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August Reflection: Crossing Paths!
It seems appropriate to start this newsletter with an image of the beautiful quilt donated to the silent auction this summer by longtime member Kathleen Offenholley, with its pattern of intersecting pathways called “Crossing Paths.” Each year, many of us do cross paths with each other at the Conference, making connections, nurturing old friendships, and building new ones. With the hard work and dedication of the Board, we’ve put on four successful in-person events and many more online events and trainings over the past year. We hope these opportunities to meet up have helped our members learn, grow, and strengthen their relationships!
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Board Update: Two Goodbyes and a Hello!
This month, we said goodbye to two beloved, outgoing Board members: our longtime Treasurer, Cheryl VanHoosen, and our Youth Coordinator Tamara Machac. We offer our heartfelt thanks to you both again for serving on the board, for your hard work, dedication, and spirit — and for everything you’ve done for NWMAF!
At the same time, we’re thrilled to welcome Ashlyn Johnson to the Board as our new Healing Arts Coordinator! Ashlyn is a nurse practitioner, assistant professor of nursing, and lifelong martial artist committed to the intersection of healing and empowerment through martial arts. With over 15 years of clinical experience, she is dual board-certified in family and psychiatric-mental health practice, providing care to many individuals navigating trauma, PTSD, and resilience-building. Ashlyn’s professional and academic work centers on trauma-informed care, mental wellness, and the therapeutic potential of martial arts and self-defense training.
With more than 25 years of experience training in diverse martial arts systems, her current focus is on Kali and Silat. Ashlyn believes in the transformative power of martial arts and self-defense training as a pathway to reclaiming agency, especially for trauma survivors. She is deeply grateful to her teachers, including Guro Jeremiah Lovejoy, and is honored to be an instructor under the legendary Guro Dan Inosanto.
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Ashlyn’s Vision Statement to the Board
As Healing Arts Coordinator, my vision is to foster a dynamic and reciprocal relationship between the healing arts, martial arts, and self-defense. I see healing arts as a bidirectional flow of knowledge—where traditional healing practices inform the way we train, teach, and embody martial arts and self-defense, while the principles and practices of martial arts and self-defense enrich and expand approaches to healing.
At the heart of this vision is the intersection of health, martial arts, and self-defense as a pathway to human flourishing. Through this integration, I aim to highlight how movement, empowerment, and embodied practice not only contribute to personal safety but also strengthen resilience and well-being.
This work is grounded in the evaluation and application of evidence-based practices, ensuring that the use of martial arts and self-defense in healing and health promotion is not only experiential but also supported by research and best practices. My goal is to create spaces where healing, self-defense, and martial practice coexist, reinforcing one another to improve lives, promote resilience, and empower individuals and communities.
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An honor for NWMAF
In mid-August, NWMAF had the honor of being inducted into the Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame in Houston! In attendance were Development Coordinator (and this year’s Events Coordinator) Diane Wallander, Secretary Tasca Shadix, and 2025 Conference instructors Stacey Legg and Monica Villanueva. It was an honor to be recognized in this way! One sweet highlight was Diane posing with this group of future martial arts standouts — and hopefully NWMAF members! (see below).
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Bonnie Korte Receives the Award of Excellence
At July’s Conference, we announced that Bonnie Korte was our 2025 recipient of the NWMAF Award of Excellence. Because she couldn’t attend in person, her award was presented to her by NWMAF Chair Connie Halporn at this month’s International Judo Camp. We love this photo of Bonnie with her award, surrounded by women and girls from camp!
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What’s up with WhatsApp!?
Thanks to member feedback, a new permanent feature, the WhatsApp, is being introduced for members. First tested at Forward Together earlier this year, members can now join our permanent WhatsApp group here. Please note that in order to keep an organized environment, administrative approval and verification is required to join, which may take 24-48 hours.
To help with verification, please ensure your WhatsApp account contains your name and contact info that matches your NWMAF account.
If you have any issues accessing the WhatsApp, or need to update your contact information for verification, our Website Administrator, Magnolia Schnirman Barría, is happy to help. You can also reach out to her if you would like an announcement made to the WhatsApp. Please email her at: digital@nwmaf.org.
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Member News: Free online event with Meg Stone!
Member Meg Stone has shared info about her upcoming free online event: Don’t Get Safety Advice from TikTok!
“Mixed in with makeup influencers and cool dance moves is the same tired, baseless, racist, sexist personal safety advice we’ve been getting for decades. Join me for this FREE webinar that cuts through the myths and gives teens and adults actionable alternatives.
Zip ties on your car. Predators who size up victims in Walmart parking lots. Beauty influencers who tell you not to turn your back while you put away groceries. Social media is full of safety advice – but how much of it is true? In this session, author and violence prevention expert Meg Stone will break down viral “safety hacks,” separate fact from fear-mongering, and give you real, evidence-based, strategies to empower yourself and your community.”
Wednesday, September 10th at 7pm Eastern
Registration is free and open to the public: IMPACT Boston
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Member News: “Get Empowered!” Book Circle
Each month, ESD instructor Lauren Taylor holds a monthly Book Circle. Based on “Get Empowered: A Practical Guide to Thrive, Heal, and Embrace Your Confidence in a Sexist World,” which she co-wrote with the late Nadia Telsey, an NWMAF co-founder, the Book Circle is for anyone interested in the mental, emotional, verbal, etc., aspects of ESD.
Some months the group discusses a topic from the book, such as intuition, or understanding where our risks really lie. Some months, Lauren leads a short workshop on a topic participants have expressed interest in, like dealing with street harassment, or having difficult conversations with family members. Other months, they talk about issues participants bring that are on their minds and on their hearts.
The Book Circle is for (almost) everyone! It’s a place to:
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Share experiences without judgment
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Learn practical tools for feeling safer and more confident
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Be the expert about your own body
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Connect with others who understand your challenges
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Ask questions and get support from people who’ve been there.
Please let your students know about it and encourage them to come. And show up yourself! Lots of ESD teachers participate regularly in the Book Circle.
Find out more and register here!
We meet monthly on the 4th Sunday of the month from 4-5 pm Eastern. It’s FREE, and for safety reasons, we ask folks to register. Also: You don’t have to read the book! If you have questions or want more info, feel free to reach out to Lauren at lauren@defendyourself.org.
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Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) News
From ESD Coordinator Clara Porter:
It was wonderful to connect with so many of you in-person and online at the NWMAF Forward Together conference. Our community is truly strong in experience, creativity, and commitment. To continue those connections, we focused the agenda for our August 11th meeting on how best to maintain contact with our community — with all the options such as WhatsApp, listservs, Google Groups, and social media, what works now and how we can enhance our avenues for communication and connection?
Our monthly ESD Community Meetings (open to all – not just NWMAF members) are held the 2nd Monday of every month from 4 to 5pm (EST) unless a different time is noted. Once you have registered for the ESD Community Meetings you will receive the Zoom link on the morning of the session. Please extend the invitation and registration link to anyone interested in participating: Zoom registration link
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Martial Arts Coordinator’s Update: Online Session with Lindsey Falcon!
The wonderful Lindsey Falcon will be teaching an online session for NWMAF members on September 7th at 4:30pm EST/3:30pm CST via this Zoom Link!
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Empowerment Self-Defense: A Sex-Positive Approach
In this one-hour online workshop, we’ll explore how to integrate sex-positive principles into Empowerment Self-Defense (ESD). ESD is about developing awareness, setting boundaries, and using verbal and physical skills to protect ourselves. This workshop recognizes that sexuality is a healthy and natural part of life and that everyone has the right to make informed decisions about their own body and safety. We’ll discuss facilitating the ability to assert ourselves while discussing sexual desires and needs. You’ll learn practical strategies for recognizing and responding to potentially harmful situations while honoring your own values and desires.
We’ll examine how traditional self-defense approaches can sometimes reinforce harmful stereotypes or victim-blaming narratives. By adopting a sex-positive lens, we can create a more inclusive and empowering learning environment. This means acknowledging the diversity of sexual experiences and identities, challenging harmful myths about consent and sexual violence, and promoting body autonomy. We’ll discuss how to communicate boundaries clearly and confidently, both verbally and physically, in various scenarios. You’ll gain tools to assess risk, trust your instincts, and develop a personal safety plan that aligns with your values.
This workshop aims to empower you to embrace your sexuality, advocate for your needs, and protect yourself from harm. We’ll foster a supportive and non-judgmental space where you can ask questions, share experiences, and connect with others. By combining the principles of ESD with a sex-positive framework, we can create a more holistic and effective approach to personal safety and well-being. You’ll leave with a renewed sense of confidence, increased awareness, and practical skills to navigate the world with greater safety and empowerment.
Note: we have settled on the first Sunday of each month as a consistent target date for our online trainings whenever possible. We are in the process of reaching out to conference attendees who expressed interest in leading online sessions. If you would like to lead an online training session for NWMAF, the sessions are one hour long and are paid. Please reach out to our Martial Arts Coordinator Emily McKee at martialarts@nwmaf.org to join the fun and share your skills!
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Update
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee works to advance equity and justice within our community. To get involved, please contact Shay Mooster, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, at nwmaf_equity@nwmaf.org.
There’s no August DEI committee meeting. The September meeting will take place:
Saturday, September 13, 2025
8:00am Pacific | 9:00am Mountain | 10:00am Central | 11:00am Eastern
Zoom Link Here!
Meeting ID: 856 6024 2148
Passcode: 835444
AGENDA HERE
The agenda contains some links to previous equity committee charters and documents mentioned during the Conference, which Shay has discovered. We’re excited to build on the great work that’s already been done! It will take some work to go through these fantastic documents and if anyone has additional documents, we’ll add those as they come forward.
If folks can’t make it in September, here are the next DEI meetings for 2025: 
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Shut the Door!
This was such a fun Conference activity. If you haven’t already seen the “NWMAF Way to Close a Door” video on our Facebook or Instagram, then please enjoy!
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Member-Submitted News
We love hearing from you! Do you have news related to your practice in one of our three strands — Martial Arts, Healing Arts, or Self Defense? As an NWMAF member, you can submit material to be featured in our newsletter and/or on our social media pages! We love to share member news, photos, events, and brags! To contribute material to future newsletters, please send details to Tasca Shadix (secretary@nwmaf.org).
The requirements are: (1) Items must be member news/announcements, and be consistent with NWMAF mission and values. (2) Items that could be considered promotions of goods or services for sale (e.g. books, paid workshops, etc), are limited to 2 posts and/or newsletter items per member per year. (3) NWMAF cannot “endorse” member products or services.
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