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The stories we overlook, and the ones we never think to ask about. From one friend to another, and beyond—sparked by curiosity and kept alive through conversation.
That was probably one of our biggest fights, uh about that because when it came time to just doing anything else, I I felt like there's no time for it, or it just wasn't I didn't have a say in it.
Living Biography:Conversations matter, especially in a world of constant rush and endless noise, where checking in too often means scrolling through social feeds. Sometimes all it takes is a stubborn kind of curiosity, The kind that pauses, listens, and draws out the stories we overlook, the ones we never think to ask about. This is Living Biography, where we reaffirm our shared human story from one friend to another, and beyond, sparked by curiosity and kept alive through conversation.
Living Biography:There's an interconnectedness between us and the places we've lived. We shape our communities, and in turn, they shape us. But what is that place that left a lasting impression on the course of our lives?
Living Biography:Some people just know early on what they want to do in life. David Honda from Torrance, California was one of those people. He set himself up, worked hard, and became a police officer, his lifelong goal. So when we sat down to talk, I figured his response would have something to do with that. But with these conversations, I'm often surprised. David's answer took me somewhere else entirely, back to his time competing in judo, from the dojo to tournaments and growing up in a family of black belts.
David:I would probably say my background in judo was, it's been all like, I grew up doing judo, so I from from the age of five on up. And so from the time I had stopped practicing or competing, was about the same time when I started to get really serious about going to law enforcement. And by that time, I'd I'd already received a second degree black belt. I've I've competed on Team USA multiple times, state and nationally ranked. And I was teaching, coaching, and, refereeing a lot. So I I would say definitely that's been a lot of my childhood structure was competing in in judo.
Living Biography:Since this podcast is all about places, I asked him what he thought was the defining characteristic of the spaces tied to judo, whether inside the dojo or at competitions.
David:So it's a martial art and, right you're grappling, throwing people. But there's a lot of, I would say, culture slash structure involved. So, like, you learn respect. Right? Like, you bow onto the mat. You you bow to the person in front of you to kinda initiate practice or initiate the competition. Right? So there's an inherent value to listen and respect the senior ranks that have a lot of experience or, you know, if they're they're senseis or teachers. Right? They, you know, learn to respect and follow direction. And And so other than, like, the physical aspect of it, I would say definitely, the discipline aspect of it.
Living Biography:Of course, discipline is at the heart of any martial art or sport. So I wanted to know, what did discipline look like in his life and what was the hardest part of it?
David:At the pinnacle of my training, I was training like 14 times a week, four to six hours every single day, whether it was cardio, weightlifting, or actual judo training. Also, another big part of it is maintaining your weight because you have to compete in a certain weight category. Right like same thing like similar to wrestling. You gotta make the weight in order to compete. And so I had a really, for my body type, I just really struggled with maintaining the competition weight that I was at. And so it would take me, like, just a lot more time to cut down to that weight. So I can compete in relation to maybe other competitors where they can just throw on a sauna suit and sweat it out where they're good in like a month where I'm I'm I gotta do this, like, three months in advance in order to, like, get myself to that same spot. And so that was definitely the hardest thing for me was cutting weight.
Living Biography:David remembered how some kids joined judo because their parents wanted them to learn discipline and structure. For him though, it was different. Judo wasn't just an activity, it was the family sport woven into his DNA. And while having that kind of family support is tremendous, it also came with its own struggles.
David:I I I actually like, me and my dad got into a lot of fights revolving around judo just because it's like whether it was cutting weight or having to, like, move up in to compete at a higher weight bracket or just training in general. As good or as decent as I was at it, I it really revolved around, like, kind of like my family sport. And so like all my family, both my parents, my younger brother we're all black belts. It's legitimately the family sport. And so when it came time to just doing anything else, like, I remember in high school, I wanted to perform at this, like, the senior festival. And I asked my dad way in advance. Is like, is this okay? Like, there's no tournaments. Right? I'm good. And I got the okay. And then it came like a month later, it was like, hey, you know, there's actually a tournament coming up that, you know, you can train for. And I was like, you just told me I'm good. I'm like, I'm not I'm not going. Right? You would you already gave me the okay. And he's like, no. No. No. We're going. I already bought the flights and everything. And so that was probably one of our biggest fights about that because when it came time to just doing anything else, I I felt like there's no time for it or it was just it wasn't I didn't have a say in it.
Living Biography:As he grew older, he knew with certainty that he wanted to become a police officer. And so he arrived at the inevitable crossroads between continuing with judo or pursuing that dream.
David:I couldn't afford to get hurt, recover in preparation of going to the police academy, which is already physically exhausting in itself. And right, if I I get hurt, then they're either gonna skip me or they're gonna lapse me to the next academy class or what have you. And so that once it came time to prepping for that, then it was like, you know, I and I I was much older at that time too, so I could really say, like, kinda just put my foot down. I was like, no. I'm I'm done with this. Now I'm really gonna start focusing on my career.
Living Biography:David had dedicated himself to judo since the age of five, even competing at the national level. Naturally, I wondered if it was difficult to step away from a sport that made up so much of who he was.
David:All the competitions just took its toll physically, mentally, and even, like, with the relationships within my family too that once I essentially aged out of it, it was kind of a relief. But also in the same token that to compete at the, like, a summer Olympics or at the world level, it's such an astronomical jump in level of practice and competition that you really just had to devote your full life to it.
Living Biography:It really puts into perspective how superhuman Olympic athletes are and the level of dedication it takes to get there. But in David's case, it wasn't all for nothing. The lessons from judo carried over into law enforcement. The defensive skills, the discipline, and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
David:As a police officer, whether it was, like, subduing someone or taking control of a situation or just performing under stress, right, performing under stress wasn't a hard part for me. It was I think I really struggle as a police officer with the level of multitasking we have to do. Because amongst driving the car, you're listening to the radio, know where you have to go, you have to memorize the type of call for service. You're going to memorize the the person and names or you need to talk to once you get there. The what type of response is it? Do you need to be, like, light and sirens response, or you need to be more stealthy type? And you you're thinking of all these stuff in in milliseconds. Right? And so I think that was more so the overwhelming part as opposed to, like, you know, I've been on search warrants or I've been in pursuits. I've fought in people. Kind of like in the moment type stuff I excelled in.
Living Biography:Honestly, I know I'm not cut out to be a police officer. So my hats off to David and to those who serve in that role. But at this point in our conversation, we circled back to how judo and all the places connected to it shaped who he is today.
David:I think boiling down and looking at it, I would say it's definitely developed a foundational level of self confidence because, right, one being a high level competitor, right, you have to be confident going into each competition, each tournament. And then as an instructor, I have to have confidence and be able to convey with confidence what I'm teaching, how I'm teaching it. Also, I was a national nationally ranked referee. And so again, right, you have to build it have confidence in the decisions that the calls you make so you're not challenged. Right? So because they're who who wants to see that that referee out there that they doesn't know what they're doing out there or they they're, like, unsure of the calls that they make. Right? So be able to convey that level of confidence and conviction.
Living Biography:After several years in law enforcement, David found himself at another crossroads. It was his lifelong goal to become a police officer, but he found himself struggling immensely. To move on from something he dedicated so much of his life to, again, wasn't an easy decision. But ultimately, he decided to pursue his enduring love for cooking.
David:I cooked a lot as a stress relief and coping mechanism from the stress of being a police officer. And then when I transitioned out of law enforcement, I was kind of figuring out what I wanted to do. And so, you know, I cooked a lot for friends and stuff like that. I got a lot of good feedback and so I was like, well, I'm gonna kind of lean into this. And so ever since then, I really found my stride in cooking. And right, I think, like talk about operating under stress, I've worked in a kitchen where it's fast paced, There's one weekend, Sunday that we pushed out almost a thousand plates in the course of the the workday. So be able to just operate at peak level, again, kinda like being a cop and as an athlete. Right? Being locked in and knowing what's happening around you at any given moment. And then I think I'm kinda coinciding with I just really like to feed people and cooking's fun for me. And I think there's there's only a few things in the world that naturally bring people together, like dance, music, and so food is obviously a big part of that. And so if I can use my skill set to help bring people together and build a make people happy with my culinary skills, I'd be more than happy to to devote my time to that.
Living Biography:As distinct as judo, law enforcement, and cooking can seem, I think we can recognize some commonalities between them. But deeper still, I asked David what he thought tied all three together.
David:I think it's I I'm super impatient. I think that's kinda simply put, is just I really don't like waiting. And so in in response to that, I'll move. I'll do it. I'll create the the effort. I'll make the action or I will whatever I can do to propel the cause forward or propel my life forward, I'll do it. Because I I can't stand, like, just stagnating or just like, oh, you know, things are okay as status quo, whatever. It's not fun. Right? It's not exciting. Right? For me that doesn't bring joy. But like seeing the growth, seeing development, you know, food is like you you take a bunch of raw ingredients and all of a sudden you have something that's Michelin star worthy, like, or you see the process from all your training to standing on the podium with a gold medal. Right? Like that's you can see the evolution. You can see the start to finish the growth of where you come come from. And so I say a lot lot of times jokingly, but I'm so impatient with just my life. And so I think that's what ultimately propels me forward to do more.
Living Biography:I thought it was funny that he didn't hesitate. He knew the answer, and he was well aware of his impatience. As down to earth as he is, I could see how he thrives when he's on the go. He may have set down his judo gi and black belt, retired his police uniform and badge, and traded them in for an apron and knife set. But at his core, he remains consistent. And maybe that's his real uniform, integrity, respect, and loyalty. It's what he wears everywhere he goes, whether in the kitchen, with his friends, or out in the world.
Living Biography:Thanks for listening to Living Biography. This show is hosted by Teemyo, dedicated to expanding dialogue and ensuring technology serves humanity, not the other way around. We release new episodes every week, sharing the stories of ordinary people that remind us of our commonalities, not our differences. If you like to be a part of these stories, reach out to us at pod@valuebridge.ai for an informal and friendly conversation.