Jeff Speakman

Jeff Speakman grew up smack in the middle of Chicago, hustling his way into becoming an All-American springboard diver back in high school. The crazy part? He never even had a coach—just pure determination and probably a stubborn streak a mile wide. The guy shattered records for his district and conference, all on his own. After high school, instead of jumping straight into college, Jeff ground it out for six years, scrimping and saving every penny until he finally made it to Missouri State College. He didn’t mess around there, either—graduated with honors, holding a bachelor’s in psychology, and even picked up a side hustle in biology for his minor. Not exactly coasting through, huh? But wait, there’s more—martial arts became his thing. Not just dabbling, either. Jeff’s a 6th-degree black belt in both Japanese Goju-Ryu and American Kenpo Karate. That’s serious business. He went all-in, founding the American Kenpo Karate Systems, which now has more than 50 schools around the world. So, basically, he’s kind of a big deal in the karate world. Back in ‘93, he even snagged a spot in the Black Belt Hall of Fame as “Instructor of the Year.” And if that wasn’t enough, the dude only started studying acting about ten years ago. Talk about always leveling up—Jeff’s not the type to sit still for long.