076 - INTERVIEW: The Four Elements and Self Defense with Alice Alexandrescu
Born to Be a Badass
Alice Alexandrescu is an options facilitator who helps people identify and protect their mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical boundaries. Currently, she is mentoring under Tony Blauer in his SPEAR System Elite Masterclass. She is an Army veteran, holds a Master of Fine Arts in Behavioral Aesthetics and is a qualified mental health associate skills trainer. In 2020, Alice was awarded third place in the National Veterans’ Art Festival for her piece entitled, “888 Paper Cranes”, which she gradually completed while hospitalized for PTSD. Saying, “during my treatment, crushing...
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075 - FIERCE AND FEMALE - BEHAVIORAL CUES
Born to Be a Badass
Melissa Soalt is a women’s self-defense pioneer, a black belt hall of fame recipient, former trauma psychotherapist, and the creator of Fierce & Female Self Defense. She is a forerunner in full-force padded assailant scenario training, her approach is both practical and transformational. She has taught thousands of women how to safeguard their boundaries, protect themselves from danger and resist attack while reconnecting women with deep-seated, primal and emotional powers to live safer, bolder, and fuller lives and to reverse female fear. Melissa is an outspoken advocate for...
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074 - INTERVIEW: Recognizing Safety Nets with Raven Scott
Born to Be a Badass
Raven Scott is a survivor of an abusing relationship with a narcissist, she’s gone from being a people pleaser to a kick-ass author, podcaster, and mentor and she’s a certified meditation teacher and a Destiny Coach. She teaches women how to shed negative patterns one step at a time, to find their power and potential through healing so that they can kick ass in their own life. Raven has a terrific podcast called “Unlock Your Destiny” and she recently published a book that’s a memoir combined with an empath’s healing guide, that book is called “Empath and The Narcissist: A Healing...
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073 - INTERVIEW: Practicing Situational Awareness with M.E. Heald
Born to Be a Badass
M.E. Heald graduated 2006 with a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology, and in 2010 with a masters in Criminal Justice specific to gangs and youth offenders. She has worked all over the place, including food service, sales, a few years as a promotional and advertising model, a year as a Miller Light Gal, she has also been an advocate at a sexual assault center and has spent the last 7 years as a corrections officer, the last 9 as a case manager. She trains new staff in self-defense, control tactics, crisis intervention, motivational interviewing, scenario-based trainings, conflict...
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072 - INTERVIEW: The Process of Healing Trauma with Wendy Keir
Born to Be a Badass
Wendy Keir has spent her whole life recovering from the traumatic aftereffects of being institutionalized in the United Kingdom’s care system. She believes that healing from emotional and traumatic scars is an inside out job. The path to successful ongoing recovery and to breaking the cycle starts with your relationship with yourself and others, how you perceive the world around you and changing your inner world. In this episode, Wendy and I discuss: What is trauma and denial? Recognizing how trauma affects your life Processing your trauma and rebuilding back...
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071 - INTERVIEW: Real-world self-defense with Meredith Gold
Born to Be a Badass
About Meredith Gold: She is a scenario-based, full force, self defense instructor. She’s been teaching Adrenal Stress Scenario Training, also known as ASST to adults and teens since 1992 and started her empowerment-based assertive communication and self-defense program RAW Power: Real World Self-Defense in 2000. Meredith’s primary focus has always been teaching self-defense and verbal empowerment skills to previously untrained women and teens but her focus has expanded to other high risk targeted communities including LGBTQ and AAPI. She has also been instrumental in bringing awareness to...
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070 - FIERCE AND FEMALE - RAPE DEFENSE
Born to Be a Badass
Melissa Soalt is a women’s self-defense pioneer, a black belt hall of fame recipient, former trauma psychotherapist, and the creator of Fierce & Female Self Defense. She is a forerunner in full-force padded assailant scenario training, her approach is both practical and transformational. She has taught thousands of women how to safeguard their boundaries, protect themselves from danger and resist attack while reconnecting women with deep-seated, primal and emotional powers to live safer, bolder, and fuller lives and to reverse female fear. Melissa is an outspoken advocate for...
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069 - INTERVIEW: Advocating for Yourself with Alice Alexandrescu
Born to Be a Badass
Alice Alexandrescu is an options facilitator who helps people identify and protect their mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical boundaries. Currently, she is mentoring under Tony Blauer in his SPEAR System Elite Masterclass. She is an army veteran, holds a master of fine arts in behavioral aesthetics and is a qualified mental health associate skills trainer. In 2020, Alice was awarded third place in the National Veterans’ Art Festival for her piece entitled, “888 Paper Cranes”, which she gradually completed while hospitalized for PTSD. Saying, “during my treatment, crushing...
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068 - INTERVIEW: Setting Strong Boundaries With Randy King
Born to Be a Badass
Randy is an education-based self-defense coach with over 15 years of experience who has taught thousands of people all over the world to better understand conflict management and violence prevention. In his quest to help people better understand conflict and violence, he has had the privilege to work with a truly diverse group of people including communities such as the first nations in Canada, Women’s Shelters as well as professional organizations like law enforcement and private corporations. He also has an absolutely amazing podcast channel called Randy King Live. In this...
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067 - INTERVIEW: Becoming A Diamond with Aisya Carroll
Born to Be a Badass
Aisya Carroll is a certified life-coach, author, mentor, advocate for childhood trauma, a consultant and the CEO of Survivor Not By Chance LLC., whose mission is to help people cope with traumatic experiences by teaching them healthy coping mechanisms. Aisya has clients from across the globe with various backgrounds and experiences. She has mentored teenagers and young adults for over 15 years and is an advocate for children and adults affected by childhood trauma and domestic violence. Aisya volunteers to educate the community about racial injustice and systemic oppression in minority...
info_outline#500 Rising is a movement that stands on the strong shoulders of the women who have come before us. Our first mission is to train female instructors in essential self-defense, and to support them as they reach out to their communities and networks to make a difference in the stubborn statistics of violence against women. It was founded by Tammy Yard McCracken. The first instructor training was recently held in Minneapolis, MN, and today’s roundtable discussion features many of those who participated and who were certified as the first officially endorsed #500Rising instructors.
Tammy Yard McKracken is owner of Kore Self-Defense & Krav Maga and a globally certified expert level Krav Maga instructor. She is the third woman ever to earn an expert rank with Krav Maga Global (KMG) in North America. She is also one of the instructors for Violence Dynamics.
Allison DiRienzo Allison is co-founder of Wolf Dog Marketing, a full service digital design agency, an Executive Team member of the #500Rising and Violence Dynamics organizations, a Board Member on She's Local and the Metrowest Conference for Women, and is a kickboxing instructor. She lives and trains martial arts in the greater Boston area with her husband and two giant wolf dogs.
Kasey Keckeisen is a police officer in Minnesota and is an executive officer on the force’s tactical team. He has been training in martial arts for more than 25+ years and holds 6th degree black belts in Judo, Jujitsu, and Aikido and a black belt in Taiho Jutsu. Kasey is one of the founders of Violence Dynamics.
Liisa Carter is a civilian follower of Violence Dynamics and a participant of the 500 Rising training.
Sheena Williams experience is working in private security working hand in hand with law enforcement in an ER setting. She has since opened her own self-defense school and has been working there for 8+ years where she utilizes her skills in martial arts that she has been practicing for nearly a decade.
Tia Keck along with her husband owns the Rock Hill Martial Arts gym. Tia is also an advocate of training for women to help them be safer not just feel safer.
Kelly Sayre is the owner of Diamond Arrow Group where the training includes situational awareness, pre threat indicators, reading body language, while also making and reinforcing your boundaries.
Amy Stewart Cooper is from Boise, Idaho, and has been training in martial arts for 8-10 years. She has been teaching women’s self-defense for a year and going to self-defense seminars for 3 years.
Maggy Rae (Emme) is a self-defense trainer who spent 14 years in the corrections field and was also an officer for 7 years. She believes it is OK to have the fighter mindset and still be feminine.
Lisa Abbott is the owner of Subtle Warrior Self-Defense in northeastern Nevada and she spends her time traveling to teach at self-defense seminars.
In this episode, the Guests and I discuss:
- The #500Rising movement and the recent Foundations Training for the first group of #500Rising instructors
- What prevents women from attending a self-defense course?
- Why have Women’s-only as opposed to mixed-gender self-defense and training courses?
- Benefits and positive challenges within the 500 Rising Training.
- The advice and corresponding resources to improve self and familial protection abilities.
Key Takeaways:
- Being understanding and making the training and self-defense environment comfortable for women that have been in negative and triggering past scenarios.
- Distinguishing between the actions of being responsible for and responsible to a person.
- Utilizing teach-backs in training. While intimidating, it is also a useful teaching tool for constructive feedback, and to help you improve as an instructor and coach.
- Trust your instinct and intuition that you can defend yourself.
"Trust your intuition, always. When you get that feeling that something’s not quite right, listen to it." — Amy Stewart Cooper
Mentioned: Be your Own Body Guard Training by Coach Blauer
Connect with Tammy Yard McKracken:
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tammyyardmccracken/, www.facebook.com/KoreKraveMaga
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tammyyardmccracken
Connect with Alison DiRienzo:
Website: https://wolfdogmarketing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolfdogmarketing/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/wolfdogmktg/
Connect with Kasey Keckeisen:
Website: http://violencedynamics.com/
Connect with Sheena Williams:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/kravmagasalem/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN0wzV6Kf5jXVTpvB6iMx-g
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KravMagaSalem
Website: https://kravsalem.com/
Connect with Tia Keck:
Website: https://www.facebook.com/rockhillmartialarts/
Connect with Kelly Sayre:
Website: https://thediamondarrowgroup.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thediamondarrowgroup/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDiamondArrowGroup/
Connect with Amy Stewart Cooper:
Instagram: @streetshieldselfdefense
Blogger: [email protected]
You Tube: Street Shield Self-Defense
Connect with Maggy (Emme):
Instagram: @mheald10
Facebook: Maggy Rae
Connect with Lisa Abbott:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SubtleWarriorSelfDefense
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/subtlewarriorselfdefense/
Website: https://subtlewarriorselfdefense.com/
CONNECT WITH CYNTHIA:
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If you work in the self-defense world, are a survivor, a healer or otherwise BADASS woman and you would like to be interviewed by Cynthia, reach out at [email protected]
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