Kyren Epperson, PhD, LMT, AOBTA-CP, 3rd Dan (they/them).

Kyren is the co-founder of Culture of Safety Dojo & Wellness Center, a mind-body wellness center where they teach karate and empowerment-based self-defense classes to kids and adults and practice Shiatsu Bodywork. Kyren also teaches samatha meditation at the center as part of the North American Samatha Foundation.

Kyren is ranked 3rd dan in Jin Sei Ryu Karate-Do, is a Certified Empowerment Self-Defense Instructor through the NWMAF and is a Certified Shiatsu Practitioner and Licensed Massage Therapist. They studied bodywork and East Asian Medicine at Zen Shiatsu Chicago (LMT) and South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago (PhD).

As a teacher and bodyworker, Kyren specializes in supporting neurodivergent folks, LGBTQIA+ folks, and trauma survivors. In addition to their considerable training and experience teaching in these areas, Kyren personally identifies as non-binary transgender (transmasculine) and lives with ADHD.

Kyren has been teaching since they were 5 years old (according to their parents). As the story goes, they started by teaching a fellow Pre-K friend who was struggling to solve a puzzle. Over the decades since, Kyren’s approaches to teaching have matured, but they similarly remain centered on helping students find their strengths and support them in exploring their growth edges. Kyren infuses their classes with a gentle and playful sense of humor, allowing students to more easily engage in emotionally challenging topics with greater ease. Kyren’s classes are always interactive and embodied, no matter the topic.