Mind Body Defense

Mind Body Defense uses kickboxing and self-defense as a vehicle to unlock the human potential of the modern professional. Their entire business is based on partner drills and having people work together. COVID made that impossible. We talked with Owner & Head Instructor, Torriente Toliver and Wellness Director, Janet Toliver about how they reinvented their studio into something beyond their four walls, something the community needed.

They first launched an online platform so students could continue classes virtually. But eventually, people wanted to hit something. They needed to hit something. Insert the punching bags. These bags became students’ partners and allowed them to hold in-person classes. It was a financial hit for them but it kept students safe and comfortable. Throughout the past few years they have also received more and more requests for self-defense classes and workshops. People didn’t feel safe and were looking for guidance. Prior to the pandemic, they didn’t have a way to teach on a wider scale, but this new virtual platform gave Mind Body Defense that opportunity to support people in a way they didn’t have originally. Torriente has grown into a highly sought after motivational speaker on self-defense, making people in our community of Uptown — all over the country – feel safe in their own skin.