Vanessa is a former Law Enforcement Officer and classroom teacher (adults and children) with 6 years of martial arts training. She first began training in order to defend herself from a potential violent attack on running trails, and it quickly developed into a passion for more knowledge and ways to protect herself and others in this unpredictable world. Over the course of this training journey, Vanessa accomplished a lot very quickly, achieving both the rank of brown belt in Krav Maga as well as blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Part of what drove Vanessa’s martial arts pursuit was her time in both the police academy as well as her time as a law enforcement officer — which rapidly reshaped her approach to self defense as well as the realities of what victims face in violent encounters. She now puts that experience toward training and teaching practical self defense concepts, which she supports through regular practice in MMA, kickboxing, and Jiu Jitsu.

Vanessa also holds the following training, certification, or licenses:

APD Defensive Tactics

Shivworks Edged Weapons Overview

Sheepdog Response Level 1

Knife Control Concepts (Stand Up and Ground Control)

Box n Burn Level 1 Boxing Certification

Viking Ninja