#16: Gerry Chisolm “Lady Sensei” – Make The Weak Strong

The Black Belt Podcast

“The Mind is the primary weapon. Everything else is just a means to an end. When the body fails the mind takes over. When the mind fails the spirit takes over. There is no greater study, higher study than the study of self.” – Gerry Chisolm "Lady Sensei"

My guest this episode is Gerry Chisolm, who is known as the Lady Sensei. She is the founding president of the Women’s Martial Arts Network, a 3rd Dan in Ninjutsu under Professor Ronald Duncan who is considered to be the Father of American Ninjutsu. She is also a 5’th Dan Instructor in Vee Arnis Jitsu and is an NRA Certified Range Safety Officer who has spent more than 8 years as a Behavioral Health and Psychiatric Emergency Response Team Member. She is highly skilled in crisis prevention and management and has de-escalated thousands of clinical interventions, and travel’s the world teaching women’s self-defense and 21’st century combatives which include empty hands and improvised weapons.

This episode is all about making the weak strong. We live in a world where stronger people both psychologically and physically can tend to trample on and take advantage of smaller or weaker people. My key takeaway is that fear and lack of self-knowledge is what holds people back from reclaiming their power and discovering their true potential. Martial Arts training provides us with the skills and tools that help us deal with adversity, face our fears, and heal from our traumas. With the proper tools and guidance, we realize that courage is a choice in the face of fear and that peace is a choice amidst the chaos. We also dive deep into training methods, and specifically discuss how women must be approached differently than men. Lady Sensei drops some major insight into the differences and shares how to effectively communicate and tailor programs for women. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and was inspired by Lady Sensei’s personal story of how she has dealt with bullying, trauma, and a man who stalked her for 4 years. She is a true example of the life transformative power of martial arts, and her ministry is one of making the weak strong. Tune in for a powerful experience.