When a heroine will do. — Cristi Johnston is a certified Pretty Deadly Self Defense Trainer living in a small town in Michigan close to the Canadian border. …

Self defense is not about fighting back. — It’s really heartening to see that, in the world of helping women learn self-defense tools, it has become a much more accepted view that self defense is not about fighting back: it’s about making space and getting away. But if it’s not a fight, and not about fighting back, then…

The best gift your mother ever gave you — At the beginning of every Pretty Deadly course we always ask the women who have signed up if they know the first rule of self defense. Every two out of three courses, someone will answer: “scream”. While the voice can be weaponized in self defense, screaming is not always a…

Violence against women is universal but self defense is cultural I’m currently in Lahore, Pakistan for a series of talks and workshops, and to develop our partnerships for Pretty Deadly Self Defense. Yesterday, in a group discussion, we were discussing using the voice in self defense. One woman told a…

The perception of safety in partnerships — [This account has been dormant for a while due to a swirling bunch of changes. Now that things are back on solid ground, I can get back to weekly posts! Hello!] Last week I was a featured guest on the Dad La Soul podcast. Dad La Soul is a great…

What happens when you revisit the site of a violent event 23 years later? I’ve been in Los Angeles this week to close a kind of a loop. This is the city where my life was set on a completely different path than the reason I came here for, and…

After three years of lockdowns, a year of war and revolution that is inching ever closer, of insurrections and unrest, of watching governments from Iran to the United States enact tighter and tighter controls over women’s lives, racism and right wing fascism on the rise, it feels like we’re…

And it’s crazy that anyone thinks it did. — A friend celebrated US WNBA player Britney Griner’s return home from Russia this past week with a short but sweet post on Facebook. …

Trigger warning: this article discusses rape — On 16 September 2022, Jina (Mahsa) Amini, died after being severely beaten by the Iranian government’s “Morality Police” for not wearing her hijab correctly. CCTV footage of Amini stumbling from her wounds and collapsing leaked, and two female reporters wrote about the case. The government claimed she had a heart…