The key to self-mastery is what we eat. So I put them on a macro-based diet that's very flexible and then, as they get used to it, we tighten it up and then we start dialing in on their macros. Because if you want abs, abs are built in the kitchen. They're not building the gym and without a proper diet you'll never see your abs. So I get the mind and body right and then we get into the workouts. So again I have I got a low-end ticket, I got a medium ticket and I have a high-end ticket program all depending on what you're looking to improve I can help you with.

Speaker 1: 48:57

So again, it's just coming down to me having a consultation with them. They can go on to my website, which is strength-certifiedcom, which I'll give you. They go on there, they'll see my little landing page and then they book a phone call with me. If they'd rather just message me, that's fine. My phone number's blast. They're going to talk to me. They're not going to talk to an assistant or a secretary or anybody. They talk to me, that's fine. My phone number's blast. They're going to talk to me. They're not going to talk to an assistant or a secretary or anybody. They talk to me and I have right now last it was 137 clients 137.

Speaker 1: 49:30

I got a guy coming in today and these are clients I have here in Branson and across the country. So a lot of it I do is online base, which is actually tougher than than having them in person. Um, but again, we dial everything in and they're they're on their way. You know, I mean I have so many success stories, testimonials over for over the decades that I, that I post up there and again, when they get done talking to me on the real deal, they know that there's nobody better well, I'll verify that, if everyone what's that I'll verify it all day long if they ever want to know.

Speaker 2: 50:05

Thank you, you're awesome and you know I liked you, and you have books out too I do.

Speaker 1: 50:13

I, yeah, I have an ebook. It's an ebook, it's. It's nothing, I mean it's. Let me tell you something right now with ai, that is amazing. I mean I can see why these you know um editors, these uh directors, are upset with it, because it really you just throw in your, your, your bio and, bang, it'll give you a book. Yeah, you gotta, you gotta redo everything. But I mean that's something I wanted to come out.

Speaker 1: 50:38

I had a few people wanting to do, like a low-end movie which I did a scene for a buddy of mine it's called For the Kids where I come in there with my cut my biker's vest and I put a whooping on this guy that was doing the wrong thing, and so I did a little cameo in that. So you know, it's. It's again whatever I can do to help people out. I mean, you know we do like to make money and that's what keeps the lights on. But ultimately, if I died today, I'd be happy on what I achieved, because I know I influenced and helped out, helped out many of the people through their life.

Speaker 2: 51:20

Well, I can tell you, I know Dave is super proud of you and he's with you and he just is honored.

Speaker 1: 51:23

Thank you for looking into that. A lot of people they you know you did your research of course I love that.

Speaker 2: 51:29

I'm prepared.

Speaker 1: 51:30

I love that very intense. Yeah you're. I'm telling you like that's it you're. You're down to the detail. See, that's where your daughter gets it from. And no disrespect to your husband, I mean, I'm sure him, being in law enforcement, he's probably pretty structured.

Speaker 2: 51:49

No, I'm gonna make sure everybody gets. I can't thank you enough for being on with us. I want you to promise me that you will come back.

Speaker 1: 51:59

Oh no, without a doubt. I mean as soon as you say, Victoria, I'm on it. All right, I didn't ask you real quick. Where are you from.

Speaker 2: 52:11

I'm actually a Southern girl, even though I have Yankee in me. Okay, all right, do I sound Southern?

Speaker 1: 52:20

No, you don't 't. No, but same thing with me. They hear my, they tell me all the time about my accent and I'm like you're the guy, you're the ones with the accent, not me. What are you talking about?

Speaker 2: 52:30

what are you talking about? Forget about it. I'm so glad you're here. We're gonna jump to jump offline so Faith can see you. She's sitting here waiting to talk with you. So, again, we're going to have him come back on very soon, Rick it's been nothing but a pleasure. I can't thank you enough.

Speaker 1: 52:46

Yeah, thank you, victoria, you're awesome.

Speaker 2: 52:48

Oh, thank you.