Teaching – Michelle Folk Johnson

Creating Safer Training Spaces

I recently experienced a violation of my physical boundaries in a martial arts training space. The incident was gross and humiliating, and the resolution process has been challenging. But the event has shined a light on how important it is to actively create safe and respectful training spaces. This is especially true for women, genderContinue reading “Creating Safer Training Spaces”

Planning for Femm Fighting 2

Hi friends! Last week my friend Jaydra and I met to talk about our ongoing vision for Femm Fighting, the twice-yearly event we are creating for women and genderqueer martial artists in Portland, Oregon. Our next two event dates are Saturday, May 17th, and Saturday, October 4th, 2025. Both events will be held at SouthwestContinue reading “Planning for Femm Fighting 2”

Plans & Intentions for 2025

Hello! Happy New Year! I like the fresh start of a new year, and I like to take the time to think about and plan what I’d like to bring into my life in the year ahead. So this post is simply some plans and intentions I have surrounding my martial arts practice in 2025.Continue reading “Plans & Intentions for 2025”

The Partner/Opponent: Paradox in Push Hands

I’ve liked fighting since I was a kid. Not real fighting, and not watching sport fighting, but wrestling with my little brother. I loved the energy of it— getting mad at each other, getting riled up, then yelling at each other, the grappling, the slapping each other, but not so hard that we’d actually hurtContinue reading “The Partner/Opponent: Paradox in Push Hands”

MLK/My Dad/Work

Today is my dad’s birthday, and today is also Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. When people would point out to my dad that he shared his birthday with MLK, he would say, “Yup! Good people were born on this day!” He would smile, and this would elicit a smile from the person who broughtContinue reading “MLK/My Dad/Work”