Shihan Michelle

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.