Answers to your self-defense questions!

Empowerment-based self-defense is a genre of evidence-based protective skills that is based on these 3 premises:1) The only person responsible for a crime is the perpetrator.2) Whatever you do to survive is the right thing.3)Having access to learn a combination of verbal and physical skills that can help you defend yourself, speak up for yourself, manage risk, respond to danger, heal from trauma, and move through the world without arbitrary restrictions are a human right. Self-defense and women's self-defense is not just about physical skills. It's not just about in the moment responses to a violent, worst case scenario. Most women are assaulted by men they know, not strangers which is why Empowerment-based self-defense is applicable to so many situations, contexts, relationships, and scenarios. It equips people with practical knowledge that is based on years of research on gender-based violence prevention. The form of empowerment-based self-defense I specialize in teaching is a weapons free approach. The goal is to help people make their own decisions about how they interact with the world. Empowerment-based self-defense is an intersectional methodology that anyone can do regardless of age, size, gender, ability level, height, athletic ability, etc. and doesn't require years of training to be proficient at protecting oneself.There is peer reviewed research and studies going back over 45 years showing the effectiveness of empowerment-based self-defense in preventing violence. According to research by Dr. Jocelyn Hollander, "...empowerment‐based women's self‐defense (ESD) training is so far the only approach that has produced substantively sigificant decreases in victimization rates."Here is a comparison chart showing the difference between Empowerment Based Self-Defense (sometimes called ESD in the research) and traditional self-defense: Source: Orchowski LM, Gidycz CA. Sexual Assault Risk Reduction and Resistance: Theory, Research, and Practice. Academic Press; 2018 (Chapter 10)

Anything you do to avoid or resist danger and/or keep yourself safe counts as self-defense! Self-defense and fighting back aren’t just about physical moves. It is also about boundary setting, using your intuition and having a strong verbal response to sketchy situations. I believe that the best fight is the one never fought. Self-defense is NOT about what you SHOULD do, it’s about what you CAN do! There are no style points, no rules, and no such thing as a fair fight when it comes to defending your life and getting to safety. Self-defense is about having options and choices for how to manage the situations we encounter on a daily basis. Then you pick what works best for you!

I believe everyone can benefit from knowing how to fight, but self-defense isn’t about what you SHOULD do it’s about what you CAN do.It’s up to the individual whether or not to use their physical skills but knowing HOW to fight at least gives you the choice – which is empowering. Listen to your intuition and your body and do what is right for you. Fighting back is a personal choice and whatever you decide to do, or did in the past to survive your situation IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!Sometimes immediately fighting back is not physically possible and/or you may have to take a few moments to assess the situation. Regardless of how you react in the moment, remember violence IS NEVER YOUR FAULT. No matter what you do or don’t do, no one deserves to be victimized in any way.  How your brain responds to danger (especially sexual assault) is complex and nuanced with new neuroscience research coming out regularly on this topic. If you or a friend are sexually assaulted, stalked or abused---please don’t be afraid to get help.

I’ve heard this so many times, especially from self-identified "short" or "small" or "petite" individuals.The answer is YES, you can. Here’s the thing: We do not fight assailants with strength. We fight with strategy. You don't have to overpower an attacker or be stronger than them to defend yourself or create the space to get away.You don’t need a black belt, years of training or need to memorize any complicated moves. You don’t even have to be coordinated! That's the freedom that comes from learning empowerment-based self-defense skills that includes verbal and physical techniques. You can start incorporating them into your life immediately.

Short answer is no when it comes to interpersonal violence (my expertise).There are many perspectives on self-defense weapons/tools. What I’m sharing with you here comes from years of experience and training, peer reviewed research, evidence based studies, and conversations with experts in threat assessment and security fields. I understand that there are different opinions on this topic and my goal here is to respectfully share information that is based on facts and not fear, to help you decide what's best for your life.I am an advocate for education. I am not an advocate for self-defense tools/weapons. I don't carry any tool or weapon with me when I solo hike, run, camp, etc. I'm not against weapons/tools, but rather, that I do not provide recommendations or advocate for their use. Our bodies and minds are all the weapon we need and reconnecting with our power can build confidence.Watch my video: 10 Reasons Why Guns Don't Make You SaferSelf-defense tools/weapons are not a replacement for safety education and preparation. Plus, they aren’t what we use daily to stay safe as we run our errands, interact with friends, encounter strangers, manage our intimate relationships, go on dates, or explore the trails. They aren’t the one thing that is going to make you safe. And you are not “unsafe” without them. Your brain, voice and body are what is going to protect you and self-defense tools/weapons are secondary.The 3 facts about self-defense weapons/tools:1. Whatever tool/weapon you plan to use for your personal protection, you HAVE to train with it.2. Whatever tool/weapon you bring into a fight can be used against you.3. Outsourcing your safety to something external doesn't increase your safety.Check out my blog to learn more!

Short answer is yes. Preparation is key!I've been solo hiking since I was a kid and have now solo hiked around the world. I have been told all my life that hiking solo, or doing pretty much anything solo as a woman, was dangerous and that I should avoid it. I whole-heartedly reject all of these outrageous myths and unsubstantiated lies that try to keep me small and scared.It is possible to learn the skills you need to safely pursue any activity, including solo hiking. And in addition to the technical skills of hiking that you need e.g: what to pack, what to wear, how to navigate, how to filter water, etc, I teach the practical self-defense skills for alleviating the fears of running into a dangerous person on the trail.Check out my online course: Yes I'm Hiking Solo!The answer to being safe isn't to avoid solo hiking. It's to learn what your options are for recognizing and responding to a threat in real time so you can make decisions that work for you.Watch my YouTube Series: Outdoor Defense

Short answer is yes, with preparation and planning of course!There is nothing quite as freeing as solo traveling where you have complete control of your schedule, itinerary, and decisions! It's sad that there remains a significant amount of social stigma and myths that try to convince women that traveling alone is dangerous. Despite that, studies have shown that solo traveling for women has increased in recent years and that women solo travel more than men.Being solo while traveling doesn't mean you are unsafe or helpless. Learning how to navigate interactions with other people while traveling can build your confidence and independence. Self-defense and personal safety training is designed to empower solo travelers with realistic verbal and physical skills that can be used in just about any situation. Being prepared with these skills ready to use at your fingertips, that means you can explore the world without limits!Fear doesn't have to hold you back. Self-defense isn't about being fearless, it's about learning how to acknowledge the message fear is sending and how to respond so that you can continue moving forward with your life. You don't need to carry any external weapons or "self-defense tools" (if you're traveling by plane, you can't carry any weapons or self-defense tools anyways) or memorize a list of things to do/don't do in order to be safe! Those are are often burdens to your safety or offer a false sense of security vs. realistic strategies for the most common situations. You ARE a weapon!Empowerment-focused self-defense training equips you to recognize situations that require you to switch into self-defense mode and protect yourself without apology so you can travel smart, safe, and empowered.

Because it could save their life!Here are 3 reasons why Empowerment-Focused Self-Defense education is important for college students:1) It's a life skill that builds confidence, communication skills, reduces anxiety, helps survivors heal, and develops self-efficacy that can be applied in all areas of life. It helps foster healthy relationships and dating safety as well. Remember, self-defense is about more than physical skills!2) It is evidence-based primary violence prevention that all students benefit from knowing. More than 50% of college sexual assaults happen in either August, September, October or November. While we work to create a world without violence, we must be equipped to deal with reality that predators exist and it's a human right to know how to defend ourselves verbally & physically.3) It addresses stereotypes and gendered patterns of socialization that facilitate violence. This fundamentally changes rape culture.

Corporate and company staff benefit from real-world safety and prevention skills that foster a safer, thriving, and more empowered workplace culture. Establishing boundaries and using assertive communication with clients, vendors, bosses and co-workers are vital skills for wellness and mental health. Speaking up for themselves and each other are also a core part of self-defense and confidence building.Team building always includes your employees' safety and that means that more than physical skills are necessary! Every corporate team can benefit from conflict de-escalation training, bystander intervention techniques, boundaries education, and learning self-defense strategies to build confidence for handling challenging situations and to prevent workplace violence/harassment. Whether your team travels regularly or works locally, learning how to navigate your safety at home, on the road, on the way to work, and while working, can greatly increase the mental and emotional well being of every employee. Self-defense empowers everyone!Check out this testimonial from Strava: “Nicole's Run Into Your Power seminar was empowering, effective, and approachable. In the course of 1 short hour, Nicole is able to transform any fears or anxieties her audience has towards personal safety into feelings of confidence and trust in oneself. What's even more impressive, is that she is able to do this with a mixture of warmth and compassion, that speaks from reason and credibility but does not invalidate any fears or anxieties her audience may have had about personal safety.Just two weeks after Nicole presented at our company, an employee who attended the seminar had an unfortunate run in where they had to defend themselves against another individual. Luckily they were okay, and afterwards they spoke to how Nicole's tactics helped them in that situation and how appreciative they were to have learned those tools.” -- Malire Lozada, Product Marketing Manager, Strava

Empowerment-focused self-defense consists of a range of strategies to strengthen resilience, morale, safety, and readiness for military organizations, military victim advocates, and their families. I've had the honor of training every branch of the US Military and the Coast Guard at hundreds of installations around the world with these techniques.Military communities usually learn "self-defense" in the context of dealing with an enemy in a combat situation using lethal force. Combatives and self-defense are not the same. Both are needed because they serve completely different purposes.Self-defense is about more than physical skills and it's vital to learn how to protect yourself in daily interpersonal exchanges with people in a non-lethal way.Empowerment-based self-defense teaches realistic and effective everyday strategies for how to address boundaries, discomfort, and threats in work encounters and relationships. This helps service members of all ranks develop emotional intelligence, learn how to interact and communicate with each other, assert boundaries, and preserve relationships. Not only that, but this type of training prevents violence, increases confidence, and helps survivors heal from trauma.