Category: Damsel in Defense

Stun Gun Training 101

Posted on December 7, 2018December 7, 2018 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Have you ever heard the sound of a stun gun before?

I can almost promise you that if you have then there is no mistaking that sound. I’ll even bet if you haven’t heard it before and one was turned on… you would know what it was without hesitation.

It’s unforgettable sound. One that instantly causes you to clinch. And guess what? That’s a good thing.

Yes, a very good thing.

Because if you know that sound and are weary of it then so will a would-be attacker. And friends, that’s a very good thing.

Not every woman feels comfortable carrying a gun. Not every place allows a gun. But every woman should be protected at all times. That’s where a stun gun comes in handy. It’s non-lethal. It’s easy to use. It can scare the bejesus out of someone.

If you’ve never held a stun gun before and have no clue why you would even consider one then I strongly encourage you to watch today’s video.

I’m going through a simple stun gun training to show the benefits of carrying a stun gun and the ease of using one. Let’s bust some myths when it comes to stun guns!

You can watch the stun gun training video online or down below:

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The stun gun mentioned in the video is the Get A Grip from Damsel in Defense. We are a company built to equip women with self-defense tools, educate you on how to use them so you feel empowered to protect your family. We do offer other stun guns such as the Striking Distance Stun Gun and the Gotcha Stun Gun that is disguised as a camera. So you can find a stun gun to fit your personal protection goals.

A stun gun doesn’t have to be a scary weapon or a taboo subject. When it comes to protecting yourself and your family there is probably nothing you wouldn’t do, right? So, let’s get you better protected or at least with a better understanding.

I go live every Wednesday morning over on Facebook to share a new Warrior Wednesday Tip so that you can feel empowered.

Winter Travel Safety Tips

Posted on November 30, 2018November 30, 2018 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Each Wednesday over on our Facebook Page, I go live to share a new Warrior Tip Wednesday. All about learning how to equip yourself and your family with self defense tools, educating you on how to use those tools so you feel empowered if a situation should arise where you need to use them.

It’s been pretty fun so far with sharing who Damsel in Defense is and why as a mom, I am so passionate about our mission. This week, I went through some great winter travel safety tips and thought you could benefit from them as well. No matter if you’re traveling far or sticking close to home, it’s always best to make sure your family is protected this holiday season.

These tips are perfect for long road trips or short drives across town, because let’s be honest, you never know what could happen. I remember a few years ago when J and I were just engaged I was traveling across Missouri to head home. I had been gone for work and needed to make the three hour drive home. I had been on the highway for just about an hour when all of sudden I noticed cars stopped ahead. I was no where near an exit so all I could do was keep moving forward. A few miles later I was at a complete stop with very little information. I had found out from a trucker next to me that there had been an accident due to the icy conditions and they had all traffic heading north closed. GREAT!

It took about 3 hours for officers to clean the highway before traffic was re-opened. THREE HOURS of just sitting in my car in 20 degree weather. Luckily I had a full tank of gas, some snacks and a blanket to keep me warm. After that incident I vowed to always be protected when traveling.

Check out our winter travel safety tips online or down below:

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Make sure to like our Facebook page so that you can get notified each week when I go live, which is typically Wednesday morning around 7:30 am CST.

Winter travel safety tips and products mentioned in this video:

Junk in the Trunk – roadside emergency kit

Road Trip – 6-in-1 emergency flashlight tool

Fleece Blanket

First Aid Kit

Who is Damsel in Defense? (The Mission, The Goal, The Products)

Posted on November 16, 2018November 16, 2018 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Have you heard of Damsel in Defense before?

No? Yes?

If you answered no then that’s okay. You’re not alone. I hadn’t heard of them until a few months ago when I was introduced at the woman’s conference I was apart of. Once I discovered them, I researched like a mad lady (researching is ingrained into me), and fell in love with their mission, their products, and their goal.

I’ve come across so many that have never heard of Damsel in Defense before so I went live over on my Facebook page a few days ago to share more. You can check out the video online or down below:

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Our mission consists of three principles that together we feel can change the world one Damsel at a time.

Damsel In Defense is…

EQUIPPING and giving women access to products that can protect them.

EMPOWERING women to protect themselves. Having an item in your hand in that dark parking lot just makes the walk to your car feel safer. It is not a false sense of security, it’s knowing that you are better off just carrying a deterrent than you were empty handed

EDUCATING women by providing them with resources to back up their purchase with self-defense training. Our relationships with our customers and our fight against the National Statistics does not end at the time of purchase.

Our company stands by self-defense products AND self-defense education. We realize that when you go to a gun shop and buy a gun that the clerk behind the counter does not take you to the shooting range to teach you all the ins and outs of aiming and firing; however, we feel it is in the best interest of all women to express the importance of self-defense education to our customers. We hope that you will consider equipping yourself with the self-defense training whether you purchase personal protection products or not. Please keep in mind that we do not sell lethal weapons – like guns, we sell personal protection products – like stun guns, pepper sprays, striking tools, and personal alarms.

Damsel In Defense offers a product line that runs alongside an emotionally charged topic. Because of this we understand that we may not always have a fan in every person we come across. We pride ourselves on continuously staying educated and informed on the most current information. There are some that believe that self-defense should be down and dirty and not be wrapped up in a pink package. We disagree. Unfortunately, women are intimidated enough by personal protection products. It takes a lot for a timid woman to fire a stun gun. Damsel In Defense prides itself on making women feel more comfortable about arming themselves. Where else is a woman more comfortable than surrounded by friends at a party in her own home? Now we can offer her one of our wonderful Damsel Pros to bring them directly to her. The reality is that we are bringing self-defense tools into homes of women who would have otherwise never purchased a product of this nature. They were just too intimidated to walk into a cop shop and worried that they may be viewed as paranoid by their peers. NOT ANYMORE.

If you live in Southeast Missouri or near south county St. Louis and are interested in hosting your own EMPOWER Hour then send me a message.

If you’re interested in learning more about our mission, you can check out my website HERE and I even recorded a video showcasing what all is included in our starter kits that you can watch HERE.

Self Defense Tips For Moms

Posted on October 26, 2018October 22, 2018 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

As Moms we try our best. We go without sleep when our kids need us. We push through the exhaustion, the stress and all the other things we have going on. We don’t stop even when our bodies crave sleep. We follow through until the end.

Our main goal – keeping our children safe so they can enjoy their childhood. We want them to learn lessons, but at the same time we want to protect them from the outside dangers.

One of the biggest fears we have as Moms is failing. Not being enough and not providing for our children.

For me, I have never once doubted how good of a mom I am. I know I am the best mom for my son. However, I know there are some areas I need to work on – my skills at being observant when we’re out and about.

Self Defense Tips For Mom

Put Your Phone Down

Having your phone at your fingertips is nice. How many of us pull out our phones as we walk through parking lots and stopped at stop lights? Probably most of us are guilty of it. But one of the biggest self defense tips is actually just putting your phone down. Without your phone in your hands your head will be up and your eyes will be forward.

Make eye contact with others as your pass them. You don’t have to stare, but make eye contact and smile or say hello. Show your confidence and secretly, you will be better able to identify someone later.

Be Observant Of Your Car

When you go to get into you car, come up from behind. Peek into your back windows and take a quick glance under your car. You can easily look under your car as you walk up from behind without having to bend over. Also, don’t unlock your car doors until you’re ready to open your door handle. If you place your child in their car seat then shut and lock the doors as you walk around to get in the driver’s seat.

Carry Your Keys Or A Striking Tool

If you walk through parking lots or garages, make sure you carry your keys as a weapon. You can easily place your keys in between your fingers to use as a self defense weapon. Another option is carrying a striking tool on a breakaway keychain connected to your purse. You can easily access your tool with a quick, swift pull and then have the ability to defend yourself from an attacker. A personal favorite is a striking tool that’s connected to my purse so it’s easily reachable if needed.

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Keep Pepper Spray Close

Do you carry pepper spray? If not, you should! It’s a staple in my purse when I’m out and about. It gives me a peace of mind knowing that I’m able to easily access my pepper spray to ward off attackers. When you purchase pepper spray, make sure you have one of the hottest ones available on the market and one with a UV indicator so that the perpetrator can be identified days later. One of my favorite pepper sprays comes with a glow-in-the-dark nozzle so that it can easily be seen in dark parking lots.

Wear An Alarm

Do you remember as a young girl having to wear a whistle around your neck to ward off strangers? No? Just me…? Weird. I remember wanting to wear a whistle to play teacher with friends, but my parents warned me that I should only blow the whistle if I was in trouble and needed them. Sometimes I think it was so I wouldn’t continuously blow it nonstop, but I know it was more of a safety issues.

What alarms do you wear? Do you even think about it? I’m sure you can easily wear a whistle around your neck or you can find a better, more discreet alternative. There are whistles disguised as necklaces, like this leaf one or one that can be connected to your keychain.

Teaching Your Kids Safety Tips

Play Games

Most kids love games, so you can easily find some sort of fun way to teach your child safety tips. Nowadays the conversations we need to have with our children can be hard. Really hard. So we need to make sure we’re preparing ourselves to have those conversations. You can purchase a game like this one or you can do your research and find your own ways.

Another great game is to teach your children to be observant. Ask them to describe cars in parking lots, shirts from people you pass, and so on. That’s our favorite game. As we walk through parking lots we describe the color and type of car we walk by. Now at two years old there is only so much he pays attention to or remembers for a longer period of time, but we’re working on it.

Describe favorite characters from TV shows or books – see if they can remember their outfits, their names and so on.

Know Your Child’s Schedule

Understanding your children’s school routine, after-school and weekend activities is the perfect way to be aware of what’s going on. Make sure you know what other adults are going to be around and if they’re staying at a friend’s house. Make yourself present at all of your children’s events so you become more aware of who is around.

Teach Them Stranger Danger

You can preach all day about stranger danger, but make sure your kid knows who and what a stranger is. Make sure they know who are not strangers. You can create a secret password between the family and your child. This helps to make sure they know and can easily tell who is a stranger.

Teach Them To Use A Personal Alarm

You can purchase your little on a whistle to wear so that if something should happen then they have a tool to use. Another option is a battery operated personal alarm. That has an easy to switch and even a flashlight for your child to hook to their keychain or carry inside their backpack.

Ready for more?

Tired of feeling overwhelmed from all. the. things. on your to-do list? Then grab my Cross Stress Off Guide. This easy-to-follow exercise will have you feeling more relaxed, calm and ready to take on the world. This guide is perfect for busy moms looking for ways to get more done in less time. Grab yours HERE.

Teaching Your Kids Halloween Safety

Posted on October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Are you gearing up some trick-or-treating adventures in the next week or so? We are! It’s our third official Halloween and the older our son gets, the more fun it becomes. As a child I really didn’t like Halloween. I spent most of the time sitting on my grandparents’ porch handing out candy with her. I didn’t like scary costumes, which meant I preferred to just sit out the whole trick-or-treating thing. Honestly, sitting on my grandparents’ porch handing out candy is some of my favorite memories as a little girl. But things are different now. Nowadays I couldn’t imagine a better Halloween then with our little man.

His excitement makes it all worth it. But as mom I am fully aware how dangerous Halloween can be. There are so many kids running around – in costume, they’re literally taking candy from strangers (which is what we tell them to never do), and in Southeast Missouri the weather is usually cold and wet.

Before heading out for Halloween make sure you prepare yourself and your little one to have a safe night. Here are some tips for teaching your kids Halloween safety this year and for making sure you’re prepared.

Inspect Candy

Before letting your little ones dig into their stockpile, make sure to take a quick look through it. Let them know they aren’t allowed to eat any until you all get home and can get in a well-lit area to inspect it. Check wrappers to make sure they haven’t been tampered with. Remove any candy that isn’t in its original wrapper or if it’s homemade. Check expiration dates to make sure everything is still good.

Also, you’re not just checking for tampered candy, but you’re also wanting to make sure you remove any candy that could be a choking hazard.

If you’re in doubt throw it away. And if you do find anything that has been tampered with – call the police and let them know the candy and the area you trick-or-treated in.

Areas You Know

This one goes with the same tip as below, but make sure if you’re going trick-or-treating you know the neighborhood. It’s recommended to travel to houses where you know the owners or feel comfortable. That way you don’t have to worry about candy (but should still inspect it) and can keep a good eye for any cars that look out of place.

Well Lit Subdivisions

If you walk from house-to-house make sure you select a neighborhood that’s well lit and in a good area of town. Try to hit the streets early and call it quits when it starts to get too dark. You want to make sure you stay in well lit areas with street lamps and close knit homes. We tend to stick to the main street we live off of and call it quits before dark hits, which means not a lot of time for trick-or-treating, but that’s okay. We would rather be safe than sorry.

Personal Alarms or Whistles

Your little ones should carry a battery-operated personal alarm or an emergency whistle. Teach them to use those alarms only when necessary – when they are afraid, when they are separated from you, or when they’re in danger. It’s hard to teach younger children to use it only when needed, but it can be done. So start practicing early and make sure you teach them who are strangers and who are not strangers. If you use a battery-operated personal alarm (like this one in blue or this one in pink) make sure it has a flashlight attached, too. That way they can see more easily to look for you if they get separated.

Learn To Protect Your Family (What Is Damsel in Defense)

Posted on October 10, 2018October 8, 2018 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Want to learn how to protect your family better?

Well in today’s post I’m sharing just how to do it.

There are resources, education and tools that you can utilize to protect your family and yourself from would-be attackers.

In today’s video I’m introducing you to Damsel in Defense. They are a great resource to have to help you learn more ways to protect your kids. Plus, I may go into a little emotional story about why it’s so important to me to be there for my son and what happened to me years ago.