2007 Instructor Training
March 31, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Since January 2002, I have traveled the nation on a full-time basis giving the 90 minute Girls Fight Back program at junior highs, high schools, universities, associations, women’s groups and Fortune 500 companies. With each passing year, the demand has increased and so has the enthusiasm about GFB. Over the past year, I have realized that one person alone will no longer be able to satisfy the demand, and I knew it was time to train others. This took awhile to come to grips with emotionally, as I have strong attachments to the program in addition to being a die-hard perfectionist. It took a certain level of letting go to even be able to consider someone else doing my GFB thang.
But I am ready now, and so is GFB. It’s time to grow and branch out. We also have decided to specialize solely in young women’s safety and self-defense. (tweens, teens and college students) I recieve so many requests to speak at middle and high schools every week, so I figured the best way to start our growth is by training instructors to give the 90 minute GFB program in schools across the nation. Meanwhile, I will continue to give all GFB presentations at colleges and universities.
This August I will be holding the first-ever GFB Instructor Training Academy. The application process is open as of today, and all applications are due by May 31, 2007. We anticipate many applicants but will only be choosing about 10. If you are interested in applying to be one of the few and proud 2007 instructors, click here for more info and the application. Good luck!
Prepping for the Road Trip
March 30, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Today my husband had his last day of work. He’s been at the corporate job for over 11 years, and so this was a big thing to leave. When we get to Colorado, he’s going to actively pursue becoming a musician on a full time basis, and I’m so supportive of that. Life is just too short not to live your dreams! Check out my hubby’s myspace at: www.myspace.com/petelacis
Albion College - Abion, MI
March 28, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Yesterday I flew to Detroit and drove 1.5 hours to lovely Albion, Michigan. I drove through one of the most torrential thunderstorms to get there, but I was determined! I looked like one of those old ladies, cluthing the steering wheel and craning her neck towards the windshield. (as if this is going to make a difference…) But alas I arrived just as the weather became peaceful, and gave the How to Be a Bad Victim program in the campus chapel to about 500 students. My scary bad guy for the event was Brad, who insisted on wearing the neon stickers demonstrating his vulnerable spots through the entire program. Doesn’t the photo above of me and Brad look like I’m spanking him? I think I was teaching an elbow strike, but this shot is downright questionable. So funny. 
I am incredibly thankful to Staci Gunner from the women’s center who organized the event. See us pictured above with the cool poster she had made to advertise the program. She’s been so supportive of my work for so long, and it was awesome to finally meet her. Today I flew back to New Jersey to start saying farewell to friends and begin packing for our cross-country move to Colorado this weekend. Wish us luck…
St. Catherine’s School - Richmond, VA
March 27, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night I spoke to some funky, fabulous junior and senior year girls in Virginia. So much fun! This program was brought to St. Catherine’s by the school, but also with major support from their parents. (many of who also attended the program) The original mom who discovered me formerly worked for the FBI, and recognized the GFB program as something her daughter needed to see. So in combination with the parents and the amazing school director, Cathy McGehee, we pulled off an awesomely educational event for these gals. Here’s wishing my new teen gal-pals a fun rest of the year and safe, good times when you go to college! (See me pictured above with a few of my St. Catherine’s girls posing with our fave moves.)
Emerson College - Boston, MA
March 24, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night I spoke to a truly outstanding group of young women in Boston, one of the most quaint and historical cities in the nation. I love going to Boston, but I always leave lots of “lost time.” All the roads are windy and make zero sense whatsoever, so I approach each trip there with the certain knowledge that getting lost is not an option..it’s absolute. The event was organized by Meredith and Catherine, who were both incredibly dynamic, professional and organized students. They saw me present at the BACCHUS conference this past Fall, and since then were working to bring me to campus for Take Back the Night week. We had an awesome time, and my Scary Bad Guy was named Morgan and totally hilarious! (He was a theatre major) Afterwards we hit one of my favorite restaurants to celebrate a successful event at Rock Bottom Brewery. It’s been quite a productive week…I traveled to five states, spoke to almost 1,000 people and bought a house! I am now about to board a plane back to New Jersey for some much needed R&R before taking off for my next week o’ travel on Monday…
Closing Day - Boulder, CO
March 23, 2007 | 2 CommentsPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
So I have a big announcement. Girls Fight Back is officially moving to Colorado! There are many reasons, most of them personal. (Being near family, lower cost of living, so damn beautiful and my hubby and I are total mountain freaks.) So it’s been a dream of ours for a very long time, and yesterday we closed on a house. GFB’s headquarters will now be located in Boulder, quite possibly my favorite city in the entire country. Nothing will really change with GFB besides the NJ studio having to close. (I know, it’s sad…but we may re-open a facility in Boulder. I’ll keep you posted.) Since GFB is a national operation, this will not affect our current operations too much. The only glitch will be the online store will be shut down for the first week of April while we move and re-group. Stay tuned to this blog for our cross-country adventure! Pictured above is me after the closing, and my hand was practically crippled after signing so many documents. Clearly I had to hit the Starbucks on Pearl Street in Boulder and recover…
KPMG - Phoenix, AZ
March 22, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Yesterday I spoke at one of my favorite corporate clients, KPMG. (A tax and audit firm) They have been loyal clients for the past several years, sending me to offices located around the country. They are consistently awesome crowds, and we have a total blast learning how to “be dangerous.” It’s always a treat to travel to places like Arizona, when the rest of the country is so cold! I think Arizona and its mountains and desert scenery is one of the most beautiful places ever. After I finished the “Women Fight Back” program, I hopped into my rental car and drove straight to the airport to catch a flight to Denver. A big announcement is coming soon…
University of Arkansas - Little Rock, AR
March 21, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Yesterday I spoke in Clinton-land, otherwise known as Arkansas. When I arrived at the airport, I noticed all the bookstores had these really creepy shrines dedicated to the Clinton family. Boooks, bobbleheads and shot glasses…the whole shebang. (See pic above.) This state loves their past president, and possibly future president, very much!
I spoke at Univ. of Arkansas, Little Rock and met some great people. I gave the spring break program for a lunch-and-learn session, and we had a great time. Everyone is so friendly in Arkansas, and I want to send a big thank you to the event organizer Barbara. Hope to see you all again soon! (See pic above of the cool posters they made for the event.)
Craptastic Travel Weekend
March 19, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
This whole weekend was by far, the most craptastic air travel display in my five year history of speaking around the nation. Seriously. I was supposed to return to New Jersey on Friday afternoon, and didn’t make it home until Sunday night at 10:30 pm. I was home for a mere 16 hours before getting back on an airplane today for this week of travel. Sorry to be Debbie Downer here, but one thing I’ve learned about being on the road is the importance of taking care of yourself and always trying to maintain some level of balance in your life. Let’s hope this week holds a bit more sanity! Wish me luck…
The St. Patty’s Mullet (still stranded in Chi-town…)
March 18, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
The bad travel karma continued yesterday, as I was stranded in Chicago for St. Patrick’s Day. Only one flight left Chicago for Newark, and I knew I had no hope of getting a standby seat. (It was a regional jet…no dice.) So it was decision time…either try to wait it out at O’Hare and end up punching someone in the face, or go downtown Chicago and get jiggy with my college peeps celebrating the Irish. Clearly the latter was a more positive option. And this would be my big chance to whip out my new Green Mullet Wig! As you can see from the picture above, it rocked. But it also seemed to scare my niece a bit. I drove all the way downtown with the wig on, and people kept staring and pointing at me in my car. At one point I stopped for gas, and one guy came up to me and asked for directions. I thought to myself, “Of all the normal looking people at this gas station, this guy asks the only jackass in a mullet wig for directions. Unbelievable.”
I ended up going to a party with my friends Tommy, Neal and Katy. (all pictured above) I quickly became quite popular at this party with the wig. As you can see from the ensuing pictures below, it eventually was stolen from me and coveted by randoms.
This is me and Neal. You may recognize him from my book, as he was the guy who flew out of my closet, terrifying me, in the beginning of Chapter 2. Someday, he will be punished.
This is me and my new friend Greg. We met for the first time yesterday, and I had the wig on already. After he stole my wig from my head he was like, “Whoa! You’re actually kinda cute!” This backhanded compliment came after he accused me of being a bad flip cup player, so he almost got a palm strike to the face for the combined remarks. (But lucky for him, he emerged from the party unscathed.)
I have no idea who this guy is, but he had a creepy affection for the Green Mullet Wig. After he posed for this photo, I asked for the wig back.
This guy, who I also don’t know, tried to run off with my wig thinking I wouldn’t notice. I chased him down and retrieved it. So as you can see, St. Patty’s Day turned out to be pretty fun after all. You know what they say…when life gives you lemons, make green beer.
Stranded in Chicago
March 16, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Yesterday I flew from California to Chicago. Originally I was supposed to speak in Chi-town last night, but the college had to re-schedule for April. It was too late to change my travel, so I decided to come to Chicago anyway. It worked out well, considering it was my dad’s birthday on Monday so I took him out to dinner last night to celebrate. This morning I had a lovely breakfast with Shannon’s mom, Cindy McNamara. (See us pictured above.) I can honestly tell you that nothing rejuvinates me like hanging out with Cindy. From day 1, she has been so incredibly supportive of my mission with GFB. Cindy is one of the most inspiring people I know, even though she has no idea how amazing she truly is.
After breakfast I headed to O’Hare to catch my flight back to New Jersey. I was very much looking forward to going home, after being away from my hubby and pug for a week. But alas, my travel karma (and anyone else’s trying to fly East) was not in working order today. I was on two flights that got cancelled, and finally they sent me home. Things are so bad, that I’m not booked on a flight until SUNDAY NIGHT! This is upsetting, since you may be already aware that I had a wild St. Patty’s Day party planned for tomorrow. Sadly, we had to cancel it because of weather and my absence, and at first I was totally bummed not to be able to wear my green mullet wig. But I’ve decided to fight the power and try to catch a standby flight tomorrow by hanging out at O’Hare…and oh yes, I shall be wearing the green mullet wig. I will not be deterred. Stay tuned for obnoxious pics tomorrow.
In other news, I was called by the Tyra Banks show today to shoot a special on safe spring break next week in Los Angeles. Too bad it’s Tuesday, and I’m already scheduled to be speaking in Arkansas. I would have loved to teach Tyra a booty strike…my guess is she’d love that sort of thing. Maybe next time. Wish me luck tomorrow, as I take on the travel Gods!
Univ. of California - Riverside, CA
March 14, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
This has been a great day. Above is a pic of myself with my greatest mentor of all time, Bob Martin. Bob was with the LAPD for 28 years, and is one of the most respected individuals in the violence prevention and threat assessment community. He also wrote the introduction to my book, and is a close friend. When I met Bob back in 2001, I was working as a temp in New York. I really had nothing but dreams for GFB. But Bob saw things I couldn’t see at the time and he got behind me 100%. He has taught me so much, connected me with incredible people, and I am so grateful for him. Since we live on opposite coasts, I don’t get to see him often. But today I did get to hang with Bob, so what did we do? We hung out at a bowling alley. (His granddaughter was having a birthday party. I just wish I had time to throw down a few pins!)
But alas, I had some work to do so we said our goodbyes. Driving to Riverside had such gorgeous views. I always hear jokes about people in Cali being self-absorbed, but I had quite the warm-fuzzy experience today. I was on the tollway, enjoying the view and the radio. I pulled into a tollbooth, and I was informed by the toll collector that the person in front of me had paid my toll! Now this is a heftier toll than you’re thinking…it’s was $2.50. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I told the toll dude that I’d pay it forward by paying for the toll for the guy behind me. The toll dude said to me, “Are you sure?” Like that’s such a crazy thing. I wonder if the guy behind me kept the love going…
Onto my program at UC Riverside. I’d love to send out a big holla to my friend, Doug Everheart, who brought me to campus. The students were awesome, and especially the guys were really into it. Quite the energetic bunch, and I had a great time with them. Upon returning to my car in the parking lot, I saw I left my headlights on. Just super. Thankfully I had enough juice to get home. (Lately home=hotel) I’ve loved being in California and not having to wear a jacket, but it’s onto Chicago tomorrow…
Travel Day & Luggage Update
March 13, 2007 | 2 CommentsPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Today is a travel day. These are fun days for me, because it means I don’t have to be on the first flight in the morning to my destination. (Which are usually around 7am - yikes!) I’m a sleeper, so I was psyched to get some serious shut-eye and actually wake up when it’s light outside. As you can see above, my friends at Pittsburg State gave me a cool shirt that says “PITT” on it. I love it. Thanks guys! I drove 2.5 hours back up to Kansas City, hopped on a flight to Denver and caught a connecting flight to Orange County, California. One thing that always makes me sad when flying to the OC is when I look out the airplane window and see the burned forests where a fire had ripped through. Things are always more real when you see them first hand rather than on CNN.
Travel days are also good for catching up on random stuff that needs to be mentioned in this blog. Now one of the things that I learned last weekend at the fundraiser is that a ton of people are reading this blog! There’s no real way to check site statistics, so I honestly never knew if my husband was the only person reading it. (And he often does this to see where the hell I am…) But the outpouring of concern over posts like “Where Art Thou, Red Luggage” has assured me otherwise. Since you’re all so concerned about red luggage, here’s the update. After doing some thinking, I decided Red Luggage was bad luck and should be retired. I had bought it several years ago, and she has been good to me…but it was time to be sent out to luggage pasture. (i.e, the basement.) So it was time to shop for new luggage, which is something I take VERY seriously. I went to JC Penny, because they were having a sale. I pulled about 5 luggages off the racks, and was seriously walking around the whole department store with each of them to assess things like wheel function. (Gotta take a test drive, right?) Clearly this earned me some strange looks. But finally I decided on Blue Luggage, pictured above. She’s awesome. And I made a pledge to NEVER check her again. This, of course, means I pack much lighter these days. One of my gay boyfriends recently saw my slim blue luggage and knew I had been gone from home over 7 days. He incrediously stated that I “pack like a straight guy.” Hey, at least my luggage won’t get lost.
Pittsburg State - Pittsburg, KS
March 12, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
So I know what you’re thinking…Pittsburgh is in Pennsylvania, right? Not when it’s missing the silent “h” it’s not. Today I flew from New Jersey to Kansas City, and drove 2.5 hours south to this lovely little town. This evening I gave the Stayin’ Alive on Spring Break program to about 100 students who were clearly psyched for their upcoming vacation. And the weather was so gorgeous today, it felt like SB had already arrived. The program went great, although I experienced something that happens from time to time. I was beginning the program by telling the students Shannon’s story, and why this motivated me to speak to college students for a living about their safety. Normally I’m able to keep it together, and get through this difficult part of my program. But since the fundraiser was just this past weekend, I was just filled with emotion tonight. Towards the end of the story, a fond memory of Shannon just kinda popped into my head and threw off my whole story. I thought I was going to cry, but quickly was able to get my act together and back on track. The program after that went as fun and wild as normal. Afterwards I was telling Ed, the awesome organizer of this event, that it happens very rarely and I was sorry to lose it a bit up there. But he said, “I don’t know how you talk about that everytime you give a program.” Sometimes, neither do I. But I decided a long time ago that the day I stop feeling WHY I do this and stop remembering on an emotional level how much Shannon impacted my life is the day I should hang up the saddle. So thanks to everyone at Pitt for coming out, and have a fab spring break! Pictured above is myself in the crowd with Scary Bad Guy Larry, teaching ‘em how to open up a can o’ whoop-ass.
Right after the program, I quickly ran into Wal Mart to pick up a new tube of toothpaste. As I walked in the front entrance, I saw they had a St. Patty’s Day display filled with all sorts of fun Irish stuff. Now my ethnic background is somewhat mutt-like, as I’m told that I’m from a different ethnicity everytime the family gets togteher. But once I heard I had Irish blood in my veins, and I decided to claim it as my heritage. And hey, my name is Erin so that’s Irish enough for me. Anywho, because I’m a self-proclaimed Irish person I obviously LOVE St. Patrick’s Day, and this year we’re having a party. I’ve been on the prowl for something fun and green to wear, but to no avail. That is, until I came to this Wal Mart. The item was in the center of the display, surrounded by a heavenly glow as angels sang in the distance. I had found my get-up for March 17th…and it was a green mullet. Be sure to check back for pics post-St. Patty’s Day.
High Schools & a Fundraiser
March 10, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Yesterday was just non-stop fun. It started at 9am when I spoke at Maria High School on the south side of Chicago. A lovely gang of girls, that’s for sure. After we finished up a little whoop-ass there, I hopped in my car and drove to West Chicago for my next program. This time I spoke to about 1,000 girls in the gym, and boy was that lovely chaos. The great news is that both programs were videotaped, so I hope to put up some clips soon to show how effective GFB is for the teen audience.
Driver Safety Petition
March 8, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
In the United States, automobile deaths are the leading cause of death for all people age 3 to 33. When youth are given the privilege to drive they are handed the keys to their safety of those riding with them and the others on the road. Safety is not an accident; youth can take specific actions to be safer as drivers and passengers. We are working to make May the National Youth Traffic Safety Month, but we need your help. Please visit Sign on for Safety to sign the petition to make this happen!
Miami University - Coral Gables, FL
March 7, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
This morning I flew from North Carolina to Miami, Florida. I love that feeling when you get off an airplane, and the air that greets you is so warm! On principle, I hit the hotel pool the moment I checked in. And of course, I sent my friends taunting emails from my BlackBerry while poolside. I couldn’t help myself.
Presbyterian College - Clinton, SC
March 6, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Today I flew to Charlotte, NC in anticipation of speaking at Presbyterian College. Upon arrival, I drove two hours south to lovely Clinton, SC and gave a Stayin’ Alive on Spring Break program to several hundred sorority women. Talk about Southern hospitality…these ladies were awesome! A huge thanks to Dana for bringing me to campus and to J.D. for being such an awesome Scary Bad Guy.
WRGA - San Francisco, CA
March 2, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Yesterday I arrived at the Western Regional Greek Association Conference, where Greek leaders from many of the Western US came to learn, network and have a blast. When in San Francisco, everyone goes to the Golden Gate Bridge, right? Not I. Unfortunately I was only at this conference for a mere 24 hours, and I never even left the hotel. Maybe next time. But while I was there, I met some fantastic students, got to hang with some of my fave speakers on the college circuit and autographed lots o’ books. So it was a good time, although the GG Bridge will have to wait ’till next time. Gotta go catch a red-eye flight back to the east coast now…stay tuned for next week’s adventures!
Arkansas Tech - Russellville, AR
March 1, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night I spoke to a full house of Greek students in Arkansas for part of their Safe Spring Break week. This crowd was like a big ball o’ energy, and so fun. We had some minor issues in the beginning, when ironically all my tech needs (the PowerPoint) refused to work. I found this funny, since I was speaking at a technical college. But the show must go on! So we aborted the mission to make the damn projector work and I hit the stage. About halfway through the program I was talking about tips to get to a spring break destination safely, and was discussing how to avoid bad situations while driving. I offered this tip: whoever rides shotgun in the car has the job to stay awake and talk to the driver to keep them awake. After I say this, some guy completely busts out in this guffaw laugh, like it’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. Now there’s a lot of funny stuff in my programs, but I didn’t think this was one of them. I figured I was merely being heckled, and just moved on. (Of course, filing away his mug for later to take out my revenge.) So when it came time to do some self-defense stuff, I asked the crowd for a volunteer to be my scary bad guy. (SBG) The crowd offered up this same guy who heckled me, and I kicked his ass onstage. It was awesome. 
Afterwards, the peer educators did a mock “Deal or No Deal” whereupon each contestant called had to pick a box. Within it were gift cards for some serious cash. This whole event was fun and random, and a good time was had by all.