08/03/2024
With IWD today & mother's day just round the corner, shout out to the strong women in our lives that have made this all possible. Though I don't like drawing attention to myself as I feel TMA is about the students, the parents, and the team that makes us, I'm reminded about how this organisation would not have even got off the ground without the support of the women in my life.
My mother, who took me back in when I needed to reduce my expenses to start TMA, but also, as a TA, supported me in classes & still supports our instructors. As a single mother, she put my needs first when I was young, and supported me by paying for & taking me to my martial arts training, even when I wasn't sure she could afford it - which is the reason we feel the moral duty to keep prices this low.
Kat always has been a crucial asset in the team, able to put the needs of customers first, support instructors & myself, whilst being an excellent single mother. She doesn't like drawing attention either so apologies, but her support and level-headed attitude in the face of challenges is one of the reasons we are here.
My sis, a talented graphic designer that created everything beautiful that you ses, from our logo, to hand-illustrated letters, photography, and even built our website from scratch.
We've had some incredible, talented and patient female martial artists and instructors join our ranks, who inspire those that want to be like them. We are fortunate to have a pretty even split of male to female students - 60/40; by pure chance our instructor composition also happens to be just that - 60/40. In a review, we found that wages happened to roughly equal across genders - by chance.
My wife, a high-flying accountant in her own right, we've been fortunate to have steering us in the right direction and giving us insight. A mention in this post is probably more attention than she would like!
Lastly, but most certainly not least, the mothers of the children we teach. You may have your reasons behind supporting your child in martial arts - like my mother did. Whatever your reason, thank you for your support - we couldn't do this without you.
- Instructor Nick