Don Parker

Don Parker: Broker/Managing Partner with the Deal Group Realty, Don has been involved in various aspects of the finance/mortgage industry for over 20 years. In addition he is an accomplished Martial Artist. He’s been practicing the art for over 30 years and is currently a master instructor in urban warfare which encompasses several martial art systems fine tuned for “maximum” efficiency. Executive Self Defense (ESD) was his“brainchild” and has been undergoing strict scrutiny and testing for practical applications for maximum effectiveness. Being a member of Senior Management for Citibank for several years emboldened the need for such a system for the corporate executive.

His tenure as a senior management professional with such financial giants as Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Washington Mutual (formerly Home Savings & Loans). He is a graduate of San Francisco State University’s School of Business. He brings a wealth of financial and management experience to the Deal Group Realty. His passion for home ownership and motivational speaking style results in his wealth building seminars being highly sought after. He is truly a seasoned professional at the helm of the Deal Group Organization.

The application of eastern/western battle strategies in the corporate arena is nothing new. But those applications taught from a Master Martial Artist/Businessman who knows both sides of the perils is “NEW”! ESD has a “Cloak and Dagger” edge as well especially when we get into Corporate Intelligence which is a “growth” industry within corporate America: the business of keeping things secret. With the advent of various disclosures of secret phone tapping and text messaging from behind the glass doors, intellectual properties are at “high” risk. The “usurping” of information from one competitor to another has created a virtual “corporate cold war”. The risks are too great not to take heed. ESD gives the executive the mental prowess/awareness one needs to navigate through the hostile waters of  International Financial Affairs. Don Parker, “Bourne Identity” in real form.

"A Glimpse at the Making of the Man"

Growing up in West Oakland during the early Sixties and Seventies, the atmosphere was changing and there was an empowerment movement going on for young black youths with opportunities to venture down new paths and try new idea's. 

Most young men of my generation flocked toward sports (baseball,basketball,etc...) with wide-eyed dreams of becoming a professional player. I enjoyed sports for more of the adrenaline rush and the physical demands it required of my body. I have always been more "visual" and colorful using my analogies and my imagination. Intellectual prowess was latent in me and it was drawn out of me through a great set of teachers and mentors, that refused to allow me the luxury of "blending" in. They always knew there was something greater being birthed in me. My parents decided to place me in Karate classes because of the structured environment that it "touted". I have always been "high" energy and they need a place to channel this "robust" energy. I hated karate and "all" the instructors. I was like a "wild" mustang" that didn't want to be tamed. I tried relentlessly to find a way to remove myself from the constant punishment, but it was futile!

Once I became "good" enough I always enjoyed the mental strategy of "free fighting". This was my opportunity to exhibit my mental prowess coupled with the new techniques I've been taught. I was a natural in unarmed combat. I get a rush from the ability to neutralize the tools of another human being. We are all equally equipped with the same weapons, but its how we choose to use them always "spells"  the difference. Its like "IROC" racing (International Race Of Champions) where all the cars are equally equipped and similar in all ways. But, it's the driver who learns how to "maximize" all the tools at his disposal that wins the race.  I enjoy using simple techniques with new applications. I used a simple Karate book by Bruce Tegner called "Bruce Tegner's Complete Book Of Karate". It is a "cheesy" looking book that only costs $1.00 in the 70's. The participants all have uniform pants that are just above their ankles. But this book in the hands of a gifted thinker made me on of the most feared fighters in the Oakland martial arts community. The simplicity and effectiveness made me a favorite among master instructors from all systems. - Don Parker