Divas That Care Network
The #DivasThatCare movement is a dynamic force of positivity and progress. It's a collective of empowered women united by a shared vision: to pave the way for future generations. These women are not only breaking barriers—they’re also committed to equipping the next generation with the tools, resources, and confidence to lead with purpose.
By discovering and defining your purpose, you unlock the power to uplift those around you and contribute to a better world—every single day.
The Divas That Care Change Makers lead by example. They’ve walked the path, and now they’re using their voices to inspire others—one intentional day at a time.
Divas That Care Network
Rusty & Jean – I Threw My Mother Through The Wall
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Hello to all. Welcome to Diva Care Network. I am Joyce Benning and I will be your host for this invigorating robust lifestyle show. I would like to thank each one of our listeners that are listening live today and the ones that will be listening to the podcast. I am just so very thankful and grateful for each and every one of you. And you are in for a very special show today. As I have with me a very special Diva. She is in our mother's, our daughter's book, which is soon to be released this coming week. So how exciting. And Jean, could you please introduce yourself to our listeners today?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Hi everybody. I am Dr. Gene Kanikogee. I'll tell you a little bit about myself. I'm recently retired as a federal agent for the U.S. government. I am the Director of Mental Health for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, which has about 30 or 36,000 members. I'm a sixth degree black belt in judo, a judo sensei, and a former member of the U.S. judo team. I'm a 9-11 first responder and an author and a speaker.
SPEAKER_01Oh wow, Gene. You you are an incredible woman. All the things that you are doing in all aspects of life to make this world a better place. Oh, wow. You touched my heart already just with your introduction.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you. You know, it's it's all combined as part of my purpose.
unknownMm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01Oh, what a beautiful way to put it. And what a beautiful way to feel from your heart that it's all all part of that. So oh that is that is phenomenal. How neat. Well, Jean, a as being in our mother's, our daughter's book, what inspired you to write your story in this book?
SPEAKER_00You know, a few things inspired me. First and foremost, the Divis Divas that Care Network is such a phenomenal women supporting women, women elevating each other, and women fixing each other's crowns to really support each other. I thought that this was so super important to be part of this and the mission. So I was inspired uh when I heard about this project. Also, part of my purpose is to help people, and which help people is be their best to do their best and to show them that you that it doesn't matter where you come from and what you've gone through and what your relationships have been. It it really just helps you be your best with all your experiences. So with that, I have one heck of an experience with my mom. My mom was the mother of women's judo, and she single-handedly fought to get women's judo equality and women's judo into the Olympics. Now she single-handedly did this with support, and it's kind of a controversy by saying, you know, both, or contradiction rather, by saying single-handedly and with support, but she forged this fight to get the equality for women and women's judo into the Olympics because women couldn't compete. They took away her medal in 1959 because she was a woman and she competed in a men's division because there were no women allowed. And when they took her medal away, she said, oh no, this is not going to happen again. Well, she continued to teach and continued to coach, and finally, with lawsuits and with tons of aggravation, she got women's judo into the Olympics in 1988, and she was the Olympic coach. Well, here I am as her daughter, observing everything. And I have to tell you, mom's out there, your kids absorb and observe everything. Because I observed, I absorbed, and I didn't even realize as I'm going through this process writing the book Get Up and Fight, the story of the mother of women's judo, not even realizing how much I remember, how involved I was. So she was not only my coach, she was my mother, of course, she was my best friend, my trainer, my confidant. So the dichotomy of her being a mother at the same time as my instructor and coach was very challenging at times. Uh sometimes she would, as a mom, she would give me a big plate of food and say, hey, make sure you eat, and then take it right away and say, wait a minute, you have training in about uh two hours. You can't eat this much. So this this was really just a great relationship to inspire taking a snapshot of something of my mom and I and putting it pen to paper. You see, Joyce, I wrote the book Get Up and Fight in my mom's voice, telling her story. So she passed in 09, and I had to keep that voice going in my head for her to tell her story, but this is the first time I've ever written my side of the story from my view of my relationship with my mother. And um I chose I I chose a great snapshot. Uh the title is uh I threw my mother through the wall. So I figured and it is a true story. Uh I did throw my mother through the wall. Um my mom and I could expound on that saying, you know, my mom choked me and uh, you know, try to rip my arm off my off the socket, but this is all part of judo, the gentle way. Uh which judo is a sport that consists of throws, chokes, arm locks, and pins. Uh one incident, I you want me to tell you about the the one time that uh I I'll give you a tease to what uh what's in the story. I came in on a judo technique, my mom was distracted. Now my mom is very strong, and but she got distracted. I came in on the judo technique, and unbeknownst to her, I executed the technique, which was a judo throw, she wasn't expecting it, and next thing you know, we went flying through the wall. I didn't know what uh what to do after that because again, she was my instructor. I I I sometimes you don't look at her as your mom, but then a split second kicked in and she was my mom, we went back to instructor mode, and this is going really quickly in my head, and we just laid there giggling because it was just so funny as as we went through the wall, plaster is falling down on our head, and the other instructor comes over and looks very, very sternly at us, and instead of asking if we're okay, and by the way, the other instructor is my dad, he comes over, his wife and daughter just went through the wall, and instead of asking if we're okay, in his very heavily Japanese accent, says, Oh, now I must fix wall and walks away. Because he saw that we were just laying there laughing. Of course the other students were terrified, they didn't know what was gonna happen next. Um and clearly we were okay. Um we built our bodies up so strong that I guess going through a wall was just second second nature. So that's what the story I wrote, and and I wrote more about the relationship of how she would call me when I was working as a federal agent, I'd be on surveillance, and how she would call me and and say, Hey, it's cold out. Make sure you have on your bulletproof vest and and uh button up your neck. It it's cold. I don't want you to catch a cold. And did you eat? Uh you know, call me right before I'm entering in an interrogation. I have a prisoner in handcuffs. And um, hey, did you get the email I sent you? No, Mom, I've got somebody in custody. Well sit him down and go read the email. No, it doesn't work that way. So we had just such an amazing relationship, and I'm so proud to share that with uh all of the readers and all of the listeners.
SPEAKER_01Oh my oh goodness, you have just sparked my interest so much already. I'm like, oh, I gotta read this story. I mean, uh the things you were talking and then how you laid there and giggled after you'd gone through the wall and your dad's comment and just the way your mom was always there for you throughout all the years in maybe not and in the form of a mother, like you said, instructor, teacher. She was just there all the time for you. Oh, that is just beautiful. Oh my goodness, Jean.
SPEAKER_00Oh wow, what a story. Well, thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it it's incredible to share, and I really like to give everybody a glimpse of this uh relationship because I know so many others that are out there that have just unique relationships that define uh who they are and who they emerged into, and really the metamorphosis as being a k a kid learning into being a best friend and looking at this person with such admiration for all the tools that they've given you. I'm part of that. My mom gave me all of my life's tools to develop as I grew up.
SPEAKER_01Oh, oh, how beautiful how she gave you all the tools as you grew up. Oh, Jean, this is just incredible. What an incredible story, and how now through this story you are able to tell your your side of it all. Like you said, you wrote the book of through your mother's eyes, like, and now it's it's through your eyes, and how beautiful that will be to sh that you're sharing it with in our mothers, our daughters book. Oh, I just love this. Oh, this is beautiful. Well, Jean, uh you've given so much already. What is maybe one final golden nugget that you would like to leave with our listeners that will really spark more interest even than what you have told us today from your story?
SPEAKER_00I think the golden nugget and the overarching message that I got from my mom was no matter what life throws at you, no matter how ugly it can get, always get up and fight. You've always got a little more in you than you thought you had. So don't just take it and and lay down and say, I give up. Always get up and fight. Dig deep, dig in, and know that you have the power to keep going.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I love that. No matter what life throws at you, you always have the power to keep going. Oh, that was a beautiful golden nugget. Oh, Jean. Thank you so much for sharing about your story in our mother's daughters book. And thank you for being such an incredible woman about how you're making the world a better place. It's just beautiful. Thank you so much, Jean, for being on my Robust Lifestyle show also.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you so much, Joyce, and thank you, divas and listeners and and readers.
SPEAKER_01Oh. Well, and you have a magical day today, Jean.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Take good care, Joyce.
SPEAKER_01I will. And I would like to thank all of our listeners for listening to this absolutely incredible show with our amazing Diva, Jean Canakogi. Wow, everything that she is doing in this world to make it a better place. So please share this show with your family and friends. Check out all the other hosts and their shows on divasetcare.com. And remember, the story that Jean has written will be in our mother's, our daughter's book through Divas That Care, and it is to be released this coming week. How exciting! And you may go to Amazon Kobo Absolute Publishing to get a pre-order before it's released, and have this book in your hands so you can read all about Jean's story and all the other beautiful women that have submitted their stories about our mothers and our daughters. So, to all of you, have a magical day and be kind to all. And remember what Jean said no matter what life throws at you, you have the power inside of you to keep going. So give your animals a hug and share your love with them until we connect again on Robust Lifestyles. Stay strong and healthy.