Who do you serve? What do you want people to know?

I serve Queer and Trans individuals and communities, and I serve the youth. Depending on who you ask, I'm known as a trauma therapist or as a self-defence instructor, but I really see how these two work together.

But let's back up for a second because I think that most people have this impression of a self-defence class that's all about lining up at a karate studio, doing punching drills and yelling. I take a completely different approach.

First, I believe that each person who comes into my class a) is already doing things that they require to keep themself safe, and b) has the power within them to confront danger. We don't always believe in our own power because we may have been taught that we are too small or too weak to take care of ourselves.

The problem is that we might be literally shaped* by the people and circumstances that we interact with. We might get quiet, and try to fade into the background. As many Queer and Trans folks know, many of us have also learned how to conceal the identities that could put us at risk. This is a superpower, and it can also get in the way if it changes the ways that we move through the world permanently.

So my classes are about choice. They're about honouring the skills that participants have developed to get them into the room today, and they're about learning new ways to step into greater choice, greater self-respect, and greater dignity. It's also about helping people to see the power and strength that they already have and honestly? There is nothing more rewarding than that.