Charlotte Ham is a key part of the Hastings Kickboxing Academy, but her resilience doesn’t just come through in her martial arts skills. Charlotte’s life has been a series of devastating emotional challenges, each of which Charlotte has battled through, to become the indomitable spirit she is today.
In Part 2 of our conversation, Charlotte talks about the experiences in her life that have seen her grow, from working with, and supporting the nuns as a care worker, to her NVQ in animal care, from her experiences as an entrepreneur to her involvement with the Hastings Kickboxing Academy.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Charlotte’s experiences saw her caring for retired nuns for two and a half years, which she enjoyed. She also obtained an NVQ in animal care and lived on-site with kennels, so as to take care of the animals.
Charlotte became self-employed, working for some high-profile clients in housekeeping. That was when she gave birth to her son, Lloyd. Charlotte never seems to have shied away from a challenge.
Respect is a wonderful way of maintaining a relationship. By developing respect for each other, you feel the instinctual urge to never let each other down.
Being knocked down should give you the fire you need in order to do better next time. Never see a knock-back as a defeat. Use your passion to turn it to a victory.
When you hit your lowest point, there’s nowhere to go but up. Charlotte is often asked how she has coped in the wake of such heartache. But she recognises that she has already been through the fire, and that things can never be so painful again.
BEST MOMENTS
‘A big switch - from humans to animals’
‘It’s like having a massive family here’
‘If you want to do something, you have to put yourself out there’
‘I’m running with you’
‘Whatever comes, I’m going to get through it'
VALUABLE RESOURCES
HKA Main landing page
www.hastingskickboxing.co.uk/kickstartnow
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/Hastingskickboxing
HKA Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/Hastingskickboxing
Adult community link
https://m.facebook.com/groups/274624209886110?ref=share
ABOUT THE HOST
Hi, my name is Carl Denne.
I was born in Hastings 1980. Married, father of two beautiful daughters, Bethany and Leigha.
My daughters, the wife, and gym ARE MY LIFE.
IF I’M HONEST, I pretty much failed at school. Heavily dyslexic, I was dismissed for being a “naughty kid” that didn’t want to learn. I was heavily bullied for having shit clothes and ginger afro hair. I didn’t have many friends.
When I say bullied I don’t mean called a “poo-poo head” and being looked at in a nasty way. I mean thrown down stairs, and hit with chairs and tables. Clothes were stolen whilst in the shower. That kind of bullying…
Oh, how things have changed…
Martial arts, and specifically Kickboxing, have changed my life, and now I am much happier and change other people’s lives for the better on a daily basis.
I am a complete adrenaline freak, so In my spare time, track days, jumping out of planes, sitting on top of them, rage buggies in the desert… The higher, the faster the better for me. I’m always looking for the next thing to get my blood pumping, so if anyone has a challenge I’ve not found yet, please feel free to share.
I do like a Saturday night movie night, Chinese, Netflix, lots of chocolate with my three little ladies. I love being around my friends and family. This is why I love the crazy HKA family so much, as this is my extended family.
I left school with pretty much nothing! A few sad GCSE’s C - D grade, BUT I did have a shit-ton of energy and passion to achieve, and to prove all the teachers and people that looked down on me for all them years, wrong. So after a few jobs here and there, I settled on working for Openreach (BT) as a cabler/jointer copper and fiber optic multi-skilled engineer with HGV.
I left this in 2015 to chase my dream of running my own Kickboxing Academy and working with the future of today, rather than a job that just paid the bills.
I’ve trained pretty much my whole life: Karate, boxing, Judo, from the age of 9, and of course, I’ve now done over 29 years of Kickboxing. I’ve passed many Instructors and coaches courses, attended many training courses and seminars, grading up through the syllabus. I passed my 4-hour hell-on-earth 3rd Dan black belt in July 2018 with the ICO.
If I’m honest my real passion and skills have come from learning the hard way; through being in the trenches. I know how it feels to be on your arse. I know how it feels to have to pull yourself out of the pit. I’ve been through a divorce. I’ve lived through the pain and have worked with thousands of members, students, children, teachers and adults over the years, and the one thing I get told every time is how well I/we keep it very real, and that I have a complete understanding on most eventualities.
Thank you for reading and listening. I hope you connect with myself and the team, take away some ideas, understand you’re not alone, and that it’s good to talk, listen and help others as and when you can.
CONTACT METHOD
