He started into taekwondo as a youth and by age 15 won his first Canadian National Championship as a junior and later earned the senior title at 21 years old. That same year he had the honor of representing Canada at the World Championships in the Philippines. Over the years he has competed in numerous countries under the Canadian flag. In addition to competing in the sport, he spent several years teaching taekwondo. He has also led seminars in Mexico and Greece, sharing martial arts and mentorship across cultures and communities. On the faith side, he has a personal story of coming face to face – literally – with a Pope.
Notable guest quotes:
“I was a part of the church community at my elementary school, I would help out on Sundays but … really a traditional upcoming, very traditional Catholic home.”
“I’ve done gymnastics, as a young child, I’ve skied a lot throughout the winter … (a) little older I played a little roller hockey … I did judo, a little boxing – but … I always circled back towards taekwondo.”
“It was life changing for me and we could really talk for a long time of how this impacted my life and many other people that do this sport. It’s a game changer and I feel most kids should practice martial arts.”
“As he walked inside the cathedral the Pope was walking slowly and he stopped at the lane where I was sitting in and he made his way through everybody, came to me, stopped at me and gave me a kiss on the forehead.”
“At a very young age with my religion teacher I’ve learned to pray every night. When I was younger, I couldn’t quite explain but it was, something was missing if I went to bed at night and I didn’t have my prayer with God. So, every night I would pray, I would say probably since the age of seven or eight years old I’ve prayed every single night and I still do to this day.”
“When competition came around my prayers would get adapted to the circumstances to make sure I was in my best shape, that, to make sure things would go well for me and if they didn’t that a lesson be learned at that moment, and for sure when success would take place, after competition, prayer of gratitude would happen that night for sure.”
“I didn’t go for serving but that’s why I stayed. I stayed because I found the value of helping and serving.”
“I think all of us need to make sure that the world is a better place because we are in it, maybe small or large.”
“In taekwondo grace shows up as discipline in motion. The respect that one another shows when engaging in a combat we bow to one another as a sign of respect to one another for the training that we have both done on our side, the country that we’re representing, and we acknowledge the strength that it takes to get and the courage that it takes to show up in the ring.”
“When I was younger, I didn’t openly display my faith. I was concerned about how others might perceive it. Over time I’ve come to value authenticity not just in others but in myself. And the search for the integrity can’t just stay confined to my personal life. It has to show up in my professional life as well.”
“My faith became sort of a compass for me. It helped me discern what was right, what was wrong, and make decisions rooted in conviction rather than fear. So, I found myself praying more often.”
“It’s the moment when you learn and you realize that you can love something more than you love yourself and that changes the prayers, it changes what you want out of life.”
Related link:
Xavier Desaunettes on LinkedIn
(This episode contains a prayer adapted from one by an unknown Confederate Soldier, as seen in Play Like A Champion Today’s prayerbook for sports, God, Be In My Sport)
