Memorial Day is right around the corner and that means the beginning of summer! Time to pull out the white pants and Capri’s ladies! It’s also time for barbecue’s, block parties, pool parties, water parks etc… It all sounds like so much fun and it should be as long as you are aware of your surroundings.

We’ve been waiting all year to start wearing our comfortable clothes to show off our tan and enjoy the great weather. We stay out longer in the evening, ride our bikes and walk more. You may not always have pockets or carry your purse, but please be sure to keep your pepper spray handy. Sometimes those great outfits can bring unwanted attention.

Is your neighborhood having an open house block party? Is everyone is asking “who is that in the white shirt’? If nobody knows who it is, go introduce yourself and find out. Party crashers happen all the time but you don’t want an uninvited guest who is a complete stranger wandering in your home checking everything out. It’s a great time for someone to scope out what you own and come back later to rob you or worse.

Are the kids heading to a pool party? Ask if someone has been designated as the “official life guard”.  Unless you are 100% comfortable with the kids changing at someone else’s home, have them wear their bathing suit to the party. You may not know everyone who is attending or chaperoning. Just because they are at a “friends” house doesn’t automatically make them ok. The same applies to the ladies. Be sure you are changing in a secure area. If it’s a large party & there are a lot of people attending find a secure place to keep your purse or personal items.  Belongings can get lost or mixed up with others that look similar. Sometimes it’s best to lock your purse in the trunk of your car or just leave it at home.

If you are heading to a crowded outdoor water park venue, secure a locker for your cell phone, keys and cash. Make sure the kids have an adult with them at all times or that they are on the buddy system.  If they get lost, tell them to stay where they are and you will come find them. Trust your instincts! If someone looks out-of-place or seems suspicious say something to the staff. Someone else may have noticed it but wasn’t comfortable reporting it.

Have a safe & happy summer!

Tracy Vega, Owner- Simple Self Defense for Women

Remember, Safety Can Be Simple!

My husband & I have such a fabulous job empowering women & children by teaching them to escape and survive an attack! We get to travel all over the country speaking and meeting wonderful women in our workshops. On one hand what we do is very rewarding and on the other it can be sad when we hear the stories that women tell. I wanted to share some of their stories and then you will understand why they say “I wish I would have known” or “if only”. Unfortunately these sound like an episode of some of our favorite television shows only there not, they are real life stories.

I have an acquaintance whose grandmother was beaten to death outside of a Macy’s in Atlanta over a purse snatching. Please let it go, nothings worth your life!

A student was attending one of our workshops at a university because she had been approached on campus by a person who said he was a professor but wasn’t. He kept asking her why she was so nervous. She was nervous because her instincts were right, he wasn’t a professor.

A woman who had seen our television show called because her sister had been beaten to death by her boyfriend with a 2 x 4. Nobody should ever have to die like that.

Another college student was participating in our workshop because her previous boyfriend choked her and held her out the dorm window. We taught her how to escape.

If you are married to an army ranger you should be safe right? That army ranger choked his wife. She was in safe house and now knows how to protect herself.

I met a woman last week who as a 14 year old teenager was asked for directions by a stranger.  She got in the car with him because she was running late for school. He didn’t take her to school… She had to jump out of a moving car but lived to tell her story.

An elderly woman has a male friend over that she’s known for years. All of a sudden in her kitchen he starts to attack her. It wasn’t domestic violence; he had psychotic dementia that hadn’t been diagnosed yet. She had been to a workshop of ours in the past and was able to escape based on what we showed her.

I think this is the saddest of all… A woman’s sister has been missing for 20 years. She had no idea what happened to her, it’s a cold case. She said that if her sister knew what we were teaching today she would probably still be here.

These are just some of too many stories. But the good news is that these women are reacting and investing in their personal safety by learning to escape from an attacker. Nobody can guarantee what you are learning will save your life, but it greatly increases your odds. We hope to see you one day in our travels!

Remember, Safety Can Be Simple!

Tracy Vega, Owner- Simple Self Defense for Women

www.simpleselfdefenseforwomen.com

I say it in our workshops, I Tweet about it often and I keep seeing it on the news so I thought I would try blogging and see if I can reach more women.  Nobody wants to be the victim of an attack. We don’t want to be hurt, kidnapped or worse and yet we will fight tooth and nail to keep our purse? Fighting to keep your purse can make any of the previous mentioned situations happen. I understand we all love our purse, but is it worth your life or the injuries you will sustain trying to hold on to it while you are dragged behind a car?

We have been called several times by news stations asking our professional opinion on what you should do if you are the victim of an attempted purse snatching, and we give the same answer each time… LET IT GO, IT’S NOT WORTH YOUR LIFE! Purse snatchers are cowards targeting elderly women, women with limited mobility or with young children. They want minimal resistance.

When you are grocery shopping, keep your purse on your shoulder. If you can’t carry it then zip it, put in the top of the cart and hook it with the baby strap.  Again, thieves are looking for easy targets. When you walk out to your car, open the door and put your purse in the front seat. Keep your keys out, and lock the door and then go to the trunk to put away your items. I have personally been approached by someone in a parking lot asking for money and it was very easy for me to say I didn’t have my purse with me because it was not in sight. I can’t tell you how many times I walk out in a parking lot and see a purse just sitting there while a woman is buried in the trunk or busy strapping in the kids.

If you are concerned about losing the contents of your purse or wallet, then take everything out and take a picture of it or copy your credit cards and documents so you have a record of what is missing. Nobody wants to be a victim but if you don’t let go, you will be a victim of something much worse. Again, IT’S NOT WORTH YOUR LIFE, LET IT GO PLEASE!

Remember, safety can be simple!

Tracy Vega, Owner- Simple Self Defense for Women

Remember, safety can be simple!

Tracy Vega, Owner- Simple Self Defense for Women

Have you ever noticed that sex sells? Sure you have and advertising professionals know that too! That’s why we see pictures people all over ads. A lot of times the people in the advertisements are just actors and not actually affiliated with the business. Many times women in real estate, banking, cosmetics etc put their picture on their business cards because they want to show that they are professional and have a face you can trust. Most likely these are women that you feel very comfortable letting into your home. Let’s face it, you recognize them from their advertisement.

For all of us that watch TV I know you have seen the show where a bad guy picks out his victim by the advertisement or the picture he saw. Guess what, that’s not just fiction! It happens more than you want to hear. In our PBS television special we did a home decorating scene were a young women was invited to the home by a gentleman to do a consultation for he and his wife. When she arrived there was no wife but there were two bad guys. They had seen her picture on her business card and in an advertisement so they knew right were to go to find her.

Instead of using your picture on your business card, use your logo or an Avatar. Pictures are everywhere these days. Someone could take a picture off one of the social media sites and easily become a person you would trust.

The woman in our show knew what to do to escape, but everyone isn’t prepared. If you are uncomfortable about where you are going have someone drive with you and wait in the car. If you have to go alone do some research before you head to someone’s home. Make sure you tell someone where you are going, what time your appointment is, how long it’s scheduled for.  Not every situation is bad, but you could have an accident along the way, or problems with your car. If you don’t show up when you should at least friends or family have an idea where to start looking.

All women are beautiful in their own way. Save that beautiful picture for someone special in your life. It might just save yours!

The other question I always ask is do bad guys wear ties or suits? The response from the audience is almost always a resounding NO! Really, bad guys don’t wear ties? Anybody remember Ted Bundy? He wore a tie and was a good-looking man. If a nice looking man came to your front door in a suit & tie (but you were not expecting him) would you still consider him to automatically be a good guy? The answer to that question is usually a yes as well! Bad guys don’t wear a sign or name tag saying hi I’m a bad guy and in about 10 seconds I am going to grab you, attack you or worse. A bad guy can easily be someone you know or least expect. How many times do you turn on the news only to see someone saying “he seemed like such a nice guy”?

Statistically speaking most attacks are from someone you know, a friend of friend, it could be the guy that cuts your lawn, helps you at the grocery store, or brings up your trash cans.  In fact the title of “bad guy” doesn’t just apply to men, women attack women or are the lure to the attacker. Women tend to be more trusting towards other women and could become a victim with this ploy. So the answer to the question, what does a bad guy look like is simple, they look like everyone else. The best self-defense is to be alert and trust your instincts! Remember, safety can be simple!

Women in a grocery store seem to be perceived as an easy target. They look preoccupied with their list, coupons, cost, and getting home so they can move on to the next project but they are also very intuitive.

In each of the stories told the women felt uncomfortable as if they were being watched or followed. It turns out they were right.  They were being targeted in the store by not just one person, but two. One person was walking around shopping and the other was waiting just outside the store or in a remote location in the store. The first person describes them, makes sure they are alone and an easy target. Don’t always assume that the “bad people” are men. It could be a couple or even other women.  In most cases a woman isn’t as suspicious if anoter woman approaches and has a question or appears to be in need.

The most recent story an older woman who I will call Elaine was walking out to her car. Elaine was uncomfortable, feeling as if someone was watching her and wanted to follow her instincts.  Elaine’s car was a hatchback (opening in the rear) and she felt vulnerable leaning over to put her groceries in leaving her back exposed, not being able to see who was approaching. Instead she opened her passenger door and put her items inside the car while keeping the suspicious person in her sight. There were two empty parking spaces separating Elaine from the man who was making her uncomfortable.  Once secure in her car Elaine watched the person sitting in his car motion to another who was just a few parking spaces away. The hand motion was a slicing wave past the neck indicating Elaine wasn’t the right person. Apparently they felt she was too alert and was aware something wrong.  She trusted her instincts and was right!

So many times we hear “If only”. Each of these situations ended the same. The women were alert, aware of their surroundings and paid attention to the uneasy feelings they were experiencing. Fortunately these women were not a victim this time! Each are now carrying pepper spray and feel empowered if a situation like that were to happen again.

Many women travel as part of their business. If you stay at a hotel here are a few suggestions on how to stay safe:

1. Don’t let the front desk attendant publicize your room number. If he or she announces it out loud when giving you your key, ask for a different room.
2. Start with the basics: always beware of your surroundings when approaching your room.
3. Avoid staying on the first floor. Many safety experts recommend staying somewhere between the third and sixth floors — where rooms are high enough to be difficult to break into, but not so high that they’re out of the reach of most fire engine ladders.

4. Keep      the door to your room locked at all times. If you are inside the room,      turn the deadbolt and fasten the security chain.
5. Check      the locks on the windows (and balcony door, if applicable) as soon as you      arrive, and notify the front desk if any are not functioning. It’s a good      idea to check these locks again each time you return to the room, as      housekeeping may open them and forget to close them again.
6. If      you travel often, consider buying a portable alarm system like a security      door stop for added protection. These movement-sensitive devices can      awaken you if a door lock should happen to fail. If you don’t have one,      place a chair under the door knob.
7. When      you leave your hotel room, pull the door completely closed behind you.      Make sure the latch has engaged. Take a moment before you leave to try the      door and make sure it is closed and locked.
8. Do      not open your door to strangers. Use the security viewport to see who is      outside your door. Do not trust someone claiming to be a hotel employee if      you are not expecting one. If you are unsure, call the front desk to      check. Leave the security chain engaged while opening the door for further      protection.
9. When      you leave the room, leave the TV or radio on, or put your “Do Not      Disturb” sign on the door; both of these tricks will give potential      thieves the impression that you’re still there. (You can contact the front      desk to arrange a housekeeping visit even if the “Do Not      Disturb” sign is up.)
10. The      hotel parking lot and hallways should be well lit. Report any outages to      the front desk and ask for a security escort if you feel unsafe.
11. When      entering or leaving the hotel after dark, use the main entrance.

Remember, safety can be simple!