A Fighting Chance + Videos
An Adventure A Week
As I travel, I continue to meet individuals who embrace ideas and ideals, who have conviction and courage, who live with purpose and with passion. There is a generosity of spirit that unites these folks, fed by a determination to overcome personal adversity that is honest and intimate and revealing.
I strongly believe it’s what you do during the tough times that defines your character. One of these fiery people is Yudit-Sensei, who not only survived sexual violence but also harnessed their hardships so that others could have better lives.
Making an Impact
I came within Yudit’s orbit in a roundabout way. Before setting out on my extended travels, I decided to learn how to defend myself. I signed up for IMPACT, an empowerment self-defense training program to prevent interpersonal violence. It turns out I underestimated both the long-term value of the training and the class’s immediate physical and emotional demands.
Our class had 12 students—all females between the ages of 14 and 53. There was one mother-daughter team, several students, a lawyer, a nurse, and a belly dancer. All of us had been physically abused, sexually harassed, or stalked. Several had taken out restraining orders against men from past relationships. Half of the women in the class had been raped.
Our IMPACT instructor was a woman who had survived a sexual assault. She was accompanied by 2 female assistants, who were also survivors of violence, and 2 men dressed in suits of full-body armor.
Throughout the 3-day course, we were continually overpowered in real-life scenarios that forced us to react to violent situations. We learned psychological and physical survival techniques, including how to fight to save our lives. It was exhausting.
I left the training each Sunday physically bruised and emotionally weary. As a group, we women were reliving each other’s physical attacks and confronting our collective fears.
Blinded by Adversity
I myself had survived several attempted muggings. In both incidents, I had been attacked by my assailants from behind, so my training was tailored to include assaults that I couldn’t see coming.
In one particularly frightening drill, my would-be attackers slipped a bag over my head, and I had to fight my assailants blind. I admit, it took a few seconds to overcome the shock. I needed to quell my terror before I could summon the strength to fight back.
For those in the class who had been raped, the scenarios were especially frightening. The scenarios of their rapes were reenacted for the women to use their new defense techniques to repel their attackers and, most importantly, change the outcome of what had happened. As the training progressed each week, each of us turned into a fighter.
One of my empowerment self-defense training videos where I’m learning how to fight to survive. I still get flooded with emotion when I watch this.
Without a doubt, my IMPACT training was the most powerful experience of my life. Before the class, I considered myself an independent woman. I graduated from a women’s college, founded a women’s rights nonprofit organization, and owned my own business.
Yet the IMPACT training took my feelings of self-confidence to a new level. It was exactly what I needed before I headed out on my extended international travels.Every single day, I call to mind the techniques that I learned during my training. I replay them in my mind while walking to the beach, meeting a friend for dinner, entering an empty parking lot, riding in an elevator, or while sitting in a parked car.
Sharing Knowledge & Opportunity
I found the training so life-changing that I donated two scholarships for other women to benefit. The first scholarship went to a woman from my San Francisco Bay Area chapter. The second scholarship was designated for a woman from one of IMPACT’s other 11 chapters located throughout the U.S.
I decided to hold a competition, and the IMPACT chapter receiving the most votes garnered the second scholarship. To promote the charitable competition, I posted a video of my training on social media with a description of the IMPACT program. The Los Angeles chapter won, netting 360 out of a total of 866 votes cast.
Amazingly, the founder of the Jerusalem chapter of IMPACT, Yudit-Sensei, read about the competition and invited me to visit their organization, El HaLev Center for Violence Prevention, in Israel. El HaLev, which means “To The Heart,” teaches martial arts and self-defense training to women, children, seniors, and people with special needs.
Training for All Ages & Abilities
So during the first year of my extended trip, I traveled to Israel and spent a week consulting with Yudit-Sensei and her team. Working together, we formulated business development tactics and ways to promote and expand IMPACT teachings among diverse populations living in the Middle East. Through these meetings, I learned all about El HaLev’s important work.
I was especially interested in their program designed for Ethiopian Jewish—or Beta—women, who had recently immigrated to Israel. The Bet population was having a difficult time adapting to Israeli culture, which is very different from life in Ethiopia. As the men became disaffected, the Bet women were paying a high price through increased levels of domestic violence.
The organization also offered courses specifically for young Muslim women and for individuals confined to wheelchairs. I can clearly recall Yudit-Sensei demonstrating how a person with severe disabilities could use evasion techniques and cause harm to their attackers by biting.
Another highlight during my week at El HaLev was seeing the KidPACT program in action. KidPACT is a four-week summer school that provides martial arts training and personal safety tips to girls between 7-12 years of age. While specifically designed for children growing up in conflict areas, the focus on teaching awareness, self-confidence, and self-protection—life skills that are valuable to all women at any age.
Kids training during a KidPACT class at El HaLev.
Each day while working at El HaLev, I would take a break to peek in at the KidPACT class. I was thrilled to see such young girls learning to set boundaries and defend themselves by raising their voices and using their newfound strength. During my time volunteering, I donated an additional 2 scholarships shared among 4 girls, allowing each of them to attend the special summer school session.
A Dedicated Teacher
I thoroughly appreciated volunteering at El HaLev and especially enjoyed meeting the women who worked there, including its co-founder and executive director, Yudit-Sensei. This woman is a true force, with a third-degree black belt in judo. She volunteers as a Special Olympics judo referee, she is a survivor of rape and sexual abuse, and she is a mother of five.
What’s most remarkable about Yudit-Sensei is that she comes from a family of means and doesn’t have to work. Yet instead of living a life of leisure, she chose to use her inheritance to open El HaLev.
Toiling tirelessly, she personally provides self-defense training not just in Israel but around the world. Yudit-Sensei has dedicated her life to helping those who are vulnerable learn how to defend themselves.
Her dedication comes from a place of true altruism. She intimately understands the injustices of a world where women are often preyed upon and overpowered.
In my mind, Yudit-Sensei named her organization “To The Heart” appropriately, as she shares her heart with all of us. I not only admire and respect her ability to overcome personal adversity, but also her decision to dedicate her life to helping others learn to survive.
Free IMPACT Training
I now work within the IMPACT organization, helping promote empowerment self-defense skills through a mobile app called MyPwr. The CEO of MyPwr, Kochava Ayoun, had generously offered Nomad Life readers free access to the training.
MyPwr Mobile App: Download MyPwr and choose the Nomad Life option from the pull-down menu. Google Play | Apple Store
Travel Safety Bootcamp™: On Aug. 28, I will be hosting a LIVE empowerment self-defense training bootcamp that applies the training to situations we all encounter while traveling the world. Sign up today
Note: I regret that I feel I need to say this… The political situation in Israel has changed over the years. Many of us deplore the treatment of Palestinians today, yet we all understand that people and organizations are not their governments. Good people are doing good work everywhere.
Have you ever felt unsafe? Do you feel more or less safe when traveling? What do you do to protect yourself and feel stronger?
⭐ An Adventure A Week is a serial based on my autobiography “Adventures Of A Nomad: 30 Inspirational Stories.” Can’t wait for the next installment? Get the book.
If you like this essay, please leave a comment or share it with others. This will help more readers find my work. 🦋 Thank you!
Christened “Wander Woman” by National Geographic, Erin Michelson is a professional speaker and author of the Nomad Life™ series of curated trips and travel guides, including the #1-ranked “Explore the World with Nomads.”
Training would be helpful at any age, middle school and high school girls.