08/19/2025
“My entire life was a challenge.”
That is how Kenny Kim describes his journey in this Coffee Time with Carlos conversation.
Growing up with immigrant parents who worked multiple jobs, money was tight. By 14, Kenny was working janitorial shifts, cleaning buildings after school while still making time to train. When he opened his first academy, he thought it would be the dream. Instead, he slept in his school for six months. No car. No money. Some nights he ate nothing more than a one dollar bowl of rice, split between lunch and dinner.
There were nights he sat on the mat in the dark, shivering in winter because he could not pay the heating bill, crying quietly, but too stubborn to quit. He had no backup plan. It was either succeed or fail. No middle ground.
What carried him through was the knowledge that martial arts was the only thing he had. It was his gift. It was his shot. Jiu-Jitsu, in particular, molded him into the man he is today — more secure, more open, a better coach, a better friend, a better human being.
The man people see now — upbeat, smiling, confident — is the product of scars, sleepless nights, and an unshakable decision to keep going when quitting seemed easier.
The full Coffee Time with Carlos episode with Kenny Kim is now live.
Watch it here: https://youtu.be/szS2aDa3Lzo
