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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
Thursday May 25, 2023
Thursday May 25, 2023
Hey listeners! If you haven’t had a chance to take an empowerment self-defense class and you want to, or if you know someone who’d like to, I’m teaching a beginning class in June on Zoom! I'd love to see you there!
Also, if you’re at all interested in my training around active shooter survival strategies, I’m doing an hour-long class a little later that same day.
Listen to find out more and if you'd like to register, here are the links I promised you so you can register:
Empowerment Self Defense Class
Surviving a Mass Shooting Incident Class
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
Meet Jill Shames, Empowerment Self Defense Instructor. Listen in as she and host, Silvia Smart, share a few self-defense success stories and talk about all the things the survivors did RIGHT! Find out why they recommend a perspective shift as you think through your own experiences! You are strong and powerful and Jill and Silvia believe in you!
Watch video of the self-defense success story Jill and Silvia talk about here.
Connect with Jill:
https://www.facebook.com/jedispiritmama
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, #selfdefensesuccessstories, #successstories
Saturday Apr 29, 2023
Saturday Apr 29, 2023
Meet Lauren Taylor who has been working to end gender-based violence since 1978, when she co-founded Washington, D.C.’s first shelter for abused women. As an empowerment self-defense teacher and founder-director of Defend Yourself, she’s trained more than 35,000 people in the D.C. area and elsewhere in the U.S. She's also trained dozens of trainers around the country and around the world.
Join us as we find out more about Lauren and what makes her tick. Learn about the book she co-authored with Nadia Telsey, which will be published in the fall! Importantly, follow the links here to learn how to pre-order the book and support this important work!
Connect with Lauren Taylor:
"Get Empowered: A Practical Guide to Thrive, Heal, and Embrace Your Confidence in a Sexist World" will be at bookstores October 3! You can support the book by pre-ordering here!
Lauren R. Taylor: she/they
301.608.3708
FB: thedefendyourself
IG: @thedefendyourself
Twitter: @1defendyourself
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, #empowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Thursday Apr 20, 2023
Join host Silvia Smart as she shares pieces of her journey to empowerment and survival from a cult-like martial arts system. Listen to the red flags that crop up around these dysfunctional and sometimes dangerous systems and people.
Cults and charismatic leaders with ill intent are everywhere – Qanon, NXIVM, Scientology, and The Children of God, are just a few examples. Cults and narcissistic, manipulative, and sociopathic leaders exist within conspiratorial cultures, churches, and spiritual groups. People get stuck in these systems - especially when they are vulnerable. Learn the signs so you can protect yourself and stay safe.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Two episodes of: We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle about the cult, NXIVM:
Zoom Self Defense Classes with Silvia
Special thanks to my editors!
Henry Smart-Denson &
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, #cult, #isurvivedacult
Saturday Apr 08, 2023
Saturday Apr 08, 2023
Smart shares a surprising self-defense success story that is near and dear to her heart. Find out how her 90-year-old dad responded when he was choked from behind while walking down the street!
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, #chokebehind
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
Thursday Jan 26, 2023
Join host, Silvia Smart and her guest, Tasha Ina Church, an empowerment self-defense teacher with a life story you want to hear about! On her website, she writes: “Empowerment goes beyond physical safety. It is understanding that YOU have a VOICE and that voice has POWER — It’s about knowing that in any fight; physical, psychological, or emotional, YOU are Worth Fighting For!”
Get inspired, and then check out all of Tasha’s links:
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, #elleliveaction, @elleliveaction
Sunday Jan 01, 2023
Sunday Jan 01, 2023
Happy New Year! It’s 2023 and I’m glad you are here!
Welcome to my new listeners. I hope you find something here that helps you out or inspires you to become your most empowered self. Listen to this quick recording to get your sea legs and hear my quick recommendations about how to listen.
My hope for all of us is that we keep defining who we are, what our values are, and what our boundaries are, and then practice using all our muscles – the ones that allow us to speak up, speak out and protect ourselves.
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,
Thursday Dec 29, 2022
Thursday Dec 29, 2022
Empowerment is a lifelong journey. Celebrate your wins and contemplate your next steps. Join host, Silvia Smart, as she shares a piece of her journey into and beyond a lifelong challenge that impacted every area of her life. Find out how she vanquished her dragon and lived to tell about it. Think through what's on the horizon for YOU!
Empowerment means doing stuff that is hard and scary, looking at the way we limit ourselves, the way society limits us…and facing it, moving through it, living to tell about it, seeing, feeling, and knowing how strong and powerful we are because of these choices and this journey! Importantly, going on to share our experiences, challenges, and successes can become a way of helping others who face similar trials and tribulations. You are already amazing!
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
LINKS:
Video about Joseph Campbell, “Finding Joe” (beware, it’s heavy on references to men.)
My blog on Food Addiction has links to the program that is working for me.
Tia, my amazing personal trainer
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, #becauseisaidiwould, #brightlineeating, #ble, #findingjoe,
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
Are you ready to set a Zero Tolerance Policy? Is another person’s behavior toward you hurtful, demeaning, disrespectful, or downright threatening? In this episode, we contemplate our tolerance levels for others’ behaviors. We think through becoming ready to make a boundary and draw a line: to have “Zero Tolerance”. We look at the planning and preparation needed to ensure we set ourselves up for the greatest success possible.
Hear two stories: one that illustrates a “mushy” policy and one that illustrates “Zero Tolerance”. Explore an example with host, Silvia Smart. Hear about the “Zero Tolerance Policy” of the NBA and yes, her favorite team, The Portland Trailblazers as they’ve codified it into expectations of fans at games.
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, #zerotolerance, #blazers, #trailblazers, #portlandtrailblazers
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Blowback is another person’s reaction when you reclaim your power, take up your space, set boundaries and make changes in your life. Blowback comes in a large variety of sizes and shapes and can look and feel many different ways. Ultimately, it’s about the other person trying to maintain the status quo. It’s their way of trying to keep the power dynamic between you from changing.
Like all of our self-defense, the level of blowback will vary up and down the continuum of assault and violence. When you know it’s coming and can plan and prepare for it, you get to practice handling it. This practice helps you respond to blowback when the stakes are higher or if it comes as a surprise.
You have every right to claim your space, set boundaries, and step into your power. Here are some thoughts about blowback and some tools for your self-defense toolkit to deal with it when it happens to you.
Chances are good that as you set boundaries and step into empowerment, you WILL get blowback. So be prepared! You’ve got this!
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, #blowback