Greg Dutton
From errant youth street fighter to two times mixed martial arts champion, Isaac Tisdell knows a thing or two about personal transformation.
At only 33, he’s experienced more setbacks and efforts to rise above his circumstances than many of us. It’s placed him on a path of continuous transformation while honing his unique talent to help others.
In his mid-teens, Isaac and his peers were making trouble on the streets of Byron where regular drunken Friday night brawls revealed, at best, that he had an instinct for a fighting sport. By the end of school, he and his friends were lost in a cloud of drug and alcohol abuse.
At 19 he began the first of his many reinventions.
Realising physical fitness was key to his success, Isaac qualified to become a personal trainer in the Bryon Shire. At the same time, he discovered Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and from the moment he walked into his first ‘cage fight’ he knew he’d found his dream; to become a professional fighter.
He was winning a series of fights and his star was on the rise with sponsorship deals and industry backing when it all went horribly wrong.
A series of tragic events cut him down, the worst the death of his brother in 2009.
After a smashed knee and unable train, he spiraled into self-medication, depression and anxiety compounded by the fact that over the next two years he and his close circle of friends were to lose nine other friends through road accidents, suicides and drug overdoses. It was an incomprehensibly dark time.
In 2012 and a year of rehabilitation, he was finally back in the ring.
His unrelenting drive and hard work soon paid off as he turned professional, culminating in winning the lightweight champion belts in both of Australia’s main MMA competitions.
Yet the never-ending cycle of injury, recovery and stripping weight took its toll.
Isaac chose to retire at 32 to focus on his new life as family man and fitness coach.
With the same passion he had for his fight career Isaac is now driven to teach others how to transform their lives through fitness and inner strength.
Combining accrued knowledge, including a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, he has developed a highly effective fitness program known as Primal Reset, which is transforming lives. He has countless testimonials from regular people coming through his door who return completely changed, even to become high-level athletes.
He says, ‘It’s become my mission to facilitate these transformations’.
My 12-year-old son Casey was overweight and being bullied at school (kids can be so harsh). Many parents suggested improving his confidence and fitness with martial arts.
Peaceful defender
Five years of Isaac’s training and he is now a peaceful defender of bullied kids and is super fit. Watching Casey transform while I was overweight raised the bar on me.
In 16 weeks, I shed 12 kilos and felt so good that my old drinking and eating habits fell away while my fitness continues.
Isaac knows about the human psyche, mental conditioning, and how to create new habits. His first mission is to raise your belief in yourself through small progressive steps that lead to the bigger ones. The other magic is his classes are fun.
I didn’t expect that; the discovery of what I can now do is exhilarating.
To me, Isaac and the Primal Reset program is one of the best ways we can wrestle the demons and habits that hold us back while strengthening the resolve that keeps us moving forward.
For more visit www.primalreset.com.au
