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NWMAF Newsletter: Holiday Season Edition!
Meet our new Youth Coordinator! Learn the plans for 2026! And more…<!–
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NWMAF Holiday Season Newsletter
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End-of-Year Reflection
We hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! As we move forward together towards the New Year, we are proud of the wonderful variety of online trainings, meetings, and of course the national Conference that we were able to hold this year. We couldn’t do it without you, our NWMAF community, for whom we are so grateful. May you have a safe, peaceful holiday season — and we’ll see you in 2026!
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Board Updates: What’s In Store for 2026!
In November, the Board voted to institute a change we’ve been discussing for some time: to alternate Regional Training years with National Conference years. Therefore, in 2026, we will be looking to support at least 2-4 Weaving Strength Regional Trainings, while the next National Conference will be held in 2027.
Why the change? Venue costs are rising, and the cost of attending the annual conference has become too high for some members. Our experiment with the Weaving Strength Regional Trainings in 2024 was a great success, enabling us to offer accessible, regional events in Texas, Massachussetts, and Ohio. These regional events increased our outreach and attracted new members to the organization. We want to keep that momentum going, while continuing to produce strong National Conferences in alternating years!
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Image from Weaving Strength NE 2024
With that in mind, please reach out if you might be interested in hosting a one or multi-day training in your area! You will have the support of NWMAF, including but not limited to:
Assistance creating and hosting registration forms and other necessary forms (e.g. instructor applications) on the NWMAF website
Venue costs covered (if necessary)
Liability insurance for the event
Background checks and payment for instructors
Assistance with posters/marketing
Advice from members who have hosted a smaller training before
We are excited about this change, and we look forward to hearing from members who would like to bring a little taste of the NWMAF conference to their region!
Board meetings are held on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 3pm Eastern/2pm Central and all members are welcome to attend. The next meeting will be Sunday, December 21st. Click here for the Zoom registration link!
Meet the New Board Member!
Just in time for the end of the year, we’re thrilled to welcome our new Youth Coordinator, Emma Thornton! Emma is a Biology student at the University of Texas at Austin, and she has practiced Seido Karate with Sun Dragon for 12 years. She loves assisting in classes, summer camp, and in the Sun Dragon ESD Violence Prevention Program. She enjoys practicing martial arts due its elements of mindfulness, constant growth, and community. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, painting, and reading. Welcome to the Board, Emma!
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Website Refresh
Many, many thanks to Amy Eckert who has done a tremendous amount of work on the NWMAF website, with the ‘refresh’ being completed early this month! Please check it out, and note some new items, including:
Opt in to our Instructor Directory!
View newsletters (see the top of the page)
Edit/update your member profile and choose whether you’d like it to be public
Suggest Resources we could feature on our Resources Page!
Any corrections, comments, or issues with the site should be sent to Connie Halporn: chair@nwmaf.org.
Events and Marketing Coordinator – Update!
We’ve made great progress filling the Board this year, but we are still missing some crucial roles. Please consider whether you might be able to join us as a Marketing Coordinator or Events Coordinator.
If you’re interested but nervous about taking on either role, know that you would have a great, experienced team, behind you every step of the way – and there would be plenty of time to learn the role, as we will not be hosting the next National Conference until 2027. Please reach out to chair@nwmaf.org if you think you might possibly be a good fit!
Join Us on WhatsApp!
Just a reminder that, by request, we now have a permanent (not just conference-related) NWMAF WhatsApp group. Join us for news, announcements, and discussion!
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Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) News
This Monday December 8th at 4pm (EST/New York) we’ll discuss and have some fun with Boundary Setting at the Holidays! How do we teach intervention with challenging family members, colleagues, and other people and how do we deal with these interactions ourselves? For those interested in reading more, Lauren Taylor has created a great resource on this topic!
We’ll also do some planning for 2026! Here is the spreadsheet from 2025 detailing the topics we covered. Here are the ideas thus far for 2026 — feel free to add!
A huge thank you to Natalie DeMaioribus of Chimera Self Defense who shared and led a discussion around running an ESD program within a domestic abuse agency. Natalie also mentioned she is launching an online teacher training program. If you are interested in learning more, you can reach out to her at: demaioribus@gmail.com
Our monthly ESD Community Meetings (open to all – not just NWMAF members) are held the 2nd Monday of every month, generally from 4 to 5pm (EST). These sessions are open to everyone interested in Empowerment Self Defense. Zoom registration link
You do not need to be an instructor or NWMAF member to attend. If you’d like a recording of a past session please register for the monthly zooms and reach out to ESD Coordinator Clara Porter at: selfdefense@nwmaf.org
Martial Arts Update
In November, Sensei Dr. Cheryl Rock hosted a fabulous interactive workshop on Food Science for Nutrition Defense in Martial Arts, where we learned about the Bagua Plate and to use it to elevate our performance and overall wellness. You can find her book here: The Bagua Plate. And she will be offering another amazing workshop in the new year!
A quick callout to instructors who would like to offer an online session in 2026: email Emily at martialarts@nwmaf.org with your ideas, as we would love to have you!
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Update
The remaining DEI meeting for 2025 will be Sunday, December 14th. Zoom link here.
Member-Submitted News
NWMAF member and former Board Member Tasha Ina Church’s ‘Empowered Hour’ podcast (available on YouTube and Spotify) will be featuring some of the interviews from her new life coach certification course. Combating Narcissism: Fight Fire with Boundaries, Clarity, & Strength is a research-backed, trauma-informed certification that blends psychology, somatic recovery, and empowerment coaching. Students gain a repeatable coaching method, embodied tools, and a clear ethical framework to confidently support clients navigating emotionally manipulative relationships.
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Submitting News Items
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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