Jul

21

Chris Brown

Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog, In the News | 8 Comments

Yesterday I watched the video apology of Chris Brown, for assaulting Rhianna this past February.  I’m all for forgiveness and allowing people to make mistakes without raking them over the coals for the rest of eternity, but this video struck me as incredibly insincere.  Perhaps it was the script, or blaming things on his gaggle of attorneys or the perfect lighting for the video shoot.  All the parts fused together looked like one big performance.  But it got me thinking, is this something you can truly apologize for anyway?

Several years ago when I was still reeling from losing my friend Shannon McNamara to homicide, I found some solace in watching documentaries and real-life shows about murder. In many of these films, the killer was caught and brought to justice.  And in many of those instances, there was a tearful apology from the accused to the family for taking their loved one.  Sometimes the killer even recognized the almost insulting act of saying “I’m sorry” for taking the ultimate gift of LIFE.  In Shannon’s case, we never got an apology or an admittance of guilt, but I doubt it would have made much difference anyway.

Domestic violence and murder are not the same crime. However, according to the National Women Abuse Prevention Project, thirty-four percent of the women homicide victims over age 15 are killed by their husbands, ex-husbands or boyfriends. (So physical assault can lead to a lethally violent outcome.)  But yesterday as I watched Chris say he had been such a good guy up ’till the moment he beat his girl, I had to wonder if Rhianna and countless women who have been battered by their partners felt as insulted as I did.  Apologies are great when you’re late for a meeting or stain a borrowed sweater.  But when you try to throw your girlfriend out of a car?  When you smash her head into a window?    When you punch her in the eye?  When you repeatedly punch her in the face, WHILE driving a car?  When you utter the words “Now I’m really going to kill you” after all of this?  Oh, it keeps going…read the full police report by clicking here.

I’m sorry Chris Brown…but your apology just doesn’t cut it for me.  You need serious help.

Jul

13

Nesting

Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog | 1 Comment

Only 4 weeks to go until my baby arrives, and I’ve been nesting up a storm!  By reading that, you’d assume I’ve been busy cleaning the bathroom tile with a toothbrush or painting the baby’s room.  Not so.  I’m finding there is another kind of nesting for female business owners that I call “Business Nesting.”  Let me tell you, the cleaning can wait and the garage re-organization project may fall in the “things to do next year” category.  The baby furniture will get assembled…eventually.  But creating marketing materials and talking to sponsors for the upcoming Fall Tour and designing our public relations strategy and planning events around the USA and making sure my new Speakers and Sales Reps are ready to rock…well that can’t wait!

These past few months of training and creating systems for the future of Fight Back Productions has been one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done.  It’s pushed me way beyond my comfort zone, in a good way.  While the final trimester of pregnancy brings on a whole slew of physical ailments from bladder overdrive to acid reflux, the excitement of building a company to be bigger than myself has kept me going.  And when people tell me to slow down, it’s hard…just because I’m having so much fun.

Maybe this makes me some sort of freak, but I have to say, just thinking about a world with more education about personal safety and self-defense thrills me and my staff. Our approach is fresh, new and different than anything you’ve ever seen in regards to personal safety education.  As John F. Kennedy once said: “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”  The upcoming Fall ‘09 Tour will reveal a whole new layer to our company vision, and it’s going to be new and awesome and better than ever.  Just wanted to post and say STAY TUNED for some good stuff…