How Distilled Lessons in Martial Arts Training Corresponds in Your Personal and Professional Life, with 5th Degree Bl...

Wade’s guest today really resonates with the idea of how distilled lessons in the martial arts correspond with personal and professional lives.
 
Pete St. Pierre is the Senior Services Product Manager of the Internet of Things (IoT) Division at Cisco Systems, here in Santa Clara, CA. He also sits on The American Judo and Jujitsu Federation as the Operations Committee Chair. Pete is extremely methodical — not only in his martial arts training — but in his personal and professional life. He solely studies Danzan Ryu Jujitsu — which he began studying nearly 20 years ago, since the ’90s.
 
This episode, Wade and Pete dive deep into how the foundation of his training in Danzan Ryu Jujitsu corresponds with that of his business life. Wade and Pete discuss the origins of the traditional Jujitsu style, Danzan Ryu Jujitsu, and how Pete came to study it, the key concepts you must understand to master Danzan Ryu, Pete’s position at The American Judo and Jujitsu Federation, his beliefs and ethics in training in the martial arts, and his recommendations to both learned martial artists and beginners.
 
Key Takeaways:
[:40] About Wade’s guest today, Pete St. Pierre.
[1:44] Pete’s background in the martial arts and what he’s currently up to, business-wise.
[3:16] About Danzan Ryu Jujitsu and how Pete originally came to practice it.
[8:31] The commitment Pete made to his Sensei to earn his black belt.
[11:18] The importance of understanding the Danzan Ryu Jujitsu principles, ohana and kokua, in order to master the style.
[13:36] About Pete’s position at The American Judo and Jujitsu Federation as the Operations Committee Chair.
[16:30] What the term ‘black belt’ means in the Danzan Ryu style of jujitsu, and more about the levels and crossovers between other styles.
[18:31] Pete’s beliefs on always learning in the martial arts and understanding the culture behind the art you’re studying.
[19:53] How Pete’s training in the martial arts has translated into his personal and professional life.
[22:33] Translating the principles of martial arts into the idea of “winning” an argument.
[23:30] Pete shares a concise anecdote about martial arts.
[24:47] What Pete does at Cisco and his background on the professional side.
[26:30] How Pete relates martial arts to his current position at Cisco.
[27:08] Pete’s experience with transitioning into project management and how he relates it to martial arts.
[29:51] Where Pete sees the future of traditional jujitsu headed.
[31:28] Pete’s #1 reading recommendation and parting words he would like to impart to listeners about martial arts.
 
Pete St. Pierre’s Links:
Kodai No Bushido (The dojo he teaches/studies at)
Operations Committee Chair position at AJJF
 
Mentioned in this Episode:
The American Judo and Jujitsu Federation
Cisco Systems
Internet of Things (IoT) at Cisco
The Fighting Spirit of Japan: The Esoteric Study of the Martial Arts and Way of Life in Japan,
by E.J. Harrison