052- INTERVIEW: Safety and Self-Defense in the Urban Environment with Beverly Baker

Aug 31, 2020

Beverly Baker is an amazing badass woman who is a martial artist and self-defense coach. She is the founder of the Metropolitan Finishing School, which is not the place to go if you are looking to learn how to serve tea correctly, it is where you want to go if you want to learn how to keep yourself safe in urban environments. 

 

In this episode, Beverly Baker and I discuss:

• Distance management: where distance is your best friend.Avoidance, situational proximity, what’s normal for the context of your situation. Circling around behind someone while pretending like you are looking at something else.
• Tactics for keeping an eye people. Pieing the corner: don’t hug corners, have an open field of vision. Street dodging: utilize the reflections on the windows around you, how are the people around you reacting, turn, and look nonchalantly. Play spot the bad guy, take in your environment and someone who may be standing out
• When visiting a new city know what you want to do, where you want to go, and what the top crimes for the area are. 
• Be aware of how people are intersecting with you. They can use charm, discount boundaries, teaming “we”, and/or loan sharking. 

 

Key Takeaways:

• Preparing for and dealing with the situations that you will encounter. It’s all about what makes sense at the moment you are in and what scenario you are in. 
• Prepare ahead by knowing what bags you will be carrying and practice how you will carry and store them in the different locations you will be visiting.
• When visiting a new city decide what do I want to do, where do I want to go, and what are the top crimes for the area. 
• Feel free to lie and deflect questions back toward the unknown person who is asking about you. 

 

"The largest threats that women face are from people they know."

 —  Beverly Baker

 

      Mentioned: Feminist City by Leslie Kern

      Widen the Window by Elizabeth A Stanley Ph.D. & Besser van der Kolk M.D.

     Visual Intelligence by Amy Herman

 

Connect with Beverly Baker:

Website: https://www.metrofinishschool.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metropolitanfinishingschool/  

 

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