The World Champion who balances two lives

Written by Staff Writer

Former World Champion Mixed Martial Arts fighter Alyssa Hanson is all about love and caring. Her tough childhood and the suicide attempt that followed has inspired her to share her wisdom with others.

“It is so much about family,” Hanson said. “You have to really love those family members, you can’t be really caring for somebody unless you love them.”

As a young girl Hanson and her older sisters witnessed their parents abuse one another and neglect their children. Their brother grew up to be an adult with a violent streak and a drug addiction.

“As a child, nothing seemed to matter, our mother, our father, our brothers,” she said. “At first, because that’s what you grow up with, but then I realized something and started breaking away from that kind of negative energy.”

Having learned from her parents’ mistakes, Hanson’s own pathway to self-discovery involved guidance from a local hospital and the treatment of substance abuse. She eventually left home at the age of 17 and found her niche in mixed martial arts, finally harnessing her talent.

“You have to realize that you are always stronger than you think you are,” she said. “You’re always going to be stronger than the road that they’ve been on. And you can overcome anything.”

Alyssa Hanson, World Champion Wrestling Champion at 15. ” It’s what is kept me going during some really tough times” said Hanson. “

(Source: Courtesy USA Ringside)

Now, after more than a decade in MMA fighting, Hanson spends her days as a professional bodybuilder and fitness coach, sharing her love of fitness with others. She has helped others turn their lives around. One has found success on the once-dreaded reality television show “Big Brother” and another spoke to CNN earlier this year about his recovery from the drug addiction that nearly killed him.

During an unrelated journey to the gym, Hanson was given some helpful information about Chinese medicine.

“(It’s) something that is so uncommon in America but in China it’s huge,” she said. “For my first 100 days on (state-of-the-art) machine they only train once a week… but during the first 100 days it’s completely different to the first 100 days of any other machine.”

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