Success principles from a MMA professional fighter and coach with Danny Chacon

Keri Norley 

On this episode of the wealth Alchemist podcast, I have my fighting Coach Danny Chacon. On the show with me, Danny is a winning professional, MMA fighter and coach to other top athletes. He's been a beautiful part of my journey. These last few months to let go of unhelpful behaviors and find my own feet in the world in a new way as I expand and creating bigger dreams in my life. In this episode, we talk about what it takes to get into that professional ring and fight and the similarities between that and life. We talk about his journey to becoming a professional fighter, walking the aligned path in life. How do you even know if you're on path? What can you do when you hit resistance or in his case, get your face bloodied up and have to keep going. And what does love have to do with fighting? We talk about this and so much more. I love dissecting and understanding the mindsets of champions because when we can take on some of the same principles, we too can create the results that we desire in our own lives. I could talk to Danny for hours. And luckily I get to see him week in and out. And now I'm so glad that you get to hear some of his amazing thoughts too. So please enjoy the show. Hello, and welcome to this episode of the wealth Alchemist podcast. My name is Keri Norley. I am the host of your show today and all the other days. And today I have a very special human being with me on the show. His name is Danny Chacon. And he is my boxing fighting champion mentor that is helping me learn to kick ass on a fighting ground, shall we say. And before I actually officially introduce you to Danny, so hang on for a second, I want to share how I even got to the place where we even met because I think even that is a really cool story. And really goes to show. For me I'm talking about like we talk about manifestation and wealth and stuff here. And I wanted to explain the power of holding a high vibration and what you desire in your life. And so the reason that Danny and I actually came together was because I'm going through my own work in overcoming unhelpful behaviors. And the person who had been working with to do that said, Carrie, you've got some anger that's unresolved that you need to deal with. And I would love to see you go and have a very productive way of dealing with this. And so one of the things he had suggested to me was to go to like the Smash centers where you can take glass things and smash things and you know, have very safe place to do that. The other thing was Why don't you go fight and I had been looking for fight gyms for a while anyone who's followed me on social media will know that I've been looking for a place to go learn fighting for a while since I as a Jewish person had felt really quite recently threatened as the there's a war in Israel that broke out earlier this year. And I kept seeing this immense hatred towards Jewish people that wanted to be like people just want to kill me. And I'm like, I'm just a human being I don't know why I want people want to kill me, but I kind of wanted to have the ability to protect myself. And not only that, because I am a woman and I was like huh, I got my own stuff around men things and I really want to learn to protect myself and I kept going to fight places and none of them really resonated with me or the timings didn't work or I would go in and a part of a group situation I was just getting lost in it as you will know Right? And and so I put up a post this guy said to me you need to do this. I put up a post online in like no word of a lie, if I will. In Sydney, I'm going to tell you if I was in Sydney and I put up a post and asked for a boxing coach, I would have had like a page a mile long, because they're like $1. I mean, they're like on every other corner people will boxes. It's it's a big thing there. So when I asked in Denver, I put it into a Denver group, I put it into like multiple different local groups. And I put it online and no one responded. I was like, Is there nobody in this city that does boxing, and then one person that we both know mutually came in? It's like, Carrie, you've got to go and talk to this guy. And so I was like, All right. So I mean, was minutes, right, we were on a phone. And the next day, I was at the studio, and we were fighting. And while I wasn't really I was learning some very basic new stuff. And and I want to say this is really profound, because it was like I say this, because you can call in all sorts of people in life. And for me, when I call in people that I want to work with, I like to call in people who are of a very high caliber. And I work with really amazing when I do bodywork, I want people who not like this is no offense to it, who are new into the world, because everybody starts somewhere, everybody starts somewhere. But for me, the people that I work with, I really like to have people that I work with that are not new into the game, and have an immense level of experience, and really frickin know what they're doing. And so I go to show up for my my, I think it was about my third session that it took him this long to tell me this, that I find out the Danny is actually professional fighter. And I was like, of course, I landed with a professional fighter who also trains other fighters to go and kick some serious ass and winners. And so when I, when I introduce you to Danny, it's because he is a expert in helping in multiple styles of fighting of martial arts. And he produces many winning fighters in this field. I'm excited to see the woman in Thailand, you can talk about that too, in a minute. And he himself is a professional fighter who won his own fight in MGM in Vegas. And so it's a real honor because today the conversation is really going to go around the champion, like what is it to take fighting, not only like to be able to fight in the ring, and what it is to be a world class fighter, but also how does that show up in our life, and Danny loves to talk about this off off the fighting floors as well, he is his own speaker as well. So I'm really, really excited to have you on the show today. And it's a pleasure to have you here you have been, it's only been like, I feel like three months, but you've already been such an incredible advocate for me in my life. And I've already learned so much just in the in the very the very I'm gonna say basics that we've gotten through in my own little fighting and the growth that I've had there. So welcome. Welcome to the show, PSA, Coach.  

Danny Chacon 

Thank you, Keri, I really appreciated what you said is very powerful to everyone starts martial arts or something challenging, because they're at a transfer transformation stage. Or, most likely, it's something that they have to get out some energy they have to put out and you know, the world revolves around energy, universal rouse energy. And I'm just very lucky and fortunate to facilitate and nurture that energy in a positive way. I've been doing this for over a decade. And I like to believe that I talked to talk and walk the walk, especially in need, especially where we're living in the area of like, you can fake it till you make it which is not bad. Absolutely. But you know, sometimes you really want to walk the walk, talk talk. And that's one thing I gravitate, gravitated me towards us because of your vulnerability. The person you are you You It's inspirational, the way you carry yourself. And when I present a challenge to you, Carrie, you go like, Alright, I'm gonna figure this out. And so that's what I got added to is I really enjoyed. And it's a pleasure to be on on your show.  

Keri Norley 

Thank you. So how about we start a little bit with a little bit about your journey about, you know, your fighting journey and what it took for you to really step into the ring in the first place, but also to become a professional fighter. And so I'm really curious, like, Did you always Did you always know you wanted to do this? Was this always something that you wanted to do?  

Danny Chacon 

No, no, actually, I wasn't. I was actually a big drama nerd. So I was never athletic at all. And never never really was a a star, a star athlete. That's a MISC like misconceptions like that. I was always working out and training and all that which I wasn't I was really unhealthy, really overweight. My mom brought us to the US when I was seven years old, illegally from from Buenos, itis, Argentina. And so, and most of growing up my mom, you know, I love she told me to be small, don't be seen because, you know, we're in this country illegally. And if we were to shine, we would be spotted and pulled back. So most of them My life growing up, I was just always, not always but most part I was just never like out there never to be myself and I've done other sports and I've done other things activities. Artistic will always gravitated towards me learning how to draw, draw sketch paint. And so that's when that's been my outlet for a very long time in my life. But eventually, I got into martial arts because my best friend, Andre valus, was in New York, he's a great guy. He, he, he really pushed for me to do like a football practice with them. And I was terrible at football. But I played, and then he's okay, now try this karate class. And so I tried it. And immediately if I just knew it, like I just My heart, my gut. I just knew this is why I want to do. And it's so funny in life, where we don't know that calling until it comes to us.  

Keri Norley 

And that's so powerful that you just said that we don't know the calling until it comes to us. And I think I want to actually interject right here, because I think a lot of people who are listening, I hear this a lot in the business world and the people who are in the online space world, where they're like, I can't start because I don't know. But it's actually like, you just start and it finds you, right? Like, the more that you take those steps that you just say yes, like I didn't know, you didn't know that you're going to like karate, but you had to go to the karate class in the first place. Right? Right. And so you've got to go and be willing to take those steps when the world asks us to go someplace that you're like, I don't know why I'm going here. Why? Who am I to go here? Do I really belong here? Do I even gonna like it? Should I try it? Like, you just got to give it a go? Because it's like, once you it's like sometimes, like once you put the coat on, right? Like, oh, I tried that on, and I kind of like how that feels. And it can be the same thing with your message online. So many people are like, well, I can't speak my message until I know, well, no, you just have to go and start it. And it will eventually like siphoned down to the point where you just know, like, you just not here. So I love that you said that. Because I think a lot of people don't ever even take the first steps because they're like, I don't know. But really, you just got to take the steps and it finds you eventually.     Yeah, and even with you, you know, you you came to me just to kind of learn and get the question now. And I was okay, we're gonna do some sparring drills. today. And so, right. And if I were to tell you, if I would have told you that days ago, you would have been like, Ah, I don't know, law, you know, I'm sure you still have good attitude, but they would have been a if a an obstacle there. And so you started doing and you're like, oh, yeah, yeah, this is this is definitely possible. This is definitely doable. I can see that the bigger picture. And I think that's what I when I, when I started to practice, I just found a sport that was feeding my soul, physically, and spiritually, and emotional has been around for centuries. It's one of the oldest practices in existence, you know, you get to humans in a in a room, either you're going to become best friends, or they're going to like fight each other. And, and then the language of fighting, it's its own language. And I like to look at as a language, right, because you can start gravitating towards how people are vulnerable in that practice, like learning how to hurt someone is powerful Keri, it's very powerful. Right? And so when you have the ability and skill to actually hurt people, you actually don't want that. You want to click the opposite, you know that you you have the skills and ability to do that. And could you actually navigate the other direction. And I really enjoy that when I was coming out in martial arts. The ability to know that I'm a person of confidence and strength, but I choose to walk with humility, and stewardship.  

Keri Norley 

Hmm. So, okay, so you found the karate gym, and you kept going, so what what, like, I'm guessing at that point, and you're like, Okay, I'm gonna end up fighting for like, my life. This is what I'm doing. So what happened next? Sure.  

Danny Chacon 

Um, this was in New Jersey, actually. And we moved my family and I would move down to Maryland and DC area. And we were there. I started taking a little bit more serious, but also in under college, so I was going to junior college as well. And I was still on the fence. I really enjoyed training. I never really wanted to compete professionally. One of my mentors and coach, he put me to the side and told me, Hey, have you ever done any sports before? And I was like, I go in the whole story is like, I'm not an athlete. He's like, you can actually do well with this. And I was like, I don't even believe him at first, but he was like, You should try it. Okay, cool. So I tried my first match, and immediately I was hooked. I lost actually, you know, that like, I wish it was a fairy tale story where like my first fight I got the girl tract, you know, but I actually got my asthma what? I had all these bruises and it's really bad, I actually have a photo photo of it. But um, what I what I really loved about it is that I challenged myself. And I was vulnerable. And my coach was like, you know, you want to get better at this and just keep training and keep your mindset, right. That loss was the biggest gift to this day, because if I was to win, I am pretty positive, I wouldn't been like, I'm good here. Good. This is I had an experience. Alright, I'm out I'm done. But because of that loss, it felt it gave me a fire my butt, to train more, to compete more to do more to really become a martial artist all the way through at that point in my life. In my early 20s. I was still partying and not taking things serious. I couldn't have too much I didn't have discipline, ambition or love. And once I lost and embarrassingly in front of my brother, I realized that I have in order for me to be successful in this field, or in this, this expression. I need to give myself fully commit myself to be a force for martial artists walk the walk and talk to talk. So flash forward, I want to amateurs I'd done kickboxing, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, then I started winning more repetitively more continuously. And then I moved into a coach rule. And that's its own methods, its own role. He knows, Keri,like an athlete and a coach are two different roles.  

Keri Norley 

Totally different. Right? Totally different. Yeah. I mean, like, for me, when I started learning all the crypto stuff, it was one thing to learn to be able to go and invest for myself, it's a whole nother kettle of fish you will be teaching. It's a whole nother kettle of fish when you're like learning, okay, I can go clear some energy for myself. But when you got to take other people, and then groups of people ended up like, there's a whole it's a whole journey. It's a whole journey, for sure.  

Danny Chacon 

what was your? What was your, when you started coaching it? Like? Was there an outline you started with? Or did you use your own personal experience to do that? Or is your Garner different perspectives?  

Keri Norley 

Oh, I don't usually get questions. Um, it's a good one, though. So for me, for me, I often teach just like you through experience. Also, also like you, it's also around, empowering the person to make the choices for themselves. And I love what you said around this was, this is a big thing that I'll say, I've had to journey big with this last year in taking on finances and teaching people finances stuff. Again, I'm not a financial advisor, I just help people learn and educate to be able to do it for themselves, right. And it's the same kind of concept, like you can't get in the ring and fight for somebody, right? I can't get in the ring, I'm not going to come onto your computer and in your head and make your decisions about what you're going to do. That's not sovereignty, right. And so we have to be able to navigate the losses. And those losses happen when you're in a ring or also with our finances. Right. And I love that you talk about that. Because I know for me, we've talked about it in, you know, in our work together, like I've had to let go of perfectionist things like, Oh, what if I can't help? And in my mind, it's like, Oh, my God, what if somebody what if I teach somebody this stuff, and they lose the money? Well, I have to let go of that, like, the chances are at some point, if you put some money into an investment, and you do enough investing, you're going to lose money somewhere along the way, and you're going to learn from it. And it's a blessing. And the amount of people I've heard from that. Even my clients right now that are people calling in me like "Keri, I had this problem, I've lost this money". And I'm like, well, it's part of the lesson. And the faster that you can move through that, like, for me, the thing that I've learned is, the faster I can come to peace with that and learn the lesson, then the faster we can, as you know, in fighting, we get back in the ring and do it, right. And so it's not about that perfectionist, it's letting go of that perfectionism and saying, actually, the gift is in the loss. Right? And when we can actually look at that the gift is in that it's so beautiful. And I love one of the things that you even teach, like when we're just practicing, right, like, I'm not in a ring sparring with people like in a fight or anything. But even in those moments that I'm like, I'm a little bit off balance, who Oh, that's okay. What's the lesson here? You know, like, Hey, you just slightly missed the pad here. But what's the lesson here? Where's your placement that you could be a little bit better because even in those moments in these small minute adjustments, they make all the difference for the big fights for the big choices for the big times when it like really matters. And it all matters, right? Because it's all these little places that if we stack them throughout our life every single day, then when we get into the ring like we are ready to have these minor adjustments. You know, and I think it's one of the things that I love most about my training with you is, is that you're always catching me my minor adjustments. And I think it's so powerful when we can catch ourselves in the ACT every day day to day because Then, when you're in that fight when you're about to get yourself bloodied, and you have more resourcefulness and more awareness. And I think this is the thing like in the in crypto space, right, if I talk crypto real talk right now, there's a lot of crap that's going on. And this is why people are sending a message, they got scammed by something. And I'm like, it happens, right? And if we are acutely aware, because in this space, you have to be acutely aware of the things that you are getting, you know, messages this, that and the other, that you can sense that as you would say to me prior to taking a fight or a you know, punch or something, the acute sense of oh, something's coming towards me move. Yeah, right. It's the same thing in finance. Oh, something's not right. Listen, do I want to take a step? Do I want to move this way? Do I want to move that way. And it's in the subtle vibrations to the subtle acuteness of our awareness that we can have the most, I'd say, availability to make a really good sovereign choice. Right? Right. And that's the same thing in the, in the in the ring, too. And, and I think that's what ultimately makes like, helps us as human beings create the most independent, empowered experience. And also, if we come back to why I said, it was so phenomenal, and that no surprise that I ended up in front of a professional athlete, because it's the higher level that we play at, right, the higher level of people that we bring into our lives in our circles, the more of these acute awarenesses, because of the experience that we have, that we can then teach and show, it's like, I can show you some of these acute things that you're not going to see from other people, because I've learned it from other people, I've had other people telling me this, the same way that you've been in the ring long enough that you're like, there's probably very few things in your experience that you have not experienced in a ring, whether it's through you or a client, right.  

Danny Chacon 

You know, the details are so important. And we paid our dues, sometimes to get those details, you know, there's no price on those things. Right, um, in the consistency is, is, is learning to deal with those details that they're now they're going to, they're going to be changed over time, right? Cuz every every investment is different. Every opponent is different. You know, every risk is different, but at least we have a catalog an index of like, I kind of have an idea what this may lead to. And I think that's that's a big part. And as you're absolutely right, like coaching from a perspective of perfectionist never really works out well. Right, that perfectionist lifestyle, I'm not lifestyle, which is my same, sorry. It's the same, right? It's the same. Yeah. My wife is also deals with that, too, you know. So she's big in perfectionism. And that's something her practice letting go. And I think what Martial Arts did for me was that, as much as I want this job to be perfect, it's not going to be, and that's the beautiful thing about it. Right? The beautiful thing about it is that it's not going to be perfect. It's going to be my it's gonna be, it's gonna, it's going to be my job, though. Because my job is different from their job from his job, his job is to merge, like the mechanical functions and the positioning. And the smaller details are quite the same. But my job is different from their job. So you're owning these movements, these techniques, you're owning these, these ideas or these concepts more for yourself, you're actually embodying it at a deeper level. So that's why I really love seeing people train for the first time like you like you're starting to train more, and even to the My highest professional fighter. They're owning their movements, they're owning their, their, their, their decisions, decisions. Exactly.  

Keri Norley 

Okay, so I have a couple things I'm gonna ask you. One of the things you actually meant you mentioned discipline, ambition and love. You didn't have discipline, ambition and love. And I thought it was really interesting because it's like, okay, discipline, I can get ambition I can get I mean, I understand love, but I would love for you to explain why. Why did you say that? Like what what does love have to do with fighting? Because that kind of is almost like oh, man, that's a good one.  

Danny Chacon 

I could talk about this for hours. Oh, man, this I had a it was with you had an epiphany. When I turned professional. One thing that was missing and I didn't come to this on my own. I had really good mentors and coaches. But every but there's one point where everyone is everyone is fit as you everyone is skilled as you everybody wants as much as you do. Right? Where's the law? Now the question is was what love means that? Where is the love for your practice?  

Keri Norley 

I totally have that Black Eyed Peas, I'm going in my head. Yes. Go on.  

Danny Chacon 

But it's like, the love the love for the game, the name, the love for the practice the love of putting yourself out there, the love that you will have before and post your competition. Because, you know, been in fighting for so long and being like seeing guys and girls beat up at each other. All right, what it's most and I know it really comes to love because that is isn't I don't think is BS, but it really is the most gender, strongest force in the universe. Because of I love to go out there and be there competing, I love to see succeed. And I'm going to do even better, I'm going to be more disciplined, more ambitious. If I if I love my family, I want to support my family, I'm going to work even harder, I'm gonna training harder, I'm going to support my family. If I love myself, I want to take care of my vessel. I'm gonna make sure that I attend all our practices, I get all my runs, I do all my extra work. If I love if I love my fellow human beings, I want to share this gift to others. I want to, you know, share this ability this gift to others. So love is huge and fighting. And I think it supports discipline ambition, you're very, very well, huh.  

Keri Norley 

It's interesting. I think there's also a piece of like loving your competitor, too, right?  

Danny Chacon 

yeah, I love that person for their commitment. Because there could have been 1000 things that happened during our camp because usually what happens, Keri, if you have an opponent, usually they give you eight weeks notice and your match with somebody. Within those eight weeks, you have what we call a fight camp, right? So your your whole focus all everything is focused on this one goal to perform. And as you're pushing yourself hard, you're doing as much as you can, you could get injured, or they can get injured, or something would happen. Right? So there's a ton of variables there. And if you both show up at the same day, the same time at weigh ins, I'd like when before your match, right? You show up at the same time that you show a love and appreciation for that person because they committed as much as you did. They showed up, it could have been 1000 reasons and for them to be like you know what I'm not this is not what I want to do. Today quit next thing you get a call from the promoter and be like, Hey, you're appointed back down, or they would have got hurt it now guess what your fights over after that. After that fight you became be basically become brothers or sisters, right? Because you've shared a moment that can never be can never be replaced, and never be done again. When you find that person, you know them at their core. And you appreciate their time, their value their innocence through their vulnerability, their violence. And afterwards, and you have a bond forever. Most of the people that I thought were my posts opponents. Like we're not friends, friends, but some of them are. You know, we talk about like how we had it we we had that one moment, how do you my 60s or 70s, and he'll be in the 60s 70s. And now if you're like, Man, that guy John is a vineyard man, I tell you, he was a hard one to deal with.  

Keri Norley 

Yeah, that's interesting. The other place that it comes like when I when I hear you talking that I'm thinking about, like lessons I've heard from you like even when we go into like practice, right? And like we bow in and we bow out like, there's love like there's a genuine respect and love for for the mat and for their spirit and source like to me it's like when I bow in, it's not just it's like, I am protected. I'm here I am. I am. Thank you I am and I respect that I'm about to go in and do this. And there's a love for that too. Like there's love in that.  

Danny Chacon 

Right? Absolutely. There's love for the practice that's been around longer than we have.  

Keri Norley 

Yep. And the other place that I see it for you is something you always say is I'll only hit them as hard as they hit me. Right? You say that when you go into compete now. And and I love that because I think that's love too. It's like I'll meet somebody where they're going to meet me because if someone isn't going to be as hard as me, I don't need to go and, like, throttle them. That's not fun for anyone. Right? And so that's, that's another place of like really honoring and respecting your opponent and where they're at. And like having a love like because you could you could like I mean, you've told me some of these things you could have gone and you kind of knocked him out and been done and like what it's like, that's not the love, that's not the joy of the game, the sport the the other person and honoring them. And I think that's really beautiful to like really meeting people where they're at. And I think that's a really beautiful lesson in our lives too. It's like, so often we can come in and be I know I can I can definitely sometimes be a bulldozer. Like oh, shoot, I forgot. I forgot that I don't need to be such a bulldozer sometimes. Right. And it's something I work on, you know, it's like, it's also my I am a human design. manifester. I am an initiator, I go in and I do things I get stuff done. And I'm like, oh, sometimes it's not so useful for other people. Because when you're a go getter in the world, and you're like, go, go, go, go go. And it just makes sense. And it said, I'm like, sometimes I'm like, slow down, meet them where they're at. Right. And it's a really beautiful lesson that we can all take away. It's like, we can all meet people where they're at and take that take that breath. And like, you know, I think especially in this day and age, there's a lot of people, you know, we can get frustrated with people that we're dealing with, and we don't know what's happening in their life. Right? Like, somebody could be dealing with a death, sickness, you know, financial disarray, whatever. And we're meeting someone in frustration and anger or whatever, like, Ah, this is not working, and you want to go and get annoyed with this person. And it's like, actually, if you just take a breath, you know, they're human too. And they're going through stuff too. And if we just are willing to, like, push the eat, like, let go of ego for half a second. Right, and meet somebody where they're at and just actually have that compassion changes the entire dynamic. And I think it's very needed in this world right now. There's a lot of people who could hear that and listen to that and take that on board a little.  

Danny Chacon 

You know, that's actually that's one of my old instructors. He, he had a t shirt to about to say everyone's fighting something, you know, everyone is fighting something, you know, we're not mind reader's. We're, as humans, we're okay at communicating, but we're not really that great. Right? And so having that that position of like, I'll meet you where I can, is important. I know that when I started on Well, my instructors really high level black belts, you know, they made me they made me where I was very naive, very, not discipline kid. So they, you know, they they met me where I was and then molded me there. And so as when I have students similar thing and when you have people that you're coaching, right, you're meeting them where they are, they might feel shameful that they don't know anything about cryptocurrency they might be shameful that they don't know that I guess and Keri like I have $30,000 in debt $400,000 in debt, whatever. And we're like, Hey, I you know, I tried this before and it didn't work. Everyone's fighting something. So I think that's the Lord  

Keri Norley 

It helped me if you if you started training me like I knew what I was doing. Holy Moly, I would have run. Like, okay, like today, you guys, I think I mean, we almost be like almost three months in right? Gotta be close to about that today we learned apricots. Day I learned apricots. It's been the same for punches for three punches for like months. And, and it's been beautiful, like, it's exactly what I needed. And it's learning all these little nuances to each of it. Like, I didn't even realize there were so many little nuances to each of these little these punches, but like, the more that you get these foundations, right, and the more that you can meet people where they're at, in any way of life, it's, it's beautiful. It's really beautiful. Okay, so with that, so then you ended up in a ring, what was it like for you to get into your, into the professional ring, and when?     it was what was one of the best fans ever got in my life, being surrounded by 1000s of people and doing something that I enjoy to do. And mind you, I didn't get paid a lot. So it's like, Hey, I was not a lot of money at all, but I got a free hotel room. So um, you know, one of the one of my biggest wins, actually was when I was an amateur, I represent the US team in 2012. So they had this thing called nationals. So if you went to Nationals, and you represent Team USA in the world championships, and at that time, that's all I wanted to do. I wanted to become a world champion. And so I put so much time into it. And then I got my I got became a US team member, and I got the jacket and everything. I'm ah, this is the greatest thing ever, right? And I show my mom and my mom, as much as I love her to death, but she didn't really support me. Because like, I got right mom, you wanna you don't want your kid to get beat up. So but actually, when I came back from 2012, from the World Championships, were getting the gold medal for the Team USA. That was like the biggest win of like the biggest, even this day when I feel it, it feels great. And then moving into the professional ranks, because I've already graduated from the amateurs. So now you graduated to the professionals. And so when I graduated and got my, my, my professional stay Athletic Commission cards to be an athlete, I was like, Well, this is it. And then I thought and and being in front of people being vulnerable going out there and knowing that I'm I have a lot of ambition, a lot of skill and discipline and love. I want to see what works. I beat the guy in the first round. The announcers, like they'll talk to you after your match, right? And so, you know, it wasn't a unique thing. It's a, it's a community that helped me through this. It was all my coaches, all my training partners. All my family that supported me at that time, I had a significant other who really supported me. She, I named everybody who was there because ultimately the wind wasn't just me. It was a combination of everybody just being there for me when I needed them the most.  

Keri Norley 

What would you say is the biggest hurdle you had? In getting into that professional ring?  

Danny Chacon 

Fear? Fear I'm not. I'm not. I'm not worthy enough to be here. You know, I'm here to opportunity fear of being seen. This was like a childhood thing. Right? Because I grew up not being seen, like I kid you not Keri like, if my mom was so scared that one day, you know, immigration will come in just take us my brother now. So we were always taught to just lay low be chill, and now I'm doing this, which is like the world see me. Right TVs everywhere. There's 1000s of people over there. And I was like, I was scared because I I really quite unlike other fighters you've probably seen they have all these tattoos everywhere. And they have like, they're crazy. We're all gray. Like, I'm not that, you know, I'm me, who I am is who I am. And so I was really scared to to be to be there. But what really helped combat that fear was like words of affirmation, to training, I got most of my confidence from training and believing believing that I'm on the right path. As much as I didn't know I was on it. I had to believe I had to believe that this is the path this  

Keri Norley 

isn't that. Isn't that the one of the biggest lessons in life right there?  

Danny Chacon 

Yeah, say more.  

Keri Norley 

Well, like, I mean, so often, right? It's like, well, look what we're saying even earlier, we take these steps and we don't know if it's the right thing. And then all of a sudden things open up and I'm like and we go, oh, this works. Ah, yes. Thank you very much. And it's that saying like work, life is always working for me. Right? And it's sometimes hard to believe it sometimes like especially when you're in the moment that alone Like, Oh my god, life is falling apart, right? Oh my god just shipped blowing up everywhere. And you're supposed to go Wait, life is working for me. I'm on the path really getting like it made me talk about it. And finally I'm getting my ass handed to me and you know, in a ring, I'm black and blue. And life is working for me and this is what I'm supposed to be doing. Right? I mean, like you even said, even to get there, right? You already had injuries that you'd had to overcome in which you were like not even walking, right? Barely walking. And so we think about that. And you're like, I look at this from a manifestation perspective. There's a lot of people who are like love and light in the world and the law of attraction and, and they kind of have this very misconstrued belief of that we say it's easeful when you're on your path life is easeful, right? There's ease. But that doesn't mean that you're also not getting black and blue and punched in the face. Right. And I think a lot of people think that when they're getting, they're getting punched in the face, there's black and blue shit going down, that they're on the wrong path. Right? And so then they hop off, because like, it's supposed to be easier. And I'm like, No, this is when you dig deep. And you go harder. Right? Right. And when you're in a fight, and like you said it like when you're in a fight, and you get your ass handed in, you get this this, this Punch across the face that lands Well, what's your next move? How do you then recover to come back? It's not that you just fall down and give up? It's how do I recover and come back and keep going. And I think this is the thing that a lot of people miss out on is that they think that just because it gets a little bit tricky, challenging, hard that they run, and that it means that they're not on the right path. But ultimately, world is we're always working for you. Right? And sometimes we don't know the answer. And sometimes we have to actually have a level of belief that we never knew that we could. And I'd say this is when it is the most important time that you have, like you've said it this whole time I had coaches and mentors, you and I both have had coaches and mentors that have trained us in all the areas that we want to excel in for a lot of years. And it's because of the belief of those coaches and mentors, that you and I have stood here and are doing the things that we're doing. Right, because ultimately, I think I borrow the belief like there's been many times in my in even in just this year with me teaching crypto that I've said to my mentor Rusko like, Are you kidding? You want me to do what? Who am I to do that? I mean, I got on that stage in Miami crypto experience, you know, you were here like cheering me on before I got there, you heard the amount of like, what the fuck am I doing? Before I got on the stage, right? And I had to borrow the belief of those that were around me that were like, here, you are ready, you are good enough. You do deserve to be there, you are worthy, you are allowed to be seen all the same things that you were saying, right? We all have these things, and borrow that belief and go okay, you guys see that in me. So I must be the person who asked me to come onto this stage. Right, Wayne, who's also on here, you guys, I think he's number 30. On here, he asked me to come on the stage of his event. He must believe in me, he sees it. Okay, I can do this. And it's because of that, that we can then go and take these steps that are really feeling sometimes, like, almost unsurmountable. Right, like getting into that professional ring and being like, I'm going to do what with 1000s of people with cameras everywhere you want me to watch.     Now you're writing that belief in you can't really materialize that that belief. It has to come like people will believe in you. You have to believe in yourself. It's so cliche, but it's so real. Yeah, you know, I was in a backstage my first professional match. And I was crying. I'll saw the carriers like, like to everywhere. And I was just like, I don't like I was so nervous. I was just having like, everything was just jamming hard. And they do the intro to they'll they'll they'll put your music up. Right. And then you walk out in front of everybody. And I'm like, I'm like, I'm not very religious. But I do believe in a higher universe power. Right. And so I was just telling myself, like, I believe this is a this is the moment, there was a moment in my life that I can shine. It's now though I believe, like, the universe gave me like, universe gave me a purpose. And this is it. And so with that, you know, that changed. And then when I walked out, I was just like, I looked into the sea of crowd and the big cage there. The lights on me the music claim, like the behind me. And I was like, Yeah, you know, this is the moment to to take. And yeah, and we see ourselves in lives like that plenty of times, right? We come across these moments in lives. And it's and one saying that I told this to my seminars, I usually leave with one message. I just came back with one from Indianapolis from one of my old friends and coaches. Her name's crew, Jamie. So I had a big seminar there and one thing that I've mentioned to them was a No, it's hard. It's the way.  

Keri Norley 

I fully agree with you. I'm often like, if it's the thing that really scares me, that's the thing I have to go towards, right? Whereas most people, it's the thing that scares them when they want to run. But it's like, if that thing is that scary, then I got to run towards it. Now, if it's a burning house on fire, I don't need to run towards it. Like there are certain fears that we have is legitimate fears. And thank God we have them do not run towards a burning house.  

Danny Chacon 

Don't run to that rouse that moves.  

Keri Norley 

We can we can have legitimate fears and not run towards them. But if it's a mental fear, and emotional fear, right, generally speaking, you know, it's the world saying like, this is just something I say it's like you stretching yourself out of your comfort zone. It's something you've never done before. So consequently, you're going to be afraid because you've never been there before. You don't know what it's going to be like. And I would imagine before any fighting match, like even if you fought 1000 matches before, if you've never fought that person, you don't know like you've said you don't know their fighting style, you don't know how they're gonna punch, you don't know what their hits gonna feel like, you don't know what that kid's gonna be. You know, you don't know what you don't know, their response they're gonna have to you and so even that, like, there's like a an adrenaline as to like, Okay, well, what am I going to do? Who am I meeting? What am I doing? And you just gotta like, I'm curious, like, what is okay, so you you had the thing I can do this, I believe, was there like music? Because I think to myself, like, what are the things that people do? Right? When they're in those moments? And you're like, Alright, let's go, let's do this. Is there something that's like an, like, a state shifter for you?  

Danny Chacon 

Absolutely. It My, my, my switch flips. That's something I taught that I've been trained. And, you know, dealing with fears, just like any muscle, you just train it. Right? And so, over the years, I've learned to turn my switch when I need to. When when it's go time to switch turns. And I'm a completely different person. Completely different person. That doesn't mean I'm an asshole was just like, I have a job to do. You're in the fucking way. You know? It's not personal. And I'm not saying that business. I'm say it's not personal. It's it's how it's this is how we meet each other. And regardless of how much you heart train hard for it, you've never fought anyone like me. You never met anyone like be like you might have sparred and trained against people with similar styles. You'd never find anyone like me. And so my mentality changes completely. I turn on turn on that switch. And then I turn it off. Once competitions off, I turned it back on when I'm very protective, my friends, my friends, my family, the switch goes off. Right? When, but for the most part, if I'm coaching the switches off, I navigate through that life. But when competition comes, I literally tell myself, Okay, daddy, a game, turn, switch, boom. And then everything changes, my whole body changes, my energy changes, my walk is different, my eyes are different. My shoulders are different. And I don't speak I was speak as much. And the words I use are very firm and strong, and every little action is intentional. So that's how I that's how I, I flipped the switch.  

Keri Norley 

I would say, by the way that you're in your life, every action is intentional. And all your words are very intentional, by the way, but it reminds me as well that, you know, like I often talk about in in the world of manifestation and showing up for what we desire in our lives. It's we step into who we be. Right? Like, whoever you are, right? Now, if you're not creating the results that you desire in your life, then who do you be? Right? We be do have I be the person, I do the actions, I get the results. Right? Right. And I love what you're saying. It's like, I can be this person, right? And so you're embodying a different experience. And it takes like this, right? It's a, it's a switch. It's just like, Alright, I'm there. And it's the same thing that if you're here, where you are right now, and the results that you're getting are not what you want. Like think about it. Who are you being right now? Are you being the person who shows up ready to ready to win your life? Or are you being the person who's laying down? Lazy? watching the world go by jealous, resentful and pissed off that all the other people are getting it and you're not? Right? And in that same moment that we've just said, you can choose to be that person right now. It doesn't take days, weeks, months, years. Right? Like we can choose and you might forget, you might choose it right now. And you might be like, right, okay, the person I'm going to be well if I want to be a person who's making this much money and has this body and is fighting these fights and whatever you're doing, right, whatever the thing is that you want to be, think about, what are the traits that they have? So I bet I bet courage is thought about He's studied champions, right? How do they show up in a ring? And then he starts to put that hat on, okay, well, they're focused, they're determined, they're okay, that's who I've got to be. So in this moment, I'm going to show up on a bee that I'm gonna forget everything else that's going on in my life. Because right here, right now, this present moment is all that matters. Right? And so it's the same thing in our lives. It's like, Who do I need to be right now. And sometimes, these I would say, even these like, focus moments, right? Sometimes even with work in the presence that I have with work, I personally couldn't sustain all the time, 24 hours a day, the the level that I can bring to an interview here, right, but I know who I have to be when I step into being a person that's on this podcast showing up here, right, and I will step into this energy, and whatever else is happening outside of this room, doesn't matter. I be this person who is the person who is holding the show for the podcast, right? When I need to go do my finances, I can come into a state that no matter what else is going on around me, I'm in the state that it's like, okay, I need to be focused on this right now. And here I am, right? I can tell you just the same way that I bet if you got into the ring, and you were not focused on it, you had a bad fight. The times that I have not been focused in my, in my space with my finances, I've made mistakes. Right? Right. Those are the times that I'm like, Ah, dude, you made a really bad choice, but you even knew it. You just weren't in the mental game yet. You did not bring your game gave up too quick. Or I made a stupid mistake, because I didn't have my checklist that I do, because I was being in a hurry, because I wasn't showing up as that person, right? All of those things. And so it's like, who is that person that you need to be in these moments to get the results that you desire in the different areas of your life, and show up and be those and it doesn't have to take days, weeks, months, years to get there, like choose it now, and then choose it again. And if you forget, choose it again,   Know that that reverse of B work and then you'll be successful is so it's such a great way of reminding yourself, right, because everyone has it backwards.  And so I think that's, that's a very spot on like being that person. And then it's and having the allowance. It's just like, yeah, I wasn't that person that day. Because we're not fucking perfect. We're not perfect, but having but keeping yourself that with it. You know, that my myself is just like, it's why I came to I came with that I came to that saying a year and a half ago. Right. And it's similar to a saying, like, a decade ago, one of my very old instructors, he's like one of the guys who brought more Thai boxing to the US. He's like an OG is like one of the really leaders of the community. And he was a, he was teaching Bruce Lee, the I think everyone knows Bruce Lee. But, you know, he says something very powerful. He's like, if you, if you stumble, if you if your ego controls you, you will stumble and if you stumble, you're not humble. So So I think like the whole beat thing is because you know, we don't want dessert, sometimes their ego and then we don't want to stumble. Right? And it's like I make sure of that fight be within ourselves.  

Keri Norley 

That brings me to this last question I have for you just thought process. And we've got to get wrapped up. So one of the things I was thinking about before getting in here was how Brene Brown always talks about what just one of her things she talks about as being in the ring, like get in the ring. Right? And I love what she actually says is that if you're in the ring, and I'd say especially for people like us who who put our words into the world and are seen, right? If you're in the ring, and other people are judging you who are not in the ring, tell them to fuck off. They don't matter. Right? And I love that she says that because it's like, if you're not in the ring fighting with me, then you don't it doesn't matter what you have to say to me. Right? And it made me think What do you think prevents people from getting in the ring to fight or from getting in the ring in life and putting in like, let's go.  

Danny Chacon 

I think I think people choose not to be in the ring. Because of obviously fear of being vulnerable being exposed. I also think because of their lack of themselves seeing themselves as bigger or better. Right, it's scary to take those steps to see yourself as something even more than you could be. It's very scary. And I love Brene Brown, I follow her really well and I love her podcast and I love her but she's done her work and the Mandy arena. She's that quote a lot. Teddy Roosevelt that I use as well. And it's absolutely true. Being that person in that arena means means a ton and it could be in any kind of modality in life. Right if you're if you want to get that promotion and being that person in the arena Do you really want that person that you really love that you really want to say that that you want to love them? Be that person? Do we need to tell him you love him? Do you really want to be that great mentor, father? Whatever, right, you want to make sure that you want to be seen, you want to be in that arena for fighting. I have a specific specifically fighting, I have a process actually, I have a process for them to really challenge themselves spiritually, mentally, physically. And I want to see what where did they do the default? Word? Do you default when you're heard tired or scared? What do you default. And then when I know that, then I can work with what I have. Because then ultimately, we all can say I want to go do this, I'm going to do that. But actions speak louder than words. And so I have a process whereby I've I get you heard tight and scared, I want to see what you default to. And I most likely you won't be at your best. And that's okay. Now I want you to be at night your best. Because if you're out, you're not your best. And I can work with you. When you're in the arena, you have no fear. You have no fear, you've know, you've already went that you've already went to that pit, that, that, uh, that hard place. And now you've you've you've faced demon that that scared that fear. You felt it in your bones in your in your when you were hurt, you're tired, you're scared, you felt it. And now you're one you're one notch off to be less scared. And now you've fully performed we can fully give yourself that process is that easy. But um, but it's that's how I usually look at look, I want people to choose to be in the arena.  

Keri Norley 

It's so beautiful. I would say actually, as you're saying that, I'd say that the clients that I've had that show up the most vulnerably because you can choose in my world, right? Like I'm not in a boxing ring physically fighting you. So you can choose what you show up with. And you can choose how deep you want to go and how much vulnerability you want to have and how much you want to bring into the conversation. And the ones that show up and give it all are the ones who get the better results every time. Right? You know, because they're willing to say like, this is the part that sucks the most. Right? Because when you do when you look at the part that sucks the most, it's the hardest the thing that's like not working the most. And you go, Okay, let's polish that. You know, I look at my kids in gymnastics. And like I watched Robbie who his his least best equipment was the pommel horse, which was mushroom, they, they can beat the mushroom to start with. And he, he sucked at it. And I say that with love. He really, really struggled with it. And he took it and he made it one of his best. And it's like when you can take the thing that's the hardest, and you can polish it and polish and polish it and make it your best. Like that's when we can start to show up and and not be afraid of what's coming at us. And then we get into the ring and discard. So thank you. Thank you. I know you have to run. So please let everybody know if there's any final thoughts that you have and how they can reach out and connect with you.  

Danny Chacon 

Absolutely. Thank you Keri so much for inviting me to your show. And it's been an honor and pleasure. It's it's incredible. And we've we've crossed paths. Very grateful for that. You can find me on Instagram at DC dreamer 13 My Instagram business is more Thai for the soul training that feature. So you can also find me on Facebook and LinkedIn as Daniel Chacon. My last note would be probably it's the holiday season, you know, share love, move within move with encouragement, vulnerability. And also freedom because we all have a choice. We always have a choice. We're never just stuck on one thing we always have a choice. So this holiday, share those messages around and that will make me excited. And also it's my birthday. So  

Keri Norley 

it's a wonderful thing today is Danny's actual Hey, can I ask you how old your how young you're turning today?  

Danny Chacon 

I'm turning 35  

Keri Norley 

My husband asked me today and I was like I'm sure he's in his 30s I just don't know what I've even seen it by the way I even trade with him this morning. I gave him birthday. I was like I don't actually know. So huge thank you for spending your birthday with me today Happy Birthday blessings that you have been blessed onto this planet that you are sharing this beautiful gift. And by the way, I will say even if you are not local, even if you are not going to come in and box with Danny locally. I highly recommend that you follow Him because He does offer really amazing insights into how fighting can really help us in our lives to really progress and be the best version of ourselves and go out and live the most amazing life and so I appreciate you for all that you are all that you do. I thank you so much for being in my life. I look forward to continually boxing with you and all the other things that we get to play with Gather What's that? Let's keep it going champ, right I know by the way people this man speaking of asking people to step into things that they can't see has already said to me I can see you fighting carried. I've got like, I'm just here with you fighting right now. That's it. That's all we're doing right now.  

Danny Chacon 

I wouldn't, you know, today's my birthday, I wouldn't spend the other way with talking to amazing people on I gotta go coach, a class self self defense class very soon. But um, you know, it's like, every day is a celebration for me, even today, that special day because I'm born. But I think every day is a celebration. I think every day we should celebrate everybody.  

Keri Norley 

You're amazing. I adore you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for being here. And for everybody else. I will see you all next week. Have a wonderful week, wherever you are in the world wherever you are listening to this and enjoy and have a great day. I'll see you next week. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. If you love what you heard, please help us get this message out to more people because together we rise. Please review it, subscribe to the show and share on social media. When you share please tag me on Insta. I'm at @Kerinorley nd on Facebook Keri Kaplan Norley is my official name there. Please come and connect with me on social media and say hello I love hearing from my listeners. And thank you so much for your support. I'm so excited to help you bring in the new well