My Body... My Life... | Program Information

About the Programs

My Body…My Life… programs are both fun and educational. We use personal stories, humor, practice and experience to help women develop self-esteem, boundary setting, build skills to recognize unsafe relationships, unsafe situations and provide the tools to protect your body and your life. We do this training in a variety of venues, ranging from school classrooms to public auditoriums. The author and developers of this program have over seventy years of combined experience in public speaking, through a variety of educational and professional venues, as well as through presenting this program in its many forms to schools, universities, professional organizations, civic organizations, businesses and government entities. The School Safety Advocacy Council (SSAC) has recognized the My Body…My Life… program with a prestigious National 2013 School Safety Award. The program has also received the Oklahoma Governor’s Commendation, the Oklahoma House of Representatives Citation and the 2013 Human Rights Award for their work combating violence against men and women in the schools and in the community.

My Body…My Life… is an evidence based program that displays promising practice in prevention of violence against women ages 13 to 93. My Body…My Life… uses a multi-disciplinary approach to create a stronger awareness in your life, address violence in its many forms and empower you to remove yourself from harm. The full program addresses awareness, empowerment, relationships, self-esteem, abuse, alcohol, drugs, internet and texting, stalking, bystander interventions, as well as physical self-defense techniques. My Body…My Life…addresses the myriad of issues surrounding dating, domestic and gender violence through simple visual, physical and auditory aids to help support increased understanding, development and retention with the audience; such as ‘intoxication’ goggles, experiential stories, videos, role playing and more.

Our programs are taught in every middle school and high school in Norman, Oklahoma. In the past school year, nearly a thousand students, both male and female, in the Norman Public Schools will have participated in these programs. The program has been taught to adults as well, encompassing university, civic, community, scholastic, church and business organizations and helping men and women of our community to understand and address dating, domestic and gender violence in an appropriate manner. These programs are now expanding across Oklahoma, with certified instructors teaching these programs in other cities in Oklahoma, certified instructors in the military teaching this program to military personnel and dependents at military installations, and certified instructors presenting and teaching for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, and the Muscogee Creek Nation. The programs have also been presented to the Department of Defense, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office and the United States Air Force for further assessment to use with the military. The programs have been taught as far away as Alaska, with Alaskan instructors teaching these programs to communities, schools and villages across Alaska. We hope to see you in a class soon!

What Participants Say...

Whenever we present our full program to women, we request that they let us know about their experiences in the class through the use of an evaluation form. We never ask for the names of the students, to allow them the anonymity to write what they truly believe. We have separated these endorsements by identifying only the group types that provided them to us. Students are the women who have actually taken the class and participated fully in its presentations. Professionals are the police officers, licensed counselors, nurses, doctors, rape and violence prevention specialists, teachers, school counselors, media and school administrators who have observed or taken our classes. Feel free to view the student comments on this page and professional comments on the endorsements page. We are very proud of our record with all of these individuals, organizations, businesses and community partners. Thank you to all of the individuals and groups who have shared in our program and in our hearts!

We utilize a short five question evaluation. Four questions relate to the perceptions of the person to the class. The fifth question is a control question. In twenty years of presenting this program in its many forms, we have never received a negative response to the control question. We feel that this is one of the most powerful statements about the importance and acceptance of our program by the women who have experienced the dynamic presentations, interactions and education provided through this program.

What Students Say...

"I'm really glad I took this class. It was really great and I'll take it again next year. I think all girls should take this class. Thank you!"

"This class was my eye opener. I enjoyed learning how to defend myself."

"The officers were very nice and funny and made me realize not to be so gullible and not to believe everything guys tell you!"

"The instructors are funny, but they talk to us in a way that we can understand, especially things about relationships and even rape."

"I think the class is amazing and that you guys should keep this class going. You guys were a huge impact on my life. I thank you guys so much!!!"

"I am so happy that I took this class, I have learned a lot!"

"Expand the program. Please!"

"I am going to take this class every year, until I graduate!:)"

"If you add more instructors, make sure they are funny and goofy, just like you all!"

"I am so grateful for the cops coming to teach us these things, because I have had friends raped and hurt. Having this class every year from 7th grade through college can help drop the number of rapes. I hope to see you guys again next year."

"You guys rock!!! Keep it up!"

"I think this program is really good for a lot of girls, especially girls whose moms don't teach them safety and common sense. My mom taught me a lot of the common sense stuff, but some of my friends are completely clueless."

"I would say keep this class going and NEVER, EVER, EVER stop doing this. Just keep up the good work!"

"It was a good class, and well taught, so that a majority of us could understand it and have fun doing it."

"Thank you for what you are doing. Rape affects too many women. I hope this class will change that."