Katie Smith Profile: Jiu-Jitsu as a Wholesome Outlet

Our accounts payable supervisor Katie Smith celebrates one year with C.E. Floyd Company PBC this month! As accounts payable supervisor, Katie oversees the AP process, which means that she’s the one who ensures that all of our bills get paid on time. This involves ensuring efficiency in our AP process and closing out our jobs.

Outside of being a key player in the function of our company, Katie practices and competes in jiu-jitsu. Four years ago, her partner at the time introduced her to the Brazilian martial art, and she has been hooked since.

Jiu-jitsu focuses on strategy and breathwork, both skills that Katie has been able to translate into her everyday life. Since jiu-jitsu is an intense and demanding sport, one must use breath control and energy-conserving techniques to make it through a match. Learning these techniques helps Katie mitigate stress in her life outside of jiu-jitsu.

Katie has found a tight-knit community through jiu-jitsu. Last year, Katie had to face some difficult personal issues, including the loss of her mother. She found solace in training and the jiu-jitsu community. Her hard work led up to a big tournament in August. The larger population at this tournament made it so Katie would go up against a “true match,” meaning her opponent would be a similar height/weight/age as her. Katie was victorious and felt proud that her hard work had paid off.

“My friends were all there cheering me on,” Katie recalls. “I felt their genuine support. It was a very wholesome experience.”

After the match, Katie connected with her opponent, who shared that she had recently lost her father. The two bonded over the loss of a parent and still keep in contact.

“Everything happens for a reason,” says Katie. “Weird, good, bad, there’s a reason.”

Jiu-jitsu has also built Katie’s confidence when it comes to self-defense. “Certain moves are easier for smaller people,” she explains. Through her involvement in jiu-jitsu, Katie taught a self-defense class to a sorority at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which she found very rewarding.

We are lucky to have Katie in our C.E. Family, and thank her for an excellent first year with the company!