Guro Kristen Cabildo

Kristen Cabildo’s martial art journey began over 20 years ago when she decided to learn martial arts in college. She got fed up with women in her life being taken advantage of and wanted to do something about it.

This driving force fueled over two decades of training with some of the top instructors in the world. Kristen is an Apprentice Instructor in Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Martial Arts under the legendary Guro Dan Inosanto. She is honored to be Sifu Phil Cruz’s first student to be awarded a Black Belt at UMA. She is also an Apprentice Instructor in the Martial Art Research Systems (M.A.R.S.) under Guro Ron Balicki and Diana Inosanto. She is an Apprentice Instructor under Paul Vunak in Progressive Fighting Systems. Kristen is also a Level III Apprentice in Sayoc Kali, the Art of the Blade, under Guro Nick Sacoulas. She holds Green Glove ranking in Savate under Professor Nicholas Saignac. She is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Coach Fernando Restrepo. She has trained with other world-renowned instructors, such as JKD instructor Sifu Kevin Seaman, Muay Thai champion Coban Lookchaomaesaitong, and BJJ world champion Marcelo Garcia.

Kristen is a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, and brain/body movement specialist. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from Columbia University and has worked with women in eight developing countries on human rights issues. Kristen is passionate about making self-defense and martial arts accessible to everyone, believing that these practices are vital for personal empowerment. Kristen firmly believes that the martial arts journey can unlock your full potential in every aspect of life.

Kristen is also the founder of Chrysalis Kali Collective, a group that centers Filipinx exploration of Filipino Martial Arts as a transformative decolonization perspective. Chrysalis Kali meets monthly at Unlimited Martial Arts and has an online membership. If you’re Filipina/x and interested in connecting with your warrior heritage through a decolonized lens, join the Chrysalis Kali newsletter for exclusive invitations to in-person training and online membership.