Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, Guest Writers, Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership

Guest Writer: What the Mat Taught Me About Great Coaching

by Karina Whamond, Martial arts software

I started training in martial arts when I was four years old. At the time, I had no idea I was also beginning a lifelong education in what it means to be coached, mentored, and genuinely led by someone who cares about your growth.

Over the years I’ve trained in Taekwondo, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I’ve had coaches who changed the way I see myself, and a few who made me want to quit. What I’ve learned from both is that what makes a great coach isn’t just a set of professional skills, it’s a deeply human quality. And the markers of a truly transformative coaching relationship are just as relevant in a boardroom or a one-on-one session as they are on a mat.

Continue reading “Guest Writer: What the Mat Taught Me About Great Coaching” →

Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Self-Development and Leadership, Work and Martial Arts

The case for tooting your own horn

Fanfare Of Trumpets - Liberta Books

Two of the five tenets of taekwondo are self-control and integrity. Humility is also a characteristic that is valued across several martial arts. 

Take a shy kid at heart, combine her with martial artist humility and a smidge of imposter syndrome, and you get someone who isn’t very comfortable bragging on herself. 

But sometimes that does us good. 

Continue reading “The case for tooting your own horn” →

Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, Self-Development and Leadership, Training Tips

Leaders Let Others Soar

Balance Bikes Overtake Training Wheels for Teaching Young Riders - NBC News
Image from nbcnews.com

Like most children first learning how to ride a bike, I used training wheels. The more confident I became, the more I enjoyed riding my bike, within the parameters of the training wheels of course.

One day my dad was helping me ride my bike without training wheels. At first I was afraid I might fall. But in a seamless moment, my dad let go. The moment of joyously soaring down the driveway is etched into my memory. I felt like I could do anything. After that, I loved riding for miles with my brother and friends (it was the 1980s in rural West Texas, so riding bikes all over town was no big deal).

Sometimes all it takes for someone to soar is for their leader to let go.

Continue reading “Leaders Let Others Soar” →

Melanie Gibson Self-Development and Leadership, Work and Martial Arts

Start Playing Big

2021 Giant Chess Set Buying Guide - How to Choose the Best Giant Chess

I’ve been doing some work with executives in my company, which requires me to get into a particular floor to access a particular conference room. Every time I go to a meeting, I have to wait in the hallway and hope someone sees me to let me in on time. 

One day, my executive leader saw me from the interior window and let me in. She had a puzzled expression on her face.

“You can’t get in?” she said.
“No,” I answered. In my head, I added, “I didn’t even try because I assumed I wouldn’t have access because I don’t belong here.”

Continue reading “Start Playing Big” →

Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Mental Health, My Guest Posts, Self-Development and Leadership

My Guest Post: Seeking Authenticity? Look to Martial Arts

Out of the vast hellscape of the pandemic came a cry for authenticity–in our workplaces, in our homes, and in our hearts. If you’re a practicing martial artist (or have any kind of hobby, passion, sport, etc.), the power might already be within you. In this month’s article for Martial Journal, I describe how practicing martial arts can help you find your authentic voice.

Click here to read the article.

 

Melanie Gibson Self-Development and Leadership

I Don’t Practice Every Day. Here’s Why.

See the source image

There are a few things I do every day, and most of them pertain to keeping me alive and healthy: eat, bathe, drink water, take my prescribed medications, and sleep. Lately I’ve been enjoying journaling every morning while I drink my first cup of coffee. For the past two years I’ve done something, no matter how small, nearly every day to rehab my right knee.

Other than that, my daily activities vary, even my true passions and beloved hobbies.

GASP!!
Continue reading “I Don’t Practice Every Day. Here’s Why.” →

Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, My Guest Posts, Self-Development and Leadership, Training Tips

My Guest Post: How to Train Leaders Before They Become Black Belts

I’ve worked in leadership development for ten years, but I’ve learned just as much or even more about leadership “on the mat” in my martial arts training. In martial arts, we don’t wait until someone is in the job of a leader (i.e., a black belt) to help them build their leadership skills.

In this month’s Martial Journal article, “How to Train Leaders Before They Become Black Belts,” my former taekwondo master (Sabumnim) and I share tips on developing leaders before they even get close to testing for black belt.

This post is a nice story about one of my last training sessions with my Sabumnim.

Melanie Gibson Injury and Recovery, Work and Martial Arts

The Case for Working on Your Weaknesses

“Playing to my strengths,” as we say in the corporate world, may very well have cost me my ACL. Let me explain…

I work in healthcare leadership development, so we arbiters of euphemisms rarely use the word “weakness.” We dance around “opportunities for development” or “areas of growth.” I involuntarily shivered when a client said she wanted her team to use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) so they could “learn about their strengths and weaknesses.” My goodness, I positively had the vapors. Technically, as I gently hold her, the MBTI looks at preferences rather than true strengths and weaknesses, but…something about the word “weakness” was just too real for me.

Turns out, working on your weaknesses can save you a lot of trouble in the long run.

Continue reading “The Case for Working on Your Weaknesses” →

Melanie Gibson Book, Work and Martial Arts

Gordon Ramsay Is My Spiritual Writing Guide

Book_knife
This writer takes “kill your darlings” seriously.

After Americans united for the collective experience of watching “Tiger King,” we all  retreated to our own private means of surviving everything 2020 kept (and keeps) throwing at us.

My coping mechanism has been binge-watching “Kitchen Nightmares” and more recently “Hell’s Kitchen” with world-renowned chef and restauranteur Gordon Ramsay. 

I love Gordon Ramsay, and I am also terrified of him. For some strange reason, watching him scream at people over scallops, risotto, and raw chicken is so comforting and enjoyable in these dystopian times. 
Continue reading “Gordon Ramsay Is My Spiritual Writing Guide” →

Melanie Gibson Self-Development and Leadership, Work and Martial Arts

Black Belt Bravery: Be Honest About What You Want and Don’t Want

saying no

Recently my Master asked me if I wanted to do competition (forms and board breaking) or focus on testing for third Dan. Without hesitation I said I wanted to focus on third Dan. Breaking boards is fun as hell, but I’m not interested in competing. Continue reading “Black Belt Bravery: Be Honest About What You Want and Don’t Want” →