Nate Delong competed at the 2014 World Muay Thai Federation Championship on Team USA and took Gold Metal for the Pro AM (Pro/Amateur) Heavy Weight Division.

Like many of us, Nate has a full time job. He is a producer at SapientNitro, an advertising agency based in Boston, MA. In this podcast, you will learn about how Nate was able to balance work and his passion to compete on the international stage. 

Nate was introduced to me by Matt Lindley. Matt is my hero and a wonderful guest who appeared on a previous episode of the feisworld podcast. 

If you have listened to some of my previous episodes, it is no secret that I'm a dedicated martial arts practitioner as well. The desire to interview someone like Nate is obvious. But why should you care, or how does this interview benefit you in anyway? 

Ironically enough, much of the learning as a martial artist can apply to regular office job. Not the fight (of course) but strategies that help you improve your interpersonal skills, reading and understanding your clients, managers, peers, even at interviews - what/how can you learn about the person you are speaking to in a split second and respond effectively.

As a fellow martial arts practitioner, I compiled a list of questions I wanted to ask Nate. Whether you are seriously pursuing a career in martial arts or not, I hope you find these questions somewhat intriguing:

• How did Nate prepare himself for the World Championship in Thailand?
• In just 3 months, how did he peek his performance and condition himself to be in the best competition shape?
• What type of fighter is Nate, and what is his competition philosophy?
• How does Nate study his opponents prior and during the competitions?
• How did he overcome fear, pressure, other mental and physical challenges during practice and then on stage?
• What are the counterintuitive learnings that significantly improved Nate's ability to win?
• How did Nate cut down 14 lbs 24 hours before his the first tournament weigh-in? (Not recommended for individuals without consulting healthcare professionals.)
• What are some of the interesting discoveries on the international stage?
• What is Nate like in everyday life? Where did he grow up?
• What's Nate's advice for people who want to compete in martial arts?
• What's next for Nate?