We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimberly Henson , Jeffrey Peterson N/A and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly Henson , Jeffrey Peterson, how do you think about risk?
There is a common saying, “No risk, no reward. No pain, no gain.” Everything you do in life there are risks. The outcome may be good or not so good, but you will never know until you try. Keep trying, especially if you are passionate and obsessed with what you are trying to pursue. We both took risks on our life and our career. The outcome now is that we run the best Mixed Martial Arts gym in our area.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We are owners of Valiant Training Center in Santee, CA. We are a Mixed Martial Arts gym. Jeffrey is one of the owners and Head MMA Coach. Kim is one of the owners, Office Manager, and Coach. It is common for Professional Martial Artist to one day own and operate your own facility. That one day came to us without a warning. The opportunity to take over a gym was offered to us. Jeffrey right away was hesitant because of the risk. Kim right away saw this as a once in a life time chance we should not pass on. We were both scared because this was a new chapter in both of our story. We had the tools to do this; Kim’s experience with management and teaching /Jeffreys Professional fighting and coaching. We both are passionate (more obsessed) about Martial Arts. The biggest challenged we faced as new owners was the Pandemic. We have to credit our students for their support through this time because without them we would not have survived. We came together as a community to find solutions; Zoom classes, private lessons, semi private lessons, etc. Our students needed us and we needed them during the Pandemic. Fast forward to 2024, we kicked the Pandemics ass and here we are today! There were a lot of challenges and lessons for sure, but the biggest was the Pandemic. All other challenges do not seem as hard. As new owners, life was pretty much like “Go big or go home.” The students motivated us to be better, do more, and to do great things. The world has a stigma that Mixed Martial Arts is just a bunch of agro people who like to wreak havoc. Those type of people are not Martial Artist. If you step into the world of Martial Arts you will learn that its a community of every day life people. They come together at a gym to become stronger, to build confidence, to lose weight, to meet new people, to learn a new hobby, etc. At Valiant Training Center, we open our doors and provide you with tools to help you accomplish your goals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If we had friends visiting from out of town and we wanted to show them a good time we would take a hike at one of the trails in Santee, CA (East); Cowles Mountain for beginners, Big Rock Trail for medium, and Iron mountain for intermediate. We would stay local for a bite to eat; Lakeside Pho for fresh ethnic or you want the American selection Annies Fine Burgers and dessert donuts from Mary’s Donuts. Walk off our food around Santee Lakes. Then get a Kickboxing or Jiu Jitsu session at Valiant Training Center. Santee is East of San Diego County. On another day we would head West towards the ocean; Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, or La Jolla Beach. We could spend a whole day at the beach shopping, trying different restaurants, and people watching. Another day will be spent at Balboa Park. We would pack food for picnic or try out the different restaurants at the park, check out Museums, and people watch.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We would like to thank God. He has a plan for everyone and we are so blessed that this is the path he chose for us. Shoutout to all of our Family, Training Partners, Coaches, and Students throughout the last 10 – 15 years. These group of people have shaped us, mentored us, and supported us throughout our journey.

Website: https://valianttc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valianttrainingcenter/

Image Credits
MMA Stalker, Lisa Schneider

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.