In dojos across the world, there is a multitude of incredibly talented women studying and teaching the Arts. They are of varying rank from first-day beginners to the tops of their respective organizations. In this interview, I’ve asked a series of questions of seven black belt-wearing women, all coming from different backgrounds. These are all practitioners that I look up to and respect. Many of them are from a school in West LA, where I’ve had the honor to train with them extensively. You’ll likely recognize a couple of the other women from the movies.

The reason for this compilation of ‘Artists and Answers’ is that everyone has their own unique perspective. I wanted to gather that from these incredible women and share their thoughts with you. Whether you’re new to the arts or advanced, striker or grappler, man or woman, there’s something valuable in this article for you.