One Tribe Martial Arts Academy Saved by Zoom and WellnessLiving
Last Updated on 21 October, 2025
Every business has taken a hit from the pandemic, especially high-contact martial arts studios. These small businesses have needed to pivot online but how did they do it? One Tribe Martial Arts Academy got help with WellnessLiving’s online tools, particularly the Zoom integration. As a result, they’ve remained open and have delivered high-quality virtual martial arts classes to their students.
In 1995, Tat Won Kung Fu Academy opened in Concord, California—located around the San Francisco Bay area. Since the beginning, Mike Lee has been involved at some capacity with the martial arts school—from being a student to becoming a teacher. When he became an owner of the school in 2017 with his wife Rowena, it was renamed One Tribe Martial Arts Academy.
When One Tribe Martial Arts Academy was forced to close, they needed a solution for their 200-plus student base. Luckily, they had WellnessLiving’s all-in-one software and Zoom integration in their corner. This made the transition to online martial arts classes easy for the One Tribe community:
“With WellnessLiving, you get so many great features for the value! Throughout the pandemic, their Zoom integration has really saved the day!”
Read on to learn more about One Tribe Martial Arts Academy and their experience taking their business online, integrating with Zoom, reopening their school, and more.
One Tribe Martial Arts Academy’s experience going virtual
One Tribe Martial Arts is known to combine the traditional art of kung fu with modern teaching methods. They are proud to offer several weekly classes for kids and adults, which also include kickboxing and private training. The team includes another full-time instructor, a part-time instructor, and three assistant instructors.
When closures began, One Tribe Martial Arts Academy knew they had to take action or risk going out of business. It was clear they needed a way to deliver their classes online, so they turned to WellnessLiving for help.
How has the Zoom integration made a difference?
Pre-pandemic, they never considered taking their business online, and this is where WellnessLiving’s Zoom integration comes into play to save their business.
At first, One Tribe Martial Arts Academy had concerns with hosting multiple livestreamed classes at once, but the WellnessLiving Customer Support Team figured it out and now everything is on track. How did WellnessLiving help?
- Mike simply connected his Zoom account to his WellnessLiving account, set up his martial arts classes, and that was it.
- Students could then register for virtual classes from the Client Web App or the Achieve Client App.
- The Elevate Staff App also lets Mike host a class right from his mobile device.
- All Mike had to do from there was to send reminders to students of their class with an automated push notification or SMS message, and track payments and attendance.
“The Zoom integration is amazing. It took me probably a week or two to get comfortable with it and train the students,” explains Mike. “The students love taking classes online. It’s been a definite win-win for our business!”
What was your experience reopening your martial arts school?
When One Tribe Martial Arts Academy reopened their studio, the whole format of their classes changed.
“I wanted to get the ball rolling right away. I created a procedure manual for students and instructors, so everyone knew what to expect,” says Mike. “We needed to simplify and streamline our processes to address the new rules. This is where we were glad to have WellnessLiving as our software provider. People were able to book classes online rather than showing up without registering. That was key!”
What other procedures did One Tribe Martial Arts Academy implement when they reopened?
- They are performing wellness and temperature checks and making sure everyone sanitizes their hands to ensure staff and students aren’t putting others at risk.
- All staff are required to wear masks during sessions, but masks are optional for students under 12 years old.
- Social distancing is enforced with clearly marked spots for each student in the room.
- After class, there is a 15-minute window between the next class for staff to clean before the next group arrives.
Some instructors are back in-studio, adapting to the new protocols and smaller classes, while others have opted to only teach online group and private classes.
How else has WellnessLiving helped throughout the pandemic?
Besides integrating with Zoom, WellnessLiving has made it easy for One Tribe Martial Arts Academy to transition online and navigate through these uncertain times. What other software features have stood out for Mike and the rest of his team?
- Automated marketing tools: When students register, a welcome email is automatically sent out to them.
- Waiver forms: They can create and update waiver forms and contracts to protect them against liability and legal claims.
- Attracting new clients: The lead capture widget on their website made it simple to attract new martial arts student leads and capture their information to market to them in the future.
- Booking services: The Achieve Client App lets clients book classes, make purchases, leave reviews, and more, right on the app.
- Managing clients: Payment tools made it easy to put holds on memberships and automatically notify clients when a transaction fails.
- Managing staff: Profiles are set up for each instructor, making it easy for them to manage their schedules and classes.
- Tracking revenue: In this time of uncertainty, the projected revenue report is a great tool to learn expected revenue for your business during a specific time period. The report can include auto-renewal payments and future billing dates, so you can predict your revenue.
One Tribe is thriving thanks to WellnessLiving
Even when the pandemic ends, One Tribe Martial Arts Academy knows anything can happen and they will likely remain a hybrid martial arts studio, delivering high-quality classes both online and in-person. After reopening, 70% of its students still participate in virtual classes.
“We’re working just as hard to teach livestreamed classes at home as we would in person,” says Mike. “For us, teaching classes online is a whole new revenue stream for us. Combining in-person and at-home classes is really the best of both worlds.”
With the help of WellnessLiving’s Zoom integration, mobile apps, and other business management tools, One Tribe Martial Arts Academy continues to thrive despite the pandemic. WellnessLiving is here to help you transition your business into a hybrid model and grow your business. Book a free, no-commitment demo to learn more today!
