Mission: What I Do
Teach women (and other populations perceived as vulnerable) simple and effective life skills to increase their safety against violence and abuse.
Vision: The Result of Our Successful MissionMore women who live fulfilling, engaging, active lives because they can accurately assess risks, plan and compensate around them, and have backup skills if necessary.
Values: The Core Commitments of Strategic LivingLife is to be enjoyed. At the same time, we want to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Life-long skills for confidence, safety and independence help you achieve both.
Most people are well-meaning, but there are a few who are deliberately mean. And sometimes even well-meaning people become emotionally overwhelmed and react with violence. Each threatening situation is unique, and sometimes self-defense is a choice between bad and worse. We plan to deal with violence, just in case, by leaning life skills for safety, confidence, and independence.
There's really only one reason to learn self-defense: to enhance your quality of life. To emPOWER you to make safety choices with confidence. To promote resilience and independence.
In these self-defense classes you learn to use your voice to say NO and STOP. Not exactly your positive relationship-building vocabulary. But we focus on saying NO and STOP to people and events that threaten to diminish your quality of life, so that you're ready to say YES! to all the cool, fun, challenging, exciting, and joyful people and events that are out there waiting for you.
How Strategic Living Puts Values into ActionThe atmosphere of these safety skills and self-defense classes reflects the values we wish to perpetuate: friendly, inviting and supportive. These are also the conditions for best learning. Student come from a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills; teachers work with students where they are at.
A constant focus is on simplicity and effectiveness of skills, since you'll have to remember them for the next 50 or so years. Accurate assessment of potential risks and how to mitigate them are crucial. Resilience, a predictor for success hen facing challenge and uncertainty, is a critical part of a thriving life skills mindset, and is cultivated in these classes.
Strategic Living is committed to making these life skills of confidence, safety, and independence accessible to anyone regardless of financial resources. Visit the Donated Class page to learn more about the program.
Learn more about Joanne Factor, Owner and Principal of Strategic Living.