We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Silverstein a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

There are many defining moments. But this one had the greatest impression and posed the greatest challenge for me. My instructor was training ( more like testing ) me on some defenses. Attacks from begging to be specific. So he had one of his top ranked Black belt instructors grab me from behind for some take downs to the ground. And it was my job to defend against the attack from behind and stop it before he took me down to the ground. Well, I tried and tried again, but after about six or seven times with me, picked up and thrown violently down on the ground, everything frustrated and angry, and realized that there is much as I have practice and learned this technique. It was almost impossible for me to deploy it fast enough. I still thought through it after I was on the ground when I had an opportunity to fight back. But after that I was left, not only physically bruised, but emotionally and professionally Prellis, and they honestly started to feel like what was the point of teaching when women can’t defend themselves effectively anyway against an attack that is coming against them so hard and so fast and they don’t see it. It was a turning point for me to have to continue going on knowing that not everything is going to be a happy ending, and that you cannot fight defending and everything and everyone. But, the things we can see, we need to have the ability is to protect ourselves against.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I don’t know if it was by accident or by divine providence. But it was never my intention to learn self-defense until my sister had met a coworker who is teaching Krav Maga. I think he had a crush on her and so he wanted to get closer to her. I didn’t any case, she invited me to start taking lessons with her which I did. And after two or three lessons I just fell in love with learning how to hit and punch and kick it was so empowering. From then.I went from instructor to instructor. I couldn’t get enough of learning everything I could about my own body and how to use it as a weapon. It did get more challenging but I pushed through. The confidence it gave me was incredible and I was becoming a whole other woman. I wanted to start sharing my skills and knowledge with other women so they could feel the same. Not to be easy victims of violence and to take their power back as females and fighters.

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

Yes. Before becoming a Martial Arts/ Self defense instructor I owned a very successful Pond & Aquarium service company in Los Angeles. I ran it for many years with a handful of employees. I was a single mother at the time, and as my business grew it was more of a burden. I was able to sell it and be free to chase my dreams.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Yes! I have so many. I’ll leave the Covid one and go to the time when I was training Jujitsu. My instructor at the time threw me over his back and basically flipped me on to the cement. Fracturing my spine and bruising me badly. It was years before I could walk normally again I was left with permanent spine and nerve damage and a lot of pain. I believe my fighting spirit and my resolve not to give up and get better helped push me through it. That’s the martial Arts mindset. I have never fully recovered. But I am 90% better, and I’ve added to the list of injuries. But all in all it makes you stronger.

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