2026 40 Under 40 Honoree: Alicia Tavani (39)
“The physical part is important, but the life-skill training, discipline, honesty, self-esteem, belief, communication and respect is what shapes people’s lives.”
PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA
Alicia Tavani
Owner, No Limits Martial Arts
At 7, Alicia Tavani nearly backed out of her first martial arts tournament. She wanted her mother to take her home, but stepped onto the mat anyway.
“In that moment, I discovered belief in myself,” she says. More than three decades later, Tavani owns No Limits Martial Arts, holds a seventh-degree black belt and 15 world championship titles. This summer, she became the American Taekwondo Association’s first Black female Senior Master Instructor. Her first world title alone took 11 attempts.
“Just because something doesn’t happen immediately doesn’t mean it is impossible,” she says. Alicia is a two-time American Ninja Warrior and the first female ESPN 360 Champion in taekwondo.
A former elementary school teacher who began teaching martial arts at 11, Tavani now trains students from age 3 to 78, emphasizing confidence, discipline and communication alongside physical skills.
Becoming the ATA’s first Black female Senior Master carries meaning beyond another title, Tavani says. She hopes “another young girl, especially a young girl of color,” will see her in a place that once seemed unreachable and think: “I can do that, too.”
