Leadership in Action This Weekend

Team KMMA Family,

Some of the greatest privileges of leading KMMA are moments like this.

   This weekend, I want to shine a very intentional spotlight on three extraordinary leaders who are stepping up, serving our students, and living what it truly means to be products of the product.

Tonight at our Port Richey school,
Shihan Carolyn will be leading classes—bringing her calm confidence, technical excellence, and deep care for every student she teaches.

Tomorrow at our Lutz school,
Shihan Michelle will be on the floor—guiding, encouraging, and setting the standard the same way she has for years.

And tomorrow from 1:30–3:00 PM,
Shihan Thomas will be teaching a Kali seminar—sharing advanced knowledge, discipline, and leadership through weapon awareness and movement.

What makes this moment special isn’t just that they are teaching.

    It’s how they got here.

Each of them started exactly where every student starts:
Focused.
Committed.
Willing to train when it was hard.
Willing to stay when it would have been easier to drift away.

They trained consistently.
They contributed to others.
They grew as martial artists and as people.
They stayed long enough for character to compound.

And over time, they became Masters—not just by title, but by example.

This is what the KMMA Black Belt journey is really about.

Not just learning self-defense.
Not just earning belts.
But developing leaders who are prepared to serve, teach, and empower others to follow their lead.

This weekend, as you train, know that you’re not just in a class.

You’re standing inside a living legacy—built by people who chose discipline over convenience, growth over comfort, and leadership over shortcuts.

Please join me in thanking Shihan Carolyn, Shihan Michelle, and Shihan Thomas for stepping up, leading from the front, and continuing to carry the KMMA mission forward.

This is what readiness looks like.
This is what leadership produces.
And this is why what we do matters.

With respect and gratitude,
Grand Master Stephen Del Castillo
Founder & Chief Master Instructor
Krav Maga Martial Arts / KMMA Leadership Academy