From Small-Town Brazil to Martial Arts Pioneer

But we do have a lot of example that, you know, you're still strong and everything and you have you can be very feminine as well.

“So that's the message I always want to show to women and to young children that you can be strong and everything and it can still be feminine.”

Christiani Pavelima is a pioneering and dedicated martial arts grandmaster and the co-founder of Lima, Tequondo and martial arts academy. Drawing from her journey of breaking barriers, she helps individuals master physical discipline and embrace their inner strength. Creating a lasting legacy of personal empowerment, mental resilience and fearless leadership. I found out that I have as a woman and you know, I was 14 at a time. I have to train way more than everybody else. I have to be more serious than everybody else to maybe be recognized half in that.

For sure.

But short story, I became the first female to earn a black belt in the entire state of Sierra.

Was a pioneer, you break a lot of things. Just a bold embrace, but I didn't want people to have the same experience that I have. And now, all this going to reinvent from home. It's our over, our town, our weird. The living your legacy podcast for those who live to live a legacy.

As a slave, as a lawyer, as a lawyer, as a slave, as a lawyer. Oh, that is sensational. To open, she called her with the latest and called in the boxes, not on the planet. You can live your dreams. Welcome back to another episode of the Living Your Legacy podcast.

The Women in Power Edition for Insights, Access, I am Regusieras. Moments before, she's about to film her episode today with actually Lauren and Studio 2. Welcome to the show. Go ahead and introduce yourself, please. Thank you.

Yes, my name is Christiani Paivalima. I have a company, Paivalima Tetris Inc. And I am a martial arts and also business owner.

“Where do you want to start with the protection or the business?”

The defense or the business? I don't know. I think both of that combine anywhere. How does one create a business in self defense? That's back in Brazil.

So I've been doing this for near 37 years. The business here in the US is, this is the anniversary of the anniversary.

So always started in my childhood.

Right on. Yeah, so I have a lot of diversity of how I became to martial arts. I was always at least. But I moved to another state where my sports, that I was familiar, was not in a close distance.

And I found out that Taekwondo was my first martial arts. Right on. Not Kaapuera, but Taekwondo. No, I never done. Actually, I did Kaapuera in a West for like two miles.

But I was like, yeah, I was just similar to Taekwondo. So I actually, I'm a 70 degree black body in Taekwondo. And in Brazil, I just eat some second degree. So I started to eat so after 10 years doing Taekwondo. We get a lot of folks here that are, their brain is massive and muscular.

And Taekwondo. You are more than just that. Talk about being literally a trained weapon. But do you use your powers for good or evil? Both.

What's it like being a trained weapon? Yeah, so I don't have like, they stereotype of like, you know, even a female that we have like amazing females. And even those like mix martial arts. They are most of the idea that they have any women.

They have to look very masculine and stop. Right. But we do have a lot of example that, you know, you're still strong and everything. And you have, you can be very feminine as well.

So that's the message I always want to show to women.

And to young children that you can be strong and everything. And it can still be feminine. Yeah, you can be authentically yourself. Yes. Yes.

Yes. What does your journey begin?

“Did somebody pick on you or were you the bully or believed in?”

Actually, I always, I was attracted to martial arts. So my middle brother, he'd done different types of martial arts. At the time, so you always play fight. And also, of course. I always want to do it.

But I was really busy at school in your sports. So when the opportunity came later on during a movie tour in the state, I stepped my, my feeding, the Taiwanese studio and the message history. Yeah. That's how the thing started.

What did you feel the moment your toes touched a mat? Did you know that you were the right place at the right time? Talk about the journey, the discovery process. I'm a true believer that things do not happen by accident. So I think that was supposed to be somehow.

So all the training I had in like my late life helped building a type on door.

So it's a very like macho mentality.

So the first day, one of the challenge, they put me to do like a little sport.

Of course I got beat up. And I was like, what's coming to the point? Yeah. What was that? I have to train way more to actually accomplish this. So I started, I didn't know much about Taekwondo.

So I started like, search a little bit at that time. There was not internet and all that.

“So you have to actually go to a library.”

Yeah. A building with books in it. Yes. But it came to me very challenging. And I have, I found out that I have as a woman.

And you know, I was 14 at a time. I have to train way more than everybody else. I have to be more serious than everybody else to maybe be recognized half in that. For sure.

But in short story, I became the first female to earn a black building

the entire state of Sierra. It was the one representing national tournaments. I was challenged because I have to train with men and adaptator that. But build up a lot of character on me. And that's how all the bad experience that I had

and that made for me to open my own system. And actually to inspire women to do this in a different way. And they'll have to serve it all the. You know, as a pioneer, you break a lot of things. Yeah.

I didn't want people have the same experience that I have. For sure. Yeah. A folks think of Taekwondo. I put ourselves the fans.

They see a lot of movies. I think it's all action and cool moves. Do you think of Prusley, Chuck Norris, even Steven Saigon, some circles. But it's really internal. It's really internal discipline.

Talk about the spiritual versus the physical training. When you're training in this in this field. Yeah. So you end up in view. They're like the posture you have.

So the goal is not really to use it.

“I think the way the confidence you build, the way you stand up to yourself.”

Open doors to many of the stuff. So I did using Brazil itself for the fastest type. Kondo because Brazil. You know, it's a country where people may like to touch. We met things like that.

Yeah. So for the first few years I was involved in some situation that I have to like to kick and punch. Sure. I know me or my friends. And as a matter of fact, only.

Guys, not really. I never had any problem with women. Wow. Which when I start doing tournaments was a hard thing for me to begin because I used to. Only training with with males.

I always have to get kick and beat up a little bit first before I have to kick the women back.

And then I kind of like thinking back. This was a little bit respect of me because. At the same time, I feel that sometimes people are not respect me. I was doing the same thing to them because I was not training for them. So all those tools I use it to be beneficial.

What I create here in the United States. Gosh, I have so many questions. I have answers. Well, I love this.

“What is your what it gives some superstitions when you are in training mode?”

Is this just season or is this all year long? This is part of your life. So right now I'm not in competition. You know, I compete straight for like 25 years. I'm a little bit older than I look.

Me too. I have about 28 years old daughter. So through evening, I even need to practice. I train to practice. And yeah, so I believe in my fight more than I have a lot of discipline.

So I actually picture this to many things in my life. So if I plan to do evening like I'm very OCD. So the discipline and how I fix even in my clothes and things like that. So all comes from like catalog school that came from. And also the martial arts.

So no drinking, no smoke. All that help, you know, the body. I think I believe the body is your tempo and your mind control your body. So who gives a lot of discipline on that fact. It's funny.

A lot of similarities of what you practice in preach and Taekwondo is something that folks pay. Several hundred thousand dollars to be coached. Best year. And we're like, oh, yeah, this is how you want to perform like all. Well, this is how you take on Delbro.

So talk about some of the similarities and talk about how you're training in on the mat has transitioned into what you do day to day in the office or in your entrepreneurial journey. Yeah, if you see I've been doing this for 37 years, right? So it's harder to do not separate them because it's part of my daily life.

The way I eat, the way I exercise, I maintain my body. So all of the, even in my appearance because we teach how we students that you need to look professional the time. So I make sure if I like him in the street, if I have a student that see me,

I don't drink beer all like that.

“So you need to be able to be on the mat and outside the mat if they”

similar this plan. Of course, as a individual, you can do have your own life. But you have to be careful what you do. But I learned this not just from my show. I tell you that it's a very young age for my father.

Special as a woman, he told me from a very early age, like make good choice because as a woman, the word of advice really rough. Oh, yeah. So whatever you do, you have to be careful because you may not going to be able to recover.

So be careful if your choice. So I grow up with that idea in my mind and I transform that to my daughter to martial arts, my students, and I try to keep it up of that. I don't see myself separate from my discipline in martial arts because I've been doing this for so long.

And it's difficult for me to say, okay, that's how I do on the mat. Pretty much I believe the behavior I have on the mat, I take outside. And helps on the business because I'm very clear when I talk to, you know, if I go to the bank and I like things very organized. Of course.

And that's the way you have to do if you train. You have to be organized if you're trained. What do you eat? How much you sleep? How much you rest?

How much you have to train? How much you have to pull back? And that's life. You can trust one of this to your life. For sure.

I got to ask about your legacy you mentioned to your daughter. Does your daughter give you, you know, shit going mom? Can I just, you just be a mom? Why does everything have to be a discipline and Taikwondo? And does that, do you ever have those moments?

Or is she fully disciplined as well? No. But you know, through the years. They think she started training. She was three and a half.

Oh wow. How far and I put it, the idea that the martial arts was no choice for her. Until she was 18, she could do anything. But in 2018, she will do that. So it's kind of like go to school.

And sometimes you have this issue with students because on those days parents give a lot of choice for the kids. Yeah. And I don't think a kid, you can be nice to a kid. But if you give too many choice, they're going to get the easier one. Oh for sure.

So she started three and a half. I found out there was really hard for her to have myself as her teachers. So I picked it up some but one of our instructors was the teacher. Oh, it's just the mom.

Because the first time I told her switch lag, she just look at me like,

"Don't tell me what to do in front of you." Yeah. It's indifficult. Yeah. Mom versus Sensei mentor.

Yeah. So I do have experience with all the instructors. They did that as well. And that's the best work when they get older. They will look for you.

They found out as like, "Okay. My mom can show me this. How to do it." Absolutely. She didn't know until she was a late-bloom if you think. So until she was ten years old in her mind,

everyone was doing Taikwondo, Obras in Egypt. So one day at school, they are racing hands. What sports you doing everything and she came for dinner later on and she told me, "Mom, do you believe that not everybody does martial arts?" It was like really.

So she thought this was part of her education. Because not that I like brainwash her. Yeah. Kind of brainwash.

“A little bit. You should have been like, "Yes, but everyone's just terrible at it."”

Yeah. And she was like, "Yeah, how come they don't do that?" So because I also have friends and everything that hang out,

they are always doing martial arts.

Right. So she held in the school. Yeah. But she realized that after and she ended up being being... You know, they take an entertainment industry

and the martial arts gave her extremely discipline. And as a only child too, she's in front of cameras and stuff. So, of course, to give discipline, they comfortable to be challenged on that. So I believe was very beneficial that part of her education.

That's amazing. That's amazing. Like, did my job? That's awesome. I'm sure we'll learn more about your family, your legacy,

and your day-to-day. What can folks, how can folks learn more? Actually, let's do this. We're about to film your episode for Women in Power. What will folks learn about you in your story?

What are we going to learn about? It gives us a preview. Ooh, you're going to learn that I did so many things before I actually focus on what I, you know, I decide to do it and what I want to do forward.

But I believe all the experience that I had as a discipline and then different like careers kind of guide me to that. And I believe everything you're doing life, somehow, in some type of your life, you're going to use. So I believe that even sometimes like I learn high-to-school,

but I actually use one time as a work.

I thought I never'm going to use that as a work.

It was just a hobby. Yeah.

“And so I believe you should focus on everything you do.”

One day you're going to need somehow. Yeah. So you're going to learn that I come from my small town. I went to another city to pursue all the dreams.

I immigrant and work hard and have a successful story.

And I want to share with the world. And I want to go forward to help all the women. Amazing. For women that are listening or watching, and they're curious about Taikwondo, the world of martial arts,

what's the first thing they can do to sort of kind of start picking up or rhythm? Is it just start punching a punching bag? Start picking up gotas? What's an easy way for them to start getting the confidence? That they can do this.

So just a little correction. I don't want to just say Taikwondo, because also the Brazilian gizzi is the main company that ended up being. There was actually a more challenging martial arts.

Got it. Because the touch and stuff. Yes, man. That's when I opened my program for women's only. So the first thing I tell not just women,

but for anyone for your kids, doesn't matter what style. Go check the studio.

I always ask for a free trial.

And don't go check the first one.

“You have to see how is the methodology for the studio?”

Really? What they offer, how is the instructor? You have to know the curriculum. Doesn't matter the style. What matters?

It's how you feel inside that place. Talk to the parents. Talk to the students. That's what I say. People call.

And I have a little conversation. They asked the price. And this and that. And I was like, no, you need to come in. It's kind of like when you look for her salon.

You want to see the picture. You want to see the clients. How they look like. And it's not just about.

I always say, it's not about the price.

You know, you are paying for like experience. So it's not. Yeah. So I always say, oh, if somebody come for anything. It's like, it's expensive.

This is an investment for your kid. You're going to have your kid or yourself going to be heavy formation. Or you're going to have class for this person. And if he's a kid, they're going to have your instructors or role models.

“So you need to be careful what you pick.”

You don't want to somebody on the inside the match. That's great. But then you go over that this guy or this girl is in a bar. You know, like, really wasted. So you don't want your kids sit those kind of all.

Absolutely. So you have to go beyond. Many factors before you choose. It's kind of like when you go for a university. It's not okay.

I'm just going to pay. It's not about what you pay. What is about your invest? That's investment. Right on.

How can folks find you and learn more about you or sign up to be part of the ear journey? So we are based in California, Los Angeles. We have two studios. So in corporate city and in Hubbard city. So the South Bay.

So it's Lima, martial arts academy. So you offer Taekwondo in Brazil. So I also you can go to Instagram. So it's Lima, martial arts. And my personal Instagram is master Christiani.

And I have one specific for the women that women's Jujitsu. Wow. What is the proper way to address you as a sunset? Is it master?

People call me. Kind of claims are very opaque. Now, this is master.

“I'm actually a grandmaster, but I think it's like a big grandmaster.”

Oh, yeah. But I go short because Christianity. A lot of people don't know how to say my name. Christiani. So I go by master trace.

Master trace. He's a hard thing. Christiani. Christiani. Christiani will master Chris.

I appreciate your time and energy. I appreciate this small session. I'm looking forward to learning more about you and your journey. And congratulations. This is master Chris.

Master Chris. I have the Christiani. But a grandmaster of our masters. I'm just a simple podcast host. I call the regular tears.

But at the end of the night, we are inside success. Thank you so much. Thank you. Pleasure.