#2: Nicole Sawin: The intersection of social work and martial arts
Nicole Sawin (she/they) is a nonbinary and autistic 29-year-old living in Prince George, BC, where they work in child and youth mental health. They grew up in rural, northern Canada, completed their undergrad in Honors Sociology at McGill University, and finished their Master of Social Work at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). Nicole is the founder of Connection Martial Arts, a trauma informed kickboxing program that is an affiliate of The Conscious Combat Club.
To connect with Nicole:
Georgia and Nicole discuss:
- The differences and similarities between martial arts and social work
- Karate, kickboxing and body connection
- Martial arts and flow states
- Embodying confidence
- Boxing as bilateral stimulation (Please check out Danielle Salber who has done great work in this space! @daniellepopfitness @boxing_therapy_place)
- How Nicole includes dialectical behavioural therapy in their trauma informed kickboxing program
- What does trauma informed even mean?
- Neurodiversity in martial arts
- Being non binary in martial arts
- Small town dynamics
- So much more!
To get involved with the Conscious Combat Club:
- Free webinar about body connection in martial arts: https://www.consciouscombat.club/registration-page-42f55003-bf70-460d-876b-af7dc5c62a82
- Visit our site https://www.consciouscombat.club/
- Join the waitlist for Melbourne classes https://www.consciouscombat.club/naarm
- Join our online kickboxing classes https://www.consciouscombat.club/online
- Become a conscious combat coach https://www.consciouscombat.club/coaching
- Join our mailing list "Mat Chat' https://www.consciouscombat.club/mat-chat
- Join our facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/640626287248147
SUPPORT LINKS:
Some listeners might find parts of this conversation distressing. Please take care, link in your support networks, or refer to one of these organizations if you need:
Mental health support: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support
Domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support https://www.1800respect.org.au/
Sexism in sport https://www.respectvictoria.vic.gov.au/
DirectLine (Alcohol & Drug Support) – 1800 888 236 (24/7)
QLife (Queer-Specific Peer Support) – 1800 184 527 (3pm – midnight) – https://qlife.org.au/
Lifeline (Crisis Support & Suicide Prevention) – 13 11 14 (24/7)
http://www.lifeline.org.au/gethelp
Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga
