Coach Mickey Lee

​​Overcoming Childhood Obesity & Bullying

As a young child, Coach Mickey experienced the social, emotional, and physical difficulties of childhood obesity.  Although he excelled at school, his obesity, short stature, gentle nature, and introverted personality made him a target of bullying in school for 5 years.  To build his confidence and help him get fit, Coach Melody had him try popular sports like basketball, soccer, tennis, and swimming, but none of them seemed to suit or fit his natural talents.  Coach Mickey wanted to learn martial arts, specifically Tae Kwon Do, to defend himself from bullies, lose weight, and connect with his Korean heritage.  Searching hard for a great instructor, Coach Melody found one in Grand Master Michael Coles.

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At the peak of his obesity, Coach Mickey began his martial arts journey, and Coach Melody joined a month later.  They thrived under GM Coles, whose inspirational motivation, inspiring them to find a shared life-long passion and niche in sports, leading the inaugural class of Black Belts at Bethesda Martial Arts Academy.  After a few years, Coach Mickey eventually overcame obesity and bullying through the self-confidence and physical fitness instilled by martial arts as well as changing his mindset to eating and evolving his diet to that of his dietary role model, Coach Melody.

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In addition to training almost daily in Tae Kwon Do, Coach Mickey began to eat a healthier and more balanced diet characteristic of his native Korean cuisine: more seafood, vegetables, and fruits plus spicy, bitter, and sour-tasting foods all freshly made rather than processed or mass-produced.  A fan of their culturally diverse surroundings, he has embraced  the opportunity to explore the many cuisines of the world, particularly those of South, East, and Southeast Asia as well as the Mediterranean and ever-evolving New American cuisine.  Furthermore, he began to truly savor the experience of eating by utilizing of all his senses and increase his appreciation for the process of how cooking, from the source to the kitchen to the table.  This new mindset has helped him to eat less while feeling more fulfilled.



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