Shihan Michelle, CMA
Shihan Michelle is the founder of Karate-Do Wa Ken in NYC, and of Self Offense Services, a personal protection company that leads workshops in assault prevention, boundaries, listening, and de-escalation. Self Offense was created in 2003, after Michelle trained as a rape crisis advocate for Saint Vincent’s Hospital, where she worked with sexual assault survivors of all genders and sexual identities.
Michelle is a Laban certified movement analyst and registered movement pattern analyst. She holds a sixth-degree black belt in Karate and second-degree black belt in Iaido (Japanese sword), and has taught special workshops in traditional Okinawan weapons in the United States and in Germany. For nearly a decade, Michelle was a competitive fighter, and she holds two world and four north american titles in full contact fighting.
Michelle presented the Tedx talk Ending Sexual Assault: The Best Defense is a Good Offense in December, 2021. Follow Self Offense on Instagram @self_offense and on Tik Tok @selfoffense.
