Meet Brandy Von Holten

Have you heard the quote, “If I’m too much, then go find less”?  Brandy Von Holten is a lot.  If she was a computer, she would have a ridiculous number of windows open.  People frequently ask her how she gets everything done and how she keeps everything straight.  But as soon as Brandy hears how “busy” she is, she stops them dead in their tracks.  “I am not busy, I am passionate” are the words Brandy says each time.  

Brandy Von Holten, originally from South Texas, calls Missouri home now.  Her family moved to Arkansas from Texas for a clean slate start after her parents had numerous encounters with the law.  Brandy graduated from Riverview High School in Searcy, Arkansas.  She moved out of her parent’s home to attend college at the University of Central Arkansas.  Brandy accredits her love of science to her high school science teacher, Mr. Buddy Roddy.  College was not a piece of cake for Brandy, as she found herself homeless twice, but she forged forward and graduated with a BS in Biology in December 2002.  It was that same month that she found out that she had cancer cells in her uterus.  To have insurance to cover the cost of treatment, Brandy had to be a full-time student.  She enrolled at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and graduated with a BA in Criminal Justice in August 2003.  Within three days she was given a clean bill of health, graduated with her second bachelor’s, and moved to Missouri.  When she arrived in Missouri, she had not secured a job, and had saved enough money for one month’s worth of rent, two weeks’ worth of food and fuel, and one extremely LARGE dream; to go to the Olympics as a heavyweight taekwondo fighter.  

Missouri had someone that the other states did not have, 1992 bronze medalist, Terry Gautreaux.  Brandy jokes that she moved to Missouri for Terry, but stayed in Missouri for her husband she would later meet and marry, David.  Brandy once again returned to college and attained her Master’s in Teaching.  She was a decorated science teacher for 11 years and used her summers off to travel and compete in martial arts.

Brandy has an elaborate martial arts background and represented the USA in five countries as a heavyweight fighter.  By the age of 14, she was competing in the adult black belt divisions internationally.  Brandy started taekwondo after her family moved to Arkansas.  She dabbled in kickboxing and had one professional mixed martial arts match that lasted 9 minutes and 11 seconds until Brandy had to submit.  She competed in martial arts for 23 years, took 10 years off, but made a comeback in 2024 by qualifying and competing at the National Championship in the women’s heavyweight blackbelt division.  

As much as she loves the sport of taekwondo, she loves her husband even more.  They purchased his family’s farm which has been family-owned since 1906 and turned it into an equine trail riding facility called Von Holten Ranch.  The building of the equine trail riding facility is what took Brandy’s time for the 10 years she took off from fighting.   In 2024, Von Holten Ranch won the title of Missouri’s Best Ranch.  That wasn’t the only awards they have won in those 10 years:  2022 & 2023 Missouri’s Best Place to Get Married, 2024 Missouri’s Best Wood Working, and Brandy’s podcast “Country Tough with Brandy Von Holten” won Missouri’s Best Podcast for 2022, 2023, and 2024.  

Brandy is an author, motivational speaker, and mounted archery instructor.  She lives life with a wide-open tenacious spirit that knows no boundaries.