There are moments in life that quietly announce themselves as turning points. Not loud. Not dramatic. But powerful. Monday, March 2, 2026, is one of those moments. My wife, @Renee Chambers-Liciaga, begins rehearsals for Jelly’s Last Jam. The production runs March 31 through April 26 at the historic Bristol Riverside Theatre in Bristol, Pennsylvania — a stage that has held decades of storytelling, music, and memory. And for me, this is more than a rehearsal start date. This is a defining moment. For several years, Renee has been doing what strong artists do when the spotlight shifts. She has been teaching. Choreographing. Directing. Coaching. Elevating others. There is power in that role. Quiet power. The kind that does not always receive applause but shapes generations of performers and storytellers. But now, she steps back onto the stage. That takes courage. To return. To risk. To stand in the light again after years of serving from the wings. That is Living Strong. Living Strong is not about constant forward motion. It is about evolution. It is about honoring every season and recognizing when it is time to step into the next one. This is not a comeback. This is growth. This is alignment between calling and courage. The musical she is stepping into carries weight. Jelly’s Last Jam tells the story of Jelly Roll Morton, born Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, one of the early architects of jazz. Morton famously claimed he invented jazz. Whether literal or poetic, what cannot be denied is this: he shaped it, structured it, and helped bring it from the streets of New Orleans into formal composition. Jazz, before it was accepted, was raw expression. Improvisation. Survival music born from a cultural crossroads of African-American rhythm, Creole heritage, Caribbean influence, ragtime structure, and blues tradition. Morton was brilliant. Confident. Controversial. Complicated. He wrote pieces like King Porter Stomp and Original Jelly Roll Blues, compositions that helped define early jazz structure. He was among the first to insist that jazz could be written down and arranged without losing its soul.

I just had the honor of being interviewed by my good friend @Mark Murphy on his podcast, TravelTube. Mark and I go back a long way — early 2000s. Two decades of knowing each other, watching each other grow, evolve, build, adapt. So this conversation wasn’t just an interview. It was history. It was friendship. It was real. On the podcast, we talked about travel — not just destinations, but what travel does to you. How it stretches you. How it humbles you. How it opens your eyes. We talked about the work Mark is doing through TravelTube. He’s built a platform that supports travel advisors and gives them a voice — helping them better serve their clients with real insight, real experience, and real expertise. He understands the value of the professional travel advisor and continues to champion their role in shaping powerful travel experiences. I respect that deeply. We also talked about my book, Living Strong: The Power of Defining Moments, and how my years traveling the world as a performing artist shaped my mindset. Those seasons on the road weren’t just about stages and spotlights. They were about growth. Perspective. Learning how to adapt in unfamiliar environments. I truly believe everyone should travel. It changes you. It forces you to see beyond your own neighborhood, your own assumptions, your own limits. And woven through all of it was this idea of Living Strong — building a mindset that allows you to move through new places, new seasons, and new challenges with purpose and resilience. I’m grateful for the friendship. I’m grateful for the conversation. And I’m grateful for people who continue to build platforms that serve others. If you want to learn more about the work Mark is doing, visit TravelTube.com. Keep moving. Keep exploring. Keep Living Strong.

https://youtube.com/shorts/_A6kDYRddXc?si=GfpI503IvPAy-v_i

Mr. @Kifle Gebremedhin — this one’s for you. I’ve uploaded the full 60-minute video from our session on Tuesday 2/27/26 into the classroom. What I’d like you to do is simple — but powerful. Go back through the video slowly. Watch it like a student of the craft. And drop the exact time marks in the comments where: • You have questions • You felt unsure • You want to go deeper • Or something clicked and you want to refine it Post the time stamp and your thought right here on the wall. This is how we train intelligently. This is how we practice with purpose. This is how we Live Strong. Jiu-jitsu is not about muscling through technique. It’s about awareness. Leverage. Timing. Respect for the body. Especially in this season of life. What I respect about your journey is that we are not chasing ego. We are building skill while honoring health. We are staying creative. We are adjusting grips, angles, pressure, and pace so that we grow without breaking ourselves. That’s Living Strong. Learning. Practicing. Reflecting. Refining. When you post your time stamps and questions, others in this community get to see what real training looks like — not perfection, but process. Not speed, but study. Not force, but intelligence. That’s how a man evolves. Let’s use this wall like a dojo notebook. Let’s document the work. Let’s sharpen the blade safely. Proud of the work we’re doing. Now let’s deepen it. — Master Liciaga

Who loves to travel? My friend @Mark Murphy invited me onto his podcast, TravelTube, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share a part of my journey with him. In this short reel, I talk about the moment I realized the world was bigger than the tenements I grew up in. Bigger than the block. Bigger than the noise. Bigger than the limits I once believed were permanent. That realization shifted my life. Travel didn’t just move my body — it expanded my thinking. And when your thinking expands, your identity evolves. Living Strong is about expansion — mentally, emotionally, spiritually. After you watch the reel, I invite you to listen to the full episode at TravelTube.com. Mark is doing powerful work helping people see how travel transforms perspective. And I’d love to hear from you — Have you traveled? What was the most exciting or eye-opening thing you learned from it? 🌍