She can come across strong and can be all business, but is unapologetic to run a tight ship. Meet Lindsey McCaghren who owns 10th Planet Decatur with husband Brandon in Decatur, Alabama. There is a community within the gym and she wants their members to feel comfortable and cared for and to have open communication. As a math teacher Lindsey picked up a lot of her teaching skills from the classroom that she translates on the mat. She figured out that there are foundations to lay down before you begin teaching any kind of concept. You have to be assertive if you want to get anything across to others. Lindsey is amongst an elite class…the third black belt woman in Alabama and the 5th in the 10th Planet System. It is not easy to land there without a lot of dedication and tenacity. Lindsey possess both.She started in MMA years ago to find something to incorporate getting healthy and working as a couple. As the couple conquered one aspect and sets of goals, they sought out more.We talk about her journey and what she felt like she had to prove. It’s interesting to hear her perspective and what she felt like she needed and what she must do in order to make her love it. Lindsey didn’t want to walk around scared and had the desire to provide her children with real tools and ability to know that they could take care of themselves confidently in any situation where they felt threatened.There is continual learning, but not being completely immersed through living, breathing, reading, watching informational and training like Brandon was, they grow at a different pace. With that said she notes the years let her take to the leadership and respect for Brandon to be her coach. There’s balance between being spouse and working together. In this episode of the podcast we talk about the difficulty to figure out where she stands as a woman in this sport because the measuring stick in practice is hard to have a true gauge. So for Lindsey, she has a constant conversation with herself to evaluate her own game and as well as feeling her true age and how she functions on the mat. But then there is a new day and her satisfaction is just being better than the day before.Lindsey discusses her experiences of teaching and how she learns best. Her method is —“show me how to do, then as the teacher she watches and makes sure parts and pressure are in place, then answers questions and then let the student go to learn through practice. “ There’s a bit of mind games you have to play because grappling is fast and people are good at different parts of it and so in her head she can handle other black belts in her class and not be overly intimidated—“surely they can learn one thing from me,” she says.As Lindsey looks back at her father’s parenting particularly, she sees that he was leading her to be independent. She wants her kids to have the same skills to be on that path as well. You’ll hear Lindsey’s take on parenting in this sport and her philosophy to allow her kids to learn enough to be able to defend themselves and have exposure to the sport that occupies both she and her husband. We talk about business and how the roles work. Tune In!!Song “STOMP” used by the artist’s permission Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff.
Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff
