Origin Story
Before Bantado was anything, it was a word my children made up while training.
For years, I ran a dojo where I taught Aikido, a Japanese martial art rooted in harmony, awareness, and the art of working with energy rather than against it. My children grew up on those mats. They trained alongside my other students, bowed in and bowed out, and sat through every lesson I ever taught.
And I taught a lot of lessons, not just about technique, but about how I had come to see the world through decades of practice both on the mat as well as throughout my professional career. Letting go. Finding the flow. Recognizing the quiet, aware power we each carry within us. Every time we stepped onto the mat, it was not just training and moving the body, I also focused a lot on moving the mind. This was something I always made sure my students carried with them before they left the dojo.
One night, after another of those lessons, the kids put a name to it: Bantado. In Japanese, do means "the way", the same do in Aikido, Judo, Kendo. They had taken the harmony and awareness at the heart of Aikido, recognized the modern twist I'd been weaving into it through my own personal and professional experiences, and given it a name of its own.
It was part affectionate teasing, part real recognition. And it stuck.
Years later, the name followed me out of the dojo and into this work. Bantado is what it was then, and what it still is now: a way of seeing, a way of moving through the world, shared.
Meet the Team
A practice is only as integrated as the people who carry it. These are the practitioners who make Bantado's work whole, each rooted in their own discipline, all committed to the same practice.
Bryan Banta
Founder & Principal Practitioner
For most of his career, Bryan was told to pick a lane, build the systems, or lead the people, or study the practice. He never did.
More than a decade in enterprise technology. Another decade building leadership, learning, and people programs. Proven experience in both private and public sectors. A lifetime on the Aikido mat. Three disciplines most organizations keep in separate rooms became, for Bryan, one way of working, and Bantado is the name for that integration.
He is the author of Leadership Uncomplicated, and across every engagement he holds a single role: the human connection from first conversation to clean handoff. Specialists build alongside him; the weaving stays with him.
Josh Ahrens
Lead Solutions Architect (Technology Support)
As Lead Solutions Architect, Josh directly supports the Body pillar of the practice: product development for clients, and the ongoing development of Bantado's own platform. The work is built on the systems organizations already own such as Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft 365, modern AI tooling, extending capability rather than adding another stack to babysit. Josh makes sure what Bantado ships as part of the technology pillar is protected and secured, monitored and maintained, and optimized for all clients.
Rylee Banta
Marketing
As Bantado’s Marketing and Web Design Strategist, Rylee leads the development of Bantado's digital presence in its most authentic form. With a background in marketing and firsthand experience watching professionals and peers miss opportunities to optimize themselves as leaders, communicators, and peers, she is dedicated to applying a thoughtful, people-centered approach to Bantado’s marketing strategy. From digital strategy tools to brand awareness, digital experience, and design, she is passionate about ensuring every visitor or client has a positive experience across all channels.