Meet Shannon Lukeman-Hiromasa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Lukeman-Hiromasa.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My love for martial arts started in 1985 after I was violently robbed by three men while living in Belize. I had graduated from a high school in Puerto Rico at the age of 15 and decided to study at a college in Belize where my stepfather was from. I lived in a boarding house and often walked everywhere alone to and from streets surrounded by jungle environment. After the attack, a scary realization hit me hard: I didn’t know how to defend myself if something like that happened again, or worse. I moved back to Puerto Rico shortly after that, and my mother decided that knowing how to protect myself would be a good idea after what I went through. She put me in my first martial arts class at a local rec center for kids like me, who couldn’t afford it otherwise. I found my calling immediately! I took to it easily and passionately… this started my 34-year love of martial arts.

I continued earning multiple black belts and having fun competing in the “sport” aspect of tournament sparring and forms, and I loved it. I met my husband in the early 1990s and found out he had a background very similar to mine, with many years of martial arts experience and a frightening attack that launched his quest for a sound self-defense system. We had a common desire to find something to complement our current knowledge and add something more practical, a more street style-oriented self-defense system.

Together, while achieving black belts in our latest style, Tae Kwon Do, we heard about the first Krav Maga certification being held in Los Angeles. The organization was the first to offer this certification outside of Israel and its own training center. It was 1997 when we found Krav Maga and were in the very first group to get certified in the United States and bring that knowledge for the first time to Colorado.

Krav Maga is an Israeli self-defense system, developed in the 1940s for the Israeli Defense Forces. It means hand to hand combat in Hebrew and is a system based on instinctive reactions. It is very quick to learn and retain, and is scalable, no-nonsense, aggressive, and based on simple principles. We had found our reality-based self-defense system. This is exactly what we had both been seeking all our lives.

We both worked really hard to bring back good Krav Maga and teach those skills to everyone. Back then, there weren’t many women who could complete or pass the training or men for that matter as the levels got harder. I got through them all with flying colors and bruises to match those colors, often the only female in the higher-level certifications. For the longest time, I was part of only a handful of higher-ranking women in Krav Maga. It meant pushing and testing myself in ways I could never have imagined, but it was worth it. I was able to show other women we can defend ourselves in any situation and walk in peace with those skills. It’s about having self-defense tools and the confidence to back it. I can’t imagine a better way to feel fulfilled in my life.

In 2003, after multiple certifications and years of teaching, together we co-founded the first official Colorado Krav Maga center in Broomfield, Colorado.

I am happy to say that in the last 22 years; many women are now certified and able to teach Krav Maga all over the world. I am proud of the fact that we ourselves here at Colorado Krav Maga have produced many awesome female instructors! Times have certainly changed.

We now have over 1100 clients that train at one of our multiple Colorado Krav Maga studios located in Denver, Broomfield, Littleton, Lakewood, and most recently, Fort Collins. I am proud to have helped thousands of men, women, and children become safer over the last 22 years of teaching Krav Maga.

My goal is to open more locations across Colorado and beyond, so we can reach as many people as possible!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. When we opened our first location in Broomfield, we had to work extra hard to make ends meet until the business side took off. It was a struggle to pay bills, buy food and necessities, and take care of three young kids and their needs. Our youngest daughter was only six months old when we started Krav Maga. I was also working on my degree in Sociology/Psychology at the time. Needless to say, I was not your typical 4-year graduate, but I graduated with honors.

We risked everything to launch our first location. It was a gigantic leap of faith! We lived in Fort Collins and commuted back and forth (55 miles each way) every day in order to teach all the classes. When we opened a second location in Denver, it was even more juggling and never ending late night drives back home, usually through Colorado nighttime construction. It was stressful and exhausting at times. We eventually moved to Broomfield when we could finally afford to, but it was a tough few years. Our kids were still young and it meant they often did homework in a small corner of the studio while noisy classes were going on, and had to eat a lot of take-out meals from local restaurants. They regularly had to wait until I was done teaching classes to get help for homework and projects.

It also took a very long time to develop and certify other instructors, so that meant my husband and I taught all the classes ourselves for hours on end for a few years. Slowly but surely, we grew. We learned to refine our systems and scalability better in order to grow correctly. We learned some tough, expensive and disappointing lessons along the way, but we got through it.

Every long night and weekend was extremely worth it as our hard work and our dreams took off.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Colorado Krav Maga – what should we know?
We specialize in Krav Maga, a reality-based self-defense system from Israel. We are known as the experts in self-defense in Colorado and are often called upon by local news agencies to give expert advice regarding current situations and news stories. Countless private corporations, educational entities, and government agencies have hired us to present custom self-defense and awareness seminars for their employees, students, and clients.

I also created a unique fitness kickboxing program called Get Fit Done. It’s a great way to get in shape and have fun while doing it. Lots of strength and cardio work and Krav Maga strikes on a heavy bag. It’s a super popular class among our clients.

I am proud of the fact that we have built an amazing community with members that support each other and train hard together. We coach people from all genders, ages, abilities, and walks of life. From the stay at home parent to the business entrepreneur, student, corporate professional and everyone somewhere in between- they learn together. It’s an incredibly supportive and encouraging environment. Not your typical “gym” or martial arts school setting.

Our instructors are amazing and we strive to provide a fun and professional learning environment. Customer service and happiness is a high priority for us.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My kids. They have been my biggest motivation to succeed and they are my biggest cheerleaders. I see their faces first when something seems daunting or out of my comfort zone. It makes me want to continue to push myself personally, and keep challenging the gender roles and barriers I encounter along the way. With two girls, it’s incredibly important to be a strong female role model for them.

My husband. He and I created this business together. He has been my biggest supporter along the way. We never stop working and creating and just striving to be the best we can. I look up to him a lot.

My family. They helped me get through many tough financial and emotional times. I wouldn’t be here without them.

Contact Info:

• Address: 6470 W. 120th Avenue, Suite D3
  Broomfield, CO 80020(Headquarters but locations in Denver, Lakewood, Littleton, and Fort Collins)
• Website: www.coloradokravmaga.com
• Phone: 720-214-1691
• Email: shannon@coloradokravmaga.com
• Instagram: @KRAVMAGABROOMFIELD
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoKravMaga/
• Other: Colorado Krav Maga

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