Rather than letting his childhood experiences of bullying make him feel powerless, Chris Wetherington of Glen Carbon turned them into a source of strength.
He and his wife, Valerie, own Balanced Warrior MMA and Karate, LLC, and they say they are passionate about empowering people through training, especially when it comes to helping victims of crime.
“The world is a cruel place,” Chris says, “and there are so many people suffering. Martial arts is about self-preservation. It's about training yourself to be the best version of yourself.”
Among many other organizations, the two are involved with the American Martial Arts Foundation and have been featured in the foundation's “Who's Who in Martial Arts” series.
Chris will be visiting North Carolina in August for AMAA's “Legacy Weekend,” which will honor fighters featured in previous editions of the book.
“Chris is a dedicated martial artist who has made a positive impact on the world through his work,” said AMAA President and Book Publisher Jesse Bowen.
While the couple's work doesn't focus solely on the physical benefits of martial arts, they'll both talk about how important those benefits are. Perhaps even more important, they'll say, are the mental benefits they gain from studying martial arts: self-esteem, confidence, perseverance.
“Martial arts is life-changing, it's world-changing,” Valerie says, “and anything worth doing is worth working hard for.”
