Juji Dojo

"That's what girls have to think about all the time." Saoirse Ronan silences Paul Mescal on The Graham Norton Show after they joke around about using a mobile phone to defend yourself.

We love this clip, not only because Saoirse totally serves, but because Pretty Deadly Self Defense teaches this move in Level 2!

Here's why we teach it, and why it's useful:

Next time you're on a bus or the subway, take a look around at your fellow passengers: almost everyone is on their phone.

But women specifically pretend to (or actually do) message friends, or read important articles, to signal engagement and that we don't want to be interrupted with "friendly" chatter, and we use phones to pretend we're unbothered by invasive stares, digital harassment, commentary or sometimes even grazing or touching.

So the phone is already in our hands, and we're already using it as a form of self defense.

If you watch the whole clip, Eddie Redmayne kicks off the conversation talking about thrusting the phone into someone's throat -- and that's correct. Why?

Because it's harder to see coming. Thrusting a phone at someone's eyes gives them ample time to move out of the way. At the throat is just below the sight-line and is a more effective strike.

Because girls are already thinking about these things. Pretty Deadly shows you how to take the next step.

Saoirse Ronan silences Paul Mescal on Graham Norton Show with one answer The Little Woman star appeared alongside Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, and Eddie Redmayne when the topic of how one would defend oneself from being attacked in public came up and the result was iconic.

This week's tarot reading is all about embracing change with The Tower as our inspiration! Avi shares her story of braving change and offers some fun journal prompts to ensure a positive outcome!

Weekly Tarot: From Rock Bottom to Rebirth How taking a leap of faith can be the best thing you ever do for yourself.

This weeks' tarot reading: 4 of Swords! This one is all about triggers: what do they look like, how do we navigate them in a healthy way, and without losing our cool? Bonus feature: learn Avi's favorite Pretty Deadly move that helps with emotional triggers!

If you haven't signed up for the Pretty Deadly Self Defense yet, you're missing out on weekly insights and journal prompts to help you reach your goals. Join now and grow with our community!

Weekly Tarot: Trigger Warning What to do when you get triggered (without losing your cool)

This week's theme on our Pretty Deadly Self Defense Substack has been setting SMART goals and planning out the steps to achieving them. We're wrapping up the week's theme with this article about what martial arts can teach us about staying on track, no matter how many times we get knocked down and get back up again.

Our Pretty Deadly Platform on Substack kicks off every week with Tarot inspiration and journal prompty by Certified Self Defense Instructor Avantika, and we spend the week supporting your journey with original comix by Certified Instructor Pato and deep dives on each week's theme through articles, podcasts and more. If you haven't signed up yet, join us on Substack for weekly inspiration to inspire, empower and transform. Because self defense = self care.

Just Roll With It What martial arts can teach us about setting goals and staying in the game

Earlier this month, Pretty Deadly Self Defense started doing a little something different for a self defense-focused community on our online platform:

where traditional self defense programs are focused on what you can do to the other guy, we're focused on what we can do for ourselves: our self growth, self confidence, and self trust.

Part of that journey includes self-empowerment, and we launched a new article featuring Certified Self Defense Instructor Avantika Jhanji's weekly Tarot inspiration and journal prompts to help readers map out their strategy to reach the best versions of themselves every week.

This week's card is Justice: Helping us learn to rebalance our relationships with others and ourselves. Check out the full reading and get the jourmal prompts on our Substack:

Weekly Tarot: Justice Will Be Served ⚖️✨ How to develop healthier dynamics in your relationships, including your relationship to yourself

If you haven't subscribed yet to our new platform on Substack, you're missing out on one of our best new features. Start every week with Empowerment Tarot with Avi, a Pretty Deadly Self Defense Certitifed Instructor. Avi gives us a quick video reading from Tarot, and for subscribers only, she gives thoughtful journal prompts to help us navigate the week ahead.

This week's card: Seven of Wands: The importance of advocating for yourself.

By Your Own Ally The Art of Advocating for Yourself - Why It’s Important and How to Get Started

Happy September! We're launching our newest feature in our weekly newsletter today: Empowerment Tarot with Pretty Deadly Certified Trainer Avantika Jhanji ! Starting today, Avi inspires us at the start of each week guided by Tarot.

For this week, it's all about going with your gut feeling. Get the full video and message at the link:

https://prettydeadly.substack.com/p/let-your-intuition-guide-you

and be sure to subscribe to our Substack so you never miss out on your weekly empowerment inspired readings!

Let your intuition guide you Our first weekly Empowerment Tarot reading with Pretty Deadly Certified Trainer and Empowerment Coach Avantika Jhanji!

Pretty Deadly Self Defense kicks off in Normandy, France! Read all about it in our latest newsletter :)

Beach Bodies Beautiful, powerful and pretty deadly!

Our latest newsletter on Substack just dropped -- meet this week's trainers, keep up with our events, and check out what's not so good, what's very good, and what's hopeful for the future 💜💪

Pretty Deadly Summer Schedule Time for a little R&R

❗️Did you know the Pretty Deadly Self Defense program was originally developed to help martial arts schools bring more women onto the mats through self defense courses?

Pretty Deadly provides a high-converting course template that has been selling out women's self defense courses for 8 years, combining unique teaching techniques for optimal engagement, and innovative class structure for optimal enjoyment, and that keeps women coming back every week, graduating every full course with a full house 💪💜

👉 Why do you even want more women in the dojo? From a martial arts perspective, it's a better balance of energies on the dojo floor. But from a business perspective, every woman is a golden goose: because she doesn't just take your course; if she likes it, she tells her friends, she signs her partner up for martial arts, she brings her kids to your kids' classes; she recruits her neighbors, the parents at her kids' school, her work friends...

♻️ A happy female client brings a whole community with her, right to your studio door.

🤔 So you *could* increase your client conversions from self defense to full time client from your current ~maybe~ 1% to 34%. But you stubborn martial artists want to keep doing the same thing that makes your self defense courses flop in the first place -- you want to believe that you know what women want better than women do.

And that's why we opened Pretty Deadly Instructor Certification to fitness pros and yoga instructors, because they're more focused on growing their business than their ego. 🧘‍♀️
🤷‍♀️ So go ahead, martial artists: keep spinning your wheels, exhausting yourself marketing and teaching for your one, single client that *may* stay for your full course... but may not.
OR you could get over yourself, open yourself up to a new way of learning and teaching self defense, and watch your business explode. It's up to you. 🥋

We've got upcoming self defense instructor certifications in the US, UK and EU.

Visit https://prettydeadlyselfdefense.com/become-a-trainer and register for the next certification near you!

Are you thinking of adding self defense to your fitness or martial arts studio? Whether you are a fitness or martial arts pro, Pretty Deadly Self Defense Instructor Certification brings a fresh take to self defense with a program that has been a solid success in Berlin for 8 years.

Our 30-hour hybrid online + live certification course includes methodology, soft leadership skills, safety protocols and, of course, self defense techniques that are easy to do and fun to teach.

We show you how to design an effective course, or you can use ours already-done-for-you format. With a 98% completion rate for every course, a 34% conversion from self defense student to full time client, and an average 4 year client longevity, Pretty Deady is good for business, good for your clients, and good for your community.

We have self defense certifications coming up in Chicago, Oakland, Glasgow, and Paris. Check our website for dates and get yourself ready for the back-to-school rush with body positive, empowering self defense classes that grow your client base and show your community you care.

Self Defense Instructor Certification & Course Curriculum for Women | Pretty Deadly Self Defense Learn natural body movement, balance, and dynamic structure with our self defense instructor certification program and course curriculum developed for women's self defense.

Our weekly newsletter just dropped. Check it out and sign up for more thoughtful content on self defense, GBV and world events (yes, it's related!)

Riding the Wave It's a big week ahead in global politics - how are you navigating it?