About Us

Tim Rochford

President & Head Trainer for EmpowerUSA, Inc. (formerly Empower Training Systems, Inc.)

FITNESS CREDENTIALS

  • MS in Exercise Science
  • BS in Sport Management-Fitness & Wellness
  • Gray Institute’s CAFS
  • Brookbush Institute’s Human Movement Specialist & CPT
  • ACE Medical Fitness Specialist & CPT
  • NASM CPT
  • AAHF SrFit & JrFit certifications
  • FAI Functional Aging Specialist

MARTIAL ARTS/SELF DEFENSE TRAINER CREDENTIALS

    • Trained in martial arts since 1978 – 7th degree Black Belt in Kajukenbo Karate.
    • Amateur kickboxing competitor & trainer – 1984 to 1993
    • Sport Karate competitor – 1978 to 2015
    • National and International self-defense trainer for corporations, public & private organizations

Some larger clients have included:

  • American Airlines
  • Southwest Airlines
  • Marshall Field’s
  • Target Department Stores
  • Saks 5th Ave.
  • 10th Circuit Court of Illinois
  • Numerous universities, high schools, real estate companies, etc.

FITNESS & MARTIAL ARTS INDUSTRY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Continuing education provider for ACE, NASM, NETA author of, and trainer for:

    • SAFE & STRONG! Program
    • EmpowerUSA Kickboxing Fitness Instructor Training
    • EmpowerUSA Personal Safety & Self-Defense Instructor Training
    • Functional Fitness for Active Aging – Boxing/Kickboxing/Martial Arts
    • Authored the only fitness industry continuing education approved courses for self-defense training
    • Member of the original ACMA Certification Board
    • Community College Adjunct Instructor
    • Designed and patented the P2 Force – resistance training equipment that provides true multi-planar and multi-angle resistance training capabilities
    • Authored numerous articles for IDEA Fitness Journal and other fitness media

    FITNESS INDUSTRY MEMBERSHIPS

    • IDEA (since 1989)
    • ICAA
    • MedFit

    Tim’s credentials and experience include teaching self-defense and kickboxing fitness training programs nationally and internationally.

Linda M. Cabanban

Linda Cabanban has been a physical activity enthusiast throughout her life.

Linda’s Dance Training was studied under several well-known dance professionals, Stone Camryn School of Ballet in Chicago, Ruth Page Foundation School of Dance, Joel Hall – New School for Performing Arts where she was a member of the professional Joel Hall Dancers with whom she performed nationally and internationally from 19880 to 1985.

She was a Track & Field competitor through high school and they were state champions in 1977. Linda was a competitive amateur Speedskater as well as a competitive tennis player for the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Linda then turned her passion for being active into a fitness career, earning several group fitness and personal training certifications, including; American Council on Exercise Group Fitness and Personal Training , Connie Love’s Bench Aerobics, Barre Basics-Barre Above, BOSU Integrated Balance Training, Mad Dog Spinning, Martial Fitness Kickboxing, Zumba Fitness Certified Instructor – Basic and Level 2, Zumba Gold.


Linda’s main focus has been to enhance her knowledge and skills as a Pilates Trainer. She has completed over 1200 hours of training in the following Pilates programs & certifications:

  • MCore Align Level 1
  • Pilates Method Alliance Certification
  • Teaching Certification – Village Pilates Studio – Comprehensive Classical Matwork/Reformer/Chair/Cadillac (750 hours plus 102 Continuing Education)
  • Pilates Matwork – PhysicalMind Institute
  • Pilates Matwork – Body In Balance – Studied under Fran Ahrens who was trained in Boulder, CO.
  • Stott trained in Pilates Matwork, Beginner Thru Advanced
  • Stott trained in Reformer, Essential and Intermediate levels
  • Peak Pilates MVE Chair instructor
  • Peak Pilates Level One Certified

Linda has also completed intense training through the Empower Self Defense program developed by Empower Training Systems, Inc. She has taught several self defense training workshops, alongside her husband, Tim Rochford. She has been an important and valuable part of the program development and instruction. Her skill demonstrations in the workshops is empowering for the female participants.

Linda, who was also an American Airlines Flight Attendant for 17+ years, is an animal lover who is constantly volunteering for various animal rescue organizations. She has also, herself, rescued numerous animals (especially dogs!) who were then provided with a much happier and loving life! Linda is a quiet, but confident person, who wants to share her personal safety knowledge and self defense skills, in order to help make our world a safer place.

EmpowerUSA, Inc. strives to create and provide a positive experience of personal and professional growth and improvement by empowering our students, clients, employees, and associates to take and maintain control of the mental, emotional, environmental, and physical aspects of life, through participation in our martial arts-based and fitness programs.

EmpowerUSA’s goals include enhancement of the body, the mind, and the soul, creating a condition of total wellness. Creating strong, healthy, confident people!

Our mantra is “One Body, One Life, One Choice!”

ABOUT EmpowerUSA, Inc.

EmpowerUSA, Inc. started in 1984 as Health Kick, Inc., a brick-and-mortar martial arts & fitness training facility. In the late 1990’s, Health Kick became Empower Training Systems, Inc. because of the addition of the fitness industry continuing education and instructor training programs developed by Tim Rochford. He continued to operate the martial arts/fitness facility until 2015 but has since focused the business on training and developing instructors for his programs. He has continued to teach these programs in the facilities he has managed since 2015. In 2021, because of various societal factors, Rochford felt the need to emphasize the new vision for his business by changing the name to ‘EmpowerUSA’. The new name states exactly what he intends to do, with the help of the team of trainers who complete and become involved in the fitness and self defense/personal safety programs that EmpowerUSA currently offers and continues to develop.

EmpowerUSA's Personal Safety Awareness and
Self-Defense Training Programs

An act of violence can happen to anyone, at anytime, anywhere and even though we might not think being personally assaulted will happen to us or someone we know the threat still remains an everyday possibility.

EmpowerUSA’s Personal Safety and Self-Defense Training Program provides businesses and corporations valuable interaction and instruction to help enhance their existing employee wellness programs or as an employee benefit

The ability to craft a program best suited to goals & objectives established by a client, with unlimited flexibility in delivery and location, are the important and valuable aspects of what EmpowerUSA offers.

“One Body, One Life, One Choice!”

Contact Us

Sun Lakes, AZ

(331) 725-9535

Tim@empower-usa.com

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