Strength Redefined: Resilience, Recovery and Reinvention/ Marianne Chubirka

The Chat- Life Unfiltered

Marianne Chubirka, a professional boxer, sixth-degree black belt martial artist, and founder of Blaze Pilates, shares her powerful journey of

Key takeaways

• True strength is not just physical power but the courage to face vulnerability and rebuild after trauma.

Main topics

• Resilience after trauma
• The evolution of strength beyond physical prowess

Notable quotes

"I literally had a mystical experience at that tournament... it was the answer right there for me."

Conclusion

Marianne Chubirka's journey exemplifies how adversity can lead to profound personal

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:14) We live in a world where social media, family, work, even everyday life can leave us feeling filtered. But when the mics turn on, the unfiltered truth comes alive. We share stories, real struggles, and real laughs as three friends navigating life's messy but beautiful moments together, one conversation at a time. Speaker 4 (0:41) Hi, welcome to the chat, Life Unfiltered. I'm your host, Grace. Tonight, we're excited to welcome Marianne Cherberka to the chat. Marianne's journey is one of strength, resilience, and transformation. She's a formal martial arts expert and a competitive boxer. She built her life around discipline, determination, and physical performance. But when an unexpected health issue changed the course of her life, Marianne found herself on a new path. One focused not only on strength, but on healing. Today, Marianne is the owner of Blaze Pilates, where she helps others reconnect with their bodies, improve their health, and discover a different kind of strength and power from the inside out. Her story is so powerful. And it's a reminder that sometimes life's greatest challenges lead us to our greatest purpose. And if you are enjoying our content, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing to my channel so we can continue to bring you these conversations that truly transform our lives. Now let's join Gina and John and let's meet Marianne. Speaker 4 (1:51) Welcome, Marianne. So great to have you. Hello, Gina. Hi, Speaker 1 (1:54) Marianne. Speaker 4 (1:55) So Speaker 1 (1:56) nice to meet you. Hi, everybody. Speaker 4 (1:58) Hello. Hello. So, Marianne, I have to start off by asking, because not everybody's a sixth-degree black belt. Make sure, if I don't have it right, tell me. A professional boxer, and then goes on to open their own fitness studio. What is the driving force behind all the things that you've done in your life? Speaker 3 (2:18) I mean, just Speaker 2 (2:19) really Speaker 3 (2:20) listening to my heart. When I see the thing, I go for the thing and whatever, whatever that inner voice is, I've always listened to it and didn't really question it. So it was one thing, then the next thing, and then the next, and wherever it took me, I went really without question. Speaker 4 (2:37) Wow. Wow. So start us on your journey. How'd you get into karate? Because I know you started Speaker 3 (2:42) that as a kid. Well, we know each other for so long, since we were five years old. So you know my brother. Yes. But he started karate at 10, and I was a year older than him. And I made fun of him for the first year. Until I went to a tournament. And I literally will say I had a mystical experience at that tournament. They walked out of the U.S. team. And two of the ladies were about my size. I mean, I didn't grow anymore. I'm 12 years old. And they were all like five feet tall, 100, you know, just a certain size or certain look. And I just looked at them and they had on their Olympic uniform and karate was supposed to be in the Olympics in 1980. Speaker 2 (3:22) And this was Speaker 3 (3:23) 79. This was 1979. And I just got, I don't know, like I saw it was almost like a light came and I was just like, you can do this. And I literally went, that was a Sunday, and I went to, the dojo was February 13th, 1979, and I went that Tuesday, and that was that. And I'd been with the same dojo people for all Speaker 4 (3:43) that time. Speaker 3 (3:44) It was very clear, though, in that moment, it was like something. Speaker 3 (3:49) a mystical experience yeah sure and prodding did save my life in a way you know yeah Speaker 4 (3:55) and Speaker 1 (3:56) i love that it's mystical because yeah yeah yeah me too i love that you said that because i'm a believer that i'm a big believer in destiny and following your god and having guides take you to where you need to be so i love that and Speaker 3 (4:12) i love that word Speaker 1 (4:13) mystical It was so Speaker 3 (4:15) clear. And I was just a child. And this was soon after, or probably right before I moved away, Grace, you know? Right before I moved away. And so it was the answer. It was the answer right there for me. And, you know, sometimes people ignore, oh, it's nothing, or Speaker 4 (4:31) they'll get Speaker 3 (4:32) excited and forget about it. So I think that's a little bit of nature nurture. Are you born with a certain, you remember? I mean, I Speaker 4 (4:39) was Speaker 3 (4:39) sort of born with a certain will and a certain... Speaker 4 (4:43) Yeah, absolutely. Determination. Speaker 2 (4:44) Yeah, absolutely. Speaker 4 (4:46) Yeah. I mean, it just took off for you. You started at a young age, 12 years old, right? And then you just kept going. So how did karate shape you, shape the woman you are today? Speaker 3 (4:55) Well, first of all... Speaker 4 (4:57) I mean, you said it saved your life. Speaker 3 (4:59) Yeah. Well, first of all, I was being abused at home. And just after maybe not even six months of karate, I was able to find my voice. say, no, stop, don't touch me again. Like, don't Speaker 4 (5:12) fucking touch me, excuse me. Yes, that's all right, that's all right. Speaker 3 (5:15) Yeah, I said that to the person, and that was that. And, you know, things happen after that, because, you know, predators look for prey. So various other experiences happen after that, but that particular experience has ended that day. Speaker 2 (5:29) Wow. After Speaker 3 (5:30) just a few months of karate. I don't know what it does for you. It just helped me to, I knew I was already strong, but it helped me to, I mean, what kid does that? Speaker 4 (5:40) Yeah, exactly. Speaker 3 (5:41) To an adult. Speaker 4 (5:43) Yeah, it gave you your inner voice. Yeah, it gave you the strength to speak out what you... I Speaker 3 (5:47) just wasn't scared. And if I was, it just taught me to deal with, if I was to deal with, well, what's the worst that can happen kind of thing. Speaker 1 (5:55) Yeah. And look at the benefits from karate. Speaker 3 (5:58) Right. I mean, that's just the beginning. That's just the first thing. And then... Just how it shapes you, you know, the discipline, the things we had to do. I mean, it was the 70s. We were running in the street in bare feet and training on asphalt. And there was no protective equipment and girls fought boys. And there, you know, so you really had to learn. I really love the discipline. I didn't grow up in a household that had structured discipline. Speaker 4 (6:25) I Speaker 3 (6:25) loved the discipline. Like, I loved it. And I just loved how strong you had to be mentally and emotionally, too. And I knew I Speaker 4 (6:34) was. I was going to say, Speaker 3 (6:35) the Speaker 4 (6:35) discipline made you feel secure, gave you the safety net that you needed. Yeah. That's pretty amazing, though, to recognize that at such a young age. Speaker 1 (6:44) Yeah. And I love that you had the passion for it as well. Oh, yeah. She did from day one. Because a lot of people start things and then like a year later, a week later. they're out of it but that's pretty cool yeah Speaker 4 (6:56) because like she said it was a calling it was an inner knowing she listened to her tuition and Speaker 3 (6:59) i've been with the same people so the same uh the same organization i started with one i ended up marrying uh someone that was in that organization i found then i trained with another one in that organization who passed away in the 90s and Speaker 2 (7:12) then Speaker 3 (7:13) another and i we're still i'm still with the same organization for 48 years and i was supposed to get promoted this summer actually they want to promote me Yeah, Speaker 4 (7:21) it's just beautiful. So from there, how did that transition to boxing? Speaker 3 (7:25) So there was a long period of competing and teaching and all of that in New York. And in 1997, my parents moved here to Florida in 1987. Speaker 4 (7:39) So I was Speaker 3 (7:40) coming down, not quite ready for Florida, but I got offered a position, a job to teach karate and fitness. I also was a personal trainer. Speaker 4 (7:48) In Speaker 3 (7:48) one of these big kind of mega martial arts schools, they had boxing, kickboxing, judo. So I was doing the karate and the fitness. And true story, the boxing guy told me that karate people can't fight. So I told him to get his gloves. And we went in the ring and I hit him and he just, his eyes just popped. And he said, wow. I Speaker 1 (8:13) think Speaker 3 (8:14) I was a fourth degree at the time. I had a world championship in karate. And so I said, yeah, I know I hit hard. And he said, I'm going to show you how to box. And boxing was a whole other level of freedom then. Because now you can take all this power that you developed and really unleash it in a, I want to say in a safe way, you know, because everybody knows what they're getting into, you know? Speaker 4 (8:35) Okay. Speaker 3 (8:36) It's a fair fight. I'm not going and beating up people in the street or someone that's not ashamed. We're equals. We weigh the same. You sign the contract. I sign the contract. Really, that is a whole other side of it. How does it differ from Speaker 4 (8:55) the interaction? I want to say it the way you say it. Karate? I love the way you say it. What's that difference with the interaction when you are... In self-defense or is it called fighting when you're doing karate? I don't. Speaker 4 (9:09) What's the proper term? Speaker 3 (9:11) No, karate is really a way. Karate is really about Taoism. Karate is really about the way you live your life, developing your character. They do it through the physical art, but it's really about the spiritual, the breath. The first thing we learned, and back in the day, there was no internet. You couldn't look up online how to do something. You had to wait for your teacher. You had to behave a certain way. The whole way Speaker 4 (9:36) of Speaker 3 (9:36) life. Speaker 3 (9:38) dynamics. We really learned maybe the last generation of really having to pay your dues and be a good student to learn. They didn't just teach you. You couldn't go look it up online. You weren't accepted into a dojo. When I went to Okinawa, you needed a written invitation. Someone had to introduce you. Now it's on the government forces to let people in. Speaker 3 (10:07) It's different. You know, it's different. That's one journey, but it does build the strength. It builds the inner strength, the literal inner strength of your fascia and your tendons and your ligaments beyond muscle. And then the mentality, you know, you're doing sometimes training eight hours. When is it going to end? Speaker 4 (10:25) Yeah, yeah, really. Speaker 3 (10:26) And so you have all that and then you find a sport. Boxing is a sport. Boxing is a sport. You know, so boxing is a sport and you're trying to be the best and sort of almost at any cost, but it's still it's still respectful. But when I'm going in there, I'm we're not friends. We're not trying to learn like. Yeah. Speaker 4 (10:45) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 3 (10:46) That Speaker 4 (10:46) it kicks somebody to win. Speaker 3 (10:48) But being Speaker 4 (10:49) good in one Speaker 2 (10:50) helped you. Speaker 4 (10:51) Yeah. The course training of it all, I'm sure. Speaker 3 (10:55) Oh, yeah, right away, right away. I'll tell you, I Speaker 1 (10:57) had a friend that used to run with him. And he loved boxing. He used to go to boxing. And I will tell you, it slimmed him down so quickly that he gained some weight. But when he started the boxing, he, like, slimmed down. Oh, my God, Speaker 4 (11:13) it's amazing the strength that you get, the muscles you build. Speaker 3 (11:16) You have to slim down to your, that's why I sort of had a weight class, is you have to slim down to your ideal weight for your bone structure and for the punishment that you can absorb, Speaker 2 (11:27) that Speaker 3 (11:27) you can give and that you can absorb. You have to find the right weight class. And so when I moved to boxing, I had to, not had to, but I dropped 10 pounds off my competitive weight because the girls were all six inches taller than me at the higher weight class. believe it or not. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You Speaker 4 (11:45) find Speaker 3 (11:45) your groove and it trims, yeah, it just trims you down. It eliminates everything not essential because if you want to move quickly, you can't have, you just can't, even 10 pounds Speaker 4 (11:55) is a lot. Right, right. I like that you said it eliminates non-essential. That's true. Perfect way to Speaker 1 (12:00) act in your brain too because you have to Speaker 3 (12:03) be present. Speaker 4 (12:04) Yeah. You have Speaker 3 (12:05) to be silly. That's why I still continue to train. I still go to the boxing gym and I train very, very hard still. It's a lot of mental training at the same Speaker 4 (12:12) time. Speaker 3 (12:12) I was going to Speaker 4 (12:12) say. Oh, Speaker 3 (12:14) my God. The trainer, he's rusting my brain. You know, I just want to relax and box. And he's making me work so hard in my brain. More than my body. My body can take it. My brain is just. Oh, my Speaker 1 (12:28) God. I like that because it's stimulating you. And I think as we age, we need stimulation and we need to introduce new things to learn new things to stay healthy. You know what it is, John? Speaker 3 (12:40) It's like you have to be absolutely present. Oh, yeah. Because you don't know what's going to come next. You don't know what he's going to say next. I'm stepping right. He wants me to go left. And so you have to get out like. I'm just here. I don't have any idea about what's happening. You know, any plan. Yeah, you can't, you have Speaker 4 (12:57) to live in the moment. Otherwise you're going to get knocked on your ass. Right. I mean, yeah, Speaker 3 (13:01) that's the lesson. And that's very difficult. The older you get, your brain is just, the patterns are in there. You know, even my, the way I step and he's just, he's so insistent. Speaker 2 (13:13) But it really works on breaking that. You Speaker 3 (13:15) know, it's almost like breaking the person, like breaking their will so that in the fight, they'll be able to adapt to whatever. They're not going to be stuck in their ways. And what a big, that's just a big lesson. Speaker 4 (13:26) Yeah, yeah. But you have that mental strength from all the years of training in karate. I'm going to keep saying it because I love it. Karate. Speaker 2 (13:34) Karate. Karate. Karate. Speaker 4 (13:35) Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. Karate. like capacity to get through anything so i think that just transitioned into boxing right absolutely oh yeah that Speaker 3 (13:49) um the the karate was the basis for that like i mean i trained you know how the best in the world trained you Speaker 2 (13:57) know what Speaker 3 (13:58) i mean i've been around olympians and world champions and so my level of intensity and training was already there from the karate so amazing Boxing was easy. I just went right to the top. Not that there were so many women boxing 20 years ago. Speaker 4 (14:13) How many years did you actually box? Speaker 3 (14:17) Professionally, 12 years. I've been boxing 30 years now. Speaker 4 (14:21) You've been Speaker 3 (14:21) doing it all the time. That's impressive. That's Speaker 4 (14:26) very impressive. Sure is. She's very strong. I mean, when they Speaker 3 (14:30) know I'm 60, I go there sometimes just to make the boys feel bad. Like, you're 21. Why are you tired? Why Speaker 4 (14:37) are you tired? Speaker 3 (14:37) I'm not Speaker 4 (14:38) even breathing. Oh, my God. It Speaker 3 (14:41) shows them that it's more than physical. I met two women today. It's not muscle. It's this. It's your heart. It's Speaker 2 (14:50) your Speaker 3 (14:50) will. Speaker 4 (14:50) It's our generation because I met two women today in their 40s, and they said, you're probably who you are because of the generation you were raised in. You were more into, you know, determination to do whatever you need to do. Fitness, eating right, taking care of yourself. She goes, our generation is so lazy. We can't even imagine doing half of what you probably did. Because they were very complimentary about, you know, for being 60 and how I looked. And I said, what do you mean? This is hard work every day. And she goes, yeah, but you were growing up in the generation that that was. the thing to do today it's not and i was like okay maybe that's all i've ever known but she was saying how they're raised so different that they're very lazy and Speaker 3 (15:28) I see that with my students. The 70-year-olds, they never cancel. The 25-year-olds, they went out the night before. I'm like, didn't we used to go out and go straight to work and then work out? Oh, Speaker 2 (15:40) yeah. Speaker 3 (15:40) Oh, yeah. Didn't we change clothes? Speaker 4 (15:42) It's a different generation. We can run circles around some 30-year-olds today. That's Speaker 3 (15:47) what Speaker 4 (15:47) I say. It's very true. Speaker 1 (15:49) We sound old. Speaker 4 (15:51) Yeah. We're not old, but we're meeting our age, 60. We should be a little more tired in our life than a 30-year-old. Speaker 3 (16:00) We said 60, but my performance is that of a 25 year old. I can perform the same as a 25 year old. I love that. That's Speaker 4 (16:08) amazing. I love that. And Speaker 1 (16:09) you're breathing in on her. Yes. Speaker 3 (16:12) She Speaker 4