By day, he's the Chief Development Officer of a Manhattan construction firm, running high-pressure NYC job sites. By night, he's a Sifu — building bodies, tendons, and discipline instead of buildings.
Jonathan Michael Rivera's path ran from his Puerto Rican father's backyard karate in the Bronx, through Judo, Tae Kwon Do, BJJ and Muay Thai “ego death,” to the Shaolin Temple in Queens — where he became a closed-door disciple and chief instructor.
Thirty-seven years in. Northern Praying Mantis. Chen Tai Chi. A structural engineer of the human body.
“Mastery is a moving target. You don't just achieve it. You construct it every day, brick by brick.”
Read his full story in DAOS Magazine 25th Edition.
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