Ki to the City

This is an especially reflective time for Ki to the City, as we’re just days away from the first anniversary. (January 15th, if you’re curious) I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude for all the encouraging and insightful interactions so far. I feel like I’ve grown as a person through this endeavor and I hope it shows… I sincerely hope to be able to continue and develop this project for a long...

I’m beyond thrilled to share this episode with you, as it marks the return of a truly exceptional teacher, artist, and now, published author under a major press. Richard Moon Sensei is here to discuss his brand-new book, Quantum Aikido: The Power of Harmony , being released today, January 6th! As many of you know from our first conversation, Moon Sensei possesses a background that is nothing short...

As we roll through the holiday season, I’d like to take a quick moment to wish you all joy and felicity (I love that word). 2025 has been quite interesting, to say the least. Am I right? This is an especially reflective time for me, specifically in regards to this podcast, as its one-year anniversary is coming up on January 15th. I’m deeply grateful for the subscriber support, the vast insight gle...

Kenneth Kron Sensei’s perspective on Aikido has been shaped by a truly remarkable lineage; he’s a long-time student of Robert Nadeau Shihan and Richard Moon Sensei. To understand the depth Kenneth Sensei brings to his practice, one must first consider the well he’s drawn from. Robert Nadeau Shihan is one of the few, fortunate, “westerners” to study directly with O-Sensei, bringing home a vision of...

On this episode, I had the pleasure of being joined by a true inspiration and a good friend of mine (from real life), Phil Cappello. We met when I was an uchi-deshi back in ‘08—and here we are, seventeen years later, as he put it, “Still training, still trying to figure some of this stuff out.” Phil’s journey is remarkable, an extraordinary story in which the discovery of Aikido provided holistic...

I first had Don Dickie Sensei as a guest back in April, and he blew my mind with his vivid, coherent, and powerful description of meditation, inspiring me to finally pursue my own inner practice in earnest. (Brief update on how that practice is going: I’ve so far cobbled together aspects of what I’m learning from Don Sensei, Linda Holiday Sensei, and Koichi Barrish Sensei, with some leftover vesti...

I had the immense pleasure of speaking with yet another board member of Aiki Extensions, Susan Dutton Sensei, Chief Instructor at Aiseishinkan dojo in Green Bay, Wisconsin. If there’s one theme that’s continually revealed itself throughout this podcast’s first year of taking shape, it’s the phenomenal potential of Aikido to transcend boundaries beyond physical training. Susan Dutton Sensei’s fasci...

Exploring the transformative potential of Aikido through this project has led me down some unexpected, yet highly rewarding, paths. Connecting with (and receiving wisdom from) truly visionary people like Richard Sims has positively influenced my own practice substantially. Our conversation sits right at the heart of everything this podcast aims to explore: the intersection of philosophy and tangib...

On this episode, My talk with Liam Robertson, musician and aikidoka ( Aikido of Petaluma ), moved pretty deftly (if I do say so myself) into an exploration of the profound philosophical and physical resonances between these two harmonic arts. We got into a sound discussion (get it?) on the many parallels between Aikido and music, ultimately recognizing them both as empowering disciplines that refi...

On this episode of “Ki to the City,” we dive into one of our most candid and courageous conversations yet, featuring Matt Gano, a long-time student of Koichi Barrish Sensei. Despite engaging in some profoundly insightful conversations with Barrish Sensei, and having the honor of attending (online) his Chouhai morning prayer sessions on the weekends, I’ve yet to have the fortune of ever directly tr...

How does embracing our body’s non-cognitive intelligence offer us infinite pathways to creativity and conflict resolution that our overthinking minds cannot? This week, I had a vivifying conversation in which we traverse that very question. I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Dr. Elisabet Lahti, a brilliant researcher and educator from Helsinki, Finland. Dr Lahti is world-renowned for stud...

On this episode of Ki to the City, I was joined by Scott Engler of Two Rock Aikido, a long-time student of Richard Strozzi-Heckler Sensei. Scott’s journey represents a remarkable path of integrating intellectual pursuits with physical and somatic disciplines. His story moves from the rarefied air of academia and the stark environment of corporate technology to the Aikido dojo and, eventually, to b...

On this episode of Ki to the City , I sat down with my good friend and fellow Bond Street Dojo instructor, Nico Puertollano, for a candid, yet casual conversation about almost everything under the Aikido umbrella. We dove straight into the deep end, questioning the very relevancy of Aikido in the modern world. If it doesn’t feel relevant, then what’s the point? That led us to discuss the perpetual...

It’s a true honor and absolute privilege to present this episode of Ki to the City , featuring my conversation with one of the most vital figures in contemporary Aikido. Linda Holiday Sensei is the founder of Aikido of Santa Cruz and the esteemed author of Journey to the Heart of Aikido: The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei . In addition to being an authentic, accomplished martial artist and wri...

On this episode of Ki to the City , I had the distinct honor of being joined by Robert Kent, President of Aiki Extensions. Robert Sensei received Ben & Jerry’s 2008 “Peace Pioneer” prize and the Small Business Council of America’s “Humanitarian of the Year” award in 2016. I’m incredibly proud to share this conversation with you. The work being spearheaded by Aiki Extensions is profoundly important...

I don’t know if you remember, but a few weeks ago I said I wanted to focus more attention on Aikido, on my guests—and less on my “self.” To that end, I decided to channel my more experimental and personal literary ambitions into a forthcoming book (tentatively titled Non Prophet Bourgeois Samurai ). This Substack, after all, is called “Ki to the City,” right? It should be about promoting Aikido, n...

On this special edition of Ki to the City , we present a unique “swapcast” featuring an insightful conversation with a dedicated Aikidoka, Jeannys Nnembeng, who is driving a critical new initiative to ensure the future health and inclusivity of Aikido. Jeannys, a fellow member of Bond Street Dojo and Aikido Schools of Ueshiba (ASU ), joins us to discuss her journey and this major project she is le...

On July 21 of this year, the world of martial arts and Eastern philosophy sadly marked the passing of John Stevens Sensei. Stevens Sensei was much more than an Aikido instructor; he was a scholarly interpreter, a literary bridge connecting esoteric traditions of Japan with a global audience seeking a pathway to harmony and peace. With over forty books to his name, Stevens Sensei’s enduring impact...

Kevin Cunningham is the first Bond Street Dojo member (besides myself, of course) to be featured on this podcast. He holds a truly special place in the history of our dojo, and I’m eager to share our recent conversation. I hope you will be as encouraged by it as I was. Kevin’s insights are invaluable, providing a candid window into the rich traditions, the camaraderie, and the transformative exper...

With humanity being divided further into violently discordant ideological cults (at least from what I’m witnessing via current social media discourse), this conversation with Jamie Leno-Zimron is exactly what I needed to keep my faint faith flame flickering. I hope we can provide some peace and harmony to your timeline as well. Today, more than ever, I’m proud to practice “The Art of Peace,” and J...

Thank you for indulging me these last few weeks. I know I've gotten a little bit off the track of what this project was originally supposed to be about; I've made it too much about myself. I guess you could say I went through a bit of a funk, but I feel like I'm back to normal now—well, as normal as I could be—and I'm happy to say that there are three really interesting guests lined up, so you won...

I’m tired of showing up to the dojo - to find only a handful of people there. It’s especially disheartening when considering consuming the vicious news cycle, the looming techno-feudal landscape creeping in, walking past rats scurrying through the garbage, and the “train traffic up ahead.” Last week, a couple of times, it was just me and one or another yudansha. We did a lot of weapons and jiyu wa...

I realize I’ve been writing about myself too much lately. Honestly, it’s mostly because whenever I try to write about someone else, I can never know for sure if I'm being truthful or not. When I attempt to characterize other people—especially those I’ve never known—I can only rely on secondhand, often contradictory, sources. The challenge lies in navigating discrepancies, weighing the credibility...

On this episode of Ki to the City, I had the awe inducing honor of sitting down (albeit, in front of my laptop) with Richard Strozzi-Heckler, the visionary founder of Two Rock Dojo and the Strozzi Institute, Center for the Study of Somatics in Action. A prolific author and teacher, Strozzi-Heckler Shihan truly embodies O Sensei's directive to employ Aiki principles in actively making the world a b...

This episode of Ki to the City features Shawn Ellingson Sensei, head instructor at Aikido Mountain West in Salt Lake City, Utah. ( dojo link ) Shawn was highly recommended to me by Kayla Feder Sensei and I’m so glad I followed up on her suggestion! After I rambled a bit about an article I read reporting a proposed NUCLEAR REACTOR ON THE MOON!!! (Yes it’s a real article, I’m still in shock about th...