Self-Defense & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Private Training

For me, self-defense is integral form of self care. Like most if not all women, we navigate the world always with our antenna detecting threats, whether simply getting gas at the gas station, walking to our cars in a dimly lit parking lot, meeting new love interests…living daily life as a female.

I wanted to learn self defense and martial arts for as long  as I can remember. As tiny girl (I only grew to be 5ft tall) I was acutely aware of just how helpless I felt when there was someone that I found to feel threatening (even in the slightest ways). I watched Terminator 2 as an 11 year old and decided Sarah Conner was the most badass woman I had ever seen and I wanted to be able to handle myself like she did if I ever needed to.

I began training in martial arts at the age of 15 and never looked back. It became my happy place and my training is 100% one of the main reasons that I was able to handle my Lyme disease journey the way that I have. It taught me resilience, grit, strength, and that my ‘toughness’ lay in never giving up.

When I was too sick to train and dove into the more traditional healing practices of Reiki and plant medicine, I felt conflicted with my love for punching, kicking, and training in such aggressive practices. I thought it was in conflict with my ‘love and light’ approach.

It wasn’t until 10 years later, I was healthy enough to go back and instead of feeling separated from my deep love and reverence for my healer’s path…I felt emboldened by it. I felt a piece of me that I had abandoned click into place and I remembered that in order to carry all that light, I needed to stay grounded in my strength and my unf*ckwithable energy. THAT is what it means to truly care for yourself.

My approach to teaching reflects my life experience directly. My goal is to help you not only learn techniques but learn to connect with your inherent warrior inside. The energy that does not give up and that protects your sacred self. And, as always, to have fun while doing it.

Training over decades in martial arts, (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Krav Maga, and traditional martial) arts has shown me that most real-world self-protection happens long before anything physical. It’s part of how you move through the world, how you read people, how you trust your intuition, and how you recognize when something feels off instead of talking yourself out of it (read The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker to get you started).

I believe self-defense should teach you more presence, more confidence, and help you feel more at home in your body.

My experiences range from working with everyday citizens who just want to feel a little more secure, to working with law enforcement, helping them train for their specific needs, to introducing women and teens to the concept that they are absolutely worth fighting for. Period. End of story.

No matter where you fall in the scope of your training, I would be honored to be a part of your journey. I am a 5ft tall little lady with an autoimmune disease who’s had to figure out how to make these techniques work for me, regardless of size, strength, age, and health. Teaching martial arts is one of my greatest joys and honors in my life.

Please reach out with any questions or to book your lesson.