The Magiera family said they try to inspire and infuse excellence in everything they do.
PORTLAND, Maine — Lisa Magiera and her family know firsthand what it’s like to run a small business.
They own and operate the Bushido Karate Dojo and Fitness Center in Casco. It’s a space where students of all ages and their families can come to find community and sharpen their skills in martial arts.
“My daughter, she has some special needs, and this has helped kind of bridge the gap that her brain needs and her confidence is unbelievable in the two years that she’s been here,” Jennifer Daggett said about her daughter, Alice.
“We have a really awesome community that has grown out of this school,” student and fill-in teacher, Jesse McGarey said. “There’s a lot of awesome people here I like to spend my time with. Also, getting thrown around and being put on the ground is a lot of fun, too.”
Lisa, her husband Eric, and their two children, Jordan and Nick, spend nearly every day at the dojo. Lisa has decades of experience under her belt and has even written a book about it. Nick joked about how he was in his mother’s belly during her black belt certification.
“It’s in my blood.” Nick Magiera said laughing.
“Us working together is just another great part of being able to grow up in the dojo,” Jordan Magiera said. “It’s unique in its own and very few families are able to say they’re all blackbelts.”
“We have amazing people who support us and come every single day, and so we try to bring this spirit of excellence into everything we do.” Lisa Magiera said.
That spirit of excellence was part of the driving force behind the Magiera family’s most recent accomplishment. Come Spring, the entire family will all have degrees in business from Thomas College in Waterville.
For the last few years, the family has been attending classes together, helping each other with their homework, and pushing each other to do their best.
Last Spring, Lisa and Jordan received their degrees in Business while Nick received his in Education. The three even received a shoutout from Maine Gov. Janet Mills during her commencement speech. Nick postponed finishing his business degree so he could walk alongside his dad during the May of 2025 graduation ceremony.
“The fun thing is I’ve gotten to be in classes with all three of them at different times,” Eric Magiera said. “My first class I was with Lisa and then it was Jordan and now Nick and I are taking the same class.”
“He actually helped me with my homework two weeks ago, and he still does every week almost.” Nick Magiera said.
Despite earning the same degrees, Lisa said the school tried to keep them separate as best as they could so they could each still enjoy their own college experience. She added how proud she was of her family and what they have accomplished together.
“I don’t ever say we’re lucky, because we’ve worked hard at parenting and we’re proud of our kids. We’ve worked hard at running our business,” Lisa Magiera said. “So yeah, no one’s lucky. You make the life you have, and I think we’ve tried to make a balance, and we’ve tried to provide purpose for ourselves and our community. So, I’m very proud of all the things we’ve done and all the things we do every day.”
