How a 24-Year-Old Karate Instructor Built Ancaster's Most Family-Focused Martial Arts School
Starring
Diana Valliant joined Lion's Heart at 17 through a local Facebook group posting and earned her black belt by 21. She has competed at the World Championships representing Team Canada alongside Mersina, placing second in the Korean division.
Mersina Giampapa is a fourth-degree black belt in karate who has been training since age three and teaching since age 13. She founded Lion's Heart Family Martial Arts in Ancaster, Ontario at age 24, building a neurodiversity-friendly school that has represented Team Canada at the World Championships.
About the Gym
Lion's Heart Family Martial Arts was founded in February 2019 by Mersina Giampapa, a fourth-degree black belt in karate who has been training since age three and teaching since age 13. The school offers play-based, neurodiversity-friendly martial arts instruction for students of all ages and abilities in Ancaster, Ontario. Programs include Cubs (ages 3-6), kids karate, intermediate/advanced classes, adult training, and an invite-only weapons program covering disciplines beyond the standard curriculum.
The school's teaching philosophy prioritizes community, inclusion, and meeting each student where they are rather than following a rigid traditional model. Lion's Heart has represented Team Canada at the World Championships in Portugal and Buffalo, with multiple students and instructors qualifying through provincial and national competitions.
The school also welcomes students with physical disabilities and hearing impairments, with staff learning sign language to ensure full inclusion. Lion's Heart operates from 1412 Sandhill Drive in Ancaster, sharing a building that allows for a single-floor, accessible training space.
đź“Ť 1412 Sandhill Drive, Ancaster, ON L9G 4V5, Canada
đź“ž 905-741-9320
Summary
This is the story of Lion's Heart Family Martial Arts in Ancaster, Ontario, and how founder Mersina Giampapa opened a karate school at age 24 after watching the dojos she grew up in lose their community spirit. The episode features Mersina and head instructor Diana Valliant discussing their play-based teaching philosophy, their journey to representing Team Canada at the World Championships, and the student transformations that define their school.
Lion's Heart welcomes students of all abilities, including a deaf student whose family was told everywhere else that martial arts wasn't possible.
This is a behind-the-scenes look at multiple classes from the Cubs program (ages 3-6) through the invite-only weapons program, showcasing the balance between structure and fun that makes Lion's Heart work for neurodiverse learners. Mersina shares how the school's name came from a solo trip to South Africa, why "Family" is deliberately part of the name, and her philosophy: "Make money to do karate, don't do karate to make money."
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