In this raw and insightful episode, Pretty Deadly Self-Defense founder Susie Kahlich explores how seemingly random pieces of media—true crime podcasts, a childhood “Stranger Danger” assembly, even a high school driver’s ed video—can become life-saving tools in dangerous situations. Drawing from her personal experience as a violent crime survivor, and her work in trauma-informed self-defense, Susie unpacks how our brains absorb and store survival instincts through everyday content.This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about how we prepare ourselves for danger—of...
In this raw and insightful episode, Pretty Deadly Self-Defense founder Susie Kahlich explores how seemingly random pieces of media—true crime podcasts, a childhood “Stranger Danger” assembly, even a high school driver’s ed video—can become life-saving tools in dangerous situations. Drawing from her personal experience as a violent crime survivor, and her work in trauma-informed self-defense, Susie unpacks how our brains absorb and store survival instincts through everyday content.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about how we prepare ourselves for danger—often without realizing it.
🎯 What You’ll Learn:
- Why true crime podcasts are actually self-defense tools
- How women’s social conditioning can interfere with instinct—and how to push past it
- Real-life examples of how stored information surfaces in moments of danger
- Why self-defense education can (and should) go beyond the dojo
⏱️ Episode Highlights & Time Codes:
(00:46) – Why True Crime Podcasts Are Secretly Self-Defense Lessons
True crime’s popularity among women isn't about gore—it's subconscious training.
(01:23) – How Your Brain Stores Survival Tools Without You Knowing
From conversations to news stories, everything you consume becomes part of your defensive toolkit.
(02:39) – Real Story: A Woman Attacked in Berlin
A woman uses a piece of news she once read to instinctively try to protect herself during an assault—and how her survival instinct was dismissed even by herself.
(04:44) – The Cost of Being “Polite”
Susie discusses how immigrant women often suppress their instincts to avoid “being a bother,” and how dangerous that can be.
(06:07) – The Logic Behind Facing an Attacker
A moment of insight changes Susie’s perception of how self-defense instinct really works.
(07:20) – Susie’s Own Story: Stranger Danger at 32
A childhood PSA resurfaces 24 years later, helping Susie survive a brutal attack in her own home.
(08:26) – Driver’s Ed Saved My Life
A decades-old memory from a video on drunk drivers helped her body survive physical trauma.
(09:56) – You’re Probably Learning Self-Defense Without Realizing It
Everything from movies to songs to podcasts can train your brain to respond in danger—even if you’ve never taken a self-defense class.
(10:42) – No Class? No Problem.
Susie shares why even if you can’t access a class, listening to podcasts like this is still valid—and valuable—self-defense education.
🔗 Links & Resources:
- 💻 Visit: prettydeadlyselfdefense.com – Classes, workshops & certifications
- 📸 Follow: @teamprettydeadly on Instagram
- 🎥 Watch: @prettydeadlyboss on TikTok for rants on politics, capitalism, and feminist survival
- 🎶 Music: “Icarus Wish” by Dead Centuries (Berlin)
#selfdefense #womensafety #survivorstories #traumainformed #prettydeadly #truecrimepodcast #intuitiveinstincts #situationalawareness #selfdefensepodcast
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