Podcast Episodes

In this honest and heartfelt episode, host Angela Chang is joined by Dan Ferrer to discuss into the intersection of mental health and Muay Thai. As fighters and coaches themselves with more than a decade of experience each in Muay Thai, they share how the sport helped both of them navigate difficult chapters in life, and when it was necessary to get the appropriate help. Dan opens up about struggling with depression, recovering from injury, and finding strength in community, coaching, and therapy. Together, they explore how fighters (and non-fighters) can better care for their mental well-being while staying engaged with a sport they love. Whether you're a fighter, coach, or someone who just loves Muay Thai, this episode offers a candid reminder: you are more than the gym.Show notes:Follow Dan's journey and contact via:instagram.com/_danferrer_linkedin.com/in/danfnyc/Trauma-informed coaching resources:Off the Zone: Trauma-informed teaching for martial art instructors and athletes. Currently 3 online courses are available. https://www.off-the-zone.com/Conscious Combat Club: “By teaching combat in a conscious way, guided by trauma-informed principles, we aim to help people expand their window of tolerance.” Online and in-person training and a course available for coaches. https://www.consciouscombat.club/———-If you'd like to more high-quality content, please consider supporting Muay Ying through Patreon. Any amount is appreciated and it will go towards my efforts to run all the platforms Muay Ying is on, as well as create content for each of them. http://patreon.com/muayyingYou can also find us: instagram.com/muay.ying  muay-ying.comYou can find the host (Angela) via instagram.com/angela.muaythai or angelamuaythai.comIntro/Outro music by Maki of the Moon

What happens when we become so obsessed with the outcome of a fight or the surface-level details that we completely strip the fulfillment out of the work it takesk to get there?In this episode, Megan McNelis joins me to discuss The Cost of Chasing Results in Muay Thai. We examine how attaching our personal self-worth to a referee's decision creates immense, unnecessary suffering – from the emotional pressure of Western tournaments where fighters apologize to their coaches for "letting the gym down," to the structural reality of gyms that treat athletes like financial commodities.We talk about how social media forces us to maintain a curated, performative image, and how to transition to an "observation mindset." By detaching from forced narratives and treating our training and fight outcomes as simple data points rather than moral failures, we can quiet our brains, protect our longevity, and find freedom in just showing up for the next session.Find Megs on Instagram: @c4ribou_megs———-If you'd like to more high-quality content, please consider supporting Muay Ying through Patreon. Any amount is appreciated and it will go towards my efforts to run all the platforms Muay Ying is on, as well as create content for each of them. http://patreon.com/muayyingYou can also find us: instagram.com/muay.ying  muay-ying.comYou can find the host (Angela) via instagram.com/angela.muaythai or angelamuaythai.comIntro/Outro music by Maki of the Moon