About Us

At Silver Lining Taekwon-Do, we treat you with respect and kindness, while using the art of Taekwon-Do to build character, self-confidence, resilience, and a strong work ethic.

Through martial arts training, we have the power to transform lives.

We train athletes and improve physical fitness, but we also build mental and emotional strength. We inspire you to be the best version of yourself. We help you gain confidence through martial arts, so you can carry that confidence into your everyday life, overcome any challenge that life throws your way, and see the silver lining in every situation.

Our skilled and compassionate instructors are trained to teach students of every age and ability. Every single person is able to train at our studio. The only requirement:

Have a positive mindset and be willing to try.

Our Philosophy

Where Physical and Mental Fitness Meet

Our goal is to provide a positive, balanced experience that focuses on the individual, preparing you to meet any challenge and live life to its fullest. From excelling in school to enjoying a healthier lifestyle to building self-esteem and self-respect, we’re dedicated to helping you develop the physical and mental strength to meet your goals, realize your potential and exceed your expectations so you can be your best all the time.

Our Approach

Welcome to Your Comfort Zone!

Finding your comfort zone is our top priority. We make sure all of our programs are energizing and engaging. We take the time to explain the science behind martial arts so that you can practice new skills with confidence and complete safety. We provide flexible schedules to help you balance your time here with demands outside of class. And discipline and respect always share the mat with warm smiles, friendly handshakes, and positive feedback.

Meet the Silver Lining Team

The Power of Positive People

Spotting a Silver Lining Taekwon-Do instructor is easy. Just look for someone who’s enthusiastic, experienced and energized, happy to try ideas that enhance the quality of their instruction, and willing to serve as an example as well as a teacher. Someone dedicated to hard work, strong values, and making a positive difference, for our students, our school, and our community.

Our Team

Mathiam Mbow.

Mr. Mathiam Mbow

Mr. Mathiam Mbow was born and raised in Senegal. He moved to the U.S. when he was 25 to pursue a degree in English at the University of Madison, WI. Mr. Mbow started his martial arts journey back in his home country at the age of 18. He’s been practicing Taekwon-Do for over 3 decades and has been teaching for most of that time. However, it wasn’t until 2008 that he was introduced to martial arts as a full time job opportunity. In 2010 he started his own practice under a different name and rebranded his school to Silver Lining Taekwon-Do, LLC in 2016. Mr. Mbow currently holds a 6th Degree Black belt in traditional ITF (International Taekwon-Do Federation) Taekwon-Do and is a certified International Instructor. He holds a 1st Degree black belt in traditional WTF (World Taekwondo Federation) Taekwon-Do and a 6th degree black belt in American Taekwon-Do. To him, the merits of martial arts don’t reside in the physical abilities of the practitioners but rather in their mental strength and day to day behavior, meaning the way they live and treat others.

“Taekwon-Do literally saved my life because it taught me the value of hard work, discipline, confidence and staying focused on one’s goals just to name a few. I’m living proof that if one lives the values of martial arts, there is no telling what one can accomplish in their life. This is the reason I love teaching Taekwon-Do, to help my students see that there is nothing they cannot achieve if they put their mind to it and apply themselves.”

Our matron Laura.

Mrs. Laura Mbow

Mrs. Mbow is Co-Owner of Silver Lining Taekwon-Do. Laura is married to Mr. Mbow. She worked in corporate America for over 25 years before leaving that all behind to join the Silver Lining team in 2019. She brings with her years of leadership experience to help the team operate more efficiently. Although Laura works primarily with the after school and summer camp programs, she is responsible for all the day to day operations of the school. She absolutely loves getting to know the kids and the families. For years she helped out in the background as a consultant and a sounding board but the time was right for her to join the family business, bring her expertise to better serve the community. Sadly, due to an auto immune condition, Mrs. Mbow doesn’t participate in the martial arts classes but upholds the values of Taekwon-Do in everything she does.

Laura is an avid reader and enjoys doing puzzles. She is a family person and takes great joy in spending time with her family and friends.

Mr. Steven Moore

Mr. Moore is a lead instructor at Silver Lining Taekwon-Do.  He has been practicing martial arts for about 30 years. Mr. Moore currently holds the rank of third degree black belt and is training for his fourth degree. He has trained in many styles of martial arts, like karate, Taekwon-Do, Muay Thai kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu jitsu, Okinawan weapons, and Krav Maga.

He is also an ACE certified personal trainer.  Mr. Moore started volunteering at the Sun Prairie YMCA in 2010 and has been teaching martial arts for 11 years.  He was inspired to train by watching the ninja turtles.  His favorite ninja turtle character is Raphael.  Mr. Moore liked the idea of using his martial arts skills to help people.  “Martial arts have made my life better in so many ways.  They taught me self-discipline to show up to train day in and day out even on the hard days.  They have also taught me to set big goals and work diligently to achieve them.  When you have made the decision to go after a goal and you have an amazing group of mentors around you, you are unstoppable. Martial arts have helped me live a healthy lifestyle.  It’s important to be physically and mentally strong.”

Mr. Moore has a true passion for teaching. He makes great connections with his students and truly makes them feel inspired and excited about training.  He teaches full-time, so his total focus is on helping his students bring out the best in themselves.  Mr. Moore is excited to help our future leaders live to their full potential and be their best.

Nadia Robinson

Nadia has been practicing martial arts for around 13 years, starting out at 7 years old doing karate. They grew up watching a lot of superhero and martial arts movies. Of course, the ninja turtles were a big motivator. Their favorite was always Donatello because he used a bo staff. Learning how to defend themselves was also a big reason for starting.

After making it all the way to the brown belt, they stopped training for about a year due to moving towns. In this time, they realized how important this was to them and that they didn’t want to quit. So they got signed up to a different school and continued training. It wasn’t long after that that they earned their first degree black belt, then their second degree a few years later.

This is when they decided to end their karate journey and try out a different form of martial arts, Taekwon-do. Having already known Mr. Mbow, they knew it would be a perfect fit. They appreciated the intention behind each move and the countless applications for each technique. It all became very practical, which is one of the reasons they started training in the first place. Although Covid inevitably cut their time with Taekwon-do short, they couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get back in the game again when the time came around.

“With martial arts being the only sport I did throughout school, taking a break for so long really took a toll on my physical health. On top of the underlying health conditions I didn’t know I had. Getting back into it has really been a real blessing in my life. It’s almost scary to think where I would’ve been, had I not continued training. These past few years have been very rough both physically and mentally, but I feel myself getting closer and closer to where I want to be everyday. For that, I am beyond grateful to have Taekwon-do in my life. It saved me, so I’m honored to be able to share it with others in hopes of it doing the same for them.

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Taekwon-Do and Martial Arts for All Ages
Silver Lining Taekwondo |
3170 Deming Way, Middleton, WI 53562
|608-836-5660