What is Find Your Strength
Find Your Strength is not a just a book, it is a philosophy, and it is my purpose. It comes from a compelling feeling that has grown inside me over the years. As a master in the martial arts, a teacher with a master’s degree in education, a woman, and a mother of three; these combined forces in my life, along with my own experiences growing up, have propelled me in this
direction, to serve this purpose.
A young woman’s journey is the common experience we share
If you are an adult woman, most likely you remember it was difficult growing up. We had to figure out what it meant to be a young woman; what we were supposed to look like, how we were supposed to act. And if you are an adult man, you remember how you were supposed to act around young women. Now we have daughters who are going through the same struggles. I think often times we try to teach them how to navigate that same world in order to fit in. However, what we REALLY should be giving them is the confidence to be themselves, to love themselves, to question what is “right”, even if it means to NOT fit in.
Being safe is not just about physical strength
This journey started with mothers asking me to help prepare their daughters to be physically safe before going off to college, or otherwise out into the “real” world. In our martial arts studio we do just that, but it takes years of training, dedication, and desire to really master the art. I DO think continued martial arts training is THE best way to learn to embody “strength.” And that is precisely why I did not feel comfortable doing a presentation that simply teaches a few “moves” to help keep a woman safe. I had to think about it. How did I really get to this place where I feel safe and strong? In order to answer that question, I had to be honest with myself about my own journey. And then one day it hit me. The answer was in our martial art creed. It is about building TRUE CONFIDENCE. And that takes not only physical strength, but mental and emotional strength as well.
We can’t wait for things to get better
My goal is to empower young women to make choices that are in THEIR best interest. To find themselves worthy enough to put themselves first. To be strong enough mentally, physically and emotionally to keep themselves safe. To NOT become a victim. Today, sexual harassment and assault have become high profile issues, and rightfully so. The #MeToo movement is validation that there is a problem and that we are ready for a solution. But we can’t just talk about the problem and hope change will come. We must take responsibility for ourselves while change evolves. As women, we are stronger than we sometimes know. And through knowledge and
support we can learn how to love ourselves, how to be our own best friends, and yes, how to kick ass if we ever need to. Only then can we empower others to do the same.
