Key Biscayne Stories

Alejandro: 00:00

Welcome to Key Biscayne Stories where neighbors meet neighbors. Today, we have Sensei Robert Duzoglou, a thirty year Key Biscayne resident here. Yes. And almost as old as the village. Yes.

Alejandro: 00:12

Key Biscayne. Founded.

Sensei Robert: 00:13

I see. I think we're thirty five years.

Alejandro: 00:17

I think so. Yeah. I think so. He's the founder of the RTC Academy of Martial Arts here in The Key and co author of LifeQuest. With his daughter.

Sensei Robert: 00:28

Transformational Journey. Exactly. A bestseller for exactly a minute and a half on Amazon.

Alejandro: 00:35

Perfect.

Sensei Robert: 00:36

So yeah. We were a bestseller for a minute.

Alejandro: 00:40

Yeah. We'll talk about it. We'll talk about it when Okay. We get But we always like to start here in Key Biscayne Stories with that original story of how you ended up here in Key Biscayne.

Sensei Robert: 00:52

What happened was I had a calling to come here to meet Alejandro.

Alejandro: 00:57

Oh, wow. I wasn't even born yet.

Sensei Robert: 01:00

Yeah. You weren't born yet, but I knew you were coming. No. So I was very involved in business and ventures and developing and the government up north and we decided to simplify things. My daughter also was the climate was okay for her, but I think she would thrive more in a tropical climate.

Sensei Robert: 01:26

So we decided to try something completely new and get away from the corporate and the government and the and and and the snow of New York and New Jersey, and we moved here thirty years ago. Sight unseen. We actually landed in Miami Beach. The the trailer with the furniture was behind us by a few days, and we had to find a place to live. So we went from place to place.

Sensei Robert: 01:55

We landed. There was a realtor in Coconut Grove that says, oh, you have children? You have to be in Key Biscayne. And I wish I could recall her name. But anyway, my wife's not here to give me those memories.

Sensei Robert: 02:10

But she said, if you have children, you have to be in Key Biscayne. So she brought us here. And we found a place and we fell in love with it. And that's how we ended up here. It wasn't that we were targeting Key Biscayne, but it it ended up that we did land here.

Alejandro: 02:24

Now, I'm just gonna add that, of course, I know Sensei from since I got here from Peru, like, when I was 10 years old and I started at the Academy of Martial Arts

Sensei Robert: 02:34

Yes.

Alejandro: 02:35

Back in the day, so I am also a black belt from the dojo, fourth degree black

Sensei Robert: 02:40

Fourth degree. That's a lot.

Alejandro: 02:41

So I know a little bit of the background of Sensei, but I just wanted to throw that out there. Have you been living in the same house in the key since you got

Sensei Robert: 02:51

So you know what happens? When you're in the martial arts, you really need a confidant. You need somebody that you can trust, that you can work with and so on, And you played that role for many years in the Academy. So yes, he's sort of blowing over that. But he was my training partner, he was my confidant, he helped at the school, he worked at the school, he taught at the school.

Sensei Robert: 03:17

So it was really a joint venture that was very well enjoyed and we're still enjoying the fruits of that.

Alejandro: 03:25

Yes.

Sensei Robert: 03:25

But, yeah, it was a wonderful, wonderful time. So what was your question that I totally ignored? Feel I like a politician. I'm ignoring the questions and just going to my agenda.

Alejandro: 03:36

No. And now I have to add. We share the Chamber of Commerce together.

Sensei Robert: 03:41

That's right. Alejandro is going to be chair of our chamber of commerce, which is also about I don't know how many years we've been there. We've been there for quite a while. But you're gonna be chair this year, which is wonderful. Looking forward to his leadership.

Sensei Robert: 03:57

This coming year. Yes. Starting January. January. 2027.

Sensei Robert: 04:03

So, yeah, we're there together. We've been there together for a long time. I was chair many years ago, or I think 2004, I was chairman. So now it's your turn. So it's good.

Sensei Robert: 04:14

Yeah. It's good.

Alejandro: 04:15

And then I haven't I don't think I've missed a black belt test in a long time, but I remember the only black belt test I've missed that I think I've missed was in when I was at university in Ohio, my speech professor didn't let me. It was one of those classes that you only take you only take like four classes a semester. Right. So he's like, If I miss a class, it's like not being there. Yes.

Alejandro: 04:40

But lobbied hard, but he didn't he didn't let me.

Sensei Robert: 04:43

He didn't let okay. Let's go visit him.

Alejandro: 04:45

Yeah. We should. He's probably, like, in his walk. But but I'm always I mean, it's always a blast to to see the the dojo grow and and the black belts are such a great activity to It's support

Sensei Robert: 04:57

fantastic, yeah.

Alejandro: 04:59

So the question was, have you been in the same house since you arrived?

Sensei Robert: 05:03

No. It's funny because I spent many years developing and in real estate. And when I got here in '96, the first house we got, we we rented. And one year later, they were selling it. And, can I do numbers?

Sensei Robert: 05:21

Yeah. So they were sell and they said to me, look. If you wanna buy it, we'll sell it to you for 250,000. Now I was an expert in real estate, and I said, this is too high. It's inflated.

Sensei Robert: 05:32

The price is gonna go down. They sold the house. The new landlord decided he would he would keep us on board. And, after a year, he decided to sell also. He says, do you wanna buy it?

Sensei Robert: 05:43

I said, well, how much? He said $3.50. This was 97. I said $3.50. From $2.50 to $3.50.

Sensei Robert: 05:50

No. No. Too expensive. Not gonna buy it. This price is gonna go down.

Sensei Robert: 05:55

So they sold it. Subsequently, the new landlord decided to keep us on. A year later he came and he says, Do you want to buy it? I said, How much? He said, This was $98,550 So it had doubled in price in basically three years And we ended up moving to a second house.

Sensei Robert: 06:15

So this was three years later, we moved to a second house which we were renting. And then eventually we ended up buying that house. That's even a long story that's very interesting, which included a sheriff sale and, all kinds of things. We were paying rent, and the guy disappeared. You know?

Sensei Robert: 06:34

But we ended up with that house. We did, manage to buy it, and we've been there ever since.

Alejandro: 06:40

And of course, Derek and Morgan, which are your amazing children that help and run the dojo with you.

Sensei Robert: 06:46

Yes.

Alejandro: 06:48

Of course, were Morgan and I are almost the same age,

Sensei Robert: 06:51

so they were around. Yeah. Fortunate thing which you as you would know that you deal with a lot of people here on The Key, as you get to the older people they sort of miss the fact that their children aren't close. Several of them do get to have their children close. And I'm very fortunate that my children and my grandchildren all live in Key Biscayne.

Sensei Robert: 07:17

So that's a big blessing, I think. As you get older, that becomes very, very important to have everybody close by. So, yeah, they're both here and that's a wonderful thing.

Alejandro: 07:27

Yeah. Definitely. I mean, now that I have my daughter and got married and everything, not having family around to help, you know, it definitely takes a toll. Now, of course, I've built amazing relationships in the community, so I've had two aunts that are not aunt blood related that have helped, you know, but I definitely understand them and I can only imagine when my daughter grows up and then

Sensei Robert: 07:48

Wants to go away to college? Uh-huh. You see all these gray hairs? This is

Alejandro: 07:54

Well, already started a little bit.

Sensei Robert: 07:55

This is my daughter.

Alejandro: 07:59

So, the dojo. Yes. How of course, you're you're the Sensei. You're the you're the keeper of all the 10 degrees or the grandmaster.

Sensei Robert: 08:10

Yeah.

Alejandro: 08:11

But how did that that journey start for you, the martial arts?

Sensei Robert: 08:14

Oh, my gosh. I've been I've been in the martial arts for fifty five years. So it was something that intrigued me when I was going in school, in high school, and even in junior high school. And the combat sports always interested me. I don't know why.

Sensei Robert: 08:32

I remember even when I was in junior high school, they had a book fair, and I gravitated to a martial arts book. I think they had two. And back then it was hard to really find a school. It's not the way it is now. Now there's more schools than McDonald's in this country, which I think it's over 18,000 schools throughout the country, which is incredible.

Sensei Robert: 08:53

It's really exploded. But before when I was growing up, was one school in maybe a six town radius, and it was very difficult to find a good teacher. So I got lucky. There was somebody in my school that was studying, he had to find students to help. That was the tradition.

Sensei Robert: 09:12

And so I've been there ever since, and I've had many, many teachers, some of them that I've crossed paths with. You may know that have been wonderful, Chuck Norris, Daniel DeSanto, which was Bruce Lee's training partner. You know, many, many names which I don't you know, if I mentioned them, I don't know if you're not a martial artist, don't think, but Chuck Norris, everybody knows. And Bruce Lee, everybody knows.

Alejandro: 09:37

Very famous for Bruce Lee for the movies and Chuck Norris for the jokes that, you know, the sun doesn't move. Chuck Norris doesn't tell it

Sensei Robert: 09:45

to somebody. Many push ups can Chuck Norris do? All of them.

Alejandro: 09:47

Exactly. It's stuff like that. Oh

Sensei Robert: 09:51

yes, exactly. Yeah, wonderful person. We actually worked on a project together. We raising money to put teachers in low income city schools and to create a martial arts program to get these kids involved in something positive. And the name of the program was Kick Drugs Out of America.

Sensei Robert: 10:13

Okay, I was drawn since I was very young to do it. And in the organization that I was in, I was named the historian, to the record, the person that would keep the records and so on. And that just sort of carried on. I eventually I opened my own school, a little small private school up in New Jersey. And I actually was teaching in a school in New York City on 18th And 5th Avenue.

Sensei Robert: 10:40

But when we moved here we opened this Academy of Martial Arts. We eventually went up to four schools but now we're just down to one.

Alejandro: 10:50

I have to backtrack a little bit and say how did you meet Chuck Norris?

Sensei Robert: 10:54

It was an organization, educational funding corporation that was established by Nick Kokinos. And he was a mastermind in organizing the schools to join together. And it was done on the auspices of educating and bringing the caliber of the martial arts schools up. And he was the one that introduced me to Chuck Norris. I met many people through him.

Sensei Robert: 11:23

He has passed since. Nick Kokinos.

Alejandro: 11:26

Is that how you met also Bruce Lee's

Sensei Robert: 11:28

Just wanted to mention he's Greek, Nick Kokinos. And I think Chuck Norris has some Greek blood in him too.

Alejandro: 11:34

I see. I did not know that. Yeah. I would imagine you

Sensei Robert: 11:38

could Well, have all the Greeks invented the martial arts. Right? So

Alejandro: 11:43

I believe you.

Sensei Robert: 11:45

Well, yes. The Indians and the Egyptians would argue, but, you know

Alejandro: 11:49

Of course. I'm sure everybody will have some sort of claim. Yes. Of course. And you also mentioned that you trained with Bruce Lee's

Sensei Robert: 11:57

Training partner. Training partner.

Alejandro: 11:59

You met him through or how?

Sensei Robert: 12:01

No. There is this gentleman that was trained by him called Dwight Woods. And he has a large academy here in Miami. And Dwight and I had met. He was trying to promote an event that they were having with Dan And I went and we became very friendly.

Sensei Robert: 12:26

And after that, Dan Inosanto would come in one week a year to train him, to go out to dinner and so on. And I got to spend a little time with him and his daughter. His daughter also does the circuit. I was thinking, he was out. I think he would travel forty three weeks out of the year, and every weekend he was in a different city spreading the Bruce Lee style martial arts and the Jeet Kune Do and so on, and the Cali and the Filipino.

Sensei Robert: 13:02

So that's how I met him.

Alejandro: 13:04

So if you were your foundational, I guess, base of martial arts, the first style of martial arts that you, I guess, mastered was kung fu?

Sensei Robert: 13:15

Yes. Exactly.

Alejandro: 13:16

Tell us how we came to RDCA because RDCA is Robert Duzoglou Combative Arts.

Sensei Robert: 13:20

So my first teacher, Robert Biscayne is his name, he was an expert in kung fu, but he also studied Aikido. So we got exposed to both of those arts. After that, he would push us to go out after a certain period of time. This was typical kung fu, you know, like once you've learned so much they say go out and venture and do something new. So I I went out and I actually went to a school which was teaching judo and Japanese jujitsu.

Sensei Robert: 14:01

And and it was run by this master. His name is De Pasquale. He was the bodyguard for George Bush senior when he was in the CIA, and he was the one that brought judo and jiu jitsu, Japanese jiu jitsu to The United States. He was actually at the World Fair, he was actually at the demonstration of martial arts during the World Fair that was in New York back in, I don't know, 1960 or whatever. So he was a wealth of information, and he was a good teacher for me.

Sensei Robert: 14:37

Michael de Pasquale Sr. Is his name. His son is still in it. He has passed since. So that sort of took the first two styles and added two styles.

Sensei Robert: 14:49

From there I went to Filipino Martial Arts. Boden was the name of the teacher.

Alejandro: 14:56

Samuel Biscayne?

Sensei Robert: 14:56

Yes. He's actually a teacher at Yale University and he would take the time to teach and I got a bunch of style and skill from him. From there, when I first moved to Florida, there was this great teacher, Mickey Erez, and he was from the Israeli army. And he taught both the Israeli martial arts and also a style called Kyokushin, which is a very, very tough Japanese style. I would say it's just about the toughest style there is.

Sensei Robert: 15:33

Full contact. They're very, very good practitioners. And he introduced me to Mote Hornstein, which I believe you know. He's the world champion and heavyweight Kyoko Shin. He has the world record in breaking bats with his shin.

Sensei Robert: 15:49

In one minute, I think he broke like thirty two bats. You could see it on YouTube. So all that started to amalgamate. And then I showed you pictures of Eltin Barbosa, which is also a world champion, which I trained underneath him while he was teaching at my dojo. We sort of helped each other.

Sensei Robert: 16:08

He was he needed a sponsor for his immigration, so he we sponsored him. He taught. And at the same time, I achieved my belt in Brazilian jujitsu. So that sort of added on. So it's all and I could tell you several more stories but, know, we'll be here all day.

Alejandro: 16:24

Because I know RDCA, the style is ongoing. I think Derek and and Morgan and you're always refining. I remember we had to earn our degrees and and each belt has four combinations.

Sensei Robert: 16:37

Yes. Right?

Alejandro: 16:39

So as you get closer to that to your black belt, to to get your black belt, need to know all the combinations. So I remember there was always this change that sometimes made it hard for me to remember them, but I know that it's part of the whole style and the spirit of it, always improving the techniques right, that you guys are are putting out for each belt.

Sensei Robert: 17:02

Yes. Well, you know, one of the the big drastic moment was with the UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship because everybody didn't know which style was gonna fare the best. And they put this tournament the tournament was designed for a specific style to to excel. So since it has been evolved, but at that time, all practitioners of different styles came and tested their skills against each other. And that sort of elevated martial arts as it was.

Sensei Robert: 17:38

And then from there, once they've established that base, they started growing from there. And it's evolved quite a bit. The fighters that won back then probably would struggle today, and it's evolving. It's always evolving. Everything is always evolving.

Sensei Robert: 17:55

I think that the worst mistake you can make is to stay stuck in one specific type of thinking or and everything's evolving. I mean if you look about the AI revolution now, oh my gosh. I took some courses on AI and I talked to my attorney. My attorney has half of her workforce is AI now. It's all automated.

Sensei Robert: 18:22

They respond to emails, they draft up letters, they draft up cases and it's just incredible the progress that is being made. Luckily AI luckily or not luckily but AI cannot physically teach but they can certainly organize and help with the running of a dojo.

Alejandro: 18:43

We have to wait for Elon Musk's robots so they can assist you. That's right. In class.

Sensei Robert: 18:48

They have them dancing now. The robots are dancing now. So yeah. Sure.

Alejandro: 18:52

Dancing to martial arts, it's only a No.

Sensei Robert: 18:54

It's only

Alejandro: 18:55

So let's talk a little bit about the Academy. I mean, I I've been there and I know that the techniques are are fantastic, the the different type of classes. I know we do jujitsu, we do kickboxing, boxing, we do a combination of all these arts that we just spoke, that we went through are incorporated in all the techniques and we're always improving, which is which is great as as things evolve. Alright. I think that one of the things that really stands out from the Academy in Martial Arts is the character development that you have been developing for such a long time that I've experienced, I've seen, has helped me, I have been as I assisted teaching, I've seen you give out this character development and then the civic engagement.

Alejandro: 19:40

Let's start with character development.

Sensei Robert: 19:42

So the main theme, the martial arts is the foundation of the work that's being done there but the most important part is how it affects your students and how it develops their character. Because you have a very unique situation. You're basically taking young minds, showing them how to deal with chaos and danger, and how to train in order to overcome those fears and those anxieties. And during this process, wonderful thing happens, because they start to build their confidence, they start to understand how to answer to life's challenges, and they start to develop their core values. Now during that time, it's very important that you develop the core values because otherwise you're basically building a damage machine, like something to hurt.

Sensei Robert: 20:40

So they have to develop the values that are important. And for them to discern that now I'm becoming stronger, I'm becoming more effective, How do I use those skills? And I don't mean physically use, but it's really the confidence and the mental attitude that you can now start applying into your everyday life. And if you look at somebody like you and how you have risen from when you started the martial arts, Of course, I take full credit for all the things that you've done. But from the magazine that you had, working for the mayor of the city of Miami, for your MBA that you got, And there's so many I mean, I could go back and and now working, you know, for for the district and so on.

Sensei Robert: 21:27

There's so many things that you've accomplished that that, you know, from where you started and where you and where you are now, for us, we're so proud of that. We're so impressed with that. But I think part of your training helped with that. That's what I think. And we have many stories.

Sensei Robert: 21:46

We have of success stories that kids that come back to me says, oh my gosh, you know, the confidence that I got, the focus, the discipline are the things that help me. We have two students at MIT, one at the Naval Academy. We have a Yale graduate. We have one of the founders, the co founders of Google Cloud. I think you're aware of him.

Sensei Robert: 22:10

Just so many stories of engineers and so on that they went through our school as children and eventually developed to do something great, such as yourself, I think that it's wonderful success. And that's really the more important thing. The martial arts is I would think one of the better tools in order to get that result. But during the process you really have to mold it correctly so you get the right outcome. And the kids are succeeding.

Sensei Robert: 22:40

That's the major part of our school is children. I would say maybe three quarters of our population is children. The rest are adults and so on. But I think that's the major thing. The other thing you wanted to talk about is civic duty.

Alejandro: 22:59

But before that, you mentioned values.

Sensei Robert: 23:01

What

Alejandro: 23:03

are some of those core values that you're teaching?

Sensei Robert: 23:05

Excuse

Alejandro: 23:06

me? What are some of those core values that you're teaching?

Sensei Robert: 23:08

Having a proper life with moral values. So respect is really the foundational one. And then from respect, branch a whole bunch of them, includes the respect for their families and their parents and their teachers and their co students and society as a whole. So just respect just is a whole branch. And you teach them that from every little thing, like, just when you come into the school, have to bow.

Sensei Robert: 23:42

That's showing respect. When you speak to the teacher, have to say, please and thank you very much, sir. And you get them used to it. So respect is a big one. We try to also teach them accountability, which is very, very important.

Sensei Robert: 23:57

Be accountable for their uniform, for being on time, for being in class, for knowing their information, for being clean and well kept and presentable. So accountability is another also we send out a notice to promote when it's time for them to get their next belt. And if their parent or their teacher doesn't say they're being respectful, they're being responsible, they're doing their homework, their grades are good, then they don't get their belt. If there's any grade below a B in their report card they don't get their belt. Besides that, which is really the externals, we also teach them.

Sensei Robert: 24:38

As you know, Morgan's a life coach. She's And a very good life we also talk to them about what is happening internally in their mind and how to really fortify what they're trying to accomplish internally and how to build a solid foundation that they could you know, because when you walk through life, your one companion is your spirit. I mean, obviously, besides God, but your number one is your spirit, so your spirit's got to be right. You could teach somebody to be the perfect martial artist or the perfect student or whatever, but if your core values and your spirit is not there, then you're going to struggle. So we also try to build that, whether confidence internal conversation and so on.

Sensei Robert: 25:31

Done.

Alejandro: 25:32

That's it? No. Awesome. Awesome. And I know I've seen that you normally do this before class.

Alejandro: 25:37

Kids come in, they get ready, they turn into and their then there's this little moment where you sit down with them and you go, you have your whiteboard and you lay it all down and then the class begins.

Sensei Robert: 25:50

Yeah. So we have our courses split up into 12 lessons. It's one per month. It is also evolving. There's a coming out regarding that and there's a course coming out regarding that.

Sensei Robert: 26:05

And these 12 themes basically carry into everything that they like, for example, one of one of the main themes is determination. So they'll have we'll draw a figure and an image for them to capture. We have quotes from famous people and we have a historical reference of somebody that would have shown determination. And in fact the one that we have for determination is Mother Teresa which I got to work with in New York and I got to meet her and that was a wonderful experience in my life. So she is as one of my mentors, she is one of the stories, the historical figures that show determination.

Sensei Robert: 26:51

She really struggled with a lot of things and because of her I remember she would go into in in Sarajevo when they were having the the war there, and nobody would go into the the city. Everybody's scared. The white the Red Cross wouldn't go in. The UN forces wouldn't go in. And she she had there was a, orphanage that was there.

Sensei Robert: 27:14

And she said, I'm going in. And she said, No, there's people shooting that you can't go in. And she said, I don't care. And she went in and saved all those orphans and brought them out of the city. Because they were starving there.

Sensei Robert: 27:26

They weren't allowed they couldn't get food, couldn't get anything. So she's very determined, so she's a great story to tell to the kids. Mother Teresa.

Alejandro: 27:36

And I think this is a very important and strong aspect of your work because I remember I think you told us a story once that back in the day, like in feudal Japan, people had to wait outside dojos for like many, many months and then if you were allowed in, you could only watch or even washing the clothes of the Sensei was a major step, you know? And then you're taught one technique, just one, right? So all this process, I mean, in a way there's a lot of teaching that goes just in those things.

Sensei Robert: 28:11

Yes.

Alejandro: 28:12

I think you taught us you told us that story once.

Sensei Robert: 28:14

You know, it's nice to talk. There's actually a historical story, from somebody that I spent some time with. His name is Stephen Hayes and he really wanted he had heard something about ninjas and so on and he went to Japan to try to learn how to become a ninja. And and he had to go through the same thing. He went every day he went to the dojo.

Sensei Robert: 28:38

And and first of all, he wasn't Japanese. So there was no way they were gonna let him in to teach him all these secrets of ninjutsu. But he went every day and and for for months, he would go to the door and he'd sit outside and and they wouldn't let him in. They would finally, they let him in. Fast forward, he eventually, for a while, he became the Dalai Lama's bodyguard and he has spread his knowledge throughout the world.

Sensei Robert: 29:07

So, yes, these wonderful stories of the discipline nowadays we sort of get handed everything, which I'm sure there's got to be the struggle. Without the struggle, there's no learning. You need the struggle.

Alejandro: 29:21

-Clearly. Have determination, you have respect, you have all those things in the stories of how it used to be. So incorporating this into what you do is I think it's crucial to the work.

Sensei Robert: 29:32

I mean, otherwise then why would we you know, what is our purpose? Is my purpose to teach a skill and make money and move on? Or if I can make an impact and still make a living which is wonderful and transform somebody's life to something better, I mean, why not? That's for me is what's satisfying. That's very, very important.

Alejandro: 29:58

So No. It makes a 100% sense. Civic engagement. Yes. Let's talk a little bit about that.

Alejandro: 30:03

The dojo has been very civically involved.

Sensei Robert: 30:05

Very civically involved.

Alejandro: 30:07

And you personally as well.

Sensei Robert: 30:08

Yeah. Yes, I have. Short from running for mayor,

Alejandro: 30:12

which might be something.

Sensei Robert: 30:12

No, no, that actually, was recruited this this round by our dear and esteemed mayor Joe Rasco. But think Brett Moss is running this year, which

Alejandro: 30:23

is good you're part of the education board of the village?

Sensei Robert: 30:28

Let's see, let me back up a little bit. So we have different levels of involvement with our community and our village and so on. First of all, for many, many times when there's been a disaster, the whole dojo gets involved and we've filled containers of food, clothing, and so on. Some went to Afghanistan, some went to Haiti, some went to know, so one went to we've sent one to Africa. Derek went on the UN mission to Haiti, So he was there and he helped out.

Sensei Robert: 31:10

He's actually still working with the community in Haiti for putting in microgrids. So we have a small engineering company that we specialize in marginal villages that need electricity and clean water and so on. So So that's part of our there's that level. Then Lighthouse for the Blind, we taught martial arts to these kids that were blind. That was very interesting because you could say, hold it, punch like this, none of that goes out.

Sensei Robert: 31:46

You have to really learn a whole new vocabulary. That was a nice project with Karen Futernick. She brought them in. Miami Bridge. We've done a bunch of things with Miami Bridge, is those are foster children that really have like are now older and hard to find housing so the county sort of tries to help them out and they need everything from tents, chairs and we've done lessons there, we taught martial arts lessons there and so on.

Sensei Robert: 32:17

So that's that level. Then regarding

Alejandro: 32:20

Also, I may add, the black belt tests, the black belt tests they have sometimes they'll focus on a mission. I know that in one of the ones that I did we raised money to buy chairs for the dojo, for example, but it doesn't have to be like that. It could be an external mission too, which has happened before. They raised money for a particular cause

Sensei Robert: 32:38

Yes. Yeah, they're required. It's part of their black belt test. They have to do a community service project.

Alejandro: 32:46

There we go.

Sensei Robert: 32:47

They normally do a gift for the dojo.

Alejandro: 32:50

And the community service project.

Sensei Robert: 32:52

And a community service project so they do both. And we actually have a team coming in from Germany this year again so that that's always fun.

Alejandro: 33:02

Yes. That also has a story. Right? You have? No.

Alejandro: 33:07

The the Sensei Matias story. Oh, yeah. The Sensei. First.

Sensei Robert: 33:10

Yeah. So we met Sensei Matias. He

Alejandro: 33:12

But a little bit for those that don't know, Sensei Matthias

Sensei Robert: 33:14

is Are we still on Civic or

Alejandro: 33:16

Oh. Okay. Well, wait. We were talking about Civic, but then we digressed.

Sensei Robert: 33:20

No. Civic, it sort of involves Sensei Matthias.

Alejandro: 33:24

Okay. Okay. So Sensei, a little bit of the origin. Sensei Matthias is German, from Germany, and he came here and he showed up at the dojo.

Sensei Robert: 33:32

Right. He's a taekwondo and kickboxing European champion. He's also a bodybuilding champion. Matias Botov is his name. You can look him up.

Sensei Robert: 33:42

And he passed by the school one day, and he's a big, tremendous guy. I mean, he won the Arnold Classic for bodybuilding. He's just, He stood next to Arnold Schwarzenegger and he made Arnold Schwarzenegger look small. I have the picture. He came by and I said, oh, do want to come in?

Sensei Robert: 34:03

He says, no, I'm just a tourist. They're very broken English. I'm just a tourist. I just wanted to see what it looked like. Okay.

Sensei Robert: 34:08

Well, if you wanna come in, come in the afternoon. So he did come in for class, and he started to move. And we were all like, oh my gosh. This guy is very, very talented. And he trained with us and then he left.

Sensei Robert: 34:22

A week later, he comes back. I said, Oh, what are doing? He says, Well, we were in Orlando and they broke into our car. They stole our passport. They stole our money.

Sensei Robert: 34:33

They stole our luggage. I don't know where else to go. I don't know anybody in The United States except for you. So he stayed with us for a week, him and his girlfriend. They stayed with us for a week and we became very friendly and at that time Derek was testing for his black belt and he participated.

Sensei Robert: 34:56

And I remember my wife Lori looking at him and says, Don't you break my son. You know it's such an idiom. It's so big. It's scary. How big is he?

Sensei Robert: 35:05

And he says, Don't worry. He talks like Cardinal shirts saying, Don't worry. He would be fine. We are experts. So that started a friendship that he has come back every single year for the black belt test.

Sensei Robert: 35:22

Up to maybe three, four years ago, he has been coming to every single test, bringing his students to tests here. So it's been a really nice experience. At first, they were all staying at my house, and my wife finally said, That's enough of that. So then we actually rented a house here on the quay, Now they come and they stay at a hotel, off the quay.

Alejandro: 35:44

When he came to you, did he have an Academy before?

Sensei Robert: 35:46

Yes. Yes. It's a gym.

Alejandro: 35:49

It's a gym.

Sensei Robert: 35:49

A gym and a dojo attached to it, yes.

Alejandro: 35:54

So how did he get to use your logo?

Sensei Robert: 35:59

He asked.

Alejandro: 36:00

He just asked? Yeah. I was like, hey, can I?

Sensei Robert: 36:02

But he was extremely loyal, and he did not graduate any black belts without bringing them to us. And he came every year and became like a brotherhood, I would say. So, yeah, it was very nice. He had asked us, Oh, I really like the logo. Said, Do mind?

Sensei Robert: 36:22

I said, Yeah, sure. You can use it. He says, Oh, we're gonna be RDCA in Germany. He says that they're RDCA in Germany, an affiliate school.

Alejandro: 36:35

-And you've been? Have you been?

Sensei Robert: 36:37

-No, this is a very sore subject. That he's been here like 18 times and I haven't never gone to Yeah. So, yeah. Yeah. This is a sore subject.

Alejandro: 36:48

In the future.

Sensei Robert: 36:49

Yeah. Maybe in the future. Yes. When I get older.

Alejandro: 36:52

When you get older. Shall we life first?

Sensei Robert: 36:57

One more thing with the So I've been very fortunate because for some reason, village has given me some wonderful responsibilities, which include being the chair at the chamber, also being on the 2040 vision plan. That's right. 240 vision And also on the committee to build the community center. And now as chair of the Educational Advisory Board, which is if you're following what's happening with education, it is really very, very interesting. It's a very interesting time at this time.

Sensei Robert: 37:39

The voucher program and immigration and population has totally changed the dynamic of what's happening. And sixty five percent of all students do not go to their home school. They go to a charter or a magnet school or a private school. So the public schools are now, they're actually closing many of the public schools and trying to figure out what to do with them. Some of them, they're redeveloping, which includes affordable housing, which I showed you the pictures of that project.

Sensei Robert: 38:15

So the public schools find themselves in an arena where they have to compete with the private sector. And I think it's raising all ships, but there's a lot of turbulence at the particular moment. In fact, our junior high school here, we're down to, I think, 60 students out of eventual 400. And it's been a big vacuum. In total?

Sensei Robert: 38:43

In total for the whole junior high school. Yeah. There's some big changes coming, and I'm happy to be part of that civic project to improve the schools and see how we can raise their level. So there's some things that are working very, very well, but there's some things that really need to be readdressed.

Alejandro: 39:03

Awesome.

Sensei Robert: 39:03

Okay. So I think that's that's a good subject to

Alejandro: 39:07

To transition to Life Quest.

Sensei Robert: 39:09

Yes.

Alejandro: 39:10

So Life Quest. So as I mentioned, you're co author with your Yes. Daughter I see Morgan and Robert Duzoglou and it makes sense, you know, when you guys told me about LifeQuest and you guys launched it, it's a very natural thing to do considering all the moral values, all the teaching. I've seen Morgan many, many times consult students, only just with the Academy but with Life Changes. I've seen her advance her experience with coaching.

Alejandro: 39:40

So tell us about LifeQuest.

Sensei Robert: 39:44

So this is the character aspect that I was good? It's

Alejandro: 39:49

there? Well, it's there.

Sensei Robert: 39:54

Like I said, the mission with the martial arts was to really do the internal work, not just the external work, to do both.

Alejandro: 40:01

And it's a book, I just want to say it. Don't know if I said that.

Sensei Robert: 40:03

It's book.

Alejandro: 40:04

It's a book, yeah.

Sensei Robert: 40:04

And so the book was more geared for adults and basically to start exploring how we are able to achieve that vibration level internally and externally in your personal life. That's what the book is all about. And it takes you through a series of exercises and little

Alejandro: 40:32

Spaces to

Sensei Robert: 40:33

Spaces to write or things to answer. And I think it's a great process because it's not just a book you read and you put down. It's an interactive book that you really work and look at everything from external to internal as to how you're doing and how you can improve and so on.

Alejandro: 40:49

Yeah. That was one of the first things I noticed was that it was not just a book for you to read, it's for you to review and write. I mean, you cover the body, we have the mind, soul, spirituality and some of the things that

Sensei Robert: 41:03

All important. All important things.

Alejandro: 41:05

All important. From positive thinking, vitality, self care, some of the things you've mentioned to us already. Yes. Mind, very key. Communication, we've talked about that.

Alejandro: 41:16

Self acceptance, friendships and and the soul. We have a community, belief system Aren't you giving

Sensei Robert: 41:25

that book away? You're giving it to to the fifth caller? Or how does this work?

Alejandro: 41:30

Or you're If you

Sensei Robert: 41:32

your third sponsor, how does it work?

Alejandro: 41:34

For every if you're the third like no, I'm sorry. And we can get LifeQuest round on Amazon? Amazon, Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble?

Sensei Robert: 41:43

Yeah, sure.

Alejandro: 41:44

At the Dojo? Yes. Okay. Home delivery?

Sensei Robert: 41:48

You sign up for the Academy, you get it for free. It comes in the I actually do every signup gets one copy for free.

Alejandro: 41:54

Oh, that's great.

Sensei Robert: 41:55

That's great. That's good. That's cool. That's cool. So,

Alejandro: 41:58

Sensei, it's been great to have you on the show. I'm glad. I mean, I know that I see you constantly and it's great to continue a relationship outside of the dojo because I haven't I haven't trained in a while, but it's it's great to have you on the show and and dive a little deeper in in some of your background and be able to share that with our community. But before we go, we do have one more question. What is a perfect weekend for you in The Key?

Sensei Robert: 42:23

So I think it's important that I never forget or anybody ever forgets that we live in this tropical island with this fantastic weather and ocean on all four sides. So anything at all would involve the beach, the ocean, and the sun. I think that's very, very, very important. Then there's some fantastic food to eat here. I don't know if you've done Marcelo's ceviche.

Sensei Robert: 42:51

Mhmm. You know? Also, the to do pasta with the pizza. So, you know, or Costa Med, any of those great restaurants. So beach, restaurant, and that's that's all really that oh, one more thing.

Sensei Robert: 43:09

The two parks at either end. So a bicycle ride bill bags or Crandon feeding you know, I take my grandkids to feed the peacocks in Crandon and they actually eat out of your hand. So that's pretty miraculous.

Alejandro: 43:25

By the zoo. By the old zoo. Yes.

Sensei Robert: 43:27

Yeah. So I think that that would be included in there. So yeah. Perfect. There's family, the kids, the beach, and a good meal.

Sensei Robert: 43:37

That's everything. That's everything.

Alejandro: 43:39

Awesome. Awesome. Well, Sensei, again, let me thank you for coming on the show and sharing your story.

Sensei Robert: 43:44

Thank you for asking. It's been great to have you. Alright. Amen. Amen.