State of the Holistic Self-Defense Revolution
Mujeres Fuertes builds holistic self-defense as a social practice in Costa Rica — confidence, community, and freedom from fear, rather than fear itself.
Writing archive
Essays & Travelogue
New writing lives on Substack — essays, notes, and the conversations I’m having now. This page is the Vagabondess Blog Archive: articles published August 2012 through March 2024.
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Continue Reading: State of the Holistic Self-Defense Revolution
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Yes, I’m Traveling Solo: Self-Defense as a Path to Freedom
Continue Reading: Yes, I’m Traveling Solo: Self-Defense as a Path to FreedomEmpowerment Self-Defense is a path to freedom for solo travelers: physical skills, verbal strategies, and the right to move through the world on your own terms.
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The Sacred Pause: from Dance to Self-Defense
Continue Reading: The Sacred Pause: from Dance to Self-DefenseOne breath can change everything. From the dance floor to a tense moment, the sacred pause is where reaction becomes a chosen response.
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Boundary Skills 101 for Festivals—& Life
Continue Reading: Boundary Skills 101 for Festivals—& LifeSix practical tools for boundary setting and assertive communication — for festival grounds, crowded joy, and the rest of ordinary life.
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4 Steps to Transform Self-Doubt into Self-BeliefBelieve in Yourself First
Continue Reading: 4 Steps to Transform Self-Doubt into Self-BeliefBelieve in Yourself FirstBelief is a practice, not a gift from someone else. Four steps for turning self-doubt into a steadier trust in your own voice.
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Every Day — and March 8 — is a Good Day to Fight for Women’s Rights
Continue Reading: Every Day — and March 8 — is a Good Day to Fight for Women’s RightsMarch 8 marks a struggle that never clocks out — a generational practice of showing up for women’s rights in workshops, streets, and ordinary days alike.
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How Empowerment Self-Defense Can Improve Our Relationships
Continue Reading: How Empowerment Self-Defense Can Improve Our RelationshipsThe same tools that keep us safe in crisis can transform how we love — ESD as a practice of agency, boundaries, and clearer everyday relationships.
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Assertive Communication for Solo Female Travelers
Continue Reading: Assertive Communication for Solo Female TravelersSolo travel asks us to speak clearly — to strangers, hosts, and ourselves — so the road stays an invitation instead of a threat.
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From Dreams to Action with Regenerative Living
Continue Reading: From Dreams to Action with Regenerative LivingFrom dreams to action: regenerative living as a daily craft of choosing places, people, and practices that give more than they take.
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Co-Living is More than a Buzzword—it’s a Lifestyle
Continue Reading: Co-Living is More than a Buzzword—it’s a LifestyleCo-living is more than a buzzword — it is a lifestyle of shared space, shared risk, and the courage to belong without disappearing.
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What is Transformational Travel, Really?
Continue Reading: What is Transformational Travel, Really?Transformational travel is not a hashtag. It is what happens when a journey rearranges how you see home, power, and yourself.
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The Floating Pirate Community you always wanted to Join is Real… & it has a Name
Continue Reading: The Floating Pirate Community you always wanted to Join is Real… & it has a NameA floating pirate community with a real name — and what it taught me about belonging at the edges of maps and norms.
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Don’t Ask me where I’m From, Ask me where Home Is
Continue Reading: Don’t Ask me where I’m From, Ask me where Home IsDon’t ask me where I’m from. Ask me where home is — and what it costs to keep answering that question on the road.
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No One is Talking about God (Poetry)
Continue Reading: No One is Talking about God (Poetry)A poem about God, silence, and the things we stop saying out loud when the world gets too loud to hear.
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“How Many Countries Have You Been To?” & Other Questions I Avoid
Continue Reading: “How Many Countries Have You Been To?” & Other Questions I AvoidNowhere on my website will you find a tally of countries I’ve visited. Several times, I’ve debated changing my policy about this. It appears to be de rigueur for writers and bloggers in my niche of adventure travel and digital nomadism.
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