Local Business Goes National in Just Six Months

The Powerhouse Self-DefenseSM Program of Roswell has grown significantly since its inception in November of 2011 - the point that it has become a national business, offering self-defense education to women across the United States.

Powerhouse began as a local self-defense business meant to serve the women of Roswell. But as women from other communities began to take notice, the business into The Powerhouse Self-Defense SM Program, teaching more than just self-defense workshops for women.

Branching out mere instruction of adult women, the program and has partnered with the Girl Scouts of America to teach young women the importance of awareness and the importance of knowing how to defend themselves. College campuses have also partnered with Powerhouse in an attempt to empower and bring awareness to women in college. As the company has grown locally, the Powerhouse Self-DefenseSM  Program has also gained a national presence and has been asked to offer workshops across the country, including locations such as Las Vegas, NV and Clearwater, FL.

, formed Powerhouse Self-Defense as a response to the ever-increasing statistics on the number of women attacked and sexually assaulted each year. She made reducing these statistics a personal goal and set out to develop a comprehensive self-defense program focused on awareness and powerful techniques used for defense. The curriculum is based on her 11 years of martial arts experience, and is designed for all types of women and all age groups from 12 years of age and above. However, children under the age of 12 are welcomed to take part in the Bullying Prevention Program (BPP) and the Kids Awareness Program (KAP), which are scheduled to begin this summer.

The Powerhouse Self-DefenseSM workshops are offered in two hour increments, and completion of the program requires 10 hours of instruction in total, which can be completed at the participants’ convenience. Powerhouse Self-Defense makes completion feasible by coming to any location requested with the expectation of having at least 10 participants per class. Although completing the full 10 hours is not required, Powerhouse Self-Defense greatly stresses the importance of continuing training and not walking away with just two hours of instruction.

While one class can be empowering, the full experience is life-changing, says Riis-Poulsen.