Meet Sumedh Seetharam | Community Martial Arts Program Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sumedh Seetharam and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sumedh, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I have grown up with the privilege of practicing martial arts, instrumental in my development as an athlete, student, and person as a whole. However, that privilege fails to reach such a large audience of children, particularly in their middle-school years where the lessons of martial arts can be so influential. Empower Karate seeks the bridge the accessibility gap of cost and proximity in multiple ways. Firstly, through our in-person programs, we reached almost 200 total individuals across three locations in the summer of 2023, emphasizing basic self-defense skills and personal values that integrate seamlessly into all martial arts styles and provide discipline that applies to both academic and athletic environments. Next, Empower Karate has launched a novel online instructional series, which converts our in-person curriculum into a video format, providing adaptations for learners at home without traditional martial arts equipment. Finally, to expand our influence even further, we have partnered with several organizations (including the Arizona Recreation Center for the Handicapped, and researchers from Phoenix Children’s Hospital) to establish a scientifically grounded martial arts curriculum for neurodivergent individuals.

In 2024, Empower Karate looks to expand its base of instructors and community venues for in-person instruction, reach a larger number of neurodivergent students, and deliver a martial arts instructor training guide to encourage greater educational development within the sport. In these ways, we hope to not just impact Arizona, but even beyond.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Empower Karate seeks to fill gaps within the martial arts industry, particularly in community outreach and accessibility. By educating senior martial arts students in an all-purpose curriculum that adapts to their experience, Empower Karate seeks to enlist more martial arts instructor to teach the basics of self-defense to children in community centers, bypassing the cost of proximity barriers traditionally associated with enrollment at a martial arts studio. Through online video curriculum, Empower Karate expands access into self-defense training for students in a home environment, and research into scentific ally-based martial arts education for neurodivergent individuals helps expand our curriculum to the largest audience possible.

Securing funding for the initial project, venues for operation, and partnership organizations was a long and, at times, difficult process. Yet through all of the difficulty, I realized how ,\ and our target audience could be expanded in a variety of different ways. Through Empower Karate, I hope the world can recognize that anyone can pass on their knowledge through education by distilling their craft down to a few simple goals, and relying on their experience and passion for it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to Blanco’s restaurant in Scottsdale, and visit the Musical Instrument Museum for a concert. For other activities, I would take a hot air balloon ride, go to a Phoenix Suns game, hike Camelback trails, and take them to simulated skydiving at IFly.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shoutout my longest and most impactful mentor, Mr. Ray Hughes of Scottsdale Martial Arts Center. I have trained at SMAC for the past thirteen years, and Mr. Hughes has been my instructor, employer, and business mentor all in one. As I have progressed through the sport of martial arts, he has been responsible for instilling the confidence in my education skills necessary to build Empower Karate, but also given me the business skills to market my program to different community organizations and secure grant funding. Above all, Mr. Hughes’ guidance has given me lifelong personal skills. Without his mentorship, Empower Karate would not be where it is today, and I would not be the person I am today.

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