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Interrupting the Cycle Violence through Self Defense. Research proves that empowerment self-defense programs work. Participants are less fearful, more aware of their boundaries, and are able to speak up sooner when faced with manipulative or threatening situations. Furthermore, for those who have experienced trauma in the past, evidence shows that empowerment self-defense training can interrupt the cycle of violence and decrease the likelihood of a future assault. Join host, Silvia Smart in this safe space. With over three decades on the frontlines, she’ll give you all the skills and knowledge you need to live your most fearless and empowered life! Support this important work. Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/silviasmart Donate through my website: https://nagacommunity.com/product/support-the-empowerment-podcast-by-naga/ Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. If you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group. Special thanks to our producer/editor: Henry Smart-Denson
Episodes
3 days ago
3 days ago
Folks this is a jaw-dropping self-defense success story! Meet Ashlyn Johnson, a martial artist of many years who uses her skills and experience to help make the world a better place. Here’s Ashlyn’s bio:
Ashlyn Johnson, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, CNE
Dr. Johnson is an assistant professor of nursing and a dual-certified family nurse practitioner and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. She maintains clinical practice providing psychiatric services to patients struggling with substance use disorders. Her service and research agendas focus on mental health and empowerment, particularly related to interpersonal violence, trauma, and resilience. She is currently investigating the relationship between self-defense training, trauma, PTSD symptoms, and resilience. Outside of work, she enjoys tea and a good book, martial arts, travel, and spending time with her 4-year-old daughter.
Friday May 24, 2024
Friday May 24, 2024
We’ve got an award-willing guest speaking with us and we’re about to learn a lot about the origins of the women's self-defense movement in the United States. Turn up your volume and put on your thinking cap. Here we go!
Wendy Rouse, among many other things, is a historian who teaches at San Jose State University in CA. She’s a researcher, the author of various articles and several books, and as the program coordinator for the History/Social Science Teacher Preparation Program at SJSU she also mentors other people who want to become educators.
- Wendy’s website:com
- Her Own Hero – The Origins of the Women’s Self Defense Movement: https://wendylrouse.com/research/
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Thank you!
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #empowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #herownhero, #wendylrouse, #womensselfdefensehistory
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Stephanie Cyr has started an Empowerment Self Defense Program at SFSU that is rolling out in the Fall of 2024! In this episode, she’ll tell us all about it, share a wonderful self-defense success story and so much more. Our wide-ranging conversation covers how great it will be when we can make ESD a standardized course offering in all public schools and how ESD can impact health, along with positivity and lots of hope for the future of this movement.
Stephanie’s Website: www.powerupmoves.com or you can check me out on Connect with Stephanie: On LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-cyr-j-d-433274171/ or through Instagram @powerupmoves
Also Mentioned:
The National Women’s Martial Arts Federation
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #empowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity
Thursday Feb 15, 2024
Thursday Feb 15, 2024
Did you know that complying and playing along are essential tools you already have in your toolkit? It can help us buy time to get help or get to safety. Join host Silvia Smart as she shares how one person “played along” to stop an attempted rape and get to safety.
Our stories are important. YOUR stories are important! Consider sharing your story with me and with my listeners.
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #empowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #complying #playingalong #successstory
Monday Jan 15, 2024
Monday Jan 15, 2024
Host Silvia Smart and author Lauren Taylor discuss this newly released book which is an excellent resource for everyone – those interested in empowerment, in self-defense and instructors of ESD as well. Join Silvia and Lauren as they do some of the exercises in the book and chat about the ins and outs of this fascinating publication worthy of a read!
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Buy “Get Empowered” by Nadia Telsey and Lauren Taylor
Support this important work:
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #empowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #getempowered
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Smart shares one of her favorite success stories in which a person running solo through the woods gets free after an attack from behind.
Special thanks to my editor, Collin Taber (@that2ndtaberkid)
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #selfdefensesuccessstory, #successstory
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Join host Silvia Smart on the Camino de Santiago. Thank you, listeners, for 10,000 downloads! 😘
Monday Sep 04, 2023
Monday Sep 04, 2023
There’s a clear uptick in mass shootings across the country leading to lots of fear, confusion, and anguish. Who better to talk to than the FBI? Join me and my guest, Special Agent in Charge of the Portland FBI, Kieran Ramsey.
We discuss how regular people like you and me can help prevent mass shootings and play a role in stopping this disturbing cycle of violence. (Hint: it will not make the news.) We discuss the ins and outs, ups and downs of knowing what to look for, fact versus myth, reporting, planning, preparation, and yes, believe it or not, empowerment!
Many thanks to SAC Ramsey for sharing his experience and wisdom as we negotiate the complex landscape we all live in right now.
Please share this episode far and wide. Together, we can create a kinder and safer world, one relationship at a time. We’ve got this!
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
- Call 911
- Call Your Local Non-Emergency Police Phone Number: Directory by City
- Report to the FBI
- Contact Your Local FBI Field Office
- FBI Phone #: 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)
Trauma-Informed Active Shooter Trainings with Silvia
Special thanks to my editor, Henry Smart-Denson
Other Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #empowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #activeshooter, #fbiportland, #activeshootertraining, #massshooterprevention,
Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
Tuesday Jul 25, 2023
Folks, Florida is on the front lines right now. There are huge safety concerns brought on by the cruel laws, restrictions, rhetoric, and policies of Ron DeSantis and his friends that are affecting many people. Because of this, Equality Florida, along with the NAACP and the League of United Latin American Citizens, have all issued travel advisories for the State of Florida.
I wanted to find out more and am thrilled to introduce you to Brandon Wolf, the Press Secretary of Equality Florida.
In April 2023, Brandon’s organization, Equality Florida warned against traveling to the state of Florida for folks in the LGBTQ+ community saying it could be risky and potentially unsafe. The warning says: “Taken in their totality, Florida’s slate of laws and policies targeting basic freedoms and rights pose a serious risk to the health and safety of those traveling to the state.”
The League of United Latin American Citizens issued its own warning, saying bluntly: “Traveling to Florida is dangerous.” The advisory goes on to say travel in Florida “can be unsafe for people of color, individuals who speak with an accent, and international travelers,” and people in those groups could face “a heightened risk of harassment, possible detainment, and potential family separation based on racial profiling.”
From the New York Times: The NAACP became the latest to issue a travel advisory to the Sunshine State, warning that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s “aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools” have turned the state into an openly hostile place for people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Before traveling to Florida, please understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”
Equality Florida is on social media everywhere: @equalityFL
Brandon’s Book is available NOW!
Special thanks to my editor, Henry Smart-Denson
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #empowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #equalityflorida
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
If we’re gonna talk about Empowerment Self Defense, we have to talk about denial. When talking with survivors of sexual assault and survivors of other types of relational violence it is common to hear that the survivor had a funny feeling something was wrong but then doubted themselves or rationalized or minimized their intuition and flat out ignored it. This is called denial.
Denial can put us at risk and because of that, breaking through denial in all the ways it manifests in our lives keeps us safer. Period. Looking at and talking about denial is directly connected to empowerment self-defense AND to our safety as we walk through the world.
Mentioned in this episode:
Brené Brown, Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution.
Gavin De Becker’s Book, “Protecting the Gift”
On Assignment with Audie Cornish
Katherine White’s Blog on Denial
Links to Empowerment Self Defense Classes near you:
The National Women’s Martial Arts Federation – Please note, you might need to check back because the list of current certified instructors is being updated.
Zoom Self Defense Classes with Silvia
Special thanks to my editor, Collin Taber (@that2ndtaberkid)
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #denial