More Than a Fighter: Brigitte Morris Joins Dual Coast

In this powerful episode of Dual Coast Podcast, we sit down with Brigitte Morris for an inspiring conversation on resilience, martial arts, entrepreneurship, and overcoming adversity. From building her brand and pursuing success through discipline to battling Crohn’s disease, Brigitte shares the mindset that helped shape her into both a fighter and entrepreneur.
We dive into the lessons martial arts teaches about mental toughness, confidence, and perseverance, while also exploring the realities of building a business and personal brand in today’s world. Brigitte opens up about navigating the physical and emotional challenges of Crohn’s disease, how adversity can create strength, and why discipline becomes the foundation for growth both mentally and physically.
This episode is packed with motivation, powerful life lessons, and insight for anyone striving to overcome obstacles while building something meaningful.
Topics Covered:

• Martial Arts & Combat Sports
• Entrepreneurship & Branding
• Mental Toughness & Discipline
• Overcoming Adversity
• Living with Crohn’s Disease
• Resilience & Personal Growth
• Confidence Through Struggle
• Motivation, Mindset & Success

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more conversations focused on health, wellness, mindset, business, resilience, and peak performance.

#DualCoastPodcast #BridgetMorris #MartialArts #Entrepreneurship #CrohnsDisease #Motivation #Mindset #Discipline #MentalToughness #Resilience #Business #SelfDevelopment #Podcast #WomenInBusiness #CombatSports #Success

@Dualcoastpodcast @Movetoday365 @Danscoca

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

What's up, Dual Coast fans? Welcome back to another exciting episode of Dual Coast Podcast. I'm your host, Dan Skoka, joined by my West Coast co-host Russ Rogers, and very special guest this morning, also on the West Coast, Bridget Morris. Bridget, thank you so much for being with us this morning. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_03 0:18

I'm good. Good morning. Thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

We are so excited to have you. This is uh an amazing morning. We are we are very blessed to have you on this morning on Dual Coast, let me tell you. So I'm gonna give our audience a little background, which we were just kind of talking about it. But uh, you and I went to a same event. We had no idea who we who each other were. We went to our June and San Francisco went to his event, and it was an amazing event. Probably two to two hundred and fifty people there. It was just I I think most the high percentage of real estate agents, people in the mortgage business, something like that. Uh amazing. Bridget and I ended up at an appetizer table talking with a number of other ladies, and then eventually Jared and Sebastian came in. But we we probably stood there and talked, I don't know, maybe 30 minutes. Uh I have, you know, it wasn't counting, but it was just time was going. But we have this, Bridget and I have this connection. You know when you get in the room, Dan, anything is possible. I've heard that somewhere before.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Um I told you that.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Yeah, I think I think somebody in the East Coast told me that. But you know, you get in the room and anything can happen, and and that is our connection with Bridget and I, and now with Dan. It's uh an amazing connection, and you know, I I I told our June after this, after that, about a week later, and I said, you know, when you go into an event like this, a lot of people are nervous, a lot of people are, you know, you got this, you know, fear of going in. Who am I gonna meet? What do I look like? You know, is my lipstick good? Not mine, but women. Uh, you know, my glasses are all the screws on, you know, everything, right? So with that being said, uh, you know, you go into this place and went and anything can happen. And that night, met Bridget ended up talking with the, like I said, with a number of ladies, and then the lady to my right, she said, Hey Bridget, you know, she parked in this bad neighborhood in San Francisco. Uh, and you know, it was a Hollywood movie set as we got closer to the parking garage. So I walked Bridget back to her car, and as we know, and we were laughing beforehand, in Taekwondo, she was the one protecting me, and I wasn't not protecting her.

SPEAKER_02 2:30

So I cannot it. I planned it too. I risked my life to park in a bad neighborhood because I really wanted to have that conversation.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

I wanted to act macho, I wanted to act like I was protecting her, but we really know deep down the truth, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:46

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

So, anyway, so we we swapped information, but you would just have this, you know, connection. We've been talking since, and then not only that, but it's amazing, Bridget. Like when you're when you deal with people and you meet people, when you go into these rooms, and and me having met uh Renee V, also on the East Coast in Philadelphia, and then Mitzi, Campbell, that's just it's amazing. And then you just watch our podcast, you feel a connection, you reach out to both of them, unbeknownst that you have this uh knowledge of who we are with them, and then now you're gonna be in a book and we want to hear all about that. But it I we're so grateful to have you on today. We are blessed to have you on. And so um just say a couple of words of just you know what it's like to be here on your first podcast.

SPEAKER_03 3:39

Well, yeah, thank you so much for just the invite. I feel like you know, when things align, it's like the dominoes just fall, it just it goes, you're propelled forward, and um things we were meant to meet. Um, and speaking of that specific uh event with Arjun, um, I know him actually through Taekwondo. That's really our background story. And so heading into this event that he um had organized, like you said, it was mainly like real estate people, and I'm like, I know nobody. This is so not my field. I don't I didn't know anybody except him. I had been to the previous event uh last year, which was fantastic. And at one point I wasn't sure if I was gonna go, events thinking, and I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna go. And normally, well, I'm an introvert. I most people think I'm an extrovert, but I'm an introvert, and so being in a room by myself, it's like it's kind of like oh, I'll kind of just a little squeggy myself into the corner and kind of like absorb people. And last year I had brought a friend, and I was like, you know, this year I'm gonna intentionally put myself out there, I'm gonna make sure I'm gonna be alone and go through that, feel the awkwardness and just push through. And so when I was there, sure enough, like there were moments where I was just standing there by myself with my little drink, you know, looking around, and I was seeing the entire room, everybody were in pairs or in groups, and I was pretty much the only one that that was there by myself. And I was like, you know what, like good on me for doing that. And I I remember there were two things um in Jared's speech, because he was the one of the presenters, and he had said two things that I felt were really specific to me, and I was like, Oh, this is like telling me I was meant to be here. And one of them was he was talking his his quote or his thing was like, all in, right? It's kind of like be a hundred percent committed to the changes or whatever you want to do, not 99%, so all in. And I'm currently in the process of helping to organize um the event apparel for an event coming up. And the previous year, the quote it's like a martial arts event, and the previous quote was like born to win. So this year I'm like, I can't really use it again, let me get something else. And I had come up with the fight the sentence, and it I'm all in. And then I was like, let me just drop that, it's all in. So that's what was gonna be on the t-shirts. So when he was talking and he's like, it's all in, and I was like, Oh, that's weird because those are literally the same words that I am doing for my event. Okay, cool. Ink, you know, I mean true now.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

He's stealing your words, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:27

I know. We're gonna have a conversation about that later. Um and then and then he kept going, and then uh at one point he was talking about his mother and she had passed away uh on March 16th, which is my birthday. And I was like, oh, okay, this is like you know, two for two. So I was like, so I knew I was meant to be there, but I just didn't know why, who, whatnot. And so sure enough, later on the presentation were done, and we're all kind of like mingling, and I hadn't met uh Russell at this point. That's what the first time, really, when I walked up to that little cocktail table. I you were there with other people, and then yeah, we just kind of like struck up the conversation. And so yeah, so basically that was like us talking very briefly, but then I ended up coming back to the table, and that's when we really started talking a little bit more, and then you kind of escorted me to my vehicle. Um, but yeah, I feel like beyond being here, I guess to answer your question through the long route. Um being here to me, it's it feels so right because it feels like it's the start of the next part of my journey. Um and it's kind of interesting because my journey has always been very, I guess, or my ident identity has always been linked to the martial arts side of it. Um, you know, we have a martial arts school, my martial arts brand, you know, I practice martial arts, everything is very martial arts, but a lot of people don't know that I also have Crohn's disease and I've been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and I've been, you know, living with it for 22 years at this point, and the battle has been like such an important part of my life, but nobody knows about it. Like I was thinking about it the other day, and I think that probably of everybody that knows me or knows of me, a good maybe like five percent actually know of of what I uh of my Crohn's disease, yeah, and very few people know the actual struggles and my actual life story with that. But it's such an interesting thing because um I I I guess like I really took matters into my own hands and I'm at a point where when I was seeing my doctors, they were telling me, like, look, like well, I would go up to them and say, like, what else can I do? Do you have any other, you know, I don't know, like new studies, anything that I can look into, you know? And I'm like, not really, but what are you doing so I can tell my other patients? And they're like taking a note. And I was like, wait, you're asking me for advice?

SPEAKER_05 8:54

Like, who's paying you here?

SPEAKER_03 8:57

And then the the the next year, they're like after, you know, another meeting, and they're like, you know what, just so you know, the patients that are doing what we're recommending that you're doing are actually improving as well. And so I was like, okay. And um I the my last meeting that I met up with them was I think it was like last year. We I had done a little uh little follow-up surgery, and I went up to meet them again to kind of go through everything. The and basically they're saying, look, like you're you're healing, like you're reversing your your symptoms, like you're you're healing your Crohn's to a point that like it's still considered, you know, incurable. And I said interesting. So I'm sitting in the room and she's like, Yo, what you're doing? I I've never seen it before, like this is incredible. And as she's like leaving the room, she stops, like she had she had opened the door and she stopped and she kind of shut the door a little bit back, and she kind of leans back and she's like, Are you an influencer? And I was like, No, like that's a bit like such a random question. I'm like, Well, I have a YouTube channel, but like not really. And she's like, You need to share your story. And then she just walked out, and I'm like, what just happened?

SPEAKER_00 10:07

That was that was a powerful statement right there.

SPEAKER_03 10:10

Yeah, and I think that that's kind of like where I'm saying there's a lot of alignment as well. Like, I've been doing a lot of internal reflection on myself, trying to improve myself, but also my I was told that my throat chakra is is blocked, and that's speaking your truth, and kind of like linked into that. Um, I'm kind of like this is a part of my journey where I am now gonna be talking about this and hopefully helping as many people as possible because it is it's scary, you know. Like when you're when you're going through something, it doesn't matter how many other people are going through it, you always feel like you're alone. Yeah, and sometimes there's like some shame in it because you don't want to talk about it, it's embarrassing whether you have your own identity, uh your pride, right? And it's like admitting that this is making me weak, whatever it is, right? And it's you just people just take on this that by themselves, and you feel so alone even in a community. So I feel like sometimes having if I can empower people to start looking, to feel confident that they can look other ways to help them heal. That's pretty much like the what I want to do.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

Yeah, no, that's so good. I want to go back to the moment you said that like um you know, you were standing in the room alone, alone. And you know what? And that's where people really get nervous. For sure. Is when all of a sudden you're standing there, and and I have that I have that same feeling because in that same room in San Francisco, there are moments that you know I'm like, I'm looking around and I'm like, okay, well, who am I going to meet? You know, and then I would just go up to I went up to a couple of guys, talk with them, we dialogue for, you know, 10 minutes or whatever, but I just knew that like there's nothing there. Like, you know, we just had good conversation, but moving on, you know? Yeah. Um, and so, you know, you're putting yourself in the room, and you you have that feeling because you're not always going to be comfortable in the room, right? And so when I told Arjune, like after that, I was like, Arjun, you know, when I go to these events, if I can meet five to ten quality people in a room of two to three, you know, two to three hundred people, if I can meet five or twenty ten quality people, just like meeting Dan, like, you just don't know where it's going to lead.

SPEAKER_05 12:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

You know, and so that lady telling you about your Crohn's and and sharing your story was solid. You know, and then you're just you're aligning right now. You're going through and you're aligning with other people, and it's amazing to see. So aligning with Renee, we're aligning with aligning with Mitzi, now being in the book, and you know, I want you to share about that. But first, let's talk about this.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

Yes, all right. Boss, like how do I get that in there?

SPEAKER_00 13:17

There we go. So, this is an amazing book. This is an amazing book. Filled with pictures, martial arts. Look at this. The brand of a champion, right there, right? How cool is that? So, Bridget sent this to me. Amazing. Going through this is I mean, the pictures, black and white color, the story. Bridget, I don't know if I shared this with you, but my sister died at 50 from Crohn's.

SPEAKER_04 13:44

Sorry. Oh. Oh my god. I'm so sorry to hear that. But wow.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

20 years ago. She it's at age 16, she got a hepatitis C, she got hepatitis C through a blood transfusion when she was 16. So she had hepatitis C and she had Crohn's, and she was dealing with that, you know, all since, you know, age 16. Well, Crohn's wasn't until later, but that combination ultimately got her uh at age 50. So Crohn's, when you talk about Crohn's, like it's deep inside of me. Like there is meaning behind it. So I I would like for people I would like for people to know, like, how did you find out that you had uh Crohn's? Like what were the symptoms? How did you know what age about did you you know come to knowledge with that? And how did you go from there to where you are now?

SPEAKER_03 14:39

Yeah, so that's that's like a 22-year story, but no, it's you know, it's funny because uh you hear the start of a lot of different people, and I feel like the start of my story is different. Um, like I was I I was diagnosed when I was 18. Um, I was growing up a very active person, very healthy. Like I had really nothing wrong per se. Like I didn't really have any allergies, I didn't have anything, like, and I was so active, so so so active. And then it was in my high school, like I was 18, I was about to graduate, and I was trying to fight this cold that it was like a tough cold. And so I went to my doctor, my family doctor prescribed me some antibiotics, and that pretty much did it. Um, I didn't really know, but like look tracing it back, um, I took the antibiotics, didn't take anything else after, like, you know, like no yogurt, no, nothing to rebuild the internal flora, nothing, nothing. And so I got my I was I got uh yeah, I took my antibiotics and then I got diagnosed with mono. And then basically a month later, that's when I noticed that I had like diarrhea and it was like consistent. And and then I started seeing the blood in the stool. And I remember, you know, your mom just knows everything, and it's like sometimes you're like, ah, I thought I I was a one up on her, and it's like, no, she knows everything. And so I had went up to my mom and I said, you know, like embarrassed, right? Because it's like bodily functions are not really something as an 18-year-old you want to kind of like talk about.

unknown 16:16

Right.

SPEAKER_03 16:16

It's like, hey mom, like I've had diarrhea, and I don't think that that's normal. Like, and she's like, Yeah, you know. Like embarrassing. Yeah, thanks for making it even more embarrassing. Thanks, Mom. But, anyways, that's when um we went on this journey. So we spoke to the doctor, and basically I couldn't get anything to see a specialist until the end of the summer. And so I had to wait, and that was honestly the worst summer of my life. Like it just got worse and worse and worse and worse to a point that like I had to be seconds away from a bathroom just by moving a little bit, or else there would have been an accident. And no, I I so I didn't leave the house at all. And finally, I that that time, like in September, I was diagnosed officially, but I was officially diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Um and I guess like this is why I say I'm lucky in my unluckiness because being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis led me to having the surgeries that I have that saved my life, to now I can like live what the way that I am living right now.

SPEAKER_05 17:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:20

Um, but the over the next three years of trying to alleviate the symptoms and then you know, fix colitis, nothing worked. And we tried everything. Like my mom was like freaking FBI agent, like trying to figure out like what else, what else. But we also had like a really good team of doctors. Like my my p grandparents were well known in the medical industry, so they really knew the specialists, the good specialists, the good doctors to go and talk to. Um, so I had like a I ended up with a younger doctor, a younger gastroenterologist. So he was very open to trying different things. And like we ended up importing this in experimental drug from Germany, it didn't work, but we were really trying a different thing, and basically to a point that um my body was just like Crohn's was just getting well, it was colitis, was getting so bad that um I was like sleeping 20 hours a day, um, and still waking up just exhausted. And and it was kind of like such a contrast from who I was before, very much like a super athletic. I had like scholarships, I was super driven, super bubbly, and I was like now the complete opposite. Like I I I wasn't really in my head, like I was drugged up, energy was like depleted, I didn't want to have I didn't want to do anything. And so, you know, the they had told me that ulcerative colitis is curable because it only affects the the rectum and the colon. So if we remove that, well then you'll be cured, right? That was the kind of what I was sold. And I never really thought or considered surgery an option because I was like, like, you want me to remove some organs? Like, are you like, no, like how am I gonna live? Like, what are the life consequences of having something like that? So I never considered it to be an option until I really had no more options and I had to get um rushed to the hospital, uh, got an emergency emergency surgery, and they removed the colon, my colon and my rectum, and I got an ileostomy. Um, but this is where I say I got lucky because if I had been originally diagnosed with Crohn's, I wouldn't have been able to be a candidate for the next step, which is a J pouch, which is basically um they they take the end of your small intestine, fold it on itself, and they recreate a new rectum and then they link the whole, you know, plumbing together, uh, as opposed to having being stuck for the rest of my life with this eleostomy, which is like an outside pouch that grabs the waist. And you know, little 18 at this point I was like 21, you know, I'm still so young, and you know, I'm like, I don't want to be living with this, you know, like I like sports, you know, like I I don't know, I just didn't want to do that, but I had to ended up doing it because I was so sick. Um, I remember I was just waking up from surgery, you know, like how you're like your eyes are kind of like open, but you're like not really coming to. And I remember being gurneyed out from the surgery room to you know, post uh post op. And I all I see is like, you know, my surgeon boop, his head popping, and then I see my my parents pop. So that's like there's like three heads in front of me, and I'm just kind of like, what's going on? And so it's like, how did it go? You know, how was surgery as I'm being wheeled? And I remember I always remember the surgeon saying, Oh, uh, this shouldn't have been taken out yesterday. Like that's how how bad it was. Um and so I was like, okay, well, now I'm now I'm cured and now I'm gonna heal. This is great, this is fantastic. Like, I'm I'm now on a new chapter, and surgery went well. I had to go because I was so sick. Um I had to do the following surgery. Well, the entire surgery in three surgeries instead of really two, because my body needed time to really heal, like it was really beaten down. Um and so ended up doing that, and everything was great. Like I was back to my normal self, and symptoms started to come up again. And I was like, what's going on? Um, and then I went back to and it was different symptoms at this point. Like it was mainly like the arthritis side of it. It was excruciating, and they would always come up in flare medication. Prednisone was always like my go to, which I absolutely hated. I'd become so actually I'd become dependent of it. I had withdrawals, believe it or not, of prednisone, which was absolutely horrible. I thought I was dying, and nobody knew it was. Going on. They ended up doing a spinal tap because they didn't know what was wrong with me. And then finally they're like, oh, I think you're having withdrawals. Actually, my mom was the one that said that freaking FBI agent here. Of course, mom.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

She already knew all this in advance.

SPEAKER_03 22:15

I know. Um gosh. I love her. I have so much to credit her for just everything that she's done. Um, but yeah, so basically I got I was in I I always remember this actually. I was um in the waiting room, waiting for my gastroenterologist to come back because it was my birthday. And he's like talking about some tests and stuff like that. He's like, so yeah, basically, uh, you've been misdiagnosed, so you actually have Crohn's. Uh and I remember that hit me like in the gut. Because I was like, I was told that I was gonna be cured. And I've been through that mess, and I'm gonna go back. Oh, that was that was so hard to take. And I I remember like, okay, I'm gonna have to go out and tell this to my mom.

SPEAKER_04 23:08

Right. Gosh.

SPEAKER_03 23:09

So I went out there and I was like literally like fighting for my life of like not crying, like holding it in and going, hey mom. She's probably I knew it, you know. But I but the thing is was uh uh you know, I laugh now because I've really had to deal with it and I'm I've processed it, but like I remember being going back to my apartment that day. My mom had driven me back, and I walked into the apartment and then I just shut the door behind me and I took some couple steps forward and my knees just buckled and I just like collapsed and I was like sobbing, like just like it. I think it was all the emotion, the stress, the everything of the whole like previous four years, the ups and the downs was like, and now here I go again. And I was like, oh my god, and it was just like that, that was such an impact on me. And then I was like, and I had my moment, and then I remember just going, I got up, and I was like, okay, you know how you just shake it off, and you're like, all right, let's do this. Yeah, back on it, let's do this, right? Um, but yeah, so uh you know, and again, like same roller coaster, trying different things, and nothing really worked. And I was, I mean, it was like delaying the process, but you're slowly like dying from the inside, like everything is just like slowly shutting down. I was just really slowing the process down with different things, and I just remember one night sitting in bed thinking, like, this can't be it. Like, this can't be it. And then I also had a moment of like because like I would go to my doctors and I would always ask, like, what else can I do? Like, what else do you have? And they're like, Well, of all of our patients, like you're the one doing better. Not that it's a competition, but it's like they didn't know how to deal with me because I was already doing so much better than most people. And I was like, no, like what else is there? What else is there? There has to be more. Like, I'm obviously not getting better, I'm slowly getting worse. And I I felt like at one point I'm like, shh, do I even like feel ashamed of thinking it was okay to even be better? Because I knew that there were so many people out there way worse than I was, and they're struggling, and I'm still living a good life, you know. But I was like, um, and like I remember thinking, like, no, like I there has to be something, and I decided from that moment on, like, I'm gonna start doing my on my own thing. And it was frustrating because I was I felt like I was following everything that my doctors were telling me, and I guess the perfectionists in me thinking, like, you know, when you if you study, you'll get an A plus. And here I was, like, studying. I was doing everything right, everything my doctor was telling me, like, why is it not working? And so I was like, all right, I'm gonna do something different. I'm gonna start taking matters into my own hand, I'm gonna start doing my own research. And basically, I started really going down the holistic side. Um, and at first I wasn't really getting that kind of support from the doctors or the medical industry, um, which at first I thought was quite frustrating. But then I also understood that that was also out of their scope of knowledge, and so it's not like they knew, so they couldn't advise. It's like, well, I'm gonna listen and see what what happens, but I'm not sure if I can support it because I don't have data that supports that that I know of, right? Um, but yeah, I mean, ever since doing that, I've really dug deep into figuring out my body. Like I've learned so much about my body, and I think the number one thing was that your body speaks to you on a daily basis, what it needs, what it needs you to stop doing, you know, everything, deficiencies. The only thing is we just don't speak the language, we were never taught the language. And so if you start understanding what these signals are, right? Like the easiest one is like if you have a headache, like the first thing people do is like, oh, Tylenol. It's like normal, and well, why don't we do the list? Go like first thing most people are just dehydrated, just drink some water, hydrate yourself, and within 20 minutes, less than 20 minutes, your headache will go away. If it doesn't, all right, something else. Let's let's troubleshoot. But it's like people are so quick to like you know, headache, oh, pill. It's like, well, what is the body your body's telling you something. It what does it need?

SPEAKER_00 28:04

Right.

SPEAKER_03 28:05

And so it's really learning to trust your body. And this was a moment, actually, it happened like probably a few months ago where I had this like little epiphany where you know, throughout this entire journey of dealing with Crohn's, um, I was being told, because that's what they knew, that my body was always the problem, like it was it's attacking myself, it's attacking my organs. But in in real life, like my body was always a solution. I just I just needed to trust it and listen to it. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:45

Wow. Wow. Well, Dan, I I question for you. Like, you know, I know you're not a Crohn's specialist, but you're in the medical field. Like, how like what is going through your head as Bridget is sharing her story?

SPEAKER_01 28:59

I I agree with a lot of what you said as far as the holistic approach and everything, because it's not really something that's taught so much in the medical field, and a lot of doctors kind of don't look at that side of things, but there is a lot of realistic approaches in holistic medicine simultaneously. And you know, Crohn's and UC kind of have a lot of similarities in their early diagnosis stages, so a lot of you know sometimes you can't really tell. Um, but yeah, it's uh it's a powerful story, honestly, Bridget. I mean, unbelievable. And you've been dealing with this with since what age, you said 18. Yeah. I mean, it's I'm not a chrome specialist, I don't do any kind of GI work, but I do agree that there's a lot of methods and a lot of modalities that are overlooked for those types of diseases, especially autoimmune realm. Um I mean, it's unbelievable, honestly. Unbelievable.

SPEAKER_03 29:51

Well, the funny thing is was that like apparently this is what I was told afterwards, right? Because again, like when you're first when something happens, you're in the diagnostic stage. Like what? Like you're poking around what's going on, what's going on, and it's only like later on you're like, okay, now I have all the cards, now I can figure out what my best play is.

SPEAKER_06 30:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:10

Um, but so my symptoms were showing as alcerative colitis, but I was reacting to medication as if I had Crohn's. And you have different types of medication based on ulcerative colitis or Crohn's. And so we kept trying to, you know, deal with alcertive colitis. And so, like medication, it wasn't just really working. Sometimes it just didn't flat out work out, and sometimes it would work, but then it would always end up taping out. But it's um that's why it was difficult because like technically my col it was my rectum, my my colon were really, really bad. And in some cases where Crohn's is well, so alcertive colitis is so bad, the inflammation will start getting into the iliocical valve and maybe start getting into the ileum, like the start of the little intestine. Um, but technically, like alcertive colitis stops at the large intestine.

SPEAKER_06 31:05

Right, right.

SPEAKER_03 31:05

Whereas, and that's what was happening within me, but towards the end, there was that a little bit of inflammation heading into, and that's where they were like, Well, I had been seen by I think it was at least four specialists. There's three doc three specialists plus two cer one one surgeon. Um, and they all had said no, like this is a typical case of like a severe ulcerative colitis. I was young, and they're like, You're a perfect candidate for for for this surgery. The JPouch, uh, the surgeon was actually amazing. Um it's funny because I feel like both of my doctors' names were like funny. So one of my my my gastroenterologist, his his his name was Hazard.

SPEAKER_00 31:51

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 31:52

But then also Where does that originate from?

SPEAKER_00 31:54

Where does hazard originate? We're like, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 32:00

There you go. But then that's that's the percent uh the profession decided to go. Like I'm a doctor. But then my surgeon, his name, his last name was um Boucher. Um, and in French that means butcher. So it's kind of like and you're gonna be a surgeon. But he was actually a very, very, very good. He he came from Boston and he was now living in in the Ottawa area because he had gotten married, but um, he was also a specialist in aparoscopy, and he was coming in to teach how to do the JPOUTS procedure through apparoscopy because back in the day they would literally like, and that was another reason why I didn't want to do it, they would like slit open your stomach, open it wide, and so I would be stuck with a massive scar down my stomach. Whereas he did it through like basically there was like nine incisions, tiny lenses incisions, and they put cameras and you know, like little wands. And so it was done very, very well. And so I was actually, I still am, I think I'm believed, like they they recorded my whole session, and so and they they had put me in the like the observatory area, so people were watching from the from the the top, and then they were recording, so they were teaching how to do this. Um and so I was very lucky in that sense as well because the healing process was much quicker, but also I don't have a massive scar down my stomach.

SPEAKER_01 33:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Laparoscopy is kind of the mainstay now that you know for most of those treatments, especially like you know, UC, and they do everything through laparoscopy now. It wasn't like that though. It would always be open procedures, like anybody you see from back in the day with an appendectomy has a huge scar across them. Now they do it through court decision. Um same thing with call blot and color sectomy, same thing. Everybody's got three levels now. It used to be a big scar down your stomach.

SPEAKER_03 33:50

Yeah, that's crazy. And like you're trying to sell that to me as an 18-year-old, like, yeah, you're gonna have a massive scar. I was like, no, what about bikini season? Like, are you kidding me? And it's like all this kind of like, you know, as an 18-year-old, very insecure in a lot of stuff, and I was like, Oh my god, like no, but yeah, because we're talking about this was like over like 20 years ago, right?

SPEAKER_01 34:11

Right, right. I would imagine, yeah. I would imagine, you know, not to change the subject here, but I imagine this built a lot of mental strength in you through the years, and you kind of turned this into a uh yeah fortitude idea and started pushing forward. And you know, just from a breaking barrier standpoint, I kind of want to get into this question, but you became the first woman on the board of directors for the ITF, right?

SPEAKER_04 34:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:41

But I mean, you kind of turned this into a position of pushing forward. Tell me a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_03 34:47

Yeah, you know, um growing up, I always had this just feeling, this just kind of like it's like in the back of my head, but like also like behind me, protecting me, that I was always meant for something so much bigger than who I was. That's all I didn't really know. And I've always really walked to the beat of my own drum. Like you can you can talk to my parents about that. Um, I mean, I'm sure you're in one of the one of my books' stories where I was like, when I was a kid, I would we really we lived in this cul-de-sac, and I would just like go up to my neighbors and buy myself for dinner, like little Bridget, like you know, five-year-old, something like that. And my mom, they would call my mom and they'd be like, uh, hey, your daughter's here. And my mom's like, Don't worry, she's well fed, uh, just send it over. Like, you know what I mean? Like, but it was like that kind of like that confidence. Like, I was like, I don't even remember doing that, but like that's like my God, I had the balls to do that, but um, but yeah, so I guess I always kind of had that inner confidence and um confidence, but believing in myself, like I want to do that, I'm gonna do that. Um and also growing up, um, so I'm the only girl growing up, I was the only girl. I had two brothers, and all my cousins were guys, and then when I was uh 16, then I had my cousin and she's a girl, so then we were two girls, but in that process of growing up, I was always with the guys, and um even into like heading into the martial arts industry, it's a men dominant industry, and so there aren't that many women, specifically as you go up in the ranks, and I kind of just always vibed with the guys, um, and so I was I always felt like I was always the the only one, like the in the room that was something, right? I was maybe the the youngest there, or I was the only girl, or I was the youngest uh Lewis rank or something like that. And that never really bothered me because I was mainly focusing on the connections I that I had with people. Um I have a very like my friends vary from very old, you know, people in their well, I'm gonna take that back. People in their 70s. Doesn't mean that you're really old.

SPEAKER_00 37:10

Just in case you're listening.

SPEAKER_03 37:11

Yeah, exactly. Older, older than me. Let's let's go with that. Older than me and then younger than me. And you know, there's maybe more mature people, and so it's like to me, it's just like, do I vibe? Do I can we be together? Can we learn from each other in regardless of age? And so when I was, you know, dealing with the Crohn's, um there was a lot of like self-reflection, and yeah, absolutely, like just mentally being beaten down. Like, imagine the identity that you've built of who you are, right? I, you know, I like to do this, and I want to be, you know, like an example for you. Like, I want to be in the medical field, I want to do this, and I'm working hard to get good grades, and like literally all of that was stripped away from me. And it's like you cannot be that person anymore, but even though you're so proud to be that person. All the things that bring you joy, you know, foods and activities and friends, it's like you can no go you can't do that either. And so you're left with like what nothing. And and that taught me to change my mindset because if I'm gonna get through this, I can't wish on something that I don't have. I have to appreciate what I currently have. And the best quote that I saw, and I don't know who actually said it, but it was staying positive doesn't mean that you're always happy, it means that better days are coming. And that really resonated with me because I'm not where I'm at right now, like I'm feeling like crap, you know, like I'm I can't do anything, but I know it'll get better. It will get better, yeah, but it's just not today, and so what do I need to do to get through today, knowing that tomorrow will be better? And it was changing the mindset of like, you know what? Back in the day, like I don't know, having going out and and then get going to school and then going out with the friends, and then doing this and getting the job, it's like I can't do that anymore. But I got out of bed today. That's a it's gonna be a good day. Yeah, yeah, and it's like, oh, you know what? I went to the grocery store with my mom. That was a good day today. And so it's changing that mindset of what do I currently have? And that helped me to push through those really hard times. And when I'm looking back on, like example, like being the first woman on the board um in the US, and the youngest uh still ever, um it's when you enter the room, you're really uh you know okay it sounds stupid, but you know what you bring, right? I I know what my value is, I know what I'm good at, and I can stay in that realm. And I'll be honest, if I don't know that or whatever we're talking about, I'll just I'll just know it. I'll tell you. Um, but it's that mindset was really, really what helped me to push me through that, but also all of the other things moving forward, like me being the owner, uh, like the co-owner of of Mighty Fist, which is a martial arts brand, and I'm a woman in the men-dominant industry. Um a lot of guys didn't didn't like that. Most most guys do in the in the Western world. It's it's kind of fine, you know, Canada, US. But when you deal with other countries, like I remember when we were first starting Mighty Fist, um, we were in Europe somewhere at an event, I can't remember exactly where, and I was, we were talking, my husband and I were genuinely talking to this gentleman because he was genuinely interested in wanting to be a distributor in this country. And I was the one talking to him, but he didn't look at me once, and he didn't reply to me. So I was asking him a question and he was replying to my husband, looking at him. And then I would, you know, reply to his question, and then he would still only look at my husband and reply to him. And I'm kind of like, hi, yeah, yeah, still here. Um, and I remember like that was like I felt so insulted. I was like, because I took it personally, right? I was like, how could you be so mean, like nasty, right? Like it's like I'm a girl because I'm thinking that it was my fault, but then it made me think it's he was raised that way, or it's a him problem, right? It's not a me problem. And so that was also another moment of like reflection of like believing in myself, believing in my own capabilities, um, that that kind of focusing on what you do best. Um, so that was another challenge, and that that was a moment of many situations of just trying to have to prove myself. Um but I think that also kind of like connecting the crones, the reason why I didn't really like talk about it publicly was here I was really getting into the martial arts world, and we were being propelled forward, like our product really took off. It actually revolution revolutionized the ITF taekwondo world, and now we're slowly kind of bringing that fabric into the karate world, and it's kind of doing the same thing. And so the the brand itself really took off. And here I was in a room, I was always in the room, still, like the only girl, the youngest, youngest rank. And it was always these like looks of like judgment, like what is she doing here? Right? They'd always assume it was my husband, it was him, him, him. Whereas, like, what do I have to offer? Nobody knew, they didn't they didn't really want to give me the time of day. But it was funny because growing up, always being the girl with all my brothers and my cousins, I was still comfortable in that kind of environment. But it was having to navigate through that and understanding. And so I didn't want to talk about crones to people because I felt I didn't want another element that could have been against me. People thinking, like, oh, she's a girl, of course she knows nothing of martial arts. Plus, oh, and now she's sick, like we can't rely on her, you know, and so I didn't want to tell people, but that was my own battle to deal with because I don't think that anybody would really care, anyways. They could probably be like even more compassionate. But to me, like I was so driven on the results, and I wanted to help people, and I wanted, I guess, to prove myself, prove it to myself as well. I think in the end, that's kind of what it was. So, yeah. Just the mindset of pushing through.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

Yeah. Yeah, that's absolutely amazing. I feel like it's very hard, you know. What you said before, you have to know your value when you're in those rooms. And I feel like everybody around you a lot of times is testing it to a degree, no matter who you are. And you kind of have to just keep that mindset that like I can bring this to the table or I bring this to the table. And you have to zone everything else out. And I'm just going back to what you said before about being in the room kind of like by yourself standing there, you know. It's it's hard to keep that mindset of like, okay, I'm gonna I bring this value, I'm gonna start talking to these people, I'm gonna see what comes out of it, I'm gonna talk to these people and see what comes out of it. But you gotta take some risk there once in a while, and like just kind of put yourself out there and see what happens. And like, you know, I say this to Russ all the time, like, but he you got to put yourself in the room thing for me, right? Ah, absolutely. But it's just it's just the truth. But like I feel like people always have a little bit of a judgment, and sometimes you're inside your own head simultaneously, I think, because that value that you know you bring, everybody else might actually see it sometimes, but you kind of are your own worst enemy, you know, because you know, you gotta kind of just put it out there and see what comes out of it. But I I totally agree with you know, everybody wants to test your value a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 45:20

Yeah. Well, you always tend to push yourself down, yeah, for sure. Like, and it's interesting because in the martial arts industry, um, as you're going higher up the ranks, you don't want to be arrogant. There are a lot of them, but the the point is you want to stay humble, so you're you want to kind of put yourself down so you're not sorry, I need to be careful on how I say this. You don't want to be arrogant, so you're trying to kind of like pretend that you you're not on that pedestal. Sure. But it is your students' responsibility to put you on the pedestal. So that relationship is like, I we see the value, we see, you know, the recognition of what you're doing for the art, for us, you know, as a teacher, whatnot. But it's not my job to be like, well, of course, yeah, ha ha ha ha. Like I am the best. It's like, you know, so it's it's that kind of like juggling. But I think that sometimes we we always hide, we we like to hide behind that when it comes to our value. We we use it as an excuse to not do something that scares us. Because it feels like something that scares us normally has to do with something that is unknown, like you haven't done it. Yeah, and I was I I don't know where I I I saw this, but there was I think it was like a professional athlete that was talking about, you know, just the emotions, because they were talking like, oh, you know, like it was like a big fight or something like that, or and they're like, How do you how do you get not not not nervous, you know, going before this like massive like event that's like super important, right? And he was talking about how the energy that is expressed through you know nerve, nervousness is basically the same as being excited, but one is negative and one is positive, and so it's a redirection of energy. So if I want to be in a negative state, then I will stay nervous and I will shrink myself. But if I choose to think that this energy is excitement, now you become positive. Yeah, yeah, and you know that mindset change, right? It's all about the mindset, um, really makes such a big impact. And actually, I have a story for that because our brand, uh, Mighty Fist, that we experience that. And that's really the big thing that Mighty Fist does. It's about it's more than just the product, it's about how people feel when they wear a product. And I remember this is in 2014, we were in Jamaica. Um, and this was when we were officially at our first international event able to sell our product. And at the time, we almost still only had one product. We were like a year old, right? We were so new, and people didn't still really know who we were. So we got into Jamaica barely, um, you know, trying to get those products in. But anyways, I'll leave it at that. So we have all these products, and I'm like, okay, we have to sell everything. And so, and again, people would come to the table, they would look, and they would leave. And I was like, okay, this is not working. So I just I'm like, all right, I'm gonna change this completely. So this this person came over and I was like, okay, if you buy this uniform and you wear it to compete, you're gonna win. Person's like, really? I was like, absolutely. In my head, I'm like, I have no idea who you are. You could be like super crappy, like what? He's like, Really? I'm like, absolutely. I was like, tomorrow, you're gonna come back to the booth and you're gonna show me your medal. And he's like, Really? I'm like, yeah. So he bought it. And I was like, sweet, made my first sale. And he walked away. So then there's another guy came over and I did the same thing. I was like, hey, if you buy this and you wear it, you're gonna win. And he's like, really? And this guy was like this really tall guy, like six foot four, like from somebody from like I think Norway or something. And he's like, Really? I was like, Yeah. Anyways, sold another uniform, and I was like, Oh, this is like this is nice, this is working, right? But then there was like jokes on me. So the next day, the first guy comes back at the booth with his medal. He's like, Yeah, you were right. And I was like, Yeah, uh exactly. I of course I do. See, you're wearing mighty fist. We took a picture, I still have that picture because I was like, Oh my god. Anyways, that other tall guy came back with his medal, and he's like, You were right. And I was like, Okay, calm down now. Like, I'm not like talking to all these world champions now. Like, this is this is a nice little coincidence, but like but that's where the brand of champions really came about. Um, but see, that's the thing where they bought the product, and perhaps they weren't the best, but believing that maybe the uniform gave them an edge, they entered the ring, and that positive mindset gives them they make it a little bit faster. Like if you're about to spar, if you're negative, you're a fraction of a second slower, therefore, you're not gonna be able to get ahead. But if you're a fraction of a second faster, you see things more sharper because you're confident, that edge is maybe what helped them win. Now I can't see because I didn't see the match, but you know, but it was like everyone that bought a uniform. So so and that's kind of like how it is. And and the thing is when you're in a room, I can I can tell the people that we're mighty fist, they just stand taller. There, there's something about the aura, you know, there's a there's an element of pride, but it's of themselves, you know, and so if that fabric can give them a little bit of an edge, and so again, the believing and and the mindset, and it's like, you know, if you're if you're staying in the positive state, then that's when positive things are gonna happen. But if you're staying in the negative state, negative things are gonna happen. It's like you're you're kind of like telling your you're you're telling yourself how you want the situation to happen, and then you're like trying to justify it. It's like, well, I knew this was gonna happen. And it's like, yeah, but maybe you could have played a little around with it, like you didn't have to stay that way.

SPEAKER_01 51:42

Yeah, no, it's absolutely true. It's absolutely true. I feel like when you go into something more confident and you have like, you know, yeah as Russ displays it.

SPEAKER_00 51:52

There we go, mighty brands.

SPEAKER_01 51:53

There you go. Yes, I feel like it's in any situation when you like, you know, you walk into a room and you have like this nice suit on, or you know, female with a nice dress on, stuff like that, and you walk in with this aura and this confidence, you'll accomplish a little bit more out of it. And I think that's probably what Mighty Fist brings to the taekwondo world is that these people feel confident, they're giving them mental strength, mental fortitude when they step in the ring. And I think that's just uh, you know, in any situation, honestly, you builds up this mental strength in you. And uh, Russ, show us that one more time. We'll you know one more time. Just tell us what that is on that that he's uh that he's putting off.

SPEAKER_03 52:30

Yeah, so we have the uniform at the top, um, which is an instructor uniform. So the matrix uniform is the fabric is the most sought out product right now. And then below we have the helmet, the headgear, and then we have the gloves. And then below that we have the silk scarves. So that's another thing that I wanted to do specifically for women. Um, so martial arts being very men dominant. Um when we go to these events, uh, men will wear a suit and a tie. Um, and then in the ITF world, your tie color will represent your rank.

SPEAKER_02 53:04

That's me.

SPEAKER_03 53:05

Um, and so but the thing is, it's like you would go to these banquets and men wear all the suits and the tie, and then women wear a nice little dress, and they're gonna wear a tie with the dress. Like, I was like, that's awful. And so they kind of got creative, and they're like, well, maybe I'll wear a dress of that color, or jewelry, or a purse, or shoes, or something, right? So they would wear an element, but it wasn't really anything specific to the art, whereas the tie had the logo and the the association, everything like that. So I I decided to do the silk scarf because I said, Well, it's complementary to the tie, right? Um, you can you can wear it around your neck as you know a fake tie, or you can do a bow or something like that. If there's an element of fashion, but it the colors are still going to be complementary to what the ties are. Okay, and so that was kind of like that moment of an uh an empowerment and basically showcasing how far women have come in in the martial arts industry. I mean, back in the day, women were not allowed to do taekwondo at all, martial arts, children either. And then when women wanted to start, I've heard stories like crazy stories. They would register with men's name and they would compete against men, and well, you know, at a big disadvantage. And some women would be still winning, they're just absolutely insane. Those women pave the way, and so for me, if I'm able to kind of pave the way in different ways and really help empower women and just kind of change the game. Right now, we're still in kind of like a um era where everything fits for the men and women will just like just make it happen. It's like, yeah, you know, fit in it, that's fine. And so I want to be able to bring elements specific to women. You know, we're we're shaped differently, uh, we have different needs, and so it's like, why can't we have specific products? Specifically now that more and more women are present in in martial arts. If all if they were only 10%, it's kind of like, okay, well, maybe it's not worth it in terms of well, okay, I have to be careful and say in terms of production. I'm I'm thinking about as a brand going through production. Bro, you need to go through your products, but like it's always worth it if you think about it.

SPEAKER_01 55:22

But yeah, what I mean. I get reset. I get what we're saying. From an option standpoint, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 55:29

I have to be careful which hat I wear because depending on who I talk to, because I'm like, wait a minute. We're always worth it.

SPEAKER_00 55:38

Well, I know we could, and we kind of joked about this before, like this this is going to be a two and a half hour podcast, but our time is coming to a close, and there's a statement that I want to ask you. And I know there's so much more that you can share, Bridget. Um, but with this closing statement, um, respond to this, what you think, what comes to mind is wellness is not about perfection, but it's about progress. What does that statement mean to you?

SPEAKER_03 56:08

Okay, well, I mean, I'm definitely answering this in in different areas. Like there's an entrepreneur, there's a perfectionism, there's the health industry uh going through like Crohn's. Like, what is perfection? You know, that word means so many different things to so many different people. But if in terms of I guess a plan, it would be the goal. Perfection is the goal, right? I want to lose weight for competition, I want to gain weight, you know, lose weight for the wedding or whatnot. That is the goal. And so as you get there, that is the journey. That is very fluid, right? We you you have ups and downs, but through it all you figure out who you are. You gain so much more in the journey. I remember having this moment of like Epiphany where I was like, you know, I wanna, I don't know, I want to be the best this, I want to be the world champion, I wanna, you know, increase my sales, I wanna get distributors in different countries. And I was like, it wasn't about the goal, it was never about the goal, it was about the journey, it was about who I have become while getting the the goal. And the thing is, example, like when you're doing weight loss, as you're going through the journey and the process, your goal, the perfection, changes, right? The goalpost changes all the time. It was like, oh well, I I I lost all that weight super quickly, faster than I thought. So now this is changes to that, or like, oh, I thought I wanted that, but I really don't want that anymore. I'm gonna change it to that. And so, what is perfection? What is the goal? There it's it's about learning yourself through the process. And if you if you think about it, as you're gaining knowledge through the process, you are also changing, not just like mentally, but like you're on a cellular level as well. The energy within your and your body is also changing. And so what you thought was perfect may change. And so what is perfection? It's really understanding yourself, it's loving yourself. You know, they say it's not about what is it, it's not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's for it's it's about learning to dance in the rain. Right? Yeah, you know, you know, like when you're a kid for Christmas, um, you're like so excited of opening your presents, but then when you end up opening them, you're kind of like, oh, okay, great, you know. So it's like the anticipation of what could it be? Oh, it could be this. It's like that's the journey part, that's the exciting part. And then as soon as you open it, you're like you you get it, you're like, ah, uh, right. Perfection is is a fleeting moment. It and I think if you think about it, it actually is it's actually like not true. Like you'll never hit your goal because it'll always be moving, it'll change. So it's like you opened your present at Christmas, it's like I got what I always wanted. Now I want this, now I want that, you know. And it's like maybe you enjoy it for a little bit, but then you've moved on to the next. And so it's like the journey, it's like you're learning, it's like, oh, the anticipation, like learning who I become. And so, in terms of wellness, you know, I actually had my one of my my doctors tell me this because I was like trying to be a bit, I was hard at myself, right? I'm like, I'm trying to do this and this and this, and they're like, Look, are you afraid of getting an uh getting a headache? I'm like, no. She's like, why? So, well, because I know what to do. Like, maybe it's dehydration, and if it's not, well, maybe it's gonna be food depletion or whatever, whatever, right? And I have a list, she's like, Yeah, exactly. You have a list of things that will help you get through the process. To think that you'll live the rest of your life without a headache, it's not gonna happen, right? But do you live in fear every day that you're gonna get a headache? Like, no, I'll get through it, and I I know it. And so, in terms of my Crohn's, you know, it's like it's very fluid. You have ups and downs, ups and downs, and you know, you get sick, you know, you have the flu, and then and then maybe it's like, I don't know, you're super tired, you're like, I don't know, like you didn't sleep all night because you were stressed. It's like you're like you're everything is very fluid, and so that's the journey part, it's understanding. It's like, well, right now I'm not doing so well, but I do know what I need to do to get there. And then it's like you hit the peak, you're like, I'm doing great right now, I'm flying, it's great, but then maybe something's gonna happen and you get a headache. It's like, okay, now you not so well, and it's just like it's that constant journey of more like moving fluidity, I guess. And so it's not about the perfection, it's not about the goal. The goal is what motivates you to get through the journey.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:18

Yeah, yes. Yeah, I love that. I love that. Dropping the mic with Bridget Morris this morning.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:28

This has been a great show. We touched on a multitude of topics. I think this was really powerful. I hope everybody really you know got a lot out of this show. Bridget, where can people find you and where can they find Mighty Fist and the Mighty Brand?

SPEAKER_03 1:01:40

Yes, uh, well, social media. Uh we have our website, MightyFist, which is dobox.com. That's the main website. Um Instagram, which is MightyFist underscore. Um, and then you can just find me. Um it's my name, Bridget Morris One, on Instagram, on my Facebook as well. My website, Bridget Morris, which is my name. Try to be consistent, you know, keep it simple.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:03

Love it.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:04

Yeah, love it. Bridget, thank you so much for coming on today and sharing your story. It's powerful, very powerful, and it's just beginning.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:12

Thank you so much for inviting me. It's been absolutely fun. Um, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:20

You're welcome. We thank you so much again for coming on this morning. Please, guys, check out Bridget, check out her website, check out Mighty Fist, check out the mighty brand. Um, we will see everybody next week. Thank you so much for listening. Please check us out on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, all social media handles, Duel Coast Podcast, and please check out Bridget on her website and MightyFist.com.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:42

Awesome. Thank you. Thank you guys.