After a stint with dance that left her off of the competition and performance teams, Sensei Katie began a karate class in grade school and never stopped. She has been learning, training in and teaching Goju-Ryu, Kyokushin, Shotokan, Judo and other martial arts for 30 years, adding Krav Maga classes and coaching and training youth students for weapons and kata competitions on the NASKA and NY Tournament League circuits to her repertoire.

She talks about how karate became a family affair for her siblings and her dad, why she kept going to class when everyone else in the family stopped, the parallels of  teaching in the classroom and teaching martial arts, how creative competition kata can be, the inherent challenges of sometimes being the only woman on the mat and why she takes the "Always a Student, Never a Master" mantra to heart.

Her schools are Fighting Spirit Martial Arts and Fitness and Krav Maga New York.

Our opening theme music - "Please Irene" by Lynn Riley and the World-Mix - is used with their permission. Find their release "Say What" on iTunes, Amazon Music, Bandcamp and CB Baby.