In this episode, Granger Forson sits down with Marta Bagan, a Krav Maga instructor and certified Wim Hof Method instructor. Marta details her journey from spending 20 years in corporate hospitality management to launching a "soul-led" business dedicated to helping high-functioning women overcome people-pleasing, overthinking, and toxic environments . They explore the difficult mindset shift of moving from employment to self-employment, the physical and emotional healing required to build a business, and Marta’s recent move to establish her practice locally in Gloucestershire.
Key Takeaways
- The Core Framework: Marta combines physical self-defense, breathwork, cold exposure, and mindset training to help women build somatic strength so they can say "no" without guilt or fear .
- Reclaiming Space in Leadership: The business specifically targets female founders, business owners, and corporate leaders who find themselves making themselves "smaller" or second-guessing their choices in male-dominated environments .
- Shifting from Manager to Leader: Drawing from her hospitality background, Marta shares how learning to value herself allowed her to see the unique gifts in her team, delegate effectively, and ultimately double her venue's sales post-COVID .
- The Body Holds the Science: As a child who suffered from severe asthma, Marta used the Wim Hof Method to build extreme physical resilience, eventually leading her to successfully summit a mountain in Nepal .
- The Entrepreneurial Mirror: Marta highlights a common startup reality—when you launch a personal business, hidden emotional traumas and insecurities frequently surface, requiring internal healing before you can successfully offer solutions to the world .
Current Business Focus & The Next 12 Months
Having recently relocated to Stroud—a location she praises as incredibly welcoming—Marta is in the foundational phase of building her local footprint .
Her near-term objectives include:
- Securing a Local Hub: Actively sourcing a dedicated studio space in Gloucestershire (Gloucester, Cheltenham, or Stroud) to host regular breathwork and self-defense classes .
- Workshop Influx: Launching intensive, in-person empowerment and resilience workshops.
- Digital Expansion: Reviving her online presence to stream live, accessible breathwork classes globally .
Marta’s Core Philosophy
"If you are a people-pleaser at home, you are a people-pleaser in your business. It doesn't change. Building strength in your body changes your self-worth, your confidence, and your capacity to handle stress.”
Resource Links & Contact Info
- Location: Stroud, Gloucestershire
- Connect: Reach out to Marta locally to inquire about her newly launched Krav Maga and breathwork sessions .
