Did you know body language can communicate both ways? Susie talks about the patriarchal take on posture (head up! chest out!) and what that means for women's bodies, and Zipporah dissects the fighting stance as both protective as well as a reminder that we have tools.

Zipporah shares a story about her TOTALLY BADASS SISTER who used effective situational awareness to outsmart a group of boys. Susie points out that if the boys are already creeps in their 20s, imagine how what bigger creeps they'll be in the 50s, after 30 years of practice.

We talk about this problem with every trainer, and in every season of this podcast... and we think it's because it's just. so. relentless. Tune in for a fresh take on what to do with the barrage of harassment in the streets.

Zipporah kicks off Episode 75 with the observation that our bodies can do anything, prompting Susie to talk about her return to #Crossfit after a 5 year break, and what she likes and what she's learned about the body through the high intensity training approach of Crossfit.

Zipporah has found herself standing up to a bully at her local market, which felt totally empowering... so how come she also felt like she was going to have heart attack right after? Susie and Zipporah talk about biophysical responses and the subconscious processes of our intuition.

One of the things both Zipporah and Susie love about self defense is feeling secure not just with the self defense techniques but also being able to trust that your body will come through at the time you need it most. They each talk about what that means for them.

Zipporah and Susie discover that they've been having the same experiences when they tell certain men they teach self defense: they're challenged to a fight! What is that all about, and how do you get out of it safely?

Zipporah explains that in her community in Entebbe, she's often asked "why": why do you want to train and teach self defense? She's not sure how to handle the peer pressure she experiences, but Susie has some ideas. She explains that we learn self defense for the same reason we learn to drive a car.

"If it was something only a male body could do, then I wouldn't be able to do it." Zipporah and Susie talk about the things they were told they couldn't do because they are women... and how they do it anyway. Bonus: Susie gives some tips on how to handle mansplaining at the gym.

It's a new season of the Pretty Deadly Podcast! In this season, we're chatting with our coach Zipporah Kuteesa. Zipporah and I are exploring self defense in her native Uganda, talking about the different challenges women face, and what strengths we might have in common. This episode is all about how the things perceived as weak in women are actually our strengths.