Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Lozano.
Melissa, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
At 37 yeas old, I was diagnosed with the BRCAA mutation. The prognosis required radical treatment in the form of a bilateral mastectomy. It was a turning point in my life because it signified a total change in my perspective. I began focusing on health, mental resolve and visualization to deal with the stresses of raising four kids while treating myself medically.
In the process, I learned that my experience in Martial Arts and my lifelong progression in it would provide the foundation of my recovery. I wanted to offer others a similar option for regaining strength in their own recoveries, be them physical or mental. Martial Arts had not only served me as an adult in coming to terms with my own physical/mental struggles, but it was also exactly what I had needed in my earlier life to recover from years of physical abuse at the hands of my older brother. It was something I had abandoned young and returned to older, and a part of my identity that I will never suppress again.
M-Pow-R signifies my message and encompasses my name. The MR stand for my birth name, Melissa Rene, and my intention or goal is to empower others to develop the ability to combat their own personal struggles through physical fitness and positive self-reflection.
Below is an excerpt I wrote about my recovery and subsequent journey to become a World Champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu just a few years later. I wrote it with the intention to build hope, offer light and encourage others to keep persevering:
“I love October for the way the weather turns crisp, people walk a little faster and with a little more bounce in their step, the trees give way to a new season, and there is the promise of rebirth after the fall. I hate October because the weather turns colder, people walk a little faster and with a little more urgency in their step, the trees relent to a new season, and the promise of rebirth seems bleak and far off.” This is how I felt from my recovery bed after my September 30th bilateral mastectomy four years ago. I was 37 years old, had four children under the age of eight and could specifically remember feeling that I had never been prepped for the emotional and physical battle my body would have to endure. I had been ready for the surgery, but the reality of recovery would only unfold with each day. The temptation to just “sleep it off” or let other people “pick up the reigns” was constant. I had gone from feeling like a multi-manager mom to being the person who daily fought the urge to bend down and hug her kids because of the physical strain or even serve them cereal because the box was just out of my reach.
The days of my recovery lasted longer than any I could remember for the simple fact that I couldn’t see or feel daily progress. It was a sad place for me. I wished I was stronger, had greater control over my emotions and above all, I desperately wanted to turn off the dim noise and the applauds from my friends and family and just find that place where I could literally “will” myself to recover. I had seen athletes do that several times throughout my life and admired their ability to have so much mental control over their own person. I had a very purpose-oriented appreciation for that kind of person, the ones who knew how to pull themselves up. They are so mentally strong. I was not. I was tired.
In addition to physical therapy and my weekly follow-up doctor visits, I spent my days visualizing myself as having my full range of motion. Having practiced Muay Thai for years it was easy to imagine myself using that shelved-strength and the weight of my body to reach for that cereal box. But I really couldn’t, and I was angry at the events that had taken away my strength. Knowing who I was in juxtaposition to where I was often led to more frustration. It was very reminiscing of what pregnancy had felt like. Watching my legs turn soft or accepting the new shape my body had taken on through delivering a baby, however, was much more worth the trade-off when there was a desperately beautiful baby in my arms who looked at me as if I had the answers for all things versus the concave wounds in my chest that had now been complicated by months of necrosis.
The rewarding and warming feeling of accepting being scarred and broken was almost too welcoming and too selfish not to indulge in.
In the last effort to stop the necrosis and after eight months of post-surgical complications, I underwent a final and third reconstruction and by some amazing fate, it worked. I had a win and I was going to hold tight to it. It’s amazing what happens to your mindset when just one thing goes right. This change in my recovery changed everything and as the weeks progressed, so did my health and my attitude, almost in direct correlation to the way in which they had plummeted. Recovery was no longer my goal, my goal was now to become so healthy and so strong, that I would literally erase all signs of the tired and defeated person I had become. For my children, I wanted them to have no memory of the mom who acted or felt defeated, the mom who had lost the daily battle with the cereal box; my new identity was to be so large and recovered that previous meeker memories would be squashed.
In my younger years and before my diagnosis, I had believed in the myth that our physical prime happens in our mid-twenties/thirties. Now, I see things differently because I understand just how much physical success relies upon one’s own mental fortitude. It is rare for people so young to possess the mental focus and determination to keep them centered intrinsically. Today, I’m often teased by much younger athletes that I train with for my “old lady strength.” I couldn’t find more of a compliment in it because, at this point in my life, the time I put into training is budgeted and very intentional and I have some very specific goals I’d like to achieve. Working toward those not only makes me physically stronger, healthy in body, and clearer in mind, but it also keeps me very aware of how to serve others and help them reach their goals too. This was my reason for opening M-POW-R, a training studio geared at coaching others to find their own mental fortitude while building physical strength. I want everyone to develop their own set of reserves to dip into when they feel defeated physically and to have their own mental strength to recover themselves. At M-POW-R, the emphasis is on personal self-defense because of its amazing transferable benefits, but also because if feels pretty amazing trusting in your own body’s ability to protect itself. The workouts incorporate striking and kicking as well as other defensive moves such as blocking and ducking while training with a partner. It builds on using personal intuition, physical strength and is a proven muscle toner and calorie burner. More importantly, however, is the actual empowerment that comes with trusting in your body and knowing that you already have the physical devices you need to build your own confidence. Even better is that we offer evening classes for youth daily in conjunction with adult classes. The whole family is encouraged to take on this healthy lifestyle and build it into their personal identities… which is a true gift because you never know at what point in your life, you’ll need to rely on your own personal bank of resolve.
If I could, I would arm everyone with the same fortitude that took me so many years to develop. Feeling in control of your body, and your goals are so important to achieving them. I feel confident in saying that because just last month, I was able to achieve a goal that I had set for myself, and that was to qualify for and compete in the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation’s Masters World Championship in Las Vegas. At this point in my Jiu Jitsu journey, earning that gold medal would be the highest recognized honor I could hope to receive and at the age of 41, it would be an amazing accomplishment for someone who had always been a dedicated but not extraordinary athlete. It seemed like a lofty goal for anyone, but even more so for myself as I didn’t present as the most challenging contender on the mat, or on paper for that matter. My track record in tournaments had not only been sparse, but pretty inconsistent. I had something far more valuable than a history of winning or a lifetime of successes, I had a close team of athletes, coaches, and positive influences in my life. Armed with all of these things, and a well-practiced approach to visualization, I couldn’t see it playing out any other way. I trusted in my strength, my body’s reactions, the lessons I learned, the coaching of my mentors, and my own intuition. And when I stood on the podium to receive my gold medal, I bowed my head to those who had come out to support me, to those who had drilled me relentlessly, and to my former self who had gladly taken a back seat.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think all growth is hard won. I don’t think the path to success is paved neatly. In fact, more is learned through failure than through successes and most successful people have a trail of struggles behind them.
Establishing a studio for personal empowerment through combative training came from the desire to protect individuals mentally and physically and to offer an outlet to learn a technique in a very nurturing environment. This of course was grounded in some of my own personal struggles but more so from my understanding of what is to be earned in the process.
Please tell us about M-Pow-R Training Studios.
M-Pow-R Training Studios is a combat-based training studio aimed at offering individuals a safe and encouraging environment to develop their skills, learn proper form, and grow in confidence.
We offer training in the form of Kick Boxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in an integrated curriculum to maximize output, confidently develop form and functional movement, burn calories and build character.
M-Pow-R Training Studios is most proud of our long-term retention rate of clients. We are small so we are investing directly in our client-based and encouraging positive lifestyle changes.
We are set apart from other dojos because our emphasis is to provide everyone with the skills necessary to combat real-life challenges while offering a very non-intimidating platform. We welcome all levels and all ages and are proud of our diverse client base.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory from childhood would have to be playing in the woods of “way back” of our childhood yard. We lived amongst the highly wooded rolling hills in Connecticut. We had no internet, no handheld phones, and no access to computers outside of school. The majority of my daytime hours in the day were spent, creating imaginary roles for imaginary responsibilities in an imaginary world in our “way back.” My favorite of all the role was to be the knight, the defender of the people and servant to my State. Maybe not so much has changed!
Contact Info:
- Address: 6625-C Spring Cypress Road
Spring, Texas 77379 - Website: www.m-pow-r.com
- Phone: 713-820-1031
- Email: mpowrtrainingstudios@gmail.com
- Instagram: mpowrtraining
- Facebook: M-Pow-R
Image Credit:
Charlotte Gottfried (B&W photo of child)
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