Normally, On Her Own focuses on the kinds of issues that are especially relevant to women who are temporarily or permanently managing life without much in the way of outside help. Many of the topics are, of course, relevant to men, just as many of them aren’t relevant to every woman. I’d like to take
So ah…how’s that weather by you? It seems to have been a tough winter week across the United States, with unusual storms bringing snow and ice to just about everywhere. As a result, power has been interrupted for millions of people and roads have become difficult or impossible to pass. And we’re still in the
Much of On Her Own is about personal safety in the context of our normal, ordinary lives, but I’m not the only voice in this community. One of the others is Lee of The Obscene Sailor, who looks at these issues from a more male perspective. We join forces this month to talk about safety
We’re at the tail end now of Stalking Awareness Month and I’ve realized that I haven’t said much explicitly about it, although the discussions we’ve had about escaping violent ex-partners, worrying about people who may be following us, performing realistic risk assessments, understanding boundaries, and the like are all relevant. As with all crimes, anyone
As I was skimming the news the other day, I ran across a truly awful story. A young woman, Victoria Strauss, died with her head trapped between her car and car door, after hitting a parking garage payment kiosk. It looks like she dropped her credit card, leaned out of her car to get it,
The Internet is full of help, whether you ask for it or not. In the world of self defense and personal protection, we see it everywhere both online and off. Whether it’s a member of a group you’re part of, or an instructor you’re taking a class from…whether you should listen is a different story.
Let’s throw back today to a few concepts that everyone should remember, and that we often need constant reminders about: Self-defense is a human right. Anybody, everybody, has the right to defend themselves against those who would try to take away their lives. That includes the right to access, possess, and carry the tools that
“These strange men followed me around the store and then I saw them again when I was putting my groceries in my car. They walked right towards me and I just know they were going to attack me but they went away after I made eye contact with them so they knew that I saw
One of the most dangerous moments in a woman’s life is if and when she is leaving an abusive partner. The topic came up recently in one of the groups I’m in and it reminded me that with the holidays, this is a time of year when that happens. Spending time with loved ones can
Snow! While we got a respite from major snowstorms here in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast for the last few years, 2020 apparently wasn’t going to be complete without a large region being hit with a foot or more of snow all at once. Now that most of us have made some progress in digging out, let’s talk
