Kathy has practiced various forms of martial arts over the past 30 years.

She began with Isshyn-Ryu Karate in 1991, and became a national silver and bronze medalist in kata (forms), short and long weapons, and sparring. She received her first degree black belt rank in 1995, third-degree rank in 2007, and competed internationally on Team USA’s elite adult team in competition with Canada in June 2006.

Kathy began studying Tai Chi in 1992 at her Isshyn-Ryu dojo, and throughout the 1990s she attended several Tai Chi/Chi Gung workshops taught by internationally renowned Master George Ling Hu.

She implemented Lunchtime Tai Chi at her workplace in 2007, and taught this class through 2011. In 2008, Kathy was experiencing joint pain aggravated by excessive kicking, and switched to Kung Fu and Tai Chi classes at the Twinsburg Academy of Self-Defense, where she studied for ten years. After a few years she was invited into the advanced Kung Fu class. The combination of strength from the Kung Fu and the flowing movements of Tai Chi enabled Kathy to maintain her practice of hard-style martial arts for another decade.

She was awarded the title Sifu of Tai Chi in 2015. During the pandemic, Kathy discovered the Tai Chi for Health Institute and began taking the online lessons. She became a certified instructor in 2021, and taught online for many months.

In 2022, she came down with a serious illness, and used Tai Chi and Qigong to support her return to health, finding 24 Posture Therapeutic Qigong to be one of the most powerful practices to rebuild strength and health. Kathy currently teaches in-person and online.