“One of the major ways of looking at martial arts is this: if it’s not working, let it go. Do something else.”
That isn’t the advice most of us expect from someone with over thirty years of martial arts experience.
We imagine martial artists as people who know how to fight. Jo Hall, CEO of Good to Go AB and founder of Mamori Budo, sees things rather differently. Years of training haven’t made Jo more eager for conflict; they’vemade them far more selective about entering it.
In this episode of the Women Emerging Podcast, Julia Middleton explores how martial arts became part of Jo’s Essence and how that essence continues to shape the way they approach difficult conversations, decisions, teamwork and confidence.
The conversation turns out not to be about fighting at all.
It is about knowing when not to.
Confidence Changes the Decisions We Make
One of Jo’s earliest reflections challenges a common assumption.
Martial arts, they explain, doesn’t give them confidence because it teaches them how to overpower people. It gives them confidence because it removes the need to prove anything.
When you know what you’re are capable of, every disagreement no longer feels like a contest that has to be won. You stop reacting from fear and start responding with judgement. Before stepping into conflict, Jo has learned to ask a different question: Is this a fight worth having?
That distinction feels surprisingly relevant in the workplace.
Many conflicts are not really about solving problems. They are about being right, protecting our ego or winning an argument. Jo suggests that real confidence often looks quieter than that. It creates enough security to walk away from the battles that don’t deserve your energy.
Being Better Than Yourself, Not Better Than Someone Else
Competition often teaches us to compare ourselves with others.
Martial arts taught Jo something different.
“I’m not here to be better than you. I’m here to be better than myself.”
It is a subtle shift, but an important one.
When success becomes about outperforming someone else, every interaction risks becoming a contest. When success becomes about continual improvement, other people stop being competitors and become partners in learning.
Julia reflects on how often organisations still rely on internal competition to motivate people. Rankings, comparisons and constant pressure to outperform colleagues can create short-term results, but they rarely build lasting trust.
Jo’s experience suggests another possibility: people grow faster when they are helping one another improve rather than trying to prove they are better.
The Best Teams Create Possibility
One of the most memorable parts of the conversation comes when Jo describes watching someone achieve something they believed was impossible.
In martial arts classes, new students are often convinced they cannot break a practice board or lift a heavier weight. Then, with the right coaching, they do exactly that.
The transformation isn’t physical.
It’s psychological.
Jo lights up when describing those moments because they reveal something important about helping others grow. The greatest reward isn’t personal achievement. It’s seeing somebody discover a capability they didn’tknow they possessed.
Julia immediately recognises the parallel.
The same thing happens in organisations. Some of the most satisfying moments come when a team moves from “We can’t do this” to “We’ve just done it.”
The role isn’t to perform for people.
It’s to create the space where they begin believing in themselves.
Flow Matters More Than Winning
Modern workplaces often celebrate outcomes.
Jo has spent years coaching elite athletes and noticed something different.
When speaking to international competitors from different sports, almost all of them described success in the same way. They remembered not the scoreboard but the feeling of complete flowāthose rare moments when everyone understood their role, trusted one another and moved towards the same goal almost effortlessly.
That observation extends far beyond sport.
Great teams are not held together by competition within the group. They are held together by shared purpose.
The best environments allow every individual to contribute differently while feeling equally valued. Some people stand at the front. Others quietly make everything possible behind the scenes. Both matter.
Perhaps that’s why Jo repeatedly returns to the idea of creating space.
Helping people flourish is less about directing every move and more about building the conditions where everyone can perform at their best.
Knowing More Often Means Realising How Much You Don’t Know
Towards the end of the conversation, Julia asks about black belts.
Many people assume earning one represents mastery.
Jo laughs.
The longer they’ve trained, the less significant the belts have become. Early confidence gradually gives way to something deeper: an awareness of how much there is still left to learn.
Julia sees an immediate parallel.
Professional life often follows the same pattern. Qualifications, promotions and experience can make us feel certaināuntil we realise that every new challenge reveals another layer of learning.
Perhaps expertise isn’t the moment we finally have all the answers.
Perhaps expertise is becoming comfortable with continuing to ask better questions.
What Jo Leaves Us Thinking About
This conversation begins with martial arts, but it ends somewhere much broader.
It asks whether confidence is really about dominance or whether it is about judgement.
Whether success comes from winning every battle or from recognising which ones deserve our energy.
Whether helping people grow is less about giving answers and more about creating the conditions in which they discover their own capability.
Perhaps the most surprising lesson is this: the strongest people are not always the ones who fight hardest.
Often, they are the ones secure enough to choose peace when everyone else is choosing conflict.
Listen to the full episode of the Women Emerging Podcast to hear Jo Hall reflect on martial arts, confidence, conflict, teamwork and why the strongest response is not always the loudest one.
About the Guest:
Jo Hall is the CEO and Founder of Good to Go AB and Founder and Chief Instructor of Mamori Budo. With over 30 years of experience in martial arts, fitness, coaching, and bodywork, they help people build strength, confidence, and resilience. Combining the roles of personal trainer, massage therapist, and coach, Jo delivers practical, results-driven guidance that empowers people to perform at their best and live healthier lives.
