Meet Nicole Snell of IMPACT Personal Safety & Students Fight Back

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Snell.

Nicole, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a speaker, workshop leader and self-defense instructor working in the Sexual Assault Prevention & Education field. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Cal State Long Beach with a BA in Speech Communication and started working in the entertainment industry on the production management side of the business. I moved up through several positions over the course of the years and although I loved the work and my co-workers, I felt the need to do more to help people and make positive changes in the world; specifically, to uplift and empower women.

Through a series of serendipitous events, I began working with a company contracted by the US Department of the Navy to provide sexual assault prevention training workshops (SAPR) for service members at military installations around the world. Through that unique work, I learned about Girls Fight Back! & Students Fight Back!, which are personal safety and self-defense programs that travel to colleges throughout the country to empower women and people of all genders with tools to reduce/manage/overcome/ moderate any sense of limitation or fear in their lives. I immediately reached out about how to get involved and a few months later they had an opening for an LA-based speaker. Part of the training included taking a full contact self-defense class conducted by IMPACT Personal Safety. I was fascinated by how the class was presented with not only a woman lead instructor but an equal focus on physical as well as verbal techniques. Knowing that I wanted to work with this organization too, I contacted their owner to discuss how I could get involved and I eventually worked my way from class assistant to Lead Instructor.

Over the last five years, I have led hundreds of workshops at over 150 military installations in 10 countries, spoken at over 40 colleges and organizations around the US and taught full contact self-defense classes for public & private groups (kids to adults), high schools and colleges across the country. The work that I do is incredibly rewarding and I love that I have the opportunity to educate and empower not only women but people of all genders and ages, to live confidently.

Has it been a smooth road?
For the most part, yes, it has been a smooth road. Changing careers to do this work was an easy choice to make because speaking to, instructing and educating people were what I truly loved and I knew they would bring me the most fulfillment in life. I am passionate about self-defense and personal empowerment and see both as ways to positively transform the world.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the IMPACT Personal Safety & Students Fight Back story. Tell us more about the business.
I have the pleasure of working for two companies with similar goals/missions. I am a Senior National Speaker for the Girls Fight Back! And Students Fight Back! Family of personal safety and self-defense programs. I travel across the country and speak to groups of all sizes and genders on a variety of topics including: bystander intervention strategies, boundary setting, verbal skills, and consent education. I also teach basic physical defense skills that I demonstrate with a student volunteer while the audience practices at their seats. Our audiences consist of colleges, high schools, corporations, and private events, so the program content can be customized to be the most relevant to that group. One such customization is our SAVE program designed for businesses/corporate audiences where I teach strategies to set boundaries with co-workers and address awkward encounters in addition to covering the other topics. I specialize in connecting with my audience and bringing relatable examples and stories to help them understand that they are not only capable of standing up for themselves and their needs, but they are worth it.

As a company, we are proud to have reached over 1 million people worldwide since 2001. We are also proud to hear the number of success stories of those who have used what we have taught to defend themselves or others. What sets us apart is our years of experience in violence prevention and interactive nature of the program which gets audiences to stand, take a stance & practice what they learn during the seminar.

Next, I am a Lead Instructor for IMPACT Personal Safety in Los Angeles, and I teach physical and verbal self-defense tools to my students. I lead classes, demonstrate full-contact fights and coach each student in their individual scenarios. IMPACT has been teaching adrenaline and scenario-based full-contact self-defense classes for over 30 years and believes in women and men working together to end the cycle of violence. I teach several of our local High School classes, Intro workshops, Kid’s classes, and the Women’s Basics classes both in LA and around the country. I love being part of a company that has women leading the classes. It’s important for the students to see other women being powerful both physically and verbally. This sets an example that we can all harness our strength and defend ourselves.

Several things set IMPACT apart. 1.) We offer students the chance to hit full force from their first day in class. Our padded instructors wear protective gear that keeps them safe while they simulate realistic assaults where students practice simple techniques using their full strength. 2.) We focus heavily on teaching verbal techniques and strategies. Our students role play with instructors and practice verbal skills to learn ways to navigate confrontations with potential assailants or anyone who does not respect their boundaries. Most students say their toughest challenge is the verbal training and it’s no coincidence that my favorite part of class is when they find their voices and say what they want with confidence and power.

We are proud of the thousands of students we have empowered over the years. Many have shared success stories of how our training has changed their lives or saved them from an encounter. I do this work because I want everyone to feel like they can do what they want in their life. They can travel or walk alone, speak up for their needs, tell someone what makes them uncomfortable and live fully without a laundry list of “don’ts” in order to be safe.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Over the next 5-10 years, I hope to see personal safety, self-defense and empowerment classes become standard offerings in elementary schools, junior high, high school, and colleges. Concepts about consent, awareness, boundaries, personal space, speaking up for oneself, and simple physical defense skills, should be taught from a young age, in order to build a foundation of autonomy, confidence, and respect in everyone. Not only do these matters affect people from a safety standpoint, but they can and do affect our relationships, our school/work lives and our family lives. That’s why the education and training on these topics are essential to creating a safer and more respectful world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.impactpersonalsafety.com & www.studentsfightback.com
• Phone: 310) 360-1096 & 866-769-9037
• Email: ImpactPersonalSafety@gmail.com & booking@kirklandproductions.com

Image Credit:
Hristo Shindov— The main photo where I’m sitting down next to a tree
Pink Dahlia Photography- The self-defense action shots
Jeff LaGrone— Photo of me standing in front of a very tall man doing a demonstration

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