Sensei Mark and Sensei Yvonne first met at the annual ISKF Master Camp in the late 2000s. Both were serious competitors who shared the same mindset around karate and life — that discipline, humility, and continuous improvement aren't just things you practice on the floor, they're how you live. That common ground mattered.
After that first meeting at camp, they kept crossing paths the way dedicated Shotokan competitors do — at Pan American championships and the Shoto Cup. Mark was representing the Caribbean and the Barbados National Team at the highest level. Yvonne was competing for the United States. Different flags, same floor, same standard of excellence. They started a long distance relationship in 2009.
By the end of 2011, Mark had made his decision — he left Barbados and moved to San Francisco, California, to start a new chapter. They married in 2012. They now have two sons — ages 9 and 12 — who have recently begun their own Shotokan journey. When we say Kaizen is a family dojo, we mean it in the most literal sense possible.
In October 2025, they opened Kaizen Shotokan Karate Academy in Lafayette — bringing 68 combined years of practice, competition, and genuine commitment to this art directly to the East Bay.
