I’m proud to say that Strategic Samurai was just featured in Noozhawk, Santa Barbara and Goleta’s premiere online news source. Here’s a little of what Kevin McFadden from Noozhawk wrote. Enjoy!

While the concept may seem counterintuitive to many people, Kymberlee Weil, local entrepreneur and founder of Strategic Samurai, is using this philosophy of visualization and self-actualization to help people make major breakthroughs — both figuratively and literally — in their personal and professional lives.

Strategic Samurai involves a unique business platform that allows Weil, through group seminars as well as the occasional one-on-one session, to blend her proven business acumen with her extensive martial arts training to guide people through the process of identifying specific life obstacles, and then overcoming and breaking through those obstacles.

Near the conclusion of every seminar, each participant takes a dramatic leap to the physical world from the metaphorical world by actually breaking a ¾-inch-thick rough-cut piece of wood with their bare hands. To further personalize these symbolic breakthroughs, Weil has the participants write their obstacles on the wood just before breaking them in half.

Weil said the response she has received from the breakthroughs has been both surprising and life-altering — and not just for the participants.

“In the moment that the wood breaks, it is really life-changing,” she said. “People have told me over and over — and I’ve experienced it — but to have them come and tell me how it has changed their life, how they were stuck at a certain point in their career or in their relationship, and how breaking the wood was so symbolic, and it showed them how powerful they truly were — it brings people to a higher level, and that part is completely transformational for me as well.”

Read more at Noozhawk.com!

This weekend, I had the honor to train and spend time with Bill “Superfoot” Wallace. What an experience. Throughout the whole seminar, Bill injected jokes and dry humor at the most opportune times. This flowed perfectly into his whole philosophy of training and his outlook on life. Bill said that success is..”to have fun no matter what and to be happy”.

Of course a little strategy doesn’t hurt while you are at it. Bill said, “There will always be someone stronger or faster than you out there but there never has to be someone more sneaky than you.” I love that. Throughout his career, he won many a fight utilizing his deceptive approach and tactics.

Bill also taught us that a relaxed muscle is a quicker muscle and we spent over an hour of the seminar learning how to disregard agony and stretch our legs beyond what I thought to be humanly possible. 24 hours later, walking is not in my pleasure zone.

I firmly believe that one can grow exponentially by being surrounded by extraordinary people. Bill “Superfoot” Wallace is no exception. I am a better martial artist and a better person after internalizing his lessons.

In honor of turning another year older in September and to make sure I become wiser while I am at it, I am doing research to find out what success really is…

Is success simply a state of mind or is it something tangible that we can actually see? How do you know when you have achieved ultimate success? Are there particular tactics one can use to improve the odds of experiencing success?

I am beyond excited to reveal the Strategic Samurai logo for the first time.