Occupation: Business owner and head instructor at Move! Best Kids.
Children: Kaia, 14; Eve, 10; Celine, 1
Wife: Katelyn
Hobbies: Baking and decorating cakes and family time.
Meet Jason Church, who many know as the owner of Move! Best Kids in New Orleans. Jason followed his lifelong dream of becoming a karate instructor, and created a welcoming programming space where both kids and adults of all interests and abilities can grow and learn valuable skills. He’s often cracking jokes with his daughters, heading out for sushi with his wife, Katelyn, or—these days—carrying around a diaper bag for their newest addition, Celine. Whether he’s with students, family, or out in the community, Jason leads with kindness and lives by the values he teaches.
What’s the greatest thing about being a dad?
Jason: Watching them grow and develop personalities. My almost-15-year-old is really fantastic and helpful. She’s around everything, and I am seeing her develop into a person where she likes to teach the classes and work with kids, helping in camp. My other daughter is really into gymnastics, and she’s become super physical. I just saw her first competition over the weekend, and watching her do some of that physical stuff was just really cool to see. She’s got a good personality, too. The baby, you know, she’s starting to talk and it’s so fun.
What do you like to do as a family?
Jason: We enjoy getting sushi. I got engaged to my wife at Little Tokyo [restaurant], and we’ve probably been to almost every sushi place that’s around. But Little Tokyo is one of our favorite places. We do like Uchi Sushi as well, that has to be an honorable mention. But, because of the baby, we spend a lot of time at home. We used to do the movies a little bit, but we’re not taking a baby to the theater. When the girls aren’t doing gymnastics or tournament teams, we’re usually around the house or out shopping, driving, and things like that.
What do you hope students gain from your classes and programs?
Jason: I was taught from a young age while in the martial arts industry that karate helps everyone, even those in other sports. With good coaches and teachers, the same values and beliefs can be instilled in any team, no matter if it’s karate or not. I wanted to expand opportunities for all kids to get involved. Because karate is kind of a niche—it’s not for everybody—we opened up our programs to dance and parkour. My future goal is to open up a gymnastics or tumbling portion. We have coaches who teach focus, respect, integrity, concentration, teamwork, and leadership. These lessons can be taught through anything and in many ways. If kids come here, they’re going to have a great experience and learn to be better people.
What inspired you to start your business?
Jason: I’ve been doing martial arts since I was 10 years old. In my eighth grade yearbook, I actually have “to be a karate instructor” written under “What do you want to be when you grow up?” So it’s kind of funny that I was able to become a karate instructor. I moved to New Orleans in 2013 to open up my own space and to help grow my family. I really wanted the opportunity to have a space of my own.
What do you hope your children learn from watching you build and lead a business?
Jason: It’s so funny because my oldest is a perfect example. She is a very professional (but short) person. When most of my staff members first come in, she’s helping them learn what to do and how to do it. At her age, it’s always impressive, especially when they give feedback and say, “I thought she was way older, right?” because she talks to them, she can answer the phone and talk to parents, and all of the things. I hope the other two learn and grow to develop the same thing—to be mature, professional people that can communicate well with others around them, to be helpful, and to give to the community as well—giving without the expectation of something in return.
What value do you hope to pass on to your kids?
Jason: One of the biggest lessons that I learned from my parents and try to get across to them is to treat other people the way that you want to be treated. That, especially in business, is sometimes a little stressful, because sometimes the right choice isn’t always the best business choice; but if it comes down to two options, I always pick the choice that is going to work well for people: what the right thing to do is.
Do your children take after any of your personality traits?
Jason: They have my sense of humor, for the most part. I like to think of myself as a punny person, and they do appreciate my dad jokes—although not so much in front of their friends—but for real, they do. And sometimes me and my older daughter, we literally say the same joke at the same time about something.
Who is your role model?
Jason: My two karate instructors growing up. I model most of my behaviors, values, and beliefs based on what they were able to instill in me in martial arts.
What advice would you give dads?
Jason: It’s tough because I don’t think I am perfect or have it all figured out either, but I would say to try your best. If you’re worried about not being good enough, I think that already puts you in a different category than a lot of people. You must be doing a good job if you’re worried about it. If you think you’re actually really good at this or think you have it all together, you might need a little more reflection because there’s always room for improvement for growth.
What’s your best dad joke?
Jason: I have so many! Actually for my honeymoon, we went to Universal Studios and Disney World, and we went to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory. I submitted a couple jokes, and they used one of my jokes during it: Why do fish live in salt water? Because pepper makes them sneeze.
One word to describe me is…funny, according to Kaia.
Something that is always in the fridge is…milk and cheese.
A parenting item I can’t live without is…specifically in life right now, the diaper bag.
I feel my best…(it’s cliche, but) when I’m with my family.
