My story begins at age five when I first stepped onto the mat. Fast-forward to twelve-year-old Autumn, that's when I began teaching martial arts, making me one of the youngest instructors at my dojo. I coached students ranging in age from four to sixty, and somewhere along the way, I learned that teaching was just as much about people as it was about technique.
I went on to become captain of my Sport Karate Team, earning the title of Maine State Grand Champion multiple times, placing second in New England, and claiming several national titles in sport karate. My training has spanned Shotokan Karate, Jujitsu, Boxing, Judo, and Muay Thai Kickboxing.
At twenty years old, I entered law enforcement. I served across multiple Sheriff's Departments and City Police Departments, became a certified Maine Police Academy instructor specializing in defensive tactics, and was one of the first members of Maine's Federal Human Trafficking Task Force in conjunction with Homeland Security Investigations.
I was building a career I loved. I had found a place where my training, my instincts, and my desire to serve others all came together.
Then, at twenty-six and a half, a career-ending back injury stopped everything.
What followed was what I call my rock bottom.
I was couch-ridden, facing an identity crisis, and convinced I had somehow failed. The life I had built was suddenly gone, and I had no idea who I was without it.
I had a choice to make: stay there or rebuild.
I chose to rebuild.
I drew on every ounce of training, education, and hard-won experience I had accumulated throughout my life and began coaching others. What I discovered changed everything: the same tools that had helped me survive and navigate some of the hardest moments of my career could also help people break through the walls keeping them from fully living their own lives.
Since 2015, I have coached executives, business professionals, female police officers and first responders, and everyday women and men who are ready to stop playing small.
I joined the Overcome Army, founded by retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant Jason Redman, where I had the opportunity to coach alongside top-tier leaders and speak on stages across the country. I also developed a specialized training platform for female police officers and first responders, helping hundreds of women thrive in careers that demand everything from them.
Through my company, She's An Asset, I have hosted multiple sold-out, hundred-person live events for women across Maine. I've had the privilege of speaking for organizations including the Girl Scouts, Cross Insurance, NextHome Real Estate, and the Maine Women's Network, among many others.
I'm also the host of the She's An Asset podcast, now with more than 270 episodes, reaching women across the country who are ready to stop shrinking and start leading.
But what makes my work difficult to replicate isn't just my credentials. It's the combination of experiences I bring into every room.
I teach situational awareness as a leadership skill.
I teach body language as a power tool.
I teach intuition as one of the most underrated assets we carry.
My approach to the body, mind, and intuition is grounded in real-world experience—not theory. I've lived the lessons I teach, tested them under pressure, and watched what happens when people finally begin trusting themselves.
I've watched people walk out of my trainings standing taller, speaking up in rooms where they once made themselves smaller, and trusting themselves in ways they never had before.
My story has never been about being fearless.
It's been about learning how to move forward anyway.
I'm Autumn Schmidt.
I'm what happens when grit, grace, and a second-degree black belt walk into the room together.
