Springfield, IL is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, the capital of the great state of Illinois and home to the University of Illinois-Springfield. It was here at UIS that I was invited to spread the Students Fight Back message of being a badass of your own life!

We had a small but mighty group gathered who were eager to get their knowledge on and we dove right into the basics of trusting your intuition and choosing to be actively aware. My amazing assistant did a great job helping me demonstrate strategies for avoiding a creeper using your verbal skills and then we transitioned into the physical fight segment. Because even when we do a great job of being aware, keeping an eye out for those who would try to manipulate us, and using our voice to avoid a confrontation sometimes we may have to physically defend ourselves. We pointed out all the hotspots that people of any gender identity have such as the eyes, throat, stomach, knees and groin. Each time we discussed a strike or practiced the bad ass ballet steps, my assistant would confirm to me that yes, this was something that would really hurt! I asked if he had been in a lot of fights and he said, no, he played football! Yup, he had first hand knowledge of how all those places were extremely sensitive!

The most important concept that resonated with this highly participatory group was the knowledge that they are worth fighting for. By knowing that, embracing it and not being dissuaded from believing it in all aspects of our lives, we become our own best protectors.

Thank you University of Illinois-Springfield and Student Life for bringing me to your campus to educate, empower and entertain your students! Go forward peacefully!

Cheers,

GFB Nicole

Recently a sexual assault on the campus of University of Montana has shined a light on the reality of rape on campus…that in many cases, the person committing the crime is someone you know. Someone popular. Someone who’s NOT wearing creepy aviator glasses and jumping out of the bushes…but instead, sitting next to you in Statistics class.

Here’s another college reality: If you are assaulted, there’s a good chance alcohol will play a role.

Now I know what you’re thinking. What are you saying Weed?!? “No boys? No booze? Whaaat?”

Don’t freak out…this is not to say you can’t trust guys. You can – just trust your intuition more. And please have a good time…it’s college, after all! Just know the facts and how to protect yourself.

Here at GFB, we’re all about getting real. Being real. Talking real. Not with fancy stats or scary lingo…but just telling it how it is. And teaching you how to handle it. No fuss, no drama.

So while the realities of violence in college often involve men we know (and sometimes love), and the frothy fun drink – it’s time to have a frank conversation. Enter, the name of our upcoming tour for school year 2012-13:

THE B.Y.O.B. TOUR
(be your own badass) 

The tour logo? A pink solo cup. Naturally. (Check out the superfly tour poster here.)

This Fall our GFB speaker team will be hitting the road speaking at cities across the United States. Wanna get on the tour? Then you need to know Caryn Begeschke, our Tour Director. She’ll hook you up. Tell her Weed sent you. Just call her at (303) 872-8030 ext. 103 or e-mail Caryn here.

As you may know, I won’t be doing much speaking/traveling because I’m basking in the glow of new motherhood. I welcomed my baby girl, Phoebe, to the world on June 21st. This “mom of 2 kids” thing has got me baffled, I gotta tell you. How do these women take showers? I swear, you should be glad you’re not seeing me much on this tour. I usually have dried baby vomit in my hair. (wish that was a joke – but it’s the TRUTH)

BUT…my GFB girls Bree, Heather and Megan might be coming to a city near you. And they all ROCK like Spock. So you’re covered.

OK, let’s do this. Raise your pink solo cup to GFB and say CHEERS to living the badass life we were all intended.

We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. What do you think of the BYOB theme? Is the frank conversation about boys, booze and violence long overdue?

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