Behind the Black Belt: Elicia’s Battle with Abuse from a Trusted Coach

Elicia recounts how her experience of being groomed and abused by a martial arts instructor when she was growing up severely impacted her self-esteem, mental health, and life trajectory. Hear things to be aware of to prevent this sort of experience and how she got her power back. Elicia turned around her story for good to prevent and break the cycle of abuse and coercion that so many experience. This is part 1 in a two part series.LESSONS LEARNEDUnderstanding Emotional and Mental Abuse: Physical self-defense is important, but recognizing manipulation and emotional abuse is just as critical for personal safety.Trusting Your Instincts: Women need to be taught to trust their gut feelings and recognize warning signs before danger escalates.The Harm of Victim Blaming: Blaming the victim, as Elicia experienced, worsens the trauma and makes recovery harder.The Long-Lasting Impact of Abuse: Abuse at a young age can severely affect self-esteem, decision-making, and trust in oneself.RESOURCESPretty Hands Hard Punches – Elicia's women’s self-defense program, designed to empower women to recognize and defend against both physical and emotional abuse. PrettyHandsHardPunches.comAware and Prepared Podcast Weekly Email: Provides show notes and links to resources mentioned in each episode. Sign up at awareandprepared.life at the bottom of the website.***Don’t forget to review the show (bottom of all episodes) - is it helpful, practical, insightful?***Book Mandi for a keynote and workshops for your school, conference or retreat to share her real life story, how she healed and practical takeaways to inspire and empower your audience.Reach Mandi through her website AwareAndPrepared.Life or Instagram @WomenAwareAndPreparedSend me a message