– Episode Thirty-Three –
Build Your Resiliency to Sexual Coercion
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About The Empowerment Podcast

In this podcast, created as a platform to teach you everything she knows about self-defense, join host Silvia Smart in this safe space. With over three decades on the frontlines, she’ll give you skills and knowledge for your self-defense toolkit so you can live your most fearless and empowered life. Research proves that empowerment self-defense programs work. Participants are less fearful, more aware of their boundaries, and are able to speak up sooner when faced with manipulative or threatening situations. Furthermore, for those who have experienced trauma in the past, evidence shows that empowerment self-defense training can interrupt the cycle of violence and decrease the likelihood of a future assault.
Other Episodes You Might Like...
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 41
Join host, Silvia Smart and her guest, Tasha Ina Church, an empowerment self-defense teacher with a life story you want to hear about! On her website, she writes: “Empowerment goes beyond physical safety. It is understanding that YOU have a VOICE and that voice has POWER — It’s about knowing that in any fight; physical, psychological, or emotional, YOU are Worth Fighting For!”
Special thanks to my editor, Collin Taber (@that2ndtaberkid)
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #elleliveaction, @elleliveaction
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 40
Empowerment & Dragons! Empowerment is a lifelong journey. Celebrate your wins and contemplate next steps. Join host, Silvia Smart, as she shares a piece of her journey into and beyond a lifelong challenge that impacted every area of her life. Find out how she vanquished her dragon and lived to tell about it!
Empowerment means doing stuff that is hard and scary, looking at the way we limit ourselves, the way society limits us…and facing it, moving through it, living to tell about it, seeing, feeling and knowing how strong and powerful we are because of these choices and this journey, and then going on to share our experiences, challenges and successes as a way of helping others who face similar trials and tribulations.
Connect with Silvia
Special thanks to my editor, Collin Taber (@that2ndtaberkid)
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
LINKS:
Video about Joseph Campbell,“Finding Joe” (beware, it’s heavy on the references to men.)
“Because I said I would”.
My blog on Food Addiction which has links to the program that is working for me.
Support this important work:
Buy Me a Coffee
Donate through my website
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #becauseisaidiwould, #brightlineeating, #ble, #findingjoe,
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 39
Self Defense and Martial Arts – An Interview with Jim Wetzel
Join host, Silvia Smart, and her guest, Jim Wetzel as they discuss the martial art they train and so much more. Poekoelan Tjimindie was brought to the US from Indonesia in 1956 by Willy Wetzel. Jim is his youngest son, has been training in this art since he was 4 years old, and is a font of wisdom. He’s kind, and generous and is a wonderful human being and teacher.
In this episode, Silvia and Jim discuss all things self-defense. Also, if you are looking to begin some of your own martial arts training, they spend some time talking about how to pick the right style, school, and teacher for you.
Connect with Silvia
Connect with Jim: wetzelsystems@gmail.com
Special thanks to my editor, Collin Taber (@that2ndtaberkid)
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Buy Me a Coffee
Donate through my website
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #poekoelan, #poekoelantjimindie
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 38
Zero Tolerance
Are you ready to set a Zero Tolerance Policy? Is another person’s behavior toward you hurtful, demeaning, disrespectful or downright threatening? In this episode, we contemplate our tolerance levels for others’ behaviors. We think through becoming ready to make a boundary and draw a line: to have “Zero Tolerance”. We look at the planning and preparation needed to ensure we set ourselves up for the greatest success possible.
Hear two stories: one that illustrates a “mushy” policy and one that illustrates “Zero Tolerance”. Explore an example with host, Silvia Smart. Hear about the “Zero Tolerance Policy” of the NBA and yes, her favorite team, The Portland Trailblazers as they’ve codified it into expectations of fans at games.
Connect with Silvia
Special thanks to my editor, Collin Taber (@that2ndtaberkid)
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Buy Me a Coffee
Donate through my website
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #zerotolerance, #blazers, #trailblazers, #portlandtrailblazers
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 37
Blowback What it is and How to Handle it!
Blowback is another person’s reaction when you reclaim your power, take up your space, set boundaries and make changes in your life. Blowback comes in a large variety of sizes and shapes and can look and feel many different ways. Ultimately, it’s about the other person trying to maintain the status quo. It’s their way of trying to keep the power dynamic between you from changing.
Like all of our self-defense, the level of blowback will vary up and down the continuum of assault and violence. When you know it’s coming and can plan and prepare for it, you get to practice handling it. This practice helps you respond to blowback when the stakes are higher or if it comes as a surprise.
You have every right to claim your space, set boundaries, and step into your power. Here are some thoughts about blowback and some tools for your self-defense toolkit to deal with it when it happens to you.
Chances are good that as you set boundaries and step into empowerment, you WILL get blowback. So be prepared! You’ve got this!
Connect with Silvia
Special thanks to my editor, Collin Taber (@that2ndtaberkid)
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Buy Me a Coffee
Donate through my website
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #blowback
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 36
Listeners ask questions. Let’s discuss: What should I do if I see someone being followed or pursued? Do I help? If so, HOW do I help? Here’s a quick episode to talk you through some options.
Support this important work:
Buy Me a Coffee
Donate through my website
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity,
Connect with Silvia
Special thanks to my editor, Collin Taber (@that2ndtaberkid)
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 35
Boys and Young Men are Assaulted Too – Interview with a survivor
Meet survivor, Jake Sinclair, as he and host, Silvia Smart, discuss what happened, what it was like, how he has dealt with it, how he’s found healing, and what his life is like today. According to RAINN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), one out of every ten rape victims are male and about 3% – or 1 in 33 – American men have experienced an attempted or completed rape.
Listeners, please be advised that this episode contains strong language and content and adjust your listening accordingly.
Connect with Silvia
Special thanks to my editor, Collin Taber (@that2ndtaberkid)
Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
Support this important work:
Buy Me a Coffee
Donate through my website
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project Community” on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #theempowermentpodcastybynaga, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity,
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 34
Decolonization and Empowerment Self Defense. An Interview with Magdalena Dircio Diaz
Colonization is all around us and even lives inside of us. We can find it right now as we look at our politics, power, spirituality, daily life, familiesand , relationships— it’s literally everywhere. How do we become aware of it? And once we see it, how do we start to pull it apart?
Join this interesting and wide-ranging discussion about decolonization and what it takes to deconstruct the predominant cultural and social paradigm. It’s personal, it’s lived and it’s ours to become aware of and to move through. As people who are interested in empowerment and self-defense, how does this important topic impact the way we show up for ourselves and for others?
ABOUT OUR GUEST: Magdalena Diaz works at the Office of Student Affairs at Cal State. She grew up undocumented which had a huge impact on her family life, her education and the choices available to her. Hear the story about a moment that changed the trajectory of her career and propelled her forward in her empowerment journey.
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 32
What is coercion as it relates to sexual assault? What does it look like, sound like, feel like? How do we build resilience to it? What are tools we can add to our toolkit to deal with coercion when we feel it is happening to us? Luckily for us, in this episode, we are joined by Justine Halliwill from the University of Oregon where she teaches self-defense. Join us for part one of this two part series as we take a look at this manipulative ploy which is so nuanced and important to understand!
The Empowerment Podcast – Episode 30
Boundaries
Boundaries are fundamental to our emotional, mental, spiritual and physical health and safety. Join host Silvia Smart and THRIVE – with a little help from your boundaries!
Find out:
What is a boundary? How do boundaries make us safer? What other reasons make them important? What does a boundary have to do with empowerment self-defense? How do you know where yours begin and end? How do you set a boundary? How do you make your boundaries known and how do you enforce them?
This is the good stuff! Enjoy!
Special thanks to my producer/editor, Henry Smart-Denson
Support this important work:
Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/silviasmart
Donate through my website: https://nagacommunity.com/product/support-the-empowerment-podcast-by-naga/
Thank you!
Join “The Empowerment Project” Group on Facebook. For everyone’s safety, please know that if you don’t answer the questions, we will not accept you into the group.
#theempowermentpodcast, #theempowermentproject, #emowermentselfdefense, #selfdefense, #nagacommunity, #boundaries
Connect with Silvia: www.nagacommunity.com/contact
Evoke Episode – Enmeshment (https://open.spotify.com/episode/1rRlbljITSRxy6Q0hQAY48?si=av5mL_PnQMyezO6gbvfXTQ&dl_branch=1)
Resources mentioned in this Episode
Science Vs Blue Balls: You’re Wrong About Them
We join forces with Sarah Marshall from You’re Wrong About to dive into a question for the ages: Blue balls — are they real? We’ve heard that for people with balls, if you get aroused but don’t ejaculate, it can be incredibly painful. But is that true? Or is it a ball-faced lie, something that men make up to pressure women to have sex with them? Join us for a ball-busting episode that puts blue balls to the ultimate test-es, reaching a gripping conclusion as we ask: If blue balls is in fact real — can people with vaginas get it too?
Al Vernacchio Ted Talk: Sex Needs a New Metaphor. Here’s one…
For some reason, says educator Al Vernacchio, the metaphors for talking about sex in the US all come from baseball — scoring, getting to first base, etc. The problem is, this frames sex as a competition, with a winner and a loser. Instead, he suggests a new metaphor, one that’s more about shared pleasure, discussion and agreement, fulfillment and enjoyment. Let’s talk about … pizza.
Negotiating Sexual Interests with a partner
From Justine: UO’s Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team (SWAT) has many videos. Here is one on negotiating sexual interests with a partner. I ask the students to look for communication tools that we have practiced in this class.