These tips I learned in my self-defense classes with Esteem have gotten me through many difficult situations in my life. The funny thing is, they don’t just apply to situations in which my personal safety is threatened. They’re guidelines for how to walk through the world with less fear and more confidence. Continue
We all deserve to feel strong and competent, set clear boundaries, and resist verbal and physical assault, and we need to stand together to make sure that feeling is realized for all of us. Continue
Believe me when I tell you the more you practice assertive communication, the easier it gets. You see the results of your assertiveness: people actually do what you tell them to do, you gain self-awareness and self-esteem, and your relationships deepen with your increased honesty. Continue
Understand that being assertive means finding the middle ground between passive and aggressive. Assertiveness is getting your needs met while being respectful of the needs of others. If more people adopted an assertive style of communication, we would all feel more respected, more heard, and definitely more understood. Continue
Esteem for Boys teaches boys what to do if physically attacked and how to physically defend themselves, but it also helps boys think about the ego-based nature of fighting among young men. Continue
We may not be able to immediately change the direction of mass media, but each of us is absolutely the only person responsible for what comes out of our mouths. So let’s all start there. Continue
This concern is not limited to teenage girls: I’ve had similar conversations with adult women ranging in age from their thirties to their seventies. We think we’d like a compliment, but then we are left feeling confused about what to do with one when we get it. Continue
Our words are powerful. What we say and what we don’t say have an impact on not just others, but ourselves. Continue
The law stipulates that a person must communicate an “unambiguous yes” to sex and further states that someone cannot give consent if they are drunk or unconscious. This should be obvious, but we know from looking at the statistics that it is not, and there are plenty of assaults against women that occur under these circumstances. Continue
Esteem has reached over 27,000 participants with our dynamic trainings and we look forward to continuing our mission of creating interpersonal communication solutions for individuals, schools, and companies for many years to come. Toward that end, I invite you to check out the site here and leave a comment on the blog to let us know what you think. Continue