A couple hundred years ago, Englishman William Blake wrote a volume of poetry titled “Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience.” No one speaks the truth like the innocence of youth. But a life lived with experience, challenges, and trials develops a more mature understanding in the heart, body and mind. That’s an introduction to Annalise, who started training to be a black belt before she even began kindergarten. Four years on, she earned her black belt rank this past May, culminating in a three-day black belt test in Estes Park. Here Annalise talks about how martial arts has helped her speak out, challenge herself, support and lead a team of kids and adults, and persevere.
