Pretty Deadly Podcast
133 episodes - English - Latest episode: 19 days ago - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsA podcast about realistic self defense for women. Hosted by Pretty Deadly founder Susie Kahlich and women from around the world, we're addressing common misconceptions about self defense, why we think self defense should be part of self care, and sharing tips, tricks and stories.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
S2 Episode 12: It Was Only A Kiss | Pretty Deadly Podcast
June 09, 2020 00:00 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBCan a kiss be a sexual assault? Kate tells Susie about a guy on a train who, just as quarantine was lifted in Berlin, randomly kissed her on the forehead. Kate describes the bodily experience of being violated, also the triggers that might correlate to earlier traumas. Susie describes the “similar instance” versus “triggers" and provides some strategies for the moments after, and recovering from this type of trauma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 Episode 11: How to Be An Active Ally | Pretty Deadly Podcast
June 02, 2020 00:00 - 16 minutes - 12.6 MBKate asks Susie whether there are ways to be an active ally and a safe interventionist to help others who are, or about to become, victimized by harassment or a physical attack. Susie gives concrete examples and offers some creative ways to help others who are being targeted by street harassment, domestic assault, sexual assault, racially motivated attacks, and even physical violence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 Bonus Episode : Self Defense & Activism: #metoo & #timesup | Pretty Deadly Podcast
May 26, 2020 00:00 - 10 minutes - 9.48 MBKate and Susie talk about the limitations of government protest and the law in protecting women’s bodies and women’s rights. Susie explains how teaching self-defense is a political act, taking movements beyond the streets, and in the way of empowering women in their own bodies. She shares a story about marching on Washington in defense of Roe v. Wade the first time it was about to get overturned by the first Bush administration. And the time Susie schooled Gloria Steinem on Feminism. Hosted...
S2 Episode 10: Running and Self-Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
May 19, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBRunners are a known and obvious target for attackers. Why are women more vulnerable when running and what can we do to protect ourselves. In some ways, runners are an obvious target because we are alone, we might be more distracted. What can we do to be more aware to minimize the chances of being attacked? When we don’t have the option of running during the day, or running with a partner, Susie offers practical ways to improve awareness: look for an anomaly and don’t get tunnel-visioned. Susi...
S2 Episode 09: Nutrition and Intuitive Eating | Pretty Deadly Podcast
May 12, 2020 00:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBHow important is nutrition and self-defense? How does listening to our bodies correspond to how we feed ourselves as well as how we defend ourselves? In this episode, Susie talks about intuitive eating, listening to our bodies, and nutrition as self-care. Susie explains how listening to our bodies, understanding cravings, is a physical way to be true our own needs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 Episode 08: Mental Strengths Gained from Self-Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
May 05, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MBStrategic thinking, Consciousness, mindfulness, embodiment, being in your body, learning to relax, moving slowly, being present. Patience, applying her martial art, was already part of who she was, but it gave form to who she was. It gave her a channel to be more of herself. Getting deeper understanding of physics, body dynamic ways, in a physical and also esoteric way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 Episode 07: What Is It Like to Get a Black Belt? | Pretty Deadly Podcast
April 28, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 14.1 MBSusie talks about her experience of getting a black belt, what the training schedule was like, how long it took, what the testing was like, and what an honor it was to test for her first black belt. She also talks about what a black belt really means as far as understanding of the techniques, how your body moves, and the spirit during the testing process. According to Susie and her teachings, having a black belt is just being further along the path, and that there is a responsibility to share...
S2 Episode 06: Self Confidence | Pretty Deadly Podcast
April 21, 2020 00:00 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBWhat is the importance of self confidence in self-defense, and what can I teach you? Susie talks about how to have self confidence by, knowing how your body works. When we break big ideas down into smaller everyday examples, we build confidence in our self-defense abilities, but also in ourselves in general. Susie talks about appreciating our bodies, our vulnerabilities, and how to value the many ways that our bodies help to keep us alive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
S2 Episode 05: The Bystander Effect | Pretty Deadly Podcast
April 14, 2020 00:00 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBKate asks Susie about the Bystander Effect, recounting the urban legend she remembers about a woman who was murdered in a New York City hallway and though many heard her screams, no one rushed to help or called 911. Susie challenges the veracity of this tale, but also offers a new perspective on why this kind of thinking actually puts women and other vulnerable populations at a greater risk. Susie also discusses other ways to leverage people and crowds when looking for safety in public places...
S2 Episode 04: Winning & Losing in Self Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
April 07, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBKate and Susie talk about the importance of learning orientation and self- trust in self-defense and in life, and how self-defense is not a fight or about injuring someone else (although you could consider injuring an attacker a bonus). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 Episode 03: Does Size Really Matter? | Pretty Deadly Podcast
March 31, 2020 00:00 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBSusie explains how you can use smaller size to your advantage and what she saw in a self defense class in Los Angeles that gave her this insight. Kate wonders why more people don't learn self defense, and Susie talks about believing whether it will really work or not. If you think learning self defense is futile because you are too old, too big, too small, too weak or too restricted, this episode is for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S2 Episode 02: 3 Must-Know Moves (But Not Really) | Pretty Deadly Podcast
March 24, 2020 00:00 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBKate asks Susie to describe 3 “Need to Know” moves or what the top moves are for someone wanting to learn self-defense. Susie shuts down the misconception that there are any “need to know” moves. Whether you are being attacked from the front or the side, you have been restrained, or you are being lunged at, Susie describes how to create space and use your body effectively with the limbs and leverage you have available to you. It is about being creative in the moment and being open to using wh...
S2 Episode 01: Real Self Defense for Real People | Pretty Deadly Podcast
March 17, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MBWe're back! Welcome to Season 2 of the Pretty Deadly Podcast!Susie’s prototype for the Pretty Deadly course came after realizing that her mother was scared of leaving her home in her increasingly dangerous neighborhood in Chicago. She taught her mother, who was then in her sixties, some basic moves and that is where she began developing self -defense for “ordinary women” using everyday movements and positions that they have already mastered. Kate and Susie discuss the difference between "tra...
S1 Episode 20: Teaching Refugees Self Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
February 25, 2020 00:00 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBSusie’s work in Berlin has also included self-defense programs for refugees. Many women who are living in shelters are forced into certain living situations that make them vulnerable to unwanted touching, harassment, and even violence. Susie’s program for refugees focuses on creating space, dealing with cultural sensitivities, as well as giving her students practical tools to protect themselves in public living situations. This is an episode about creating as much protection as possible withi...
S1 Episode 19: Drugs, Alcohol & Self Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
February 18, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBSexual abuse involving the perpetrator uses drugs and alcohol as an excuse for abuse or violence are well documented. This episode is more about how boundaries get fuzzy and vague for women who use drugs and alcohol, especially in environments like raves, music festivals, or something like Burning Man. Susie talks about the role of drugs and alcohol in self-defense, how to better protect ourselves if we do use drugs or drinking. In short, the choice to do drugs or alcohol is not an invitation...
S1 Episode 18: Things We Can Teach Our Daughters | Pretty Deadly Podcast
February 11, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBWhether we are teaching our 3-year-olds about boundaries and creating space or sending our daughters to college where they will have more independence (but lack experience), there are a lot of lessons in self-defense. Kate and Susie talk about the power of belonging and the power of exclusion and how this can hurt young women. This episode explores how to talk to our daughters about asserting themselves, the lifelong practice of saying, “No,” and the strength of walking away when something fe...
S1 Episode 17: Dangerous Places & Emotional Awareness | Pretty Deadly Podcast
February 04, 2020 00:00 - 9 minutes - 9.14 MBWhat is the difference between being responsible for ourselves and making it our job to prevent an attack? The idea that we should have to make different choices or live our lives differently than men can be frustrating, and yet, as women, we have to uphold a heightened awareness when we are in certain public spaces, or when alcohol is being consumed, on a dark street, or alone in a public bathroom. This episode explores potentially dangerous places, how to be aware, but also how to assert ou...
S1 Episode 16: Creating and Taking Up Space | Pretty Deadly Podcast
January 28, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MBSince the advance of the #MeToo movement, there has been more attention and awareness around harassment and the reality that women are often the victims of male microaggressions. This includes more innocuous behavior like “manspreading” but other more aggressive ways that women lose space and power when out in the world. In this episode, Susie talks about creating space both physically and psychologically. She also introduces her infamous, “bitches on the dancefloor” move to help you at a con...
S1 Episode 15: Self Defense in Healing Trauma | Pretty Deadly Podcast
January 21, 2020 00:00 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBKate shares about her own experience with sexual trauma and the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that can accompany violence and the grieving process. Susie explains how feelings like you can’t trust yourself or that you let yourself down can weigh you down after trauma, but self-defense can help address those issues. She also talks about how addressing our fears sort of physically and head on can help us use our bodies and look inwards to recover from trauma. Also, the “survivor” ve...
S1 Episode 14: Screaming As Self Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
January 14, 2020 00:00 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBSusie’s screams alerted her neighbors in the event of her attack and disrupted the violence. Is making noise a good form of self-defense? Is it always appropriate? Susie tells Kate about the benefits of noise to prevent or disrupt an attack and also talks about technology like panic buttons and apps. Is it reasonable to think we can wait for emergency services to protect us? Again, Susie returns to basic self-defense methods, using your own bodyweight and strengths to empower yourself against...
S1 Episode 13: Should you give in to your attacker? | Pretty Deadly Podcast
January 07, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.3 MBWe sometimes hear that you should give in to the demands of an attacker, especially if they have a weapon, but is this the best advice? If you have the ability to run- should you? And what about that “run in a zig zag” theory to escape flying bullets-- does it really work? Quoting "The Gift of Fear" author Gavin de Becker, Susie breaks down misconceptions about whether to comply with attacker demands placing emphasis on your body’s natural self-defense system. This episode also raises the ver...
S1 Episode 12: Pressure Points and Targets | Pretty Deadly Podcast
December 17, 2019 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBKate asks about the value of pressure points—targeting the throat, eyes, or groin to gain leverage in a self-defense situation. While actually hitting a target or pressure point could strengthen your position, Susie explains why focusing on pressure points and targets is not the best strategy to protect yourself. As these targets can be difficult to strike in an actual attack because so much movement, Susie offers other defense strategies that focus on center of gravity and positioning that c...
S1 Episode 11: Headphones, Sensory Intake, Safety | Pretty Deadly Podcast
December 10, 2019 00:00 - 13 minutes - 12.1 MBHave you ever been told not to wear your headphones when running or walking alone? What is the implicit messaging here and is it really preventing an attacker? Is asking a woman not to wear headphones akin to telling women to dress less sexy? Is it a woman’s responsibility to stop an attacker? Do her actions and choices make her a target? Susie explores the misconceptions around the “no-headphones” myth and also gives advice around how to create more sensory awareness, even if you do decide t...
S1 Episode 10: Gut Instincts | Pretty Deadly Podcast
December 03, 2019 00:00 - 10 minutes - 9.43 MBSusie & Kate talk about how our natural or biological self-defense system is always on, even in our sleep. Knowing more about how our natural self-defense system works can help us to pay attention when we are getting warning signals. Kate and Susie also talk about the way our bodies fight for us to keep us alive in both conscious and subconscious ways. We both get a bit emotional around the idea that our bodies will fight for us, even when we feel like we can’t. It’s about the discovery of in...
S1 Episode 09: Do I Need A Gun? | Pretty Deadly Podcast
November 26, 2019 00:00 - 11 minutes - 11 MBSusie answers questions about weapons: carrying weapons, mace, knives, and whether they are useful or necessary in a self-defense situation. She explains how to prepare yourself if you do want to carry a weapon. In so many cases a weapon can be used against you and so it’s important to understand the risks of carrying a gun or knife. Also, using everyday items like your keys. What are you really going to do with them if you splay them in your fingers? There are other ways to use items around ...
S1 Episode 08: Angles of Attack | Pretty Deadly Podcast
November 20, 2019 00:00 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBKate asks Susie how to handle different angles of attack, for example, how to deal with a frontal, side, or an attack from the back. In this episode, Susie explains some theory around defense, including the disruption of a flow. Rather than hitting back or defending an attack, you are disrupting the flow, by moving out of the way. When someone is coming forward, she returns to the frontal kick, and introduces a new “straight-punch” she calls the, “Cup of Coffee.” Susie talks about some unexpe...
S1 Episode 07: Pregnancy and Self Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
November 12, 2019 00:00 - 11 minutes - 10.8 MBKate and Susie talk about how pregnancy can create new vulnerabilities for women and the ways that they can prepare and protect themselves. Susie explains why pregnant women should familiarize themselves with a new center of gravity, using our heightened senses, including smells, as a weapon of self-defense. This episode also covers working with maternal instincts like covering your belly in the event of at an attack and using other body parts, including a head butt. Hosted on Acast. See ac...
S1 Episode 06: Travel and Self Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
November 05, 2019 00:00 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBWhat should we keep in mind when traveling in a new country? This episode is about how to acclimate to a new environment, ways we make ourselves vulnerable, why there is nothing wrong with showing fear. When should we run if we sense we are in danger? Susie also talks about using luggage as a weapon, self and spatial awareness, and other ways we can protect ourselves. Why we should pay attention to the thoughts and questions that cross our minds and how they can tip us off to danger. Hosted...
S1 Episode 05: Basic Self Defense Moves | Pretty Deadly Podcast
October 29, 2019 00:00 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBSusie describes in detail a few need-to-know moves including the Open the Door Kick, the “Shut Up Move” and a plank type position if you are backed up against the wall. This is a must-hear episode if you have 15 minutes to learn a few basic self defense moves. Susie & Kate also talk about how to create space, center of gravity, and moving the center before moving your head. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Episode 04: Strategic Thinking & The Most Powerful Ninja | Pretty Deadly Podcast
October 22, 2019 00:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBThis episode digs deeper into her martial art, Ninjutsu, the story of the most powerful ninja (hint-it’s a woman), and how this particular martial art can be transformed and learned for use in everyday self-defense. Susie also discusses the ways in which women are socialized from a very young age in a way that can help them to strategize and think in dangerous scenarios and how this helps us prepare for self-defense situations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Episode 03: NInjutsu and Self Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
October 15, 2019 00:00 - 11 minutes - 11 MBAfter Susie’s attack, she wanted to protect herself, to find a martial art that would restore her sense of strength, power, and resilience. In this episode, she talks about finding her school, her teacher and why she committed to getting a black belt and teaching other women. She talks about the challenges of being a woman in martial arts, and also the gratitude she has for her teacher and the program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Episode 02 - Susie's Attack and Her Fight for Life | Pretty Deadly Podcast
October 08, 2019 00:00 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MBSusie tells the story of the night she was brutally attacked in L.A., how her natural defense system kicked in and the many intervening factors that saved her life. She describes the trauma and aftermath of the attack and the vow she made to herself to help other women to prevent future trauma and help with recovery from violent attacks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
S1 Episode 01: Why Should Women Learn Self Defense | Pretty Deadly Podcast
October 02, 2019 00:00 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBWelcome to the Pretty Deadly Podcast! In our very first episode, Susie and Kate talk about the values of learning self-defense including maximizing our options and giving us the empowerment to walk at night, go to work, travel around the world and do all the things that we have the right to do. Susie explains balance points and how to make our movements as powerful and effective as possible. She also explains how learning some basic self-defense moves can give us power as well as the confiden...