Meet Katalin Rodriguez Ogren of POW! Gym Chicago in West Loop

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katalin Rodriguez Ogren.

Katalin, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been in the martial arts since I was 9 years old. I continued to add various styles of martial arts training as I got older. As a child, I competed in martial arts regularly. When I went to University of Illinois, I started to get into fitness and boxing. It came very easy to me and I continued to train as a hobby. Once I graduated and moved on to grad school back in Chicago (UIC), I added new martial arts to my training schedule. I began working for the East Bank Club in 1994 as their boxing and kickboxing coach. There I was exposed to the fitness industry and it had a positive impact on my professional aspirations. I soaked in all the business practices and education that the EBC offered. I started to create my own niche in the fitness industry – kickboxing and boxing fitness. At this same time, I was cast to play all the female ninjas in the video game Mortal Kombat 2. It was at this time that I attended grad school, worked as a martial arts stunt actor and worked for the EBC. It was a super exciting time! I continued to work as a professional martial artists and expanded my training to include new martial arts.

Around 1997, I started writing and presenting for magazines and conferences. I went onto cover professional boxing, present in National fitness conferences and author many stories for several National publications. This launched my writing career. It was during this time that I soaked in every opportunity and learning experience. I continued to build my areas of expertise in fitness and martial arts, while simultaneously taking every educational course I could.

I began working for Revgear Sports (and still do), writing educational content. I spent many years as a freelance writer and moved onto cover UFC for several years. Around 2000, I decided I wanted to open my own facility. It was in 2001 that I opened POW! Martial Arts in the West Loop, Chicago. Since then, POW! has evolved into a full fitness gym with 45+ classes a week for adults and 40+ classes a week for kids. Our program includes, boxing, self-defense, martial arts, fitness and sports performance.

When POW! first opened in 2001, we were the first place in Chicago to offer high intensity fitness classes, MMA and Krav Maga. We have continued to set the bar for training and expanded our programming without ever losing our emphasis on safe, technical training that focuses on fitness by building skills.

Today, POW! Gym is still located in the West Loop and we are now the first Chicago gym where parents and kids can train at the same time in their own separate classes and the first nationally recognized speed school. Inside of POW! is the Parisi Speed School, another ground-breaking program. It is the most successful youth sports performance program in the country.

There are three divisions within POW! Gym, the adult program which offers boxing, self-defense, Muay Thai, fitness and sports performance in the form of 45+ classes a week, workshops and private lessons. The POW! Kids program (starts at 4 years old) which offers 20+ classes a week in fitness, martial arts and self-defense; in addition to amazing theme driven birthday parties like Superhero, Nerf and Ninja Training, a full summer camp and kid event schedule. The newest program is the Parisi Speed School which offers 20+ classes a week in sports performance and strength for kids (starting at 7 years old) and conducts performance training for youth sports teams and combine events.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Staying open over the economic changes is a challenge for any business owner. POW! survived the crash and utilized various grant programs to remain open. I have learned that I need to evolve and diversify my revenue stream to account for changes that happen within the community. I also completed the Goldman Sachs Small Business program to expand my skills and knowledge of business which was key in expanding POW! into its current form.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
POW! is always ahead of the game. We have continued to be the leader in the Chicago market for training. We were first:

• women’s owned boxing gym in Illinois
• first MMA gym in Chicago
• first gym whose modality of training was high-intensity formats with shorter class times
• first to bring Krav Maga training to Chicago
• first to create and offer Superhero Training for small children
• first Parisi Speed School in Chicago
• first gym where parents and kids train at the same time
• first gym in the West Loop

We focus on building skills first. Fitness is a by-product of learning good technique. For example, the better you can throw punches in a boxing workout the more intense the workout. We have struck the perfect balance between intensity and technical training.

We build skills, which leads to enhanced confidence for both adults and kids.

What were you like growing up?
I was an outgoing kid. I grew up in downtown Chicago and went Odgen School. My brothers and I grew up in my father’s art studio. My father was an artist and commercial photographer and my mother a business manager at a graphic design firm. My parents were amazing. My father was uber-creative and my mother a Cuban-exile was inspiring.

Pricing:

• Our new client offer is $39 for 2 weeks for our adult program (includes classes and open gym)
• Our new client offer is $39 for 2 weeks for our youth program (includes classes and open gym).
• Our new client offer is $65 for 2 weeks for our Parisi Speed School (includes classes and an evaluation).

Contact Info:

• Address: Located at 310 South Racine, 1st (south entrance), Chicago, Illinois 60607
  We have Free parking, showers, and locker rooms
• Website: POWGymChicago.com
• Phone: 312-829-7699
• Email: katalin@powkickboxing.com
• Instagram: POWGymChicago
• Facebook: POW Gym Chicago
• Twitter: KatalinPOWChicago
• Other: POW! Gym Chicago