For the Love of the Map
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For the Love of the Map
Episode 25: Coach Mindy - Loki, Life, Portals, and Supernatural
With a blend of humor, personal anecdotes, and practical tips, this episode is sure to captivate and inspire. Tune in for an engaging dialogue with our special guest, Mindy Lai, and discover the joy and innovation she brings to the world of fitness.
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Welcome to episode 25. Today we have a very special guest. We're so excited we have Mindy Lai here, a Supernatural Coach. So hi, Mindy Marla and. I are so glad that you're on the podcast with us today.
Mindy:I'm so grateful to be here, so excited to chat with us today. I'm so grateful to be here, so excited to chat with you guys.
MJ:Yeah, it's so interesting to me because before we decided to invite you on, of course, we had to go do a big deep dive on who is Mindy. I want to know all the things about her background. You know, like we know you're you're a boxer, you're a boxing coach, so obviously you have boxing experience. But I was fascinated to learn that you moved to the United States, to Texas, when you were nine, from Taiwan. Right Am I am.
MJ:I confirm that I'm correct, at least before I start going Sure, you have been a dancer since you were a little child. That dance is a big part of your life. You were a professional dancer and that's how you ended up in New York city, right?
Julia:Yes, Correct, Ding ding ding for all of that. We're going to make stuff up, so you just tell us if we're making it up, or if it's your real life, perfect, um, it was.
MJ:It was so cool to look at all the different dance pictures we could find, and I know julia will pop a lot of them up here on the screen, if you're on youtube watching. Yep, sorry, we found some really old ones. No, they're all great.
Julia:All great.
MJ:It was great to see you can see your personality shining through in the dancing, sort of just like the Instagram stories you post where you're just having fun doing little dances with other coaches. Or you're just showing us your day-to-day life in New York City, which, those are my favorite posts that you make is when you make your your vlogs. They're just fantastic Subway with your plants, you know always, always the crazy plant lady.
Julia:Yeah, yeah.
Mindy:That's me.
MJ:Oh man. So when you went from dancing to boxing I know that was more of like get more well-rounded training right and exercise. Could you explain that to us? How did you find boxing?
Mindy:Sure. So I've been in dance for many, many years and it was a dance teacher that was just like, hey, you need to cross train and get your cardio up. And very direct and straightforward. And I was like, oh, okay, I guess I'm not looking so great. So I tried running. That was a disaster for me. I don't know how Coach Leanne runs all the time she's a superhero. But when I run I just like, oh, I'm hot, like my ponytail is bothering me, the sun is hurting my face, like my socks are uneven, like anything to get me to stop, kind of, um, yeah, the views are nice sometimes, but it could also be nice, like in a car, like on a bicycle, um, yeah.
Mindy:So I was looking for an outlet to enhance my cardio training so I could be better on stage and look stronger, and I found boxing. It was actually one of my dance friends. She was like you should try this and sure enough, I stepped into a ring and did some mitts with this coach and I fell in love. And there's actually a huge similarity from boxing to dance. For those that have done both, it's about remembering combinations, how to move your body fully, how to execute with technique and having a strong foundation and base and building off of it. So I found that really comforting and I think I just fell right into it. And it was funny when my mom like saw me get into boxing she was like it all makes sense now because you're so happy all the time Like you've got to take it out.
Julia:That's interesting. I didn't know that boxing and dance went kind of hand in hand that way. So you taught me something today. I didn't know that.
Mindy:Um, I can't say I've seen any like professional dancer transition to boxers or anything like that. But um, there are definitely similarities that make it a little bit easier for us.
MJ:Okay, do you teach boxing outside of Supernatural, by chance or no Supernatural?
Mindy:I do. Oh, do you? Okay, yeah, so I do a lot of um of personal training, one-on-one. So my boxing background I'm sure you guys know I trained with George Foreman III it isn't Big George with a grill, but one of his sons. He helped me start my boxing and fitness career, so I'm very, very grateful to him for that. I learned everything I know for group training, fitness group training, from him and also the basis of my boxing technique, and all of that comes like straight from him. But, yeah, so from the gym that I worked at with George Foreman I have clients that have stayed with me for many years and we do either strength training or we do boxing training with mitts where I get to like hold the pads and all that stuff. So I do a lot of that, and then I also teach at a small gym in the city.
MJ:That's cool. That is really cool. And I've seen you put some of your clients in the headset to work out and do boxing and supernatural, which I think is really cool. So you know you get to to train them in in multiple ways in person and in the headset.
Julia:What did your clients?
MJ:think of that when you know they've been working with you and you're like I'm doing this virtual reality thing now, where they're like you're doing what?
Mindy:Yeah, they were blown away. I mean, I will say for myself my personal story was supernatural. Actually, one of my clients who I was doing myths with during 2020, he was like like, hey, like I've been doing this thing on VR. It's really cool, I really want you to see it. And I was like, uh, no, dude, like I don't do video games, like I don't know what VR is like. No, thank you.
Mindy:And um, it took about like I think a good three months um for him to get me into headset. Like we trained outside in multiple parks and sometimes we'll train at his gym at home. And so one day he literally like at the top of our session, brought down the headset and I was like, oh, what are we doing? He was like I just need 10 minutes after our session for you to try this. And I was like, okay, and I put the headset on.
Mindy:You guys, I fell in love probably the same exact feeling that you guys had when you first tried supernatural. Um went home like called my brother and was like, hey, have you heard of this like virtual reality thing? And he was like, yeah, I'm thinking about getting it. And I was like I'm ordering one right now and I'm going to get this game called supernatural and it just took off from there and I became a member of the community, saw the incredible posts on supernatural um on Facebook and just followed all of that and yeah, so I was a community athlete first. Okay, yeah, for a little bit. Yeah, it was very, very cool that is cool.
Mindy:It was a short little overlap, but I'm so grateful for it because it gave me an opportunity to get to know everyone or stalk everybody.
Julia:I don't know if that makes sense. Exactly, stalk, you're laboring towards stalking cult here. It's fine, it's totally fine, we get it.
MJ:Oh gosh.
Mindy:But yeah. So after having myself go through that experience, I understand the pushback people have for VR, and when I get my clients into it I tell them I'm like, listen, I did not believe in this at all, but literally tried it and fell in love, and now I'm part of it, which is the greatest gift I could ever ask for.
Julia:That's crazy. I love that. You were like no, thank you.
MJ:And then he was like no, you're going to get in this like 10 minutes.
Julia:You know I love that. It was forced upon you and then, once you knew the greatness of it, you were like, okay, now I get to word vomit on everybody about supernatural Cause. That's what we feel like we do to people after you know, if we get around somebody and it gets brought up, it's like stay calm, just tell them like it's really fun, but don't go crazy about it. You need to find this right now.
Mindy:Yeah, it was so crazy and I, I thank him every day. I'm just like I can't believe, like it was you. Like, if you didn't't, like, if he hadn't gotten me into headset, like I mean, I don't know if I would be here, because I, I knew a little bit more than what, like this listing asked for, like for a coach, you know um I'm sure he thinks it's like the greatest thing, that he was the one that was like well, you know, yeah, you have to try this, you have to try it.
MJ:He's probably over there like yes, that's my coach she got a job there. It's all on you.
Mindy:It's true. It's true. I owe a lot to him. That was for sure.
MJ:Man, that's great, I it. It gives me a whole new respect for you. Not that I didn't have respect for you prior, but knowing that you were one of us first, before you became a coach, like my heart just skipped a beat a little bit. I'm like oh man, you were one of us first. I didn't know that.
MJ:I didn't know that either, and I think that is something the community is going to enjoy. Hearing that you were an athlete with us in the community before you even got a job at Supernatural, I think that's just so cool, so cool, so cool. It's like you loved, you love this here. First, you know you love. Supernatural for what it was before. It was your job Not saying the other coaches don't love it too. We know that you can tell um yeah it's really neat that you were a community member first so cool, yeah, wow.
Julia:so before we get like into the all supernatural stuff, I want to back up just a little bit so we can get to know you a little bit more about some of the things. So you're, you're kind of a mama. You're like a plant mama we talked about plants and you're a dog mama. You're Loki. You take Loki a lot of places. Y'all travel a lot. Yes, but, you're also a sourdough mama.
Mindy:Yes, that that is what I'm trying to be. I'm a new mother to a sourdough baby. That is fussy.
MJ:Is that a good word, fussy?
Mindy:Yes, it's colic a little right. Yeah, You've seen Ditto, so you know. I mean, I don't know what's happening with him.
Julia:We'll have a consult later. I have another idea for Ditto, and I did promise you that I would have a name for my sourdough. I've had a sourdough starter for like three or four years. Her name is charlotte. So she's been in the refrigerator because of you. You inspired me to get her back out and I'm going to make a loaf this week, so I fed her. She's getting active now.
Mindy:Oh my gosh, I can't wait to see it. I'm going to show it to Ditto and be like aspire to be Charlotte one day.
MJ:That's awesome. I love that You've got to talk to the babies, you know.
Julia:You do.
MJ:You've got to help them and give them inspiration and they grow big and strong.
Mindy:So I think having Charlotte around will be impactful for Ditto for sure. I think so too. I think this will be big things. They can have FaceTime dates, that's right VR dates.
Julia:Yeah, vr dates, that's so funny yeah, vr dates.
MJ:That's amazing. Your dog loki she brought loki up about how he goes and travels around the city with you guys. He was also in greece when you got engaged and I was like is her dog with her, because I love her even more that she has her stock. That's so adorable how is it?
Mindy:he's a good boy, he, oh gosh, I think we're just so, so lucky that he's such a good boy and I think he knows. So I have like four backpacks for him and, depending on the occasion, so we have like the airplane backpack, which he can like totally sprawl out and that's how he travels to Greece. Um, then we have the adventure backpack, which is the one where I like strap him on and he's like his head is like right here popping out. We go like scootering on it, bicycle, um, hiking, um. So he knows when we pull out which bag, like what kind of day is going to be.
MJ:That's incredible. That's incredible, so smart.
Mindy:So quiet.
Julia:He's napping right now, or I'd wake him up that much of a part of your life that he's not like. Okay, go in the kennel, we're going to go on our adventure, like your dog is part of everything that you guys do and I love to see that for Loki. That's really cool that you have a dog. That's number one. Small enough that you can do that. And two that she's just a good doggy.
Mindy:Yeah, he's a very good boy. No, that's okay. I mean, I never really asked him for his pronouns, so I should probably do that. Um, yes, they are very loving and um, but yeah, we're very, very lucky and I think I just like I know not everybody gets to do this, but it happens like he is small and I can take him places and um, you know, they live a short life and I just want him to like see it all and experience it. Um, I mean, there are days we have to leave him at home cause he obviously can't go to like a Broadway show or the ballet. Um, but I make sure he like has his little like Loki playlist and, um, yeah, he loves adventuring. He's a great hiker for a little guy. For sure, he like parkours off these rocks. That's great, incredible.
Julia:That's incredible. That's so cute yes.
MJ:The best pet parent because you make him a part of your life and not, like you said, you're lucky that you can do that. But a lot of people don't don't do that and I got to know does he have a favorite kind of adventure to go on or favorite kind of thing activity to do, or he just likes to be in the park?
Mindy:Oh gosh, I think he is attached to us, so probably that also. But he loves Central Park, you guys. It's like before nine and after nine dogs can be off leash. And he loves it there because there are so many squirrels. And he loves it there because there are so many squirrels.
Mindy:It's the only place in the city that has all of those squirrels. I mean like we don't have as much space. That's amazing. I mean trees, but when we go there he just runs around and he loves it. So, yeah, I think that's his favorite adventure.
MJ:That's great, that's so awesome. Wow, and we assume he's definitely going to be a big part of your wedding, right? Maybe he might?
Mindy:have a little outfit. Oh, my goodness.
Julia:Like carrying the ring, like what's happening here.
Mindy:I mean, I would love some ideas because, yeah, I think that we need to do something like that, but it's like, how do we execute it so it doesn't fall off? I know, oh, you know how to do it.
Julia:You put a wagon and then you put a little pillow with a collar yes, and you can have the flower girl. Bring him in if you want a flower girl. I didn't have a flower girl because I just didn't have time for all that, but a wagon.
Mindy:I love that A wagon can work. That's right, okay, okay, he's got a fit, so he's got to. He's got to participate.
MJ:It's got to be a big part of your. It's a big day for for all three of you coming official. It's going to be great. I can't wait to see pictures. Can't wait to celebrate you, oh man so exciting.
Mindy:Yeah, we're very, very excited. We're going to have some special guests there.
Julia:So, cool, it's going to be a great day for you guys. I know you're looking forward to it. So we are a big, huge nickname people Almost everyone we know they have nicknames. I have a nickname, marla has a nickname. Everybody calls her Marla, but she has a wall of text. It's a whole. I can't explain it.
Mindy:Let us know, Marla.
Julia:What is it?
Mindy:What's your favorite one?
MJ:None of them. None of the things they have on this list is my favorite.
Julia:Supernatural user is her favorite one.
MJ:So I'll have to show it to you. It's pretty intense. Mj Mars, my dad calls me Mars Marla. I love Mars. Those are my favorite probably nicknames for myself personally that others have given me. So the thing about nicknames in our world you cannot nickname yourself, that's right.
Julia:Someone else has to give you the nickname.
MJ:So we were wondering do you have a nickname, maybe one that your parents may have called you, or one of your best friends?
Mindy:Yeah, you do, I do. I feel like you guys are going to be blown away.
MJ:I'm ready, we're ready, are you ready?
Julia:Ready, ready, ready. Are we ready? Am I ready? I'm so ready.
Mindy:Okay, well, mindy is actually my nickname, it's not my real name.
Julia:When is your nickname? Are you allowed to say this? What happened? It's not my real name. Oh, and when is your nickname? Are you allowed?
Mindy:to say this. What time are you allowed to say this? So Mindy is not on any official documents other than like when sometimes I think in your passport maybe they say other names you're known by. No, not even your passport. It's when you apply for stuff like a driver's license. They'll be like other names you're known by, and that's where mindy goes. My real name is actually um mingwen, and that's on all of my official documents, um.
Mindy:So it's yeah, it's kind of like a, I guess like a rite of passage, um, in taiwan, that at some point you get an English name, and so I was given Mindy, like when I was like nine we were just about to come to the States Cause it's a little more difficult for people to pronounce your name when it's in Chinese, which it's fine, you know. So, yeah, mindy is actually my nickname, but I have nicknames on top of Mindy, I'm sure. But yeah, so I know, are you blown away? Yeah?
MJ:I was not expecting that, but I think that's really neat to know We've been calling you by your nickname this whole time. We've been friends since by your nickname. This whole time We've been friends, since you started Supernatural, we just didn't even realize, you know.
Mindy:I actually don't even think the coaches know that. So that's something for the exclusive They'll find out.
Julia:That's what you need to tell them. If you watch this podcast, you'll find out my nickname. And then they'll be mad because you're like, they'll be like really, that's what I call you all the time oh, that's great, it's true.
Mindy:Um, yeah, so on top of Mindy, I guess um people call me Min, mark calls me Min or Min sometimes, now, which I'm like where did that come from?
Julia:I don't really know. I can hear Mark calling you men's.
Mindy:That's like yeah, yeah, for sure. The kids I were, I was on tour with, they call me men or mini.
MJ:That's cute. Okay, I could see that. I can see that.
Mindy:I might have to steal that one Mini.
MJ:I like that.
Mindy:Yeah, so they're all very like. You know when people call you by your nickname're all very like. You know when people call you by your nickname it's very like. Yes, gives me like tingle in my heart makes you feel loved and seen.
MJ:You know like, yes, someone sees you differently than you see yourself. Like, yeah, it's sort of deep if you really think about it. You just think it's a casual okay, they just shortened my name but it's actually a a deep, meaningful connection you have with someone If they give you a nickname. Um, it's yeah it isn't, it is for sure, for sure. Uh, Julia, you didn't share your nicknames.
Mindy:Oh, why are you? Oh, my nickname is.
Julia:Sweet Tea. My nickname is Sweet Tea because I'm a Southern belle. You know I'm very Southern and you know proper. So somebody came up with Sweet Tea in a party call one day. Everybody's like you're Southern and so I'm Sweet Tea. I don't really drink Sweet Tea. I drink unsweet tea, which is everybody would be like ew, that's disgusting, but I'm Sweet Tea.
Mindy:You are. I can see that I like that. Yeah, a hundred percent Sweet tea.
Julia:Yes.
MJ:And she's always so sweet and kind and your accent and you know it. Just, it just fit and made sense and it's kind of stuck sense, which I think is really cool. Speaking of tea, I got to know are you a coffee or a tea person?
Mindy:I'm a tea person.
MJ:Are you Fair enough?
Mindy:Yeah, I love the smell of coffee though Yanni makes coffee every morning and I just like smell it. I'm just like it smells so good, it starts my morning too. But it's's just so bitter, guys, it is so bitter.
Julia:Oh my gosh, maybe we need to find you some like really good beans to grind, maybe.
MJ:Okay, maybe not. Yeah, I'd be willing to try.
Mindy:I love the smell of it.
Julia:Marla, and I love coffee.
MJ:We're like diehards Like.
Julia:when Marla goes on a trip, she takes her coffee maker with her, I do.
MJ:We drink two and three cups a day.
Julia:I don't know if that's healthy or not. I feel like it is. It's water.
Mindy:It's bean water. Yeah, it's bean water. There's nutrition in there.
MJ:True, I do enjoy tea, though, matcha tea or earl grey tea. Earl grey tea reminds me of my grandmother, so sometimes it's a comforting thing um but I'm mostly a coffee drinker. What's your favorite tea?
Mindy:um matcha, oh yeah, yeah, I make it at the studio. Um, we have a little whisk. Um, I think I like the process of it, yes, like it's probably similar to you guys when you, I guess, guess, grind your coffee beans and all of that. But it's like you know, you pour the powder and then I never went to school for it or anything like that. I know there's a certain technique, but you get to like froth the tea at the start, like when it's just with like room temperature water, and then make it bubble a little, and then you add the hot water and then you like like fully froth it. I think it's really fun.
MJ:So I really enjoy it. A relaxing ritual, sort of like, centers your mind while you're making yourself a cup of tea. I love that.
Julia:Yeah you're so right. Yeah, I have an espresso maker and I actually make like designs and stuff on the top self-taught barista. She's fancy, so I understand that you have to go through this process. So I'll send you a link for the beans and you can send me a link for matcha. I've never tried it and I've heard like it can be gross to some people, so I don't want to buy the wrong one, I want to buy a good one, and I know you must probably know a good one.
Mindy:So we'll link up, I'll share for sure. Well, you know what? For whenever we get to, all of our meet and greets, when we get close to you, I will make you one.
Julia:I'm so excited.
Mindy:Let's go.
Julia:I love that. And the next question is something I have to ask every guest on the podcast, because I love this question and it might be hard for you to answer, because I know you love food. What is your favorite food?
Mindy:Guys, it's very difficult. It is. I love food, I do. I love being adventurous with food and trying different things. I have FOMO with food If I see someone else having something and I'm like whoa that looks good. I'm going to have some. That's why now I'm like on the pop of corn, of corn on a cob popcorn. Um cornbread, corn soup, corn tortillas corn flakes, guys corn corn for everything frozen corn, canned corn oh my gosh, I used to just sit canned corn mexican street corn.
Julia:I was gonna say do you like the street corn?
MJ:yes, I say it smells like, though, but it's what's from the cheese. The yeah, the cheese. Oh, I've never experienced that yes, the cheese? Yes, because it's like parmesan, almost so. So, I think that's why I've never heard that before Dahlia.
Julia:You like foot corn, I like foot corn.
Mindy:I like hand corn. Corn ears, corn ears, ears of corn.
Julia:Oh, that's so funny, oh man I love what. I thought you would say I love that it's corn. No, I love corn.
MJ:I don't think a lot of people know you have like a secondary social media account on Instagram that is solely related and all about food, and I absolutely love it, absolutely love that account. Anytime you post on there, I'm like yes, yes, you show different snacks that you get from all over. You can tell You're a salty person over a sweet person, aren't you?
Mindy:I am.
MJ:I'm a salty girl, I feel you, I feel you're off yeah.
Mindy:Sweet and salty.
MJ:Oh, I do too.
Julia:I didn't even know you had this account. So when we get off of here I'm going straight to follow you.
MJ:Everyone is.
Julia:I hope that my expectations aren't let down. I'm ready to go. Look at all this. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Let me post some stuff while we're here.
Mindy:Yeah that that account is full of lots of things that I think COVID made me do it. Covid made me do it. Is that a hashtag? Yes, guys, I started a TikTok the secondary account and then I started Loki's account. Am I crazy? I'm pretty crazy.
MJ:None of them are consistent crazy. None of them are consistent.
MJ:You give us content and I enjoy it, whether it's consistent or not, which I thought was so cool, because you did a reels or a series or I don't know how you guys would call it, but in Supernatural, on the Supernatural Instagram account, where you had all the coaches trying all these weird combinations yes, Wasn't it eggs and peanut butter? Someone ate that? It was this whole thing and I thought how cool is that? Because they really are taking you or real Mindy, you know your interest and ingraining them within with the other coaches and getting that involvement in. I loved that reel that you guys made. That's how I found your food account actually, oh, really Yep, that's funny.
Mindy:That's how I found it yeah that's pretty cool. Yeah, so I love peanut butter, which I've expressed, I think, to many people as well. Oh, I also love peanut butter, so corn and peanut butter. I haven't tried that.
MJ:I was about to say have you tried it together?
Julia:I feel like I should.
Mindy:You're going to have to.
MJ:You have to now. I'm going to be mind blown.
Mindy:That's it. You're right, that's Inspiration. But I was doing like peanut butter sandwiches, I think for a story or something, and I was like, oh guys, what else do you have with your peanut butter? And all of these options came flooding in and I was like some of these are gross and I don't want to do it by myself.
Julia:And so I was like who will do it with me? This is how I Think of a question. So when you and all the coaches are together I know you all got together with, like the choreographers and some behind the scenes people just recently Are you like the put your head down, guys, we need to work person, or are you like we're gonna party and act crazy? Which one are you and y'all are together?
Mindy:She's like um, I don's like um, I don't know, I don't know, I am a good one when people, when we are seated, like I'm like proper, but like as soon as it's like a break, I'm like, okay, snacks. Like should I order some snacks for us? Like I, I brought these. Like do you guys want to try these? Um, it's always, it's a party.
Julia:I like to think I have both sides balance yeah, balance people under the table or like blowing straw paper.
Mindy:While it's supposed to be serious, you're out oh my gosh, no, I, I could not dare. Oh my gosh, I'm sweating just thinking about doing that.
Julia:That's bad. I'm a good girl. I am too.
MJ:I was always the teacher's pet.
Julia:I did what I was supposed to do.
Mindy:Yeah, marla hasn't said anything. I wonder if she has a different experience. Were you the teacher's pet or?
MJ:No, well, hmm, this is oh, you know, I think, no, I'm not the teacher's pet, but I'm a serious person. I try to be balanced. When it's work time, it's work time and we're getting work done. I don't want to mess around, but as soon as it's time for a break, I'm like you. I'm like messing about, want snacks, want to just goof off, but as soon as that, you know it's time to get back to work. My head is back in the game. Don't distract me.
Julia:Okay, that's so true. When we get in a party, call Marla's like uh-uh, everybody, stop talking, stop laughing, we need to pick a workout. Everybody get together, be quiet. And then when the workout starts's like no, you count us in, first count us in, and then everybody can. She's like everybody be quiet. So marla is, and I love that about her because she's like I love it in the court because I'm like let's get to working out, we're wasting 15 minutes chattering which I love.
MJ:I want to chat with y'all I really do but we also want to work out.
Julia:She's like my heart rate's going down. I know We've got to get busy here. Can we get to? I love it.
Mindy:I love it. It's Mars, sweet tea and men's together at the table.
MJ:It's going to be good, we get a lot done and have a lot of fun goofing off with lots of snacks. So I think it would be like an ideal work little session that day.
Mindy:Yeah.
MJ:They love us? Yeah, they love us. Great, I think so, which makes me go automatically. Think about my next question If you've got earbuds in your ears, right, say you're going about your life whether it's cleaning the house, going on the subway. Are you listening to music? Are you listening to a podcast? Are you listening to an audio book? I think this tells a lot about someone.
Mindy:I'm mostly listening to music if I'm in the house and doing cleaning and all of that. But I will tell you this is like a big tip for anybody that is visiting New York or thinking about moving to New York I tend to just put my earbuds in and not listen to anything, just so I can hear my surroundings, and then if someone is calling out, I can choose to ignore that, but be aware that they are there. Yeah, so this is something I picked up from, like, living here, and so sometimes they're just decoration, but um, but if I'm listening to something, it's music.
Julia:I wonder if that works for my kids, it works for the.
Mindy:try it out, let's do it, I do that at the grocery store.
MJ:Try it out, let's do it. I do that at the grocery store sometimes because I don't know what it is my whole life. People just talk to me. It's your friendly looking, yeah, I have kind eyes and people just want to have full on huge conversation. I'm like, wow, great, first time I'm seeing someone and I'm hearing their entire life story and I'm just trying to buy my groceries and get home before my ice cream melts.
MJ:Okay, so I will put earbuds in and not listen to things, because, like you, I want to hear my surrounding.
Julia:Yes, you're everyone's safe space, marla. So that is a good tip. You're everyone's safe space, marla. You're everyone's safe place.
MJ:I try to be I try to leave space for others.
Julia:But sometimes I can't.
MJ:I just can't. I'm like I need to get in the grocery store really quickly and I smile and Chris is like smile at them, marla, and they're going to talk to you.
Julia:They're going to talk to you.
MJ:I'm like no, true. He's like don't make eye contact with anyone. I need you to come back with the ice cream in 10 minutes. And then, two hours later, he's like really, really, what happened today?
Mindy:who did you meet? You forgot your ear pods yeah, I, I think I'm similar in that way. Um, I just tried to keep myself available, so like. Yeah, like in the subway, a lot of people ask me for directions and I'm always so happy to give them because I don't want you to be lost in New York and get a bad experience. And then people talk about how New Yorkers are mean and all of this. I'm always standing there just like okay, someone's going to need help.
MJ:I'm here to help.
Julia:You're a Southern New Yorker. I love that You're the Southern New Yorker. We need to make you a shirt.
MJ:The Southern New.
Julia:Yorker, I will help you. I may help you If I get your butt maybe a tag so I can like always have it on me. That's a good idea you can take it off if you're not feeling it that day.
Mindy:Yeah, I'm feeling permanent about this. Like you know, the shirt, if it gets dirty, then I can't wear it, like if I had a pin, I can, can you know, always have it.
MJ:That's so funny and wipe it clean with some anti-material wipes. Spray it down.
Mindy:That's right. Yes, you got it.
MJ:Oh man, that's great. So music, what kind of music are you listening to?
Mindy:I have this amazing playlist that I've put together for many, many years. It's called All the Feels.
MJ:I have a playlist named All the Feels. I think we all have a playlist named All the Feels Twins Yay, I love it.
Mindy:I think it's because most of the time I'm listening to music that we're curating for Supernatural, or I'm listening to music to push my clients while we work out, and everything is very much at this level, and so when I get the opportunity, I'd like to listen to things that like touch a side of me that maybe I don't always get to have. And while I'm cleaning, like it's fine if I cry while vacuuming, like that's real.
Julia:It is so real. Yes, Because you don't want to vacuum like aggressively.
Mindy:You know that's right, you're right, it's true. It's true. We got to be emotional and vulnerable and just be open when we vacuum. That's the lesson learned here, yeah.
Julia:So when you're actually working out in the supernatural, do you have a favorite category like a mood booster or a joy workout or break stuff that you enjoy coaching?
Mindy:Yes, my favorite is always Pop Till you Drop. Oh yes.
Julia:I love pop music. It always gets me there and it takes me up and it brings me down. So sorry, Wasn't your first workout a Pop Till you Drop.
Mindy:Yes, yes, it was On August 22nd 2022.
Julia:It's easy to remember because of the twos.
MJ:Because of the twos I was like no, the twos.
Julia:That is so cool, that's easy to remember, I know.
Mindy:Yeah, that's right, that's right.
MJ:Taylor Swift song, and I think it was the first time we got a Taylor Swift song. Yes, supernatural.
Julia:Yes, I was a Swiftie. Yes, with.
MJ:Supernatural. Yes, I was switched, yes, yes, and I thought, wow, this is really cool.
Mindy:So yeah, yeah, I'm still waiting for that, are you?
MJ:serious. I was going to say go ahead.
Mindy:Gosh, guys, we got to just we got to just channel the energy. She's just so busy. So I remember, like probably a year and a half ago I think, we were in contact with her peeps and they just said like it wasn't the right time. And now it all makes sense, right? She was gearing up for the tour and she was freaking, re-recording everything that she has. So hopefully the timing will be right very soon. Fingers crossed.
MJ:But yeah, I know we have this interesting thing that happens is we'll talk about something on the podcast, like just put it out into the universe, and then suddenly it happens and we get that thing. It blows our minds, yeah, and so I'm all for going ahead and putting that energy out into the world right now. And hopefully good things will come from it. Yeah.
Mindy:Taylor Swift artist series. Taylor Swift guest star. And you know we are here for you, tay, work out with us. Is it okay if I call you Tay, is it okay?
MJ:if I call you Tay.
Julia:That's not funny.
MJ:Give her her nickname. There you go. Is it safe to say?
Mindy:that you like coaching to pop music the most, or should I not assume that I think I like coaching to pop music the most because I tend to be most familiar with those tracks? But I do love it when we have like EDM or the rap attacks. Yes, team rap, yep, like rap attack really puts me in the mood for boxing as well. You know, it's that gritty, that grounded vibe, um, and then the edm is just like it helps a you know choreography to go crazy. Right, it like really motivates it. Um, yeah, so we get the music before, um, we get the choreo, and so what I tend to do is I literally just like listen to these playlists on repeat and become familiar with them. So I know when the music drops and when they are saying inappropriate words and you know all of those things. So I become familiar with it, and then, once I get the choreography, it really does help me guide and voiceover through the tracks.
Julia:Okay, and to your coaching.
MJ:I find this so fascinating because we do the same thing. I was going to say that too. Yeah, we do the exact same thing. So every day I mean, whether it's a pro, we do this, especially with pros only workouts. Okay, because we find that if we know the music, it helps us anticipate what's going to happen or be ready for what's going to happen. But also if we're trying to master a particular workout, we will just listen to the music on repeat Every day. We start the day looking in the app what are the new WODs, what are the new workouts? Let's listen to the playlist and I just think it's so cool that.
MJ:That's how you start. You do it. Yeah, it is. Yeah, all of us, even the choreographers.
Julia:So it's like you know it makes so much sense that we're all doing the same thing.
MJ:That's so cool.
Mindy:And and I think that makes you guys dancers because, yeah, you become familiar with the music and with the beat, even if you're not counting it. But yeah, being in dance like that was I think I got that from dance it's becoming familiar with your surroundings. Basically, right, it's you and the music. So you guys are dancers.
MJ:Look at you go we've never been told we're dancers.
Julia:This is the best day ever so I want to talk about form a little bit because, it's like in boxing form is such a big thing.
MJ:When.
Julia:I started. When boxing first came out, I'm like, okay, I'm punching things so hard and I'm just going to go crazy. And it was all about, you know, punching and extending hard and like I'm going to hurt somebody. You know what I mean. I'm tough and strong and it took me a while to learn, like, the proper boxing form and how you know the best way to go about it. And is that more using your upper body or your lower?
Mindy:um. So I think when people that are not familiar with boxing first get started, they're like, what the? Because the action you see is the hands hitting someone. So you're like, yeah, it's definitely all upper body, but, um, once you get into it, boxing is a very full body effort and that I think that is also why I enjoy it, because dance is a full body effort with your entire body in terms of coordination, connecting from the top to the bottom and supporting one another.
Mindy:Um, yeah, boxing is very full body and I think people forget the lower half because they're just like they're seeing the action happen up here. But, like the thing is, once you realize that as you pivot your hip or as you turn and twist your back foot, like it's going to give you more power on your backside, so, yeah, it's a full body effort. And I think once people realize that they, you almost like gain another step of love for boxing, because then you're like whoa, like that totally makes sense. Why didn't I just assume that? But you know it's hard because you see the action in the hands.
Julia:Yeah Well. I mean and we have a headset on our head and it's really hard for us to see what we're doing. So Marla and I always tell people like record yourself. You don't have to show it to anybody, but our big thing with like training and things like that is record yourself on your camera and look at it and then you can improve upon what you're doing at looking.
Julia:You know, when you look at that video and look at others, like just us getting to see you and Justin work out together in that boxing video that you guys put out. That was so helpful to see how you guys were moving your body and and other people. You know that. Get on coach doc and coach Mark.
Julia:You know we see we've seen all the coaches box so it's really good to see you know how you guys move your body and it does take a while to take in those things and implement, because sometimes I'll implement one thing that I learned and. I'll lose my body, you know. So it's just getting in there and getting that muscle memory.
Mindy:I think too so yeah, I think that's a great suggestion. I think I actually will tell that to my mom, because my mom, who's also a supernatural athlete, now she's always asking me about form and so when she sees me she's like okay, so I'm throwing my hooks, like this and like this is what you told me last time. Can you tell me if I'm doing it better? And so obviously I always take time to help her with all of that, but I'm not always there. So yeah, I think that's a great suggestion. I think I'm going to ask her to record herself so she can look and see if she's taking in those things. That's so smart.
MJ:I love it. Yeah, recording is. You just don't know what you're doing. When you're in the head seat, you think you're doing one thing and then you record and you're like hold on a minute. No, no, my butt was on the floor, my squat was so low. Okay, like no, no. Um, I think recording helps so much. I know how painful and how hard it can be to see yourself back on video and be like that's not what I thought. I looked like I we all have the, that vulnerability right. But once you start doing it and you're going into it with the intention of I just want to be better, you know.
MJ:I want to get more out of my workout. I want to see how I can improve and kind of look at it objectively seeing it with other people you know in a community, side by side, or just yourself, and pick one thing you want to get better at. I think video is so helpful. I hope your mom does it and if she ever needs any help, julia and I can help her. Put side-by-sides together with her game play. No problem, always there to help.
Julia:We love side-by-sides. We love seeing them, it's our favorite thing.
MJ:And we've been actively, not just doing our own or together Huge group, community, side-by-sides are probably our favorite project we do. Yeah, julia killed me last time when I was like, well, we're going to make a record-breaking one in a few weeks. And she's like what I'm like, well, the last one we did was 102 people, so this next one we're going to do more than that. And she's like Marla really Okay, fine, I'll do it if you can get all than that. And she's like Marla really Okay, fine, I'll do it If you can get all the people. And that's what we did.
Julia:And how many people did we have in that? Wow, I think 120. And yes, mindy, you were one of those.
MJ:You were one of the people. Yeah, yes, you were one of the people and the record-breaking all the coaches were yeah it was great yes, but wow, that's so many other. It is so many poor julia's eyes.
Julia:She's like I send her memes and I'm like my eyes I literally. Yeah, I have to like close down everything on my phone and go into do not disturb and like put my head down and get all these people layered, yeah, on my phone. You do it on the phone. On my phone, I have a pro max, which is a little bit bigger than most phones, but still I, I need, I need to upgrade to a tablet, I think, or yeah computer but you better be getting some insurance from this because, like your eyes could get strained, you know, oh, they're already ruined.
Julia:Let me see.
Mindy:They're already ruined.
Julia:Since I was in third grade I've had the glasses, so Same.
Mindy:I have really bad eyesight for those. I don't know that Very bad. So you're a contact wearer, yes, like I'm like negative seven, oh wow.
Julia:Oh, wow. That is because I'm negative five and you're negative seven. Oh wow, ladies, I'm like blind. Well, I was the blindest, you win, I know Is this not something you want to win.
Mindy:No, I don't. But when I go to the doctor they always have to order my contacts and so I have to go ahead of time, because they don't always have those on hand. So I have to go like at least a month ahead of time. So I'm not blind at any point, because, like like it would be like fuzzy hands yeah, everything's just fuzzy, it's fine, I see color, so it's not like I'll get in trouble, it's just fuzzy.
Julia:Listen, you are so like us.
MJ:We try to see the best in every single situation, and I love this.
Julia:You are just so bubbly and fun. You're like it's fine, everything is fine, everything is fine. We got this. Well, we had no idea you were blind, so you're doing a great job trying to make sure that we didn't know anything about this. Oh gosh, Secret's out man, she walks into a wall, she's fine.
Mindy:She's fine, everything's fine. I'm just going to take a little nap and I'll be up.
Julia:Yeah, you don't drive in New York, right? So everything's okay, right? Yeah, it's fine, you have no car, it's okay All right, yeah, yeah, we're good, we're good. That's hilarious.
MJ:Oh, that's hilarious. Oh man, now I'm like I want to get serious and talk about choreography, now that we're talking about being blind.
Julia:Let's do it can you see the targets coming at your face? I just feel them listen. If a boxing target comes and I'm not ready for it, I seriously duck. Okay, oh no, alright, serious, listen.
MJ:If a boxing target comes and I'm not ready for it. I seriously duck, okay, yeah, oh no, all right, serious Okay. Yes, I don't know whether I can be serious or not. We're here.
Mindy:We're here, we're here.
MJ:We're here. We're here. So we talked about how when you get a workout and you get the music first right and you listen back to the music workout and you get the music first right and you listen back to the music. So say, the choreographer has gotten the music and they're working on the map and it is your first play, you're interacting with it and you're, how do you go about interacting with new choreography, like new moves, new combinations, new ways of moving? Um, how do you approach that when that happens for you?
Mindy:Yeah, um. So the first thing I do after that when I get my choreography is I always hop into a calibrations map. Um, this is probably funny to you guys, but, um, we have like calibrations to make sure you know like everything is similar in the range of the intensities. So we have three tracks per intensity and I always hop into one of those and then I hop into my new choreography, um, and then I turn on my voice recorder and I actually am.
Mindy:I'm taking notes and spitting it out as I'm trying everything. That's smart, yeah, and I'll make notes of like oh, these double jabs seem a little bit fast during this part. I'd like to go back and try that in this around this part of the song. Or maybe this jab cross moving seems too much for this intensity. Maybe I want to dial it down. Can we slow that down? Or taking it into one punch instead of two, so it's more suited for this group of athletes. Yeah, so my voice recorder helps me so much. There's like thousands of voice recordings that I have on my phone of just like different workouts. I should probably clear them out, but it's just like me talking to myself and I'm like, during certain parts of the music. I'm like oh, the music here is very low. Maybe this is a good time to talk about corn, like you know, stuff like that.
Julia:Exactly, not the musician corn, but the food.
MJ:Mindy's like can we have a corn boxing?
Julia:please.
Mindy:Yeah, I love that, love it. Yeah, that's going to come next.
Julia:So when you do get some choreography that doesn't quite feel just quite right to you, like, how do you go about? Do you ask for changes? Or how do you go about dealing with, with something you might feel uncomfortable with?
Mindy:absolutely so. Our choreographers are incredible and they are so creative and I, you know, respect them so much for what they do and so anytime anything comes where I'm like, oh, I'm questioning it, I'll try it like two or three more times. To be like this is them being creative? And even though it's not super realistic to a boxing combination, can we accept it? Right, because it's like when you're boxing to the beat of the music, like you're not you know we're not really fighting in a ring like we can't be throwing the same combos all the time at the same tempo. Right, because that'll get you knocked out when someone knows your tempo.
Mindy:Um, yeah, so, um, certain parts I'll go back and retry and be like this is a very tricky combination, but if I do it my second try, then I won't ask for a change, even though it's tricky, because I feel like, okay, that's like enough engagement for someone to like really make sure they're paying attention and they're stepping in, and maybe that makes them want to hop into the workout again, because that was hard.
Mindy:But if anything that flags in terms of like safety you know, if it's like I feel like during these moves, like I'm losing my balance, it's possible that someone else will lose their balance. Then we will go back to the drawing board. I'll reach out to them and be like, hey, like you know what were your thoughts when you were creating this part and hear what they have to say. And then you know, take that in and see if we can make a shift. But that is still similar to what they're trying to approach and get out of it with the creativity that they have. So I never want to like, be like no way, like this is not happening, because you know, we're all creative souls, and our choreographers especially, like they're such creative people and they were hired to do what they're doing. So they definitely know what they're doing and I never question it. The only thing that I'll flag is if, at any point, I feel like safety is a concern.
Julia:Right right. I love that you like go and do something again, because we do that too if we go in, and that's what gives a map replayability is when something may come that we're like wait, what was that? And it makes you. Sometimes it'll just make you mad and you're like if I see that again, I'm stuck on this song. No, I'm kidding.
Mindy:Or we'll be like, oh, I need to go in and try that again, you know. So I love that kind of. In a way. You, I had 13 points and they screenshot it and they're like coach Mindy, what are you doing? So that is me trying out workouts. Okay, I was like dang.
Julia:Yeah, they're watching, mindy. Why are you watching me? And if you're not careful, they'll challenge you for a points battle okay, just just call. Yeah, everybody calm down, because it might be coming to you. You never know, that's right, I was like they'll come after you yeah, yeah.
Mindy:So that was really funny, because I was like I didn't think that anybody would notice because, like it's 13 points, I'm at the bottom of someone's leaderboard but they just happen to see it and I was like, oh gosh, like that sounds, that looks so silly. But you know, it's us just trying things and, um, you know, in our system we get to try things and points won't count. Sometimes they will. It's just like it's's all a different system then. But yeah, I thought that was really funny. I was like dang, I got caught.
Julia:You didn't find that 13 point workout.
Mindy:Yeah, I should have said that. I should have said that the best 13 points you'll ever get.
MJ:Just you wait, just you wait yeah.
Julia:It makes me think of that game show where the points don't matter. Wait, what is that Whose? Oh yes, I have no idea anyway yes, yes, I'm not watching an episode. I'm not a game.
MJ:That's funny show yeah, or a tv person. That's one thing about like you can make references to tv shows and I'll be like no clue Over the head.
Julia:Yes, I didn't think of that, about you? Learn something new about Marla today.
Mindy:Yes, yeah, never a TV show.
MJ:Yeah, all of it, like TV shows, anything that came, especially when I was a kid, because I was a military brat and we didn't have cable like most of people here in the United States, and so we just didn't watch TV Movies. Yes, I know all about movies, but TV shows. No, I have no clue.
Julia:And I still don't watch a lot of TV. You're better off, you're better off.
MJ:Well, now I want to know what this game show is and I'm going to obviously look it up when we get off of here Like what are they talking?
Julia:about. If you know Jim Carrey. It's not Jim Carrey. What's his?
Mindy:name.
Julia:It doesn't matter now, I'm not good with names.
Mindy:I have one TV show that I still watch, and it's the only TV show I watch. Otherwise I'm like Nothing. It's Grey's Anatomy. We're on like season 20. Everybody has passed and left the show except for her. But then they come back and these flashbacks, and it's great. I don't know why. I'm just addicted to the drama.
MJ:It is definitely the drama and it keeps you coming back every single time. I haven't watched the new grays. It's been a while since I've watched it, but I used to watch. That was a show I would watch every Thursday night because my friend's house to watch it because we didn't have that on the TV. So anyway, yeah, wow.
Julia:Flashback for years.
Mindy:The one show that you watch.
MJ:I know that is so wow Flashback For years ago, minnie found the one show that you watched.
Mindy:I know that is so weird.
MJ:Look at you, minnie, you did Connection. Oh, that's so funny, oh man. It's great to hear that you honor the choreographers in the way that you do. It's not probably surprising to you, since the name of our podcast is For the Love of the Map we are very obsessed with the choreography team, everything that they do.
MJ:We love the coaches, obviously, but the choreographers are sort of like this, enigma and supernatural and I don't believe that it was ever the intention of the company. It's just sort of how it evolved and happened and we've been very lucky to um have one choreographer on our show so far and we were able to discuss all sorts of awesome things.
Julia:And um.
MJ:I can't wait for um more to come on so that we can showcase their talents. So to hear that you respect what they do in their creativity and play through a map, even though you're like hold on a second. This is not really a real boxing thing, but you get within supernatural. It's plausible, right, yeah? So have you found a specific movement in a map, in a boxing map that you just love so much? It can be a combination, it can be um something that happens at a certain part in the music.
Mindy:You tell us yeah, um. So I've had. I've had some opportunities to work closely with the choreographers for certain um workouts because I I live in New York and I go to LA to record, so sometimes my workouts have a little more time in the pre-production and I get to work with the choreographers, which is always such a treat. I think my newest favorite is our slip jab from Portal Combat and that is a very, very real move in boxing and I love it. And then I think another one that we did was a high-low jab, and I believe that was in a Just just dance um, which is the one where you have like jab up high and then a duck bar and a jab down low. Yes, oh, I love that and that's also very real.
Julia:Yeah, I've seen that in a couple of workouts now, not a whole lot but I've seen that in a couple. So yeah, so I love that.
Mindy:um. So a lot of the moves that, like I help shift into supernatural, or like work with a choreographer to bring into supernatural, I think you guys I mean if you go back and look, you'll notice it's like a lot of level changes because for me I'm like a I'm 5'1", I'm a more compact person. For me, as a boxer, it's more natural for me to shift like up high to down low and like high and low, because I can spark those muscles a little bit quicker than if I was like 5'3". Or sorry 6'3".
Mindy:Got it so yeah. Got it so yeah. So, a lot of those moves, you'll see those are my favorite because it's comfortable for me to go high and low very quickly because, like my muscles, like my legs, were built to do that because I'm short.
MJ:I love that you spoke about the level changes because I always bring up that when I see it in a boxing map it's one of my favorite things. And maybe it is because I'm short up that when I see it in a boxing map it's one of my favorite things. And maybe it is because I'm short too. I don't know, but I just it's the variation of it. It's interesting for my brain and for my body to be adjusting so quickly. I love the level changes.
Mindy:The other one that's fun is the. We call it like an elevator punch out. So it's like you're punching out from high to low and you'll come back up.
Julia:Yeah, that one was in a super monster recently. That one's really fun. It was so good.
Mindy:Yeah, I love that that gets you going too and it really like you have to really lock in to make sure like your eyes are seeing what's happening, because it's like changing levels. Yeah, seeing what's happening because it's like changing levels.
MJ:Yeah, so I also love that. Lots of moves, there are lots of moves, and for me personally, I like the more complex workouts, and it could be I'm. We've been using Supernatural for three years, so we crave the complexity, the pros, only the highs, and it just does something for your brain. You don't think about anything else in the world. You don't think about your problems. You know you're just in that workout and so you called it an elevator punch out. Is that what you called it?
Julia:Because now, I remember this. That sounds like fun. I haven't encountered that move yet, so you guys got to tell me what super monster you found that in Julia, so I can do it.
MJ:Yes, it's a last long boxing super monster. Oh, wow, wow, that sounds cool. Yeah, I'll be excited for you to do it. Yeah, it is really fun.
Julia:So there was one morning we got up and Marla and I went crazy. I don't remember who saw it first, but we shared it with each other. We were excited, we were screaming. We saw an Instagram post of you doing your first play of a madhouse.
MJ:And we love, oh my gosh.
Julia:And flow and flow. And we ate that up.
MJ:Like we ate it up. I was so excited that day.
Julia:Oh yeah, me too. I was like Mindy, which we know. You flow in your free time, you're one of the boxing, but Mandy, which?
MJ:we know you flow in your free time. I do. One of the boxing coaches is supernatural, but you still flow.
Julia:You still get in there and have fun with the flow. But do you remember which madhouse it was?
Mindy:It was the first one, you're welcome. It was crazy. I think I was like screaming because I was like, ah, like things are going to hit me and the patterns um. So I'll let you guys in on this. The reason I did that workout was to prep for um Justin and mine collaboration for portal combat, so I wanted to see, like you know, what a pros only look like in flow and how we can like move that into boxing. And so that was me doing my studying, and it was very difficult studying I had to do. Thank you, justin.
Julia:Thank you, justin, thank you, justin, thank you, and you can't move the next day, right.
Mindy:Yeah, that was wild. Um, it was so fun. Though, and I think that's what I love about justin's choreography is that you know it takes you out of the box. You know you sometimes feel like, oh, like supernatural is just this. These are the moves that I know. And then, all of a sudden, justin comes in and you're like, excuse me, like what did you just do? Yeah, that's when you wish you had the rewind button right. You're like rewind, rewind.
Julia:We would love that feature we need to remember that, marla, when we like talk about features, we want the rewind button or like go backwards instead of skipping we want. Well, wait, we need to fill that one again. We missed something in there and we need to do it again.
Mindy:Yeah, I think that is a requested thing I've heard. I think it's dealing with our music rights. Unfortunately, that's the only reason. Otherwise, if we had all the money in the world, we would do it.
Julia:Yeah, I think Marla would agree with me that we want to challenge you to do a different one.
MJ:Yeah, a different one, we do.
Mindy:We barely survived it.
Julia:We didn't love. Welcome was not our favorite Madhouse, really no. Marla would tell you to go do Return and I would tell you to go do the Madhouse Monster. I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. She's like you want her to do a monster. I think the perfect one would be return, okay, okay. You go, do, return and report back to us. It's the third one Wow.
MJ:Okay, I think it's a totally different.
Julia:first of all, it's beautiful, yeah, it's very evolved.
MJ:Look, it's my all-time favorite workout. We talk about it often on the show. I almost have 100 plays on that single workout. Yes, I'm insane, I know.
Mindy:Yes, wow, it's that good.
MJ:It is that good and most people won't. A lot of people in Supernatural probably play it and go. I get no, Y'all are nuts.
Mindy:Never again but for people. I'm sweating thinking about it, like my palms are sweaty right now it's so good, it is so good and mark is so great in it.
MJ:The pacing is great, the complexity, everything about this workout. Um, if you were going to pick one out of the four, I would always return and I got to get in there. It's a gateway. If you do return, you'll really love the monster. And we call it the monster because it deserves that title, not just monster, it does.
Mindy:Wow.
Julia:And while you play, return. I want you to remember and this is not bragging, because we have a club for this Marla and I have both gotten 100% accuracy on Return to the Mountains.
Mindy:Oh my God.
Julia:Full on crying like we cannot believe we just did this, like that was a goal for us.
MJ:Yes, we are insane, okay.
Julia:So to say that we're huge fans of Justin? We are huge fans, yeah, we are I understand and Portal Combat one day.
MJ:We will get 100% accuracy on Portal Combat One day. But man, I'm spied.
Julia:I got it on Witchcraft yesterday and I might have blown their ears out.
MJ:I didn't mean to be so loud, I was like whoa, whoa, I felt terrible, I screamed, I was like I got 100.
Julia:Yes, I got 100 on all of them, but not all at the same time. Right, that's okay. Practicing for perfect, it's such a good workout. I don't care if I get 100 on in a while. I just want to do that workout because it's the same.
MJ:Yeah, and it's the replayability in the complex workouts that get us. You can can't master it on your first play, you can't master it on your second play, can't you know? You're just like let me get back in there. I want to figure this out. I want to play, and it's so much fun. Those are the workouts that, um, I mean all workouts. We love all intensity levels, but pros only we do is where we, that's our jam. Yeah, it's where the obsession and the passion you'll hear come out in our voices for sure when we start talking about pros.
Mindy:Well, I mean, you just did so, we brought it up and we went a little crazy and we took over the podcast well, I feel like we probably don't make those as quick as you guys want them to come out Like. I feel like you guys are probably hungry for those. Because those come on special occasions.
Julia:We understand that they take a lot to make. Yes, but we're going to try to feed you Like, we will wait for them, because we love them so much. And when they come it's almost like we don't believe it. Marla wakes up very early and everyone gets. She announces to everyone everywhere it's here. Yes, wake up. Because we have a tradition that marla and I play them together, not on boxing all the time, but definitely flow. We play every flow.
Julia:Pros only together, yeah so I gotta wait for her yeah, we actually had to wait a whole week to play the madhouse monster together, yeah because we both had life circumstances going on. So we have to wait, and we will. I will wait for however long and she will wait for however long for us to be there to experience they're very special, I love that I didn't have to wait very long for portal combat.
MJ:It was just a few hours. But I kept sending her, like all the messages, all the places, like okay, are you awake? Are you drinking your coffee yet? Are you up? Can we, can we, let's go.
Julia:Are you moving Our favorite Marla meme of the guy being?
MJ:like, yes, thrown out of his bed.
Julia:Yes, yeah, like get up right now it's time to go. I don't care that it's 3 am?
Mindy:You need to wake up. Yes, yes, I'm horrible. That's funny. Oh, I love it. You know what? It's so great to hear because, like, we put so much love into it and it's very nice to know that it is received with love.
Julia:Probably not by everybody.
Mindy:I'm sure we're a really small percentage.
Julia:That's okay. You guys we do and we forget that not everyone is is an insane as we are about them. We're like everybody loves these. We need more, but it's not everyone it's.
MJ:Yeah, that's not the actual case it's an us thing and we do appreciate when we do get them. But you're right, we definitely get hungry for them because they don't come out as often. But, they're always shiny new toys when they do.
Julia:And.
MJ:I don't know if you know what a shiny new toy is, but for us, when a new workout that is super complex, coaching is just chef's kiss coaching music, it's like all three criteria, it's just the movement coaching. We call them shiny new toys and we can't stop thinking about them.
MJ:We want to keep playing we want to keep getting in there. I love it. So, when it comes to shiny new toys, can you think about a workout that maybe you've coached? Or a map you've come across, just a song, where you played it and you could not stop thinking about it. You were just like whoa and blown away and your mind is like I got to get back in there and play it again, Can you?
Mindy:think, yeah, oh yes, absolutely, it's actually very, very present. It's sweet. The portal combat, it was just so special. I mean, like I'm sure you guys spoke with Justin already and know all about it. But he came up with the concept and the idea and then I felt so lucky that he wanted to work with me for it and we got to work so closely together. Like he created a, a map, and then we would run through it together, we would do like notes, think about ideas and, um, just, I think the whole process of it being created and it coming into reality is what makes me love it even more. And I spoke with him about this.
Mindy:Like sometimes, when things are labeled pros only in boxing in particular for me, like I don't even do pros only for boxing because I feel like I can't hold my form and it's just like too much for me to think about, so I typically cap myself at like a medium and I stay there. Yeah, but this pros only is so special to me because we worked on things that are so realistic in boxing and that's how we made it a pros. We made it a pro boxing pros only if that makes sense, it's not just like a pros only where a lot of things are flying at you. It's things that make sense, like practicing your defense and how active you have to be in your entire body, to like throw punches quick and executing it with form and technique, and yeah, so I can go on and on about Justin. We could too.
Julia:And about this workout and everything that you said, like it makes so much sense, so much sense, and I love that you said you like to stick to medium, because Marla says that a lot Like medium is the sweet spot. I like a high boxing too, though depending on the music, if the music just right, because sometimes I'm like I need more. I get a little bit hungry for like a little bit more. But we talk about and love that there's not just the offense but the defense is in there.
Julia:just as much, if not more. I love defense. Yeah, coach Doc even talked about it on our podcast when he was on about you know, the more defense is in there you're having to move your body so much because you are trying not to get hit by something.
MJ:Yeah, full on. Ab core workout, legs, glutes Like I just so real, so real. Core workout legs, glutes like I just so real, so real. And for me, previous pros, only boxings were not real, it was just an dense very target dense I couldn't keep form, I couldn't really use my legs, I'm just like a lot of control in your form and in your body. Yeah, and I feel like this pros only portal combat has changed what future pros can be for us.
MJ:And that's so very exciting, so very exciting. It's very obtainable, but so hard. It is also so hard and challenging.
Julia:And your favorite thing, Marla, that you said was that it keeps you in.
MJ:It makes you stay in block. And see, this is something that I just noticed A lot of people don't stay in block, and you should right, because that's how you're going to get the best work. Even when I'm you know, I'm constantly trying to stay in guard there, and that workout makes you stay in guard, like you have to stay in guard, and that is something that we don't see everywhere in all the other boxing workouts.
MJ:And um, it really stood out to me. It was the first thing, like I know. One of the first things I noticed, besides all the defensive movement, was wow, my abs hurt.
Julia:Why, why do?
MJ:my pecs hurt right now Like I've never come out of a supernatural workout and had my pecs worked in this way and I realized whoa, this new workout is getting us to use different muscles than I'm used to, and that got me really excited, so I can tell you guys worked hard on it. I can so tell.
Mindy:A lot of love went into it.
Julia:Yeah, I think I missed the most blocks I've ever missed in a workout. I was like I miss more.
Mindy:They were sneaky.
Julia:They were so sneaky and I was also sore. I mean, I was kind of not smart.
MJ:She was not smart.
Julia:I played it five times.
Mindy:I was going for six.
MJ:There is no other.
Julia:There's no other pros, only boxing that I could play more than once the day it comes out because it it's too taxing on your shoulders.
Mindy:Yeah, yeah, but this is not. I was like this is.
Julia:This is the best full body workout. And so I was able to get through it, yeah that's so good. So, and I think that that's a testament to what it is that you can go in there and just replay it if you want to. When there are some I mean even some of the madhouses that you're one and done, you get in there and you do it. You're like, okay, I'm done.
Mindy:But thank you.
Julia:Full body boxing and yeah, I appreciated that about it for sure yeah, and I think you talk about the blocks.
Mindy:It just reminds me that one part where you just like slip block, slip block, slip block and like, oh my gosh, that part is so hard, but like so real and so advanced, like you have to move your feet as you defend yourself and like everything. Um. But after that part I'm always like okay, I made. Just when you think you've made it.
Julia:One of our next questions. I think is safe to say maybe it is portal combat, but maybe it's not, so I'll ask it anyway. What has been your favorite workout that you've coached so far?
Mindy:That's the one. That's the one you guys, I just you guys. It's so special because I got to work so closely with Justin. It wasn't a typical workout where it just came to me and then I ran through it and had questions and notes.
Julia:It was very hands-on and hearing his vision from the top, like months before, and just like being part of conversation for something so great, yeah, so connected, you guys and I'm sure that you're not able to connect like this with every single workout, with every single choreographer, and even though it would be cool if you could there, it would take forever to get workout. So something special like this. I think it's really neat that you got to work so closely and, I'm sure, build a closer bond and a friendship as co-workers with each other.
Mindy:So yes, it's all very true little hearts.
MJ:Yes, we love this workout. There's another really cool thing about this workout One we get a new location right. We get to use a joy ball. Oh a joy ball. You're like what?
MJ:What is a joy ball, A celebration ball. You guys call them Easter eggs. We call them joy balls because if you're a gamer, an Easter egg is something hidden within the game. That's not what these are. Yes, I'm like they're called joy balls. I don't know how we came up with that, but I don't either. But I'm putting out a petition. We're renaming them to joy balls. They once were called celebration balls because they were at the end of the workout, but now they're like legit targets right.
Mindy:Yes, I love them.
MJ:Same too, and don't they bring you joy to hit them and see all the things.
Julia:They're just so cool.
MJ:Do you have a favorite one?
Mindy:Oh gosh, okay, I think I like the one that's like the boxes, think I like the one that's like the boxes and like I'm imagining it like in the in the environment, in portal combat where, like it, yes, it just falls in there and you're like, this is exactly where.
Julia:I'm supposed to be, do you? Use the second time that joy ball has been used. It was used last year. Second, yeah, it was used last year in the april fools workout with yes in that same location, but justin used it in the first song and then the second song of portal combat.
Mindy:Yep, so I didn't realize it was only the second time exactly, people thought it was new yeah, and it wasn't new because they forgot.
Julia:You know it was in that workout, so got it it. So that's the one that they had at all.
Mindy:Yeah, it's a very cool one, um, and I also like love the one that's um that we debuted for colors of the wind. That one's fun. It's just like good, warm memories. Oh no, I froze the leaves.
Julia:No, you're good, You're good yeah good.
MJ:Yeah, the leaves are one of my favorite too, so love that and the way it comes up and goes in the circle.
Julia:Oh man, I love that this reminds me of Disney. It does. It's so perfect yeah.
MJ:Yeah, love that one. So I got a question for our friend Julie, okay. We say Julie's name every single episode of our podcast, except for once, and she forgave us. We usually work it in, and so I reached out and I was like, if you could ask Coach Mindy a question, theoretically, what would your question be? And she sent back if you could recommend that someone read any book.
Mindy:What book would you recommend? Oh gosh, man, okay. Um well, if we're talking about like we, well, I'm in a book club and we read a lot of, like you know, juicy books. Yeah. But if we're talking about a life book. Okay, I'll give a juicy book and then a life book.
MJ:I like this.
Mindy:I like this, yeah Well. So with a life book, I always recommend this to everybody. It's called Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty everybody. It's called Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty and it's just very enlightening, very eye-opening and very easy read for something that you know, you think could be like hard, like it's a self-help book, right. So sometimes, like I think, when I was younger, I was like, oh gosh, like those, I probably snooze, you know, but I picked up this book and I love it. I'll reread it. I love week Yanni and I sit down and we put on a post-it. Something good that has happened and that was a suggestion from Jay Shetty. It was like on his social media, and so by the end of the year we'll have like 104 notes to read and I'm just like really excited about that. So, yeah, I think like a monk by Jay Shetty, okay. And oh gosh, a juicy book, okay, serious here, silent, patient. Oh guys, the drama is there.
Mindy:I was like the ending. It's good. It's good's good book club. We ate it up I don't read a lot and you're making me want to go get this book you, you gotta, it's gonna be a little bit creepy, oh um, there's twists, but yeah, I, I, I read it before bed and this this one night. I couldn't sleep, oh no.
Julia:Okay, I will not read this before bed. I don't like scary things. So I'll read it in the morning, and I'm one of those that I can't read a book because then I'll like shirk all of my duties, no more cooking no more cleaning, no more. I have to get through one more page, one more page, one more chapter.
Mindy:Yeah, it's a quick read. If that helps, okay, that does help. All right, yeah, it's a quick read. I think you can do it in like two days if you just you know, tell your family you're on vacation for two days.
Julia:Right, yeah, right. You'll never see me. I'm going to the garden. Yes, read in your garden, I love it All the mosquitoes will eat me up.
Mindy:Oh no, you'll be fine love me.
Julia:Come on over, I'll provide shelter for you. Okay, thank you, I'll be. I'll be there, it will. It won't take me long, and I'll make you matcha tea.
Mindy:It's gonna be good this is perfect.
Julia:I'll come read you can take care of me, fan me, feed me, yes, yes you got it sourdough babies everything. So who is one of the most influential people in your life growing up? Yeah, who?
Mindy:was, I guess, gosh, I think it's got to be my parents. I feel like, you know, bringing their entire family to America is not an easy thing to do, and especially for my mom. We didn't really speak English and she, you know, agreed to come over for better opportunity for her children, you know. So I feel like they sacrificed a lot for us to be here and I just, I am always so grateful.
Mindy:I think back on it and I just don't think that I appreciated it enough, like in the moment, right, like now, looking back, I'm like, wow, like she literally packed her bags, left her family, so did my dad right, left their family and came to a place I was extremely foreign and started this new adventure as an adult, as an adult, I think that blows my mind. I think about that and I'm like, oh gosh, like I don't know if I could do it, but they did it for us, for me and my brother, and yeah. So everything I do, I think back. You know, if I'm in a difficult situation or something, I think that like is impossible, I think back to, like, what they did for us and that's just, you know, always very motivating and inspirational, yeah.
MJ:I think when we're kids, we never truly see what our parents do for us or appreciate it. But the hope is I know as a parent the hope is that when they're older they will see and notice and recognize those things. And I think your parents are probably incredibly proud of you, especially not just for recognizing what all they sacrifice for you but for you taking advantage of the opportunities that they came to the United States for you to take. You know the whole reason they moved. You are living that dream and um.
MJ:I hope you know that. I'm sure your parents tell you that all the time how proud they are of you and, uh, I think it's it's very sweet that you pick them as your influential person.
Julia:It says a lot about you.
MJ:We're learning so much about you, mindy, so much. This is amazing.
Julia:And it is true, when you're young, you just don't appreciate those things. So this is kind of normal when you get older. You're everything's like there's a veil that just comes off your eyes and yes, oh, yeah, I know, and like it makes sense, my parents were not idiots, after all.
Mindy:You know, yes, how that happens what was I feel like I had. Yeah, I feel like I had a recent moment like that when, um, like now I'm saying what my mom says to me, um, I don't remember the moment, but I was just like she made sense all these years and I was annoyed.
MJ:Yeah. So let's go back in time to your like 16. You were a dancer back then. Yeah. What did you think you were going to be when you grew up? What did you want? To be A dancer.
Mindy:Yeah, I did so when I was 16,. My goal was to move to New York and be in a dance company. Specifically at that point I think it was ABT, american Ballet Theater. But then I you know I love ballet and I still do. But I think I quickly realized, like you don't have to be a ballerina to be a professional dancer. And then I found the outlet of being a modern dancer or contemporary dancer and then started my career there. Yeah so yeah, I did want to be a dancer. I will say I never imagined myself being in VR, being a VR coach. That was never on my vision board. I will say that. But I'm here.
Julia:I went back and found your picture when you got the phone call from Leanne, and it's good to look back on memories Because to me it's like wait, coach Mindy hasn't always been here with us, with with the others, and you know, I know that there was just two coaches and then other coaches were brought on and then it's, but it feels like to me I can't speak for everybody that you've been with us forever, coach Mindy.
Julia:Yeah, yeah, yeah and one of my favorite workouts that you coach other than portal combat. Okay, we love that one so much, but battle um the rap, battle one with you and oh, with doc I love that workout and it's one of the few that I've been able to get. I know scores don't matter but 100 100 on and it's that perfect.
Julia:medium boxing it's got that perfect. You know just the music. Everything about that workout is just so good and the way that you guys back and forth with each other. It's really fun and I'm sure you worked together on that one in some type of capacity.
MJ:Yes.
Julia:But in a real battle with you and Coach Doc, who do you think would really win?
Mindy:You know what? I think that Doc would let me win because he's a gentleman. So, yeah, I would win, you're right, only because he would let me.
Julia:I feel that you're right. We had Coach Doc on here.
Mindy:Did you?
Julia:ask him the same question.
MJ:No, we actually did not wish we would have. We should have. We should have. We should have. We 100% should have Better rewind Go back Now.
Julia:we have to have him on again, I guess.
Mindy:Exactly.
Julia:We can ask him this question?
MJ:Yeah, I think you're right, though he is such a gentleman and he wouldn't let you know. He let you win either. Yes, you know he let you win, either. Yes, be like. I'm gonna just let you win.
Julia:He would just be so gentlemanly about it.
MJ:And yeah like, yes, you know, take a, take a punch a little too hard, you know like yeah, okay, like oh yeah, yeah, it's gonna be such a great guy, yep yep, that's him, that's Doc.
Julia:Yeah, that's so funny.
MJ:So some of our friends we do this weird thing in messenger chats okay. We want to hug someone or care, react to someone like you can on Facebook, right, yeah, we want to give them a big hug, yeah, yeah, but they don't really have a great hug emoji. Okay, so we all picked our own emojis. They are animals, except for this one friend. This one friend has pants. That's her hug.
Julia:Pants.
MJ:Yes, miranda picked pants. Where the rest?
Mindy:of us all picked an animal Miranda.
MJ:I know she's got to be different.
Mindy:How do you hug with pants? I'd like to hear about that from Miranda.
Julia:I mean, hug me, had me with their legs, I would be a little weirded out, okay, no, that's all I'm saying Agreed, no, no, okay, yes, animals.
MJ:So if you could pick any animal to use as a hug emoji, what would you use? I'll give you an example Julia uses a little chicken. Oh, I love it and she has chickens, so it makes total sense that she would hug with the chicken. I use a. What do I use? Why am I having?
Julia:a flamingo.
MJ:A flamingo I use a flamingo. Yes, I love flamingos. Um, I'm all about balance. It just makes sense for me. Coach Doc picked a gorilla. A gorilla, he did, or a peacock, which makes sense for him. Ooh, what would you?
Mindy:pick Okay, it's got to be an owl, an owl, I love owls. And and the emoji owl is like she's like sideways and she's like, yeah, she's got that. Yeah, yeah, I love owls.
Julia:So are you a hugger in real life?
Mindy:Oh, yeah, okay.
Julia:Well, I was going to say, if you're not the owl, like perfect, like hey.
Mindy:No, I'm a hugger like I wish I could hug you guys now like aww we're all huggers.
Julia:That makes sense. At the end of witchcraft, of portal combat. You like kissed the camera, so all the love all the way across, you made sure you didn't miss anybody, it's true, I'm a hugger.
Mindy:I love that.
MJ:Now, now we'll remember so if we ever get um an owl reaction from a message, uh, yes, that's me hugging you.
Julia:Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna start using that all the time you should. You may have to explain it to people. They'll be like what, what?
Mindy:Sorry lost the podcast.
Julia:Yeah, if you want to know about this, go to the podcast that I was on. That's perfect Explained here. Well, we come to the part of the podcast where we give a weekly workout suggestion and usually Marla or I will have something that we want to suggest. But I have this little net in here. But, since you are on, we always let our guests choose our weekly workout suggestions.
Mindy:So yes, Well, I guess if you haven't tried Portal Combat, this would be the time right. I will say that I know it's a pros only, but I feel like it's more approachable than most. So if you are very hesitant and you're like pros, only never. Just hop in and give it a try. There's just such good stuff in there that we work on in real life in the ring and it would be so fun to experience. But definitely do the warm-up because that helps.
Julia:Oh yes, Marla says oh, you just hit Marla's button. Oh, here we go.
MJ:Don't skip the warm-ups, y'all, at least the first time you play a workout. I will give you any other time. You've played this workout four or five times, however many times, go ahead, skip the warm-up. First time you play a workout, y'all do the needful and watch and practice, because the coaches are showing us new things often now it is becoming almost daily, weekly.
MJ:It's happening all the time where there are new moves, new choreography and coaches are taking their time to go over it with us, and so, instead of going to the community being like what is this? It makes no sense, no, you're doing it wrong because you skipped the warmup.
Julia:Yeah, I got this, I don't need to warm up, but no, you guys do say yeah, really helpful things, and you saying just go in and experience it and have fun reminds me of when the first Madhouse came out and Mark got on the community. He's like you guys. I know this is crazy, okay, I know, but just go have fun. And I feel like you kind of are saying the same thing, just go in there and feel it, experience it, have fun with it.
Julia:It's okay if you miss a block. You're going to miss a block. Okay, You're going to miss a target Totally. You're going to scream okay, you're going to scream in this one and you're going to laugh because some of it's just silliness. Yeah, you've got to figure it all out. I mean, still, I'm an eighth play, I don't have it, and it has taken me those eight plays to finally feel comfortable with that new slip jab. Yeah, it's like at first I was like.
Julia:I don't like this because I felt like I was throwing my arm out, you know, but I should have watched the warm-up every single time, because you're explaining it, you do.
MJ:I watched it once. You've got to watch it every time it's a time of practice, those new moves, and get it down and don't skip the warm-up. Please Don't skip it.
Julia:Well, we do have a companion app.
MJ:Or no, we don't have a companion app. When did we get rich and have a companion app, Julia? What is happening?
Julia:What am I saying here? I'm so excited, mindy's here that I got ahead of myself. We have an account in the companion app called For the Love of the Map. If they would let us have the companion app, we would fix it. No, we shouldn't go down there.
MJ:No, we should not, we shouldn't go down there.
Julia:No, anyway, you will be able to find this workout on the top and you can bookmark it so that you can play it. Please go in and like our page and don't forget to like the workout to hit rate. The workout after yes.
MJ:So important. How are? How are they going to know what we like and what we don't? Yes, how are they going to know what we like and what we don't? Yes, yes, break the workout, break, break, break. Do it, do it, do it do it so important?
Julia:Yeah, when you're at the end, before you're going into a boxing workout, you should be like and at the end break the workout.
Mindy:Yeah.
Julia:And hit the joy ball. If you say joy ball, we would die.
Mindy:We would die. Yeah, that would all make sense.
MJ:Yep, all right, working in there she's like all, right making notes In the script.
Julia:Yep, okay, well, I I did. I interrupt you from your rate the workout. Yeah, that's all I got today. Rate the workout. We're sorry, marla, it's important. Look to the left after you're done.
MJ:Check the needful. If you liked it, you loved it. If it wasn't for you, and picked the choices, was it the movement that weren't for you? Was it? You know the music, because sometimes I really love a workout but I don't like the music, so I only hit love. I love the coaching, I love the difficulty and I love the movement and I hit submit. Sometimes I hit other and it will prompt an email. Supernatural will send you an email. Tell us your feedback and write them your feedback.
Julia:You could be like yes, write a novel on occasion and, uh, they appreciate it.
MJ:They want to hear from us guys. They want to hear from us guys.
Mindy:They want to hear from us. Yes, it is so true. You guys have no idea. We have meetings every week where we read through everything and to have data to know what you guys like, dislike. It is so helpful. It's incredibly helpful. So, yeah, you're so right, your opinions matter to us and you matter. You matter, you are why we're here, and so we want to hear from you.
Julia:So thank you for those that have been doing that, and you matter too, and we're so glad that you were able to come on to the podcast today and chat with us. We had so much fun. And I always say at the end, when my cheeks are hurting from laughing and smiling the whole time, that's a great time, so thank you for coming on. We appreciate you, Mindy.
MJ:Thank you guys so much and don't forget the real joy and love of Supernatural is found in the journey you go on.
Julia:Bye, bye.