The Self-Care Sensei: How Karate, Positive Psychology & the MORE Framework Transform Your Life

This is a video about The Self-Care Sensei: How Karate, Positive Psychology & the MORE Framework Transform Your Life What does it really mean to strive for more? 🥋 | In this episode, host Dave Roberts welcomes Jan Raeder — the Self-Care Sensei — a wellbeing educator, keynote speaker, and author who has spent over 30 years mastering traditional Okinawan and Japanese karate and applying those lessons to the science of human wellbeing. Jan shares her powerful MORE Framework from her book Strive for More: What Wellbeing Really Means and How You Can Achieve It — a practical, evidence-based approach to building a life of meaning, optimism, strong relationships, and deep engagement. 🔑 KEY TOPICS COVERED: ✅ The MORE Framework: Meaning, Optimism, Relationships & Engagement ✅ Wellness vs. wellbeing — and why the difference matters ✅ How martial arts builds resilience, grit, and self-discipline ✅ Why self-awareness is only the first step to real change ✅ The science of optimism and positive psychology (Seligman, Csikszentmihalyi) ✅ Gratitude, the "What Went Well" practice, and overcoming negativity bias ✅ How meaning fuels lasting behavior change ✅ Lessons from 10,000+ sparring rounds applied to everyday life Jan’s Bio and Contact Information Jan Raeder is a recognized Wellbeing Educator, keynote speaker, and author dedicated to helping people lead lives of clarity, confidence, and conscious well-being. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in traditional Okinawan and Japanese karate, behavior change science, and positive psychology, Jan blends evidence-based insights with lived wisdom to support meaningful, sustainable growth. As the author of Strive for M.O.R.E.: What Wellbeing Really Means & How You Can Achieve It, Jan breaks down her M.O.R.E.™ framework (Meaning, Optimism, Relationships, Engagement) and offers evidence-based, actionable tools. She delivers dynamic keynotes and workshops that help individuals and organizations make the mindset shifts that lead to lasting change. Having fought in over 10,000 sparring rounds, Jan deeply understands how practice, self-discipline, honor, and perseverance shape growth. That experience has also taught her a vital life lesson: the moment you start taking things personally, you lose your center—on the mat and in life. A National AAU Karate gold medalist and former senior instructor and business manager at US Budokai Karate of Albany, Jan also earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in just four years. Through her work as the SelfCare Sensei, she empowers others to strive for M.O.R.E.—and to live with purpose, energy, and heart. 📘 Jan's Book: Strive for More: What Wellbeing Really Means and How You Can Achieve It 🌐 Website: selfcaresensei.com 📱 Instagram: @selfcaresenseijraeder 👥 Facebook: Self Care Sensei | Jan Raeder Well-Being Educator 💼 LinkedIn: Jan Raeder 🎙️ About the Teaching Journeys Podcast Hosted by Dave Roberts, the Teaching Journeys Podcast explores the human capacity to pass knowledge from one generation to the next — through conversations with extraordinary educators, thought leaders, and changemakers. 🔔 Subscribe for new episodes and hit the bell so you never miss a conversation. 👍 Like this video if you found it valuable. 💬 Comment below: What does "striving for more" mean to you? #WellBeing #SelfCare #PositivePsychology #MOREFramework #JanRaeder #MartialArts #Resilience #PersonalGrowth #Mindset #TeachingJourneysPodcast #SelfCareSensei #StriveForMore #Podcast #Karate #MindBodyConnection ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 The Self-Care Sensei: How Karate, Positive Psychology & the MORE Framework Transform Your Life 03:30 Jan's Background & The Self-Care Sensei 05:49 Martial Arts & Mind-Body Connection 07:52 Teaching, Growth & Shared Journeys 11:26 Self-Awareness & Taking Responsibility 16:18 The MORE Framework 21:45 Positive Psychology & Collaborative Learning 25:28 Wellness vs. Wellbeing 41:04 Death, Mortality & Appreciating Life 44:49 Jan's Perfect Day 49:19 Connect with Jan & Wrap-Up