When newlywed Andrea Harkins’ husband first suggested they attend a martial arts class together at their local community center, she was less than thrilled.
“I refer to it as ‘dragging me to my first class,’ because I really had no interest in going,” Harkins said.
But soon, her interest was piqued.
“I suddenly realized there was a lot about myself I didn’t know — including that I am a pretty powerful and focused person,” Harkins said. “Up until that point in my life, I had never really recognized that.”
Harkins quickly picked up new techniques during the class, which was focused on the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do — and did them so well that her instructor would point out her skill and focus to other students in the class.
“I didn’t see myself that way,” Harkins said.
Decades later, Harkins can’t see herself any other way. The Tucsonan teaches martial arts classes, writes a blog and has penned three books on the subject.
In May, Harkins, 57, launched a podcast. “The Martial Arts Woman Podcast” is the first one dedicated to women and why they practice martial arts.
Harkins is 24 episodes into her first season, with plenty of material for Season 2 and beyond.
A new mindset
Harkins is upfront about the fact that she did not love Tang Soo Do at first and had some things to work out before she was able to fully embrace the sport.
“I was raised to not yell and to not break things,” Harkins said. “I had to change my mindset and recognize it was OK to yell and break boards. Then I began to enjoy it.”
That class, taken in the 1980s, started a martial arts journey that Harkins said has “never ended.” She earned her second-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do and branched out into Tai Chi.
Before moving to Tucson several years ago, Harkins and her husband created a martial arts program for low-income children in Saint Petersburg, Florida.
“It was a lot of fun,” Harkins said. “These kids came to our classes and began to learn self-defense and all the wonderful aspects of martial arts, like confidence.”
Harkins’ training also extended to adults, and she still teaches the occasional self-defense class when the opportunity arises. She gave up regular teaching when she moved to Tucson and took a job with Tucson Electric Power.
Harkins misses teaching but is able to reach a greater audience through her blogging and podcasting.
‘That gave me the knowledge to push through’
When Harkins turned 50, she made a choice to give back. She began volunteering at church and out in the community but soon found that it kept her away from home and her four kids.
Harkins started to think about what kind of volunteer work she could do from home.
The Martial Arts Woman blog was born.
Andrea Harkins, also known as The Martial Arts Woman, took her first martial arts class in the 1980s.
After a few years, Harkins’ blog became a book, “The Martial Arts Woman: Motivational Stories of Human Triumph.”
She’s since written a second book, “Martial Arts Inspirations for Everyone,” and is working on a third, about how to start a martial arts program without owning a brick-and-mortar business.
In 2016, Harkins was inducted into the Canadian Martial Art Hall of Fame. The next year, she was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame as a Leading Motivational Speaker/Author/ Martial Arts Business Expert.
She has amassed a worldwide internet following and is the subject of frequent interviews. And it was during one such interview earlier this year that Harkins got the idea of launching her own podcast.
“I didn’t know how to do it, but I did it,” Harkins said. “It began in May as a whim. I thought it would be a good idea. But so many women contacted me to be on the show; that gave me the knowledge to push through.”
Harkins conducts her interviews via Skype using a simple earpiece and her iPhone, and edits them later on her computer. At first, she aimed to conduct three interviews a week. Now, a few months after the podcast’s debut, she records one interview per weekend.
“I wanted women to have a platform to share their insights and their stories about what is still such a male-dominated sport,” Harkins said. “It’s a celebration of the martial art woman, but they can talk about anything they want.”
Harkins says her list of potential subjects is endless because there’s a whole world full of women practicing martial arts. She has already interviewed women from Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
“For me, martial arts is not as much about me as much as it’s about how I can help other people empower themselves,” Harkins said. “That’s my whole goal in podcasting.”
She has also interviewed Tucsonans, including Rebecca Knight, who owns a martial arts studio with her husband. Knight told Harkins how she was raised in a religious cult in Mexico. When she broke free and moved to the U.S., it was a shock to Knight’s system.
“She’s pushed through and learned how to be a martial arts woman,” Harkins said.
Recent guests on her podcast include MMA fighter Rhonda Rousey’s mother, a judo champion in her own right, as well as world kickboxing champion Kathy Long and an 82-year-old woman who just tested for her fifth-degree black belt.
Harkins has noticed her interview subjects have a few things in common.
“There are a large group who start learning martial arts because they experience abuse or trauma in their lives,” Harkins said. “Martial arts was way to get out of the victim mindset and take control of their lives.”
Martial arts mindset
Harkins has also found that many entrepreneurs use martial arts to better themselves. That application results from what Harkins calls the martial arts mindset.
Andrea Harkins, also known as The Martial Arts Woman, conducts a phone interview with Master Lady Lallaine Reed in her home office, on Oct. 24, 2020. Harkins began a podcast called “The Martial Arts Woman Podcast” where she interviews various women from around the world who practice different kinds of martial arts.
“Think about breaking a board. The first time, it was really difficult because I was afraid,” she said. “Once I did, I realized I could do so much more than I realized. I use that now in my life whenever I come across an obstacle.”
That martial arts mindset is the focus of Harkins’ blog, and what she tries to pass along to her followers.
“Using those as tools to improve your own life, and to live a powerful and productive life,” Harkins said.
“The neat thing about me is proof positive that martial arts is really for a lifetime.”
