The internet can make people look very one dimensional. When in reality, they are far from.

Ognjen Topic is a great example of that. He is a graphic designer and also a three time world champion in the competitive martial art, Muy Thai.

You’ll hear about Ognjen’s tumultuous life journey as a Serbian born in Bosnia. Civil war forced his family to flee the country and ultimately immigrate to the United States where he fell in love with graphic design and developed a secret fighting career.

You might think that fighting and design don’t have much in common, and you’re probably right. But one important concept they do share is mindset.

So how do you prepare when your life (or serious injury) is on the line? What kind of training do you need? And how can you develop the mental fortitude it takes to survive?

Not to overdramatize creative work, but putting yourself out there and taking on jobs can be scary. Maybe not get punched in the liver scary, but emotionally just as frightening.

In this episode, Ognjen shares his mindset for how to use your fear as a tool to help guide you through a scary situation.