Joshua T. George
7th-degree black belt, master instructor, TEDx speaker, and author of Fear No Conversation (Greenleaf Book Group, June 2027)
Winning the hard conversations takes intelligence. Having fewer of them takes wisdom.
Conversations Joshua T. George can lead.
Getting Punched Is Easier Than a Hard Conversation
Josh has been punched more times than he can count. Not one of those hits left a mark like the conversations he’s still carrying. Physical pain has a ceiling. The emotion that comes with a hard conversation doesn’t, and nobody trains for that part.
The Lower the Stakes, the Worse I Get
Josh can stay composed with someone swinging at him and still lose it when his father comments on how much he’s eating. Why the small, everyday moments are where most of us fail, and what to do in them. This is the idea behind his TEDx talk.
Emotion Is an Indicator, Not an Instruction Manual
A strong feeling tells you where to look. It doesn’t tell you what to do. Most people skip that step. They feel it, then build the case for acting on it.
Your Temper Isn’t a Character Flaw
“He has a temper.” “She shuts down.” “I’m just bad at confrontation.” Josh says those are skills nobody trained, not personality. His four conversation patterns came from 35 years of watching how people react the moment they get hit.
The Price I Was Afraid to Say Out Loud
When Josh opened his first martial arts studio, he blamed the neighborhood for low sign-ups. The real problem was his own confidence. Same price, same pitch: once he believed it, his sign-up rate went from about 20% to 70–80%.
Why a Black Belt Can Talk About Your Marriage
Most communication advice is tested in calm rooms. Josh learned it at fight-or-flight, where emotion hits at full strength. Everything at work or at home is a smaller version of the same thing. You don’t scale up from calm. You scale down from the flood.
Questions that open up a story.
What’s harder: getting punched in the face or having a hard conversation with someone you love?
You say you don't win hard conversations, you have fewer of them. What does that mean in practice?
What does a 7th-degree black belt know about a boardroom that the people in it don't?
Which of the four patterns do you see most often, and why is it the hardest one to spot in yourself?
You say most failures trace back to a conversation that did not happen. What does that look like in practice?
People say, “I’m just not good at confrontation.” You say that’s a missing skill, not a personality. What’s the difference?
Your book is about having fewer hard conversations, not winning them. How is that different from just avoiding them?
I took your 90-second conversation pattern quiz before the show. What does my result say about how I handle hard conversations? (Hosts: take the quiz at kenatus.com/patterns first.)
Credentials at a glance.
- 7th-degree black belt, master instructor, TEDx speaker, and author of Fear No Conversation (Greenleaf Book Group, June 2027)
The (Martial) Art of Having Fewer Difficult Conversations
Greenleaf Book Group · June 2027
Appearances.
Oh, My Health... There Is Hope! with Jana Short — November 9, 2024
Unlocking the Power of Martial Arts for Autism Empowerment with Joshua George
I joined Jana Short to talk about how a bullied kid ended up teaching martial arts for a living, and what the mat gives people that a classroom can’t. We covered autism and sensory needs, adapting instruction to the student, and the mentors who changed my direction. Much of this work comes out of Believing Through Achieving, my nonprofit.
Listen to the episodeThe Light Inside with Jeffrey Besecker — April 27, 2024
Building Confidence and Balance: Innovative Martial Arts Techniques for Neurodivergent Children
I joined Jeffrey Besecker to talk about martial arts as a tool for neurodivergent individuals. We covered sensory integration and the therapeutic side of training. Much of this work comes out of Believing Through Achieving, my nonprofit.
Listen to the episode
Ready to paste into your show notes.
25-word bio
Joshua T. George is a 7th-degree black belt, TEDx speaker, and author of Fear No Conversation (Greenleaf, 2027), which applies combat strategy to high-stakes conversations.
60-word bio
Joshua T. George is a 7th-degree black belt who has spent 35 years teaching self-defense to civilians, law enforcement officers, military personnel, and veterans. He earned a promotion at the Shaolin Temple in China and is a 2026 TEDxArkansasStateUniversity speaker. His book, Fear No Conversation (Greenleaf Book Group, 2027), applies what the mat teaches to the conversations people dread most.
Easy to book. Easy to record.
Recording
Studio microphone and camera, quiet room, wired connection. Josh joins remotely on whatever platform you use, or in person in the Los Angeles and Orange County area.
After the episode
Josh shares it on his channels and to his email list, sends it to people in his network who should hear it, and lists it on kenatus.com with a link back to your show.