Just curious…why do you open the Town Tidings?
(Only fill out if you haven’t in the past weeks)

COS Town Tidings #26-207

Gmail will truncate so 📖 READ ONLINE

Grab a beverage and catch up on what you missed this week ☕

🤣 Daily Chuckle

⭐ Local Spotlight: 🚪 Behind This Door on Colorado Ave... I Found Something Unexpected

📰 News from this week in Colorado Springs!

🤗 Wellness Tips

🍳 Sizzle Up Your Week with Our Recipe Archives!

📅 Local Events + Concerts, Farmers Markets, Activities

⛅ COS Weather - Partly cloudy and close to record high heat

🙋‍♀️ Who Should We Feature?

I open it not quite knowing what I’ll find. Old Colorado City behind me, something unfamiliar in front. I want you here with me, because what’s on the other side isn’t what any of us expect.

Three coaches. Kyle, Sam, and Sean. On paper, some of the most decorated fighters in our town, offering their premier martial arts training at OCC Fight House, right here in our own backyard. In person, the quietest room I’ve walked into in a long time. Their handshake is firm. Their demeanor is gentle. They ask about you before they say a word about themselves, and that is the first thing that lands for me.

The longer I stay, the more I understand this place isn’t really about fighting. It’s about what fighting reveals. Coach Sean speaks about staying calm when everything inside you wants to panic. Coach Kyle describes how ego softens in here into something more honest. And Coach Sam says the line that follows me home, “The obstacle is the way.” On the mat there are always obstacles. Your body, your breath, your mind…yourself. Just like life. Under their coaching, you push a little further than you thought you could, and in that pushing you meet a version of yourself you haven’t been introduced to yet.

I don’t just watch. I strap on the pads. I take a few strikes. I throw kicks. I grapple. I work moves with Coach Kyle, who has size and skill on me by a mile, and I still find a way to take him down. My mind is racing and quiet at the same time. I’m not thinking about bills or emails or the ten things I walked in carrying. I’m thinking about my own strength, my agility, where to place my hands, my next breath. There’s a kind of stillness that shows up when you’re fully present in your body, and I didn’t know how much I’d been missing it until I felt it here.

Brandy paired up with me on day one like we’d known each other for years. The next class I was working with the guys, more experienced, more seasoned, and every one of them met me where I was. Kurt stands out. He’d just come off his own fight, still marked up from it, and he was already back on the mat helping the rest of us sharpen our craft. That’s who they are here at OCC Fight House. Nobody performed. Nobody postured. Everyone just showed up for each other.

So whoever you’re picturing as you read this, your friend, partner, son or daughter, grandkid who needs something real, or the YOU who’s been quietly looking for something, this door is open. Walk through it once. See what it shows you.

Their handshake is firm. Their demeanor is gentle. They are tough enough to push you and human enough to walk with you, on the mat and long after you leave it.

If something in this article spoke to you, go see for yourself. Tell them Sandy sent you. 😉

OCC Fight House

Don’t want to be up to date on the latest Colorado Springs news, events, and more with our daily newsletters? Reply to this email with “2-3 Times/Week” and we’ll only send you Wed, Sun and if we have a special issue.

PLEASE DON’T MARK US AS SPAM! This negatively impacts those who DO want to receive this newsletter. Remember, YOU signed up, there’s an unsubscribe link at the bottom or reply with “please unsubscribe.”

Here are some of the stories we shared this week. Check out any issues you missed.

👵 From "Too Fragile" To Daily Adventures... with Kristen Nielsen

Still a work in progress but they are now open for business at:

📍 4935 Centennial Blvd, Suite A, Colorado Springs, CO 80919
⏰ Hours: M-Sat: 7:00am - 6:00pm, Closed Sundays

🍞 Fresh Baked Sourdough breads, pastries

*Official Grand Opening will be Aug 15, 10am-2pm

Hungry for past delights? Dive into our Recipe Archives! 🥘 Find recipes from this week.

Will you do us a favor and spread the word? We need your HELP! Please share Colorado Springs Town Tidings 🤗

👉Are you on Nextdoor? Share your link there too!

*Add your favorite events directly to your Google or Apple calendars, submit events, mark & save favorites!

🎫 Colorado Springs Town Tidings VIP PASS, FREE digital wallet pass you can easily add to your mobile Apple or Google Wallet.

Be the FIRST to receive EXCLUSIVE offers, special savings, and the latest announcements from businesses and events in our area. (Click image below to find out WHY I created this for you!)

🙋‍♀️ Yes, I want my VIP Pass

OWN a local business and would like to be featured? 👇Click below:

✅ Own a local Business? Apply (Fill out the form)

🎤 Prefer something easier? You can record your answers by voice and let the system turn them into written responses.

🤝 Maximize Your Reach, Be Seen 253,187 Times Monthly! Affordable advertising options benefiting both our valued subscribers and cherished local businesses. 💖