Katrin Neumann
Equal Dignity, Fresh Energy & Empathy
A calm presence with a gentle touch. We meet you where you are, move what can be moved today and allow strength to emerge naturally.
After a long break, I returned to the dojang and decided to start again with a white belt. This wasn't a step back, but a way to grow anew. This approach still informs how I lead training sessions: we slow down, listen to what people need and ensure that practice is kind and clear.
Over time, I started leading the Friday adult training sessions and supporting the Saturday sessions regularly. I bring warmth and attentive empathy to the dojang — we work with precision and we smile, too. My aim is simple: to create a space where people feel safe to experiment, set kind boundaries and discover new ways of looking at old problems.
I care about perspective. When a group becomes stuck, I enjoy offering a different perspective: a new question, a gentler pace or a small suggestion that opens up the next step. Curiosity is my way of staying honest.
“We meet where we are, move what we can today and allow strength to come naturally.”
What I believe (Do for Life)
Martial arts are not a performance. They are a way of life, offering clarity and care.
Everyone has equal dignity.
We learn alongside each other, never above or below. Roles help with structure, not status. In practice, this means a shared voice, clear credit and space for different learning methods.
Consent and care.
People can adapt or opt out at any time without explanation. Individual needs come first, including pace, posture options and the option to pause. Boundaries are upheld with empathy to allow trust to grow.
The body remembers.
Breathing and posture influence attention and decision-making, so we use simple, non-contact cues that you can feel. Change often begins with a change of stance. A small, repeatable practice becomes part of daily life.
Community courage.
Together, we become steadier than alone. We welcome difference as a resource and see repair as part of the culture when something goes wrong. Clear boundaries create safety, and kindness keeps us honest.
How I work
I run sessions at a calm, human pace.
My aim is for people to leave feeling steadier than when they arrived — having been seen and respected, and carrying one small thing they can actually use.
“I don’t pull people forward; I walk beside them until their own step appears.”
Structure with warmth.
Clear boundaries make learning feel safe, not rigid. I explain what we’re doing and what’s optional, so people can relax and enjoy the work. We stand side by side — no one is above or below anyone else.
Structure with warmth.
Clear boundaries make learning feel safe, not rigid. I explain what we’re doing and what’s optional, so people can relax and enjoy the work. We stand side by side — no one is above or below anyone else.
Consent & care
Real-time needs matter: pace, posture options or pauses. Opting in or out is normal and respected — no explanations are needed. Boundaries are respected with empathy to allow trust to grow.
Consent & care
Real-time needs matter: pace, posture options or pauses. Opting in or out is normal and respected — no explanations are needed. Boundaries are respected with empathy to allow trust to grow.
Confident, feminist clarity
Clarity is kind. I help people express themselves assertively and honestly without being harsh or aggressive. Equality isn't just a slogan here — it's how the room is run.
Confident, feminist clarity
Clarity is kind. I help people express themselves assertively and honestly without being harsh or aggressive. Equality isn't just a slogan here — it's how the room is run.
Perspective-making
When a group gets stuck, we turn the question. Simple lens shifts—How would this look for the person most affected?—open new paths. Curiosity keeps us honest and invites quieter voices in.
Perspective-making
When a group gets stuck, we turn the question. Simple lens shifts—How would this look for the person most affected?—open new paths. Curiosity keeps us honest and invites quieter voices in.
Embodied understanding & integration
Ideas take root when the body can sense them. We use tiny, non-contact cues, such as a softer jaw, a wider base and a longer exhale, and conclude with Direction + Aha: one next step and one memorable line.
Embodied understanding & integration
Ideas take root when the body can sense them. We use tiny, non-contact cues, such as a softer jaw, a wider base and a longer exhale, and conclude with Direction + Aha: one next step and one memorable line.
Paths I’ve walked
- A white-belt restart.
- After pausing for 12 years, I chose to start again with a white belt and learn a new style from scratch. This experience has taught me humility, patience and the courage to unlearn. I stay close to beginners because I am practising being one myself.
- I am a security expert at an IT company.
- In the context of martial arts, my day job in IT security means being aware, setting clear boundaries, and responding calmly. Threat modelling maps to reading patterns, while least privilege feels like consent and access that you choose, and incident response looks like a steady protocol under pressure. Safety by design in systems translates to safety by design in rooms.
- Equal dignity and feminist clarity.
- care about women being treated equally and with equal worth in male-dominated spaces. In practice, this means shared voice and credit, opting in rather than being forced, transparent progression criteria, and kindness that does not avoid clarity. Boundaries are firm yet friendly.
- Learning with Björn opened my horizons.
- Working with Björn broadened my perspective:
- Non-contact practice is real depth, not a compromise.
- The Dignity & Practice Charter covers consent, confidentiality, sober sessions and repair.
- Wu Wei and timing — less pushing, more going with the flow.
- Micro-practices that make ideas usable at work and at home.
- Community work, such as retreats and schools, where martial arts become a humane way of living, not just a skill on the mat.
- Community care.
- I love tending to the human side of training, such as offering warm welcomes, ensuring clear starts and endings, pacing gently and quickly repairing any mistakes. My goal is to create a space where people feel safe to try new things and leave feeling more grounded than when they arrived.
These credentials are not titles to collect; they are paths I have walked. Each one has shaped the way I guide others today, equipping me with clarity, authenticity and lived experience.
We meet where we are and move what is possible today, and strength arrives without force.
