Special Guest Tika Hemingway

Count money, man, money, that gritches.

I'm trying to talk, trying to talk to my beast blood.

What's up, gang?

Welcome to the grind cast.

It's not an area here.

Get ready to do the new day.

What's up, gang?

Welcome to another episode of the grind cast.

Get ready.

It's a new day.

And I think this is a story.

This is somebody that's we're going to have some fun.

Sure.

We're going to inspire some people.

But I don't think we've ever had anybody

on the grind cast like Tika.

So this is Miss Tika Hemingway.

She is a current boxer.

She's just an absolute beast.

I'm going to try to maybe see if we can't come up

with a video clip of some of the work that you do at your job,

which is just to start whooping people's butt.

In the ring, she's a beast, man, not a normal chick.

Don't let the hair fool you.

Don't let the smile fool you.

Just she can fight like a man.

I saw it.

OK.

But her story, your story, Tika, first of all,

thanks for coming and joining us on the grind cast.

But how you got into boxing, I know you've been.

So you're in a museum.

A wax museum, I think.

Over here, four-time world champ.

Is it four-time world champ?

Look, look.

We have a long time on this podcast.

OK.

OK.

I'll be able to tell all of my accolades.

So you're going to have to sit down and with a pen

and a pencil on really bad tension, because you know

the accolades are long.

OK.

Well, let's rewind then and let's start at the top.

How did you start?

How did you start on the mission of boxing

and doing what you do?

Upbringing all that stuff.

OK.

Right here.

Bam.

OK.

Yeah.

My upbringing was nice.

Actually, I had a great upbringing.

I was a superstar athlete in my own man.

And on the stats, you know, as far as basketball,

I played basketball.

Oh, he was a baller.

Yeah, I listened.

I'm telling you.

And I was a trickster, too.

So like I was into the M1 and all of the handle and all

of the game, you know, like my handle was crazy.

Like, still to the day.

And my jump shot, I cannot be beat in basketball, too.

Still to the day.

OK.

So I started out playing basketball

with the Paris traditional academy.

And you know, I played basketball for them.

I was a top score.

I played started varsity.

And then I was recruited in the eighth grade.

So, you know, I was just a superstar athlete

as far as basketball.

And, you know, in my mind, I was going to the WNBA.

Going to the WNBA.

And I was, you know, I had everything I needed to go to the WNBA.

Like I had it.

And in my mind, I was going.

So that's how I started out in my sports.

Sports, yeah.

Sports, yeah.

So what got you into boxing specifically?

All right.

So it's a crazy story.

It's a crazy story.

Like a lot of people see, you know, the glory.

And a lot of people know who I am.

But a lot of people don't know who I am.

And a lot of people don't know my story.

But when I was, you know, in high school, superstar athlete,

I'm going to slow it down.

I was coming home from a basketball game.

We just finished one of the games.

I think I put up like eight, three pointers in a row,

killed it.

So I'm coming home from the basketball game.

And we get on the after school bus activity bus.

So it's like it's where you need to go, right?

Yeah.

So I got off the activity bus, you know,

coming home from school, well, coming home from the basketball

game.

And it was a night game.

It was about like 7.30 at night.

So I got home around like, I got off the bus around 8.30

at night.

And I was walking home.

And I was attacked by a man.

And he brutally assaulted me right on the street, right

on the street and pulled me into an abandoned house.

And from then, I was brutally assaulted, brutally assaulted

for probably, same like probably two hours.

And brutally raped.

And yeah.

So I'm so, first of all, I'm proud of you

and, you know, for even talking about it.

You know, just to even talk about that shows how much that you've

grown, how much you've had to overcome.

And I bet you there's more people out there

that you can inspire and that will be inspired by you

keeping it real.

And I know how hard it is to keep it real.

We talked about, you know, this story before.

And I just really didn't, I didn't even know if you was going

to be real like that and tell the whole real story.

And so I see you came here to tell the real story.

And I think that's, that's, that's just a part of who you are.

You know, another thing that you've overcome to get to where

you are.

So sorry to interrupt you.

Oh, no, no, no, so, no, we're going to go back.

So, so I noticed as a grandpa podcast, you know,

and basically back to my story, I was brutally raped.

So I'm a basketball store, you know, with my eyes on the WNBA

college and I'm coming over to basketball game where,

you know, I just shan't.

Right.

And I was brutally assaulted and raped.

I was 15.

I was 15.

So I was about to be 15, actually.

I was about to be 15.

So I was 14, actually.

So I was really raped.

So then it's crazy because I never told anybody.

I kept it to myself all these years.

So when I went home, I never told my parents.

I never told my big brother.

I never told my stepdad.

I never told my, my real dad.

I never told anybody I was raped because, and this is why,

because I didn't want to hurt them.

You know, like I rather, I rather, in that point,

I'd rather for them to be mad at me.

And be angry than to be hurt.

My brother was my protector.

He was like, he always protected me.

So if I were to tell him what really happened,

he would have been hurt.

He would have been depressed.

He had been fighting through depression

for the rest of his life, wondering, you know,

how he wasn't there to protect me.

You know, my mom, I couldn't tell her.

She was going through a divorce.

You know, with my stepdad.

So I couldn't tell her.

I felt like I couldn't tell them.

It wasn't the right time.

And I felt like it would do more harm than good to tell them.

They would be hurt.

And my name, my last name is Hemingway.

It's strong.

We're warriors.

You know what I mean?

And my family, we're like, you know, we're like a tribe.

So it's like everybody's strong, especially the men.

Especially the women.

We're all strong.

So I felt like if I were to told them, it would have diminished

everything they thought about their last name.

That's how I felt in my head.

So I felt like I rather just take this to the grave.

And I rather just, you know, like keep it to myself.

And just, you guys get hate me.

But really, I'm protecting you guys from a lifelong of everything.

And I also felt like I was protecting myself from just

the shame and the embarrassment of being a basket

on store being pulled into a house and raped.

You know, I felt like I was protecting myself.

And I was protecting everybody else because I didn't want

to stigma.

I didn't want to, oh, that's the girl who got raped.

There was so much more to me than that.

And there was so much more brightness and so much more

like hope and so much more like just, I knew like,

even when that was happening, I knew that God was going to

like do something for me, even in that instance.

Because like when I left that apartment, I'm telling God,

like God's wearing my life there.

But when I left, I was walking home and I'm bloody.

I'm hurt.

I'm very hurt.

And I was just telling myself like, thank you God.

I was just thanking God the whole way home.

Because I could have been, I could have been on a one-up

poster, you know, 10 girl, 10 girl, you know, dead,

dead or a team body found in the house.

So in a weird way, in a weird way.

And this is before I was boxing.

I was only 15 years old.

I started boxing, I was 17.

But in a weird way, I knew that God wasn't done with me.

And I knew that there was going to be something else.

You know what I mean?

Like I was going to be blessed later in a weird way

when I walked home.

Like I learned a lot when I walked home.

You felt it.

I felt it.

And I just knew that I just felt like I just had to sit down

from there.

So then from there, you were pregnant.

You went through what happened to me.

Oh no, no, no.

So I didn't even get to that to the viewers.

So now I got brutally raped.

So now I'm only what I just turned.

I'm 15 now.

So now few months later, I'm pregnant.

I'm pregnant from the rape from the from the from the from the

from the salt from the sex assault.

So now I have to you know what I mean?

Like answer to that.

So before I was keeping not a secret.

And I was doing good keeping not to the grave.

But now I'm a pregnant team.

I'm a pregnant team now with all this hope.

And I'm still innocent.

I wasn't like I was an innocent.

You know, and now I'm a pregnant team.

And now I have to answer to this.

So I had a boyfriend around the time.

And we weren't doing anything.

We're like this boyfriend and girlfriend.

We played basketball together.

That's what we did.

So, so everybody was asking me.

And I needed to come up with a story.

So I just said it was him.

And I just said it.

I don't know.

I'm sorry.

But I said it was him just to spare me some time.

But you know, I wasn't mature.

But I knew that I knew that was going to be blessed later on.

But it was just unfortunate situation that happened to me.

And you know, I'm an inspiring and powerful lot of people from

just that from just that period.

That's right.

So adding on to the rest of my story is amazing.

It's an extra.

So extra.

So you overcame that.

And then so you go to high school, you got a baby.

Now, at what point did you start boxing and how did that happen?

Oh, so so so basically now I have a child from the man who

raped me.

So imagine how that was my teenage years, you know, dealing with that

and the stigma of being a teenage mother.

But really, they don't even know how it was raped.

Right.

Yes, she's this.

And I'm not even like vocal with what happened to me.

So I'm just internalizing all of this.

So you know, I'm a gangster for real.

You know, but in a good positive way, in a good positive way.

So right now time, I was angry.

So I started fighting a lot and robbing people.

And not robbing people for what they had.

It was just robbing people with just to make them mad.

Just doing it because you were a man.

Yeah, I was so angry.

So this one night, I robbed a woman and the guy was with robbed the lady.

And it wasn't nothing crazy, like strong arm of the gun.

It was immature.

I grabbed her purse.

It wasn't nothing crazy.

So I grabbed her purse.

And I went home that night and I emptied out the contents.

And I was emptying out on the floor.

And I started, I looked at her ID.

And I looked at like a picture of like a family member.

It hurts.

And I just started crying.

I just started like praying to God.

Like this is not what I want to do.

I do not want to hurt people.

I'm angry that this happened to me.

I want to know why this happened to me.

And I want to know like what's going to happen next?

Like how am I going to like come back from this?

You know what I mean?

Because all that hope I have in my heart, you, I know you just ain't going to just let

that go away and be buried.

You know?

So I prayed to God all night.

I was crying all night praying to God all night crying all night.

So the next morning, I sort of said the next day I was walking to one of the corner stores.

You know, in the city, they have corner stores.

So I was walking to the corner store and I'm a big joke store.

I'm always like laughing.

I'm always like saying funny stuff.

You know what I mean?

Didn't I send you a message threatening you on Facebook?

I don't even know.

Did you?

I think I did.

Or was somebody else.

I was clapped back at you.

See, it was no clapped back.

So basically it was some prayer somewhere else.

Either way, it goes, they were scared.

But basically, I'm a big joke, sir.

Yeah, I love it.

So I was walking on the street and I saw this guy hit on like all this army fatigue and

he's standing there.

So I'm laughing at his army fatigue because like some of it was like Navy, Navy army fatigue.

Some of it was army.

Some, you know, it was all different.

I was just making jokes.

So.

It's gotten on him.

Cut it.

So we got a closer.

And she was like, oh no, I know he's a boxing trainer.

So I was like, it really watched this, watched this.

I'm gonna ask him to train me.

I'm gonna ask him to train me.

But listen, though, remember the night before I prayed all night.

But nobody knows that.

So in my spirit, I was like, I wanted more in my spirit.

Like, I was looking for something like in my spirit.

Like I knew God was going to come into my life and work.

I just didn't know when, but I was waiting on it.

I was waiting on my moment, but in private, nobody knew not even my friend.

You know what I mean?

So anyway, back to this, back to the corner.

So.

Back to the corner.

So he's standing there and I'm and I get up closer.

She's like, oh, I know me as a boxing trainer.

And I said, oh, excuse me, sir, I hear your boxing trainer.

I want to learn how to box.

Can you train me?

I was playing.

I didn't want to learn how to box.

I didn't want to get trained.

You just broke.

Yeah.

I just want to see who's going to say it's like my clap.

But so my clap back could be good.

And then I could just make her laugh.

Yeah.

And we could just laugh about it later.

And then this game dress.

That's it.

That's it.

I was messing with him.

So.

And I said, and he said, no.

And I said, no, seriously, sir, I seriously, I heard you're a very good boxing trainer.

Can you train me?

I want to learn how to box.

And he said, no, people say that all the time.

No, no.

And he turned his back.

And I felt disrespected.

But I kept it to myself.

And I kept on bashing them.

And the more and more he told me, no, the more and more I wanted the box in my heart

and my soul.

Every time he said, no, maybe like eight inches of my blood started boiling.

Want to beat him up, then, right?

You want to beat him up?

I didn't want to beat him up.

I was just boiling.

I'm going to beat you up.

I was just boiling.

Every time he said no, I was like boy,

every time he said no, boy.

So now my whole blood is just boiling.

Now I'm like, I want a box.

And I'm sitting down and see my friend anymore.

It's me and him.

So we're on a corner having a stand down.

But he liked it, I think.

Looking back, he liked that stand down, but I was mad.

So now I wasn't mad, I was, I wanted it.

Like I wanted it off.

Right, felt it.

Yeah, so he was like, if you're so serious,

let's go to the gym right now.

So I looked at the time, it was like 11 o'clock at night

at this time.

11 p.m.

Yeah, because we were on that corner for a long time.

I wasn't going anywhere.

So he said, if you're so serious, let's go to the gym right now.

So I looked at my friend as in like, if I want to go,

if you got to go, let me know.

Yeah, so she had no type of look on her face.

So basically I had to be the boss.

So I was like, all right, let's go.

So we went to we got in this car, even

that I was unsafe.

We got in his car and we went to the gym night night.

We trained for about an hour.

And when I got into that ring, I knew I was going to be champion.

And I've been a ring ever since.

And that man has been an awesome person in my life.

What he was doing on that corner that that night was,

what that evening was, he wasn't just standing there.

He was ministering.

He was a street minister.

Oh, really?

So, so that's what I'm saying.

Like you never know who you run it into, man.

You just have to be.

Just cutting on a guy who was trying to preach to you.

He was preaching to somebody else.

He, no matter, fact, you know, he was preaching to the people

that that you would never that other pastors would never even

talk to.

He was in the hood.

He was on the corner of Charl Street on the North side.

Like we were in the hood.

And he was talking to the gangsters on the corner.

You know, I mean, they had a blow, you know, whatever.

And he's talking to them.

And I just I just know that just, you know, I mean,

God is amazing.

Just because of my story, we just right there.

Just right there.

And it goes, it gets better.

It gets deeper than that.

So don't even, so look at, we didn't even get into the,

nothing yet really.

I mean, we didn't get into every, there's so much more coming.

But never be discouraged if you got to look at what she did.

Look what she's overcome.

Look at where you at.

We're just getting started.

You're just getting started.

Did you see her?

Did you happen to see the video?

I saw you.

I kind of did.

I sure did.

I mean, what are you doing?

Who are you fighting?

You're just like, I mean, you're like,

I mean, you're going so sad.

I'm like, you're going so fast.

You're like, ah, ah.

Ah, I'm like, who are you going to beat up?

And seriously, seriously, that's so funny.

Actually, you want to know something?

Tell me.

Actually, you want to know something like,

I mean, I see, I'm like, man, she is sad.

Look, I'm like that, I'm in a gym like that every day.

Like, I just showed you guys that little 14 second clip.

It was only 14 seconds.

I'm in a gym like that every day.

I'm on fire.

I'm on fire.

Like I'm all about success.

I'm all about hard work.

I'm all about perseverance.

I'm all about not giving up.

I'm all about God.

I'm all about not listening to people.

That's right.

Do what you want to do.

I'm all about it.

Let's get it.

Amen.

What's the, what, talk to me about, talk to us about

the work that it puts in.

Like, which, which is scheduled?

What's the work that it requires to,

to be, to play at that level, fight at that level?

You know, what's the, the things that people don't see?

Like, you talk, I'm in the gym every day like that.

It don't just happen.

What's the work, what's the schedule?

What do you got to do?

Well, not to pat myself on the back,

but I'm going to pat myself on the back

because everybody should pat themselves on the back.

I think if you don't pat yourselves on the back,

then you don't really want it bad enough.

And you're in the wrong sport.

You're in the wrong, you're not, I mean, you're in the wrong life.

You should pat yourself on the back.

Like, probably every morning we wake up.

After you thank God, pat yourself on the back.

You know what I mean?

For everything you accomplish, and I'll make you go further.

But anyway, I'm going to pat myself on the back real quick.

And I'm going to say, so, you know, after I started boxing,

and, you know, after I got in a ring,

and I knew that I was going to be champion.

And me and him created that, that lifelong bond

that we created that night in a gym that will never be broken.

I knew I was going to be world champion,

and I knew I was going to be a national champion at that point,

because, and I was in the amateurs.

So he got, I looked at the board,

and I knew that you had to be,

you had to have five fights in order to win

your first national championship.

So basically, if I won my first national championship,

that means I'll be on Team USA.

That's everybody's goal for the, for the amateur to be on Team USA.

But I needed five fights, and I had to get five fights.

So this man went around, and I don't know what he did,

but he got me five fights very quickly.

So I trained for a year, and in out every day.

Like when he wasn't with me, I was still training.

I was still, you know what I mean?

Focused because in my heart, I still had that hope.

I still had a desire.

Like because, you know what I mean?

What happened to me in that house?

I knew it wasn't going to break me,

and I knew that it was more.

And I knew, you know what I mean?

One day I was going to inspire an empire.

So, you know what I mean?

I was going to put that behind me and work right now,

and then come back, and then get everybody else that

who's ever been in that position, in that situation.

So that's juice, right?

You know what I mean?

That's my goal, giving that juice, you know what I mean?

In life and in the ring.

So, I won my first national championship with five fights.

That's very hard to do.

Winning a national championship basically means

that you beat everybody in the United States.

See how to say it again?

So, winning a national championship means

that you beat everyone in the United States.

And I did that with five fights.

So, he got me five fights real quick, real quick.

And I beat everybody in the United States.

I became a national champion,

and I got on Team USA.

I started traveling the world.

I've been all around the world.

Been in Siberia, Ukraine, Ecuador, Argentina, India.

Wherever I've been there.

And it's all because God first, it's all because,

you know, I didn't give up.

I didn't give up.

You know what I mean?

Like, I didn't give up.

I didn't give up.

I didn't give up.

And I've been all around the world.

And now, I'm in the hands of history sports museum.

I have a permanent job.

I'm in the United States.

I'm in the United States.

I have a permanent exhibit in the hands of history sports museum.

And that speaks volumes because I'm still alive.

I'm still boxing.

What is that?

What is that?

Basically, the hands of history sports museum is a museum with all the elite athletes,

you know, in the world and in Pittsburgh, it's Smithsonian, Smithsonian.

Basically, I have a permanent exhibit, which means that when I die,

it's in there.

I knew it was dating.

You knew it.

What does it say?

What does it say?

It has one of my belts in it.

It has a pair of gloves and has a pair of shoes.

It has a uniform.

And basically, it has a little short biography of my accolades at that time.

And I say at that time, like strongly because at that time.

So yeah, and I'm a four time.

I'm a four.

So right now, I'm a four time national champion.

So I'm a four time national champion, which means I be everybody in the United States,

four times.

And those are the four national championships that I went to.

So imagine if I don't want to more.

And I'm also in the museum.

I've been all around the world with Team USA.

And I'm just, you know, a lit person.

What's next?

What's next?

I just signed a crazy, nice good contract with split T management.

So I'm don't go with that.

So basically, I'm getting ready for my first profile, you know, coronavirus and everything.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But.

So many say they want to fight.

What does it take for you to fight?

Like, how did you grind this out?

Like, what does it take for you to do that?

To be honest, I look for different things like I don't train people, but I do look at

people a lot.

To be like them like, like, like, like their fatigue or what?

Well, what does it take to, what does it take to do to be a champion?

Yeah.

To be honest or time.

I told you, like, I look at different things.

Like, like to me, what it takes is for you to listen.

If you listen, you will learn something.

Like if you listen, I could take you for, I don't care if you have, I don't care what

you got.

You, you could be, you could be zero and 10, like the worst boxer in the world.

But if I tell you, like, left, right, left, right.

And you do that.

I could take you so far because you listen.

Yeah.

If you don't listen, yeah, just listen, listen.

It's crazy how many people won't listen that I've even ever been a champ before.

You listen to somebody that's been a champ.

They're talking about, they're talking about listening.

That, as soon as you started with that with me, I'm like, that's that, that's it right

there.

That's, that's the, the rare stuff that separates people is what, is what she's talking

about.

You know what I'm saying?

Just them inches of, of being able to listen.

Who, who inspires you and who, who has inspired you?

I got this question before about who inspires me.

And to be honest, like, I think my journey in life was a little bit different.

It has been a little bit different without overcame and what I'm trying to, you know, get,

I mean, you know, achieve.

So that question is a little bit different when people ask me that, like, like, who inspires

me?

Like, I don't care about your work ethic.

I don't care about people's work ethic.

I really don't, I care about character.

I care about integrity.

I care about how they treat the people that, that, you know, that can't help them.

Like, I really, really, I'm inspired by great, great people.

I'm inspired by you, Simon.

I'm inspired by you.

Like, I really, I saw two out and I was watching you on social media for, you know, a little

bit.

No, you didn't.

I know you keep trying to take the credit.

You shared something, gave me a couple, low comment, a couple, a little bit of love.

And then I said, you got to get this, see if this chick want to come meet with me.

I want to holler at it.

The person's that true or not true?

Keep it a hundred.

You know, I think it was wrong.

I'm wrong.

That true.

I think it was mutual, I think it was mutual.

But, I'm inspired by you because you're not.

I'm inspired by you because you're character and like, I see how everyone, you know, looks

up to you and like just wants to be like you follow you.

Like, look, I was drinking giant, eagle water.

Is it a giant eagle?

It is giant.

Look, now I'm drinking essential over a chief A to you.

I think I have a lot of your drinking.

I put some BCAAs in it this morning because, yeah, because I had a meeting with Simon

and he put BCAAs into my drink.

And now I put some, you know, so, so, you know, I just noticed again, like your arm

was like, big as mine again.

I don't know about that part.

No, no, it's the forearm man.

Oh.

Not but, but I like character and integrity and all that.

I felt that when I met you, it wasn't what I expected and I expected it to be good.

I mean, I know what it takes to be at that level.

I've heard that you were a good boxer.

I didn't know the complete story.

I didn't know everything.

Right.

But I'm just, I'm just flying.

You know, so I just knew you were good.

That was it.

And then I started to like, I can tell a lot about a person by just watching.

You know, I pick up on things that other people can't pick up on.

And so I'm like, man, some special about her.

I want to holler at her.

I want to, I want to meet her in person and see.

And then from there, when I met you as much as my expectation level was, was high based

on what I knew of you.

It went to a whole nother level.

It was, it was, it was your spirit, your spirit walked before you.

Like I met your spirit before I met you.

That's what it should be.

And I just felt it.

And man, I try to have that, that type of spirit.

You know what I mean?

So I feel like man, I felt your spirit.

And I'm like, all right.

And then when I started to learn your heart and you put all those things together, I'm

like, man, you just such a rare breed special story.

Everybody needs to hear this.

There's girls out there, there's women out there, there's men out there, there's people

that need to be inspired by your story.

And you were talking to me about, man, you didn't, you just started getting comfortable

with telling the whole story.

And I don't know if you've ever even said it publicly.

Listen, listen, actually, this is the first time publicly I've ever shared my story.

I just told, like I said, when I was a teenager, I kept it to myself.

You know, I was, I stayed 10 tons down.

You know, I knew it'll come out later, but it wasn't the right time.

You know, I could have destroyed a whole freaking village.

And I do understand why people don't come out.

And I want you guys listening to understand that I do understand why people don't come

out in the statue limitations for sexual assault crimes.

It's so long because of stuff like that, stuff like this.

But I forgot what was the question.

You're going to be, you're going to be like, I remember Layla Ali.

You know, she had it, but it was Ali's daughter.

So she already came in with the, you know what I mean, with a little juice and she was

good.

Like I could see you being that the serena, the, like you got, you can inspire and help

so many people and you just, you just got the whole, I just want the whole, everybody needs

to know about you because there's a bunch of people that, that, that you're going to be

able to impact and help.

And everybody needs to know about you.

And I got out the mud.

Like I got out the mud.

You guys hurt my story.

So I, so imagine the mental English I went through as a teenager, everybody thinking

that still smile on their face.

You know what I mean?

And still saying, you believe in the Lord.

Like how many people would that happen to?

And they say, you know what?

Opposite of what your response was.

When I was walking, like when I was like that long walk home, I said, you know what God,

God is going to bless me.

Like, like it was, it was weird.

It was like a weird thing of like hope.

Like, like, look man, dude, don't just God, God will bless you.

Don't worry.

So that's what you're in the midst of.

And listen, listen, listen, listen.

And I work hard.

I work hard.

Like my amateur record, 100 wins, 13 losses, 100 wins, 13 loss.

How did they find 13 people to beat you?

I'd love to see those.

That was like early, like when the first guy on Team USA, I would like go to like freaking

fresh.

I've got to rush.

I've got to rush.

The Jewish on Team USA, what, how many years into the game?

Yeah, I would be, I was on Team USA forever.

You know, I got on.

Within when, no, like when did it start?

Second year, third year, fifth year.

My second year, so like, so fast.

Yeah, and I only had five fights.

So like I would go to like rush up, place like second and like the world championships.

Yeah.

So that means you got one.

So it was like it was like stuff like that. Yeah, and then

You know a couple of them was to a to a world champion right now, but I mean once we can her name

Yeah, but that the I fought basically I fought in the Olympic trials in 2016 and in 2012

So in the finals crazy I fought Clarissa Shields in the 2012 you know Olympic finals in 2016 Olympic finals

So basically whoever won wouldn't want to win the Olympics. So you know it was out of me and her but

I'm I'm a I'm a getter three three three tips to

Step back step back from the from the

Step back from the from the just boxing and just just in general because success breed success

I think that success leaves clues

What three tips would you be giving somebody out there right now

That you think it takes to be to be great, you know, I'm saying like regardless as somebody could tell them

This is I'm in the one of the main business. I'm in the insurance business, but I play football and now I'm in a jujitsu

And it's been 11 years in jujitsu and and and all this time

I could see so many similarities to if you want to be great over here

It's the same she that takes to be great over here

It's the same should it takes to be great over here a little bit different, but inside it's the same

What what three tips would you give on?

Somebody being successful

See my tips are weird. That's okay. We didn't come for normal. We didn't come for the same thing everybody give me the three tips

Alright

So in my head right

All right, this is this all right, so look I'm gonna change it around

So this is how I stay focused and this is you know, I'm gonna give you three tips on how I stay focused

I understand and this is how my brain works because my brain works. I think my brain works weird

So I understand that people like you know, I mean operate on like different different levels

so you have to really like just just just

Understand like what level of person that they are and talk to them on their level you know, I mean and like

Oh, I messed up I messed up so basically, you know, how you stay focused. Yeah, yeah

Basically, I think you make a sense to me though

I'll talk later about that, but basically I just don't give up. I don't listen everybody. I don't what do you mean by don't listen everybody because one

One minute you saying

Coachable I listen then the next minute I don't listen it but I know what you mean

I don't want somebody else to get confused tell them what you mean by that all right

I

Have a certain group of people that of mentors and of like coaches

That I really put on a pedestal and I really really like value their opinion and and everything we're on the right track

And we're all focused on achieving the same goal

so

When you're when you're focused on achieving the same goal you have to surround yourself with people who understand that goal

You know what I mean? So when I said I don't listen everybody

I

Listen to everybody when they talk I listen, but I don't take like I only

Only only only that group of people really really like gets into my core into my soul and can really like

Ultra and can really make an effect on you know, I made my next move

So now that I got focused on the question, you know, I mean, that's the best answer like you listen to everybody

You you can listen you don't learn right you can learn from everybody you encounter but

But you have to have a certain small group of people that you really really listen to like for instance

I mean if I'm in a gym because you can't listen everybody because you're gonna have haters

Oh, you're gonna you're gonna have critics you gonna have booze you're gonna have you know

I mean you can't listen to everybody and you're gonna have people that shouldn't be giving you advice that are not qualified to

Give you a vice that are giving you advice and ask for so many people go wrong

They just start listening to whatever somebody's opinion is and they even seeing if they qualified what I even wanted that person

Example that's like if I'm in a rank fighting I'm in there like she good

I'm good and we're to for toe we're in an intense fight only person listen to my coaches

I'm not listening to the crowd. I'm not listening to you know the people who got the VIP seats

You know what I mean? So that's what I mean by you know, I mean only only listen to your team only listen to your team

So like that's one thing, you know, I mean by basically not listening to everybody but listening at the same time

Yeah, you know, so love it and stand focus on God God keeps you focus God keeps you on the right track God talks to you

God will like just guide you in the right direction. I believe if you focus on God you have you have different qualities

As far as like you know character integrity you want to be good

You're striving to you know, I mean like just be a better person

So I mean you

Stand keeping your focus on God is just is just keep sure you ground it and just keep your core like just

Just amazing just keep you being a great person. So that's what I mean by focus on God

So don't listen to everybody focus on God and work work work work work like literally don't be afraid to work

People are scared to work like you scared to work like listen I box

I'm a gun for real like don't let the two face for you

I will I will knock you out quick, but for real. I'm a quick. So it's like

Don't be afraid to work out like a lot of my friends like I can't hang out with them in traditional ways

You know what I mean? So if they want to see me they got to see me in a gym. So come to the gym and y'all can watch me workout

Come on

Right here, you know, I'll tell them a time here for a minute or they'll say like yeah, I want to lose

I want to get my stomach right or yeah, I want my or I want my kid to box

But I'll tell you the time you don't want to show up or I give you I give you the blueprint

The blueprint is right there like the blueprint to success is right in front of your face like listen

If somebody gets me a paper and say look, this is the blueprint

This is what you need to do it to achieve your goals. You know, I'm gonna do my open up the book

And I'm like damn and I'm gonna work and a lot of people they got the blueprint right in front of faces

But they just they scared which has what you scared of like you got to you got to do it afraid

You got to work while you scare like me when before I get in a ring

You wait got there man sometimes

Sometimes look listen sometimes. I'm like, you know what I do not have time for this today like you see

I big this chicken's anybody who's ever coached me know how I am the hand closed doors

But guess what I do it afraid I get my hands wrapped which is the worst part of boxing because you know you can't turn back

You locked in you know, I mean when I'm getting my hands wrapped that's when it all come on

Like oh

Yeah, I still looking around what I'm saying like I do it afraid like I get my hands out put my gloves on

I'm scared the whole time and my face and I'm scared the whole time my music plan. I'm scared the whole time

I'm walking out. I'm scared the whole time. I get in a ring guess what?

Okay, Tyson. Okay Tyson. Did you see that Tyson video?

That says this I did but I wasn't thinking about the Tyson video

It was you see the similar but that's what I said like like a lot of people compare me to Tyson and I am like like I'm just

I'm a veteran in the pro game as far as like my skill level

But in the pros. I'm just I'm just getting started. They said they

Little listen my first fight is not gonna be my first fight. So

You know what I mean? It's not gonna be my first fight

So I'm have a lot of fun in a pro game or whatever and you know, I'm excited to just you know

Have my my story be told it's what is just getting on me. It's it's amazing

You know to me that the amount of people that need to still be introduced to you, you know

It's like soon as I heard this I'm like man

You just got a more people need to be

Encouraging you be inspired by you supporting you all of that

How do you have this and not get behind it?

How do you have this and and not know it or recognize it especially if you're local?

How are you from the city of Pittsburgh and you got somebody that that that is this and that you not behind

Support and find a motivation finding people for them to motivate being inspired yourself by

Only only way it could be

Is is either you're not exposed or you're a hater that's the only way it could be

You know, I said that about comedy other the other day like man

It's either either you know something. I don't know either or you got to be a hater

You know to not root for that that type of person the in that situation

Or you just don't know, you know what it means so so what we what our job is to do is to just help them know

Right and then they can decide if they want to be a hater or not, but but I think you need to

People need to know who you are so so how would somebody

Find you on social media Facebook. What what do they look up Instagram? What do they look up?

All right, so I'm just getting my Instagram, you know back together. Yeah, so you know, I was I'm a little you know lame one

Instagram, but I'm on there though

So so hit me up on Instagram at tika himmingway you can find me on Facebook tika himmingway

Everything is tika himmingway so definitely look me up and definitely inbox me. I talk I talk to everybody

There's definitely gonna be more videos because you know that video

20,000 views off that video off that one off that one video if she tells me all that's everything

That's all that's all that's all that but I said you need to put it out there

People don't need to people need to see it. I don't have time. I'm not a huge consumer of social media

And I had to stop and say what the hell yeah to hell is that you know the mean so y'all got to check that out

So it's just easy tika himmingway

Instagram

Facebook and

Maybe for the right amount of support and followers. We gonna let her punch permanent

Me over here. I said all right. We gotta wait on that

I see what you doing over there. I see what I see what it is so go ahead

Go ahead. I'm gonna put me in an armborne is office. Just just to let you guys know

I'm gonna put me in armborne

You so let's see guys now she was trying to work me in between

I mean she was trying to get she was trying to suck and punch me. She was trying to drill me in the ribs

She got me a

I see you. I see you all right. So here it is. We work. This is part one. We got to come back

We got it. We got to come back with this part one part one of it. Tika. Thank you for joining me and me and big poem

Thanks, thanks for coming on the ground cast. We appreciate you

Thanks for joining everybody. Thanks for listening. Please share if you know people that need to be inspired by someone

Share share this story share Tika's information sure and keep supporting thanks for joining us on another episode of the

Grandcast get ready us a new day