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We all have the power to create a better tomorrow, right now.
- Brandon Brooks

Self defense is about knowing your boundaries, trusting yourself, and never having to hide who you are.

We are a growing community of fitness professionals, martial artist, and people from all walks of life, who believe that self defense isn’t just about fighting back — it’s about presence, confidence, and trust in our own innate will to be; it’s about community, and an awareness of possibility. We believe the world is an open place, filled with just as much opportunity as danger.

We believe that everyone has a right to occupy their own space, and everyone has a right to agency over their own body.

Susie Kahlich is the founder of Pretty Deadly Self Defense, a user-friendly self defense system she developed based on her 20+ years of Ninjutsu training, her experience as a violent crime survivor and her training in storytelling. She is certified in DV awareness and support from University of Sheffield, and trained in CBT.

Susie has been teaching self defense since 2009 across the US and Europe, and has worked with violent crime survivors, trauma victims and refugee and immigrant communities on three different continents and in multiple cities around the world. She has given seminars and private workplace consultations on sexual harassment policies for tech start-ups, corporate media, co-working spaces , thinktanks and blockchain companies in Europe and the UK.

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ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Meet the Team

Susie Kahlich, Managing Director

Patricia Zegarra, Operations Manager

Julia Brasch, EU Master Trainer

Cristi Johnson, US Master Trainer

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The Pretty Deadly core team brings a combined 50 years of martial arts and fitness skillsets and knowledge, along with a deep commitment and field experience to empowering women with confidence, mental wellness, fitness and freedom of mobility.

OUR OUTREACH WORK

Pretty Deadly is a social impact company that believes in paying it forward. Our social enterprise and nonprofit partners help us reach more women.

If your organization is interested in becoming an Outreach Partner, please email hi [at] teamprettydeadly [dot] com and provide your region, area of focus and a brief description of the stakeholders your initiative currently works with or has plans to reach.