On Working with Young Men

Teaching IMPACT skills to a group of young men who don’t really know what they are getting themselves into can feel like a wobbly tight rope walk. Young men come into our classes being told messages that haven’t been serving their safety for most of their lives and we...

Every “No” Is an Act of Repair 

For years I rested securely in the righteousness and rightness of phrases like, “No is a complete sentence” and “No means No”. I readily passed out these phrases when giving advice. These phrases are righteous. They are correct. But I was missing a step in my own...

“No Offense, I Don’t Feel Like Talking”

This simple one-liner has been pivotal for me over the past year, upon being hired by IMPACT last July and participating in countless classes as part of my coach training. All of our self-defense courses highlight verbal skills in addition to physical skills, and we...