We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Gaeta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
I would like my legacy to be that we have changed society’s ideas and myths surrounding assault and rape. I would like there to be so many people trained in IMPACT Personal Safety that we see an actual, real-life reduction or elimination of gender-based and interpersonal violence.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
40 years ago I was introduced to a self-defense program that would later become IMPACT Personal Safety. Up to this point, I thought that I would be working in government somehow. I have a BA in political science, a BA in communications, and an MA in public administration.

When I took my first self-defense class, I knew at that moment that my life had changed. I had never felt so strong, both physically and emotionally, in my whole life. I felt an exhilaration that I had never known before. I couldn’t believe that I had been told my whole life that I was weak, and here I was in this class knocking this padded assailant out, and the instructor telling me that I “hit as hard as a man”. I knew that I could not keep this information to myself, and that I had to tell as many people as possible that they could also physically defend themselves.

Back in the mid 1980s, people still believed that women were incapable of physically defending themselves. We were actually still being told by the police to “just submit and you’ll be OK”. As if the rape and assault themselves weren’t the actual violence.

I think that one of the myths that we’ve broken and one of the things that I’m most proud of, is that people are starting to realize that rape is violence, not sex. Rape, whether it is a stranger or someone you know, is always violent and incredibly frightening to the person being held against their will.

My journey was difficult. I had no real mentors in my life. The other people who were also being trained in this self-defense system were martial artists, and the fact that I was not a martial artist was a problem for them. I was not accepted fully into the group, I found myself having to figure things out on my own.

My mother told me that from the time I was a baby I wanted to do everything myself. But I think this experience also played into my introversion. I overcame the challenges by putting my head down and working hard. I also have had amazing people on my team throughout the years, who have helped me in my efforts, and helped in the evolution of the program. Most of my team today have been with me for over 20 years. I do have some new instructors as well, but my team has been devoted to our work and our goals for many years.

I want people to know that your life is worth fighting for. You have the ability to keep yourself safe; maybe not in every situation, but most of the conditions in which you might find yourself. Society has raised women to believe that they are weak and powerless. I want everyone to know that that is a lie. Women are powerful, and they are able to take care of themselves, given the right training to get over our societal conditioning. We realize that IMPACT is not for everyone. But the information, the verbal strategies, the gathering of context clues, all of these are valuable tools, whether you fight the padded assailant or not.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Ellen Snortland, she has been with me through thick and thin, since the beginning.

Website: https://www.impactpersonalsafety.com

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Image Credit:
Deborah Hart Photography

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