PROFILE: The "People Who Train" Project

What makes a good photo?

Is it the ability to capture a subject at the exact right moment?

The ability to tell a story without the aid of words or context?

Or just two damn good-looking people who really know how to light up a camera?

This is perhaps one of my favorite photos for the podcast. It perfectly captures the way that Kevin and I interact on the show, while also giving you a perfect indicator of the sense of humor that makes our podcast unique.

Of course, this photo didn't take itself. It came compliments of our friend Mik Millman, the Romulo Barral black belt behind the People Who Train photo project.

Mik is an accomplished photographer who has spent the better part of four years chronicling other people's journeys in jiu-jitsu, placing an emphasis on the everyday practitioner rather than the people who chase medals.

It's his belief that every person who steps on the mat has a story to tell — and that a great deal of those stories often go unheard.

Mik's done a great job of traveling all around, setting up photoshoots at academies across the nation. Recently, however, he put up an update on his Facebook page stating that he may be shutting down the project due to financial constraints.

Please support People Who Train's Kickstarter campaign. I need the help of our community to keep the project going. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1968083273/people-who-train
Posted by People Who Train on Thursday, August 25, 2016

The bulk of the travel and expenses for the project have come out of pocket for Mik, yet, he's kept the People Who Train project alive for a number of years to try and collect more stories and give a voice to those who are often voiceless.

Giving a voice to those suffering from PTSD.

To those who have been victims of domestic abuse.

To practitioners who are too shy or think that their story is undeserving of other people's time.

For those reasons and much more, we're encouraging friends of our show to head on over to support Mik's kickstarter page. He's not asking for anything crazy, he's looking to raise $5,000 to offset a number of the travel costs as he looks to take his show on the road this fall.

In a statement on his website, Mik said, "By finding this campaign you will help me bring the People Who Train project to NY and other parts of America. My goal is modest, but the more I raise, the more places I can take the series. We are all unique and I can never represent everyone, but I want to represent as many of you as I can, in all parts of the world."

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1968083273/people-who-train
Please watch.
Posted by People Who Train on Friday, August 26, 2016

We encourage you to help Mik make his modest goal come true, as those who have participated in the project have complimented the way Mik captures their soul. And as two people who got to see the way the guy works up close, we know exactly the type of fun and important role this kind of campaign can provide for a sport with so many incredible stories.

There's just six days left to help him make his goal of 5k (he's halfway there!), we hope you'll join us in supporting this awesome project.

- Raf & Kev, Verbal Tap Podcast