I’m Katalin, owner of POW! Gym Chicago and the Parisi Speed School of Chicago. I’m a native Chicagoan who grew up on Chicago and Wells in my father’s photo and art studio—a real city kid raised by my artistic father and my mother, who was exiled from Cuba after standing up to Castro’s revolution.

Today, I work close to where I grew up, in Chicago’s West Loop. Since 2001, POW! Gym has evolved from offering adults 50+ classes a week into a comprehensive training center serving both adults and youth with 100+ weekly classes in boxing, Muay Thai, functional strength training, sports performance, and more.

POW! is the culmination of my life since age nine. With 38+ years in martial arts and 25+ years in fitness, I hold four black belts and trained across traditional and modern combat sports—Tae Kwon Do, Goju Karate, Kung Fu, Shorin Ryu Karate, kickboxing, boxing, MMA, Krav Maga, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In 1994, I became part of gaming history, portraying Kitana, Mileena, and Jade in Mortal Kombat II. Thirty years later, I still maintain friendships with castmates and occasionally make appearances at gaming events.

Early in my career, I spent seven years coaching at Chicago’s East Bank Club, which taught me how the fitness industry really worked and gave me the confidence to open my own gym. Around the same time, my writing career took off. I recognized a gap in martial arts publications—almost nothing addressed injury prevention or cross-training. My article “Cross Training for Martial Artists” was published in Inside Kung Fu Magazine, and I haven’t stopped writing since. My work has appeared in Black Belt, Inside Karate, Shape, Allure, and Self magazines. For years, I covered UFC fights for Grappling Magazine, interviewing fighters and writing about the sport I loved.

I’ve published over 200 articles, created 17 instructional DVDs, completed a 100-city speaking tour across America, and authored two books: The Ultimate Guide to Strength Training for Martial Arts and most recently, Nutrition for Women Navigating Menopause: The Power of Addition.

My nutrition philosophy centers on addition, not restriction. I teach women to add protein, add strength, add structure, and build muscle to support long-term health. This approach came from four decades of martial arts training—learning to focus on what to add to life, not what to restrict.

That philosophy became deeply personal when I faced my own health challenges. Shortly after opening POW! Gym, I sustained a severe spinal injury requiring four procedures and six months of recovery. I bounced back, but my training had to evolve completely. Years later, I faced breast cancer—lumpectomy, radiation, and five years of hormone treatment—all while raising my kids, supporting my husband (a fourth-generation Chicago firefighter), and running the gym. Today, I’m in my fourth year cancer-free.

None of this defines me as much as it refines me. My journey has never been about perfection—it’s about resilience, grit, and showing up even when life throws obstacles in the way.

Through POW! Gym Chicago, I lead a results-driven environment focused on functional strength and long-term movement health. Through the Parisi Speed School of Chicago, I develop young athletes using science-based training. As a Master Coach within the Parisi system, I also create educational content for coaches nationwide.

Through all the twists and turns—motherhood, career changes, and health battles—one constant remains: functional strength training.