Rise Self-Protection

05/27/2025

When a grown man attacked her, she slammed him to the ground, broke his ankle and escaped.

She's 13.
She learned jiu-jitsu.
And she won.

Last week in California, a 13-year-old girl walking home was ambushed by a stranger. Described as "6ft tall and muscular", he jumped out from between to cars and tried to punch her in the face.

He outweighed her.

He overpowered her.

He underestimated her.

She used her training to break free, knee him, throw him to the ground—And run to safety.

This is what we train for.

In self-defense, your daughters will learn to:

💥Spot danger early
💥Trust their instincts
💥Protect their body
💥Say "NO" and mean it.

This isn't just another martial arts class or kids sport. This is realistic, effective self-protection for women by women. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has been proven for a century to be the best martial art for smaller individuals to defend themselves from larger, stronger threats, but only if it's taught correctly.

Your daughters won't just leave stronger—they'll leave more confident, more prepared, and much, much harder to hurt.

Help her become her own greatest protector.

Self-defense is for girls and women of every age.

📍 Barefoot Fitness & Pilates, Driggs

Wednesdays
Girls 8–13: 4:30–5:30 PM
Women 13+: 5:30–6:30 PM

Message me or visit www.RiseSelfProtection.com to learn more.

https://people.com/girl-fends-off-attacker-jiu-jitsu-11741881

A 13-year-old girl in California was attacked during her walk home from school

05/09/2025

Self-defense is more than just another sport—it’s a life skill. While activities like soccer or dance build coordination and confidence, self-defense teaches children how to protect themselves in real-world situations. It goes beyond fitness by building mental resilience, emotional intelligence, and situational awareness.

A self-defense class doesn’t just train the body—it trains the brain to recognize unsafe situations, trust instincts, and respond with clarity and confidence. It teaches kids how to assert boundaries, stand up to bullies, ask for help, and stay calm under pressure.

Unlike most sports, the goal isn't to win—it's to survive, escape, and stay safe. And the self-trust that comes from knowing “I can protect myself” stays with them for life.

Classes for girls ages 8-13 happen every Wednesday from 4:30-5:30 at Barefoot Fitness & Pilates in Driggs.

Visit www.RiseSelfProtection.com for more details and to sign up.

04/08/2025

🚨 Free Self-Defense & Boundary Workshops for Groups in Teton Valley! 🚨

For the next couple of months, I’m offering FREE 90-minute self-protection workshops to women’s and girls’ groups right here in the valley. These sessions are more than just a team-building activity—they’re an opportunity to walk away feeling empowered, connected, and capable of more than you ever thought possible.
Here is what Marley(10) had to say:

Before you started training, what were your plans to keep yourself safe?

“My mom always told me that if anybody tries to kidnap you, do anything you can to get out. She even said you can swear at them. Now I feel like my game plan is different because if they would have strangled me, I would not know what to do. I did not know it took six seconds to get knocked out from that. I didn’t know how to get somebody off of me besides bucking continuously, but that would just wear me out instead of them.”

Do you feel like it would be difficult for you to yell at somebody to back up and stay away from you because you don’t want to be rude?

“No, I feel like if I was in that situation, I would scream “Get the EFF away from me!”

What kind of advice would you give someone your age?

“Call for help as loud as you can. Fight back and draw attention to yourself. But if I had hours and hours, I’d show them all of the techniques!”
The bottom line is that when women and girls learn to protect themselves—physically, emotionally, and psychologically—something shifts. Confidence becomes primal. You stop moving through the world like an easy target. You start showing up with a whole new energy.

We’ll cover boundary-setting, de-escalation, and physical defense skills that are effective, beginner-friendly, and trauma-informed. It’s a perfect experience for youth groups, coworking teams, sports teams, or a circle of friends who want to support each other in powerful ways.

To book a private workshop, reach out to me at [email protected] or give me a call. I’d love to help your group rise together.

03/25/2025

Most women freeze in dangerous situations—not because they're weak, but because no one ever taught them what to do.

That hesitation can cost you everything. Predators look for easy targets—and if you don't have a plan, you are their plan.

In just one class, you’ll walk taller, hit harder, and learn how to become a nightmare target. You’ll leave safer, stronger… and harder to kill.

Come try a class. The first one’s free—and it might just change your life.

03/22/2025

🥋 Self-Defense Classes for Women & Girls in Teton Valley 🥋
Not All Harassment Looks the Same
Some people yell.
Some leer.
Some slowly test your boundaries like they’re checking for cracks in the wall.
But make no mistake—every one of them is trying to take something from you: your voice, your comfort, your power.

The problem is that most women have been taught to “brush it off” or “be nice,” even when someone’s words or actions make their skin crawl. But harassment isn’t just about bad behavior—it’s a strategy.
There’s Dominance Harassment, where someone tries to prove they’re in control.
Predatory Harassment, where they slowly desensitize you.
Strategic Harassment, where they want to silence or punish you.
And Territorial Harassment, which tells you loud and clear: “This space isn’t for you.”

The worst part is most women aren’t just shocked when it happens—they’re frozen.
Because no one ever taught us what to do.
Not when the creepy coworker leans too close.
Not when the stranger follows you to your car.
Not when the “friend” crosses a line one too many times.
But what if you had an answer for all of them?
At Rise Self-Protection, we don’t just talk about what harassment looks like—we learn what to do about it.
✅ We train verbal responses that disrupt their strategy.
✅ We practice boundary-setting that commands respect.
✅ And when words don’t work?
We learn to fight back—strategically, effectively, and without hesitation. Including one technique so powerful, you can use your attacker’s own T-shirt to render them unconscious and escape to safety. Yes—seriously.
Want to know how?
🖤 Come to class. Learn the tactics. Reclaim your power.
Because surviving isn’t about being nice—it’s about being ready.
📍 Classes held at Barefoot Fitness & Pilates, Driggs
🕒 Girls 8-13: Wednesdays 4:30-5:30 PM & Saturdays 11:30-12:30 PM
🕒 Women 13+: Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 PM & Saturdays 12:30-1:30 PM

💥 Your first class is free.

03/05/2025

Ladies, grab your bestie and join us for a free class!

This is THE BEST way to introduce yourself to self-protection in a safe, fun and collaborative environment where anyone can learn.

- No experience necessary
- Wear comfortable clothes that cover your knees and shoulders
- Adult and youth classes every week

Girl's Classes: Wednesdays 4:30-5:30 & Saturdays 11:30-12:30
Women's Classes: Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 & Saturdays 12:30-1:30

Your first class is free but you MUST PRE-REGISTER to save your spot at www.RiseSelfProtection.com

03/03/2025

For centuries, women have been defending themselves in creative and powerful ways—long before formal self-defense classes even existed. And in honor of the women whose shoulders we stand on, I’m offering a FREE class to anyone who wants to reframe how they think about self-protection.

If you think self-defense classes are:

❌ Intimidating
❌ Unrealistic
❌ Competitive
❌ Embarrassing
❌ Unprofessional
❌ Designed only for martial artists
❌ Just an excuse to get thrown into sparring

Let me change your mind.

✅ My curriculum is structured, strategic, and trauma-informed
✅ Classes are female-only, supportive, and empowering
✅ Techniques are practical, beginner-friendly, and proven to work
✅ No macho energy. No intimidation. Just real skills that expand your life

Women’s self-protection isn’t about shrinking in fear—it’s about stepping into the power you already possess.

💜 Grab a friend and Join me for a free class this month and experience it for yourself.

📍 Barefoot Fitness & Pilates, Driggs

🕒 Wednesdays & Saturdays – Youth & Adult Classes Available

Visit www.RiseSelfProtection.com to learn more

International Women’s Day is about empowerment, strength, and taking up space. This is a chance to build confidence, skills, and awareness in a supportive, uplifting environment. Whether you’ve been thinking about training or just want to try something new—this is the perfect time.

The only thing you'll regret is not starting sooner.

02/15/2025

Are you tired of feeling like a doormat?

Let me help you off the floor.

Most of us were never taught how to set boundaries—especially with the people closest to us.

So we stay silent when we should speak up. We over-explain. We feel responsible for other people’s reactions. And before we know it, we’re exhausted, frustrated, and we don’t like them anymore.
Sound familiar?

A friend constantly pushes your limits, but you don’t want to seem mean.

A family member guilt-trips you or makes snide comments.
Your boss keeps piling on work, and you say yes even though you're drowning.

Your problem isn’t that you need to be "tougher"—you just need a better way to communicate your boundaries.

That’s exactly what we’re covering in today’s class: Boundary Setting Hacks for Friends, Family & People in Your Life.

📍 Where: Barefoot Fitness and Pilates, Driggs

🕒 When: Youth 11:30-1:30 Adult 12:30-1:30

💡 What You’ll Learn:

✅ The biggest mistakes people make when setting boundaries (and how to avoid them!)

✅ How to say no without guilt, conflict, or burning bridges

✅ A simple formula to make people actually want respect your boundaries

✅ 👊 Self-Defense Techniques: Guard Get-Up (Standard) & False Surrender—because people set boundaries they know they can enforce. Learn how to use boundaries to buy yourself more time and open windows of opportunity to escape from one of the worst-case scenarios a woman can face.

Don’t let another awkward, frustrating conversation drain you.
Come to class and take back control of your time, energy, and peace.

Say something in the comments if you’re coming! Or DM me for details.

02/12/2025

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.

02/10/2025

¡Wow, qué semana!

Enseñar estas clases de autodefensa ya me ha dado momentos increíblemente poderosos.

Nuestro grupo sigue siendo pequeño, pero no creo que se quede así por mucho tiempo. Una vez que más personas se den cuenta de lo impactantes que son estas clases, sé que más mujeres y niñas vendrán. Ya puedo verlo sucediendo.

Una de mis alumnas más jóvenes me dejó sin palabras esta semana. Durante nuestra segunda clase, explicó con claridad lo que habíamos hablado unos días antes:
✅ Siempre confía en tu intuición.
✅ Una de las mayores señales de advertencia con extraños es la atención indebida.

Luego me explicó exactamente cómo respondería en esa situación: manteniendo distancia y poniendo una barrera entre ella y la amenaza.

Me quedé sorprendida y le pregunté:
"¡Guau! ¿Dónde aprendiste todo esto?"

Ella sonrió y respondió:
"¡De ti, la semana pasada! Fui a casa y practiqué con mi familia."

Solo por la forma en que hablaba, supe que había internalizado la lección. No fue solo algo que escuchó—lo hizo suyo. En ese momento, lo sentí en mis huesos: esa pequeña pieza de información la hizo subir de nivel.

Me encanta eso para ella. Lo quiero para todas las niñas.

Rompiendo Barreras—Literalmente y Figurativamente
Otra clase trajo un desafío diferente: una barrera del idioma. Algunas cosas se perdieron en la traducción, pero el lenguaje corporal de la autodefensa es universal.

✔️ Distancia segura: Entendido.
✔️ Bloquear un derribo: ¡Lo logró!
✔️ Establecer un límite verbal fuerte: ¡Perfecto!

Practicamos decir "¡No!" y compartimos las palabras para "¡Atrás!" en inglés y español.

También entregué un folleto en español sobre la ciencia de la intuición para que mi alumna hispanohablante pudiera acceder a la misma información profunda que el resto de la clase.

Una cosa que noté: Le costó trabajo levantar la voz. Imagino que para muchas mujeres hispanas en este país, sentirse segura al hablar fuerte no es fácil. Para muchas, su mejor opción para mantenerse a salvo ha sido hacerse invisibles—encogerse, no llamar la atención.

Pero las mujeres no merecen una vida en las sombras.

Todas merecemos ocupar espacio, sentirnos fuertes y estar seguras.

El Gran Reto: Necesito Más Estudiantes
Esta semana me reafirmó algo importante: esto funciona. Ya está cambiando vidas. Pero para mantenerlo, necesito más estudiantes.

Un par de estudiantes por clase no es suficiente para que esto sea sostenible a largo plazo.

Y sinceramente… esto es más grande que la autodefensa.
Muchas de nosotras queremos o necesitamos mejorar nuestro inglés o español, ¿verdad?

Esta clase es el lugar perfecto para construir un puente entre las mujeres de habla inglesa y las de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.

Así que invita a esa compañera de trabajo con la que solo puedes decir "hi". Usa Google Translate y escríbele una nota.

Acércate a tus amigas—porque somos más fuertes juntas.

💜 Hermandad por siempre. 💜

(Usé ChatGPT para ayudarme a traducir mi publicación al español. Por favor, perdóname si no es perfecta. Mi español no es perfecto, pero no importa. Ven de todas formas. Mándame un mensaje si tienes preguntas. )

02/10/2025

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.

02/08/2025

It's Self-Defense Saturday! Here is a sneak peak at what we're learning today. But first, check out this story I found on Reddit about how intuition can save your life.

"Fishing with my uncle on the sea-face of a jagged peninsula. About ten metres above the waves crashing against the cliff. At one point I suddenly got this anxious feeling, and began desperately pulling equipment up the cliff face. My uncle looked at me, looked at my face, and didn't even stop to ask what I was doing, he just grabbed stuff and followed me. Four seconds later a monster wave swamped where we'd been standing. We would have been washed into rough seas slamming against a cliff - at 4am in the morning.

I think I must have picked up on the rhythm of the waves subconsciously, then when there was a lull my reptile brain started screaming at me - danger!!!"

Wild, right?!

People are prediction machines- where we realize it or not, we are constantly forecasting what is going to happen next.

Every time you get behind the wheel, you’re making thousands of split-second predictions about what the cars around you are going to do. You anticipate that the car in front of you will brake at a red light, that the driver merging onto the freeway will speed up, or that a pedestrian lingering at a crosswalk might step out at the last second. You don’t consciously think through each of these possibilities, but your brain processes them automatically, helping you navigate traffic at high speeds without colliding into others.

Every interaction we have, every movement we see, every conversation we engage in is filtered through past experiences that help us anticipate what comes next. When someone reaches out for a handshake, you expect it to be friendly. When a stranger suddenly steps too close to you, you might tense up before you even register why. That’s because your brain is running a constant risk assessment based on everything you’ve ever seen, felt, or learned.

This is why intuition is so powerful—it’s not magic, it’s data processing. Your subconscious picks up on patterns before your conscious mind catches up. If someone’s tone, movement, or behavior doesn’t match the patterns you’ve come to expect, your brain flags it as unusual, even if you can’t immediately explain why. That’s why sometimes you “just know” something is off—your brain has seen this scenario before, and it’s trying to warn you.

Today's lessons are about intuition and how to deal with being tackled.

Visit www.RiseSelfProtection.com to sign up!