Joseph Simms' knowledge of conflict, strategy, and performance is grounded in direct experience—from the battlefield to the boardroom, from hostage crises to the disciplined lens of Japanese swordsmanship. His diverse background, from serving in the United States Marine Corps to studying and teaching traditional Japanese schools of strategy and swordsmanship, has shaped his unique expertise in conflict, strategy, and human performance.

He is entrusted with preserving and transmitting the teachings of three martial traditions originating in Japan: Ittō Tenshin-ryū®, Yamate-ryū®, and Goseki-ryū® Aiki Heihō—a modern discipline rooted in ancient principles and shaped by the martial experience of its founder. These familial schools of the sword and spirit offer powerful teachings on conflict and strategy developed over centuries. Their lessons transcend culture and context. The strategies are as relevant to today’s boardrooms as to ancient battlefields. Techniques and principles for developing the human spirit are timeless.

Simms integrates these lessons into his consulting work in strategy, conflict, and human performance, and as an adjunct professor at George Washington University.

He wrote the foreword to the second edition of The Way and The Power: Secrets of Japanese Strategy, a groundbreaking work exploring strategic principles and the mindset required to step into the unknown and prevail. He also hosts the podcast The Way and The Power.

To learn more about the Ittō Tenshin-ryu, Yamate-ryū or Goseki-ryū click here.

To contact Joseph Simms click here.