Pretty Deadly Podcast

Kate asks about the value of pressure points—targeting the throat, eyes, or groin to gain leverage in a self-defense situation. While actually hitting a target or pressure point could strengthen your position, Susie explains why focusing on pressure points and targets is not the best strategy to protect yourself. As these targets can be difficult to strike in an actual attack because so much movem...

Have you ever been told not to wear your headphones when running or walking alone? What is the implicit messaging here and is it really preventing an attacker? Is asking a woman not to wear headphones akin to telling women to dress less sexy? Is it a woman’s responsibility to stop an attacker? Do her actions and choices make her a target? Susie explores the misconceptions around the “no-headphones...

Susie & Kate talk about how our natural or biological self-defense system is always on, even in our sleep. Knowing more about how our natural self-defense system works can help us to pay attention when we are getting warning signals. Kate and Susie also talk about the way our bodies fight for us to keep us alive in both conscious and subconscious ways. We both get a bit emotional around the idea t...

Susie answers questions about weapons: carrying weapons, mace, knives, and whether they are useful or necessary in a self-defense situation. She explains how to prepare yourself if you do want to carry a weapon. In so many cases a weapon can be used against you and so it’s important to understand the risks of carrying a gun or knife. Also, using everyday items like your keys. What are you really g...

Kate asks Susie how to handle different angles of attack, for example, how to deal with a frontal, side, or an attack from the back. In this episode, Susie explains some theory around defense, including the disruption of a flow. Rather than hitting back or defending an attack, you are disrupting the flow, by moving out of the way. When someone is coming forward, she returns to the frontal kick, an...

Kate and Susie talk about how pregnancy can create new vulnerabilities for women and the ways that they can prepare and protect themselves. Susie explains why pregnant women should familiarize themselves with a new center of gravity, using our heightened senses, including smells, as a weapon of self-defense. This episode also covers working with maternal instincts like covering your belly in the e...

What should we keep in mind when traveling in a new country? This episode is about how to acclimate to a new environment, ways we make ourselves vulnerable, why there is nothing wrong with showing fear. When should we run if we sense we are in danger? Susie also talks about using luggage as a weapon, self and spatial awareness, and other ways we can protect ourselves. Why we should pay attention t...

Susie describes in detail a few need-to-know moves including the Open the Door Kick, the “Shut Up Move” and a plank type position if you are backed up against the wall. This is a must-hear episode if you have 15 minutes to learn a few basic self defense moves. Susie & Kate also talk about how to create space, center of gravity, and moving the center before moving your head. Hosted on Acast. See ac...

This episode digs deeper into her martial art, Ninjutsu, the story of the most powerful ninja (hint-it’s a woman), and how this particular martial art can be transformed and learned for use in everyday self-defense. Susie also discusses the ways in which women are socialized from a very young age in a way that can help them to strategize and think in dangerous scenarios and how this helps us prepa...

After Susie’s attack, she wanted to protect herself, to find a martial art that would restore her sense of strength, power, and resilience. In this episode, she talks about finding her school, her teacher and why she committed to getting a black belt and teaching other women. She talks about the challenges of being a woman in martial arts, and also the gratitude she has for her teacher and the pro...

Susie tells the story of the night she was brutally attacked in L.A., how her natural defense system kicked in and the many intervening factors that saved her life. She describes the trauma and aftermath of the attack and the vow she made to herself to help other women to prevent future trauma and help with recovery from violent attacks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Pretty Deadly Podcast! In our very first episode, Susie and Kate talk about the values of learning self-defense including maximizing our options and giving us the empowerment to walk at night, go to work, travel around the world and do all the things that we have the right to do. Susie explains balance points and how to make our movements as powerful and effective as possible. She a...