Testimonials
"Your unique style and passion for giving the world a
fighting voice is amazing."
Testimonials
Dr. Vanessa Guyton Testimonial for Nicole Snell
Teaira Testimonial for Nicole Snell
Girls Fight Back: Student Testimonial- Kyrmina, Flintridge Prep
Girls Fight Back Student Testimonial: Nicolle, Flintridge Prep
Video
Testimonials
Kimberly Schrader
Title IX Coordinator
Knox College
“You were graceful and patient, as always - and still brought your enthusiastic and authentic self. Thank you, once again, for an exciting, expert, sensitive, and informed evening of information sharing and skill-building. All of them had great things to say and learned much. One person stayed behind to chat and not only shared a good deal about their experience(s), but also told me they left being very glad they’d come. Thanks again for your critical and life-changing work.”
Lori Newell, MS, HS-BCP, CA
Workplace Violence Prevention & Response Coordinator,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
"Nicole's presentation was remarkable! Her presentation ranked in the category of highest registrants coming in 2nd to our all time high. We have received nothing but positive comments and the employees found the information to be of great value. Our VAL's are looking forward to her training session next week. Nicole is a joy to work with and we look forward to many more future collaborations."
Bishal Adhikari
Student Activities Council
Dir. of Lecture Programming
Northwest Missouri State University
“Students Fight Back was successful, our students got to learn Badass Basics, and that was very important. I personally liked it when she explained setting up healthy boundaries, when to say no. The audience interaction was great. I will definitely recommend this presentation to my colleagues. The Q&A time was enough and there was great student engagement during Q&A sessions. Lasty, I want to thank Nicole for being kind and humble and teaching something that was necessary for our students.”
Brigette Kidd
"You are doing your passion, and it shows.
Thank you so much for the professional self-defense class, as you handled my 'sticker' comments exceptionally. I appreciate having worked with you and participating in your first public class. I have gained tools I can use as I navigate the streets of LA daily and in my international travels. ”
Abigal Emtage
Schrodinger
“I personally struggle a little with the term "girl" for myself or when it is used refer to women in a patronizing way, and was wondering if the session would be somewhat gendered due to the Girls Fight Back branding. However, this concern was unfounded and I'm really glad I attended this workshop. I hugely appreciated the gender inclusive language throughout (e.g. referring to attackers/body parts in a neutral way, mentioning someone in the chat as "they" and not assuming pronouns).
Thank you, Nicole!”
Jennifer Reardon
Western Region Coordinator
Cornell University Extension
“Nicole is a force to be reckoned with! The workshop was terrific! Fabulous! Nicole is an engaging, energetic presenter who provides information any human can use to protect themselves. It was clearly presented with an organized flow and included common language and skills everyone can use. I would recommend this seminar to absolutely everyone.”
“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
Michelle Paul
Assoc. Dir. of Student Affairs
Davenport University
“Nicole's presentation was great. She asked good questions beforehand to understand our population and structure in order to teach relatable material to our student body. She's a great speaker - very enthusiastic, knowledgeable, charismatic, and active.
I love the active participation she brings! No matter the type of student, they always participate."
John Pilmaier
NOVA Conference
“I was at the NOVA Conference and wanted you to know I was blown away by your presentation. Thank you! I am also a survivor of childhood sexual assault by a member of the Catholic clergy. I have been having issues with some family members such as "but they've changed" "but there is a baptism" "but that was a long time ago and they don't do that anymore"...you know where I am going.
Thank you for reminding me that I can say "No" and not second guess myself or feel that I have to make any excuses.”
Jill Henry
Flintridge Prep
Girls Cross Country Coach
“We had an amazing self-defense session at practice on Friday to teach our girls cross-country team some basic safety tactics. The 75-minute session was really well-paced and very digestible, and the trainer, Nicole is amazing: super high energy, easy to work with, very professional. I want her on anyone's radar in case there's an opportunity to bring her into physical education, to work with athletic teams, or to offer something for the general student body. The girls raved about the session, and I hope we can do this again in the future!”
Jocelin Crisantos
Graduate Intern Women's Center
Eastern Connecticut State University
“Nicole’s presentation went great! She was really engaging and interacting with the students. We enjoyed the step-by-step basic self- defense, she made everyone feel comfortable and created a safe space for students to be able to try it out! Her travel stories were also very engaging and captivating. Nicole is a GREAT speaker. Nicole was very helpful in creating a space for students to ask questions, I enjoyed the time she had with the students."
Brenda Bravo
Latinas In Power
Westchester Community College
“We loved it! Nicole was great she was really helpful and the students enjoyed the event as did I. Thank you for working with us! I hope we can have more events together in the future.”
Darius Darling
Student Life Coordinator
Indiana Tech University
“ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Nicole was awesome and we look forward to doing more work with you all soon. I know our students were very interested in the Self Defense training class so we may be in touch regarding the course. But overall, everything was awesome. Thank you!”
"Nicole was engaging and made me feel empowered to set boundaries for myself both emotionally and physically."
ATTENDEE, NRPA CONFERENCE
Liam Geva,
Cornell University Cooperative Extension
“I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful training you provided us yesterday! Everyone found the training super timely, informative, useful, engaging, entertaining, safe, inclusive, and more. Thank you so much for also taking the time to have our staff share their own stories and experiences, and just making it a positive and empowering experience.”
Student,
Kula Cloth
“Your energy and confidence is infectious. I feel like you gave a piece of it to each of us, lit our candles with your flame, and that we're all walking away more empowered. I learned some invaluable things. Recommending to all my friends!”
May Isbel
Girl Scouts Troupe 15875
“Nicole specifically was BAD ASS! We loved her energy, her information, her genuine delivery of the topic. She deserves a special applause. Our girl scouts gave her a Bad Ass Talking toy!”
Laura C. Gillgan
IBM Software, Customer Success
Thank you again for spending your Friday with us in Chicago! I loved your presentation and really appreciated your energy and positive messaging. I came home repeating NO! Stay Back! I don't want any trouble! and my family looked at me like I was nuts...but they thought it was cool, once I explained
Thank you again!
Student
UCLA
“Nicole is incredibly knowledgeable about self-defense and is generous in her approach. She focuses on risk recognition in a way that opens up possibility rather than shutting it down. She encourages discussion with a curiosity of spirit and a sincere interest in what participants have to say.
Her enthusiasm and her warmth are contagious; students invariably come out of her classes feeling stronger, happier, and more confident than when they came in. Nicole makes self-defense training fun as well as informative.”
Brie Chartier
“Thanks for the workshop Nicole. I’ve done a bunch of training including defensive tactics instructor courses and this was the best, most affirming, and positive I’ve seen. Your approach is very empowering! You’re an awesome teacher and facilitator.”
"Students invariably come out of her classes feeling
stronger, happier, and more confident than when they came in."
Student
Lamar University
"Best seminar I have attended, very educational!"
Attendee Feedback
IVAT Hawaii Conference
“Fantastic motivational Speaker! Interactive and high energy. Very impactful.”
Maggie Scenna
HER Campus Media
“It was AMAZING!!! Nicole and Don did such an amazing job and our audience was so engaged and loved every second of it. I hope we can work together again in the future!”
Parent
Monta Vista High School
"My daughter really enjoyed this - thank you. I have extensive defense training and was thrilled you covered so much and could encapsulate it in such a straightforward, memorable set of behaviors. Thank you!"
Sarah Canney
Owner/Founder Rise.Run.Retreat
“Everything about Nicole's talk was fantastic and she was so great to work with. The material was relevant to our group and well presented. Thank you!”
Sarah Histand
Founder Mind & Mountain
“We had a great session with Nicole! Nicole's presence was very encouraging & I appreciated how she shaped the presentation to fit our outdoorsy women & non-binary folks crowd. Her use of interaction made the zoom call very engaging.”
“You empowered me more than you know! I'm doing my first thru hike solo in August (TRT) and with your class I feel even more unstoppable!”
KAYLA HAFLEY, SHEJUMPS
Christine Koekemoer
AdventurUS Women Retreat
"Every womxn should be taking this class… run, don’t walk, to sign up… The tools learned to better equip me for being alone outdoors were invaluable. There were so many AHA moments, the tools are so simple and accessible to all of us - I don’t have to remember a list of 20 things to do - but I CAN take control of an uncomfortable situation by listening to my intuition, using my voice and being assertive. I’d never even considered these as tools… The great thing about the tools we learned is that they can so easily be incorporated into our everyday lives, even off the trail. So here’s looking at many confident and empowered hours spent on and off the trail and if anyone comes looking for trouble… well, this girl is going to be ready to fight back.”
Anastasia Allison
Founder, Kula Cloth
“ I have to say that Nicole's class was AMAZING. I had the opportunity to moderate it yesterday and it was engaging, empowering, and impactful. I could sense a noticeable difference in the participants over the course of the hour. Nicole is SUCH A TRUE GIFT to this world - so thank you for giving us the opportunity to share her message with our community. I have never seen so many positive comments at the end of a presentation before - it was really incredible. So, again, thank you!”
Student
Montgomery College
"I had a great time today! I had low confidence in myself when it comes to defending myself and speaking up, as I'm an introvert. After participating in this workshop, I learned how to defend myself using basic defense skills and use my voice. I want to thank Nicole Snell for teaching me many things, relevant to personal experiences. I hope to attend self-defense classes soon."
Sarah Hedberg
Project Engineer
Mortenson Construction
“The program was awesome! I am very satisfied with Nicole’s presentation – she was super engaging and hit on so many different topics related to self defense and awareness. I liked how she would ask questions and do little activities to encourage active participation. There was enough time for Q&A and she was willing to stay longer until all questions were asked, which was appreciated. I would 1000% recommend her to colleagues!”
Hannah Large
Student, Carthage College
“I was just able to participate in your Students Fight Back session and was so overwhelmed with joy and inspiration with your work. I was so inspired by your presentation today I had tears in my eyes. Your language, inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community and disabled community, and respect for pronouns made me feel SO much joy. Thank you for all of your amazing work.”
Michelle Jackson-Saulters
AdventurUS Women Retreat
“I'm so happy that I got to take Nicole's "Yes I’m Hiking Solo: Self-Defense for the Outdoors" class. This class was everything I was looking for and more! Nicole gave us practical tools that I feel comfortable using if I ever feel unsafe, whether I'm out hiking solo or anywhere else for that matter. She reminded me of my strength and my value all while showing me how to protect myself. She reminded me that I already have everything I need to keep myself safe and that was so reassuring! Nicole was a fantastic instructor - she was incredibly supportive, knowledgeable and passionate. She made me excited to learn more about self defense!”
Courtney Sanford
Co-Founder of Outwild
“Nicole brings the kind of energy you dream of in a presenter. Her consistent enthusiasm and positivity are infectious, even across a computer screen, and attendees leave feeling empowered and excited. She has a natural ability to engage an audience and is extremely thoughtful about discovering ways to make her presentations as interactive as possible. She is someone that you can fully trust with your group and it's clear that she puts a ton of heart and soul into creating content and making sure everything moves flawlessly. I could not recommend working with Nicole enough!”
Elisa Vigil
Outreach Programmer
Spokane Falls Associated Student Government
“The event went wonderfully. Nicole's presentation had tons of important information and was very engaging. It was received with very positive feedback from staff and students. When I advertised this event, I put emphasis on the boundary-setting and self-defense aspects of the event. I greatly appreciated how thoroughly Nicole went over those topics. I am very happy with how the event went. We had plenty of time for a Q&A, and I'll be sure to leave this event in our programming notes so next year's team can work with you next year as well!”
Hiba Khan
Generalist
Wpromote
“Nicole's presentation was absolutely incredible. We received such glowing feedback on the whole session and it was a treat to meet and work with Nicole! I cannot stress enough how wonderful and amazing Nicole was and I hope to work with her again soon!”
Danielle Nolan
Co-Founder, DNK Presents
“Nicole did an amazing job! I had taken this course previously and I learned more the second time around for sure. I love that it's so interactive even being virtual. I love that she said she would take questions for as long as people were asking! I would definitely recommend Nicole's presentation to other groups. Overall great presentation, we loved having Nicole lead this and I hope we can do something in person in the future.”
Mar Pages
Co-Founder, Solo Female Travelers Club
“Nicole is an incredible professional who is able to captivate an audience, communicate a message and inspire women to take control of their own body and mind and use them both to stay safe. I have had the pleasure of working with her for our solo female travel safety, wellness and sexual wellbeing festival, Empowerful, and have been moved by her long term commitment to supporting women's safety in all environments, from the workplace to the outdoors or on their travels. She leads with passion and integrity and is able to motivate and convince women that they don't have to feel afraid while giving them practical tips to react if required. I highly recommend her work to anyone who wants to feel empowered and learn how to stay safe.”
Administrator
Carthage College
“Finding an acceptable Title IX compliant program for our New Student Orientation has been one of the most difficult tasks of my career. Some are seen as too flippant about the topics at hand, while others too dry and unengaging. Students Fight Back not only treats the topics with respect and perspective, but makes it near impossible to not be fully engaged. They bring relatable story telling and practical intervention and self-defense techniques in a way that is memorable and useful. We have finally found the right program for Carthage.”
“We thought Nicole was fantastic and definitely want to bring her on again, and will recommend her to others!!”
PROGRAM COORDINATOR, A CASE FOR WOMEN
Runners World
Runners Alliance Virtual Workshop
"Just wanted to say that I absolutely LOVED the panel! Thank you for being such a great representation of Runners Alliance and HOKA. You all provided great information and tips that will allow runners to feel more safe. I couldn’t be more thrilled by how it all turned out!"
Student
Montgomery College
“I loved this presentation. Very captivating and extremely helpful.”
Sarah Cannery
Owner, Rise.Run.Retreat
“Nicole was fantastic and the presentation went really well. It was great to have such an interactive virtual experience. It was great to have Nicole as a guest speaker and we'd love to have her back.”
Andrea Grindeland
PTSA Education Chair
Monta Vista High School
“Thank you, Nicole. Your presentation was just what we needed—expert information and very engaging presentation. It’s not easy to find great content and a great presentation in one package, but you delivered both.”
Senochi Kang
Civic Entertainment Group
"Thank you Nicole! The sessions were wonderful and very informative. I have a much better knowledge of how to approach/handle public situations going forward due to these trainings, and will definitely keep the tips in my back pocket wherever I go!”
Regina
Private Event
“Thank you for an inspiring and empowering presentation. My daughter and I loved it!"
"Nicole did a great job of keeping our students engaged the entire evening!"
Nate Carter
Alexion Pharmaceuticals
“The program went great and Nicole was terrific. I loved the question and answer portion of the event as you could really see how interested people were and how important this sort of education is to so many. Nicole was nice enough to stay on the call after our allotted time as there were many who still wanted to ask more questions of her. I would definitely recommend this session to others in my industry, and hope to use her again myself. I got a lot of positive feedback from people who attended the call, and one person said it was “the best session she’s been on” at our company regarding these voluntary events. Thanks!”
Nikia Acy
Marketing Director
Santa Barbara Young Black Professionals
“It was AMAZING having you host this event. Everyone loved you, your energy, and the skills/tips you provided. I just want to thank you 100 more times!!”
Allison Tapert
Kula Academy Director of Chaos & Fun
“Wow! What a great class last night! Nicole’s presentation was inspiring, empowering, energetic and a ton of fun. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to you for making this class possible.”
Program Coordinator
Indiana Tech
"Students Fight Back was the perfect combination of informative presentation coupled with audience interaction. Nicole did a great job of keeping our students engaged the entire evening! The progression of the presentation from hands-off skills (intuition, awareness, boundary-setting) to basic self-defense moves was terrific. The level of student engagement at the end of the night made it obvious that Nicole's presentation was very empowering and left the students wanting to learn more. Because of this, we look forward to having Students Fight Back programming on our campus again in the future!"
Suzanne Smith
Texas A&M University
"GFB is truly sensational and inspirational. I love that she didn’t make me fearful of attackers or of being attacked. Instead, it made me aware of my surroundings, and her techniques made me feel safer. This presentation is one that I would definitely see again."
Whitney Miller
CEO/Founder
Transcend Health & Wellness
“Girls Fight Back is so empowering and I gained so much from it! I led my first women's trail running retreat in 2020 and as the months got closer to the retreat date my anxiety began getting higher. I was nervous about leading a group of women on the trails alone. Nicole Snell's Outdoor Defense videos helped me learn new tools and tactics as well as reinforce things I already knew about self-defense. It helped me walk into my retreat feeling empowered to lead. Girls Fight Back and Outdoor Defense is such an important program for women's empowerment and I am so grateful for Nicole for creating it!”
“Nicole was so outstanding; she left a great impact on the students."
MONTGOMERY COLLEGE ADVISOR
Nate Carter
Alexion Pharmaceuticals
“The program went great and Nicole was terrific. I loved the question and answer portion of the event as you could really see how interested people were and how important this sort of education is to so many. Nicole was nice enough to stay on the call after our allotted time as there were many who still wanted to ask more questions of her. I would definitely recommend this session to others in my industry, and hope to use her again myself. I got a lot of positive feedback from people who attended the call, and one person said it was “the best session she’s been on” at our company regarding these voluntary events. Thanks!”
Nikia Acy
Marketing Director
Santa Barbara Young Black Professionals
“It was AMAZING having you host this event. Everyone loved you, your energy, and the skills/tips you provided. I just want to thank you 100 more times!!”
Allison Tapert
Kula Academy Director of Chaos & Fun
“Wow! What a great class last night! Nicole’s presentation was inspiring, empowering, energetic and a ton of fun. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to you for making this class possible.”
Program Coordinator
Indiana Tech
"Students Fight Back was the perfect combination of informative presentation coupled with audience interaction. Nicole did a great job of keeping our students engaged the entire evening! The progression of the presentation from hands-off skills (intuition, awareness, boundary-setting) to basic self-defense moves was terrific. The level of student engagement at the end of the night made it obvious that Nicole's presentation was very empowering and left the students wanting to learn more. Because of this, we look forward to having Students Fight Back programming on our campus again in the future!"
Suzanne Smith
Texas A&M University
"GFB is truly sensational and inspirational. I love that she didn’t make me fearful of attackers or of being attacked. Instead, it made me aware of my surroundings, and her techniques made me feel safer. This presentation is one that I would definitely see again."
Whitney Miller
CEO/Founder
Transcend Health & Wellness
“Girls Fight Back is so empowering and I gained so much from it! I led my first women's trail running retreat in 2020 and as the months got closer to the retreat date my anxiety began getting higher. I was nervous about leading a group of women on the trails alone. Nicole Snell's Outdoor Defense videos helped me learn new tools and tactics as well as reinforce things I already knew about self-defense. It helped me walk into my retreat feeling empowered to lead. Girls Fight Back and Outdoor Defense is such an important program for women's empowerment and I am so grateful for Nicole for creating it!”
"If you're looking to spur positive change, inspire hope, and motivate courage in people's lives then look no further. Nicole delivered an impact filled presentation on the importance of boundaries, using one's voice, standing up for ourselves and others. She also presented thought provoking information on personal safety, awareness and other facets of human psychology. Her compelling training sparked stirring discussions and helped all of us understand the significance of our emotions, our interactions with others and intuition. She is a true advocate in every sense of the word. Our experience in working with her was professional and flawless from the start, even with the COVID-19 implications. Her adaptability in providing us with such an engaging and compelling virtual training was truly exceptional. We are grateful to have had this opportunity of working with her and highly encourage others to invite Nicole into their community for a truly captivating and passionate experience."
-TERESA LOYA, SAPR VICTIM ADVOCATE, VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE
Liza Bulos
VP of Operations
Civic Entertainment Group
"I just want to say thank you for the training sessions we had these past few days. They were helpful and informative and I received some great feedback from my colleagues.
The work that Impact & Girls Fight Back are doing is really admirable and very much appreciated especially during these trying times. Thanks again!”
Liz Shannon
Mom from Nantucket, MA Community Event
"I was there with my 14-year-old daughter! So impressive. I am a fire and life safety educator for Massachusetts and can honestly say Nicole’s presentation was by far the best. What a phenomenal organization! Keep up the fantastic work."
Allison Tapert
Kula Academy Director of Chaos & Fun
“Wow! What a great class last night! Nicole’s presentation was inspiring, empowering, energetic and a ton of fun. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to you for making this class possible.”
Student
UCLA
"Nicole's class gave me the tools to identify and combat predatory behaviors. As a young woman, these tools are invaluable in the obstacles we face both from strangers and familiars; Nicole's hands-on approach to teaching cemented these strategies and I left feeling empowered and confident."
@Outsidewithv
Outdoor Safety Event
“For my ladies, who are a little bit intimidated or scared of camping, hiking, recreating alone. Nicole has proven to be an invaluable resource for educating myself and helping me find my power within the outdoors. She provides easy to understand and relatable content relating to empowering yourself outdoors so that you can protect yourself when doing what you love.”
Attendee
National Organization for Victim Assistance Conference
"Nicole is such a brilliant presenter. She's energetic, engaging, and quick thinking, and the topic is a great one."
