Pavlick Sensei began training in Aikido in 1981 at the New York Aikikai, where her foundation in the art took root under some of the most respected teachers in the country. In the early 1990s, she relocated to Northwestern Connecticut and established Litchfield Aikikai, where she has served as chief instructor ever since. In 2008, she stepped into a crucial leadership role as Director of Operations for the USAF—a position that demands grace, grit, and more emails than any human should have to endure.

Pavlick Sensei’s teaching is both accessible and deep. Beginners love her clarity. Seasoned practitioners respect her insight. Those of us who have followed her from the early days know: she has a gift for illuminating fundamentals in ways that shift how we teach and move. She’s a teacher’s teacher.

A personal favorite moment? It’s hard to say, I’ve been following her seminars for years. She was my first seminar as a black belt. It was out in Long Island. I was late (shocking, I know), and snuck in halfway through. Her reaction? Pure joy and genuine warmth with a dash of surprise. That’s her way: serious about the art, and lighthearted in spirit. The photo featured is from that seminar.

Dr. Robert Brody Sensei has been training in Aikido for 30 years and holds the rank of yondan. He began his journey in Pennsylvania and has trained in dojos across the country, carrying his passion and dedication wherever life took him. Two years ago, he became the chief instructor of Aikido of Norwalk (KongoShinkan) and continues to build a space rooted in tradition, community, and joyful training.

During his travels, he has experienced many styles of Aikido, but most noteworthy, he is a devoted representative of the late Fumi Toyoda Shihan’s Aikido. A member of the Zen Shinkai Aikido Association, his methods blend clarity with creativity. It’s full of colorful analogies and visual references that make complex ideas feel intuitive. (Irimi-”nogin” is already a dojo staple in our school.)

They say the way you make friends is when someone shares a fact and the other person says, “Me too!” My relationship with Brody Sensei mirrors that to a T. As someone who tends to show up with strong convictions, vast passion, and considerable energy, it can be nerve-wracking to meet me, let alone have me show up to your dojo asking to be friends. But there’s something powerful about the courage to say, “I’m in!” Brody Sensei did exactly that with the enthasium and connection of a great uke/nage relationship.

He's also a board member of the Japan Society of Fairfield County and, like me, believes that Aikido must honor its roots as a Japanese martial art—with respect, intention, and heart.

She’s cool. Definitely needs decaf.

There ain’t no party like an Aldrich Sensei Party. Chief Instructor of Aikido New London County. You can read more about her here.

Aldrich Sensei doesn’t just run a dojo … she holds space for transformation. Her Aikido is rooted in deep technical training, but the energy she brings is joyfully subversive: laughter is welcome, mistakes are honored, and every fall is a lesson in self-trust.

Behind the jokes and wild metaphors is a serious engine: a commitment to liberation. She believes Aikido is a path back to the self. A way to burn off shame, shake loose old stories, and move toward wholeness. The mat becomes a mirror, and Aldrich Sensei helps people see themselves with compassion and power.

When she’s not throwing people or planning seminars, she’s probably sipping craft beer or sake with her husband and their dog Bourbon, plotting a new way to shake up the community into remembering the magic of Aikido.