When Dr. Atalanta, an Ivy League graduate and single mom of two, found herself facing off in the amateur boxing ring against an opponent 15 years her junior—just released from prison for armed robbery--it was not what anyone in her former life would have expected. But Dr. Atalanta’s life defies expectations, as she attacks the self-limiting beliefs that hold many women back.

A USA Boxing athlete, Dr. Atalanta is a single mom, sexual assault survivor, and sought-after commentator in the fight world on the topic of women’s personal defense. She is a certified SPEAR System instructor with world-renowned combatives expert Tony Blauer, and she has also trained extensively with former Navy SEAL Dom Raso of Dynamis Alliance.

Dr. Atalanta holds a Ph.D., and two Master’s Degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master’s Degree from the University of Virginia, where she was an All-American athlete and snowboard team captain. She has extensive teaching experience at the collegiate and professional levels, having instructed at both universities as well as the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. After completing her academic work, Dr. Atalanta directed her attention towards serving the Veterans’ community, spearheading fundraising efforts for the SEAL Future Fund and Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

In addition to having written and published her own research on Aristotle’s Ethics, Dr. Atalanta now specializes in working closely with writers from high-performance backgrounds. Her clientele runs the gamut from former Navy SEALs to the President of Floyd Mayweather’s $100m Money Team brand. She has presented her own scholarship at Harvard University as well as various other academic conferences nationwide, and her work is currently featured in Havok Journal.