Ohio Weslyan University - Delaware, OH
August 31, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night I spoke in Delaware. Not the state, silly! The city…in Ohio. All I can say is GOOD TIMES. Great crowd. And a healthy dose of men at this particular Girls Fight Back seminar, which I love. After the program I met up with Darla Bolon, a member of the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation who I met back in 2001 when I was just starting GFB. She’s been a huge supporter all along, and I shot some video of us talking about verbal self-defense. That video should be posted soon. Overall, I’m becoming a video psycho. It’s the next best thing to real life, eh? Pictured above is me with my new Delaware friends.
The Power of Right Now
August 29, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Since I moved to Colorado, my yoga practice has kicked up about 10 notches. It’s easier to be a yogi away from the madness of New York City. I have come to learn that peace is directly related to the success of many fights in life. Knowing how to breathe and to be present is half the battle in confronting life’s challenges. I recently discovered a new yoga studio chain called CorePower Yoga, and I’m loving it. Halfway through the traditional class filled with lots o’ down dog, you bust into a series of crazy sit-ups. Maybe someday I’ll become zen AND ripped!
So last night I took the most advanced class, which was conducted in 100 degree heat. My teacher was very cool, and in our final resting pose she read us a poem. The last line hit me hard. It said, “The only thing we know for sure is the moment we are living right now.” I thought this was profound, especially for people in this day and age. Sometimes it feels like we’re always planning for something to happen weeks, months or years down the line. It gets overwhelming, doesn’t it? So as I embark on my second Fall Tour stop in Ohio tomorrow, I plan to keep reminding myself the power of the moment…right now is the only thing we know for sure. Make your now count.
Weed 6 Productions
August 27, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Don’t laugh. This license plate is real. When I was in high school, my dad thought it would be clever to get this license plate for my car. His reasoning? Our last name was Weed, and we had six people in our nuclear family. I didn’t think it was a good idea, with all the marijuana connotations. Like I suspected, I was a target for every cop in Illinois trying to meet his ticket quota. I can’t begin to count how many times I was pulled over while bearing this license plate on my white, 1991 Dodge Dynasty. (Which I nicknamed “The Die-Nasty.”)
As many of you know, this summer we began the lengthy process of making Girls Fight Back an official non-profit organization. It will provide awesome safety & self-defense e-learning via our website (coming in September), fun/practical safety products at the online store, and free GFB seminars for women who need it. (i.e., rape crisis centers, inner city high schools, etc.) It’s gonna rock like spock.
But as many of you know, I personally have a lot of stuff besides GFB going on. I’m a writer, a blogger, a speaker, a video producer, an entrepreneur and have recently become obsessed with getting a radio show about women’s empowerment issues. As I am beginning to turn GFB over to the leadership of the Advisory Board and volunteers, clearly I would need another pursuit. What could it be called?
Literally, I have kept this license plate with me everywhere I have lived, and always hung it above my office door. So when we were deciding what my new production company would be called, Peter (my hubby) was standing in the doorway and simply looked up. And it was done. Weed 6 Productions.
Stay tuned for some incredibly cool things to come…
Weed on the Airwaves
August 26, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
As you may recall, last week I was a guest on KKZN 760 AM doing a radio show called Start-up Story Radio. It’s a one hour weekly show hosted by Rob McNealy dedicated to entrepreneurship. The show was quite cool, because he gave me a platform to discuss Social Entrepreneurship…essentially starting businesses that solves a social problem. I think this is going to be a huge industry in the coming years, simply because I meet so many college students who want to work for themselves but also make a difference. It’s a great way to use your life…to change YOUR world.
Our initial show went so well last week, that Rob asked me to come back as a guest co-host on his show. So yesterday I was on air with Rob as we interviewed Dr. Nate Booth, author of Tiger Traits.
Let me just tell you…i am HOOKED on radio. I absolutely adore it. Having the ability to share an important message with the masses without having to get on an airplane is quite appealing to me. (Click here to listen to the past two shows.) So it’s got my mind running lately about the possibilities…let me ask you, my friends and blog readers…would you listen to a fun, random radio show focused on women’s issues and empowerment with both celeb and non-celeb guests?
Behind Happy Faces
August 24, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
My good friend and fellow speaker/activist, Ross Szabo, has written a book. Today it’s available on Amazon.com and I just bought it…I hope you do too. Ross and I were a major support for each other as we wrote our respective books, and his message about mental health in America needs to heard. Click here to read all about it.
Sweet Home Alabama
August 21, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night I kicked off my tour in the booming metropolis of Troy, Alabama. The young women who brought me to campus had the cutest accents…every one of them! But don’t believe those rumors that Southern women can’t be tough. These young women were all about the whoop-ass. Another stigma you shouldn’t believe about southern women is that they are always polite and nothing but sugar. During the part of the program where we evaluate the Scary Bad Guy’s body for vulnerable spots, some girl in the third row yelled out, “His junk!” Hilarious.
A huge thanks to all my new Alabama girlfriends for helping me kick off the tour! Hope to be back soon.
Erin Weed’s Fall Tour ‘07
August 19, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Check out my first installment of GFB TV, announcing the Fall Tour. It starts tomorrow…I have a 6:30am flight. Better go pack…
Weed on the Radio
August 19, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Yesterday I was the guest on Start-up Story Radio hosted by Rob McNealy on KKZN AM 760. It’s a great show about entrepreneurship, and Rob invites guests to share their stories on how they started their businesses and organizations. It was an hour long show, and it literally flew by. I discussed all aspects of starting GFB, from the day Shannon died, through all my training and through the book writing process and marketing stuff. Most people don’t realize how much we put into really marketing GFB, in order to make women’s self defense more appealing to women. We’re fighting a stigma that women who learn to fight are a bunch of man haters, so it’s a challenge…but I think we’re making serious headway.
Anywho, I loved every minute of my radio show appearance, as the experience brought me back to my college days when I decided to have a career in broadcast journalism of some type. (And we all see how that worked out…) But Rob and I had so much fun, he invited me back as a guest host. I’m surely taking him up on it in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
Listen to Erin on 760 AM Start-up Story Radio here.
Rainbow Brite & Jessica Weiner
August 18, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last night I had the opportunity to hang out with a really amazing woman named Jessica Weiner downtown Denver. As we were driving downtown, I saw the most ridiculously incredible twin rainbows! Check them out above…
But back to Jessica…She’s a speaker and author - you may recognize her from being the self-esteem expert on the Tyra Banks show, or the numerous other TV segments she’s shot on loving yourself and your body. She and I have admired each other’s work for years, but it was only recently that the universe brought us together. She has really incredible things planned for this Fall which I’ll tell you about in October, but I just wanted to make the introduction. It’s so great meeting like-minded individuals about the importance of teaching women to be safe and strong. Recently I was selected to be on her team of experts for the awesome website: www.withjess.com. I will be writing about ass kicking, life balance and seeking peace. A new direction for me, but I look forward to it. More to come on my writing for that site in September…
iphone
August 17, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
So I just got a new iphone and I am in love.
I heart you, little iphone.
If I Did It
August 16, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
I have always thought it to be strange that Ron Goldman & Nicole Brown Simpson were killed on the same day Shannon was, June 12th. Yesterday Denise Brown was near tears on the Today Show trying to fathom why anyone would publish OJ’s book, “If I Did It.” I can’t help but to agree and empathize with her. But the family of Ron Goldman wants it to go to press, with the assistance of Beaufort Books. The book comes out on my 30th birthday, October 3, 2007.
No one can tell the family of a murder victim how to grieve. It takes many forms, but the end goal is always the same. People want their peace back. Some think money will make the pain stop. Some want revenge. Some want to forgive. Some want to forget. But they all want their peace. Some never get it.
I don’t usually write about how Shannon’s murder affected me outside of the Prologue of my book. But I’d like to share some things with you all about what it’s really like to have to deal with a tragedy like this while in the middle of the spotlight.
The first thing to know…nearly anytime a person is murdered, they automatically become a “story” or a “case.” We had to remind ourselves, especially while going through Shannon’s murder trial, that she was a vibrant, living, gorgeous girl before he took her life. Seeing her case in court made it harder to remember her voice, her smile. That is a really painful thing…to be afraid of forgetting.
The closest I have ever been to punching someone in the face (without a physical threat being posed to me) was the final day of Shannon’s trial. After two weeks of a grueling trial and after several hours of jury discussion, the judge finally said the word we craved: GUILTY. After he said it, we all just kinda sat there, feeling sick and like we’d won nothing. I remember someone from Shannon’s family sobbing, but she was the lone crier. Everyone else just sat there like stunned deer. I don’t know how long it was, but when we finally moved from our seats reality set in and people started crying. I remember taking a few of my younger girlfriends under both arms, and escorting them out of the courtroom. The moment the doors opened, we were greeted with blinding lights of media cameras and journalists assaulting us with questions about how we felt…as if it wasn’t apparent from our faces. I got instantly angry when one camera was lurched in my face, and I told them to F&%$ off. This is not normal behavior for me, but I just cannot explain to you the rage I felt as these media people invaded our moment of trying to digest this entire tragedy on a whole new level. I felt my fist clench. I seriously almost decked this cameraperson.
Shortly after we maneuvered past the media mob, I escaped out the front door of the courthouse. I needed air and space to keep a promise I had made to Shannon’s best friend Kim, who couldn’t attend the trial because she had a grad school exam at her college in Rhode Island. I promised I would call her when the verdict was read. Standing on the front steps crying, I said to her, “Kimmy, Shannon did it. She got her justice. He’s guilty on all charges.” It was such a heavy moment…so many emotions. Happiness that it was done, despair she was still gone and complete exhaustion from the past few weeks of hearing and seeing unspeakable things about her final moments. And just then, I felt someone behind me. I stopped, turned to look, and it was a reporter recording my entire conversation with an audio cassette recorder. When he saw the look on my face, he physically RAN. And I am so glad he did…
So this is just a minor glimpse into the world of the Goldmans, the Browns and anyone else who has lost a loved one and it became a media spectacle. It’s not easy, and it’s not fair no matter how it goes down. It hurts, plain and simple, and often that hurt turns to anger and gets redirected to new battles. I just hope someday, all of them find their own version of peace. Each of them deserve to have it back.
Cubs & Canyons
August 13, 2007 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
My sister Lisa was in town this past weekend, (see us pictured above) so of course we hit the white water rapids. This time we conquered the Royal Gorge which is a canyon on the Arkansas River in Colorado. In some places, this crazy thing is 1200 feet high. We hit some class III and IV rapids that damn near flew me out of the boat. Awesome.
Sunday we went to a Cubs vs. Rockies game downtown Denver. I thought I was gonna be the only girl there wearing a Cubs hat, for sure. But as we’re approaching the stadium, I kept seeing people with Cubs jerseys, tanks, hats, etc. To each of them, I held up the fist and said, “Go Cubs.” To which they promptly responded (with raised fist), “Go Cubs.” It’s a Chicago thing…don’t ask. Well we get inside the stadium and sit in some pretty awesome seats. I look around me, and everyone is in blue and red jerseys…GO CUBS! Seriously, I kept having to remind myself that I was not actually at Wrigley Field. I kinda felt bad for the Rockies with this crazy Cubs contingent in their home field, but then they creamed us 6 to 3 so I didn’t feel bad anymore.
Erica Upshaw
August 7, 2007 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
A friend of mine is on a much needed crusade, and I want to introduce you to her. Meet Erica Upshaw. Her brother Joey died of an accidental drug and alcohol overdose. (See them pictured above) Binge drinking and alcohol use is a growing problem on America’s college campuses, and Erica is on a mission to help people make responsible decisions and say something to friends who are out of control. All of us at GFB are sending her much girl power and support as she takes on this pretty huge task. Check out her new website: http://www.ericaupshaw.com
The Art of the High Heel
August 6, 2007 | 4 CommentsPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Today’s entry started as my reply to a very mysterious comment posted by a person bravely named “anonymous” to my previous post about the Cosmopolitan article. It got kinda long, so I thought it deserved its own post. Here’s what our mystery friend (MF) writes:
MF: I don’t agree with you about high heels being great. Do you really think that if you’re attacked you’ll have time to take off your heel and use it as a weapon?
EW: That’s when you should politely ask Mr. Scary Bad Guy, “Excuse me, but may I have a moment while I slip off my shoe?” NOT. Let’s get real…a woman using a high heel as a weapon is in one of two situations: #1: she had advance prep time (saw a threat coming) or #2: she was knocked to the ground (and the shoe was accessible).
MF: Even if you could, a bad guy would see it coming plus heels bust off pretty easily upon impact and a high heel shoe doesn’t have much weight or mass or reach. You’d be better off surprising an attacker with a heavy purse or briefcase or laptop or a stick on the street.
EW: Really? Heels ‘bust off’ easily? Have you broken many heels on attackers? We’d love to hear your story. Cuz frankly, the heels we used in our full contract training program were smacked against walls, cement and body armor. And guess what? They’re still kickin’… (I couldn’t resist the pun.) I agree using a heavy purse, briefcase, laptop or stick would work great too. But you work with what you got in these situations…and you may or may not have any of these items to choose from.
MF: If you want to learn about improvised weapons do a google search or go to a martial arts forum where these topics are intelligently discussed.
EW: Are we not having an intelligent discussion? Oh wait, we can’t discuss because you left an anonymous comment post on my blog, therefore closing all doors for an respectful exchange.
On a final note, I offer the idea of using a high heel as a weapon to counteract the all-too-popular safety advice that women should never wear high heels at all! I believe a woman should wear whatever she wants, but be prepared to react in violent confrontations while wearing those outfits. At the end of the day, you don’t get the option to pick your outfit for a fight. Hey sister - use what you got to your advantage…and walk proudly (and safely) in those stilettos should you choose to do so!