James Benjamin "Ben" Stewart (born March 19, 1978) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
16-time World
Karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
and
Kick Boxing
Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...
Champion, author,
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
and
motivational speaker
A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk.
Motivational speakers ca ...
. He has won nine
W.K.A. super heavyweight titles, three
W.A.K.O. titles, and four World Kickboxing Union titles. He founded Canadian Property Stars in 1996 and in 2008 wrote ''Millionaire in 90 Days: Working out at the Gym''.
Biography
Early life
Stewart was born and raised in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, and attended
Katimavik Elementary School. By the age of 11 he held a number of jobs while attending school full-time, foreshadowing his business success. He graduated from
Earl of March Secondary School in 1997 and from the Entrepreneurship program at
Algonquin College
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is a publicly funded English-language college located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The college serves the National Capital Region and the outlying areas of Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec, and Upst ...
in 1999.
Athletic at an early age, Stewart began training in martial arts at the age of 9. From 1987 to 1991 he trained in
Jiu-Jitsu
Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...
under Sensei Randy Cooligan. He then moved on to study American Sport Karate under
Steve "Nasty" Anderson in 1995 and quickly earned his black belt. Stewart also played competitive
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
between the ages of 10 and 13, before taking on competitive
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
until the age of 17.
Martial arts career
In 1998 Stewart ranked third in the world in Karate and became a member of the WKA Canadian National Team. At various times a Member (1998, 2001-2003, 2005, 2008-2012); a Captain (2003, 2009-2012); and a Coach (2002-2013); he was also President of the National Team from 2009 to 2012.
[Team Canada Karate](_blank)
/ref>
Stewart was a Member of the WAKO National Team for four years (2003, 2005, 2007, 2013), and served as President in 2013 of both the WKU and WTKA/WKA Canadian National Teams.Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, in 2018 he reclaimed his super-heavyweight
Super heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and competitive bodybuilding.
Boxing
In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms (200 pounds). Introduced for th ...
World Title, and successfully defended that title the following year in Bregenz
Bregenz (; gsw, label= Vorarlbergian, Breagaz ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switze ...
, Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
He is currently training to compete in the 2021 world competition in Québec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is the ...
, Canada.
Corporate career
At the age of 18 Stewart created a landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following:
# Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal o ...
business, which has grown into Canadian Property Stars, a full-service property maintenance company with offices across Canada and the United States. Stewart’s success with Canadian Property Stars is attributed to the fact that this is a highly motivating door to door sales model.
In 2000, upon graduating from college, Stewart took ownership of Steve Anderson Karate and Kick Boxing, a facility in the Ottawa area, which he owned until 2007. He was named Business Person of the Year in 2005 by the Kanata Chamber of Commerce — the same year he won the City of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa is the corporate entity of municipal government in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The corporation is responsible for provision of services to the public as well as enforcement of municipal by-laws. It is overseen by the City Manag ...
's Athlete of the Year
Athlete of the Year is an award given by various sports organizations for the athlete whom they have determined to be deserving of such recognition.
Definition of "athlete"
*In many nations, an "athlete" primarily refers to someone who participat ...
award in the martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
category.
Author and Motivational Speaker
In 2008 Stewart published his first book, titled ''Millionaire in 90 Days: Working out at the Gym'', to teach young adults strategies to increase their health and lifestyle, allowing them to become successful in all areas of their life.nah Millionaire in 90 Days ‘Working Out at the Gym
/ref>
Personal life
Stewart married Karen Hilberdink on November 22nd, 2009. They have three children together: Sidney, Saryna, and Sterling.
Championships and awards
References
External links
Ben Stewart
Official site
Ben Stewart Interview
on Hi Impact Media
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, James Benjamin
1978 births
Living people
Canadian male kickboxers
Sportspeople from Ottawa