Brigitte Schulze Martinez

Brigitte’s passion is trauma-informed, reality-based self-defense, holistic wellness, and functional fitness.

Brigitte is a SPEAR ® self-defense trainer, and Evidence Based Scenario Trainer, and a Be your Own Bodyguard ® coach, certified by Blauer Tactical Systems. Brigitte’s coach is the legendary Tony Blauer, founder of the Blauer Tactical System. She trains weekly with coach Blauer in the Tactical Garage Gym.

She is also a former National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM,CPT). She’s a Mixed Martial Arts Conditioning Specialist (NASM, MMACS) and she has also completed NASM training in Speed, Agility, and Quickness and Body-building.

Her background includes Krav Maga, close-quarter combat, and martial arts. She holds blackbelts in Chung-do Kwan Karate and Taekwon-do.

She has also trained extensively in intimate partner violence and rape prevention. For six years she served on the board of directors of the Montana Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. She also provided night shift crisis support for people dealing with domestic or partner violence, stalking, and sexual assault for HAVEN, a Bozeman, Montana, anti-violence organization, and she served on the Haven community education team.

Brigitte divides her time between Montana, USA, Patagonia, Chile, and other places in the world. She grew up in the Bavarian Alps in Germany. She loves paddling, biking, hiking, and skiing powder. She also loves swinging on hammocks in the jungle and reading and writing short stories.

Jose Luis Martinez Banares

Jose Luis has joined our team as another official “Bad Guy.” As those of you who have trained with us know, we only pick super nice guys as our official “Bad Guys.”

Jose Luis is from Patagonia in Chile. He is happy to make Montana his second home and to assist with our courses.

He loves any kind of animal, glaciers, and his time in the gym, especially weight lifting, and he’s looking forward to learning how to ski this winter.

Andrea Anderson

Andrea is Brigitte’s resource for trauma-informed, mindfulness-based self-defense instruction. Andrea was a registered psychotherapist in Colorado. In 2020, she returned to Bozeman, Montana. She holds a Master’s degree in mindfulness-based counseling psychology from Naropa University in Boulder, and a Bachelor of Science degree in cognitive, linguistic, and psychological sciences from Brown University. She is trained in hypno-therapy as well as equine-and other animal-facilitated therapy. Before moving back to Montana, Andrea provided equine-therapy at Twin Oaks Farm in Longmont, Colorado. Andrea has worked in the in-patient psychiatric departments of the Billings Clinic in Montana and of Centennial Peaks Hospital in Colorado.

Andrea, her partner Joe, and their German Shepherd Leila live near Bozeman, Montana. Andrea enjoys hiking, cooking, camping, and paddle-boarding

Joe Ventriglia

Joe Ventriglia has been our official Bad Guy since 2018.

With his enthusiastic, supportive, and professional attitude, Joe has been an incredibly popular addition to our team.

At 6’1” he’s an impressive Bad Guy. When he’s not the Bad Guy, he’s a really nice guy with a beautiful smile who is always ready to support our students with extra help and encouragement.

Maria Anderson

Maria assists Brigitte with workshops and is also Brigitte's resource for incorporating writing as part of holistic self-defense training.

Maria is an award-winning writer, a professional ski instructor, a runner, and a climber. Her stories have appeared in Alpinist, Climbing, 32 Degrees, the Journal of Professional Snowsports Instruction, the Sewanee Review, the Iowa Review, McSweeney’s Quarterly, Best American Short Stories 2018, and in many other places.

She has been awarded residencies from the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Crosshatch Center for Arts & Ecology. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and an MFA from the University of Wyoming and lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Maria’s adventures all over the world inspire Brigitte's training philosophy of promoting safety and wellbeing while making sure that trainees don't miss out on adventure and fun.