Success Stories

In the fall of 2023, I taught a self-defense class to a group of pre-teen girls and I could never have guessed what would come out of that class.

One girl in particular, Sophia. Sophia was so shy in the first part of the class that she struggled to hit or kick me.  As the class went on I saw her power start to emerge and she perked up about getting out of wrist grabs, shoulder grabs and other situations she was put in. I was just so proud to see her come alive during the class and I hoped this would be a class she would never forget.  I thought the story ended there.....it didn't.

About a year later I got a text message that said "See What You Started."

I opened the text to see a picture of Sophia!!

After the self-defense class Sophia's parents said they saw a higher level of confidence in her and how she handled herself in different situations.

After that self-defense class Sophia asked her parents if she could enroll in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy owned by Jason Clarke created a place for Sophia to be challenged and to feel comfortable and safe.

Sophia's Dad Trent said "she is a totally different girl. Cleaning her room has always been overwhelming for her but after 3 months of Jiu Jitsu, she can break up the cleaning tasks into manageable tasks. Her confidence and her ability to handle adversity/conflicts in her life has increased with every week of training".

The text Sophia's Aunt Polly sent me was a picture of Sophia standing on the podium in 1st place because she won her first match!!  

Trent told me Sophia will definitely continue with Jiu Jitsu and he and his wife are very supportive and enthusiastic about every accomplishment she has experienced/worked for.