#33 - Joane Orbon: 14X National USA Karate Champion, The Reality of What It Takes To Win & Leading At-Risk Youth To Thrive In Athletics & Academics In The Bay Area

Welcome back to the Iron Sights Podcast! In this episode, I sat down with 14x National Karate Champion, Joane Orbon. Orbon’s journey to gold started with her parents moving from the Philippines to Stockton, where her father worked overtime flipping burgers at McDonalds to make ends meet. Joane enrolled in a local Karate dojo and won her first National Championship at only 8 years old. After proving her worth on the mats, Orbon inspired the full support of her friends and family to push the limits of what could be achieved by a first generation female Filipino American in combat sports. After qualifying to compete in Chile for an International Championship, Joanne’s mother sold pre-made lunches to her co-workers at Southwest airlines to fund her daughter's dream of becoming a world-champion. Orbon’s mission for gold was worth more than anything else money could buy; her parents pulled through and Joane won gold in Santiago becoming the best in Northern, Central & South America at 12 years old. Her relentlessness didn’t stop there. Joane Orbon was ready to fight anyone in the world and improve her skill set to thrive on the global stage. She trained for years in Indonesia and Kazakhstan to gain a competitive edge. Her diligent work ethic came full circle when getting the call to represent the Philippines in the 2020 Olympic Trials in Paris. Today, Joane operates a growing dojo in San Jose, where she dreams of turning the city into a hub for Karate, training the next superstars of the sport. Our conversation covers the reality of what it takes to win in athletics, business and life - with limited resources at the highest level. Orbon’s story will inspire you to do whatever it takes to accelerate your career path without excuses and push through these challenging times with a smile on your face. I hope you enjoy this episode! We will be back on Friday.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:53 The Beginning

04:03 Starting Karate

05:48 Winning The National Championships at 8

06:42 The Reality of Winning

09:43 Parents Role In Sports for Youth

10:43 Training To Be A World Champion

16:07 Thriving In Academics

24:29 The Importance of Supportive Friends & Family

26:47 Integrating Strength Training

32:43 Challenges Competing At The World Stage

37:34 Ranking #6 In The World

40:02 Starting A Dojo In The Bay Area

46:45 The Difficulties of Doing Business During COVID

48:07 What The City Did To Red Dot Fitness

52:28 Building Out A New Dojo In San Jose

53:17 Qualifying For 2020 Tokyo Olympics

56:55 The Model of Martial Arts Gyms

1:04:32 The Value of Competing While Learning Karate

1:06:57 Identifying Bad Karate Dojos

1:07:53 What’s next for Joane Orbon

Website: ubakc.com