• Search for:

• Get Erin’s blog updates sent to your email

  Enter your email address:

  Delivered by FeedBurner

• Recent Posts

  • Now Hiring Interns
  • New Book Cover
  • 8 Years
  • Free GFB Seminar – June 6, 2009 in Estes Park!
  • May E-Newsletter

• Categories

  • Erin Weed's Blog
  • Girls Fight Back!
  • In the News
  • Peace & Happiness
  • Public Speaking
  • Safety & Self-Defense
  • Social Entrepreneurship
  • Video

• Blogroll

  • Angela Shelton
  • Denise Brown
  • Girls Fight Back!
  • Giulia Rozzi
  • Jessica Weiner
  • Kris Carr
  • Nancy Colasurdo
  • Shawn Decker
  • Stayin’ Alive on Spring Break

• Archives

  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005

This morning I made the flight to my homeland, lovely Chicago Illinois.  Tonight I had the pleasure to give the How to Be a Bad Victim program to about 50 amazing college women, most of whom were in the thick of sorority recruitment.  I really can’t think of a better way to kick off the school year than to give serious attention to issues like personal safety and self-defense.  And on campuses like UIC in the middle of a transforming urban area, it’s especially important to be proactive about these issues.  We had a great time, and I want to send out a huge thank you to Veronica Rodriguez for pulling together an excellent event, even in the madness of back to school!

This has been a very long time coming…and today I am happy to announce the official release of our first DVD.  It’s called Girls Fight Back: Live from Denver! If you haven’t had the opportunity to see the seminar live or just want a refresher, it’s the same program I give to 100 schools, colleges and corporations every year.  We shot it with a live studio audience at Comcast Studios in Denver this summer, and it was such a fun experience.  There are two versions of this DVD.  First, you can buy the consumer version for home use.  Or if you would like to show the DVD to an audience or classroom, you can purchase the Public Performance Kit.  In addition to the DVD, the kit includes a CD-ROM with worksheets, discussion questions, instructor guide, posters, handouts and a public performance license.  You can show the DVD as many times as you’d like.  The launching of the DVD is a major milestone in steps towards the mission of Girls Fight Back: To educate women across the globe about personal safety & self-defense.

FREE SHIPPING on all DVD purchases until this Friday, Aug. 22nd!  Click here to buy it.

So why the DVD?  With rising travel costs, my schedule becoming busier than ever and the demand for programs constantly on the rise..it was long overdue. Furthermore, this past year my husband and I made the decision to start a family, which isn’t easy given my current lifestyle.  The good news is we found out I was pregnant in July, and we were given a due date of March 2009.  Nervous and excited, my staff and I got to work trying to figure out what the Spring ‘09 tour could look like (big prego girl teaching self-defense?) and all the other plans that might need re-adjusting.  It was a blissful few weeks, and for the first time in a long while, I started seeing myself in another light besides a speaker, author and fighter.

But here’s the not-so-good news: Two weeks ago, we had a miscarriage.  This is the first time I am openly discussing it. As these past two weeks have unfolded, some people looked upon me with pity, sadness or avoided eye contact altogether.  There have been awkward moments and I have felt myself going to great lengths to make sure people didn’t feel uncomfortable.  Some individuals simply didn’t know what to say, so they said nothing at all.  Or on the flip side, some assured me to “keep my chin up” or that “I’d get over it someday.”

I started wishing this experience would just go away, disappear and I’d never talk about it again.  I could throw myself into work or travel or writing another book just to stay distracted. And in that moment of wanting to shrink into the darkness, lock this experience in a small box of sadness and hide it in the attic of my heart…that’s when I realized this situation had similarities to what society tells victims of violence to do with their pain.  Don’t make others uncomfortable. Don’t talk about it. Keep it a secret. Get on with your life.  And we wonder why rape victims often don’t report assaults!  And why survivors of childhood sex abuse don’t speak about it until their 40th birthday!  Or why our society is a massive cluster of people who are hurting, which wreaks havoc on our ability to succeed, to love and to break the cycle!

The first step to finding peace is sharing the stories that bond together in our human experience.  We have to start tearing down our brick walls.  We need to begin opening up, even when it’s hard or there is a lurking fear of judgment.  When we feel the need to turn our back on the truth, instead we need to grab a flashlight and investigate deep within. Above all, we need to support each other.  We need to be there to catch our loved ones with a giant net as we leap out the 10th story window of our respective comfort zones.  If you are someone who has been carrying a heavy burden, I can assure you that for every insensitive comment you will hear, there will be one thousand more hugs, words of support, good vibes and friends you didn’t even know you had.

Next week I begin my Fall speaking tour in Texas.  I have taken the time to write, think, cry, talk, process and heal.  I can honestly say that I’m back to my old self and at peace with what has happened…perhaps even a bit wiser than before.  All the great things at GFB headquarters are moving ahead with gusto.  I am excited that when I can’t be somewhere to give the GFB seminar, the DVD can be shown in my place.  I am elated that we have been presented with opportunities to take the GFB mission to an international level.  Blessings are everywhere, but we must choose to see them for what they are.

I went to a yoga retreat this past weekend to get some zen before diving into the Fall Tour, and I camped the first night.  I endured a howling, scary thunder and lightning storm alone in my little tent.  While getting pelted by hail I thought to myself, “I really don’t need this right now.” But how symbolic of my past two weeks!  I consciously decided, after fleeing to my SUV for cover, that my challenges were finished for now and it’s time to start over.  The next morning, in anticipation of more bad weather, I upgraded from my tent to a cabin.  Ironically, I was placed in a cabin named Ganesh, who is the Hindu God of Removing Obstacles and New Beginnings.

And so it is.

You may recall a few months ago, I was asked to be the commencement speaker at Eastern Illinois University’s graduation ceremony. Today the video is finally posted, thanks to my web guru Pete Lacis.  Even though I’m a speaker for a living, this was humbling and exciting.  I mean, all those people, about to start a new and exciting chapter of their lives…it’s an energy like no other.  Add that to the fact I wasn’t allow to groin strike anyone on stage, and I was offically out of my element. More scary than anything, however, was the ginormous jumbotron screen directly in front of me.  As I was speaking and looking out at the audience, a much bigger version of myself stared right back.  Kind of a mind freak, if you let it be.  But in situations where I’m not sure of the right thing to say, I just take some quiet moments and ask for Shannon’s help.  Lucky for my audiences (and my self-esteem), she always delivers.  Hope you enjoy the video.  P.S…Don’t be alarmed if it sounds like nobody is laughing at my jokes.  I wasn’t dyin’ up there.  The audience wasn’t mic’d, but I swear they thought I was just a little funny.  Next time I’ll add laugh tracks.  Click here to watch the video.

Many people ask me about my husband, Peter Lacis. They marvel, “Who is this mysterious man who is behind the scenes of the Erin Weed and Girls Fight Back? How does he put up with her?” It’s a fascinating question indeed, since our home and office are packed with non-stop action. I will tell you that between Peter and Michelle (our Events Coordinator), they really hold down the fort when I’m off galavanting around the nation. You’d assume this would be a hard dynamic in a marriage, but it really works for us. And the thing is, we both have our respective places when it comes to being on stage. I kick ass and he rocks out. Peter was recently featured in Premier Guitar Magazine, and you can click on the video to see Pete rock! I’m a lucky girl…

Check out this movie that some of my activist friends are in…coming in Spring ‘08.

Yesterday was such a blast. I hosted my weekly radio show on AM 760 with my good friend Jess Weiner, who was visiting me from Los Angeles. We talked to the fabulous Damone Roberts, and now I can’t wait ’till my next trip to NYC or LA to get my eyebrows hooked up. Check out the video above to see our post-show re-cap, and listen to the podcast by clicking here.

The video below was made by a strong supporter of a few of us doing anti-violence work. Thanks Kathy! Featured in this video are: Angela Shelton, Ophelia De Serres, myself and Angela Rose. Learn more by visiting their websites below:

Angela Shelton: www.angelashelton.com
Ophelia: womenspeakoutnow.com
The Weed (me): www.girlsfightback.org
Angela Rose: www.pavingtheway.net