Rise Self-Protection

Most people think that self-defense is all about fighting, but the reality is that by the time you’re throwing punches, you’ve already lost multiple chances to stop the fight before it even began. If you don’t have the right words ready, a simple misunderstanding can spiral into something dangerous in seconds.

Imagine this:

It’s very early in the morning. You step into an empty hotel lobby, suitcase rolling behind you and the soft hum of ambient music filling the silence. Your mind is scanning a checklist of the things you didn’t want to forget when the quiet is shattered as a man explodes through the lobby doors. His breathing is heavy, his eyes are wild as they lock on you, his fist clenched. His energy is radiating pure rage and you know instinctively that he is close to snapping. Escape isn’t an option. You have only one tool left to stop this from turning to a physical fight for your life–your words.

Tonight, I’m going to teach you how the right words at the right time can stop violence before it starts.

📅Beginner-friendly classes for women and girls every Wednesday & Saturday.

Visit www.RiseSelfProtection.com to learn more about the program and register for class.

Wow, what a week! Teaching these self-defense classes has already given me so many powerful moments.

Our group is still small, but I don’t anticipate it staying that way. Once people realize how truly impactful these classes are, I know more women and girls will show up. I can already see it happening in real-time—one of my youth students blew me away this week. During our second class, she clearly articulated what we talked about a few days prior: always trust your intuition, and one of the biggest red flags with strangers is undue attention. She then explained exactly how she would respond by maintaining distance and putting a barrier between herself and the threat if she felt suspicious of a stranger approaching her.

I looked at her, surprised, and said, “Dang girl, where did you learn all this?” She smiled and said, “From you, last week! I went home and practiced with my family.”

I could tell just by the way she spoke that she had internalized the lesson. It wasn’t just something she heard—it was something she owned. In that moment, I felt it in my bones: that one little piece of information leveled her up. I love that for her. I want that for every girl.

Another class presented a different kind of challenge—a language barrier. Some things got lost in translation, but the body language of self-defense is universal.

Safe distance? ✅Understood.

Blocking a tackle?✅ Nailed it.

Setting a strong, verbal boundary? ✅Perfecto.

We practiced saying "No" and exchanged the words for "Back up!" in English and Spanish.

I also provided a Spanish-language printout on the science of intuition so my Spanish-speaking student wouldn’t miss out on any of the deeper knowledge we covered.

One thing I noticed? It was hard for her to get loud. It’s hard for a lot of women to feel secure enough in their own body to be loud. For so many, their best chance at safety has been to remain invisible—to shrink, to stay unnoticed. I'm not saying those aren't good options, but they don't have to be your only option.

Women don’t deserve a life in the shadows. Everyone deserve to take up space, to feel strong, and to feel safe.

I have one big challenge: I need more students.

This week reaffirmed something important: this works. It’s changing lives already. But if I want to keep this going, I need more students showing up. A couple of students per class isn’t enough to make this sustainable long-term.

And honestly? This is bigger than self-defense. So many of us want or need to work on our English or Spanish skills, right?! This class is the perfect place to build a bridge between the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking women of our community.

So invite that girl from work who you can only say 'hola' to. Use Google Translate and write her a note like we're all in 8th grade. Reach out to your girl because we're stronger together.