People who know what they want will find a way to get it, and they won’t let anything stop them.
Few people embody this spirit more than Stuart Dansby, a man who set out to become a champion kickboxer, and found ways to overcome many obstacles on his unlikely journey to becoming a champion.
Did I mention he’s 63? There will be many reasons for him to go out on the golf course or stay at home. Dansby admits that everyone can find reasons why they shouldn’t do certain things, but the ability to do what they can do is more important to them than what they can’t do without understanding.
“All this crap holds us back, but the power of positive thinking and the law of attraction is real,” Dansby said. “I have a right knee that the last surgeon to operate on told me was the next knee replacement. He couldn’t medically explain how I could walk on it, much less train or fight. He just I could tell that God had given me a positive attitude.
That energy flows into his business life as well. Dansby is the brand manager for Glanbia, the parent company of BSN, Optimum Nutrition, and other brands. The mindset he applies to his sparring sessions and workouts is what he carries with him into the boardroom or the next meeting.
“Excuses, apologies, and consequences. There’s only one thing.”
Dansby himself is a BSN athlete. He didn’t start fighting when he was in his 20s or 30s. He started training in this sport at the age of 47. He called it the hardest game he has ever played. He even shared his wife Stella’s opinion in the early part of his journey.
“He called it a rock ’em sock ’em robot. I was just as horrified.”
Clearly, Dansby got better because he wouldn’t allow himself to go out. He forced himself to go back to improve. As he got better, the mentality to take on the challenge grew with him. One mantra that Dansby found helped him on this journey was that there is no such thing as loss.
“You either win or learn. Did you win? If not, what did you learn? That’s what I love about fighting.”
Olympia Weekend President Dan Solomon was impressed with Dansby after a recent competition. “He often tells us to surround ourselves with good energy, those who inspire us to achieve, those who want to push us out of our comfort zone. Stewart is that kind of guy. I can see that. Why do so many young warriors look up to him?
Dansby has a great ability to use everything around him as a resource, even the comments of others. He is often told that what he is doing impresses them or that it is a big deal. Instead of basking in that spotlight, he uses those words as fuel.
“I know I’m accountable to that person,” he explained. Another common excuse is lack of access to resources, but Dansby shares that the things you need are around, but you need to communicate to the universe what you want and know what you’re looking for. .
“All the resources, people, and things we want, especially in this country, are all around us. We don’t see them until we put that energy out there. It’s like, ‘This is it.’ Which I’m going to do.’ You don’t even need to know how to do it. Those resources and people will start showing up.
Among those for Dansby were three-time World Muay Thai Champion and WBC World Super Welterweight Champion Gregory “Cheetah” Champlin and renowned MMA coach Manolo Lopez. They had never worked together before Dansby brought his forces together. Not only did they provide a wealth of knowledge, but they also provided Dansby with the motivation he needed to give his best on days when he didn’t have it all in the tank.
“I can kick my ass, but I can’t dog it. No matter how tired I am, I have to give them more.”
Dansby can always find more to give, which is incredible. He had previously done weights and what most people would consider cardio, but he suggested that a different level of cardio is needed to endure what goes through during training.
“Cardio is when you’re doing a five-minute circuit, and your opponent kicks your ass in the first two minutes, you look up, and there’s still three minutes left. That’s cardio!
Champlin was the coach who convinced Dansby to get into the ring. Stepping into the ring in a competitive environment was a step outside of his comfort zone, but he figured that was all the reasoning he should do.
“It scares the hell out of me. I have to do it.”
Eight years after he began training, Dansby would fight his first fight at the age of 56. He admitted that preparing was not an easy process. While very young children started very early, Dansby’s body had already aged more than half a century. However, he refused to fight anyone his own age. He wanted a competitor who was above or at the top of his game. That opponent was a 6’2″, 26-year-old fighter who Dansby described as a “powerhouse”. Dansby was nearly counted out in the first round but nearly knocked his opponent out in the third. Opponent He would defeat him by decision after a three-round fight. What he remembered most from that fight was not that he didn’t win, but what he learned afterward.
“People were coming out of the crowd to tell me how much they admired me and were proud to see me fight,” he recalled. It just needed to keep going. Dansby humbly said that his growth in the game and the success he has achieved did not come alone. The people he mentions and others shared in the successes as they did the work required to make those successes happen.
A prime example of this was when Dansby won the 305-fight welterweight kickboxing championship at the age of 62 as the headliner of a pay-per-view event. Dansby was given the opportunity to fight for the title, but the Florida State Boxing Commission placed obstacles in his way, including physicals not previously required, documents from past fights, videos of fights, and Even blood tests. Show that if he gets cut, he won’t bleed much.
“I was told about the blood test and the EKG on Friday night, and I had to get it all done by the following Wednesday. It was crazy, but we got it all done.
Not accepting excuses and his law of attraction passed again. Dansby earned his license, won his fight and the title, but he admits that the people who helped him at every turn were as much a reason for his victory as he was.
“The team won that belt. I brought it to the gym that day and said it’s not my belt. It’s our belt.”
That fight, along with an important part of his journey, is part of an upcoming documentary called “Taking the Fight.” Dansby wanted to document his experience because of the effect it had on people he could not directly connect with.
“It’s been a seven-year process, it’s in the final stages, and it will be a full 90-minute documentary.”
The documentary may be in its final stages, but Dansby’s journey is far from over. With each passing day, his goal is to find a way to be better today than he was yesterday – just as he strives to be a better kickboxer than his last fight. Even with all the success he’s had in business and life, Dansby is still finding ways to get better, and age isn’t stopping him. He also credits his game.
“Fighting has made me a better person in every aspect of my life.”
For more on Taking the Fight, including its release, follow Stuart on Instagram. @stuart_warren_dansby .
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