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NWMAF June Newsletter
Chock full of news, training opportunities, member profiles, and more!<!–
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June Newsletter
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Ahhhhhhhhh…relaxing! (Image courtesy of Charles Rondeau from Pixabay)
June Reflection
Happy Summer, all! Hope your June is going swimmingly, though if you’ve got the summertime blues, we’ve got the cure — join us in Chicago for Thousand Waves’ Weaving Strength event, July 24-26th! In the meantime, read on to learn about Board news (and needs), new Board Members, and upcoming events and trainings!
Board Update
This month we confirmed three new incoming board members who will take up their positions in August: Vivian V, Digital Coordinator; Isabelle Lombardo, Secretary; and Rachel Piazza, ESD Coordinator. Check out their profiles below, and please join us in welcoming and thanking them for their service to NWMAF!
Meanwhile, our search for a new Chair continues! The Chair position will become vacant at the end of July. Please reach out if you think this important and rewarding role is something you might consider!
Board meetings are held on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 3pm Eastern/2pm Central. Click here for the Zoom registration link for 2026 meetings!
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Incoming Digital Coordinator: Vivian V
Vivian is a software engineer and has been a martial artist for around 16 years, and a student of Shaolin Long Fist kung fu and Hung Ga for the past 10 years. They earned their black belt and instructor title in 2019. Outside of their school, they have spent the past few years organizing informal, horizontal community training groups, with the goal of creating spaces where people can learn from and empower each other free from the power dynamics of instructor/student models of learning.
Currently, Vivian calls Brooklyn home and focuses on the digital side of self defense, spending time building technical infrastructure for local community spaces that empower people to enforce their digital privacy and autonomy.
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Incoming Secretary: Isabelle Lombardo
Isabelle took her first self-defense class in September 2009 while preparing for a solo trip to India. That experience ignited her passion for martial arts—specifically Aïkibudo, a discipline that employs throwing techniques and joint locks to channel an aggressor’s assault. Isabelle earned her 1st Dan black belt in 2019 and her 2nd Dan in 2023.
In 2023 however, she found herself the verge of a burnout, exhausted and angry. In many ways, she was driven by a performance pressure that was very much intertwined with the desire to please others, for fear of rejection. Despite her many years of martial arts, she had not truly learned how to set boundaries and have her limits respected.
That’s when she stumbled upon the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation, and the concept of “empowerment self defense” (ESD). In contrast to other traditional types of self defense that she had been accustomed to, which focused primarily on physical aggressions and “stranger danger,” she learned that ESD promotes a body-mind-spirit approach to face of the full range of gender based violence. In the past couple of years, Isabelle has had the privilege to participate in the NWMAF-ESD activities and conferences, and also benefit from the mentorship of Clara Porter from Prevention.Action.Change.
Having lived the benefits of ESD in her own personal life, Isabelle has now shifted her focus toward ESD, all the while continuing her practice of martial arts. Since August 2024, she has been supplementing her Aïkibudo practice with Jiu-Jitsu. Driven by the desire to help women to learn to assert their boundaries and ensure their safety with confidence, freedom, and consciousness, she founded the “Cercle des sirènes” in the summer of 2025. In less than a year, she has had the chance to collaborate with a diversity of organizations to teach ESD, including women’s and community support groups, high schools, unions, and government institutions.
Having an academic background in political science and a career as a strategic director in the Quebec government, Isabelle is convinced that promoting an empowerment and feminist approach in martial arts and self defense is essential for social justice and political change. From this perspective, becoming involved in the NWMAF board is Isabelle’s way to contribute to a broader movement towards safety and equality.
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Incoming ESD Coordinator: Rachel Piazza
Rachel Piazza is the Founder of Feminist Self-Defense, where she’s developed a research-based, trauma-informed empowerment self-defense curriculum that helps participants build confidence and navigate verbal and physical interactions with more confidence and ease.
A former Women’s & Gender Studies professor, certified empowerment Self-Defense (ESD) instructor through the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation, and brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Rachel believes people learn best when they feel safe, supported, and engaged. She brings warmth, humor, and play into every workshop, creating an environment where participants can build practical skills for their everyday lives.
Through train-the-trainer partnerships, the Feminist Self-Defense curriculum is licensed and taught at universities including Baylor University, the University of Calgary, and The University of Southern Mississippi, preparing educators and staff to deliver the program within their own communities.
Rachel’s work has been featured in The New York Times, TODAY, The Economist, and ESPN, and she has taught at institutions including Pomona College, Barnard College, the National Organization for Women, and Omega Institute.
When she’s not helping people set boundaries, you can find her birdwatching in her backyard in Connecticut (where she’s identified more than 90 species!) with her partner, Brad, and their 17-year-old pup, Oliver.
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Weaving Strength Chicago: Updates!
The Weaving Strength Chicago regional training will take place July 24-26th. If you haven’t registered yet, you should visit our conference page for detailed info on the incredible roster of instructors and classes! REGISTER TODAY!
Model Course Opportunity
For the first time, a full Model ESD course will be offered at a Regional Training — this is required for ESD Certification, making it a great opportunity for those interested in pursuing certification! Free CEU Opportunity for Social Workers
Many thanks to Diane Long, Martha Thompson, Nancy Lanoue, and Pat Broughton, who have worked to get free CEUs for Social Workers in place for the Chicago training! Social work CEUs will be offered for the majority of the ESD and Healing Arts classes at Weaving Strength in Chicago for no additional charge. Social workers can earn up to 12 CEUs.
A class tracker form will be provided at the conference registration for you to track attendance. Those seeking CEUs will be required to sign in at the start of each class, to fill out a brief evaluation after each class and to turn in a copy of the CEU tracker at the end of the conference. This will be used to generate your CEU certificate. Feel free to reach out to Diane Long at dlong@nwhealth.edu if you have any questions.
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And Don’t Forget…
Save the Date for Weaving Strength NE!
This fall’s New England Weaving Strength event will be held in Providence, Rhode Island on October 3rd & 4th at Providence BJJ. The event is open and welcoming of women, transgender and non binary youth and adults. Mark your calendars — more details to come over the coming months!
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Images from the 2024 Weaving Strength NE training!
Martial Arts News
Martial artist and author Senpai Susan “George” Schorn led an online session this month on Teaching Protest Safety and Efficacy, exploring how important concepts from the world of activism connect to ESD teaching.
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Youth Coordinator’s Update: Annual Youth Art and Writing Competition is Open (and free to enter)!
Calling all young writers, artists, poets, and musicians! We want to celebrate your work! The theme is open this year, but work should somehow reflect your practice in Martial Arts, Healing Arts, and/or ESD and what it means to you. Please encourage the young people you know and work with to submit to our 2026 Youth Art and Essay Contest using the QR code on the poster below! Please note that in an effort to encourage as many entries as possible, it is free to enter, and young people do not have to be NWMAF members to participate!
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Examples of past entries, including one by Youth Coordinator Emma Thornton!
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Healing Arts Update
As a reminder, our Healing Arts Coordinator, Ashlyn Johnson, is seeking collaborators for an evidence-based position paper on the healing potential of Martial Arts and ESD, pulling together the three pillars of NWMAF as healing modalities. The paper is to be evidence-informed, grounded in peer-reviewed research, and designed for minimal volunteer burden. For more info on this project, please reach out to her at healingarts@nwmaf.org.
Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) News
Our monthly ESD Community Meetings (open to all – not just NWMAF members) are held the 2nd Monday of every month, generally from 4:00-5:00pm (EST). These sessions are open to everyone interested in Empowerment Self Defense. Please extend the invitation and registration link to anyone interested in participating. Zoom registration link for the monthly ESD Community Meeting.
The July 13th meeting will be a check-in for folks to share about their work and any questions, concerns, and opportunities that are arising. We look forward to checking in with everyone!
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ESD Recertification: Kyren Epperson!
Join us in celebrating Kyren Epperson, PhD, LMT, (they/them) recertifying as an NWMAF ESD Instructor. Kyren is the co-founder of Culture of Safety Dojo & Wellness Center, a mind-body wellness center teaching karate and empowerment-based self-defense classes to kids and adults and practicing 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).
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ESD Recertification: Amy Jones!
Join us also in celebrating Amy Jones’ recertification! Amy is a licensed social worker and a 4th-degree black belt. She has been training in karate since 2001, and has been teaching empowerment-based violence prevention since 2003.
Amy finished her MSW and became licensed in Illinois in 2013, having pursued the degree in order to deepen her knowledge about violence and the effects of trauma in people’s lives in order to be a more effective instructor. Amy has taught self-defense workshops for people with cognitive, sensory, and mobility impairments; social workers and other helping professionals, insecurely-housed teens and young adults, older adults, the LGBTQI+ community, and college students. Amy served as co-chair of the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation (NWMAF) from Spring of 2022 until August of 2024.
Amy began training in Kyokushin in 2001, before transitioning to Seido in 2007, and eventually Jin Sei Ryu. Amy and her partner Kyren opened Culture of Safety in 2019 to teach empowerment self-defense, and in 2020 added Jin Sei Ryu Karate-Do to their offerings. Today, Culture of Safety offers ESD, karate, shiatsu bodywork, traditional massage, and tai chi. Along the way, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which affects her balance but thankfully has not taken training away from her. Throughout her 25-year martial art career, her love of kicking and punching has been a constant, regardless of the specific style. Perhaps because of her MS and her nontraditionally athletic body type, Amy believes passionately that anyone can benefit from martial arts, and that a lack of innate talent need not be a barrier to training
Check Your Website Profile!
Another reminder that members can once again “opt in” to show up in the NWMAF’s member directory and/or our instructor directory. If you’re not displayed and you would like to be, simply log in to your account. It will immediately take you to a screen where you can select Update Profile.
Join Us on WhatsApp!
Just a reminder that we now have a permanent (not just conference-related) NWMAF WhatsApp group, which will be particularly helpful to join ahead of regional trainings!
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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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