Fight Until the Finish - Personal Safety and Firearms Training for Women

Your bags are packed. The GPS is set. Maybe you're headed to the beach, the mountains, or your favorite campground.

Before you switch into vacation mode, spend a few minutes thinking about your personal safety.

The reality is criminals don't take vacations. In fact, they often look for people who are distracted, relaxed, and not paying attention.

A few travel reminders:
• Don't post your location in real time.
• Keep valuables out of sight in your vehicle.
• Stay aware of your surroundings instead of staring at your phone.
• Trust your instincts. If something feels off, leave.
• Don't advertise that you're traveling alone.
• Lock your hotel room door, even when you're inside.
• If you carry a firearm, know the laws where you're traveling and secure it responsibly.

For those spending time at a campground:
• Take a few minutes when you arrive to identify the nearest campground office, exits, and emergency services.
• Keep your vehicle locked and your keys in the same place every night so you can leave quickly if necessary.
• Don't leave wallets, purses, fi****ms, or other valuables visible through camper windows or sitting outside your campsite.
• Be cautious about sharing your campsite number or how long you'll be staying with people you just met.
• If something seems out of place; a person lingering around campsites, someone trying door handles, or behavior that doesn't make sense pay attention and report it to campground management or if needed, law enforcement.

Whether you're pulling into a gas station, checking into a hotel, or relaxing at your campsite, don't let vacation mode turn into complacency.

Situational awareness is about recognizing potential problems early enough that you can avoid them altogether.

What's one travel or camping safety habit you never skip? Share it in the comments. Someone else might pick up a tip that helps keep them safe.

I've ran into a few people recently and ironically, they've all said, "I've been meaning to call you to schedule some training."

Usually, that sentence ends with, "I just haven't gotten around to it yet."

Life gets busy.
Work, family, vacations, errands they all take priority until something reminds us that our personal safety should have been on that list too.

The reality is that skills aren't built under stress.
They're built on an ordinary day when you decide to invest an hour in yourself.

You don't train because you're expecting a fight.
You train because if one ever finds you, you want your response to be based on practice instead of panic.

I don't care if it's fi****ms, first aid, empty-hand skills, or simply learning how to recognize trouble before it reaches you.

The time to learn is when you have the luxury of making mistakes and asking questions.

Don't wait for an incident to convince you that preparation mattered.

By then, the lesson will probably be a lot more expensive.

Be proactive in your personal safety, call me.

I'll be heading off into the wild blue yonder for a little rest, relaxation, and long over-due vitamin sea.

Time to enjoy the simple things like sunshine, salt air, and the sound of waves instead of gunfire.

So for a few days, I'll be trading ear protection for a sun hat, sneakers for bare feet in the sand, and range time for a beach chair.

Don't worry situational awareness doesn't take a vacation.
I'm still watching my surroundings, keeping valuables secure, and paying attention to what's happening around me.

Good habits don't disappear just because you're relaxing.

I will be on the range Monday as planned, but after that I'll be off the grid and unreachable for the next 10 days.

So if your text or call goes unanswered, you'll know why. I'll return messages as soon as I'm back.

Take care of yourselves while I'm gone.
Stay hydrated, stay alert, make some memories, and I'll see you back on the range soon.

🩷

A few days ago, I had the privilege of assisting a couple of dear friends at a STOP THE BLEED class for some of our law enforcement cadets.

These weren't seasoned officers. They were teenagers.
And let me tell you, I walked away impressed.

They were attentive, mature, knowledgeable, and genuinely eager to learn.
They asked good questions, took the training seriously, and reminded me that there is a lot of hope for the next generation.

Of course, it all starts with great parenting, strong leadership, postive role models and mentors who set the standard. (I won't mention her name, but she knows exactly who she is.)

The biggest takeaway I'd like to leave with all of you is this:

Could you stop the bleed on someone you love?
Could you stop the bleed on yourself?
Could you help a complete stranger lying injured in front of you?

Severe blood loss can become life-threatening in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

Having the knowledge, the confidence, and the right tools can make all the difference between life and death.

Fi****ms training is only one piece of being prepared. Medical preparedness is just as important.

Many hospitals and local organizations offer STOP THE BLEED classes free of charge or for a small fee to cover materials.

It's one of the most valuable classes you can take, and it's a skill I hope you never have to use but one you'll be thankful to have if the day ever comes.

Train for the moments you pray never happen.

Be safe!

PS It's always a good idea to have a STOP THE BLEED kit in your vehicle(s), at home and in your go bags. I will post mine in the comments.

Do you know how many women call to inquire about training and then I never hear from them again?

Or how many husbands reach out wanting to schedule a lesson for their wives, because they wouldn't do it themselves?

Why is that?

Because they "don't feel as if their ready."

Ready isn't a feeling. It's a decision.

I've never had a student walk onto the range with everything figured out. Many arrive nervous. Some are scared. Most have never even touched a firearm.

And do you know what I've seen over and over again?

I've seen tears shed on the range.

Not tears of fear but celebratory tears.
Tears from women who walked in convinced they couldn't do it and walked away realizing they absolutely could.

The unfortunate reality is that the criminal doesn't care whether you "feel ready."

In fact, they'd much rather you stay exactly where you are: hesitant, uncertain, and untrained.

If you've been thinking about learning to defend yourself but keep putting it off because you're waiting to "feel ready," ask yourself this:

What if today is the safest day you'll ever have to learn?

Make the call. Schedule the class.
You don't have to show up confident.
You don't have to have all the answers.
You just have to show up.

And who knows? You may leave with a smile, a new skill set, and a few celebratory tears of your own because you finally realized you were capable all along.

"I don't think I could hurt another person."

I've heard those words from countless women over the years.

My response is always the same: I hope you never have to.

But if someone is trying to kidnap you, r**e you, kill you, or seriously harm you or your loved ones, they've already chosen violence.

That may mean fighting with your hands. It may mean using whatever tools are available to you. And if the situation legally justifies it, it may mean using your firearm to stop the threat.

No responsible gun owner wants to take a life. In fact, the people I train are often the ones who desperately want to avoid violence.

But avoiding violence and being unwilling to defend yourself are two very different things.

Train your mind as much as you train your trigger finger. Understand the laws. Know your options. And make the decision now that if the unthinkable ever happens, you will do what is necessary to make it home.

Because the goal has never been to win a fight.

The goal is to survive it.

Be safe my friends!

Sunday Morning Meditation:

We live in a world where evil exists.
We see it in the headlines, in stories close to home and sometimes in the people we least expect.

And if we're not careful, it's easy to become jaded by it all.

Although we often talk about the "gloom & doom" here I think it makes us more aware of what could actually happen.

But you know what?
It also makes us more appreciative of good people.
And more intentional about protecting the people we love most.

Good people still exist!
Kind hearts still exist!

There are people helping strangers.
Raising good children.
Checking on friends.
Praying quietly behind closed doors.

Being aware isn't about becoming consumed by it all.
Being prepared doesn't mean losing the ability to see the beauty in the world.

Yes, the world has darkness in it.
But it still has an incredible amount of light too.

Don't lose sight of that.

Have a peaceful Sunday, my friends. 🫶

Let's not forget the heroic women of WWII.

82 years ago on Tuesday, June 6, 1944, the WWII D-Day invasion in France was in full force.

Although women were not on the warfront, they played a significant roll behind the scenes preparing our soldiers for war.

Below are some of the women who made critical contributions to the American war effort. Photos captioned.

Below is a letter written by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the troops, 82 years ago.

Read it and imagine yourself as one of the young troops about to head into battle.

The courage it took as they jumped from the skies, the bravery displayed as they trudged through the water trying to reach the beaches.

Watching their comrades fall around them as they continued into battle.

Think about the extraordinary, ultimate sacrifice many of them made that day.

And remember them.

Honor those that are still here to tell their stories.
Talk to them, listen to them, thank them.

For their stories are a part of our history that can't be erased.
June 6, 1944.