Episode#1 With Matt Socholotiuk MMA, Boxing, athletics, self reinvention, and never giving up.

Opening: Forked podcast welcomes Matt Socholotiuk. He is a truly inspiring man. He’s 30 years old from Brantford Ontario. He moved to Montreal Quebec in 2013 with the intention of starting his fighting career in mixed martial arts. He is presently a personal trainer and boxing coach. He intends to open his own gym in the near future.

00:02:00 I jump right into the question of how Matt is able to reinvent himself so quickly and over come major career obstacles. He’s a guy that just doesn’t stay down.
His response is that he feels that having people who support you is a critical element. We also need to be ready to adapt and be flexible to the challenges that we encounter. Allow yourself to evolve and be flexible.

00:03:00 Matt shares his pre Montreal journey with us. His first major life challenge began when he was playing football for the university of Waterloo when he was 21 years old. He was tested positive for steroids and human growth hormone. He was the first Canadian football player to be tested positive for human growth hormone. Following his suspension, was when he came to Montreal. He previously boxed and wrestled in the summer months so his departure from Waterloo was to try his hand at MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) in Montreal.

00:05:00 He shares the background story that led up to his decision to take steroids and growth hormone for enhanced performance.

00:10:00 Matt helps us to understand what motivates him to duplicate success in multiple areas of performance. After his suspension from football, he rose to a high level ranking in the arena of MMA (mixed martial arts).

00:11:00 we inevitably touch on the topic of his tattoos and he tells us what they mean to him. His tattoos are very reflective of his moods.

00:12:30 Crisis is not solved by just reading a quote. It can take us to dark places that can be very difficult to emerge from.

00:13:00 The crisis of lost identity when we depart from something that was very meaningful to us.
He is a firm believer that we have to live through the emotional upheaval and experience it. We should never suppress our emotions.

00:15:30 How does Matt stay away from negative thinking? Hard work and being busy is a major key to keeping his mind in a positive place.

00:20:00 we discuss how Matt’s outward image is not an obstacle to his networking. He is able to connect to people rapidly and get past their first visual impression.

00:22:00 how do we move beyond the story of our past and allow a new paradigm to emerge?

00:23:30 we discuss the interview he had when he was suspended from Waterloo. The interview was highly judgemental yet Matt composed himself and maintained composure despite his anger.

00:27:00 we discuss the importance of building a solid reputation. Rebuilding a damaged reputation can be a painful path. Matt discusses how it is critical to owing the mess ups we make and also have people around us who support us.

00:32:30 what ways can we develop ourselves outside of the trendy and more popular norms?

00:33:30 we talk about spirituality and if Matt practices a spiritual life.

00:36:00 final departing words. Matt’s future ambitions and what’s coming up in the next 5 years. He looks forward to opening his own boxing gym and training studio.

00:38:30 final advice to people who are feeling trapped and not knowing where to start.

You can connect with Matt on Instagram. @ boxing_trainer_mtl