Your Step-By-Step Guide To Defend Yourself Like A Tough Cookie
Join My Travel Self Defense Course And Get:
√ Lifetime access to my Tough Cookie Travel Self Defense Course.
√ 8 course modules packed with 33 videos totaling over 170 minutes of lessons with me, Rebecca Ahn, your Tough Cookie Teacher.
√ Written transcripts and downloadable slides from the video lessons, so you can learn in whatever format is best for you.
√ Actionable worksheets in downloadable and editable PDF format to help keep you on track.
√ Downloadable guides with my recommendations on practice supplies, self defense gear, more advanced trainings, and additional resources for support.
Enrollment is now open. Click below to join the Course and Tough Cookie community!
“Rebecca and her Tough Cookie courses remind us gals that we’re all tough cookies at heart even if we don’t feel that way sometimes. I’d recommend the lessons to gals ready to step out of their comfort zones and get deeply in touch with their own inner tough cookies. So go ahead and take a bite outta Rebecca’s program!”
Amy Angelilli
Are You Tired Of Feeling Unsafe?
Want to be able to protect yourself? Protect your loved ones?
Have you been harassed? Assaulted? Abused? And had enough of that?
Are you nervous about going out alone, whether staying near home or traveling abroad?
I got your back, boo. Because you are not alone.
I’ve been where you are. I’ve been attacked. I’ve been frozen in fear. Felt uneasy walking down the street. Even as a trained martial artist and experienced traveler, I still get nervous when I’m out on the road by myself. It’s not easy navigating this harsh world as a woman+.
And yet, it can be hard to know what to do about it. I know learning self defense can seem overwhelming.
Where do I even start?
Does it have to be in person?
Is it going to be physically difficult and time consuming?
What if I’m not very big or fit or strong?
Unfortunately, the world of women’s self defense training has not offered us many solutions that are truly thoughtful, practical, accessible, and woman+ minded. Until now…
Welcome to Tough Cookie Travel Self Defense, the first truly comprehensive women’s self defense online course that’s actually designed FOR women+ like you BY a woman who’s been through it too.
The way I teach self defense is unique. Because I’ve actually been through it IRL. I don’t mean in martial arts matches or in a war zone. As much as I respect those experiences, they aren’t the same as the kind of self defense we face every day as women+.
I’m talking about being unexpectedly attacked.
I’ve had to suddenly defend myself. I’ve faced unforeseen violence where I live and on my travels. Both by strangers and people I knew well. And those experiences have made me a survivor. It’s taught me one key lesson that other self defense classes don’t tell you — self defense is about more than how to physically fight. So very much more.
I have been sharing this self defense training with women+ all over the US, both in corporate and private group settings as well as 1-on-1. And I know how to teach anyone, no matter how strong or fit or confident you are, how to stay safe wherever you go.
Not Just Another Self Defense Course
Worried you’re too small or weak to learn self defense?
I’m so sick and tired of “women’s self defense” training taught by yoked cis men who make you feel like you need to be super strong, expert martial artists to defend yourself.
YOU DO NOT.
Other self defense programs are designed and taught by these men, who can’t be expected to understand what we women+ actually experience on a daily basis. As a result, these other classes put far too much (if not all) emphasis on physical fighting, encouraging a mindset that kicking ass is the ultimate goal.
But self defense is NOT about fighting. It’s about surviving. That’s why we call ourselves survivors, not fighters. Contrary to what those men may tell you, you don’t need to be an expert fighter in order to survive. The real secret is to fight smarter, not tougher. With your mind as much as with your fists.
This is not another martial arts class or gym membership.
It’s not going to be a super intense and difficult workout. There will be some physical training, but I promise it will be very simple and easy, and only one small part of this program. The far more rigorous exercise I will ask of you will be mental exercises.
Beyond knowing how to fight, survival is also (really) about knowing…
- How to spot threats before they become violent.
- How to listen to your intuition and avoid or evade them.
- How to set and enforce boundaries to de-escalate them.
- Then how to heal from trauma and build yourself back stronger.
- How to share your story and support others, so we all can be stronger together.
- How to move through your life with more confidence and strength, and make yourself less of an easy target.
I say it all the time: self defense is as mental as it is physical. Maybe even more so.
It requires awareness, risk assessment, confidence, emotional regulation, and boundary setting. It’s as proactive as it is reactive. With strength and sensitivity. Action and awareness.
Sharpening your mental skills, as well as your physical skills, will give you a far better chance for survival. Especially when you’re traveling in less familiar territory (though it applies everywhere).
As women+, we are especially equipped to master these mental and emotional skills. And that’s quite helpful, considering the statistics show that assaults are overwhelmingly against women+. So we need all the help we can get.
Even learning the physical fighting part must come from a woman+’s perspective.
This Tough Cookie Travel Self Defense system will teach you how to fight back smarter, especially for a smaller woman+ against a larger (most often male) assailant. You don’t have to be a big strong superwoman to defend yourself. There is so much more you can do as a woman+ if you know how to leverage your body’s position, speed, and natural instincts with a few simple yet effective moves.
You’re already quite gifted at this if you can give yourself permission to own it. Your sensitivity is a superpower that can give you an advantage in fighting back or, better yet, in escaping the situation before it becomes violent.
Sure you may still have to fight. But as Mr. Miyagi said (and I’m paraphrasing here), we learn how to fight so that we don’t have to. Or if you prefer, embrace the words of Sun Tzu who wrote in The Art of War that “the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
The sad truth is we’re rarely taught that side of it. And we need to be. We need to be learning how to prevent and de-escalate violence, defeat it with our minds and voices as well as (or ideally instead of) our fists. Abuse is abuse, whether with words or fists. So any truly comprehensive self defense training needs to address both. Your very best protection is preparation, and your best case scenario is prevention.
Your ultimate goal is not to fight, but to escape to safety. It’s still self defense if you don’t fight at all.
So any women’s self defense training worth its salt needs to show you how to survive beyond fighting, ideally without ever having to fight. Both the mental and physical sides of self defense. You deserve to learn how to fight back like the strong, sensitive, emotionally intelligent Cookie you are.
I created Tough Cookie Self Defense to fill this need for women’s self defense that covers the entire spectrum of survival skills.
This is more comprehensive, holistic, and thoughtful women’s self defense training that truly speaks to a woman’s experience from a woman’s perspective. One that you can take online from anywhere, at any time, on your own schedule, and with the support of a global community of other women+ like you who are going through the same thing. Because you are not alone, and we are stronger together.
That’s what Tough Cookie Self Defense is all about. Strength. Sensitivity. And Sisterhood.
Throughout this program, Rebecca reinforces that mindset is critical. This is powerful because I now feel capable as well as strong. I learned concrete self defense moves and so much more!
Dr. Marcie Beigel
What’s In This Tough Cookie Course?
This Tough Cookie Self Defense Course is the ULTIMATE guide for women+ like you to stay safer and stronger wherever you go. It’s swift but mighty with 8 easy modules, each jam packed with an average of 22 minutes of meaty video lessons, step-by-step instructions, homework assignments, and downloadable checklists. And myself right there, guiding you the whole way through.
My simple 8-module system takes you through the essential mental and physical skills that maximize your chances of keeping yourself safe while taking the minimum amount of risk, starting with the least violent option and works you forward from there. Each step is super simple and logical, the previous step helping inform the next one. So it won’t be hard to remember what to do next when your adrenaline kicks into high gear.
I developed this system over many years of my own training and traveling, putting it into super simple steps that are easy to remember and execute when the panic sets in and you have mere seconds to react. But whether you use my system or someone else’s, all I care about is that you learn these steps and skills so you’re prepared to protect yourself wherever you are in your life and travels.
So in this Travel Self Defense Course, I will be your guide taking you through each of these steps, one-by-one, as easy as learning your ABCs…
Module 1: Introduction
In Module 1, you’ll start with an overview of the entire Course ahead of you, as well as the guidelines, materials, and mindset you’ll need to successfully complete it at your own pace and comfort level.
This module also includes some bonus video lessons on the value and lessons you can gain from a little humor and a touch of Zen to aid in these self defense lessons and your ongoing empowerment journey.
Your goal for this module is to decide on and gather together all of the practice supplies and support you will need to continue through the rest of this Course. The key to remember is to train as realistically as possible.
Module 2: A For Avoid
Module 2 all about the art of prevention, which is the surest means of protection. Awareness and risk assessment are key. This means mastering both your self and situational awareness, noticing what’s around you at all times, and paying attention to your own gut feelings about them.
In this module, you’ll learn how to be more aware of any potentially dangerous or suspicious situations around you so you can avoid them altogether. That is your very best case scenario.
Your goal for this module is to establish your habit of noticing everything around you, including how you are carrying yourself, as you go about your regular routes and stops so that you become a more cautious and less easy target.
Module 3: B For Backtrack
Module 3 teaches you what to do if you find yourself in danger you cannot avoid. The next best step is to get the hell out of there to a safe destination as quickly and safely as you can.
In this module, you’ll learn how to identify escape routes and people/places of safety. We’ll follow this handy acronym (or rather initialism) – ETGS: Escape To Gain Safety. This is your #1 goal in self defense. Not to fight, but to escape to safety. If you must fight in order to escape, then do so, but only as far as is necessary to get away. And no further.
Your goal for this module is to take that habit to the next level of noticing escape routes and reachable safe destinations whenever you sense potential dangers in your regular routes and stops, so you’re ready moving at any moment.
Module 4: C For Control
Module 4 covers what to do if you cannot escape. Only then do you prepare to fight. It’s vital to your survival that you maintain control of yourself and the situation (as far as you’re able). This means knowing your mental, physical, and legal boundaries, such as the local self defense laws.
In this module, you’ll learn how to find your ready stance, set and enforce your boundaries, attract attention for help, protect yourself legally, and (hopefully) de-escalate the situation.
Your goal for this module is to gain a strong understanding of your mental, physical, and legal boundaries, and feel prepared to set and enforce them whenever you need to.
Module 5: D For Defend
Module 5 teaches you the way of physically fighting back. There’s a reason this is not covered until now. Only if you cannot avoid, evade, or de-escalate the threat, and violence is your only viable option to get away to safety, then it’s time to physically fight off your assailant.
In this module, you’ll learn my 10 super simple yet effective moves that can be used in any situation on nearly every target striking point on your assailant’s body. I’ll also show you how to use your natural instincts, leverage, speed, and basic weapons to get the most out of your moves. Size is not everything. Not if you know how to use the gifts Mother Nature gave all of her girls.
Your goal for this module is to practice the physical moves you’ll use to defend yourself on your own (& ideally with a buddy) until they become muscle memory, all while discovering the empowering strength your body is truly capable of.
Module 6: E For Evince & Evaluate
Module 6 continues with what to do as soon as you get to safety. As hard as it may be, it’s important that you find people and authorities you trust and report what happened. Don’t let your assailant get away with it. Both for your own sake and the sake of their next target. True courage comes from facing your fear, not from the absence of it.
In this module, you’ll learn how to find and connect with people you trust to believe you and help you, including what to say, what evidence to give, and why talking about it can be powerful for your own recovery.
Your goal for this module is to identify how and to whom you will speak up and seek help after the assault is over so you can find justice, support, and healing for as long and as much as you need.
Module 7: F For Familiarize
Module 7 is all about practice, practice, practice. It may not always make perfect, but it does make prepared. The best prevention is preparation. In a real attack, you’ll only have a split second to react. So self defense needs to be instinct.
In this module, you’ll learn how to practice all of these Tough Cookie Self Defense lessons and moves until they are firmly engrained in your mental and muscle memory.
Your goal for this module is to develop an ongoing practice regimen for all of these ABC steps and moves to keep them fresh and instinctual as you continue living your life as fully, freely, and safely as possible.
Module 8: Final Review
Module 8 includes one final review of our whole Tough Cookie Self Defense Course, so you’re properly prepared to face the real life test beyond these lessons. You’ll also hear one final message from your Tough Cookie teacher and founder, Rebecca Ahn.
But this isn’t the very last word. From this moment on, you will be a lifetime member of our Tough Cookie Self Defense program and community, including ongoing meetups, events, and any updated course content, so you can continue to survive and thrive long after you’ve completed this Course.
What Is Travel Self Defense?
We can all agree on the importance of learning self defense. But making time to learn it is a different story.
So when do we really need to prioritize learning these safety skills?
The answer: When we’re about to go anywhere where we might need to use it. Like traveling!
If you are going traveling anytime soon, then let’s get you ready to travel safely!
I get it. I love to travel too. I’m what you might call a nomad. A wanderer. A vajabond. (See what I did there?) I’m also a trained martial artist, self defense instructor, and former stuntwoman who loves protecting myself and those I love.
So I decided to combine these two worlds I know so well and teach you how to travel safer, smarter, and stronger!
Every time you go ANYWHERE, you need to learn how to do so safely. So EVERY travel lesson should include elements of self defense. And every self defense class should prepare you for REAL scenarios you will encounter when moving about in the world.
Travel Self Defense means providing you with the self defense training that can save your life when you need it most: when you’re out traveling (though it really applies anywhere).
Traveling just means going places. So that’s what I’m going to show you: how to go places like a pro.
And it’s never been more important to learn how do this safely, as post-pandemic travel resumes while the world grows more divided and dangerous.
If you’re planning your next trip and want to learn these skills before you go, my Travel Self Defense Course will help prepare you to safely roam the world like a badass wandering warrior woman+. Like a Tough Cookie!
I am so grateful that I went through the Tough Cookie Self Defense program. Emphasis on how to avoid danger will impact my travels and everyday life as an adventurous independent woman.
Kirsten Anderson
I Designed This Course For YOU.
So you can learn however suits you best.
Learn anytime, anywhere, and whatever way you like with multiple training formats. Every lesson in every module comes with videos and their written transcripts, as well as downloadable PDFs of all the presented slides and worksheets to help you complete the homework exercises and drills. So you can do you however you will learn best and most effectively make it stick.
I created this as an online course for a reason. Partly because we’re in a pandemic that makes in-person training less safe. And it would be too ironic, not to mention dangerous, to make you learn how to stay safe in an unsafe environment. But even after this pandemic is over, online education is the future.
And I want every woman+ to be able to learn these skills, wherever they are.
Of course, learning self defense does require physical practice. But there are always ways to supplement that with the help of items and people around you, while being guided by these online lessons. And I heartily encourage the supplementing of this program with other in-person training (I even recommend a few for you). But I never want lack of access to in-person classes to prevent ANY woman+ from learning these vital skills.
You can also learn these skills no matter how much time you have.
I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, especially right now. Sure, learning self defense is one of those essential life necessities that’s worth the time commitment, but in reality I know that’s a very difficult thing to do. So I’m not going to ask for a lot of your time.
This Course is broken up into very small, digestible chunks for you. Each of the 8 modules contain 10-40 minutes of video lessons, with many of those broken up even further into shorter videos. So you never need to sit down with this Course for more than a few minutes at a time. Even the most busiest boss lady can manage that, can’t ya? Especially if it means learning how to be an even stronger, badass-er, tougher Cookie, one quick lesson at a time.
Let me show you how easy learning self defense can be.
If you’re looking for a holistic, realistic, more womanly way to learn how to defend yourself, then this program is for you. Get your Tough Cookie Self Defense Course membership now and see what we can do together!
Let me show you how fun it can be too!
Learning self defense doesn’t have to be super grim and intimidating. Of course, this is a very serious topic that we do not want to gloss over. But you also don’t want to let it take away all the joy and sparkle that makes you so vibrant and unique. All work and no play makes life dull indeed.
What good is protecting your life if you’re not enjoying your life?
I’m a big fan of infusing humor into everything. It’s not meant to make little or light of violence and abuse, or anyone’s experiences with it, but rather help bring some honesty and humanity and (dare I say) empowerment back into the subject. And humor can be a very natural and healthy way to deal with trauma. It can provide a much-needed tension release, a way to diffuse or neutralize a threat, or a means of connecting and commiserating with one another.
And that’s a good thing. Because this shit is hard enough already. There is no need to make it harder on yourself.
You can learn how to defend yourself and have fun at the same time!
TBH I Also Created This For Me…
I often joke that I was raised to a tomboy. My dad had no sons, so he raised my sisters and I to fill that role. He taught me how to punch and play sports. I lifted weights. I took martial arts. I arm-wrestled at lunch. And I loved to fight. As a result, I grew up an athlete and spunky spitfire with a penchant for getting into confrontations when anyone bothered my friends.
But as I grew up into a young woman and started to embrace my feminine side, I learned how differently my life would actually be from how I was raised – because of my gender. And how often I would be tested. I had learned how to fight, but not how to avoid violence and unravel abuse. Or how to build awareness, understand and set my boundaries, and face the fears inside of me. We women+ face exponentially more violence, harassment, and generally unwanted attention than men. Every day, we suffer cat calls walking down the street, demeaning comments in the office, and unsolicited touching, well, everywhere. In the US, women are 4 times more likely to be stalked and 10 times more likely to be raped than men (source).
So shouldn’t we be taught self defense by other women+ who have been through it too and truly understand what survival as a woman+ means?
I went in search of this for myself and discovered a shocking lack of women’s self defense courses that are actually designed and taught by women+. That teach the full scope of what it means to defend yourself as a woman+. All of the many men-led classes I took focused far more on the fighting part than the escaping-to-safety part. Throughout the lessons, I frequently had to raise my hand and ask the instructors, “So NOW do we get away to safety?” You should never have to remind your instructors to address that question during a self defense class.
Eventually I realized that if I want better female-focused female-led self defense training to exist, then I’d need to create it myself. Because I have been through it too. I’ve been attacked. I’ve had my boundaries violated. I’ve felt frozen in fear at what a man might do. And thanks to my tomboy childhood training, I’ve gotten away. I’ve survived. Now I want to teach other women+ like you how to do the same.
I’m doing this as much for me as for you. It’s a win-win.
Teaching you these skills will help me better embody them too. And the community we build together will help strengthen all of us. Because we are stronger together. So we Tough Cookies gotta stick together. That’s the only way we’re going to change this reality for all of us.
What Other Tough Cookies Are Saying!
But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what other women+ like you are saying about me and this Tough Cookie Travel Self Defense Course. I hope their stories inspire you to join our community and share your story as well.
Rebecca and her Tough Cookie courses remind us gals that we’re all tough cookies at heart even if we don’t feel that way sometimes. The videos are fun – and funny – which puts some levity into what can be a serious and heavy subject. For me personally, I felt like the program enabled me to develop a heightened sense of awareness about my surroundings – especially once the sun goes down. I’d recommend the lessons to gals ready to step out of their comfort zones and get deeply in touch with their own inner tough cookies. So go ahead and take a bite outta Rebecca’s program!
Amy Angelilli
As a single woman living alone in NYC, I knew having more self defense skills would be beneficial. I had no idea how beneficial until, just days after finishing this course, my skills were tested. Surprisingly I was able to stay calm, think clearly, and keep myself safe. Throughout this program, Rebecca reinforces that mindset is critical. This is powerful because I now feel capable as well as strong. I learned concrete self defense moves and so much more! Thank you Rebecca and Tough Cookie!
Dr. Marcie Beigel
I am so grateful that I went through the Tough Cookie Self Defense program as it is likely to be life changing and potentially life saving. Rebecca has a compelling presentation style that brings levity and fun to the learning without diminishing the seriousness of the topic. Emphasis on how to avoid danger will impact my travels and everyday life as an adventurous independent woman. The skills and techniques will be useful to know in situations I hope not to encounter. If I do find myself in danger the drills and practice prescribed will sure to be empowering. There isn’t a price I could put on that.
Kirsten Anderson
Okay, How Much Is This Course Going To Cost Me?
Let me ask you this: How much is your personal safety worth to you?
To be able to go anywhere, walk down any street, navigate any city, in any situation, and know with confidence that you can protect yourself no matter what happens? I’d say that value is priceless, but of course there’s always a cost in the real world. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, especially when that lunch is being threatened.
So let’s talk cost. Real talk.
Don’t you just hate when training courses bury their pricing info or make you jump through hoops and sign-ups before you can see it? Me too. I’m not going to do that. Tough Cookie is about being candid and compassionate. So here’s the deal, woman+ to woman+.
Times are tough. For all of us. And our wallets.
At the same time, the world has gotten more violent and dangerous in such tough times.
So these tools and trainings are more needed than ever!
Given all that, I’ve decided to significantly cut the price of my Course…
✨ from its original $264 launch price down to ONLY $94.99 on Udemy! ✨
I guarantee you this new price is now an EVEN MORE MAJOR STEAL compared to what you’d find elsewhere.
Other similarly thorough self defense programs will cost you somewhere between $350 to $1,600. Yikes. Ain’t nobody got the budget for that right now. We’re still hoping for another stimulus, amiright?
So at my new even lower, even sweeter Udemy price, this Course is now WAAAY more affordable and manageable in these here tough times. And as always, this price still comes with the same lifetime access to my full Course content and materials, always available to you whenever you need them.
Best of all, I offer a 60 Day Action-Based Money Back Guarantee.
What does “action-based” mean, you ask?
If you watch the video lessons, do the homework, complete the worksheets, and put to work everything you learn, and are STILL not completely satisfied with this Course within the first 60 days, I will give you 100% of your money back.
That is how much I believe in this program.
Sweet, But How Much Time Will This Course Take?
While my Course is comprehensive and thorough, it’s also designed to be super straightforward and simple to complete. Easy peasy.
Each of the 8 modules includes video lessons totaling an average of 22 minutes (and no more than 40 minutes) in length, plus one or two simple homework assignments you can do on your own schedule throughout the module as much or as little as you have the time.
You also don’t have to complete these modules on any specific schedule or timeframe, however mentioned throughout the Course. Obviously, faster is more ideal so that you can practice often and learn these skills quicker, and benefit from them sooner rather than later.
But if you don’t have much time, you can always take it at a slower pace. However fast or slow you are able and is best for you. You do you, boo. You have lifetime access to this Course and can take all the time in the world to complete it if you need.
Though you won’t really need that much time at all. I promise, this Course is much more bite-sized and easily digestible than it first appears. This is the way the cookie crumbles. So feel free to take it one crumb at a time.
Still Have Questions? I’ve Got Answers!
Feel free to peruse my list of Frequently Asked Questions. And if your question isn’t there, feel free to email me at toughcookiecorner@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to get back to you with an answer.
