Soon after we moved to Bexley, I wanted to give our kids options to be part of the new community, to make new friends and learn new skills. They had spent the first six years of life on coastal California: tide pools, redwood groves, sand dunes and outdoor bathtubs were their playgrounds. We were in Ohio now: it was time to enroll them into something more structured; something both of them can do together, at the same time, in the same (inside in the winter) place.
That was how we found Kelly and her karate dojo!
The kids seemed comfortable with Kelly immediately despite the fact that nobody in the family had any prior experience with martial arts. It was such a relief, especially since we were brand new to the community.
I remember watching them follow Kelly’s instructions on the mat. In their little white “gi” uniforms and yellow belts, they began the multiple year journey of learning from the master herself.
Renshi Kelly took on her new students with open arms. She exuded the kind of confidence that helped us mothers feel more than comfortable leaving our kids at her dojo week after week, year after year.
I’m so pleased that our children learned not just kata and kicks with Kelly, but so much more about how to navigate challenges, how to collaborate, how to lead. They learned discipline, the value of persistence and self-trust.
The black belts were well-earned, but they would not have gotten there without their Renshi.
It’s such an honor to have Kelly on this Second Spring podcast episode today!
Kelly Muir is a martial artist, 6th degree Black Belt in karate, 3rd degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.
She has been featured in Karate/Kung Fu Illustrated and Black Belt Magazine as a pioneer for women in the Martial Art Industry.
Kelly has been a columnist for Black Belt Magazine, writing in the Better Business Column and a contributor to the Personal Defense Network.
Kelly was named Black Belt Magazine’s 2012 Woman of the Year.
An influential teacher, an entrepreneur, a mother, an author, Kelly is a proud Bexley resident and an almost Bexley High School graduate.
She recently wrote and published the book, Lessons from Nowhere, which chronicles the turbulent journey of her early years and how that paved the way to a fulfilling and purposeful life.
Enjoy this episode and share it with all your friends!
Second Spring Podcast: Kelly Muir