We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Wolsey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Mahjong is more than a game, it is a community! To me, Mahjong is ‘intentional socialization’! This game gives us a reason to pause from our day-to-day busy life to enjoy the company to others. Since the game is played in groups of 4, people who may not otherwise cross paths are brought together because of Mahjong! There is an immediate connection between people who enjoy the game and though they usually have their normal play groups, people are always looking to pick up another game here and there. I have seen deep friendships form from the hours spent playing together. I personally have a decades old bond with my first Mahjong group though we are now scattered throughout the US. It truly makes my heart so happy to see these friendships and this community grow in Fort Worth!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I look at my adult life, I truly feel like everything I’ve done has prepared me for what I am currently doing!
I grew up wanting to become a teacher so I attended University of Texas and earned my degree in Elementary Education. After graduating, I got my dream job of teaching 5th grade at Tanglewood Elementary School. I only taught for a few years before my husbands job moved us to Pittsburgh, PA. While is Pittsburgh, I was invited to play Mahjong and while I had never heard of the game, I certainly wasn’t going to turn down a social invitation! I quickly fell in love with the game and played 3-4 times a week! Our first daughter was born in Pittsburgh and we moved home to Fort Worth when she was just 3 weeks old. After moving home, I couldn’t find anyone who had ever heard of the game much less wanted to take on learning to play so it sat on the shelf for years. I didn’t set out to teach.. I was just looking for friends to play with. As more and more people asked me to teach them, I got a push from a good friend to start charging for my time. My calendar started to quickly fill with people wanting to join the Mahjong community and to date, I have taught over 500 people!
I still love teaching though the setting looks slightly different than my 5th grade classroom. I still love the AHA moments when the game clicks. I love educating people on the rich history of this game and weave that into my lessons which sets my teaching apart from others. I love watching the numbers of Mahjong enthusiasts grown in our community and I have immense pride over being a part of that!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well, since it’s summertime in Fort Worth, I would definitely take her to Joe T Garcias for dinner in their beautiful gardens. The stockyards are always a good time and one of my best friends opened Sidesaddle, a saloon in Mule Alley so we would stop in for a delicious margarita.
Fort Worths Zoo and Botanical Gardens are all gems in our city and are on the must see list!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The first person I’d like to give a huge shout out to is my husband, Coleman! He is extremely supportive of my passion for the game and my love for teaching others. He fills in around the house and takes over our 4 children so I can build my business and this community.
The other person who I’d like to recognize is my dear friend, Janae Huffman, who 14 years ago welcomed me into her Mahjong group and taught me the game.

Instagram: the.mahjclub

Image Credits
Haley Naegele

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