People who train people.
Three worlds, one thread: 40+ years of industry and leadership experience, the precision and responsibility of a pilot, and the lifelong school of Karate Do. From this combination emerges a coaching approach that puts posture, clarity and decision-making under pressure at the centre — for companies, teams and individual leaders.
Honest. Clear. Effective.
We don't sell quick answers. We work with you on what lasts — even when pressure rises. With real interest in your situation, clear language and the willingness to address what's uncomfortable.
Three worlds. One posture.
There are many seasoned managers, many pilots and many karate teachers. Rarely does one person live all three worlds at a high level — and shape a coherent leadership and coaching approach from them. This combination is our unique signature.
Manager — 40+ years in industry
- Over four decades in industry — including 18 years at Volkswagen (member of the Management Association), plus roles at Nissan, Suzuki and in trade.
- International responsibility, complex organisations, transformation under pressure.
Pilot — Precision & responsibility
- Active pilot — decisions under time pressure, with clear procedures and full accountability.
- Cockpit thinking: read situations fast, prioritise, act calmly — the very patterns that carry leadership in daily work.
Karate Do — Discipline & resilience
- Member of the German JKA national team — World Championships in Osaka and Paris.
- National youth coach — built the youth squad, three World Championship appearances with the team.
- Vice President and President of the German JKA Karate Federation (approx. 22,000 members) — international meetings in London, Brussels, Tokyo and Thailand.
Manager, pilot, karate — three perspectives that sharpen each other and become visible in every exercise, conversation and programme.
Karate is not a combat sport — and good leadership is not management.
Unlike sport karate, Karate Do is not a combat-sport discipline but a martial art that accompanies a person throughout life — and it is precisely this difference that also shapes our way of leading. Management is about processes, goals and control. Leadership, by contrast, emerges in relationship — where people are willing to take responsibility because they feel trust and direction. It is not shown in a title, but in the posture that holds under pressure and carries others along.
Four principles from Budo — applied to every working day.
Courage
Taking the first step even when the outcome is open.
Respect
For people, for the task, for the path.
Self-control
Staying calm when others react.
Kaizen
Getting one idea better every day.
We don't grow through victories. We grow by getting back up.
In 2006 my world turned upside down – a severe brain injury, months of learning to walk and think again. A year later I stood in the JKG final. The realisation: true training begins when you're on the ground. This film has accompanied me and many of my colleagues through difficult times.
The first time in my life in an intensive care unit. Next to me lay an American soldier, fresh from Iraq, completely hooked up to tubes. The nurse said: 'He has an aneurysm – you have the same.' That was, of course, very encouraging. Especially since it was wrong. Just before midnight came the relief: a camera showed the bleeding was subdural – not a brain haemorrhage. Fortunately. A first small glimmer of hope.
Discovery call checklist
So our conversation truly delivers: this checklist helps you organise your thoughts in advance — role, situation, team, goals, audience, conditions. Not mandatory, just a guide. Fill it out, read it through, or use it as a conversation framework.
Open / download checklist →Preview — final availability in the booking form
You want to know with whom you're dealing?
Before you go any further: in this almost two-hour podcast you get an honest, unedited picture of how I think, what drives me and where my posture comes from. Take the time — afterwards you'll know exactly who you're dealing with.
Transcript (searchable)
Auto-generated YouTube captions (English). Click a timestamp to jump to that point.
>> Welcome to another episode of UK Karate Podcast. I'm Chris Walsh. Sean Cassidy with us today and we're very fortunate to have Martin Wushala from JK Germany. >> Thank you very much for having me. >> Oh. >> Really appreciate to be >> No problem. And how are you doing? You've had a bit of a crack. You've come all the way from Germany. You've had a very interesting journey. >> were talking on the phone. There are modern ways like Zoom, but you know, I'm I'm still paid by my company, but I
saved the money so I'm free in traveling. And I loved to use the tunnel. >> Okay. >> And it was really great till London and then I got a extreme car crash with all the airbags going out, but nobody's injured. >> Oh, fantastic. >> And then a wonder happened. 50 tow phone calls it took 8 hours to tow my car. Full electric car, 8 hours. So I was in a hotel this morning 6:00. So you see I got a lot of
French cream in my face. >> [laughter] >> No, everything's nobody's injured. That's the most important thing. >> At least it didn't catch fire either. We'll keep the fire away. >> Well, >> thank you again so much after I mean even after even after all that you've made it in >> I love traveling. I love being in England. >> Have you got any favorite places in England? >> Um in former times it were the pubs. But I stopped drinking 10 week 11 weeks
ago. No, I'm London is beautiful. Um I was two times for English lesson in Oxford. One time was my younger daughter to help her with school. Oxford is beautiful. >> Yeah. >> And I plan this and next year a couple of traveling up to Scotland, then. >> Yes, I mean Scot- Scotland's beau- like beautiful country. I lived up there for 10 years and it's I didn't see it
wasted really because I never saw never got to see all of it really. It was you won't be disappointed having a a trip around there. >> And but I don't I have to visit also a lot of cities in England, too. >> Yeah. >> So, I've got time now a little bit. >> Yeah, a little bit. >> Yeah. >> Did you I obviously see that from social media stuff that that you fly planes as well? >> Yeah. Um I was flying gliders when I was a young kid starting with 14 because my father said you were allowed, my brother
not because my brother's not afraid of anything. I was afraid as a young guy. And he said if you make a mistake on the car, doesn't matter. If you make a mistake up there, you you die. >> Yeah. >> So, I was flying gliders till 21. Stopped it in cause of karate because I totally concentrated on karate because I started very late with 21. And 2014, my famous uncle, he passed away with brain cancer very suddenly. And I was sitting in front of my laptop
and I thought why waiting on dreams? And there is a famous flight instructor in the US who says if you ever been a pilot and you hear the sound of the engine, you will look up to the sky all your life. That's That's right. So, went into the computer and it's crazy paperwork because the terrorists 9/11, they came from Florida from the school there. And I made my pilot license there. It was a great adventure and meanwhile, there are a lot of things that fits to karate.
>> Yeah. >> Because it's responsibility and it's also fun. >> Was that a long process to get that? >> Um the the flying, no. I I just grew up on the airport. Every weekend, I took my bicycle and and go to the glider airport. And um my father was flying, too. >> So, the first time I ever flew a plane was an ego, I >> got the virus very early. But I wasn't afraid as a kid, very much afraid. Um
but flying, especially in the States, it's beautiful in Europe, but in the States it's more free. You can go down on big airports, they support you. You have no landing fee in the States. >> Okay. >> Germany, you pay a lot. And and it's just a pilots are normally, usually cool people, not not all, usually cool people. It's nice. >> Mhm. Do you have a big flying jacket with the the fur and everything? >> In this book from Rod Machado stands there two things you don't need as a
pilot, the big watch >> Yeah. >> and the jacket. >> And the jacket. What about the sunglasses? >> Yeah, of course. I have a couple of sun, yes, yes. You know, I'm I'm nearly 64, so I have to do something to look cool. >> [laughter] >> My daughter say I'm looking stupid, so >> So, where where did where did karate first first begin for you? >> Um short story before. When I was 12 years, I was very thin, um and my father said you have to make sports.
And he's one of the few people I really listened to. And I just started swimming. We were not allowed to box because my father was a boxer, so I started judo till 21, and um I organized a judo course in the school. And I met one of my best friends, he was doing karate. He was brown belt. And so I met my first teacher. And we trained together two times, and he said to me, "You have talent."
And I said, "I'd never heard that word before." I said, "W- what what What do you mean?" And then, as a white belt, we trained very intensive, face-to-face, two people only. He was not so elegant, but he was a real fighter. He was fighting with Hell's Angels and so on. And I remember before yellow belt, he took me 2 hours. And he hit me in in legs and this and this and this.
Get to know Martin in person.
More on background, karate journey and projects on the profile page.