Category: Miscellaneous

Mentioned yesterday in 10 Safety Tactics For Women, this piece is an elaboration on the idea mentioned of “Lie To Survive.” Please share with the women in your life.

You do NOT owe a stranger anything. Remaining calm and answering with a lie can help you escape an uncomfortable or unsafe situation without it escalating.

Remember, somebody with bad intentions is looking for an easy target—lying can psychologically make things difficult for them. And getting away unscathed is the primary goal in self-defense.

• Elevator Alone: Doors open and a man enters and asks you if you live in the building.
  • “Nope, I’m going to my boyfriend’s apartment.”
  • “Nope, I’m in town visiting my brothers.”
  • “Nope, just visiting a bunch of friends I went to college with.”
• Uber / Lyft Alone: Driver asks if they’re taking you home.
  • “Nope, you’re actually taking me to my brother’s house.”
  • “Nope, you’re actually dropping me off at my bosses house for a business party.”
  • “Nope, you’re dropping me off at my uncle’s house—he’s actually a former Marine.”
• Coffee Shop/Bar Alone: A creep asks you, what’s a pretty girl like you doing here alone?
  • “I’m actually not alone—my boyfriend works here.”
  • “I’m actually just leaving—my dad is picking me up.”
  • “Does anybody know you’re here?”—“Yes, my boyfriend—he’s the bartender/bouncer.”

Is “No” a complete sentence? Yes.

Could you be rude/nasty? Yes.

Could you ignore them? Yes.

But this can escalate matters rather than the opposite.

Why plug in a male figure? It’s intimidating to them.

Caught in the lie? Ask the bartender/bouncer/employee to walk you to your car or get someone (even 911) on the phone.

The following was curated for a Women’s Self-Defense class being hosted at the martial arts school I teach at. Please share with the women in your life.

1. Immediately Lock Doors Behind You (When getting home, in your car, AirBnb, etc.)—Make it a habit.

2. Never Sit In A Parked Car And Scroll (Social Media, Emails, Texts, etc)—A distracted person is an easy target.

3. Never Accept Food, Drinks, or Mints From A Rideshare Driver—No matter how trustworthy or untampered with they look.

4. When Out Running/Jogging/Walking—Don’t have both ear/air pods in. You need to hear what’s around you.

5. Never Open Your Door To Anybody You Don’t Know—Not even a claimed delivery driver/utility worker. Didn’t track it and not expecting it? Don’t answer.

6. Date Safety Text: Always text to a family member or friend that includes your date’s full name, phone number, picture of what they look like, location & time, and safe word/phrase that signals you need help. 

7. Never Leave Your Drink Unattended—If it even leaves your line of vision, get a new one.

8. If You’re Ever Being Followed While Driving—Don’t go home. Make 3 right turns to confirm then call 911 & drive directly to a police station.

9. Never Say Any Of Your Personal Information Out Loud—Think: Doctor’s Offices, Pharmacies, etc. Hand them your ID or write it out on a note on your phone.

10. Never Tell Strangers You’re Alone. You’re not traveling alone, you don’t live alone, you’re not out alone, etc… ever. You’re always meeting somebody. Lie to survive.

The inner work is not just in reading… it’s in internalizing.

My name is Matt.

I’m here to help connect people to their higher calling.

In real life (IRL), I’m a martial artist who runs a brick-and-mortar martial arts school. It’s here—in a traditional martial arts setting that emphasizes respect, discipline, and unity—that I meet people face-to-face and we exercise our bodies, minds, and spirits together. There’s no phones, no hateful/toxic energy, or otherwise distractions. Just a sacred training space, a focused curriculum, and a community of open-minded individuals. I know how impactful a space like this can be on a person’s life because of how drastically it impacted mine—my current goal being to help open more locations that can serve others in similar ways.

Online, I’m a writer who helps busy people do inner work. It’s here—this blog to be exact—where I reflect on recent experiences, wrestle through things I’ve learned, and contemplate my current inner landscape so as to extract a written insight that can also be shared (and read in 1-minute or less).

MoveMe Quotes is my personal quote library turned public website that houses some of the best insights I’ve discovered on my own inner work journey. I’ve also written 30-day guides for the busy person to help them live life with less regret and build habits in an anti-hustle-culture way. And I do 1-on-1 coaching.

In addition to training martial arts and writing I love to read, rave, and play basketball. I’m definitely not a morning person. I definitely am a dog person. And I definitely don’t believe in pinky promises.

Thanks for being here with me :)

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Inner Work Prompt: How would you introduce yourself in 280 words or less?