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PODCAST

A Black Belt Way of Life

New York Black Belt Center

The most important lesson Master Joseph Lupo Jr. received from his father was, "A black belt is worn around your heart, never your waist." This quote became the foundation that Master Joe lives by, and the basis for his show. Master Joe is a sixth-degree Taekwondo black belt and owner of the New York Black Belt Center in Queens, NY since 2010. With over four decades of knowledge and insight, Master Joe interviews guests in and around the martial arts world, sharing their life experiences and

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

48:30

Master Jeff Pinaroc: Bringing a Lifetime of...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2026/04/01

Master Jeff Pinaroc's Taekwondo journey began in Chicago, Illinois. But it wasn't until he moved to Dallas, Texas, and set foot into Chang Lee's Taekwondo, where he was surrounded by and began training with Taekwondo champions like Dae Sung Lee, Clay Barber & James Villasana, that Master Pinaroc's Taekwondo career took off. Fighting in both junior and senior divisions by the age of 13, he qualified for the 1988 Olympic Team Trials. The inaugural Olympic Games for the sport of Taekwondo. After he

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46:41

William Findley: Bringing Kombat Taekwondo to Karate...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2026/03/18

Fresh off a 22-second head kick knockout in Karate Combat, Mr. William Findley joins the BBWOL podcast studio remotely from Eddie Alvarez's Underground King's MMA school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. William started Taekwondo at the age of 4 with his parents by his side. The support from his parents and many years of Taekwondo training, support, and aspirations led to a 2023 National Heavyweight Gold Medal and an invitation to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. When there,

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58:54

Certified Life Coach Mildred Andaluz: Creating a...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2026/02/18

Mrs. Mildred Andaluz is a Certified Life and Confidence Coach under the ACSTH (Approved Coach Specific Hours) with a master's degree in Counseling. Mrs. Andaluz is also the assistant community school director in the public Queens High School System. Her most important job and title is that of being a loving wife and amazing mother to your 3 beautiful children. During the pandemic, with the world in a massive pivot, Mrs. Andaluz decided to take her love for helping others to a new level. Inspired by

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01:03:10

The Blueprint Behind 15 Years of the New York Black...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2026/02/04

Founded in 2010 by Master Joseph Lupo Jr., the New York Black Belt Center has stood the tests of time for 15 years. Like anything in life, in order to succeed, it takes a village. Two of the most loyal and committed contributors to the success of the New York Black Belt Center have been Master's John Rodriguez and Chet Bridgewater. Both 5th-degree black belts and the highest-ranking students of the school. Masters John & Chet are the only students of the school to have opened their own locations

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01:01:22

Melvy Alvarez, Carrying the Taekwondo Family Torch...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2026/01/21

Melvy Alvarez, a second-generation taekwondo practitioner and athlete, has represented the United States of America at every world-class level. To say you were a 10x National Team Member and an International Champion is no easy feat. But without the support and inspiration from his mother, Master Marina Aguero, a former National Team member from Argentina, and his teammates at the Connecticut Taekwondo Academy, none of this would've been possible.Melvy does not hesitate to remind the audience of

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53:59

Master James Thorsten and the Rise of NYPD Taekwondo

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/12/04

Master James Thorsten was born in Korea and came to the United States as a young child through adoption in 1976. Being a Korean American raised in the Bronx was not easy. Master Thorsten quickly needed to learn how to defend himself and have the confidence to survive the tough streets of the Bronx. His adopted family decided to give him a sense of culture. Master Thorsten began taking Taekwondo lessons at the world renowned Tiger Kim Taekwondo studio in the Bronx. Despite his Taekwondo training,

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01:02:02

Taekwondo in the Comic Book Universe - Grandmaster...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/11/13

Grandmaster Michael Yuhasz, owner of AdirondackTaekwondo in Clifton Park, NY, his Taekwondo journey in the early 1980s with the love of comic books. Working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant, his first paycheck was spent in a comic book shop with issues of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These comics led Grandmaster Yuhasz into a Taekwondo school and inspired him to become a Taekwondo student, black belt, school owner, and now a 7th Degree Kukkiwon certified Grandmaster. Fast forward, still an

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51:38

Flex Theory: Stretching Life's Challenged With Andre...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/10/30

Flex Theory is an athletic development and rehabilitation program that combines explosive strength, mobility, and flexibility.But before Mr. Andre Victorian could put these concepts together, he endured all of life's hardships.Through the loss of his business and marriage, Andre needed to pivot. He knew what he was strong at and whathe did well as a successful high-level Taekwondo athlete. He dove deep into what made the greatest athletes great in any sport. A self proclaimed science and math nerd,

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55:00

Master DS Lee: Guiding the Next Generation of...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/10/09

Master DS Lee, son of Texas Taekwondo pioneer Grandmaster Chang Lee, has dedicated his life to advancing the art and sport of Taekwondo. As the president of USA Taekwondo’s Texas State Association, one of the largest and most competitive regions in the country, Master Lee continues a legacy built on discipline, service, and leadership.Growing up, watching his father struggle and then succeed by opening up Chang Lee's Taekwondo in 1980 in Mesquite, Texas,gave him the motivation to overcome any

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57:12

Just for Kicks: Soccer, Coaching, and Taekwondo with...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/09/25

Born and raised in Queens, New York,Chris Megaloudishas lived every side of the world’s game. Growing up in a soccer family, alongside his older brother Mike, the sport was a way of life in the Megaloudis household. His father, Mike Sr., served as his first coach and set the foundation for Chris to follow his own passion for the game.From playing on the streets of Astoria to competing in arenas around the world, Chris chased inspiration from legends like Ronaldo Nazário. The posters on his wall

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50:50

Turning a Disability into a Taekwondo Superpower:...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/09/04

Born with a tremendous amount of energy and a love for movement, topped with inspiration from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles, Eleni Koutsilianos desire to become a martial artist started at a very young age. Her Taekwondo journey began at the age of 8. However, it was not easy for a kid born fully deaf in her right ear and partially deaf in the left ear. A lack of confidence because of her disability did not help. Taekwondo gave her the confidence she much needed. She turned her

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41:28

Strip Mall Sensei: Combat, Confidence, and Content...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/08/21

Adam Flohr is a Krav Maga martial artist training out of the California Defence Academy in Murrieta, California. A self described art and media guy with the gift of gab, he grew tired of feeling helpless in negative confrontations. He searched for the "toughest" form of self-defense to give him that self confidence he aspired to attain. Through learning Krav Maga, an Israeli Military self-defense system, he not only found what he was looking for, he started the "Strip Mall Sensei" YouTube channel

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48:12

Medals Don't Define Us: Sensei James Luk and the...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/08/07

Inspired by action movie stars like Jet Li and Jackie Chan, Sensei James Luk's mom knew Martial Arts was the perfect activity to keep a young kid safe and off the streets. Born into the projects of Woodside, Queens, learning how to defend yourself was a necessity. 15 minutes away the Shotojuko Dojo in Astoria, Queens was where his Martial Arts would begin. Under the tutelage of Sensei Kai Leung, James Luk would flourish into an accomplished Martial Artist on the mat and off the dojo tatami. A

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01:02:58

The Do's and Don'ts of a Taekwondo Referee with Marc...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/07/24

Master Marc Zirogiannis is a World Taekwondo International Referee and the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of Taekwondo Life Magazine. His journey in Taekwondo began in the early 1980s, following his older brother into martial arts. This led him to YH ParkTaekwondo. Grandmaster Park, one of the first to open a Taekwondo school in Long Island, New York, was a former USA National Team and Olympic Coach who is considered a pioneer in Taekwondo in the United States. Competitionin the sport of Taekwondo did not

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59:37

Building Champions: Tim Thackrey’s Journey from...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/07/10

Born into a Taekwondo family, Tim Thackrey’s life has always revolved around discipline, resilience, and personal transformation. But his early years as an athlete were anything but golden — until everything clicked. Surrounded by the right people, Tim rose from underdog status to become a USA National Team Member, Olympic Training Center resident, and Pan American Games gold medalist.After retiring from competition, Tim channeled his energy into building champions — co-founding the performance

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51:37

The Dojang Diaries: Growing Up in Old School Martial...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/06/19

In 1991 Grandmaster Joseph Lupo Sr. alongside Grandmaster Moonsung Lee, opened the Moon S. Lee Taekwondo Institute in Whitestone, Queens, New York. Before the school was even officially open, a young teenage girl would walk in with her father to get some info on the new school in the neighborhood. Upon speaking to GM Joe, a decision was made immediately that this was where she wanted to continue her Taekwondo training. Quickly bonds were formed, Taekwondo families created, passion for the art was

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01:00:44

"Taekwondo Saved My Life" - How Cy Zamani Defeated...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/06/05

Born in New York, raised in California, now based out of Georgetown, Texas, Master Cy Zamani has passed his fair share of ups and downs in life. The one constant that has always pulled him through the hardest of moments is Taekwondo. From the tragic loss of his father, and later his daughter,to a cancer diagnosis, the positivity that Taekwondo brought out in his life pulled him through. Three decades of Taekwondo competition helped Cy Zamani battle his toughest tests, inside and outside the ring

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42:11

Dramatic Weight Loss Transformation Through Taekwondo...

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/05/21

Master Carlos Villanueva, a 4th Dan Black Belt certified under the Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo) and the New York Black Belt Center, has been a lifelong Taekwondo practitioner under his father, Master Luis Villanueva. Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, his culinary career brought him to the lights of New York City. Here, he found a second home under Master Joseph Lupo Jr. and Master John Rodriguez at the NYBBC. It was a very patient and thorough search for the right Taekwondo school. But once found, he

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58:29

The True Meaning of Martial Arts - Sensei Kai Leung

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/05/07

Sensei Kai Leung, a world-recognized Shotokan Karate Instructor, immigrated to the United States in the early 1960s. A seasoned Goju-Ryu Karate competitor and instructor, Leung's life changed when he met the late Toyotaro Miyazaki, who brought traditional Shotokan Karate to New York. Leung quit his New York City schoolteacher job and closed his Shotokan Karate dojo in Whitestone, Queens, to work alongside Sensei Miyazaki at the Shotojuku Dojo in Astoria, Queens. Sensei Miyazaki's impact on Sensei

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56:12

Molding Martial Artists with Muay Thai - Eric Ruiz

A Black Belt Way of Life ·

2025/04/23

When most young kids in the 1980s wanted to be Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso) from the Karate Kid movies, Eric Ruiz wanted to be Mr. Miyagi, a teacher of martial arts. As a teenager, he started learning Taekwondo. Once he gained his footing and built a strong foundation, he began learning other forms of martial arts. Black belts in Taekwondo & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (under Professor Rob Gutierrez), Eric has also achieved rank in Jeet Kune Do, Jun Fan Gung Fu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Combat

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35 results

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