Meet Team Ethos
Our engaging team of martial arts instructors and coaches are committed to providing you with unparalleled training experiences, targeted to meet your needs! We believe that an academy is more than just a place to learn; it’s a community to grow with!
The Owners & Lead Instructors
Guro Adrian Hayes
Adrian is a martial artist, knitter, mountain bicyclist, biologist and environmental philosopher. She is married to an adoring husband and they have an amazing daughter. Adrian has been training in martial arts since the late 1990’s. Since training under Guro Beheler, Professor Sauer and Tuhan Inosanto she has developed a deep love of the art and history of martial arts. For Adrian, martial arts are like languages which often share similar ideas, but do not always express themselves the same way. She is humbled by the vast lineage of people who have studied, fought, died and passed on their knowledge of these unique arts. Adrian continues to train and explore in the vast arts she has been awarded instructorship and she continues to pursue instructorship in additional martial arts.
Adrian began training in the arts of Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun and Filipino Kali in the fall of 1998 under Sifu/Guro Johnny Beheler. Adrian was awarded the rank of Apprentice Instructor in the A. D. F. Personal Protection Program under Guro Beheler on November 27th of 2006. Then in November of 2013, Adrian was awarded the ranks of Apprentice Instructor in the Arts and Sciences of the Filipino Martial Arts and Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu & Jeet Kune Do under Tuhan Dan Inosanto. Since then she has become an Assistant Instructor in the Arts and Sciences of the Filipino Martial Arts and Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu & Jeet Kune Do under Tuhan Dan Inosanto in November of 2018. Tuhan Inosanto awarded the rank of Assistant Instructor to her in 2018 in Maphilindo Silat. In addition, Adrian received her purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Professor Pedro Sauer and Sensei Mark Cukro (her mentor black belt in the Carolinas) in 2019. She earned her purple prajioud in Muay Thai through the WTBA under Khun Kru Harun Raja and Khun Kru Sonya Browning, who represent Ajarn Surachai “Chai” Sirisute and Ajarn Dick Harrell in 2019. Additionally, Adrian earned a green/yellow cord under Mestre Neguinho and Professora Risadinha of CDO and received her nickname, Perigosa, from Mestre Fuinho at her first Batizado. Adrian enjoys taking the opportunity to train weapons and tactics in any weapon system and is especially grateful to the Personal Defense Tactical Group in Greenwood, SC. For Adrian, Live Clean, Fight Dirty, isn’t just a motto, it’s a way of life.
Some of Adrian’s childhood heroes are Annie Oakley, Elsie Kilpatrick, Clara Barton, Theodore Roosevelt and Bruce Lee. Each of these people have inspired her for different reasons and Adrian would like you to be inspired by them as well. You may also enjoy her favorite poem: Thantanopsis, by William Cullen Bryant.
Here is one of her favorite quotes from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech “Citizenship in a Republic” at the Sorbonne in Paris, France on April 23rd, 1910.
“The Man in the Arena”
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Sifu Nathan Hayes
Nathan Hayes is a martial artist, teacher, and science-enthusiast. He is married to an adoring wife, Adrian, and together they have a wonderful daughter, Fiona. He loves that they both share his passion for martial arts. He has been training in mixed martial arts since the late 1990’s. For Nathan, nothing is more rewarding than working with someone and helping them reach that “A-ha!” moment.
Nathan has had the pleasure of training with some of the most knowledgeable martial arts instructors in the world. He began training in the arts of Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun and Filipino Kali in the fall of 1998 under Sifu/Guro Johnny Beheler. Mr. Hayes received the rank of Apprentice Instructor in the Art and Science of Jun Fan Gung Fu under Guro Beheler on November 27th of 2006. Nathan was awarded the ranks of Apprentice Instructor in the Arts and Sciences of the Filipino Martial arts and Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu & Jeet Kune Do under Guro Dan Inosanto in November of 2013. In addition, Nathan has trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Professor Pedro Sauer, as well as, Chin-Na, Muay Thai, Shooto and Silat under Guro Beheler.
Ethos Staff & Assistant Instructors
Coach David Oliver
David began training with Adrian and Nathan in 1998 under Sifu Johnny Beheler. Coach David started at Ethos in August of 2015. He has a passion for teaching both adults and children and has been an assistant instructor since earning his 1st degree black belt in Self-Defense during June of 2016. Additionally, he earned his purple belt in BJJ in May of 2019 and his purple/white prajioud in Muay Thai in February of 2020.
Coach Wadette Cantrell
Coach Wadi joined Ethos Combatives in the fall of 2017 after watching her daughters train in self-defense. She began her journey in the adult self-defense program as a way to spend some, “Mommy and Me,” time with her eldest daughter. Soon after she joined the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu class and fell in love with the art of jiu-jitsu. She trains in all the arts offered at Ethos and especially enjoys assisting in the children’s Self-Defense classes.
At this time Coach Wadi is a 2nd degree red belt in the Ethos Self-Defense Program under Guro Adrian and Sifu Nathan, a blue belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under Mestre Pedro Sauer, a green cord in Capoeira under Mestre Neguinho and Professora Risadinha of CDO, and wears a yellow prajioud in Muay Thai under Kru Raja; all of which are studied under the guidance of the Instructors and Coaches at Ethos Combatives.
Outside of the academy Coach Wadi, enjoys physical fitness, cooking for her loved ones, fine arts and anytime spent at the beach.
Ethos Coaches
Coach Gregg Phanhly
Coach Gregg started at Ethos during July of 2016. He earned his blue belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in July of 2019, his blue prajioud in Muay Thai in February of 2020, and his 1st degree brown belt in Ethos Self-Defense in March of 2020. Gregg says he enjoys the community at Ethos and the sense of safety he gets. Further, he enjoys that the movement with each martial art is so unique and defined by what it’s made for, and in his words, “It’s a really hard skill to acquire. At Ethos you learn something you can almost immediately, turn it around, and use it to help someone else.” Coach Gregg sees this as an advantage as one of his passions is teaching to all students, regardless of age. He feels like everyone has a right to defend themselves and that Ethos is a perfect place to learn in a good, safe environment. Gregg says that, “Ethos helped me become a better version of myself, in learning movement and teaching others, which is a big part of who I am and what makes me happy. Learning movement is important to me because I enjoy learning new things and skills.” His other interests include: parkour, climbing, wrestling, mountain biking, and camping.
For Coach Gregg the journey to martial arts and his love of movement started in elementary school during 2nd grade while he was enrolled in gymnastics and wrestling. Around third or fourth grade he switched over to wrestling full time. Gregg wrestled all the way through his senior year of high school. During his wrestling career he participated in both freestyle competitions, and then folk style. Gregg enjoyed wrestling and made it to state almost every year. His highest rank in the state was fourth. It was during his senior year of high school that he joined the cheer team. The thing he enjoyed the most about cheer was the tumbling and stunts. After high school Gregg continued to cheer by joining the All-Star team during the summer semester.
Finally, as Coach Gregg has continued along his own personal journey he found parkour in October of 2019. Since then he has realized that he doesn’t just love select sports, but that he has a love of movement in general. Essentially, he enjoys being able to move well and understanding his body well enough that he can just flow. You can also find Coach Gregg at Motive Movement on most weekends.
Coach Josh Harvey
Coach Josh started training in martial arts in 1991 in Tang Soo Do under Master Sung Duk Cho and trained with Master Cho until 1995. He started training with Nathan and Adrian during private classes offered at their home studio in summer of 2014. Currently, Josh holds a 1st degree black belt in the Ethos Self-Defense Program, a blue belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and a yellow prajioud in Muay Thai. Coach Josh’s first loves are JKD and FMA. He enjoys teaching kids and newer students in anything he can help with and helping them find the “ah-ha moment.”
-“I know how over whelming it can be at first and I love building trust through the journey.”
Coach Josh can also be found pursing his other interests, which include music through both live and studio production work, playing guitar, and golf!
Coach Justin Caldwell
Coach Justin began his martial arts journey at Ethos Combatives in February of 2019 where he immediately found himself enamored with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and the tight-knit Ethos family. Presently he has been promoted to a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and an orange prajioud in Muay Thai.
Justin believes that the most important step is walking through the doors on your first day. He enjoys seeing new students find their passion for martial arts and guiding them through their journey as he has been guided. Outside of martial arts Justin’s interests include: spending time with his son, the great outdoors, popular science audio books, volunteering for the emergency response team, tinkering with metal working, and carpentry.
“Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.” – Carl Sagan
Coach Kevin Smith
Coach Kevin is a husband, father of three, IT geek, business owner, martial artist, firearms and bladed weapons enthusiast, amateur radio hobbyist, Sci-Fi lover, and coffee snob. Kevin began his martial arts journey at age 14 training by in Nihon Goshin Aikido (NGA) with Shihan Steven Weber, Sr. Coach Kevin went on to become a certified NGA instructor earning his 1st and 2nd degree black belts under Sensei John Wyndham, where he was the senior assistant instructor regularly teaching kids classes, adult classes, and advanced black belt prep classes. Kevin brings 25 years of martial arts experience with a passion for learning and teaching effective self-defense techniques. He has pursued training in a wide variety of martial arts including Judo, Jiu-Jitsu, Small Circle Jiu-Jitsu, Aiki jiu-Jitsu, Hombu Aikido, and Ryu Te Kempo. Coach Kevin joined Ethos in early 2019 to study FMA and Silat. While starting over as a beginner was intimidating, he soon discovered a new universe of learning in FMA and found a welcoming family at Ethos. He is excited to learn and contribute!
Coach Tune Lou
Coach Tune is interested in martial arts with weapons (especially distance tools), he enjoys doodling, food, and is currently learning to skateboard!
Tune began training at Ethos Combatives during January of 2017 and particularly enjoys Filipino Martial Arts. He earned his blue belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in July of 2019.
Ethos Coaches, Emeritus
Coach Chris Gray, Emeritus
Coach Chris’s interests include: martial arts training, history, psychology, white water kayaking, and learning at every opportunity. Chris loves to learn by teaching others and obtaining each student’s insights and perspectives.
Chris has been training in martial arts for 32 years. He started at the age of 15 and achieved his black belt in traditional Karate at the age of 20. In addition to teaching Karate, Chris continued his martial arts journey by learning other systems including: Hwa Rang Do, Tae Kwon Do, Kali, and Silat. Chris is a Certified NRA firearms instructor and a SC state certified concealed weapons instructor. Additionally, he believes that there is value in most martial arts systems and has adapted his personal martial arts based on influences learned from martial arts from: Okinawan, Japanese, Korean, and South East Asian systems, along with lessons he learned as a SWAT operator and during his 15 years in Law Enforcement. Further, Chris believes that there is edification in advanced martial arts training; however, the lessons needed for self-defense are most strongly rooted in the basics of any system. Therefore, Chris strives to master the basics. Coach Chris believes that techniques will change and need to be adapted with age, but strategy is the core to understanding martial arts.
Chris is inspired by his family; through his beautiful wife and daughters who always set his compass and inspire him to do both better and more. Finally, he is inspired by those who have taken the time to mentor him over the years and teach him in life, along professional paths and within martial arts.
Ethos Affiliates
Khun Kru Harun Raja – Raja Academy of Martial Arts
Owner of the highly esteemed Raja Academy of Martial Arts, Sifu/Khun Kru/Guro Raja started his martial arts journey at the age of 5 when he began learning under Sifu Al Zepeda in the art of Wing Chun Kung Fu. As he grew up, he came to love the uniqueness of the art and was further encouraged to continue his martial arts training while being a minority during America’s post 9/11 era.
Mr. Raja started taking Muay Thai at the age of 15 and competed on a amateur level. He was then introduced to Sifu Francis Fong, founder of the Wing Chun Association of USA, by his former Sifu and Mr. Raja continues training under Sifu Fong. He was also furthered his studies in Muay Thai and became a student under Ajarn Surachai “Chai” Sirisute, founder of the Thai Boxing Association of USA. Mr. Raja has also trained in Russian Sambo under Sensei Hakim Ahmed, NAGA World Champion and Abu Daibi Grappling Championship participant.
Sifu Raja holds a black sash under both Sifu Al Zepeda and Sigong Francis Fong in the art and science of Wing Chun Kung Fu. He is an associate instructor/Khun Kru under Ajarn Chai and is the South Carolina, Greenville Branch representative for the Thai Boxing Association of USA. Further in 2016, Kru Raja became Guro under both Tuhan Dan Inosanto and Guru Dan Medina and he integrates these weaponry skills into his Filipino Martial Art classes.
Khun Kru Sonya Browning – Raja Academy of Martial Arts
The first time Kru Sonya observed Khun Kru Raja’s adult class at Raja Academy of Martial Arts, she realized she had to be a part of it. The art of Muay Thai was unlike anything Sonya had ever seen and was eager to participate in every class. Not only has Muay Thai become her passion; but it has also been greatly beneficial to her professional life.
In 1996, Sonya started her career in Law Enforcement. While seeking more self-defense courses and adding to her professional career, her Muay Thai training journey began with Khun Kru Raja in 2010. Through her dedication and drive Sonya has instructed at Ethos Combatives, Universal Tactics Martial Arts, Kickboxing Underground and Self Defense Classes over the years. Kru Sonya teaches Muay Thai for Raja’s Academy of Martial Arts and she is also an Instructor in Self Defense (seminars are available upon request). Kru Sonya is a Certified Instructor under the WTBA through Ajarn Dick Harrell, Khun Kru Raja, and Grand Master, Ajarn Surachai “Chai” Sirisute. She began attending the Pacific NW Muay Training Camp in 2013 and currently attends each year. Visit Sonya at Raja Academy on Tuesday nights at 6:45pm.