The life dojo

What separates a warrior from a killer, and how much of our primal nature still exists within us? From warfare and morality to combat sports and the human instinct for competition, we explore the uncomfortable relationship between violence, society and our darker impulses. A thought-provoking conversation about good and evil, the warrior mindset and the parts of human nature we often struggle to a...

Have we become more connected online but less connected in real life? From social media and the currency of attention to the growing importance of followers and online validation, we explore how technology is changing human relationships, business and communication. A conversation about the value of genuine connection, authenticity and why some things simply cannot be replaced by a screen. thelife...

What happens when the mind becomes completely still and instinct takes over? Through experiences in boxing and martial arts, we explore the flow state, that moment of intense focus when distractions disappear, reactions become instinctive and everything seems to slow down. A conversation about the psychology of peak performance, overthinking and the extraordinary potential of the human mind. theli...

How much of your time and energy is spent on things that don't really matter? Television, football, celebrity culture, the news and endless distractions can easily become part of our daily routines. But how often do we stop and question what we're actually getting from them? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , we explore how our priorities change as we become more self-aware and why s...

What happens when you start questioning everything you have been taught about life? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael reflects on the journey of questioning reality, exploring spirituality and searching for a deeper understanding of existence. The conversation begins with childhood experiences that sparked questions about death, God and the purpose of life. Those early quest...

What if the life we are taught to chase is not actually the life that makes us happy? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Martin St Clair Hughes explore the meaning of success, freedom and the growing desire for a simpler, more peaceful life. Michael reflects on a conversation with someone who finds genuine contentment simply sitting in his garden, watching the birds and e...

What do you do when you simply don’t feel motivated anymore? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus explore the relationship between motivation, discipline and purpose. Marcus explains that even while preparing for competition, there are days when he has no desire to train — but he still goes because he has committed to the goal and has a plan that needs to be executed...

How do you build confidence when something genuinely scares you? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael shares a story from a sparring session with someone stepping into that environment for the first time. She was nervous, unsure of herself and worried about getting hit. Rather than throwing her into the deep end, Michael helped her relax, gave her simple instructions and create...

Why do some people seem to attract opportunities, clients and connections naturally while others are constantly chasing them? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael reflects on lessons learned from gyms in the UK, America and Brazil about trust, customer service and human behaviour. He explains why simply acknowledging people, being approachable and building familiarity can be fa...

What happens when you have a vision for your life, but the people around you don't believe in it? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus explore self-doubt, limiting beliefs, personal growth and why stepping outside your comfort zone is essential when pursuing something meaningful. Michael reflects on his own journey of building The Life Dojo, explaining how starting a...

What does it really mean to master yourself? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael explains the philosophy behind The Life Dojo, the inspiration for its name and the deeper meaning of its distinctive tiger and samurai logo. Inspired by the teachings of Bruce Lee, martial arts and the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, Michael explores the relationship between our primal nature and o...

What keeps people trapped in the same patterns for years? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus discuss victim mentality, personal responsibility and the danger of constantly asking, “Why is this happening to me?” They explore how negative self-talk, fear and blaming outside circumstances can keep people stuck, while taking ownership of your choices can begin to shift...

What are you feeding your mind every day? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus discuss how the content we repeatedly consume can influence our thoughts, emotions and perception of the world. Michael reflects on seeing young teenagers exposed to extremely graphic violent content online and questions what repeated exposure to that material can do to a developing mind. ...

Is pushing harder always the answer? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael speaks with performance specialist Joe Watkins about the hidden cost of modern high-performance culture. After more than a decade working in elite sport, Joe began questioning an approach built around constantly pushing, grinding and chasing the next achievement. He had seen success — but he had also seen...

What if some of the parts of ourselves we are taught to suppress are still deeply rooted in human nature? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus explore the primal side of human behaviour, competition, aggression, the warrior instinct and the desire to test ourselves against other people. They discuss the difference between uncontrolled violence and structured competit...

What has modern society lost in its relationship with nature? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus explore humanity’s relationship with animals, the natural world and the idea of living in greater balance with the environment around us. The conversation looks at how modern society often treats animals as commodities, while many traditional and indigenous cultures dev...

What can fighting teach a man about respect? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus discuss why combat sports can provide men with a controlled outlet for aggression, competition and the natural desire to test themselves. Rather than allowing conflict to escalate into weapons, revenge or violence on the street, combat sports create boundaries: rules, discipline, prepar...

In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus discuss personal responsibility, self-awareness and why lasting change begins by looking inward rather than constantly searching outside yourself for answers. It is easy to blame circumstances, movements, other people or society for where we are in life. But eventually we have to ask ourselves: What am I doing? What needs to chang...

What happens when someone else is succeeding and you feel yourself becoming jealous? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus discuss envy, jealousy and the “crab in a barrel” mentality that causes people to pull others down rather than concentrating on their own progress. Instead of resenting someone who is further ahead, Michael argues that there is a much more useful...

If you want to grow, eventually you have to step beyond what feels familiar. In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael reflects on how some of the biggest opportunities in his life came from deliberately putting himself into unfamiliar situations. He shares the story of travelling to Los Angeles while building his own clothing brand, despite knowing very few people there and never h...

When life strips away the person you thought you were, what gives you a reason to keep going? In this deeply personal short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Marcus speaks openly about one of the lowest periods of his life after losing his limb and struggling to recognise himself in the life that remained. At a time when he felt completely lost, something simple gave him a reason to get out of be...

What do you do when you feel lost and no longer know what direction your life is heading in? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael reflects on a period in his life when he was stepping away from an old way of living and trying to create a new direction. Instead of waiting for clarity, he began building structure into each day through meditation, running, planning, journaling and...

Suppressing your emotions does not make you strong. It often means those emotions will eventually surface somewhere else. In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus discuss emotional control, journaling and why many men avoid dealing honestly with what they feel. Marcus explains how writing down his thoughts helps him process frustration before it turns into anger, conflic...

What can martial arts teach you about facing pressure, setbacks and adversity? In this short episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , Michael and Marcus explore why boxing and martial arts are about far more than learning how to fight. Marcus explains how boxing gave him discipline, helped him through difficult periods and taught him what to do when life backed him into a corner. Inside the ring, nobody...

Is modern life making us sick? In this episode of The Life Dojo Podcast , we explore one of the biggest questions facing modern society: are rising levels of stress, anxiety and emotional struggle simply individual problems, or are they symptoms of the world we've created?  We discuss the pressures of modern work, the decline of community, processed food, social media, technology, constant fear-ba...