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Meet Our Instructors

Wayne Miller

Wayne Miller Krav Maga Lead Instructor at Fit & Fearless Austin and is the Instructor of the Year for Krav Maga Worldwide

Wayne is the unofficial mayor of Fit & Fearless working as an instructor for nearly nine years. You will find him there just about every day either teaching classes or training individuals in private lessons. He was born in Killeen, TX and moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas to study Microbiology. He always had an interest in Martial Arts as a kid studying Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. He became interested in Krav Maga after experiencing a confrontational situation where it could have ended up badly. After that experience he began researching reality based practical fighting systems and came across Krav Maga and ultimately Fit & Fearless. He joined Fit & Fearless as a member and after only three months, started the Instructor Training/Certification program from Krav Maga Worldwide™. “I want to continue to train in Krav Maga and make it accessible to as many people as I can. I personally love teaching level 1 to see people come in at the beginning of their training. I often work with survivors of violent offenses who come in needing to learn to protect themselves and find their confidence. As they progress in their training, it’s amazing to see them transform and it is a great feeling knowing I was able to contribute to their transformation.”

When not teaching, you will find him out skydiving. “I try to go almost every weekend. The funny thing is I have a fear of heights yet I feel compelled to face my fear and jump out of an airplane. Once I jump that fear just goes away." He also enjoys going to see live music. “I love live music. I like everything from Country to Rock to Electronic music. If it sounds good I like it.”

Robert Palm Chief Operating Officer Fit & Fearless Austin

Robert He grew up as an Air Force brat, born in Del Rio, lived in Austin, South Dakota, Okinawa Japan, Gdansk Poland and now calls Austin home. He currently spends his days building Fit & Fearless’ business and assists in teaching Krav Maga classes. Having studied traditional martial arts when he lived in Japan, he was drawn to Krav Maga's no-nonsense approach to self-defense. “Krav Maga gives people the best tools available to protect themselves and those around them from harm. It also helps people gain confidence and find their power.” He began volunteering at SafePlace in 2002 as a hospital advocate and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. When not working or volunteering you will find him playing volleyball year round at Aussies. He ditched the corporate cube and moved to Poland to study fencing with the Polish Olympic Fencing Team. Last year he spent the month of August in the mountains of Colorado in a meditation retreat then the month of December in Taos, NM snowboarding.

Caleb Carroll Krav Maga Instructor at Fit & Fearless Austin

The Austin native works for the City of Austin by day and spends most of his evenings as a Krav Maga instructor at Fit & Fearless. He started as a member and worked his way to become an instructor. When asked why he was interested in teaching Krav Maga he says “I love to see people after a few weeks grow in confidence and develop what we call the fighters spirit, were the individual fights and fights and doesn't give up.” Although Caleb is busy working and teaching he finds the time to pursue other interests such as snowboarding, camping, hunting, and spends as much time outdoors as he can.

Parker Westbrook

Parker Westbrook loves out of shape students. She tells them the truth: when she came to Krav Maga she was 40 years old, 40 pounds overweight, and was sad that she couldn’t do one proper pushup or squat. She started as a student at Fit and Fearless in 2007 and was convinced that Wayne was trying to kill her.

Times have changed. KM quickly became her greatest passion in life, and her greatest thrill is now seeing non-athletic students change their lives through training. She believes the combat arts are for everybody, and particularly enjoys working with non-traditional combat students: kids, retired people, women, victims of assault, or those with physical restrictions. Anyone who might ever be told “you can’t do it” is her target student.


She believes anyone who is willing to work CAN do it, and is happy to ride you like a mule until you do! Now let’s train!

Matt Caballero

Austin native is really good at making friends and dispelling awkwardness, which may be the reason why he is such a good instructor. Matt joined Fit & Fearless as a member while completing his Undergraduate program at St. Edward's University then worked up to instructor. “I love teaching Krav Maga because I love to help people attain confidence and peace of mind. I love the Aha moments when the concepts finally start clicking and everything falls into place before the student’s eyes” When not in serious training mode, you will find him talking it up with someone generally smiling, laughing, and cracking jokes. He enjoys trying new restaurants, seeking out live music, and catching the latest movie. You will also find him running on the green belt with his dog Molly.

Steve Gordon

Steve Gordon came to Fit and Fearless with a wide Martial Arts background starting at the age of 12 in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. A Marine Corps Veteran and currently an Austin Police Officer, Steve serves as an adjunct instructor for the Austin Police Department's Learned Skills Unit assisting with the instruction of both cadets and current officers in Defense Tactics. He also trains in Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Filipino Martial Arts. Steve has a very realistic/functional approach to both Self Defense and Fitness training which is what made Krav Maga and Cross Fit so appealing to him after being introduced through the police department.
"Self Defense has to be aggressive. No matter if you are a Beginning Student or in advanced classes, you have to bring aggressiveness to your training, because that is how you need to be in a fight for your life...BE AGGRESSIVE!!!"

Jett Garner at Westlake

Jett Garner began training in Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate in September of 1997. He is currently a 4th Degree Black Belt in Goju-ryu Karate. He has also owned and operated his traditional karate school, Jett Garner Martial Arts, since August of 2004. Jett is the Krav Maga instructor at the Westlake Fit and Fearless Krav Maga location.

Jett’s Krav Maga experience began in September of 2004. He received his Phase A certification during the end of 2004 and taught at Fit and Fearless for several years. He has titled in a Military Force Training Course through Krav Maga Worldwide. “I believe that my experiences in Krav Maga and Goju-ryu are a perfect martial arts blend.”- Jett G.

Jett is married to Adelina, whom is a first degree black belt in Karate. They have three children- ages four, two, and six months. They also train, breed, and raise outstanding DDR German Shepherds that can are suited for sport, conformation, security, and make outstanding family members.

Linda Lyra

Linda Lyra started Krav Maga in 2004 by taking an informal UT class with her sister. She loved the workouts, the evolving system, the people and the ability to relieve stress. She is recognized for being an exemplary Instructor role model for her peers and students, a model team player, and the nicest person you ever want to get hit by. She is a certified Krav Maga instructor (yellow thru Green Belt), KM Cardio Instructor, Kid’s Krav Maga Instructor (KMX) and our 2009 Instructor of the Year. Remembering her first class she admits: “Naturally I thought I was in shape since I went to the gym and could run like nobody's business, but after my first class, that was clearly a negative. Determined not to let it defeat me, I returned with fervor and the rest, as they say… is history.”

TC Connor

A 30 year veteran of the Austin Police Department, TC Conner is a law enforcement instructor and assistant Force Training instructor. Now that the Austin Police Department has officially adopted Krav Maga as their training style, TC teaches at the Police Academy, as well as holding informal law enforcement classes here at Fit and Fearless. TC says he loves the camaraderie he has found here at the school, plus the fact that “you get into shape as well as learning technique”. Ever modest, TC also notes that he likes that “the teachers always have time to answer my questions.” Seriously, if you are the one who has questions, TC would be an excellent person to supply the answers!

Dr. Jonci Jensen, yoga instructor

Jonci Jensen, ND has been practicing yoga for more than 10 years, primarily in the Iyengar and Anusara styles. She attended yoga teacher training and taught yoga in Phoenix, AZ before moving to Austin. Jonci attended the 2005 Yoga Journal Conference in Estes Park, CO where she had the honor of practicing under the teaching of Mr. BKS Iyengar. Dr. Jonci Jensen, ND is a board-licensed naturopathic doctor who teaches the healing power of nature. Her expertise is in the use of homeopathy, diet and nutrition, botanical and herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, and mind/body medicine to evoke the body’s innate healing power. Learn more about Dr. Jensen or naturopathic medicine at www.drjonci.com.

Conor Brantley

Conor has an accent that you can’t quite figure out and a sense of humor that brings a big smile to your face. He was born in Austin, moved to Lytton Springs, then Lockhart as a kid, grew up in Canada, and now calls Austin home. He always had an interest in Martial Arts and was drawn to Krav Maga to get into shape. He trained in Mixed Martial Arts and fought professionally in a couple of matches. He became interested in Brazilian Jujitsu while training for MMA fights and has been passionate about teaching what he has learned ever since. He joined Fit & Fearless as a member then soon became an instructor. “The thing I enjoy most about teaching is watching people grow and pushing them to a level of achievement that they may not have thought was possible.” When not teaching, he is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering at Texas State University. He enjoys going to movies, traveling, watching plays and is an avid reader. He is also a musician, playing the guitar on and off for about 12 years.

Mark Jones

Mark was born in Western NY, in 1966. He began studying Martial Arts at age 15 in Kyokushin Karate. Mark attended West Point from 1984-1988 where he boxed and studied Jui Jitsu and graduated with w Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry. He was commissioned in 1988 and assigned to the 3rd Armored Cavalry at Ft. Bliss TX. Mark served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm as a Scout Platoon Leader.

After Desert Storm Mark became a sparring partner for a world kickboxing champ in 1991. He began studying and teaching American Kenpo in December of that year at the same training center while getting his Master’s in Chemical Engineering. Mark achieved the rank of 4th degree Master in American Kenpo in 2002.

Mark has worked in industry since leaving the Army and came on board with the Austin Krav Maga team in Feb 2007, getting Phase A certification in May 2007. With all his experience in a broad variety of combat training, what Mark values Krav Maga because, “you can get someone to be able to defend themselves so much faster in Krav.” In his students, Mark values mental toughness, heart, and a never-quit attitude. He is happily married to Amanda and has 6 children.

Kersten Lillejord Levine

Kersten Lillejord Levine is one of only eight female black belts in the United States. She is certified to teach military, law enforcement, and civilian branches of the system, and is the head fitness instructor at Fit and Fearless. Kersten is also a life-long show jumper and award-winning horse woman, and has been jumping professionally for the last eight years. Kersten loves how therapeutic a Krav Maga workout can be and says, “I love teaching people to defend themselves and reach their personal goals.”

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