Defend Yourself

More safety, more confidence, more freedom, more fun!

Based in Washington, DC, serving the entire U.S.

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About Lauren

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Photo by Donnie Riggs

Lauren (she/they) has been studying and teaching empowerment self-defense since 1985. She’s taught about 30,000 people of all ages, genders, and walks of life. She specializes in classes for women, for people with disabilities, for LGBTQ+/nonbinary people, and for survivors of abuse and assault.

Lauren also writes extensively on interpersonal violence. Selected articles and appearances:

  • “A Sisterhood Of Sexual Assault Survivors Are Sharing Stories, Shouting Back,” Joshua Johnson, The 1A, WAMU/NPR
  • “The Assertive Response to ‘Hey Baby,” Washington Post
  • “Why It Can Be Hard To Say ‘No’ And How To Do It Anyways,” Everyday Feminism
  • “How Do YOU Respond to Street Harassment? Here Are Some Suggestions,” Ms. Blog
  • “How to Defend Yourself: 9 videos,” MonkeySee
  • “Top list Tuesday: 5 self-defense techniques you didn’t know you could use,” TAGG magazine
  • “Walking Out on Spouse Abuse,” Washington Post
  • “Memo to White Women: Don’t Be George Zimmerman,” Everyday Feminism
  • “Prudence Doesn’t Know Best About Rape Prevention: 3 Actual Tools,” Everyday Feminism
  • “Do you know how to protect yourself if you are physically attacked?” The Daily Drum, WHUR 96.3
  • “Actually, Miss USA is right: Self-defense can prevent sexual assaults,” Washington Post
  • “How to Help a Woman Who is Being Abused,” BeFearless, Oxygen Media
  • “Has Rape Reporting Increased Over Time?” National Institute of Justice Journal
  • “How to Strengthen Your Community Against Domestic Violence,” BeFearless, Oxygen Media
  • “The War At Home: The Defense Department Takes Aim at Domestic Violence,” Government Executive magazine
  • “Sexual Assault in Abusive Relationships,” National Institute of Justice Journal

Lauren has presented at many national conferences, including:
Creating Change (The National LGBTQ Task Force); National Conference of College Women Leaders (American Association of University Women); National Sexual Assault Conference; and National Center for Victims of Crime’s national training institute.

Lauren earned a black belt in tae kwon do in 1995 and was certified as a self-defense instructor by the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation in 2000.

Lauren’s self-defense expertise is bolstered by her experience in related fields: as a counselor at a women’s health clinic; a founder of My Sister’s Place (DC’s first shelter for abused women and their children); the education coordinator of the Women’s Legal Defense Fund; and as one of the organizers of the 1978 March to Stop Violence Against Women (DC’s first Take Back the Night March).

Find out what our students and what the news media say about Defend Yourself.

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Meet Lauren

Teacher, resister, advocate, warrior princess. Passionate about a world free of gender-based violence and people becoming their full selves. Loves chocolate, justice, and cats (not necessarily in that order).

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Classes for everyone

Defend Yourself has classes for everyone, no matter what your age or ability. Whether you're dealing with street harassment, going off to college, healing from abuse, or any other challenge, we offer skills you can use.

Click here to see some of what we offer!

National Street Harassment Hotline

Call toll-free: 855-897-5910
(English + Spanish. 24-7)
Find out more!

More safety, more confidence, more freedom, more fun!

Get our newsletter!

Sign up now for our monthly newsletter and you’ll also get our e-book with stories of real-life people standing up to harassment, abuse, and assault!

Read our latest newsletter here
 

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Learn something now

  • Run,Yell,Tell, Hit, + Go Along
  • My journey to assertiveness
  • Strategies for safety
  • Should I yell FIRE!?!?
  • #9 Making self-defense a part of your life
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What people say

This class has given me a powerful toolkit and the confidence to yell “NO” and know I have every right to say it. It’s helped me rethink my personal boundaries and feel good about maintaining them.
Thank you for a wonderful class. I will spread the word around my high school and to every interested girl/woman I know!
What an empowering, enlightening class! You gave me a wonderfully empowering gift – the ability to speak! You helped take away some of the fear that I had by having me realize that I have some power within.
Her calm, steady energy felt reassuring.
Bothering leads to dangerous things and situations if we aren’t careful. We want to try to stop the situation before it gets really dangerous+ACE There are bullies that can start at just being annoying by talking and saying those mean things but it can turn into something very dangerous if you are not careful. So the key is to be very smart and think before you ac– from the book by our students at Jump Start Girls/Adelante Nias
Inspiring, caring, understanding, strong, and self-assured.
Thank you for such an empowering, confidence-inspiring class. When you first announced that the class would teach both verbal and physical defense, I was a bit hesitant – I presumed I already knew how to verbally defend myself, and thought I was ready to get down to more hard core self-defense moves.
When I took my [previous self-defense] class, I learned how to fend off physical attacks, but it took me much, much longer to learn how to develop and maintain healthy relationships. I spent too many years in an abusive relationship . . . Now I’m a lot more careful about defending myself – which is why your class was so important to me.
The teachers role-modeled being strong women.
Lauren is very encouraging and patient. An excellent teacher, she makes everyone feel comfortable.
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Based in Washington, D.C., serving the world

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