76. You Are Worthy: How to be Phierce, Ambitious, and Win at Life with Heather Russell

This week we were joined by Heather Russell, a member of the Pure MMA family, and had a great time talking about her ambitious approach to life. Heather's ambition to be incredible started at a young age and stayed with her throughout her life.  Heather's growth as an individual came when she was introduced to Martial Arts. By occupation, Heather is a corrections officer in a max security jail, which houses both male and female inmates. Immediately, Heather recognized that she needed to learn self-defense and took a week-course in Krav Maga. Upon completion, Heather fell in love with Krav Maga and continued her training.  Martial Arts has given Heather the confidence to defend herself both inside and outside of work; she shares a rad story of how she broke up a fight between two inmates. Heather's  love for martial arts has led her to starting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; her rationale is simple, she wants to be well-rounded. Outside of corrections, Heather helps her husband at their fitness/martial arts gym called Phalanx Phitness in Wharton, NJ, and also runs a program called Phierce Phemale, which "encourages women to build themselves into the badass they know they are meant to be". Heather's goal is to help women gain the confidence she has via martial arts and self-defense. Finally, we further learn about Heather's mental toughness as she recounts her participation in the "Police Unity Tour" in which she and other officers biked from New Jersey to Washington DC over four days. Heather's grit, discipline, and never-die attitude are inspiring, and we know you will enjoy her story as much as we did. Enjoy!