Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elisabethe Allen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elisabethe , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

My ultimate Hero is Jesus Christ and He has blessed me with many here on earth that inspire and influence me daily. So many that it’s hard to name them all. But in particular, I would say Dude, my husband and co-owner of Red Wolf School of Martial Arts. He inspires me, our son, our students, and pretty much anyone who is around him long enough to get to know him. He encourages us all to be better than we are. He helps me to be a better coach, a better martial artist, a better mom, and just a better human being. He is a faithful Christian, a hard worker, a loving father, a doting husband, a stellar friend, and an amazing person. I can honestly say that I would not be where I am nor who I am if he hadn’t come into my life. I don’t know that there would ever have been a Red Wolf School of Martial Arts without him.

Elisabethe , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

God brought me to martial arts, specifically Shinsei Hapkido, when I was 17 where one of my brothers was training at the time. At that point in my life I had been sexually abused at 3 separate occasions and I was tired of feeling like a victim. Fast forward a couple of years and I had achieved my 1st Dan and had moved away to university but there were no Shinsei dojos where I relocated. I continued to practice solo drills, with my then boyfriend (now husband), and some willing friends. When my husband went to military basic training, I ended up at a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school helping with kids classes. When my husband returned from basic, he began training with me in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. We trained and worked there for several years when we unfortunately had to leave along with several other members and employees due to significant differences in moral compass with the primary owner. This left us without a place to practice for a while until we were blessed with the opportunity to open a Muay Thai class with some former students from the other school at a local community center. Fast forward a little further and we were blessed with the opportunity to open a school ourselves called Red Wolf School of Martial Arts. We were greatly supported by our Shinsei Hapkido family from my hometown who helped us by donating lots of equipment including our main mat. I found this particularly special because it was the first mat I ever stepped onto in my martial arts journey. We’d been open for a few years when we were blessed, yet again, with the chance to work with the local university to provide classes for university students to receive college credit. Our goal has always been to help people by building respectful and meaningful relationships and community through the avenue of martial arts. God has given us so very much through martial arts and we have always striven to share those blessings with as many as are willing. We do our best to educate, connect, and support folks in this crazy world we live in by offering a place where all that matters is getting better together.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I went to my very first Shinsei Hapkido class on a Tuesday, they were working on throws. I forget which one but I was struggling mightily to apply the technique to finish the throw. I struggled for the entire class and in the end I didn’t succeed in getting a single one correct. I was incredibly frustrated with myself. I didn’t know this at the time but the instructors had been taking bets on whether or not I would return to another class. All day the following day I was mulling over the technique in my mind and physically walking through the steps, as much as I could without a partner anyway. When I came back for the next class on the following Thursday, I finally got a throw. It was so gratifying and clarifying that from that moment on I knew that God had changed my life through martial arts. It doesn’t matter how many times I lose, which I always learn more from losing than winning, one day, if I keep doing what He wants me to do, He will bring me to the win.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Oh man when I met Dude, I didn’t like him. At the time while I was in community college I was considering joining the Marines but I was still doing research and praying about it so I was looking at the other branches also to find the best fit for me if at all. I met his sister during a play I was doing in community college and she had mentioned that he was going into the Air Force so he might be able to give me some insight on the process for that. He came to set one day to help the stage crew, he was dating the stage manager, and his sister introduced us. I mentioned that I was considering the Marines because my friend was joining but I wasn’t sure yet and he says “Oh! So you’re a jar-head!” I didn’t know that this was a term of endearment for Marines and thought he was calling me stupid after having known me for all of five minutes. I didn’t really talk to him after that. About a year later, I was doing work study as a janitor in the school’s excersize facility and bumped into him again. He had decided to make some fitness changes in his life and had started coming to the gym nearly every day. We had several cordial conversations over the course of a few weeks and he randomly sends me a Facebook message saying ” What are you up to? Besides reading this message of course. 😉” I remember thinking ” He’s going to ask me out.” The next day he did! Very awkwardly too! After a couple of awkward dates and a funny courtship, he moved for college. We did long distance for about six months, then I followed to the same university. We eventually got engaged, married, founded Red Wolf School of Martial Arts, and had a beautiful little boy, and are continuing to do our best in faith, family, and business.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: redwolfsma2019
• Facebook: Red Wolf School of Martial Arts
• Other: redwolfsma@gmail.com

Image Credits

Matt Ward
Melanie Chesnut
Erastus Dudley
Luke Jenkins
Alicia Beauchamp