The Ninjababes Podcast

What does being a bystander of abuse mean? As a bystander what can you do to help stop a situation of sexual abuse or violence? How can we normalize bystander culture like: checking in with friends, telling others when something seems wrong, and being respectful in talking to each other about our observations and feelings. What can we do better at our gyms? Today Cara Poalillo and Rachel Stewart talk all about learning how to recognize red flags in situations and how to speak up and tell people when something seems "off". We discuss ideas for gyms in making their environments more safe and building a culture of open communication.

Rachel Stewart is a ninja, a survivor or sexual violence, and a professional sexual violence prevention educator and victim advocate. Today she shares about what consent is and how that can look in gyms. We also talk in depth about respecting survivors that we know of or don't know of in our own communities.

Resources:

www.Rainn.org

https://www.loveisrespect.org/on-campus/resources/

https://www.scarleteen.com/need_help_now_a_guide_to_scarleteens_direct_services

Renee Caverly-Gillett is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in trauma therapy. Cara Poalillo and Renee discuss how to cope with the news of Drew Drechsel and the ripple affect of grief in the ninja warrior community. How can we respond to what is going on instead of only reacting in anger? There are ways that we can still value and develop our own goals and identity without feeling in despair.

Cara Poalillo and Whitney Miller are back for part 2 in discussing sexual abuse and how to make make gyms safer. Whitney was a From Darkness to Light counselor and has taught on consent and abuse. Today we talk about everything from coach training and screening, state mandated reporting, spotting consent, and running large events. We discuss several resources that gyms can use in improving their safety plans.

https://www.d2l.org/ From Darkness to Light resources

*Trigger Warning* Today's episode Whitney Miller and Cara Poalillo discuss sexual abuse, recognizing the warning signs, and discussing what makes a person "safe" or "unsafe". This content may be a trigger for some people who have been victim to abuse. The purpose of this episode is to help open up the lines of communication about sexual abuse in the light of recent events in the Ninja Warrior community and the devastating news that has come out about Drew Dreschel. Our guest today, Whitney Miller, has worked as a social worker at a Child Advocacy Center where she was an intake coordinator and provided crisis counseling. Whitney has also taught workshops in community prevention, and she shares some of that prevention and awareness wisdom with us today.

Brett Sims has competed in American Ninja Warrior since before the start of ANW in America. He competed for 2 seasons on Sasuke in Japan before ANW started in the US. Grace Sims has been a rock climber and competitor on ANW since season 7. Brett has a been coaching parkour and ninja for over 7 years. Grace and Brett are co-owners of Motive School of Movement in Greenville, SC. Today we discuss coaching in ninja, the differences in coaching females vs. males, and how to best empower girls to be confident in their abilities.

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We have been deep in discussion about gender bias and the question of 'does it exist in ninja warrior?' This episode, Cara explains the questions and feedback Ninjababes has gotten since the last two Gender Bias episodes related to this discussion. The three biggest topics are coaching females and males, ninja course design, and physiological differences between males and females. Take this survey to help guide the conversation of gender and ninja! Take our Gender Differences Survey

This is the Part 2 continuation of the Gender Bias episode with Mary Leighton. Let's talk all about Ninja Warrior and the topic of males and females competing on different courses. What would be the ramifications of dividing courses between men and women? Why does Ninjababes exist? How can we support one another in our female community? What is the future of female athletes in Ninja Warrior?

Should you care about gender bias? It effects the way you participate in sports and train at the gym; conversations like these could have a direct impact on your future in the sport of Ninja. Mary Leighton has her masters degree in leadership, and her capstone study was on gender bias and its effects on female leaders. When she is not researching the relevant issues of today, she is coaching ninja at Ultimate Obstacles in MA and has competed in the 1st Major of UNX, and in the National Ninja League World Finals.

"Strong Like Her" by Haley Shapley https://amzn.to/2Dve7uH

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This teen week episode is hosted by Marie Long. Ava Long is a circus performer and ninja warrior! She has competed on ANW Jr. season 1, come in 1st place in the National Ninja League, and has performed in circus all over the world. Ava has dreams of performing for Disney in circus arts. Find out what she thinks about girl power, following your dreams, and being a strong female ninja!

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