The last time my aunt saw me… I was 4 years old. Yesterday, at 64, we found each other again. There are moments in life that don’t ask for attention… they earn it. Yesterday was one of those moments. My son CJ and I took a three-hour trip up to Stormville, New York… not just to visit family… but to reconnect with a part of my life that had simply been… distant in time. I spent the day with my Tía Carmen and my Tío Julio… and from my heart… thank you. Thank you for opening your home. Thank you for opening your hearts. And thank you for receiving us with love, warmth, and generosity. I also had the blessing of meeting my cousins, Sharon and Stephen, for the first time… along with Sharon’s husband Dennis and Stephen’s wife Alicia. And just like that… what once felt like distance… became connection. My brother Tony came by… we sat together… shared stories… laughter… a beautiful meal… and something even deeper than all of that— we shared presence. And then… there was that moment. We recorded Tía Carmen and Tío Julio dancing salsa. Tía Carmen—89 years young. Tío Julio—in his early 80s, dealing with a bad hip. But when the music played… what you saw was passion. What you saw was rhythm. What you saw was life… expressed through movement, culture, and love. It was beautiful. For me, this wasn’t about fixing anything. There was nothing to fix. This was about something far more powerful— family. Coming together. Reuniting after decades. Being in the same room… at the same table… sharing life. My aunt told me the last time she saw me… I was four years old. Think about that. Sixty years later… here we are. And what made this even more meaningful… was sharing this with my son, CJ. For him to meet this side of the family… to see where we come from… to feel the energy, the conversation, the music… And to hear him recognize the similarities— educators… thinkers… the love of culture… the music that lives in both sides of our family… That meant everything to me.

Day 1. I went live this morning at 5:30AM and got the workout in. I’m sharing the video here for one reason… Accountability. To be honest with you… you don’t need to watch it. It’s not about the video. What matters is the practice. In the comments below, I outlined exactly what I did. Simple. Straightforward. No guesswork. Set a timer: 45 seconds work, 15 seconds rest. Move through it at your pace and get it done. That’s it. This isn’t about content. This is about action. At this stage of life, this is what I’ve learned… You don’t get stronger by thinking about it. You get stronger by doing it. So don’t watch me. Go do the workout. And if you’re not doing anything right now… start today. That’s Living Strong. Take action.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been reflecting on something about my own training. Many of you know parts of my story. I’ll be 65 years old this May. I’ve had two hip replacements. And today I’m grateful to say that my hips feel strong and stable again. But life has a way of continuing to teach us lessons. For me, that lesson right now is about strength. Not the kind of strength we talk about in theory… but the kind we actually practice. --- My Role in Martial Arts Today Some people assume that because I’m at the karate school almost every day, I’m still teaching classes. For more than 20 years, I was the Head Instructor, teaching side-by-side with Master Donato at Dinoto’s Action Karate. Those years were an incredible chapter of my life—teaching thousands of students, working with families, and watching kids grow into confident young adults. A couple of years ago, our school became part of the Action Karate organization. With that transition, I stepped out of the Head Instructor role and another instructor moved into that leadership position. Today my primary role is Enrollment Director. I meet with families and introduce martial arts to them—often for the very first time in their lives. I guide parents and their children through the process of getting started, and once they enroll, they step onto the mats with our instructors who lead the classes. Interestingly enough, many people still assume I’m the Head Instructor. And I understand why. For a long time, that was the role I held. But life evolves, and so do we. --- Where I Train Now These days, most of my personal training happens on the mats of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Typically once a week on Tuesdays I train two classes back-to-back: • No-Gi • Gi Sometimes I’ll add another day depending on how my body is feeling. Those days on the mats are important to me because they remind me of something I value deeply: I’m still a student. --- The Challenge I’m Facing Even though I stay active, I’ve had to face something honestly.